3 Alternative Rock Artists From the 1970s Who Disappeared Without a Trace

These alternative rock bands from the 1970s found some pretty substantial success in the early years of the genre. And yet, they virtually disappeared without a trace soon after, either from the charts or from the minds of mainstream audiences. Let’s take a look at a few examples and see what they’ve been up to, shall we?

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Joy Division

Well, this one was inevitable. Post-punk fans know this story all too well. Formed in 1976, Joy Division delivered genre-inspiring music with the release of the 1979 album Unknown Pleasures. This album is a gorgeously heartwrenching gothic rock, post-punk masterpiece that made it all the way to No. 5 in the UK. There really wasn’t anything like it at the time.

Joy Division disappeared in the 1970s, and fans know the reason why all too well. Joy Division came to its ultimate end in 1980 after the tragic death of frontman Ian Curtis. The band refused to carry on with Joy Division without him, and they laid the band to rest after posthumously releasing the band’s final aptly-titled album, Closer. The remaining members would later go on to form the group New Order.

Brainticket

This Swiss krautrock outfit leaned toward the experimental side of alternative rock, and what a band they were. Psychedelic, exotic, and almost jazzy at times, Brainticket might just be one of the most underrated and often-forgotten acid alt-rock bands of the early 1970s. Formed in 1965, Brainticket’s first album was the 1971 venture Cottonwoodhill, followed by the 1972 album Psychonaut. Both of these are essential listening, in my opinion, but the band released music well into the 2010s.

Initially, Brainticket broke up in 1975. The group later reformed in 1980 and again in 1998, but none of their subsequent releases match the cult classic power of their first two albums. When core member Joel Vandroogenbroeck passed in 2019, the band came to its final end.

The Modern Lovers

Honestly, when I think of alternative rock bands from the 1970s, I think of The Modern Lovers. This proto-punk garage rock outfit formed in Massachusetts in 1970 and delivered more than a few legendary hits, none of which received nearly as much love in the band’s home country as they should have. Songs like the 1977 tracks “Roadrunner (Once)” and “Egyptian Reggae” earned substantially more love in the UK and across Europe. 

By 1978, the band had run out of hits and virtually disappeared from the charts. They would disband by 1974, reunite in 1976, and call it quits for good in 1988. Frontman Jonathan Richman would continue to use the name “Modern Lovers” for various backing bands, namely Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers.

Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns