70s Gold: The Sounds of the Seventies

Step up compilation albums such as this one, which is indeed 70s Gold.

It contains forty tracks, across two CDs, featuring many of the biggest names of the decade singing their greatest hits.

I had to have it - and with names such as Rod Stewart, Boston, Marvin Gaye and Thin Lizzy among the hitmakers, I knew that my decision was sound.

My preference in music is quite eclectic. In fact, I'll buy and listen to songs from many genres. It is fortunate then that many tastes are taken into account on these two discs.

The first of them generally focusses on the rock and pop hits of the era, offering tracks from across the 1970s; earlier songs coming from, for example, Three Dog Night (Joy to the World), Free (All Right Now) and Elton John (Rocket Man) while the late Seventies offers up The Knack (My Sharona), Blondie (Heart of Glass) and The Cars (My Best Friend's Girl).

My nostalgic thirst for the era is equally quenched by the funk and soul of the artists featured on the second disc.

To be honest, it was this style that I heard the most, growing up in the family home. My brother spent a lot of his spare time in the clubs and he was often buying songs by artists such as Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Dobie Gray, Bill Withers and The Spinners, all of whom are included here. 

This kind of musical indoctrination really influenced my own record collection and it's been really satisfying to re-stock it with these wonderful tracks, all of which are golden. Not a dud in sight.

Of course, this is only a small part of what made the Seventies rock, dance and party, but still, it's a masterful representation of the decade.