October 31, 2023 by A.S. Van Dorston

My final 1970s list fills in the albums that fell between the cracks of rock, metal and prog.

Kosmische, Post-Punk, Reggae & Soul are the genres I left out of the previous 70s lists, because they weren’t the type of music the Sea of Tranquility community specializes in. But in the spirit of including everything, I’m filling in the blanks rather than repeating previous picks. And on further consideration, a lot of these will be of interest. There’s always many people here with wide ranging tastes that will know these anyway.

The Congos – Heart Of The Congos (1977)
It’s ironic that Lee “Scratch” Perry’s greatest achievement was the hardest to find for a while. For those of you who don’t know, Perry has been involved with pretty much every phase of Jamaican music. He worked with Coxsone Dodd during the Soundsystem days and later at his Studio One label, finding talent and writing songs. He began recording his own songs, and worked with other producers like Joe Gibbs. His crack band The Upsetters were like a Jamaican MGs, and put out loads of Memphis Soul-influenced rock steady and early reggae tunes. He worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers, helping him develop his voice and transform from an unpolished rude boy to an icon synonymous with reggae. In fact, Marley’s voice began to sound uncannily like Scratch’s. He was one of the first inventors of dub music, and his early 70s productions earned him enough money to build his own studio, Black Ark, widely considered his peak era. Indeed, during Perry’s Black Ark period, he was on fire, coaxing sounds into a little Teac four-track that others couldn’t cram into sixteen tracks in productions with Junior Byles, Max Romeo, Heptones, Jah Lion, Junior Murvin, George Faith, and the Congos. “It was only four tracks written on the machine, but I was picking up twenty from the extra terrestrial squad. I am the dub shepherd.”The Congos was one of his last productions at Black Ark before his madness got the best of him and he literally set it on fire. Having fallen out with Chris Blackwell and Island, The Congos was given an extremely limited release of about 500 copies. Over the years it was reissued half-assed with poor mixes. In 1996 Blood & Fire rescued it with a lovingly remastered and repackaged version, complete with bonus tracks. There’s a newer reissue available now, but this is the one to get. It’s simply the most intensely spiritual, hypnotic music Perry ever laid down on tape.
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979)
This album looms over the ’70s like a dark obelisk, sucking in light and leaving the bands in its wake appearing more faded and puny than before the arrival of Joy Division. It isn’t that the band were superior in every way, but they introduced a psychic heaviness that shook the post-punk world, its reverberations eventually reaching far and wide to genres as seemingly remote as country music. Many artists have attempted to match this intensity, and for the most part, from the baddest of industrial to the fiercest of death metal bands, they come off as children play-acting in comparison.
Wire – Pink Flag (1977)
For a long time, Wire’s third album, 154 (1979) was my favorite. But Pink Flag is increasingly what I return to most often lately. Those short, prickly cuts interspersed with surprising bursts of melody remain fresh. That said, their first three albums make a dramatic progression, and their relationship with producer Mike Thorne reminds me of Eno and the Talking Heads. Not to mention that both producer and band start to reveal their roots as prog fans. Bands reverently cited Wire as a major influence in subsequent decades, and even more impressive, the band continued to release new music that did not at all detract from their status as trailblazers.
Brian Eno – Another Green World (1975)
Perhaps only in the early 70s glam scene could this balding, feathered horndog behind all the gadgets steal the show in Roxy Music. As a self-described non-musician, he’s had a hell of a musical career, with his third solo album arguably a career pinnacle, elegantly incorporating everything he’d been dabbling in, between glam and art rock pop songs, his early ambient, drone and tape music experiments with Robert Fripp, Kosmische influences, and his randomized Oblique Strategies card deck. Everyone knows he worked with Bowie and Talking Heads, but he also produced John Cale, contributed tapes treatment to Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, synths on Quiet Sun’s Mainstream, vocals on Phil Manzanera’s Diamond Head, production on Gavin Bryars’ The Sinking of the Titanic, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Harold Budd, Ultravox, Devo, the No New York no wave compilation, and synths and vocals on Robert Fripp’s Exposure. A prolific decade, and he was just getting started.
