Forgotten rock bands of the 70s

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:06 AM

I'm old enough [18 in 1977] to have heard of nearly every band mentioned so far,
but only recently had a chance to actually start listening to a lot of this obscure rare vinyll
due to the enthusiastic 'altruistic generosity' of world wide music Bloggers.

So thanks very much for the heads up "GUEST,'70's remembered"

I never even knew any other band had ever recorded Rare Bird songs
apart from a handfull of covers of their one and only chart hit
from 40 years ago...

brilliant.. i'm off to properly google up a download of "CAPABILITY BROWN From Scratch (1972)"...

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,JJ.
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:24 AM

Stackridge...Tops then, tops now!
(For Mike Harris read Mike Evans :-)

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:28 AM

Stackridge confession - I bought my first girlfriend one of their albums. A while later she said she 'needed some space' and I said 'okay I'll have my album back'.

What a heel! I still can't play it to this day but remember most of the words.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: mrmoe
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 09:51 AM

.....and let's not forget:

the nazz
runt
hello people
spire
fire water
ed vadas and the fabulous heavyweights

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:14 AM

I just mentioned Nazareth.

How about Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias?

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Hamish
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:26 AM

Sassafras were a popular band on the university circuit. They gig occasionally to this day. I bought a recent(-ish) live recording of all their 70s big numbers. It stands the test of time remarkably well.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Gavin Paterson
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:26 AM

To develop my 'thank god for punk' theme.

Yes punk went stale very soon but it opened the door for tons of great music, and a lot of artists who are still creative.

Elvis Costello
Paul Weller
Madness
Chrissie Hynde
Ian Dury (RIP obviously)
Billy Bragg
Shane MacGowan (to a point)
David Byrne
U2

To my ears, most of the pre-punk, early 70's rock acts didn't have much going for them in the way of songs. Loads of good vibes and musicality, maybe, but very few good *songs*.

You can add many many others to that list that would probably not have had the chance to break through if punk hadn't made Bob Harris wittering on about Capricorn Records look totally redundant. No harm to Bob, mind you, he now has much better taste than he had in 76!

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Victor Mourning
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:28 AM

Not British but worthy of this list, from Australia:

Skyhooks!

and a huge "I'll second that" on The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 01:39 PM

Most of the bands mentioned were very much on the university scene, esp, Alberto y, Sassafras, Fad Gadget, etc. They didn't really exist outside the pages of the music press and college ballrooms. And possibly the Perfumed Garden. A No 28 in the charts would have been popularity beyong comprehension for most of them.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Chris Fribbins
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 03:17 PM

How about Good Habit. They performed in monk's habits. I don't think they ever got a recording contract.

I used to go to the Albemarle Youth Club in Harold Hill near Romford, Essex. The biggest bands there were:

Fusion Orchestra, Man, Stackridge, Supertramp (whatever happened to them after the youth club years),

Also
Gong, Egg, Kilburn and the High Roads, Ten Years After, Can, Camel, Morgan, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: HipflaskAndy
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 03:59 PM

Comus

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Roughyed
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 05:10 PM

Speaking of College bands my favourite were a band called Fraternity who changed their name to Fang. Excellent live band around 1972/3. We had a band called Shakin Stevens and the Sunsets at the Xmas Ball with a lead singer with blonde hair. Wonder whatever became of him...

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 05:19 PM

Shaking Stevens and the Sunsets were quite a reputable rock and roll outfit before Shakey became grannie fodder. They played at the Hope and Anchor, Islington a few times. The H&A was pub rock nirvana, Nick Lowe through to the inimitable Jessie Hector and the Hammersmith Gorillas. Keep it Mono!

As a callow youth I used to work with a geezer who reckoned he used to be in Ten Years After till they went 'too heavy' and he split.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Acorn4
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 06:35 PM

Heads Hands and Feet - contained a guitarist called Albert Lee as I recall.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Gavin Paterson
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 06:55 PM

A big amen to Glueman and Acorn above me here. Shaky was rather good (Dave Edmunds produced him way back). Nick Lowe and Albert Lee transcend eras and categories. The (Hammersmith) Gorrilas produced a couple of decent singles too.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Brian
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 09:50 AM

Stackridge - what a wonderfull band.Not exactly forgotten but well worthy of revisiting. The back catalogue is exquisite and all still available, the new album (A Victory For Common Sense) has moved them on in dollops. The're touring now - get out and see them . I saw recent gigs in Sheffield, Birkenhead and Bury - pure magic!!

