Everyone knows concerning the 70s. The Beatles stop, glam got here alongside – T.Rex, Bowie, Slade; within the background, Floyd, Zeppelin and Sabbath bought squillions of data as 70s rock icons. Sure, ELP, Mike Oldfield and Genesis did prog for educated chaps. Then disco: ELO, ABBA and Queen competed with it, then joined it. Punk rebelled, then got here post-punk and Pleasure Division, plus 2-Tone. There was different stuff, like Bob Marley and Eagles. And we wore platform-heeled scorching pants. Cool. Maybe.
However are the 2010s solely about Adele and Ed Sheeran? Beneath their mass attraction lies tons of of different acts making nice music. It was the identical for 70s rock coulda-beens: good bands rocked audiences of 1000’s, made unbelievable albums, then light. Fondly remembered by a troupe of diehards, these acts are nearly ignored by the rock’n’roll historians – although many deserved to be lauded like their celebrated contemporaries. Listed below are however just a few: keep in mind them with love, or uncover them afresh.
Focus
It wasn’t sufficient for Focus to boast a superb guitarist in Jan Akkerman; they’d a wily means with a tune and succeeded with an retro type of rock: instrumentals. Focus have been The Netherlands’ main 70s rock band. Fashioned in 1969, they received consideration by early single “House Of The King.” The theme for 4 UK TV collection(!), the unwary might need mistaken it for a Jethro Tull ditty because of the flute of Thijs Van Leer, although his group have been very completely different. Their second album, 1971’s II, was Focus’ breakthrough, delivering a world hit within the fierce “Hocus Pocus.” Their third album delivered the elegant descending melody of “Sylvia,” profitable additional followers worldwide, with Akkerman drawing admiration. The guitarist left in 1976 however returned a number of occasions; Focus are nonetheless on the street.
Robin Trower, Wishbone Ash
Akkerman wasn’t alone: the 70s adored a guitar hero. Robin Trower, previously of Procol Harum, was seen by some listeners because the inheritor to Jimi Hendrix. Trower shaped his personal energy trio in 1973, teasing weeping and wailing from his Stratocaster over a collection of effective data, and using excessive within the album chart with Bridge Of Sighs in ’74 and For Earth Beneath in ’75 – mainly within the US, relatively than his native UK. One other notable guitar band have been Wishbone Ash, although they went one additional, with the double lead axes and vocals of Andy Powell and Ted Turner mesmerizing followers. Pilgrimage (1971) and Argus (1972) have been 70s rock classics, mixing melody, blues, and a mythological factor. Their “Blowin’ Free” was banned from some guitar retailers which grew sick of budding strummers enjoying its intro. Amongst them was Steve Harris, heartbeat of Iron Maiden, for whom the Ash was a significant affect.
Osibisa, The Strawbs
The second-division 70s rock bands weren’t remotely generic. Behind the sleeve art work of famed designer Roger Dean, Osibisa performed Afro-rock that combined Ghanaian highlife, searing rock, and Caribbean grooves; ignore their greatest hit, “Sunshine Day,” and take a look at their eponymous debut LP and its ’74 follow-up, Woyaya: each made loon pants rave. The Strawbs blended folks (Sandy Denny was an early member, as was Rick Wakeman) with rock, glam, and social remark, hitting with “Part Of The Union” and “Lay Down” in 1972. The band have been too numerous for its personal good, although Simply A Assortment Of Antiques And Curios (1970) and Grave New World (’72) have been broadly performed and revered. And spare a thought for the Illinois singer-songwriter Emitt Rhodes, a multi-tracking one-man-band given the tag of “the new Paul McCartney.” Gulp. His second, self-titled, album is so full of gorgeous, melodic tunes, tending to the baroque, that it’s baffling that it solely made No.29 within the US in 1970. Expertise? You wager.
Ambrosia
The harmonious progressive rock of California quartet Ambrosia illuminated the second half of the 70s. Their imaginative eponymous debut (1975) tailored a Kurt Vonnegut poem for the only “Nice, Nice, Very Nice,” whereas “Holdin’ On To Yesterday,” an orchestrated magnificence with the form of beat now thought to be a downtempo groove, was an enormous US hit. The next yr, Someplace I’ve By no means Travelled despatched FM DJs quietly wild; additional fame got here when the group lower “Magical Mystery Tour” for the Beatles/struggle documentary oddity All This And World Battle II. Scoring heat soul-styled hits within the 80s, these alluring mushy rockers are nonetheless touring.
Atlanta Rhythm Part
The great Atlanta Rhythm Part confronted one downside: their acronym was ARS. However they made it. No prizes for guessing the place they’re from. They delivered 5 albums between 1972-76, with little fuss and low gross sales figures: that modified in 1977 when “So Into You,” a cool, steady-chugging chunk of soulful Southern rock, went Prime 10 within the US, bringing their A Rock And Roll Different with it. The subsequent yr they scored once more with “Imaginary Lover” and the strolling “I’m Not Going To Let It Bother Me Tonight,” each from the platinum-selling Champagne Jam. Additional hits got here courtesy of “Do It Or Die” and a revival of “Spooky” – two members of the band had been in Classics IV, who’d first hit with the in ’67. ARS have been a category act.
Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Need one thing that blends with them? Attempt “Jackie Blue” (1974), the most important hit by Missouri’s Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Mixing AOR with country-influenced sounds (try the boogie of “If You Want To Get To Heaven”) and a way of the absurd (their third LP was referred to as The Automotive Over The Lake Album, and the sleeve confirmed simply that), they have been a reliably effective time on vinyl between 1973-80.
Moist Willie
Staying within the south, Moist Willie have been named after a schoolyard prank however have been no joke. From Alabama, they boasted 5 – 6 core members, plus backing singers The Williettes, who included British solo star Elkie Brooks for some time. Their greatest hit was the laconic, steady-rollin’ “Keep On Smilin’” in 1974, title observe to their fourth album. For the complete blast of their grittily funky rock, nevertheless, strive the earlier yr’s excellent dwell set, Drippin’ Moist. And let’s additionally recall Manassas, who lower two effective albums in 1972-73. And they’d be effective, since they have been the imaginative and prescient of a bona fide famous person, Steven Stills, and featured Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers amid an array of really nice gamers. The group’s self-titled debut supplied 4 sides of wonderful rootsy country-rock – and no matter else took their fancy. Everybody concerned thought the band was superb, so why weren’t they greater? Maybe as a result of followers wished Crosby, Stills & Nash, as a substitute.
Brinsley Schwarz, Miller Anderson
On the reverse finish of the celebrity spectrum, British 70s rock band Brinsley Schwarz, named after their guitarist, have been famously over-hyped when flown to NYC to open on the Fillmore East in entrance of a gaggle of music hacks, however settled right into a low-key country-rock and roots vibe that was a cornerstone of London pub-rock. Constructing a loyal, if small, following, they toured always, supported the likes of Wings and Dave Edmunds, however disbanded unheralded in 1975, leaving us half a dozen albums such because the country-inclined Nervous On The Street. Most members went on to success, notably bassist and songwriter Nick Lowe, who produced The Damned and Elvis Costello, was a part of Dave Edmunds’ Rockpile, and wrote Dr. Feelgood’s greatest hit, “Milk And Alcohol.” One other downbeat hero, Scottish guitarist Miller Anderson, breathed blues-fuelled hearth into data by Keef Hartley Band, Savoy Brown, Ian Hunter, Jon Lord, and plenty of extra. His sole solo set of the 70s, Brilliant Metropolis, on Decca’s progressive Deram imprint, was bold, considerate, and had a theme regarding 70s city life, with good orchestral preparations. It bought… by no means. A grimy rotten disgrace, as Anderson’s under-exposed vocal expertise deserved publicity.
Camel
Prog stars Camel, led by guitarist/flautist Andy Latimer and that includes keyboardist Peter Bardens, lower Camel for MCA in ’72, that includes the climactic gem “Never Let Go.” Swapping to Deram, Mirage discovered a following within the US, and 1975’s instrumental suite, The Snow Goose, grew to become a shock runaway success, regardless of a dispute with Paul Gallico, the creator of the children’ ebook of the identical identify, involving an unseemly mix-up about whether or not the band have been associated to the cigarette model (they weren’t). The next yr’s Moonmadness was one other hit amid numerous line-up adjustments, and the group saved charting till 1984.
Barclay James Harvest, Mild Big
One other act who needed to earn it, child, have been prog stalwarts Barclay James Harvest, a quartet who obtained by 5 albums with out pestering the Prime 40, lastly scoring with Stay, a double set that mirrored a fanbase constructed on onerous graft. LPs akin to Everybody Is Everybody Else, Octoberon, and Time Honoured Ghosts are classics of their sort, with nice songs akin to “Mocking Bird” and the wry “Poor Man’s Moody Blues” undeservedly little heard at this time. Then there’s Mild Big, who grew (and grew) from the psychedelic-era act Simon Dupree & The Large Sound (and late-60s curiosity The Moles) into one of the vital dependable progressive bands of the 70s. Whereas they barely hit of their native UK, a decade of albums on Vertigo label and Chrysalis received a powerful following within the US, with Free Hand going Prime 50, and the likes of Octopus and The Energy And The Glory proving fascinating these with ears to listen to.
Spring, T2
Lastly, two extra British 70s rock bands who, sadly, barely registered: Spring, a extremely melodious five-piece whose charming self-titled 1971 album is generally acknowledged for copious use of the Mellotron (with out sounding remotely like The Moody Blues). What must be extra famous, nevertheless, are the heartfelt and distinctive vocals of Pat Moran, who went on to supply Iggy Pop, amongst many others. And must you assume T2 is only a film, you haven’t heard It’ll All Work Out In Boomland, a legendary progressive album that ought to have made stars of the trio that recorded it. If you wish to know the place Neil Younger and Bowie meet, hear T2’s singer-drummer Peter Dunton, and also you’ll additionally benefit from the robust guitar stylings of Keith Cross. Regardless of BBC periods and an 80s reunion, fame proved elusive for the group. 70s rock followers didn’t know the way fortunate they have been.
That includes stand-out moments from missed heroes Camel and Mild Big, together with a number of different prog acts who deserve far wider recognition, observe the Prog Rocks playlist on Spotify.
