5 Fantastic Albums Released 50 Years Ago This Month

Let’s pull out the time machine, shall we? What albums were popping up in record stores back in October 1974? As it turns out, it was a pretty good month for the biggest names in the classic rock world, as both The Rolling Stones and one of The Beatles repped the British Invasion, a decade after they first arrived.

Meanwhile, there was also a new album from one of the top hitmakers of the day, a cult singer/songwriter hitting his peak, and a breakthrough album from a rock band who had been flying under the radar up to that point. Here are five wonderful albums that arrived 50 years ago this month.

Walls and Bridges by John Lennon

Lennon shook off his “Lost Weekend” malaise long enough to once again get on good footing with this record. It received a needed commercial boost from Elton John on the rollicking duet “Whatever Gets You thru the Night,” the ex-Beatle’s first ever U.S. No. 1 hit. The songwriting on Walls and Bridges is much stronger on the whole than its predecessor Mind Games. “#9 Dream” is a nice piece of ethereal pop, “Steel and Glass” brings out Lennon’s biting side as he takes aim at Allen Klein, and “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)” stands as one of his best ever torch songs.

It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll by The Rolling Stones

The Stones were in a cruising mode at this point in their career, with albums that weren’t quite on the level with their best but were still solid enough to ensure the band remained at the top of the rock heap. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll is notable in that it’s their last album with Mick Taylor, but at least he gets to go out in glory with his anguished soloing on the back end of “Time Waits for No One.” The title track fits right in with other in-your-face Stones anthems “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” which capably honors The Temptations, and “Till the Next Time We Say Goodbye,” an underrated weeper.

The Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits

You can picture Waits singing every song on this album draped over a bar as last call approaches, a pool cue leaning next to him, his bleary eyes still manifesting a mischievous twinkle. His ability to sustain that tableau, via both jazz-blues hybrids and piano saloon ballads, is quite impressive. The title track manages to be romantic about the possibilities while remaining realistic about the heartbreaks. “Shiver Me Timbers” is an ode to the restless wanderers everywhere, while “San Diego Serenade” shows off Waits’ sentimental side to great effect.

Crime of the Century by Supertramp

Who knows why things seem to come together all at once for some bands? The British rockers Supertramp were two albums into a career that seemed to be going nowhere when they decided to change up their membership during a three-year recording hiatus. When they returned with Crime of the Century, the contrasting singing and songwriting styles of Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies intertwined beautifully over eight lengthy, richly melodic songs. You can hear it right off the bat as Hodgson’s yearning “School” leads into Davies’ caustic “Bloody Well Right.” It’s the sound of a band finding a winning formula.

Smiler by Rod Stewart

Some would say Stewart’s ‘70s output produced diminishing returns following Every Picture Tells a Story in 1971. Or you could argue that album was such a peak that even slightly lesser efforts like Smiler still sound pretty strong. As usual, Stewart delivered a few originals here and there, including the horn-infused “Dixie Toot” (co-written with Ronnie Wood), and he drops in a few well-chosen covers, like Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country.” Good friends help out as well, as Elton John (with Bernie Taupin) and Paul McCartney (with wife Linda) write and guest on, respectively, the raucous “Let Me Be Your Car” and the romantic “Mine for Me.”

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Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns