Which albums turn 50 in 2023?

This self-titled album is also the debut album from Aerosmith. Steven Tyler and Co. staked their claim to rock stardom out of the gate. One of the songs on Aerosmith? None other than “Dream On,” arguably their biggest hit until the Armageddon soundtrack hit.

Bruce Springsteen dropped two albums in 1973. However, Greetings from Asbury Park is his first album, so if you are going to listen to one of them, go with this one. While Bruce (and the E Street Band, who shouldn’t be overlooked) would come into their own with 1975’s Born to Run, this is still a Springsteen album.

Elton John released two albums in 1973 as well, and the other one, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is a double LP. They are must-listens to capture 1973, so consider this entry a shout-out to them both. To specifically drill in on Don’t Shoot, it features “Daniel” and “Crocodile Rock.”

If you want to capture the vibe of 1973, somebody like Alice Cooper needs to be in the mix. Although to capture Cooper, you really need to see the live show. Cooper was a showman as much as a musician. Billion Dollar Babies covers Cooper in all his 1973 glam horror glory as well as possible in a non-visual medium.

The Stooges’ Raw Power is considered proto-punk and an influential rock album. While Iggy Pop and Co. were on their third album, they were still honing their sound. “Search and Destroy” is the standout song, but Raw Power is as much about hearing signs of what was to come.

Ever heard of it? Pink Floyd’s iconic album is a must-listen as a piece of musical history full stop, much less for 1973. What else can we say that hasn’t been said? It’s one of the highest-selling albums and a cultural iconography piece.

No, not the Semisonic song. This is Tom Waits’ debut album. Now, if you have only heard later Waits, the sound of Closing Time might surprise you. It’s more straightforward, sounding like a folksy, jazzy album as opposed to the borderline avant-garde stuff Waits would do later.

This may be a self-titled album, but it’s not a debut. It’s the exact opposite. Byrds is the final album from the band. It’s notable because the five original members reunited to go out with a bang. That’s what makes it stand out.

If you think about “1970s rock,” one of the first bands you are going to think of is Led Zeppelin. They are perhaps the quintessential classic rock band. Houses of the Holy is their acclaimed offering from 1973 and is one of the significant albums of the year. It personifies the rock sound of the era.

Ooh La La is the fourth and final Faces album, though we would hear plenty from the band in the future. After all, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood were both members of Faces. The title track is also likely the band’s best-known song for good measure.

Where was David Bowie, persona-wise, in 1973? Aladdin Sane answers that. Fresh off rising to fame from the "Ziggy Stardust" era, Bowie zagged, of course, as he was always wont to do. Yet another iconic Bowie album, Aladdin Sane features “Jean Genie,” “Time,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” and more.

Eagles dropped their second album in 1973, further carrying the band toward stardom. Interestingly, the song “Desperado” was not a single from the album. Sure, “Tequila Sunrise” was also a hit, but culturally speaking, nothing equals the success of “Desperado,” the song, from this album.

Wow, what a year for debuts. Yes, Queen also released their first album in 1973. However, like Tom Waits, expect a different sound. The self-titled debut from Queen is more prog rock and heavy metal than anything else they did.

Yes, ZZ Top is the band with the two guys with the beards and then the drummer with the last name Beard, but they are Southern rock luminaries for a reason. Tres Hombres was many people’s first time hearing ZZ Top, and it features their hit “La Grange,” their biggest song until a certain tune about a woman who knows how to use her legs.

Speaking of proto-punk and influential music, the New York Dolls were definitely part of that whole scene. Remember them from the first episode of Vinyl? We hope not because that show was terrible. While New York Dolls weren’t super successful, they were quite influential. Plus, their frontman David Johansen became Buster Poindexter!

Styx’s self-titled debut was heavy on covers, and even Styx II has a cover of…Johann Sebastian Bach? That being said, it has more originals, including the band’s big hit “Lady,” which helped propel them to bigger things, even if they dropped the self-titled album thing after this one.

You know the title song. You know the artist. Marvin Gaye was well into his career by the point of Let’s Get It On, but he hadn’t lost a step. There is a litany of lists out there calling this album one of the best of all time. It’s a soul music staple, to be sure.

Some people call him Maurice, but Steve Miller is the actual moniker of the man fronting his eponymous band. All in all, The Joker is not a remarkable album. However, we can’t overlook the title song. It’s a massive hit and has stood the test of time. Everybody knows “The Joker,” even if they don’t necessarily know the man behind the song.

The Who weren’t afraid to get weird. Their double album Quadrophenia is another example of that. Yet another rock opera from the quartet, Quadrophenia maybe didn’t quite hit like Tommy. They did make a film out of it, though. It is, of course, really weird.

Speaking of iconic songs from 1973, “Piano Man” is synonymous with Billy Joel and always will be. It’s the title track from his second album and will always define him. Which is probably fine! It’s perhaps the biggest song of 1973. The album is a little spotty but does close with “Captain Jack."

We end with a legend who continued to evolve. After the Beatles' breakup, all eyes were on John Lennon and Paul McCartney (with no disrespect to George Harrison and Ringo Starr). Band on the Run was McCartney’s third album with his band Wings, but it’s the one where the band broke through as something more than “McCartney’s new band.” The title song and “Jet” were big hits. Band on the Run is McCartney’s biggest success outside of the Beatles. He had nothing left to prove, but he still proved something.