Music of the 1970's.

A Story by Relic

What it was like for me.

Unlike todays computerized songs (by solo artists) that are written by 7 or more people, the music of the 70's was made by bands and solo artists who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. If there was a mistake made while recording you couldn't put it on a computer and quantize it, or fix it in two seconds on another track. You had to do it all over again from the beginning. I believe Elvis recorded Hound Dog 30 times before picking number 28.

And woman weren't sexualized they way they are today making them a counter-part to pornography. (Sex sells).

There were tons of popular bands to listen to on the radio. When we turned on our favorite station we'd often wait for our favorite song to come on. We had no immediate gratification back then like today because there was no internet.

Hearing a song you liked stirred up an excitement that gave you a temporary high. And when you purchased an album at the local record shop down the street or in the local mall, you couldn't wait to get home and listen to it on your turn table.

When the Beatles were putting out albums, people came up with the idea that they were subliminally inputting messages backwards on songs relating to Paul's supposed death. "Turn me on dead man." This was called backmasking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eay-4TOd4EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toMN0iN3nCs

The Electric Light Orchestra took the idea of backward messages and intentionally created a small backward section. In the 1970's some record players had the ability to play the music backwards if you spun it that way with your fingers.

This effect can be found on youtube by looking for their song Fire on High with backward message. You'll clearly hear the words: "The music is reversable but time is not. Turn back! turn back! turn back!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzmeKHv5k3o&list=RDlzmeKHv5k3o&start_radio=1

Led Zeppelin was also accused of putting backward messages on Stairway to Heaven (My sweet satan) but it takes an overactive imagination to believe it.

Many albums opened up to include inside art. Especially if it was a double album.

The Black Sabbath album We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll, opened up to a Goth-type woman lying in a coffin.

Led Zeppelin's live album "The song remains the same" included pages inside of the band.

I recall getting Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the moon" album and pulling out a wall poster of pyramids.

The inside of an Allan Parsons Project album Eve, displays a woman walking down a mansions' staircase looking like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe story.

(They wrote an entire album based on his stories called tales of mystery and imagination).

Roger Dean paintings on the inside and outside of albums were a popular feature. But how do I describe the smell of a new album? It had a scent that made it as special as the music I was hearing for the first time.

And although CDs had a pristine sound, the benefit of experiencing the big album cover art was lost.

I remember long hair, bell bottoms, peace signs.

Blue lights were great for listening to music with the lights out, btw. :)

Vinyl album covers are making a comeback, although due to pricing I believe some modern albums leave out pictures or features from earlier versions.

The 1970's was a special time for music. (The 1980's had great music too).

And it wasn't just rock music. Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many other black artists inspired us just as much.

Other artist on the softer side included Jim Croce, John Denver, Cat Stephens, and Harry Chapin. When it comes to poetry, listen to Chapin's song Taxi, or Cats in the cradle. Or how about Phoebe Snow's song Poetry Man. (which by the way, was erotic in nature).

And we lost many great artists. T-Rex died in a car accident (which included some eerie coincidences). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3WYuzAvaqM

Lynyrd Skynyd suffered a plane crash that killed several members. Jimi Hendrix died of an overdose. Janis Joplin died in her hotel room of an overdose. Keith Moon died of an accidental overdose. Mama Cass died of a heart attack. Harry Chapin Car accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OstxyCQGQBw

Jim Morrison died in Paris of an overdose. (some say he faked his death). Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger both died of suicide. And many more. Look up the 27 club for more.

There are still some great groups out there today. But for me, times have changed. Music is made differently and the industry is a bit more...how shall I say it...Satanic!

There's still a lot to explore when it comes to music. Old blues artists like Robert Johnson, Sun house, BB King and more are worth a listen if you're into the history of music.

The 1970's was a great time for music. At least, it was for me. Now, if I could just find that time machine I had. Oh yeah, it's called youtube now. :)

© 2026 Relic

Author's Note

The formatting is not right as usual, but whatever.....

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Lorry

As if the stranger in the mirror wasn't enough to tell me I am now old, the fact that scrunching up my face to an even wrinkling situation every time I put on the radio and screeching "that ain't music dagnabbit!" As I hope the next evolutionary step is the floppy parts of my ears shut over and weld themselves shut does!
I remember my first record bought being going underground by the jam and it may feel like a hallucination but I do believe it cost me less than a pound.
I remember album buying as an event that the internet has not improved on at all. Nothing can quite give you that walk to an actual real life store to purchase an album and no matter how much Amazon tries to buy my soul, it never will replace the almost giddy walk home to eagerly remove it from its sleeve and hear it in your own crib with friends that you didn't need to text or email an invite to.
Okay, so if you weren't careful with them they'd get scratched and skip but you got used to that, at least until you heard it elsewhere and it didn't skip, leaving you feel weird because it didn't skip in the exact same place.
Now its all digital and must go through some soul extracting machine to remove the humanity from it, but youth can keep their digitised and pristine recordings, but they aren't quite as smug when it comes to owning your own home, are they?
So now I actually have the spare room to keep all my vinyl in, I can no longer afford the vinyl for it to be displayed in!
But I sure am glad I ain't facing life as a youth anymore, where even stopping for a coffee is an expense that involves serious thought after paying your exorbitant rent on a house you'll never own!
Being old isnt that bad now, is it? 😀