1001 Song You Must Hear Before You Die - 1976

Went for Tom Petty, but actually very close to voting for a disco number. "Young Hearts Run Free" is an amazing vocal performance and one of my all-time favourite disco numbers.

Had no problem voting disco here. "Love Hangover."

(As though I'd have a problem voting disco in any year.)

can't believe I'm not voting Roadrunner, but Underground is killer

Really can't decide this straight off. Got it down to the BÖC, Stevie, Rod, ABBA, Dillinger, Murvin or Candi Statton. Maybe the Saints too. Dead tempted to vote Dillinger but this is too hard to choose straight off.

My BÖC story (which I may have posted before, so apologies for the repetition): guy came into the place I was working a few years ago, noticed my Clash t-shirt and said, "Hey, you know that record Give 'Em Enough Rope? My partner produced that." I said, "You mean Sandy Pearlman?" He said, "Yeah, we used to work together...we did a lot of the BÖC stuff together." Seeing an opportunity, I said, "So...you worked on 'Don't Fear The Reaper'..." He sighed, looked at the ground and said, "Yeah...yeah. I think I'm the only person on earth who doesn't think that sketch is funny."

Police and Thieves

Boston: More Than a Feeling
The Modern Lovers: Roadrunner
Sex Pistols: Anarchy In The UK
Blue Öyster Cult: (Don't Fear) The Reaper

Voted More Than a Feeling

Me too.

between the eagles and diana ross for me.

I hate Hotel California so much. I think it's probably an irrational hatred but just hearing a couple notes makes me so mad.

ABBA

Modern Lovers.

junior murvin and max romeo songs are all-time classics, but it takes quite a bit more than mere all-time classic status to equal love hangover.

i kind of feel like "More Than A Feeling" defined its era and many eras thereafter.

i kind of feel like "More Than a Feeling" is one of the greatest rock songs ever and needs to win this poll.

Best one of the seventies by miles. Very difficult, but my gut says max Romeo

Funny how they wheel out all the reggae in one go.

Roadrunner

ENBB OTM.

I was poring over "Don't Fear the Reaper" versus "Roadrunner" versus "Dancing Queen" versus "Blitzkrieg Bop" and then I realized "Chase the Devil" was on this list and I think I'm gonna go with that. so Max Romeo: Chase The Devil for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g-jzmgG84E

Saints for me.

"Roadrunner" over "Anarchy," "New Rose," and BOC. Boston and Diana Ross somewhat close. If it were the earlier version of "Roadrunner," it wouldn't be my choice.

Just for Iago Galdston, my list of MIAs: BCR's "Don't Fear the Rock and Roll Love Letter," Buzzcocks' "Breakdown," Flamin' Groovies "Shake Some Action," Michael Hurley's "Slurf Song," Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "You Know Like I Know," some other song from the first Ramones LP, Rose Royce's "I Wanna Get Next to You," the Stills-Young Band's "Ocean Girl," and War's "Summer." Punk-disco-Ronco free-for-all pending.

Lucifer son of the morning, I'm gonna chase you out of eart.

year i ws born. voted for '...reaper' and i love 'love hangover'.

Going with Abba slightly over Boston. As someone posted earlier, the stature of these 2 grew as the decades passed. Still an exceptional year. BOC, Diana, Pistols, Ramones, Eagles, Modern Lovers, Petty, Junior Murvin, Stevie and, of course, Candi Staton.

voted ramones

Roadrunner roadrunner. Makes it easy for me.

Funny how they wheel out all the reggae in one go.

"Legalize It" was in the 1975 one.

and "Marcus Garvey"

i'm voting for Dillinger, feels more prescient and more lastingly influential than the other Reggae tracks on here plus it nags longest in my head and is the one more than any of these i wanna listen to on a loop atm. probly Rod second and BÖC third

What Sketch? (re: DFTR)

"Funny how they wheel out all the reggae in one go."
I guess Bob Marley 'Broke through 75/76, flooding different markets with tunes from other reggae artists. Despite the fact that Jamaica had been producing some amazing records for quite some time, about this moment was when the world started to take notice.

Five or so punk tracks. I guess this was arguably the year that 'Punk' took off too.

Tough one

i kind of feel like "More Than a Feeling" is one of the greatest rock songs ever and needs to win this poll.

― my ponies hate you (ENBB), Sunday, 10 July 2011 22:45 (Yesterday) Permalink

Best one of the seventies by miles.

― Post-Manpat Music (dog latin)

OTM. I'm a non-fan of Boston and the whole genre they represent but MTAF is undeniable. can't even explain what it was like to be a teenager behind the wheel of a car hearing this on the radio for the first time. but...how can I not vote for Reaper or Sir Duke. 1976 might be the best year for reggae, too...

will get back to you

can't even explain what it was like to be a teenager behind the wheel of a car hearing this on the radio for the first time

Oh man, I bet!

Fuck it, voted for New Rose.

ditto

If it's 1976 it has to be reggae for me - Junior Murvin just ahead of Max Romeo (though Romeo's is by far the better album)

there's a thread about that where i probably said "that's crazy talk". it's crazy talk.

Nah, Romeo's has four classic tracks in a row. Murvin's has one.

that's something crazier than crazy talk

Had to vote for Boston. ENBB OTM.

