The Top Fifteen Albums of 1974

1974 is a very widely contested year in music history, one in which certain trends first begin to emerge like the birth of disco and others begin to fade away, like the predominance of heavier rock music which will give way to both punk and new wave as well as soft-rock and yacht rock as the decade continued. Certain music historians call 1974 the worst year for pop music in the 20th century while others consider it the year that rock and roll reached its commercial and artistic peak. I, on the other hand, believe that like all years, 1974 is home to both great and underwhelming music, but now I'd like to celebrate the best of the best from fifty years ago. Below I've compiled a list of my 15 favorite albums from 1974 and what makes them so laudable. So raise a glass to the artists who blew us away fifty years ago today!

#15 Walls and Bridges - John Lennon (46 minutes, Pop/Rock)

John Lennon's fifth solo album is a major departure from his past few records, which were mainly made up of somber and soft ballads, concerned with spirituality and the world at large, but here Lennon is in rare form. He sounds positively joyful for much of the run-time, where he delivers a set of spirited rock songs and funky pop trifles replete with bouncy bass and punchy horns. Reenergized by collaborators like Harry Nilsson and Elton John, Lennon is able to access the purely fun side of his muse for the first time since the days of The Beatles, and while there are a few dreamy ballads, they are the exception rather than the rule, which allows them to stand out even more. This is the soundtrack to Lennon's infamous lost weekend, which may have been a world class bender with major consequences, but in pure musical form this remains one of Lennon's finest, most listenable projects. For those who prefer their Lennon less morose and more willing to get a little wacky with things.

Essential Tracks: "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" "#9 Dream"

#14 Machine Gun - Commodores (36 minutes, Funk/R&B)

The debut from The Commodores is a very different listening experience for anyone strictly familiar with their more popular Lionel Richie led ballads of the late 70s and early 80s, because this album is 100% down and dirty horn-driven funk. In fact Lionel is far from the star of this LP, while he does have a few showcase moments where he shows off that he is by far the best singer in the group, most of the album indulges in gritty, instrumental funk throw downs where vocals aren't strictly necessary. These grooves are so potent that they became hits as instrumentals, a rarity at any time in pop history. These six musicians delivered some of the most hard-funk to ever emerge from the Motownstable, and while their songwriting would improve from here, they would never groove so hard again. An electrifying debut from a band who could go toe to toe with the best funk groups of any era.

Essential Tracks: "I Feel Sanctified" "Machine Gun" "The Assembly Line"

#13 Queen II - Queen (40 minutes, Progressive Rock/Hard Rock)

Queen's sophomore album finds the group in a bit of a transitional state, as evidenced by the dual sided concept, but in classic Queen fashion this album radiates obscene confidence in every decision, making even the lesser songs feel truly grandiose and spectacular. This is very much an album of two sides, with the A side being filled with compositions from Brian Mary and Roger Taylor, in the more classic prog-rock style foregrounding May's distinctive heavy metal guitar work. However, the real show-stealer is the B side where Freddie Mercury is allowed to run wild with his fantastical compositions, taking the wonderment and fantasy of prog and working it into his own ersatz pop style, creating a side-long opus of operatic quality and high drama. Mercury's uninhibited desire to create playful prog-rock makes the former side feel a bit staid and bland in contrast, but as opposed to their slightly more meat and potatoes debut, here we get the first glimpses of Queen's manic brilliance, taking tradition and spinning it on its head to craft rock that sounds utterly, inescapably bombastic. The group would hone their skills and create many masterpieces after this, but here we get the first signs of real genius.

Essential Tracks: "Seven Seas of Rhye" "White Queen (As It Began)" "The March of the Black Queen"

#12 Standing on the Verge of Getting It On - Funkadelic (37 minutes, Funk/Acid Rock)

Funkadelic's sixth record is a culmination of everything they attempted on their last two records, a cosmic jambayala of ersatz funk, far out psychedelic vibes and of course the masterful guitar work from Eddie Hazel, who is the lynchpin of this album, delivering juicy solos on nearly every song. Most P-Funk albums are typically dominated by the endlessly charismatic George Clinton, but here he primarily cedes the spotlight to Hazel who lets his guitar shine, creating one of Funkadelic's most heavily psychedelic albums, at times fully leaving funk behind for distortion drenched heavy rock. The spirit of Funkadelic certainly comes through in the lyrics where Clinton's warped, druggy sense of humor is fully intact, lending the entire record the feeling of a trip. The group's versatility is on display between the stomping funk grooves, the acidic guitar workouts, riff heavy rockers, and even a sultry slow jam abounds. This overlooked gem in the P-Funk catalog is one of their best, namely due to the genius of Eddie Hazel, the band's not so secret weapon.

