TheComplete Guide

What is Fuzz?It’s a word to symbolize a feeling. A tidy label to give to a kind of music that many would define as a subset of “soft rock.” It was a type of scene, a kind of aesthetic, a kind of mentality during the 70s.

Over time, as we’ve come to understand it better, it could be the lynchpin to understanding the “masculine mystique” during that decade. Its something so obvious, but it has so far escaped critical notice.

It’s like a mountain right under our nose. It’s titanic. Or is it a figment of our imagination?

First, let’s set the stage. The 70s were a complicated time. It was hard getting over the 60s. Famously, in retrospect, it’s seen that 1968 was a turning point. It was the zenith of the hippie movement. After that watershed year, the hippies began to lose their hold on the cutlural zeitgeist. In many ways, it’s likely that America’s youth cultural had been surprised by its own strength, but also confounded by its inability to reach its goals. Baby boomers had experienced a cultural awakening during the summer of love, but it was followed close behind by a rude awakening into the real world. They discovered they couldn’t stop the war in

Vietnam. They couldn’t stop “the Man.” So maybe instead of trying to change the world, they decided to focus on their own pleasure—on getting their kicks while the getting was good.

There is no real term to describe what became of the main body of hippie dilettantes during the 70s. Real, devoted, hippies never gave up, but the majority of the youth that had been swept up in that movement when it was mainstream was cast adrift. They were left sitting in their denim, with their long hair and their weed wondering “what happened?”

It is our hypothesis that the baby boom-ers collectively gathered themselves up, took off their tie-dye, put on their shades, hopped in their custom vans, and turned on the 8-track before physically and met-aphorically heading out on the highway to fall in love with a new kind of music called “soft rock.”

Put simply, “Fuzz” is a term we’ve coined for this new kind of leisure-suit-loving, sensitive but macho, culture that quietly took over America the better part of a decade. The 60s introduced long hair and shag carpeting, but now the carpet was there to help soften the interior of the custom van and the hair sprouting from chests and upper lips became an emblem of virility.

So in your imagination, reach out and touch the shag in your own custom van, run your hands through your hair.

And feel the Fuzz.

FULL FRONTAL FUZZ

This guide covers everything we know about the Fuzz phenomenon, from top to bottom. But if you wanted to boil it down to only two words, those words would be women and vans.

Popular Musical Genre Spectrum[Soft Rock focus - circa 1970s]

SAP

WANK

SOUL

FOLK

YACHTPOP

DISCO

FUNK

To better understand what Fuzz music is, let’s talk about what it is not.

SAP - This is a term we invented for the slow, weepy, and overly sensitive music of people like Eric Carmen, Barry Manilow, etc. But bands from other genres can write a Sap song, too. “Beth” by Kiss is “Sap.”

YACHT - We didn’t invent this term, but it is the type of soft stuff you could imagine on your sailboat (the van of the sea). Examples would be Christopher Cross, Poco, Toto (Poco’s evil twin) and the Yacht/Sap crossover, Air Supply.

FOLK - This should be pretty obvious. In the 70s, this genre was represented by people like Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, etc.

SOUL - This genre would include a lot of R&B as well: Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, Spinners, Marvin Gaye, etc.

WANK - This is another term we made up. It is hard guitar-driven rock by bands like Kiss, Ted Nugent, Slade, Foghat, Thin Lizzy, Sweet, Billy Squier, etc.

FUNK - You know what the funk we’re talking about here.

DISCO - Again, this genre is obvious, but it’s important to see how it overlaps with Pop, Funk, and Fuzz. This is a continuum.

POP - This brings us back to overlap with Sap. Want to hear a Pop/Sap cross-over band, turn on Captain & Tenille.

