AllMusic Loves 1970

Early in 1970, the Beatles broke up, thereby bringing a symbolic end to the '60s and, if you look at the year as a whole, it's possible to see the previous decade fracturing into a million little pieces. It's not just that the Fab Four went four separate ways: Holland/Dozier/Holland, the songwriting engine behind Motown at their peak, got their new venture Invictus off the ground; Grateful Dead went back to their folk roots; James Brown hit the one even harder and invented modern funk; Van Morrison and Neil Young established definitive personalities outside their earlier groups; Miles Davis blazed new jazz-rock trails with Bitches Brew; Merle Haggard kick-started the Western Swing Revival; Eric Clapton ran from Cream into the confessional confines of Derek & the Dominos. Album rock began to thrive just as AM pop entered a golden period, balancing bubblegum with soft rock. In retrospect, it was a golden age for almost every style imaginable, as veterans produced vital work, newcomers like Elton John made a name for themselves, and the blueprints for classic rock, classic soul, and classic pop were all established, thereby giving us plenty of reasons to love 1970.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine [Spotify]
I love the first Charlie Daniels album to death, just as much as the Faces' debut First Step, which has "Three Button Hand Me Down," the greatest song ever written about a suit and, if I'm in the right mood, a candidate for the greatest rock & roll song ever written. Neither album made my 1970 list, which illustrates the year's exceedingly deep bench. This year not only brings tons of timeless albums -- and not just Led Zeppelin III, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Moondance, Workingman's Dead, the kind of records that always make best-ever lists, but also Loaded, Tumbleweed Connection, Lola, the records that float between classic and cult albums -- it also is the high watermark for Invictus Records, which rivals Stiff Records as my favorite label ever. Really, this year had way too much music I love to be confined to 20 albums and 20 singles, or even the Spotify list that accompanies this feature. Use this as a starting point and discover your favorites from there.

The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Randy Newman - 12 Songs
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
The Kinks - Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1
Derek & the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Todd Rundgren - Runt
Badfinger - No Dice
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Paul McCartney - McCartney
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead
Merle Haggard - A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World
Sir Douglas Quintet - Together After Five
Allen Toussaint - From a Whisper to a Scream
Elton John - Elton John
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Paul Williams - Someday Man
MC5 - Back in the USA

Crabby Appleton - "Go Back"
Flaming Ember - "Westbound #9"
The Spinners - "It's a Shame"
Sly & the Family Stone - "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
Dave Edmunds - "I Hear You Knocking"
Free - "All Right Now"
Freda Payne - "Band of Gold"
The Chairmen of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"
The Move - "Brontosaurus"
Randy Newman - "Gone Dead Train"
Van Morrison - "Domino"
John Lennon - "Instant Karma"
Led Zeppelin - "Hey Hey What Can I Do"
Waylon Jennings - "The Taker"
The Who - "The Seeker"
The Delfonics - "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"
Mick Jagger - "Memo from Turner"
George Baker Selection - "Little Green Bag"
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – "Express Yourself"
Stephen Stills - "Love the One You're With"

John Bush
Paul McCartney - McCartney
The Stooges - Fun House
Todd Rundgren - Runt
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes
The Free Design - Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love
Funkadelic - Funkadelic
Leon Russell - Leon Russell
Linda Perhacs - Parallelograms
MC5 - Back in the USA
The Move - Shazam
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead
The J. Geils Band - The J. Geils Band
Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
John Cale - Vintage Violence
Rodriguez - Cold Fact

Allen Toussaint - "From a Whisper to a Scream"
Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Run Through the Jungle"
Kris Kristofferson - "Best of All Possible Worlds"
Johnny Cash - "Wanted Man"
Willie Nelson - "I Gotta Get Drunk"
Dolly Parton - "Joshua"
Emitt Rhodes - "Fresh as a Daisy"
Carpenters - "We've Only Just Begun"
Vashti Bunyan - "Rose Hip November"
Faces - "Around the Plynth"
Joni Mitchell - "Big Yellow Taxi"
James Brown - "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing"
Lee Dorsey - "Yes We Can"
Three Dog Night - "Mama Told Me Not to Come"
Paul Williams - "Someday Man"
The Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane/Rock and Roll"
Donny Hathaway - "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)"
Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go"
Jerry Jeff Walker - "Some Go Home"
Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic"

Heather Phares
Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
The Beatles - Let It Be
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World
The Carpenters - Close to You
The Delfonics - The Delfonics
Nick Drake - Bryter Later
Bruce Haack - Electric Lucifer
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
The Kinks - Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Van Morrison - Moondance
Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes
Diana Ross - Diana Ross
Todd Rundgren - Runt
The Stooges - Fun House
The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack
The Velvet Underground - Loaded

