The 1970s are a period that I associate with my dad's record collection, the stuff that stuck in my head were some of the more rocky albums like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and a load of prog stuff, even though I don't think he actually owns that many albums by the aforementioned bands. No matter, I'm only counting things that I own anyway and for this time period that mainly consists of the first 3 Iron Maiden albums, a host of best ofs, the odd 80s compilation and a few random selections creeping in here and there. Certainly where Maiden are concerned that shows and I make no apology for it, it's just the way the chart falls!
Some of the selections were difficult to rank due to some pretty different genres battling for attention. There was also a much smaller window for knowing the songs at the time (given that I was born in 1978), although Madness and Adam and the Ants are two that stand out here where that was the case. So most of these entries come from the "before my time" school, revisiting older classics in later years to see what all the fuss was about. Some stand the test of time well, others can never be the same without the context of "being there". However, this is only the start, and "being there" will play a huge part in the coming charts as my musical journey continues.....
1. Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name
2. Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera
3. Jeff Wayne - The Eve of the War
4. Motorhead - Ace of Spades
5. Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills
6. Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker
7. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
8. Misfits - Last Caress
9. Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
10. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
11. Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
12. Jeff Wayne - The Artilleryman & The Fighting Machine
13. Duran Duran - Rio
14. Ultravox - Vienna
15. Madness - House of Fun
16. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come on Eileen
17. Misfits - Halloween
18. Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
19. Duran Duran - Girls on Film
20. Misfits - Astro Zombies
21. Madness - Our House
22. Ramones - Rockaway Beach
23. Deep Purple - Speed King
24. Motorhead - Overkill
25. Iron Maiden - Running Free
26. Iron Maiden - Prowler
27. Iron Maiden - Sanctuary
28. The Teardop Explodes - Reward
29. Chas & Dave - The Sideboard Song
30. Iron Maiden - Wrathchild
31. Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
32. Killing Joke - Follow the Leaders
33. Duran Duran - Planet Earth
34. Rainbow - Since You've Been Gone
35. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
36. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
37. Joy Division - Transmission
38. Chas & Dave - Margate
39. Iron Maiden - Children of the Damned
40. Iron Maiden - Charlotte the Harlot
41. Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
42. Deep Purple - Black Night
43. Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
44. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
45. Iron Maiden - The Prisoner
46. Iron Maiden - Invaders
47. Iron Maiden - Murders in the Rue Morgue
48. Madness - Baggy Trousers
49. Motorhead - Bomber
50. Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
The next chart will be 1983 to 1985.