Every decade has its musical calling cards, but the ’70s saw the origin of an immense amount of sub-genres. From avant-garde rock to punk, music in the ’70s was deeply diverse. But what sparked that sonic diversity? In many cases, it only takes one song to change the tides of the music industry. Check out three songs that created entirely new sounds in the ’70s, below.
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“Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads) – avant-garde rock
Modern music has taken endless notes from the Talking Heads. The avant-garde rock group blended a host of genres in the ’70s, resulting in songs that were unexplainably affecting. There are many ways to describe the Talking Heads’ sound, but it’s less about sharp distinctions and more about the vibe one gets while listening to songs like “Psycho Killer”.
This 1977 release set music on a new path. The world was left in awe of this eerie, yet anthemic track. Countless artists have tried to replicate this lightning in a bottle moment.
“Black Sabbath” (Black Sabbath) – Metal
Many bands contributed to the origins of heavy metal music, but you can’t speak about metal without mentioning Black Sabbath. They helped give rock a sharper edge than their predecessors, adding heavier themes and darker tones. Though any one of their tracks could make this list of ’70s songs, we’re focusing on their self-titled track.
Few bands have delivered a manifesto quite like this. “Black Sabbath” nails the band’s sound down to a science. Clearly, that sound proved successful for the band and, moreover, inspired bands that came after.
“Blitzkrieg Bop” (The Ramones) – punk rock
The ’70s were known for a lot of things musically, but punk music is undoubtedly the most prevalent sub-genre to come out of the decade. The early sounds of punk were just starting to develop. Several bands were toying with the idea of anarchy and punchy tones, but few were doing it as well as The Ramones were.
’70s Ramones songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop” turned up the heat on rock, double-timing the rhythm. It turned heads in the music industry, pushing rock in an entirely new direction.
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