A True Star—the 10 Best Albums of 1973

1973 featured the OPEC oil crisis, the Yom Kippur War, and the death of Salvador Allende. But it was also a great year for albums – I had no room for personal favourites like Tom Waits’ Closing Time, Paul Simon’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, and Ian Matthews’ Valley Hi.

Maybe rock music became too bloated by the mid-1970s, and had to downsize. But most of these 1973 albums are gloriously intricate and eccentric, worth the effort of unpacking.

It also struck me how most of the musicians below are still with us. If you consider Raw Power a collaboration between Iggy Pop and James Williamson (the Asheton brothers were last-minute ring-ins), and remember that the majority of Can’s members were born in the 1930s, it’s surprising that most of these people are still around in 2026.

10 Best Albums of 1973

#10 Call Me—Al Green

The Reverend Al Green was superb in the early 1970s. He delivered a string of smooth hits, utilising his smooth, seductive falsetto. Call Me is arguably Green’s most acclaimed album, broadening his range by covering Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.

As always, Green’s hits are immaculate. ‘Here I Am (Come and Take Me)’ was later a hit for UB40, while ‘Call Me’ is smooth and alluring. The record ends with ‘Jesus is Waiting’, predicting Green’s later gospel direction.

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#9 Raw Power—The Stooges

The Stooges broke up after 1970’s Fun House. Iggy Pop was lost in heroin addiction, but connected with David Bowie, who offered to produce a solo album. Pop cowrote Raw Power with guitarist James Williamson, whose tough riffs were a great complement for Pop’s raw vocals.

It didn’t sell much on release, but it was influential, a favourite of Kurt Cobain, Johnny Marr, and the Sex Pistols. It’s rock and roll at its nastiest – the opening trio of ‘Search and Destroy’, ‘Gimme Danger’, and ‘Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell’ are particularly potent.

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#8 The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle—Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen toiled in obscurity for a couple of albums before breaking through with 1975’s Born to Run. His debut is sometimes overly derivative of Dylan, but his second album is delightful. He utilises the E-Street Band for a big, romantic sound, reminiscent of Van Morrison.

The adolescent dramas of ‘Incident on 57th Street’ and ‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’ are the most celebrated songs. But there’s also the ambitious, meandering closer ‘New York City Serenade’, the wistful ‘4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)’, and the energetic ‘Kitty’s Back’.

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#7 For Your Pleasure—Roxy Music

Brian Eno only stayed with Roxy Music for a couple of albums. Their first album sometimes sacrificed listenability for experimentation, but their second gets the balance right.

Most arresting of all is ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’, picking holes behind the facade of affluence. ‘The Bogus Man’ rides a Krautrock groove for nine minutes, markedly different from anything else in their catalogue. The artier moments are balanced by the energy of ‘Editions of You’ and ‘Do The Strand’.

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#6 Future Days—Can

Future Days dials back Can’s intensity, with Schmidt’s synth washes taking the central role, and drummer Jaki Leibezeit playing gentle jazz parts. The term ambient hadn’t yet been coined in 1973, but Future Days is certainly heading in that direction, slowly unfolding over long tracks.

Future Days was vocalist Damo Suzuki’s last album with Can; he later stated that it was “the best album I made with Can… I wanted nothing from them after that.” The title track and ‘Bel Air’ are particularly beautiful.

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#5 Houses Of The Holy—Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin‘s fifth album was their most ambitious yet. Both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones installed home studios, allowing them to work on detailed arrangements.

It doesn’t always work – their detour into reggae on ‘D’yer Maker’ is a bit stiff. But the best songs are magnificent – the rich, multi-layered ‘The Song Remains the Same’ is a terrific opener, while ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ careens from gentle folk to crashing rock. ‘The Rain Song’ and ‘No Quarter’ are grandiose ballads.

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#4 Paris 1919—John Cale

John Cale has a wild reputation – he helped spearhead the Velvet Underground’s most experimental era, and he once beheaded a chicken on stage. But Paris 1919 is genteel and baroque, Cale having tea with Graham Greene. The UCLA Symphony Orchestra also features on the record, giving tracks like ‘The Endless Plain Of Fortune’ a sophisticated veneer.

The title track is Cale’s finest song, with an elegant melody and instrumentation almost entirely comprised of orchestration. ‘Antarctica Starts Here’ is creepy and half-whispered.

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#3 The Dark Side Of The Moon—Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were already successful before The Dark Side of the Moon – 1970’s pseudo-classical Atom Heart Mother topped the UK charts. But Dark Side of the Moon cemented their legacy, with an iconic cover image and a cynical hit single in 7/4 time (‘Money’). Roger Waters took control of the lyrics and concepts, while the group collaborated on the music, a setup that maximised their potential.

‘Money’ feels a little out of place – the best songs are the spacey symphonic tunes like ‘Us and Them’ and ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ – the latter features a dramatic vocal from guest Claire Torry.

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#2 Innervisions—Stevie Wonder

Innervisions was Wonder‘s third album after signing a new contract with Motown that guaranteed him artistic independence. His growing interest in politics gave his music more depth, notably on the seven-minute ‘Livin’ for the City’.

The lengthy ‘Living For The City’ is the album’s centrepiece, with a powerful groove and poignant lyrics. Even the spoken section in the middle of the song works, and it’s powerful when Wonder’s huskier voice leads the final section. ‘Golden Lady’ and ‘He’s Misstra Know-It-All’ canter behind confident piano grooves, while ‘Higher Ground’ and ‘Jesus Children of America’ are punchier.

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#1 A Wizard, A True Star—Todd Rundgren

If Something/Anything was eclectic, its successor, A Wizard, A True Star, is insane. It reels between a ten-minute medley of Motown covers, a gorgeous version of ‘Never Never Land’ from Peter Pan, a bunch of noises that sound like Rundgren rubbing a balloon, some lovely ballads, and a touch of hard rock.

You can tell from the dramatic, flatulent synths of ‘International Feel’ that wonderful things are in store. The closer, ‘Just One Victory’, is an intricately arranged ballad, a lovely dessert to a veritable feast of randomness.

Did I omit or underrate your favourite album of 1973?

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• 10 Best Albums of 1973