Gang of Four – Entertainment! (1979)
The fourth entry in a row (going backwards) from the distinguished class of ’79, Gang of Four’s debut album is one of the most perfectly realized, fully formed concepts of any debut album. It’s a mutation of funk, stripped down to the point where all the sauce, grease and fat are sucked off clean, leaving a rhythmic machine set to military precision. Conceptually the neo-Marxist lyrics are anti-sex and love, and yet, in their gleaming efficiency and occasionally slashing swathes of noise, they’re pretty damn hot.
The Slits – Cut (1979)
A great way to see how much reggae/dub producer Dennis Bovell influenced The Slits is to compare their Peel Sessions with their debut album. The BBC Peel Sessions are pretty great, showing a simple but feisty and witty punk band. But Cut is so brilliant because it’s not at all reggae — but rather a few elements and dub production isolated into some utterly original, but oddly tuneful and accessible post-punk. They’d go on to get more experimental with Afro-Funk, Art Pop and even Avant-Prog on Return of the Giant Slits (1981) which is somewhat neglected by fans, but Cut is clearly the one to start with.
Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box/Second Edition (1979)
The word genius has been thrown around for John Lydon for his lyrical contributions to the Sex Pistols, and I don’t think it’s merited. Clever and witty, sure. But I will say that by the second P.i.L. album, he was pretty visionary, pioneering a dubby yet cold subsection that was only rarely emulated, partly because it was so abrasively repelling. But there’s also a stately beauty to the work that makes it stand alone as a post-punk masterpiece.
Talking Heads – Fear Of Music (1979)
This is one of the first albums I ever bought, and I wasn’t ready for it. It freaked me out and I put it away until I could better appreciate this adventurous album a few years later. It’s interesting how interest was perked by the unlikely cover of “Memories Can’t Wait” by Living Colour a decade later. “Life During Wartime” was the danceable single, and everything else seemed designed to cause discomfort, with side two escalating from “Air,” “Heaven” and “Animals” (they’re setting a bad example / they’re making a fool of us”) to the mind-melting “Electric Guitar” and “Drugs.” The dada “I Zimbra” was a warmup for Remain in Light (1980) and for a while this was seen as the awkward transition from the funkier More Songs About Buildings and Food and their career masterpiece, but gradually this is getting recognition of being a highlight on it’s own.
Fela Kuti – Zombie (1977)
There’s a number of great examples in the King of Afrobeat’s catalog where he bravely satirizes and taunts the military dictatorship during a highly volatile period of multiple coups and corruption, along with his views on drugs (Fela would often perform shows adorned with only tighty-whities and a spliff as big as a baby’s arm). Zombie just happens to have enough vivid imagery and grooves that help it stand out among the dozens of albums, which have all been reissued multiple times and have been easily available since the late 90s.
X-Ray Spex – Germ-Free Adolescents (1978)
Between Poly Styrene’s clever commentary on plastics and consumerism, proto-no wave saxophone and brilliant album design, this album really stood out from the punk pack as something extra special. Over a decade later “Identity” was used throughout the indie movie Young Soul Rebels and it still sounded fresh and contemporary. I met drummer B.P. Hurding on a Caribbean cruise in the early 00s, but didn’t realize who he was until the very end, because I could have sworn his wife called him “Pee-Pee,” so that’s what I called him for several consecutive days. He was living near Boston and listening to metal (we met becauzs he commented on some metal shirt I was wearing).
Can – Ege Bamyasi (1972)
By far the most CANonized (yar) of the Kosmische bands, and for good reason. Two students of Stockhausen (Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt) were shaken out of their avant-garde snobbery and introduced to leading-edge pop music (“I am the Walrus,” Hendrix, Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Velvet Underground) by Czukay’s 19 year-old student, Michael Karoli. Black American sculptor and teacher Malcolm Mooney applied his untrained vocals with utter abandon. Monster Movie (1969) was an excellent debut that built upon their influences, taking the first step towards defining their sound. Mooney freaked out and left the country, land Can found a new singer in Japanese street busker Damo Suzuki. Soundtracks (1970) features the often-covered “Mother Sky.” Tago Mago (1971) is considered by many as their peak. Chaotic and tribal, it can be difficult listening. Ege Bamyasi is to Tago Mago like Beefheart’s Lick My Decals Off, Baby was to Troutmaskreplica—more focused, concise, better. Plenty of people prefer the more crystalline, symphonic sounds of Future Days (1973) and the space rock of Soon Over Babaluma (1974). Pink Floyd fans should be sure to check these out.
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel (1976)
Having been a key player in Jamaican music since the early 60s ska days (remember “Carry Go Bring Home”?), Justin Hinds made an astounding comeback in Jezebel. His soft voice was more rich and soulful than ever, and despite the cheap and quick recording conditions most 70s reggae musicians who weren’t Bob Marley had to deal with, it sounded perfect. From the rousing “Fire,” the remake of “Carry Go Bring Home,” the rollicking “Dip and Fall Back” and the rootsy “Prophecy,” this is tremendously spiritual, uplifiting music. The best track, “Spotlight,” is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. It’s ironic that this album was neglected by Island, who did not promote it and even misspelled Hinds’ name on the cover. While they were busy extending Marley’s world domination, Justin Hinds created an album that surpasses all of Marley’s.
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis (1970)
His soft spoken voice exuded a loving gentleness and humor, but just under the surface was a righteous anger and a little sorrow. His extensive history of socially conscious songs always seemed to hit hard with such authority that eclipsed anything by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. And his spirituality is so natural and subtle that he would have made more sense as a reverend than Al Green, the conflicted, tortured hedonist who eventually gave up secular music, but never seemed to have as deep a grasp of spiritual matters as Mayfield. Which is why even though some of Green’s exquisitely produced and performed albums rate higher than some of Mayfield’s, Mayfield is my main soul man. His brilliant concoction of psychedelic soul and bongo/conga-driven funk sparkle and bubble with a vivacious lust for life. Even his righteous indignation glows with his love for humanity. His no-bullshit, clear falsetto vocals may not be as accomplished as Al’s, but the plaintive sweet tones are always spot-on, complementing the music that is often gritty, dark, and even menacing (hear “(Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell Below We’re All Going To Go,” where his processed vocals at first sound like howls from the firey pits before reverting to his more laidback falsetto). “The Makings Of You,” “We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue,” “Move On Up,” it was all killer, no filler. Some called his debut, Curtis (1970) the Sgt. Pepper’s of soul.
Nick Drake – Pink Moon (1972)
I recently read Joe Boyd’s White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, and he had a pretty close relationship with Drake, as close as one can be with a depressive introvert. While Boyd was most proud of his baroque production work on Bryter Layter (1971), Drake’s least acclaimed of his three albums, Drake finally got his way in recording a very stripped down album without all the fancy arrangements, and it suited the hypnotic zen nature of his songs perfectly. A complete self portrait, it’s affect on audiences defies analysis.
Toots & the Maytals – In The Dark/Funky Kingston (1974)
The most joyously uplifting reggae album ever, with Toots answering the question, what if Otis Redding lived, and moved to Jamaica. My first encounter was the American CD of Funky Kingston that included several tracks from In the Dark. Subsequent reissues combined the albums, so they’re forever enmeshed in my brain, and I can’t live without either.