Tim Sendra
The Archies - Jingle Jangle
The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Bugaloos - Bugaloos
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Al Green - Green Is Blues
The Groovie Goolies - The Groovie Goolies
The J. Geils Band - The J. Geils Band
Josie and the Pussycats - Josie and the Pussycats
Lancelot Link & the Evolution Revolution - Lancelot Link & the Evolution Revolution
MC5 - Back in the USA
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
The Monkees - Changes
The Partridge Family - The Partridge Family Album
Philwit & Pegasus - Philwit & Pegasus
Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes
Minnie Riperton - Come to My Garden
Rockin' Horse - Yes It Is
Tommy Roe - We can Make Music
White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin'

Jonathan Ball [Spotify]
The Who - Live at Leeds
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Derek & the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Performance
The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
James Brown - Sex Machine
Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
Van Morrison - Moondance
Santana - Abraxas
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Stone Flower
Sly & the Family Stone - Greatest Hits
The Stooges - Fun House
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More
Les McCann - Comment
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Eric Clapton - "Let It Rain"
Paul McCartney - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Mountain - "Theme for an Imaginary Western"
Grateful Dead - "Sugar Magnolia"
Murray Head/Jesus Christ Superstar Cast - "Superstar"
Grand Funk Railroad - "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)"
Jethro Tull - "To Cry You a Song"
Jethro Tull - "Inside"
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young - "Woodstock"
Eric Burdon & War - "Spill the Wine"
Edison Lighthouse - "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"
King Crimson - "Cadence and Cascade"
The Guess Who - "No Time"
Sly & the Family Stone - "Stand!"
Velvet Underground - "Oh Sweet Nothing"
Humble Pie - "Earth and Water Song"
James Gang - "The Bomber: Closet Queen/Bolero/Cast Your Fate to the Wind"
Faces - "Flying"
Allman Brothers Band - "Midnight Rider"

Thom Jurek
Some of my favorite jazz and R&B records from 1970:

Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Syl Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black
Dusty Springfield - A Brand New Me
Diana Ross - Diana Ross
Gil Scott-Heron - Small Talk at 125th & Lenox
Willie Colon - La Gan Fugua
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Les Stances A Sophie
Roy Brooks - The Free Slave
Joe Farrell Quartet - Joe Farrell Quartet
Jan Garbarek - Afric Pepperbird
Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi
John McLaughlin - My Goals Beyond
Mark Murphy - Midnight Mood
Woody Shaw - Blackstone Legacy
Marion Brown - Afternoon of a Georgia Faun
Airto Moreira - Natural Feelings
Baden Powell - Canto On Guitar

Andy Kellman [Spotify]
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
The Stooges - Funhouse
Minnie Riperton - Come to My Garden
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything
The Delfonics - The Delfonics
Santana - Abraxas
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
Funkadelic - Funkadelic
Donald Byrd - Electric Byrd
Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
John Cale - Vintage Violence
Jorge Ben - Força Bruta
Joe Farrell Quartet - Joe Farrell Quartet
Jackie McLean - Demon's Dance
Allen Toussaint - From a Whisper to a Scream
Art Ensemble of Chicago - Les Stances a Sophie
Dorothy Ashby - The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby
Miroslav Vitous - Infinite Search

Sly & the Family Stone - "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go"
The Delfonics - "(Didn't I) Blow Your Mind This Time"
The Spinners - "It's a Shame"
James Brown - "Super Bad"
Stevie Wonder - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
The 5 Stairsteps - "O-o-h Child"
The Jackson 5 - "ABC"
Les McCann & Eddie Harris - "Compared to What"
Donny Hathaway - "The Ghetto"
Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
Wilson Pickett - "Engine Number 9"
A Parliament Thang - "I Call My Baby Pussycat"
Funkadelic - "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You"
Freda Payne - "Band of Gold"
Traffic - "Empty Pages"
Deep Purple - "Speed King"
Neil Young with Crazy Horse - "Cinnamon Girl"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Ohio"
The Equals - "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys"

James Christopher Monger
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Steeleye Span - Hark! The Village Wait
Scott Walker - 'Til the Band Comes In
John Cale - Vintage Violence
Randy Newman - 12 Songs
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World
Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
Neil Diamond - Taproot Manuscript
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
Credence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
The Kinks - Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround (Part One)
Os Mutantes - A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado
The Beatles - Let It Be
Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
Donovan - Open Road
The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!

