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One of the joys of record collecting was always based around the decision of which side of the record to place on the turntable. This ritual was lost when CDs replaced vinyl albums. And don’t get me wrong, I love CDs. I thought the sound quality was amazing for the most part, although, of course, many vinyl records still sounded better, and still do. However, when a CD was mastered correctly, just based on the physics of frequency reproduction, nothing could match it. Still, if I had to make a choice between a CD and a vinyl record, I’m always going to pick the vinyl record. There’s nothing like having an album jacket in your hands while listening to the music. And that brings us back to the whole side one, side two phenomenon that we enjoyed as vinyl collectors.
Record companies understood this and knew that just as important as it was to release one of the best songs on the album as the opening track on side one, it was equally important to have another fantastic track as the opener on side two. Many people would just take the vinyl out of the jacket and place it on the turntable without even looking at it. It would pretty much become a 50/50 chance which side you were going to listen to. So, there always had to be a great song as the album opener or side two opener. We have already covered our 1970s vinyl album side one openers; now it’s time for side two.
To cover as many bands and artists as we possibly could with such a small list we limit it to only one song per artist or band.
# 10 – “Dancing Days” – Houses Of The Holy (Led Zeppelin)
We open our Top 10 Side Two Opening Tracks from 1970s Rock Albums list with a song from our favorite band. It just felt right to begin this list with a Led Zeppelin song. There were a few songs up for consideration, but in the end, we decided to go with Houses of the Holy and one of our favorite songs of all time, “Dancing Days.” It’s interesting that “Dancing Days” was actually released as the B-side to “Over the Hills and Far Away,” which was the initial single released from the album. Although Led Zeppelin wasn’t really a singles band, they were just a band whose fans embraced every song and every album. They didn’t need hit singles; they were Led Zeppelin.
Houses of the Holy was released in the United States on March 28, 1973. It was actually nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package but did not win. The album went to number one on the US Billboard 200 as well as number one in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Read More: Top 10 Led Zeppelin Songs
# 9 – “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” – My Aim Is True (Elvis Costello)
Read More: 25 Essential Elvis Costello Songs
# 8 -“Jamie’s Cryin'”- Van Halen ( Van Halen)
There were only two Van Halen albums released in the 1970s. The debut album Van Halen was released in 1978, and one year later, Van Halen II arrived in 1979. So it came down to a choice between the two albums since we’re only allowing one album per band on this list. It was either “Jamie’s Cryin’” from the 1978 debut album or “Light Up the Sky” from Van Halen II. Both are killer songs, but in the end, we went with “Jamie’s Cryin’.”
Read More: Top 10 Van Halen Songs
# 7 – Smoke On The Water – Machine Head – (Deep Purple)
Yes, we know this is probably the most overplayed song in rock and roll history. Every single kid who picks up a guitar for the first time learns this song as one of their first tunes. Anytime you’ve walked into a music store, you have inevitably heard this being played by somebody somewhere, usually on an out-of-tune guitar, out of time, and too loud. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the song’s greatness and legendary status in classic rock and roll history. And yes, it was the opening song on side two of Deep Purple’s classic album Machine Head.
Read More: Ian Paice Of Deep Purple: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
# 6 – “Wavelength” –Wavelength – Van Morrison
Landing in the number six spot on our Top 10 Side Two Opening Tracks from 1970s Rock Albums list is a song from an artist who has put out more studio albums than almost anyone. As a solo recording artist, which is pretty much what he’s always been with the exception of Them early in his career, Van Morrison has put out forty-five studio albums since his debut record Blowin’ Your Mind! came out in 1967. His latest record was released a year ago, called Accentuate the Positive in 2023. In between those two records, he’s released some of the most spectacular albums ever.
It’s been a bit of an up-and-down career for him as far as popularity and commercial success, but the man has never stopped releasing albums. He put out three albums in 2023 alone. If you look back throughout his career, he’s released an album almost every year since 1967. One of our favorite albums has always been Wavelength. In fact, our favorite Van Morrison period was when he put out Wavelength in 1978 and Into the Music in 1979. A lot of people prefer his earlier records like Moondance, Tupelo Honey, and Saint Dominic’s Preview, which came out in the early ’70s, but we have always enjoyed his late ’70s work. This leads us to this pick, which is the title track and opening song on side two of Van Morrison’s 1978 album Wavelength.
Read More: Top 10 Van Morrison Songs
# 5 – “You Got That Right” – Street Survivors – Lynyrd Skynyrd
If we had to pick ten albums that we have written the most about on ClassicRockHistory.com, one of them would probably be Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Street Survivors. There are many reasons for that. Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of our favorite bands of all time, and this is also one of our favorite albums of all time. So it’s no surprise that this record finds its way onto this list. Of course, the opening song on side two of Street Survivors is the fabulous, rocking song “You Got That Right.” Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant wrote this one, and it was fun to listen to them both trading off vocals on this song.
Read More: Top 10 Lynyrd Skynyrd Songs
# 4 – “Orge Battle” – Queen II (Queen)
It’s amazing how many Queen fans, who first came to know the band when their song “Bohemian Rhapsody” became a smash hit, are not really familiar with this song. That’s truly sad because this is not only the best side two opening song of their career; I think hands down it is the best song they ever released. If you have never heard this one or are unfamiliar with the first three Queen albums (Queen, Queen II, and Sheer Heart Attack), we would definitely recommend getting all three of them. Queen II is probably their best album. This song is just simply killer.
Read More: Top 10 Queen Songs
# 3 – Money – Dark Side Of The Moon (Pink Floyd)
We all have our favorite Pink Floyd album. For most people, it’s either Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, or Animals. Although there are many who love The Wall and some who are fans of Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon stands as their most successful album of their career. One of the songs that has shined so brightly over the years in terms of popularity, commercial success, and sheer fandom has always been the song “Money.” This one opened up side two of Pink Floyd’s legendary The Dark Side of the Moon album.
Read More: Ultimate Pink Floyd Page
# 2 – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
One of the first articles we ever wrote on this site was “Top 10 Elton John Songs.” In that article, the number one song we selected as Elton John’s best was “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” So how in the world could we not place this song on this list when it’s the opening song to side two of Elton John’s double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road? This is just a perfect song in so many ways. Its originality is out of this world. Its melody, chord changes, lyrics, and production are all at the top of what we believe rates as the best music ever recorded. This is genius, this is brilliant, and this is our favorite Elton John song of all time. End of story. Don’t argue with us—you’re going to lose. No, just kidding; it’s all subjective. But no, it’s not. This is the best. Or at least the best Elton John song. We still have one more to go.
Read More: 10 Most Underrated Elton John Songs
# 1 – Born To Run – Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Read More: Top 10 Bruce Springsteen Songs Of The 1970s