Tim Buckley – Starsailor (1970)
Because Tim Buckley shared the same label as Captain Beefheart, there’s been comparisons between this avant-garde folk masterpiece and Troutmaskreplica (1969). Both do incorporate some free jazz elements, dadaism and just pure unhinged expression, with Buckley unleashing some fairly wild yelps and yodels. I hardly consider it difficult listening though, as he remains musical throughout the album just as much as Albert Ayler or John Coltrane. It’s even centered by two very traditional songs, “Moulin Rouge” and “Song to the Siren,” his oldest song on the album, and one that’s endured via cover songs by a slew of artists. Sure, Happy Sad and Blue Afternoon might get more spins for their more chilled out ambience (Lorca was a less accomplished warmup for this), but the album is a totally breathtaking experience that would blow apart expectations of what is expected from folk music, blazing a trail for Joni Mitchell and future freak folk artists. I sometimes wonder if Buckley wasn’t pressured to come back down to Earth, if he wouldn’t have flourished making more adventurous music like this rather than d**king about with record company expectations toward the end of his life.

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Exodus (1977)
In 1977, the worst problems most rock stars were dealing with were reckoning with the mountains of cocaine they were putting up their snoots. Meanwhile, in Nigeria and Jamaica, Fela had the army invading his home and murdering his mother, while Bob Marley survived a second assassination attempt. He responded by making the best album of his career. A lot can be said for the early productions with Lee Perry, but the power behind the slowly building “Natural Mystic” set the tone. And while “Three Little Birds” and “One Love” have the shit overplayed out of them, the positive messages underlined the fact that Marley was a bad mofo who was not afraid, and not to be f****ed with.
The Raincoats – The Raincoats (1979)
I just read Kim Gordon’s Girl in a Band, who described the Raincoats as an “all-girl post-punk band, playing noncommercial music—rhythmic and off-kilter. They came across as ordinary people playing extraordinary music.” They were indeed incredible, untrained musicians who were more adventurous and original than any of the prog bands at the time. “Fairytale in the Supermarket” was a perfect kick-off, and incredibly every track works, even their cover of The Kinks’ “Lola.”
The Adverts – Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts (1978)
The extreme simplicity of their statement of purpose, “One Chord Wonders” have lead many to underestimate this band. They may have been relatively late in releasing their debut album in February ’78, but decades later, what matters is this album has proven to be a timeless, if still somewhat underrated, classic. Their driving intensity was matched at the time only by the Buzzcocks, winning over lifetime acolytes like Henry Rollins.
Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance (1978)
Any history worth it’s salt will mention Pere Ubu as an important step in an evolution from The Stooges, MC5, Velvet Underground and New York Dolls to the CBGBs scene. However more mainstream nutshell narratives may still ignore these Cleveland pioneers which is a dang shame, as they were arguably mapping out post-punk in 1975 before punk even really existed. Along with the Dead Boys, they evolved from avant garage rockers Rocket From the Tombs, and definitely held down the artier elements. Their first full-length solo album was a perfect balance of high energy, spastic songs influenced by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band rhythms, their moody early singles “30 Seconds to Tokyo” and “Final Solution,” and their more abstract art rock that they’d evolve into. They’re amazingly still in action today.
Magazine – Real Life (1978)
When Howard Devoto split from the Buzzcocks after their groundbreaking self-released EP, it was like a cell splitting off to form just as an amazing an organism, but expanding on Buzzcocks’ arty punk into real art punk, even informed by some prog sensibilities. Add brilliant guitarist John McGeoch, and the Magazine debut, coming out just three months after Buzzcocks’ first full-length, is actually artistically a step ahead of Devoto’s former bandmates. Case in point, while “Shot at Both Sides” shares the same riff as “Lipstick,” which Devoto co-wrote with Pete Shelley, Magazine’s song is superior. They may not have matched the run of singles collected on Singles Going Steady, but Real Life is a massively pioneering post-punk classic.
