(Credits: Far Out / Album Covers)
When we talk about progression in music, different decades are responsible for very different things. For instance, the 1960s gave us specific recording techniques and helped artists better manage their fame. Thanks to bands like The Beatles, the ocean was no longer a factor when it came to success, and different variations of rock ‘n’ roll made their way around the world.
The ’70s did something very different. If you consider the ‘60s the decade when the music industry well and truly found its feet, the ‘70s was when it started running. Bands were encouraged to experiment, genres began to overlap and contort, new styles of music were made and championed, and it suddenly felt like there really was something for everyone.
This meant that subgenres of subgenres were created, while other styles of music, such as disco and funk, also became incredibly important and started to top the charts. With so much variety, the top ten best-selling albums of the decade are a real mixed bag, and it’s exciting to see the genrelessness that music champions today slowly started to take effect decades ago.
Of course, while the ten best-selling albums might be a mixed bag, that doesn’t mean they can’t all be rated. These are the best-selling records of the 1970s, ranked from the worst to the best.
The 10 best-selling albums of the 1970s:
10. Grease – Soundtrack
When Grease the movie came out, it completely took the world by storm. The upbeat musical about hopeless romantics and forgotten dreams was enticing, so much so that everyone who watched immediately wanted to learn the songs and dances that came with it. As a result, the Grease soundtrack was one of the best-selling albums of the ‘70s.
While there is no denying songs such as ‘Grease Lightning’, ‘You’re the One That I Want’ and ‘Summer Nights’ are classics, they weren’t revolutionary when it came to music as a whole. They deserve their place in history, but when it comes to this list, some albums deserve a place higher.
9. Their Greatest Hits 1971 – 1975 – Eagles
Many people call the Eagles the US version of The Beatles, and when you consider their impact, it’s easy to see why. The way that the band were able to merge country music with rock was utterly revolutionary. People were so infatuated with the band that Their Greatest Hits compilation was one of the best-selling albums of a whole decade.
Similar to the Grease soundtrack, while the Eagles’ influence cannot be denied, ranking a compilation any higher than number nine would also feel unjust. The Eagles’ individual albums are of much more note, and who knows, there may be one further down this list.
8. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Elton John’s influence on music was relentless. Every song he wrote had the potential to be a hit, as his music straddled the line between fun and emotive. One album that best represents his broad range was his 1973 record Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
This was John’s seventh studio album and remains one of his most successful. At 17 tracks long, it’s no quick listen; the album features hits such as ‘Bennie and the Jets’, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, and ‘Candle in the Wind’, all of which are now renowned as some of the singer’s classics.
7. Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf is a relatively divisive figure in rock music. While many people were infatuated with his operatic vocal style, others found it lacking substance. Regardless of your opinion of him, given the success of his debut album, Bat Out of Hell, there is no escaping that he had a significant impact on the musical world.
Released in 1977, Bat Out of Hell is still seen by many as a legendary rock album. Tribute bands continued to travel around the world performing some of the iconic hits contained within this record, and that legacy can’t be overlooked.
6. Saturday Night Fever – Bee Gees
Forget the ‘70s; when it came out, Saturday Night Fever was one of the best-selling albums in music history. It saw the Bee Gees embrace a new direction, one that had disco and funk at its heart and that utterly captured the nation in a matter of moments.
While this song was also a soundtrack for a movie, the originality of the record and the fact that it acts as a pinnacle for one of the biggest genres of the ‘70s means it’s hard to ignore the influence of this record, given how big disco was in the ’70s and how alive and well so many of these songs still are in listeners worldwide.
5. The Wall – Pink Floyd
The moment Pink Floyd stopped trying to write hits and was willing to plunge headfirst into the realm of concept albums, slow build-ups, and big payoffs was a pivotal moment not just for the band but for the music industry as a whole. Pink Floyd built their own world within the confines of their records, and The Wall is a fantastic example of this kind of music coming together.
While a lot of people thought that the album was a bit long-winded and couldn’t step into the footprints left by its predecessor, Dark Side of the Moon, it is still a triumphant piece of music. The Wall still holds up as one of the greatest rock albums ever made and is impossible not to get on the right side of.
4. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Chaos and music are often synonymous. In many workplaces, if there are arguments and tension, the product of that work group is often underwhelming. However, in music, sometimes, that chaos can create something exceptional. Rumours is an example of a volatile environment producing something otherworldly.
Relationships within the band, substance abuse, and general hostility gave people the heightened emotions necessary to make a masterpiece. Rumours could also be called “The Rise and Fall of Fleetwood Mac” as it represented the band at its very best and gave us insight into what would break them up. It was a commercial success and seems just as culturally relevant today as it did when it came out.
3. Hotel California – Eagles
While a compilation album gives people a good insight into what a band can make as a whole, there is something about the sacred nature of an album that continues to prevail. Hotel California showed the Eagles at their very best. There were elements of rock and country, as people had come to expect, but they were dialled to 11, creating some of the biggest ballads the band had ever made that still hold up today.
Described by Slash as a “Killer riff,” the minute the opening track ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ kicks in, it’s clear that the band don’t intend on messing around. From there on, the Eagles refused to let up. The classic song on the album is the titular ‘Hotel California’, which has one of the best guitar solos ever written and is an ambitious track.
2. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
It takes a big album to make people question the validity of a masterpiece like The Wall, but that’s exactly what Dark Side of the Moon did. The band had always been psychedelic, but that didn’t always resonate with rock purists. As Jimi Hendrix said, “Here’s one thing I hate, man. When these cats say, ‘Look at the band. They’re playing psychedelic music!’ All they’re doing is flashing lights on them and playing ‘Johnny B Goode’ with the wrong chords.”
With Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd showed just how much power there was in psychedelic music. It wasn’t just a more trippy version of rock; it was layered and complex and allowed bands to break rules that other rock acts might be confined by. Psychedelic music suddenly had to be taken much more seriously, and Pink Floyd pioneered this mindset.
1. Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
The ‘70s welcomed a period of experimentation for many bands. The straight-up rock ‘n’ roll of the ‘60s was left in the past, and while bands still drew on it for inspiration, styles of music were merged, the lines between genres were crossed, and artists were suddenly encouraged to break the rules. No artist is a better example of this mindset than Led Zeppelin, and their iconic record Led Zeppelin IV is one of the best albums released in the ‘70s.
A combination of acoustic music, classical music, rock, blues and big heavy choruses, Led Zeppelin IV isn’t just a great-sounding album; it’s an album that reflects the forward-thinking nature of artists from that generation. It stands as one of Zeppelin’s very best and reflects what people were thinking during an exciting period in music.
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