Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 42 hours ago
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:35).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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1975-ASYLUM
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. One Of These Nights
2. Too Many Hands
3. Hollywood Waltz
4. Journey Of The Sorcerer
5. Lyin’ Eyes
6. Take It To The Limit
7. Visions
8. After The Thrill Is Gone
9. I Wish You Peace
Everyone remembers Hotel California…but not a lot of people remember the album that came just before it. That album would be 1975’s One Of These Nights. It was hardly a flop: in fact, three of their biggest hits are here : Glenn Frey’s seemingly endlessly long and tedious “Lyin’ Eyes”, Randy Meisner’s lovely “Take It To The Limit”, and Don Henley’s almost disco title track. It’s no surprise that an Eagles album would have two or three big hits. The question about their recording was always this: what do they have surrounding them? The band made only one change in personnel before Hotel California: trading out Bernie Leadon for Joe Walsh, a move that took them in a much less country direction. The sound is similar to that of Hotel, but with a bit less edge to it. The question has always been, do you bother with their early albums, or do you just spring for Their Greatest Hits (1971-75)?
Well, the filler is the thing. And actually, of all of the pre-Hotel California albums, this may be the strongest. The most obvious high point is “After The Thrill Is Gone”, which has to rank as one of the band’s greatest songs. Meisner’s other contribution, “Too Many Hands”, is a fine song, and “Visions” is interesting as it’s the only time you’ll hear Don Felder sing lead on an Eagles album. Leadon’s two contributions, “I Wish You Peace” and the dull instrumental “Journey Of The Sorcerer” add nothing, and “Hollywood Waltz” is a throwaway. So, how does the album do? It’s not great, but the positives do outweigh the negatives, Especially if you’re a fan, One Of These Nights is a solid addition, and a good prequel to Hotel California. [First added to this chart: 12/22/2012]
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. One Of These Nights
2. Too Many Hands
3. Hollywood Waltz
4. Journey Of The Sorcerer
5. Lyin’ Eyes
6. Take It To The Limit
7. Visions
8. After The Thrill Is Gone
9. I Wish You Peace
Everyone remembers Hotel California…but not a lot of people remember the album that came just before it. That album would be 1975’s One Of These Nights. It was hardly a flop: in fact, three of their biggest hits are here : Glenn Frey’s seemingly endlessly long and tedious “Lyin’ Eyes”, Randy Meisner’s lovely “Take It To The Limit”, and Don Henley’s almost disco title track. It’s no surprise that an Eagles album would have two or three big hits. The question about their recording was always this: what do they have surrounding them? The band made only one change in personnel before Hotel California: trading out Bernie Leadon for Joe Walsh, a move that took them in a much less country direction. The sound is similar to that of Hotel, but with a bit less edge to it. The question has always been, do you bother with their early albums, or do you just spring for Their Greatest Hits (1971-75)?
Well, the filler is the thing. And actually, of all of the pre-Hotel California albums, this may be the strongest. The most obvious high point is “After The Thrill Is Gone”, which has to rank as one of the band’s greatest songs. Meisner’s other contribution, “Too Many Hands”, is a fine song, and “Visions” is interesting as it’s the only time you’ll hear Don Felder sing lead on an Eagles album. Leadon’s two contributions, “I Wish You Peace” and the dull instrumental “Journey Of The Sorcerer” add nothing, and “Hollywood Waltz” is a throwaway. So, how does the album do? It’s not great, but the positives do outweigh the negatives, Especially if you’re a fan, One Of These Nights is a solid addition, and a good prequel to Hotel California. [First added to this chart: 12/22/2012]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank Score:
982
Rank in 1975:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
16
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1976-ASYLUM
Produced by BILL SZYMCZYK
1. Hotel California
2. New Kid In Town
3. Life In The Fast Lane
4. Wasted Time
5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
6. Victim Of Love
7. Pretty Maids All In A Row
8. Try And Love Again
9. The Last Resort
The Eagles were already dripping in hits when Hotel California dropped in 1976. This album made them, until Rumours came out shortly afterward, pretty much the biggest band on the planet. The album boasted two great songs, the almost reggae title track (maybe their most complete song ever), and "Life In The Fast Lane". But what people tend to forget is that while these songs and "Victim Of Love" rocked (with much help from the addition of Joe Walsh on guitar), the rest of the album is pretty snoozy. Even more so than their previous effort, One Of These Nights.
