By: Jacob Eckert
The 70’s was a decade in which the LP reigned king. CDs had not yet been created, and newer innovations in records left albums sounding even better than they did in the 60’s. The first half of the decade saw rock pretentions at their highest with groups such as Emerson, Lake, and Palmer and Supertramp; although, some great records were birthed from this era. Disco music was played to death on the radio and at disco clubs, and the public wound up completely rejecting the genre. At the end of the decade, a sort of musical renaissance happened in New York City with the punk explosion at the CBGB scene. Many obscure bands fell through the cracks during this decade, but now that we have had a chance to look back at the decade, and also with the facilitation of the internet, many of these bands have been exposed to the public. The 70’s were truly a diverse decade that saw some of the greatest albums of all time. Here are 20 of them…
20. Kraftwerk- The Man-Machine (1978)
These German electronic music pioneers hit their first success with their 1974 record Autobahn whose edited titular track got a great deal of airplay even in the United States. That record was their first turn towards fully electronic music after their Krautrock experiments in their first three albums (Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2, and Ralf und Florian).Although 1977’s Trans Europe Express was a fantastic and beautiful record that explored the concept of repetition of musical themes and the lyrical concepts of the beauty of Europe and the phoniness of people, it was with The Man-Machine in 1978 that Krafwerk truly made their masterpiece.
The record begins with the brilliant and futuristic “The Robots” which uses electronically distorted vocals to give the band members a sound as if they themselves were robots. This is a concept which the cover art and liner notes seem to suggest with the band members dressed up and fashioned so that they look almost exactly like robots. “The Robots” is followed by the beautiful “Spacelab,” a song that really lives up to its title, sounding as if its sound was sent directly from an extremely technological spacecraft. Side two of this record shows one of the band’s most immediately recognizable songs, “The Model.” With a brilliant pop hook and a clocking time of under four minutes (by far the shortest on the album), this song became a #1 hit in England giving the band a great deal more exposure. Perhaps the album’s greatest highlight is the extremely beautiful “Neon Lights,” a song that actually glorifies urbanization and the futurism of large cities. The Man-Machine is such a great success because it blends the lengthier compositions on records such as Trans Europe Express with more poppy hooks and slightly briefer songs like Computer World (1980). However, the great quality of the songs definitely helps as well.
19. Pink Floyd- The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Pink Floyd can basically be divided into two musical eras: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (their debut album) and everything past that album. Syd Barrett led the group, but once he left after a combination of drug abuse and schizophrenia, Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour certainly filled the void that he left. Whereas Piper is a psychedelic and whimsical masterpiece, the later Pink Floyd records are more paranoid and dark and are masterpieces on a whole different level. The Dark Side of the Moon is the best distillation of the later Pink Floyd material, and it not only made an artistic masterpiece, but it also rocketed them to unfathomable levels of commercial success that have rarely been seen by any other groups since.
The Dark Side of the Moon begins with a crescendo into “Breathe” which is a very lush and melodic song. The incredible production is apparent from the first second that “Breathe” begins, and it is clear that the band spent a great deal of time trying to get the perfect sound for each moment on the album. “On the Run” follows this song, and it is an amazing instrumental that truly shows the paranoia and darkness of the later Floyd material perhaps better than any other song. “Money” is the biggest hit off of the record and for good reason. Its bass line is unforgettable, its lyrics are clever, and its melody is very singable without losing any of the song’s artfulness. Pink Floyd truly created one of the most well-produced, dreamiest, and most timeless records of all time, and it is likely the album for which they will be eternally remembered.
18. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band- Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)
Lick My Decals Off, Baby was the last great Beefheart record, but that doesn’t make it any less of a masterpiece. The album was released after Beefheart’s magnum opus, Trout Mask Replica (1969), a harsh, grating, discordant but flawless album that is a work of abstract art in the truest sense. If you could listen to a Jackson Pollock painting, you would get Trout Mask Replica. Lick My Decals Off, Baby continues in the same experimental vein as Trout Mask with equally amazing results. However, be warned, these albums are very experimental and take multiple listens to truly get into.
