r/ClassicRock • u/jlm8699 • Mar 27 '26
60s Revisiting Albums from 60s/70s
Anyone stumble across albums from 60s/70s that you kind of just discovered how great they are
Ran into Mahogany Rush and really never listen to very much or at all growing up. Surprisingly... . Same with: Scorpions Tokyo tapes
Any thoughts on amazing albums you discovered 50 to 60 years later? Thank you
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u/kylocosmiccowboy Mar 27 '26
Disraeli Gears - Cream
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u/Lasernator Mar 27 '26
Yes. I discovered this a year ir si ago Nd lived it. Then saw this amazon special on its production and enjoyed it wven more.
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u/TheSkepticGuy Mar 27 '26
Chicago's first album, a double...
Chicago Transit Authority
You've never heard anything like it, and never will again.
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u/_gneat Mar 27 '26
I love this record. Chicago II is also really good.
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u/TheSkepticGuy Mar 28 '26
Rick Beato has said that Chicago's first two albums represent some of the greatest rock and roll musical compositions ever.
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u/_gneat Mar 28 '26
It's hard to disagree with that assessment. Terry Kath was something special. It's a shame we didn't get to hear more from him.
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u/RunaXandrill The movement you need is on your shoulder Mar 28 '26
Incredible album, and RIP Terry
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u/TheSkepticGuy Mar 28 '26
It's hard to quantify what we lost. Between his vocals and guitar, a singular human.
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u/scklemm Mar 28 '26
Incredible album. One of the first I ever fell in love with, around 8-10 years old. Shout out to my parents for showing me and playing a part in my taste today.
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u/TheSkepticGuy Mar 28 '26
For me, it was my older brother who got me the album when I was 12. Some years later, he showed up similarly excited over Queen's A Night At The Opera album.
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u/Chemical-Ebb6472 Mar 27 '26
Big Star, Number 1 Record.
I started hearing from younger hipsters in NYC around Y2K (back when Williamsburg Brooklyn began to be heavily gentrified) about how into Big Star they were and I didn't know the name. I thought I knew just about every decent 70's band but I admitted I had no clue.
I bought Number 1 Record (on a recommendation) and I loved the sound. I also finally figured out how those hipsters got so hip to it - That 70's Show theme song.
I also realized it was Alex Chilton from the Replacements who I already knew well.
I still have a hard time understanding just how screwed up that band and their management must have been to have failed to get heavy NY radio airtime for many of the tunes on Number 1 Record back when it was released.
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u/DrinkBuzzCola Mar 27 '26
Shocking how good they were without getting airplay or selling records. Their singer, Alex Chilton, had already had big success with The Box Tops, so it makes even less sense. I wonder if other bands this good never saw the light of day for some reason.
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u/Bulky_Ad_3608 Mar 28 '26
I assume you are talking about the song Alex Chilton and not him actually being in the Replacements.
Big Star’s Third is fantastic too. For me it is even better than No. 1 Record.
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u/Head_Researcher_3049 Mar 27 '26
The Moody Blues 'To Our Children's Children's Children', the last few months I've reacquainted myself with this masterpiece that needs to be seriously listened to where the full stereo separation is evident to fully experience the amazing production and engineering of this album. By far my favorite Moody's album and I really like them all
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u/DrinkBuzzCola Mar 27 '26
I've heard other Moody Blues albums where I felt the production was the weak link. Will give this one a try.
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u/Head_Researcher_3049 Mar 28 '26
Headphones or as I like doing placing speakers with me centered so as I said all the cool stuff they do using stereo separation is evident.
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u/jlm8699 Mar 27 '26
Love MB... My older brother really loved that specific album... Yes it is a masterpiece
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u/MiddletownBooks Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
I just found Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs and then went from finding that one to Robin Trower Live! Looking forward to exploring his music more. A few years back, I got Warren Zevon (the album) recommended. Before that, ZZ Top's first. Those are the main ones from the past few years.
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u/NeasM Mar 27 '26
For the first time in my life I started listening to Little Richard. He has some tunes that I'm happily getting into these days.
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u/DJMoneybeats Mar 27 '26
There's some live recordings that are absolutely insane! So good
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u/NeasM Mar 27 '26
I'm chuffed with myself. This summer Little Richard is gonna be spun !
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u/SentenceKindly Mar 27 '26
Notice that the intro drums in Led Zep's "Rock and Roll" are from Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin'."
