There’s no shortage of brilliant releases in the 1970s. Some of the great songs that are not on the list of five classics include- Simon & Garfunkel’s Grammy winning swan song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”; “Maggie May”, Rod Stewart’ s semi-autobiographical tune that launched him as a superstar; “American Pie”, Don McLean’s 9-minute epic that has stimulated countless interpretations ever since; the Temptations’ funky psychedelic, award winning 1972 masterpiece, “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone”; Stevie Wonder’s funky signature song, “Superstition”; iconic disco staples, “Dancing Queen” (ABBA) and “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees); “Go Your Own Way” from Fleetwood Mac’s relationship breakdown classic, Rumours; and the Clash’s “London Calling” at decade’s end.  

            Here then are the five- “What’s Going On”, Marvin Gaye’s self-produced, socially conscious protest song that broke the Motown mold in 1971 and set the stage for one of the most celebrated LPs of all time. Both the single and the album of the same name consistently show up on lists of all-time greats.

            “Stairway to Heaven” from Led Zeppelin’s untitled 1971 4th album is widely considered one of the great rock classics of all-time. With its slow, gentle acoustic build and its rousing, raucous finish behind Jimmy Page’s celebrated electric guitar solo and Robert Plant’s frenetic falsetto-like vocal, “Stairway…” is one of the most played songs of all-time and has been honored by the likes of the Rock & Roll and Grammy halls of fame, the Kennedy Center, VH1, the RIAA, and Rolling Stone magazine.

            1971 also saw the release of John Lennon’s “Imagine“. A Library of Congress National Recording Registry selection, the song has been lauded for its plea for humanity to imagine a better world into existence, free of greed, violence, political and social divisions. The song has also been blasted, in some quarters, for what’s been seen as an anti-religion stance and for its pie-in-the sky naivety. There’s no doubt, however, that the song has touched many millions.

            “Bohemian Rhapsody” by British rockers Queen has only grown in popularity since its 1975 release and is today recognized by many as a progressive rock masterpiece. With a mix of tempos and styles (like “Stairway to Heaven”), the Freddie Mercury penned song features a melodramatic, if obscure, murder ballad type lyric, a hauntingly melodic piano, a couple of Brian May guitar solos, the celebrated opera inserts that somehow work, and, of course, Mercury’s inimitable vocals which manage to sell the whole thing.

            Finally we have “Hotel California” the best-loved Eagles’ song, the 1977 title track from their most successful studio LP. The song is celebrated for its cryptic, yet highly evocative, lyrics of personal and social loss and decay; for Don Henley’s moving vocals; and for the lengthy two-guitar outro by Don Felder and Joe Walsh which Guitarist magazine named the best “guitar solo” ever. “Hotel California” won a Grammy for Record of the Year.  

            -Steve Williams (8/28/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #40