Let It Be
Artist: The Beatles
Community Score: 7.60

The only Beatles album to occasion negative, even hostile reviews, there are few other rock records as controversial as Let It Be. First off, several facts need to be explained: although released in May 1970, this was not their final album, but largely recorded in early 1969, way before Abbey Road. Phil Spector was enlisted in early 1970... Read More

Kapt. Kopter & The (Fabulous) Twirly Birds
Artist: Randy California

Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds was Randy California's debut solo album after leaving Spirit, and thus, expectations were high. California, still only 21, opted to return to the influence of his early mentor, Jimi Hendrix, who had died in 1970. California wailed through a series of tunes in a style more reminiscent of the extended... Read More

Potlatch
Artist: Redbone

Their first of six Epic releases is a strong follow-up to the self-titled debut the same year. The album-opening "Maggie" is a perfect example of their distinctive sound, a funky, highly rhythmic itch that gets under your skin. The limitations of Lolly Vegas' singing means the all-native California quartet is more adept on faster numbers,... Read More

Quicksilver
Artist: Quicksilver Messenger Service

One of the group's better albums, despite coming so late in their history that it was ignored by almost everyone. "Hope," "Fire Brothers," and "Don't Cry For My Lady Love" are among the best songs the group ever cut, and "I Found Love" is one of the prettiest, most upbeat songs ever to come from any classic San Francisco band. Some of the rest... Read More

The History of the Bonzos
Artist: The Bonzo Dog Band

Originally released in 1974, two years after the greatest comedy rock band in history discovered that, contrary to the title of their reunion album, they couldn't make up and be friendly, The History of the Bonzos has long been one of the most fondly remembered compilations of the age. Like the Beatles' red and blue collections, the Rolling... Read More

Relics
Artist: Pink Floyd
Community Score: 6.88

Since Relics is a compilation and not a regular studio album, it tends to be overlooked when thought of as one of Pink Floyd's better releases. It might not be regarded as a classic psychedelic masterpiece in the manner of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and it certainly won't ever achieve the multiple platinum status of Dark Side of the Moon,... Read More

Ram
Artist: Paul & Linda McCartney
Community Score: 7.35

Compared to McCartney, Paul McCartney's second solo album, Ram -- which was credited as a collaboration with his wife, Linda -- is a more substantial and produced effort, yet it has much of the same homemade charm as its predecessor. Divided between simple pop/rockers and cleverly constructed mini-suites like "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and... Read More

All Things Must Pass
Artist: George Harrison
Community Score: 8.30

Without a doubt, Harrison's first solo recording, originally issued as a triple album, is his best. Drawing on his backlog of unused compositions from the late Beatles era, Harrison crafted material that managed the rare feat of conveying spiritual mysticism without sacrificing his gifts for melody and grand, sweeping arrangements. Enhanced by... Read More

Gypsy - BONUS TRACK
Artist: Gypsy

Though nothing else on Gypsy's debut album came quite up to the standard of the opening number, the whole album is enjoyable for connoisseurs of jazzy progressive rock. That opening number, "Gypsy Queen," was the band's musical and commercial highlight, an organ-driven and harmony-laden blast of great progressive pop. Elsewhere on this album,... Read More

Frampton's Camel
Artist: Peter Frampton

Named after Frampton's touring band at the time, Frampton's Camel has a harder-rocking feel than its predecessor Wind of Change, with Mick Gallagher's percussive electric piano and organ taking a prominent position in the mix and Frampton getting a harder sound from his electric guitars (though his acoustic playing is so lush and lyrical that it... Read More

Wind of Change
Artist: Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton's solo debut after leaving Humble Pie (as they stood on the brink of stardom) spotlights Frampton's well-crafted, though lyrically lightweight, songwriting and his fine guitar playing. The songs on Wind of Change are built primarily around acoustic guitar foundations, but "It's a Plain Shame" and "All I Want to Be (Is by Your... Read More

Illegal, Immoral and Fattening
Artist: Flo & Eddie

Flo & Eddie are both impressive singers and very funny comedians, and both aspects of their talent are on display here, from the pop sheen of "Rebecca" to the sidesplitting return of The Sanzini Brothers. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

These Foolish Things
Artist: Bryan Ferry

Much like his contemporary David Bowie, Ferry consolidated his glam-era success with a covers album, his first full solo effort even while Roxy Music was still going full steam. Whereas Bowie on Pin-Ups focused on British beat and psych treasures, Ferry for the most part looked to America, touching on everything from Motown to the early jazz... Read More

1967-1970
Artist: The Beatles
Community Score: 8.74

Picking up where 1962-1966 left off, the double-album compilation 1967-1970, commonly called The Blue Album, covers the Beatles' later records, from Sgt. Pepper through Let It Be. Like The Red Album, The Blue Album contains a mixture of hits, including singles like "Lady Madonna," "Hey Jude," and "Revolution" that were never included on an LP,... Read More

The Concert for Bangladesh
Artist: George Harrison
Community Score: 4.50

Hands down, this epochal concert at New York's Madison Square Garden -- first issued on three LPs in a handsome orange-colored box -- was the crowning event of George Harrison's public life, a gesture of great goodwill that captured the moment in history and, not incidentally, produced some rousing music as a permanent legacy. Having been moved... Read More