We stumbled on this idea, this era, this cultural movement without a name more than a decade ago—around the year 2000. We discovered it through the music. It all started when we began to curate a playlist of songs from the 70s that had something in common. They all had a similar feeling.They were all soft rock songs, but they weren’t too soft. They were all well-known, or at least easily recognized because they were hits that remained in classic rock circulation. But they were often by bands with obscure names that the average guy today might not recognize, artists with names like Starbuck, Firefall, Pablo Cruise, Player, and Ambrosia—even long-winded names like Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Climax Blues Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and England Dan and John Ford Coley.

But all these songs, even if unfamiliar by name, are instantly recognizable. They are beyond “one hit wonders.” They are stitched into the fabric of our classic rock history, and in most cases—because they are so ubiquitous—they transport you back in time to other times you heard the songs: in the car, in the pizza parlor, in the elevator or the drug store. So it’s not exactly accurate to call the songs “obscure.” Most of them are as familiar as an old baseball glove. They have been played on FM radio stations now for almost 40 years.

How We Found the Fuzz THE MUSIC GENRE SPECTRUM

Fuzz overlaps with many other kinds of music from the 70s, so you may find songs with multiple genres represented in a single song.

Fuzz Fundamentals

1ShShagcarpeting

6DDenim

7HHair

9MMarijuana

2CCigarettes(high-tar)

13PyPolyester

14CsCasual sex

15MMellowness

16RaRamblin’

17SuSunglasses

18CuCut-offs

8JnJeans(bell-bottomed)

19TqTequila

23NyNaugahyde

24MuMustaches

25OrOrange(color)

26AiAirbrushartwork

27IoIron-on tees

28BoBoots (old)

29GaGallo wine

33SwSimulatedwoodgrain

34BrBreasts(natural)

35FuForgottenunderwear

36TrTrucking

37EnEnglishLeather

38SfSafari suit

39MxMexicanfood

43CrCorduroy

44FeFeatheredhair

45SuSunsets

55KtKeep-ontruckin dude

46StStagflation

47HkHai Karate

48PlPlatformshoes

49FnFondue

53RhMacramé

54SbSideburns

56CoCocaine

3VVans(custom)

4EtEight-tracktape

5AgAcousticguitar

10PbPlayboy

11HfHi-fi

12FbFat Bass

20HoHot tubs

21TuTurntable

22KeKeyboard

30CaCaptain’schair

31HeHeadphones

32EgElectric guitar

40CbCB Radio

41VyVinyl LPs

42LdLudwig drums

50WbWaterbeds

51FmFM Radio

52SxSaxophone

57FkFlokati rugs

58SaString art

59SiSitar

MATERIALS BODY IDEAS/ACTIVITIES WEARABLES CONSUMABLES VEHICLES/OBJECTS INSTRUMENTS

CONFIGURED FOR PLEASURE

“LIBRA” custom van layout “TAURUS” “VIRGO”

MUSIC INDUSTRY BREAKTHROUGHS

Radio DJs changed from entertainers (Wolfman Jack) to something more like tas-temakers by exposing listeners to new artists.

FM radio also reached maturity in the 70s. AM radio had the advantage of broadcast range, but the quality of the audio is generally poor. So broadcasted music was now more often in stereo and the focus on musical nuance/variety.

The invention of the 8-track tape allowed people to play entire albums in their cars. So when you were travelling (or partying) in your mobile pleasure palace, you could enjoy more complex or introspective cuts than the hits you heard on the radio.

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF FUZZ

To understand what kinds of elements go into creating the “Fuzz molecule,” study the table below and practice getting the chemistry just right.

Sundown

Moonlight Feels Right

I’d Really Love To See You Tonight

Love Is Alive

Just Remember I Love You

I Am So Into You

Wishing You Were Here

Alone Again Naturally

Rock On

Tin Man

Afternoon Delight

Let Your Love Flow

Escape (Pina Colada Song)

Magnet and Steel

Summer Breeze

You Are The Woman

Sentimental Lady

When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman

The Air That I Breathe

Gordon Lightfoot

Starbuck

England Dan & John Ford Coley 6

Gary Wright

Firefall

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Chicago

Gilbert O’Sullivan

David Essex

America

Starland Vocal Band

Bellamy Brothers

Rupert Holmes

Walter Egan

Seals & Croft

Firefall

Bob Welch

Dr. Hook 4

The Hollies

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Fuzz Volume 1 (originally compiled – 2000)

FIREFALL

Each of the three CDs has an artist that has multiple tracks represented in the mix. In the case of Fuzz 1 the first superstar band was Firefall with the very fuzzy “Just Remember I Love You” and “You Are The Woman.”

