Top 50 of 1970 to 1982

While I was trying to think of which band should be the next to receive the top 50 treatment, I hit upon the idea of doing a top 50 per year.  Now I don't actually own a lot of albums from before I was born, so the initial part of doing that would probably prove problematic.....no bother, I'll group the first few together I thought, culminating in this first chart covering 1970 to 1982.

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.