# Best year in music. Ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640 "2005-01-14T01:34:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/1 "2005-01-14T01:34:46Z")
Maybe it was because I was 12 and easily impressed, or maybe it really was an extremely good year for music, but **1973** stands out like a beacon.I’m gonna list a few albums to prove my pojnt. Apart from those, there was a hell of a lot going on that I didn’t get at the time. **Marvin Gaye** came out with **Let’s get it on** , the quintessential make out album of all times. I wanted to make out, but there were no candidates willing to try, maybe that’s why I didnt have a clue at the time. Speaking of soul, **Phillysound** was in full swing (sic!), leading to disco - for better or worse. My list is also slanted towards UK bands, maybe that’s geography, but it seems as if the music from the US was stuck in a rut at the time. I’m open to suggestions and lists from other years, which is why I’m posting this. What’s the best year in your opinion? So the defense brings in exhibit a - p. [list=a] [li]Elton John came out with both **Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player** and **Goodbye Yellow Brick Road** in the same year.[/li][li]David Bowie did a twofer too: **Aladdin Sane** + **Pin ups**.[/li][li]Queen released their self titled debut album **Queen**.[/li][li]As did **10cc** [/li][li]The more artsy band were very prolific. **Mike Oldfield** might not have made it without the help of **The Exorcist** , but **Tubular Bells** was a surprising hit, helping to launch Virgin Records, being its first release.[/li][li]A list of artsy bands would not be complete without **Genesis** who had matured which was evident from **Selling England by the Pound** …[/li][li]…while **Led Zepelin** had just finished off the first four albums and got around to actually giving an album a name, which they did with **Houses of the Holy**.[/li][li]and **Pink Floyd** came up with the optimal record for hi-fi freaks by releasing **Dark Side of the Moon** [/li][li]A distant cousin, made famous to the Y generation by a horrible reality show, was brit rockers **Black Sabbath** who really hit a home run with **Sabbath Bloody Sabbath** in the same year.[/li][li]And their more main stream cousins **Deep Purple** released an album, recorded in Agust '72, which may be one of the most influential live albums of all time - **Made in Japan**.[/li][li]I was about to forget artsy rockers **Roxy Music** (BTW the best band name ever)who were very prolific in the early 70’s, culminating with (IMO) **Stranded**.[/li][li]Anyway, to finish of the UK part, and keeping Bowie in the game, a forerunner to punk was **Mott the Hoople** and their self titled album **Mott** was released in what year? 1973.[/li][li]So let’s cross the Atlantic and look for a counterpart to Mott the Hoople. Here we find a group and their self titled album which helped pave the way for punk: **New York Dolls**.[/li][li]Staying in NY, we see singer/songwriter tradition maturing with **Billy Joel** and his **Piano Man** [/li][li]And moving just outside of NY to Jersey, which some regard as a NY suburb, we find a young guy who was once considered the saviour of rock’n’roll - **Bruce Springsteen** released **The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle** , something few people noticed at the time and only picked up later, when he got famous.[/li][li]Winding up our American tour, there are a few notables who don’t fit into the narrative of this OP, but deserves honorable mentions anyway: **Eagles** (not _the_ Eagles) made **Desperado** , in the artsy dept. **Frank Zappa** made the very accesible **Over-Nite Sensation** and that son of a preacherman, Vincent Furnier, made parents of the time throw a hissy fit by appearing as **Alice Copper** and releasing **Billion Dollar Babies**.[/li][/list] So that’s 1973 for you. Got anything to top that? ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/2 "2005-01-14T02:15:21Z")
nope - I agree with you. As an old progger, I’d have to add a coupla items to your list:[ul] [li]Brain Salad Surgery - ELP’s seminal album[/li][li]Fragile - ditto for Yes (IMHO of course)[/li][li]Lark’s Tongue in Aspic, which began what was for many people King Crimson’s best period[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/3 "2005-01-14T02:30:13Z")
> [@tpayne](#): > > [li]Fragile - ditto for Yes (IMHO of course)[/li] _Fragile_ was 1971. Yes’s 1973 releases were _Yessongs_ and _Tales from Topographic Oceans_. I’ll add Gentle Giant’s _Octopus_ and Jethro Tull’s _A Passion Play_. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/4 "2005-01-14T02:45:31Z")
I wasn’t around in 1973, but I have since gotten many cds from that year. One of the most notable things about 1973 is that possibly the four greatest krautrock albums of all time came out that year: Can - Future Days Faust - IV Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra Neu! - Neu! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/5 "2005-01-14T03:02:38Z")
I do believe **Steely Dan** produced Can’t Buy a Thrill in the fall of 72, so Reelin In the Years would have gotten major airplay in 73. Gerry Rafferty and **Stealers Wheel** came out with Stuck in the Middle With You (Reservoir Dogs), **Roberta Flack** did Killing Me Softly, **Jim Croce** released Time in a Bottle and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, **Lynyrd Skynyrd** gave us Free Bird, **Paul Simon** did Kodachrome, and **Golden Earring** produced Radar Love. Yeppers-73 was a tough year to beat. Gasoline was cheap, I had a VW beetle and a cute brunette girlfriend. _sigh_😉 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/6 "2005-01-14T03:20:27Z")
