Over the past 18 months I have done a personal favourite albums of the 1980s list. Using albums I own from the 80s plus a whole range of ‘best albums of the 80s’ lists, I listened to over 350 albums to compile a final top 100 (plus another 50).
I now plan to repeat the exercise for the 1970s but it is a decade I know less well than the 80s. I have a few best of lists already from online but would be very interested to hear which albums you really like from the 70s.
Would love to see your 80s list if you are open to that? Or maybe you did another thread?
I have a list of about 50 albums in each decade in my music player I put as my favourites at some point though I’ve probably changed my mind on some stuff as I’ve discovered new stuff.
70s stuff includes Nico, Al Green, Brigitte Fontaine, Gram Parsons, Candi Staton, David Shire, Serge Gainsbourg.
1970
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Flying Burrito Brothers - Burrito Deluxe
1971
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda
Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
Joni Mitchell - Blue
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Beach Boys - Surfs Up
Laura Nyro - Gonna Take a Miracle
Gene Clark - White Light
John Fahey - America
1972
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Big Star - No 1 Record
Neu! - Neu!
Van Morrison - St Dominic’s Preview
Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace
Bill Withers - Still Bill
1973
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
John Cale - Paris 1919
Can - Future Days
1974
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Sparks - Kimono My House
Gene Clark - No Other
Van Morrison- Veedon Fleece
Cluster - Zuckerzeit
1975
Patti Smith - Horses
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
Steely Dan - Katy Lied
Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
1976
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
Ramones- Ramones
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
David Bowie - Station to Station
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Bunny Wailer - Blackheart Man
The Mighty Diamonds - Right Time
Pat Metheny - Bright Sized Life
1977
David Bowie - Low
Wire - Pink Flag
Steely Dan - Aja
Television- Marquee Moon
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Dennis Brown - Wolves and Leopards
Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
1978
Blondie - Parallel Lines
Bruce Springsteen- Darkness on the Edge of Town
Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
Keith Jarrett - My Song
Ultravox - Systems of Romance
1979
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Wire - 154
Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats
Talking Heads - Fear of Music
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Japan - Quiet Life
The Beatles - Let It Be
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
David Bowie - The Rise And Fall…
Neil Young - Tonight’s The Night
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
Television - Marquee Moon
The Clash - London Calling
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Who - Who’s Next
Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted and Black
Van Morrison - Moondance
Lou Reed - Transformer
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Big Star - #1 Record
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Talking Heads - More Songs…
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
Rodriguez - Cold Fact
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes
Led Zeppelin - IV
Creedance Clearwater Revival - Cosmo’s Factory
Gene Clark - No Other
Bill Fay - Time of the Last Persecution
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
Sly and the Family Stone - There’s A Riot Goin On
Fantastic decade. Makes me want to do a really thorough look through my records but off the top of my head and on top of a lot already mentioned:
Caetano Veloso - Transa
Caetano Veloso - Bicho
Jorge Ben - A Tabua da Esmerelda
Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil
Shirley Collins/Albion Band - No Roses
Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces
John Martyn - Solid Air
John Martyn - One World
Novos Baianos - Acabou Chorare
Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted and Black
John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax
Michael Hurley - Armchair Boogie
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
Sandy Denny - Sandy
Karen Dalton - In my Own Time
The Walker Brother - Nite Flights
Serge Gainsbourg - Melody Nelson
Eugene McDaniels - Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse
Bert Jansch - Santa Barbara Honeymoon
Don Cherry - Brown Rice
Steve Reich - Music for eighteen musicians
Charlemagne Palestine - Strumming Music
such a wonderful album. Was able to see Milton Nascimento play the album in full at Barbican last year (?? No sense of time anymore)