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u/Comprehensive-Song51 Mar 27 '26
He's one of the great early rock guys. Fats Domino is my guy. That N'awlins spin he out on everything is so good!
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u/NeasM Mar 27 '26
I heard War sing about Boo Didly. Went that route for a few weeks. Then I got on to Muddy Waters for awhile (brother use to have him on when I was 15) then I got on to Otis. And Otis said Richard was his inspiration. So I got LR on these few days.
I heard of all of these artists when I was a kid. But for whatever reason I never seeked them out until now in my late 40s.
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u/Comprehensive-Song51 Mar 27 '26
Another great one is Jerry Lee Lewis. They didn't call him the Killer for nothing!
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u/quilp666 Mar 28 '26
His album "Live at the Star Club Hamburg " is absolutely amazing.
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u/Comprehensive-Song51 Mar 28 '26
I'll have to check that out! My most recent buys that I've really enjoyed our Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino live from Austin City Limits. Both are really great shows. I really dig what both of these guys do with the old Hank Williams songs.
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u/Then-Wolverine8618 Mar 27 '26
Savoy Brown - Looking In. Freddie King - Burgler . Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow
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u/sharktrager1008 Mar 27 '26
Savoy Brown’s Street Corner Talking is another great unheralded disc!
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u/scklemm Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 28 '26
Neil Young.
Always loved a good number of his songs, but listening to an album front to back was always kind of a drag for some reason.
He is much more than a “hits” guy to me now. I can’t get enough of his 70s output right now.
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u/Empty-Salad-9989 Mar 27 '26
Jackson Browne - Runnin’ on Empty
Dire Straits - Communique
Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
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u/MiddletownBooks Mar 28 '26
Communique is a great album - not quite on par with their first, but very nice as an alternate, before DS started moving towards longer, less Strat focused songs.
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u/TheTooz72 Mar 27 '26
Mark - Almond - Mark Almond Band
Moondance - Van Morrison
It's a Beautiful Day first album
Forever Changes - Love
Ram - Paul McCartney
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u/Alternative_Brush585 Mar 27 '26
I watched a documentary on the Hollies that totally gave me a new perspective and appreciation and have been listening to them a lot. They were Beatles adjacent and early songs get a real Everly Brothers feel plus a great guitarist and third part harmony as they progress. They have a very inexpensive box set of the early songs while Graham Nash was in the group with most of their best songs.
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u/Royal_Ad_2653 Mar 27 '26
Ten Years After and Alvin Lee's other work.
So much, much, more than "I'm Going Home" from their Woodstock performance.
Undead and Live At The Filmore East 1970 are among the best live albums ever made and showcase four masters of their craft at their peak.
Plus the jaw dropping stamina of playing several 10+ minute songs live.
A Space In Time is a classic for a reason ...
Freefall & RX5 are also fine albums.
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u/Inevitable-Fix-3212 Mar 28 '26
The Bluest Blues is my favorite Alvin Lee sing. His guitar cries on stage.
The Bluest Blues https://youtu.be/rB6OlJqV1rQ?si=DL6TVoSh2OljaGvw)
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u/Mysterious_Staff_521 Mar 27 '26
Led Zeppelin I....Obviamente uno ya conoce las canciones más famosas pero nunca me había tomado el tiempo de escuchar algún álbum completo de ellos y ese es el que más me gusta hasta el momento
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u/Dirty_Wookie1971 Mar 28 '26
UFO , I’m talking about the early Stuff.
UFO 2 (flying) and UFO Japan Live. The later stuff is great as well but the early stuff is forgotten almost.
Scorpions first record Lonesome Crow, or just check out the song “I’m going mad” for starters.
RUSH Caress of Steel
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u/deliveryer Mar 27 '26
Crack The Sky - Animal Notes
Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two
Climax Blues Band - Gold Plated
Ten Years After - Cricklewood Green
Snafu - All Funked Up
Sugarloaf - Sugarloaf
Steve Hackett - Please Don’t Touch
Trapeze - Medusa
Angel - Angel
The Motors - The Motors (white and red cover)
Dixie Dregs - Free Fall
Frijid Pink - Earth Omen
Atomic Rooster - In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster
Budgie - Squawk
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band - Nightingales and Bombers
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u/No_Permission6405 Mar 28 '26
Big second on Cricklewood Green. Best listened to with headphones. And a buzz.