Ventura Highway

Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)

Lowdown

On And On

Kiss You All Over

Baby Come Back

Make It With You

Miracles

How Deep Is Your Love?

Love Will Find A Way

Spooky

Right Down The Line

Sara Smiles

Jackie Blue

Undercover Angel

Anytime

Whatcha Gonna Do

South City Midnight Lady

I Love You

America

Looking Glass

Boz Skaggs

Stephen Bishop

Exile

Player

Bread

Jefferson Starship

Bee Gees

Pablo Cruise

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Gerry Rafferty 4

Hall & Oates

Ozark Mountain Daredevils

Alan O’Day

Journey

Pablo Cruise

Doobie Brothers

Climax Blues Band

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Fuzz Volume 2 (originally compiled – 2002)

PABLO CRUISE

The band featured the most on the second mix is Pablo Cruise with the

funky Fuzz crossover tunes “Whatcha Gonna Do” and

“Love Will Find A Way.”

How Long

Couldn’t Get It Right

Baker Street

Devil Woman

She’s Gone

Another Saturday Night

Guitar Man

I Keep Forgettin’

Ah! Leah!

Sharing The Night Together

Blinded By The Light

Dirty Work

Steal Away

How Much I Feel

Smoke From A Distant Fire

I Saw The Light

Come And Get Your Love

Shadow Dancing

Holding On To Yesterday

Ace

Climax Blues Band 4

Gerry Rafferty

Cliff Richard

Hall & Oates

Cat Stevens

Bread

Michael McDonald

Donnie Iris

Dr. Hook

Manfred Mann

Steely Dan

Robbie Dupree

Ambrosia

Sanford-Townsend Band

Todd Rundgren

Redbone

Andy Gibb

Ambrosia

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Fuzz Volume 3 (originally compiled – 2012)

AMBROSIA

The standout of Fuzz 3 is Ambrosia with the synthy

pop of “How Much I Feel” and a melancholy ballad

which could sum up the whole Fuzz Project called

“Holding On To Yesterday.”

But what about _____?There are a number of bands that seem to meet the criteria of “Fuzz” but aren’t included in this set.

For instance, if you look at all of the elements in the Periodic Table of Fuzz and then listen to many of the hits from Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, or Eagles, you would rightly wonder why they aren’t in this collection. Would you have had those songs on 8-track? Yes. Would you be rolling them in your van, cruising down to Venice Beach in the 70s with your hot girlfriend sitting next to you in a pair of cutoff shorts trying to roll herself a..(ahem). Yes. Yes. And Yes.

There is a good number of bands that are in a different category. They are the overplayed Titans of Classic Rock. “Hotel California” might be very Fuzzy, but it just has no place in this set because this compilation is about the popular songs that are often overlooked classics. The Titans can remain on Mt. Olympus. They don’t need our help.

One caveat though, you will notice that Doobie Brothers, Journey, Chicago, and Steely Dan all show up in the mix. Even though these bands are super well-known and could rightly be called “Titans,” the songs themselves are the off-hits that aren’t super identifiable as being by those bands.

THE TITANS OF CLASSIC ROCK

Even though the hits from these bands are undeniably “fuzzy,” they are not part of the Fuzz canon if they are too well-known.

The Fuzz Man

THE “FUZZ WOMAN”

It’s not hard to seethat female artists are woefully under-represented in this definitive collection of Fuzz. This is not an oversight. In developing the playlists, extra time and attention was paid to find feminine musical acts who deliver the Fuzz. What we discovered is that most of the women that are musically in-synch with the Fuzz either a.) fall more into the “Titans of Classic Rock” category or b.) are too heavily in one of the other surrounding genres. As soft as this music is, it is possible that its a little too hard, soulful, or lacking in the dance and disco characteristics to attract a female point of view, fan base, and/or mindshare.