I LAY MY HEAD ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS
AND WAIT FOR THE DOUBLE E

had to vote for eagles. ENBB NOTM

Awful.

Too much listening to showbands imo

i yam what i yam

What Sketch? (re: DFTR)

― Mark G, Monday, July 11, 2011 5:09 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

The SNL "more cowbell" sketch. Funny thing was, I didn't mention or even reference the sketch, and yet he knew exactly what I was getting at.

ok, don't know the sketch.

I always thought, when people mentioned it, it was a "House of Jealous Lovers" reference.

SNL unseen in UK

Pretty much.

It ran for a short while, I remember Nicolas Cage hosting one. Also, Michael Palin with a "trick" which was basically inserting cats down the front of his trousers.

If that helps...

When was that? Don't remember it ever being shown over here.

God, I dunno. Early eighties maybe.

I've never seen the whole sketch either, but here's some of it (no embedding, so double-click):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mie9hhQTUM

I looked up the Palin episode, it dates from 1977, but I'm positive it wasn't then.

Which means, they ran a few 'best' episodes.

Hmm, good list. I think I'd have to go with "American Girl" slightly ahead of "Anarchy in the UK".

i love a lot of these songs actually

so many of my favorite songs in this list, but it can only be don't fear the reaper. been looking forward to 1976 just so i can vote for it.

heard it for the first time (that i remember) in 1979, on the way to see disney's the black hole. i was lying in the back of my parents station wagon, on this gross blue carpet, looking up at the sky through the side window. i felt very alone and in between things, older than my brother and sister, but in no way an adult (i was 12). the song seemed to come from some distant universe. it amazed me that such things could be said, could be played on the radio. it was about dying, clearly, but also about love and sex and change, about becoming something other. it seemed to promise a life and world i couldn't yet see or understand, but intuited all around me. for as long as the song lasted, and i wanted it to last forever, there was no other reality. still moves me, but with only a shadow of that power.

also:

Boston: More Than a Feeling
Junior Murvin: Police and Thieves
The Saints: (I'm) Stranded (love this, but would take "erotic neurotic" first)
Eagles: Hotel California
The Modern Lovers: Roadrunner
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: American Girl
Kiss: Detroit Rock City
The Damned: New Rose

i heard of BOC when my folks went and saw them in Kalamazoo when I was like 10 or 11 I think...I read the music program afterwards and read about DFTR being in the movie Halloween; when I finally heard it, I was amazed at how chill it was

fuck. i was all proud of the "little GTFO" thing

no worries dude

I guess Bob Marley 'Broke through 75/76, flooding different markets with tunes from other reggae artists. Despite the fact that Jamaica had been producing some amazing records for quite some time, about this moment was when the world started to take notice.

Strangely no Marley yet, but he will come. After all, he had his most commercially successfully period from 1977 through 1980. His fans are a bit more divided regarding whether it was also his artistically best period though, even though the "Exodus" album seems to be the Marley album doing the best in multi-genre based (i.e. rock-centric, som may add) polls of best albums of all time.

Ah, I liked the reggae up to this point best. (Does that make me Paul Nicholas?)

When Marley hit, it was all about massive bands, backing singers, etc. Undeniably an important artist, underrated in many ways. Still, never really liked him loads...

It's not the best song here by any means, but I'm voting Ramones, for punk rock's sake *clears throat + stifles tear*

contenderizer, wonderful post about DTFR. And if I hadn't already voted for "More Than A Feeling," I woulda voted for BOC.

Is "Don't Fear the Reaper" in Halloween? I generally have a great memory for pop music in movies, but I'd forgotten all about that--which scene?

so nobody's voting for Anarchy in the UK?

Pistols' worst single, amongst other things

xp to clemenza: I dont remember, it's been a long time since I read that program

This is like some high water year for AOR rock--which was far more developed than punk at this point. "Don't Fear the Reaper" is almost supernaturally awesome, and throw in the Boston, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSaHU278Nxk

I was thinking that I was kind of odd that reggae and AOR peaked p much at the same exact time

There's no way that I'd vote for Sex Pistols (most overrated act ever), but "Anarchy In The UK" is the closest they got to a proper song and by far their best moment.

Pretty Vacant is a Pistols single I play the most.

I think this is one of the strongest polls yet. Although I love most of the songs here, "Roadrunner" edged out "Dancing Queen". Sorry ABBA!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Pistols' worst single, amongst other things

There's no way that I'd vote for Sex Pistols (most overrated act ever), but "Anarchy In The UK" is the closest they got to a proper song

Not sure which of these statements I disagree with more strongly.

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

SHIT YEAH! i dared not hope. and it's not even my birthday. ty, ILX.

only one to rep for Super Ape :(

xp when is yr birthday contenderizer?

super april the 5th

Dave Marsh compared DFTR to the Byrds (favorably); at first I thought, "Huh?!" then I thought, "Oh, of course."

You can hear their Byrds influence even stronger on "Gil Blanco County" from the Stalk-Forrest Group album

Greil Marcus just died several thousand deaths.

98 votes, this was a strong list.

It's a very strong list. Rod, with one of his best singles, gets zero but then this is 1976.