There is a revolving discussion going on about which decade in modern times is the best. And while that debate might never end, one of the decades that is mentioned more than others is the 1970s. The reasons for that might be multi-fold, possibly because there was an abundance of album (and singles) offerings, many of which are considered absolute classics to this day.
Yet, as is the case practically with every decade, there is a multitude of albums that never got the recognition they deserved from either critics or a wider audience (or both), or that got some critical recognition and a solid fan base, but were promptly forgotten as the decade passed.
There could be quite a few reasons for that, starting with the already mentioned big-name releases that are considered classics, from Pink Floyd’s Wall, for example, to quite a few others.
Forgotten albums from the 1970s that you need to hear
Another reason may lie in the fact that many of those hidden gems were concept albums from which record companies were not able to come up with (or did not hear) a hit single, as radio was still the dominating music media at the time.
And then there are other factors, like artists not remaining long on the scene or bands falling apart, changes in tastes both with the audiences and the critics, up to the current situation that reissues and old albums don’t get as much streaming visibility as do brand-spanking-new releases.
Here are 18 forgotten, or never fully explored albums that deserve more exposure these days too.
Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes 1970
Late Emitt Rhodes gathered a serious cult fan base, particularly among those listeners wanting more music that was close to prime Beatles. And that is exactly what Rhodes delivered with this, his first solo album he recorded all by himself in his home studio.
And although the quality of this, and all his later solo albums, was nothing less than sublime, Rhodes wasn’t able to gather the wider audience he truly deserved.
Spirit - 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus 1970
Randy California and Co. did make a splash early on with their first three albums, but this, their fourth, was surely their most accomplished and mature offering, which captured the ears of the critics and then their current fanbase. “Nature’s Way” was also one of the first thought-out environmental rock songs.
And while the album still sounds strong today, many seem to have forgotten how good this album was and still is.
Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton 1970
It turned out that this band, which only recorded two albums, was able to cover the widening ground of what rock music was in the early seventies. And while ”Go Back,” a song from this, their debut album, was a moderate hit itself, the album that was strong didn’t get much traction it deserved, turning the band into one of rock’s forgotten footnotes.
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain 1971
Considered a funk master, George Clinton could actually take on many musical faces, which he turned into separate musical outfits. With Funkadelic, it was the psych side of his excursions with some mesmerizing guitar solos from late maestro Eddie Hazel, particularly on the title track.
Jade Warrior - Released 1971
Formed by two guys who initially met as factory workers, this British band is often lumped with the first wave of British prog rock, without noting that Jon Field and Tony Duhig, the brains behind the band, focused more on inventive song structures rather than showing off instrumental (or vocal) prowess. This is the album where their experimentation really starts off.
Batdorf and Rodney - Off the Shelf 1972
There was a serious wave of soft rock artists in the early 1970s, with plentiful duos, John Batdorf and Mark Rodney forming one of them. At the same time, for whatever reasons, not many of those artists (and duos) made a serious mark with a wider audience, no matter how good the music was.
And Batdorf & Rodney had more than solid songwriting, playing, and vocal harmonies to deserve more than they got at the time.
David Ackles - American Gothic 1972
Many music fans raise their eyebrows when they see Ackles’ name and the title of this album on quite a few ‘best of’ album lists, as Ackles, who came to music from theater (and then went back to it), has more fans among other musicians than with a wider music audience. This, his fourth album, is an absolute classic, sounding timeless to this day.
Tim Buckley - Greetings From L.A. 1972
To some young listeners, Buckley’s last name is associated with Jeff Buckley. And as it should be, as late Tim was his father, who also had stunning songwriting capabilities and vocal range his son inherited.
Starting out as a straightforward folkie, Buckley moved to some weird, avant-garde experiments, only to move on this album to a more radio-friendly sound that was brilliant, but never caught the wider audience it deserved.
Terry Reid - River 1973
Guitarist/vocalist Reid was initially offered a spot in the New Yardbirds, which quickly turned into Led Zeppelin. He turned the offer down and never achieved a career he probably deserved, for his songwriting, vocal, and instrumental capabilities.
On this album, Reid presents the essence of the West Coast sound, not too far removed from what Van Morrison was coming up with at the time, the result being this sublime album.
John Cale - Paris 1919 1973
Before joining Velvet Underground, Cale started out as a modern classical composer with a penchant for avant-garde, but when he left the band, he took along an incredible sense for sophisticated melody structures, which he presented in full on this album he recorded with the members of Little Feat, among others, coming up with one of his best along the way.
Prelude - After The Gold Rush 1973
Too many folk trios at the time? Possibly, but that shouldn’t have been the reason why this English trio led by husband and wife Brian and Irene Hume, didn’t get as much attention as the quality of their music deserved at the time. They do get remembered from time to time, mainly due to the a cappella version of the Neil Young classic, but this album with the same title is strong throughout.
Judee Sill - Heart Food (1973)
When David Geffen formed Geffen Records, the late Judee Sill was one of his first signings, and for all the right reasons. Sure, Sill does fall in the singer-songwriter category, but her songwriting was one of the most inventive at the time, all coming to fruition on her second album, with a very promising career cut short by her tragic death.
Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information 1974
How do you come up with a big soul hit without becoming a household name? We can ask Shuggie Otis that, as his “Strawberry Letter 23” was a huge hit for Brothers Johnson. Maybe it was the fact that his father Johnny, was a famous band leader, or that this album (that included the above song) was too sophisticated for the audiences, but Otis never made it as he should have.
Repeated reissues of this album, including the one by David Byrne’s Luaka Bop, are not helping much.
Little Feat - The Last Record Album 1975
Every hardcore Little Feat fan has his/her favorite band album. This one, though, is not cited often, even though it presents some of the band’s most mature songwriting (particularly Lowell George’s) and some of its best musicianship, deserving much more than it got, or still gets.
Andy Pratt - Resolution 1976
Pratt became one of critics faves during the seventies for all the right reasons, most of those reasons could be heard on this album. Yet, even though some of those critics thought that Pratt would change the face of rock, he never really did, particularly as far as he seems not to have the many listeners that he should have.
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers 1976
Even when Jonathan Richman turned all acoustic instruments after he got electrocuted on stage, he remained a devoted Velvet Underground fan, often extending that sound, taking it into his direction, of course. Yet, it is all clear on this, Richman’s pre-acoustic phase, with a set of songs recorded with John Cale and including the all-time (punk) rock classic “Roadrunner.”
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue 1977
While recording with the Beach Boys, Dennis Wilson was not a prolific songwriter. Yet, when this, his sole official album came out, it turned out that his songwriting and studio skills had all the essential elements of the Beach Boys sound in them and all in the right way. Somehow, only the die-hard Beach Boys fans seemed to have picked this one up.
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers 1978
Unfortunately, Big Star was never as big as they should have been, and definitely no stars, even though Alex Chilton, the band’s main man, was a star in his own right, as his was the voice that sang that Box Tops classic “The Letter.”
And while the band’s first two albums are power pop classics, by this, their third album, the band was practically in disarray, with not many in the know-how this album, which some critics call the saddest rock album of all time, came about after all. And while other artists have covered practically all of the songs on it, the album never got the wider attention it deserved.