Ten stone cold 1970s bangers that time has forgotten

I’ve been giving the 1970s a hard time of late. I’ve said some nasty things about lots of very popular (number one) hits of the decade. I’ve piled onto yacht rock. But you must understand that, like your mom, I only criticize out of love. I always try to praise the 1970s before I tear it apart. I figure you have to own up to your mistakes so that your achievements can be seen more clearly.

So today. I’m going to make amends with another list. I briefly considered a companion piece to the “Ten Worst Number Ones.” I was going to call it the “Ten Best Number Ones.” How’s that for creativity?

Then I decided that any such list would be filled with the usual suspects. The well-known war horses that have appeared on about a thousand lists already. In the past week. The last thing the internet needs is another list explaining why “Let’s Get It On” and “Superstition” are quality songs.

Ten gems from the 1970s that time has forgotten

Ok – maybe not the last thing, but close to it. So I figured I might as well zag while the others are zigging. If I really want to give the decade its due, let’s invert the bad-popular-songs and focus on some really great unpopular songs.

“Unpopular” in this case should not be read as “poorly received.” These songs weren’t disliked. They were simply ignored. Each had a few loyal fans but escaped the blessings of widespread, popular approval. They were unpopular because they were unknown.

Every year there are dozens and dozens of songs like this. Songs that simply don’t catch whatever cultural wave happens to be current. Songs from bands that don’t have the proper backing to make them known to a wider audience. Songs that just fall through the cracks.

We’re going to check out ten such songs from the 1970s. They come from varied genres – progressive, jazz, blues, folk. All are largely forgotten today. And all are out-and-out bangers. I sometimes offer qualifiers when I put a list like this together. A “this one may not suit your personal taste” kind of disclaimer. But I’m not going to do that today. If you like music, I guarantee you will love each and every one of these songs.

“WHEN ALICE COMES BACK TO THE FARM” – The Move (1970)

By the time The Move released “When Alice Comes Back to the Farm” on their third album, they had already scored five top-five singles in the UK. But they never charted in the USA.  That third album, Looking On, did have one modest UK hit in “Brontosaurus,” but “Alice” failed to chart even at home. I have no idea why.

Frontman Roy Wood was a British forerunner of Alex Chilton, blending pop sensibilities with some big-time bluesy guitar chops and an experimental nature that led him to insert a couple of brief cello fills into a down-and-dirty blues rocker. Rick Price’s bass chugs forward as Wood’s guitar, cello, and god-knows-what else (he could play anything) run wild atop it all. There are also plenty of nice piano flourishes courtesy of the newest member of the band, Jeff Lynne.

Lynne was about to take the band in a very different direction – one that would result in the dissolution of The Move, and the birth of a new project that would achieve great success in the USA – Electric Light Orchestra. In “Alice,” you get a final taste of what a stand-out blues rock band could do before they shifted gears.