When you think of the classic rock genre, you likely have some of the masterpiece albums from the genre that were released in the 1970s somewhere in your mind. Certain LPs from the era offer nothing but greatness from start to finish.
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In the case of these four standout albums, they’re particularly strong at the start and the end of their respective running times. Here are four unassailable classic rock albums of the 1970s with picture-perfect bookends to recommend them.
‘Band On The Run’ by Paul McCartney & Wings
Band On The Run doesn’t just display Paul McCartney at his finest. It also shows off the resilience of Macca, his wife Linda, and Denny Laine. They were the only three remaining members of Wings when this album was made. And they came through with a song cycle that doesn’t contain an ounce of filler. The title track, one of McCartney’s most affecting song suites, hints at the trio’s predicament while also suggesting that they’d win out in the end. Meanwhile, closing track “Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five” features McCartney’s most potent, earthy singing in the midst of a wild sci-fi scenario. A little snippet of the title track comes back around after that song’s final crescendo to smoothly wrap things up.
‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd hadn’t tried making an album that carried a concept through the entirety of the running time until The Dark Side Of The Moon. (After that, they’d pretty much do nothing but concept records.) This particular LP focused on madness and all the different aspects of one’s life that might cause that affliction. The opening moments are a sound collage, composed by drummer Nick Mason, that hints at some of the intense moments to come. It segues seamlessly into the air-clearing “Breathe (In The Air)”. At the end of the album, “Eclipse” emerges from “Brain Damage”. In both songs, Roger Waters expresses a kind of touching solidarity with all those who’ve gone a bit around the bend. This record is truly one of the best albums of the 1970s.
‘Born To Run’ by Bruce Springsteen
After his first two albums failed to drum up much in the way of commercial interest, Bruce Springsteen built anticipation for his third effort with the showstopping single “Born To Run”. He easily could have opened the album with that song, but he was thinking more in terms of thematic sweep. Instead, “Thunder Road”, which begins like a wake-up call, opens up the record with the tale of a guy trying to convince his girl to run away with him. “Jungleland”, the epic closing track, imagines what might happen if those two lovers ended up trapped in the hopeless grind of city life. That song ends with Springsteen’s guttural, wordless howls unleashing all the coiled-up tension that had amassed through the course of the record.
‘The Last Resort’ by Eagles
The Eagles made their fifth album a kind of concept LP centered on West Coast living. They managed to capture that scene, all the flash and style, all the high hopes and heartbreak. To begin the album, the title track told a modern-day fable of lost souls landing in an oasis that seems like paradise but is actually its polar opposite. It starts out like an acoustic reverie, before uncorking into a guitar-fueled wail. When we reach the closing track, “The Last Resort”, we find out that the opening cautionary tale has actually played out in reality. The track explains how the greed of humanity had slowly robbed the idyllic location of its specialness. You can’t ask for a much more stirring finish than all those golden Eagles’ voices pitched toward the heavens.
Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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