1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die - 1970

A somewhat underwhelming list IMO compared to most of the 60s ones. Going for McCartney just over Bowie.

Far from underwhelming, I'd say, though not nearly as overwhelming as it could be (just whelming, I guess). Extremely close between "Up Around the Bend," "Band of Gold," "Fire and Rain," and "Ohio," with McCartney close behind. I'll vote for "Fire and Rain." With so many great songs on After the Gold Rush, "Oh Lonesome Me" strikes me as an absurd choice--it's a good song, it just doesn't make any sense. Obvious omission in terms of quality and how chart-dominant they were: the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" or "Close to You." So many favourites not listed: 5th Dimension's "One Less Bell to Answer," Alive & Kicking's "Tighter, Tighter," Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia," the Chairmen of the Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time," Charlie Rich's "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs," Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)," Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child," Jackson 5's "I'll Be There," Jefferson Airplane's "Mexico," Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley," something from Loaded. Oh, and an art-rock single I love: Jethro Tull's "The Witch's Promise."

in honor of the hongro, this is sabbath vs mr. godfather. went with "sex machine".

it's sex machine, guys

voted 'layla' just barely over 'sex machine', 'fire and rain', 'band of gold'. would love to hear isley bros cover every track up there.

well maybe not 'working class hero', think i've heard enough covers of that for one life.

Pretty random-ass George Harrison choice. That wouldn't even be in my top five from that album.

Went with "War," but maybe I shoulda gone with "Sex Machine."

voting "Band of Gold."

"Awaiting on You All" is the All Things Must Pass song that sounds the most like classic Spector.

War Pigs. I didn't see Sex Machine on the list, although that song has been semi-ruined for me by following so many record-stop moments in comedy trailers.

xp True, but classic Spector sounds like classic Spector. "What Is Life" and "Wah-Wah" sound like Spector trying to do something different with his classic formula.

Well, it's one of my favorites - one of Harrison's most forceful songs, I think.

Voted "Into the Mystic" just ahead of "Box of Rain".

Far from underwhelming, I'd say

When I despise the musical heritage of the American South (and I do), I find little joy in early 70s music. Particularly not when the authors of the book obviously dislike prog rock strongly, as prog rock was the only positive thing about this era.

Classic rock radio has killed too many of these. I'm going with Toots.

War Pigs, though I gave some thought to 54-46 and Young, Gifted and Black.

it's sex machine, guys

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:37 PM Bookmark

I feel like as a guy from Seattle, it might not be quite my place to say this, but Geir needs to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iw3b7_v3-U

southern man don't need him round anyhow

I find that there's far less on this list to get passionate about than the '69 list. Odd indeed.

My vote goes to "Band of Gold."

Oh Lonesome Me is the wrong song from After the Gold Rush

"Band of Gold" is another situation like "I Want You Back" was for me. Some of the Honey Cone tunes ("Girls It Ain't Easy," "Want Ads," "Stick Up") Holland/Dozier/Holland did around this time were so good (and Edna Wright was a really good singer).

bubblegum at its very best. why it got my vote.

poll badly needs:

Tell Me Why
Archangels Thunderbird
Loose
Two of Us
Immigrant Song
Ramble Tamble
Octopus
Funky Dollar Bill
Mother Sky (maybe)
Holy, Holy
Funk #49

^I beseech, gentle ilxors, do not die before hearing any of these songs

(that being said, I'm ecstatic about Black Night being included, even though it probably won't get any votes)

(Box of Rain is miles ahead of anything else in this poll except maybe Band of Gold and War Pigs)

Feels rong to not vote "Sex Machine," but the key change in this version of "Ain't No Mountain" is a force of nature.

I know I'm falling for the bait, but:

There's some (not much) art-rock I like too, but "prog rock was the only positive thing about this era" is another statement from the Bizarro World. It takes the one thing that many pop-music fans would say was the very worst development of the early-70s and flips it on its head.

And a big second to "Ramble Tamble," my favourite Creedence of all (though too long to be a hit).

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is one of the most under-appreciated rock albums. All those beer commercials, Babyface collaborations and of course the Bossa Nova MTV Unplugged Layla have made Clapton the equivalent of musical baby boomer wallpaper, but that record is a motherfucker. It will kill you.

That said, I'd rather see Little Wing or Keep on Growing represented.

And where the hell is Sweet Jane? Or anything from Loaded?

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Up Around The Bend
Derek & The Dominoes: Layla
Black Sabbath: War Pigs
The Last Poets: When The Revolution Comes
Freda Payne: Band Of Gold
Edwin Starr: War
Bob And Marcia: Young, Gifted & Black
The Temptations: Ball Of Confusion
James Brown: Get up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine
Toots & The Maytals: 54-46 Was My Number

iow geir can still get fucked after all these crazy years

This list is loaded with goodness. I'll second the love for Derek and the Dominoes among many others. Voted for Van.

But I don't get the sentiment for Band of Gold. I like it and all but can't see it over Ball of Confusion, Ain't No Mountain, War, or Sex Machine. Oh well.

Went with "Maybe I'm Amazed" since it's the best love song ever written imo. Diana Ross, Nick Drake and Black Sabbath all strong runners up.

