Top 100 '70s Rock Albums

[SisterNightroad]

Top 100 ’70s Rock Albums
by Ultimate Classic Rock Staff

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Picking our list of the Top 100 ’70s Rock Albums was no easy task, if only because that period boasted such sheer diversity. The decade saw rock branch into a series of intriguing new subgenres, beginning, at the dawn of the ’70s, with heavy metal. Singer-songwriters came into their own; country-rock flourished. The era ended with the revitalizing energy of punk and New Wave. No list would be complete without climbing onto every one of those limbs. Here’s are the Top 100 ’70s Rock Albums, presented chronologically from the start of the decade.


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'Fleetwood Mac'
Fleetwood Mac (1975): When Californians Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac for this LP, the group was a leftover British blues band from the '60s. They soon became one of the biggest groups on the planet, thanks to this terrific collection of sunkissed pop.
62 of 101


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'Rumours'
Fleetwood Mac (1977): Memorably cinematic, Fleetwood Mac's masterpiece chronicled with a lush directness (quite literally, it turned out) the way that relationships coalesce then dissolve.
77 of 101



It's a quite unadventurous list, but overall enjoyable:


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[jcalzaretta]

the White Album ranked higher than Rumours. Interesting!

[Jondalar]

It's a load of crap.

[James89]

It's in order of date. They are just the top 100 best rock albums of the 70's in chronological order, not rank.

[SisterNightroad]

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[SisterNightroad]

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The Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums span a series of genres as startling and varied as the era’s neon-flecked fashions. No one was immune to the early-decade emergence of new wave, from up-and-coming acts to legacy groups — many of whom began incorporating the then-new sound into their bedrock approach. Meanwhile, classic rock and subsequently metal began a transformation into mass acceptance when the edges were smoothed out to form arena rock and hair metal, respectively. The arrival of roots, thrash, and world music influences kept things interesting, along the way. All of it made selecting the period’s best releases both intriguing and deeply challenging. Check out the photo gallery above, as Ultimate Classic Rock takes a chronological look at the Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums.


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'Bella Donna'
Stevie Nicks (1981): Stevie Nicks' long-awaited solo career got off to a fast start with this smash hit, though she still seemed to favor collaborations -- working with Don Henley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Waddy Wachtel, rather than Lindsey Buckingham.


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'Mirage'
Fleetwood Mac (1982): After indulging in the sprawling, wildly expensive, weirdly effective 'Tusk,' Fleetwood Mac returned with a comfy retro vibe for 'Mirage' - and fans raced back for the lacey mysteries of "Gypsy" and the soaring joys of "Hold Me."




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[James89]

They have Mirage on the list instead of Tango in the Night? That's hilariously stupid. :shocked:

[SisterNightroad]

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Why? I love Mirage, even if Lindsey's material isn't his best, it's the perfect balance among the classic Fleetwood Mac Rumours sound and the new 80's music style.

[PenguinHead]

It's in order of date. They are just the top 100 best rock albums of the 70's in chronological order, not rank.

Thank you for pointing out it this misunderstanding that this was based on rank. Even if it was, it's no big deal!

These lists aren't official statements of fact. How are these lists any different from the lists and polls we make on this site? It's all just a matter of opinion.

Breathe.

[SisterNightroad]

Clash of the Titans: ’70s vs. ’80s
by Jeff Giles March 16, 2015 2:12 PM

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We’ve pitted songs and albums against each other in previous installments of Clash of the Titans, but this time, we’re pitching a bigger battle, and putting two entire decades in the ring.
That’s right, rock fans: For this Clash, we’re making you choose between the ’70s and ’80s — a pair of 10-year spans during which the genre faced challenges from a growing array of new technologies and sounds, with everything from punk and disco to MTV and the drum machine forcing artists to evolve and adapt to keep with the times.
While all these changes had a tendency to produce some of the more infamously ill-advised decisions made by rock artists, the ’70s and ’80s also produced a lot of classic rock records — more than you might think, especially during the latter decade, which is often remembered more as a breeding ground for New Wave and hip-hop than a rock-friendly era.
In fact, how you feel about this Clash of the Titans poll probably has a lot to do with when you were born, and which decade you remember most fondly (or remember at all). But for those of you who just can’t decide, don’t worry — we’ve included a whole bunch of great albums from both decades below to help you relive some of the brightest highlights from the ’70s and ’80s, and you can vote once an hour between now and when the ballots close 11:59PM ET on March 22.


