# When you think of the 70's, what are the top three bands that come to mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 23, 2022, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415 "2022-07-23T07:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/41 "2022-07-23T15:53:54Z")
BeeGees Blue Oyster Cult and Seals and Croft I dunno, it’s sort of hard to say really, it’s already been noted that there was a great diversity of music both in genre and within genres as well. I just picked three bands sorta randomly that say “70s Music” to me out of the many bands and singers that equate to music of the 70s to me ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/42 "2022-07-23T16:04:45Z")
Led Zeppelin Van Halen Rolling Stones Tripler I wanted to add Iron Butterfly, but they were from the 60s ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/43 "2022-07-23T16:06:32Z")
What I remember hearing growing up in the 70s, not necessarily what I would think of NOW, having gone back and learned more about the music of the era. Much of this was when music on AM radio stations was still a thing, and I listened to that and whatever top-40 station others had on. Queen - not the greatest number of songs, but the ones they had really stood out. Bee-Gees - just were everywhere in the mid-to-late 70’s. Fleetwood Mac - The early Buckingham-Nicks era was obviously huge. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/44 "2022-07-23T16:10:01Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > Sex Pistols > Donna Summer > Fogha You had a rough childhood, didn’t you? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/45 "2022-07-23T16:11:56Z")
Steely Dan Fleetwood Mac Pink Floyd ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/46 "2022-07-23T18:33:25Z")
Led Zeppelin Three Dog Night Electric Light Orchestra ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/47 "2022-07-23T18:43:23Z")
The Who Led Zeppelin Peter Frampton ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/48 "2022-07-23T20:29:58Z")
Patti Smith Group Talking Heads The B-52s Cause I was listening to a different kind of band. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/49 "2022-07-23T20:35:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > X- American, or Australian? American. I had never heard of the Australian band. I took a listen to a few tracks, but did not care for them. Still, I always appreciate being introduced to something new regardless of how I end up feeling about it. Thank for the intro. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/50 "2022-07-23T21:15:43Z")
ABBA Sex Pistols Midnight Oil * * * ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/51 "2022-07-23T21:16:31Z")
Early 70s: Grand Funk RR, Three Dog Night, Chicago (Transit Authority) Late 70s: KC and the Sunshine Band, The Crusaders, Mink DeVille Of course there were many more to list but these were the first ones to pop into my head. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/52 "2022-07-23T21:34:38Z")
In the order they popped into my head: Led Zeppelin Jethro Tull The Moody Blues I briefly considered Steppenwolf, but really, they were mostly done by the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/53 "2022-07-23T21:34:52Z")
1. (currently) Earth, Wind, & Fire. They’re having a concert locally, and I remarked to the Beloved Man, just hearing them makes me feel like it’s the 70s again. 2. Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. I came up in a rural area, and it seemed like they were on every radio in the 70s. 3. Kiss. You couldn’t really get away from the Kiss Army in school. You want to talk to your buddy about math homework or that afternoon’s baseball game or how cute Lisa is, but he’s staring rapturously at his Kiss trading cards. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/54 "2022-07-23T22:03:16Z")
ELP Yes Chicago All three did had their best work in the 70s and faded pretty badly afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/55 "2022-07-23T22:35:56Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > All three did had their best work in the 70s and faded pretty badly afterwards. So many seventies bands had distinct “periods”. Chicago, f’rinstance, was a hard rock brass band with heartfelt lyrics when founder Terry Kath was at the helm. When he died, Peter Cetera pulled them in a different direction… unfortunately, Cetera had always wanted to be a "Lite Yacht Rock"crooner (he did a duet with Amy Grant, just sayin’…). And someone upthread called the _Rumors_-era Fleetwood Mac “early”. Ha! Their previous bluesy stuff (esp. when Peter Green was “leading” the band) was wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/56 "2022-07-23T22:45:09Z")
So…Grand Funk RR, Three Dog Night and Chicago? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/57 "2022-07-23T22:46:02Z")
#2 is not a group. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/58 "2022-07-23T22:49:44Z")
They [put out an album together every year between 1971 and 1979](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway_Twitty_and_Loretta_Lynn_discography), so yeah, they’re a group. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/59 "2022-07-23T22:58:03Z")
Hmmmm… Eight albums in the top 10 country charts released on a regular basis, 12 singles in the country top 5, several compilation albums. Looks like I’m overruled. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415/60 "2022-07-23T23:51:07Z")
Geez, ya think they could’ve at least come up with a band name… Lynnie/Twitty? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-think-of-the-70s-what-are-the-top-three-bands-that-come-to-mind/968415.md?page=4)