Top 17 Music Albums of 1972
by Junomoogmello 
This chart is under construction with albums being added as re-listened to, that way commentary is relevant and not based on memories. Only music which I own on vinyl, CD and tape is included. Personally I think that digital streaming has killed the music industry.
- Chart updated: 02/02/2025 16:15
- (Created: 07/23/2020 10:20).
- Chart size: 17 albums.
There is 1 comment for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 59,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
A pivotal prog album which sounds as fresh today as when first released. There is so much going on within each track that I hear different things with each listen. If I ever get enough points to set up a Pro Chart, this will be sat at the top.
[First added to this chart: 09/02/2021]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
13,711
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
One of the best prog albums of all time. Superb guitar and bass throughout, underpinned by drums which sit perfectly in the mix. An album where you can pick each instrument out individually and where the vocals sit correctly in the mix also. This could well be my all time favourite album cover. As the warrior looks over the land one wonders what is going through his mind, flip the sleeve over and you can pick out the feint outline of a UFO. Well done to Hipgnosis for such a simple yet effective and thought provoking sleeve design.
[First added to this chart: 01/30/2022]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,881
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
This album was a Christmas present (which I had asked for!) back in the early eighties and I can remember how excited I was to open the wrapping and gaze upon the very 'progressive' style cover art ahead of lowering the needle into the first track. This is an album which never disappoints and which is probably more progressive than metal. In fact, it has all the elements of a prog masterpiece, a fitting cover, a theme which follows through several tracks and musicianship which twists and winds like a snake in a hot desert outcrop! Is this a prog masterpiece which as yet has sat under the covers yet to be discovered?
[First added to this chart: 03/21/2021]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
936
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
The two songs bookending this album are reason enough to buy this prog classic. In my view there isn't a lot between this album and Selling England by the Pound. I was never lucky enough to see Genesis live in their heyday but I have seen Steve Hackett and his band perform Watcher of the Skies on two occasions and it was superb on both occasions!
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2021]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,936
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Possibly the greatest live album ever made. Worth owning the album for the incredible versions of Child In Time and Smoke On The Water, the latter with a slightly different guitar chord intro to the studio version. For a live album, the recording quality is superb. An album made to live on vinyl!
[First added to this chart: 08/30/2020]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,857
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
I am often torn between this one and 'After the Gold Rush', never really sure which sits in poll position. Does it really matter, both are great but quite different albums? The instrumental layering on this album is superb. I love 'Heart of Gold' and 'Old Man'. Strong message in 'The Needle and the Damage Done'. Parts of this album sound so much like Nils Lofgren, I came to him first so perhaps that statement should be reversed. I know Nils was in the band on keyboards through some of Neil Young's work so perhaps the style rubbed off on him, no bad thing!
[First added to this chart: 12/24/2023]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,951
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
An incredibly complex album which can move from orchestral arrangements to almost heavy rock elements in a trice. Three Fiends (last track) is my personal favourite where the bass almost takes the melody part. Amazing album.
[First added to this chart: 04/25/2022]
It's the beginning of September and nearly the end of my psychedelic and eighties music listeneing period (summer). What better way to start the Prog season than with this excellent album. I may well be shot down in flames for saying it but I prefer this to King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King! Musically brilliant with twists and turns like a sidewinder. A true classic prog album which can easily sit alongside top Yes and Genesis Prog albums.
[First added to this chart: 02/28/2021]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
829
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
I actually prefer In Rock and Stormbringer. Smoke on the Water is no doubt the highlight track, I am lucky enough to have this album in mint condition on purple vinyl. Sound awesome through good audio kit.
[First added to this chart: 03/21/2021]
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,288
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Edit comment As a teenager I remember Thomas the Vance playing Budgie quite regularly on The Friday Rock Show. This fantastic Radio show introduced me to so many bands, Budgie being one of them. I am not sure if Budgie took themselves that seriously, if you wanted to make it big would you name a track 'Hot as a Dockers Armpit'! The great thing with Budgie is the contrast from heavy to mellow and it works. 'Make me Happy' is a favourite.
[First added to this chart: 02/13/2022]
Total albums: 17. Page 1 of 2
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Uriah Heep | 2 | 12% | |
| Deep Purple | 2 | 12% | |
| Gentle Giant | 2 | 12% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 1 | 6% | |
| Jefferson Airplane | 1 | 6% | |
| Yes | 1 | 6% | |
| Black Sabbath | 1 | 6% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 chart changes
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Gain access to a Dark Mode theme.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/27/2024 22:04 | mrmcrook | 815 | 92/100 | |
| 09/02/2021 19:43 | DJENNY | 4,337 | 100/100 |
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 favourites
Top 17 Music Albums of 1972 comments
Showing all 1 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From mrmcrook 04/27/2024 22:08 | #303228
Love your notes. Fully agree with your comment about digital streaming. Not only has it killed the music industry, it's also diluted the relevance of most opinions as now people will tell you how good a song or album is from only listening to it once. Like you, I only list albums I own and have listened to multiple times.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 17 Music Albums of 1972
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
