Best Albums of the 1970s

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21.

Songs In The Key Of Life 

 Stevie Wonder

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"I don't care what anyone says, this is a top 100 album of all time. No question. Hands down. Let's move on. It is so much better than many albums ahead of it on our website. Objectively I would put it in the top 50. Anyway, this is an album any fan of music should take in at some point. It is Ste...""I don't care what anyone says, this is a top 100 album of all time. No question. Hands down. Let's move on. It is so much better than many albums ahead of it on our website. Objectively I would put it in the top 50. Anyway, this is an album any fan of music should take in at some point. It is Stevie's masterpiece (even though he had 5 incredible albums). It is so well composed, organized, and performed. So much soul and passion put into this album that took more than 2 years to be released. I was lucky enough to see him play it live in its entirety and I was given an entirely new view on this beautiful work of art. And as I type this, I have it spinning on the turntable. Again, what a work of art."  [+]  Reply

- AAL2014 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 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:

1976

Appears in:

1,334 charts

Rank Score:

15,632

Rank in 1976:

1

Rank in 1970s:

21

Overall Rank:

69

Average Rating:

 85 (1,383 votes)

Comments:

94

22.

Born To Run 

 Bruce Springsteen

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"Bruce Springsteen's most iconic album, and his breakthrough. It's amazing to think now, that he could have been dropped from his record label if this album had flopped. Fortunately for Springsteen and for us, it didn't, and we have one of the greatest careers in rock/pop music to enjoy. Born to r...""Bruce Springsteen's most iconic album, and his breakthrough. It's amazing to think now, that he could have been dropped from his record label if this album had flopped. Fortunately for Springsteen and for us, it didn't, and we have one of the greatest careers in rock/pop music to enjoy. Born to run, Bruce Springsteen's most important record kicks off with the stunning, thunder road, my all time favourite track, ever, but this is different to it's predecessor. Bruce isn't happy treading the boardwalk anymore, he wants to get out, 'cos he's scared he ain't that young anymore. Next up, it's the semi-autobiographical, tenth avenue freeze out, where the E street band gets together, where the 'big man' joins the band. The frantic, night, gives way to the friendship epic, backstreets. The title track shows Bruce with a little more faith, as he still believes he is still young enough , but he still wants out, although to what?, he doesn't know, after all, he thinks of himself as a tramp. After what's gone so far, she's the one, feels a little lightweight lyrically, but it's still an excellent bluesy rocker. Meeting across the river, shows two down on their luck hustlers, determined to make it right this time, show 'em all, especially the narrator's love interest . This brilliant album ends in breathtaking style, with the epic, jungleland. It's Bob Dylan and Phil Spector re-writing west side story. It's glorious, and features surely Clarence Clemon's greatest and most iconic solo on a Springsteen track. And that's it, that's what all the fuss is about. It's a masterpiece, it's a highway 61 for the seventies, it's born to run. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 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:

1975

Appears in:

1,619 charts

Rank Score:

14,601

Rank in 1975:

3

Rank in 1970s:

22

Overall Rank:

79

Average Rating:

 83 (1,999 votes)

Comments:

134

23.

After The Gold Rush 

 Neil Young

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"I can't get over how she set me free 0h, oh, lonesome me... Is there another album that more embodies the sound of the 70s? Back when bands' lyrics were repeated by the faithful like sacred truths. Back when albums seemed larger than life carrying their own mythology and album covers were gazed u...""I can't get over how she set me free 0h, oh, lonesome me... Is there another album that more embodies the sound of the 70s? Back when bands' lyrics were repeated by the faithful like sacred truths. Back when albums seemed larger than life carrying their own mythology and album covers were gazed upon for hours as if they held some divine truth. Back when bands were fronted by prophets or gods to indulge us common folk with their truths & power. Neil Young was always more the prophet than the god despite his considerable guitar prowess. Fitting that such a prophet should make the perfect album of love flickering out. Favorite tracks: Lonesome Blues, Don't let It Bring You Down Aside: Simply one of the best breakup albums ever!"  [+]  Reply

- | 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:

1970

Appears in:

1,602 charts

Rank Score:

14,280

Rank in 1970:

2

Rank in 1970s:

23

Overall Rank:

84

Average Rating:

 86 (1,807 votes)

Comments:

130

24.

