1. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)

To follow up a release to ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ was always going to be tough, but Pink Floyd arguably exceeded it with ‘Wish You Were Here’. This album is bookended by parts 1 and 2 of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ and the lengthy opening recognisable as one of the all time great intros. The music here mixed between relaxing, exhilirating and involving. It is music to sit back, absorb and let it take you places, and is written to be listened to completely in one sitting. This is definitely a classic, and doesnt seem to age either. Match that with a very cool cover and you have another something which deserves to be rated so highly.

2. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (1972)

Ziggy Stardust is an absolute masterpiece of rock and roll music right from the opening build up track ‘Five Years’ through some dramatic singing guitar numbers ‘Moonage Daydream’ and the strings of the classic ‘Starman’ ,and onto faster paced rock numbers like ‘Suffragette City’. The way it is sung is captivating and its underlying storyline provides a consistent feel to the overall music and makes it best listened to from start to finish. This is a classic early 70’s rock album which delights me, and along with the more acoustic ‘Hunky Dory’ remans the best of David Bowie’s albums for me.

3. Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (1974)

Since i properly discovered Steely Dan in 2000 (a little late i know) they have quickly emerged as one of my favourite bands. Their blend of rock, pop and jazz makes for a superb listen and their musicianship for its time is simply amazing. Every track is layered with different instruments that blend superbly and the overall production is excellent. Pretzel Logic was their 3rd album, with generally shorter tracks than usual but every one of them is a winner here, with great hooks, witty wordplay and lovely solo instrumentals. The most famous track is ‘Rikki Dont Lose That Number’ but this complete is a star quality album.

4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

Everything just seems to be fantastic about ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ which arguably was the moment that all the experiental trials from Pink Floyds previous albums, some of which are also exceptional, came together to produce a classic whole. Starting with an iconic cover for an album that blends conceptual musical pieces with sound effects and some great instrumentals. The concept is the focus on things that make people mad and the album remains best listened too from start to finish and as such it isnt right to call out individual stand out tracks. Simple one of the all time great albums.

5. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

The fifth and final full album release as a duo and a well known classic now, this contains one great song after another. There are a number of recognised greatest hits on here including the most famous title track itself, El Condor Pasa, Cecilia and The Boxer, but the rest certainly dont let the side down with the superb ‘The Only Living Boy In New York’ as the stand out track. This album is a blend of great vocals, superb guitar playing and has a range of orchestral arrangements and ranges from fun, soothing to serious. The recent 40th anniversary release adds a decent remaster and a live disk and will just add to the 25 million sales so far.

6. Camel - Mirage (1974)

Camel were at the forefront of the progressive rock genre and this was their breakthrough album with a cover that remains memorable and likeable linking with the well known cigarette brand. There are just 5 tracks here, with ‘Supertwister’ the shortest and most single-like and the two most lengthy tracks of 9 minutes plus in ‘Lady Fantasy’ and ‘Nimrodel’ are split into three parts each. This is a great album musically and one of the best progressive rock albums of all time. My personal favourite alongside ‘Supertwister is the Nimrodel/Procession/White Rider combination.

7. Carole King - Tapestry (1971)

One of the biggest selling albums of the 70’s and perhaps of all time, this is the one that began my classic album purchases with Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ in remastered format. I did recognised a few track titles via latter cover versions, and the originals turned into a total revelation, as this is not only an amazing collection of very well known hit songs, but the simplified original production enables you to clearly hear every instrument blended together. The vocals are beautifully sung, expressive and emotive such as she is singing in the same room as you. This is certainly one of the greatest songwriting collections I have heard.

8. Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story (1971)

Whilst the late 70’s releases from Rod Stewart has been far more familiar to me over the years, it is an early release ‘Every Picture Tells A Story that has become a recent firm favourite. This is a blend of rock and roll, mixed with some excellent acoustic instruments and a small dash of country here and there. At its core is the back to back masterpieces of ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Mandonlin Wind’ which form a stunning listen and these are supported by the more all out rock numbers of the title track and ‘I Know Im Losing You’. This album also contains surprises with great instrumental interludes including an arrangement of ‘Amazing Grace’.

