Why the 70's were the best decade of rock music

ladyislingering

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Why:

- Rock was still relatively young, and legends were born into rock royalty.
- Glam rock. Need I say more?
- KISS was born. Love them or leave them, they're one of the most important bands in rock history.
- Disco/electro-pop music was born.
- Sweet novelty acts!
- Loads of bands from across the pond penetrated the consciousness of American teenagers. Just like the 60s.
- Thus came along fabulous things like the compact cassette (little bro of the 8-track) and (correct me if I'm wrong) picture discs.

Why not:

- Psych rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriters were fading into the shadows by the end of the 70s.
- By the 70s/end of the 70s, The Beatles were no longer the widespread obsession (alongside loads of other bands from the 60s - Led Zeppelin, for instance, and a whole slew of bands falling under one of the categories from the first reason).
- Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix died with the 60s. All had great potential, and they were unable to share it with the world by the time the 70s rolled around.
- By the mid-70's, the quality of vinyl had taken a turn for the worst.

In whole there's loads of things I love about the 70s, even tons of things that are unrelated to music. It was difficult picking out what I didn't like about the 70s, in terms of music. Such a great decade, and a definite turning point in a lot more than just rock culture. :D
 

electric funeral

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Although it began in the 60's, it took shape in the 70's. Just for an easy answer some examples:

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Robin Trower - Live
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Roxy Music - Viva
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
Black Sabbath - Vol.4
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
 

Magic

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Musical diversity and experimentation! There were so many new directions that music was taking: Disco, Psychedelic Rock, Shock Rock, Punk Rock, Metal, Hard Rock, Folk Rock and music that scared the hell out of our parents. Music became interesting in the 70's, with lyrics about war, peace, love, and drugs. Who would have ever thought that a broken electric guitar would make 70's music history in sound innovation.

Music became portable, with the birth of the 8-track. Production became more sophisticated, Mono was out and stereo was IN. FM Radio brought music to a new level, and into every car stereo system.


Dancing was cool! Clubbing was born in the 70's.
 

snakes&ladders

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I can only add which decade was the WORST....the WIMPY 80s what with their SPINELESS disco crap :):)
 

LG

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I have a simple answer, check out Joe's and Hawk's favorite 70's album's threads in the "Book of Lists" sub-forum, the list of bands is just staggering, that sums up why I think the 70's is easily the best decade for rock music.
 

electric funeral

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LG: I agree about the amount of music that came out in the 70's. But a point for the 60's is that in that decade bands were all ready experimenting with their sound , like King Crimson, The Beatles f.e.
 

LG

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^^I think from '67 to 1980 is the best period in rock music EF, the 60's were critically important but as you said in the 70's rock came of age.
 

R. Evans

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I can only add which decade was the WORST....the WIMPY 80s what with their SPINELESS disco crap :):)

Disco's heyday was in the 70s. Two of the biggest bands of the disco era were the Bee Gees and KC and The Sunshine Band, not to mention Donna Summer, The Trammps, and a host of others, had most of their biggest hits from 75 to 79. It hung around for a little while in the 80s but I would say that disco was largely dead by 1982-1983.

I've mellowed on some of the disco songs over the years. Listen to 70s disco compared to today's hip-hop and rap, I'll take disco everytime and twice on Sundays.:D

The 70s for me were the greatest decade because of UFO, Cheap Trick, Electric Light Orchestra, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Neil Young (his best work was in the 70s), Bruce Springsteen, Supertramp, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, Foghat, Savoy Brown, Paul Simon (solo), James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Styx, Boston, Kansas, Blondie, Ramones, and the list goes on and on.

And radio wasn't so rigid as it is now. I remember listening to a station, the call letters escape me, in the mid-70s and hearing the Boss followed by Gladys Knight followed Cheap Trick followed by Chicago followed by Earth, Wind, & Fire followed by...you get the picture. The way radio should be, unafraid to mix and match genres, all are equal. (except rap and hip-hop)

Another personal reason for me was also because I discovered music in the 70s. Born in '63, I was 16 in 1979 and isn't that when you really discover music? Blasting hard rock from my bedroom, my sister still tells everyone about my horrible rendition of Aerosmith's Back In The Saddle:D, and blasting hard rock in the football lockerroom prior to practice, taking disco dance lessons just because there were hot babes in the class and the teacher was a runner-up Miss Ohio:heybaby:, going to see local cover bands massacre the latest songs, etc...All these things formed my opinion of the 70s. I miss them. Maybe it's not the 70s so much as my youth.

Not to say that my taste in music stagnated, there are alot of newer bands worth listening to. But in the end, the 70s reign supreme.:grinthumb

Sorry for the rambling on.
 

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