Close To The Edge 

 Yes

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"I'm sure this has been done a million times, but I'm going to do it anyway. "Hey, what are you listening to?" "Yes." "Ok, what are you listening to?" "Yes." "Dude, answer me...what are you listening to." "I just told you twice." "No, you didn't tell me at all." "Yes, I did." "What are you listeni...""I'm sure this has been done a million times, but I'm going to do it anyway. "Hey, what are you listening to?" "Yes." "Ok, what are you listening to?" "Yes." "Dude, answer me...what are you listening to." "I just told you twice." "No, you didn't tell me at all." "Yes, I did." "What are you listening to?" "Yes." "WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?" "I am listening to Yes." "That doesn't even make any sense." "Yes, it does." "Why do you not want to tell me who you are listening to?" "I've told you several times who I am listening to. "Who then?" This band called Yes. Not the Globberschmoggles, or anything like that. "The who?" "No, Yes" "No, Yes.." "Yes, not The Who, Yes." "I'm going to fucking murder you.""  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +17 votes (18 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:

1972

Appears in:

1,212 charts

Rank Score:

13,535

Rank in 1972:

4

Rank in 1970s:

24

Overall Rank:

86

Average Rating:

 85 (1,498 votes)

Comments:

122

25.

Innervisions 

 Stevie Wonder

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"Probably Stevie Wonder's most perfect record. Innervisions, May not be your favourite Wonder LP, and you may not even think it's his best, but it is his one album that ticks all the boxes. It doesn't feel indulgent or overlong, there's no filler, weak tracks or any missteps, it's simply Stevie Wo...""Probably Stevie Wonder's most perfect record. Innervisions, May not be your favourite Wonder LP, and you may not even think it's his best, but it is his one album that ticks all the boxes. It doesn't feel indulgent or overlong, there's no filler, weak tracks or any missteps, it's simply Stevie Wonder firing on all cylinders, making a tight, cohesive and unforgettable LP. Great songs in, living for the city, higher ground, and, all in love is fair. Simply breathtaking. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | 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:

1973

Appears in:

1,223 charts

Rank Score:

12,064

Rank in 1973:

2

Rank in 1970s:

25

Overall Rank:

98

Average Rating:

 85 (1,345 votes)

Comments:

79

26.

All Things Must Pass 

 George Harrison

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"There is an unfathomable amount of varied material here, even more crazy is how much of that material is genuinely good. It took this long for me to commit to the full listen, I knew it would deserve it. The first two discs make for a beautiful listen, the first stretch of 6 songs, and a few othe...""There is an unfathomable amount of varied material here, even more crazy is how much of that material is genuinely good. It took this long for me to commit to the full listen, I knew it would deserve it. The first two discs make for a beautiful listen, the first stretch of 6 songs, and a few other gems scattered throughout in particular. George's voice sounds so good on a number of these tracks. I can't help but notice a similarity to my all time favorite record, Songs in the Key of Life, another sprawling beauty of a double (plus more) album with similar lyrical themes, album structuring/concepts, and gloriously masterful and varied instrumental arrangements. There's a lot here for me to sit with for a while but I love it already."  [+]  Reply

- AAL2014 | 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:

1970

Appears in:

1,246 charts

Rank Score:

11,946

Rank in 1970:

3

Rank in 1970s:

26

Overall Rank:

101

Average Rating:

 85 (1,338 votes)

Comments:

117

27.

