Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s by JamesMowbray 
- Chart updated: 03/15/2024 23:15
- (Created: 02/13/2017 14:40).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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[First added to this chart: 04/14/2018]
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,119
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/15/2017]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,348
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,686
Rank in 1976:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/15/2017]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,335
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Public Image Ltd.'s second record is even more removed from the sounds of the Sex Pistols than its predecessor, giving it the space it needed to become the defining post punk record of the late 70s, swapping out the Pistols' raucous energy for deep grooves and a paranoid, anxious atmosphere brought about by Lydon's wild lyrics and Levene's experimental guitar work. The original packaging of the metal box was meant to make it near impossible to take out any of the three records without causing some superficial damage, and this confrontational attitude towards audience expectations is even more extreme in the actual music.
10 minute opener 'Albatross' initially sounds fairly uptempo and upbeat with Jah Wobble's constant rhythmic bass line, but in a matter of seconds Keith Levene's guitar work shatters this atmosphere ushering in a more paranoid downbeat atmosphere, accentuated by the introduction of Lydon's vocals. The much slower weary delivery that Lydon delivers gives a sense of dread as opposed to the fun and angry energy it injected into the Pistols' best tracks. The vague lyrics such as "you are unbearable" and "I run away" capitalise on the uneasy spirit of the track. The huge length of 'Albatross' is perfect in allowing the listener to get to grips with this new musical landscape that carries for the rest of the album. As time passes the bass line becomes less and less regular sometimes speeding up to suddenly really build the intensity of the track, or slowing to build the sense of dread.
Album highlight 'Memories' follows this, once again the bass led first few seconds of the song have a very different feel to the rest of the track in an effect that never fails to be disorientating. The higher tempo and energy in the track conflicts perfectly with the massive 'Albatross', and the use of repetition in that track also builds the impact of the increasing instrumentation in the bridge of 'Memories', putting a lot of weight on the line "I could be wrong, it could be hate". The distressed vocals build a particularly negative atmosphere which really carves out the identity of most of PiL's music, but 'Metal Box' in particular. Like in 'Albatross' Levene's guitar creates a wall of sound at the end of the track giving the sense that the track has almost spontaneously fallen apart, fitting much more with the dark atmosphere of Metal Box than the more traditional fade out.
'Swan Lake' sees the introduction of a creeping bass line that builds with the rest of the instruments and vocals to create a swirl of paranoid noise, made all the more effective by the fragments of the original 'Swan Lake' played intermittently by Levene across the track. The disturbing atmosphere fits the subject matter of the lyrics completely, with Lydon singing about his dying mother with particularly dark lines such as "Watching her slowly die, saw it in her eyes, choking on a bed, flowers rotting dead". The outro of a synth looped with the final line "words can not express" closes out the track in an appropriately jarring fashion.
After two faster and shorter tracks 'Poptones' is more reminiscent of the slower, repetitive nature of the opener. Once again a strong and steady bass line is put in place from the start with the wild combination of Levene's guitar and Lydon's vocals bringing in the chaotic downbeat atmosphere. The heavy use of cymbals in the drumming also adds to the chaotic sense of confusion on the track. Once again the subject matter of the track is particularly disturbing with the track being written about a kidnapping and sexual assault in which the victim had been left in the woods. The vocals give way for long instrumental breaks so that when Lydon's lyrics do return you're left hanging on his every word.
'Careering' keeps up the vicious atmosphere with a dark drone sound interrupted by a scream. The guitar is notably absent making way for the much longer, more abstract drones that define the track. The especially monotone vocal delivery gives further focus again on the lyrical content, and whilst the lyrics are more abstract again, the lines that you pick up really add to the oppressively negative atmosphere with lines like "the pride of history, the same as murder" and "armoured machinery mangled".
The guitar returns on 'No Birds' sounding more organised on regular on this track than at any other point on the record but the distortion on the guitar and the fact that it's drowned out by Lydon's vocals most of the time prevents this from creating a more ordinary track. The introduction of some piano notes halfway through the track also keeps things unpredictable.
'Graveyard' gives more of an emphasis on the drums, together with the bass providing a strong sense of rhythm to anchor in the immediately experimental and unpredictable guitar line which was made up by Levene on the spot, acting well as a replacement for Lydon's absent vocals. The track puts further focus on the work of the band in creating the atmosphere the record has built up to this point.
