The Best Albums of 1973

Here’s my seventh musical retrospective on the best albums released, by year. My previous “Best Albums” lists covered 1976, 1977, 1975, 1978, 1974, and 1979 (in that order).

—– Summation —–

1973 was a relatively weak year in pop music, with several one-hit wonders from artists who never again reached the same heights. Dozens of flash-in-the-pan singers and groups crowded the charts, most notably Vicki Lawrence’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” King Harvest’s “Dancing in the Moonlight,” Focus’s “Hocus Pocus,” and even “Dueling Banjos” from the movie “Deliverance.” This forgettable phenomenon tumbled off the cliff of absurdity when Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods’ “Billy—Don’t Be a Hero” hit the #1 spot in the UK, USA, and Australia, remaining there for eight excruciating weeks. Absolute dreck. Fortunately, a select few great albums managed to rise above the mass mediocrity of really bad hit songs. Pink Floyd’s unconventional concept album The Dark Side of the Moon helped to salvage what could have been a brutal year otherwise.