Essential Tracks: "Standing on the Verge of Getting It On" "I'll Stay" "Alice in My Fantasies"

#11 Open Our Eyes - Earth, Wind & Fire (39 minutes, R&B/Funk)

While this is Earth, Wind & Fire's fifth studio album, this in many ways feels like their true debut, at least when it comes to the wildly innovative sound that would make them so widely celebrated for the rest of the decade. While there are still elements of the groovy jazz fusion that the group specialized in on their early work, the band uses those funky rhythmic innovations in the context of fiery funk jams and gorgeous soulful ballads to create their most accessible outing to date. The vocal chemistry between Phillip Bailey's soaring falsetto and Maurice White's sultry tenor is on full display for much of the album and is its main attraction on the beautiful, spiritual ballads. The group also delivers an unparalleled mastery of groove and grit on the jazzy instrumentals and uptempo funk scorchers. While their next album would break them big in the mainstream, here is where EWF first pioneered their winning formula. A jazzy and soulful underrated gem in their vast discography.

Essential Tracks: "Devotion" "Mighty Mighty" "Kalimba Story" "Open Our Eyes"

#10 Chicago VII - Chicago (1 hour and 11 minutes, Jazz-Rock/Soft Rock)

Chicago's last of many double albums spanning from their beginnings in 1969 all the way through the first half of the 70s was in many ways the culmination of their early sound before transitioning into the soft-rock ballad machine that would crank out hit after hit for the rest of the decade into the next. Here we find glimpses of Chicago both old and new, with a mix of cooing, gentle ballads with hints of elegant Beach Boys style harmonies, joyful horn-heavy pop songs and crunchy guitar heavy rock songs. The variety on display here is something Chicago would soon lose, but here there is a bit of everything from the Chicago fan, with the horn section on full display for the album's few instrumental tracks and even exploring some flirtations with funk and R&B stylings. Each of the group's many composers leaves their mark here, making this a sprawling, unique listen which feels like the natural conclusion of Chicago's most artistically innovative era. And it has plenty of career defining hits to boot.

Essential Tracks: "Wishing You Were Here" "Happy Man" "Call on Me" "(I've Been) Searching So Long" "Italian from New York"

#9 Diamond Dogs - David Bowie (38 minutes, Glam-Rock/Art-Funk)

David Bowie's consistent refusal to make the same style of album twice is one of the many reasons he is one of the greatest musical artists of any era, but it also means that the man was the master of the transitional album, always finding ways to travel between career phases in compelling ways. This record is one of his foremost transitional efforts, finding his style pitched halfway between the spirited boogie-centric glam-rock of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Aladdin Sane" and the chilly yet groovy plastic soul of his future records like "Young Americans" and "Station to Station", combining elements of both for this eerie, unsettled dystopian concept record. Bowie bases this collection loosely on Orwell's "1984", but this is a deeply alien, dystopian reading of the future, while still retaining the ersatz charm and compelling queer sexuality of his best, most forward thinking work. While not every single song here is a success, the wild, manic nature of this album and its off-kilter future funk makes it one of Bowie's most unique listens, and one of his most essential.

Essential Tracks: "Rebel Rebel" "1984" "Diamond Dogs" "Rock 'n' Roll with Me"

#8 Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan (34 minutes, Jazz-Rock)

Steely Dan's third album is a transitional record in the traditional sense, but by no means does that mean that it falls short of their near-perfect quality. In fact this album is deeply unique in their catalog, bridging the early "band-centric" feel of their earliest albums and the slick studio polish and session wizardry of their following work. This album also takes the untraditional angle of channeling the signature Dan jazziness into brief, punchy pop songs as opposed to lengthy opuses with solos aplenty. This is easily The Dan's most concise album, leaving behind technical solos for the usual verse/chorus structure but this leads the group to some of their best melodies and sharpest, most incisive lyrics. Stylistically, the jazz influence still dominates but there are also elements of blues, baroque and even slight tinges of country. Regardless, this remains classic Steely Dan. This lacks the sparkle of some of their best remembered albums, but by no means is this any less worthy of a spin. Even low-key Dan still provides countless stunners.