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus – Dadawah, Peace & Love (1974)
Like the best gospel, Nyabhinghi Rastafarian religious community music can be a lot of fun, especially when Ras Michael covers “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in “Rise Jah Jah Children (The Lion Sleeps).” Nyahbinghi drums has roots in Jamaican folk music going back to at least the 1940s, and was featured in one of the first Jamaican singles, “Oh Carolina” (1958). In 1972, Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari released the double album Grounation, which was a fairly accurate representation of the ceremony of the same name. Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus would go on to release several albums that alternate between very rough, unadorned Nyahbinghi music (such as the Nyahbinghi album also from 1974), and more song-based work with accomplished, jazzy musicianship on Rastfari (1975) and Love Thy Neighbour (1979). Dadawah, Peace & Love achieves the perfect middle ground, with four long, hypnotic tracks that achieve a mysterious, mystical atmosphere similar to the Lee Perry-produced classic by The Congos, Heart Of The Congo (1977). Perhaps this album was an influence. In recent years its stature seems to be growing, as sort of the Nyahbinghi Astral Weeks or The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady. If you seek more, check out Cedric Im Brooks’ The Light Of Saba.
Al Green – I’m Still In Love With You (1972)
When I was in my 20s I lived above a cafe called Scenes where I had some friends who often hung out there. It was such a luxury to have a social scene, as it were at my doorstep, especially compared to living out in the woods and hardly ever see anyone. They played the heck out of this album, so it’s engrained in my consciousness to the point where I rarely need to play it anymore, it just plays in the background anyway. Good times. I love all of Green’s output from 71-74, more than even the more acclaimed Stevie Wonder. There’s just a consistent groove that no one else matched then, thanks of course to the fabulous Al Jackson Jr. and Willie Mitchell.
The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks (1977)
Of all the punk albums of the 70s, Sex Pistols ironically might be closest to a mainstream hard rock sound thanks to the production assist from Chris Thomas (Beatles, Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Badfinger), which Glen Matlock would have approved of had he still been there. Kicking him out was really the beginning of the end. While Steve Jones’ wicked riffs and Johnny Rotten’s brilliant lyrics and delivery made them stand out, they would have been nothing without Matlock’s songwriting. Proof is there in the post-Matlock singles, which were all covers. But the album is proof that briefly, they were one of the best rock bands around in ’77.
Cedric Im Brooks – The Magical Light Of Saba (1978)
What if Sun Ra were dubwise? Fela Kuti a rasta? Curtis Mayfield, well, Curtis influenced countless Jamaican artists already…Who knew Sir Coxsone Dodd (RIP) had harbored such an adventurous spirit all those years? Since the early 60s, Brooks was one of Jamaica’s premier instrumentalists, playing on many of Sir Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One hits. His passion for jazz and African rhythms led him to Rastafarian drummer Count Ossie, with whom he formed Count Ossie And His Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari. At the end of the decade Brooks went to Philadelphia to go to music college. He ended up meeting saxophonist Sonny Rollins and Sun Ra. Ra’s communal-based approach of living and practicing together was not a far stretch from the dreads at home, and he was on the verge of joining the band when the birth of his daughter called him back. He formed The Light Of Saba, and recorded four albums in the seventies that built upon The Mystic Revelation’s brass and nyabinghi Rasta hand drumming, adding reggae guitars, dub effects, his own sax and wooden flute, and a wide variety of rhythms, from local Mento/calypso/rocksteady/reggae to Cuban, American funk and African burru, poco and kumina. Like Fela Kuti, he started with his native culture and expanded the influences to create something new and truly ahead of its time.
Harmonia – Deluxe (1975)
Frustrated with trying to assemble a live band for Neu! shows, Michael Rother visited Cluster’s Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius at their bucolic, woodlands studio home in Forst, Weserbergland in 1973 to ask them to join. He clicked with them so well creatively that he decided to put Neu! on hiatus and stayed. The result was two incredible albums in which they eschewed repetition for a variety of short burts of experimental sounds, including torturing a long-suffering drum machine by putting it through effects and chopping up the rhythms. Brian Eno played keen attention to Music Von Harmonia (1974) before recording Another Green World (1975). Bowie was also a big fan, which was reflected on side two of Low (1977). On Deluxe they let the drum machine alone, recruiting Guru Guru’s Mani Neumeier for a more powerful sound. Eno joined them and made some demos that were released 20 years later as Harmonia 76, Tracks And Traces. While it was fascinating stuff, it wasn’t nearly great as the two official releases. Live 1974, issued by Water in 2007, offers a rare peak of a live performance of mostly different material, with more of the improvised space rock feel of earlier Cluster. It also, however, lacks the magic of the studio albums.
