The 70s Music Fever

So we move another decade along from the swinging groovy 1960s and come into the Disco Music Fever era that was the 1970s.

The music at the beginning of the 1970s was strongly influenced by 1960s music but sadly for some fans the psychedelic rock movement quickly fell into decline. More so people think of the 1970s and they think Disco!  Artists like The Bee Gees, Candy Staton, Earth Wind & Fire, Le Freak and Gloria Gaynor prompting the memories, but there was also a great deal of soft rock produced by artists such as Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Elton John,  Billy Joel and a stunning lady by the name of Cher.

Southern Rock was still going strong and there was developments in punk and new romantic music that was to strongly continued into the 1980s.
A great deal of the rock & roll music produced in the 1960s continued to develop and influence new groups who were switching decades and moving into the 1970s. Plenty of these groups and performers engaged in extravagant and theatrical dress. Big theatrical presentations by artists, of live music, including David Bowie, Kiss and of course Queen.

This type of 1970s music also developed into stadium rock, with performers like Boston, Led Zeppelin and Styx creating music intended for large arena audiences. Not many people know and assume as 1960s only,  but The Rolling Stones and The Beatles were still topiing the charts. Don't forget one man by the name of Elvis Presley could fill an arena on his own!!

Again Disco is, perhaps, the most iconic movement within 1970s music. It quickly grew and developed within dance clubs. It was written and designed with beats and ready rythms, ideal for dancing. No messages, no underlying reasons, just non stop dancing. Best of all,  on a multi coloured dance floor!. Disco quickly gained fame and popularity, especially with the release of the movie Saturday Night Fever in 1977. Almost as quickly, disco became one of the most reviled forms of 1970s music in the US, and many musicians who found fame with disco had difficulty continuing anywhere the same sort of success into the 1980s

The music in the 70s  also included a number of other musical movements, including continued development of folk music through artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and The Carpenters .    R&B and soul were also quite popular with artists like Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Wilson Pickett, Kool and the Gang, the amazing Stevie Wonder and many many more  . Some musicians, such as George Clinton, mixed up R&B familiarity with rock and synthesized these styles to create music referred to as funk. Songs such as Superstition by Stevie Wonder.

Speaking of funk, there was one group who took the world by storm with Funk, Soul and Pop. They had everything! This was the one and only Jackson Five. The 1970s was another brilliant decade for them as thy wowed the crowds with their songs and slick dance routines. But it was towards the end of the 1970s decade that saw Michael Jackson consider a solo career!

For some reason the 1970s doesn't seem to be reflected on by people as a brilliant decade for music, when compared to the 1960s or 1980s. It seems to be mostly remembered for the Disco music and the dance moves of John Travolta. I'm sure many of you have gone to a fancy dress party, wearing flares, a big medalion and a false hairy chest; whilst asking the DJ to put one song on so you can point one finger in the air and recreate those iconic moves!

But if not Mr Travolta, then for many the 1970s decade will be remembered as the decade that a certain  group was formed in 1972 in Stockholm Sweden. That's right Agnetha, Anni, Benny and Bjorn went on as Abba, won the Eurovision song contest in 1974 and pretty much took over the world.  So for all of you who aren't sure of the 1970s but love Abba and a bit of Dancing Queen, that's right you can thank this decade! Research has shown that Abba are the most recreated group ever by Tribute Acts and Groups! Well deserved too as we "Thank them for the music"

So for those of you reading this blog who are old enough, hopefully it will help you remember that the 1970s decade had so much more, with so many brilliant songs performed by unbelievable artists and bands..

For all you younger readers. If you do your research you will find that many of the bands and artists you may like today were well on their way to stardom back in the 1970s, or by now very established. So many artists and bands who's careers continued well after the 1970s and remain household names today!  Be honest, how many times have you watched the Mama Mia Film or Saturday Night Fever?

What was your memories or favourites of the 1970s? We welcome your comments!


To Visit our Website and find many 1970s or any Tribute Artists or Bands click HERE