Best Albums of the 1970s

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171.

Catch A Fire 

 The Wailers

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"Fully formed “debut” this is one of my favorite albums Bob Marley was associated with. The Wailers include Bunny Wailer & Peter Tosh here and their contributions pack a big punch. Perhaps it didn’t have songs as great as on the next album Burnin’ but this album flows together quite well. Concrete...""Fully formed “debut” this is one of my favorite albums Bob Marley was associated with. The Wailers include Bunny Wailer & Peter Tosh here and their contributions pack a big punch. Perhaps it didn’t have songs as great as on the next album Burnin’ but this album flows together quite well. Concrete Jungle, Stop That Train, Stir It Up & No More Trouble are standout tracks. "  [+]  Reply

- Brandon8 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

388 charts

Rank Score:

2,198

Rank in 1973:

23

Rank in 1970s:

171

Overall Rank:

785

Average Rating:

 81 (454 votes)

Comments:

18

172.

3rd 

 Big Star

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"I hope I'm not committing any form of blasphemy by encouraging this, but considering the fact that Big Star's third album was ultimately abandoned due to lack of interest by the band members, I believe this creates a rather interesting opportunity for us fans to create the track listing however w...""I hope I'm not committing any form of blasphemy by encouraging this, but considering the fact that Big Star's third album was ultimately abandoned due to lack of interest by the band members, I believe this creates a rather interesting opportunity for us fans to create the track listing however we see fit, in terms of both the amount of songs, and the order. Now, I know what you may be thinking, perhaps it's perfect the way it is, and yes, perhaps that is the case. But we all know there are many different track listings, all trying their best to create that 'flow' all musicians want. Personally, I've found this track listing to be the best (See Below). And with it, I think it ultimately stands as becoming the strongest Big Star album of the lot - that is, of course, if that wasn't already the case. SIDE ONE: 1. Stroke it Noel 2. For You 3. Nightime 4. Blue Moon 5. Femme Fatale 6. Thank You Friends SIDE TWO: 7. Jesus Christ 8. Big Black Car 9. Dream Lover 10. Holocaust 11. Kangaroo 12. Take Care"  [+]  Reply

- JasonZaia | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

368 charts

Rank Score:

2,195

Rank in 1978:

16

Rank in 1970s:

172

Overall Rank:

788

Average Rating:

 80 (447 votes)

Comments:

32

173.

Toys In The Attic 

 Aerosmith

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"I really don't understand people saying this album only has Walk this Way or Sweet Emotion, and lacks consistency. IMO this is a very consistent album, with only Round and Round and Big Ten Inch not grabbing me in some way (although 10" is pretty amusing). While all the songs are hard rock (cept ...""I really don't understand people saying this album only has Walk this Way or Sweet Emotion, and lacks consistency. IMO this is a very consistent album, with only Round and Round and Big Ten Inch not grabbing me in some way (although 10" is pretty amusing). While all the songs are hard rock (cept You See Me Cryin), none of them sound like duplicates, each song having a distinctive feel. The title track is almost proto-thrash in its tempo, and also highlights one of the two main things that I think makes Aerosmith special: the guitar interplay between Whitford and Perry. Adam's Apple (among other tracks) highlights the other thing: Steven Tyler. While his style is certainly a matter of taste (no one would call him the most talented vocalist around), I find his shouts and yowls and general high energy level to be very entertaining to listen to. While the lyrics on this album are certainly not 'deep,' I think it would be a mistake to call them bad. Adam's Apple may just be about sex, but I think the metaphors and whatnot are entertaining. Honestly, I think my overall point here is that this is a very entertaining album if you like hard rock. It may not be groundbreaking or particularly deep, but it has some very strong songs played by one of the most distinct rock groups ever. Sometimes, that's all you want to listen to."  [+]  Reply

- Caesar01 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

445 charts

Rank Score:

2,193

Rank in 1975:

12

Rank in 1970s:

173

Overall Rank:

789

Average Rating:

 77 (668 votes)

Comments:

47

174.

