1970s music draft discussion- Albums of 1970 (1 Viewer)

[timschochet]

Simon & Garfunkel- Bridge Over Troubled Water

The Beatles- Let It Be

Grateful Dead- American Beauty

Elton John- Tumbleweed Connection

Van Morrison- Moondance

The Velvet Underground- Loaded

The Who- Live at Leeds

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young- Deja Vu

Credence Clearwater Revival- Cosmo's Factory

The Allman Brothers Band- Idlewild South

George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

The Stooges- Fun House

Deep Purple- In Rock

Joe Cocker- Mad Dogs & Englishmen

Santana- Abraxas

Neil Young- After the Gold Rush

Groundhogs- Thank Christ for the Bomb

Elton John- Elton John

Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath

Traffic- John Barleycorn Must Die

Discuss! 

 

[JZilla]

Paranoid down?

Zep III?  

 

[timschochet]

Paranoid down?

Zep III?  

These were taken in different categories, I believe. 

 

[JZilla]

Oh.  Don't mind me.  

 

[timschochet]

I still have to listen to the Deep Purple and Groundhogs albums. I'm unfamiliar with them. The rest I've heard a time or two. If I had to choose the greatest of that year, it would come down to: 

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Let It Be

All Things Must Pass

Moondance

Very tough to judge between these. I will go with Moondance. A near perfect pop album. 

If I had to choose a personal favorite of that year, it would be Loaded by the Velvet Underground. Love love love that album. 

 

[otb_lifer]

excluding my pick, it's a two horse race here for me between 'Fun House' and 'Loaded' ... I lean towards the former because it was a more visceral slice of perverse influence.

very close, love both very much.  

ETA: 'Cosmo's Factory' rounds out the trifecta. 

 

[Buzzbait]

For my tastes it comes down to Let It Be or Live at Leeds. Obviously very different feel with one being a studio album and the other an in your face live album. Can't go wrong with either IMO.

 

[jwb]

you're missing John Barleycorn Must Die (my pick)

For me, it comes down to Loaded, and Moondance. 

Loaded was the "let's have some hits" attempt by the Velvets, and to me, it succeeds, although the only thing non-fans know is Sweet Jane (and maybe Rock and Roll). Sweet Jane has one of the best opening guitar riffs of all time (for me anyway - it's my ringtone, in fact). My favorite song off the album is Cool it Down, and I like Oh! Sweet Nuthin' a lot too.

Moondance is my favorite Van Morrison album. It's every bit as good as Astral Weeks for a quiet, contemplative listen, while being way more accessible. It's hard to find someone who doesn't like the song Moondance, and Into the Mystic prettymuch puts you right there when that foghorn blows.

I put my own pick behind these two, but for me, ahead of everything else on the list. But that's subjective, of course.  

 

[timschochet]

you're missing John Barleycorn Must Die (my pick)

For me, it comes down to Loaded, and Moondance. 

Loaded was the "let's have some hits" attempt by the Velvets, and to me, it succeeds, although the only thing non-fans know is Sweet Jane (and maybe Rock and Roll). Sweet Jane has one of the best opening guitar riffs of all time (for me anyway - it's my ringtone, in fact). My favorite song off the album is Cool it Down, and I like Oh! Sweet Nuthin' a lot too.

Moondance is my favorite Van Morrison album. It's every bit as good as Astral Weeks for a quiet, contemplative listen, while being way more accessible. It's hard to find someone who doesn't like the song Moondance, and Into the Mystic prettymuch puts you right there when that foghorn blows.

I put my own pick behind these two, but for me, ahead of everything else on the list. But that's subjective, of course.  

Sorry about that! Buzzbait sent me a PM instructing me how to copy and paste the whole list; I'll do that from now on. 

"Oh' Sweet Nuthin'" is a constant on my playlists. Can't get enough of that tune. 

