How about Humble Pie for one of the open slots? Has anyone selected them yet? Seems a good choice because 1) Steve Marriott was superb and 2) Frampton hatched from the Pie.

Top British.

Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
10cc
Wings
Slade

I could have included Led Zeppelin and Queen as both sold loads of records and are widely popular amongst the masses,but they just don't do anything for me.

Top American.

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Steely Dan
CSN & Y
Eagles

The Beach Boys as one of the five top bands of the 70's?

U.S. Bands:
Chicago
Lynrd Skynrd
Allman Brothers
Doobie Brothers
Three Dog Night

Brit Bands:
Wings
Bee Gees
E.L.O.
Fleetwood Mac
Rolling Stones

Absolutely! Sunflower, Surf's Up, Holland, Carl and the Passions, Love You, Pacific Ocean Blue, LA Light Album - pretty hard to beat.

UK:
Led Zepplin.
Pink Floyd.
Black Sabbath.
The Who.
The Clash.

US:
The Allman Bros. Band.
Aerosmith.
Kiss.
Lynard Skynard.
The Ramones.

I originally had Van Halen, but they strike me more as an Eighties band.

I thought the Bee Gees were Australian?

trying not to look at others picks

USA (gotta do 6, sorry)
Allman Brothers Band
Steely Dan
Ramones
Grateful Dead
Patti Smith
Springsteen & the E Street Band

U.K. (i'll do 6 here too)
The Who
Led Zeppelin
Yes
Pink Floyd
Elvis Costello
Sex Pistols

Patti Smith would have made my list as well but I just assumed solo artists weren't supposed to be in this.

I was fifteen when Endless Summer came out, and for some of us it was the first time we'd ever even heard of the Beach Boys. Some of my friends thought that they were a 50's group. I don't think that I heard them played anywhere other than an oldies station during the 70's, and didn't hear songs that were post Good Vibrations. I'm not saying that they didn't still have high critical and cult status, but they were way off of the pop radar from my perspective.

I know that the Bee Gees were from Australia, but after their first hit in Australia they were working out of Britain. I considered listing The Band as one of my American choices, even though they're all Canucks (save Levon).

But it was actually the "Patti Smith Group" in the 70's.

True. I guess I need 6 as well then.

Zappa/Mothers
Allman Bros Band
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Elephant's Memory
Tuff Darts


Kinks
Stones
Rockpile
Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Jethro Tull

Tempting to put 2/5 Fleetwood Mac atop the US list and 3/5 atop the UK or just put them at the top of both. In the best of the rest, this one is closest of the decades; it's a draw for me.

US
Heart
Raspberries
Steely Dan
Eagles
Blondie

UK
Queen
Badfinger
ELO
The Who
10cc

I over looked Little Feat - gotta bump the Tuff Darts

Nearly 40 posts, and not a single person put Supertramp on their UK list.

You're all banned.

I always figure CSN&Y includes all CSN projects, at least. If you stretch it a little and include ALL the solo and duo projects as well, their 70's output was pretty imposing. Is that cheating? I THINK NOT!

The Stones should probably be on my British 70's list, but they did put out some pretty uninspiring albums in that period. The good ones get them in, though.

UK:
Jethro Tull
Led Zeppelin
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Yes

Still thinking about the US.

I need to add Yes to my brit list. That's four:

Led Zeppelin
The Who
The Rolling Stones
Yes

Maybe Fairport Convention. I had them on my 60's list, too. Their best stuff was mostly around 1970.