No better decade for music than the 70s

Jun 27, 2023, 11:31 AM

I was in high school and college in the 80s, so technically, the 80s were my decade, and I like most of that music. I was in single digits in the 70s so wasn't very aware at the time. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate the greatness of the music of the 70s much more. Here’s why 70s music is the best out of all the decades of modern rock/pop – in no particular order:

* No MTV. There was no image factor. It was just music. Many popular bands didn’t even put their pictures on the album covers. It was 100% about the music, and zero about the fashion, the hair, the makeup, the look.
* Little to no computers/synthesizers. Music was almost 100% hand-played on real instruments. There was some technology – notably Pete Townsend with The Who and Thom Scholz with Boston – but for the most part, it was real people playing real instruments in a real studio.
* Instrument solos other than guitars. I love a good guitar solo. Van Halen got their start in the 70s, for example. But in the 70s you had some great flute solos, saxophone solos, you had the brass sound from bands like Chicago, you even had violins/fiddles from bands like Kansas. And you also had killer guitar solos, which was still a relatively new thing (late 60s, really). Even R&B had some great instrumentation, with band like Earth Wind & Fire. There was depth and creativity and an eagerness to explore what instruments could be included and showcased.
* New styles came about. Dance/disco, rock, metal, singer-songwriter, progressive – all of that began to mature in the 70s. You had the happy/fun rock of Journey to the darker metal of Black Sabbath. You had the chill, laid back style of James Taylor, to the funky dance music of KC and the Sunshine Band or the disco of the Bee Gees to the aggressive rock of Motorhead and the theatrical rock of Meat Loaf.
* Real artists who wrote their own music, played their own instruments, and sang their own songs. Too many to mention. It was all started in the 70s.
* Female artists coming into popularity – many of the ground breakers came up in the 70s – Carly Simon, to the Runaways (Joan Jett, Lita Ford), Pat Benatar got her start in the 70s, and many more.
* Long jam songs/singles were released. Epic songs that ran well over 4 minutes where the depth of the music and variety of the instruments was thoroughly explored. From live albums like Frampton Comes Alive to studio songs like almost anything from Pink Floyd

I know everyone thinks their generation’s music was the best (I also love 90s alternative rock – equally groundbreaking to 70s rock, IMHO), but when you break it down, I can’t see any other decade being better overall than the 70s when it comes to rock/pop music. They’re all good, and all have their strong points, but none moreso than the 70s.

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