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1972 Music
Below is a list of the albums from the year 1972 that we have written original reviews.

*1972 Album of the Year

Below are further descriptions of each album, in the order that we reviewed.

November 2, 2012
Foxtrot by GenesisFoxtrot is a solid album by Genesis, which struck a nice balance between jam-oriented progressive rock and theme-oriented art rock with not a weak single moment anywhere on the album. It would become the first in a trilogy of classic albums by the band in the early 1970s.

Review of Foxtrot

November 7, 2012
Can't Buy a Thrill by Steely DanFor a debut effort, Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan is quite polished and refined. This is hardly a surprise as the group’s founders and core songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are notorious for their near-obsessive perfectionism in the studio.

Review of Can’t Buy a Thrill

November 11, 2012
Harvest by Neil YoungHarvest is an album of Americana personified by Neil Young. It is where rock and roll goes to Nasville (literally), with simple and tight rhythms and subtle acoustic guitars are flavored by distant steel guitars and harmonica all under clearly vocalized lyrics about the simple struggles of life.

Review of Harvest

November 15, 2012
Obscured By Clouds by Pink FloydOne of the lost treasures of classic rock and, by far, the most overlooked album by Pink Floyd during their classic era, Obscured by Clouds acted as a mere warm-up for the more ambitious and highly-regarded 1973 classic Dark Side of the Moon. Still the music here is excellent.

Review of Obscured by Clouds

November 20, 2012
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David BowieThrough a very long and distinguished career, David Bowie’s absolute classic is the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It takes the musicianship and experimental of Bowie’s previous albums to a whole new level and, although it is a concept album, nothing feels forced and nowhere is it repetitive, just a grand parade of songs which collectively tell a story.

Review of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

November 25, 2012
Exile On Main Street by The Rolling StonesMany esteemed and big-name rock publications have rated Exile On Main Street by The Rolling Stones as one of the greatest albums of all time. While the music is legitimate rock throughout, this 1972 double album pales in comparison to its predecessor and breaks very little new ground to be held in such esteem.

Review of Exile On Main Street

November 29, 2012
The EaglesThe Eagles produced a very impressive debut album in 1972, both in songcraft and pure sound. All four original members of the band participated in writing and singing lead on multiple tunes, and the album spawned more radio hits than any of the band’s early efforts.

Review of The Eagles

December 3, 2012
Paul Simon debut albumWith his first solo effort after the breakup of Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon distinguished himself finely by exploring many root-American genres as well as some world musical influences. Simon instantly staked his own claim in the musical landscape with this first of many interesting albums.

Review of Paul Simon

December 10, 2012
Fragile by YesFragile, the fourth album by Yes is really a bridge between its rock-influenced predecessors and the nearly pure prog albums which would follow. The album features four tracks of full band performances interspersed by five short tracks which each showcase an individual member of the band.

Review of Fragile

December 14, 2012
Eat a Peach by The Allman Brothers BandA unique hybrid album that literally bridges two eras of The Allman Brothers Band, the 1972 double album Eat a Peach was recorded prior to and in the wake of the tragedy which took the life of lead guitarist Duanne Allman. Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in October 1971 and the album is a tribute to him and his fantastic guitar work.

Review of Eat a Peach

December 17, 2012
Blue Oyster CultThe eponymous debut album by Blue Öyster Cult kicked off the year 1972 as well as the recording career of this Long Island, New York based rock group. Often referred to as “the thinking man’s heavy metal group” or “heavy metal for those who hate heavy metal”.

Review of Blue Öyster Cult

December 20, 2012
Honky Chateau by Elton John Honky Château was a very transitional album for Elton John, beig the first to feature his regular touring band and bridging his singer/songwriter early career with the more pop/rock oriented music he would ride to pop fame in the coming years.

Review of Honky Château

December 25, 2012
Thick As a Brick by Jethro TullThick as a Brick may be the album that brought progressive rock to its ultimate end, being one long song that covered both sides of this fifth studio album by Jethro Tull. It was deliberately crafted as an “over the top” concept album, to the point where all the lyrics were credited to a fictional child prodigy named “Gerald Bostick”. These lyrics and music were actually written by the band’s front man, Ian Anderson.

Review of Thick As a Brick

December 29, 2012
Machine Head by Deep Purple, 1972 Album of the Year
Deep Purple is often overlooked as one of the truly great classic rock acts. This may be due to several factors, including the fact that they reigned during the prime of so many other great British rock groups who tended to crowd out this band’s accomplishments. In any case, this was a top-notch act and they were never better than they were on their 1972 classic Machine Head.

Review of Machine Head

April 28, 2017
Argus by Wishbone AshWishbone Ash dabbled all kinds of hard rock genres in the early 1970s and found a bit of a distinctive sweet spot with the 1972 release, Argus. Here, the group merged some folk and blues elements with extended rock jams and a lyrical medieval concept to forge a unique record.

Review of Argus

July 10, 2017
Chicago VThe first of their studio albums to be of standard, single-disc length, Chicago V has held up through the decades as the most cohesive album in the long discography of Chicago.

Review of Chicago V

September 14, 2017
Close to the Edge by YesThe critically acclaimed Close to the Edge was not an easy album to make and its intense studio sessions led to the departure of Yes‘s drummer, Bill Bruford. Still, this album would become the sonic culmination of all that the band had worked toward over through their early years and first five studio albums.

Review of Close to the Edge

November 15, 2017
Homecoming by AmericaAmerica‘s second album features the trio realizing their refined and folk-rock sound. The ten succinct tracks on Homecoming feature a clear and bright sound with some slight branching out towards diverse musical sub-genres.

Review of Homecoming

January 1, 2012
Jackson Browne 1972 debutAlthough a debut, Jackson Browne‘s self-titled 1972 has a maturity due to his many years in the music industry as a performer and composer. The songs feature deeply introspective lyrics and deliberate musical arrangements which are discretely placed.

Review of Jackson Browne

Final 1972 Poll Results
Q: What is the best album of 1972?

1 Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie 30.3%
2 Exile On Main Street by
The Rolling Stones
25.8%
3 Machine Head by Deep Purple 13.6%
4 Harvest by Neil Young 12.1%
5 Eat a Peach by Allman Brothers Band 7.7%
6 Foxtrot by Genesis 7.5%
7 Thick As a Brick by
Jethro Tull
3.0%

Conducted on our site, November-December, 2012

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4 Comments

  1. Everybody's A Showiz, Everybody's A Star (The Kinks)
    July 23, 2017 @ 11:23 am

    “Obscure By The Clouds” by “Everybody’s A Showiz” (The Kinks) This album is best and much better

    Reply

    • Alpha Dog
      August 10, 2017 @ 12:35 pm

      Please feel free to submit a Kinks review for consideration. Minimum 500 words, no plagiarizing.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  2. Karl
    February 16, 2020 @ 5:23 am

    Roxy Music – the first album come on!! There had never been anythin like it.

    Reply

  3. Kevin
    November 9, 2022 @ 3:39 am

    Van Morrison – St. Dominic’s Preview – the title track has been wandering around my mind – I mean like for years now – as quite possibly the greatest song ever. He starts simply and continues piling on details – fitting them in like broken chairs on a huge bonfire – but chairs made of oak. The resulting pile of conflagration just blows my mind every time.

    Reply

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