huffpost: 10 greatest '60s & '70s albums list (#1 Rumours)

[elle]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/1...ushpmg00000067

The 10 Greatest Albums Of The '60s And '70s
2013-02-21-grandparentslogo.jpg | By Kristen Sturt

The rules: One album per act, no greatest hits collections, and released between 1963 and 1979. Which of your favorite records made the cut?

10
Tapestry (1971) - Carole King
Jim McCrary via Getty Images
Having spent her teens and 20s co-writing iconic hits like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," wunderkind King released Tapestry, her second solo record, the day after turning 29. The sonic equivalent of a really good cup of coffee, it went on to win the 1972 Grammy for Album of the Year, and has sold more than 25 million copies since its debut. Not bad for a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn. Don’t own a copy? Trust us—your sister does. And your daughter. And probably your mom, too.

9
Born to Run (1975) - Bruce Springsteen
Fin Costello via Getty Images
From the sweet opening notes of "Thunder Road" to the echoing end chords of "Jungleland," Springsteen’s monster third album pulls off a delicate balancing act: It’s orchestral but never overwhelming, momentous but intimate, and profound, but never pompous.

Part of that comes from Bruce’s distinct, blue-collar lyrics, in turns joyful and melancholic. And part of that comes from the unparalleled E Street Band, whose contributions cannot be overstated—especially pianist Roy Bittan and saxophonist Clarence Clemons. That’s him supporting Bruce on Born to Run’s iconic cover, and when he passed in 2011, Springsteen eulogized: "He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music." R.I.P., Big Man.

8
Folsom Prison (1968) - Johnny Cash
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rebounding from drug abuse and looking for a comeback, making an album at California’s Folsom State Prison just made sense for The Man in Black. The penitentiary was the subject of his 1955 tune, "Folsom Prison Blues," and its inmates were among his biggest fans. So, in January of 1968, he gathered Carl Perkins, June Carter, and many more, and went to work, playing two live shows and committing 16 tracks to record.

Needless to say, At Folsom Prison was a hit. In fact, the album was so successful, Cash followed it up in 1969 with At San Quentin, which was nominated for Album of the Year and included one of Cash’s signature tunes, "A Boy Named Sue," written by poet Shel Silverstein.

7
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You (1967) - Aretha Franklin
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
Throughout the early ‘60s, Aretha Franklin was an up-and-comer—a well-regarded R&B vocalist with a few semi-successful singles. Then, a few days before turning 25, she released I Never Loved a Man, a murderer’s row of soulful tracks that she belted the hell out of, lead off by the enduring "Respect." The record went to #2 on the charts, and kicked off a string of albums—six in three years—that would cement Franklin’s reputation as the era’s greatest singer, a title she would hold until her goddaughter, Whitney Houston, came along.

6
Exile on Main Street (1972) - The Rolling Stones
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
Sticky Fingers had more hits and Let it Bleed sold better, but Exile, the Stones' 12th American studio LP, is their fully realized masterpiece. Hugely influenced by American blues and country music—tracks like "Shake Your Hips" and "Sweet Black Angel" wouldn’t be out of place on CMT—the 67-minute double album is a rollicking honky tonk of a good time. It may have helped that guitarist Keith Richards was on massive amounts of drugs during recording. (Or maybe not.)

And hey, if "Tumbling Dice" isn’t the one of the best rock-and-roll songs ever written (if not the very best), we don’t know what is.

5
Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) - Simon and Garfunkel
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A massive smash in terms of both sales and critical reception, the final studio album from the Queens folk duo did everything right, from the soaring chorus and magnificent production of the title track to the simple sweetness of its closer, "Song for the Asking." And while the lion’s share of the credit goes to Paul Simon, who wrote and composed almost every tune, Art Garfunkel deserves a hand for his gentle harmonies and lilting vocals—imperative to the LP’s overall sound.

A sad postscript: Bridge Over Troubled Water cemented Simon and Garfunkel’s place in music history, but at the cost of their partnership. Their relationship grew tense over the year it took to record, and they broke up shortly after its release.

4
Songs in the Key of Life (1976) - Stevie Wonder
StimpsonJCat/Flickr
Few musicians are more productive, proficient, or profound than Stevie Wonder was in his mid-20s. And while Talking Book and Innervisions could have easily appeared anywhere on this list, the sprawling, dynamic Songs in the Key of Life ultimately gets the nod. Joyous and thoughtful, it’s Wonder’s magnum opus, an 85-minute treatise on love, family, community, salvation, and the power of music. Quite deservedly, it won Stevie his third Album of the Year Grammy in four years.

P.S. The thing moves. Just listen to "As" or "Sir Duke" and try not to shake what God gave you.

