Top 200 ’70s Songs
By Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
Focusing on a decade in which classic rock came into its own, our list of Top 200 ’70s Songs spans the gamut of cornerstone bands.
Some, as you’ll see by clicking through the above gallery, were sadly on their way out. Luckily, former members of the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel began crafting solo gems for the ages. The stalwart Rolling Stones, meanwhile, showed they weren’t going anywhere – fighting through addiction only to emerge right in the middle of the disco zeitgeist.
Bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Santana – all of whom began to pick up steam toward the end of the ’60s – could be found building the framework of their lasting legend in this new decade. But it wasn’t all familiar figures from classic rock’s initial era, either.
Next-gen keepers of the flame like Aerosmith, Kiss, Steely Dan and Tom Petty expanded the music’s reach in their own unique ways. Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band established a new Southern aesthetic, even
as the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac came to symbolize the West Coast’s promise – and its risks. Then an exciting new edge creeped into the music toward the end of the decade, personified by the likes of the Clash, the Police, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols.
But which of their worthy tracks made our list? Check out the above gallery as we count down the Top 200 ’70s Songs,
presented in alphabetical order.
Fleetwood Mac, "Dreams" (1977)
Memorably cinematic, and propelled by the real-life scandals within the band, 'Rumours' chronicled with a lush directness (quite literally, it turned out) the way that relationships coalesce then dissolve. That's perhaps best heard on this quietly effective kiss-off song.
Fleetwood Mac, "Go Your Own Way" (1977)
By the time Fleetwood Mac released 'Rumours' in 1977, the band's various couples were splintering, and with three personal singer-songwriters at the fore, there was no way their dirty laundry would go unaired. Lindsey Buckingham's brutal, biting "Go Your Own Way" stings the hardest.
Fleetwood Mac, "Landslide" (1975)
Stevie Nicks wrote this song while looking out upon the Rocky Mountains, contemplating whether she should continue pursuing music after her initial album – a duet record with Lindsey Buckingham – had flopped. Lucky for us, she did.
Read More: Top 200 '70s Songs |
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/70s-s...ckback=tsmclip