In honor of Aerosmith’s imminent return to the QC — plus the 30th anniversary of the release of its 1976 LP Rocks — CL presents the Top 200 albums of the 1970s, penned by our own critics still hungover from bicentennial blooz.
Compiled by Kandia Crazy Horse, John Schacht, Lynn Farris, Fred Mills & Samir Shukla.
Rocks Off
Top 200 albums of the ’70s
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2006.
I don’t know where to start – how about that Who’s Next is listed 3 times. Johnny Thunders is listed – but not the New York Dolls. Where is Frampton Comes Alive?
Call an article like this what it is – “Some Albums of the 70’s that we like” or “Pretentious Album Collectors Know More than You”
To have entries like Maxayn with know explanation isn’t useful read.
Worst List Ever.
Please-please-please tell me this is a joke. I think it must be…there’s a hint of irony in that you don’t list “Rocks”, the album the list is supposed to honor. If it’s not a joke, setting aside unforgivable ommissions and unbelievable inclusions, I hope you at least listed these in no particular order. That said, like ConcernedRockNRoller, I don’t know where to start.
For instance, ever heard of a little trio called Rush? Mind you, I’m not the guy that thinks “Stairway” was the best song EVER, but damn…Funkadelic gets two entries but The Stones and Zep only get one each? OK, OK, I do turn to CL to Gimmee Shelter from the mainstream…BUT…where’s Zappa? Rundgren? Oh, ferchrissakes, Clapton and all his iterations? C’mon guys! Get with it! Yeah, it’s all subjective, but perhaps you should pull your head out of the Obscure-But-Good Discount Bin at Manifest Records and think about listing artists that changed the way we “all” thought about music. BTW, you forgot to include The Who’s “Who’s Next?” Great little-known rock band from the UK, they were.
Top 4 Worst Lists Ever:
1. Creative Loafing, Top 200 albums; 2. The Who, “Who’s Next?”; 3. Creative Loafing, Top 200 albums; 4. Creative Loafing, Top 200 albums
Where do I begin? Your sins of comission are only rivaled by your sins of omission. You left out AC/DC, The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Lynyrd Skynyrd just to name a few. You even had the stones to leave Kiss of the list. Who came up with this crap? We’re you enforcing an editorial policy that prohibits anyone over the age of 30 from contributing? Who’s Next? Who’s Next? Who’s Mext?
My bad, you included AC/DC. You still suck.
This is the lamest excuse for a music cover story I have ever seen, anywhere, anytime. No Ramones, Rundgren, or Zappa – that is completely pathetic.
This list is so incredibly bad, and leaves so many top albums out, I see why the lead author has “Crazy” in her name. You list “Who’s Next” 3 times (which is an awesome album and should be in the top 10 but does not need to be listed 3 times, unless that is supposed to be a joke, or is it stupidity).
Where is “Dark Side of the Moon”? I could list many more you over looked, but then I have another list entirely. You guys really know nothing about music from the 1970’s.
Favorite albums list are like assholes — everyone has ’em. And the subsequent debate among the assholes here is at least as much fun as the original Loafing list. Hey guys, and you’re obviously all guys, if you scan down the entire list you’ll find AC/DC at #135, Cheap Trick at #87 and Ramones at #115. (Aerosmith’s Toys In The Attic — a zillion times better than the slicked-up Rocks — is at #158. Likewise, Floyd’s Meddle and Wish You Were Here are included, far more interesting LPs than the bloated DSOTM.) Kudos on NOT putting those pretentious hosers in Rush on the list, by the way. Oh, and Mad Rocker — your borderline racism (re: commenting on Kandia Crazy Horse’s name) hereby qualifies you to go on the John Boy and Billy Show and become their official “color” commentator on ethnic groups.