The album begins with the impeccable title track which seems to start somewhat in medias res with a slide guitar riff that immediately descends into complete insanity while Beefheart belts out his Howlin’ Wolf-influnced vocals. It is a perfect two-and-a-half minute distillation of everything that makes Beefheart’s music so interesting and innovative. This song is followed up by the almost equally brilliant “Doctor Dark” which starts with about thirty seconds of instrumental music and goes into a somewhat straightforward Delta blues sound before deciding to go into complete insanity. It is also a perfect Beefheart song. Although the album is extremely inaccessible, there are some beautiful instrumental guitar pieces to be found in “Peon” and “One Red Rose That I Mean.” Other highlights include the nursery rhyme-esque vocals that are paired with almost mentally unstable playing by the Magic Band on “The Clouds Are Full of Wine (Not Whiskey or Rye)” and the song that was used (and failed) to promote the album “Woe-Is-uh-Me-Bop.” The Captain’s work throughout the rest of the 70’s would prove to be very hit-and-miss, and this album is without a doubt one of his finest records.
17. Brian Eno- Another Green World (1975)
Brian Eno is easily one of the most important names in music. Ever. Not only did he show extreme innovation in his own work with Roxy Music, his own records such as Before & After Science, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), and Another Green World and his creation of the entire genre of ambient music, but he also helped a huge amount of well-known bands and artists with the addition of his own ideas to their work and his production work on their records. These bands include such huge names as Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Devo all of whom are, consequently, on this list. Still, Eno’s solo albums are all amazing and revolutionary in their own ways, and Another Green World is perhaps the best of the bunch which is truly saying something.
The album starts off with the bass-heavy “Sky Saw,” a song which reserves all vocals until the last 45 seconds or so and truly kicks off the somewhat ambient nature of the record. Although this was not Eno’s first outright ambient record (this would not be seen until 1978 with Ambient 1: Music for Airports), the roots of his later ambient work can certainly be seen on this album with songs such as “In Dark Trees,” “Sombre Reptiles,” and “Over Fire Island.” These songs are all instrumentals and, though not as ambient and spacey as his later work, do show ambient leanings. That is not to say, however, that this album is lacking in “pop” songs. This album contains some of Eno’s best pop tracks, with the epic “St. Elmo’s Fire” (please note that this is NOT the 80’s one hit wonder by John Parr), the whimsical “I’ll Come Running,” and the contemplative “Golden Hours.” Another Green World is a true masterpiece that was way ahead of its time and still is a lasting classic record.
16. Pere Ubu- The Modern Dance (1978)
Pere Ubu formed from one half of the schism of proto-punk band Rocket from the Tombs (the other half of the schism forming the straight-out punk rock group of the Dead Boys). Ubu proved to be far artier than the Dead Boys, experimenting with some sound collage and electronic instrumentals, though this is not to say that they couldn’t rock out at other times as well. The Modern Dance is a great blend of their rockier side and their more experimental side unlike the almost equally fantastic follow-up of Dub Housing which proves to be more overwhelmingly experimental. Pere Ubu were led by inimitable lead singer David Thomas, whose somewhat grating vocals are one of the defining features of the group. The group truly achieved a masterpiece on their first record thus The Modern Dance was created.
The album starts with a harsh electronic beeping that goes on for about fifteen seconds before a “Johnny B. Goode”-esque guitar riff comes in. This announces “Non-Alignment Pact” which is an amazing art rock song that sounds so ahead of its time that it could easily have come out this year. This is followed up by the punkier title track which has a call-and-response lyric style that is extremely infectious (even though I still have no idea what the response lyric is saying). Other notable tracks include “Humor Me” which sounds like a direct influence on a great deal of alternative rock bands, “Chinese Radiation,” a more experimental track that is very fascinating, and “Street Waves,” one of the band’s most well-known songs. The Modern Dance is a must have for all fans of post-punk.
15. Devo- Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
This is easily one of the albums that is the most fun to listen to on this list. The record seems completely inane at parts, but at other times, it seems to be making heavy comments on society in a manner similar to many of The Mother of Invention’s albums. In fact, the silliness of The Mothers is clearly a major influence on Devo’s music and really helped to make it what it is. Although Devo would hit mainstream success with Freedom of Choice in 1980 which held their huge single “Whip It,” Q: Are We Not Men? is a far superior album. Devo was much more guitar-based at this point and would move to a more new-wave sound on their later records, and although their new wave sound was great as well, their early work is simply more fun, better-written, and just better.
