3 Stunning and Memorable Classic Rock Albums That Hit No. 1 in 1970

If you love guitar-based rock music, the 1970s were for you. While guitars are still a seemingly ubiquitous instrument today, it was in the 1970s when they were at their buzziest and their busiest. Those electrified six-strings turned mere mortals into gods. Just look at the top of the Billboard Top 200 during the decade. The chart was littered with great guitar rock.

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That’s just what we wanted to explore here. We wanted to highlight three incredible albums from three incredible bands that were released at the beginning of the glorious decade, each of which leaned on the guitar in a major way and each of which hit No. 1 on the Top 200. Indeed, these are three classic rock albums that hit No. 1 in 1970.

‘Led Zeppelin III’ by Led Zeppelin (1970)

Like cereal and cartoons or peanut butter and jelly, you can’t go wrong with the combination of Led Zeppelin and the 1970s. So, when laying the needle onto your vinyl copy of Led Zeppelin III, just imagine you’re back in the decade that made classic rock classic. Indeed, the band’s first No. 1 LP in the decade included tracks like “Immigrant Song” and “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp”. It’s no wonder the offering topped the vaunted charts.

‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon & Garfunkel (1970)

While Led Zeppelin used the guitar like a battering ram, Simon & Garfunkel used it more like a canoe. It was a lovely vessel for traveling down the water that would one day flow under the bridge. The duo, famous for their divine harmonies, used both their vocal instruments and the six-string to create a fantastic LP in 1970, their sublime Bridge Over Troubled Water, which includes songs like “The Boxer” and “The Only Living Boy In New York”.

‘Cosmo’s Factory’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)

Rounding out this trio of classic rockers, Creedence Clearwater Revival was perhaps the biggest band in the world in 1970. Once The Beatles departed the scene after breaking up, someone had to take up the mantle, and CCR was at the top of the list. That was thanks, in part, to their indelible 1970 LP, Cosmo’s Factory. The transcendent rock record includes tracks like “Travelin’ Band”, “Lookin’ out My Back Door”, and “Who’ll Stop the Rain”. It’s a veritable greatest hits LP from one of the greatest rock bands ever.

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