3
Pet Sounds (1966) - The Beach Boys
Public Collectors/Flickr
Widely considered one of the best pop albums of all time, Pet Sounds is billed as a Beach Boys record, though it’s almost entirely the work of the band’s resident eccentric genius, Brian Wilson. After suffering a nervous breakdown on tour in 1964, Wilson retreated to the studio to A) perfect his layered, astoundingly detailed songs, and B) do a whole lot of drugs.

The result wasn’t received well at first—even by the other Beach Boys. "Mike Love famously didn't like the album," says Brian Ives, producer at Radio.com. "But Paul McCartney did; it inspired him to start work on Sgt. Pepper." Audiences warmed up over time, and today, Pet Sounds is a trippy, gorgeous cultural touchstone.

"And come on," Ives adds. "'God Only Knows' is one of the loveliest songs of all time."

2
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) - The Beatles
musiccdcovers/Flickr
"In which the Beatles take on a new identity, and are still great," says Ives. "It's one of the first concept albums, and the album that arguably paved the way for high-minded progressive rock." The band had dabbled in psychedelia with Revolver, but Sgt. Pepper is the culmination of their experimentation, a tour de force of evocative lyrics, daring arrangements, Eastern spirituality, and—you guessed it—drugs.
Not only that, "It contains one of John Lennon's finest moments with 'A Day in the Life,'" Ives says. "And, in hindsight, one of Paul's funniest: 'When I'm Sixty-Four.'" Another Album of the Year, it spent 15 weeks at No. 1. You definitely have it on vinyl somewhere.

1
Rumours (1977) - Fleetwood Mac
ASSOCIATED PRESS
What album could possibly usurp Sgt. Pepper for our top spot? Here’s a hint: Take two impossibly attractive American singers, add three blues-minded Brits, give them a ton of cocaine, and make sure they all sleep with each other.

The result? Rumours—a hands-down gem that, 37 years later, still sounds like it could have been made yesterday.

"It may have been painful for the members of Fleetwood Mac, but it was great for everyone who ever listened to this album (which is almost everyone in America for at least two decades after its release)," says Ives. Between classics like “The Chain” and “Gold Dust Woman,” he says, "The definitive '70s FM radio record holds up remarkably well, and their current tour has been a can't-miss affair (no pun intended)."

[michelej1]

The Music Lover’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays Alone

by Jeff Czum - posted 12:12 pm, December 1, 2014 Art Voice

http://blogs.artvoice.com/exitmusic/...olidays-alone/

You’re single, cold, lonely and probably a little desperate. Who are you supposed to watch Love Actually with? How are you going to explain to your relatives why it is you’re still single? Because, Grandma. JUST BECAUSE!

Aren’t you excited the holiday season is among us?

We all know the deal. This time of year is saturated with ads for ridiculously overpriced flower bouquets, stocking fillers, and those jewelry commercials that make you want to throw up (are couples ever really that lame?) It’s a time that obviously excludes those who are single, or those who are still trying to pick up the pieces of a pervious relationship. But hey, there’s hope. Some of the greatest albums have been born from this exact scenario. The most famous of these albums have backstories as interesting as the music. Be it a musician who retreated into the woods of Wisconsin, an artist who chose to follow-up a mega-selling blockbuster with a decidedly authentic look at a disintegrating relationship, or a group of musicians who were breaking up with one another under a haze of cocaine. These albums provide the soundtrack to that other side of love.

* * *

2. Feetwood Mac -Rumours (1977)

The mythology behind Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours has been told so much that nothing new can really be said about an album that defined the “Me” decade of the 1970s. The only new thing that can be brought to the table is the experience of every new listener, and that listener imagining themselves being locked in a studio with the person who hurt them most for 12 hours a day for months on end. There are almost too many barbs to list on Rumours: “Shacking up is all you want to do”, “Did she make you cry, make you break down”, “Players only love you when they’re playing”. With all the turmoil, Christine McVie’s “Songbird” comes off as one of best “cease fire” songs of all time, but it’s also segue into the most volatile track on the album, “The Chain”. More than 30 years after its release, Rumours remains the standard bearer for relationship angst.

[TrueFaith77]

My Top 25
1. Tusk (1979), Fleetwood Mac
2. Siren (1975), Roxy Music
3. Rubber Soul (1965), The Beatles
4. Bad Girls (1979), Donna Summer
5. Fear of Music (1979), Talking Heads
6. Sticky Fingers (1971), The Rolling Stones
7. Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (1977), Sex Pistols
8. Armed Forces (1979), Elvis Costello
9. You're All I Need (1968), Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
10. Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978), Bruce Springsteen
11. The Kick Inside (1978), Kate Bush
12. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band (1976), Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
13. The Belle Album (1977), Al Green
14. Pink Flag (1977), Wire
15. Songs in the Key of Life (1976), Stevie Wonder
16. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970), Derek and the Dominos
17. Risque (1979), Chic
18. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Elton John
19. Off the Wall (1979), Michael Jackson
20. The Beach Boys Today! (1965), The Beach Boys
21. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967), Aretha Franklin
22. The Bride Stripped Bare (1978), Bryan Ferry
23. Reach Out (1967), Four Tops
24. Disco Inferno (1976), The Trammps
25. Let's Get It On (1973), Marvin Gaye
(tie)
25. Harvest (1972), Neil Young

[twinmatrix]

Take two impossibly attractive American singers, add three blues-minded Brits, give them a ton of cocaine, and make sure they all sleep with each other.

