Living in the 70s

Last week we celebrated Marty’s birthday, this week it’s Venetia’s turn. All of the tracks this week have been chosen by Marty in Venetia’s honour. Did he choose as well as Venetia did? We’ll soon find out. Happy birthday Venetia!

It’s Marty’s birthday! To celebrate, this week all of the tracks have been chosen by Venetia in Marty’s honour. Did she choose well? Marty will be the judge. Happy birthday Marty!

It’s that time of year again, when in recognition of a certain event on the Christian calendar (though with deeply pagan roots), we trawl through the Seventies musical canon for songs with a spiritual bent. And there are plenty to choose from. So if you fancy something a little uplifting to accompany you while you butter your hot cross buns and hunt for easter eggs, we’ve got the perfect playlist for you.

We had so much fun travelling down memory lane last week, paying track from artists we have seen live, that we though we would do it again.  This week we remember even more concerts, featuring artists who were releasing music in the Seventies.

There’s nothing quite like seeing your favourite musicians play live. This week our hosts remember concerts they’ve been to, featuring artists who were releasing music in the Seventies. It’s a trip down memory lane exploring the the incredible role that music plays in our lives, and a reminder to buy the tickets and get out there and go to the shows.

This show aired on Chill Out Festival Sunday, the festival in Daylesford in country Victoria that marks the end of Pride festivities and events for the year. To honour this fabulous event, we thought we would play some tracks that are either country, or country music inspired. It’s been a very long time since we’ve done a country show. It’s a broad genre – not all of it will be everyone’s cup of joe, but there’s bound to be something that gets you bootscooting. Yeehaw

This week our show aired on World Wildlife Day, so we thought we would feature songs with some kind of animal in the title. Not all of the animals are wild and, to be honest, most of them are metaphors, but we think it’s been a great theme to highlight just some of the amazing music from the Seventies. We’ve got snakes, dogs, eagles, spiders and many more. Where would we be without animals? Not just facing extinction ourselves, but also without metaphorical songwriting richness. Perhaps not quite as important as saving the planet, but a good reason nevertheless to take action to support wildlife. Just imagine if we could never aspire to soar like an eagle?

Aaah work. We all have to do it at some stage in our lives.  Sometimes we love it, sometimes it’s a grind, but everybody has to pay the bills somehow. It takes up a huge part of our lives, so it only stands to reason that songwriters are going to have something to say about it. Sure enough, there are a few songs out there talking about finding work, doing work and leaving work. So if you are at work and able to put on the headphones or the speakers to keep you company while you hustle, we have the perfect playlist.

On this week’s show we’re getting down, we’re getting it on, we’re steaming up the dance floor, and we’re having a boogie. So if your toes are tapping and you just can’t stay in your seat, you can blame it on the boogie. Or maybe, you can blame it on JOY’s Saturday Breakfast Show, as they challenged us to fill a whole show with songs with boogie in the title. Easy! We could have filled a few. And maybe we will.  In the meantime, here’s just a taster of Seventies boogie fabulousness.

On this show we play tracks that were recorded and released around 50 years ago. It’s impressive that so many of the artists responsible for those tracks are still going strong, with plenty still touring and making music. But sadly its inevitable that as the years pass, more of these artists pass away. On today’s show we celebrate some of those that left us in 2023. They may be gone, but their wonderful music lives on.

This week it’s our annual all Australian show, featuring Australian tracks by Australian artists (and perhaps a wee contribution from across the ditch). Some of these we’ve played before, some we haven’t, but they are all fabulous and serve to showcase the incredibly diverse talent in Australia in the Seventies.

It’s our first show for 2024 and, as has become tradition on Living in the 70s, we look back to songs released a half century ago in 1974. And what a great year for music this was! Funk was in its prime, bands were still exploring prog rock, and disco was just starting to emerge. So this week’s show presents a curated mix of classic numbers and little known gems, showcasing the brilliance of 1974.

It’s our New Years Eve party show! Yes we’re closing out the year with some classic Seventies party tracks, songs that make you tap your toes or bring partying to mind in some way. Old classics shall never be forgot, after all. It’s New Years Eve – its more than a feeling, and we should be dancing and living life in the fast lane. Happy new year!