Hello, Ms. Rokk. While my fellow brethren may have skipped over bands that were indeed included in the list, I think we can all see their point. If you’re using the fact that it was criticized by those who scanned over it to fast to argue for the list’s veracity, then you clearly need to reevaluate your criteria. Again, as I said in my post, it’s all subjective. You don’t like Rush? Fine. Leave ’em off your list. But have you heard of them? Could it be argued that they defined “progressive rock”, just a Funkadelic defined “funk-rock”? Yes you have, and yes it could. I found it intriguing that the list was made without a hint of criteria. Are these supposed to be the albums that defined a decade, or just a bunch of obscure-but-good albums (with a pinch of popular stuff for flavor) that our fearless critics have in their basement? Again, no Rundgren, Zappa, or Clapton, and a weak showing from the Stones and Zeppelin. Whether you think they were pretentious (hosers) or not, they were important to the art of rock and roll. Certainly someone who thinks Toys in the Attic is a zillion times better than *anything* can see what I’m saying. Right? Or wait-a-minute…just read your post again…you weren’t arguing “for” the list at all, were you? Just merely admonishing those that posted before you. Ah…sorry. Then, fellow Aerosmith fan, I will respectfully ask you to “Try *reading* list, quit breathing through mouth.” Then you’ll see the point, I think. Keep on truckin’! (whew, I need to find a hobby)
Woman please… Mad Rockers allusion was no more racist than your insinuation that everyone who listens to John Boy and Billy is mouth breathing hillbilly. Take off your shoes, get back in the kitchen, fix me some dinner and once and for all give up the illusion that you have something to contribute to this discussion.
wet willie?
wet willie?
And why does the cover say “top 200 songs?” see top of the page, and the issue itself…
labelle?
wet willie?
Get back in the kitchen, huh? Is it my imagination, or do male rock fans in Charlotte — yeah, all you Fox/Ride-listening Rush and Zep types — turn misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia into practicing artforms? The Loafing list was just that: a list. I have my own as well. But I daresay you could program a good year’s worth of radio from Loafing’s and listeners would be glued to the dial for every second.
Wet Willie over Let it Be, Songs from the Key of Life, Madman Across the Water, Born to Run??? I could go on for days. What about Heart? Fleetwood Mac? The Eagles? The Doobie Brothers? My dad owned a record shop where I worked through high school and college. We were an outlet for concert tickets around the state. I have not heard of at least 25% of these bands or people. Why don’t you start a survey of your readers, in particular those of us who were buying albums in the ’70’s?
OK,OK, Ms. Rokk. Calm down. I happen to know Mr. Jiggler, and I can assure you his comments were nothing if not tongue-in-cheek. But I will also point out that you drew first blood. You put fans of these bands in a box…The Bigot Box, as it were. Bad news, sister, and a terrible way to approach an argument. Is the pot a racist by pointing out the percieved color of the kettle? Hmm…well, personally, as a MALE ROCK FAN, I wouldn’t listen to the Fox or Ride if my life depended on it (I’m a WFAE and Sirius Disorder man, myself), but I *am* a huge fan of Rush and Zeppelin – from the Lord of the Rings angle (I’m sure you knew guys like me in high school). That said, I resent the fact that you put me, and anyone else that’s a fan of these bands, in the same box as ignorant, hate-mongering bigots. I’m afraid that you’re just as guilty of discrimination on this one, dear. So kick back, put down your copy of “Ms.” magazine, and pop in your worn out copy of the Mysogynistic Masterpiece “Toys In The Attic”. Remember, it’s a zillion times better than Rocks. Don’t own a copy? Well, set your radio dial to 95.7 or 99.7…they spin tracks from those guys all the time. Got an anti-feminist fever? They got the cure. Right? Come to think of it, I think they’ve even played tunes from “interesting” albums such as “Wish You Were Here”. Hmm…does that mean i’m a bigot because I listened to “The Wall” last night? Crap…the He-Man Woman-Haters Anonymous meetings were going so well…
Dear Fred Mills and others,
Thanks for publicizing the Boomers Monolithic Trendsetting Consumer Group Official 1970’s list of the top 200 albums/songs of the 1970’s. The over 40 million members of the BMTCG accepted this list of 200 albums by unanimous voice vote in 1989 at the Boomers Monolithic Trendsetting Consumer Group Convention in in Cleveland in exactly the order you listed them.There was no dissension.These are the only 200 albums from the 70’s we all own. We do not understand why it has taken you critics 27 years to come around, but we congratulate you with finally catching up with Boomer popular taste.In fact we affectionately call the list ” Canon 70’s.” The only whiff of controversy has been around the issue of alphabetize or arrange by album cover color. Being critics and all I bet you alphabetize yours.Anyway, we thought of suing but the ole Woodstock spirit kicked in and we decided to send you all minature stone tablets engraved with all 200 album titles suitable for wearing around your necks(laser micro technology is wonderful,no?)
Have a nice day,
Tiffany Whipple
This list is SOOOO incredibly bad that there’s no point in even trying to correct it.