Nope. It was as tie between **1968** : Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland Frank Zappa – We’re Only In It For The Money Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding Cream – Wheels Of Fire Who Knows Where the Time Goes – Judy Collins Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrilld The Incredible String Band – Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland The Doors – Waiting For The Sun The Beatles – The White Album Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends Otis Redding – The Dock Of The Bay Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left Joni Mitchell – Song fro a Seagull Traffic – Traffic and **1969** : Blind Faith – Blind Faith Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline Grateful Dead – Live Dead King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Beatles – Abbey Road The Doors – Soft Parade The Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed Frank Zappa – Hot Rats The Who – Tommy Jethro Tull – Stand Up Fairport Convention-- Liege and Leif Procol Harem – A Salty Dog Warran Zevon – Wanted Dead Or Alive Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash Joni Mitchell – Clouds Yes – Yes Santana – Santana Cream – Goodbye Elton John’s first LP ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/7 "2005-01-14T05:55:17Z")
As a jazz fan, I’m partial to 1959: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue John Coltrane, Giant Steps Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/8 "2005-01-14T07:00:41Z")
i’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Most of the soloes on The Wall are better than most artists entire catalogies. No year can ever beat 1979. In fact, the second-best thing to come out of 1979, the catchiest song ever recorded, Starry Eyes by the Records, pales in comparison to the transcendental beauty of The Wall. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/9 "2005-01-14T07:13:55Z")
[http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of67.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of67.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of68.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of68.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of69.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of69.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of70.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of70.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of71.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of71.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of72.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of72.htm) [http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of73.htm](http://www.oldiesloon.com/il/wls89of73.htm) For me, this is THE era of Pop music. Every time I hear a song from this era, it brings back fond memories. My favorite year? That would be really hard to say. I agree both '68 and '73 are big contenders. ---
**Author:** ![rorty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/10 "2005-01-14T07:14:11Z")
**koeeoaddi** , Don’t forget **Led Zeppelin I** and **II** in 1969. What a year! ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/11 "2005-01-14T07:44:18Z")
I just wanted to see if Dark Side of the Moon was listed for 1973. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/12 "2005-01-14T08:57:28Z")
I’d say probably 1966 or '67, probably '66. Things start getting too self-indulgent, drug-addled and boring for me starting in about '69 and certainly by '71. (Caveat: when you hit a lot of Latin American and Asian rock and pop, there seems to have been a pre-internet etc lag, thus '71 in Peru or Cambodia sounds a lot like '68 or earlier). '66 was the height of the garage/mod/psych Nuggets-ish territory, and '67 continued that nicely. \*Pet Sounds, Revolver, \* so much great stuff… spy music, even Neil Diamond had more hits than misses. By the way, I’m ‘only’ 33. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Crunchy\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Captain\_Crunchy\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Crunchy_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/13 "2005-01-14T14:47:10Z")
Whew, '68, '69, & '73 are going be hard to beat. Watershed years in Rock/Pop for sure. And don’t forget to add **The Stones’** _Goatshead Soup_ to the '73 list. 😉 But for me, **1984** is the best year. I have more CD’s from 1984 in my collection, than any other year (err, I think): - **Prince** - _Purple Rain_ - **Bruce Springsteen** - _Born In The USA_ - **Run DMC** - _RUN DMC_ - **Metallica** - _Ride The Lightning_ - **The Pretenders** - _Learning To Crawl_ - **The Replacements** - _Let It Be_ - **REM** - _Reckoning_ - **The Cars** - _Heartbeat City_ - **Don Henley** - _Building The Perfect Beast_ - **Sade** - _Diamond Life_ - **INXS** - _The Swing_ - **Madonna** - _Like A Virgin_ - **Van Halen** - _1984_ - **Los Lobos** - _How Will The Wolf Survive?_ - **Minor Threat** - _Out Of Step_ - **Talking Heads** - _Stop Making Sense_ - **Husker Du** - _Zen Arcade_ - **Minutemen** - _Double Nickels On The Dime_ - **U2** - _The Unforgettable Fire_ - **Phillip Bailey** - _Chinese Wall_ - **The Smiths** - _The Smiths_ ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/14 "2005-01-14T15:10:47Z")
As Homer Simpson said, “Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It’s a scientific fact.” Crime of the Century was released in 1974 and it is still one of my favourite albums. Nothing to add, except I can’t imagine how the thread got this far without that quote. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/15 "2005-01-14T17:12:08Z")
One could make a strong case for 1979. We saw the release of… XTC - Drums and Wires The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys/Boys Don’t Cry Blondie - Eat to the Beat Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures Gang of Four - Entertainment! Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps/Live Rust The Clash - London Calling Talking Heads - Fear of Music Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Armed Forces The Jam - Setting Sons The Police - Regatta De Blanc Madness - One Step Beyond Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! There were also big releases by Pink Floyd (The Wall), AC/DC (Back In Black), Michael Jackson (Off The Wall), but those are not favs of mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/16 "2005-01-14T17:15:18Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > I’d say probably 1966 or '67, probably '66. Things start getting too self-indulgent, drug-addled and boring for me starting in about '69 and certainly by '71. (Caveat: when you hit a lot of Latin American and Asian rock and pop, there seems to have been a pre-internet etc lag, thus '71 in Peru or Cambodia sounds a lot like '68 or earlier). > > '66 was the height of the garage/mod/psych Nuggets-ish territory, and '67 continued that nicely. \*Pet Sounds, Revolver, \* so much great stuff… spy music, even Neil Diamond had more hits than misses. > > By the way, I’m ‘only’ 33. Don’t forget _The Velvet Underground and Nico_. Probably the most influential album that was never a hit. ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/17 "2005-01-15T02:30:12Z")
Dadgummed whippersnappers! Let’s do a little **real** remembering, here. My choices - 1939 _(the year when Hollywood had to contend with splitting the Oscars among The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Stagecoach)_ : **Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland In The Mood - Glenn Miller When The Saints Go Marching In - Louis Armstrong Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller Sunrise Serenade - Glenn Miller If I Didn’t Care - Ink Spots Little Brown Jug - Glenn Miller Deep Purple - Larry Clinton** and 1941 _(the year of The Maltese Falcon, How Green Was My Valley, Suspicion, Dumbo, Sergeant York and -oh yeah- Citizen Kane)_: [ul]Stardust - Artie Shaw String of Pearls - Glenn Miller Summit Ridge Drive - Artie Shaw You Made Me Love You - Harry James Dancing In The Dark - Artie Shaw Take The “A” Train - Duke Ellington God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/18 "2005-01-15T04:09:36Z")
> [@SavageNarce](#): > > and 1941 _(the year of The Maltese Falcon, How Green Was My Valley, Suspicion, Dumbo, Sergeant York and -oh yeah- Citizen Kane)_: > [ul]Stardust - Artie Shaw > String of Pearls - Glenn Miller > Summit Ridge Drive - Artie Shaw > You Made Me Love You - Harry James > Dancing In The Dark - Artie Shaw > Take The “A” Train - Duke Ellington > God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday > Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller > [/ul] 1941 also introduced “The Last Time I Saw Paris”, “Blues in the Night” and “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B”. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/19 "2005-01-15T04:21:06Z")
Heh. How many youngsters don’t realize _If I Didn’t Care_ is the music playing on the car radio while Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is contemplating shooting his adulterous wife and her lover in _Shawshank Redemption_. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640/20 "2005-01-15T08:49:13Z")
> [@Captain Lance Murdoch](#): > > There were also big releases by Pink Floyd (The Wall), AC/DC (Back In Black), Michael Jackson (Off The Wall), but those are not favs of mine. _Back in Black_ didn’t come out until 1980. _Highway to Hell_, on the other hand, _did_ come out in 1979. Me personally, I’d have to say 2000. Consider that the following ALL came out in that year: Aaron Carter - _Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)_ All Saints - _Saints and Sinners_ Backstreet Boys - _Black and Blue_ Britney Spears - _Oops!..I Did it Again_ Christina Aguilera - _Mi Reflejo_ Da Brat - _Unrestricted_ Good Charlotte - _Good Charlotte_ Hanson - _This Time Around_ Insane Clown Posse - _Bizzar_ Lil’ Jon & the East Side Boyz - _We Still Crunk_ Lil’ Kim - _Notorious K.I.M._ Limp Bizkit - _Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water_ Linkin Park - _Hybrid Theory_ Ludacris - _Incognegro_ Mandy Moore - _I Wanna Be With You_ Mystikal - _Let’s Get Ready_ Nelly - _Country Grammar_ \*NYSNC - _No Strings Attached_ Orgy - _Vapor Transmission_ Papa Roach - _Infest_ Spice Girls - _Forever_ Trick Daddy - _Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47_ I rest my case. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-year-in-music-ever/284640.md?page=2)