10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The '70s

10. A New World Record - Electric Light Orchestra

There's a common misconception that rock really did achieve perfection somewhere in the mid '70s. Although a lot of the albums on this list showcase that claim, there were a bunch of albums that also had a bit more bloat than people were willing to admit. If you want to see how you use that kind of bloat to your advantage though, all you have to do is look to Jeff Lynne.

Behind that glorious '70s perm and shades is one of the most sophisticated rock writers since the '60s, with A New World Record being one of the crowning achievements of his career. Though the bones of Electric Light Orchestra comes from the rest of the musicians around him, Lynne's work shows you how far you can go by just being a master of melody, from the opening string flourishes of Tightrope to the stacked walls of sound on songs like Do Ya.

While it may sound like a generic '70s rock album of the time, the production on this is incredibly tight, along with having some of the most beautiful melodies of the decade like on songs like Telephone Line. Even though you could call this the point where the '70s got a little too self indulgent, when has that ever been that bad of a thing?