Ramones - Leave Home.
Second MoreCash, shocked that it took till the second page for someone to mention it
There were at least two "The 70s"
The 70s v1
Stevie Wonder Songs in the key of life
Lou Reed Transformer
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon
The 70s v2
The Clash London Calling
Bob Marley and the wailers Exodus
Joy Division Unknown Pleasure
There are too many good albums from the 70s. Lots of my favorites mentioned above.
Other notable mentions for me include
Aqualung or Thick as a Brick
Frampton Comes Alive (yes I know it’s a live album but is just brilliant)
Harvest, After the Gold Rush and Live Rust
Highway to Hell
Just off the top of my head, having looked through what others have posted so far.
Aqualung
Marquee Moon
Talking Heads ‘77’
Rumours
Nursery Crime
Selling England By The Pound
Wish You Were Here.
I look at what somepeople have posted and I think ‘thank god I’ve my own collection’...🤪 taking on board the not being negative about (well Music is subjective) I’d say to select a single greatest album of the 70’s is impossible (it’d be difficult enough to select one per year) I’m going to mention some essential albums that I don’t see mentioned:
There’s a Riot Going on - Sly & the family stone (also Fresh)
Someday we’ll look back - Merle Haggard (the cd reissue with Hag as well is my all time favourite Merle cd)
Trench Town Mix Up - The Gladiators
Two Sevens Clash - Culture
Reggae Got Soul - Toots & The Maytals
Tonight’s the night, On The Beach & Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young
Raw Power - Iggy & The Stooges (I’ll admit Fun House is the better album though)
I’m Still in love with you - Al Green
Greetings From LA - Tim Buckley
Blue Valentines- Tom Waits (my favourite pre swordfish album of his)
GP & Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
Horses - Patti Smith
Ramones - The Ramones (ie the first)
New York Dolls - New York Dolls
Blank Generation - Richard Hell & the Void-oids
On The Corner - Miles
I’d also like to +1 to Tago Mago (& Ege Bamyazi), Marquee Moon, Entertainment & London Calling. Oh and some the Dylan stuff.
There’s also serious gaps in the above as I don’t know specific albums well enough but there’s James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Chic/Sister Sledge/Rogers & Nile, etc., etc. I’d need to dig through my boxes of cds
I did have to laugh at DOTM ‘and no debate’, it’s not even the best Floyd album!
Each to their own, but I, genuinely, detest that album, and Pink Floyd’s music in general.
+1
I'm going with Horses - Patti Smith.
David Bowie - Low (or Heroes, I just love the largely ambient B-side of Low)
Marvin Gaye - What's going on?
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express
Sun Ra - Lanquidity (anybody else like Ra?)
All out before I was born but in regular rotation in my house / van. If I had to choose one it'd probably be Marvin.
If I had to choose one it’d probably be Marvin.
Same.
Both for the amazing music and the social commentary aspect. The complete package.
off the top of my head:
Physical Graffiti
Fun House
Station to Station
London Calling
Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis)
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
All a bit 'classic rock' but whatevs
EDIT: yeah forgot Stevie Wonder - I'm an 'innervisions' man, out of his classic period
Don't want to clutter up what's supposed to be a thread of one line posts with discussion, but was thinking about the changes in music between 1970 and 1980, and did a search for best albums of 1970. Picked one of the first results, and the list was jaw dropping.
Don't know what Paste magazine is, but to someone of my age that's an amazing set of 25 albums from one year.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/best-albums-of-1970/
Going to look at 1980 now.
I just remembered Rock N Roll by JR and the Modern Lovers. How could I have forgotten that one!
Shuggie Otis is a very good call too
Rush 2112
God, forgot about The Modern Lovers too.
And Big Star Third...
And I’m another that push come to shove would probably go for What’s Going On as being the greatest.
@vinnyeh that’s what I was getting at, pretty sure you could do exactly the same for every other year in the 70’s...
"Physical Graffiti better than IV"
Agreed!
..... but I'd have to say Live & Dangerous, Thin Lizzy.
Setting Sons - The Jam.
Big Star Third, yes indeed.
Blood on the tracks - Bob Dylan
Sun Ra – Lanquidity (anybody else like Ra?)
Oh yes, don’t know Lanquidity mind you. ‘Space is the place’, is great and from the 70’s
+ 1 for "What's Goin' On" by Marvin Gaye. More specifically the Detroit Mix on The 25th anniversary reissue, which is rawer and less polished. Apparently this was Marvin Gaye's original production before Motown decided to improve it in post production......
Whats going on
IIRC I heard that he had been challenged to be more political and this was the result.
Ziggy Stardust album.
The Specials album.
all The Jam 70's albums.
Thin Lizzy- Live n Dangerous
Stiff Little Fingers- Inflammable Material
Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
At last TUBULAR BELLS!
Slightly off topic, this is worth a watch
It's loosely based on the book with the same title
there’s no point in me pissing on their chips, however irritating and overrated I find them.
Likewise (as @tjagain eludes to) if the average Joe hasn't heard it, it's unlikely to be, in fact; The Greatest Album.
I prefer Wish You Were Here over Dark Side, a couple of tracks could easily disappear of Dark Side making it a better album.
As for Tales From Topographic Oceans, starts well, ends well, just loses direction on sides two and three.
IMHO of course.
I was going to mention Tubular Bells but beaten to the line, Aladdin Same for the piano playing or Ziggy/Hunky Dory and then there has to be Harvest Neil Young maybe Jailbreak or even SAHB Next
I could think of loads
I'm music child of late 80s and 90s, but I can think of more 'greatest' albums from the 70s.
The answer is probably something from led zep, or the clash, or queen or...it's too hard
I wouldn't claim it's the greatest album of the seventies, that'll probably go to Rumours or something by pink floyd purely based on general appeal. But I'll nominate....
Maggot Brain by Funkadelic, if only for Eddie Hazel's guitar work on the title track, truly astonishing 😲😲
The Bonzo Dog Band - Let's Make Up and Be Friendly 😂
Not an album but just played Child in Time 10 mins of Deep Purple and just realised how good it was from back then. Lots of organ on the go
Playing Rumours today in honour of Christine McVie, who died yesterday.
The Bonzo Dog Band – Let’s Make Up and Be Friendly
Ah yes, The Strain and Bad Blood. Excellent.
Close to the edge, by Yes
