Favorite Albums of the Decade (The 70s)

[cortez the killer]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

[dime in the gutter]

inpo. one album per artist.

paranoid/sabbath
who's next
songs in the key of life/stevie wonder
blood on the tracks/dylan
off the wall/jacko
a nite at the opera/queen
plastic ono band/lennon
animals/pink floyd
live at fillmore east/allman bros
pronounced/lynyrd skynyrd
physical graffiti/led zep
let it be/beatles
tumbleweed connection/elton john
exodus/bob marley
what's going on/marvin gaye
maggot brain/funkadelic
sticky fingers/stones
darkness on the edge of town
grievous angel/gram parsons
kiss alive
let there be rock/acdc
cars/cars
on the beach/neil
there's a riot going on/sly and family stone
van halen/van halen
my aim is true/elvis costello
cosmos factory/ccr
ramones/ramones
damn the torpedos/tom petty
red headed stranger/willie
good old boys/randy newman
#1 record/big star
raw power/iggy and stooges
man in black/cash
honky tonk heroes/waylon
running on empty/jackson brown
viva terlingua/jjw
james gang rides again/james gang
fandango/zz top
manassas/manassas (stephen stills)
toys in the attic/aerosmith
moondance/van morrison
a nod is as good as a wink/faces
behind closed doors/charlie rich
silver tongued devil and i/kristofferson


i need more funk in my collection.

[dime in the gutter]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

couple of interesting placements here.

[cortez the killer]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

couple of interesting placements here.

I'd ask you if you'd care to elaborate, but I fear someone else not involved will jump in and we'll get into a silly internet pissing match that will somehow reference a long-canceled network television program.

[Steve French]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

couple of interesting placements here.

I'd ask you if you'd care to elaborate, but I fear someone else not involved will jump in and we'll get into a silly internet pissing match that will somehow reference a long-canceled network television program.

like when they played the outro from "It Aint Easy" over the closing credits of that Firefly episode?*




*I totally made that up.


No Bowie? No Pistols? No Clash?

[cortez the killer]

No Bowie? No Pistols? No Clash?

None. I missed your list to pick apart.

[RevMatt]

I can't make up the chart because I realized that most of my all-time favorite albums were from the seventies. It is probably the greatest decade for music fans. I'll put up some lesser known and underrated albums.

1: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Framed
2: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Next I am a huge SAHB fan. Alex is the reason why I usually wear a striped shirt onstage.
3: ZZ Top Fandango
4 - 6: John Cale Fear, Slow Dazzle and Helen of Troy These three came right in a row.
7: Brian Eno Here Come the Warm Jets
8: Black Sabbath Sabotage
9: The Velvet Underground Loaded
10: Motorhead Motorhead

[Tequila Cowboy]

Exile on Main St.- Rolling Stones
London Calling- The Clash
Quadrophenia- the Who
Songs in the Key of Life- Stevie Wonder
Houses of the Holy- Led Zeppelin
Blood On the Tracks- Dylan
Stage Fright- The Band
My Aim Is True- Elvis Costello
A Nod is as Good as a Wink..To a Blind Horse- Faces
American Beauty- Grateful Dead

Pretty close to a top ten. Order could change a bit.

[Smitty]

I don't think there's anything on my list that hasn't already been on cortez or dime's - and I don't really feel like trying to rank all of em, so I'll just do a top 10

1. Sticky Fingers
2. Tonight's The Night
3. Exile on Mainstreet
4. After the Gold Rush
5. Street Survivors
6. Third/Sisters Lovers
7. Flyin Shoes(TVZ)
8. Red Headed Stranger
9. Some Girls
10. Old No. 1


if I did it tomorrow it'd be different

[Steve French]

No Bowie? No Pistols? No Clash?

None. I missed your list to pick apart.

fair call. I wont have any Neil or Bruce though. Just saying.

[dime in the gutter]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon love the album, but at #4?
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star love this album too....just not top 10 love. sorry, joelle.

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan it's steely dan.

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan it's still steely dan.
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie red headed stranger at #40? crazy.

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd nuthing fancy ahead of pronounced?
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan more ?
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd created an entire genre at 45?
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan 4 steely dan lp's?
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

just my worthless opinion.