The album kicks off with the pure rock of “Uncontrollable Urge” which is simply a very fun song to listen to. One of the strongest songs is “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a brilliant Rolling Stones cover that turns the classic original into a more paranoid, modern, and, frankly, insane version. Side one closes with the Devo anthem “Jocko Homo” which expounds on the band’s theory of de-evolution, a theory which was basically just a comment on society’s apparent degradation into complete ignorance and lack of intelligence. It is also remarkably catchy. “Gut Feeling” is a surf song that is simply amazing. The album truly does not have any bad songs and is more than worth listening to.
14. New York Dolls- New York Dolls (1973)
This album is rock and roll. There are few albums that I can think of that really rock as much as this album does. The New York Dolls were the pinnacle of proto punk taking elements from glam and dirty rock and roll and truly making it into something of their own while everybody else in music was losing touch with rock and roll roots. Few albums can be said to have had as much of an influence on the genre of punk as this album due to its stripping of rock and roll down to the basics and its lyrical subjects which deal with seemingly bizarre topics such as trash. Although the Dolls would soon sink into deep drug addiction, they at least recorded one document of their sheer rock and roll genius, and this artifact is New York Dolls.
“Personality Crisis” is one of the greatest songs ever, and it immediately drags in the listener to the record. It uses a simple blues progression as its background, but it rocks so hard, and it is simply so absorbing that it took me a couple listens to actually acknowledge that it is the same chord progression as thousands of other songs out there. The second song, “Looking for a Kiss,” starts off with an example of the Dolls’ humor in its opening lyric “When I say I’m in love you best believe I’m in love, L-U-V.” It is seemingly inane lyrics like this that add flavor to the album, and when they are mixed with the awesome proto punk background, it creates great and entertaining music. “Trash” is another classic that sounds like it easily could have come from some obscure punk group, but in reality, it is four years before punk exploded. This is simply another amazing thing about this album: it is way before its time. Anyone who is at all interested in punk and its roots should look no further than New York Dolls as the prime starting point.
13. King Crimson- Red (1974)
King Crimson hit huge success with their 1969 debut album In the Court of the Crimson King, which is certainly one of the best albums in progressive rock. Their next five years would yield some amazing albums (Larks Tongues in Aspic, In the Wake of Poseidon), but would also give some atrocities (Islands). The band was calling it quits in 1974, and in 1974 they released two albums, Starless and Bible Black and Red. While Starless and Bible Black is a solid, though slightly over the top effort in prog, Red is a true masterpiece that can be equally loved by both the die-hard progressive rock fans and the 70’s art rock fans. Although King Crimson would come back together in 1981 to record the extremely Talking Heads influenced Discipline, Red is without a doubt the band’s masterpiece and would not have been too bad of an album to call it quits after forever for a band.
The album starts with the title track, a 6+ minute instrumental with a varying guitar line/solo being played consistently throughout. Although it may sound boring, the song is strangely transfixing and definitely sets the somewhat darker tone of the record. It is followed by the much more melodically sensible ballad “Fallen Angel” which tells the story of a man’s younger brother being killed in the Hell’s Angels. It is a definite masterpiece of pop and melody. “One More Red Nightmare” follows which is a story of a plane crash that is told in a somewhat harrowing fashion, the music definitely adding to this atmosphere. Although the fourth track, “Providence,” is somewhat passable, the album’s masterpiece comes with the epic 12 minute “Starless” which goes from being a calm pop song to a large freeform instrumental portion and then to a full out progressive rock masterpiece. It is not only the best song on the album but is also King Crimson’s masterpiece, and is just another reason that Red is such a great album.
12. Television- Marquee Moon (1977)
Television was one of the earliest bands on the CBGB scene in New York, and was also one of the best. The original lineup of the band included bassist Richard Hell, who would later leave the band to form his own group, Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Although Hell was a great songwriter and is one of the most important figures in punk rock, his departure may have led Television to be even more original in their compositions. The Richard Hell debut record, Blank Generation, lacks the amazing multi-part guitar lines in this album, the amazing instrumental jams, and even the fantastic melodies. This album almost defined what a great deal of post-punk would sound like in their debut album which came out the same year that punk exploded.