Live At Leeds 
Live

 The Who

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"Live at Leeds, is quite rightly regarded as one of the great live albums. It's The Who at the top of their game, when all four members were at the peak of their powers, Moon, at his powerhouse best, Entwistle, totally on it as a stunning bass player, Townshend, finally showing his potential as a ...""Live at Leeds, is quite rightly regarded as one of the great live albums. It's The Who at the top of their game, when all four members were at the peak of their powers, Moon, at his powerhouse best, Entwistle, totally on it as a stunning bass player, Townshend, finally showing his potential as a guitar great, and off course Daltrey, in his rock God persona, tassels and all, The Who were at this stage, along with Led Zeppelin, the ultimate rock band. The energy of this record is infectious, and in some ways the original six track release is more enjoyable than the 2CD version, although both are blistering hard rock at it's best. The, Tommy, run through, is arguably even better than it was on the original album, elsewhere, Johnny Kidd's, shakin' all over, and Mose Allison's, young man blues, are fantastic. Substitute, and, summertime blues, are also excellent. Magic bus, and, my generation, wrap the original album up, both versions have rarely been done better. In the top five live LP's ever. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

437 charts

Rank Score:

2,155

Rank in 1970:

24

Rank in 1970s:

174

Overall Rank:

802

Average Rating:

 83 (692 votes)

Comments:

43

175.

Ambient 1: Music For Airports 

 Brian Eno

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"I remember reading BEA user JulianR’s comment on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless “never has an album been so synonymous with a genre, yet so unique within it”, but my mind, however, leapt immediately to this one. So iconic was its release that the entire labelling of the ambient genre followed its...""I remember reading BEA user JulianR’s comment on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless “never has an album been so synonymous with a genre, yet so unique within it”, but my mind, however, leapt immediately to this one. So iconic was its release that the entire labelling of the ambient genre followed its precedent. No other record wears its ethos so proudly on its sleeve (in this case quite literally) than this one. Its simplicity is often what leaves Ambient 1 so overlooked and overcriticized; yes, the album is sparse, but this is exactly where its impact lies; there’s no worth in comparing it to the complexity of jazz or prog since the entire manifesto of ambient is to do more with less. With tracks 1/1 and 2/1 being piano and vocal driven respectively, the third track combines the two elements to create a stunning harmony between the classical piano keys and the synth-laden vocals. The effect is transfixing and heartwrenching all at once; there seems to be a tragedy unfolding slowly before your eyes, but the lack of any lyrics leaves the nature of this tragedy just out of reach. Eno’s urge to move towards ambient music came as a result of a car accident, after which he was confined to his bed for a considerable time. A friend of his on their way out the door offered to put a record on, however Eno realised after she had left that the volume was far too low and moreover, the sound of the rain which had started to fall all but drowned out the music. This was his eureka moment, and both these elements are here if you look for them. Ambient 1 is the faintest remnant of the melody and the pounding cacophony of the rain. Most of this is copied from the description of the album in my overall chart, do check it out if you have the time!!"  [+]  Reply

- ForegroundNoise | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

364 charts

Rank Score:

2,086

Rank in 1979:

13

Rank in 1970s:

175

Overall Rank:

831

Average Rating:

 80 (556 votes)

Comments:

32

176.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! 

 Devo

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"I cannot recommend this album with any more fervency than I already have. This is a classic in every sense of the word. This album has been an at least once per week listen for me for the last 40 years!!! (Perhaps I exaggerate a tad.) A remarkable achievement for a group of talented musicians. Mo...""I cannot recommend this album with any more fervency than I already have. This is a classic in every sense of the word. This album has been an at least once per week listen for me for the last 40 years!!! (Perhaps I exaggerate a tad.) A remarkable achievement for a group of talented musicians. More than a novelty act, Devo had unestimatable music chops, most tellingly in the person of Mark Mothersbaugh (who has gone on outside the confines of Devo to create a vast musical footprint.) I won't belabor the point, just get this album!"  [+]  Reply

- TheDude85 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1978

Appears in:

413 charts

Rank Score:

2,074

Rank in 1978:

17

Rank in 1970s:

176

Overall Rank:

837

Average Rating:

 79 (484 votes)

Comments:

33

177.