I find that summation of the Rumours album to be incredibly offensive. But ok. A description like that would better fit a Lady GaGa album.

[richardmac]

My top 10.
1.Rumours-Fleetwood Mac (best album of all time!)
2.Arrival-ABBA
3.If you can believe your eyes and ears-The Mamas and Papas
4.The White Album-The Beatles
5.The kick inside-Kate Bush
6.Parallel lines-Blondie
7.Dusty in Memphis-Dusty Springfield
8.Bridge over troubled water-Simon and Garfunkel
9.Hunky Dory-David Bowie
10.Let it bleed-Rolling stones

There's hundreds of others I love, but these 10 are my all time faves. Rich.

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by richardmac

My top 10.
1.Rumours-Fleetwood Mac (best album of all time!)
2.Arrival-ABBA
3.If you can believe your eyes and ears-The Mamas and Papas
4.The White Album-The Beatles
5.The kick inside-Kate Bush
6.Parallel lines-Blondie
7.Dusty in Memphis-Dusty Springfield
8.Bridge over troubled water-Simon and Garfunkel
9.Hunky Dory-David Bowie
10.Let it bleed-Rolling stones

There's hundreds of others I love, but these 10 are my all time faves. Rich.

Parallel Lines by Blondie is utter sonic perfection in every way.

[bethelblues]

Thank the Lord they didn't go with a Beatles album. The adulation from Rolling Stone magazine with four Beatles albums in their top 10 all time is too much to bear. I get pissed just thinking how low they have Lindsey ranked as a guitarist and Stevie and Chris as singers. Rumours has some experimentation on it, which the commenters on Huffpost are significantly underselling. Gold Dust Woman, Oh Daddy, and even You Make Loving Fun are beyond traditional. Dreams is one of the most perfect songs ever with blues roots and the voices and rhythm section. I've always seen Rumours as a Rock album...not simply reductive pop. There are also no dud tracks on this album...and unlike Tusk it's paced much better.

[moon]

Are we talking about rock? Pop? Both? Disco?
Mmmmmm well, here's my list. I've got 9, not 10. I guess I could repeat a band...

- Supertramp, Crime Of The Century (1974)
- Pink Floyd, The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
- Fleetwood Mac, Tusk (1979)
- The Alan Parsons Project, Eve (1979)
- Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells (1973)
- Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery (1979)
- Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977)
- Barry White, Can't Get Enough (1974)
- The Police, Outlandos D'Amour (1978)

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by twinmatrix

I find that summation of the Rumours album to be incredibly offensive. But ok. A description like that would better fit a Lady GaGa album.

I see it as an attempt to be a funny parody. Lady Gaga is actually more disciplined, down to earth and squeaky clean in comparison to Fleetwood Mac's prior indulgences.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by moon

Are we talking about rock? Pop? Both? Disco?
Mmmmmm well, here's my list. I've got 9, not 10. I guess I could repeat a band...

- Supertramp, Crime Of The Century (1974)
- Pink Floyd, The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
- Fleetwood Mac, Tusk (1979)
- The Alan Parsons Project, Eve (1979)
- Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells (1973)
- Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery (1979)
- Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977)
- Barry White, Can't Get Enough (1974)
- The Police, Outlandos D'Amour (1978)

Just add an Elton John album to the mix. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or Tumbleweed Connection or Madman Across the Water or Captain Fantastic would fit the bill!

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by moon

Are we talking about rock? Pop? Both? Disco?
Mmmmmm well, here's my list. I've got 9, not 10. I guess I could repeat a band...

- Supertramp, Crime Of The Century (1974)
- Pink Floyd, The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
- Fleetwood Mac, Tusk (1979)
- The Alan Parsons Project, Eve (1979)
- Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells (1973)
- Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery (1979)
- Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977)
- Barry White, Can't Get Enough (1974)
- The Police, Outlandos D'Amour (1978)

Discovery- good choice.

Much as I love all FM albums I'm not sure I'd put Rumours at no1 on the 60's and 70's list. The term 'greatest' can surely only apply to Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was ground breaking and incredibly influential (or should it be Revolver?).

Pink Floyd's omission from the original list is glaring.

[moon]

Thanks a lot, dear people!
Elton John's choice is a good one, especially because Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is -maybe- his best work, and was released in 1973, like Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Pink Floyd's DSOTM. They climbed to the top on the most important rankings, especially in England, and a year later, were fighting with Supertramp's Crime Of The Century for the first places.
Good music, that's it!
Regards!
Mark.