For those who don’t know ‘The Friday Rock Show’ was broadcast on BBC Radio One on Friday nights between 1978 and 1993 and hosted by gravel voiced posho Tommy Vance. It was the main outlet for rock and metal in the UK through the 80s. Each November from 1979 there was a birthday poll where listeners picked their favourite tracks. Vance broadcast the listeners top 10 until 1985 and was then paused until 1990 when he broadcast a top 20.
It was in the same time slot as John Peel’s show and was its uncooler, more aggressive little brother. Peel’s 1976 Festive 50 shares a lot of the tracks which appear in the first Friday Rock Show poll in 1979, but by then Peel had moved on to punk, new wave and reggae and rarely played metal and classic rock.
Poll Results
| Option | Votes |
| 30. Motörhead - Ace of Spades (1990) | 9 |
| 5. Rush - Xanadu (1979-82) | 4 |
| 19. Guns ‘n’ Roses - Sweet Child o’ Mine (1990) | 1 |
| 12. AC/DC - Whole Lotta Rosie (1982,83,85,90) | 1 |
| 25. Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills (1990) | 1 |
| 26. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (1990) | 1 |
| 28. AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (1990) | 1 |
| 7. Rainbow - Stargazer (1979-90) | 1 |
| 4. Derek & The Dominos - Layla (1979) | 1 |
| 3. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (1979-90) | 1 |
| 20. Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name (1990) | 0 |
| 21. Bon Jovi - Livin’ on a Prayer (1990) | 0 |
| 22. Iron Maiden - The Trooper (1990) | 0 |
| 23. Def Leppard - Animal (1990) | 0 |
| 24. Iron Maiden- The Number of the Beast (1990) | 0 |
| 29. Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive (1990) | 0 |
| 27. Iron Maiden - The Phantom of the Opera (1990) | 0 |
| 1. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (1979-90) | 0 |
| 18. Metallica - One (1990) | 0 |
| 2. Deep Purple - Child in Time (1979-85) | 0 |
| 6. Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water (1979-81,83,84,90) | 0 |
| 8. Genesis - Supper's Ready (1979-85) | 0 |
| 9. Yes - Starship Trooper (1979) | 0 |
| 10. Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1979-82) | 0 |
| 11. Rush - 2112 (1980-90) | 0 |
| 13. Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell (1983,84) | 0 |
| 14. Marillion - Grendel (1984,85) | 0 |
| 15. Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1985) | 0 |
| 16. Iron Maiden - Running Free (1985) | 0 |
| 17. Marillion - Forgotten Sons (1985) | 0 |
| 31. Skid Row - 18 and Life (1990 | 0 |
― Dan Worsley, Friday, 16 August 2024 13:28 (eleven months ago)