The 70's, one of rock's magical decades, are back under the microscope of the music press. After Ultimate Classic Rock's ranking of the 100 best albums of the 1970s, even an outlet mostly devoted to classical music like BBC Classical Music has taken a look at seventies output, with a ranking of 51 titles. "From stadium-sized riffs to the birth of the synthesizer, these are the essential records that defined rock's most creative decade," the magazine writes in its introduction. "The 1970s weren't just a post-Sixties hangover; they were a high-fidelity explosion of ambition. In just ten years we witnessed the birth of heavy metal, the pomp and adventure of prog-rock, the rise of the singer-songwriter, disco's neon pulse and punk's jagged revolution. It was the decade in which the recording studio became an instrument and the album became the ultimate art form," BBC Classical Music concludes.
So here is the ranking of the 51 best albums of the 1970s, according to BBC Classical Music (full feature here). You can compare it with OndaRock's ranking of the best records of the 70s.
51. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
50. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)
49. AC/DC – Highway to Hell (1979)
48. Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)
47. Genesis – Foxtrot (1972)
46. Boston – Boston (1976)
45. Kiss – Alive! (1975)
44. Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
43. The Eagles – Hotel California (1976)
42. Ramones – Ramones (1976)
41. Kate Bush – The Kick Inside (1978)
40. Brian Eno – Before and After Science (1977)
39. Stevie Wonder – Talking Book (1972)
38. Yes – Close to the Edge (1972)
37. Can – Tago Mago (1971)
36. Talking Heads – Fear of Music (1979)
35. Blondie – Parallel Lines (1978)
34. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979)
33. Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express (1977)
32. Van Morrison – Moondance (1970)
31. Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (1979)
30. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
29. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain (1971)
28. Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976)
27. Sly and the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
26. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (1973)
25. Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
24. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
23. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
22. Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
21. The Clash – London Calling (1979)
20. The Who – “Who’s Next” (1971)
19. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (1973)
18. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East (1971)
17. Carole King – Tapestry (1971)
16. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (1970)
15. The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)
14. The Who – Live at Leeds (1970)
13. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971)
12. David Bowie – Low (1977)
11. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush (1970)
10. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
9. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
8. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
7. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
6. The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St. (1972)
5. David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971)
4. Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)
3. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
2. Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (1975)
1. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971)
Below we present Ultimate Classic Rock's top 100 albums of the '70s (full feature here).
100. Electric Light Orchestra – "Eldorado" (1974)
99. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Street Survivors” (1977)
98. Electric Light Orchestra – “Out Of The Blue” (1977)
97. Joe Cocker – “Mad Dogs And Englishmen” (1970)
96. Jackson Browne – “Running On Empty” (1977)
95. Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak” (1976)
94. Fleetwood Mac – “Fleetwood Mac” (1975)
93. Cheap Trick – “Cheap Trick At Budokan” (1978)
92. Black Sabbath – “Master Of Reality” (1971)
91. Jethro Tull – “Aqualung” (1971)
90. The Police – “Outlandos D’Amour” (1978)
89. The Police – “Reggatta De Blanc” (1979)
88. Bob Dylan And The Band – “The Basement Tapes” (1975)
87. Devo – “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” (1978)
86. Simon And Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
85. Iggy And The Stooges – “Raw Power” (1973)
84. Bruce Springsteen – “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” (1978)
83. The Stooges – “Fun House” (1970)
82. Michael Jackson – “Off The Wall” (1979)
81. Joy Division – “Unknown Pleasures” (1979)
80. Neil Young – “After The Gold Rush” (1970)
79. Ramones – “Ramones” (1976)
78. Sex Pistols – “Never Mind The Bollocks – Here’s The Sex Pistols” (1977)
77. The Beach Boys – “Surf’s Up” (1971)
76. David Bowie – “Heroes” (1977)
75. Nick Drake – “Pink Moon” (1972)
74. David Bowie – “Low” (1977)
73. Miles Davis – “Bitches Brew” (1970)
72. Elvis Costello – “My Aim Is True” (1977)
71. The Allman Brothers Band – “At Fillmore East” (1971)
70. The Doors – “Morrison Hotel” (1970)
69. Led Zeppelin – “Houses Of The Holy” (1973)
68. Sly And The Family Stone – “There’s A Riot Goin’ On” (1971)
67. Deep Purple – “Machine Head” (1972)
66. Dire Straits – “Dire Straits” (1978)
65. Funkadelic – "Maggot Brain" (1971)
64. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – "Deja Vu" (1970)
63. Fleetwood Mac – “Tusk” (1979)
62. Queen – “A Night At The Opera” (1975)
61. Bad Company – "Bad Co." (1973)
60. Genesis – “Selling England By The Pound” (1973)
59. Patti Smith – "Horses" (1975)
58. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin III” (1970)
57. Big Star – “Third/Sister Lovers” (1978)
56. ZZ Top – "Tres Hombres" (1973)
55. Grateful Dead – “American Beauty” (1970)
54. Van Halen – “Van Halen II” (1979)
53. Neil Young – "Harvest" (1972)
52. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – “Night Moves” (1976)
51. Elton John – "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973)
50. Jackson Browne – “Late For The Sky” (1974)
49. Alice Cooper – “Billion Dollar Babies” (1973)
48. Carole King – "Tapestry" (1971)
47. Ac/Dc – “Powerage” (1978)
46. Television – "Marquee Moon" (1977)
45. Peter Frampton – "Frampton Comes Alive!" (1976)
44. The Cars – “The Cars” (1978)
43. Derek And The Dominos – “Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs” (1970)
42. Montrose – "Montrose" (1973)
41. Kiss – “Destroyer” (1976)
40. ZZ Top – "Deguello" (1979)
39. Talking Heads – “Talking Heads: 77” (1977)
38. Stevie Wonder – “Innervisions” (1973)
37. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – “Damn The Torpedoes” (1979)
36. Black Sabbath – "Black Sabbath" (1970)
35. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” (1970)
34. Paul And Linda McCartney – “Ram” (1971)
33. The Who – “Quadrophenia” (1973)
32. Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here” (1975)
31. Kiss – “Alive!” (1975)
30. Genesis – “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” (1974)
29. Billy Joel – “The Stranger” (1977)
28. The Allman Brothers Band – “Brothers And Sisters” (1973)
27. Billy Joel – “52nd Street” (1978)
26. Rush – “2112” (1976)
25. The Beatles – “Let It Be” (1970)
24. Ac/Dc – “Let There Be Rock” (1977)
23. Joni Mitchell – "Blue" (1971)
22. Black Sabbath – "Paranoid" (1970)
20. The Who – “Who’s Next” (1971)
18. Paul McCartney And Wings – “Band On The Run” (1973)
17. Led Zeppelin – “Physical Graffiti” (1975)
16. George Harrison – “All Things Must Pass” (1970)
15. Aerosmith – “Rocks” (1976)
14. Marvin Gaye – "What's Going On" (1971)
13. The Rolling Stones – “Sticky Fingers” (1971)
12. Eagles – “Hotel California” (1976)
11. David Bowie – “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” (1972)
10. Aerosmith – “Toys In The Attic” (1975)
9. Bob Dylan – “Blood On The Tracks” (1975)
8. The Clash – “London Calling” (1979)
7. Van Halen – “Van Halen” (1978)
6. Bruce Springsteen – “Born To Run” (1975)
5. The Rolling Stones – “Exile On Main St.” (1972)
4. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin IV” (1971)
3. Fleetwood Mac – “Rumours” (1977)
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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by OndaRock Staff, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
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