I was just wondering what all of you cyberpeoples think are the best and worst bands or artists from the 1970’s?
Best: Jethro Tull, Blondie, Aerosmith, The Police
Worst: Captain & Teneille (sp?), The Partridge Family
(notice the careful avoidance of Disco bands in either category - I am mentally deleting dance music from consideration)
My personal fav’s from the 70’s would be:
the Patti Smith Group
Talking Heads
Blondie
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
But i’m fickle, and perhaps an hour from now I might just have an entirely different list of fav’s from the 70’s.
But the worst of all has got to be whoever it was who recorded that godawful “Dreamweaver” song.
Also particularly dreadful were the Carpenters. I don’t care how many half-assed poser wannabe “hipsters” gush about how wonderful and brilliant Karen Carpenter (supposedly) was. Her voice was flat and their music was banal and dull.
Have to agree with Jethro Tull as one of the best and would add, without giving a huge amount of thought, King Crimson (although their best album, In the Court of the Crimson King, came out in’69), Roxy Music, and Brian Eno.
For the worst, the Bee Gees. This is actually ironic since their stuff from the 60’s was wonderful.
Best: The Clash, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd
Worst: Too many to mention.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Best:[ul]
[li]Big Star[/li][li]The Modern Lovers[/li][li]The Clash[/li][li]The Rezillos[/li][li]The Jam[/li][li]Shoes[/li][li]The Raspberries[/li][li]The Flamin’ Groovies[/li][li]Television[/li][li]The New York Dolls[/li][li]The Stooges[/li][li]The Dictators[/li][li]The Ramones[/li][li]The Undertones[/li][li]The Only Ones[/li][li]Robert Gordon[/li][li]Dire Straits[/li][li]Rockpile[/li][li]Graham Parker and the Rumour[/li][li]Brinsley Schwarz[/li][li]Ducks Deluxe[/li][/ul]
As for the worst, we’ll never really know, now will we? There were tons of bands I whose popularity I found inexplicable (Starland Vocal Band, Little River Band, Seals and Crofts, Loggins and Messina, and America, anyone?), but someone somewhere obviously liked them.
Wow! i’m shocked and amazed that nobody mentioned The Eagles, or Clapton or Led Zepplin or Fleetwood Mac or Lynard Skynard (sp?). By the way, sorry Fat Angel. I really like The Carpenters.
My Favs…
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath
Fleetwood Mac
Jethro Tull
The Guess Who
The Doors
The worst…
I cant it’s just to painful…
ouch, there I go thinking again.
How can you not include Rush on the great bands list? 
The best:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band
The Ramones
The worst:
Supertramp
What is the point of threads like this? It’s like trying to flail the ocean. Yet I flail on…
The best:
- Black Sabbath
- Blue Oyster Cult
- AC/DC
- Van Halen
- Aerosmith
- Heart (I’m allowed one sentimental fave)
- Simon and Garfunkel
The worst:
- Grand Funk Railroad
- Kiss
Most overrated:
- Led Zepplin
- The Eagles
- Pink Floyd
- Styx
- Lynrd Skynrd
Let the useless flailing begin!
- Steely Dan
Best:
The Clash
Sex Pistols
Cheap Trick
Alice Cooper
Iggy Pop
Patti Smith
Ramones
Worst:
I was a little too young at the time to remember much, but the Pat Boone-ish, Osmond’s type stuff gives me the willies.
This is no forum for arguing with other persons opinions…
although, LED ZEPPELIN cannot be overated!!!
just a thought,
thank you.
The best: Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd
The worst: Everything else
I’m not even going to attempt the worst, but best bands (or bands that I own many of their albums):
Black Sabbath
Sly & The Family Stone
Pink Floyd
The Clash
AC/DC
The Doors
The Guess Who
Of course, I could have included Pink Floyd in my selections above. But, I think of them as 60’s band (Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, and ? Atom Heart Mother or was that 1970?).
There was life before Dark Side of the Moon!
IMHO they all suck! A few suck more than others though…
My vote for Worst!
Bob Seger & Silver Bullet band
Credence Clearwater Revival
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ted Nugent
Bruce Springsteen
I digress…
Regardless of anyone’s “humble opinion”,
Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd cannot be omitted from the “best” list. I would also include Eric Clapton, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Elton John, and Black Sabbath on my “best” list.
As far as worst goes, IMHO, Chicago was the worst band EVER.
There were a few very overrated bands from the 70’s: Bad Company, the Eagles (although there was an immeasurable amount of talent in that band…just not to my taste), and Thin Lizzy.
The Best
Alice Cooper
Rush (although they didn’t become great till 78)
Cheap Trick
The Ramones
David Bowie
The worst
The Rolling Stones
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Neil Young and Bob Dylan (harmonicas suck)
Seems like The Ramones are making a pretty strong showing.
MagicalSilverKey: I would agree with your opinion of Springsteen if you considered only his work from 1980 on. But his albums in the 1970’s were great. Full of fun, angst, a little self-important - overall a nice soundtrack for a then-teenager.