Albums that define a Decade - 70s

[Shadowmancer]

May as well do this as it could create some great discussion about albums.

What albums define a decade?
This is a good question, and should have been raised in some form or another in a discussion about music at some point in time.

Now the focus of this particular thread is the albums that define the 70s, This choice was at random, and I will get around to other decades as I get around to it. Probably Next week. Ill suggest 4 albums that I consider as being important in defining the 70s musically.

Track Listing

1. "I Feel the Earth Move" – 2:58
2. "So Far Away" – 3:55
3. "It's Too Late" (lyrics by Toni Stern) – 3:53
4. "Home Again" – 2:29
5. "Beautiful" – 3:08
6. "Way Over Yonder" – 4:44
7. "You've Got a Friend" – 5:09
8. "Where You Lead" (lyrics by Stern) – 3:20
9. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:12
10. "Smackwater Jack" (Goffin, King) – 3:41
11. "Tapestry" – 3:13
12. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Goffin, King, Jerry Wexler) – 3:49
​

The First Album that I am going to say is one of the Albums that Define the 70s is Carole King - Tapestry. This album is one that I would consider to be one of the most important ones in the 1970s because of the fact that Carole King wrote a large number of songs with her husband of the time for numerous artists during the years between "the day the music died" (The death of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash in 1959) through to the arrival of the Beatles in 1964 right up until the release of this Album. With hits like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" which was originally performed by Aretha Franklin and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" Which was originally "performed" by The Monkees.

This album itself is just good song after good song, with "Where You Lead" being used fairly recently as the theme song to the TV series "The Gilmore Girls". But songs like "I feel the Earth Move" and "Its Too Late" both showing the range of diversity on this album. The other main reasoning for the placement of this as being one of the albums that define a decade is that it spent 302 weeks on the Billboard top 200 charts from when it was released in 1971.and it was number one from the start of June through to the start of October.

Track Listing

1. "Speak to Me" (Mason) - 1:30
2. "Breathe" (Gilmour, Waters, Wright)- 2:43
3. "On the Run" (Gilmour, Waters) - 3:30
4. "Time" (Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason) - 6:53
5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" (Wright, Torry) - 4:15
6. "Money" (Waters) - 6:30
7. "Us and Them" (Waters, Wright) - 7:34
8. "Any Colour You Like" (Gilmour, Wright, Mason) - 3:24
9. "Brain Damage" (Waters) - 3:50
10. "Eclipse" (Waters) - 1:45​

The second album that I will say defines the 70s is Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon. The main reason that I will say this is because it stayed on the the Billboard Top 200 for 14 years. (The same amount of time that it took Guns 'N' Roses to release Chinese Democracy). The lyrical content and the concepts behind it about modern life and its drive towards madness are haunting and make you think, it is a masterful piece of writing considering that at the time that it was brought out the concept of the concept album was only based around a few cases the most notable being "Tommy" by The Who and "In the court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson.

The music itself has many aspects of it that all contribute to the development of the album with the tracks linking through each other and back to the beginning again as is seen with the heart beat at the start of the album and the heartbeat at the end of "Eclipse". Numerous other little details such as the speaking also contribute to the album, I actually wish that Paul and Linda McCartney hadn't been so publicly aware when they did the interviews with Pink Floyd because that would have been interesting to hear within "Money" or "Time".

Track Listing

Side one

1. "Holidays in the Sun" – 3:22 *
2. "Bodies" – 3:03 *
3. "No Feelings" – 2:51
4. "Liar" – 2:41
5. "God Save the Queen" – 3:20
6. "Problems" – 4:11
7. "Seventeen" – 2:02
8. "Anarchy in the U.K." – 3:32
9. "Submission" – 4:12
10. "Pretty Vacant" – 3:18
11. "New York" – 3:05
12. "E.M.I." – 3:10
​

The Third Album that I will say defines the 70s is The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. This album is punk rock, while it may not be the best in terms of actual musical ability the lyrics and the raw emotion give the punk ethos to a number of future bands and the genre of Punk itself. These songs are demonstrative of what was going on in the late 70s the spirit of '76 accurately describes it. That spirit having influenced another importantly influential bands in The Clash.

Track Listing

1. "Second Hand News" (Buckingham) – 2:43
2. "Dreams" (Nicks) – 4:14
3. "Never Going Back Again" (Buckingham) – 2:14
4. "Don't Stop" (C. McVie) – 3:11
5. "Go Your Own Way" (Buckingham) – 3:38
6. "Songbird" (C. McVie) – 3:20
1. "The Chain" (Nicks, Buckingham, C. McVie, J. McVie, Fleetwood) – 4:28
2. "You Make Loving Fun" (C. McVie) – 3:31
3. "I Don't Want to Know" (Nicks) – 3:11
4. "Oh Daddy" (C. McVie) – 3:54
5. "Gold Dust Woman" (Nicks) – 4:51
​

The fourth album that I will say defines the 70s music is Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. This album is great, almost all of the songs on this album are sing a long songs, regardless of gender of the original singer.

Dreams is perhaps one of the simplest pieces of music ever created but it is genius in that it you don't notice it until you read about it or notice it, the lyrics themselves are brilliant and Stevie Nicks' voice conveys the right tone for the song. Others such as "Go Your Own Way" and 'You Make Loving Fun" are just fun songs in terms of sound that it makes you happier for having head them.

There are just four of my picks for albums that define the decade of the 70s, what are yours?

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Shadow, this is a tremendous thread idea, and I will get it active if it kills me. I love music threads like this. Justin, XFear, Jake, etc. I expect you ALL to post here.

I will make it a point not to duplicate Shadow's 4, even though all four are admirable choices.

Led Zeppelin IV - 1971

This album helped LAUNCH 1970's hard rock, and the defining song "Stairway to Heaven" remains the most requested song in radio history. Songs like Black Dog, Rock and Roll, and Goin' to California are also all-time great rock songs.

The album has sold over 37 million copies world-wide, 3rd most for any album. Ever. The whole thing is top to bottom definitive classic rock, and the music scene itself is 10x better thanks to this album.

London Calling - The Clash - 1979

On the other end of the 70's was The Clash and their mega-hit London Calling. I am not a Clash fan by any stretch, but this album has its place in history for a reason. Musically, everything from ska, pop, rockabilly, soul, and reggae were explored, and the cultural impact ranged from songs about unemployment issues to racism to drug use to the transition from childhood to adulthood and the pressures and responsibilities that imposes. The album cover is a straight nod to Elvis Presley.

There's a Riot Goin' On - Sly and the Family Stone - 1971

Just 5 months after Marvin Gaye released all-time classic "What's Goin On?", Sly changed the name of it's pending release "Africa Talks to You" and sent "There's a Riot Goin' On" into the world, the title a direct response to Gaye. The result was the lowering of psychadelic funk that had made Sly famous, and a trip into dark soul music, and one of the most important albums of all time. The album was charged by two major things - racism and drugs. Sly Stone was reportedly linked to the Black Panthers, and they influenced the band seeking militant pro-black music and the replacement of white band members with black ones. In addition, the album almost never happened, as Sly Stone and several bandmates were in a haze of PCP and cocain most of the time. But the anger of the album is unmistakable, from drug-anthem Luv N' Haight, to "Thank you for talkin' to me, Africa," and several others.

Pink Floyd - The Wall - 1979

Great as Dark Side was, this Floyd classic is probably their most remembered work, and it also launched one of the freakiest rock films of all time. The biting anthems of "Another Brick in the Wall - Part 2" featuring the lyrics "We don't need no education / we don't need no thought control." The introspective drug song "Comfortably Numb" and the cry for help of "Mother" also lead this paranoid classic to the all-time list.
​

I want to get opinions from more people, but I will post again with a 2nd round...

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Well, since you guys didnt specify which genre of music this had to cover. I am going to do this for my favorite genre of music. That being Country Music.

Willie Nelson: Red Headed Stranger

Track Listing:

1. "Time of the Preacher" – 2:26
2. "I Couldn't Believe It Was True" – 1:32
3. "Time of the Preacher Theme" – 1:13
4. "Medley: Blue Rock Montana/Red Headed Stranger" – 1:36
5. "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" – 2:21
6. "Red Headed Stranger" – 4:00
7. "Time of the Preacher Theme" – 0:26
8. "Just as I Am" – 1:46
9. "Denver" – 0:53
10. "O'er the Waves" – 0:47
11. "Down Yonder" – 1:56
12. "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" – 5:24
13. "Remember Me" – 2:52
14. "Hands on the Wheel" – 4:22
15. "Bandera" – 2:19

A great songwriter shines through on this album. Not only did it give us the title track "Red Headed Stranger". It also gave us classics such as "Remember Me", and the ever and always beautiful "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" This album believe it or not also made Billboards 500 best albums of all time. Coming in at number 184. Quite the impressive feat for a country artist.

Johnny Cash: Man In Black

Track Listing:

1. "The Preacher Said Jesus Said" – 3:39
2. "Orphan of the Road" – 3:36
3. "You've Got a New Light Shining in Your Eyes" – 2:05
4. "If Not for Love" – 3:06
5. "Man In Black" – 2:52
6. "Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues" – 2:58
7. "Ned Kelley" – 2:19
8. "Look for Me" – 2:21
9. "Dear Mrs." – 3:46
10. "I Talk to Jesus Every Day" – 2:03

Johnny Cash is a god, and in the 70's he was on top of the world. With this album he not only took on politcs, he also gave a glimpse of who he was, and why he dressed in black. Some of the notable songs on this album are "Man In Black", "Singin' In Vietnam Talkin' Blues", and "The Preacher Said Jesus Said".


