THE SEVENTIES
1. STEVIE WONDER—The most important R&B artist to emerge in the decade and the best love songwriter, period. "Super­stition," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," "Higher Ground," "I Was Made to Love Her," "Uptight," "I Wish," "Living for the City," "Sir Duke," "Isn't She Lovely," "You Haven't Done Nothin'," "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing," "You are the Sunshine of My Life."
2. BOB MARLEY—"I Shot the Sheriff," "Get Up Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," "Lively Up Yourself," "Stir It Up," "Trenchtown Rock," "Redemption Song," "One Love," "Bend Down Low," "Could You Be Loved," "Duppy Conqueror," "Small Axe," "Guava Jelly," "Jammin'," "Waiting in Vain."
3. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN —The bridge between DY"lanesque singer-songwriters and Stones/Byrds-influenced heartland rockers. "Born to Run," "Born in the U.S.A.," "Badlands," "Dark­ness on the Edge of Town," "The River," "Hungry Heart," "Be­cause the Night," "Prove It All Night," "Dancing in the Dark," "Brilliant Disguise," "Glory Days," "Fire," "Cover Me," "Spirit in the Night," "Thunder Road."
4. JONI MITCHELL—Prince's favorite songwriter. "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio," "Blue," "Woodstock," "Both Sides Now (Clouds)," "Carey," "A Free Man in Paris," "Circle Game," "Big Yellow Taxi," "For the Roses," "Help Me," "Song to a Sea­gull," "Chelsea Morning," "Blonde in the Bleachers."
5. VAN MORRISON—"Gloria," "Domino," "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)," "Brown Eyed Girl," "Wild Night," "Moondance," "Caravan," "Cypress Avenue," "Crazy Love," "Someone Like You," "Into the Mystic," and the most soulful, bluesy, occasionally even rocking series of New Age albums ever made, from Astral Weeks to whatever he's up to this year.
6. KENNETH GAMBLE AND LEON HUFF—Architects of The Sound of Philadelphia, Motown's first heir and disco's direct precursor. "Love Train," "Cowboys to Girls," "Don't Leave Me This Way," "Drowning in the Sea of Love," "Hey, Western Union Man," "Expressway to Your Heart," "For the Love of Money," "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "Me and Mrs. Jones," "Only the Strong Survive," "Use Ta Be My Girl," "When Will I See You Again."
7. GEORGE CLINTON—Composer of all the Parliament/ Funkadelic albums. "One Nation Under a Groove," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)," "Flash Light," "I Wanna Testify," "The Big Bang Theory," "Funkentelechy," "Mothership Connection," "Cosmic Slop," "Standing on the Verge of Getting It On," "Let's Take It to the Stage," "Up for the Down Stroke."
B. RONNIE VAN ZANT(LYNRD SKYNARD)—"Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "Saturday Night Special," "Was I Right or Wrong," "Workin' for MCA," "Don't Ask Me No Questions," "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe," "The Needle and the Spoon," "What's Your Name," "That Smell," "You Got That Right."
9. LEONARD COHEN—The only song-poet worth the name."Bird on the Wire," "Suzanne," "Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That'sNo Way to Say Goodbye," "The Traitor," "Our Lady of Solitude," "Democracy," "First We Take Manhattan," "I'm Your Man," Lady Midnight," "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Who By Fire."
10. NEIL YOUNG—Auteur of a series of artsy-electro-folk-rockabilly albums. "Helpless," "Hey Hey, My My (Out of the Blue And into the Black)," "Like a Hurricane," "Ohio," "Heart of ," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," "Rockin' in the FreeWorld," "Cortez the Killer," "Powderfinger," "Tonight's the Night," "Cowgirl in the Sand," "Everybody Knows This is No­where," "Mr. Soul."
11. WALTER BECKER AND DONALD FAGEN (STEELYE DAN)Auteurs of a series of fussy-artsy, electro-jazzbo albums. "Bodhisattva," "Do It Again," "Hey Nineteen," "Bad Sneakers," "Josie," "Peg," "Reeling in the Years," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "Deacon Blues," "Chain Lightning," "Black Cow," "Black Friday."