Yes it’s that time of year again, we’re donning our gay apparel, decking the halls, stuffing the turkeys, and wrapping the prezzies. So many tasks, so many decisions, so much to do! Luckily we’re here to take the stress out of the music selection for the perfect Christmas celebration. Once again we bring you a delightful selection of 70s Christmas cash ins, err.. classics. So top up your eggnog, tuck into a mince pie and enjoy the show. Merry Christmas everyone!

As 2023 draws to a close, we take a look back at tracks that were number one hits 50 years ago. These songs are half a century old but still sound fresh (well, mostly), which just goes to show that music listeners in the Seventies had great taste. As do you 🙂

As the year limps toward a close, those of use who use music streaming services are getting sent our round ups of what we listened to most during the year. Unsurprisingly,  our hosts’ lists heavily feature songs and artists from the Seventies. So on this week’s show we feature tracks that appear in Marty and Venetia’s lists of most streamed songs from 2023.

30 Years ago on  December 1, World AIDS Day, JOY Radio was formed. Since then JOY has been a major part of the LGBTQIA+ community in Melbourne, and now around Australia. Media plays a hugely important role in helping us recognise ourselves, connect with community and explore and share our experiences, and JOY is no exception. So a big happy birthday to JOY!. Thank you so much for enabling us to share our show and our love of Seventies music. And in honour of the occasion, today’s show features artists from our fabulous LGBTIQA+ community.

Every November,  a handful of luminaries whose musical careers have spanned more than 25 years are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Given the career length requirements, its no surprise that artists from the 1970s often feature, and this year is no exception, with Kate Bush, Chaka Khan, Willie Nelson and Bernie Taupin all inducted.  The process for nominations and inductions are not without controversy,  but while we might wonder why some artists get overlooked (you don’t have to look hard to notice an outrageous lack of women, for example) it’s hard to argue with the worthiness of those that do make the list. In honour of this annual event, all artists featured on todays show are hall of fame inductees

This week, in honour of Universal Children’s Day, Marty and Venetia are embracing their inner child. It turns out plenty of Seventies artists did too,  writing songs about wild children, hot children, problem children and boogie children.  So get out your play dough and your colouring pencils and join us for some musical play time!

Stop! Have you heard? This week’s show features Seventies songs with ‘stop’ in the title! Our lovely fellow presenters from Weekend Breakfast challenged us with the theme, and we think we’ve risen to the challenge. So stop what you’re doing,  stop the distractions, stop listening to boring, and tune in to our stop show!

This week we’re going all meta and self referential. Yes, all the music on today’s show is about, well.. music! We love music, we’re into the music, we’re listening to the music, we’re playing that funky music.. you get the idea 🙂 So join us  and some great Seventies acts as we celebrate the fabulousness of music.
 

The Seventies was a great era for film and a great era for movie sound tracks. These week we pick some of our favourite songs from Seventies flicks. While not all of the films are worth revisiting, the music certainly is. So sit back, grab your popcorn and let us transport you to the big screen sounds from 50 years ago.

As we have discovered here at Living in the 70s, songwriters love a metaphor. On this week’s show we explore songs from the Seventies featuring food, usually as a stand in for something else – so sex is a custard pie, life is a minestrone and love is as sweet as honey. But sometimes it’s actually food, and Harlem is completely out of greens, because the vegetable man is on strike. Either way, these songs feed our souls in the most delightful and nourishing way. So come enjoy our banquet!
 

The Seventies featured some amazing female talent, but it could sometimes get lost in a sea of songs released by men. A 2017 study looking at the top 50 songs from every even numbered year between 1960 and 2008 found that out of the total of 1250 songs only 26% were performed by women, and 7.6% by mixed gender groups (ref). (Interestingly, the study also found that 57% of all songs used the word love,  and 22% of all songs included a sexual reference, typically via metaphor. No surprises there).
So to even the scales somewhat, every now and then here at Living in the 70s we like to dedicate an entire show to tracks released by female artists. Some of these artists made it big, some didn’t, but they were all fabulous.
 

It’s our birthday! Yes, Living in the 70s is 4 years old, and we have loved every minute of it. We hope that you have too. In honour of this momentous occasion, Marty and Venetia have chosen songs somehow related to the number 4. It turns out to make an eclectic but very enjoyable mix. Happy birthday to us!

