Top 20 heaviest albums/bands of the 1970's.

Top 20 heaviest albums/bands of the 1970's. What would your list look like?

1. Motorhead - Overkill (1979)
2. Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather (1979)
3. Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (1972)
4. Aerosmith - Rocks (1976)
5. Rainbow - Rising (1977)
6. Scorpions - Virgin Killer (1976)
7. Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo (1978)
8. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
9. UFO - Force It (1975)
10. Van Halen - s/t (1978)
11. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (1976)
12. Kiss - Hotter than Hell (1974)
13. AC/DC - Highway to Hell (1979)
14. Riot - Narita (1979)
15. Led Zeppelin - III (1972)
16. Blue Öyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
17. Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
18. Uriah Heep - Very 'eavy...Very 'umble (1970)
19. Montrose - Monstrose (1973)
20. Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

I would add:

Rush - All the Worlds A Stage (1976)

I know it's a live album, but they sound really heavy on it!

I'd probably take out that Riot just because I haven't heard that one(I know, I know).

I had Rush on the list too, but couldn't decide who I would bump to include Rush. "Fly By Night" or "2112" would have been my choices as heaviest.

Excellent list, I would have maybe included a Budgie album or two

yeah I would include '2112' if I were to include Rush, if only for those sections in the first half of the suite.

Hey, but you didn't mention..


King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (OR 'Red'...either would do fine, just for the title tracks alone)

I would also have a matchup between 'Master of Reality', 'Sabotage', and 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'. I mean, 'Master..' is very sludgy, but..... check out 'Symptom of the Universe' or the slamming of 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'.. it would be a close race..

manny wrote:

Excellent list, I would have maybe included a Budgie album or two

That's what people on Facebook are saying tool It was hard keeping it at only 20. Some albums I was debating that didn't make the list:

Captain Beyond - s/t
Budgie (1971)
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973)
Blue Öyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres (1977)
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper - Schools Out (1972)
Rush - Fly By Night (1975)
Rush - 2112 (1976)
Mahogany Rush (1973)
Whitesnake - Love Hunter (1979)
Wishbone Ash - Argus (1972)
Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill
Dust - Hard Attack (1972)
Mountain - Climbing (1970)

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (OR 'Red'...either would do fine, just for the title tracks alone)

21st Century Schizoid Man from In The Court
Pictures Of A City & sections of The Devils Triangle from Poseidon
A Sailor's Tale from Islands
Lark's Tongue Part 1 & 2 from Larks
The Night Watch and Fracture from Starless & Bible Black
Red, One More Red Nightmare and the second half of Starless from Red

They are even heavier on their numerous concert recordings from the era.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic

Yes, a heavy record for it's time. King Crimson has some heavy songs. I had Larks Tongues in Aspic on the long list, but excluded King Crimson as the list was the heaviest BAND and ALBUM and the majority of KC doesn't strike me as all that heavy, even by 70's standards.

Someone else suggested ELP - Tarkus (1972). Another good suggestion.

That's true, but a lot of those records from that era are that way...about 50-70% in that groundbreaking, heavy category, but then veering closer to just 70's rock 'n roll or ballads.

S.D. wrote:

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic (OR 'Red'...either would do fine, just for the title tracks alone)

21st Century Schizoid Man from In The Court

1969 me boi

Great List Scott

although Zeppelin III is kinda/sorta..... mellow/acoustic aside from "Immigrant Song"

I'll add.......
Legs Diamond-A Diamond Is A Hard Rock
Heavy Load-Full Speed At High Level
Ram Jam-Portrait Of An Artist As A oung Ram
Marseille-S/T
Trust-S/T
Talas-S/T
Moxy-Ridin High
Teaze-On The Loose
Atomic Rooster-Death Walks Behind You
The Godz-S/T
The Stooges-Raw Power
Sir Lord Baltimore-Kingdome Come

I know not everyone likes them, but BTO had some very heavy stuff for their time. I would have their Not Fragile on my list if only for the title track and Sledgehammer.

How about:

DallasBlack wrote:

How about:

Yeah, I agree. I think that one is better AND heavier than Hell Bent For Leather.

Good choices but I would personally swap in Sin After Sin or Stained Class and Deep Purple's Burn as those seem somewhat heavier albums in my opinion

adrian wrote:

Good choices but I would personally swap in Sin After Sin or Stained Class and Deep Purple's Burn as those seem somewhat heavier albums in my opinion

It's a toss up when it comes to Priest, but songs like "Delivering the Goods", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Burnin' Up" are pretty darned heavy. I even thought about putting them as #1.

tohostudios wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

How about:

Yeah, I agree. I think that one is better AND heavier than Hell Bent For Leather.

x3

Black Sabbath:
Paranoid / Master of Reality / Sabotage

Van Halen:
1 & II

I agree that overkill by motorhead is one of the heaviest releases from the 70s

I went with Sin After Sin mostly due to Dissedent Aggressor, IMO the heaviest 70s song I can think of.

I thought of Captain Beyond for my above post but forgot to type it in

Although not considered very heavy now, Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was my introduction to heavy metal, so I'd rank it up there with the rest of these just because of that one song. The rest of that album is much more on the acid rock side of things, but the title track is heavy metal, to me. There's something about it that is just stinkin' heavy.

Technically released in 1980, but recorded in 1979:

For me, it doesn't get any heavier (or better) than this: