Song of the Week – Angry Eyes, Loggins & Messina

Ignored           Obscured            Restored

In high school, I was a big fan of Loggins & Messina.  If I could transport the current me back to the early ‘70s I might ridicule the young me’s taste.  But I still enjoy listening to a lot of their music when I hear it today.  I’ll admit they are a “guilty pleasure” and leave it at that.

That medley of “Lovin’ Me/To Make a Woman Feel Wanted/Peace of Mind” from their Sittin’ In debut still satisfies.  But one of my favorites is the final track on their 1972 second, eponymous album – “Angry Eyes.”

“Angry Eyes” was the template for the “long song” feature on each of their next few albums.  There was “Pathway to Glory” on Full Sail, and “Be Free” on Mother Lode.  All open with a traditional song melody and lyric but evolve into a progressive “jam.”  I use the term jam loosely because the structure is not improvisational – it is a well orchestrated composition.

“Angry Eyes” flows a lot like the Rolling Stones “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” – which is truly a jam – but is less bluesy and uses a wider variety of instrumentation.  Still, it creates emotional ebbs and flows that are very pleasing to the ear.

In concert, “Angry Eyes” was a Loggins and Messina staple.  I was fortunate to see them at Cornell University in March of ’73.  Jim Croce was their support act.  I was lucky to have the chance to see Croce too, as he died in a plane crash in Louisiana six months later in September ’73.

Enjoy… until next week.

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