Top 5 of 1970!!

And so we begin this new series of articles!  Just to make the record clear, I am just one guy, listening to music off-and-on through my days, so it is impossible to listen to everything of a given year (especially within just a month).  I will also limit my choices to genres that I generally cover in this blog (melodic rock and metal), though that isn't much of a problem for me here with 1970.  It should also be noted that, since this was put together by one guy, this list will be very subjective, as they are essentially my favorite albums from the year.  

When I wrote about this year for my Anniversary Article, I mentioned how it was a time of change, with some bands ending and others beginning.  However, when it comes to finding the best of this year, it seems that I found it with bands that had some experience but were interested in expanding their sound into new ideas.  Here are my Top 5 for 1970!

5. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory

By 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival had already established themselves as a solid rock band, focusing on a roots-rock style instead of the popular psychedelia their San Franciscan peers were into.  However, with this album, they step back into a bit, with an 11 minute rendition of "Heard It Through the Grapevine" that really flows, as well as a nice groove-heavy section in the middle of "Ramble Tamble."  However, they still had their hard-hitting cuts like "Run Through the Jungle" and "Up Around the Bend," with a good measure of whimsy with songs like "Looking Out My Back Door."  While not every song is great, it's a solid collection of rock songs from a band that was looking beyond their established formula to create something fresh.  While I did listen to Pendulum as well, but it wasn't as strong as this one, so it gets the slot.

4. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Another band with two albums this year, I think most metal fans will say that Paranoid is the better of the two.  Their self-titled debut isn't bad, but definitely leans into the jammy blues-rock that was popular at the time.  Here, with Paranoid, the band finds their proto-metal sound, as the title track, "Iron Man," and "War Pigs" set the standard that many bands would follow for decades to come.  The album does get a bit silly towards the end, and it's not quite the heavy metal we may recognize today, but the raw materials were established here, and they have aged pretty dang well.

3. Led Zeppelin - III

I've always been a Led Zeppelin fan ever since I took the time to dig into them when I was in college.  While their third album features some great songs, it does end up being stuck between their very successful second album and their iconic fourth one.  Still, the emphasis on more acoustic tracks and the inclusion of other sounds show this band was moving beyond their blues-rock origins and working toward the stadium rockers they would become shortly after this album.  It may not be the favorite of many people, but it's a solid entry in a discography that has stamped itself in rock history as one of the best.

2. Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You

I still remember when I first gave this shot on a Sunday when I had a headache, finding it rather pleasant and chill.  However, since then, the album has really grown on me.  Despite all its jazz-fusion-branded chaos, I find this album oddly comforting, full of little melodic earworms and neat transitions.  I really should listen to more from this band, if this album is anything to go by.

1. Yes - Time and a Word

However, my favorite band also released an album this year.  While it's not one of my favorites of theirs, I still can't deny that it has excellent songs, building on their first album's blend of sounds for something bigger and more dynamic.  The opening starts with a great cover of Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" that packs a lot of punch, followed by the enigmatic "Then."  The title track is a decent ballad, but the my favorite has to be "Sweet Dreams," with Christ Squire's rockin' bass taking front-and-center!  I will say that the second half of the album isn't as strong, as they dabble in some psychedelic weirdness that doesn't quite click.  But the fanboy in me still says this is the best album of the year, even if the band hadn't quite found their iconic sound just yet.

Anniversary Series - 1970!

I've been talking about doing more kinds of articles this year, and this is the beginning of one idea I've been tinkering with for a while: anniversary articles!

Okay, so maybe it's not the most original idea, and I admit that I'll be talking about music that came out before I was born for some of these, but it's still something different, right?  At least it breaks up all the video articles I keep doing, right?  Anyways, let's get started with 1970 and celebrate it's 50th anniversary!

While the year started with big songs from Chicago and The Guess Who, namely "25 or 6 to 4" and "American Woman" respectively, but the one that stands out the most (at least retrospectively) is Black Sabbath's debut album, kicking off the beginning of heavy metal.  While critics didn't care for what they doing, often calling them Cream knock-offs, the band gained an immediate fanbase, and it's easy to see why.  With it's big riffs and horror-like sound, they made a distinct impact to the music of the time, and set the stage for so many other bands to follow.

1970 was also a time of endings, as it provided the last Beatles album to be released from the band just after their official break-up.  Famous for a rooftop concert that provided takes for the album, it features the iconic ballad as the title track, "Let It Be," and the back-to-roots rock song "Get Back," showing their departure from the more complex arrangements from their Sgt. Pepper's days.  Overall, it marked the end of a saga that had changed rock and roll forever.

As the year moves on, we see a number of bands really standing out, with Deep Purple coming into their own with In Rock, and bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Santana only getting bigger, with songs like "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Who'll Stop the Rain," and "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va," respectively.

Progressive Rock would make some significant steps during this year as well.  Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother shows the band getting closer to their iconic sound, Hawkwind makes their debut as does Emerson Lake & Palmer with their ballad "Lucky Man," Genesis gives us "The Knife," and Yes start including a symphonic orchestra to their efforts with Time and a Word.

As the year winds down, we get more hard rock and heavy metal.  Led Zeppelin's III, with massive tracks like "The Immigrant Song," "Celebration Day," and "Gallows Pole" becoming arena rock standouts (even if that last one is acoustic, it's still an epic song!).  This is followed up by Black Sabbath's second record, featuring massive hits like "Paranoid," "Iron Man," and "War Pigs."

At the end of the end of the year, Creedence Clearwater Revival also gives us a second record in Pendulum, notable for the hit "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," while Eric Clapton forms Derek and the Dominos to give us "Layla."

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that retrospective of 1970, clearly a big year for rock and metal music.  I've thrown together a Spotify playlist for the year that includes all these songs and many others.  If you feel I've missed something, let me know!  Until then, rock on! \m/