Dave's Side One

These solos weren’t just flashy displays. They served the song. They added emotional depth, built tension, released it, and left a lasting impression that made the tracks unforgettable.

These artists proved you didn’t need a full band if you had vision, talent, and enough tracks on a tape machine. Their work was intimate yet ambitious, often sounding bigger and more personal than albums made by full groups.

The 1970s were the golden age of keyboards in rock music. From swirling Mellotrons to massive Hammond organs and pioneering synthesizers, the keyboard became a lead instrument capable of everything from symphonic grandeur to futuristic textures

These basslines weren’t just holding down the low end — they were driving the songs, creating hooks, and giving the music its backbone and personality. A truly great 70s bassline could make you move even when the rest of the song was subtle

The production is warm and inviting. The groove never rushes. Everything about the track feels effortless, like a perfect summer evening drive with the windows down. It’s soft rock at its absolute peak — melodic, romantic, and beautifully relaxed

My take: I love a well-placed ballad, but the 70s went overboard. Not every album needed a “we’re sensitive too” moment. Sometimes I just wanted the band to keep rocking instead of reaching for the lighter and the strings

The beauty of the vinyl era was that Side A and Side B felt like two chapters of the same story. Flipping that record was part of the experience. You had time to digest the first side before the second one hit you with something new or took the album in a different direction

Changing lead singers is one of the riskiest moves a band can make. It’s like replacing the main character in the middle of a long-running TV show. The voice, the personality, the chemistry — everything changes. Yet some bands not only survived the switch, they actually thrived

The truth is, these bands were misunderstood because they dared to be both popular and good. They bridged the gap between artistic ambition and mass appeal, and that made certain critics very uncomfortable

What’s remarkable is how much ground they covered in one decade. They evolved from a scrappy, blues-based bar band into one of the biggest rock acts in the world while keeping their core identity intact — even when things got messy behind the scenes. That balance of raw attitude and commercial songcraft is what made their 70s run so special