Led Zeppelin III Tops List Of Best 25 Albums Of 1970

Discogs Releases This List Which Includes The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix & Miles Davis

Describing it as “perhaps the most unassuming album of the band’s most fertile period,” the music database company Discogs has proclaimed Led Zeppelin III as the best album of 1970, topping a top 25 list that includes some of the most iconic bands in music history.

Utilizing what it calls “Discogs’ abundant data available from the 385 million items cataloged in the collections and wantlists of its 7.3 million users,” the company has Led Zeppelin #1 ahead of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.

“Commonly referred to as the band’s acoustic album, it also includes the thunderous ‘Immigrant Song,’ easily one of the band’s heaviest tracks, and the epic electric blues of ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You,’ ” Discogs wrote in explaining its choice. “Even some of the acoustic songs are heavy; ‘Gallows Pole’ is one of the few acoustic songs capable of melting faces.”

Overall, 1970 provided a wide range of music.

“The albums released in 1970 represent a rich tapestry of rock, jazz, and soul, including some of history’s most important and game-changing records,” Jeffery Lee Puckett posted on the company’s blog. “Black Sabbath arrived, taking heavy metal to the (black) masses, the seeds of punk rock were planted by The Stooges, and Miles Davis was singlehandedly changing jazz.”

Here is the entire list of top 25 albums:

1.) Led Zeppelin III
2.) Paranoid, Black Sabbath
3.) Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath
4.) Let Be, The Beatles
5.) Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd
6.) Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel
7.) Deja Vu, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
8.) In Rock, Deep Purple
9.) Bitches Brew, Miles Davis
10.) After The Gold Rush, Neil Young
11.) Abraxas, Santana
12.) Morrison Hotel, The Doors
13.) The Man Who Sold The World, David Bowie
14.) Cosmo’s Factory, Credence Clearwater Revival
15.) Moondance, Van Morrison
16.) All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
17.) Band Of Gypsies, Jimi Hendrix
18.) Tea For The Tillerman, Cat Stevens
19.) Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, Derek & The Dominos
20.) Loaded, The Velvet Underground
21.) Live At Leeds, The Who
22.) Fun House, The Stooges
23.) John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
24.) Curtis, Curtis Mayfield
25.) American Beauty, The Grateful Dead

Discogs sill also be naming the top 25 albums of 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020.

You can see the entire list with descriptions here: blog.discogs.com