Neu! – Neu! 75 (1975)
The first I’d heard of Neu! was when bands on the Too Pure label started citing them as an influence in the early 90s, like Stereolab and Th’ Faith Healers. Drummer Klaus Dinger and multi-instrumentalist Michael Rother left Kraftwerk in 1971 to form the more stripped down sound, pioneering the famous motorik rhythm. Even the cover art was classic, with the band’s name spray-painted on white in day-glo pink. Neu! 2 (1973) is slightly disappointing in that the second side is a single, “Neuschnee” and “Super” replayed at varying speeds. If only they had commissioned Lee Perry to give it a truly creative dub mix. After a two year hiatus with Rother doing Harmonia and Dinger forming the early stages of La Dusseldorf, they reconvened at Conny Plank’s new studio to finish their three album contract. Side one is them as a duo, featuring Rother’s lovely spacescapes that served as an early influencer to ambient and post-rock. On side two, Dinger wanted to move to vocals and rhythm guitar, leaving drumming duties to the double team of brother Thomas Dinger and Plank’s recording assistant Hans Lampe. They don’t disappoint, blowing their tops with crunchy guitars, doubled-up drums and screaming proto-punk Dinger vocals. Bowie liked “Hero” so much he named one of his best songs after it.
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo (1978)
When I was in fourth grade, my scholastic magazine had an interview with Devo. I can imagine the editor saw their goofy, colorful outfits and thought, now here’s a zany band that’s kid friendly. But they probably didn’t realize they had songs like “Praying Hands” that were basically instructions on how to beat off. Devo were kid friendly in a way, but not so great as educators — it still took me another five years to figure that out. But they did have hyper, punk energy and subversively satirical lyrics, barely masking a seething rage. In between uncontrollable urges there were songs boiling over with withering dismisals of jocks, straights and stupid people. In my hometown the burnouts took to calling anyone who looked unique, Devo. I always thanked them for the compliment before throwing a brick at their car window.
Kraftwerk – The Man Machine (1978)
The transition from kosmische musik hippies who tinkered with gadgets to full on synthpop pioneers in the guise of robots occurred on their sixth album, Trans Europe Express (1977), but their vision was fully realized and perfected to exacting futuristic specs on The Man Machine. Some early synth stars like Gary Numan tried to deny that they were influenced by Kraftwerk’s “plinky plonk” rhythms, but everyone with gadgets and knobs owes something to Kraftwerk.
Guru Guru – Känguru (1972)
Guru Guru are kind of the Spinal Tap of the German avant rock scene, with the aptly named Ax Genrich peeling off gonzoid slabs of guitar madness inspired by Hendrix and Blue Cheer, but also anticipating the likes of Chrome and MX-80 Sound with flashes of brilliance that sounds positively post-punk. Their first and fourth albums, UFO (1970) and Guru Guru (1973) are often cited as their best. They’re wrong. Their third album Känguru reflects bandleader and drummer Mani Neumeier’s peak. Learning from his friends Conny Plank and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster/Harmonia, it’s also their best sounding album. Try Hinten (1971) next. Unfortunately, of their first half dozen albums, Känguru is the only one currently out of print. The cover may look familiar to Pavement fans…
Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth (1979)
Formed in 1978 in Cardiff by Alison Statton and three Moxham brothers, their one and only album was a huge influence in one direction post-punkers would take, or perhaps several, including indie pop and minimal wave. This is one of the bands I read about in the Trouser Press Guide years before hearing it. The entry was somewhat dismissive, so it took other word of mouth to inspire me to pick up the 1990 CD reissue and feature on my radio show. A couple years before she was Hole’s bassist, Kristen Pfaff was a friend and joined me on my radio show a few times when I was playing tracks from Colossal Youth. Then Hole ended up covering “Credit in the Straight World.” They were included in the Spin Alternative Record Guide in 1995 and voila, they’re in the canon!