Construção 

 Chico Buarque

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"Chico Buarque is a genius. "Construction" is exactly what he does in this album, through his words and sounds he builds whole cities only to destroy them all and start again. It leaves you helpless, small and oddly strong after being able to connect to everything he says."  Reply

- patriciatoledo | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

211 charts

Rank Score:

2,067

Rank in 1971:

27

Rank in 1970s:

177

Overall Rank:

842

Average Rating:

 81 (228 votes)

Comments:

10

178.

Vol 4 

 Black Sabbath

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"Early Sabbath do no wrong. Even when massively coked up during the writing and making of this, they still produce an album of a caliber that most bands will never even get close to. An all round classic that never fails to deliver. 'Laguna Sunrise' will be played at my funeral when I'm dead. My a...""Early Sabbath do no wrong. Even when massively coked up during the writing and making of this, they still produce an album of a caliber that most bands will never even get close to. An all round classic that never fails to deliver. 'Laguna Sunrise' will be played at my funeral when I'm dead. My all time favorite instrumental"  [+]  Reply

- mrmcrook | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

403 charts

Rank Score:

2,053

Rank in 1972:

17

Rank in 1970s:

178

Overall Rank:

847

Average Rating:

 81 (681 votes)

Comments:

38

179.

The Köln Concert 
Live

 Keith Jarrett

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"my first foray into the world of the piano solo. What an introduction !!"  Reply

- andyw110183 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

271 charts

Rank Score:

2,022

Rank in 1975:

13

Rank in 1970s:

179

Overall Rank:

860

Average Rating:

 81 (286 votes)

Comments:

9

180.

Eat A Peach 

 The Allman Brothers Band

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"This double album was released after Live at Fillmore East had propelled the band to stardom in the USA. It has three components. Firstly studio tracks featuring Duane Allman, secondly tracks recorded following his untimely demise and lastly live tracks from the Filmore East performances. More by...""This double album was released after Live at Fillmore East had propelled the band to stardom in the USA. It has three components. Firstly studio tracks featuring Duane Allman, secondly tracks recorded following his untimely demise and lastly live tracks from the Filmore East performances. More by accident than design the album works really well with the more laid back style of the studio material complementing the raw power of the best live tracks. Either way it showcases a great band at their very best despite having to deal with a huge tragedy. The fact that this double album only contains nine tracks is due to some of the tracks being greatly extended jams. This is never more apparent than on the 33 minute version of Mountain Jam which is extended way beyond the listener’s interest and undermines the whole album. The beautiful Betts track Melissa is one of the bands finest ever moments and Little Martha is a great track featuring Duane at his very best. The album reached # 4 on the US chart and is a fitting memorial to Duane Allman "  [+]  Reply

- Willie24 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1972

Appears in:

334 charts

Rank Score:

2,005

Rank in 1972:

18

Rank in 1970s:

180

Overall Rank:

864

Average Rating:

 80 (402 votes)

Comments:

17

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 18 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1970	110	11%
1971	100	10%
1972	97	10%
1973	112	11%
1974	93	9%
1975	98	10%
1976	90	9%
1977	92	9%
1978	105	11%
1979	103	10%

Artist	Albums	%
David Bowie	11	1%
Genesis	9	1%
Yes	9	1%
Queen	8	1%
Jethro Tull	8	1%
The Rolling Stones	8	1%
Miles Davis	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	388	39%
	374	37%
	42	4%
	39	4%
	38	4%
	21	2%
	20	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	976	98%
Yes	24	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	943	94%
Yes	57	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	987	99%
Yes	13	1%