Seven forgotten 1970s bands that are still worth listening to
These musical artists deserve more love.
By Lee Vowell
The 1970s were an interesting time for music fans. By late in the decade, disco was ruling the charts, for better or worse. But there were lots of genres that were created or evolved during the decade. Glam, punk, and early New Wave thankfully were around for those fans who had a distaste for poppier fare.
Many of the best early 1970s glam bands have failed to hold the public's attention as much as they should. But the list that follows is not only for fans of harder rock. There is a disco band as well. The point is that while disco might not be the best humankind can do, there are elements of it that help to create greatness.
Some of the songs that almost all of these bands released, you will know. Some might even have put out your favorite songs or albums, but the depths of their catalogs are worth mining as well. If nothing else, these groups don't deserve to be forgotten.
Seven forgotten 1970s bands that still should be getting our attention
The Sweet
Beginning as The Sweetshop (kind of an odd name for a band, mind you) in the late 1960s, The Sweet started by sounding a bit like the Archies. Not that there is anything truly wrong with that sound, but it's a bit shallow. Still, if a group can make money turning out those tunes and making them into hits, then so be it. However, that might mean the band does not have a long love affair with its fans.
Thankfully, The Sweet made their sound into a harder rock version and glam. We should forever thank them because they created songs such as "Fox on the Run," "Turn It Down," and the iconic "The Ballroom Blitz." There probably is no more fun track in human history than the latter.
Plus, the band was able to make money with their revamped sound. The Sweet have sold over 35 million albums and "The Ballroom Blitz" is still played at better speakeasies (I assume that to be true, but do not have any real factual evidence). Sadly, most of the members of the most well-known lineup of the group have passed away.