The 10 Most UNDERRATED 1970s Bands

WHO WOULD YOU ADD TO THE LIST? 🤔

This guy is insane. All of these bands are huge, and not forgotten. Maybe 15 year old kids don't remember but most know.

NAZARETH....one of the greatest rock bands with an amazing song list and their albums stack up against any of the greatest rock bands of all time. The unique vocals of Dan McCafferty combined with the superior guitar skills of Manny Charlton are legendary. I feel they never really got the recognition they deserve. RIP Dan and Manny 🎸

Badfinger would be my pick. What a great band. Pete Ham deserves so much more attention as a rock and roll composer. There’s a reason the Beatles signed this band to its Apple label. Badfinger is totally underrated.

I think Slade should definately be on that list. They were incredible live ‼️

Ian Gillan is one of the best male vocalists around.

Foreigner, Boston, Blondie, Deep Purple, and Bob Seger were all huge stars back in the day. How could they be called underrated? I'd nominate Billy Thorpe, Pavlov's Dogs, Starcastle, Angel, and a bunch of other artists that never quite "made it" here in the States.

Rainbow, Uriah Heep & The Sweet are so underrated, they didn’t even make your list! Those bands are awesome beyond belief. UFO would be another. Also ‘70s Scorpions. Everyone knows their ‘80s hits, but their ‘70s stuff is even better.

These bands are all legends. They are in no way underrated.

Deep Purple "in rock" is a masterpiece for heavy/rock metal.

Deep Purple are huge but we’re never promoted as much as other bands but to be fair they never needed it. They are still going. They were/are still one of the most influential bands around and Ritchie Blackmore is one of the best guitarists of all time.

I remember when Boston's first album hit the airwaves. It was unlike anything I had heard before. It was like a whole album of #1 singles. They instantly shot up the charts. And when they came to town in 1980, I had to go see them. But their huge success didn't last as long as it should have because of law suits with their record label. They were forced to quit recording for years. I'd go see them today if they came to town.

I think J. Geils Band is highly underrated

As far as under appreciated, I would have to add UFO. They were pretty pedestrian when they first started, but, then, they added Michael Schenker in 1974 and they exploded onto the scene. They influenced nearly every 80’s metal band from sound to style. Quick, how many guitarists do you know that play a Flying V? Most of those people, especially those in the 80’s played one because of Michael Schenker and his seminal work with UFO. Before every Iron Maiden concert, they play Doctor, Doctor by UFO, then take the stage. Iron Maiden founder, bassist and main lyricist Steve Harris has stated that his favorite song is UFO’s ballad Love to Love. Finally, their live album, Strangers in the Night is widely acclaimed as one of the best live albums, ever.

I can think of several bands that could have made this list. Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Three Dog Night were greats. Edgar Winter Band as well. I wore out a lot of 8-track tapes and players on these bands. And Frank Zappa was a favorite too.

Boston, Foreigner and Bob Segar are definitely not underrated

I would say Bad Finger is perhaps the most underrated and tragic band of the 70s.

One band you missed was Slade. They had somewhat of an audience in the US but they were a hit in many areas of the world. Now you hardly hear of them.

Most of these artists got a whole lot of airplay in the 70's and still do; many of us would say overplayed. Nevertheless, if I stay away from classic rock stations, I can still enjoy some of these bands as long as I haven't heard them in a while. Consider some other influential bands of the 70's; Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, The Stooges, Pat Travers, Robin Trower, Steely Dan, The New York Dolls, Uriah Heep, Elvis Costello and Yes.

I would add 38 special, Alan parsons project, Blue Öyster Cult Love love love foreigner! I LOVE Boston and I hate that I never had the chance to see them live. Bob Seger made my fav cover of with a little help from my friends Debbie Harry is beyond. She was basically the first woman ever to branch out and show that chicks can lead a band; through decades and genre changes (punk -> rock -> disco)