"New Kid In Town" and "Try And Love Again" were hits also, and the vocals were, as always, first rate. But the album is ultimately dragged from it's perceived classic status by the duller tracks "Wasted Time" (and its pointless orchestral reprise) and "the overly long "The Last Resort". A large part of what made Hotel California such a huge hit was the greatest hits album that was released around the same time. Hotel California is a great picture of life in the mid 70's...but as an album, it's not quite as great as we remember it to be. Still, a good effort. But not quite an indispensable classic. [First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
Produced by BILL SZYMCZYK
1. Hotel California
2. New Kid In Town
3. Life In The Fast Lane
4. Wasted Time
5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
6. Victim Of Love
7. Pretty Maids All In A Row
8. Try And Love Again
9. The Last Resort
The Eagles were already dripping in hits when Hotel California dropped in 1976. This album made them, until Rumours came out shortly afterward, pretty much the biggest band on the planet. The album boasted two great songs, the almost reggae title track (maybe their most complete song ever), and "Life In The Fast Lane". But what people tend to forget is that while these songs and "Victim Of Love" rocked (with much help from the addition of Joe Walsh on guitar), the rest of the album is pretty snoozy. Even more so than their previous effort, One Of These Nights.
"New Kid In Town" and "Try And Love Again" were hits also, and the vocals were, as always, first rate. But the album is ultimately dragged from it's perceived classic status by the duller tracks "Wasted Time" (and its pointless orchestral reprise) and "the overly long "The Last Resort". A large part of what made Hotel California such a huge hit was the greatest hits album that was released around the same time. Hotel California is a great picture of life in the mid 70's...but as an album, it's not quite as great as we remember it to be. Still, a good effort. But not quite an indispensable classic. [First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,135
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1979-ASYLUM
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. The Long Run
2. I Can’t Tell You Why
3. In The City
4. The Disco Strangler
5. King of Hollywood
6. Heartache Tonight
7. Those Shoes
8. Teenage Jail
9. The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks
10. The Sad Café
For the Eagles, following up their hugely successful album Hotel California wasn’t the problem. The problem was how to keep from killing each other in the process. They got The Long Run done without either Don Henley, Don Felder or Glenn Frey dying in the process, but they were famously done by the end of the tour that followed. As for the album itself, it’s been able to stand up on its own, although it’s not as consistent as Hotel California. It has great highs, terrible lows, and enough hits to keep the band on the charts for the sixth straight album. The Long Run is the first without Randy Meisner on bass…his replacement, Timothy B. Schmitt from Poco contributes one song…and it may be the best in the Eagles catalog. “I Can’t Tell You Why” is a stunningly beautiful song, sung to perfection by Schmitt and containing Frey’s best guitar work. For this song alone, the album is worthwhile.
But there are nine other tracks. “Heartache Tonight” (co-written by Bob Seger) and “The Long Run” were big hits: both very good songs. “The Sad Café” is a touching ode to the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and “Those Shoes” is the bands best rocker. And the only Joe Walsh entry, “In The City”, is a well done re-recording. But there’s also the awful “The Disco Strangler”, the mediocre “King Of Hollywood”, the dull “Teenage Jail” and the downright stupidity of “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks”, which actually contains a line about “barfing all over your boyfriend’s shoes”. In all, The Long Run is a series of highs and lows. It’s good…especially with the ability to skip tracks. It’s not amazing, and it’s also a further departure from the bands California country roots…it would have been interesting to hear what the follow up to this one would have sounded like. We’ll never know. [First added to this chart: 12/11/2011]
Produced By BILL SZYMCZYK
1. The Long Run
2. I Can’t Tell You Why
3. In The City
4. The Disco Strangler
5. King of Hollywood
6. Heartache Tonight
7. Those Shoes
8. Teenage Jail
9. The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks
10. The Sad Café
For the Eagles, following up their hugely successful album Hotel California wasn’t the problem. The problem was how to keep from killing each other in the process. They got The Long Run done without either Don Henley, Don Felder or Glenn Frey dying in the process, but they were famously done by the end of the tour that followed. As for the album itself, it’s been able to stand up on its own, although it’s not as consistent as Hotel California. It has great highs, terrible lows, and enough hits to keep the band on the charts for the sixth straight album. The Long Run is the first without Randy Meisner on bass…his replacement, Timothy B. Schmitt from Poco contributes one song…and it may be the best in the Eagles catalog. “I Can’t Tell You Why” is a stunningly beautiful song, sung to perfection by Schmitt and containing Frey’s best guitar work. For this song alone, the album is worthwhile.