Waylon Jennings: Dreaming My Dreams

Track Listing:

1. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" – 3:02
2. "Waymore's Blues" – 2:47
3. "I Recall a Gypsy Woman" – 3:01
4. "High Time (You Quit Your Lowdown Ways)" – 2:48
5. "I've Been a Long Time Leaving (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone)" – 2:45
6. "Let's All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues)" – 3:19
7. "The Door Is Always Open" – 2:44
8. "Let's Turn Back the Years" – 2:32
9. "She's Looking Good" – 2:32
10. "Dreaming My Dreams with You" – 2:27
11. "Bob Wills Is Still the King" – 3:36

Let me start off by saying, that this album right here defines what country is all about. I defy anyone to find a better country album. That withstanding this album is chock full of good and memorable songs. With the most memorable being "Bob Wills Is Still The King". My personal favorite off the album and the one that got the most critical acclaim is "Dreaming My Dreams With You". Which is just a very beautiful and poignant song.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed a different perspective on Albums that define a decade. As I am a country music fan I thought of no other way than to do it this way.

​

 

[Shadowmancer]

I didn't define a genre because of the reason that it doesn't have to be rock or other specific type of music to define a decades music. I don't know funk or other similar styles of music that well except that I know that certain albums from Motown artists also define the decade in music for the 70s. So adding in the Country allows for a more complete view of what albums define the decade.

 

[Tastycles]

Firstly I would like to say that this is an excellent idea for a thread, and that all of the albums suggested so far a superb.

For me the 1970's are defined by three musical genres - Glam, Punk and Disco. The two most seminal albums of the era from a punk point of view London Calling and Never Mind the Bollocks have been covered, and I will not offer an alternative to these, which leaves glam and disco.

For glam I have chosen T. Rex's Electric Warrior.

This album epitomises everything from the glam era, with heavily layered tracks and many instruments to boot. It was the album that brought T. Rex and Glam rock in general to prominence in the UK and even gave the band their only hit in the US in "Get it on" which was called "Bang the gong (get it on)" in the USA.

One of the defining aspects of punk is its stripped back, raw nature and the reason for that was in retaliation to the overindulgences of glam. This is in evidence here, where the flugel horn features prominently alongside keyboards, guitars, drums all layered heavily.

The album received rave reviews and, for me, paints a picture of music in the early 1970's.

All songs written by Marc Bolan.

1. "Mambo Sun" – 3:40
2. "Cosmic Dancer" – 4:30
3. "Jeepster" – 4:12
4. "Monolith" – 3:49
5. "Lean Woman Blues" – 3:02
6. "Get It On" – 4:27
7. "Planet Queen" – 3:13
8. "Girl" – 2:32
9. "The Motivator" – 4:00
10. "Life's a Gas" – 2:24
11. "Rip Off" – 3:40

It was much harder to find a seminal disco album, largely because disco albums don't really exist, as it was all about the singles. Some of Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor's biggest hits do not feature on any album, and other acts tended to have a few disco songs intermittently on rock or funk albums. For that reaso, I've had to go fro a compilation which is the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack.

This album is the greatest selling soundtrack of all time and accompanied the film that made John Travolta a 70s icon and that truly made disco into the most prominent genre of dance music. The album heavily features the Bee Gees, as well as genre stalwarts KC and the Sunshine band and Kool and the Gang.

Side A:

1. "Stayin' Alive" performed by The Bee Gees - 4:45
2. "How Deep Is Your Love" performed by The Bee Gees - 4:05
3. "Night Fever" performed by The Bee Gees - 3:33
4. "More Than a Woman" performed by The Bee Gees - 3:17
5. "If I Can't Have You" performed by Yvonne Elliman - 2:57

Side B:

1. "A Fifth of Beethoven" performed by Walter Murphy - 3:03
2. "More Than a Woman" performed by Tavares - 3:17
3. "Manhattan Skyline" performed by David Shire - 4:44
4. "Calypso Breakdown" performed by Ralph MacDonald - 7:50

Side C:

1. "Night on Disco Mountain" performed by David Shire - 5:12
2. "Open Sesame" performed by Kool & the Gang - 4:01
3. "Jive Talkin'" performed by The Bee Gees - 3:43
4. "You Should Be Dancing" performed by The Bee Gees - 4:14
5. "Boogie Shoes" performed by KC & the Sunshine Band - 2:17

Side D:

1. "Salsation" performed by David Shire - 3:50
2. "K-Jee" performed by MFSB - 4:13
3. "Disco Inferno" performed by The Trammps - 10:51

 

[Shadowmancer]

Tastyces you are forgetting another very important genre of the 70s in Progressive Rock of the likes of Genesis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes. There is also the fact that there is a genre created that is still going strong today and that is Metal, I doubt anyone could call Black Sabbath, Glam.

 

[Tastycles]

Tastyces you are forgetting another very important genre of the 70s in Progressive Rock of the likes of Genesis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes. There is also the fact that there is a genre created that is still going strong today and that is Metal, I doubt anyone could call Black Sabbath, Glam.

Yes, I have forgotten both, which was a bit of a schoolboy error. However, you picked a Pink Floyd album and someone else picked a Led Zep one, so that's prog covered. I don't know anything about 1970's metal, which is probably why I forgot about it.