Popular music in the 1970s started with psychedelia and sweeping Mellotrons and ended with a disco vs. punk grudge match. Right?
Not necessarily. 70s music is far more diverse than people give it credit for. The 70s saw the rise and fall of progressive rock as a mainstream genre, early ambient and electronica, glam rock, funk, soul, Southern rock, folk, country, and much more.
Personally, the 1970s is my favorite decade for music. I love soaring guitar solos, analog keyboards, and 20 minute epics. I also have a fondness for disco, punchy pop songs with horns and strings, “Crocodile Rock” … it all brings me back to my childhood. Even today, I listen to more music from the 70s than any other decade.
(The 70s is also the greatest decade for album cover art … but that’s a tournament for another day.)
So, on this hot August night, let’s buy a stairway to heaven like a rhinestone cowboy and definitively answer the question: What is the greatest 70s band of all time?
Post your nominations below. Please create a new comment for each band you want to nominate. I’ve posted a few prominent ones to get us started.
RULES:
- Nominees must have released a full album between 1970 and 1979 (EPs do not count).
- Bands that were formed before the 1970s are eligible for nomination as long as they released an album in the qualifying time frame (e.g., The Kinks are eligible).
- Bands that formed during the 1970s, but did not release an album in that decade, are not eligible (e.g., Spandau Ballet formed in 1979 but did not release a full album until 1981, so they are not eligible for nomination).
- Solo music artists are eligible. I’m using “bands” as a catch-all term for brevity’s sake.
- I know this one is subjective, but try to focus on a band’s 70s output when nominating or upvoting. Take the Rolling Stones as an example, a band that has a multi-decade career. You should not consider their music pre-70s or post-70s when deciding whether to nominate or upvote them, try to only judge them based on their albums in this specific decade.
The nominated bands with the most upvotes will be entered into the tournament. Upvotes will also be used for seeding. (Don’t bother downvoting, I’m only looking at upvotes.)
Should you upvote your own nomination? Sure, it’s all groovy, baby!
The size of the bracket will be determined by the number of nominees. It will most likely be single-elimination.
Nominations will be open all weekend, closing Sunday, August 12 at 9pm PST.
Time to put on your boogie shoes and shake your groove thing! Can you dig it?
[Header Photo: Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” is the highest-selling album released in the 1970s. To date, it has sold an estimated 45 million copies. It appeared on Billboard’s chart of best-selling albums for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988. The album’s sleeve was designed by the late Storm Thorgerson.]