Corbomite Maneuver

Definitive List of the Best Heavy Metal Albums of the 1970s

This one of those lists where the title says just about all that you need to know. But since I know that you want to know more, I shall give you a little bit more. This list is essentially a compilation of my eleven previous lists cataloging the best heavy rock/metal albums of the 1970s. This included ten lists of the best album from each year as well as five honorable mentions from each of those years. The eleventh list was what I called a ‘best of the rest’. It was a collection of an additional six albums from throughout the decade that I really enjoyed and feel are worthy of mention but that for whatever reason did not make the cut in their respective year. If you are too lazy to do the math, I will just tell you that there were 66 albums spread over those preceding eleven lists that are captured here in this compilation. Links are included for each list if you want to get more into the details and my write ups for each of the winning albums and the honorable mentions (all 66 albums in total). In short, this is my brief testament to the best material from the first decade in the history of the greatest musical genre of all time.

Biggest Surprise from the 1970s: I was pleasantly surprised that American bands received my album of the year honor in three of the ten years (Aerosmith and Blue Oyster Cult). North America certainly produced its share of quality heavy rock/metal music during this decade, but overall the decade was heavily dominated by bands from Britain and its environs. When I originally conceived of and first started sketching out these lists, I was genuinely wondering if I would get a clean sweep by the British in the top spot for all ten years.

Biggest Regret/Disappointment from the 1970s: I would not say it is a regret, but it is certainly a disappointment for me that I was not able to give Thin Lizzy the top spot in any year. Without question, Thin Lizzy is the best and my favorite band from this decade that never got the album of the year honor. The only possible contender here would be the Scorpions. Both are great and legendary bands that I was unfortunately unable to squeeze into the top spot in any year.

1970: Black Sabbath – Paranoid

Honorable Mentions:

  • Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
  • Deep Purple – In Rock
  • Lucifer’s Friend – Lucifer’s Friend
  • Warpig – Warpig
  • Uriah Heep – …Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble

See the 1970 list here.

1971: Black Sabbath – Master of Reality

Honorable Mentions:

  • Led Zeppelin – IV
  • Alice Cooper – Killer
  • Alice Cooper – Love It to Death
  • Deep Purple – Fireball
  • Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself

See the 1971 list here.

1972: Deep Purple – Machine Head

Honorable Mentions:

  • Blue Oyster Cult – Blue Oyster Cult
  • Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards
  • Uriah Heep – The Magician’s Birthday
  • Black Sabbath – Vol. 4
  • Alice Cooper – School’s Out

See the 1972 list here.

1973: Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Honorable Mentions:

  • Montrose – Montrose
  • Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies
  • Blue Oyster Cult – Tyranny and Mutation
  • Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
  • Aerosmith – Aerosmith

See the 1973 list here.

1974: Aerosmith – Get Your Wings

Honorable Mentions:

  • Blue Oyster Cult – Secret Treaties
  • Deep Purple – Burn
  • Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
  • Kiss – Kiss
  • Budgie – In for the Kill!

See the 1974 list here.

1975: Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic

Honorable Mentions:

  • Black Sabbath – Sabotage
  • Alice Cooper – Welcome to My Nightmare
  • Thin Lizzy – Fighting
  • Scorpions – In Trance
  • Rainbow – Rainbow

See the 1975 list here.

1976: Rainbow – Rising

Honorable Mentions:

  • Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
  • Aerosmith – Rocks
  • Judas Priest – Sad Wings of Destiny
  • Blue Oyster Cult – Agents of Fortune
  • AC/DC – High Voltage

See the 1976 list here.

1977: Blue Öyster Cult – Spectres

Honorable Mentions:

  • Thin Lizzy – Bad Reputation
  • AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
  • Judas Priest – Sin After Sin
  • UFO – Lights Out
  • Scorpions – Taken By Force

See the 1977 list here.

1978: Judas Priest – Stained Class

Honorable Mentions:

  • Van Halen – Van Halen
  • Rainbow – Love Live Rock ‘n’ Roll
  • Judas Priest – Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather
  • Ram Jam – Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram
  • AC/DC – Powerage

See the 1978 list here.

1979: AC/DC – Highway to Hell

Honorable Mentions:

  • Scorpions – Lovedrive
  • Van Halen – Van Halen II
  • Motorhead – Overkill
  • Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend
  • Motorhead – Bomber

See the 1979 list here.

Best of the Rest

  • Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar (1977)
  • Kiss – Destroyer (1976)
  • AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
  • Nazareth – Hair of the Dog (1975)
  • UFO – Force It (1975)
  • Gillan – Mr. Universe (1979)

See the 1970s Best of the Rest list here.

12 comments

  2. […] 1970s: The selections from this decade will reflect the eclectic origins and early expressions of metal music (i.e. heavy blues, shock rock, dark psychedelia, acid rock, occult music, etc.). While heavy metal music would grow beyond and transcend these origins as it developed its own unique sound that would solidify by the end of the decade around what is now labelled as “traditional heavy metal”, these diverse origins were reflected throughout the decade. Also, in the 1970s there was no real differentiation yet between heavy metal and what we would now call ‘hard rock’. Many bands from this era crossed or lived on that somewhat arbitrary line between the two. As such, I will utilize a broad definition of heavy metal for this decade. I will tend to stick to a narrower definition of heavy metal for subsequent decades, however if one of these bands puts out a particularly heavy and quality album in a subsequent decade then it can be considered. However, that does not mean that just any band with an electric guitar will be considered for the 1970s. The bands will need to have a certain sonic grit or darkness to them. For example, a rock band like Boston will not be included even though their 1976 self-titled debut is one of my all-time favorite albums period. […]

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