I remember when rock was young. There was a popular girl in my sixth school named Susie, though I can’t say she and I had much fun. We never held hands or skipped school. We did sing along to Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock” which was all the rage back then, and which is where those references come from, in case you didn’t know.
You see, even in 1973, Elton John was singing about the good old days of rock & roll. Rock wasn’t exactly old. Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” formally launched the rock & roll era in 1955. That would make the genre 18 – just old enough to buy a beer in the States – when Elton was fondly recalling “when rock was young.”
Still, a debate raged on. Had rock & roll already sold its soul by 1973? Of course, it had. But no more so than any popular cultural product had done before and continues to do to this day. And the simple act of selling out to big corporate purse strings doesn’t condemn an artist of her work to sterile conformity. Joseph Haydn still wrote some pretty good music after signing on with the wealthy Esterhazy family. Maybe rock & roll had to do some soul-searching, but as a genre, it managed to stay vibrant throughout the 1970s.
These hidden gems from the 1970s are still worth listening to
The Beatles may have departed the scene, but plenty of heavy-hitting British bands remained. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and The Who kept old-fashioned rock alive and well. Bob Dylan’s continued presence ensured that more singer-songwriters would infiltrate hard rock until one of the “next Dylans” – a kid from Asbury Park, NJ – married the two impulses, bringing a singer/songwriter approach rock. Pink Floyd and Yes pushed prog rock into the mainstream and Black Sabbath helped give birth to metal.
None of these bands, or these genres, would leave the scene, though as with most popular art forms, oversaturation did dilute the product. That opened new doors. By the end of the 1970s, punk rock and new wave were shaking things up. Funk and disco were showing how more complex dance beats could co-exist with rock & roll. By the end of the following decade, those dance beats were beginning a conquest that would see them join forces with, and eventually overtake, traditional rock & roll.
Even though rock & roll ceded its cultural domination, it has remained relevant to this day. However, today, we are looking bad – back to when rock was – if not young – then just entering its early adulthood. That’s how I see the 1970s. It was a fantastic era for rock & roll. We’re going to look at ten albums that helped create the unique sound of the decade, but which are largely forgotten today. Some, to be honest, were largely forgotten within moments of their initial release, but nonetheless have built a devoted cult following over the years.
Others may have had a hit or two but couldn’t catch the public’s attention for one reason or another. Some were made by artists you may remember – others by bands you’ve likely never heard of. We’re going to stick to old-fashioned R&B-based rock for the most part, though there may be a couple of titles that bend and stretch those boundaries. After all, even if it’s old-time rock & roll, tomorrow never knows what days of future-past might bring. (Note: neither Bob Seger, the Beatles, nor the Moody Blues will be appearing in the following list of great, forgotten albums from the 1970s.)