The 3 Best Classic Rock Songs From the 1970s Seattle Scene

Nancy Wilson knows. The lead guitar player for the classic rock band Heart has seen it all. She’s seen songs and albums pop up out of nowhere like fruit on the vine. She’s seen the city grow and change. And she’s felt the rain on the tip of her nose.

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That’s why she says there are a lot of similarities between her home city of Seattle and that rocking oasis of Liverpool, England. And here below, we wanted to highlight three tracks that help Wilson’s case. Indeed, these are the three best classic rock songs from the 1970s Seattle scene.

“Crazy On You” by Heart from ‘Dreamboat Annie’ (1975)

Is this the greatest rock song of the 1970s? We’ll let you be the judge, but let us make the case. Heart stood out amongst all bands in the era for the fact that it was fantastic and it was led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. And the band’s song “Crazy On You”, which gets the listener ready to run through a brick wall, is all about the wild times of the mid-1970s when Vietnam was raging on. There was so much madness in the air that Ann sang about going mad on her lover to find an escape. Top notch stuff!

“Sweet Caroline” by The Ventures from ’10th Anniversary Album’ (1970)

While the surf rock band was big in the 1960s, The Ventures continued a strong career in the following decade into the 1970s. For evidence, check out the Pacific Northwest-born band’s 1970 record, 10th Anniversary Album. This record celebrates the group’s longevity with a slew of excellent covers. Truly, there are a number of fun tracks to sample on the album. But why not go to the crowd-pleaser, “Sweet Caroline”, and work your way back from there?

“Peasant/Slave” by Chinas Comidas (Single, 1978)

While the 1960s and 1980s were more commercially successful for rock acts from Seattle, the 1970s were essential in forming what would come a generation later. Punk rock gave way to grunge about 10 years in the future. But the former was strong and prominent thanks to groups like Chinas Comidas. Just putting on their 1978 single “Peasant/Slave” brings you back to a gray, rainy, pre-internet Seattle where heft ruled the day.

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