1970: The Year In Music

1970 – The Best Picture winning film “Patton” releases. The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiers. Paul McCartney officially announces the split of The Beatles. Brazil and Pelé become the first team and player to win the FIFA World Cup three times. Maybe not the most exciting year in the world … but at least the music was great!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Band of Gold (Freda Payne)

A classic Motown song, “Band of Gold” has a great energy and some memorable vocals from Payne.

9 – Let It Be (The Beatles)

We’re only on the second song of the year and we already have a contender for “Best Song” of 1970!

The Beatles’ final masterwork, “Let It Be” is McCartney at his most sincere, with a chorus that rouses any crowd.

8 – Get Ready (Rare Earth)

The album version of “Get Ready” is 21 minutes long … yeah, I’ll stick to the single version.

It’s got a good energy, but it’s nothing I haven’t heard before.

7 – I’ll Be There (The Jackson 5)

Unless I’m mistaken, this is the first instance of The Jackson 5 (and Michael Jackson by extension) on one of these lists. I imagine it won’t be the last.

“I’ll Be There” is a good ballad, more chill than the other songs we’ve heard in a while.

6 – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Diana Ross)

A cover of the 1967 Marvin Gaye classic. I don’t have anything against Ross’s great performance of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, but it definitely won’t be my favourite hit of the year.

5 – War (Edwin Starr)

While it can get repetitive at points, “War” hammers home the point in style. I might actually prefer the groovy verses / breakdowns to the chorus.

4 – Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (B. J. Thomas)

The ultimate breezy / feel-good track, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” is laid-back and easy-listening.

3 – American Woman (The Guess Who)

1970’s hits seem to be moving towards chiller, more meaningful songs, so it was great to hear some classic rock riffs again.

“American Woman” has a powerful vocal performance and some great riffs, with some near-psychedelic instrumental breaks too.

2 – (They Long to Be) Close to You (The Carpenters)

You won’t find a more heart-warming, soul-touching song than “(They Long to Be) Close to You”.

I really like the piano comping and lovely lyrics, and the vocal harmonies are divine.

1 – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

Despite nine fantastic hits that came before it in this list, nothing was ever going to touch “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

I always love it when the general public rally behind a truly great song – the lyrics and vocals are second to none.

FAVOURITE – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Get Ready” (Rare Earth)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Lola (The Kinks)

Along with “Waterloo Sunset”, “Lola” is definitely my favourite Kinks song.

It’s got a great central riff and a funny lyrical story, and I like how the title character’s name becomes a vocal refrain.

9 – My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)

George Harrison wasted no time at all releasing music after The Beatles’ split, and “My Sweet Lord” ended up being the first post-Beatles hit from any of the Fab Four.

Its lyrics are endearing regardless of your personal religious beliefs, and the vocals and chorus melody are fantastic.

8 – Let It Be (The Beatles)

The title track from the most tumultuous of Beatles albums, “Let It Be” was never meant to be released but I’m so glad it was.

McCartney’s piano and vocals are instantly recognisable, and the touching lyrics resonate with any who’ve lost a loved one.

7 – Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield)

One of my favourite hooks of the year, the instrumentation on “Move On Up” is phenomenal.

The trumpet riff is incredible, the string stabs catch your attention, and Mayfield’s vocals are full of soul.

6 – Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

One of THE great Hard Rock songs, “Paranoid” is Black Sabbath at full power.

Ozzy Osbourne’s vocal delivery is iconic, and the hard-hitting guitar riffs have gone down in music legend.

5 – The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel)

Simon & Garfunkel had a fantastic 1970, as even lesser-known songs like “The Boxer” still feel like all-timers.

My favourite part has to the the vocalisations in the refrain – that reverberated drum crash is burnt into my mind.

4 – Layla (Derek & The Dominos)

One of the best riffs ever, “Layla” by Derek & The Dominos (which is actually Eric Clapton and his band) has been a personal favourite ever since I first heard it as a kid.

The aforementioned guitar and the powerful vocals work well, and even the slower second half grows on me the more I listen to it.

3 – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)

It’s that song again – the public chose a real gem for their most popular hit of 1970.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a masterclass in piano, songwriting, vocals and production, and it’ll take a peach of a song to beat it.

2 – Child In Time (Deep Purple)

I wasn’t expecting a ten-minute Deep Purple epic, but “Child In Time” delivered and then some.

It starts off slow before kicking into high gear – I love how methodical and precise the songwriting is.

1 – War Pigs (Black Sabbath)

“Paranoid” might be the conventional pick for best Black Sabbath song, but “War Pigs” is in with a helluva shout too.

I love how confrontational the lyrics are, and it has arguably Sabbath’s best riffs and songwriting.

BEST SONG OF 1970 – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Bitches Brew (Miles Davis)

I thought Miles Davis had given everything he could give by 1969, but he’s still pumping out a double album of quality music in the 70’s!

This is Davis as we’ve never heard him before – the instrumentation is a lot more furious, and the trumpet performance is as virtuoso as always.

4 – All Things Must Pass (George Harrison)

The first Beatles solo album to make a mark, George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” proved that he was an unsung hero in the band.

Tracks like “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life” are personal favourites, and the rest of the double album is a great display of his songwriting prowess.

3 – Cosmo’s Factory (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Probably the most well-known Creedence Clearwater Revival album, “Cosmo’s Factory” has everything you could want from the band.

I love tracks like “Lookin’ Out My Backdoor”, “Up Around The Bend” and especially “Who’ll Stop The Rain”, and the rest of the record has a remarkable consistency.

2 – After The Gold Rush (Neil Young)

For the first time on this yearly review, we have an album that isn’t available on Spotify – I had to peruse the murky depths of YouTube to find it!

Young’s vocals can take some getting used to, but the songs here are all memorable in their own right.

1 – Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

You can never go wrong with a bit of Sabbath.

I’ve already talked about tracks like “War Pigs” and “Paranoid”, but others like “Planet Caravan” and “Iron Man” are just as awesome.

BEST ALBUM OF 1970 – “Cosmo’s Factory” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” didn’t quite make the top five voted albums list on besteveralbums.com, otherwise it would have been a clean sweep in 1970 for Simon & Garfunkel.

Final Thoughts

1970 had some incredible hits and highest-rated songs, but the albums were only good – nothing wrong with that, but I wanted more.

Overall Grade: B+

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: