Nobody Listens to These 3 Underrated Albums From the 1970s (Except for Baby Boomers With Good Taste)

There are so many underrated 1970s albums just floating around, none of which will ever get the love they deserved during that incredible era. Some such albums have gotten the cult classic treatment in subsequent decades, including a few of the following power pop, prog, and proto-metal albums. But none of these three records earned the success they should have back in the day, outside of the love they got from baby boomer audiophiles. Let’s take a look!

‘Radio City’ by Big Star (1974)

This album’s a go-to for lists like this. I’m truly still very surprised that Big Star didn’t get… well, bigger. This power-pop album is a cult classic that has gotten more love in retrospect, but it deserved much more success back in 1974.

Radio City has since become a definitive record in power pop’s history. But in 1974, the album itself sold very poorly despite critical acclaim. What gives?

‘Force It’ by UFO (1975)

Metal was just beginning to stir to life in the 1970s, and this proto-metal album never really got the mainstream recognition it should have, outside of diehard metalhead baby boomers. Maybe that album cover (which was heavily edited in the US but otherwise featured a gender-ambiguous couple making out) was just a bit too controversial. Who knows? That doesn’t change the fact that Force It by UFO is proto-metal at its finest.

Force It by UFO managed to chart in the US. Sadly, it peaked at only No. 71 on the Billboard 200. It deserved to do way better in my opinion.

‘Argus’ by Wishbone Ash (1972)

This entry on our list of underrated 1970s albums is a prog-rock delight. And it’s one that became a favorite among guitar-driven rock fans in later years. But back in 1972, Argus really did not get the love it deserved.

While Argus remains Wishbone Ash’s most critically and commercially successful record, it didn’t do nearly as well in the United States as it should have. The album was a No. 3 hit in the UK. However, it only earned only a No. 169 ranking on the Billboard 200.

(Photo by Charlie Gillett/Redferns)