If you loved hard rock in 1972, you might be a baby boomer who still jams out to the genre after all these years. And if your memory is sharp, you might still remember the following four hits that took over rock radio that very year.
“School’s Out” by Alice Cooper from ‘School’s Out’
This glam rock song is still the Godfather of Shock Rock’s most famous tune for a reason. This song resonated with youths in 1972 quite a bit, as it was a pretty hard-rocking celebration of school being over and summer break coming up on the horizon. “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper made it all the way to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also topped the mainstream charts in the UK.
“Mama Weer All Crazee Now” by Slade from ‘Slayed?’
Remember this glam-flavored hard rock hit by Slade? “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” was a No. 1 smash in the UK, though it did manage to chart in the US. There’s a lot of expected enthusiasm and high energy in this song, but it was just commercial enough to resonate with listeners who may not have been on the hard rock bandwagon yet.
“Silver Machine” by Hawkwind
Hawkwind’s “Silver Machine” is one of the UK rock band’s most beloved tunes, and it’s obvious why. This hard rock, spacey tune was recorded live in London. It really captured the energy of the band as live performers. It’s yet another case of a live-recorded song becoming bigger than any studio recording could have managed. And “Silver Machine” made it to No. 3 on the UK Singles chart.
“Rock And Roll” by Led Zeppelin from ‘Led Zeppelin IV’
Led Zeppelin wasn’t done blowing the minds of baby boomer hard rock fans by 1972. And “Rock And Roll” remains one of the biggest fan favorites from Led Zeppelin IV. Ian Stewart of The Rolling Stones makes a guest appearance on the piano, too. The whole song is a rollicking good time from start to finish. “Rock And Roll” by Led Zeppelin peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100 and was a surprisingly modest hit, though it has become a retrospective favorite among fans, young and old.
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
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