Essential Tracks: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" "Pretzel Logic" "Night by Night"

#7 Live It Up - The Isley Brothers (38 minutes, R&B/Funk)

The Isley Brothers had fully transformed from a soulful three-piece vocal outfit to a full on explosive funk-rock sextet on their last album, which remains their definitive statement, but the follow-up is nearly as good in many respects. This is namely due to the guitar heroics of Ernie Isley who turns this album into a scorching textural masterpiece. The group's new emphasis on original material, with only one cover, is exemplified by the longer form jams on display turning upbeat hook-driven soul numbers into hazy psychedelic jam sessions by their conclusion. Of course Ronald Isley's supple, gorgeous vocals elevate each composition to new soulful heights, but of all their acclaimed 70s outings, this one belongs to Ernie more than any other, his every solo and riff dripping in distortion and Hendrix-ian flavor. Few very R&B albums sport such masterful playing as this one does. Listen to the masters at work.

Essential Tracks: "Hello It's Me" "Ain't I Been Good to You?" "Live It Up" "Midnight Sky"

#6 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis (1 hour and 34 minutes, Progressive Rock)

The final album of the Peter Gabriel-era of Genesis is easily the group's most avant-garde and ambitious project, a wildly absurd double concept album driven by Gabriel's knack for the hyper-theatrical. The experience of this album is a deeply overwhelming one, with the sonic world enveloping you from the get-go with its swampy textures and lengthy solos. While their previous albums leaned into the progressive rock tradition of long multi-part opuses, this album contents itself with mostly short form songs all of which flow seamlessly into each other creating an album that at times feels like a single 90 minute composition when taken all together. While Gabriel and the band don't shy away from impenetrable progressive rock performances, this is also Gabriel's most pop-forward set with Genesis, with multiple songs sporting remarkably catchy hooks and spirited vocal melodies, leaving the album's highlights as brilliant standalone songs. This is very much not an album for the faint of heart, it is long, complex and sometimes even obtuse, but it rewards a deeper listen, revealing itself to be some of Peter Gabriel's career best songwriting as well as the final testament to Genesis as a quintet. This is the group at their proggy-best, before they would soon abandon prog for arena rock and catchy Phil Collins-led pop. The true end of an era.

Essential Tracks: "The Carpet Crawlers" "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" "Back in NYC" "Counting Out Time" "In the Cage" "It"

#5 Eldorado - Electric Light Orchestra (38 minutes, Progressive Rock/Baroque Pop)

ELO's fourth album is one of their most subtle and unassuming projects, but with a careful listen it is easy to see that it ranks near the top of their illustrious catalog when it comes to Jeff Lynne's utterly masterful command of melody. The album is a loose concept piece about a man, supremely bored with his own life, disappearing into the fantastical world of his dreams, complete with a tragic ending, but unlike a traditional prog-rock concept album this isn't story oriented, the narrative comes through mainly through the dazzling, dreamlike melodies and elegant arrangements, as Lynne is very concise with his lyrics. The entire album drifts along sleepily yet gorgeously, a series of lush, warm ballads with the occasional flourish of guitar rock or orchestral splendor. While this lacks the astonishing hooks of their latter more pop-oriented work, it is a beautiful piece when taken together and one that is impossible to not find yourself lost in when it comes to the stunning orchestral textures. Lynne's first of many masterpieces, asserting himself as one of the decade's preeminent pop writers.

Essential Tracks: "Can't Get It Out of My Head" "Eldorado" "Laredo Tornado" "Boy Blue"

#4 Crime of the Century - Supertramp (44 minutes, Progressive-Pop/Art-Rock)

Supertramp were always a bit of an odd duck band when it came to where exactly they fit in the rock scene. Always a little bit too weird and sprawling for pop-rock, but not quite ambitious enough for full on prog-rockers. In that way, Supertramp were truly the best of both worlds, crafting an album with the intricacies and lengthy song structures of prog, but with the sharp ear for hooks and melodies of a group like The Beatles, with two world class songwriters behind it all. The contrast between the compositions brought by Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies is stark, with the former leaning more towards soft, keyboard driven-pop with soaring vocal melodies while the latter provides a harder, more guitar centric edge while also introducing elements like saxophone and harmonica. The album itself is split evenly between the two, but the best moments are when their distinct styles collide as they do on the opening song, which combines their witty, socially critical lyrics (this album makes many of the same points that Pink Floyd's The Wall would five years later, but without the conceptual narrative sturucture) and lush arrangements to wild success. Their earlier efforts felt as if the group were trying too hard to conform to traditional progressive rock, but on this album they strike out on their own and leapfrog past everyone else in terms of originality and pure enjoyment. Progressive rock is rarely so easy to love as this record.

