10 Underrated Classic Rock Albums Of The '70s
Wings and the diamonds in the rough from Rock's Golden Age.
The '70s are typically heralded as the golden age of rock and roll. No matter what type of rock music you are into, chances are some of its best material came out just at as the '70s got underway. The classics of this era tend to get such a halo effect around them that some pretty great albums end up getting left by the wayside.
As opposed to the classics, these are the albums that never seem to get the praise they are due. Granted, some of these artists have had their fair share of classics already under their belt, but these records deserve to be celebrated for their subtle strokes of genius. Whether it was the band trying something different or getting back to their roots, these records run the gamut from danceable to rattling the rafters.
Some of these albums are even from artists who didn't get their just due as legends of the genre. Even if these records didn't get the attention back in the day, the riffs still hold up as some of the greatest to come from these bands' amplifiers.
10. Mind Games - John Lennon
As the rock world reached the mid '70s, the lives of the Beatles became more and more complicated. Out of all the band members, John Lennon may have taken it the hardest, with his peaceful protests and political tirades causing much more controversy than he could have imagined. In the midst of it all came Mind Games, which brought all of the madness of the rock and roll lifestyle back to Earth.
From the title track onwards, the album is coated in a pillowy softness that gives you the feeling of soaring above the clouds. Instead of the musical prophet of the early years, Lennon comes off as a man content with his past days of being in the public eye. While the actual music may fall on the bland side for some fans, the actual rock songs like "Tight A$" and "Meat City" show that the young rocker behind songs like "Day Tripper" was still accounted for.
In spite of the bad blood of the time, the album features "I Know," which serves as a nice way of putting Lennon's past squabbles with Paul McCartney to rest. This probably isn't the most high-energy album from Lennon, but when you remove all the fluff, he was still a damn good songwriter.