I hadn't updated my lists over at rateyourmusic in a LONG time, but I finally got around to updating my yearly lists from 1967-1989 and added some decade lists for the 60s and 70s.

Here are my top 70 albums of the 1970s, posted countdown-style! What a great decade for music, and I know that I have barely scracthed the surface!

Feel free to post your favorites here as well.

Wowzer!

there are a LOT of very cool choices there!

I'd have to add that I feel no collection is complete without

Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

and

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon.

There are others I'd put in too, from a personal point of view, but those two would be definite, carved-in-stone certainties for me.

Cool topic - it has set off all kinds of memories for me!

70s to me is the prime of music, and recording.
the 80s where disapointing with it synths.

Great list.

I've had a list of 70's albums going for a while but I haven't really finished putting it together and ranking it, etc... I think you've inspired me to finish it

Wow! I don't think I could come up with seventy.

Here's seven missing from your list, which I think deserve a mention.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)



Various - Saturday Night Fever (1977)



Abba - The Album (1977)



Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)



Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus (1977)



Judee Sill - Judee Sill (1971)



Carpenters - Close To You (1970)


[Edited 10/3/09 1:28am]

^ ^ ^ Totally agree on Plastic Ono Band. That will likely be in my Top 10, or Top 15 at least. And nice to see Judee Sill mentioned, that is a sublime record.

NoVideo said:

I only discovered her a few years ago. I think 'The Kiss' on the second album is one of the best songs ever written, but as a full album, the debut flows better.

I don't even think I have 70 albums from the 70s.

My favorite off the top of my head would be:


Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

1) robert wyatt - rock bottom
2) bob dylan - blood on the tracks
3) pere ubu - the modern dance
4) bob dylan - desire
5) gene clark - no other
6) can - future days
7) yes - fragile
8) wire - 154
9) the fall - dragnet
10) public image ltd - metal box
11) beach boys - surf's up
12) brian eno - taking tiger mountain
13) faust - iv
14) wire - pink flags
15) rolling stones - exile on main street
16) pink floyd - animals
17) Merle Haggard - Hag
18) nick drake - pink moon
19) neu - 75
20) stevie wonder - innervisions
21) can - tago mago
22) ac/dc - dirty deeds
23) john cale - paris 1919
24) raspberries - capital collectors series
25) soft machine - third
26) curtis mayfield - superfly
27) iggy & the stooges - raw power
28) marvin gaye - what's going on
29) gang of four - entertainment
30) john lennon - plastic ono band
31) led zeppelin - physical graffiti
32) joni mitchell - blue
33) pink floyd - wish you were here
34) george harrisson - all things must pass
35) funkadelic - maggot brain
36) led zeppelin iv
37) modern lovers - modern lovers
38) deep purple - in rock
39) rainbow - rising
40) richard & linda thompson - i want to see the bright lights tonight
41) neu - neu
42) bob dylan - pat garrett & billy the kid
43) dennis wilson - pacific oceon blue
44) todd rundgren - something/anything
45) jacksons - destiny
46) yes - the yes album
47) brian eno - before and after science
48) robert wyatt - ruth is stranger than richard
49) the fall - live at the witch trials
50) yes - close to the edge
51) michael jackson - off the wall
52) bob dylan - new morning
53) jeff beck - blow by blow
54) ac/dc - highway to hell
55) harmonia - de luxe
56) byrds - untitled
57) gram parsons - grievous angel
58) nick lowe - jesus of cool
59) little feat - dixie chicken
60) the flatlanders - the flatlanders
61) beach boys - sunflower
62) harmonia - musik von harmonia
63) can - ege bamyasi
64) al green - the belle album
65) cluster - 71
66) undertones - undertones
67) brian eno - here come the warm jets
68) bob dylan - slow train coming
69) rolling stones - sticky fingers
70) big star - radio city
71) allman brothers - at fillmore east
72) john martyn - solid air
73) randy newman - sail away
74) rod stewart - every picture tells a story
75) stevie wonder - talking book
76) al green - i'm still in love with you
77) flying burrito brothers - burrito deluxe
78) brian eno - music for airports
79) black sabbath - masters of reality
80) spirit - 12 dreams of dr. sardonicus
81) the saints - i'm stranded
82) derek & the dominoes - layla
83) joni mitchell - court & spark
84) wings - band on the run
85) suicide - suicide
86) the harder they come - s/t
87) john cale - fear
88) Walker Brothers - nite flights
89) the kinks - muswell hillbillies
90) neil young - after the gold rush
91) king crimson - red
92) stooges - fun house
93) wire - chairs missing
94) todd rundgren - hermit of mink hollow
95) brian eno - another green world
96) al green - let's stay together
97) john cale - slow dazzle
98) big star - #1 record
99) faust - faust
100) jeff wayne - war of the worlds

This is exactly why I made this topic- for selfish reasons!

