in the 70s - Top Ten Albums of the Seventies

Top Ten Albums of the Seventies

What are your top ten favorite albums from the 70s?

We also have pages on this topic devoted to the 80s and 90s

10. Alive by Kiss
9. Harvest by Neil Young
8. Billion $ Babies by Alice Cooper
7. Montrose by Montrose
6. Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings
5. Rocks by Aerosmith
4. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
3. Greatest Stories Live by Harry Chapin
2. Exile On Main Street by Stones
1. Physical Graffitti by Led Zeppelin

10. Daddy Who? Daddy Cool by Daddy Cool
Australian roots rock band strikes the perfect balance between mellow stoner Deadhead vibe and classic R&B Rock and roll.
9. Mind Games by John Lennon
the zaniest, most overlooked pop rock album by rock's most beloved hero.
8. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
great emsemble rock album , special Kudos to totally manic member Linsay Buckingham
7. St. Domiics Preview by Van Morrison
just ..listen to the Mystic ... : )
6. Sincerely by Dwight Twilley
This came out on the same Tulsa label, Shelter , that produced the first TOm Petty album. Close similarities here. A cult gem.
5. Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt
more great covers by Linda, jacked up to 11 with her famous backing band. Poor Pitiful Me jumps right outta any hi fi system and slaps ya in the face
4. Squeezing Out Sparks by Graham Parker
a look into the wounded male psyche, with an amazing backing band. punk/rock and roll/pub rock
3. Time Fades Away by Neil Young
a rough hewn live album with a lot of passion.
2. 3rd album (a.k.a Sister Lovers) by Big Star
Crazed ambient punk masterpice by songwriter Alex Chilton and producer Jim Dickinson. Melancholy Brian Wilson meets melancholy Roy Orbison filtered through insomniac Southern ennui. Things coming unhinged.
1. Marquee Moon by Television
Althought lumped into the early NYC punks of which they were a part of the scene, this transcends that with startlingly original poetic guitar lines and mystical lyrics. Strong rythm section (bass, drums) too. One for the ages.

10. Yes by Fragile
Stunningly gorgeous and luminescent melodies built into lightning-fast rhythms with extremely complex and jagged bass lines. In short, this album is incredible, and quite possibly the greates prog rock album ever released.
9. Marquee Moon by Television
The quintessential "undiscovered" album, the dark and moody Marquee Moon has interesting melodies, great lyrics, and frankly sounds like no other album that I've ever heard. Just go buy it.
8. Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan
This album features fantastic songwriting, deeply personal (I seem to use that phrase a lot) lyrics, sparkling acoustic guitars and crystal-clear production.
7. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison
A huge, epic and also personal album of Beatlesque greatness.
6. Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
A darkly beautiful and despairing masterpiece, which deserves every bit of praise and hype showered upon it.
5. Live At Leeds by The Who
The greatest live album from the greatest live band, this album rocks hard, and possesses a raw energy and exuberence which is completely unmatched by any other album.
4. Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon
A brilliant album which is a masterpiece in deeply personal songwriting and stripped-down, minimalist musical arrangements.
3. London Calling by The Clash
This isn't a punk album so much as it's a mixture of punk, classic rock, rockabilly, pop, ska, reggae, lounge jazz, new wave, R&B and disco, with a fun and happy vibe running through the whole thing (except on the demented title track, which is one of my favorite songs).
2. Exile On Main Street by The Rolling Stones
A densely-pakced and eclectic blend of roots rock, soul, boogie, country, gospel and blues.
1. Fun House by The Stooges
A loud, raucous, visceral, noisy and chaotic descent into a metaphorical hell.

10. Curtis by Curtis Mayfield
soul at its very psycodelic best.curtis's first solo album & his best (although many people will disagree in favour of superfly
9. Bridge Of Sighs by Robin Trower
what can i say ,great blues/rock guitar,great vocals from the late jame dewar.
8. Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy
one of the truely great rock records.amazing twin lead guitar work with phil lynots great vocals.every track is brilliant
7. Broken Barricades by Procol Harum
robin trowers best record.procol harums heaviest record
6. Metamorphis by Iron Butterfly
another album that just gets better the more you play it.great songs,great guitar
5. Sheet Music by 10cc
tongue in cheek songs with clever lyrics & great playing.this just gets better the more you play it
4. It'll Shine When It Shines by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
a country rock gem, great harmonies,a good heart felt & good time record.(also get their self titled first album which is great)
3. Crime Of The Century by Supertramp
supertramp's third album after a few lineup changes proved to be an absolute classic & not a dud track anywhere
2. The Goings Easy by The Greatest Show On Earth
one band that slipped under the radar.an album that covers all styles of music, excellent musicianship & great harmonies (santana meets chicago)
1. The Twelve Dreams Of Dr Sardonicus by Spirit
spirits best album and a classic that just gets better everytime you play it.a pop/psychodelic masterpiece

10. Bloodshot by J Geils Band
reddest hottest & blackiest blue eyed soul rock and roll
9. Rio Grande Mud by Zz Top
mudchas gracias para los tres hombres
8. Physical Graffitti by Led Zeppelin
heavy plenty but miscellaneous opus
7. Toulouse Street by Doobie Brothers
how california swings fast and groovy
6. Machine Head by Deep Purple
who can ask for more ?
5. Katy Lied by Steely Dan
"another great mad record from my favourites ny exilees"
4. Second Helping by Lynyrd Skynyrd
epitome of eternal american rock and roll burning from the deep south
3. Manassas by Stephen Stills & Manassas
"the american trip flying on magic guitars & loving percussions "
2. On Your Feet Or On Your Knees by Blue Öyster Cult
a metallic feast unknown but not from this earth
1. The Hissing Of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell
my record, my buddy, my friend, my own heaven

