The Most Important Albums of the '70s?

KingLouieLouie

Going Old School!
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Posts
5,532
Reaction score
46
Location
Phoenix, AZ
This decade is always the most baffling in terms of the history of music, so will be complex to figure out the most important 10 albums and again done in no particular order...

1) "Van Halen"/Van Halen II" (let's just hail Eddie Van Halen the saivor of music.. he's the right man..at the right place, at the right time surrounded by solid talent... he single-handidly restored guitar back into music after the fiasco known as Disco.... "Eruption" is all that has to be noted)....

2) "Unknown Pleasures"/"Closer" - Joy Division (I guess these 2 didnt get much attention until way later when it's realized the impact on how they added so many crucial elements to Punk that remain prominent today)...

3) "The Clash"/"London Calling" (both these albums pretty much paved the way on how controversial lyrics use effectively could convey so many important issues)...

4) "Quadrophenia" - the Who (one of the most stunning first uses of synthasizers along with Townshend at his best both lyrically and guitarwise.. Moon and the Ox holding everything down while playing such critical roles with of course Daltrey's vocals)

5) Anything done by Bob Marley throughout the 70s... (he was in this decade as to what Bob Dylan was in the 60s...the ultimate songwriter with the flair of arranging some of the best music of alltime... helped revolutionalized a movement and always remained one-step-ahead of his contemporaries)...

6) Anything performed by Rush during the 70s (can't narrow down any particular album, but were one of the first to perform songs that lasted beyond 10 mins and no one would ever grow bored of them whatsoever..they always have been able to incorporate a song within a song which is one of the reasons why they've never lost their edge)...

7) "Outlandos d'Amour"/"Reggatta de Blanc" - the Police (just incorporated both ska/punk/pop music with immense craftmanship)..

8) "Whats Going On" - Marvin Gaye (Oh.. what issues did he tackle throughout this album... I would have to rank this as the best album in the history of Motown..... just so emotional and everyone pretty much still echos his sentiments from that album today)...

9) All of Pink Floyds 70s albums (took music and propelled it to art.... "Wish You Were Here" album still is my fave)

10) This is going to be complex, so will group a few bands together.. Yes, Queen, and Genesis.... (I know I'm somewhat cheating here, but all 3 bands just made so much of an impact that none could have been excluded)....
 

AZ Shocker

Hall of Famer
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Posts
1,271
Reaction score
71
Location
E. Valley
KLL said:
1) "Van Halen"/Van Halen II" (let's just hail Eddie Van Halen the saivor of music.. he's the right man..at the right place, at the right time surrounded by solid talent... he single-handidly restored guitar back into music after the fiasco known as Disco.... "Eruption" is all that has to be noted)...
Yep...great call K! Though they (VH) get many kudos in the media, I still think they get overlooked from time to time on the VH1 shows and especially that rag "Rolling Stone" magizine. That is the worst excuse of a music magazine ever.

We wouldn't have had the 80's hard rock genre had it not be for Van Halen. How many kids went out and bought guitars after hearing Van Halen I! Everybody, I mean everybody wanted to play guitar like Eddie Van Halen! :thumbup:
 

Mulli

...
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Posts
52,529
Reaction score
4,601
Location
Generational
KLL said:
This decade is always the most baffling in terms of the history of music, so will be complex to figure out the most important 10 albums and again done in no particular order...

1) "Van Halen"/Van Halen II" (let's just hail Eddie Van Halen the saivor of music.. he's the right man..at the right place, at the right time surrounded by solid talent... he single-handidly restored guitar back into music after the fiasco known as Disco.... "Eruption" is all that has to be noted)....

2) "Unknown Pleasures"/"Closer" - Joy Division (I guess these 2 didnt get much attention until way later when it's realized the impact on how they added so many crucial elements to Punk that remain prominent today)...

3) "The Clash"/"London Calling" (both these albums pretty much paved the way on how controversial lyrics use effectively could convey so many important issues)...

4) "Quadrophenia" - the Who (one of the most stunning first uses of synthasizers along with Townshend at his best both lyrically and guitarwise.. Moon and the Ox holding everything down while playing such critical roles with of course Daltrey's vocals)

5) Anything done by Bob Marley throughout the 70s... (he was in this decade as to what Bob Dylan was in the 60s...the ultimate songwriter with the flair of arranging some of the best music of alltime... helped revolutionalized a movement and always remained one-step-ahead of his contemporaries)...

6) Anything performed by Rush during the 70s (can't narrow down any particular album, but were one of the first to perform songs that lasted beyond 10 mins and no one would ever grow bored of them whatsoever..they always have been able to incorporate a song within a song which is one of the reasons why they've never lost their edge)...

7) "Outlandos d'Amour"/"Reggatta de Blanc" - the Police (just incorporated both ska/punk/pop music with immense craftmanship)..

8) "Whats Going On" - Marvin Gaye (Oh.. what issues did he tackle throughout this album... I would have to rank this as the best album in the history of Motown..... just so emotional and everyone pretty much still echos his sentiments from that album today)...

9) All of Pink Floyds 70s albums (took music and propelled it to art.... "Wish You Were Here" album still is my fave)

10) This is going to be complex, so will group a few bands together.. Yes, Queen, and Genesis.... (I know I'm somewhat cheating here, but all 3 bands just made so much of an impact that none could have been excluded)....

Great calls. Thanks for not putting Fleetwood Mac in there. No Rolling Stones or Zeppelin?
 

Gizmo Williams

Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2002
Posts
1,301
Reaction score
4
I hate to say it...but I have always thought the Soundtracks to Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy were incredibly influential in the 70's.
 
OP
OP
KingLouieLouie

KingLouieLouie

Going Old School!
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Posts
5,532
Reaction score
46
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Mulli808 said:
Great calls. Thanks for not putting Fleetwood Mac in there. No Rolling Stones or Zeppelin?

I included Zeppelin in the "Most Important Albums of the '60s" thread since both I/II were the 2 most revolutionary that they released, but the sounds they made on "III" and "Houses of the Holy" definitely rank among the top 20 albums of that decade.... The Rolling Stones "Exile On Main St" was probably their best non-Brian Jones album because of how diverse of sounds that explored...


Gizmo Williams said:
I hate to say it...but I have always thought the Soundtracks to Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy were incredibly influential in the 70's.

I would have to agree with you.... I actually loved both of those albums back then....I would play them nonstop... Who could possibly forget "The Devil Went Down To Georgia"... That entire soundtrack lead to the early 80s country revival.....

I cant believe I didnt include any of Parliament/Funkadelic albums since several bands followed them..... Also, Black Sabbath was initially overlooked along with any of the Glam Rock albums done by T-Rex, Bowie, Sweet, etc... Again.. I should have done 20 albums! :D
 
Top