[scotto]

A few of my favorites which may not have been listed:

The Clash, The Clash (UK version)
Alice Cooper, Love It To Death
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Deja Vu
Devo, Q: Are We Not Men?
The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
The Flamin' Groovies, Teenage Head
The Flamin' Groovies, Shake Some Action
Gang of Four, Entertainment!
Marvin Gaye, What's Going On
The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
Arlo Guthrie, Hobo's Lullaby
Al Green, Let's Stay Together
Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Dancer With Bruised Knees
Joni Mitchell, Blue
Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark
Mott the Hoople, All the Young Dudes
Mott the Hoople, Mott
Mott the Hoople, The Hoople
The Only Ones, Special View (I know it's the American version of their debut album, but it's the first one I heard)
Pere Ubu, The Modern Dance
Gil Scott-Heron, Winter in America
Patti Smith, Horses
Patti Smith, Easter
Sparks, Kimono My House
Sparks, A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing
T Rex, The Slider
Talking Heads, 77
Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food
Television, Marquee Moon
Television, Adventure
Richard & Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
Richard & Linda Thompson, Pour Down Like Silver

Soundtracks:
The Harder They Come
The Last Waltz

[cortez the killer]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon love the album, but at #4?
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star love this album too....just not top 10 love. sorry, joelle.

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan it's steely dan.

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan it's still steely dan.
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie red headed stranger at #40? crazy.

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd nuthing fancy ahead of pronounced?
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan more ?
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd created an entire genre at 45?
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan 4 steely dan lp's?
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

just my worthless opinion.

Didn't realize a list of my personal favorite albums would be cause for questioning. But, now that is has been, I s'pose I need to do some 'splainin'..

Issue #1 (Honky Tonk Heroes) - This album is what completely hooked me on country music. I became a huge Neil fan in high school. I did not consider him to be "country," but in hindsight, my appreciation for Neil must have subliminally opened the door for country to work its (no apostrophe needed here) way into my blood. I grew up in the Northeast. Country music was considered garbage. No exposure to it at an early age. Dismissed it as simpleton, hillbilly horseshit. Got into Johnny Cash in college via his work w/ Rick Rubin on American Recordings. Loved the stark simplicity and storytelling aspect of the songs. No frills. No bullshit. Just a man who was on the downshift of his life delivering these gorgeous, simple, honest songs with an old acoustic guitar in a way that just clicked with me. Delved into his past catalog. Loved it. Moved onto Willie next. Loved it. Sometime around '01/'02 I started branching out to artists like David Allan Coe and Waylon. Stumbled upon Honky Tonk Heroes and was blown away. To me, it is the quintessential outlaw country album that embodies everything I love about the genre - storytelling, drinking, not giving a shit about what others think of you (now there's some irony right there, eh?). Opened my eyes (well, really more my ears and mind) to the wonders of country music. Has allowed a Northeast born and raised Yankee to live a fictitious, vicarious Rebel (I'm a different kind, but I'm a rebel too) existence though music. That album is not complex. The lyrics are not poetic. The music is relatively simple. It will not change the world, but it did change me (whether it was for the better is another debate for another time). For me, it's about a vibe and a cherished gateway to some great stuff that passed me by along the way.

Issue #2 (#1 Record) - Perhaps ranked a bit high based on the innate need some of us have to pump up the under-appreciated underdog. Didn't hear about these guys till a few years ago. This record blew me away. How the fuck weren't these guys bigger? With the exception of "The India Song" (which is charming in its own way), the songs on this album are fucking great - Feel, El Goodo, In the Street, Thirteen, Don't Lie to Me, etc. Big Star is the crossroads where the pop sensibility of The Beatles and the swagger of The Stones met. I think this is dangerously close to being a perfect record.

Issue #3 (Steely Dan) - Some folks hate the whites who hate the blacks who hate the klan. Most of us hate anything that we don't understand. You should have listened closer to your mother's records Ian. I love Steely Dan. Great, intelligent, biting, ironic, dark. sarcastic, witty songwriting with some killer hooks. Can blur the line between hip and cheesy from time to time, but these albums served as a big part of the soundtrack of my life from high school through college (and to a certain extent today). Some people might suggest they be considered a "guilty pleasure." I don't have a shred of guilt about my love for Steely Dan. I understand they aren't for everyone, but I think they make outstanding music.

Issue #4 (Red Headed Stranger @ #40) - I love every album on this list. I could list 50 more albums I love from the decade. I like most of the songs on Red Headed. Cool theme going on. Could it be higher? Sure. I haven't listened to it in a while, so I suppose it suffers a bit from "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. While some folks on here might find it hard to believe, these lists are fluid. The placement of this record should not be taken as a slight to it.

Issue #5 (The Skynyrd Thing) - I have 3 Skynyrd albums on the list. What more do you want? If the genre they created is "Southern Rock" then, meh. I can't say I'm a huge Southern Rock enthusiast. Some solid stuff, but I never really embraced that whole scene. I get the sense you figured I was a big Southern Rock guy. Sorry to disappoint. I understand the importance of Skynyrd. I appreciate their place in the pantheon of rock and roll royalty. From a historical perspective, they are somewhat giants. I really, really like all three albums. I guess I just like the songs on Nuthin' a little more - Saturday Night, Cheatin' Women, Country Boy, On the Hunt are easily some of my favorite Skynyrd tracks.

My intent in posting this list was not to make some statement that these are the gold standards of 70's rock/country music. I didn't want to limit myself to one album per artist to illustrate how diverse my music tastes are. I wanted to come up with the 50 albums I personally love from the decade. I'm well aware it is far from perfect. If I tried to do it again this moment, I bet it would look very different. Some arrogant asshole on another message board once referred to me as a "primitive linear thinker."* I was perplexed that someone could come to this conclusion. But, I suppose my need to quantify favorites with my never-ending lists doesn't help my cause in combating this perception. We all have a little linear somewhere in us. Embrace it. Fire up your lists people. Hopefully, you won't have to provide some long-winded post to defend yours.


*Linear thinkers prefer a very structured approach to learning. If a learning process involves progression (Step A, Step B, Step C, etc.) linear thinkers will feel more comfortable starting Step B only after Step A has been completed. Mathematics and accounting are considered linear subjects since they involve a process-oriented presentation of information.

[RevMatt]

The Skynyrd Thing I guess it is inevitable on a discussion of 70's albums on a DBT board we would get around to discussing the Skynyrd thing. I've had a weird, complicated relationship with Skynyrd. When I was 14 I bought a Sound City electric piano. It was my ticket into every basement jam session in three different towns provided I could play some Skynyrd. Thankfully the chord changes on Skynyrd songs were easy to pick out and Billy Powell is a great keyboardist who probably influenced my playing more than I'll ever admit.

But a year or so later I started listening to punk. Wearing a Clash t-shirt or a Jam pin on the lapel of a suit jacket was enough to get your ass kicked by the jocks in my high school. Skynyrd started to represent the whole jock mentality to me. Outwardly, I pretended to hate Skynyrd. But I'd still listen to them every now and then, secretly mind you. My kids find it amazing that when I went to high school kids selected their friends based on what kind of music they listened to.

Today I think Skynyrd's greatest legacy is their songwriting. Their first album alone had "Gimme Three Steps", "Tuesday's Gone", "Simple Man", and "Freebird".

[PeterJ]

Cortez has inspired me. Not going to go too in depth, just listing off the top of the old noggin, and inpo.

Sticky Fingers/Stones
Pronounced/Skynyrd
High Voltage/AC/DC
Exile/Stones
Van Halen/Van Halen
Spooky Lady/Kristofferson
*Houses of the Holy and IV/Led Zep
Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon
Paranoid/Black Sabbath
Cosmo's Factory/CCR
Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
Moondog Matinee/The Band

Don't limit me to these, just what I could come up with in a relatively short time.

*Edited for brain fart.

[shuffle]

quickly made, I don't have the energy to do this for real...

