Best Albums turning 50 in 2024

By editorial board on January 17, 2024

1974 it was a great year for music fans. Bob Dylan teamed up with the Band for the first time in eight years on his Planet Waves album, a union which would also bring him back to the road for his first proper tour since 1966.

Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell all released new LPs. (Source UCR)

Members of Mott the Hoople and Free came together to create one of 1974's most exciting new bands, Bad Company, who became the inaugural signing to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label.

John Lennon and George Harrison continued to add to their post-Beatles solo catalogs with each releasing new albums. Queen proved they were hardly a flash in the pan following their 1973 debut and had a busy year putting out two more records. November's Sheer Heart Attack showed off their more melodic side with tracks like "Killer Queen" and "Now I'm Here."

Graham Nash, 'Wild Tales' (Jan. 2, 1974)
Wild Tales found Graham Nash in a melancholy mood. Relationships with Joni Mitchell and Rita Coolidge had gone south -- while he was also unable to reconvene Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for any further recording.

Carly Simon, 'Hotcakes' (Jan. 11, 1974)

 

Bob Dylan – Planet Waves (1974, Vinyl) - Discogs

Bob Dylan, 'Planet Waves' (Jan. 17, 1974)
Planet Waves gave Bob Dylan his first chart-topping album and it also features one of his signature songs, “Forever Young.”

Steely Dan, 'Pretzel Logic' (Feb. 20, 1974)

Bob Seger, 'Seven' (March 1974)

David Bowie, 'Diamond Dogs' (May 24, 1974)
Diamond Dogs was the first album that David Bowie worked on after he disbanded his legendary band, the Spiders from Mars.

 

Grateful Dead, 'From the Mars Hotel' (June 27, 1974)

 

 

Eric Clapton, '461 Ocean Boulevard' (July 1974)Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard Vinyl Record (New, Import)
461 Ocean Boulevard, featuring Clapton’s take on Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” became an international success in multiple territories, selling more than two million copies. The record marked Clapton’s return to recording following a three-year absence while he was battling heroin addiction.

 

 

Neil Young, 'On the Beach' (July 19, 1974)Neil Young – On The Beach (1974, Vinyl) - Discogs
On the heels of the success of 1972’s Harvest album, Neil Young found himself in a darker place, grappling with his increased profile and popularity. With On the Beach, the second album in what would become known as his “Ditch Trilogy,”

Lou Reed, 'Sally Can't Dance' (September 1974)

 

 

John Lennon, 'Walls and Bridges' (Sep. 26, 1974)
John Lennon recorded the Walls and Bridges album during an 18-month separation from Yoko Ono. Plans to make a record with Phil Spector had gone south, so Lennon returned to the New York area to work on songs for the album that became Walls and Bridges instead.

Jefferson Starship, 'Dragon Fly' (October 1974) 

King Crimson, 'Red' (Oct. 1, 1974)

The Who, 'Odds & Sods' (Oct. 4, 1974)
Odds & Sods is, as its name implies, a collection of stray tracks from the Who. Two future staples, “Long Live Rock” (which would later be released as a single in connection with the band’s The Kids are Alright film) and “Naked Eye” were tucked in near the end of the record’s track listing. Compiled by bassist John Entwistle, Odds & Sods was a response to unreleased material by the British rock group that had been circulating. They had so much floating around that Entwistle was able to put together two albums of contenders -- though they eventually decided to whittle it down to a single LP for Odds & Sods.

 

Rolling Stones, "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' (Oct. 18, 1974)
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll was the final Rolling Stones album to feature Mick Taylor -- and in a twist, it featured his eventual replacement, Ronnie Wood, playing 12-string acoustic guitar on the title track.

 

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