Great albums of the 1970s

I'm making a list not because it's in any coherent order (I really just picked the first 25 that popped into my head), but to start a discussion for the decade that may have been the golden age of the album. What would you add or subtract?

1. Pink Floyd- The Wall
2. Neil Young- On the Beach
3. CCR- Cosmo's Factory
4. Waylon Jennings- Dreaming My Dreams
5. Big Star- Radio City
6. Mott the Hoople- Mott
7. The Ramones- Rocket to Russia
8. Kris Kristofferson- Kristofferson
9. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers- Damn the Torpedoes
10. Phil Ochs- Greatest Hits
11. Jimi Hendrix- Band of Gypsies
12. Willie Nelson- Phases and Stages
13. Lou Reed- Transformer
14. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band- Stranger in Town
15. Waylon- Honky Tonk Heroes
16. Gram Parsons- GP
17. Black Sabbath- Paranoid
18. Bruce Springsteen- The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
19. Neil Young- Tonight's the Night
20. Bob Dylan- Desire
21. The Clash- London Calling
22. Fleetwood Mac- Tusk
23. Willie- Red-Headed Stranger
24. Lynyrd Skynyrd- Street Survivors
25. Paul Simon- There Goes Rhymin' Simon

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jack on October 19, 2010 at 3:25pm
No offense meant, sounds like some taken. Admit some surprise with your previous impatience with this thread, which is a meandering but interesting discussion of 70's records, which by definition is nostalgic (and somewhat disheartening to me to be so, having grown up in that era). I think we all have other interests and varying degrees of time to devote to this site. Advice? No. Friendly tip, sure.

I hope you do give Tom more than the cursory listen you mentioned, you may or may not like him any better than you do now, but there's only one way to find out.
Permalink Reply by ron victor on October 20, 2010 at 5:59am
one recording i first got when it came out (on cassette!)
and have owned in all formats (except 8 track)
and still one of my all time favorites:

"a space in time" by ten years after
Permalink Reply by steviedal on October 20, 2010 at 9:53am
Stephen , really ?
I'm forever giving an opinion on here and getting contradicted , shot down in flames etc . So what , you just shrug it off !
Permalink Reply by Abbie Caldwell on October 21, 2010 at 7:47pm
Great list. I would definitely add the bands that came out of Macon. ABB, Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop, and the MTB. There are more, the 70's really were the decade for the Southern Bands. Talented musicians who had to be away from home to promote the albums, hard work, and made many small town dreams come true! Touring became a part of the bands lives. What a decade! Many thanks to those who supported these southern guys. And God bless, Phil Walden, for giving so many a chance at a dream.
Permalink Reply by Jim Moulton on October 22, 2010 at 4:13am
All of these bands had their twist, I would say my 3 favorite guitar players are Jerry Garcia, Duane Allman, and Toy Caldwell. The Seventies were great for these bands, I saw The Marshall Tucker Band with Charlie Daniels many times in the mid Seventies. This is so great, having a conversation with Toy's wife, a real rare pleasure, I don't know if you are good at computers, Abbie, but there is a place on your page to add pictures, I'm sure we would love to see any if you wanted to share. Toy was a real inspiration for me, I got to wach him close up at one gig in Wildwood , NJ. He would just stand there and play so fluidly, The MTB did a bit of everything, swing, jazz, southern rock. Loved "This Ole Cowboy" and also "Blue Ridge Mountain Sky" out of Many.
Permalink Reply by scott spencer on October 26, 2010 at 7:19pm
Hank Jr. Family Tradition - Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound
Bruce - Born To Run
Clash- London Calling
Queen - Queen II
NY Dolls - Too Much To Soon
Ramones - Leave Home
Waylon-I've Always Been Crazy
James Brown-Sex Machine
Temptations-Psychedelic Shack
War - World Is A Ghetto (City Country City)Love It.
Bob Seger- Live Bullet
Warren Zevon -Excitacle Boy
Elvis Costello - Everything

My Favorite Time For Music I Could Go On Forever. Seen Lot Of Good List Brought Back Some Memories ,For Better Or Worse.
Permalink Reply by Jim Moulton on October 27, 2010 at 2:50am
Bob Weir's Kingfish
Sea Level
Permalink Reply by Jack on October 27, 2010 at 9:48am
Jim, I'm glad you mentioned Sea Level. I have three or four of their records on vinyl and their best of on disc. Not sure any of their records qualified as great, though all had some fine moments. I do enjoy listening the the best of disc here and there, but don't think anyone but die hards would need much more. But yeah, they did some nice work. Nice mention.
Permalink Reply by chris sweeney on October 27, 2010 at 5:35am
While many of the albums suggested lean towards rock, I just ran across this in my collection which has to be considered one of the greats of the '70s.

Permalink Reply by Adam Sheets on October 27, 2010 at 8:26am
Definitely. Also, Merle's tribute album to him.
Permalink Reply by chris sweeney on October 27, 2010 at 7:21pm
I've been thinking about Leon Russell lately and wondered if many of you remember this collaboration:

Permalink Reply by Rick Sanders on October 29, 2010 at 2:21pm
And how about this one? On "Hank Wilson's Back" (1973) Leon does a bang-up job on these classic country chestnuts with the help of a cavalcade of Nashville and L.A session pros

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Created by No Depression Feb 17, 2009 at 9:06pm. Last updated by No Depression Apr 9.