40 | Stiff Little Fingers | Inflammable Material
39 | Big Star | #1 Record
38 | Derek And The Dominos | Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
37 | Bob Dylan | Desire
36 | Curtis Mayfield | Curtis
35 | The Gladiators | Trenchtown Mix Up
34 | The Clash | The Clash (UK Version)
33 | Nick Drake | Pink Moon
32 | Johnny Thunders | So Alone
31 | Big Star | Radio City

30 | Neil Young | Time Fades Away
29 | The Sex Pistols | Nevermind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols
28 | The Rolling Stones | Some Girls
27 | Buzzcocks | Singles Going Steady
26 | The Stooges | Raw Power
25 | Richard Hell & The Voidoids | Blank Generation
24 | Graham Parker & The Rumour | Squeezing Out Sparks
23 | Thin Lizzy | Jailbreak
22 | Bruce Springsteen | Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
21 | David Bowie | Low

20 | Neil Young | Live Rust
19 | Ramones | Rocket To Russia
18 | Neil Young | Zuma
17 | Aerosmith | Get Your Wings
16 | Neil Young | After The Gold Rush
15 | The Heartbreakers | L.A.M.F.
14 | Bruce Springsteen | The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle
13 | Cheap Trick | At Budokan
12 | Neil Young | Tonight's The Night
11 | New York Dolls | New York Dolls

10 | Gram Parsons | Grievous Angel
9 | David Bowie | The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
8 | The Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers
7 | Neil Young | Rust Never Sleeps
6 | Bruce Springsteen | Darkness On The Edge Of Town
5 | The Clash | London Calling
4 | Bob Dylan | Blood On The Tracks
3 | Neil Young | On The Beach
2 | Bruce Springsteen | Born To Run
1 | The Rolling Stones | Exile On Main St.

[dime in the gutter]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon love the album, but at #4?
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star love this album too....just not top 10 love. sorry, joelle.

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan it's steely dan.

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan it's still steely dan.
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie red headed stranger at #40? crazy.

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd nuthing fancy ahead of pronounced?
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan more ?
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd created an entire genre at 45?
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan 4 steely dan lp's?
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

just my worthless opinion.

Didn't realize a list of my personal favorite albums would be cause for questioning. But, now that is has been, I s'pose I need to do some 'splainin'..

Issue #1 (Honky Tonk Heroes) - This album is what completely hooked me on country music. I became a huge Neil fan in high school. I did not consider him to be "country," but in hindsight, my appreciation for Neil must have subliminally opened the door for country to work its (no apostrophe needed here) way into my blood. I grew up in the Northeast. Country music was considered garbage. No exposure to it at an early age. Dismissed it as simpleton, hillbilly horseshit. Got into Johnny Cash in college via his work w/ Rick Rubin on American Recordings. Loved the stark simplicity and storytelling aspect of the songs. No frills. No bullshit. Just a man who was on the downshift of his life delivering these gorgeous, simple, honest songs with an old acoustic guitar in a way that just clicked with me. Delved into his past catalog. Loved it. Moved onto Willie next. Loved it. Sometime around '01/'02 I started branching out to artists like David Allan Coe and Waylon. Stumbled upon Honky Tonk Heroes and was blown away. To me, it is the quintessential outlaw country album that embodies everything I love about the genre - storytelling, drinking, not giving a shit about what others think of you (now there's some irony right there, eh?). Opened my eyes (well, really more my ears and mind) to the wonders of country music. Has allowed a Northeast born and raised Yankee to live a fictitious, vicarious Rebel (I'm a different kind, but I'm a rebel too) existence though music. That album is not complex. The lyrics are not poetic. The music is relatively simple. It will not change the world, but it did change me (whether it was for the better is another debate for another time). For me, it's about a vibe and a cherished gateway to some great stuff that passed me by along the way.

Issue #2 (#1 Record) - Perhaps ranked a bit high based on the innate need some of us have to pump up the under-appreciated underdog. Didn't hear about these guys till a few years ago. This record blew me away. How the fuck weren't these guys bigger? With the exception of "The India Song" (which is charming in its own way), the songs on this album are fucking great - Feel, El Goodo, In the Street, Thirteen, Don't Lie to Me, etc. Big Star is the crossroads where the pop sensibility of The Beatles and the swagger of The Stones met. I think this is dangerously close to being a perfect record.

