If you remember the 1970s as the Era of Terrible Music, you weren't there.

[Peegoo]

Lots of people that lived through the 1970s tend to pan the music being made at the time. I don't know why that is, because every decade has its good and bad records.

Remember The Midnight Special? It was not like Soul Train and American Bandstand--where many artists and bands lip sync'd.

They were doing it live, and they were killin' it. Every performance here is just jaw-dropping.

Plus points for finding the bass player making double scale

 

[thunderbyrd]

i was there and i thought then and think now the music was fantastic. the live rock shows for me were ABC's In Concert and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. i would watch them every weekend i could, staying up late always risked a psycho outburst from my father. if i accidentally woke him up, the show was over.

but i got to hear so much great live music - well, i mean live as far as playing the music, the show was taped. where i lived it wasn't possible for me to attend many concerts but i got to hear many bands late-night on the weekends.

 

[Tarnisher]

Growing up in the 80's, it seems like the radio was full of great music that was made before I was born, and most of the contemporary music was awful. Occasional exceptions just proved the point- REM, U2..... (I can't actually think of any others right now that weren't legacy artists who got their start earlier. I'm not counting Tom Waits because I didn't hear him on the radio back then.)

As a record collector, I'm astonished at the amount of amazing music that came out between '65 and '77. I keep finding AMAZING records by early 70's bands. Maybe it's just that I dig the way amps sounded then, and the way rock records were recorded, the same way that I just like how Technicolor looks. But I don't think that's all of it. This really was a golden age for music, and there was SO much talent.

So it's hard to believe that anyone would say that music from the 70's sucked- especially if they were around for the 80's!

 

[thunderbyrd]

all us guys who were around in the 70's and especially the early 70's, say 70 to 74 or so - aren't we all fairly burnt on "classic rock"? but remember what it was like when the allman bros, pink floyd, genesis, elp, the faces, ted nugent, todd rundgren, santanna and on and on were NEW.

man, in those days, i thought rock music was important. i thought i was living through something that mattered.

 

[Telekat 100]

Noting that many things are generalizations, the 1970s was an era of terrible music. Or at least a healthy portion of it.

A huge percentage of popular music in that decade was becoming A) bloated B) saccharine C) smarmy. Now contrast that with the misty memories of the 1960s and 1950s. (I'm limiting myself to rock.)

People swoon over the 60s. Some get militantly defensive. Then there was the 50s. "The birth of rock and roll." Criticize that and it's assumed you hate rock. Period.

Was there more bad music in the 1970s than the 1960s and 1950s? Maybe. Dunno. But any decade that gave birth to Air Supply, Rupert Holmes (The Pina Colada song guy), and Starland Vocal Band does have a certain taint.

I know. I know. Ramones. Tom Petty. The Clash. Television. Bowie. Roxy Music. All 1970s.

But now that "Afternoon Delight" is spinning in your ear, you can't say I'm entirely incorrect.

 

[thunderbyrd]

the summer "afternoon delight" hit, i was in BCT for the us army. i loved the song. i was a hard rock guy, but i loved AM pop, too.

 

[Swirling Snow]

That's an extremely misguided notion. In need of some medicated lotion, perhaps.

They must only remember John Travolta.

Not only were many classic bands formed in the '70s, but acts that started in the '60s blossomed, like Bowie and the Stones, the Eagles, and Stevie Wonder.


Actually, how you remember it probably depends on whether you were listening to WBZ or WBCN.

 

[Festofish]

I was born a decade to early in ‘72. ;D I love all kinds of music that has been made since but some of my absolute favorite albums are from the ’70s. KISS, Aerosmith, Alice-freaking-Cooper, Steely Dan, Cheap Trick, Frapton, Beach Boys Surf’s up, Sabbath, CSN, CSNY, AC/DC, Bowie, Grand mother-flipping Funk and the railroad, Humble Pie, James Gang, Joe Jackson(barely!), Judas Priest and lots more.

 

[Festofish]

the summer "afternoon delight" hit, i was in BCT for the us army. i loved the song. i was a hard rock guy, but i loved AM pop, too.

That’s part of my first musical memory!

 

[Tarnisher]

Actually, how you remember it probably depends on whether you were listening to WBZ or WBCN.

Ah, WBCN- I caught the tail-end of its greatness in the late 80's-90's, and only learned how far it had fallen when I saw the fantastic documentary about its origins:
WBCN and The American Revolution

 

[thunderbyrd]

I'll also stick in here that in the later part of the decade, i did not hate disco. so much of it had such a big sound and was so joyful. i thought it was pretty stupid when bands like Kiss recorded it, but otherwise it was fun music. imo

 

[BigPapa-53]

'70's is my favorite decade. I went through many 9-volt batteries on my little transistor listening to it. It's still my go-to when listening to music on cable channels or Amazon music.

 

[Boreas]

I would say a great deal (if not the majority) of the music of any decade or generation sucks. Same with TV and movies. We remember the stuff we like and avoid the stuff we don't. My personal opinion is that 70s music became a little more sophisticated than 60s music, but market forces stayed about the same - pigeonholing so much of the music into compartments that made money for the industry without necessarily rewarding talent or originality.

 

[monkeybanana]

Never heard of the show but that's my jam, rock and roll. Okay this is funny I went to grab this clip which I love and turns out it's from that show LOL

 

[Honga Man]

I dig that doubleneck Strat/P-Bass that Argent's bassist is using.

Bet that's a heavy beast.

 

[buster poser]

100% accurate. The 70s were awesome.

 

[buster poser]

Moar

 

[Manual Slim]

That's an extremely misguided notion. In need of some medicated lotion, perhaps.

They must only remember John Travolta.

Not only were many classic bands formed in the '70s, but acts that started in the '60s blossomed, like Bowie and the Stones, the Eagles, and Stevie Wonder.


Actually, how you remember it probably depends on whether you were listening to WBZ or WBCN.

Long live The Cosmic Muffin.

 

[E5RSY]

Some great music. Some equally crappy guitars. Oh, the irony.

 

[tery]