re: 1974 was a musical wasteland.

quote:

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Frank Zappa - Apostrophe

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And that was the third best album he released in '74 (although most popular). Inca Roads and the live Roxy & Elsewhere are both better, imo.

There was also:

King Crimson - Starless & Bible Black
Miles Davis - Get Up With It
Little Feat - Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Traffic - When the Eagle Flies

The Grateful Dead released Mars Hotel, the second on their own label. But as has already been suggested they were at their peak as live performers at that time (and Jerry hadn't discovered heroin yet).

Also, let's not hold it against 1974 if some great bands happened to release a great album the year before or the year after. Like Pink Floyd releasing Dark Side of the Moon in '73 and Wish You Were Here in '75. That still leaves '74 right there in the peak era of rock. As a collector of live bootleg recordings, the first things I check out from any band from the 70's is what they were playing in '73 and '74.