12. THOM BELL AND LINDA CREED—"Betcha By Golly Wow," "Break Up to Make Up," "Rockin' Roll Baby," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," "Rubberband Man," "I'm Stone in Love with You," "You Are Everything," "You Make Me Feel Brand New," "La La (Means I Love You)."
13. RANDY NEWMAN—"I Love L.A.," "Sail Away," "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield," "Dayton, Ohio, 1903," "Burn On, Big River," "Baltimore," "Davey the Fat Boy," "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear," "Mama Told Me Not to Come," "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," "Short People."
14. JOE STRUMMER AND MICK JONES (THE CLASH) —"Rock the Casbah," "Train in Vain," "Lost in the Supermarket," "White Riot," "1977," "Career Opportunities," "Garageland," "Complete Control," "I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.," "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," "London Calling," "Should I Stay or Should I Go."
15. MAURICE WHITE (EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE)Ser­pentine Fire," "Shining Star," "Let's Groove," "Saturday Night," "Evil," "September," "That's the Way of the World," "Best of My Love," "Kalimba Story," "In the Stone," "Fall in Love with Me," "Reasons."
16. JACKSON BROWNE—Prince of Singer-Songwriters, Pa­cific Division. "Running on Empty," "The Pretender," "Lawyers in Love," "These Days," "Doctor My Eyes," "For a Dancer," "Take It Easy," "Before the Deluge," "The Load Out," "Some­body's Baby," "Redneck Friend," "Ready or Not."
17. JOHN PRINE—Prince of Singer-Songwriters, Appala­chian Division. "Hello in There," "Sam Stone," "Jesus The Miss­ing Years," "Unwed Fathers," "If You Don't Want My Love," "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round," "Angel from Mont­gomery," "Illegal Smile," "Six O'Clock News," "Souvenirs," "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone."
18. JAMES TAYLOR—Prince of Singer-Songwriters, Atlantic Division. "Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "Country Road," "Steamroller," "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "Carolina in My Mind," "Something in the Way She Moves," "Frozen Man, "Copperline," "Hey Mister, That's Me Up on the Juke Box."
19. MARVIN GAYE—"What's Going On," "Inner City Blues," "Let's Get It On," "Dancing in the Street," "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," "Sexual Healing," "Come Get to This," "Dis­tant Lover," "Pride and Joy," "Trouble Man," "Baby, I'm for Real," "Beechwood4-5789," "Bells."
20. PATTI SMITH—More than any great songwriter except Leonard Cohen, Smith's albums contain almost inseparable compo­sitions. Best known for "Because the Night," "Horses," "Land" (a rewrite of "Land of a Thousand Dances"), "Free Money," "Piss Factory," "Frederick," "Hymn," "People Have the Power," "Piss­ing in a River," "Radio Ethiopia."
21. ELVIS COSTELLO—"Less Than Zero," "Alison," "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes," "Everyday I Write the Book," "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," "Accidents Will Happen," "Oliver's Army," "downtime is Over," "Peace in Our Time," "Shipbuilding," "Pills and Soap."
22. BOB SEGER—"Night Moves," "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," "Get Out of Denver," "Katmandu," "Roll Me Away," "Still the Same," "We've Got Tonight," "Beautiful Loser," "Back in 72," "Turn the Page," "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," "Heart­ache Tonight," "Sock It To Me Santa," "Lookin' Back."
23. CHRISTINE McVIE (FLEETWOOD MAC)- Gems bur­ied amidst semisoft-rock claptrap. "You Make Loving Fun," "Don't Stop," "Little Lies," "Over My Head," "Hold Me," "Say You Love Me," "Got a Hold On Me."
24. LOU REED (VELVET UNDERGROUND) Master of psycho-song cycles; laconic poet of decadence. "Sweet Jane," "Rock and Roll," "Heroin," "I'm Waiting for the Man," "Walk on the Wild Side," "Pale Blue Eyes," "Coney Island Baby," "Street Hassle," "I Love You Suzanne," "Venus in Furs," "Sister Ray."
25. THE SEX PISTOLS (WITH GLEN MATLOCK)—"Anar­chy in the U.K.," "God Save the Queen," "Holidays in the Sun," "Pretty Vacant," "Bodies." Slim pickings but revolutionary ones.

(Source-The New Book of Rock Lists)