Which led us to a hypothesis about Fuzz. Because the role of women in this music

is most often either as an object of desire, or as an unfaithful partner, maybe this is one of the places male chauvenism took refuge during this decade, away from “com-plicated” ideas like ERA.

So maybe the ideal Fuzz woman is not a real person at all, but rather

the kind of fantasy object one finds in the pages of Playboy. An ideal romantic companion in your van on the uncertain highway of life.

Much has been made of what was called during the 50s and 60’s “the feminine mystique.” But search for an equivalent idea for men, and you will not discover any persuasive description of an idea called the “masculine mystique.”

During the soft rock era, men were getting more in touch with their sensitive side. But in the context of Fuzz, that desire was tempered by the portrait of a very strong, and some might say exaggerated ideal for what it means to be a man.

To try to sketch the simple outlines of that portrait. The Fuzz man is strong and lantern-jawed (but now often wearing a beard or mustache). In many ways, he’s like the heroes of the 60s, but the man of the 70s is a little more complex. One can imagine the he’s seen some road. He’s fun-loving, but he’s a little haunted. He has lost his innocence.

The facial hair and complicated male psychology showed up in the music, but it also showed up in TV, movies, even sports. Look at Ken Stabler, the bad-boy quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, Joe Namath, even Mark Spitz, the most decorated athlete of the Olympics for many years, knew how to flaunt the Fuzz.

A FEW GOOD FUZZ MEN

Some of the actors who one could say symbolized the Fuzz masculine fantasy (clockwise Lee Majors, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, James Garner, Sam Elliott, Al Pacino, Tom Selleck, and Gil Gerard)

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980

1

20

40

60

80

100

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-0101-0101-01

01-01

01-0101-01

01-01

01-01

01-0101-01

01-01

01-0101-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01 01-01

01-0101-01

01-0101-01

01-01

01-0101-01

01-01 01-01

01-01

01-01 01-0101-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-01

01-0101-01

01-01

01-01 01-01

01-01

The End of an EraSo when exactly was the “Fuzz Era?” The chart below depicts the Billboard chart positions and years for each of the 51 songs in this compilation. We independently collected these songs from an aesthetic point of view, so by looking at these chart positions and dates we can see a pattern that would roughly denote a beginning and end to the period when Fuzz was in its popular ascendency.

Are there Fuzz songs that appear before or after this time? Absolutely. But these would be outliers falling in the fuzzy margins outside the main Fuzz period.

While creating these playlists and thinking deeply about what songs are part of the Fuzz canon, we started to see the whole decade in a new way. It is significant that this music was popular. It points, in a sociological sense, to the way people were thinking and feeling, the ideas that were resonant back then.

Fuzz was the soundtrack to the baby boom generation’s struggle as they started to really grow up. For most of that generation, it was what they listened to as they aged through their late 20s and early 30s, as they began to get jobs, to get married, to have affairs, to try new kinds of methods (drugs) to continue inward journeys, or to go out on the road to “find themselves.”

In short, this music tells the story of the American baby boomers’ first taste of maturity and true loss of innocence.

Admittedly, there is a lot of soft rock that is insipid pap. But it’s our assertion that much of this music that we call Fuzz has earned the privilege to step out of the shadows and be truly celebrated as an important and formative period in our culture. It was a time full of passion, sensuality, fun, yearning, and personal struggle. It was soft, but it still rocked.

(December 2012)

FUZZ POPULARITY OVER TIME

This graph depicts the Billboard 100 chart position of each of the songs in three volumes by year. Each colored dot’s label correlates to the volume and song number from one of the three playlists.

Produced by El Tormento Records, in cooperation with Wildfreshness and Lost Rocket Productions.