The 1970s were such an influential decade for music. It was so diverse with many wide-ranging genres, sounds, and styles. That's very evident from many of the classic albums released then. Each year of the decade saw lots of amazing albums come out. They inspired others and helped shape the future of music for years to come.
I've selected an outstanding example of this from each year of the 1970s for the list below. Now, there has to be a word of caution here. I doubt anyone is going to agree with the list exactly as it stands. I haven’t set out to claim these as the absolute best or the most influential, but they are great examples.
Keeping it to one album for each year helps ensure the list covers a range of genres and the amazing diversity of that time. But it also restricts the choices somewhat. Inevitably, some readers won’t like an album listed. For others, their favorite albums or artists may be missing. Perhaps I should have made it a list of 20 albums…
Ten influential 1970s albums
Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
Was this where heavy metal started? Many attribute that to Sabbath’s album and sound. The vocals from Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic riffs from Tony Iommi. Paranoid set a tone for the 1970s and far beyond.
Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On (1971)
A much more sophisticated sound on this album. Marvin Gaye. Soulful, jazzy, purposeful with lyrics calling out society and world issues. Gaye’s vocals and some superb orchestral arrangements make it a standout.
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
An early David Bowie persona that made the music world stand up and listen. It was glam, it was rocky, it was a new sound, and one that would launch Bowie to great heights. It’s one of those albums people remember where they were when they first heard it.
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Enormously significant, it feels like it's where prog rock crossed and blurred boundaries. This was a very accessible and broad-reaching sound from Pink Floyd, which helped its enormous success. It remains a standout album not diminished at all by time and will feature strongly on their new compilation due in July.
Kraftwerk – Autobahn (1974)
An early but significant advance for electronic music. Keyboards, synths, and a touch of pop to stand out. Who knows how many of the electro and techno artists that followed later in the 1970s and beyond took encouragement from this album? It’s hard to believe it was as early as 1974.
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
Lots of candidates for 1975. Some great contenders for sure. Bruce Springsteen turned things around big style with Born To Run. It’s still a top album and helped many gritty songwriters see a way to put their stories to music.
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
What an album! Soul and R&B supreme with hit after hit. Stevie Wonder at his best on this fabulous double album. He’d already proved an inspiration to many by the time Songs in the Key of Life was released; this just added even more motivation.
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)
Punk crashed in during the 1970s, and this 1977 Sex Pistols album shook the world up. It wasn't the first punk album, but when it comes to seminal discs, this one is up there. It showed other like-minded bands that there could be a recording future.
Kate Bush – The Kick Inside (1978)
Another complete contrast to the punk sound and many others on this list. Kate Bush took us all by surprise with her own very distinctive brand of art rock on her debut album. It was so different, and going against the new wave tide, but stylish music will always have a place.
The Clash – London Calling (1979)
Punk music was still having a say as the decade drew to a close. The Clash added more direction to that, bringing in a reggae touch, some ska, and more, but still with that raw edge. It set the tone for much more to come in the 1980s and beyond.
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