Underrated albums of the 70's?

[Cant trust em]

My vote is for Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Schmilsson. I'm too young to have actually been there, so I just read books and magazine articles on classic albums. Seems like this is a brilliant work that no one ever taks about.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

1. The "Harold and Maude" soundtrack

Oh wait, they never released one.

Well, they should have. Cat Stevens rules.

[Zorro]

2. 12 Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus

Spirit

Hot Tuna - Hot Tuna
A Space In Time - Ten Years After
Sunday Concert - Gordon Lightfoot
6&12 String Guitar - Leo Kottke

All great albums that not many people listened to at that time.

[Bennyboy]

8. Spirit! The Animal Zoo!

A space in time? God I played the shit out of all those albums....

[Richardo]

3. Little Feat's debut album

Sold only 11,000 copies, but it's brilliant. It's got the original "Willin'" :)

[MassLiberal]

7. I love Little Feat

Fat Man in the Bathtub and Dixie Chicken...happiness!

[Westegg]

15. True Feat fans know it!...

...and how good it is. Man, the album cover alone tosses me right back to the '70s.

#21 forever.

[SoxFan]

4. The Undertones

Self-titled debut from 1979. If you can get past Feargal Sharkey's weird voice, it's a great set of pop-punk.

[Tikki]

5. These:

(1977)

(1977)

(1972)

(1973)

(1976)


Tikki

[DBoon]

18. I will definitely second Suzi Quatro and The Runaways

They are under-appreciated glam and proto-punk greats

[Bennyboy]

6. Blows Against The Empire!

Paul Kantners futuristic tale of hijacking a starship. Everyone that was ever anyone in the SF music scene is on this album. The song "have you seen the stars tonight" just puts me in a mood....

[darkstar]

9. David Crosby's "If Only I Could Remember My Name"

comes to mind for encapsulating that S.F. sound, for me at least. My favorite Jerry Garcia steel playing, too, on the on songs like "Laughing." Plus the Jerry?Neil jam on "Cowboy Movie."

[Westegg]

13. Yup. A classic "lost" album...

...But I did pick up the remastered CD about year ago (finally!), so it wasn't completely lost. The original CD release was muddy and dull as hell, so I kept playing my vinyl copy until I had to buy ANOTHER vinyl copy. Etc. Anyway, a great album that's very much a product of its time but also has a "progressive" feel to it. Forward-looking, if dated. As a teenager in the late '70s, I was always kinda freaked out by the fact that there was a "Jefferson Starship" album out three years before the actual demise of the "Jefferson Airplane." Stuff like that had me intrigued and mystified when I was young.

[Bennyboy]

10. Stoneground!

God these guys were good. Hot women singers, a great singer in Sal Valentino and a kick ass guitar player in Tim barnes 9who is a friend of mine and plays with Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers). This band sshould have been way more than they were. Colonel Fry your Chickens!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndlfbl1HnU

[Frank Cannon]

11. Oh, believe me, it was big in its day

You young whippersnapper, you. There was a summer there in the early '70s where radio stations played "Without You" and "Jump Into the Fire" ALL THE TIME. And amazingly enough, I never got tired of them.

That was when the music on the radio was fun. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.

Now get off my lawn, kid.

[Cant trust em]

12. I bought it for Jump Into The Fire

when I listened to it all the way though Without You and Coconut jumped out. It was a case of knowing these songs my whole life, but not knowing them.

I have to give it to you geezers. You sure did have great music. Too bad I missed it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

20. You should get the Nilsson anthology Personal Best.

It has a bunch of gems on it that are stunning and undiscovered.

The Beatles said their favorite American band was "Harry Nilsson".

[Cant trust em]

23. I'll probably buy more studio albums first

Typically I hate greatest hits compilations. I'm a bit of a snob that way. Hopefully I can get those unreleased tracks on iTunes or something.

[Lautremont]

14. Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue.

It disappeared for a long time, but you'll be happy to know it's finally being re-released this May! Awesome album.

[Bennyboy]

16. N.R.P.S. (New Riders of The Purple Sage)

To this day it is one of my all time favorite albums. Henry,Portland Woman, Dirty Business,garden Of eden, Glendale train,And one of my favorite love songs ever, All I Ever Wanted.

