Blues rock reached its creative peak in the 1970s, when bands regularly blended raw electric energy with gritty guitar work and soulful storytelling. Artists may produce a plethora of songs, yet only one or two receive airplay, and the rest are often overlooked. The true spirit of the genre was often captured by tracks that were overlooked due to the presence of more familiar songs that dominated the charts. When digging deeper into this wealth of material, listeners are rewarded with heartfelt laments and extended jams that were often among the era’s most authentic blues rock, hiding just beneath the surface. These 10 blues rock deep cuts from the 1970s are seldom heard but definitely deserve a listen.
All Saved Freak Band – “Great Victory”
The All Saved Freak Band’s claim to fame lies in the fact that an outstanding blues rock guitarist was in the band. Glenn Schwartz was the founding lead guitarist of the James Gang and was replaced by Joe Walsh after leaving to join the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He stayed with PG&E for three albums before joining a Christian commune that was later exposed as an abusive religious cult. The pastor was the lead singer of a band that played a variety of musical styles, including blues rock, with lyrics that incorporated both political activism and religious themes. “Great Victory” is an upbeat, rocking blues gospel song that features Glenn Schwartz providing guitar wizardry that reaches into the heavens.
Captain Beefheart – “I’m Gonna Booglarize You, Baby”
Captain Beefheart’s real name was Don Van Vliet, and “I’m Gonna Booglarize You, Baby” is the lead track from his sixth studio album, The Spotlight Kid, released in 1972. It slinks out of the shadows like a late-night, back-alley proposition set to a slow, menacing blues rock groove. The tune’s lurching rhythm section and syncopated, funky guitar lines provide the Captain with a backdrop for delivering his gravelly, howling vocals with predatory swagger. The lyrics offer surrealistic wordplay on classic blues themes like lust and dark nocturnal mischief while remaining rooted in a swampy, boogie-driven direction.
“Milly told Willy, ‘Come on over to my house
And I’ll slow your machine right down’”
Chicken Shack – “The Thrill is Gone”
Chicken Shack’s rendition of “The Thrill Is Gone,” written by Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell and popularized by B.B. King’s 1969 recording, is uniquely original in its sound. The band is fronted by Stan Webb, who delivers amazing, slow-burning, raw, stinging guitar runs that strip the song down to its emotional core. The track exemplifies the intensity of gritty British blues rock and serves as a perfect showcase for Webb’s underrated six-string prowess. The song appeared on Chicken Shack’s 1974 release Goodbye Chicken Shack (Live).
The Doors – “Crawling King Snake”
John Lee Hooker is credited with writing and recording “Crawling King Snake” in 1948. The Doors included it on their sixth and final studio album, recorded before Jim Morrison’s tragic death in 1971, L.A. Woman. It is a faithful and electrified take on the classic, rooted in Delta blues traditions. The track features a swampy, menacing groove that blends swaggering machismo with dark, reptilian imagery in a way that feels both reverent and dangerously alive.
Free – “Heartbreaker”
“Heartbreaker” is the title track of Free’s sixth and final album, released in 1973 just before the group broke up. The song embodies the band’s late-period intensity amid lineup instability and personal struggles. It is a slow-burning powerhouse that showcases Paul Rodgers’ soulful, gritty howl as he sings about self-inflicted pain and desperate renewal. Paul Kossoff, who was struggling with drug addiction, anchors the track with his driving, expressive guitar, creating a heavy, hypnotic groove. The rest of the band was composed of Simon Kirke on drums, Tetsu Yamauchi on bass, and John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keys. The song captures the band’s signature sound, blending the emotion of raw, melancholic blues with the power of rock.
Rory Gallagher – “Walk on Hot Coals”
Rory Gallagher released Blueprint in 1973 as his third solo studio album. “Walk on Hot Coals” is a no-frills, high-octane blues rock firestorm that perfectly captures his intensity during one of his most fertile periods. The studio recording runs over seven minutes, while live renditions, such as those on Irish Tour ’74, stretch past 11 minutes. Gallagher’s stinging, fluid guitar runs, coupled with his gritty, passionate vocals, produce pure, unadulterated blues rock energy dripping with sweat, heart, and fretboard mastery. Recently, the song was covered by Joe Bonamassa.
Humble Pie – “Sweet Peace and Time”
“Sweet Peace and Time” comes from Humble Pie’s fifth studio album, Smokin’, released in 1972, and was the first album after Peter Frampton left the group. Steve Marriott already sang lead and played guitar, so the band replaced Frampton with Clem Clempson as a second guitarist. “Sweet Peace and Time” reflects the era, with lyrics that capture public sentiment as the seemingly endless war in Vietnam was winding down. The track uses simple, hypnotic blues riffs blended with a hard rock strut to create a nearly six-minute performance. The band’s tight interplay is powered by Marriott’s signature, raspy, blues-soaked vocals, punctuated by driving drums and stellar guitar peals.
“Don’t want lies, don’t give me Ho Chi Minh
Don’t want time, don’t want no schemin’”
Savoy Brown – “Street Corner Talking”
“Street Corner Talking” is the title track from Savoy Brown’s seventh studio album of the same name, released in 1971, Street Corner Talking. It is an underrated gem from the golden age of 1970s blues rock. The song features a new frontman and lead singer, Dave Walker, who later replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath and was also a member of Fleetwood Mac for a period. The band delivers a hypnotic mid-tempo groove laced with Kim Simmonds’ emotive guitar work. The group demonstrated its gritty resilience during a period of lineup changes with the addition of Chicken Shack’s rhythm section.
ZZ Top – “Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell”
“Sure Got Cold After the Rain” was written by Billy Gibbons and appears on ZZ Top’s second studio album, Rio Grande Mud, released in 1972. It is a slow-burning, mournful lament that depicts rain falling on the morning his baby walked off with another man. The song delivers raw heartache as a Southern blues lament anchored by Gibbons’ expressive guitar work. Bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard provide a tight rhythm section. Gibbons delivers a haunting, extended guitar solo that captures the band at its most emotionally vulnerable.
Frank Zappa – “Stink-Foot”
“Stink-Foot” is a laid-back, funky blues groove built around Frank Zappa’s stinging guitar work and the band’s tight interplay. The song’s absurd subject matter is comically juvenile, yet it is delivered with blues rock muscle, full of slow-burning riffs, expressive soloing, and a raw roadhouse feel. It features irreverent storytelling that illustrates a philosophical conversation about an absurd subject. “Stink-Foot” was the last cut on side two of Zappa’s 1974 album Apostrophe (‘).
“It should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe”
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