My Best Albums from 1972-1977

Well folks, here it is! My top 25 albums from 1972 - 1977. Sorry it has taken me awhile to get to this, but now that I've got the time you shall have it. A little time on my hands can be a dangerous thing ( j/k).

I was just a young kid at this time riding my bike around a suburban dead end street wearing my bell bottom jeans. Sometimes my friends and I would run off to a near by park to build forts, ride our bikes on trails, play football and go fishing at the reservoir there. So many great childhood memories... not a hair of care in the world...

To me this is one of the golden eras of rock and roll. Looking back at it, the music at the time was beyond spectacular! Seems like all the great bands were all out there and jamming away. Makes me wish that I was older and saw some of these bands in concert. The funny thing though, my folks never listen to this kind of music. They often listen to the likes of country and easy listening. Oliva Newton-John,John Denver and Barry Manilow comes to my mind. I know - YIKES! So folks here is my list....

Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti-1975 Perhaps you have known this by now, I live, eat, breathe Led Zeppelin. This album however, is my favorite of all time per say. This album covers every corner of Zeppelin- from the hard driving " Custard Pie" to the Middle Eastern tainted "Kashmir". The Celtic influenced "Black Country Woman" and the bar boogie of "Boogie With Stu" are totally mind blowing! I could on and on about this album, but just take my word for it, this album is a must have for any collection!

Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon- 1973
Rock and roll's stereo wet dream! Slap on a pair of headphones, light up a puff and you're gone...This milestone of rock shattered many records including being in the charts longer than any other. Not only that, it opened doors for multi-dimensional tracking. Can't forget about David Gilmour's guitar solos on "Time" and "Money".

Yes Close to the Edge-1972 I was a HUGE Kiss fan when I first heard this album. Boy, was I ever amazed to hear such talent! Never before I considered rock and roll to be a form of art. This album changed my outlook on music as a whole.

Queen A Night at the Opera-1975 One the first albums I've ever bought. What inspired me about this album was the different musical styles that prevailed here. The bone crunching "I'm in Love With My Car", the acoustic folk of "'39", the waltz on "Lazying on a Sunday Afternoon", the opera of "The Prophet's Song"-it's ALL there! Yeah, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is on this album.

Fleetwood Mac Rumours-1977 With their marriages and relationships broken asunder and the drug abuse that was going, it's hard to believe that this album would go anywhere. Somehow this voltile combination made the perfect chemistry for a classic masterpiece. The lyrics about relationships gone bad and perfect harmonies just make it unreal...

Aerosmith Rocks-1976 The nastiest, the grittiest, the baddest assed record around! Aerosmith just pummels your senses to oblivion! This album just drives me wild!

Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street-1972 Probably the most druggist album out there! I've recently bought the reissue and I'm loving it. This album always been so dark and mysterious to me. Every time I listen to it, I keep hearing something new...

Rush 2112-1976 The album that turned me unto Rush. I just love the instrumentation and the imagery of the title track. Yup, the full 20 minutes of it! Led me into me being a full blown loyal Rush fan.

Neil Young Harvest-1972 The ever changing styles of Neil Young never ceases to amaze me! This all out acoustical folk album touches my soul for some reason I can't explain. Maybe it's because of the heart searching lyrics and the compelling melodies.

Kansas Leftoverture-1976 One the first albums in my collection. One of the few band out there that has a violin player. A brave and bold idea that works-bringing in multi-dimensional jams! Complete with heartwarming lyrics! "The Wall" is the most personal song to me.

Boston (s/t)-1976 Arena rock at it's best! There is nothing in the world that could compare to Tom Scholz's distinct guitar sound and Brad Delp's soaring vocals! Selling well over17 million records, this band certainly made it's mark in the rock and roll world!

Heart Dreamboat Annie-1976 I have and always will love Heart. One must think this band is some sort of "chick rock", I dare say NOT! This Zeppelin influenced band has got more balls and creativity than many bands out there!