10. Todd Rungren's Utopia by Utopia
Long jams, freaky sounds. Pure Todd.
9. Madman Across The Water by Elton John
Gets better with age.
8. Sticky Fingers by Rolling Stones
Controversial cover, but a damn fine piece of musical work.
7. Who's Next by The Who
If "Tommy" had come out in the 70's, it would have been on the top 10, too.
6. Boston by Boston
Blew me away when I first heard it. No synthesizers? Yeah, right.
5. A Night At The Opera by Queen
You can do a lot with massive tracks and overdubbing, but no one did it as good as Queen and Ready Freddy.
4. Fragile by Yes
3. Houses Of The Holy by Led Zeppelin
Could also include III, IV, and Physical Graffiti, but this one's my fave.
2. Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull
1. And Then There Were Three by Genesis
Genesis purists might barf over this one, but it's my fave album of all time. Yeah, I would rather hear Peter Gabriel sing, but this one hits me in the sweet spot.

10. City To City by Gerry Rafferty
9. 14 p(c)arrots by Al Stweart
8. The War Of The Worlds by Jeff Wayne
7. Jouney To Addis by Third World
6. Dangerous Aquatances by Marianne Faithfull
5. World Tour by Scorpions
4. Candles In The Rain by Melanie
3. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
2. Tea For The Tillerman by Cat Stevens
1. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

10. Clannad 2 by Clannad
An album I kind of stumbled into, this represents the legendary Irish band at their earliest and best- before they became too formulaic in the late 80's and 90's- a fate which their sibling Enya also succumbed to. This is Celtic music at its best and folksiest, without the cheesy New Age keyboards. Check out "Rince Philib a'Cheoil" or "Gaoth Barra na dTonn" for authentic Irish music.
9. Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull
Gotta love the flute... And there is lots of it here. At times it's a mad flute, a happy flute, a sad flute, but nonetheless, it is a flute.
8. The Snow Goose by Camel
An instrumental album inspired by the short novel "The Snow Goose." Great mix of classical and Rock music with a smattering of other styles such as funk and Jazz. A little soft for some people's taste perhaps, but great musicianship.
7. Argus by Wishbone Ash
Hey, what's Darth Vader doing on the cover of "Argus" ? Seriously, an incredible album with incredible songs. Twin lead guitars. Yum.
6. In A Glass House by Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant was arguably the most prog of the 70's progressive rock bands. Their music is definitely an acquired taste- not one which the average Joe will appreciate on that first listen. Listen to this one several times and you might get it...
5. Ommadawn by Mike Oldfield
Tubular Bells is arguably his best known album, but Ommadawn is arguably the best of his 70's albums. For this one, you must listen intently- not passively- to get the full effect, especially the first 10 minutes. The 3 or 4 minutes after Part One changes from a minor key to a major key are the most incredible music. Ever. The last section of part one has world music influences. Part 2 is a very Celtic inspired work.
4. Fragile by Yes
An excellent album- one with both great songs(Roundabout) and solos by each member of the band. Yes had a good run of albums in the early.mid 80's- "Close to the Edge" and "Relayer" are also among my favorites.
3. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Yes, I know about that "other album"- the one which was on the chart for 20 years. This one is simply a better album with better songs.
2. ZOSO (IV) by Led Zeppelin
Even without "Stairway", this would have been one of the greatest albums of all time- "Black Dog" and "When the Levee Breaks" being among my favorites. Not a weak track on the whole album.
1. Selling England By The Pound by Genesis
Back before they were the Phil Collins and Co. simple 80's tunes pop machine, Genesis was, in many ways, the most complete Progressive Rock band with Peter Gabriel singing (and as flautist), Steve Hackett on guitar(he WAS the FIRST rock guitarist to use the string technique known as "tapping", not Eddie Van Halen), Tony Banks on keyboard, Mike (sans the mechanics) Rutherford on bass, and that bald guy "Buster" on drums. From "Trespass" to "Wind and Wuthering" Genesis was THE best progressive rock band. This is their best album, although "Foxtrot" may have their best song- "Supper's Ready." "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight", "Firth of Fifth", "The Cinema Show" and more. Incredible music.

10. Sergeant Pepper by Beatles
9. Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
8. Phisical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin
7. The Velevet Underground And Nico by The Velvet Underground
6. Spirits Having Flown by Bee Gees
3 more #1 hits! And 20 million copies sold!
5. Boston by Boston
4. Horel California by Eagles
Their best work
3. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
2. Wish You Where Here by Pink Floyd
1. Saturday Night Fever by The Bee Gees
The Best Soundtrack ever done. The 3th best selling album ever. Genius!

10. Killer by Alice Cooper
Gotta love Alice pushing the envelope, but still with great music.
9. Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd
Starting to find their way without Syd (R.I.P) with great band charisma.
8. Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones
You gotta love Mick, that goofy bastard.
7. Animals by Pink Floyd
An underrated album, but still breaks ground in theme and musicianship.
6. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin
Kashmir rocks my skull.
5. Who's Next by The Who
Pete on guitar is always fantastic.
4. Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
Can't argue with the quality of music.
3. The Wall by Pink Floyd
Never has there been such a synergy of theme and music.
2. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
Woeful brilliance.
1. Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
Simply put, the greatest album ever created by man.