Classic Rock Legends

This genre is a term used loosely to describe the albums released in the early to late 70′s by artists which have become great and therefore “classics”. These bands are so great everyone still listens to them. Many of these artists were very original and would become influential on many other bands for generations to come. No matter what year you were born in since the 70′s almost ANY band you listen to is influenced by bands from this era. So even if you are now only in your teens and you feel your favorite band sounds unique you can bet your bottom dollar that they were influenced by a group from this era. (even if they don’t even know it!)

The seventies were a great era because it was truly a ground breaking time for music. Nothing was copied or rehashed and everyone had their own sound. The 1970s represented a culmination and expansion of sounds that were experimented on in the 1960s. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Free, Allman Brothers, Queen, Black Sabbath, Cream, David Bowie, Status Quo are all examples of acts who made their start in the 60′s but found their sound and style in the 70′s, and therefore gave rise to many other bands who then added their own flavour to these styles. Lesser known bands such as Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Grand Funk Railroad, Scorpions (who became quite huge in the 80′s), and Thin Lizzy are worthy of mentions but would not necessarily legends, where as other acts such as Queen became absolutely huge and remain so to this day.

Artists such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, Free, Allman Brothers, Queen, Black Sabbath, Cream, David Bowie, Status Quo are all examples of acts who made their start in the 60′s but found their sound and style in the 70′s, and therefore gave rise to many other bands who then added their own uniqueness to these styles. I could go on for hours about classic rock but some songs and albums rate a special mention for their guitar prowess and are worth your time to have at least a quick listen.

It is the same with “guitar heroes”. Almost every guitarist no matter what age has heard of or has listened to Hendrix, Clapton. Jimmy Page etc but there are other extremely talented and influential guitarists who are less well known that should be in the legend status as well. Two such examples are Richie Blackmore from deep purple and Michael Schenker from UFO. You will find some modern players such as Kirk Hammet and Dimebag Darrel were heavily influenced by Michael Schenker, but Schenker has not really achieved “god like” status such as some of his contemporaries like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Here’s a quick list of unknown gems of musical genius that are worth a listen:

UFO: Guitarist: Michael Schenker. Choice Albums: Phenomenon and Force It. Songs: Rock Bottom One of the most exciting and dynamic solos ever recorded, he was about 18 at the time!

The 70s produced some really big names but there is more to that decade of music than just the big names. Listen to everyone because there are a lot of bands that are just as good but didn’t have the marketing the others had. Use the internet and music charts to find some great bands you might not have known.