Best Albums of the 1970s

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48.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 

 Elton John

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"I know taste is subjective and all but, this album being below 7 Radiohead albums just shows how absurd this website is lol Basically Elton's greatest hits album with what is probably one of the best openers of all time. Candle of the Wind, Bennie and the title track are also amazing tunes. Overa...""I know taste is subjective and all but, this album being below 7 Radiohead albums just shows how absurd this website is lol Basically Elton's greatest hits album with what is probably one of the best openers of all time. Candle of the Wind, Bennie and the title track are also amazing tunes. Overall one of the best 50/100 albums of all time easily"  [+]  Reply

- prrczim | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 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:

1,000 charts

Rank Score:

7,400

Rank in 1973:

5

Rank in 1970s:

48

Overall Rank:

205

Average Rating:

 81 (1,167 votes)

Comments:

84

222.

Madman Across The Water 

 Elton John

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"For me this is Elton John at his peak. Tackling progressive rock, Elton John and Bernie Taupin expanded their songcraft and in doing so created my personal favourite album of all time. What helps Madman Across the Water to be so exceptional are a couple of things. Firstly, the album holds some of...""For me this is Elton John at his peak. Tackling progressive rock, Elton John and Bernie Taupin expanded their songcraft and in doing so created my personal favourite album of all time. What helps Madman Across the Water to be so exceptional are a couple of things. Firstly, the album holds some of the most incredible musicianship both Elton and his band produced. Elton John is stunning on piano as usual and he has also evolved vocally, however Elton can't take all the credit for Madman Across the Water. Drummers Roger Pope, Barry Morgan and Terry Cox are all great as well as bass guitarists David Glover, Brian Odgers, Herbie Flowers, electric guitarists Caleb Quaye, Chris Spedding and acoustic guitarist Davey Johnstone. The real standout here though is Paul Buckmaster with his soaring string arrangements on 7 of the 9 songs. This album also has 4 of not just Elton John's greatest songs, but in my opinion 4 of the greatest songs ever. "Tiny Dancer" is one of Elton's enduring classics and deserves to be. "Levon" is an epic tale which features some of Taupin's most cryptic lyrics and a sublime Elton melody transforming into a grandiose crescendo. "Madman Across the Water" is a dark, brooding portrait written from the perspective of a psychopath in an asylum - "Is the nightmare black, or are the windows painted” - which starts off quietly with Davey Johnstone on acoustic guitar and then fades into one of the greatest battles in music history between Chris Spedding (electric guitar) and Paul Buckmaster (strings). "Indian Sunset" is an underrated masterpiece which chronicles the story of an unnamed American Indian warrior on the verge of defeat from the white man and has one of Elton John's most delicate vocal performances."  [+]  Reply

- Seventiesfan | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 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:

329 charts

Rank Score:

1,620

Rank in 1971:

31

Rank in 1970s:

222

Overall Rank:

1,079

Average Rating:

 78 (452 votes)

Comments:

26

224.

Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy 

 Elton John

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"I'm not much of an Elton John fan; too showy and pop style above substance for my taste. However, this is one of my personal favorites and an album I'll never get tired of listening to. It has lyrics that are delivered with real emotion and warmth in tracks like "Someone Saved my Life Tonight" an...""I'm not much of an Elton John fan; too showy and pop style above substance for my taste. However, this is one of my personal favorites and an album I'll never get tired of listening to. It has lyrics that are delivered with real emotion and warmth in tracks like "Someone Saved my Life Tonight" and "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" but also has the lights in your eyes fun that reminds me of Bowie's best in tracks like "(Gotta Get a) Meal Ticket" and "Tell Me When the Whistle Blows". Not a weak track IMO and just a genuinely pleasurable album all around. There are only three albums by EJ that I admire and this is certainly the highlight of his career in my opinion."  [+]  Reply

- TheMysteryBox | 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:

1975

Appears in:

334 charts

Rank Score:

1,599

Rank in 1975:

17

Rank in 1970s:

224

Overall Rank:

1,087

Average Rating:

 78 (445 votes)

Comments:

31

242.

Tumbleweed Connection 

 Elton John

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"Not convinced Elton John is the genius he's said to be? Take a listen to this one and see if you change your mind. Don't have time for a whole album? Closer "Burn Down the Mission" should do just fine."  Reply

- poppmusic | 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:

1970

Appears in:

286 charts

Rank Score:

1,443

Rank in 1970:

32

Rank in 1970s:

242

Overall Rank:

1,211

Average Rating:

 79 (391 votes)

Comments:

26

287.