Issue #3 (Steely Dan) - Some folks hate the whites who hate the blacks who hate the klan. Most of us hate anything that we don't understand. You should have listened closer to your mother's records Ian. I love Steely Dan. Great, intelligent, biting, ironic, dark. sarcastic, witty songwriting with some killer hooks. Can blur the line between hip and cheesy from time to time, but these albums served as a big part of the soundtrack of my life from high school through college (and to a certain extent today). Some people might suggest they be considered a "guilty pleasure." I don't have a shred of guilt about my love for Steely Dan. I understand they aren't for everyone, but I think they make outstanding music.

Issue #4 (Red Headed Stranger @ #40) - I love every album on this list. I could list 50 more albums I love from the decade. I like most of the songs on Red Headed. Cool theme going on. Could it be higher? Sure. I haven't listened to it in a while, so I suppose it suffers a bit from "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome. While some folks on here might find it hard to believe, these lists are fluid. The placement of this record should not be taken as a slight to it.

Issue #5 (The Skynyrd Thing) - I have 3 Skynyrd albums on the list. What more do you want? If the genre they created is "Southern Rock" then, meh. I can't say I'm a huge Southern Rock enthusiast. Some solid stuff, but I never really embraced that whole scene. I get the sense you figured I was a big Southern Rock guy. Sorry to disappoint. I understand the importance of Skynyrd. I appreciate their place in the pantheon of rock and roll royalty. From a historical perspective, they are somewhat giants. I really, really like all three albums. I guess I just like the songs on Nuthin' a little more - Saturday Night, Cheatin' Women, Country Boy, On the Hunt are easily some of my favorite Skynyrd tracks.

My intent in posting this list was not to make some statement that these are the gold standards of 70's rock/country music. I didn't want to limit myself to one album per artist to illustrate how diverse my music tastes are. I wanted to come up with the 50 albums I personally love from the decade. I'm well aware it is far from perfect. If I tried to do it again this moment, I bet it would look very different. Some arrogant asshole on another message board once referred to me as a "primitive linear thinker."* I was perplexed that someone could come to this conclusion. But, I suppose my need to quantify favorites with my never-ending lists doesn't help my cause in combating this perception. We all have a little linear somewhere in us. Embrace it. Fire up your lists people. Hopefully, you won't have to provide some long-winded post to defend yours.


*Linear thinkers prefer a very structured approach to learning. If a learning process involves progression (Step A, Step B, Step C, etc.) linear thinkers will feel more comfortable starting Step B only after Step A has been completed. Mathematics and accounting are considered linear subjects since they involve a process-oriented presentation of information.

thank you for ur long winded defense.

excellent rebuttal. your reasoning is rightfully personal and solid. was not looking to indict your choices....only to offer a counter point (see bust balls).

points conceded on waylon, big star and red headed stranger.

as for my mother's collection of steely dan...she did not have any. she was more into the doobie bros. not sure what that says about her, me or your love of steely dan. perhaps i am too much cheap beer and not enough courvoisier, so i'll just have to take your word on the matter.

skynyrd. your "sense" that i figured you to be a southern rock guy is incorrect. i totally get the stoned out, weary assed, too much time on the road vibe that make nuthing fancy so great.....but it pales in comparison to the monster that is pronounced....it's got freebird, simple man AND tuesday's gone for christ, jesus h's sake.

finally, i guess my one lp/artist attempt to showcase extreme diversity in my music collection was a sham. i don't really like most of the lp's i listed and was really only looking to impress the cool folks here at 3dd. i'll work harder next time....i promise.

finally, finally, i thoroughly enjoy all of your lists, pedestals and the like. pay me no mind.....i'm just a redneck malcontent that drinks too much and loves to debate music.

just my opinion.

