Dan the List Guy: Best Albums of the 70’s
The List Guy is Dan Reed, Music Director for WXPN. Three times a week, Dan gives his spin on Top 10 musical moments in pop culture.
Rock ‘n’ Roll’s wildest decade, and maybe the hardest list I had to do of all of the decades. So many essential albums, classic artists… where to start? OK – I’ll start at #1 and work my way down to #20 – again – my personal opinion here. I’m very interested to see what you think I left out of the Top 20 in the 70’s:
1. Neil Young – Tonight’s The Night (75)
2. The Clash – London Calling (79)
3. The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street (72)
4. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On? (71)
5. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (75)
6. Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run (75)
7. Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks (75)
8. David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust (72)
9. The Who – Quadrophenia (73)
10. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (71)
11. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus (77)
12. The Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols (78)
13. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon (73)
14. Ramones – Ramones (76)
15. Television – Marquee Moon (77)
16. Lou Reed – Transformer (72)
17. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (73)
18. The Stooges – Fun House (70)
19. The Who – Who’s Next (71)
20. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (77)
Again, Dan, it’s a great list, but my top 1970’s list only shares five albums with yours (#4, 5, 7, 13 & 19) Here’s my list of additional worthy candidates (I see what you mean about how hard it is to pare down this dacade!):
Derek and and Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
August 31st, 2007 at 2:12 pmAllman Brothers - Live at Fillmore East
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Carole King - Tapestry
Van Morrison - Moondance
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water
Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Yes - Close to the Edge
Led Zeppelin - IV
Steely Dan - Aja
Gentle Giant - Octopus
Soft Machine - Third
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Steeleye Span - Parcel of Rogues
Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Deja Vu
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
The Beatles - Let It Be
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Doors - L. A. Woman
How could anyone possibly even think of NOT including Peter Frampton’s “Comes Alive”? If only for “Do You Feel Like We Do” (which let the rest of the world know that Joe Walsh isn’t the only one who can do the talkbox well) I can still see myself with my high-school buddy jamming air-guitar to this song up in his room with our headphones connected to a wye cord so we could blast it without his parents killing us… To me this song was Frampton’s “Stairway to Heaven”, copmplete with huge accolades at first and thorough disgust with radio airplay-to-the-ground. Well, after all’s said and done, it still stands to this day as one of the finest pieces of live music rock and roll has ever known! If you dont feel energized and say to yourself “holy shit” after blasting it one more time for posterity, check your pulse!
September 20th, 2007 at 12:46 am