7 of the 70s: 10/29/14 (1972)

It's hump day 70s party time, and this week I'm serving up seven more nuggets from 1972, the year that Thomas Eagleton drops off the ticket for vice-presidential ticket after revelations of mental health issues, to be replaced by Kennedy clan member R. Sargent Shriver...

The Moody Blues - "Nights In White Satin"
from the album Days Of Future Passed (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Songwriter: Justin Hayward

This sweeping orchestral masterpiece took five years to go to the top of the American charts. It was remade in 1995 by the guy behind the new-age act Enigma.

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Aretha Franklin - "Day Dreaming"
from the album Young, Gifted and Black (1972)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriter: Aretha Franklin

Aretha wrote this song herself while the late great Donny Hathaway plays keyboard.

Eagles - "Witchy Woman"
from the album Eagles (1972)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9
Songwriters: Don Henley, Bernie Leadon

The first top-ten pop hit from the SoCal giants was a leftover from guitarist Leadon's former band the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Led Zeppelin - "Black Dog"
from the album Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15
Songwriters: John-Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

The classic hard rock band's hit single from their fourth album ("Stairway To Heaven" was never released as a single) was inspired by a black labrador retriever they befriended during recording.

Nilsson - "Spaceman"
from the album Son Of Schmilsson (1972)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23
Songwriter: Harry Nilsson

The singer-songwriter went to the atmosphere for this forgotten nugget.

Alice Cooper - "Elected"
from the album Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26
Songwriters: Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton, Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith

With a rare early plot-driven music video, the band hit the top-40 right on time for the election of Richard Nixon.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "From The Beginning"
from the album Trilogy (1972)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39 
Songwriter: Greg Lake

The sole top-40 pop hit from the prog-rock supergroup that had eight albums reach that level on the albums chart.

I'll be back tomorrow with eight more from 1982...