Billy Joel Goes Metal, Springfield Rocks Hard, BÖC Gets Weird

This month’s 70s ballot runs from midnight‑movie riffs to total burnout psych—your pick becomes the episode.

The 70s weren’t just Zep riffs and FM staples; they were a decade where classic rock, AOR, metal, and total weirdness were all being invented in real time. This lineup—pulled straight from the Dig Me Out community nominations—hits four different fault lines in that story, with their own words helping set the scene:

• A big‑league hard rock band right before the 80s kicked the doors in.

• A “wait, the Jessie’s Girl dude did this first?” revelation.

• A burnout psych artifact that sounds like it shouldn’t exist.

• And Billy Joel, fronting what basically feels like a deli metal band.

The winning album becomes a full Dig Me Out episode and Substack feature: band history, track‑by‑track, host ratings, and a community score built from your ratings. We’ll pull comments into the episode and post, so if you want your defense of Spectres or your rant about Attila on the record, this is your shot.

Got a different 70s album you’re dying to see on a future ballot? Drop an album in the hopper and we’ll keep pulling these lineups from your nominations.

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The nominees

Blue Öyster Cult – Spectres (1977)

nominated by Eric Peterson

Eric calls this “the fifth of their must‑listen first five studio albums,” the moment where BÖC have fully grown into a cult band tucked between their best‑known hits. Spectres is a hard rock record with softer moments and songs that basically herald the coming 80s AOR and pop‑metal sounds, right alongside the campy horror rock that later bands like The Misfits, White Zombie, and Metallica would echo. If you want us in that midnight‑movie zone where riffs, hooks, and horror all blur together, this is your pick.

Start here: “Godzilla” and “I Love the Night” on the album stream.

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Rick Springfield – Wait for Night (1976)

nominated by Scott Halgrim

Scott’s pitch starts with a twist: Working Class Dog—you know, the one with “Jessie’s Girl”—was actually Springfield’s fifth (or sixth or seventh, depending how you count) album. Wait for Nightis the “would you believe it’s frickin’ amazing?” pre‑history, an album he argues stands as an equal with the big three career‑defining records that came next. If you’ve written Springfield off as a singles guy, this is the one that might convert you.

Start here: Drop into the full playlist and see how many choruses lodge in your brain.

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Attila – Attila (1970)

nominated by john bordeaux

“Billy Joel and his buddy go hard rock.” That’s john’s whole setup, and honestly, what else do you need? Attila is a glorious, infamous wrong turn: all fuzz bass, distorted organ, and proto‑metal swagger from a guy most people only know from “Piano Man.” Is it good? Is it terrible? Is it both at once? That’s exactly why it’s on this ballot—it’s a perfect Dig Me Out “how did this happen?” episode candidate.

Start here: Put on the album, then imagine 70s radio programmers trying to figure out what to do with it.

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Circuit Rider – Circuit Rider (1971)

nominated by Marmaduke

Marmaduke calls this “the ultimate burnout biker‑psych masterpiece… a 40‑minute recipe for a mental breakdown,” and that’s not overselling it. Circuit Rider is all haunted vocals, damaged Americana, and desolate guitar, a private‑press artifact so unhinged it’s sparked the mystery: could this actually be Jim Morrison under another name? If you want us way out on the fringe, this is the pick.

Start here: Fire up the full album and see how long it takes before you question your life choices—in a good way.

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If you’re reading this free and yelling at your screen about which record has to win, this is the moment to make it happen. Whichever album takes it, that episode will exist because members pushed it to the top—where are you putting your vot

And when you’re done voting, tell us: which album got your vote and why?