McQ's Favorite Albums Of 1972

From January 2022 through December 2023 - McQ's Best Of will be reassessing and reranking the most celebrated releases of 1972. 

Bette Midler's career highpoint album The Divine Miss M leads the latest round of additions to our 1972 rankings.

Highest Recommends

1. Exile On Main Street - The Rolling Stones
2. The Harder The Come - Original Soundtrack
3. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie
4. Transformer - Lou Reed

5. Saint Dominic's Preview - Van Morrison

6. Can't Buy A Thrill - Steely Dan

7. Sail Away - Randy Newman

8. All The Young Dudes - Mott The Hoople

Strong Recommends

9. #1 Record - Big Star

10. Talking Book - Stevie Wonder
11. Pink Moon - Nick Drake

12. So Far - Faust

13. Clear Spot - Captain Beefheart

14. Gumbo - Dr. John

15. Harvest - Neil Young

16. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield

17. Something/Anything - Todd Rundgren

18. Slayed? - Slade

19. Machine Head - Deep Purple

20. Back Stabbers - The O'Jays

21. Give It Up - Bonnie Rait

22. Blacknuss - Rashaan Roland Kirk
23. Will The Circle Be Unbroken - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

24. Eat A Peach - The Allman Brothers

25. Let's Stay Together - Al Green

26. Only Visiting This Planet - Larry Norman

27. Keine Macht Fur Neimand - Tom Steine Scherben

28. Rock Of Ages - The Band

29. What Color Is Love - Terry Callier

30. The Grand Wazoo - Frank Zappa

Solid Recommends

31. I'm Still In Love With You - Al Green

32. Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using)

33. On The Corner - Miles Davis

34. Ege Bamyasi - CAN

35. Neu!

36. Thick As A Brick - Jethro Tull

37. Manassas - Stephen Stills

38. Still Bill - Bill Withers

39. Close To The Edge - Yes

40. The Slider - T Rex

41. Caravanserai - Santana

42. School's Out - Alice Cooper

43. Roxy Music

44. Argus - Wishbone Ash

45. Live - Donny Hathaway

46. Eagles

47. Honky Chateau - Elton John

48. Be Altitude:Respect Yourself - The Staples Singers

49. All Directions - The Temptations

50. Everybody's In Show Biz - The Kinks

51. Baby I'm-a Want You - Bread

52. Naturally - J.J. Cale

53. Never A Dull Moment - Rod Stewart

54. Sailin' Shoes - Little Feat

55. The Divine Miss M - Bette Midler

56. They Only Come Out At Night - The Edgar Winter Group

57. Volume 4 - Black Sabbath

58. Roforofo Fight - Fela Kuti

59. Bobby Charles

60. Foxtrot - Genesis

61. The World Is A Ghetto - War

62. Amazing Grace - Aretha Franklin

63. Hosianna Mantra - Popol Vuh

64. Made In Japan - Deep Purple

65. Greetings From L.A. - Tim Buckley

66. Sandy - Sandy Denny

67. For The Roses - Joni Mitchell

68. Radici - Francesco Guccini

69. Waka/Jawaka - Frank Zappa

70. Winter Concert - Icarus - Paul Winter

71. I Sing The Body Electric - Weather Report

72. Sahara - McCoy Tyner

73. Manfred Mann's Earth Band

74. The Late Great Towns Van Zandt

75. Black Unity - Pharoah Sanders

76. Catch Bull At Four - Cat Stevens

77. Slade Alive! - Slade

Mild Recommends

78. The Complete Science Fiction Sessions - Ornette Coleman

79. Blue Oyster Cult

80. Toulouse Street - The Doobie Brothers

81. Clube da esquina - Milton Nascimento And Lo Borges

82. American Gothic - David Ackles

83. Cigars, Acappella, Candy - The Belmonts

84. Jo Jo Gunne

85. Storio di un Minuto - Premiata Formerai Marconi

86. Chicago V

87. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye

88. Whatevershebringswesing - Kevin Ayers

89. Expresso 2222 - Gilberto Gil

90. Music Of My Mind - Stevie Wonder

91. Young, Gifted, And Black - Aretha Franklin

92. Trilogy - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

93. Paul Simon

94. The Spotlight Kid - Captain Beefheart.

95. Screaming Target - Big Youth

96. He Touched Me - Elvis Presley

97. Into The Purple Valley - Ry Cooder

98. No Secrets - Carly Simon

99. Skies Of America - Ornette Coleman

100. Discover America - Van Dyke Parks

1972 Albums Of Critical Note I've Yet To Process In Full

666 - Aphrodite's Child
Acabou Chorare - Os Novos Balanos

And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' - Michael Nesmith

Birds Of Fire - The Mahayishnu Orchestra

Blue River - Eric Anderson

Crusaders 1 - Crusaders
Doremi Faso Latido - Hawkwind

Echoes Of A Friend - McCoy Tyner
Europe '72 - The Grateful Dead

Irrlicht - Klaus Schulze

Let My Children Hear Music - Charles Mingus
Live! In Europe - Rory Gallagher

Matching Mole

Return To Forever - Chick Corea

Round 2 - The Sylistics

Schwingungen - Ash Ra Tempel

The Academy In Peril - John Cale

The Great American Songbook - Carmen McRae

Transa - Caetano Veloso

Zeit - Tangerine Dream

Last Updated 08.12.23