10 Best Hard Rock Songs Of The '70s

The start of the decade might have been marked by the loss of Jimi Hendrix and the dissolution of The Beatles, but there was plenty of budding musicians ready to carry the torch.

The 1970s was filled with albums that have remained essential to any rock fans collection: The Dark Side of the Moon, Exile on Main St., Led Zeppelin III, the list goes on... But even across less highly regarded records, there was a scattering of timeless tracks that defined the decade and helped innovate a genre.

This was the golden age of hard rock. It was a time for peacocking frontmen, effortlessly cool bass hooks and guitar solo's that transcended time. This was before the synthesiser became overly prominent, it was all about the core elements of guitars, drums and blinding vocals.

That's not to say there wasn't some heavy experimentation going on, though...

For any young rock musician, these songs are a requisite if you hope to have a half decent understanding of music. So inundated with timeless rock tracks was that decade that no list can hope to do the genre justice. But, this collections comes pretty damn close.

The ever controversial Ted Nugent has made quite the transition since his days as a '70s axman. These days, you're just as likely to see him sporting a cowboy hat and carrying the dead carcass of animal then you are to see him with a guitar.

He might have become a gun toting, republican supporting, loud mouth, but during the 1970s he was a guitar wielding madman with a predilection for writing classic guitar hooks.

Stranglehold appeared on Nugent's self-titled debut album. It was indicative of the rock music of the era, a repeating guitar riff that burrowed deep into ones ear drum, followed by seven and half minutes of sprawling guitar solos. This song just leaves you with a desire to hit the open road, from the instant the bass drum punctuates the track, your googling where to rent a Harley.

Despite Nugent's ability as a vocalist, he didn't sing on this track. His rhythm guitarist Derek St. Holmes took that honour. Nugent's focus was all on the guitar. Say what you like about this guy's personal views, his guitar playing was some of the best in the industry.