This week features the International Day of Older Persons and, well, Marty and Venetia are undeniably older persons. In fact, if you search the JOY website for podcasts, you can find our show filed under the category of ‘elders’.  However, while the music from the 70s was made half a century ago (and add some years for your hosts), we think it remains as fresh as if it was made yesterday. This week we pick some of our faves to share with you.

Yes it’s another disco show! One of the most significant and perhaps influential musical genres to come out of the 1970s, disco forever democratised the dance floor. You didn’t need a partner to get your groove on. You didn’t need to be straight, white and following a man’s lead. You didn’t need to be doing certain steps at a particular time (though of course you could if you wished). You just needed to feel the beat and move your hips and get on out to the dance floor, baby. And many of the big disco hits of the day, still make us itch to dance, fifty years later.

There’s something about seeing the music you love performed live. While studio albums may have more polish, there’s an anergy and immediacy at a live performance that just can’t be beat. While some bands and solo artists from the 1970s are still active, many have now retired, or passed away, or the band has broken up – it was half a century ago, after all – and getting to a show is impossible. Well, thank goodness so many of the great concerts from that time were recorded and released on live albums.  Live albums are time machines, they take us back to the electrifying atmosphere, the crowd, the groove, the sweaty realness of the performance. On this week’s show we play some of our favourite tracks from some of the great live albums from the 1970s.

Did we mention last week that it’s Spring? Well it is, and we’re shaking off the Winter doldrums, feeling the sun on our faces and starting to feel a little frisky. It’s the time of year when, well… in the words of Bad Company, many of us “Feel Like Makin’ Love”.  If that’s you, and you need sound track to fit the mood, we have got you covered this week with our show chock full of sexy songs.

Aaaah it’s Spring and we are all unfurling in the sunshine like little darling buds of.. well, September. We’re opening up the doors and windows and letting in the light and looking for soundtracks that fit the mood. Well look no further, because it’s our Spring show, full of Seventies music to lift the spirits and welcome the sun.

Yes, the little 70s show that could has been going for 200 shows! That’s a lot of music, and to commemorate the occasional, Marty and Venetia have scrolled through the whole play list from every show and picked some tracks that they have really enjoyed discovering or sharing with you over the last almost 4 years. Thank you so much for listening. Here’s to 200 more!

This week, in honour of Marty’s nephew getting hitched, Living in the 70s is heading to the altar and playing tracks that have something to do with marriage. Not all the songs are happy, or romantic – turns out not all is fair in love or marriage – but they sure are fun.
Unfortunately, Venetia’s expensive microphone suddenly said “I don’t” halfway through the show, so some of the sound quality is less than stellar. Rest assured, she will be sourcing a new one before the next show.

This week it’s International Youth Day, so on today’s show we pay homage to some of our favourite Seventies artists who started their careers at a very young age. Some people just know, from the first moment they pick up a guitar, have their first solo in a choir or sit down at a piano, that making music is their life’s purpose. And some of those people are lucky enough to turn it into a brilliant career.

This week’s show is chock-a-block with scorching hits! Yes, it’s yet more ripper tracks from Seventies compilation albums. Who knows what we might play…

This week our show airs on International Friendship Day. And what says friendship more than sharing a microphone while staring deeply into each other’s eyes? And no, we aren’t talking about Marty and Venetia. We’re talking Seventies duets! Think Marvin and Diana, Barbra and Neil, Peaches and Herb. What could be better than good friends (or at least mostly cordial acquaintances) coming together and making beautiful music together? Not much, not much at all.
 

Life is a games and so is love, according to many of the artists featured on this week’s show. There is  a bit of skill, a touch of luck and a whole lot of strategy involved in making it through the vagaries of life and relationships. And in honour of World Chess Day, on this show we present a selection of tracks lamenting or celebrating the games we play.

Before streaming services, podcasts, the interwebs and search engines, if you wanted to discover new music you had to have a wide circle of friends, browse the record store, or attentively listen to the radio. And then along came the compilation album – a mix of a selection from the hits of the day and a few ‘filler’ tracks thrown in for substance and variety. Without the help of personalised algorithms, these albums could be hit and miss. But among the big hits could often be found some genuine lesser known gems that might take you to the work of artists that you had never heard before. So prepare to be dazzled with some explosive rippers on todays show featuring some of these fabulous tracks.

