Interesting. About all I know from them is that Saturday Night song, which has that playground/football stomp-chant feel to it in the beginning, which I like. It would do better with a more garage-like production with a bit of punk feel, I’ll give you that, but the song itself doesn’t sound terrible to me.
OK, I just listened to some more BCR. “Rock and Roll Love Letter” is a straight-up good song, with no qualifications. “Shang-a-lang” ain’t bad (although I could do without the “hey hey” part.) It’s pretty decent bubblegum pop.
Those are my two as well. Kiss pushed aside the musicl for inane theatrics and GFR was put together like a boy band. Together they killed rock and roll.
I expect that part of the animosity against the Bay City Rollers comes from their marketing themselves as the next Beatles. It’s one thing to be a bubble-bum poop band, but it is quite another to garner press by claiming to the up there with one of the great groups that moved past young teeny-bopper crap.
Yeah, they’re no Beatles, by any stretch of the imagination. I was too little to know their story or their marketing in the 70s. The only reason I know them by name is because an interview of Billy Corgan talking about the Smashing Pumpkins cover of the song “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” mentions the influence of the Bay City Rollers-style stomp.
THIS
I opened this thread to to vote **STYX **as the worst band of the seventies due to its chipmunk voiced singer.
Lacking any real choice I went with RUSH due to its chipmunk voiced singer. The power chords were kind of snappy though.
As somebody already mentioned, their “misuse of synthesizers” was pretty much confined to the period of 1982-1987. Geddy’s synth playing between 1977 and 1981 was pretty tasteful. After '87, his synth use sharply tapered off on the next couple albums, was extremely minimal on the next couple, and disappeared entirely on their two most recent albums. Geddy has switched to layered vocal harmonies in the sonic space formerly filled by synths.
Which isn’t to say I disagree about the “misuse”. I became a Rush fan in 1980, based on hearing and enjoying their hard-rocking stuff from 1974 to 1980 (and then 1981’s Moving Pictures). This was the same time I was learning to play guitar, and getting into hard rock. Then they started up with all the cheesy synths in 1982 and effectively lost me for the rest of the decade. I was into hard rock and metal, and I was convinced Rush had “gone all New Wave on me”. I didn’t get back into them until the '90s, when they started getting away from the synths. And by that time I had settled in as a bass player rather than a guitarist, and was able to look past the synths on the '80s stuff to discover that Geddy played some kickass bass parts on those albums.
I read an Ozzy quote once (in Hit Parader or Circus) where he said, “I’m not a singer, I’m an entertainer”. Same thing with KISS. They’re more “entertainers” than “musicians”.
I figured that out in junior high school. Maybe it was because I was a musician myself, but I was able to recognize that a lot of the artists I didn’t like were still good musicians, and I hated it when people said a band “sucks” just because they didn’t like them. I absolutely can’t stand Pink Floyd, but I’d be an idiot to say they “suck”.
“Still The One” was used, with modified lyrics, as the jingle for the CBS TV network, or at least for the CBS affiliate out of Portland, OR.
“We’re still havin’ fun, Channel 2’s the one!”
In the mid-80s I stumbled across an old issue of one of those teen fan magazines (Tiger Beat, or something similar) from the '70s, and I found a letter from a reader blasting the Bay City Rollers for “not realizing that their style of music is 20 years out of date” 
I didn’t know if I knew who 10cc was before this thread. But upon listening to “I’m not in Love” I know the song. I always thought it was ‘All out of Love’, so ignorance fought, or something. :shudder:
In polls such as this, people inevitably interpret “Bad bands” as “bands I do not like because I don’t like their style of music.” As an example, I can’t stand Yes, but I would never categorize them as “bad.”
It would be difficult to state that a 1970s band that became *very *successful was objectively “bad.” Though I think KISS came very close. Their music truly sucked in terms of writing and technical ability.
Thanks for the feedback. Looking at that site’s other rankings, their methodology is a bit, um, esoteric. Still interesting to start a discussion with though, which is the whole point of these sorts of lists.
And then there was Keith Emerson, who ever so musically stabbed his Moog with knives to hold the keys down.
By pure coincidence, Rush came up in conversation yesterday, and I was told they’re practically Canada’s national band and that every Canadian is trained to love them from birth.
Are you sure you’re not confusing it with ABC?
When I was a kid, in the 70’s, I would have said The Stones. But now, as an adult, I have to say that none of the bands in the poll are worth a vote as 'worst band of the 70’s. There was so much crap out there that would more deserving of the title than any of these.
Probably. It was a long time ago 
I submit the poll is flawed in that they’re putting forth only one style of music as 'worst", and the OP obviously has an axe to grind against it. Why not just open a thread in IMHO declaring your disdain for progressive music, or open one in the pit and take your lumps.
Also, if you want to tell us you dislike a type of music ,you have to tell us what you like so we can judge your mental health.
And FWIW, I happen to like every single band you listed and probably loath the subhuman music you enjoy; the only difference being that I’d be right. 
I never liked ‘Bread’. I don’t know if they’re considered competent or what, but I could not, and still cannot, stand their drippy ballads. I may have to turn in my Woman Card, being unromantic, but they seriously annoyed me.
First I lose my internet, then my entire family is struck with a particularly nasty flu, then the love of my life is deported. . . and then THIS?
RUSH? Seriously? The WORST?
My poor heart is broken. I thought you dopers were better than this, truly I did.
Weird. I don’t care for Rush, myself - their music just doesn’t resonate with me - but I’ll freely admit that they’re talented musicians. No way do they belong on any “worst” list, except one that starts with “Snickers’ list of worst music” or some such.
I’d nominate the Bee Gees. Yeah, catchy tunes, but so, so schlocky. Oof. Or the Starland Vocal Band, just because of “Afternoon Delight.” They should burn for that song alone.
Don’t forget his playing a flying, spinning grand piano!