The 1970s marked a decade of accelerated improvements in stereo recording. The decade opened with big hits by The Carpenters that featured advanced layering of vocals. Two of the most celebrated recordings of the period were albums by Pink Floyd: Dark Side of The Moon and The Wall.
Storyteller songs sung by solo artists became common in the 1970s, keeping the spirit of folk music alive. Solo artists included John Denver, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell.
Soul music continued to gain popularity in the 1970s, as its cornerstone artists of the previous decade became even bigger. These artists included James Brown, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & The Pips and The Jackson Five. James Brown and Sly Stone created heavy sounds of funk.
Disco transformed the music industry in a way that elevated producers, overshadowing artists. The pinnacle of disco was the 1977 release of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, which popularized several tracks by The Bee Gees.
Rock music continued to get louder and meaner in the 1970s with the introduction of metal. Led Zeppelin became the best-selling rock artist of the decade and inspired a raw, blues-based electric sound that led to harder sounds by Black Sabbath. Southern rock was popularized by the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Midway through the 1970s, punk music began invading rock clubs. A growing, disenfranchised youth movement was rebelling against the music establishment, bringing notoriety to The Ramones and The Sex Pistols.