There’s no way we could ignore 1974. With Black Sabbath devoting the year to tour behind Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, our ’74 list is essentially an arms race between a band of incognito superheroes, space rockers gone metal, and one group whose very presence may ruffle the feathers of pure metal elitists, among others. Who will be the winner? Read on and find out!
10. Scorpions – Fly to the Rainbow
Kicking off our list is Fly to the Rainbow by Scorpions. It may be their second album, but it’s no sophomore slump. If anything, it’s a step up from their 1972 debut, Lonesome Crow: a patchy collection of krautrock which couldn’t decide if it wanted to be psychedelic or heavy. Ultimately, Scorpions recruited Uli Jon Roth into the fold and chose the latter. Wise choice boys! Highlights include the hard rocking “Speedy’s Coming” and the dramatic nearly 10 minute title track. By the way, if you’ve seen Roth perform the title track live and survived to tell about it, let me know in the comments below. I’m seriously convinced at least a few people have gone deaf from those closing divebombs.
9. Rush – Rush
Before Dirk, Lerxst, and Pratt spent 40 years consoling nerds such as yours truly with the greatest music ever written, Rush consisted of Dirk, Lerxst and…John. John Rutsey, that is. Rush’s self titled debut constantly gets panned for being an uneven and unfocused affair. And while it pales in comparison to what was to come, I beg to differ. Rush is a raw, hard rocking early metal album which stands up to the debuts of Sir Lord Baltimore and Bang. Is there some blatant Led Zeppelin worship? Sure, but by this point in Zeppelin’s career, you’d be hard pressed to hear them crank out barn burners like “Finding My Way” and “Need Some Love”. If three guys from Canada could beat Zeppelin at their own game, so be it.
8. Deep Purple – Stormbringer
Stormbringer is the second of two albums Purple released in 1974. It’s also the album Ritchie Blackmore dismissed upon its release as “crap” and “shoeshine music”. I disagree. Though not nearly as strong as its predecessor Burn (more on that in a bit), Stormbringer is where new additions David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes really came into their own as songwriters. Perhaps that’s what rubbed Blackmore the wrong way. Within a year, he’d be “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, but we’ll save that for the eventual 1975 list. Key tracks include “Lady Double Dealer”, “The Gypsy”, “Soldier of Fortune”, and the title track, which features a homage to The Exorcist in its first few seconds. No, that incoherent growling at the beginning is not a constipated David Coverdale.
7. UFO – Phenomenon
Scorpions weren’t the only band who made a complete 180 thanks to the addition of a new guitarist in 1974. So did English space rockers UFO, who were joined by none other than original Scorpions guitarist, Michael Schenker. Talk about a small world! Gone were the lengthy psychedelic jams and subtitles promising “One Hour Space Rock”. Schenker introduced high octane riffing that would become the bedrock of all metal to come. 47 years later and we’re still air guitaring to “Rock Bottom”!
6. KISS – KISS
You wanted the best! You got the second best album KISS released in 1974. It’s no Hotter Than Hell (like Burn, more on that shortly), but KISS is one of the greatest debuts ever. The fact of the matter is, KISS could’ve been a band of average joes, taking the stage in jeans and t shirts, and STILL been as big as they ended up becoming. “Strutter”, “Deuce”, and “Nothin’ to Lose” have the poppy charm of early Lennon/McCartney and the balls of Led Zeppelin. It was a fool proof formula that worked beyond Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen’s wildest dreams.
5. KISS – Hotter than Hell
After making little headway with their debut, KISS recorded Hotter than Hell with practically no budget. They were so broke, the end result was an album that sounded less like the hard bubblegum pop of the debut and more like the best pop album Black Sabbath never made. To those who claim KISS was never a metal band, I present to you exhibit A. The riffs on “Parasite”, “Strange Ways”, and “Goin’ Blind” are heavier than your favorite “brutal” tech slam posercore band.
4. King Crimson – Red
Shit, meet the fan. I know exactly what you’re thinking. You’re sitting here, peacefully minding your own business, enjoying this weekly heavy metal history lesson…and you’re greeted by this. “BUT KING CRIMSON ISN’T METAL?” Really now? Look, I’m not saying they’re Black Sabbath or Judas Priest, but let’s calm down and use our heads for a second. There are few albums in the history of music that are as groundbreaking as Red. If this were a top prog albums of all time list, it’d be on there. If this were a top jazz rock albums of all time list, it’d be on there. Hell, if this were a “10 Albums That Shaped Alternative Rock” list, it’d be on there. Red makes this list because it’s the closest thing to legitimate progressive metal prior to Rush from Fly by Night onwards. It stands alone as one of the most important, influential, and indescribable albums of all time. It’s also on here because this is my list and I can put whatever the hell I choose.
3. Blue Öyster Cult – Secret Treaties
If BÖC were going to burst out of their unsettling, underground, black and white adorned cocoon, they weren’t going to do so without a bang. Secret Treaties is the band’s cold, bloody kiss goodbye to the underworld before exploring the technicolor dreamscape of AM radio. Musically and lyrically, they remain disturbing as ever, as topics range from WW2 (“ME 262”) and incest (“Dominance and Submission”), to eye gouging (“Harvester of Eyes”) and self mutilation (“Flaming Telepaths”). Also, can we all agree that the lyric “I’d like to do it to your daughter on a dirt road.” is the most evil (no pun intended) lyric of all time?
2. Deep Purple – Burn
By 1973, Deep Purple was running on fumes. The meteoric success of Machine Head (1972) resulted in a crash and burn effect come Who Do We Think We Are. Enter Trapeze frontman Glenn Hughes. Hughes was the figurative shot of adrenaline to the heart of Purple. And if Hughes was the shot of adrenaline, David Coverdale was the shot of whiskey to loosen them up. Burn is the sound of a lean, mean, hard rocking machine. The title track has likely served as the soundtrack to many law evading chases over the years. Add the soul of “Might Just Take Your Life”, the balls of “Sail Away”, and the wailing pleas of “Mistreated”, and you’ve got what very well may be the greatest album of Purple’s career.
- Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
Sheer Heart Attack was a major turning point for Queen. After two albums of highbrow heavy metal, Sheer Heart Attack took things to a whole new level. Granted, the album would’ve never been possible if it weren’t for the creative advances of Abbey Road and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but that’s not to undermine its importance. Sheer Heart Attack cemented Queen’s reputation as the most well rounded band in rock. Looking for the radio friendly pop single? Try “Killer Queen”. Raucous riff fests? There’s “Brighton Rock” and “Now I’m Here”. Proto-thrash? Get ready to go “Stone Cold Crazy”. I can go on and on.
It’s also important to note this was Queen’s final metal album. By the time they got to A Night at the Opera (1975), metal became a secondary element of their sound. It would remain in the background of all of their releases up until the 1980s when they went full blown pop schlock, I mean, rock. Sorry folks, but “Another One Bites the Dust” isn’t worthy of lacing “Tenement Funster” / “Flick of the Wrist” / “Lily of the Valley”‘s stiletos.
Honorable Mentions
- Aerosmith – Get Your Wings
- Budgie – In for the Kill!
- Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla
- Queen – Queen II
- Sweet – Sweet Fanny Adams
Hell yes!!!!