Easily the most important song on this album is the title track, a 10 minute masterpiece that begins with a fantastic melody before descending into a brilliant and lengthy jam that intertwines guitar lines seamlessly. The song is one of the best examples of why the band is so important to music due to its extreme creativity and its seemingly effortless but perfect guitar lines. “Venus” is another classic with a very catchy melody and bizarre but interesting lyrics. “Prove It” is a jumpy pop song that builds and builds up to the chorus, a chorus that is completely unforgettable. Marquee Moon shows the CBGB scene at the peak of inventive songwriting and complete innovation of music.
11. The Clash- London Calling (1979)
The Clash was a timeless debut, mixing elements of reggae and punk to create something that sounded extremely unique and original. Although Give ‘Em Enough Rope was a good effort, it is extremely lacking in comparison to the albums that it is sandwiched between. The third Clash record is the one that they will be eternally remembered for, London Calling. Considered by many to be the best punk record of all time, I personally find it difficult to call London Calling a punk album. It is simply way too eclectic in its songs, ranging from the apocalyptic jam of the title track to the upbeat “The Right Profile”. It is one of the most impressive albums of all time in its range of great songs and it is no doubt a classic album, although The Clash would never make an album comparable to London Calling again.
It kicks off with the timeless title track, one of their best known songs, although, honestly, not the best song on the album. There are so many highlights on this album, from the extremely reggae inspired “Rudie Can’t Fail” to the politically charged “Guns of Brixton” to the Nazi condemning “Clampdown.” Although there are a few weaker songs near the end in “Lover’s Rock” and “Revolution Rock,” the album is packed with lasting classics and is definitely one of the most influential and well-known punk albums of all time. The follow-up, Sandinista! would prove to be way too long for its own good, putting in clearly weak songs just to make the album as long as possible. London Calling is the pinnacle of The Clash’s work and is a must hear for all music fans.
10. Big Star- #1 Record (1972)
Big Star is a victim of bad marketing. Stax Records simply failed to get this album, as well as the rest of the Big Star albums, and it is simply a sad thing. Big Star could have been big stars (ha!) if their marketing had been somewhat decent. Sadly, they remained in obscurity, though would prove to be an enormous influence on similar power pop bands such as R.E.M. and even The Replacements. Sadly, Alex Chilton died earlier this year, but the legend of Big Star, to use a cliché, lives on eternally. All three of the Big Star albums are masterpieces, #1 Record, Radio City, and Third/Sister Lovers. They are all perfect power pop albums and are necessary listening for any fans of R.E.M., Soft Boys, and countless other bands.
#1 Record starts out with the glam-sounding “Feel” which blends elements of old time rock and roll with their pop sensibility and makes a classic. However, the most timeless track on here is the second song, “The Ballad of El Goodo.” The fact that this is not being played daily on classic rock radio is criminal (or perhaps fantastic so that it doesn’t get overplayed to death). The song should have hit #1 on the Billboard charts, but it simply did not thanks to awful marketing. It is the perfect blend of ballad and rock, and is quite simply one of the best songs of all time. Other classics include the That 70s Show theme of “In the Street” and the amazingly beautiful “Thirteen,” a nostalgic and lovely ballad. This album should have been a #1 record, and it is a true shame that it wasn’t.
9. Suicide- Suicide (1977)
Suicide, the two-man band of Alan Vega and Martin Rev, is the most important synthpunk band of all time. They were a huge influence on Ric Ocasek of The Cars and truly had an amazing sound of their own. They had been a group since 1971, and in 1972 were the first band to ever advertise their music as “punk rock.” Their shows were legendary, not because of any theatrics or props but because they were very infamous for descending into, essentially, riots. Most of their shows did not extend past 20 minutes due to this. However, looking past the shows, one will see that the music that they were making was way ahead of its time and truly amazing. In a way, this music is psychobilly, and I have never truly understood why it is not classified as such. In any case, this debut record is flawless and is a true masterpiece.
The album begins with “Ghost Rider,” a song with a blues synth riff that perpetuates the whole song with no change whatsoever. A very old drum machine is used throughout the whole album that gives every song a defining, pulsating rhythm. “Johnny” is synth-flavored rockabilly gone insane with multiple vocal tracks that tumble over each other, making it very difficult to tell what Alan Vega is saying. “Cheree” is the most melodically rich song on the album that lays out the template for synthpop for years to come. However, the most interesting and mind blowing song on the album is “Frankie Teardrop”, an unbelievably terrifying 10 minute track. Alan Vega’s screams on this song seem about two times louder than anything on the rest of the record, and on a first time listen, the song can truly make you jump out of your seat. Suicide is a timeless album that showed to be an enormous influence on synth music forever.
