The 1970s were quite the decade for music. Music fans had a lot to choose from: Glam, prog-rock, the formation of metal, and disco. Some bands even tried to combine these elements to various levels of success.
The four bands below were popular to different degrees, and one of them still has a fanbase that defends them to the death. (Hint: that is the first group below.) This article isn't about changing the minds of the fanbase, but a warning to others who haven't yet listened in depth to the groups below.
Find something unique that's great, but not just something that has a high polish of production. Tom Waits is an elite artist, of course, and intentionally made albums that didn't offer a crystal clear sound. That added an element of creative brilliance. The 1970s, however, also gave us the musical sins of far too many others.
These 1970s bands gained more fans than they were worthy of
Steely Dan
If you like your music pristinely engineered to take the soul out, Steely Dan is the band for you. Lots of musical artists can make good-sounding records, but that often leads to an overwrought view of the group. Jazz-influenced yacht rock wasn't creative even when Steely Dan was making the overrated Aja.
Donald Fagan and Walter Becker have their devotees in much the same way false iconoclasts often do. Once a person believes, changing their mind is impossible. That doesn't change the fact that Steely Dan gave us cold songs that would seemingly be tied to AI now.
Electric Light Orchestra
ELO isn't sonically similar to the band above, but has the same issue. The music has no soul. It has a plastic sound that people who have their own recording studios in their house, even though they have little musical talent, like. The band's albums aren't terrible; they're boring.
Electric Light Orchestra is very 1970s, too, but not in the best way. The Rolling Stones made important music that felt gritty, and David Bowie moved from one subgenre of rock to another with ease. ELO seemingly found their niche, though, and that's an indictment of some music fans.
Jethro Tull
Oh, look: Blues-influenced hard rock, but they have a flute. How neat. Of course, that is part of what made Jethro Tull prog-rock icons. The issue is that combining loads of good elements into one sound leads to inconsistency and mediocrity unless the talent creating the music is elite.
At least the band tried to have great albums, but if you ever find yourself whistling a Jethro Tull tune as you walk down the street, then, well...let's be honest, that isn't going to happen.
The Alan Parsons Project
What were we doing here with this, music lovers? The Alan Parsons Project is a lot like Steely Dan except even more boring. "Eye in the Sky" was a hit? We should be ashamed of ourselves. This is now the kind of music that is played in a doctor's office when people are having teeth pulled.
The irony is that the pulling of the teeth is less painful than having to hear APP's rubbish. The band's 1977 album is called I Robot, which is fitting. Any humanity in the Alan Parsons Project's songs is difficult to find.