[cortez the killer]

thank you for ur long winded defense.

excellent rebuttal. your reasoning is rightfully personal and solid. was not looking to indict your choices....only to offer a counter point (see bust balls).

points conceded on waylon, big star and red headed stranger.

as for my mother's collection of steely dan...she did not have any. she was more into the doobie bros. not sure what that says about her, me or your love of steely dan. perhaps i am too much cheap beer and not enough courvoisier, so i'll just have to take your word on the matter.

skynyrd. your "sense" that i figured you to be a southern rock guy is incorrect. i totally get the stoned out, weary assed, too much time on the road vibe that make nuthing fancy so great.....but it pales in comparison to the monster that is pronounced....it's got freebird, simple man AND tuesday's gone for christ h. jesus's, sake.

finally, i guess my one lp/artist attempt to showcase extreme diversity in my music collection was a sham. i don't really like most of the lp's i listed and was really only looking to impress the cool folks here at 3dd. i'll work harder next time....i promise.

finally, finally, i thoroughly enjoy all of your lists, pedestals and the like. pay me no mind.....i'm just a redneck malcontent that drinks too much and loves to debate music.

just my opinion.

#1 rule of ball busting (which I know you adhere to), if ye want to giveth, ye must be willing to taketh. As the oldest of 5, I am a serial ball buster. Excellent retort Sir Gutter.

I suppose my Kris Kristofferson quote muddied up the "Steely Dan Issue." I recall you saying something about Jesus Was a Capricorn being one of your Maw's favorite albums. I unsuccessfully tried to work in a lyric from the title track. I thought is was appropriate. However, in hindsight, one should never go mixing a Highwayman with the Becker/Fagen machine.

While those Pronounced songs are good dime, too many years classic rock radio and beer commercials ruined them for me. Sorry.

Can't say I ever drink (or sip, or whatever people do) Courvoisier, but I certainly love to drink beer - cheap or expensive. I may play a beer snob on 3DD, but I ain't too picky when it comes to a magical concoction of yeast, hops, a grain of your choice, and agua.

[joelle]

I apologize for the long list, but this is easily my favorite decade for music. It was difficult to limit it to 50.

1. Sticky Fingers/The Stones
2. Physical Grafitti/Led Zeppelin
3. Exile on Main St./The Stones
4. Honky Tonk Heroes/Waylon love the album, but at #4?
5. Zuma/Neil & Horse
6. Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce
7. Tonight's the Night/Neil
8. After the Gold Rush/Neil
9. Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
10. #1 Record/Big Star love this album too....just not top 10 love. sorry, joelle. dime,since you opened this can of worms ( on cortez's list)... no need to be sorry, you are correct. it is not top 10. it clearly deserves number # 1 love!

11. Viva Terlingua/Jerry Jeff Walker
12. Time Fades Away/Neil
13. On the Beach/Neil
14. Harvest/Neil
15. Born to Run/Bruce
16. Animals/Pink Floyd
17. Muswell Hillbillies/The Kinks
18. Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
19. Dark Side of the Moon/Pink Floyd
20. Can't Buy a Thrill/Steely Dan it's steely dan.

21. A Nod Is Better Than a Wink.../Faces
22. Desire/Dylan
23. Old No. 1/Guy Clark
24. Let It Be/The Beatles
25. Let There Be Rock/AC/DC
26. American Stars n Bars/Neil & Horse
27. Spooky Lady's Sideshow/Kris Kristofferson
28. Who's Next/The Who
29. Rust Never Sleeps/Neil & Horse
30. Some Girls/The Stones

31. Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
32. Countdown to Ecstasy/Steely Dan it's still steely dan.
33. Texas Cooking/Guy Clark
34. Houses of the Holy/Led Zeppelin
35. Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
36. Second Helping/Lynyrd Skynyrd
37. IV/Led Zeppelin
38. Cosmo's Factory/CCR
39. Quadrophenia/The Who
40. Red Headed Stranger/Willie red headed stranger at #40? crazy.

41. III/Led Zeppelin
42. Nuthin Fancy/Lynyrd Skynyrd nuthing fancy ahead of pronounced?
43. Never a Dull Moment/Rod Stewart
44. Aja/Steely Dan more ?
45. Pronounced/Lynyrd Skynyrd created an entire genre at 45?
46. American Beauty/The Grateful Dead
47. Plastic Ono Band/John Lennon
48. The Royal Scam/Steely Dan 4 steely dan lp's?
49. Radio City/Big Star
50. Pendulum/CCR

just my worthless opinion.

[cortez the killer]

Wouldn't something ranked #1 still be considered Top 10?

