30 Greatest Rock Bands of the 1970s
We all know about the 1970s. The Beatles quit and left a whole new world open for rock music to explore. In came glam, and prog rock too. Rock was the coolest, and best genre of music on the planet, with a number of bands at their ultimate peak.
For rock music, the 1970s was glorious, and here are the top 30 rock bands who peaked in the golden decade for rock music.
30. Genesis
Having formed in the late '60s, Genesis found success in the early '70s, through a series of lineups, and musical changes. They ultimately moved their music from folk-tinged pop to full-on progressive rock to prog pop to the top of the pop charts. Their most weirdly involving music dates back to the Peter Gabriel days; their most successful to his successor Phil Collins' final years. In between, Steve Hackett established his own reputation as a guitar hero.
29. Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a typical example of a band who quite while they were well and truly on top. Blessed with an affinity for both pub and prog rock, and a melancholy bard in Mark Knopfler, the band are still regarded as one of the most unique and influential rock bands of any era.
28. UFO
Cutting through the '70s like a knife through hot butter, UFO are probably one of the most underrated rock bands of the classic era. Still touring today, UFO have produced some of rock's most loved numbers, such as "Rock Bottom," "Love To Love," and "Doctor Doctor."
27. Ramones
They didn't invent punk, but the Ramones did more to spark the revolution than any other band in the mid-'70s, and yes, that includes the Sex Pistols. Their three-chord, solo-free songs -- delivered in a whiplash pace that rarely stretched beyond two and a half minutes -- have inspired legions of kids to pick up guitars and bash out songs about girls, alienation and dysfunction.
26. Uriah Heep
English rock band Uriah Heep formed in London in 1969. Its lineup since 2013 has been lead and rhythm guitarist Mick Box, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw, drummer Russell Gilbrook, and bassist Davey Rimmer. Of this lineup, Box is the only remaining original member. Heep are still regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1970s.
25. Thin Lizzy
Led by the charismatic, working-class poet Phil Lynott, Irish legends Thin Lizzy scored a timeless hit with "The Boys Are Back in Town" but remained largely under appreciated for their other work. Underrated, but certainly not under-loved by the hardcore fans, Lizzy banged out classics, and knew how to put on one hell of a show.
24. Kiss
Believe it or not, Kiss were actually a pretty brilliant rock and roll band in their early years. The shock rockers influence ran well beyond their classic-era music, which set the stage for pop metal and arena rock. Their explosive stage shows, savvy marketing and outlandish costumes were also heavily appropriated throughout the decade after Kiss' early '70s founding. Many would still regard the group to be one of the greatest live acts in the business.
23. Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull emerged with their own quirky brand of prog rock in a period that saw much competition from the likes of Rush, Genesis, ad Pink Floyd. Frontman Ian Anderson's impish literary sensibility combined with his flights of fancy on the flute to give Tull a singularly folk-inspired feel. But there was always more to the group -- from the blues-tinged early sides to a turn to harder-rock sounds after the '70s peak.
22. Blue Oyster Cult
Another brilliant rock band that perhaps goes a bit under appreciated at times, Blue Oyster Cult were co-founded by future rock critics Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer. Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, Eric Bloom and Allen Lanier helped shape their sound, which ran to brain-melting jams, heavy riffs and fantasy/sci-fi lyrics on favorites like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," "Godzilla" and "Burnin' for You."
21. King Crimson
King Crimson are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. King Crimson have been influential both on the early 1970s progressive rock movement and many contemporary artists. They are regarded as one of the original prog rock bands that took the decade by storm.
20. ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock trio formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band has, since 1970, consisted of vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. "As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers", according to critic Michael "Cub" Koda.
19. Rush
Canadian prog rock trio Rush have remained steadfast since the 1974 arrival of lyricist and drummer Neil Peart in presenting thrillingly complex music alongside involving lyrics for some of the most devoted fans in the history of rock. 1981's Moving Pictures shot them to unrivalled heights, and the members are widely considered to be the most technically gifted musicians of their genre.
18. Yes
Proggers Yes combined old-fashioned songcraft along with the genre's usual endless noodling for some of the decade's most tuneful 17-minute suites. Turnover since the band's formation in the late '60s has been high, but the classic lineup's peak years in the early '70s were matched almost a decade later by a revamped group that scored with Yes' only No. 1 single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart."
17. Creedence Clearwater Revival
Led by the legendary John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival didn't sound at all like their Bay Area contemporaries. Twangy, swampy and poppy in ways that made them both commercial and critical favourites, CCR played rock 'n' roll rooted in the past but with a modern edge and message.
16. The Allman Brothers Band
Having tragically lost lead guitarist Duane Allman in a motorcycle crash, the deeply talented Allman Brothers Band never completely recovered. In later years, the Allmans rebuilt with a talented twin-guitar tandem featuring Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks before finally calling it a day in 2014. However, their legacy will long live on.
