Best of the Rest of the Top 40: the 1970s

The time has come for round three of the semifinals. These are the voters’ choice for the best not-quite-number-one of each year for this decade.

What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s

Best #1 single polls: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time

The only one I had voted for is Queen, making 1976 the only year of the decade I had voted with consensus majority. Now I decided to step out and vote for something else. My choice in this poll is “Nights in White Satin” by Moody Blues.
Plus I suspect “Bohemian Rhapsody” will make it in first place or runner up second place.

Dead last for me is Norman Greenbaum and Jimmy Buffet.
The others I like too but the Queen and Moody Blues songs are the best ones followed by Marvin Gaye, Steely Da, Gerry Rafferty, and Supertramp and Sweet.

My two winners in the best-of-the-year polls were “What’s Going On” and “Stuck in the Middle with You.” Without hesitation, I’m picking “What’s Going On” again for this 1970s poll. “Spirit in the Sky” is dead-ass last.

I fail to grasp the appeal of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I may have said that in the original thread, but to me it symbolizes everything wrong with 70s music: it’s entirely too long, it wanders around on the edges of making any kind of good sense, it takes too long to get to the point, it’s overdone and just plain boring. Not to mention that it’s about five minutes too long.

I guess the theme of the message I’m trying to convey is I really hate that song.

Now “Baker Street,” on the other hand, that’s a good song.

Some truly great songs here. I went with Baker Street. One of my favourite songs from any decade and one of the most evocative ever.

Nights in White Satin is a great second. The Logical Song is good, too.

Bohemian Rhapsody? Excellent tune but I’ve heard it way too often. Plus, it’s really, honestly not the one I like best in this list.

Unlike others responding to this I’ve personally always LOVED “Spirits in the Sky” but since my religious side isn’t “feelin’ it” these days I won’t vote for it in THIS poll.

“What’s Goin’ On” isn’t bad and (unlike his father) I have (had) no beef with Marvin Gaye but that song just isn’t one of my favorites.

“Nights in White Satin” is, as far as I know, considered a rock classic and I like it. But not enough to vote for it in this poll.

“Stuck in the Middle with You” is a catchy tune (for the LONGEST time I thought it was by one of the Beatles!) but not high enough up on my personal favorites list to vote for it in this poll.

I LOVE Steely Dan (those naughty boys!) and “Rikki Don’t Lose My Number” is pretty good. But it’s not my favorite of theirs and so doesn’t get my vote in this poll.

I’d never even heard of “Ballroom Blitz” until fairly recently. It’s not bad, in my estimation. Kinda catchy, actually. But not enough for me to vote for it here.

I liked Supertramp but “Logical Song” isn’t one my favorites by them so no vote for it here.

“Margaritaville” has always struck me as a silly song that I can hardly believe Mr. Buffett has gotten so much mileage out of. It’s pretty easy listenin’ but it’s pretty far down on this list for me.

“Bohemian Rhapsody”'s another one that I didn’t know anything about until LONG after it was first released. I was in the navy when it was “revived” thanks to one of those “Wayne’s World” flicks. I came to like it but I tend to agree with that other poster’s assessment - basically that it’s a bit overwrought. No vote for it from me.

That leaves “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty. As I recall that song got a LOT of airplay back in the late '70s (I wanna say 1978). I didn’t know this beforehand but my wife informed me that Gerry Rafferty was the front man for Stealer’s Wheel. Seems fitting, then, that since I didn’t vote for “Stuck in the Middle with You” that I am, instead, going to vote for: “Baker Street” in this one!

Again… as soon as I saw Ballroom Blitz, I didn’t look any farther. One of my all-time favorite songs.

Baker Street for me, what a hell of a tune.

For me, it’s between “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Ballroom Blitz,” and “What’s Going On.” I ended up going with Queen, in the end. Overplayed? Yes. Over-wrought? No, I think it’s just wrought enough. :wink: It’s supposed to be an epic, bombastic song, and it succeeds. Boring? WTF? This song is only boring through being overplayed. It’s a wild musical adventure!

I can’t do “Baker Street.” I don’t know what it is about that song, but it drives me crazy. That sax part, as iconic as it is, sounds cheesy as shit to me, just one small step away from smooth jazz. Of course, remember kids, opinions are like assholes. :wink:

To me, this was a list of also-rans, top to bottom. Of course, I’ve never been all that impressed with “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which I know will win the decade anyway), either before or after Wayne’s World unfortunately resurrected it. The music is showy and ostentatious, and the lyrics…well, it’s a guy whining about how he’s ruined his own life by killing someone else, apparently just for the hell of it.

I’ve also never understood the love for “Baker Street.” I liked it the first time I heard it, and I still like it, but it’s never been more than just ‘like.’ It’s a nice but AFAIAC unremarkable song.

I went with the Moodies, even though “Nights in White Satin” is hardly my favorite Moody Blues song, because I still like their stuff from that era, and because the competition is weak.

Baker Street is a glorious song, with an instrumental break that soars for the skies. One of the songs in the rock pantheon.

What’s Going On for me. Nothing else came close - and also, for the 70s, the decade of funk and disco, that list is just full of Mighty White Cod-Rock…only 2 POC on it, and how many people think Freddie is White…