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 10:09 AM

McKendree Spring, Wishbone Ash.

I disagree that the following mentioned bands have been forgotten in any way
Spirit
Ten Years After
Gentle Giant

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Becca72
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 10:42 AM

"You need a damn good reason to play rock music over 40 years of age. That's what folk is for."

Seems to me that would be relative to when you were born. I'll be 40 in 2 years and I have no intention of giving up listening to Rock music.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 11:14 AM

"You need a damn good reason to play rock music over 40 years of age. That's what folk is for."

errrmm... bollox is what i say !!!

I'm 51 and I've just got a new all valve class A 30watt amp head
and 2x12 speaker cab
that should overdrive and feedback like mental for pissed up punk folk rock gigs.


it dont have to be all saga holidays and Terry and June nice comfy slippers and cardigans conformity
if you dont want it to be !!!

Though it is funny watching our singer trying to pull women younger than his grown up daughter.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 11:50 AM

So long as you're not a comfortable middle aged professional singing about 'the maaan' or 'hot chicks' or 'dying before I get old' you may pull it off.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: alanabit
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 12:21 PM

Not quite forgotten, because they have got back together and were never that big in the first place, are The Only Ones. They have the former Spooky Tooth drummer, Mike Kellie and both bassist Alan Mair and guitarist John Perry had played in more distiguished bands. I always rated The Only Ones a cut above most of their contemporaries both musically and lyrically. I think they disappeared for a long time partly because of all the usual business disasters and the personal problems of their songwriter, the gifted, but erratic Peter Perret. A song like "The Beast", which is about a premonition of an unspecified danger, sounds eerily like a prediction of the AIDS catastrophe in retrospect. Does anyone else recall them?

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,TB
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 12:48 PM

Mike Evans - of course, sorry - it was cos of the Harris Tweed Jacket!

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Hamish
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 12:56 PM

Honeybus are still gigging and Jon, who runs the great club in Amberley, plays fiddle and mandolin with them. He tells me they're quite big on the continent. Not sure you'd call them "rock" though: I Can't Let Maggie Go was pleasant.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 01:23 PM

"I always rated The Only Ones a cut above most of their contemporaries both musically and lyrically."

Are they the band who did Another Girl, Another Planet? That's one of my most hummed tunes, no idea why it was such an ear worm but it's gone the distance. The Only Ones have been catalogued in my mental filing system along with bands like Squeeze as too smart for their genre but not too smart for their own good.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: the Folk Police
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 01:25 PM

Alan, the Only Ones were a wonderful band. Possibly one of the best yet mentioned on this thread. "Even Serpents Shine" still sounds awesome.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Pierre Le Chapeau
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 06:47 PM

Richard .
The Pretty things are a bunch of guys that are great fun to be with along with Arthur Brown and I have fond memories of being on the door for there Chislehurst Caves gigs back in the days beyond recall.

"The Caves were fun but they certainly put me in the front line with some true memorable and eventful on the night artists.
I remember J ,Beadle came out the caves & into the security hut has if he owned the place? and asked if we had a phone

I said No we aint the nearest is the Chislehurst station.
He huffed and puffed like a old Bull..
and clearly he was not impressed,
I gave up n the end and said
Jeramy. Here,s a phone you have been framed.
Soppy sod was not impressed again.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,ricky
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 03:17 PM

HUSTLER , what a great live band ,i had the oppertunity to join them ,on keys but i was in the fortunes at the time ,hustler were i beleive kicked off a european tour with queen and also quo for goin down too well as support,
EGG
QUINTESSENCE
STACKRIDGE
KINGDOM COME
NUCLEUS
MANTLE PEICE
the cardiacs
ONE POINT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THE COMMENT THAT NON MUSOS LIKE TO MAKE ,"IF IT HADN'T OF BEEN FOR PUNK"
WELL WHILE SOME WAS OK ,IT WAS JUST AN EXCUSE FOR KIDS NOT TO HAVE LEARN AN INSTRUMENT AND GET ON STAGE ,it was an insult to any proper muso who had studied their instrument etc