15. Eagles
Eagles weren't just a one hit wonder, as many people will flippantly suggest. There was far more to this band that "Hotel California." In fact, this was a hugely talented rock group who had a very impressive catalog of work, from the late '60s riding through the golden rock period of the '70s.
14. Van Halen
With David Lee Roth at the helm, and Eddie Van Halen shredding his guitar to six string heaven, Van Halen were pretty untouchable in their peak years - certainly before they sold out to pop. Often regarded as a great live act, Van Halen produced their best work in the late '70s.
13. The Clash
There was a saying back in the day that the Clash were the only band that mattered. And in a way, it was true. As traditional rock 'n' roll dried out and disco took over the airwaves, punk blew in with brutalising force. The Clash were one of the few bands that combined that power with brains, songs and a sense of history, peaking in the '70s, and gone by the mid '80s.
12. Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac had a very early blues-focused feel, which would later develop into a more pop rock type sound. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks changed Fleetwood Mac's dynamic and their profile, as a group that had only middling chart successes went on to help define the contours of pop music in the late '70s with monolithic smash hits like 'Rumours' and 'Tusk.'
11. Aerosmith
When Aerosmith blasted out of Boston during the first part of the '70s, they were labelled as an American version of the Rolling Stones. But within a few years -- thanks to rep-securing albums like 'Toys in the Attic' and 'Rocks' -- they carved out their own identity as one of classic rock's most enduring groups. Steven Tyler is still regarded by many as the greatest ever hard rock frontman.
10. The Doors
Like many of their contemporaries, the Doors combined old-school blues with trippy psychedelia. The mix made them one of the most popular and enduring bands of the '60s. The original quartet released only six albums before singer Jim Morrison died of heart failure at the age of 27, but the best of them remain classic-rock cornerstones.
9. Queen
Queen were a band that evolved into a wall-to-wall rock orchestra, culminating in 1975's epic 'A Night at the Opera' and its breakthrough single "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury's death at the dawn of the '90s put an end to the classic line-up, but they'll never be forgotten. Queen are regarded as the most influential rock band ever.
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd
Another tragedy cut short the peak of a band that dominated the country American rock scene. But their sound, both before and after a plane crash decimated the original line-up, was focused more on rock and jazzy improvisational moments. That gave Skynyrd an elemental danger that remained, even after fate intervened.
7. The Rolling Stones
With the exception of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones would have to be regarded as the biggest rock band that has ever existed. Dirtier, gutsier and bluesier than their '60s rivals, the Stones hit their peak in the late '60s and early '70s, with a magnificent string of albums that stands as one of the greatest runs of all time.
6. Pink Floyd
'The Dark Side of the Moon' ranks as one of rock's most influential albums, and certainly prog rock's greatest. In 1967, Pink Floyd -- led by Syd Barrett, whose mental and drug problems would sideline him for the rest of his life -- released 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,' a psychedelic space trip that can rattle your mind. Album for album, you'd be hard pushed to find a better catalog than Pink Floyd's.
5. AC/DC
Not too many bands can rebound after losing their singer, let alone charging back bigger and better than ever. But AC/DC is no ordinary band. After Bon Scott died in 1980, the group wasted no time getting back into the studio with new vocalist Brian Johnson to record their masterpiece, 'Back in Black,' which plays like a tribute to the late Scott. After some chopping and changing, the Aussie hard rockers have soldiered on, but one thing remains constant: Angus Young's power-guitar riffs and the band's ability to turn three-chord blues into a rock 'n' roll foundation.
4. The Who
The Who pretty much invented and perfected the rock opera on albums like 'Tommy' and 'Quadrophenia,' and works like 1971's masterful 'Who's Next' prove they could be one of the world's top rock 'n' roll bands too. These guys, in their peak, were no slouch on stage - they could put on a live show like no other.
3. Black Sabbath
If Black Sabbath didn't invent heavy metal, they certainly were the ones who forged the genre's sound as we know it today. Sludgy rhythms, lyrics that teetered the line between heaven and hell and an aura of devilish mysticism made Sabbath the kings of stoner rock before anyone even thought of the name for it. Whether you prefer Ozzy or Dio, it matters little - because with either frontman, Sabbath wee always the pinnacle of heavy metal.
2. Deep Purple
Deep Purple changed sounds, and changed plenty of members, on their way to rock immortality. Drummer Ian Paice has been the only constant as Deep Purple moved from classical-influenced rock to prog to metal and then into a muscular amalgam of all three. Along the way, the band also made stars of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and singers Ian Gillan and David Coverdale.Deep Purple's MKII lineup is regarded as their best era, and one of classic rock's greatest ever bands.
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