#TBT: John Lennon and 1970

October 9 marks the 75th anniversary of John Lennon’s birth. In honor of the occasion, let’s look back at 1970 for Throwback Thursday.

On December 11, 1970 Lennon released his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. His debut featured the single “Mother” as well as other Lennon classics: “Working Class Hero” and “God,” which, by the way, raised some eyebrows for the line “I don’t believe in Beatles” due to the recent breakup of the band. The Beatles actually released their last album, Let It Be, earlier that same year. Released in the U.S. on May 18, 1970, the album marked the end of an era and earned the Fab Four a couple more chart-toppers for their swan song: “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road.”

Lennon was not the only Beatle striking out on his own. Paul McCartney released McCartney in April 1970, featuring the crowd-pleasing “Maybe I’m Amazed.” And while George Harrison had previously released two other albums, it was in November 1970 that he had one of his most successful releases with All Things Must Pass, which featured the single “My Sweet Lord.”

Of course the Beatles weren’t the only big names to usher in the '70s. Check out these other classic albums from the year 1970:

Creedence Clearwater Revival were on their fifth album with their July 16 release of Cosmo's Factory, which featured “Travelin’ Band,” “Up Around the Bend” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”

On September 19, 1970 Neil Young released his third album, After the Gold Rush, which featured the singles "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "When You Dance I Can Really Love" as well as "Southern Man."

October 8, 1970 saw the release of Led Zeppelin’s third album, Led Zeppelin III, which featured “Immigrant Song.”

What are your favorite albums of 1970?