It took a couple of weeks and a great deal of research while also digging deep down into the rock and roll memory banks, but we accomplished our mission of presenting what we believed were the best rock and roll albums of each year of the decade of the 1970s. If you were following the articles you probably noticed that there was quite a change in musical styles from the year 1970 to 1979. Three distinct periods with two transitional years seemed to occur in the 1970s. Period one from 1970 to 1973 with 1974 serving as the transition year to period two that lasted from 1975 to 1976 with 1977 serving as the transitional year to the decades third musical period lasting form 1978 to the end of 1979.
The 1970s presented fans with so many different styles of rock music. 1970’s musical artists crossed the genres of straight ahead rock, blues rock, southern rock, progressive rock, folk music, pop singer-songwriter genre, punk and finally new wave. Some rock artists distinctly stayed within one genre of music like the progressive rock of Emerson Lake & Palmer and Yes while others crossed various musical styles like Queen and David Bowie. In the end, we can label rock music as we want but great music is great music no matter what we classify it as. Some people have a narrow view of the genre of Classic Rock. Our approach has always been that classic rock defines simply great music and not one specific genre.
All the specific genres listed above fit under the concept of classic rock music. Merriam- Websters Dictionary defines the word “Classic as : “a work of enduring excellence.” That’s how we look at it here. We are going to write as much about Elton John and James Taylor as we are Led Zeppelin and Motorhead. We are fans of great music and from what we can tell from statistics of our readers, most of you feel the same. Anyone who grew up in the 60s, 70s or 80s listened to a wide variety of music that we try to celebrate here while also focusing on helping new generations of fans learn about this great music.
This is a site that wants to give voice to all fans to help celebrate and teach about this music. Anyone who would want to contribute an article can if its well written, Just contact us here at the site to discuss it. The email is musicparty@yahoo.com.
Readers Poll: BEST ALBUMS OF THE 1970s
After putting together the 10 articles that presented each year in the 1970s, we want to compose a top 100 best albums of the entire decade list. However, we would rather this be a collaboration between the readers and the site. So we need your input. If you want the world to know all about your favorite albums, please leave a list of your favorite 10, 25 or however many you want in the comments section of this article. Please leave them in order of preference with number one being your favorite. If you wish you name be added to the final article for publication just say ad name as contributor. We will also publish some compete lists of certain fan lists in the final article. This will be a big one. You can also add your favorite artist or artist to the list. This one will be all about all of us celebrating the best albums of the 1970s. We will keep this poll open until the end of February and publish first week of March.. Comments must be left at the bottom of this article. It just makes it easier for us to compile the final vote.
Hope to hear from you and thanks for taking the time to visit ClassicRockHistory.com
Brian Kachejian
Editor-in chief
If you missed any of these, check them out
1970’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1971’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1972’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1973’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1974’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1975’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1976’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1977’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1978’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
1979’s Best Classic Rock Albums List
If you missed our flagship article on the history of classic rock, its jam packed with so much entertaining and informative information spanning one hundred years of music history and more that used many highly rated academic sources as research documentation.
A Night at the Opera by Queen
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Fragile by Yes
Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Top ten albums of the 70’s (in no particular order)
Yes. – Fragile
Pink Floyd. – Dark Side of the Moon
Who. – Who’s Next
Steely Dan. – Aja
David Bowie. – Alladin Sane
Bruce Springsteen. – Darkness on the Edge of Town
Queen. – Sheer Heart Attack
J. Geils Band. – ” Live” Full House
Led Zeppelin. – Physical Graffiti
Elton John. – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Dark Side of the Moon
Blood on the Tracks
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rumours
Hotel California
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Aja
The following are my favorite albums for each year in order of musical influence. Unfortunately, the list does include many of the jazz / fusion / comedy albums I also loved.
1970:
Beatles – Let It Be
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
Paul McCartney – McCartney
George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
Frank Zappa – Chunga’s Revenge
Badfinger – Magic Christian
Badfinger – No Dice
Mothers Of Invention – Weasles Ripped My Flesh
1971
Paul And Linda McCartney – Ram
John Lennon – Imagine
Badfinger – Straight Up
Jethro Tull – Aqualung
Wings – Wings Wild Life
1972
Steely Dan – Can’t Buy A Thrill
Frank Zappa – Just Another Band From LA
Elton John – Honky Chateau
Frank Zappa – The Grand Wazoo
Frank Zappa – Waka Jawaka – Hot Rats
Carly Simon – We Have No Secrets
Harry Nilsson – Son Of Schmilsson
Captain Beefheart – Clear Spot
Leon Russell – Carney
1973
Frank Zappa – Overnight Sensation
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Ringo Starr – Ringo
John Lennon – Mind Games
George Harrison – Living In The Material World
Paul McCartney and Wings – Band On The Run
Paul Simon – There Goes Rhyming’ Simon
Steely Dan – Count Down To Ecstasy
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
1974
Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe
Frank Zappa / Mothers – Roxy & Elsewhere
Elton John – Caribou
John Lennon – Walls And Bridges
Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
Carly Simon – Hotcakes
Ringo Starr – Good Night Vienna
Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale
Harry Nilsson – Pussy Cats
Jethro Tull – War Child
Pointer Sisters – That’s A Plenty
Joni Mitchell – Court And Spark
1975
Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All
Zappa / Beefheart / Mothers – Bongo Fury
Steely Dan – Katy Lied
The Tubes – The Tubes
Elton John – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Jeff Beck – Blow By Blow
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Ambrosia – Ambrosia
Wings – Venus And Mars
Queen – A Night At The Opera
10cc – The Original Soundtrack
Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years
Fog Hat – Fool For The City
Tom Waits – Nighthawks At The Diner
1976
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Ambrosia – Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled
Frank Zappa – Zoot Allures
Billy Joel – Turnstiles
Stevie Wonder – Songs InThe Key Of Life
George Harrison – Thirty Three & 1/3
Grand Funk Railroad – Good Singing’ Good Playin’
1977
Steely Dan – Aja
Billy Joel The Stranger
Neil Innes – Taking Off
1978
Frank Zappa – Zappa In New York
Frank Zappa – Studio Tan
Captain Beefheart – Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
The Rutles – The Rutles
The Blues Brothers – Briefcase Full Of Blues
Billy Joel – 52nd Street
Little Feet – Waiting For Columbus
1979
Frank Zappa – Sleep Dirt
Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage I, II, III
L. Shankar – Touch Me There
Stevie Wonder – Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants
George Harrison – George Harrison
Wings – Back To The Egg
Best albums of the 70s.
