Five fantastic songs from the 1970s that don't get played enough

If you look back over previous articles I’ve written here it’s pretty obvious I’m a fan of 1970s music. There was such a wide range of different types of songs and styles. For me, it was my teenage years and having my eyes and ears opened by it all. A learning and highly enjoyable set of experiences. 

It’s no wonder that I still love hearing the music of those years. In the UK, BBC Radio 2 has a weekly show Sound Of The 70s by Johnnie Walker who has been DJ’ing for many years including offshore with pirate radio, in the UK and a spell in the 1970s in California. If you can pick that up online wherever you are, it’s a superb snippet each week of the enormous variety of music that decade offered.

Two tracks in particular from this week's show were a real blast from the forgotten past. Both are tremendous songs and were very big at the time years back. They are still very well known, but this was the first time I had heard either played for a long time. They washed over me like they had never been away. It was like putting on a comfortable jersey or sitting in a favorite seat, an absolute pleasure. 

Five fantastic 1970s songs that need playing more

That made me think about other songs from the 1970s that used to get a lot of plays but are barely heard now. Maybe it’s different in the US, or if you listen to very specialist radio stations. Perhaps they feature more often than I hear them or realize. I’ve now added a few more to my favourite streaming playlists where they will pop up more often. Let me share five of those great 1970s songs I haven't heard for a long time with you now. See if you want to add any to your favorites. 

Wishbone Ash - “Blowing Free”

What a great rock sound this song has. Wishbone Ash was one of the first bands to lead the way with twin lead guitars in their music. Listening to this one again for me anyway, there is a real Southern Rock sound to it. Yet the band came from Devon in the South West of England. It’s a blues shuffle-based rhythm and was influenced by The Steve Miller Band and “Children Of The Future”. 

“Blowing Free” came from their excellent 1972 album Argus. It became a live favorite and their best-known song, although they had plenty of other great music. It opens with a great riff and those twin guitars of Ted Turner and Andy Powell. Powell later reckoned that Steely Dan and Thin Lizzy adopted a similar approach to the intro on “Reelin’ In The Years” and “The Boys Are Back In Town”. Have a listen to Wishbone Ash for yourself and see if you agree. 

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