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' (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)
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.