Ten notable albums each from the first quarters of 1974, 1984, and 1994

MCA Records

Looking back fifty years, to 1974. In no particular order, ten good-to-great albums that were released between January and March of that year: JONI MITCHELL - ‘Court and Spark’; STEELY DAN - ‘Pretzel Logic’; CARLY SIMON - ‘Hotcakes’; CAMEL - ‘Mirage’; FRANK ZAPPA - ‘Apostrophe’; KING CRIMSON - ‘Starless and Bible Black’; WEATHER REPORT - ‘Mysterious Traveller’; HARMONIA - ‘Musik von Harmonia’; ROY HARPER - ‘Valentine’; and TANGERINE DREAM - ‘Phaedra.’ Remember, this list covers only the first three months of 1974, and I believe only ‘Court and Spark’ and ‘Pretzel Logic’ would be likely to make my top ten albums of the entire year. A task I may or may not tackle some other time.

Berlin singer Terri Nunn. Photo: Geffen Records

Looking back forty years, to 1984. In no particular order, ten good-to-great albums that were released between January and March of that year: PRETENDERS - ‘Learning to Crawl’; THE SMITHS - s/t; QUEEN - ‘The Works’; ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - ‘Ammonia Avenue’; SPINAL TAP - ‘This is Spinal Tap’ soundtrack; DAVID GILMOUR - ‘About Face’; BERLIN - ‘Love Life’; KING CRIMSON - ‘Three of a Perfect Pair’; JOE JACKSON - ‘Body and Soul’; and MARILLION - ‘Fugazi.’ Despite being a child all throughout the 1980s, I am not keen on the music and culture of the decade; yet, I had to fill a spot and it was not going to be with all the hair metal bands that were becoming prevalent (Tap aside, naturally). Remember, this list covers only the first three months of 1984, and whether any of these records would be likely to make my top ten albums of the entire year is an open question.

Geffen Records

Looking back thirty years, to 1994. In no particular order, ten good-to-great albums that were released between January and March of that year: ALICE IN CHAINS - ‘Jar of Flies’; TORI AMOS - ‘Under the Pink’; NINE INCH NAILS - ‘The Downward Spiral’; SOUNDGARDEN - ‘Superunknown’; PINK FLOYD - ‘The Division Bell’; MEAT PUPPETS - ‘Too High to Die’; MARK LANEGAN - ‘Whiskey for the Holy Ghost’; ALISON MOYET - ‘Essex’; FAILURE - ‘Magnified’; and MARILLION - ‘Brave.’ At the age of sixteen, I found myself amidst a momentous epoch for rock music. Verily, it was the last period where rock-based music was dominant in the marketplace. Remember, this list covers only the first three months of 1994, and of these releases only ‘The Division Bell’ and ‘Superunknown’ - and quite possibly ‘Jar of Flies’ - would be absolutely guaranteed to make my top ten albums of the entire year. 

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social, and @arthurnewhook on POST.