1970: The Retrospective

by Jason Warburg


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It's a year that has never demanded the same amount or intensity of attention as 1964 (The British Invasion) or 1967 (The Summer Of Love). And yet it is a year that shook worlds -- both the larger one and the musical one.

It was 1970, the year that everything changed.The Beatles broke up. Simon & Garfunkel drifted apart. Crosby Stills Nash & Young took a drug-and-ego fueled rollercoaster ride to the top before quickly flaming out. And the singer-songwriter movement -- the musical comfort food of the day -- blossomed in the hands of artists like James Taylor and Carole King.

For the Daily Vault's first retrospective in three years, we've selected not an artist, but a year: 1970.

The retrospective kicks off today with a special piece that frames the entire concept -- Aaron Jones' review of the recent David Browne book Fire And Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, And The Lost Story of 1970. From there, we'll tackle reviews of most of the major albums mentioned in the book, including classics by The Beatles, CSNY, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Paul Kantner, The Guess Who, Bob Dylan and others.

Beginning on October 15 and running every weekday through the end of the month, the Daily Vault will publish a string of brand-new reviews covering the musical highlights of the epochal year of 1970. Founded in January 1997, the Daily Vault has featured more than 7,300 reviews of more than 3,300 artists from all across the musical spectrum, written by a volunteer staff from around the world.

Previous Artist Of The Month retrospectives have spotlighted the work of artists from Tori Amos to Frank Zappa, including the Beatles, Depeche Mode, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Roxy Music, Yes and many others. Themed retrospectives have included punk, hip-hop, classic soul, classic jazz, Broadway musicals, Christian Contemporary Music, live albums, modern prog and Woodstock At 40.

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