Listed below are the best albums of the 1970s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 4 hours ago).
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from Pink Floyd. (Remove this filter)
"Novices to the world of acclaimed rock music looking to cut their teeth wouldn't have to dig very deep to find evidence of The Dark Side of the Moon's legacy and societal imprint. After all, this is a record that is arguably the most universally celebrated and globally popular in modern history. ...""Novices to the world of acclaimed rock music looking to cut their teeth wouldn't have to dig very deep to find evidence of The Dark Side of the Moon's legacy and societal imprint. After all, this is a record that is arguably the most universally celebrated and globally popular in modern history. Unfortunately, nowadays it's characterized, more often than not, by hyperbole. This is a shame really because it's pinpoint nuance that makes The Dark Side of the Moon one of the finest albums to grace humanity's collective eardrums. The record radiates a sound of a group that knows exactly what it wants to achieve sonically and signals the completion of a maturation that has occurred over the course of a handful of prior outings. Take 1971's Meddle for example. It's one of Floyd's finest without reservation, boasting immense successes such as Fearless and San Tropez, but there is a rather hefty outlier laden within the tracklist. To be clear, I'm using the term outlier in its most complimentary form. The 23 minute behemoth, Echoes, ended the record and served as a roadmap for where the band would venture next. The destination was a cosmic, ethereal, metaphysical realm that they dubbed The Dark Side of the Moon.
The album commences with Speak to Me, a transport that can loosely be described as a track, however, its importance is critical to the LP's DNA. The track is fronted by a literal heartbeat and incorporates various samples (faintly heard) that coordinate with future expositions, elapsing to lay out the coming journey that remains ahead. They say that your life flashes before you on your deathbed, but here the band have presented those nanoseconds at birth. It's an intriguing concept put lightly. After a short (breath) of cognizance, third track, On the Run, epitomizes the frantic rigors that life will bestow upon its participants. Synths and a Hammond organ spark throughout the frenetic, instrumental piece that help craft one of Floyd's most satisfying short-burst affirmations. A cacophony of alarm bells greet you when fourth track Time, one of Floyd's most cherished works, emerges. The song, unsurprisingly, deals with the passage of its namesake and how it is futile to protest against the all-devouring pull of its black hole. The horology driven track is arguably the album's spaciest statement, as it glides wonderfully across an unblemished, unsullied terrain. David Gilmour's lead vocals are hoisted by the serene backing of a myriad of singers before he himself uncorks a guitar solo of unflinching allure. Gilmour warns, "Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain; you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today, and then one day you find ten years have got behind you; no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun." The Dark Side of the Moon has just revealed its first treasure. The final track of the A side is a bit of a deviation, but not in quality. The stunning, non-lexical vocal stylings of Clare Torry caress The Great Gig in the Sky, which stands in as a figurative grim reaper. If only dying could be this inviting. Her yowls seep into every crevice and cranny of the instrumentation, fusing into an intense moment of catharsis as side one fades out.
The tranquility subsides with an exchange of currency but this particular quid is of the funky variety. Money benefits substantially from drummer Nick Mason and session saxophonist Dick Parry. Mason excels against a tricky 7/4 time signature which is later converted to 4/4 for Gilmour's punctual guitar solo. Parry's sax shepherds the track through that very transition with all the eccentricities of a free jazz maestro. Thematically, the track mocks the pursuit of monetary wealth in the grand scheme of life's expansive possibility. "Money, it's a gas; grab that cash with both hands and make a stash; New car, caviar, four-star daydream, think I'll buy me a football team," elicits Gilmour. Money is, without opposition, the wittiest voyage on the album. Seventh track, Us and Them, shreds any remaining inklings of snarky banter. The nearly eight-minute cut is an expedition through the nucleus of human interaction and conflict. It's also the highpoint for melodic elegance on the record. For instance, the vocal harmony shared between Gilmour and Richard Wright, supported by the returning vocal quintet from Time, dishes out multiple crescendos which never fail to produce goosebumps. Dick Parry also returns, once again armed with his tenor saxophone. He contributes healthy doses of chaos alongside the angelic climaxes. Gilmour and Wright cry, "Haven't you heard it's a battle of words, the poster bearer cried, listen, son, said the man with the gun, There's room for you inside." Incredible is too tame a word for Us and Them. Any Colour You Like bridges the gap between Us and Them and the final two tracks of the record. Brain Damage, previously known as "Lunatic", is an uncompromising examination of the deterioration of one's mental health. It's a notably subdued moment on the LP, treading lightly in the manner in which one would approach a loved one battling cognitive disarray. Roger Waters tries his hand here, chanting, "And if the dam breaks open many years too soon, and if there is no room upon the hill, and if your head explodes with dark forebodings too; I'll see you on the dark side of the moon." These lyrics seem to metaphorically chronicle the spiraling psychological state of former Floyd compatriot, Syd Barrett. More details on that in 1975. The album comes to a stirring, reflective ending on Eclipse. It unfurls almost as a warning to its audience to take life seriously and thoroughly taste every precious drop of elixir it grants. Waters bestows, "And all that is now and all that is gone, and all that's to come and everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon." The track departs with the heartbeat that introduced the record's arrival. It's the symbolic ending of a journey, or is it a rebirth?
