Favorite Rock Albums of the Seventies

I've been trading Favorite Rock Album lists with a friend of mine...

--- it's been fun and cool comparing the music that has influenced each of us.....

we're going to do the 90's this weekend,

and I think it's be really groovy if you- yes, YOU - would join in.

Just send me the link to your list/blog when it's ready,

and I'll add it to this page, so my other readers can check it out too.

Or, you can add yours to the comments if you want.

Or, you can just lurk... that's alright, too.

This whole thing started a coupla months back, when a friend and I were talking about music

...and we got to comparing our favorite albums,

I found that even though we shared basically the same taste in music,

--- when it came down to comparing our top ten or twelve albums, we had absolutely NONE in common.


Does that mean I'm weird? Sure, it does....

but, that doesn't bother me none....
and me being weird's got nothing to do with the music I like... ................ or does it?


'Cause when you think about it, our early music choices has a dramatic influence on who we turn out to be...
.......and looking at MY list, well, maybe there's something TO that......


ok.... Here's my top 20 albums in no particular order except number one....
--- with the cuts I thought were the most influential..........

I'd love to hear YOURS!!


Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
This is the one I album I would take to that proverbial desert island with me.
It stands as a work of unparalleled, if unintentional genius...
... the musicianship is outstanding, and the relatively simplistic lyrics meld with the melodies to produce something much greater than the sum of it's parts.
Important cuts: Money, Time, Us and Them


Jefferson Starship : Red Octopus (1975)
This album has the distinction of having one of the tackiest lyrics ever written---
(in "Miracles"--- "I discovered a new world, when I went down on you, girl"),
---- but surrounded by a luscious arrangement and a beautiful melody.
Cuts: Miracles, Play On Love, Fastbuck Freddie


Alice Cooper : Love It to Death (1972)
Many would say that "Killer" was more important, but in this album is found the first real gems of this band's work - and the production work by Bob Ezrin makes it shine.
Cuts: I'm Eighteen, Caught in a Dream, Is It My Body


Marvin Gaye: What's Going On (1973)
This is an album meant to be listened to, not in single cuts, but as a whole work, much like Floyd's "Dark Side"-- Gaye's voice is smooth and persuasive, and the fact that most of the album is very introspective and not really commercial doesn't bother one a bit...
Cuts: What's Going On, Mercy Mercy Me, Inner City Blues


Leon Russell : Carney (1973)
If you don't know Russell's work, you'll need to hear this album to appreciate him. His unique voice and intuitive songwriting make this a treat not to be missed.
Cuts: Tightrope, This Masquerade, Magic Mirror


Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street (1972)
You probably didn't like this one the first time you heard it....it's a bizarre amalgam of songs and outtakes that run the gamut from country to blues, It's only after repeat listenings does the package start to make some musical sense... and after a while, you get the feeling that this is the only Stones album that really did make sense. If you want singles, get "Hot Rocks"... if you want to hear the Stones jam, get this one.
Cuts: Sweet Virginia, Rip This Joint, Tumblin Dice


Van Halen : Van Halen (1978)
Eddie, Diamond Dave and the boys rip and roll through their first album like that bastard Sherman thru my beloved Southland.
Cuts: Aint Talking Bout Love, Jamie's Cryin, You Really Got Me


Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
You either love these guys or hate em... I always thought their work was innovative and fresh, especially when compared to a lot of the dreck being released at that time. This is their second album, but the first to capture any popular attention.
Cuts: Take Me to the River, Artists Only, Big Country


Steely Dan : AJA (1980)
I love jazz... and this is as close as I get to sneaking a jazz album into this list...what with jazz and studio greats like Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, Steve Khan, Lee Ritenour, Steve Carlton, Joe Sample (et al) working on this thing.. how could it not be great? And it is.
Cuts: Black Cow, AJA, Deacon Blues


Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (1978)
The product of a group of folks all involved in a dysfunctional relationship of some kind or other, this album turned out to be so good, it became the tenth top selling album of all time.
I guess pain is conducive to creativity, after all.
Cuts: Dreams, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way


Santana : Welcome (1973)
This is not an album that won great awards for popularity or commercial appeal.
You won't hear any singles you'll recognize, but the album should be on your music shelf, regardless. With the collaboration of John McLaughlin, it is more of a mystical exercise set in music... the result is ethereal, beautiful, and easy on the ears.
Cuts: Love, Devotion, and Suurender, When I Look into Your Eyes


Chicago : Chicago Transit Authority (1970)
Ok.. I lied.... This is the closest I'll get to sneaking a jazz album into the list... these guys were still developing their later, more commercial sound when they released CTA.. the arrangements seem straight out of a Maynard Ferguson catalog- but with a rock n roll sensibility that makes this album my favorite Chicago album to this day.
Cuts: Questions 67 and 68, Listen, I'm a Man


Beach Boys: Sunflower/Surf's Up (2x reissue- 1973)
Here, I guess I'm cheating a little, but I'd hate to have to choose between the two albums, and since Reprise released them together after their original individual releases, I figured ....
aww well, what the hell. Notice I did NOT choose "Pet Sounds"- for two reasons, one- it was released in 1966, and two- because "Surf's Up" by itself is a better album.
Cuts: Till I Die, Long Promised Road, Our Sweet Love


Derek and the Dominos: Layla (1971)
Drummer Jim Gordon did so much acid while making this album, that his dog told him to kill his mom with an axe.. (he eventually did)..... the title song was written about an adulterous relationship between guitarist Clapton and Patty Boyd Harrison (George's wife)....... just some of the tidbits of trivia that makes this album noteworthy; but the music is what makes it immensely listenable. Eric Clapton and guest Duane Allman were at the top of their game.
Cuts: Layla, Bell Bottom Blues


Carole King: Tapestry (1971)
Carole is a terrific songwriter, but when she performs her own material, the material really comes alive- there is a certain sweetness in her voice that cannot be adequately described. This is, by far, her magnum opus album.
Cuts: So Far Away, It's Too Late, Will You Love Me Tomorrow


Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
These are all great songs, and all together a very strong album, probably his best.
Cuts: Isnt She Lovely, I WIsh, Summer Soft


Deep Purple: Machine Head (1972)
Every young guitar player probably starts out by learning the riff from one of the most-overplayed songs of all time - "Smoke on the Water", and it's on this album. That notwithstanding, this is a great album, full of driving rock and roll you can crank up on the highway.
Cuts: Highway Star, Maybe I'm a Leo, Space Truckin.


Janis Joplin: Pearl (1971)
Her last album, released a couple months after her overdose, was also her best. This album featured a new backup band, Fult Tilt Boogie, a new producer Paul Rothchild of Doors fame, and new hit material by her boyfriend Kris Kristofferson.
Cuts: Me and Bobbie McGee, Move Over, Get It While You Can


Boston: Boston (1976)
This was an album that everybody into rock in the mid 70's owned.. it was straight ahead anthem-rock n roll with no apologies. Made by a coupla MIT grads in their basement studio, this album was their first and their best.
Cuts: More than a Feeling, Longtime, Smokin'


Allman Brothers: Eat a Peach (1972)
Duane Allman's last work with the band before his death, "Peach" was a peach of an album, and a great inspiration to many Southern Rock artists, including Tom Petty, Marshall Tucker, and Gov't Mule.
Cuts: Melissa, Blue Sky, One Way Out



Alrighty.. that's it.

Where's yours? :-)