Top 10 70s Bands Everyone Loved To Hate

#10: America

While they racked up huge soft-rock hits like "A Horse with No Name" and "Ventura Highway," America faced heavy criticism for their notoriously laid-back vibe and puzzling lyricism. Critics tore into their breezy acoustic sound, calling it tepid, derivative, and far too dependent on the breezy West Coast folk formula perfected by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Furthermore, track details like "there were plants and birds and rocks and things" drew endless snark from music reviewers who deemed their songwriting hilariously lazy. Despite selling out arenas, the trio was frequently dismissed as the ultimate elevator-music offenders of the decade. Yet, their mellow hooks stood the test of time, proving that easy listening could generate massive, enduring success.

#9: The Osmonds

Hey, did you know that The Osmonds transitioned from squeaky-clean barbershop kids into a full-fledged hard rock family band? Yup! But not even the wildly electric “Crazy Horses” LP could save The Osmonds from earning scorn from tradition-minded fans. Their early, polished image and wholesome family values felt largely out of touch with the gritty, rebellious counterculture that defined the early seventies. The music press largely scoffed at what was honestly a pretty varied-sounding group, viewing them as a manufactured commercial machine designed solely to milk adolescent pocket money. Elsewhere, their omnipresence on television and radio made them an easy target for anyone craving authenticity over pristine pop production.

#8: Sha Na Na

Hailing from Columbia University, Sha Na Na carved out a massive niche by performing energetic 1950s rock-and-roll covers complete with grease, gold lamé, and choreographed antics. While their iconic appearance at Woodstock and subsequent hit television show brought nostalgic joy to millions, purists hated them with a passion. Critics viewed the group as a glorified novelty act that turned genuine rock history into a cartoonish caricature. By leaning heavily into theatrical shtick rather than crafting original material, they alienated audiences who wanted seventies music to move forward, not look backward. Love them or hate them, Sha Na Na proved that pure, unadulterated nostalgia could be an incredibly lucrative business model.

#7: Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Canadian rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive pounded out some of the most recognizable guitar riffs of the decade, including "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet." However, snobbish music journalists routinely slaughtered them for their basic chord progressions, unpretentious lyrics, and blue-collar stomping grounds. BTO was often dubbed the ultimate "bar band made good," which elitists used as a term of supreme derision. They were accused of recycling formulaic hard-rock tropes to cater to the lowest common denominator. Yet, while critics turned up their noses at the lack of artistic depth, working-class fans embraced their straightforward, meat-and-potatoes rock anthem format, filling stadiums everywhere the band played.

#6: Foghat

The British imports in Foghat mastered the art of boogie rock, turning standard blues riffs into arena-shaking jams like "Slow Ride" and "Fool for the City." Unfortunately, critics viewed their output as the epitome of mindless, repetitive arena-rock filler. To the high-brow press, Foghat represented everything wrong with the era's commercial rock machine: endless solos, simplistic lyrics, and songs that dragged on far longer than necessary. Their heavy reliance on slide guitar and relentless blues-rock formulas left detractors complaining that every track sounded virtually identical. Still, Foghat never pretended to be deep philosophers; they just wanted to turn up the volume, party, and keep the stadium crowds stomping their feet all night long.

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#5: Bread

Led by master songwriter David Gates, Bread dominated seventies radio with soft-rock ballads like "Make It with You" and "Baby I'm-a Want You." While hopeless romantics swooned, hard-rock enthusiasts and edgy critics treated Bread like a toxic substance. They were constantly mocked for their ultralight arrangements, syrupy sentiments, and soft-spoken delivery that lacked any aggressive edge. For rock listeners brought up on Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Bread represented the ultimate threat: corporate soft-rock designed to tame the wild spirit of the previous decade. Their songs were endlessly parodied, yet their undeniable melodic craftsmanship earned them top placement on the charts throughout the decade.

#4: Styx

This group boldly bridged the gap between pompous progressive rock and radio-friendly pop, creating massive hits like "Come Sail Away" and "Babe." However, Styx’s theatrical pomposity, grandiose concept albums, and dramatic stage antics made them a favorite punchline for rock critics. Highbrow magazines routinely blasted the band for being overly earnest, melodramatic, and pretentious. The stark tension between Dennis DeYoung’s theatrical pop preferences and Tommy Shaw’s hard-rock instincts gave detractors endless ammo to call the band unfocused and self-indulgent. Despite the critical backlash and constant ridicule from music snobs, Styx built an insanely loyal fanbase that filled sports arenas and bought millions of their albums nationwide.

#3: Eagles

Few bands define the seventies like the Eagles, but few generated as much sheer hatred from rival music scenes. Their seamless blend of country-rock, pristine vocal harmonies, and slick production yielded unstoppable hits, yet critics saw them as cold, calculating, and arrogant. As punk rock erupted in the late seventies, the Eagles became the ultimate symbol of corporate rock decadence—wealthy, polished musicians complaining about the perils of fame from luxury Beverly Hills mansions. The lingering resentment from music critics and counterculture purists was palpable, famously immortalized years later in The Big Lebowski. Yet, their massive record sales proved that millions were perfectly fine ignoring the critics.

#2: KISS

These Knights in Satan’s Service took their iconic face paint, leather outfits, and explosive pyrotechnics, and turned it all into a multi-million-dollar merchandising empire. Naturally, critics absolutely loathed them. Reviewers routinely slammed Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for prioritizing bombastic theatricality and comic-book marketing over musical talent. Their lyrics were frequently dismissed as childish, and their simple, driving riffs were branded as derivative. To the rock establishment, KISS was a cynical commercial gimmick designed to sell lunchboxes and action figures to teenagers. Yet, the KISS Army didn't care about critical acclaim; they wanted a show, and KISS delivered the loudest, most spectacle-driven performance in the entire world.

#1: Bay City Rollers

Hailed briefly as the "next Beatles," this boy band sparked absolute hysteria with tracks like "Saturday Night." However, outside their passionate fanbase of teenage girls, the backlash was swift and brutal. Serious music fans, punk rockers, and critics despised them for their manufactured image, ultra-simple lyrics, and aggressive marketing gimmicks. They were viewed as the ultimate symbol of bubblegum pop fluff—an artificially produced product with zero artistic substance. Their sudden explosion and messy collapse made them the decade's quintessential band that music snobs loved to hate.

Does it matter what the masses say? Shout out your defense for any of these groups out (loud) in the comments!