50 is a landmark number, no doubt. Going back 50, let's see, we were 12 at the time, and every day after school we would hunker down at my friend Mike's house, draw comics and play the Zep III tape on his brand new cassette player, over and over.

With Zep's third hitting the big 5-0 on this Rocktober 5th, we look back at 1970, when gas was 36 cents a gallon, a first-class postage stamp was 6 cents, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was new, and the rock and roll record album would make some leaps and bounds, as you're about to see (and hear)...

The Top 10 Classic Rock Albums Of 1970: {Take a deep breath, you're not gonna believe these all came out the same year...}

10.) "James Gang Rides Again", James Gang - Joe Walsh's greatest riff ever, right there on "Funk #49".

9.) "Tumbleweed Connection", Elton John - Geniune artistry here, not just more product.

8.) "Benefit", Jethro Tull - You simply forgot they rocked out as hard as anybody else back then, that's all..

7.) "Atom Heart Mother", Pink Floyd - Why God gave us head phones.

6.) "Black Sabbath", Black Sabbath - So much influence, where do you even begin...

5.) "Tea For The Tillerman", Cat Stevens - As beautiful an LP that's ever been made by any singer/songwriter and, as always, it's a blast to listen to an artist at the top of their game.

4.) "After The Gold Rush", Neil Young - The truth is, if you can only have one record by Neil, this is the one. We all know it.

3.) "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs", Derek & The Dominoes - Arguably the best one-off of all time. Amazing how it still sounds so dynamic and pure...

2.) "All Things Must Pass", George Harrison - Three albums in a box? Remember when this came out, we were all blown away.

1.) "Led Zeppelin III", Led Zeppelin - Like all the greats, when it matters most, that's when they're at their best. Still sounds more-than-a-little-wicked today...

1970 -- More than a pretty stellar year. Even the ones we left off The Top Ten would destroy most of today's fakers: "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Deja Vu" (CSN&Y), "Funhouse" (The Stooges), "Cosmo's Factory" (CCR), "Idlewild South" (Allmans), "Moondance" (Van). We could go on with another 20 or 30 titles, but you get the point.

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