Essential Tracks: "Bloody Well Right" "School" "Dreamer" "Hide in Your Shell"

#3 Fulfillingness' First Finale - Stevie Wonder (42 minutes, Progressive Soul/Motown)

Stevie Wonder's follow-up to his magnificent "Innervisions" album is a bit less ambitious than its predecessor, but no less of an absolute sonic joy to indulge in with Wonder leaning into his compositional skills and emotive vocal range to deliver some of his most powerful material. This is a more downbeat album than most of Wonder's masterpieces, outside of the singles, which are two absolute classic funk-pop anthems, the record is mainly comprised of smooth, sultry ballads that show off Wonder's voice at its best, whether it be soaring gospel hymns or soft romantic pieces. Wonder mostly shies away from political and social commentary here, preferring to deliver a loose song cycle about falling in love over Side A and then experiencing a painful break up in Side B, diving into each stage of the relationship with nuance and beauty, yet the two staggering highlights are likely the brilliant gospel ballads where Wonder expresses his spirituality more cohesively and powerfully than ever before. This may not be Stevie's flashy, most hit-laden or outwardly ambitious record, but it is a grower in the truest sense. Over time the sheer, unadulterated beauty of this LP comes into full focus and it remains one of his best, most cohesive listening experiences. A labor of love, about being in love.

Essential Tracks: "They Won't Go When I Go" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" "Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Too Shy to Say"

#2 Sheer Heart Attack - Queen (38 minutes, Glam/Hard-Rock)

With their second album in the same year, Queen finally put all the pieces together and craft their defining sound, on this early career masterpiece which blends the progressive bent of their early work with the whimsical charms and eclectic taste that marked their most iconic records. No other hard rock group was ever willing to appear so goofy, with Freddie Mercury in particular hamming it up in his first of many star-making performances, delivering superb, acrobatic vocals that fit each song's playful identity. All four band members have begun writing here, and their voices are all loud and clear whether it be Mercury's jovial sense of humor and willingness to play with genre, May's loud, riff-centric rock songs sporting dazzling, technical solos, Taylor's heavy metal-adjacent rockers and Deacon's spry, hooky pop trifles. Queen was aways a daring band, but here they rip up the rule book putting together an album with vaudeville pastiches next to early thrash metal, Bowie-styled glam alongside cod-reggae and somber piano ballads. This is the embryonic state of the pomp and excess that would make their following two albums even better, but here Queen is ascendant, fully finding their style and embracing it in ways other bands could only ever dream of. A truly, uniquely visionary band if there ever was one.

Essential Tracks: "Killer Queen" "Brighton Rock" "Now I'm Here" "Stone Cold Crazy" "Flick of the Wrist"

#1 Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell (36 minutes, Singer-Songwriter/Jazz-Pop)

Joni Mitchell's artistry is first and foremost a thing of sheer beauty, and this album provides some of Joni's most lush, gorgeous and nuanced writing of her illustrious career. She never stayed in one sonic space for too long, with this album marking the beginnings of her flirtations with jazz, letting more intricate instrumentation into her palette, with some moments radiating an almost Steely Dan-like polish and professionalism. As always though, the heart of the album is Joni's ethereal, crystalline voice which rings across the album like a bell, delivering some of her most fragile and emotive performances. Her lyrics are still as painterly as ever, creating vivid portraits of love, loss and heartbreak which befit the album's warm, yet melancholy sonic sphere beautifully. In a catalog as filled with brilliance as Joni's it is deeply hard to pick a favorite, but this stands tall as perhaps her defining work. An album of sheer poetic beauty in both its joy and its sadness. The mark of a true genius is when even stepping outside your comfort zone, you sound just as assured, as Joni does here. She makes this light jazz all her own, and in the process, crafted her ultimate masterpiece.

Essential Tracks: "Help Me" "Free Man in Paris" "People's Parties" "Car on a Hill" "Court and Spark" "Raised on Robbery"

Thanks for taking this journey through 1974 with me. The Best of 1984 is soon to come!

Happy Listening!