The Most Criminally Underrated Album Released Every Year From 1970 to 1974

Is there an underrated album that you love, particularly from the early 1970s, that you can’t believe didn’t achieve major success? If so, that album might just be on this list. Let’s take a look at a few overlooked records from 1970 through 1974 that should have been megahits.

‘Just Another Diamond Day’ by Vashti Bunyan (1970)

“I’d Like To Walk In Your Mind” got a lot of love on TikTok a few years ago, and Just Another Diamond Day as a whole got a ton of love during the folk revival movement of the early aughts. But back in 1970, shockingly, Vashti Bunyan’s incredible folk album didn’t get much love at all. Its release was such a disappointment that she even quit music for some time. Thankfully, though, this folk icon came back when Just Another Diamond Day gained cult classic status in the 21st century, and her subsequent releases have been just as impressive.

‘First Utterance’ by Comus (1971)

Where Vashti Bunyan’s folk stylings are sweet and pleasant, Comus’ folk sensibilities are dark and sound surprisingly ancient for prog-folk. This English band dropped a legendary album that some would say is conceptual, following a narrative that explores what happens when innocence faces abusive power. It blew my mind when I first heard it, and I was shocked to learn that it didn’t really do much damage on the charts. Maybe that album cover was just too freaky for 1971 listeners. Who knows? 

‘Octopus’ by Gentle Giant (1972)

Unsurprisingly, some good ol’ prog makes it to this list. While bands like Yes and King Crimson were making waves and charting at the time, unassuming bands like Gentle Giant were making underrated progressive rock gold. Octopus isn’t particularly serious, instead leaning toward an intricate yet fun approach to prog. It’s still crazy to me that this record only made it to No. 170 on the Billboard 200 at the time.

‘Try And Love’ by Ofege (1973)

This is a real deep cut, one that might inspire any group of young people who want to start a band. In 1973, a group of Nigerian teenagers got together to form the psych-rock outfit Ofege and drop Try And Love. It’s become something of a cult classic in retrospect, one that showcases just how profound the psych-rock movement in Nigeria was at the time.

‘Kansas’ by Kansas (1974)

This might be a controversial album on our list of underrated 70s records. But to me, Kansas’ debut record gets heavily overshadowed by the success of their fourth record, Leftoverture from 1976, which served as their chart breakthrough. The band’s debut didn’t even make it to the Top 100 at the time, and that’s a real shame. This is a gorgeous album, one that really leans into the progressive, hard rock tendencies of the band’s early work.

(Photo by James Emmett/Redferns)