Paul McCartney – McCartney
Ram
Band on the Run
Venus and Mars
Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic
Rocks
Nazareth – Rampant
Hair of the Dog
Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent
Alice Cooper – Killer
School’s Out
Billion Dollar Babies
Welcome to my Nightmare
Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Stranger in Town
Roxy Music – Siren
Lou Reed – Rock n Roll Animal
Led Zeppelin – IV
Physical Graffitti
Robin Trower – Bridge of Sighs
For Earth Below
Live
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
Wish You Were Here
Steppenwolf – Slow Flux
Steve Miller Band – Book of Dreams
ZZ Top – Tres Hombres
Fandango
Bad Company – Bad Company
Grand Funk Railroad – Closer to Home
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality
Sabotage
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
Second Helping
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show – Sloppy Seconds
The Doobie Brothers – Toulouse Street
Neil Young – Harvest
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
Rumours
The Allman Brothers Band – Eat A Peach
The Beatles – Let It Be
1962-1966
1967-1970
Yes – Fragile
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
It’s Only Rock n Roll (but I like it)
Some Girls
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory
In no particular order:
T Rex The Slider
Uriah Heep Demons and Wizards
Mott the Hoople
Foghat. Foghat
Humble Pie. Smokin’
The Who. Who’s Next
Deep Purple Who Do We Think We Are
Frank Zappa. Live From LA
Elton John. Honky Chateau
Nazareth. Rampant
Alice Cooper. Love It To Death
Cheap Trick. Heaven Tonight.
The Who – Who’s Next
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Crosby Stills Nash & Young – Deja Vu
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Paul McCartney – Band on the Run
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Born to Run
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
Ian Hunter – Ian Hunter
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Tom Petty & The Heart Breakers
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bullocks
(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Hotel California – The Eagles
Stranger in Town – Bob Seger
Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf
Van Halen – Van Halen
Night Moves – Bob Seger
News of the World – Queen
High Voltage – AC/DC
Just a Game – Triumph
Street Survivors – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Boston – Boston
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Highway to Hell – AC/DC
The Grand Illusion – Styx
One of These Nights – The Eagles
Bad Company – Bad Company
Equinox – Styx
Foreigner – Foreigner
Pieces of Eight – Styx
Cheap Trick at Budokan – Cheap Trick
Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin
Second Helping – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Eagles – Eagles
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
Don’t Look Back – Boston
Double Vision – Foreigner
Head Games – Foreigner
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Straight Shooter – Bad Company
2112 – Rush
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
Slowhand – Eric Clapton
A Night at the Opera – Queen
Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
Destroyer – KISS
I hope I didn’t miss any.
Top Albums of the 70’s (I was a Queen fan and in High School in the late 70’s)
A Day At The Races ’76 – Queen
News Of The World ’77 – Queen
Evolution ’79 – Journey
Jazz ’78 – Queen
A Night At The Opera ’75 – Queen
Stranger In Town ’78 – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Candy-O ’79 – The Cars
Cornerstone ’79 – Styx
Freedom At Point Zero ’79 – Jefferson Starship
Don’t Look Back ’78 – Boston
The Cars ’78 – The Cars
Strikes ’79 – Blackfoot
If You Knew Suzi… ’78 – Suzi Quatro
Some Girls ’78 – Rolling Stones
Foot Loose & Fancy Free ’77 – Rod Stewart
Head Games ’79 – Foreigner
Blondes Have More Fun ’78 – Rod Stewart
Discovery ’79 – ELO
A Night On The Town ’76 – Rod Stewart
Dynasty ’79 – KISS
The Grand Illusion ’77 – Styx
Harder…Faster ’79 – April Wine
Get The Knack ’79 – The Knack
Parallel Lines ’78 – Blondie
Highway To Hell ’79 – AC/DC
1. Boston-Boston
2. Led Zepplin-IV
3. Queen-A Night At The Opera
4. Kansas-Leftoverture
5. Fleetwood Mac-Rumours
6. Aerosmith-Toys In The Attic
7. Foreigner-Foreigner
8. Fleetwood Mac-Fleetwood Mac
9. Steve Miller Band-Fly Like An Eagle
10. Queen- A Day At The Races
11. Pink Floyd-The Wall
12. ELO- A New World Record
13. Meatloaf- Bat Out Of Hell
14. Billy Joel-The Stranger
15. Aerosmith-Rocks
For rock albums, I’d go here for the 70’s. If we’re talking favorite 70’s albums period, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone and more would be here, too.
Humble Pie – Smokin’
Deep Purple – Machine Head
Led Zeppelin – IV
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
The Who – Who’s Next
Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St.
Beatles – Let it Be
Fleetwood Mac – Rumors
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
Van Halen – Van Halen
Montrose – Debut Album