Seven forgotten 1970s bands that are still worth listening to

Slade

The surprise is that this band has been mostly forgotten. During a run in the 1970s, they had 17 consecutive top 20 hits in the U.K. And some of those tracks were excellent and have stood up over time. Maybe they faded a bit when glam began to go away (which is a shame because glam can be so fun and artistic).

But the band could do more than just glam. They have influenced many metal bands as well and produced some great metal songs such as "We'll Bring Down the House." But overall, Slade released 16 studio albums, two of which hit number one in the U.K. Quiet Riot turned two of their songs into metal hits, "Cum on Feel the Noize," and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." But "Run Runaway" might be Slade's best tune.

New York Dolls

One of the first punk bands and straight out of New York City which allowed the group to feed off the NYC vibe and be all-out weird sometimes. They were more influential than commercially successful, but the band did not care. Not until years later when David Johansen became Buster Poindexter did anyone in the group sniff big record sales. No offense to Poindexter, but it's a shame that "Hot Hot Hot" is much more well-known than "Jet Boy."

The band also tried to shock a bit as they dressed like ladies of the night during live gigs, but sadly, they might now be known for how they looked rather than how they sounded. This was the opposite point they were trying to make as while they did not seemingly dislike glam, they were supposed to be punk which was about aggression and attitude, not just look. The band was so divisive that in a Creem magazine poll, the New York Dolls were found to be the best and the worst new group of 1973 (I guess at least they made an impression).