Last week we focused on the cold and wintry, this week we decided to at least entertain the fantasy of heat, even if the winter weather feels like it’s here to stay. So our tracks today have something to do with heat – most of them featuring the kind of heat generated by rubbing two people together. Phew… is it getting hot in here?

It cold and wet this week in many parts of Australia. The nights are long, the days short and grey, and the wind is whistling around the corners and finding its way under the collar of your coat. Great weather for sinking into the couch under a lap rug with your favourite tipple and tuning into a podcast, and we’ve put together the perfect wintery sound scape to keep you company. Brrr!

Yes here on Living in the 70s it’s our EOFY sale – fabulous Seventies tracks at bargain basement prices. We’re doing a stock take, clearing the back catalogue and letting things go for, well… basically nothing. Yes that’s right, everything must go. Sadly, not everything in life was free for our artists this week – not even love, it seems. Getting money, holding on to money and circulating money were real concerns. So it only seems fitting that just as the financial year draws to a close we do a show featuring all things money.

Last week the hosts had so much fun just picking five random songs we liked,  that this week we’ve decided to do it again. Marty gets a little schmaltzy and dives in his skin tight jeans ever more deeply into the pillowy realms of soft rock. While Venetia, wondering if Marty is quite ok, dons her beret and  black turtleneck and shares a couple more pretentious jazz-funk numbers from the smoky back room. It was a very big decade, the Seventies. Turns out there is plenty of room for everyone’s listening pleasure.

This week Marty and Venetia are flying without the auto pilot and heading wherever they like. Yes, that’s right, this show there is no theme. It host’s choice, or perhaps whim. Where will we land? Who knows – the Seventies offers numerous fabulous musical destinations. So join us as we take a little tour.

Aaah the hits keep coming, and we don’t mean of the musical kind. Sadly, the incredible Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock, has passed away. A powerhouse performer with a distinct rock vocal style, Tina managed to transition from one half of Seventies duo Ike and Tina Turner to forge an impressive solo career on her own terms, becoming one of the biggest and most loved stars of the 80s and beyond. So on this week’s show, we pay tribute to her stellar achievements by showcasing just some of the incredible music made by women in the Seventies.

This week saw the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, so our show of course features tracks from the 1970s all about peace and love and an end to fighting. As we discover, songs about peace seem to fall mostly in the early part of the decade as artists continue to respond to the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the Vietnam war (the USA pulled out in 1973). Many of the songs featured on the show have become classics, continuing to remind us that when we have a course of action to choose, we should be guided always by peace and love. Right on.

This week Marty and Venetia are cast away on a desert island. All we are allowed to bring along for entertainment is five albums each from the 1970s. For regular listeners to the show, the top five artists and albums we pick probably wont be too surprising. But their work is always worth playing again. We hope you enjoy, and maybe decide to come and join us on our little island retreat.

In honour of International Family Day, on this week’s show we’re playing tracks released by bands made up of family members.  There were quite a few acts in the 70s, particularly those consisting of siblings, usually brothers, but sometimes sisters too. Some bands were short lived but others are still performing and recording to this day. Whatever the case, we’re glad these family members decided to pick up instruments and make great music together and then share it with the world.

May the 4th be with you! In honour of the 4th of May, this week we decided to have a space themed show, playing songs to do with space, the planets and other galactic type things. Featuring solar powered guitars, women in the moon (called the moon), Saturn arising, and space rockets, the music this week will blast you into the stratosphere. So come join us among the spheres, and don’t forget your spacesuit!

Yes it’s the Radiothon show! Every year at about this time JOY asks our lovely listeners to dig into their pockets and send us some cash to help us fund another year of fabulous radio and podcasts. It costs almost $9000 a year to keep a one hour show like Living in the 70s on air, even with all the volunteers behind the microphones and behind the scenes making the magic happen. So if you love the show and love listening to the podcast – even if you’re listening to this after Radiothon has finished – consider making a donation or becoming a member. It’s easy – just hop on to joy.org.au and do it online or give us a call. Because together, we thrive.
 

It’s International Dance Day! Possibly the organisers didn’t have disco top of mind, but of course it’s the first thing that occurs to us, here at Living in the 70s. Arguably the 70s’ greatest contribution to the world of dance, disco is designed to get your toes tapping and your hips swinging and make the dance floor irresistible – even if that dancefloor is your loungeroom. So get your boogie on and join us as we celebrate that infectious beat!