The Dark Side of the Moon continues to induce innumerable headlines, but it's the subtext which serves as a finer asseveration of its invincibility. Its chart topping run isn't the catalyst for the album's cultural staying power, nor is it typified by its pieces. It was constructed with the intention to be consumed wholly in the same fashion in which humans cannot pick and choose select instances within a lifetime. Yes, the performances are marvelous, but it's the uncolored edges of ruminative headspace between the sonic apexes that truly hold the jewels. It's not Pink Floyd's most personal outing (Wish You Were Here) or even their most technically proficient (Animals), but it remains their most essential due to its kinship with the human condition. The truth is, yes, it really is that good. Look within life's tiniest moments for validation.
"Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time,
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines,
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way,
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say."
-Time
Standout Tracks:
1. Us and Them
2. Time
3. Brain Damage
93.6"[+]Reply
"The first time I heard this album was a bootleged copy off cassete when I was 14, laying on a hillside at night beside the girl who I thought at the time was the most beautiful and sexy in the world. You may like to add your own imagery to the setting, but it left a permanant mark on my psychie t...""The first time I heard this album was a bootleged copy off cassete when I was 14, laying on a hillside at night beside the girl who I thought at the time was the most beautiful and sexy in the world. You may like to add your own imagery to the setting, but it left a permanant mark on my psychie that will remain for the rest of my life. It is my number one album despite the fact she married someone else."[+]Reply
"A lot of people complain about its "pretentiousness", and its pompous nature, but quite frankly I don't see it working without these traits. All the emotions and the rage towards the world of one person packaged in an incredibly expressive piece of work. It ranges from melancholic to angry to apa...""A lot of people complain about its "pretentiousness", and its pompous nature, but quite frankly I don't see it working without these traits. All the emotions and the rage towards the world of one person packaged in an incredibly expressive piece of work. It ranges from melancholic to angry to apathetic, and the music always seems to fit the story perfectly.
"Don't look so frightened, this is just a passing phase, one of my bad days"
(I love this line)"[+]Reply
"Roger Waters plays this whole thing live in support of his new album and this just shoots up the charts, funny how that works but it still has some climbing to do. It'd be a lot higher if it weren't competing so directly with Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, it deserves to...""Roger Waters plays this whole thing live in support of his new album and this just shoots up the charts, funny how that works but it still has some climbing to do. It'd be a lot higher if it weren't competing so directly with Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, it deserves to be higher. Like steppenwolf666 down there, I also think it belongs ahead of The Wall in 3rd place as far as PF is concerned. Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep are some of the greatest, most epic songs and the other 2 are just bookends, a minute long or so. All of the notes are so beautiful and perfect throughout. It's all tied together so well, the theme, tone, structure, it's like a symphony. It works perfectly as a whole and is best by far listened to in its entirety with the lyrics out if you don't already know them. A lot of ppl actually think this is even better than DSOTM."[+]Reply
"I find it impossible to say that this one or that one is the best Pink Floyd album. I own 14 or 15 and love everyone of them just like children. They are all different and have personalities. Meddle is great and I could listen to Echoes on an endless loop. The one Pink Floyd album that can't seem...""I find it impossible to say that this one or that one is the best Pink Floyd album. I own 14 or 15 and love everyone of them just like children. They are all different and have personalities. Meddle is great and I could listen to Echoes on an endless loop. The one Pink Floyd album that can't seem to find any love from anyone but me is Ummagumma. it is definitely a headphones album! Maybe I just like it so much because when I first heard it 40 years ago I was tripping?"[+]Reply
"Critics hated this, Pink Floyd members themselves hate this, but I (like many fans I guess) love it! The suite is very experimental - and long - but very listenable (for what it is), the three songs by band members are all very good (my favourite is Summer 68 by Wright) and Alan's Pyschedelic bre...""Critics hated this, Pink Floyd members themselves hate this, but I (like many fans I guess) love it! The suite is very experimental - and long - but very listenable (for what it is), the three songs by band members are all very good (my favourite is Summer 68 by Wright) and Alan's Pyschedelic breakfast features beautiful instrumental music - though i'd prefer to hear it without some guy eating and talking about food in the background :) ..."[+]Reply
"I really like this album as it has focus and direction which was not on a few of their previous outings. My favourite would have to be Childhood's End - great feel, awesome lyrics and a typically haunting Gilmour solo."Reply
"With some songs not on the studio albums, this is a fantastic compilation. It stands on it's own in greatness along side the other early albums. A fantastic early collection"Reply
DriftingOrpheus | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Freddie55 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (13 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.
