Ever since the birth of rock & roll, popular music has done more to define the spirit of each passing decade than any other form of popular culture. As each new generation has come to embrace new bands and adopted new musical heroes, certain albums have emerged as classics —albums that have come to form an unmistakable soundtrack to the decade. This series is a celebration of this music—of the “must have” albums that everyone once longed to own; the music that each new generation first partied to, fell in love to, tuned in to and turned on to.
The 70s saw the last of the Beatles’ album top the charts, along with the close harmonies of the Eagles, the love songs of Fleetwood Mac and Carole King, the pop folk of Cat Stevens and Joni Mitchell, the best work from piano balladeers Elton John and Billy Joel, and hard rock from Led Zeppelin and prog rock from Pink Floyd. But the list of huge names that we have not forgotten goes on: also bestsellers in the decade were Neil Young, Queen, The Who, Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, John Denver, Supertramp, James Taylor and Janis Joplin, among many others.
In 100 Best Selling Albums of the 70s, each album entry is accompanied by the original sleeve artwork – front and back – and is packed full of facts and recording information, including a complete track listing, musician and production credits, and an authoritative commentary on the record and its place in cultural history. The data is collated from figures provided by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
With vinyl sales at their highest in 25 years, 100 Best Selling Albums of the 70s is an expert celebration of popular music from Rumours to Let It Be, from Dark Side of the Moon to Hotel California, from Saturday Night Fever to Grease.