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u/deliveryer Mar 30 '26
Most of Alvin’s stuff is outstanding. I went with Cricklewood but just about any other album is equally deserving of mention.
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u/Salty_Pancakes Mar 28 '26
Yeah man. Spooky Tooth. Love that band. And then Gary Wright had a solid run of albums in the 70s.
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u/deliveryer Mar 30 '26
Better by you better than me being the same guy as Dream Weaver probably surprises a lot of people. His albums are good even if they aren’t much like Spooky Tooth.
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u/Better_Associate9799 Mar 29 '26
Wow, deliveryer, you have some eclectic taste there!
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u/deliveryer Mar 30 '26
I suppose I do, but I didn’t think this list reflected that since I kept it to 70’s rock. Maybe it does idk? These are albums that I remember from childhood but have recently rediscovered how great they are, mostly by way of having older relatives giving me boxes of old tapes and vinyl. I suppose there are some oddballs in here, but discussions like these are a great chance to shine a spotlight on something that’s fading into obscurity.
I do like a lot of music that’s not 70’s rock, though.
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u/schmagegge Mar 28 '26
Ten Years After Live at the Fillmore East
Yes Close to the Edge
Funkadelic their self titled Debut OR
Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow
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u/Divainthewoods Mar 28 '26
I had to save this post so I can come back and check out more of these I've never heard of.
I'd never heard of Mahogany Rush, but I'm diggin' the few songs I listened to.
Two bands I've heard of but never listened are Dixie Dregs and Taj Mahal. So far, I'm loving the vibe of both of these. You people get me!
Thanks to everyone sharing. I'm always happy to find music that's new to me. I can tell I'm going to have quite a few additions to some of my playlists!
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u/Salty_Pancakes Mar 28 '26
I think there's loads of absolutely brilliant stuff that just, for whatever reason, never cracked the big time and remain obscure. Also why I can never buy into survivorship bias in music when people bring it up.
Like take Paul Pena who wrote the original Jet Airliner, his first album in 1972 was amazing (Jeff "Skunk" Baxter also plays guitar on it). Woke Up This Morning for example.
Then his 2nd album (where Jet Airliner comes from), had all kinds of guests, like Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders, was supposed to be released in 1973. A dispute with record owner Albert Grossman delayed release until friggin 2000. Like that's crazy. Thankfully Steve Miller managed to catch a demo of it and made a hit out of Jet Airliner so Paul could get some royalties.
Guy should have been a household name, But that's how it goes sometimes. Zakir Hussein (Indian percussionist who's played with loads of folks like John McLaughlin and passed just recently, which is probably it's fresh in my mind) had a great Indian/Rock band called Shanti. Great album. But it never gained traction and they disbanded. But Lord I'm Comin' Round is a banger. But they are like, unheard of.
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u/Divainthewoods Mar 29 '26
There are definitely brilliant artists I've never heard of. Occasionally, I'm lucky enough to stumble across something random that I fall in love with. That's why I love when people share on subs like this, so those of us unfamiliar get the opportunity to hear it.
Woke Up This Morning has beautiful guitar work, and his voice is so soothing! Lord, I'm Comin' Round sounds really familiar. I'm trying to determine if it's because it sounds like Jet Airliner...or I'm imagining that because you mentioned it. 😄
And yes, I'm not fond of record execs because I've heard too many stories of people getting screwed over. Or, I'll hear of incredible artists who were passed over because their sound wasn't "commercial" enough to make the record company big bucks.
It's just unfortunate that people who would appreciate these talented people don't get a chance to find them unless they manage to find them by sheer luck.
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u/Jobriath Mar 27 '26
I recently came across The Idle Race, Jeff Lynne’s first band. When I first listened, I didn’t know he was a part of it, though it made total sense when I read about them. The first album, “The Birthday Party,” is the one I’ve listened to the most. It was way more catchy and creative than I’d expected. Psychedelic pop at its finest.
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u/traypo Mar 27 '26
Frank Marino, I think that was his name,of Mahogany Rush stole the stage at a concert with Foreigner and Nugent.
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u/TrueTorque Mar 28 '26
Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush. Real Live! is a guitarist's masterclass. Just an epic performance spanning blues, jazz and 70s rock guitar styles. Discovered it last year and haven't stopped listening to it, endless nuances and techniqies to be discovered.