 

[Uruk-Hai]

That's a pretty good stack of vinyl. And broadly representative from a classic rock standpoint, though most of them are still running a Woodstock fever (understandable enough, considering the year and I consider most of the early 70s singer-songwriter stuff in this group, too). VU, The Stooges, Black Sabbath seem to be the three who are most forward-looking (I haven't listened yet to the Groundhogs, so maybe they fit here, too). Elton - at this point - seems caught in between but is still leaning '60s. Maybe Van, too, though he's kind of always been timeless.

If I had to "desert island" one of these, it would probably be Bridge Over Troubled Water. IMO, top to bottom, it has the strongest set of songs. 

 

[worrierking]

If it had been available I would have chose Moondance, but it was gone.  I took Cosmo's Factory which is very solid. Live at Leeds is phenomenal but I just can't select a live album.

Others I think are candidates are After the Gold Rush, American Beauty and Black Sabbath.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Love most all of them and would make a great start to a 70s catalog.  What you want to listen to most really depends on what mood you are in. 

 

[ScottNorwood]

Let's try this scenario:

You're about to go on a 3 hour drive in a rental car with only a CD player.  You have to pick one and only one of the above CDs for your drive.

For me, it's Moondance. 

 

[timschochet]

Let's try this scenario:

You're about to go on a 3 hour drive in a rental car with only a CD player.  You have to pick one and only one of the above CDs for your drive.

For me, it's Moondance. 

Yep. Moondance. 

 

[jwb]

Let's try this scenario:

You're about to go on a 3 hour drive in a rental car with only a CD player.  You have to pick one and only one of the above CDs for your drive.

For me, it's Moondance. 

Yep. Moondance. 

Same here. While a lot of the others are fine, this one I could listen to two or three times in a row and fully enjoy it each time - can't say that about the others.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Though several would be great - gun to my head ...Tumbleweed Connection for me.  

(Note:  my selection for 1970 album and have listened to it many times over - back to back to back).

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

This was a year for which I was able to draft (arguably) my favorite album from the year (VU) so that would be my pick. The only other consideration as a favorite album from '70 was Plastic Ono Band which I was hoping I could get later but was taken later in this same round as a S/SW album.  Many of the other years this was not the case in this draft as favorites had been sniped.

Others from this list that I listen to frequently and were on my short list:   Stooges, Who, Neil Young

As I sheepishly admitted during this draft, I had never listened to a Grateful Dead album in it's entirety before.  Not sure why not.  And I was floored by American Beauty---LOVED IT.  I wish I'd been listening to it for decades.

 

[rockaction]

As I sheepishly admitted during this draft, I had never listened to a Grateful Dead album in it's entirety before.  Not sure why not.  And I was floored by American Beauty---LOVED IT.  I wish I'd been listening to it for decades.

Awesome. 

I can't add much to the discussion other than loving Van Morrison's Moondance and The Stooges' Fun House also. But there are others I haven't heard that I'm sure I'd love.  

 

[The Future Champs]

As I sheepishly admitted during this draft, I had never listened to a Grateful Dead album in it's entirety before.  Not sure why not.  And I was floored by American Beauty---LOVED IT.  I wish I'd been listening to it for decades.

I once told a bunch of little deadhead friends that I liked American Beauty, and the reaction was pure disdain.   Apparently it wasn't cool to listen to the studio albums.   It's been almost 30 years, and they can still go #### themselves.

 

[FUBAR]

Same here. While a lot of the others are fine, this one I could listen to two or three times in a row and fully enjoy it each time - can't say that about the others.

Moondance was 2nd imo only to my own pick of bridge over troubled water.  

 

[The Future Champs]

That said, I've owned almost all these albums, and I've never heard of the Groundhogs.   Will need to check them out.

 

[The Future Champs]

Oh, and without a doubt, After the Gold Rush.   Maybe not the best album on the list, but still...

 

[jwb]

That said, I've owned almost all these albums, and I've never heard of the Groundhogs.   Will need to check them out.

Listening now on Spotify. Not sure how to classify them - blues based sixties-style rock maybe? 

ETA - I like it!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Listening now on Spotify. Not sure how to classify them - blues based sixties-style rock maybe? 

 

[Bonzai]

After the Gold Rush