Now I have lots of cool recommendations.

Damo, Paris 1913 has really gone down in your list, hasn't it?

my favorite album of the 70s.

BoOTyLiCioUs said:

It's my number 25.

damosuzuki said:

awesome list!!! We have alot in common, for sure. I'm glad to see someone else who loves that gene clark album.

I'm definitely going to post mine, but i'm still working on it... will probably be a few days. Trying to noodle through what my #1 would be, and it ain't easy, heh. so many great albums in the 70's.

Moonbeam said:

It was probably my favourite album for the longest time, but honestly I can barely stand listening to it these days. I considered bumping it up to the top 10 just to reflect the fact that I loved it so much for so long, but if I can't even be bothered to listen to an album, it probably doesn't belong up there.

I stopped looking right after I saw what's going on is only #66.

That's just plain wrong

Some of my favorites that weren't listed:

No Sly?

^

Yeah that too

WTF

No bob marley either

Thibaut said:

I hate Bob Marley's music.

And this is just a list of my favorites- feel free to post your own.

i'm sure i'm forgetting some, and i had to leave off some great ones, but... my list looks something like this:

1. John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (1970)
2. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1972)
3. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)
4. David Bowie - Aladdin Sane (1973)
5. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
6. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
7. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
8. David Bowie - Low (1977)
9. Santana - Abraxas (1970)
10. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977)
11. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run (1975)
12. David Bowie - Station to Station (1976)
13. Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On (1971)
14. Iggy Pop - The Idiot (1977)
15. Creedence Clearwater Revivial - Cosmo's Factory (1970)
16. David Bowie - Lodger (1979)
17. Neil Young - Harvest (1972)
18. Lou Reed - Transformer (1972)
19. David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (1974)
20. Patti Smith - Horses (1975)
21. Talking Heads - Fear of Music (1979)
22. David Bowie - Heroes (1977)
23. The Clash - London Calling (1979)
24. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run (1973)
25. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
26. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma (1975)
27. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
28. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street (1971)
29. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III (1970)
30. Grateful Dead - American Beauty (1970)
31. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)
32. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970)
33. Marvin Gaye - Here My Dear (1978)
34. Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)
35. John Lennon - Imagine (1971)
36. Neil Young - On the Beach (1974)
37. Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance (1978)
38. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1975)
39. Elton John - Honky Chateau (1972)
40. Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)
41. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)
42. David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
43. Wire - Pink Flag ( 1977)
44. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
45. Magazine - Real Life (1978)
46. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (1979)
47. Kraftwerk - Autobahn (1974)
48. Yoko Ono - Approximately Infinite Universe (1972)
49. David Bowie - Hunky Dory (1971)
50. Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1972)
51. The Only Ones - self-titled (1978)
52. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate (1971)
53. The Beatles - Let It Be (1970)
54. T. Rex - Electric Warrior (1971)
55. Iggy Pop - Lust For Life (1977)
56. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel II (1978)
57. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (1973)
58. Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
59. Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information (1974)
60. Blondie - Parallel Lines (1978)
61. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
62. Donna Summer - Bad Girls (1979)
63. Nick Drake - Bryter Layter (1970)
64. The Cars - self-titled (1978)
65. Gene Clark - No Other (1974)
66. Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)
67. Neil Young - Tonight's the Night (1975)
68. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers (1976)
69. The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
70. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
71. Eric Burdon & War - Eric Burdon Declares War (1970)
72. Roxy Music - Country Life (1974)
73. Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)
74. Van Morrisson - Moondance (1970)
75. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
76. Michael Jackson - Off The Wall (1979)
77. Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle (1979)
78. Bob Dylan - Slow Train Coming (1979)
79. Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (1971)
80. Wire - Chairs Missing (1978)
81. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971)
82. Dead Boys - We Have Come For Your Children (1978)
83. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (1973)
84. Elvis Costello - My Aim is True (1977)
85. Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure (1973)
86. Genesis - A Trick of the Tail (1976)
87. The Eagles - Desperado (1973)
88. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars (1972)
89. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
90. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)
91. Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
92. Marvin Gaye - I Want You (1976)
93. Gang of Four - Entertainment (1979)
94. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)
95. The Who - Who's Next (1971)
96. The Jam - In The City (1977)
97. Bob Dylan - Desire (1976)
98. Prince - Prince (1979)
99. Blondie - Eat to The Beat (1979)
100. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (1977)

damosuzuki said:

I just realized this album came out in late 79 and the reissue Second Edition was from 1980 so I had to move it off my 1980s list. That might be my new top album of the 70s.

I’m enjoying this enumerated passion as much as a goat enjoys chewables.

Brendan said:

I assume that's a good thing