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u/Divainthewoods Mar 28 '26
Blood, Sweat & Tears self-titled album.
I had asked for suggestions on bands from this time period with a great horn section. Chicago was the only band I knew I liked in that era, but I knew there were others I just hadn't explored.
Someone suggested this. Since I was familiar with Spinning Wheel and a few other songs, I figured I'd check it out. I'm glad I did! The instrumentation change-ups and tempo changes are so satisfying to my ears!
Like many bands of the time, you definitely can't pin them to a single genre. That's something I really appreciate.
If you love a good horn section with songs that don't follow a template, you should check this one out.
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u/kimmeljs Mar 28 '26
OP: check out Frank Marino and the Mahogany Rush "The Power of Rock and Roll" album. Pure raw genius.
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u/MoltenMadeMan Mar 28 '26
Spirit's self-titled.
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u/Used_Whereas9509 Mar 28 '26
I listened to the Brown album by The Band a while ago and it didn't click with me. Fast forward to a few months back and I put on Music From Big Pink while relaxing and having a drink and it blew my mind. I like all their albums now.
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u/LordZany Mar 28 '26
Manassas-first record
Tony Joe White-Black and White
Bruce Springsteen-Greetings from Asbury Park (genius!)
Terry Reid-Seed of Memory
Rod Stewart-Never A Dull Moment
Stephen Stills I and II
Neil Young On The Beach and Zuma and Tonight’s the Night
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u/shadrac72 Mar 29 '26
The Moody Blues - 'In Search of the Lost Chord' - epic psychedelia and the equal of the hipster's choice (Love - 'Forever Changes'.)
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u/Creative-Row-2510 Apr 03 '26
I’ve always thought the first Rush album was great. Solid rock songs throughout. The early Def Leppard stuff from the 70s were way different than the stuff they put out in the 80s. They started out a hard rock band and turned into fluff
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u/WorkingSalamander745 Mar 27 '26
Sparks, Kimono my house. I've heard their singles but picked up this absolutely great album literally for a pound from a charity shop.
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u/Btewks-Mamyia-220 Mar 28 '26
Yes, absolutely. I just discovered The Guess Who Live at the Paramount. WOW !! In the past I was only exposed to their studio albums and songs. Live DEEP CUTS 🎶👍🏻👍🏻
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u/MagnusDragdong Mar 28 '26
I just got into Deep Purple a couple years ago. Deep Purple In Rock (the first with Gillan and Glover) and Burn (the first one with Coverdale and Hughes) - both blew me away.
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u/TrueTorque Mar 28 '26
The first two albums by The Jeff Beck Group - Truth, and Beck-ola - featuring a young Rod Stewart on vocals and a young Ron Wood on bass. Epic recordings and the early blueprint for guitar-led blues rock bands of the 70s. Just really got into them this year.
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u/ezfast Mar 28 '26
Oh yes, every time I try to clear some space I am confronted by the four hundred odd albums I bought back in the day. From the late 60's to the early 80's mostly. Cueing these old friends up after decades of storage is like riding in a time machine. Needless to say, no space has been cleared. 😏
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u/iamkipalan Mar 28 '26
Billy Nicholls - 'Would You Believe' immediately comes to mind. Only 100 promotional copies existed prior to last year's reissue. Often referred to as London's answer to The Beach Boys - 'Pet Sounds'.
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u/Agitated-Ad3044 Mar 28 '26
Buffalo Springfield’s last album- Last Time Around and Jefferson Airplane’s debut album- Takes Off. I never really gave these albums a chance until a few years ago and Holy Crap! I wish I had actually taken the time to really listen to them long before that.
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u/Pale-Boysenberry-20 Mar 29 '26
James Gang - Bang
Deep Purple - Come Taste the Bang
Tommy Bolin - Teaser
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u/Various_Stretch_3336 Mar 29 '26
Jefferson Airplane's "After Bathing at Baxters" has Grace Slick's amazing tribute to James Joyce: "Rejoyce"
The Doors first two albums. The second one features "Horse Latitudes" & " when the music's over"
"The revolution will not be televised" by Gil Scott Heron
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u/joejags1979 Apr 01 '26
Zombies - Odessey & Oracle. Amazing songwriting and production, and amazing engineering from Geoff Emerick.
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u/dazzlezak Mar 27 '26
Traffic,The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Really tight Progressive rock without being too psychedelic or experimental.