20 terrific bands that got their start in 1974
50 years ago, groups like Blondie, the Ramones, and Cheap Trick launched their careers—and many of these artists would leave a lasting mark
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It could be argued that 1974 is the pivotal year of the 1970s when it comes to music. Not only is it the year that brought a wealth of classic albums—here are 25 of those records celebrating their 50th anniversary this year—along with a bunch of singles that defined the Super Sounds of the 1970s (“The Way We Were,” “Seasons in the Sun,” “Dancing Machine,” “Jungle Boogie”), it’s also a year that launched a number of bands who defined the sound of the second half of the 1970s and far beyond.
Many of the groups formed in 1974 could be roughly classified as punk, including the legendary Ramones and Blondie, but that’s hardly the only genre that had a foundational act find its inception here. Plenty of album rockers, smooth jazz artists, new age performers, and New Wave groups took their first steps in 1974. The following list, in alphabetical order, isn’t meant to be comprehensive, but rather a reflection of the bands that were busy being born 50 years ago.
21 Comments
DAMN but 1974 was a year. And seeing Firefall and the Ramones on the same list is just perfect to me as I love punk and AM Gold.The odd thing being of course that 74 is thought of as one of those years where it was gray, no new music really anywhere, NYC (I lived outside in the suburbs) was a hell hole and the country was in that post-Nixon Malaise and taking a lot of Ludes.
C’mon. You missed out on the greatest band to ever launch in ‘74.https://youtu.be/GWkyydslUFo?si=MDb7lG5QODaqiyfHhttps://youtu.be/fZjC5Huw90U?si=fuzYV58ZzQ9mS2LLhttps://youtu.be/gq2IpJTZavo?si=t-9HWhQmouO82L1E
Everybody knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It’s a scientific fact.
“I’ll miss you, Pumpkins, but I just can’t share your bleak world view.”
Or “Rock is dying and has been since 1974, the year the first Bad Company record came out”“I have that record!”“I’m sure you do Bobby”
Good list. Thanks for including the Saints and Mink DeVille. I disagree with the inclusion of the 101ers, since any career they had was almost entirely posthumous.
And Joe didn’t leave the 101ers to “form the Clash.” They poached him from the 101ers to join the band.
I first heard a lot of these acts thanks to an incredible Rhino Records compilation called No Thanks: The 70s Punk Rebellion. Looks like it’s available on spotify or used if you want CDs. What was amazing was how tuneful a lot of the early punk acts were, likely because of their origins in the pub scenes. I came along later and by the time I was introduced to punk it was mostly hardcore, of which I wasn’t a fan, so that compilation gave me an entirely new appreciation for the genre. Strongly recommend checking it out.
No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion – playlist by Rhino Records | Spotify
Let’s be honest, “terrific” is a word no one really uses in common parlance. It’s usually relegated to print where people want to sound sophisticated but have nothing else of value to say.To wit: this article was terrific.
I love The Undertones. And one of the big things I love about them is that they looked at the horrific situation emerging in their home town of Derry (and across Northern Ireland) and said, effectively, that just because there’s all this violence and mayhem, it doesn’t mean that all the usual concerns of adolescence that everybody else is going through don’t still apply here. I felt the same way about Derry Girls, set 20 years after The Undertones’ heyday.
I didn’t know Manheim Steamroller had been around that long. I only first heard of their shitty Christmas music in the early ‘90s.
Rush
I feel like Squeeze is an underrated band. Like they should get a lot more love from classic rock stations that instead keep playing the same hair metal songs over and over and over.
I mostly think (possibly just because I haven’t really gone back to check) that they were a great band for singles but not necessarily full albums. Like, if their singles collection (45s And Under) had been an actual album it’d be hailed as one of the greatest records ever.That said, those singles are really goddamn good. “Up The Junction” is my personal favorite but you could pick any of them, really.
Argybargy and East Side Story (their masterpiece) are terrific through and through.
.38 Special? Really?
Big ups for Ramones, Cheap Trick, and my guilty please Cameo. Something about that tight funk and those weird ass leather chap/pants with the red codpiece that Larry Blackmon wears (and still does to this day without a hint of shame!)
Technically, the Jefferson Starship moniker was used on 1970’s Blows Against The Empire. One of the best albums ever made, both musically and packaging wise.
What a crap list. Cheap Trick is the best on the list. Hiroshima!? Never heard of them.
God damn, Deborah Harry is staring into my soul again.
“Have the Rolling Stones killed!”