Bruce Haack - "Electric to Me Turn"
Trees - "The Garden of Jane Delawney"
Traffic - "John Barleycorn Must Die"
The Guess Who - "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature"
Heron - "Yellow Roses"
The Doors - "Waiting for the Sun"
Fairport Convention - "Walk Awhile"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Helpless"
Simon & Garfunkel - "The Boxer"
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Lucky Man"
The Move - "Brontosaurus"
Honeybus - "Fresher than the Sweetness in Water"
Paul McCartney - "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Gordon Lightfoot - "Minstrel of the Dawn"
Badfinger - "Come and Get It"
Blues Image - "Ride Captain Ride"
Neil Young - "After the Gold Rush"
The Pentangle - "A Maid That's Deep in Love"
The Velvet Underground - "Who Loves the Sun"
The Grateful Dead - "Friend of the Devil"

Sean Westergaard
Jack Bruce - Things We Like
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Mirror Man
Alice Coltrane - Ptah the El Daoud
Dick Curless - Hard Hard Traveling Man
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Miles Davis - Tribute to Jack Johnson
Don Ellis - Don Ellis at Fillmore
Firesign Theatre - Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers
Eddie Fisher - Eddie Fisher & the Next One Hundred Years
Funkadelic - Funkadelic
Funkadelic - Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
King Crimson - Lizard
Terry Manning - Home Sweet Home
John McLaughlin - Devotion
Parliament - Osmium
Jean-Luc Ponty - King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa
Sun Ra - Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Infinity Orchestra Night of the Purple Moon
Soft Machine - Third
Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention - Burnt Weeny Sandwich

Matthew Garbutt [Spotify]
Candi Staton - I'm Just a Prisoner
Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Doris Duke - I'm a Loser
Faces - First Step
Freda Payne - Band of Gold
Free - Fire and Water
James Brown - Sex Machine
Jorge Ben - Força Bruta
MC5 - Back in the USA
Os Mutantes - Divina Comedia ou Ando Meio Deslingo
R. Dean Taylor - I Think, Therefore I Am
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Rodriguez - Cold Fact
The Chairmen of the Board - Give me Just a Little More Time
The Delfonics - The Delfonics
The Stooges - Fun House
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Van Morrison - Moondance

Aretha Franklin - "Don't Play That Song"
Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Sun Is Shining"
Brinsley Schwarz - "Country Girl"
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - "Express Yourself"
Dave & Ansel Collins - "Double Barrel"
Desmond Dekker -"You Can Get It If You Really Want It"
Donnie Hathaway - "The Ghetto"
John & Beverly Martyn - "Auntie Aviator"
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles -"The Tears of a Clown"
Symarip - "Skinhead Moonstomp"
The Ethiopians - "Woman Capture Man"
The Heptones - "Heptones Gonna Fight"
The Marvelettes - "Marionette"
The Pioneers - "Money Day"
The Slickers - "Johnny Too Bad"
The Spinners - "It's a Shame"
The Supremes - "Stoned Love"
The Upsetters - "Dollar in the Teeth"
Tom Jones - "She's a Lady"
Tyrannosaurus Rex - "Elemental Child"

James Wilkinson
Nick Drake - Bryter Later
Neil Young - After the Goldrush
Bob Dylan - New Morning
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
The Flying Burrito Brothers - Burrito Deluxe
The Beatles - Let It Be
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
The Kinks - Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt 1.
Bill Fay - Bill Fay
The Byrds - (Untitled)
Paul McCartney - McCartney
The Beach Boys - Sunflower
Michael Nesmith & the First National Band - Magnetic South
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
The Doors - Morrison Hotel
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Third Ear Band - Third Ear Band
Lee Hazlewood - Cowboy in Sweden

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Ohio"
R. Dean Taylor - "Indiana Wants Me"
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - "The Tears of a Clown"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - "Cinnamon Girl"
John Lennon & Yoko Ono - "Instant Karma!"
Elvis Presley - "The Wonder of You"
Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
Freda Payne - "Band of Gold"
The Spinners - "It's a Shame"
Caravan - "Hello, Hello"
Faces - "Flying"
Can - "Soul Desert"
The Hollies - "Gasoline Alley Bred"
Duncan Browne - "Resurrection Joe"
Ann Peebles - "Part Time Love"
The Rolling Stones - "Live with Me"
Matthews Southern Comfort - "Woodstock"
The Who - "The Seeker"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Teach Your Children"
The Beatles - "The Long and Winding Road"