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 04:02 PM

I remember seeing British rock band Cochise at pub on the banks of Thames in the 70s. They were heavily influenced by Neil Young. There was an American band called Redwing (or Red Wing) in the 70s. I wish I still had their album because, last time I checked, it hadn't made it to cd format yet.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 04:23 PM

Let's hear a lowd hurrah for HENRY COW, who ripped off Zappa's Uncle Meat / Burnt Weeney Sandwich etc. note for note but bypassed the integral humanity & humour to serve up a dessicated 6th form middle-class socialism that made about as much lyrical sense as Tales from Topographic Oceans. Great music though, and in Dagmar one of the best voices in rock n' roll...

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: the Folk Police
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 06:06 PM

"IT WAS JUST AN EXCUSE FOR KIDS NOT TO HAVE LEARN AN INSTRUMENT AND GET ON STAGE ,it was an insult to any proper muso who had studied their instrument etc"

Precisely the sort of attitude that made punk so essential. The kids stealing back primal rock 'n' roll raunch 'n' swagger from those people who had wrung the passion from rock music and left in its place a dessicated chin-stroking shell: all technical virtuosity and no damned soul.

Every now and then the kids have to kick out the jams ...


PS While we're at it, one of the best records of the 1970s: Modern Lovers

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: the Folk Police
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 06:13 PM

Rocket From the Tombs - Ain't It Fun

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 06:23 PM

"The kids stealing back primal rock 'n' roll raunch 'n' swagger from those people who had wrung the passion from rock music and left in its place a dessicated chin-stroking shell: all technical virtuosity and no damned soul."

It's hard to recollect the truth of those words now. By 1976 music was in Hotel California, the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac or whatever coked up, over produced millionaire's musical onanism was on offer. God bless the sweaty three-chord wonders that replaced them.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 26 Feb 10 - 07:53 AM

Marsupalami - first LP better than the second though.

Argent

Renaissance

Or are these three really 60s bands?

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 10 - 08:04 AM

Thanks to "The Folk Police" for saying it for me far better than I could have.

Ricky - you are really quite wrong about the lack of musical ability in the 76/77 generation. Many were great musos - the point was that technical ability was no longer the prime factor in being able to get a band together.

I am proud to be both a muso and a first generation punk.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,bobgulfs
Date: 27 Feb 10 - 07:35 PM

Klaatuu

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,bobgulfs
Date: 27 Feb 10 - 07:37 PM

Pretty Thing

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 28 Feb 10 - 05:14 AM

Surely not all prog rock was as gutless as the Moody Blues, who I detested for exactly that reason. And surely not was all as tuneless as Jack Bruce's Lifetime, who I saw once in Nottingham (at the Palais). Each instrument ran via FX and controls into an Amcron D-C 300A which were about the biggest power amps available then, and the cacophony was dreadful.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Spleen Cringe
Date: 28 Feb 10 - 05:35 AM

"Surely not all prog rock was as gutless as the Moody Blues"

Despite my romantic attachment to the punk year zero approach and a healthly scepticism about the worse excess of the seventies (Glueman's beautifully descibed "Coked-up musical onanism") there was some wonderful (and in some cases wonderfully bonkers) music produced under the loose banner of "prog" - most of Van Der Graaf Generator's output, Hatfield annd the North's "The Rotter's Club", Matching Mole's "Little Red Record", King Crimson's "Red", "Starless & Bible Black" and "Lark's Tongue in Aspic", Gong's "Flying Teapot" trilogy, Egg's "The Polite Force", Steve Hillage's "Fish Rising"... and that's just for starters.

Having said that, there was also plenty of prog that was gutless, fussy, prissy and plain boring. No point in me naming names when there's so much good stuff to mine, though...

