It was a time of the Watergate hearings, Secretariat winning racing’s Triple Crown, and “American Graffiti” in the theaters, and these were the top 10 rock albums on MGK’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown from June 8, 1973.

• 10. Aladdin Sane - David Bowie

  The sixth album by David Bowie was a pivotal one. He had created the Ziggy persona with his previous album – where would he go from here? He didn’t want to make “Ziggy, Part 2” so, while touring the US, he turned his attention to the people and places he visited along the way, and a new character was born..Aladdin Sane. The album of the same name peaked here at #10, and this was the first song he recorded for it, The Jean Genie.

• 9. Bloodshot - J. Geils Band

  I remember getting this album when it first came out, and it was on red vinyl!  The third one from The J. Geils Band gave them their first taste of success with their first entry into the top 10.  Bloodshot was the #9 rock album on June 8, 1973.

• 8. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player - Elton John

  Titled after a line said by Elton to legendary comedian Groucho Marx, Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player was recorded in just 10 days, and became the first of two albums Sir Elton would release in 1973.  After hitting the top spot, the album is at #8 on the countdown this week.

• 7. The Captain And Me - Doobie Brothers

  The success of The Doobie Brothers continued with their third album The Captain And Me.  It’s sold more than 2 million copies since its release, and on June 8, 1973, it was #8. Featuring keyboards by Little Feat’s Bill Payne, here is “China Grove.”

• 6. Made In Japan - Deep Purple

  Unlike a majority of live albums, there were absolutely no post-production overdubs on Deep Purple’s Made In Japan.  What you hear is exactly how they performed it in Osaka and Tokyo in August, 1972.  From the Osaka show, here is their blistering live version of “Smoke On The Water” from the album, which is #6.

• 5. Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper

  Most of Alice Cooper’s sixth album was recorded at a swanky estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Imagine the neighbors’ reaction when those guys moved in to make Billion Dollar Babies.  It was a huge album for Alice, hitting #1, and drops to #5 on June 8, 1973.

• 4. Moving Waves - Focus

  This was the one and only hit for the Dutch band Focus, which featured the first yodeling in a rock recording!  Thijs Van Leer does the vocal aerobics on “Hocus Pocus,” one of the greatest songs ever made (IMHO), and off of the #4 rock album on the countdown, Moving Waves.

• 3. The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

  Only in its 12th week on the chart, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon would remain on the top 200 for the next 15 years, and would have stayed longer had they not changed the rules!  On June 8, 1973, it was #3.

• 2. Houses Of the Holy - Led Zeppelin

  The fifth album by Led Zeppelin picked right up with LZ IV left off, and Houses Of The Holy soared to the top of the charts before dropping one to #2 on MGK’s Thursday Top 10 Countdown.

• 1. Red Rose Speedway - Paul McCartney And Wings

  Our #1 album this week is the second album by this former Beatle and his band.  It was recorded throughout much of 1972, and yielded so many songs that it was originally going to be a double album.  The record company nixed that idea, and it came out as a single, and the first one by this band to hit the #1 position.  At #1 on June 8, 1973, Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney And Wings.

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