The 25 best albums of 1975

1 September 2023, 19:19

Let's recall the best albums of the mid-70s: Wish You Were Here, Venus & Mars, Physical Graffiti, Young Americans, A Night At The Opera... and more!

1. Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks: release date 20th January 1975

   Ignore the underwhelming artwork, Bob's fifteenth album includes some classics: Tangled Up In Blue, Shelter From The Storm and You're A Big Girl Now.

   

2. John Lennon - Rock & Roll: release date 17th February 1975

   Lennon's last album for five years started life as a way of getting out of the legal action he'd incurred for "borrowing" a section of a Chuck Berry song for the Beatles track Come Together. Tasked with covering some of the aggrieved publisher's back catalogue, John takes a trip through some old favourites - complete with a cover photo of the man with his Beatle comrades in Hamburg at the start of the 60s. Tunes included Stand By Me, Be-Bop-A-Lula and Ain't That A Shame.

   

3. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti: release date 24th February 1975

   The hard rock legends were at the height of their powers in '75, headlining five nights at Earls Court n London that May. Physical Graffiti was their only studio-recorded double album and their first on their own Swan Song label. Tracks included In My Time Of Dying, Trampled Under Foot and the epic Kashmir.

   

4. Alice Cooper – Welcome to My Nightmare: release date 28th February 1975

   Cooper became a solo artist on this album (as opposed to Alice Cooper, the band), which featured the international hit Only Women Bleed, later covered by Julie Covington.

   

5. David Bowie - Young Americans: release date 7th March 1975

   Bowie's eighth album saw the superstar take on soul and R&B. The title track and the collaboration with John Lennon, Fame, were both hits and gave Bowie a huge boost in the USA.

   

6. 10cc - The Original Soundtrack: release date 11th March 1975

   Stockport's finest art rockers released what's considered their finest album; their third outing includes the all-time classic I'm Not In Love, plus the quirky Life Is A Minestrone.

   

7. Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic: release date 8th April 1975

   The third album from Steven Tyler and Joe Perry's blues rockers included Sweet Emotion and the original version of Walk This Way, later the famous collaboration between Aerosmith and Run DMC.

   

8. Elton John – Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy: release date 19th May 1975

   Elton's ninth studio album included the classic Someone Saved My Life Tonight.

   

9. Paul McCartney & Wings - Venus And Mars: release date 27th May 1975

   Macca's fourth album under the Wings umbrella saw the arrival of guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton and a hit in Listen To What The Man Said. There's also the unexpected addition of a cover of the theme tune to TV soap Crossroads, but he was a Beatle so he can do what he likes.

   

10. Eagles – One Of These Nights: release date 10th June 1975

    The fourth studio album from the LA country rockers included the hits Lyin' Eyes, Take It To the Limit and the title track. The epic instrumental Journey Of The Sorcerer later became famous as the theme tune to the series The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

    

11. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac: release date 11th July 1975

    The band's second eponymous album (!) saw the recruitment of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, cementing the line-up that would record the Rumours album two years later. The album includes Nick's song Rhiannon, a huge international hit.

    

12. Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing: release date 15th August 1975

    Rod's sixth solo album marked (as the title suggests), the singer's relocation to Los Angeles and included the monster hits Sailing and I Don't Want To Talk About It.

    

13. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run: release date 25th August 1975

    The Boss's third studio album was a huge commercial success, spawning the epic title track and the songs Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and Thunder Road.

    

14. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby: release date 27th August 1975

    The American singer's second album saw her working with German composer and producer Giorgio Moroder on the disco classic title track, which takes up the whole of side one of this LP.

    

15. Electric Light Orchestra – Face The Music: release date 1st September 1975

    Jeff Lynne's orchestral rockers issued their fifth album, which saw them head in a more pop direction, producing the Top 10 hit Evil Woman.

    

16. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: release date 12th September 1975

    The ninth album from the British prog rock titans was the follow-up to the mammoth-selling Dark Side Of The Moon and included the epic suite Shine On You Crazy Diamond and the poignant title track.

    

17. The Who - The Who By Numbers: release date 3rd October 1975

    The seventh studio album from the British rock band included the singles Squeeze Box and Slip Kid.

    

18. Sparks - Indiscreet: release date 10th October 1975

    Russel and Ron Mael's fifth album was their last one with their British backing band that brought them fame on their Kimono My House LP; the brothers would return to LA for their next outing. Indiscreet was produced by Tony Visconti - on a break from Bowie albums - who orchestrated the likes of Get In The Swing and Looks Looks Looks.

    

19. Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years: release date 17th October 1975

    Simon's fourth solo album included the famous title track and the hit 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.

    

20. Roxy Music - Siren: release date 24th October 1975

    The fifth album from Bryan Ferry's art rockers includes the hits Both Ends Burning and Love Is The Drug. Jerry Hall was the cover model, photographed at South Stack Lighthouse in Anglesey.

    

21. Kraftwerk - Radio-Activity: release date October 1975

    The German techo pioneers' fifth album was their most experimental yet: a conceptual piece about radio and the dangers of nuclear power, the record was issued shortly after Kraftwerk toured the UK in September 1975, influencing a generation of British synth-pop artists including OMD and The Human League.

    

22. Patti Smith - Horses: release date 10th November 1975

    Smith's iconic debut album was one of the catalysts for punk and included her cover of the standard Gloria.

    

23. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma: release date 10th November 1975

    The seventh album from Young was another collaboration with the band Crazy Horse and included the track Cortez The Killer.

    

24. Brian Eno - Another Green World: release date 14th November 1975

    Eno's third solo album after his departure from Roxy Music saw him head in a new direction: ambient music. This enormously influential album included contributions from Phil Collins, John Cale and Robert Fripp.

    

25. Queen - A Night At The Opera: release date 21st November 1975

    The British rock band's fourth album was a landmark in their career: aside from the enormously popular single Bohemian Rhapsody (No 1 for nine weeks), it also included Love Of My Life and You're My Best Friend.