Deep Purple Machine Head-1972 The driving force on this album is like no other! Ian Gillin's bloodcurdling screams on "Highway Star" and Ritchie Blackmore's virtuosic guitar work on "Space Truckin'" are some great examples on how great this record is. I have to include Jon Lord's Hammond pushing skills are impressive on "Lazy"! A must have for any head banger's collection!

Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971- 1975) - 1976 I had originally promised that I wouldn't include compilations nor live albums in these best of lists, but I'll make an exception here. It's so hard trying to figure out what's my favorite Eagles album is. This album basically covers my favorite Eagles songs in this time frame. I just LOVE the harmonics, the melodies, and the lyrics of early stuff from the Eagles!

Lynyrd Skynryd Second Helping-1974 It was a toss of a coin between this album and their debut album. Both are absolutely out of this world! Together they would make one hell of an album! This southern fried, triple axe welding, boogie blasting band takes their redneck whisky drinking Confederate flag waving music to the ultimate levels! Makes you wanna grab a beer and boogie all night in the swamp!

Allman Brothers Band Eat a Peach-1972 Speaking of the South... I just LOVE LOVE the Allman Brothers! Recorded around the time of founding member Duane Allman untimely death, the band carried on without him only to lose another brother (Berry Oakley) . Even though the loss was great, the band pulled off some terrific songs like "Blue Sky", "Melissa" and "Trouble Me No More".

Bad Company (s/t)-1974 The bluesy vocals of Paul Rogers and the hard driven guitar work of Mick Jones playing off the incredible rhythm section of Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke were the perfect combination for this band. Tunes like "Ready for Love" and the title track flows easily through my mind.

Bruce Springsteen Born to Run-1974 I just can not believe how inspirational these lyrics on this album! With the exception of Bob Dylan, nobody can write lyrics better than the Boss. When I listen to this album I get a visual landscape of dreams, love, angst, and escape. Besides this album has a special place in my heart.

Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks-1974 Speaking of Bob Dylan, no album bare one's soul than this album. Dylan was going through a divorce while recording this album. It covers love, loss and anger in inspirational terms.

Blue Oyster Cult Secret Treaties-1974 Blue Oyster Cult was never really consistent album wise. They can create some absolutely incredible songs and some down right shitty tunes. However, this album is the most consistent from them. Tunes like "Astronomy", "Flaming Telepaths" and "Career of Evil" are among their best!


Emerson, Lake and Palmer Brain Salad Surgery-1973 I was really into prog rock for awhile. ELP blew my mind with their over the top keyboards, the smokin' hot drumming of Carl Palmer and Greg Lake's talent for music. The super epic "Karn Evil 9" will always one of my favorites.

Kiss Alive!-1975 Sorry, I HAD to throw this one in! If it wasn't for Kiss, I probably wouldn't be getting rock and roll as much as I would now. They may not be the most talented band out there, but they sure had a flair for showmanship! Besides, they're FUN!

Rainbow Rising-1977 One of the most underrated albums in hard rock! Ritchie Blackmore and the boys formed a supergroup using a wide array of talent. The meandering guitar and ivory interplay really blazes the path here. Ronnie James Dio's voice just gives me the goosebumps on "Stargazer"!

Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-1973 Sabbath was broadening their horizons with this album, bringing more progressiveness into the fold. Darker lyrics about demons and drug abuse began to reflect thier lifestyle. A get for any metal collector!

Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill-1972 I recently got my hands on this album and I was impressed by the talent here. This band seems to go in a wide variety of directions here-jazz, blues and rock! Wish I had gotten my hands on this album sooner!

David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust-1972 I never really was a huge fan of David Bowie, but I have deep respect for his music. This critically acclaimed concept album does wonders to my ears!

I know that I may have missed quite a few artists here, but there were SO MANY to choose from at the time frame. Hey, it's one of the best eras of rock and roll!!!!