1974
Some great albums, but overall not a very strong year for me. I struggle with
Genesis'
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. It contains some of my very favorite songs by the band (the stretch from "Counting Out Time" to "Anyway" - skip "The Waiting Room" - is epic), but I struggle with much of the rest. By the time "It" comes around I've had enough of songs passing by with no highs and it's actually quite a painful song to get through. There's just a lot of material on this album that simply isn't good or engaging. Were it a regular length album containing all my favorites, I could deal with a few sub-par songs and depending on their placement it could even be a 5-star album. But as it is I'm constantly battling between 3.5 due to 1/2 of it being lackluster and 4 because the good songs are so damn perfect and they might tip the scale. So that explains its placement on my list. I want to love it more...but it's kind of a mess.
The Rolling Stones'
It’s Only Rock 'n’ Roll may seem high on the list for an album that isn't talked about much, but it's really consistent and solid. The hits aren't as good as those on
Goats Head Soup for example, but its lows are better making it more consistent. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just that they're both deserving.
And finally, I don't think I could put up much of an argument if someone told me
Richard & Linda Thompson should take the 3rd spot. But I'm not going to continue agonizing over this list.
1.
King Crimson -
Red
2.
Eloy -
Floating
3.
The Rolling Stones -
It’s Only Rock 'n’ Roll
4.
Big Star -
Radio City
5.
Richard & Linda Thompson -
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
6.
Genesis -
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
7.
Queen -
Sheer Heart Attack
8.
Brian Eno -
Here Come the Warm Jets
9.
Brian Eno -
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
10.
Camel -
Mirage