8. Ramones- Ramones (1976)
When the phrase “punk rock” is said, most people will immediately think of three chords played fast and with the song ending in less than three minutes. The reason for this is the Ramones. As the first punk band to truly get major exposure, Ramones defined so much about punk rock and influenced countless bands with their simple songs and their lyrics that mostly dealt with campy culture and being stupid. It is truly fantastic music. Although Rocket to Russia is an arguably better album, Ramones appears here simply because of its influence and the fact that it came first and revolutionized things much more than Rocket to Russia did. It is one of the most fun and amazing debut albums of all time.
There are so many classics on this album that it could almost be a greatest hits album. Songs such as “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat,” and “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” still number among the most classic of the Ramones songs. However, some of the more obscure songs on this album prove to be even better, such as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired “Chain Saw” and the hilarious “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World.” So few albums have been released that have been used to define a genre as much as Ramones and it is easily one of the most influential albums of the punk era.
7. Black Sabbath- Master of Reality (1971)
Black Sabbath honestly had no right to get commercially successful. Their music was doomy and dealt with morbid things such as death and Satan. Still, Paranoid rocketed them to success with songs such as “Paranoid” and “Iron Man.” Their follow-up to their extremely successful Paranoid does not have any songs that got very commercially successful, but it is still a much superior album. Paranoid dragged near the end, but this album is one of the most amazing and consistent albums of all times. Of the big three proto metal bands (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple), Black Sabbath is clearly the band that had the most influence on the genre of metal and is the band that can be heard today and immediately identified as metal rather than simply hard rock.
“Sweet Leaf” starts the album and is a great indicator of how the remainder of the record will sound: slow, doomy, and heavy. The most upbeat song on the record is the second song, “After Tomorrow” which, believe it or not, is a Christian metal song coming from Black Sabbath. The lyrics are very upbeat and unlike anything that the band had ever done before, but the song is still a definite classic. “Orchid” is an amazing instrumental by Tony Iommi that is extremely beautiful and a great respite from the rest of the heaviness of the album. The album ends with the amazing “Into the Void” which has often been cited as the first ever doom metal song. So many doom metal bands including Candlemass, Electric Wizard, and My Dying Bride have been heavily influenced by this record, and it is a true metal masterpiece.
6. Wire- 154 (1979)
Wire probably transformed more in their first three albums than any other band did throughout their entire career. Pink Flag, their debut, is a brilliant and punky record that has been described as “Ramones go to art school.” Although I personally dislike the second album, Chairs Missing, it shows an interesting blend between their punk beginnings and their much more experimental and post punk leanings that they would fully expand upon on 154. 154 is the band’s masterpiece, a cold post-punk record that blends a pop sensibility with intense experimental music for amazing results. Although Wire would essentially descend into much worse records after 154, this album finds the band at the peak of their experimenting and creativity and is a fantastic document of post-punk.
The first thing to notice on this album is that there are absolutely no guitars on the first song, “I Should Have Known Better”. This is in stark contrast from their debut on which guitar pervades the whole record. Still, the song is amazing and very ominous sounding and shows what the rest of the record will sound like. The first true pop song to be found is “The 15th” which is an amazing synthpop song that is most certainly worth a listen. The most interesting song is “A Touching Display,” a song which starts out somewhat poppy but then sinks into Armageddon with very loud synths being played and an overall very ominous tone. The best pop song to be found on this record is on side two, and it is called “Map Ref 41 Degrees North 93 Degrees West” which is admittedly a bizarre name for the catchiest song on the album. However, the song shows that Wire can easily write the perfect pop song as well (something they showed on their past two albums as well with “Fragile” and “Outdoor Miner”). 154 is a perfect album that shows an extremely creative band at the peak of their creativity and is a must have.