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,PeterBkk
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 11:35 PM

Thanks for some great memories.
From the pub circuit

Gonzalez

and my personal favorite

Kokomo

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,johnny prophet
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 12:22 AM

Head East, The real "Creed" who kicked everyones ass, not the new metal creed. Manfred Mann, Babies, Armageddon, Thin Lizzy, April Wine,
too many to mention but when i was saved from the devils hell i placed myself in through the sex drugs and booze which bred the stds and that attached garbage, (thank God, o.k. thank you Jesus after all you are Lord)I utilize the great musical experience of those types and the rest you referance as i worship You Lord from saving me from aids. They didn't have a name for it then. I dodged the bullet. I survived. The question is how do you find a woman who is dedicated and clean single who likes 70s' music who wants to serve God? it seems like they all have different names now. Let's as i was saying use that music style to praise Him. What ever is happening now is like kids practicing on us. Oh yeah Grand Funk, Pink floyd not forgotton, Zepplin, etc. Great music. I hate the new shit they call rock. 80s' punk put it to shame. At least they could play. My aunt told me they recycle the styles. She was right. Now straight legs are hip.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 06:37 AM

Any thoughts on the exquisite Prog Pop Morphings of the eighties in bands such as Level 42 and, perhaps best of all, It Bites? (Play loud!)

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 06:50 AM

I quite liked the Moody Blues, but then again I was always an old softie at heart:-) Dare I mention the ultimate prog rock of Yes? I though Messers Hayward and Lodge did a fair job on some of the concept albums and were pretty misrepresented with the singles released from the albums. Worst of all being 'Knights in white satin' from Days of Future Past which I felt was, on the whole, a fair old attempt at bringing a bit of theatre into rock. Pretentious as that was...:-) Anyhow - That was 60's, not 70's so what am I on about?

Has anyone mentioned some of the Sweets heavier stuff? If you look at the singles it is pure bubble gum glam but some of the album stuff was decidedly raunchy. Not a forgotten band but certainlt a forgoten aspect of a band. Bringing us full circle to the Moody Blues:-)

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 06:53 AM

BTW - and don't forget that in the 60s and 70s many of these bands were listened to with, how shall we put it, not quite full critical faculties;-)It's amazing how dull some of those concept albums become the next day!

D.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 09:02 AM

SO'P, I hope your revisionist demon isn't suggesting Level 42 were any good in a real sense. There are no parenthesise big enough to sugar that pill for an intelligent listener.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: glueman
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 09:10 AM

As anyone who'll stand me a pint will know, I consider Kate Bush to be the most consistent provider of conceptually based experimental progressive blues rock in the grand manner. Her last album Aerial is as near Prog for the masses as anyone is likely to get.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 12:05 PM

Forgotten being the key adjective here, again I don't see the Moody Blues, King Crimson or Thin Lizzy qualifying, as they are all still listened to, and have a catalog still in print.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 12:27 PM

Steve Hillage's "Fish Rising"

A very beautiful record; Dave Stewart's organ solo on Canterbury Sunrise is one the few truly transcendent moments in musical history.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Ade Macrow
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 01:04 PM

The ultimate travesty has to be the case of Stackridge. A hugely gifted bunch of West Country musicians, who delighted audiences throughout the UK with their witty, erudite, eccentric, poignant, rambunctious shows from 1971-76 and released five albums of material ranging from 1920s pastiches to cod-reggae to symphonic rock and onto progressive and much more.

Even had the legendary George Martin producing their third album but to little (commercial) avail.

They've happily been re-formed since 2007, have a 2009 Cd 'A Victory For Common Sense' available and are still enthralling audiences far and wide.

It's never too late to catch up on what you might have missed! See www.stackridge.net and [e-mail] for further details and news about 2010 live dates and much more.

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: Acorn4
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 01:49 PM

It's great to see Stackridge reformed - used to love "Dora the Female Explorer"

Subject: RE: Forgotten rock bands of the 70s
From: GUEST,Steve
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 02:03 PM

Many have said... but I'll say it again... the mighty STACKRIDGE! Probably the best kept secret in English rock (which I always tell people, and maybe this will be the year that someone listens to me!!).

Others? Well, there is the fabtastic Finnish band led by Mancunian Jim Pembroke, WIGWAM... and of course, the HATFIELDS.