Genres Archive

All 12 genres posts, newest first.

Bob Dylan performs in Rotterdam, June 23 1978, eyes closed at the microphone with a Fender Stratocaster, a folk rock in the 70s songwriter whose own singles never made this site's own chart archive
Genres

Folk Rock in the 70s: Bob Dylan Never Made This Chart

Folk rock in the 70s produced legends like Bob Dylan, yet three of its biggest names never touched this site's own US chart archive.

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Genesis performing The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in Chicago, November 1974, Peter Gabriel in full costume with Phil Collins on drums, the kind of theatrical concept-album staging that defined 70s progressive rock
Genres

70s Progressive Rock: The Genre That Barely Had Hits

70s progressive rock rarely charted as singles. Discover why concept albums built its real legacy, and the scenes most lists skip.

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Sex Pistols perform at Paradiso in Amsterdam, January 6, 1977, Johnny Rotten at the mic with Glen Matlock, Paul Cook, and Steve Jones, a defining image of 70s punk rock at its rawest
Genres

70s Punk Rock: The Genre With Zero Chart Hits

70s punk rock never touched this site's own US chart archive. See how the real data draws the line between punk and new wave instead.

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Marc Bolan of T. Rex performs in a zebra-print vest and cape during an ABC In Concert taping, May 1973, glam rock in the 70s at its most theatrical
Genres

Glam Rock in the 70s: Britain's Charts, America's Silence

Glam rock in the 70s ruled British charts but barely touched America's. See the real 16-artist roster and the data behind the gap.

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Bay City Rollers pose in matching tartan at Schiphol Airport in February 1976, wearing wooden clogs spelling out their name, one of the biggest pop songs of 70s teen-idol acts
Genres

Pop Songs of 70s: 8 Real Number Ones Hiding in the Data

Pop songs of 70s hid eight real number-one hits behind modest year-end rankings, from TV-built teen idols to Elton John's chart dominance.

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Eric Burdon fronting War in a 1971 performance, the 70s funk act with more chart entries than any other in this site's own archive
Genres

70s Funk: Why War Out-Charted Every Other Act

70s funk goes deeper than Parliament and Kool & the Gang. Discover which act actually charted the most, and the real story behind the sound.

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Don Brewer, Mark Farner, and Mel Schacher of Grand Funk Railroad, the 70s hard rock band that reached number one twice in the 1970s
Genres

70s Hard Rock: The Genre That Actually Hit #1

70s hard rock rarely gets credit for real chart success. Discover which songs actually hit number one and the genre's essential 70s artists.

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Donna Summer in a 1977 Casablanca Records publicity photo, taken during the height of Disco Music of the 70s
Genres

Disco Music of the 70s: The Year It Peaked and Nearly Died

Discover the real story of Disco Music of the 70s: its true chart peak, the riot that tried to kill it, and the artists who built the sound.

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The Flying Burrito Brothers, including Bernie Leadon and Chris Hillman, at an Amsterdam press conference in 1970
Genres

70s Country Rock: The Genre Nobody Wanted to Name

Discover the real story of 70s country rock: the Gilded Palace of Sin, the guitarist who built the Eagles, and Gram Parsons' strange death.

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Carole King at the piano in 1971, the year her album Tapestry helped define 70s soft rock
Genres

70s Soft Rock: The Sound Built to Calm the Decade Down

Discover what really defines 70s soft rock, which year actually topped its charts, and the real artists behind the genre's biggest hits.

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Hand-drawn Sketch Note infographic about 70s soul music, showing a 14-year-old Michael Jackson singing Ben, Johnnie Taylor's platinum single Disco Lady, and MFSB's TSOP, the Sound of Philadelphia
Genres

70s Soul Music: The Artists Who Redefined a Genre

Explore 70s soul music, from Marvin Gaye's social commentary to the rise of Philly soul and disco's roots in funk and groove.

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Infographic illustrating the evolution of 70s rock, from hard rock and progressive rock through glam, southern rock, arena rock, and the punk explosion that ended the decade
Genres

70s Rock: The Sound That Defined a Decade

Discover 70s rock's full story: hard rock, prog rock's chart dominance, Fleetwood Mac's record sales, and the punk revolt that closed out the decade.

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