Bubbling Under

Contortions – Buy (Arista/Infinite Zero, 1979)
Ash Ra Tempel – Ash Ra Tempel (Spalax, 1971)
The Fall – Dragnet (Step Forward, 1979)
La Dusseldorf – La Dusseldorf (Radar, 1976)
Cluster – Zuckerzeit (Brain, 1974)
Michael Rother – Sterntaler (Sky/Water, 1978)
Chrome – Half Machine Lip Moves (Touch And Go/Noiseville, 1979) | Bandcamp
Ultravox – Ha! Ha! Ha! (Island, 1977)
Marianne Faithfull – Broken English (Island, 1979)
The Pop Group – Y (Radar, 1979)
Essential Logic – Beat Rhythm News (Rough Trade, 1979) | Bandcamp

Other albums by bands in the list

Wire – 154 (Restless, 1979)
Wire – Chairs Missing (Restless, 1978)
Can – Tago Mago (Spoon/Mute, 1971) | Bandcamp
Buzzcocks – A Different Kind Of Tension (UA/EMI, 1979)
Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings And Food (Sire, 1978)
Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77 (Sire, 1977)
Magazine – Secondhand Daylight (Virgin, 1979)
David Bowie – Station To Station (RCA, 1976)
Pere Ubu – Dub Housing (Rough Trade, 1978) | Bandcamp
Harmonia – Music Von Harmonia (Brain, 1974)
Can – Future Days (Spoon/Mute, 1973) | Bandcamp
Neu! – Neu! (Brain/Astralwerks, 1972)
Television – Adventure (Elektra, 1978)
Can – Soon Over Babaluma (Spoon/Mute, 1974) | Bandcamp
Kraftwerk – Trans Europa Express (Capitol, 1977)
David Bowie – “Heroes” (RCA, 1977)
The Stranglers – The Raven (EMI, 1979)
Michael Rother – Flammende Herzen (Sky/Water, 1977)

Full List

The Congos – Heart Of The Congos (1977)
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979)
Wire – Pink Flag (1977)
Brian Eno – Another Green World (1975)
Gang of Four – Entertainment! (1979)
The Slits – Cut (1979)
Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box/Second Edition (1979)
Talking Heads – Fear Of Music (1979)
Fela Kuti – Zombie (1977)
X-Ray Spex – Germ-Free Adolescents (1978)
Can – Ege Bamyasi (1972)
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel (1976)
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis (1970)
Nick Drake – Pink Moon (1972)
Toots & the Maytals – In The Dark/Funky Kingston (1974)
Tim Buckley – Starsailor (1970)
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Exodus (1977)
The Raincoats – The Raincoats (1979)
The Adverts – Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts (1978)
Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance (1978)
Magazine – Real Life (1978)
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus – Dadawah, Peace & Love (1974)
Al Green – I’m Still In Love With You (1972)
The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks (1977)
Cedric Im Brooks – The Magical Light Of Saba (1978)
Harmonia – Deluxe (1975)
Neu! – Neu! 75 (1975)
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo (1978)
Kraftwerk – The Man Machine (1978)
Guru Guru – Känguru (1972)
Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth (1979)

Posted in: Listicles, Reviews

Tagged: 1970s, Adverts, Al Green, Ash Ra Tempel, Bob Marley, Can, Congos, Contortions, Curtis Mayfield, Devo, Eno, Fela Kuti, Gang of Four, Guru Guru, Harmonia, Joy Division, Justin Hinds & the Dominoes, Kosmische, Kraftwerk, Magazine, Neu!, Nick Drake, Pere Ubu, post-punk, Public Image Ltd., Raincoats, Ras Michael, reggae, Sex Pistols, soul, Talking Heads, The Slits, Tim Buckley, Toots & the Maytals, Wire, X-Ray Spex, Young Marble Giants