You Are What You Were. Celebrate Retro Pop Culture At Retroland.
Bringing up the rear of the British Invasion, the Bay City Rollers emerged from Scotland in the 70s and after racking up a respectable number of fans in the UK, arrived in America to enjoy even more adulation. Besides gracing the American music charts with a string of hits, the teen heartthrobs also endeared themselves to millions via Saturday morning television.
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Following the extraordinary rise of The Beatles, it wasn’t long before British bands were coming out of the woodwork, doing their best to imitate the Fab Four. And, at first glance, one might put The Zombies in that category, but to do so would be unfair. Sure, they had a similar look, lush harmonies, and catchy songs - but the sound was completely their own, in part due to the fine keyboard playing of Rod Argent. And their music is still praised and appreciated to this day.
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If there’s one thing that could be said about the 80s, it’s that it had a style all its own. But, of all the image-conscious bands to emerge from the decade, one stands just a bit above the others, with their spacey sci-fi clothing, sculpted hair and copious amounts of makeup: Missing Persons. And, upon further thought, you could hardly miss them at all. With front woman Dale Bozzio in silver spandex and multi-colored/multi-dimensional hair, they were equally memorable for their looks as they were for their immense musical talent. Missing Persons ushered in the new wave era, providing some of the best-loved sounds and most peculiar music videos to an audience hungry for more.
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As if they hadn't done enough already, the Beatles introduced yet another new idea into the world of rock music by incorporating cellos, violins and other classical instruments into their songs. Inspired by the Fab Four's pioneer spirit, Roy Wood, guitarist for The Move, formed a new band that would experiment exclusively with the fusion of rock and classical. The result was the Electric Light Orchestra, a prolific group that quickly became a staple of 70s radio and beyond, thanks to an impressive 27 Top-40 hits.
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Despite the disparaging remarks of contemporary music critics, the middle-of-the-road pop stylings of Captain & Tennille made them one of the most successful pop duos of the 70s, racking up an impressive five gold albums, six gold singles, two platinum albums and a platinum single. It’s no wonder we see their likenesses used and parodied in media today. They meant something.
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Though displaying quasi-punk qualities, the Police was never a true punk band. Rather, they effortlessly mixed and matched elements of punk, ska, reggae and pop to create a very palatable rock sound that earned the three musicians numerous awards, worldwide fame and oodles upon oodles of money. Let's take a look back.
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The 1970s shall heretofore be known as the ABBA Era, because we all know the Swedish pop group was the life blood of that groovy decade. Their catchy tunes and graceful harmonies took the world by storm and haven’t lost one ounce of their sparkling appeal over the years.
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In the late 60s, perhaps the most positive change in the music industry was that age-old genre barriers were finally starting to crumble. The days of segregating the styles of rock, country, folk, soul and R&B were coming to an end and the result was an exciting new era of musical exploration. At the forefront of this melding of styles was Sly and the Family Stone, a group instrumental in defining, then refining, the funk sound. By infusing elements of pop, rock and psychedelica into a heavy R&B rhythmic foundation, the band created some of the most energetic and grooving hits of the era. And leading the charge in these defining times, was the creative talent of Sly Stone.
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New York City was a hotbed of punk and new wave activity in the mid-70's, overflowing with groups like The Ramones and The Talking Heads. Blondie emerged from this scene and became an international sensation with their blend of pop hooks, punk-ish edge and clever lyrics. They scored a long list of musically-diverse hit singles that defined the new wave sound and transformed their glamorous lead singer, Debbie Harry, into an alternative sex symbol.
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One of the most noteworthy garage bands of the 1960s, The Archies showcased the fun side of adolescence with their sunny attitude and catchy pop tunes. They never performed live because, unfortunately, every band member suffered from acute cartoonitis, a condition that renders the afflicted brightly colored and two-dimensional. Archie, Jughead and the rest of the gang peddled their cotton candy sounds on The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon which debuted in 1968.
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