As we begin out trip through the essential songs of the 1970s, we will note that the disco ball production line didn’t start in 1970 and safety pins were still a clothing tool, not a facial accessory. The Jackson 5 were at the top of their classic singles run; Neil Young, Van Morrison, and The Velvet Underground released timeless albums; and James Brown was solidifying his position as the funkiest musician in the galaxy.
1970
ABC – Jackson 5
After the Gold Rush – Neil Young
All Right Now – Free
And It Stoned Me – Van Morrison
Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today) – The Temptations
Band of Gold – Freda Payne
Brontosaurus – The Move
Coal Miner’s Daughter – Loretta Lynn
Domino – Van Morrison
Evil Ways – Santana
Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine – James Brown
Give Me Just a Little More Time – Chairmen of the Board
A Good Year for the Roses – George Jones
Hey Hey, What Can I Do – Led Zeppelin
I Think I Love You – The Partridge Family
I’ll Be There – Jackson 5
Iron Man – Black Sabbath
It’s A Shame – The Spinners
Let it Be – The Beatles
The Letter – Joe Cocker
Lola – The Kinks
Lookin’ Out My Back Door – CCR
Looking at You – MC5
Loose – Stooges
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) – Edison Lighthouse
The Love You Save – Jackson 5
Moondance – Van Morrison
No Matter What – Badfinger
Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
O-o-h Child – Five Stairsteps
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Rock ‘n’ Roll – Velvet Underground
Salute to a Switchblade – Tom T. Hall
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder
Super Bad (Part 1) – James Brown
Sweet Jane – Velvet Underground
Tears of a Clown – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly & the Family Stone
War – Edwin Starr
Who’ll Stop the Rain – CCR
Working Class Hero – John Lennon
Yes We Can (Part 1) – Lee Dorsey
Your Song – Elton John