California Jam 1974

[sodascouts]

I was looking at "This Day in Eagles History" and noticed that today was the day they played the "California Jam" concert in 1974, to a crowd of approximately 200,000 people. Can you imagine???

I looked at who else played that day on Wikipedia, and here's the list:

• Rare Earth
• Earth, Wind and Fire
• Eagles
• Seals & Crofts
• Black Oak Arkansas
• Black Sabbath
• Deep Purple
• Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Isn't it amazing that out of all those bands, only the Eagles would probably be recognizable to a younger generation of listeners today?

And they weren't even the headliners!

And for fun, here are some videos from that day. Don't they look adorable? They were really rockin'!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nccW-aCd7z4[/ame]


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4de2AQ4fA[/ame]


And you can download one more from GFO:
Take It Easy (California Jam 1974)
Download .mpg (59 megs)
Download .wmv (12 megs)

[TimothyBFan]

Those were great to see again. Ah --how young they were! Loved Randy's hair! Thanks for posting those!!

[Freypower]

I think Deep Purple remain extremely well known even to younger listeners for Smoke On The Water if nothing else. Black Sabbath are still heavy metal icons. ELP are probably still big with 'prog rock' fans. My husband always jokes with me that the Eagles supported Deep Purple but the point is the Eagles were still on the way up and Purple were at the peak of their career (although David Coverdale had replaced Ian Gillan).

[sodascouts]

I think maybe folks over 30 would get Smoke on the Water for Deep Purple, but would be hard-pressed to name another song. As for Black Sabbath, unfortunately the younger set know them more as the band from whence came Ozzy Osbourne, brain-addled star of reality TV - not for their music.

I know in my own case, I've never even heard of ELP before now. I couldn't name you one other Deep Purple song, nor could I name even one Black Sabbath song. Admittedly, I wasn't allowed to listen to Black Sabbath when they were big, but I never had any desire to even when I got older. I'm sure they have a metalhead following that scrambles to see OzzFest every year, but the mainstream... not so much.

[Freypower]

Everyone is different. Perhaps I am showing my age here; I am 48.

Black Sabbath's most famous song is Paranoid.

Some of Purple's other famous songs are Child In Time, Highway Star, Woman From Tokyo, Stormbringer, Burn, Space Truckin', Strange Kind Of Woman, Black Night.

As for ELP they were/are probably better known in Britain.

[Koala]

Deep Purple I know, from them are really great songs.
However I know from the other bands only the name or one or two songs, I think it is no question of the age, I am 30,
only of the taste, whether you likes a band and their music or not!
But the other groups interest me simple not so much.

[Maleah]

I think maybe folks over 30 would get Smoke on the Water for Deep Purple, but would be hard-pressed to name another song. As for Black Sabbath, unfortunately the younger set know them more as the band from whence came Ozzy Osbourne, brain-addled star of reality TV - not for their music.

I know in my own case, I've never even heard of ELP before now. I couldn't name you one other Deep Purple song, nor could I name even one Black Sabbath song. Admittedly, I wasn't allowed to listen to Black Sabbath when they were big, but I never had any desire to even when I got older. I'm sure they have a metalhead following that scrambles to see OzzFest every year, but the mainstream... not so much.

Ditto for me. That's the only song I know of Deep Purple. I've never been a hard rock/metal fan so Black Sabbath never interested me and still doesn't. The only reason I knew who they even are is like you said, Ozzy. And the only song I even remember of him is Crazy Train. lol Never even heard of any of the rest of them except for Earth, Wind, and Fire. They do Shining Star right? maybe? maybe not lol

[Freypower]

Earth, Wind & Fire became very popular in the late 70s/80s with hits such as Shining Star, as you said, September and Fantasy. They were a black funk/pop band. Seals & Croft were a folk duo who had hits with Diamond Girl & Summer Breeze. I think Rare Earth were also folky & Black Oak Arkansas were a 'Southern' band like Lynyrd Skynrd.

Regarding Deep Purple I suppose that being Australian I had more exposure to British bands. You will have to take it from me that for a brief period they became almost as big as Led Zeppelin, hence their topping the bill at California Jam.

[DJ]

I think maybe folks over 30 would get Smoke on the Water for Deep Purple, but would be hard-pressed to name another song. As for Black Sabbath, unfortunately the younger set know them more as the band from whence came Ozzy Osbourne, brain-addled star of reality TV - not for their music.

I know in my own case, I've never even heard of ELP before now. I couldn't name you one other Deep Purple song, nor could I name even one Black Sabbath song. Admittedly, I wasn't allowed to listen to Black Sabbath when they were big, but I never had any desire to even when I got older. I'm sure they have a metalhead following that scrambles to see OzzFest every year, but the mainstream... not so much.

Space Truckin and Highway Star were two of my favorite Deep Purple Songs!
(I am) Ironman was a huge Black Sabbath tune. Very heavy metal.

[irga]

Oh Gosh... I was born in the wrong place... and at the wrong time...