[dime in the gutter]

I recall you saying something about Jesus Was a Capricorn being one of your Maw's favorite albums. I unsuccessfully tried to work in a lyric from the title track. I thought is was appropriate. However, in hindsight, one should never go mixing a Highwayman with the Becker/Fagen machine.

spreadsheet 101...brings a tear to my eye.
spoken for truth.

well played.

[scotto]

My kids find it amazing that when I went to high school kids selected their friends based on what kind of music they listened to.

Rev, I'm guessing we grew up in a similar time, if not the same high school.
I also went through a love 'em-hate 'em'-love 'em again phase with Skynyrd for the exact same reason. I also remember catching heat for liking "that punk shit" that was emerging around my junior year.
Your reminiscence of the musical quirks of adolescence are spot-on. And isn't it strange that now--through the miracle of cyberspace--those of us who could enjoy Skynryd and the Pistols (and Dylan and Miles Davis for that matter) would find ourselves huddled together on 3DD.

[joelle]

Wouldn't something ranked #1 still be considered Top 10?

^^^
technically, your are absolutely correct. no doubt.
but in my (crazy,stubborn, silly) mind
#1 is #1
screw the other 9...
i would say
"on the top of the ten"
not "in top ten"
semantics
passion
obsession
etc.
love me that big star something fierce (*'cept for india. can't listen. usually skip)
i guess i am just a fool that way


like dime in the gutter,
i ,too,enjoy your lists and thread ideas greatly
however, sadly, i am not very good at narrowing things down and am not good at rank and file

regardless
my best shot:

some i love
and never tire of...
( all shamelessly stolen from other people's lists)
#1 Record/Big Star

top ten
Third/Sisters Lovers///Radio City/Big Star
Blood on the Tracks (*still, always my desert island choice)/Dylan///Planet Waves/Dylan & The Band
Born to Run/Bruce/// Darkness on the Edge of Town/Bruce/// Greetings From Asbury Park/Bruce
Some Girls/The Stones///Exile on Main St./The Stones///Sticky Fingers/The Stones


rounding out my 25 favorites...
Tonight's The Night
Flyin Shoes(TVZ)
The Clash, The Clash (UK version)
Marvin Gaye, What's Going On
The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
Al Green, Let's Stay Together
Patti Smith, Easter
T Rex, The Slider
Graham Parker & The Rumour | Squeezing Out Sparks
Thin Lizzy | Jailbreak
off the wall/jacko
my aim is true/elvis costello
damn the torpedos/tom petty
moondance/van morrison

[Gator McKlusky]

1rst 15 or 20 are in order; after that I just listed them as I thought of them.

1. London Calling
2. Quadrophenia
3. Physical Graffiti
4. Dire Straits (debut)
5. Communique- Dire Straits
6. Muswell Hillbillies- The Kinks
7. Sticky Fingers
8. Rust Never Sleeps
9. Damn The Torpedoes
10. Kaya- Bob Marley

11. pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. # 1 Record - Big Star
13. Cosmos Factory-CCR
14. Who's Next
15. Rocks- Aerosmith
16. The Clash (debut)
17. This Year's Model--Elvis Costello
18. Funhouse--The Stooges
19. More Songs About Buildings And Food--Talking Heads
20. Machine Head- Deep Purple

21. All The Young Dudes--Mott The Hoople
22. Deguello--ZZ Top
23. Powerage-AC/DC
24. Billion Dollar Babies--Alice Cooper
25. Cheap Trick (debut)
26. Who By Numbers
27. New York Dolls (debut)
28. Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd
29. Maggot Brain--Funkadelic
30. Red Album--Grand Funk

31. Zuma--Neil
32. Led Zeppelin III
33. Zoso
34. Raw Power--The Stooges
35. Fear of Music--Talking Heads
36. Siren--Roxy Music
37. The Specials (debut)
38. Squeezing Out Sparks--Graham Parker
39. Exodus--Bob Marley
40. Mott--Mott The Hoople

41. You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic--Ian Hunter
42. All Mod Cons--The Jam
43. Fandango--ZZ Top
44. Exile On Main Street-Stones
45. Regatta de Blanc--The Police
46. Rocket To Russia--The Ramones
47. Second Helping--Lynyrd Skynyrd
48. Let There Be Rock--AC/DC
49. Parallel Lines--Blondie
50. The Modern Lovers

[scotto]

36. Siren--Roxy Music

Oh hell--how'd I forget Roxy? I'll add every Roxy Music album through side one of Manifesto to my '70s list, yes, even the Greatest Hits, because that's the only one with the studio version of "Pyjamarama."