Sweetie, I’ll see your Rush and your Led Zep and raise you a Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde, Ari Up (Slits), Michelle Malone, Melissa Etheridge, Karen O and Amy Ray. Remember some of those names next time you’re out at a bar, fumbling for some pick-up line while all my girlfriends are cracking up over your I *heart* Jimmy Page tee. I surrender! I’ve been out-flanked, out-gunned and out-“manned” by the powerful forces of mainstream & mediocrity here. No, no, don’t bother getting up dear, stay comfy and watch your Fox news. I’m busy in the kitchen right now, cooking your favorite dinner and getting ready to bring you your pipe, slippers and Dungeons & Dragons game board. Can I go out for a little bit now, honey? I’d like go to the mall and shop for some of the records on the Loafing 200 because, frankly, after 30 years of marriage, I’m just a little bit sick of listening to the same 15 records that you play over and over. I think I’ll start with #11 on the C.L. list, followed by 13, then by 37, then 46, 48, 56, 60, 85, 107… tee hee, I guess your AmEx bill’s gonna be just a teensy bit higher this month! Don’t worry, I’ll be back before your poker game with the boys tonight.
Aside from the male-bashing part, I have to agree with “Ms. Rokk” — while, yes, the Loafing 200 list is only a list, it’s more far-reaching and insightful than similar efforts inevitably pan out to be. (At times it seems a bit random, but compiling lists is kind of a random exercise anyway, don’t you think?) Anyone who’s ever read one of those annoyingly homogenized Rolling Stone “Greatest Albums Of The [insert era]” lists knows what I mean. I also understand her frustration — the musical tastes espoused through most of the comments here are so utterly predictable as to be well representative of the conservative/mainstream mindset of Charlotte, period. Nobody in this town feels the need to be musically challenged anymore — clubs and concert bookers are clearly playing it safe (and dull), and let’s not even get into the lousy state of radio. Whether this is a chicken or egg issue is hard to say, but the end result is the same. So my take on the Loafing list is that the paper wanted to challenge us to think a bit, dig deeper, take a few blind recommendations and take a few chances. In that regard, I’ll probably run into Ms. Rokk while I’m out shopping for music, a list of Loafing-suggested titles in hand. Oh, and one more thing: the Loafing list wasn’t billed as the “most popular” or “best selling” albums of the ’70s. If that were the case, then, clearly, you’d have a list dominated by multiple entries from Zep, Floyd, Rush, Skynyrd, etc. (I shudder to think what a poll of Charlotteans’ favorite picks would be. Probably Zep, Floyd, Rush, Skynyrd, etc.) It was billed as “top” albums of ’70s — “top” suggesting a form of excellence, such as artistic quality. End of story, roll credits.
Jargon, your points are well taken, and make sense. This is the kind of logical discourse that I enjoy. Perhaps you’re right, maybe they (CL) do want us to think beyond what was popular in the day. I’ve heard a good deal of the list, and they are great albums AND they do belong on the list…what I haven’t heard I’m sure are good as well. My argument stems from this: CL said that albums “became unified statements of an individualistic musical vision.” With that in mind, I personally feel they left some very important statements of individualistic vision off their list – and this is key – WHETHER THEY WERE POPULAR OR NOT. Popular is not necessarily bad. If you don’t like Zep, Rush, or Skynyrd, that’s fine; it’s still empirically “good music” made by talented and groud-breaking artists. Again, I realize that lists are subjective…I simply ask that you not label me, or anyone else, as narrow-minded because I (we) think 2112 belongs on the list. For what it’s worth, I don’t listen to “popular” music these days. That said, I agree, popular music today is dull and listless…and I’ve got news for you: short of New York, it’s the same all over the country. Music is more of a business today than it ever was, and it’s all about the quick buck, and less about the art. Do yourself a favor and get satellite radio. It will restore your faith that good, relevant music is still out there. The quality might somewhat suck, but you’ll hear some really great obscure stuff. All that said, I’m sure I’ll run into you and Ms. Rokk down at Manifest as well, as I search for that ever-elusive Beta Band EP or Radiohead b-sides. Hope to see you there…
Don’t know if you’ll read this, but I just wanted to let you know that your perceptions of me, just because I’m a Rush and Led Zeppelin fan, couldn’t be farther from the mark. I don’t listen to the Ride or watch Fox News, have a couple Ani DeFranco albums in the old iPod, I’m married to one of the founders of Chickspeare (if that helps you put a bead on my political leanings and thoughts toward feminism), and yet I’m STILL a fan of hard rock. Imagine that. An open mind in a MAN’S head. Have a nice life, Ms. Rokk…hope to see you at Manifest along with Jargonmeister.