Essential 60-70s era rock albums

[The Ozzman]

List them here

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

The Archies - Everything's Archie

 

[crimsonfloyd]

The best era of music ever is the very late 60s to the mid 70s. If you add soul and folk to the equation, the decade is basically untouchable.

Jimi Hendrix- Are you Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland
Led Zeppelin- I, IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti (specifically disc 1)
King Crimson- In the Court of the Crimson King, Islands, Larks Toungues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, Red
Jethro Tull- Aqualung, Thick as a Brick
Rush- Caress of Steel, 2112, Farewell to Kings, Hemespheres
Pink Floyd- Darkside of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals
Yes- Close to the Edge
Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde
Van Der Graaf Generator- Pawn Hearts
Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures
The Doors- Self-titled, Strange Days, Waiting for the Sun
Black Sabbath- Paranoid, Masters of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage
Judas Priest- Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, Stained Class

 

[The Ozzman]

Are we counting Priest and Sabbath in a hard rock thread?

Other than that, I've heard most of those and agree with the choices.

 

[Omni]

In addition to anything already listed:

Queen - S/T
Queen - Queen II
Rush - S/T
Cream - Disraeli Gears
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
The Stooges - Raw Power
Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Are we counting Priest and Sabbath in a hard rock thread?

Other than that, I've heard most of those and agree with the choices.

I don't think heavy metal was distinguished enough as a genre at the time for them to be considered part of a separate genre from rock. Retroactively, sure, but from the perspective of the time, no.

 

[Omni]

Also:

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Neil Young - Tonight's the Night
Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps

 

[The Ozzman]

Rust Never Sleeps is soooooo good.

 

[rms]

Wishbone Ash - Argus
Toad - Tomorrow Blue
Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come
Shinki Chen - S/t & His Friends
Randy Holden - Population II
Jerusalem - S/t
High Tide - Sea Shanties
Flower Travellin' Band - Satori
Captain Beyond - S/t
Atomic Rooster - S/t & Death Walks Behind You

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Great taste rms, Argus, Jerusalem, Satori and Captain Beyond are all great albums. Gotta check out the ones of those I haven't heard.

In addition to stuff already mentioned;

Camel's first four
Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean
Jacks - Vacant World
Pentagram - First Daze Here (technically not a 70s release, but it's an anthology of 70s stuff)
Can - Tago Mago
Amon Düül - Yeti
Lucifer's Friend - s/t
May Blitz - s/t
Tarkus - s/t
Yes - s/t (is it weird that this is the only Yes release I like?)

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Thin Lizzy - Fighting

 

[Einherjar86]

I usually get made fun of for my '60s/'70s tastes, but whatever.

The essential Pink Floyd album is Meddle.

The essential Jethro Tull is either Minstrel in the Gallery or Heavy Horses.

Also, I care what no one says: pre-Collins era Genesis is essential classic prog listening. Selling England By the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway are staples of the '65-'75 decade.

 

[SentinelSlain]

Very little is essential imo. Rush probably.

 

[The Ozzman]

I usually get made fun of for my '60s/'70s tastes, but whatever.

The essential Pink Floyd album is Meddle.

The essential Jethro Tull is either Minstrel in the Gallery or Heavy Horses.

Also, I care what no one says: pre-Collins era Genesis is essential classic prog listening. Selling England By the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway are staples of the '65-'75 decade.

You mean pre-Collins on vocals since he was the drummer before that time. Yes, I've checked some of that out and it's top notch progressive rock

Very little is essential imo. Rush probably.

Get out.

Some others:

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (the quintessential 70s rock album imo)
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Rock
Deep Purple - Stormbringer
Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill
All of Zeppelin's stuff
Camel - S/T
Camel - Moonmadness
Kansas - Leftoverture
Kansas - Point of Know Return

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I'll add a couple obvious ones, most are heavy metal/hard rock but fuck it ....

Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Rock
Deep Purple - Fireball
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Lucifer's Friend - S/T
Bang - S/T

 

[no country for old wainds]

i'll try not to mention anything UBER obvious to/popular with people here (king crimson, hendrix, doors, purple, rainbow, lizzy, cream etc), and i'm assuming this thread isn't for punk or the proto-NWOBHM late '70s stuff.

amon duul - yeti
buffalo - volcanic rock
captain beyond - s/t
cool feet - burning desire
dust - hard attack
dylan - highway 61 revisited (and the ones either side)
fred neil - s/t
groundhogs - split
hand of doom - poisonoise
high tide - sea shanties
icecross - s/t
iron butterfly - in-a-gadda-da-vida (a custom made best of would be better though)
jerusalem - s/t
mad river - s/t
may blitz - s/t
morly grey - the only truth
mothers of invention - freak out!
mountain - nantucket sleighride
neil young - everybody knows this is nowhere
night sun - mournin'
pentagram - first daze here (maybe too metal, but i gotta list it)
possessed - exploration
procol harum - s/t
randy holden - population II
sam gopal - escalator
scorpions - first 5
sorcery - sinister soldiers
spontaneous combustion - s/t
the stooges - s/t & fun house
t2 - it'll all work out in boomland
truth & janey - no rest for the wicked
uriah heep - first 4
wishbone ash - first 3
writing on the wall - power of the picts

also, they were released early '80s but both ashbury's ENDLESS SKIES and winterhawk's REVIVAL fit very snugly on this list.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

+

Hair of the Dog by Nazareth.

 

[Draehl]

You covered Camel for me... *slinks away*

 

[HamburgerBoy]

In addition to many already mentioned...

Alice Cooper - Love it to Death, Killer, Billion Dollar Babies
Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation
Budgie - S/T, Squawk
Gentle Giant - Octopus
The Who - Who's Next

 

[Einherjar86]

You mean pre-Collins on vocals since he was the drummer before that time. Yes, I've checked some of that out and it's top notch progressive rock

Yeah, pre-Collins on vocals, correct - thanks for catching that.

Some others:
Kansas - Leftoverture
Kansas - Point of Know Return

These are the two Kansas albums I'd pick (the only two worth listening to, really...).