Physical Graffiti 

 Led Zeppelin

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"What an outstanding 6 track run we have at the start of this record! Every single song in this run is simply phenomenal with the band giving us some incredible performances on every single instrument present on those songs. Every time I revisit this album I am completely blown away all over again...""What an outstanding 6 track run we have at the start of this record! Every single song in this run is simply phenomenal with the band giving us some incredible performances on every single instrument present on those songs. Every time I revisit this album I am completely blown away all over again with these songs as they are that impressive to experience. This quality does dip only slightly but is still great up until and including The Wanton Song which is where the album could possibly have concluded. After that we do get what can only be described as a bit of a drag to the finish. These final 3 tracks aren't bad but are such an obvious drop off in quality that it makes them seem worse than they are. However, these weaker tracks don't really detract from how amazing the rest of the music is on here. In my opinion, this is the record that solidified the fact that this is the greatest combination of musicians in one group as there is just no weak link amongst these 4 guys. Furthermore, they just seem to gel together so well on their releases with their sound being so cohesive and just such a joy to be able to experience. Overall, this is the most challenging but also the most rewarding album Led Zeppelin ever made and it deserves all the praise that it receives as it is a masterpiece. "  [+]  Reply

- Untitled | 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:

1975

Appears in:

1,377 charts

Rank Score:

11,853

Rank in 1975:

4

Rank in 1970s:

27

Overall Rank:

102

Average Rating:

 85 (2,078 votes)

Comments:

138

28.

Bridge Over Troubled Water 

 Simon & Garfunkel

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"These songs seem to have always existed, perhaps even before they were written... timeless Classics on an album which I think, let me check, ... yes, it is law to own a copy."  Reply

- badfaith | 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:

1970

Appears in:

1,304 charts

Rank Score:

11,807

Rank in 1970:

4

Rank in 1970s:

28

Overall Rank:

103

Average Rating:

 84 (1,564 votes)

Comments:

97

29.

Harvest 

 Neil Young

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""Harvest" is Neil Young biggest commercial succes. The number one hit-single "Heart of Gold" is obviously one of the reasons why the album was so successful, but of course the album has a lot of other great tracks. Generally the album is among Young's softest and most melodic, and songs like "Out..."""Harvest" is Neil Young biggest commercial succes. The number one hit-single "Heart of Gold" is obviously one of the reasons why the album was so successful, but of course the album has a lot of other great tracks. Generally the album is among Young's softest and most melodic, and songs like "Out on the Weekend", "Harvest" and "Old Man" are prototype songs showing Young's melodic country side - all three among the very of best of his early solo-recordings. A couple of songs, "Alabama" and "Words", do have the harder rocking approach that Young would exploit further on later albums. The two ballads "A Man Needs a Maid" and "There's a World" are arranged with pretty heavy orchestration, which some may like, but which personally is a bit of a shame, as the songs really don't need this. "The Needle and the Damage Done" is an acoustic live-recording, so in a way you could describe the album as being somewhat heterogeneous. But with outstanding songs like "Heart of Gold", "Out on the Weekend", "Harvest" and "Old Man" the album will be a favourite among most Young fans"  [+]  Reply

- Rovers | 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:

1,391 charts

Rank Score:

11,788

Rank in 1972:

5

Rank in 1970s:

29

Overall Rank:

104

Average Rating:

 85 (1,755 votes)

Comments:

97

30.

Station To Station 

 David Bowie

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"I'm not the biggest David Bowie fan, but this is probably my favorite album of his. I'm always struck at how different people can have such opposite opinions on songs. Stay is my favorite Bowie song of all (with only Heroes close behind), but you read others who say it's lackluster."  Reply

- mtr1979 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 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:

1976

Appears in:

1,114 charts

Rank Score:

11,586

Rank in 1976:

2

Rank in 1970s:

30

Overall Rank:

106

Average Rating:

 85 (1,569 votes)

Comments:

98

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100

Best Albums of the 1970s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1970	111	11%
1971	101	10%
1972	97	10%
1973	111	11%
1974	93	9%
1975	97	10%
1976	90	9%
1977	91	9%
1978	106	11%
1979	103	10%

Artist	Albums	%
Neil Young	11	1%
David Bowie	11	1%
Frank Zappa	11	1%
Paul McCartney	9	1%
Yes	9	1%
Genesis	9	1%
Bob Marley	9	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	385	39%
	376	38%
	42	4%
	39	4%
	38	4%
	21	2%
	20	2%
Show all

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

Live?	Albums	%
No	944	94%
Yes	56	6%

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