Eight Albums Turning 50 In 2025
1975 Was A Pivotal Moment For Guitar Pop
Guitar pop really gained momentum in 1975, although it wasn’t always clear which direction things might go.
Bubblegum, glam, power pop, pub rock and hard rock danced around each other, in some cases converging the nascent forces that soon drove punk and new wave. One year later, in 1976, it all came together with debut releases from The Nerves, Ramones, The Beckies, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and The Runaways, to name a few.
In that way, 1975 was an important bridge. Debut singles by now legendary artists were a definite sign of good sounds to come, including “Little Lost And Innocent” by Milk ‘N’ Cookies, “(She’s My Girl) She’s All Mine” by The Boys, “If She Cries” by The Poppees, “Gorilla” by Rubinoos, and “I’m On Fire” by Dwight Twilley.
Things were equally promising on the album front in 1975, if a little less clearly defined.
The connections between these artists and songs might not seem obvious at first glance, but they all helped shape the late ‘70s/early ‘80s golden age and, by extension, decades of great guitar pop that has continually evolved ever since.
Enjoy this 8-album trip back to the mid-‘70s.
⚡️ What’s Your Favorite Guitar Pop Album Of 1975? 💥
1. Shoes—One In Versailles
Self-released on Shoes Records, 1975
“‘Dance In Your Sleep’ convinces from the off—gritty proto-new wave with heavenly soaring vocals, it is a good three years ahead of the crowd. The sad self-analysis of ‘Do I Get So Shy’ is wedded to a beautiful tune with some great jangly guitar and Shoes’ ‘60s influences show through on the Byrds/Kinks love song ‘Kristine.’”—Louder Than War
“What's most fascinating about the album is how fully formed the Shoes aesthetic was even at this early stage; there is not one song on this brief album that would sound out of place on Present Tense or Black Vinyl Shoes.”—AllMusic
2. Artful Dodger—Artful Dodger
Released by Columbia Records in September, 1975
“‘Wayside’ is brilliant and it's a travesty that it wasn't a smash hit. Crispy, melodic guitar work from Gary Herrewig and Gary Cox, integral bass parts from Steve Cooper, effective drumming from Steve Brigida and superb vocals from Billy Paliselli add up to a great lost classic.”—AllMusic
“Keep in mind, this record came out in 1975, when the rock world was dominated by heavy groups like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, or the shock rock of Kiss and Alice Cooper. Timing is everything—Cheap Trick and Billy Squier were still a few years off, while the Raspberries and Badfinger had both run their course.”—Icon Fetch
3. Patti Smith—Horses
Released by Arista Records in November, 1975
“Horses remains a towering masterpiece of bile and beat. At the time it was a shock to the system—it retains its power to this day.”—BBC
“Patti Smith sounded both young and old on her 1975 debut, Horses: young because only a young punk can slink into the spotlight and sell an opening line like, ‘Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine’; old, because she was dead serious and sophisticated, an ur-punk but also a poet and a singer who knew to stop this close to overindulgence.”—Pitchfork
4. Bay City Rollers—Wouldn’t You Like It
Released by Bell Records in December, 1975
“Ah, the Bay City Rollers. For a few years in the mid-1970s, they were bigger than The Beatles, the tartan-clad center of a firestorm which burned fiercer than fame. In some circles, in fact, they still are.”—Goldmine Magazine
“Highlights include ‘I Only Wanna Dance with You,’ a toe-tapping rock tune that offsets distorted power chords with an exuberant horn section, and the title track is an adrenaline-fuelled slice of power pop worthy of Cheap Trick.”—AllMusic
5. Zuider Zee—Zuider Zee
Released by Columbia Records in September, 1975
“The Zuider Zee album on Columbia is a strong set of songs. And while the production sheen gives (Richard) Orange’s songs a softer vibe than they might have otherwise had—think of Wings at the Speed of Sound or Pilot’s 1974 LP From the Album of the Same Name—the album isn’t completely done in by that approach.”—MusoScribe
“Revisiting the album now, though, leaves me wondering how I could’ve missed the delicious word play and surprising melodic twists that only serve to add depth to the (power pop) genre, not side-step it. …I can catch up nearly half-a-century later, can’t I? If Raspberries was a bowl of lip-smacking Froot Loops, I’d be happy to add a twist (and shout) of Orange.”—Front Row & Backstage
6. The Dictators—Go Girl Crazy!
Released by Epic Records in March, 1975
“The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! is a wickedly funny, brilliantly played and hopelessly naïve masterpiece of self-indulgent smartass rock’n’roll, pre-indie-rock proof that regular kids could make the major-label record (as if there were an alternative at the time) they always imagined.”—Trouser Press
“At a time when the arena rock audience had not yet embraced the less-than-subtle humor and theatrics of Sparks or Cheap Trick, the Dictators' ahead-of-their-time enthusiasm for wrestling, White Castle hamburgers, and television confused more kids than it converted.”—AllMusic
7. The Winkies—The Winkies
Released by Chrysalis Records in February, 1975
“The Winkies isn't the album it could have been; may not be the record it should have been. But all that really means is, the band didn't trot obediently off down the path they were meant to and looked instead to their own needs and instincts. The future would thank them for their indulgence.”—AllMusic
“Despite their initially glam image, the album is solidly set in the mid-70s pub rock mould, albeit with as many smooth, Dire Straits-ish moments as proto-punk ones.”—Record Collector
8. Sparks—Indiscreet
Released by Island Records in October, 1975
“Power pop is the primary focus of Indiscreet, which went down in history as one of the band's best '70s albums.”—AllMusic
“Indiscreet failed to set the charts alight on release, it was a slow-burner that has since become a firm favorite among Sparks devotees. The record has enjoyed reappraisal from contemporary critics willing to embrace its diverse range of styles.”—udiscovermusic
I had never heard of Zuider Zee or The Winkies, but I'll be checking them out as soon as I finish typing this. Fun list! Like Brad said, these great posts do send me searching for these gems. I will also have to find the Shoes one too, as I know I don't own it and possibly haven't heard it either.
There were a lot of great albums release in 1975. I can't argue with any of your choices, but I could also add Eric Carmen's self titled album, The Hudson Brothers' "Ba-Fa" (which has "Rendezvous" on it) and The Dictators debut "Go Girl Crazy"