But there are nine other tracks. “Heartache Tonight” (co-written by Bob Seger) and “The Long Run” were big hits: both very good songs. “The Sad Café” is a touching ode to the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and “Those Shoes” is the bands best rocker. And the only Joe Walsh entry, “In The City”, is a well done re-recording. But there’s also the awful “The Disco Strangler”, the mediocre “King Of Hollywood”, the dull “Teenage Jail” and the downright stupidity of “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks”, which actually contains a line about “barfing all over your boyfriend’s shoes”. In all, The Long Run is a series of highs and lows. It’s good…especially with the ability to skip tracks. It’s not amazing, and it’s also a further departure from the bands California country roots…it would have been interesting to hear what the follow up to this one would have sounded like. We’ll never know. [First added to this chart: 12/11/2011]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
461
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1970 | 17 | 17% | |
| 1971 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1972 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1973 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1974 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1975 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1976 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1977 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1978 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1979 | 13 | 13% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5% | |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 3% | |
| Eagles | 3 | 3% | |
| Electric Light Orchestra | 3 | 3% | |
| The Allman Brothers Band | 3 | 3% | |
| Queen | 3 | 3% | |
| Neil Young | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 3 from 10th to 7th Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 7th to 8th (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) by Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| Down 1 from 8th to 9th Boston by Boston |
| Down 1 from 9th to 10th Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s ratings
89/100 (from 67 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 67 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 04/24/2024 01:21 |  HoldenM | | 95/100 |
| 90/100 | 04/23/2024 09:39 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 09/20/2023 19:55 | MetalMan67 | | 90/100 |
| 75/100 | 01/23/2022 16:11 |  IlMala | | 95/100 |
| 95/100 | 04/04/2021 11:42 | MasterOfPuppets | | 91/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 4% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.1/100, a mean average of 88.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 10.9.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s comments
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100/100
From HoldenM 04/24/2024 01:21
HoldenM 04/24/2024 01:21
Hell yeah.
#303154 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Moondance 04/23/2024 09:39
Very solid chart. Would have liked to have seen a bit more international diversity.
#303138 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From MetalMan67 09/20/2023 19:56
MetalMan67 09/20/2023 19:56
Very well done. I enjoyed reading the commentary and your thoughts about certain albums.
#299186 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Larcx13 10/06/2020 10:16
Larcx13 10/06/2020 10:16
Sick top 10!
#259050 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
Boltzmann 04/24/2018 22:26
Boltzmann 04/24/2018 22:26
Interesting chart with lot of personality.
#213571 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
Cardboardfolder 04/24/2018 12:59
Cardboardfolder 04/24/2018 12:59
For some reason, this chart just makes me feel good. A lot of albums on here just bring back a lot of memories!
#213545 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From Ulf 04/24/2018 08:18
Very nice chart be sure to fix the comments jazz and moondance they seem to fit the wrong album
#213537 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
80/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 04/24/2018 08:14
ForegroundNoise 04/24/2018 08:14
Too much emphasis on classic rock for a higher rating than 80 sorry. Not a single German album in a decade that was defining for the German music scene??
#213536 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
bobbyb5 08/20/2017 23:32
bobbyb5 08/20/2017 23:32
Isn't it weird how you never see Allman Brothers' Brothers and Sisters and Laid Back ever?
#196430 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
RoundTheBend 02/02/2017 03:58
RoundTheBend 02/02/2017 03:58
36 in common.
#184745 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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