17 More Best Albums of 1974

Dear Rolling Stone....

Last week, the Rolling Stone revisionist history team of music writers released their curated list of the best albums of 1974. Rolling Stone called it the “74 Best Albums of 74.” Cute.

I was in 11th grade in 1974. I lived, breathed, smoked, fooled around, fell in love, fucked around & fucked up, etc. to many of these records, some that I still listen to today. I’ll admit, I was surprised that they chose the best Neil Young album, On The Beach, as their number one. As Neil sings on a song from that lp, “Walk On”: “Some get stoned, some get strange, sooner or later it all gets real.” It’s a line I’ve carried through my life.

While I agree that many (not all) the records on their list deserve to be on it, there were some noticeable absences. Like Bad Fucking Company. Like Zappa’s Apostrophe. Like Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s Winter In America. Like one of the best funk albums by white Scottish guys ever, Average White Band. And of course one of THEE greatest ambient/space whatever albums ever by Tangerine Dream. I mean, come on. Space is the place.

The RS list follows Paste’s 30 Best albums of 1974, published this past March. There’s a lot of overlap on the consensus records, and there are some surprises on both.

Having the actual benefit of being a teenager in 1974, when many of these records below ruled and continued to rule my life, here’s 17 albums that I present to you for consideration as “best of” contenders as well that should have been on the list. But that would have blown Rolling Stone’s “cute” concept.

(PS, how about that new Kung Fu Kenny lp?)

(PSS, lemme know what I forgot from ‘74)

Todd Rundgren - Todd - Always a wizard and a true star.

Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs - A true stoner rock classic

Weather Report - Mysterious Traveler - A classic fusion entry to the trad side of jazz.

Little Feat - Feats Don't Fail Me Now - Pure proto-Americana. One of my favorite all time bands.

Average White Band - AWB - Playing that funky music, white boys.

Robert Palmer - Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley - Robert, before he was big. Worth the price of admission for the first three songs. The personnel on this LP are ridiculous: Lowell George (Little Feat), The Meters, Bernard Purdie, Cornell Dupree, Steve Winwood. But mostly it’s The Meters and RP funkin’ it up.

Ry Cooder - Paradise and Lunch - I’d argue that those who know, know. Don’t know? Read this.

Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard - E.C. strung out in Florida, scores a big hit with a Bob Marley song.

Fleetwood Mac - Heroes Are Hard To Find - Pre-Buckingham/Nicks. The last lp with Bob Welch before he left the band. A little less than two years later they’d become the biggest band in the world.

Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson - Winter In America - “The Bottle” is a dancefloor classic despite its harrowing warning about alcohol. The the title track from the album is part of a musical document that journalist/DJ John Morrison called “a detailed and panoramic look at the state of Black America at the time.”

Jorma Kaukonen - Quah - (Mostly) Solo acoustic beauty from the dude who used to be in Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.

Bad Company - Bad Company - A Camaro rock classic.

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe. Is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?

Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Snow - A underrated 70s singer-songwriter classic

Quincy Jones - Body Heat - In which Q assembles a who’s who of playahs and singers: Herbie Hancock, Bernard Purdie, Wah Wah Watson, Bob James, Leon Ware, Billy Preston, Minnie Ripperton, Dave Grusin, + more.

Blue Magic - Blue Magic - A TSOP Philly soul classic

Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado - One of ELO’s best; an understated concept album about fantasy.

Tangerine Dream - Phaedra - Tune in, turn on - at least for the 17 minute title song.