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Meanwhile, reggae music continued to prosper under the guidance of Bob Marley. And things were really going well in the funk and soul arena. Good to great albums were put out by Bootsy Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Labelle, the Ohio Players, and both Parliament and Funkadelic.
Downers? The Beach Boys's ridiculous "Brian Is Back" campaign put them back in the public spotlight for the first time in nearly a decade, but it also resulted in a terrible album. Most of the prog rock bands produced nothing new (ELP, King Crimson, Yes), so there were forgettable solo albums by practicioners like Robert Fripp and Brian Eno; 60s dinosaurs like Ringo Starr and Bill Wyman were coasting on their fame; and the more crass soft rock stars like James Taylor continued to be remarkably popular despite retaining less and less artistic integrity with each passing album. Tower Of Power's live record was a sprawling mess. But that really was about it as far as the Hall of Shame goes. (JA)