VA - 70s Rock Down [2020] (3 x CDs)

ROCK ANTHEMS

VA - 70s Rock Down [2020] (3 x CDs)

70s Rock Down takes a different path through the decade, steering away from the usual FM giants and instead focusing on the deep‑cut energy that shaped how the seventies actually sounded day to day. This 2020 three‑disc set released by Xploded TV / Xploded Music leans into the spaces between hard rock, melodic rock, bar‑band grit, and early AOR, those tracks that lived on late‑night radio, in record‑shop bins, and on well‑worn home stereos. It’s a portrait of the era built from the ground up rather than from the headlines.

The flow across the discs mirrors the decade’s natural progression. Early‑70s blues‑rock muscle gives way to mid‑decade melodic punch, before settling into the smoother, more polished textures that closed out the era. The guitars have bite, the rhythm sections lean forward, and the vocals carry those unmistakable seventies warmth, equal parts swagger and storytelling. These aren’t museum pieces; they’re songs built for real rooms, real nights, and real volume.

What gives the set its character is the balance between familiar names and strong tracks from artists who never quite broke through commercially. That mix keeps the listening experience grounded and surprising at the same time. The mastering preserves the analogue feel without dulling the edges, letting the music breathe in a way that suits the material.

Taken as a whole, 70s Rock Down offers a vivid snapshot of the decade’s working‑class rock heart. It highlights the bands and songs that filled the spaces between the blockbusters, music that carried the same spark, the same drive, and the same sense of possibility. It’s a reminder that the seventies were built not just by giants, but by countless groups chasing their own version of the sound. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Queen - Killer Queen 2:59

02 KiSS - I Was Made for Lovin' You 4:00

03 Elton John - Pinball Wizard 5:14

04 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Old Time Rock and Roll 3:12

05 Paul McCartney & Wings - Live and Let Die 3:11

06 Free - All Right Now 5:32

07 Argent - God Gave Rock & Roll to You 3:16

08 Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper 3:48

09 Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son 3:26

10 Golden Earring - Radar Love 3:45

11 Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway 3:16

12 City Boy - 5.7.0.5. 3:13

13 Yes - Wonderous Stories 3:48

14 Emerson Lake & Palmer - Fanfare for The Common Man 2:56

15 Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet 3:36

16 Ram Jam - Black Betty 2:29

17 Jo Jo Gunne - Run Run Run 2:34

18 Gary Moore & Phil Lynott - Parisienne Walkways 3:20

19 Jethro Tull - Life is A Long Song 3:18

20 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird 9:07

CD2

01 Status Quo - Down Down 3:48

02 Who - Who Are You 5:06

03 Focus - Hocus Pocus 6:40

04 Deep Purple - Black Night 3:25

05 Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town 3:10

06 Rainbow - Since You Been Gone 3:17

07 Hawkwind - Silver Machine 4:36

08 Bad Company - Can't Get Enough 4:14

09 ZZ Top - La Grange 3:47

10 Taste - What's Going On 2:47

11 Heart - Barracuda 4:22

12 Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny 4:00

13 Slade - Cum on Feel The Noize 4:24

14 Knack - My Sharona 4:53

15 McGuinness - When I'm Dead and Gone 3:40

16 Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle 3:01

17 America - Ventura Highway 3:30

18 Stealers Wheel - Stuck in The Middle With You 3:23

19 Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get it Right 3:16

20 Canned Heat - Let's Work Together 3:13

CD3

01 Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop 3:10

02 Alice Cooper - School's Out 3:29

03 Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally 3:49

04 Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes 3:31

05 Faces - Stay With Me 4:38

06 Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good 4:39

07 Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light 3:48

08 Foreigner - Cold as Ice 3:18

09 Santana - Black Magic Woman 3:14

10 Python Lee Jackson feat. Rod Stewart - In A Broken Dream 3:40

11 Uriah Heep - Easy Livin' 2:36

12 Dr. Feelgood - Roxette 2:55

13 Allman Brothers Band - Jessica 4:09

14 Moody Blues - Question 4:55

15 Mink Deville - Spanish Stroll 3:36

16 Roger Daltrey - Giving it All Away 3:29

17 Nazareth - Love Hurts 3:52

18 10CC - Rubber Bullets 4:40

19 Rick Wakeman - Catherine of Aragon 3:44

20 John Miles - Music 5:52

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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