[cortez the killer]

I recall you saying something about Jesus Was a Capricorn being one of your Maw's favorite albums. I unsuccessfully tried to work in a lyric from the title track. I thought is was appropriate. However, in hindsight, one should never go mixing a Highwayman with the Becker/Fagen machine.

spreadsheet 101...brings a tear to my eye.
spoken for truth.

well played.

Using colors and emoticons now. What happened to you?

[RevMatt]

My kids find it amazing that when I went to high school kids selected their friends based on what kind of music they listened to.

Rev, I'm guessing we grew up in a similar time, if not the same high school.
I also went through a love 'em-hate 'em'-love 'em again phase with Skynyrd for the exact same reason. I also remember catching heat for liking "that punk shit" that was emerging around my junior year.
Your reminiscence of the musical quirks of adolescence are spot-on. And isn't it strange that now--through the miracle of cyberspace--those of us who could enjoy Skynryd and the Pistols (and Dylan and Miles Davis for that matter) would find ourselves huddled together on 3DD.

Graduated Class of '82 in New Jersey.

The 3DD Crew, as I am coming to see, is a tribe of people into great music, film, fiction and art who are drawn to the dirty realism (America's dominant literary impulse) of Drive By Truckers. Last weekend, as a dozen of us were sitting around a table in this dive bar, I remember thinking, "These are my kind of people."

[StevieRay]

Last weekend, as a dozen of us were sitting around a table in this dive bar, I remember thinking, "These are my kind of people."

RevMatt: could not agree more, this same thought occurred to me at the exact same time and place brother. Further, if I may share what did it for me without a doubt was Mrs. Swamp's amazing amazing amazing video "get well soon" video project for TC. Not only my kind of people from a music perspective, but, just pain old great kind of people.

Cortez: outstanding thread!

I don't have nearly enough time to work through a top fifty at the moment - but, this is such an outstanding idea that I need to at least show up here. Not saying these are definitively 'the best' - but - this is from the heart, and for better or worse has received the most play over the years on my stereo(s):

1.Exile on Main St.
2.Harvest
3.Blood on the Tracks
4.Dixie Chicken
5.Loaded
6.Damn The Torpedoes
7.London Calling
8.Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
9.Really
10.Every Picture Tells a Story

[4sooner]

No Order and just thinking back to some of the ones I remember keeping cued up:
Stones
Exile
Sticky Fingers
Some Girls

Neil
Zuma
Tonight's The Night
American Stars & Bars

Dylan
Desire
Blood On The Tracks

CCR
Cosmo's Factory
Pendulum

Who
Who's Nest
Quadrophenia

Zepp
Physical Graffitti
Houses Of The Holy
Also:
Robin Trower-Bridge Of Sighs
Zappa-Apostrophe
Aerosmith-Rocks
Willie ,Waylon, -Wanted Outlaws
willie-Red Headed Stranger
Waylon Jennings-Dreaming My Dreams
Jerry Jeff Walker-Viva Terlingua
Boss-Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Boss-Born To Run
Talking Heads-Stop Making Sense
Talking Heads-Feaqr of Music
John Prine-ST
Skynyrd-Gimme Back My Bullets
Skynyrd-Street Survivors
Little Feat-Dixie Chicken
Little Feat-Sailing Shoes
Steely Dan-Countdown To Ecstacy
The Doors-LA Woman

[dime in the gutter]

I recall you saying something about Jesus Was a Capricorn being one of your Maw's favorite albums. I unsuccessfully tried to work in a lyric from the title track. I thought is was appropriate. However, in hindsight, one should never go mixing a Highwayman with the Becker/Fagen machine.

spreadsheet 101...brings a tear to my eye.
spoken for truth.

well played.

Using colors and emoticons now. What happened to you?

many arrows in this quiver.

i forgot:
ace of spades/motorhead
longhaired redneck/dac