Honky Château 

 Elton John

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"Another strong album from Elton John when he was unstoppable. Personally, I don't think, honky chateau, is quite as good as, madman, or, tumbleweed, but it's still a decent record. Honky cat, I think I'm going to kill myself, are strong cuts, but the best without doubt is, rocket man, one of Elto...""Another strong album from Elton John when he was unstoppable. Personally, I don't think, honky chateau, is quite as good as, madman, or, tumbleweed, but it's still a decent record. Honky cat, I think I'm going to kill myself, are strong cuts, but the best without doubt is, rocket man, one of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's best ever songs. The only problem I have with some Elton John songs is they sometimes sound like what they are, Elton awkwardly trying to fit melodies around lyrics he didn't write, it's something I notice often. Still, good album from when Elton was ridiculously prolific. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 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:

280 charts

Rank Score:

1,130

Rank in 1972:

28

Rank in 1970s:

287

Overall Rank:

1,522

Average Rating:

 79 (371 votes)

Comments:

24

594.

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player 

 Elton John

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""This is a largely melody-based album- Its purpose is to find its way into your brain and stick there. There are piano hooks, lush vocal harmonies, and easily-clappable drum beats. There are cheesy lyrics, dated 70s moments, and clean production. Here on BEA we typically see those aspects as detr..."""This is a largely melody-based album- Its purpose is to find its way into your brain and stick there. There are piano hooks, lush vocal harmonies, and easily-clappable drum beats. There are cheesy lyrics, dated 70s moments, and clean production. Here on BEA we typically see those aspects as detriments to an album's quality, but that view is largely ignorant of albums that use those aspects to their advantage. Don't Shoot Me takes those attributes and utilizes them better than any album before or after." ^From my chart description of the album I probably give Don't Shoot Me a bit too much credit…but I have a great emotional connection to the record and truly love it on every level. "  [+]  Reply

- | 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:

1973

Appears in:

164 charts

Rank Score:

434

Rank in 1973:

64

Rank in 1970s:

594

Overall Rank:

3,456

Average Rating:

 75 (244 votes)

Comments:

12

708.

Elton John 

 Elton John

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"A relatively forgotten classic. A few weak tracks, but so much beautiful music on here, Elton's debut would easily make my top 100. Highlights: "Sixty Years On," "King," "Border Song," and "Pilot. And, of course, "Your Song" is one of the prettiest love songs ever. Rating based on original releas...""A relatively forgotten classic. A few weak tracks, but so much beautiful music on here, Elton's debut would easily make my top 100. Highlights: "Sixty Years On," "King," "Border Song," and "Pilot. And, of course, "Your Song" is one of the prettiest love songs ever. Rating based on original release (without last three songs)."  [+]  Reply

- subtleman22 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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:

170 charts

Rank Score:

343

Rank in 1970:

76

Rank in 1970s:

708

Overall Rank:

4,223

Average Rating:

 76 (276 votes)

Comments:

13

727.

Greatest Hits 
Compilation

 Elton John

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"I’m purely rating this on the songs chosen alone. For new fans this or any version of greatest hits of his will do. The hits are just as good as the album cuts and vice versa, that can’t be said for too many artists."  Reply

- CJMishellsan | 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:

1974

Appears in:

89 charts

Rank Score:

328

Rank in 1974:

70

Rank in 1970s:

727

Overall Rank:

4,363

Average Rating:

 82 (170 votes)

Comments:

7

Total albums: 8. Page 1 of 1

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Year	Albums	%
1970	110	11%
1971	100	10%
1972	97	10%
1973	112	11%
1974	93	9%
1975	97	10%
1976	90	9%
1977	93	9%
1978	106	11%
1979	105	11%

Artist	Albums	%
David Bowie	11	1%
Yes	9	1%
Genesis	9	1%
The Rolling Stones	8	1%
Miles Davis	8	1%
Electric Light Orchestra	8	1%
Pink Floyd	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	390	39%
	374	37%
	42	4%
	39	4%
	38	4%
	20	2%
	20	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	979	98%
Yes	24	2%

Live?	Albums	%
No	946	94%
Yes	57	6%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	989	99%
Yes	14	1%