Sex Machine beats out Layla, Toots, and the Dead. Love The One Your With on my all-time most reviled list, so congrats for making an impression.

Went for the one that:
1) was produced by John Peel
2) The singer got paid in car mats

The Dead over Brown, Toots and Clapton

like many people, i have loved american beauty ever since i first heard box of rain on the finale of freaks and geeks

Why "Working Class Hero" and not any of the other songs on that record? Weird. Anyway, "Band Of Gold" is a strong contender for me here, too, although I weirdly prefer the slightly snappier tempo of Belinda Carlisle's cover over Payne's original.

Voted "Band of Gold."

Went for Toots. This list is a bit rubbish. I love Plastic Ono Band, but Working Class Hero is so genuinely pretentious it eclipses even the most ridic stuff on there. Bryter Layter is also a fave album, but Northern Sky is only about the 4th or 5th best song on there.

I finally got around to listening to Elton john's publishing demos of Nick Drake songs.

"Pub Singer" doesn't cover it. (Oh, OK, it does..)

it's sex machine, guys

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:37 PM Bookmark

― 51 suggest gang (The Reverend), woensdag 15 juni 2011 4:52 (10 hours ago) Bookmark

"Working Class Hero" seems like a reasonable choice to me. I always thought it was the most famous song from POB--that or "God." It doesn't seem nearly as arbitrary a pick as "Oh Lonesome Me."

Maybe, but it irks me that John sang that, and yet he was far from working class. Plenty of iconic songs of POB: Mother, Love, God, Remember, Isolation...

Yeah, "God" is 1000x the song that WCH is.

voted "Band of Gold" -- it was the only thing on this list that was able to push out another song that's been stuck in my head for three days. (Fuck you David Crosby!)

Maybe, but it irks me that John sang that, and yet he was far from working class.

Yeah, but he wasn't saying he was working class. just a 'hero' to them. In an 'ironic' fashion.

This is a tough poll for me because there's a lot of songs I like but none I really love. Tempted to go with "Ball of Confusion", "War Pigs", or "The Man Who Sold the World", but some of these are gonna need re-listens.

54-46 with no hesitation, although not voting for war pigs bummed me out, and part of me wants the last poets to win so geirs head could finally explode

Idk, I'm not nearly as smitten w/ 54-46 as I was with Pressure Drop

Why "Working Class Hero" and not any of the other songs on that record? Weird

The picks from "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "All Things Must Pass" and "After The Goldrush" are all weirder.

The mention of Elton John upthread reminds me that "Your Songs" should definitely have been in this list.

"Your Song", I mean.

voted Awaiting On You All without even looking at the entire list, because that song is amazing and underrated

Agree with "Your Song"--I wouldn't argue that it's Elton's best, but it is one of the songs that feels like 1970 to me.

but then again, no

^^^ nice one

"Band of Gold" for me

I remembered about this related thread that never really came to be, and what do you know, it was Drugs A. Money's thread:

1970 Album Openers

love "band of gold", but am surprised by all the support itt. there are at least 10 songs in this list i'd pick first.

Hahaha yeah I still have to do that xp

Sugarloaf's Green-Eyed Lady needs to be here for nothing else the funny base line.

Box of Rain is a really good song.

another major omission from 1970 is The Delfonics "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time).

and "American Women"

and "Spirit In the Sky"

No Sugar Tonight over American Woman

Well, I would have loved to vote for "Forever" by Beach Boys or "Question" by Moody Blues. The latter seems to have been overlooked by the entire book, which is a shame (but, again, the authors obviously hate symponic rock).

"Question" is overlooked a lot.

Basically, cause people who like the rocky stuff would prefer "I'm just a singer in etc" and the symph dudes would go for "Isn't life strange" or KIWSI (what the Knights in white sat in)

Would have voted for "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" over "Band of Gold" had it been here.

Toots, Toots, Toots

"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" and "Never Marry a Railroad Man"

"Question" is overlooked a lot.

Basically, cause people who like the rocky stuff would prefer "I'm just a singer in etc" and the symph dudes would go for "Isn't life strange" or KIWSI (what the Knights in white sat in)

Personally I might also have gone for "Melancholy Man". "Question", along with "Nights In White Satin", is their biggest hit though.

In number, possibly. But which gets the most plays on oldies radio?

I mean, Lonnie Donegan never wished he'd bought "Question", I'd guess.

Had Spirit in the Sky featured I'd chosen that one without hesitation. As it is I'm going for Toots.

^ what she said, but i went for the machine that is made out of sex

it's sex machine, guys

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:37 PM Bookmark

― 51 suggest gang (The Reverend), woensdag 15 juni 2011 4:52 (10 hours ago) Bookmark

― ...wow! (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:47 (2 days ago) Bookmark

But which gets the most plays on oldies radio?

"Nights In White Satin", surely?

(or possibly "Go Now", but that was another band)

um yeah that was my point.. (as opposed to "Question" I mean)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Amongst the most obvious omissions here is of course also "I'll Be There".

This seems like a terrible book.

Sex Machine

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Not surprised the worst "song" won.

And a sincere "fuck you" to you too.