Jake Almond's Top Five Albums from the 1970's

Lately I have been listening to a ton of music, mostly '70's rock. I started thinking, "What are my top 5 classic rock albums from the 1970's?" Keep in mind that I love a lot of bands and songs from this time period, but these are the albums that I never get tired of listening to. In my opinion, there is not a weak track on any of them, although I did highlight my favorite songs from each. There are many other awesome albums from the era, and some of these bands had many other gems, but here are my personal favorites. Feel free to list your own picks.

Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones - 1971

This is the first Stones album released on their own label, and it is a kick ass album! I love every song. It has rock, country, and blues, the three genres that make up any great Rolling Stones album. An interesting story around the time this album was recorded is that Decca (the Stones' old label) told them that they owed them one more radio single. In a big "middle finger" gesture toward Decca they submitted the song "Cocksucker Blues." Decca released "Street Fighting Man" from the 1968 album Beggars Banquet instead. It is really too bad, because I am sure we all missed out on a classic.

My favorite songs are: "Brown Sugar" "Wild Horses" "Dead Flowers" and "Sister Morphine."

Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd - 1973

Wikipedia calls this one a concept album. In my opinion, every Pink Floyd album is a concept album. They do something different every time. This is my favorite. Every song flows seamlessly into the next and it speeds up and slows down with intensity. This album takes you on a drug trip without the dangers of the drugs, although I'm sure more than a few people were tripping when they heard this one. One of the coolest things to do with this is sync it with "The Wizard of Oz (1939)" Trust me, it works, and no, I was not high. Start the track on the third roar of the MGM Lion before the film starts and sit back. You will notice certain lyrics sync up with the film and certain actions flow with the music. You can find a guide on the net if you really want to know every little thing. The best part is the tornado scene before the transfer to color. You'll flip out when she opens the door to the colorful land of Oz and "Money" starts playing.

My favorite songs are: "Time" "Money" "Us and Them" and "Brain Damage."

Second Helping - Lynyrd Skynyrd - 1974

I grew up on this album. I love all the Skynyrd albums before the plane crash in '77, but this is my favorite. It has a couple gems you probably haven't heard if you only listen to the greatest hits. This album defines Lynyrd Skynyrd. A cool little factoid about this recording is that it gave birth to the so-called feud between Skynyrd (specifically lead singer Ronnie Van Zant) and Neil Young thanks to some lyrics in "Sweet Home Alabama." Truthfully, Neil and Ronnie were close friends and they both enjoyed each other's music. The lyrics were meant to be tongue in cheek. That didn't stop people from believing the feud existed. This misconceived notion is still verbalized today.

My favorite songs are: "I Need You" "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" "The Needle and the Spoon" and "Call Me the Breeze."

Toys In The Attic - Aerosmith - 1975

This is one of Aerosmith's hardest rocking albums and in my opinion it is their best. This was them at their peak in the 70's. A couple of the tracks went on to get played at every concert they ever did after 1975. They will be playing them until they die. It also has a couple forgotten songs that are really good. "Walk This Way" is credited as helping popularize hip-hop. It did give Run D.M.C. a great hit when they teamed up with the band to remake it in 1986. Even the hardest rocker had to admit it was a pretty good song. I still like the '75 version the most, but I am a purist when it comes to my music and movies. Speaking of movies, "Dazed and Confused (1993)" takes place in 1976, made great use of '70's songs, and has a very memorable opening using "Sweet Emotion." Plus the teens are planning on getting tickets to an Aerosmith concert at the end of the film.

My favorite songs are: "Walk This Way" "Big Ten Inch Record" "Sweet Emotion" and "Round and Round."

Rumours - Fleetwood Mac - 1977

This is Fleetwood Mac's thirteenth album. Holy shit! This band amazes me, because almost every member is a song writer. That wasn't incredibly unusual in the '70's but all of them wrote some damn good songs. This album is my favorite because it is basically a greatest hits all in itself. Sure they had a lot of other good songs and the album before this one was really good, but this album is amazing. Despite going through a lot of personal problems (not unusual for any band but Fleetwood Mac had a bunch of drama) they pressed a great record. They won a Grammy for Album of the Year and it is still considered one of the best albums of all time. Oh yeah, and it is still a best seller. Go buy it.

My favorite songs are: "Dreams" "Never Going Back Again" "Go Your Own Way" and "The Chain."