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[jbrownsjr]

https://33.media.tumblr.com/22f40e6db037bbdfa3e73eb83f5b0361/tumblr_mz7lno1yrx1qikmd9o1_500.gif

Why? I love Mirage, even if Lindsey's material isn't his best, it's the perfect balance among the classic Fleetwood Mac Rumours sound and the new 80's music style.

I love that gif!! and I love her!

[SisterNightroad]

I love that gif!! and I love her!
Thank you, I also love them very much!
In fact I have a harem of gifs in my computer and on appropriate opportunities I chose the one that inspires me the most.

[SisterNightroad]

Clash of the Titans: ’60s vs. ’70s
by Jeff Giles March 23, 2015 4:05 PM

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For our previous Clash of the Titans, we asked you to choose between the ’70s and ’80s. This time, the ’70s have to get in the ring with their big brother the ’60s.
As with our last Clash, how you feel about this probably has a lot to do with when you were born, and which decade provided more of a soundtrack to your youth. There’s certainly no arguing the fact that both periods brought rock fans plenty of classic albums, and if we were packing for a trip to a deserted island, we wouldn’t want to ignore either of them — while rock started to flower in the ’60s, it bloomed in a bunch of new directions during the 10 years that followed, and the best moments from both decades sound great with the volume turned up.
Needless to say, we don’t envy your task here. But to make it a little easier, we’ve put together a pair of slideshows celebrating some of the most incredible albums released during the ’60s and ’70s, and you can check them both out below before casting your vote. (Fair warning: You might end up spending the rest of the day listening to classic records instead of getting any work done.)
And if it’s still too tough to pick between them, not to worry: As with all of our Clashes, you’ve got one week until the polls close, and you can cast your ballot once an hour until it’s over at 11:59PM ET on March 29. May the best decade win!


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[The Highwayman]

Well, I do love that Bella Donna was included as one of the best albums of the 1980s. It's certainly one of my two or three favorite albums from that decade, a rarity in this world: a perfect album. To me, anyway.

Now, where's Tusk? Certainly one of the best '70s albums ever.

[SisterNightroad]

That's exactly how I feel. I am glad that finally Stevie is getting the respect she deserves for her work outside Fleetwood Mac, and I am even more glad that they haven't forgotten other albums that aren't Rumours but Tusk was just beginning to get finally ackowledged and they left it out.

[Macfanforever]

I love 70's and 80's so there's no contest between them to me.
1990's to now forget it.Once the rap hip hop and grunge rock started to appear in the late 1980's .I lost interest with the mainstream music area.
I do enjoy the lite rock easy listening music from the 1990's to now.

I never believe these polls from ultimateclassicrock.com .I never heard of this site until a couple years ago probably from here.

[SisterNightroad]

I love 70's and 80's so there's no contest between them to me.
1990's to now forget it.Once the rap hip hop and grunge rock started to appear in the late 1980's .I lost interest with the mainstream music area.
I do enjoy the lite rock easy listening music from the 1990's to now.

I never believe these polls from ultimateclassicrock.com .I never heard of this site until a couple years ago probably from here.
They aren't surely a religion or a political group so don't worry, you don't have to "believe" them!
It's a free site with some valiant music journalists and, unlike many people here, I enjoy reading different points of view to form one of my own, giving attention to different opinions helps shaping a better critical sense.

[Macfanforever]

They aren't surely a religion or a political group so don't worry, you don't have to "believe" them!
It's a free site with some valiant music journalists and, unlike many people here, I enjoy reading different points of view to form one of my own, giving attention to different opinions helps shaping a better critical sense.


Yea.Rollingstone covers the hot topic stuff as you mentioned here.Yes free Thats the great thing about the site.

[SisterNightroad]

Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums
by Ultimate Classic Rock Staff


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Any discussion of the Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different. A defining element of that decade, the genre (and the bands that rose to fame playing it) was given credit for revitalizing rock at a badly needed moment. That said, there’s far more to the story. Our list of the Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums, presented in chronological order, takes in the rich diversity of the period.


