There’s a virtually endless pool of music across many genres that came out in the 1970s. In fact, I’d imagine any fan of that decade, no matter their age, still has thousands of musicians and bands to discover. A few of the finest bands that made it big in the year 1970, specifically, have been forgotten by even the most diehard fans of the era. Let’s refresh your memory and revisit a few bands that made it big in 1970 and then promptly disappeared without a trace. Or did they?
Hotlegs
Like all great acts from the 70s, the English outfit Hotlegs was short-lived. This killer band is best known for their hit song “Neanderthal Man” from 1970. That tune peaked at No. 2 in the UK and also made it to No. 22 on the US charts. It was a hefty success that came out shortly after the band formed. But by 1972, Hotlegs had disappeared after two albums and a handful of singles.
Videos by American Songwriter
So, what happened? It’s worth noting that this band didn’t really “disappear.” In fact, they technically didn’t break up at all. Hotlegs was no more by 1972, but that’s because they rebranded as 10cc, a band you might know for the gorgeous tune “I’m Not In Love”.
Crabby Appleton
The 1970s were a great time for unique band names, wasn’t it? Crabby Appleton was an American rock and power pop outfit that formed in the year 1970 and made it big that year with the song “Go Back”. That tune was a Top 40 hit, and the band’s self-titled debut album, which also came out in 1970, did fairly well in the US as well. But by 1972, Crabby Appleton disappeared after releasing only two records.
The reality is that this band struggled to connect with their target audience, and Crabby Appleton’s members were struggling to choose a direction to go in. In the end, they decided to break up. But while they were together, they opened for the likes of The Doors and ABBA. Sometimes, a short and sweet career is the right way to go.
The Assembled Multitude
How about a real deep cut? The Assembled Multitude was a 1970s band composed entirely of studio musicians. They were an instrumental group formed by Tom Sellers, who organized the ensemble in 1970 for Atlantic Records to perform medleys of hit songs like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles and “Overture” by The Who. The Assembled Multitude makes it to our list of forgotten bands who made it big in 1970 through the release of that latter cover. Their cover of “Overture” hit No. 16 in the US in 1970.
There’s a lot of mystery surrounding this band. It’s not clear when they broke up. It’s also not clear who exactly was in the band. Their last release was “Theme From ‘Cosmos’ (Heaven And Hell)” in 1981. Sellers allegedly passed away around 1988, and very little information about this group is accessible.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images