'The Suit' is a much quieter track with distant sounding drums and a completely constant bass. Instrumental flairs also feel completely in the background and Lydon's lyrical delivery is far more reserved than the likes of 'Albatross' or 'Swan Lake'. It has the effect of changing the pace of the album a bit, but feels like it just kind of breezes by and only holds part of the atmosphere built up by the previous 7 tracks, but The louder drums on 'Bad Baby' help to start building things back up again. The keyboards are really scattered across the track building an uneasy air whenever they enter and conflict effectively with the bass and vocal track. Though in the spaces where they don't enter the track can be similarly dull to 'the Suit'.
Second instrumental 'Socialist' ups the stakes again with a much faster rhythm section. As with 'Graveyard', the lead instrument of the track, this time a keyboard, is played completely unpredictably helping give energy to the constant bass on the track. The drums serve to up the intensity at certain points, whilst sometimes dropping out completely for a few seconds.
'Chant' sees the reintroduction of vocals as well as a constant background chant of "mob, war, kill, hate". The bass is far more reserved on this track letting Levene's guitar fight it out with the more repetitive elements of the track. the layered vocals towards the end of the track coupled with the build up of the track builds the sound to a fever pitch, peaking at times where Lydon repeats "chant" to create moments of complete organised chaos. The unnerving introduction of an organ closes out the track.
Closer 'Radio 4' starts with the lush sound of synths, particularly exaggerated by the oppressive tone of the rest of the album. Every instrument is played by Keith Levene giving a sense of cohesion not really present in the rest of the album making it the perfect closer for a record so ruled by chaos.
The first six tracks of 'Metal Box' are the pinnacle of post punk, full of unexpected turns, chaotic instrumentation, infectious bass lines and disturbing vocals. This makes it impossible for the latter half to keep up but three brilliant instrumental tracks and the repetitive power of 'Chant' keep the standard very high in spite of the comparative lull of the back to back tracks 'The Suit' and 'Bad Baby'. While Lydon's complete left turn from the Sex Pistols may have been hard to for a lot of people to stomach back in 1979, or even today amongst new fans, it paved the way for many of the best and most experimental albums of the 80s, whilst being a uniquely harsh and abrasive record in itself.
Best Track: Memories [First added to this chart: 02/12/2018]
10 minute opener 'Albatross' initially sounds fairly uptempo and upbeat with Jah Wobble's constant rhythmic bass line, but in a matter of seconds Keith Levene's guitar work shatters this atmosphere ushering in a more paranoid downbeat atmosphere, accentuated by the introduction of Lydon's vocals. The much slower weary delivery that Lydon delivers gives a sense of dread as opposed to the fun and angry energy it injected into the Pistols' best tracks. The vague lyrics such as "you are unbearable" and "I run away" capitalise on the uneasy spirit of the track. The huge length of 'Albatross' is perfect in allowing the listener to get to grips with this new musical landscape that carries for the rest of the album. As time passes the bass line becomes less and less regular sometimes speeding up to suddenly really build the intensity of the track, or slowing to build the sense of dread.
Album highlight 'Memories' follows this, once again the bass led first few seconds of the song have a very different feel to the rest of the track in an effect that never fails to be disorientating. The higher tempo and energy in the track conflicts perfectly with the massive 'Albatross', and the use of repetition in that track also builds the impact of the increasing instrumentation in the bridge of 'Memories', putting a lot of weight on the line "I could be wrong, it could be hate". The distressed vocals build a particularly negative atmosphere which really carves out the identity of most of PiL's music, but 'Metal Box' in particular. Like in 'Albatross' Levene's guitar creates a wall of sound at the end of the track giving the sense that the track has almost spontaneously fallen apart, fitting much more with the dark atmosphere of Metal Box than the more traditional fade out.
'Swan Lake' sees the introduction of a creeping bass line that builds with the rest of the instruments and vocals to create a swirl of paranoid noise, made all the more effective by the fragments of the original 'Swan Lake' played intermittently by Levene across the track. The disturbing atmosphere fits the subject matter of the lyrics completely, with Lydon singing about his dying mother with particularly dark lines such as "Watching her slowly die, saw it in her eyes, choking on a bed, flowers rotting dead". The outro of a synth looped with the final line "words can not express" closes out the track in an appropriately jarring fashion.
After two faster and shorter tracks 'Poptones' is more reminiscent of the slower, repetitive nature of the opener. Once again a strong and steady bass line is put in place from the start with the wild combination of Levene's guitar and Lydon's vocals bringing in the chaotic downbeat atmosphere. The heavy use of cymbals in the drumming also adds to the chaotic sense of confusion on the track. Once again the subject matter of the track is particularly disturbing with the track being written about a kidnapping and sexual assault in which the victim had been left in the woods. The vocals give way for long instrumental breaks so that when Lydon's lyrics do return you're left hanging on his every word.
