Byline: Jill Whalen By Jill Whalen
Sep. 2--A British music magazine published a five-page spread based on a letter written by former Freeland resident Bill Oberrender.
Oberrender's colorful missive to Classic Rock Magazine proclaimed 1973 as the best year ever for music.
The magazine took excerpts from the letter and points from pages of research Oberrender compiled, and bordered it with photos of Black Sabbath, The Who and Pink Floyd.
'I was proud of it,' said Oberrender, who lives in Land O' Lakes, Fla. 'I thought, 'Somebody else agrees with me. I'm not nuts.''
The July article spawned by the letter is called '1973 The Greatest Year in Rock? ... And if So, Where Does This Leave Us 35 Years On?' Penned by Jeff Barton, it sets the stage for readers to either agree or disagree with the magazine and Oberrender in upcoming issues.
'1973 has always had a vociferous support as The Greatest Year In Rock among a strong Classic Rock (magazine) contingent,' Barton wrote. 'Then, just the other day, we received a reader's letter from Bill, who lives in the romantic-sounding location of Land O' Lakes, Florida, that really piqued our interest.'
The article then quotes Oberrender's letter:
'With all the music and information available today, I am surprised no one has acknowledged 1973 as the best ever year in music. Now that's a mighty bold statement and one that would cause fists to fly and tempers to rage out of control. But, before you burn an effigy that resembles you-know-who, hear me out. Then you can light your matches.'
Oberrender's letter -- as quoted in the article -- talks about the songs of '73, the bands that released albums that year and the music acts that debuted. He attached a list with 156 of what he believed where the best album releases from bands ranging from Aerosmith to ZZ Top, as well as a list of the year's 118 best songs. Portions of each list were included in the article.
'This was the era of 8-track tape and leisure suits, paisley shirts and sideburns, platform shoes, wide ties and Skylab,' Barton quotes Oberrender as writing. 'We had acid rock, baroque rock, country rock, dance, glam rock, hard rock, heavy metal, head music, hot rod music, reggae, jazz, bubblegum, funk and southern rock.'
Barton weaved his arguments around points made in Oberrender's letter -- and asked readers to give their opinion on 1973 as the best year in rock.
Oberrender said it was the first time that he ever penned a letter to a magazine. And he didn't set out to write one -- it just happened.
He recalled that his son, Ian, 18, of Drums, was learning a song on his guitar. Knowing that many modern guitarists cite their influences as classic rock bands, Oberrender began to look through his music collection for the right songs -- those with guitar by greats like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton or Jimmy Paige.
'A lot of them were from 1973,' he said. 'I started to look a little closer and it blossomed to the point where I couldn't think of another year where there were so many influential bands.'
The discovery prompted him to research album and song release dates. He spent months surfing the Internet and combing through his 3,000-plus albums looking for those released in '73. And by his accounts, he determined that 1973 was the best year in rock.
'Obviously, there was something in the water,' he said, noting that both southern rock and punk rock started that year. 'You don't have the influence now that these other bands had.'
Oberrender sent his information to Classic Rock Magazine, but didn't hear anything until a friend in Scotland telephoned to tell him the news.
Seeing the letter in print meant a lot to Oberrender, who said music has been a major part of his life since he was in middle school.
He recalled riding the bus with his Freeland friends, Bill Bytsura, Mark Sheaman and Kevin Wilkinson, to Gaylord's or Greco's in Hazleton. With no music stores, the former department stores were the only places to buy records.
That was years ago, but Oberrender still keeps up with the music scene -- and still goes record hunting with those friends and his wife, Rosemary.
'I really don't do much of anything else,' he said. 'I'm not a sports person. I'm not an outdoors person.'
In fact, he and Rosemary recently returned from a vacation to Aruba where they tracked down a Dutch music store.
'We've searched London, Rome, Venice, Liverpool, Milan, Munich, Denver, New Orleans and too many other places to mention,' he said. 'All for the ultimate album, which doesn't exist.'
And although he likes music from the 1960s to the current decade, 1973 holds a special place for him.
'As a whole, 1973 was a creative period for a lot of people and I don't know what was in the water, but I definitely had my cup in that well,' he said.
As for the magazine, it promises to follow up with a story that looks at the future of rock music.
jwhalen@standardspeaker.comBill Oberrender can remember the first album he ever purchased when he was a pre-teen.
'It was 'Magical Mystery Tour' by the Beatles,' the Freeland native recalled.
The British rock act became one of his favorites -- and Oberrender continued to collect their musical offerings.
And, almost three decades after he first spun songs like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' on his record player, he decided to donate some of his Fab Four collection to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Oberrender decided to turn items over to the Hall of Fame after viewing its Beatles exhibit a few years ago.
'They had suits from the Sgt. Pepper era, a guitar and other things -- but no memorabilia,' he said.
Oberrender had magazines, an original 'Yellow Submarine' hardback book, picture sleeves from albums and dozens of 45 rpm records -- and he was willing to part with all of it.
'I contacted the curator, and told him I have all this stuff,' said Oberrender, who made three trips to the Beatles hometown of Liverpool, England. 'I asked if he could use it, and he jumped on it. He said, 'yes.''
Oberrender received a letter of thanks from James Henke, the museum's vice president of Exhibitions and Cultural Affairs.
'Your donation will help us to further develop the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's permanent collection,' the letter of thanks read.
The items were shipped to the museum and are included with the existing display.
'They've been there four years now,' he said. 'They're a permanent part of the exhibit now.'
A placard with Oberrender's name is alongside the memorabilia, he noted.
While the museum has a large chunk of his collection, Oberrender said he didn't part with all of it. He still has dolls from the Yellow Submarine, articles, badges and books. His favorite piece, he said, is an original mono edition release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. At one point, he owned what is known as the Beatles 'Butcher Cover,' a controversial photo that was subsequently pulled from the album 'Yesterday and Today.'
While Oberrender and his wife, Rosemary, frequently take trips to look for rare records, they haven't been back to see his collection on display.
'We haven't made it there,' he said.
Oberrender, a 1976 Freeland High School graduate, moved from Hazleton in 2000. He has family in the area, including sons, Billy, 20, and Ian, 18, both of Drums.
jwhalen@standardspeaker.com
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