1979 Classic Rock Reviews![]() |
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At the end of rock’s most active decade, punk and disco reached the peak of their short respective existences before sharply falling after 1979. Meanwhile, classic rock acts like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, The Eagles, and Neil Young each proved that they had at least one more great album left in them.
We featured albums from the year 1979 during November and December of 2014. During this 35th anniversary celebration of this music, we have written original reviews these albums:
The Boomtown Rats – The Fine Art of Surfacing The Cars – Candy-O Cheap Trick – Dream Police The Clash – London Calling The Eagles – The Long Run Foreigner – Head Games George Harrison – George Harrison Jethro Tull – Stormwatch The Kinks – Low Budget The Knack – Get the Knack Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door Molly Hatchet – Flirtin’ with Disaster Van Morrison – Into the Music Motörhead – Overkill and Bomber Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes Pink Floyd – The Wall The Police – Reggatta de Blanc Supertramp – Breakfast In America* Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend Van Halen – Van Halen II Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage, Acts 1, 2 & 3 ZZ Top – Degüello *1979 Album of the Year Below are further descriptions of each album, in the order that we reviewed. |
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November 4, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 9, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 13, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 16, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 19, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 24, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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November 28, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 1, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 4, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 7, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 10, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 14, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 17, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 20, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 23, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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December 27, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
![]() In the wake of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers‘ label being sold to MCA Records and a subsequent battle of over publishing rights, the group delivered their commercial breakthrough with Damn the Torpedoes. Musically, the group delivers a powerful and distinctive sound with simple yet impressive songs. |
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December 30, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
![]() Breakfast In America was the climax of Supertramp‘s career, both compositionally and sonically. The album’s title reflects the English band’s decision to relocate to Los Angeles in the late 1970s while the music finds the balance between the group’s theatrical past and their mastery of the pop sensibilities at the end of the seventies. |
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February 27, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() A positive record in every way, George Harrison‘s self-titled 1979 release is a pleasant and polished listen, inspired by the domestic bliss of a new family as well as an extended period of leisure. The album also provides a nod back to some Beatles moments, nearly a decade of his old group disbanded. |
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March 22, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() During the year 1979, Motörhead released the albums Overkill and Bomber, two records that helped put this hard rock / proto-metal trio on the commercial and critical map. |
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June 22, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() Few debuts matched the success of The Knack‘s 1979 debut Get the Knack. Filled with catchy and hook-filled new wave pop, this record propelled the group and the album immediately to the top, albeit for a very short ride. |
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June 30, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() Highway to Hell was both the commercial breakthrough for AC/DC as well as their final record with vocalist Bon Scott, making the success bittersweet. Musically, the album defines their signature sounds and themes of deviance, sex talk and drinking anthems. |
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August 7, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() To close out a decade of albums with divergent musical styles, Van Morrison set out to return to something musically deeper with 1979’s Into the Music. Here the music is rich and rootsy while the vocals are gritty and often improvised. |
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September 16, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() In 1979 Frank Zappa released Joe’s Garage, a triple length set of albums. Here we find all of the Frank Zappa benchmarks that his fans love, including musical virtuosity, social parody, pop satire, compositional complexity, stylistic diversity, crude lyrics and a wicked sense of humor. |
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October 27, 2019 | |||||||||||||||
![]() By the time The Police recorded their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, they had refined their blend of punk, reggae and rock through heavy touring. This album was the first of four consecutive number one albums by the trio and it featured a pair of number one singles to help propel it into the commercial stratosphere. |
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Final 1979 Poll Results | |||||||||||||||
Q: What is the best album of 1979?
Conducted on our site, November-December, 2014 |
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