Anyway Bye Bye by Poco (1970)

Poco was an interesting band in that they were one of the first bands in the late 60's, along with the Flying Burrito Brothers, to start popularizing "country rock". They were also interesting because of band members that were known entities when the band was formed(Richie Furay and Jim Messina of Buffalo Springfield) and band members who would go on to have greater fame later in their careers(Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles). Of course, Jim Messina would also go on to have more commercial success performing with Kenny Loggins through the 70's.

Country Rock is very much an acquired taste, as far as I am concerned. There is much that I like and much that I don't. This track is of the bluesier variety and comes off Poco's second album, Poco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQDr368BU1o

Ace, King, Queen, Jack by Herman's Hermits (1967)

This is a great example of a British invasion band settling into their own unique sound after the initial wave of the Invasion had passed. I have the Blaze album on vinyl and it is a great time stamp of the 60's that is relatively unremembered today.

Soon, friction would escalate and the Hermits would see personnel changes that would become common through their later existence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7_GymlXNug

Harmonic Generator by The Datsuns (2002)

How about a New Zealand band playing some good ole throwback rock n' roll in the relatively recent past? This track is from the Datsuns first album. More info on the band, which is still active, can be found here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKWDZl1v4L0

Rock n' Roll Victim by Death (1975)

I first heard of Death a couple of years ago. They have been described as "proto-punk". I don't know. I supposed that I can hear a bit of the punk sound. To me, though, it just sounds like high energy rock n' roll. Maybe they are too tight as a band to be lumped in with punk.

In any case, this band has a really interesting story. They were comprised of three brothers from Detroit(Bobby, Dannis, and David Hackney) who formed this garage band in the mid 70's. They made a bunch of demos, but never got their material released while the band was active. They broke up the band in 1977. The brothers eventually moved to Vermont. David died of lung cancer in 2002. Dannis and Bobby went on to form a reggae band.

Here is a blistering track from those early demos. A documentary about this band was released in 2012. More information can be found here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGxHvyQgzoA

Suicide by Dust (1972)

New York's Dust was largely ignored during their existence in the late 60's/early 70's. Decades later, their self-titled debut effort and their sophomore release, Hard Attack, are heralded as early pioneers of heavy metal. I don't know. The themes are similar to a lot of heavy metal ones(death, pain), but the actual sound is a lot more like hard rock in the style of early Black Sabbath.

Aside from the music, the band is often known by what the members did after the dissolution of the band. Richie Wise, the lead singer and guitarist, went on to produce Kiss albums. Kenny Aaronson, the bass player, became a touring musician working with Billy Idol, Billy Squier, Foghat, Brian Setzer, Dave Edmonds, and many others. Most famously, drummer Marc Bell went to on join the Ramones in 1978. By then, of course, he was christened Marky Ramone. There is more information here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GebuVZ7_f7M

Tombstone Shadow by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

Creedence Clearwater Revival was a production machine from 1968-1972. The number of hits they produced, while still making straight-ahead rock n' roll. In 1969 alone, they released three albums. The second one, Green River, is my favorite. Here is a relatively unheralded track from that collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d14ZYVvTRs

I'm On Fire by the Dwight Twilley Band (1975)

Oklahoma's Dwight Twilley Band were one of those bands to achieve some success right out of the gate. Their first single, "I'm of Fire", made it all the way to #16 in the Billboard charts. When I first heard this song, I could have sworn it was from the 80's. It seems to have that guitar driven pop rock that would develop in the 80's as an alternative to pure pop and the hair bands. Perhaps the band was ahead of his time. Unfortunately, the band's initial success would never be matched. The band would eventually dissolve by 1978.

Dwight would go on to befriend Tom Petty and provide backing vocals on some of his songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS_cgag9eQg