9. The Eagles - One Of These Nights (1975)

The Eagles reached its first number one album with ‘One Of These Nights’ which is a fantastic blend of styles from the stately waltz of ‘Take It To The Limit’, to the cynical rocker ‘Lyin Eyes’, the softer ballad ‘I Wish You Peace’ and the hardest rock song here ‘Visions’. The most unique track is the excellent 7 minute instrumental ‘Journey Of The Sourcer’ featuring the banjo lead and now famous as the title track to The Hitchhickers Guide To The Galaxy. The band members take their turns to co-write and lead vocal on this album. A great cover rounds off this album which featured raised textures on the original LP.  

10. Steely Dan - Can’t Buy A Thrill (1972)

Steely Dan are an American Jazz-Rock band popular throughout the 70’s and characterised by using complex jazz influences combined with rock and pop. With a changing line-up of musicians the group had Walter Becker and Donald Fagan at its core. ‘Cant Buy A Thrill’ is their strong debut album which contains my favourite single of theirs ‘Do It Again’ along with ‘Reelin In The Years’. For a debut album this is a great record that has a mix of styles but remains one of their best releases. The group became known for an obsessive attention to detail in the recording studio and this is clearly evident from their more complex layered music.

11. Led Zepellin - III (1970)

A more acoustic approach compared to the previous more rock orientated release, this is Led Zepellin III which combines excellent guitar work with a less exploratory approach to produce one of their best albums. This is a more folk than blues orientation and the laid back style works well here to give a more musical listen. If you prefer all out rock then Led Zepellin II will be more to your taste, but the fact that the band can vary their approach is what makes them one of the greats of all time.

12. Van Morrison - Moondance (1970)

The follow up to the highly regarded ‘Astral Weeks’ album was ’Moondance’ a jazz inflected and swinging rock album which is packed full of excellent tracks which keep your feet tapping gently along to the soulfull vocals and superb music. The host of great songs include ‘And It Stoned Me’, ‘Moondance’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Into The Mystic and ‘Brand New Day’ but this is an album you can play right through without ever flinching. The musical arrangements are lovely and include touches of saxaphone, flute, jazz piano, female backing vocals and a choir. It is a beautiful blend and very catchy too.

13. Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973)

The greatest progessive rock album, featuring Peter Gabriel on vocals and an excellent album cover depicting scenes from within the songs. This is one of best Genesis albums, a mixture of short and long tracks, ranging from quiet acoustic pieces to full blown extravaganza using guitars, piano and synths underpinned by Collins’ drumming. The long epics include ‘Battle of Epping Forest’ and ‘Firth of Fifth’ which opens with an amazing baroque piano piece from Tony Banks. Lyrically the songs paint pictures and tell stories in Genesis’ unique fashion complete with splashes of humour. It takes some concentrated listening but this is a masterpiece.

14. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)

I was never sure I was that taken by Stevie Wonder’s music, but nevertheless wanted to give him a fair shot so I selected ‘Innervisions’ as this was said to have a more overall conceptual sound to it. Once again I quickly realised I was missing out on a masterpiece with this album. A mix of jazz themes, latin grooves, piano, gospel and moog synthesizer it is quite stunning, and yet despite its variety it somehow managed to consistently blend everything together into an amazingly flowing work. Lyrically it is often intense and deals with some serious issues. A truly great album that stood up to its billing, and had me reminiscing of Starsky & Hutch.

15. The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn (1972)

The Seventh Sojourn was the final album of The Moody Blues psychedelic era and whilst none of the tracks can quite live up to the brilliance of ‘Nights In White Satin’, this album is one of their most melodic overall, and blends an orchestral style onto many tracks via a Chamberlain keyboard. This creates a sweeping progressive rock musical with a mix of styles which can simply carry the listener away. ‘Lost In a Lost World’ and ‘New Horizons’ make an excellent opening and the feel is consistant throughout. The most famous track was the uptemo ‘Im Just A Singer In A Rock And Roll Band’. A great album and one i always really enjoy.