'Careering' keeps up the vicious atmosphere with a dark drone sound interrupted by a scream. The guitar is notably absent making way for the much longer, more abstract drones that define the track. The especially monotone vocal delivery gives further focus again on the lyrical content, and whilst the lyrics are more abstract again, the lines that you pick up really add to the oppressively negative atmosphere with lines like "the pride of history, the same as murder" and "armoured machinery mangled".
The guitar returns on 'No Birds' sounding more organised on regular on this track than at any other point on the record but the distortion on the guitar and the fact that it's drowned out by Lydon's vocals most of the time prevents this from creating a more ordinary track. The introduction of some piano notes halfway through the track also keeps things unpredictable.
'Graveyard' gives more of an emphasis on the drums, together with the bass providing a strong sense of rhythm to anchor in the immediately experimental and unpredictable guitar line which was made up by Levene on the spot, acting well as a replacement for Lydon's absent vocals. The track puts further focus on the work of the band in creating the atmosphere the record has built up to this point.
'The Suit' is a much quieter track with distant sounding drums and a completely constant bass. Instrumental flairs also feel completely in the background and Lydon's lyrical delivery is far more reserved than the likes of 'Albatross' or 'Swan Lake'. It has the effect of changing the pace of the album a bit, but feels like it just kind of breezes by and only holds part of the atmosphere built up by the previous 7 tracks, but The louder drums on 'Bad Baby' help to start building things back up again. The keyboards are really scattered across the track building an uneasy air whenever they enter and conflict effectively with the bass and vocal track. Though in the spaces where they don't enter the track can be similarly dull to 'the Suit'.
Second instrumental 'Socialist' ups the stakes again with a much faster rhythm section. As with 'Graveyard', the lead instrument of the track, this time a keyboard, is played completely unpredictably helping give energy to the constant bass on the track. The drums serve to up the intensity at certain points, whilst sometimes dropping out completely for a few seconds.
'Chant' sees the reintroduction of vocals as well as a constant background chant of "mob, war, kill, hate". The bass is far more reserved on this track letting Levene's guitar fight it out with the more repetitive elements of the track. the layered vocals towards the end of the track coupled with the build up of the track builds the sound to a fever pitch, peaking at times where Lydon repeats "chant" to create moments of complete organised chaos. The unnerving introduction of an organ closes out the track.
Closer 'Radio 4' starts with the lush sound of synths, particularly exaggerated by the oppressive tone of the rest of the album. Every instrument is played by Keith Levene giving a sense of cohesion not really present in the rest of the album making it the perfect closer for a record so ruled by chaos.
The first six tracks of 'Metal Box' are the pinnacle of post punk, full of unexpected turns, chaotic instrumentation, infectious bass lines and disturbing vocals. This makes it impossible for the latter half to keep up but three brilliant instrumental tracks and the repetitive power of 'Chant' keep the standard very high in spite of the comparative lull of the back to back tracks 'The Suit' and 'Bad Baby'. While Lydon's complete left turn from the Sex Pistols may have been hard to for a lot of people to stomach back in 1979, or even today amongst new fans, it paved the way for many of the best and most experimental albums of the 80s, whilst being a uniquely harsh and abrasive record in itself.
Best Track: Memories [First added to this chart: 02/12/2018]
Year of Release:
1979
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,359
Rank in 1979:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/15/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44,013
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/15/2017]
Year of Release:
1970
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,167
Rank in 1970:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,876
Rank in 1974:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/15/2017]
Year of Release:
1971
Appears in:
Rank Score:
21,757
Rank in 1971:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 2 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1970 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1971 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1972 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1973 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1974 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1975 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1976 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1977 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1978 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1979 | 11 | 11% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Pink Floyd | 5 | 5% | |
| David Bowie | 5 | 5% | |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 4% | |
| Fela Kuti & Africa 70 | 3 | 3% | |
| Lou Reed | 3 | 3% | |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 2% | |
| Nico | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
38 | 38% | |
| |
27 | 27% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 46 from 58th to 12th Here Come The Warm Jets by Brian Eno |
| Up 40 from 73rd to 33rd Close To The Edge by Yes |
| Up 27 from 42nd to 15th After The Gold Rush by Neil Young |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 81 from 15th to 96th Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones |
| Down 73 from 20th to 93rd The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd |
| Down 67 from 25th to 92nd Horses by Patti Smith |
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86/100 (from 2 votes)
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 09/11/2017 08:41 |  bobbyb5 | | 90/100 |
| 80/100 | 08/13/2017 20:02 |  thirstyDog | | 86/100 |
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90/100
From bobbyb5 09/11/2017 08:41
bobbyb5 09/11/2017 08:41
Nice!!
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