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'Out of the Cradle'
Lindsey Buckingham (1992): For perhaps the only time ever, we learn what a Buckingham album sounds like without the threat of a concurrent Fleetwood Mac project cannibalizing its best, most listenable songs. He emerged with the greatest solo LP he's ever done, something that combines his flinty inventiveness with his perfect ear for a pop hook.


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'The Dance'
Fleetwood Mac (1997): After a decade apart, Fleetwood Mac's most popular lineup (the one featuring Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks at its songwriting core) returned for a live run-through of their most famous songs. It's great hearing them play the hits together again, but Nicks' discarded 'Rumours'-era B-side "Silver Springs" is the highlight.




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[The Highwayman]

Out of the Cradle, hell yeah. The album that introduced me to Lindsey's solo work. It is interesting, I never thought about it before but OoTC is the only Lindsey album that was made while he was not in the band, so none of the songs were ever in threat of ending up on a FM album. Maybe that's why it's so amazing. I do love Under the Skin nearly as much though, and I bet some of the songs he wanted for his next album did get sucked up by Say You Will. Hence why it took so long. Still nearly the masterpiece that OoTC is, though.

[SisterNightroad]

is the only Lindsey album that was made while he was not in the band, so none of the songs were ever in threat of ending up on a FM album.

I think the same thing, but then maybe we would have had a sequel to Tango in the night.

[SisterNightroad]

I don't know if everyone has already watched it but this same site video-interviewed Stevie a year ago:


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[aleuzzi]

Out of the Cradle is a masterpiece. The best thing LB has ever done, either with or independently of the group. So glad to see it getting some due.

[aleuzzi]

I think the same thing, but then maybe we would have had a sequel to Tango in the night.

Imagine Cradle's best songs (which is virtually all of them) alongside Christine's Time tunes, Hollywood and Nights in Estoril in particular. An intriguing what if? scenario...

[SisterNightroad]

Imagine Cradle's best songs (which is virtually all of them) alongside Christine's Time tunes, Hollywood and Nights in Estoril in particular. An intriguing what if? scenario...
And maybe a re-recorded version of Silver Springs and a Mac version of If you were my love. Judging by the Mirage demo, Lindsey would have rocked that song.

[SisterNightroad]

Top 200 ’70s Songs
By Ultimate Classic Rock Staff


Focusing on a decade in which classic rock came into its own, our list of Top 200 ’70s Songs spans the gamut of cornerstone bands.

Some, as you’ll see by clicking through the above gallery, were sadly on their way out. Luckily, former members of the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel began crafting solo gems for the ages. The stalwart Rolling Stones, meanwhile, showed they weren’t going anywhere – fighting through addiction only to emerge right in the middle of the disco zeitgeist.

Bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Santana – all of whom began to pick up steam toward the end of the ’60s – could be found building the framework of their lasting legend in this new decade. But it wasn’t all familiar figures from classic rock’s initial era, either.

Next-gen keepers of the flame like Aerosmith, Kiss, Steely Dan and Tom Petty expanded the music’s reach in their own unique ways. Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band established a new Southern aesthetic, even as the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac came to symbolize the West Coast’s promise – and its risks. Then an exciting new edge creeped into the music toward the end of the decade, personified by the likes of the Clash, the Police, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols.

But which of their worthy tracks made our list? Check out the above gallery as we count down the Top 200 ’70s Songs, presented in alphabetical order.


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Fleetwood Mac, "Dreams" (1977)
Memorably cinematic, and propelled by the real-life scandals within the band, 'Rumours' chronicled with a lush directness (quite literally, it turned out) the way that relationships coalesce then dissolve. That's perhaps best heard on this quietly effective kiss-off song.


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Fleetwood Mac, "Go Your Own Way" (1977)
By the time Fleetwood Mac released 'Rumours' in 1977, the band's various couples were splintering, and with three personal singer-songwriters at the fore, there was no way their dirty laundry would go unaired. Lindsey Buckingham's brutal, biting "Go Your Own Way" stings the hardest.


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Fleetwood Mac, "Landslide" (1975)
Stevie Nicks wrote this song while looking out upon the Rocky Mountains, contemplating whether she should continue pursuing music after her initial album – a duet record with Lindsey Buckingham – had flopped. Lucky for us, she did.



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