3 Folk Rock Classics From the 1970s That We Bet You Haven’t Listened to in a Long Time (or Ever)

In the 1970s, it seemed like every other band was a folk-rock band. Consequently, the decade’s catalog is packed full of folk rock classics. Thanks to the sheer amount of material, it’s overwhelming to rediscover or discover some of the decade’s folk rock classics. Instead, many people just stick to the surface and replay their favorite hits time and time again. However, we’re here to make the search a little more manageable and to break your redundant listening pattern. That being said, here are three folk rock classics from the 1970s that we bet you haven’t listened to in a long time or ever.

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“Sunspot Baby” by Bob Seger

Bob Seger‘s claim to fame is without a doubt his one-two punch with the 1976 albums, Live Bullet and Night Moves. To this day, Night Moves is certainly Seger’s most popular album, and its title track is certainly one of Seger’s most popular tracks. If there is a song you listen to from Night Moves, that song is likely “Night Moves”. However, by doing this, you’re missing out on the incredible single, “Sunpot Baby”.

Released as the fifth track on the album, “Sunspot Baby” is a Seger song that is often forgotten about. The song wasn’t released as a single, and is sandwiched between the classics “Sunburst” and “Mainstreet”, so to forget this track is reasonable. Although not anymore, because we either just reintroduced or introduced it to you.

“Walk Awhile” by Fairport Convention

Between 1969 and 1970, Fairport Convention went on one heck of a run. In 1970, one album that helped solidify the history-making run was their fifth album, Full House. The most notable single from the album is  “Dirty Linen”, which helped the album peak at No. 13 in the United Kingdom. The other overlooked track that helped the album’s chart run was “Walk Awhile”.

Initially intended to be released as a single, for some odd reason, Fairport Convention decided not to. Nevertheless, and despite being fairly obscure, “Walk Awhile” is a phenomenal song in Fairport Convention’s catalog. A phenomenal song that you should listen to for the first time, or revisit.

“4 + 20” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

CSNY‘s 1970 album, Deja Vu, is arguably one of the greatest albums of the 1970s. The album itself peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and hosts the iconic singles “Our House”, “Woodstock”, and “Teach Your Children”. Frankly, there isn’t a bad song on the album, and one of those mighty fine tracks, which is often viewed as a hidden gem, is Stephen Still’s “4 + 20”.

If you know this song, then you might not even consider it a folk rock track, but to our point, it was on a folk rock album. Regardless, this song is a masterpiece, and when it was released, the people seemingly agreed. However, as decades have passed, the song has fallen into the back pages of CSNY’s songbook. Hopefully, by your reading this, that changes.

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