5. David Bowie- Low (1977)
No longer Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie in 1977 was living in Berlin with a terrible cocaine addiction. However, this period proved to be one of his creative goldmines in which he made three albums, Low, ”Heroes,” and Lodger, that are referred to as his “Berlin trilogy” and all of which are artistic masterpieces. However, Low is likely the best of the bunch due to its impeccable songs and consistency, though it does lack a song as good as “Heroes” which is easily one of the top ten songs of all time. Bowie was working with Brian Eno at this point, and it is very evident on the second side which is much more ambient and atmospheric, and sounds nothing like anything else Bowie ever wrote. Essentially, Low is David Bowie’s complete masterpiece.
The album starts out with the very upbeat “Speed of Life,” a two minute instrumental that has a soaring guitar line paired with somewhat out of the ordinary synth arrangements. “Breaking Glass” tells of a dysfunctional relationship between the narrator of the song’s isolation from a woman in his life, with the telling lyric, “You’re such a good person, but you’ve got problems. I’ll never touch you.” Likewise, “Sound and Vision” has Bowie singing about segregating himself into his room, “waiting for the gift of sound and vision.” Bowie was clearly going through something of a mental breakdown during this time, which is apparent yet again in “Always Crashing in the Same Car” which talks about how whenever he does something he makes the same mistake as always, hence the title of the song. The last song on side one is a sign of things to come for the entire second side, and the name of the song is “A New Career in a New Town.” The song is more upbeat than side two, but it uses the experimental touches of synth and is completely instrumental, like the whole second side. Side two begins with the amazing “Warszawa,” one of the best instrumentals of all time that is simultaneously beautiful and foreboding. It was cowritten by Brian Eno. The album ends with the frightening “Subterraneans” which is a very compelling listen. David Bowie made a fantastic artistic statement with Low, and it is one of the greatest albums ever.
4. Talking Heads- More Songs about Buildings and Food (1978)
Talking Heads were a great group that finally hit big success with “Once in a Lifetime” off their stunning 1980 record Remain in Light. However, they also did some amazing work in the late 70s with their albums Talking Heads: 77, Fear of Music, and More Songs about Buildings and Food. More Songs was their second album and is a very fun album to listen to. The band is at their best with songwriting and lyrics, and it makes for one of the most memorable albums to come out of the CBGB scene in New York City.
“Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” starts out the album on a very high note with its upbeat instrumentals and its very danceable beat. The album continues its brilliance with “With Our Love”, which is a great and somewhat funky song. The whole album has elements of funk music throughout, and can maybe be seen as the beginning of their world music experiments on Fear of Music and David Byrne’s world music experiments with Brian Eno on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. “Artists Only” is a hilarious song talking about the pretention of artists and how they overreact greatly over their own work. “Found a Job” is one of the best storytelling songs of all time with lyrics that tell of a couple who is bored with television, create their own show, and become very successful and happy. The album closes with a somewhat biting commentary on Southern life with “The Big Country.” The slide guitar is perfect in this song and it is a truly fantastic closer, although I have never been certain whether or not David Byrne was being serious in his criticism of the south or whether he was adopting a personality in his critique. Either way, the song is fantastic, and the album is one of the greatest of all time.
3. Public Image Ltd.- Metal Box (1979)
John Lydon was clearly disenfranchised with everything that he had come to be through the Sex Pistols. Although the Pistols were technically punk, if you look at it from a different way they were also a manufactured boy band put together to be edgy for attention. That was certainly the way that John Lydon saw it, and though he tried to address this problem in The Great Rock and Roll Swindle by The Sex Pistols in which he talks about how to manufacture a band, he truly succeeded in what he wished to say with the band he formed after the Pistols, Public Image Ltd. Although First Edition is a great debut album, Public Image truly succeeded with Metal Box, a true masterpiece of experimental music that was originally released as three records in a film canister, showing the experimental nature of the recordings.
“Albatross” kicks off the album, and essentially no song could be more alienating for the Sex Pistols fans than this one. It has a bassline that basically stays the same for the whole ten minutes of the song, while John Lydon “sings” in his extremely harsh, grating, and, realistically, terrible voice. The song is very amazing. “Memories” follows, and it is another jagged masterpiece, with yet another pulsating bassline. Jah Wobble played some of the greatest basslines of all time on this record, and each song is filled with amazing creativity on the guitar by Keith Levine, former Clash member. “The Suit” is an amazing criticism of society and truly shows Lydon’s anger against established society. “Poptones” is a harrowing seven minute minimalist masterpiece about a murder that happens in a secluded forest. It is pretty scary, but it is also extremely brilliant. “Chant” is a full out aural assault with crazy noise present throughout the whole composition and a continuous chant of “Hate, love, war, fear” going on in the background. The album ends on a peaceful though somewhat off moment with “Radio 4” which seems to be a somewhat bizarre way to end such a jagged and experimental masterpiece. This album is not easy to swallow, but with repeated listens it is evident that it is one of the best albums of all time.
2. The Stooges- Fun House (1970)
The Stooges were the ultimate proto punk band. They emphasized everything that made rock and roll awesome in their music, while still being hated by critics and going under the radar of commercial success. However, The Stooges are one of the most timeless groups of all time, and it is hard to believe that they were making the kind of music that they made at such an early time period. Although Raw Power from 1973 is the band’s most overtly punk sounding album, Fun House is an adventure in pure rock and roll and insanity. The idea for the album was to create something that sounded like the band’s live shows, which were very frantic and insane experiences, so it is obvious that the album is going to be very insane. It is also perfect.
The album starts with “Down on the Street,” a straight out rock song. Basically variations on the same five chords are used throughout the whole record, but it is the pure energy that drives this album and makes it what it is. “Loose” is the second song on the album, a song that deals with Iggy Pop’s crippling heroin addiction during this time period. It is also pure rock and roll, and the album truly becomes more and more insane as it progresses. “Dirt” ends side one on a somewhat slower pace, but it retains all the fury of the faster songs and is still an extremely brilliant track. The start to side two shows that the rest of the album is going to be completely insane. The song is “1970,” a follow-up to the song on the first self-titled Stooges Album, “1969.” In “1970,” Iggy Pop feels alright, and he yells this an incalculable number of times. That is basically the lyric for the rest of the album, as it descends more and more into insanity. Near the end of the song, a free form saxophone starts playing and this saxophone not only does not leave for the rest of the album but grows more and more insane with each coming song. Finally, at the end of the album we have the ultimate freak out track of “L.A. Blues,” a complete meltdown of all rules of music. With Fun House the stooges created the ultimate rock record and it is a truly timeless masterpiece.
1. Patti Smith- Horses (1975)
Patti Smith first went to New York City to write her poetry and recite it at cafés. Her original poems are fascinating to listen to because they have an extremely cool rhythm to them, and it sounds like they are almost songs to begin with. When she met Lenny Kaye, he would follow her to her poetry recitals and play interpretations to her poetry on his guitar. It was originally just a backing to her poetry, but eventually the Patti Smith Group formed, and thus was born Horses, the first album to come out of the CBGB scene. It is basically the first punk album due to its simplicity and its rejection of social norms lyrically. Every single song is an utter masterpiece and the album should be regarded as such.
Patti Smith opens the album with her amazing cover of “Gloria” by Van Morrison. However, she makes the song sound completely like her own, changing the lyrics completely other than the signature chorus of “G-L-O-R-I-A Gloria.” The song is perfect in every way, and is followed up by another song that is utterly perfect, “Redondo Beach.” It tells of a pair of lover, one of whom commits suicide at a beach because of a falling out between the two. It has a reggae feel to it and is a great song. One of the most absorbing and transfixing songs on the album is “Birdland,” a song that talks about a son whose father has just died and the sorrow and loneliness that it leaves him. Smith paints the image of a large, desolate, and empty farm and uses this as a symbol for the boy’s loneliness. It is a breathtaking track. “Kimberly” starts side two, and it is an amazing track that Morrissey stole the structure of to make “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” off of The Smiths debut album. Tom Verlaine of Television joins Patti Smith on vocal and guitar on “Break It Up” which is yet another masterpiece on the part of Patti Smith. However, the best song on the album comes with the raw power of “Land,” a nine minute epic that tells of a boy being assaulted, getting revenge, and his redemption. It uses variations on the same riff throughout the song, but its lyrics, its energy, and its instruments make the song one of the best of all time. The album ends on a quieter note with “Elegie” which is more downbeat than some of the previous stuff on the album. This album is the best of the 70s because of its influence, its amazing song quality, its poetic lyrics, and its timeliness to be the first album to come out of the CBGB scene. Even its cover art by Robert Mappelthorpe is amazing. Although one could make a case for many other albums to be the best of the 70’s, my personal choice is the timeless Horses by Patti Smith.
