Who is the greatest band to ever grace the earth? That can be a loaded question. We love bands because of the buzz, record sales, music quality, and overall awesomeness. Despite our shared love of bands, the question of who the greatest is has the potential to end friendships and spoil into spitefulness! Still, there is an era that garners the admiration of fans from across the globe, the 1970s.
Here is our take on the top 10 bands from the 1970s
#10 Television
The sound of a single bird’s chirp pleases the senses. However, once other feathered mates join in, the sound transforms into a completely dissimilar experience, a spiritually uplifting ambient sound. Such is the guitar chemistry of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. The pair pays like a duo of skylarks, instinctually aware of each other as their riffage soars skyward. These CBGB regulars did more for the punk artists drawn to crafty forms of rebellion as compared to any other ’70s band, despite only producing two albums.
#9 Fleetwood Mac
Many remember this British-American band for having multiple members come and go throughout the years, often attached to drama. Yet, its personification from the mid-70s has landed them on this list. Fleetwood Mac’s blockbuster album, Rumours, was their biggest seller, as well as a critically celebrated, Grammy-winning chart-topper. It likewise helped the band pave the way to becoming one of the highest-grossing bands ever.
#8 The Clash
Punk rock was far more of a major cultural movement in the United Kingdom in comparison to the United States. However, The Clash succeeded to survive beyond the fleeting cultural moment, continuing to grow without losing its fuming political awareness. The amazing music band extended its sound to add dub, funk, reggae, and rockabilly elements. It seems that the band had collected influences from around the globe. While their influences helped their songs garner fame, it is not the main reason. Their talent for writing exceptional song lyrics with great, energetic melodies drove their claim to fame.
#7 Parliament-Funkadelic
Fans have experienced the music released by George Clinton’s group, Parliament-Funkadelic, on many different levels, each of them being extremely satisfying. They created the utmost bass-driven, shout-along party song ever recorded: Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker). This band’s accomplishments deserve intellectual study, as an in together with Duke Ellington. As a bold social statement that overturned the perception of black culture in America. They extended the options of funk music, creating new ways to use guitar solos and synthesizers, giving an entirely new attitude to the art of words.
#6 Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen got inspiration from the communally mindful folk music of Woody Guthrie. He in turn produced rock music that spoke to the working class, as well as directly addressed their struggles in America. In 1975, 8 of his compositions regarded trapped city kids who fantasized about escaping their domineering lives. A huge backdrop of drums, saxophone, and guitar combined into a great melodic wall of sound scored these tracks. Springsteen matured as a songwriter with time throughout the era, addressing economic woes in later releases.
#5 Steely Dan
In the start, Steely Dan played with the idea of sounding beautiful. They had two lead singers when they debuted in 1972. The songs were great to work with the falsetto croon of Palmer. Unfortunately, Fagen along with his songwriting or guitarist fellow Walter Becker left by 1973. After, they continued to geek out on one whimsical, ridiculously refined record after another. As the cash rolled in, Steely Dan proved to have been a studio creation, with Becker and Fagen directing top session players to please their every fascination. Their style was continually flying around, from blues and jazz to country and bossa nova. Still, it constantly carried that same classy sheen and flair for that insidiously attractive chord progressions.
#4 Black Sabbath
If you wish to go back to the roots of heavy metal, Black Sabbath would be the place to start. Guitarist Tony Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne, drummer Bill Ward, and bassist Geezer Butler made a world of music that no one had built yet, one that was inclined by their England background and jam-packed with dark undertones and demons. Songs such as “Paranoid”, “Iron Man”, and “War Pigs” defined their sound. They likewise opened the eyes as well as the ears of a whole age group of soon-to-be metal-heads to the music that could give you nightmares, and we meant that as a compliment.
#3 Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd was a progressive rock band that formed in London in 1965. They achieved global acclaim with their psychedelic and progressive music. This progressive rock band looked to uplift the most popular music genre to the kingdom of art with sprawling concept albums. More so, Pink Floyd’s songs morphed in much the same way as traditional music did. Pink Floyd excelled in the trappings of the genre as its albums and created intensely felt tracks.
#2 Queen
Freddie Mercury had the God-given stuff: compositional brilliance, golden pipes, and preternatural charisma. He likewise had that opera singing quality. This precisely perfect singer could convey how painfully imperfect life could be through just intonation. The produced scene was counterprogramming to studio-built equipment of disco. Queen built their rock-and-roll reputation by combining hard rock and heavy metal elements to their music. Their willingness to experiment and Mercury’s powerful voice truly elevated them over other bands.
#1 Led Zeppelin
The 1970s would not have been the same without this rock band. The band was composed of John Paul Jones on keyboard and bass, Jimmy Page on guitar, Robert Plant on vocals, and the late John Bonham on drums. Together they had the perfect chemistry to produce some of the best music in the 1970s. By blending folk and blues with their heavy metal and hard rock sound, Led Zeppelin became groundbreaking for the time and gained huge popularity for their lyrical output. They are one of the best-selling acts of all time. And let us not forget to mention their impact had reached both far and wide.
About the Author
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!