For my money,this decade of classic rock belonged to the monumental exuberance of Led Zeppelin.Even at times of tenderness("Rain Song",Beginning of "Stairway"),there still exists a certain brand of high energy in terms of passion and sincerity.I know when it comes to the 1970's,most people here would choose a hard rock/heavy metal outfit,but I'm throwing the Bee Gees name into the ring along with Arif Mardin,who transformed the group from an already big league pop hit writing team into a far more commercially successful "blue eyed soul" R&B act.I also feel lI need to put the Eagles,Fleetwood Mac and Chicago up there somewhere as well.And I DO need to say this.Paul McCartney and Wings was NOT,I repeat,NOT a real group.If they were,I'd put them in at least honorable mention here,but everyone here knows that Paul only concocted this lineup for two reasons:He wanted to sing with his wife just to spite John Lennon who was performing art with HIS wife and also because he missed being in a band so much,he was willing to record with people who were definitely top notch musicians,but hardly had a chance to step out from under the McCartney shadow.Also,Paul only credited "RAM" to himself and Linda just to score more of the sales royalties..........
Hard to go wrong with Derek and the Dominos, even though they were short lived. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and Wings- I'm also pretty fond of George Harrison's rather overlooked solo career. 'All Things Must Pass' is a superb album.
Favourite Band - Pink Floyd Favourite Song - Shine On You Crazy Diamond I've explained my choice of SOYCD fairly recently, you can read my thoughts here: http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/f6/pink-floyd-favorite-song-7636/index15.html Led Zeppelin are obviously another great 1970s band, I myself think the baton of 'Best band in the world' passed from Floyd to Zeppelin in 1973 when Dark Side Of The Moon was released (Meddle and Houses of the Holy are great albums, but Led Zeppelin IV and Dark Side have the edge in each case I think). I'm also a big fan of Neil Young, who released a lot of his best material during the 1970s (such as After The Gold Rush and Rust Never Sleeps), the Eagles, and Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac. I think I'll list one of my favourite songs from each year of this decade: 1970 - Layla (Derek & The Dominos) 1971 - Rock And Roll (Led Zeppelin) 1972 - Heart Of Gold (Neil Young) 1973 - Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh) 1974 - Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) 1975 - Idiot Wind (Bob Dylan) 1976 - Life In The Fast Lane (Eagles) 1977 - Go Your On Way (Fleetwood Mac) 1978 - Sultans Of Swing (Dire Straits) 1979 - Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - ELP My favorite album from the band was the live set released in 1974, WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS The opening song, "Hoedown" is awesome. There are other highlights. You should listen to it if you never have. The album's latest release is a 2011 one on SONY MUSIC. A double CD. The bass is heavier on this release than on the 2001 Sanctuary/Castle Music release.
Awesome Avatar Sox !! The 1973 TSRTS versions of SIBLY, TSRTS, NO QUARTER, & OTHAFA are some of my favorite Zep tracks from their official releases.
Favourite Band or the 70's(as a matter of fact all time): Rush Favourite Song by them is: Closer To The Heart
I agree, and they have rocked for so many decades too. That time period is pretty much the music I listen to even though I was born in 1994.