Eugene Music-KEED 1970-1972

I'm guessing that it's going to take me at least 3 or 4 more posts to finish my list from this time period. I'm getting to a section of this particular period that I want to open up on.
-Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean On Me": I have mentioned Bill Withers in my last entry about the trip I made to Santa Clara before I moved back there in the Fall of '72. I will never underestimate the impact that this man has made on me. His voice and his delivery spoke to me directly. This is his great gift. "Ain't No Sunshine" just blew me away continually when I used to listen to it. "Lean On Me" is a song which should never be forgotten. I wish I could hear people singing this to each other in the times we are living in right now. Listening to it back then was like listening to the Gospel Truth.
-Malo-"Sauvecito"-There was somebody beyond Santana making Latin music for me to be exposed to (even though I think a brother of his was a member of this band).
-The Rascals-"People Got To Be Free": This single form the late '60s ('68 I believe) got a lot of airplay on KEED. It was almost as if it was a current hit. I loved the message and I carried it with me.
-Zaeger & Evans-"In The Year 2525": Here's yet another '60s hit that got heavy airplay by KEED again. Depending on my mood and where my imagination was taking me whenever I happened to listen to this thing, I would sometimes get a little scared thinking of my own mortality.
-The Temptations-"Just My Imagination "Running Away With Me"-This was a killer for me. This was the song which made me an Eddie Kendricks fan for life. He would come back in late 1973 for me in a big way. Production values? This one should be required listening at any school for future producers.
-Gladys Knight & The Pips-"If I Were Your Woman": This song was the start, for me, of a now lifelong love affair with Gladys Kinight & The Pips. This song has delivery to burn by Gladys. If you don't believe what she's singing, then you have icewater in your veins.
-Chicago-"Colour My World", "25 or 6 To 4", "Beginnings", "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? "Saturday In The Park. I thought Chicago was a great band. I still do. I can't over that some critics have roasted these guys alive. All of these great late '60s and early '70s singles from the Terry Kath Era of the band were marvelous. By the way, who didn't want to be as hot a guitar player as Kath? The guy was a scorcher. Chicago was another band that you learned about arrangements from. They would keep up the great work when I moved back down to Santa Clara.
-Rod Stewart-"Maggie May" and "You Wear It Well": Here's where I got introduced to Ronnie Wood. This was when he was at his best and not with The Rolling Stones. Rod and the Faces material was to grow in importance to me as the '70s wore on.
-Jethro Tull-"Aqualung": This was my first exposure to Jethro Tull. The person who was to really drive home Tull's music was my brother Mike. He got hooked on them up here. Then, I would eventually get hooked on essentially the first four albums.
-Jackson Five-"I'll Be There", "ABC", "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save". For me, "I'll Be There" was the one that I felt the most. They were a great singles band. Strangely enough, over time, I feel like the Jacksons were overhyped in their importance in some regards. In later years, I would hear The Five Stairsteps and their song "Ooh Child" as part of a CD package that I have of their best material and I think they were far superior to the Jackson Five in the musical department. They were essentially the same age, but they were coming up with more sophisticated arrangements than the Jackson Five and the Motown people.
-The Free Movement-"I've Found Someone of My Own": This is a great little single about breaking up and moving on with your life. This was really mature stuff for a kid like me to be listening to.
-Chi Coltrane-"Thunder and Lightning": The thing I always remember about this song is her unbridled forward delivery.
-Betty Wright-"Clean Up Woman"-Simply put. This song is the real deal. There's no b.s. in this song whatsoever.
-Free-"All Right Now"-This was the start of my association with Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. They would later form Bad Company. It would take for me to be an adult to fully appreciate this band the way they should be. My God! The late Paul Kossoff was one hell of a guitar player. People, do yourself a favor and pick up the import U.K. Deluxe Edition of Fire and Water on the Universal label. The album is pure Blues influenced Heaven to me.