I call 1973 “The Year of the Classic Album”. Maybe it was because I was beginning to listen to albums in their entirety that year. Or maybe it was caused by the explosion of Southern Rock that year. Or maybe it was just because albums were being produced and marketed with the whole project in mind (the concept album) and not relying on the weight of a single Top 40 hit to carry the entire album.

Nonetheless, complete works of art were delivered to us in 1973 from artists like Pink Floyd, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Joel, The Allman Brothers Band, Wings, The Edgar Winter Group, Stevie Wonder, Eagles, ZZ Top, and many more!

1973 was a banner year for great albums!

Back In 1973:

• Minimum wage in the U.S. was $2.00 per hour
• The average annual income was $12,965
• A new car cost $3,950
• You could build a new home for $32,500
• A loaf of bread was 28 cents
• A gallon of gas was 40 cents
• First Class postage was only 8 cents!

1973 World News Headlines:

• The U.S. agreed to stop fighting in Vietnam
• The first planeload of POWs returned home from the Vietnam War
• Egypt and Israel signed a cease-fire agreement
• The Bahamas gained its independence after more than 300 years of British rule
• Juan Peron, the president of Argentina from 1946 to 1955, was again elected to that post
• A severe drought in Africa killed hundreds of thousands

1973 U.S. News Headlines:

• The Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade
• Four top aides to President Nixon quit over the Watergate affair
• President Nixon agreed to turn over tape recordings of the Watergate break-in
• The Pulitzer Prize was awarded to the “Washington Post” for its investigation of the Watergate scandal
• U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned over claims of tax evasion
• The Arab oil embargo resulted in long lines at gas stations throughout the U.S.
• Skylab — the first U.S. space station, is launched into orbit

The top TV shows in 1973:  All in the Family, The Waltons, Sanford & Son, M*A*S*H*, Hawaii Five-O, Maude, Kojak, Cannon, The Bob Newhart Show, Happy Days, and Barnaby Jones.

Favorite movies from 1973:  American Graffiti, Day of the Jackal, The Exorcist, Jesus Christ Superstar, Live and Let Die, The Paper Chase, Paper Moon, Papillon, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Serpico, Sleeper, The Sting, Last Tango in Paris, Walking Tall, Westworld, and Zardoz.

What were some of your favorite LPs of 1973?  Share your thoughts, comments and opinions with us!

Re-live the classic album cuts from 1973 on-the-air right now on both Live365 and TuneIn apps!

Thanks for listening! Tell your friends!

– Fred