Not to mention Jerry Garcia goes completely crazy on pedal steel guitar during Dirty Business.

[musiclawyer]

17. Great Lost Kinks Album

Bet you've never heard it. My brother has the original vinyl before it was pulled. I have a cassette made years ago.

[Contrary1]

19. Elton John...

The soundtrack from "friends". Really good.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

22. I remember that! I saw the movie!

Although the scene of the girl having a baby was obviously fake. They spliced in actual footage of a birth.

"And sometimes some young lovers start as friends".

[JeffR]

26. OMG

One of the best soundtrack albums ever.

You are a god for mentioning this one.

[Frank Cannon]

28. That was my favorite EJ album

Apparently, there's an Elton John CD out now that has this on it. It hasn't been available for years.

[Contrary1]

30. Elton John "Rare Masters"...

I've got it. PM me if you want a copy. It's also available on Ebay>

[Manifestor_of_Light]

21. Grand Hotel by Procul Harum & Preservation Act II by The Kinks..

Good stuff.



Preservation Act II by the Kinks. (Not to be confused with Preservation Act I or Village Green Preservation Society). Preservation Act II is far better as a rock opera than "Tommy" IMNSHMO. It has a much better plot about warring political factions and many different styles of music in it.

First cut on Preservation Act II Is "Shepherds of the Nation":

With anemic wheezing Salvation Army Band accompaniment:

Down with sex and sin
Down with vice, heroin
Down with pornography
Down with lust
Down with vice
Lechery
And debaucher - y
And debaucher -y

Put all the pervs in jail
Bring back the birch and the cat o'nine tails
We're here to save humanity
From the man in the raincoat's pale faced glare
Let sodomites beware!


Bridge:
I visualise a day when people will be free
From evils like perversion and pornography.
We'll cast out Satan and we'll set the sinners free,
So people of the nation unite.

Put all the pervs in jail,
Bring back the birch, and the cat of nine tails.
Bring back corporal punishment
Bring back the stocks
And the axeman's block.
Let righteousness prevail.

Down with nudity and hard core magazines.
We'll bring religion back
And keep our country clean.
Keep it clean.

We are the new centurions
Shepherds of the Nation.
We'll keep on our guard
From sin and degradation.
We are the national guard
Against filth and depravity.
Perversion and vulgarity,
Homosexuality.
Keep it clean! Keep it clean! Keep it clean!

[Rocinante]

24. Caress Of Steel by Rush

Their career took a hit after it was released but Caress Of Steel kicks ass.

[mikeytherat]

35. My college band (mid-80s) covered "Bastille Day"

and we did the one minute "Didacts and Narpets."

mikey_the_rat

[enigmatic]

25. "Jimmy Bell's Still In Town"- 15-60-75

Bob Kidney is a demented genius on guitar, and this is one of the greatest live records ever made:

http://www.ubuprojex.net/hearpen/jbell.html

[JeffR]

27. PFM: Photos of Ghosts

Behind the neo-ELP mannerisms, great writing, brilliant playing and real depth.

[Frank Cannon]

29. Montrose - Montrose

There actually was a time when Sammy Hagar didn't suck.

[Thepricebreaker]

31. In the 70's were you talking about albums of the 40's? ( same time frame) n/t

[zanne]

34. No. We hated our parents' music.

I've noticed that it's different now. Some 20-somethings know most of the songs I grew up with, and they actually like them. I wish I could time-travel 30 or so years to see rest home residents rocking on the porch listening to Hip Hop.

[Perry Logan]

32. Hawkwind - "Space Ritual"

Hawkwind are an obscure British space-rock band. "Space Ritual" is a live album which puts most people off, but which I love.

[peacefreak]

33. Randy Newman's Sail Away

In America you'll get food to eat
Won't have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It's great to be an American

Ain't no lions or tigers
Ain't no mamba snake
Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake
Ev'rybody is as happy as a man can be
Climb aboard, little wog
Sail away with me

Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
Sail away
Sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay

In America every man is free
To take care of his home and his family
You'll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree
You're all gonna be an American