#10 Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes
"The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)"
from Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)
Genre - Prog
Official - yesworld.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/yesworld
Location - London, UK
Review - Rolling Stone
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Tales from Topographic Oceans
Purchase - Amazon
As with many of these, I'm only half kidding. I mean, it's named Tales from Topographic Oceans! Why not Songs from the Bottom of the Sky, or Grapes from the Horizon's Elbow? It's a double-concept-album of four side-long tracks, based on the Shastric scriptures - and probably other fourfold things, like elements, seasons, card suits... Who knows? It was this work that inpired Rick Wakeman to sarcastically eat his dinner during a concert - and this is a man who wore a cape in earnest! It has every hilariously overblown prog excess imaginable, and yet (or therefore) it's the only Yes album I actually listen to. Also their best Roger Dean album cover, in gatefold.
#9 Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
"Tubular Bells" from Tubular Bells (1973)
Genre - Electric Neo-Classical
Official - mikeoldfield.org/
Myspace - myspace.com/michaeloldfield
Location - Bahamas
Reviews - Ground and Sky
Download - iTunes, Amazon
Lala - Tubular Bells Digital
Purchase - Amazon
Kinda proggish too, kinda new age. Mainly known for the opening section, used in The Exorcist natch. But familiarity with that part won't prepare you for the rest. The highlight has got to be the announcement and layering of all the various instruments, building up to... well, perhaps you can guess.
#8 Red Hash - Gary Higgins
"Thicker Than a Smokey" from Red Hash (1973)
Genre - Folk
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/redhash
Location - Albuquerque, NM
Review - Pitchfork
Download - Drag City Records, iTunes
Purchase - Amazon
Rediscovered forgotten indie self-release, thanks to a Six Organs of Admittance cover version and APB on Higgins. Excellent earthy, stoney, rocky acoustic guitar folk, shoulda-been classic along the lines of Nick Drake or someone similar.
#7 Live - Genesis
"The Knife" [live, but not the version] from Genesis Live (1973)
Genre - Prog Rock
Official - genesis-music.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/genesismusic
Location - London, UK
Review - Ground and Sky
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Genesis Live
Purchase - Amazon
As Rik Mayall once said, "I'm so bored I might as well be listening to Genesis." But that was once Phil Collins had gone from amazing progressive drummer to comfortable pop hitmaker. And it would get much worse indeed after the early '80s... Anyway, this was my first introduction to the Gabriel era, which quickly overshadowed the contemporary Abacab era (1981) for me. The same year's next Selling England by the Pound (1973) begins the move towards a more straightforward sound, hinting at the prog-pop to come. But this caps a great 3-record period of heavier rocking and deeper British-style prog by my personal favorite from that scene.
#6 The Cosmic Jokers - The Cosmic Jokers
"Galactic Joke (b)" from The Cosmic Jokers (1973)
Genre - Kraut Jam
All Music Guide - Cosmic Jokers
Location - Cologne, Germany
Review - Dr. Schluss' Garage of Psychedelic Obscurities
Purchase - Amazon
Haha! The galactic joke is on you - and the musicians here. Kosmische label-head offered drugs to jam, recorded, ripped, and sold it up! You'd think Ash Ra Tempel and Klaus Schulze would be wiser upfront, but they had to find out by hearing themselves playing in the record stores. Not only that, but there were like four Cosmic Jokers albums mixed up out of these drug-jam-parties! It's a trip.
#5 Tres Hombres - ZZ Top
"Jesus Just Left Chicago" [live 1982] from Tres Hombres (1973)
Genre - Blues Rock
Official - zztop.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/zztop
Location - Houston, TX
Review - Pop Matters
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Tres Hombres
Purchase - Amazon
Basically, after the pre-Eliminator greatest-hits Best of... (1977), this is the ZZ Top record to grab. I mean, it's got "La Grange" and a great batch of album cuts. The "little old band from Texas" makes good!
#4 Space Ritual - Hawkwind
"Brainstorm" from Space Ritual (1973)
Genre - Punk-Prog Space-Rock
Official - hawkwind.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/hawkwindofficial
Location - London, UK
Review - Pitchfork
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Space Ritual
Purchase - Amazon
Space-rock pioneers' seminal album, sci-fi hippies, heavy metal thunder with electronic waves and saxophonic flights, deep void exploration. Although not on the record, I gotta link this video for "Silver Machine!"
#3 Stranded and For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
"Mother of Pearl" from Stranded (1973)
Genre - Post-Glam Art-Rock
Official - roxymusic.co.uk//
Myspace - myspace.com/roxymusicglam
Location - London, UK
Review - Stranded / Pleasure
Download Stranded - Amazon, iTunes
Download Pleasure - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Stranded, For Your Pleasure
Purchase Roxy Music - Amazon
Roxy Music continues building from their debut (#7, 1972), although they lost Brian Eno between For Your Pleasure and Stranded. Pretty much a tie, but I'll give the nod to the latter one - if only just because "Mother of Pearl" is some of my favorite Roxy music.
#2 Raw Power - The Stooges
"Search and Destroy" from Raw Power (1973)
Genre - Proto-Punk Garage-Rock
Official - iggyandthestoogesmusic.com
Myspace - myspace.com/iggyandthestooges
Location - Ann Arbor, MI
Review - Guy's Music Review Website
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Raw Power
Purchase - Amazon
Like the review Guy says, "get your hands on a copy of Raw Power and listen." Fortunately, no-one actually makes you choose between it and Fun House - they're both completely available to everyone!
#1 Future Days - Can
"Future Days" from Future Days (1973)
Genre - Krautrock
Official - spoonrecords.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/holgerczukay
Location - Cologne, Germany
Review - Ground and Sky
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Future Days
Purchase - Amazon
On one hand, I am not a huge Can expert. On the other, I've heard enough of their classic period to know this album stands shoulder-to-shoulder with, if not head-and-shoulders above, the acknowledged classics of Tago Mago (1971) and Ege Bamyasi (#4, 1972). A bit more mellow, sure... But that just proved they were masters of all they could imagine. Mandatory!
Of course, there were several gigantic albums much considered classics, and they probably belong on the list. But they don't fit the weirdo theme, so I excluded them. I'll at least acknowledge that these are quality records: Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and David Bowie's Alladin Sane.
And one reason I probably don't think much of 1973 is that I actually have never really listened to several other supposed classics. So, if for nothing other than my own to-do list: Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets, Berlin from Lou Reed, John Cale's Paris 1919, A Wizard, A True Star by Todd Rundgren (producer of 1973's New York Dolls), the King Crimson of Larks' Tongues in Aspic. Probably also Gram Parsons' GP, and Solid Air by John Martyn. And that's not even dipping into the unknown Krautrock albums of Faust IV, Sand's Golem, Golem's Orion Awakes, and possibly Brainticket's 3rd album, Celestial Ocean. Lots to do there!
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