20 terrific bands that got their start in 1974

The Summer of Love veterans retooled themselves for the 1970s by rebranding themselves from the outdated Jefferson Airplane to the futuristic Jefferson Starship. The change was motivated by a split within the ranks: Grace Slick and Paul Kantner wanted to modernize, and they were eventually joined in their journey by former Airplane colleague Marty Balin. A year after their formation, the overblown arena rock of Red Octopus turned the group into one of the biggest bands in AOR.

A Christmas standard since the 1980s, Mannheim Steamroller was devised by new-age musician Chip Davis in 1974. His series of Fresh Aire albums found him developing his blend of rock, classical, and jazz, a sound that inexplicably became the soundtrack for the season after the release of Christmas in 1984.

Willy DeVille’s garagey outfit Mink DeVille became a staple at CBGB’s shortly after the group’s formation in 1974. While they didn’t become as big as some of their peers, the band was maybe the purest rock and roll act in the early days of the CBGB’s scene, and they developed an enduring bond with unrepentant rockers of all ages.

One of the great unheralded bands of the 1970s, the Quick split the difference between British glam and American power-pop—a sound that was ideal for the wild days of punk and New Wave. Signing with Mercury, the Quick seemed poised for a breakthrough with their debut Mondo Deco, but a series of bad breaks led to the group’s dissolution; lead singer Danny Wilde later would form the Rembrandts, who would cut “I’ll Be There for You,” the theme song for Friends.

The reigning kings of American punk formed in 1974, quickly developing the buzzsaw pop that would revolutionize rock. Their rise was swift: within a year, they’d become NYC sensations, with their eponymous 1976 debut album igniting a fire that spread on both sides of the Atlantic.

An institution of Australian rock and roll, the Saints were young upstarts when they formed back in 1974. Inspired by such lacerating proto-punk bands as the Stooges—a common influence among ’70s Aussies—the Saints stumbled into punk roughly the same time as other similar-minded bands did in the U.S. and the U.K. Their legendary debut single “(I’m) Stranded” arrived in 1976, and lead singer Chris Bailey kept a revolving lineup alive until his death in 2022.

Cheap Trick weren’t the only great power pop band to form in Illinois in 1974. Brothers John and Jeff Murphy formed Shoes—the name came from a Paul McCartney quip in an early Beatles interview—with high school friend Gary Kelbe. Together they developed the punchy, hooky rock and roll showcased on Black Vinyl Shoes, a 1977 indie release that became one of the cornerstones of power pop.

Spyro Gyra first patented their lite soulful jazz fusion in 1974, woodshedding their grooves in bars throughout their hometown of Buffalo, New York. They found a larger audience once their eponymous indie debut creeped onto quiet storm and adult contemporary radio. They’d remain smooth staples for decades, continuing to tour after their record releases slowed.

Chris Difford placed an ad in a candy store asking for a collaborator to flesh out his lively lyrics. Glenn Tilbrook answered—Difford would maintain he was the only musician to respond—and the pair became one of the great partnerships in rock. After an arty beginning, they relied on their love of songcraft and clever stories, qualities that gave them one of the great songbooks of their era.

The Stranglers gained fame after the rise of punk, cutting some of the moodier, artier singles to fall under that rubric. They first surfaced, though, on England’s pub rock scene in 1974, developing a hard edge they’d retain even when they expanded their musical range and after the departure of such original members as Hugh Cornwell.

Feargal Sharkey and his fellow Undertones first formed a band to play high-octane pop music in the vein of the British Invasion. That fondness for sharp hooks, big backbeats and melodic momentum served as an ideal foundation for the Irish group’s pivot to punk in the late 1970s, when they released a self-titled debut that rivaled any other record of the era.