1001 Song You Must Hear Before You Die - 1979

"Oliver's Army" for me. Good contenders from the likes of Chic, Clash and Wire too.

Dead Kennedys, no contest.

this is harrrrrd

It is, but i have to go for Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

I have been thinking about this for at least a half hour and there are still five I can't decide between.

Make that six. :[

"Cars" just over Michael Jackson

Chrrrriiiiiiist, what a group of songs. Voted for Chic easily but might have given it to the Pretenders had Chic not been listed before them.

Would have taken "No. 1 Song In Heaven" over "Beat the Clock" tbh

"Are 'Friends' Electric?", no contest. Seeing that song on TOTP changed the way I thought about music.

Note the appearance of "Black Eyed Dog" which was first released in this year.

Btw, before the criticism: It is explained in the book that the "Outdoor Miner" in question is the single version and not the album version. Thus, 1979 is correct, not 1978.

Uh, the single was 1978 as well though

no it wasn't

conflicting dates here:

http://www.discogs.com/Wire-Outdoor-Miner/release/1605109

but it entered the chart in 1979:

http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=7918

so take your pick

Welcome back, glad everything's okay. One of the most interesting pop music years ever, a highway cloverleaf with six different routes crisscrossing and circling around each other. Back later!

So my contenders were

Clash
Joy Div
Sparks
Blondie
and
Dead K

But for its overall impact in shaping my musical tastes as a young teen, and because I still fucking love it, I have to vote Boys Don't Cry.

There were also like 4 very close runners up to the runners up. What a year!

ROCHES

Yeah, I heard Hammond Song for the first time ever a couple of months ago, and wow. Just wow.

I have never heard this song. Brb, going to investigate.

youtube live versions not really on a par with recorded version (on spotify) imo, unless you were there perhaps.

speaking of which, thought this would make a good playlist, so i made it into one: http://open.spotify.com/user/nickupt0eleven/playlist/00kQdB4oUtJsTAGQRRE9E3

DK - California

WHERE IS TEH KNACK????????

I voted for Oliver's Army. They're here to stay, you know.

Missing Squeeze, "Up The Junction".

I have always thought this was the best ever year for music, actually. This list doesn't change my mind.

Yes, where's "Persuasion" by Throbbing Gristle, forcryingoutloud

Would have gone for "Angeleyes" over "Voulez-Vous" which is one of Abba's most overrated songs imo.

It's "Chiquitita" for me

Missing Squeeze, "Up The Junction"

Oh this is one of my favorite songs ever.

Stopped reading when I saw Outdoor Miner. The clear choice.

No Rust Never Sleeps representative, no credibility.

x-post - It's such a great story-telling song. So sad ;_;.

wait a minute, where's "Another Brick in the Wall" ffs

and "I Don't Like Mondays"

only one of these songs features the words "egg timer", so that one.

I'm voting for "Good Times" (used well in my favourite film of 1979, North Dallas Forty), with "Transmission" (though I'd rather have "Disorder" on there), "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Rapper's Delight" close. Favourites that I think should be on the list: McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," Patrick Hernandez's "Born to Be Alive," Wire's "Map Reference 41°N 93°W" ("Outdoor Miner"'s nice, but I think "Map Reference" is their masterpiece that year), XTC's "Life Begins at the Hop." Favourites I wouldn't expect to be there: the Chefs' "Food," Devo's "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize," Essential Logic's "Wake Up," the Lurkers' "Out in the Dark," something from the Shoes' Present Tense, the Undertones' "Smarter than U." And yes, something from Rust Never Sleeps--"Pocahontas" or "Powderfinger" for me.

Missing Squeeze, "Up The Junction"

Oh this is one of my favorite songs ever.

It's certainly my favorite Squeeze song by quite a margin.

what the shit

Hey, "Pop Muzik" is missing.

wrong sparks and wire songs but still great, could go for either of the numans, also a great MJ song, but errggghhh my heart says DK

that is one of the few Cure songs that wouldn't be an instant pick for me

with that out of the way this is kind of impossible

Whoa, that Umberto Tozzi song is the same "Gloria" that Laura Branigan covered.

wrong sparks and wire songs

Agree in the case of Sparks ("Number One Song In Heaven" is better), but in the case of Wire, I consider this the best thing they ever did. "154" was a better album overall, but that one song is better than anything on "154".

Would it be wrong of me to vote for Sting?

I mean, I genuinely love that song, but I don't want to encourage him.

another good 'un, thinking The Jam or Chic but plenty to choose from

here I am ensuring the slits don't get left in the cold

I mean, I genuinely love that song, but I don't want to encourage him.

I fear it's a bit late for that.

Never understood why that's the go-to DKs song for so many lists--nothing against it, but I love so many others more, and even Jello admitted he wound up voting for Brown for president.

For me, London Calling > Brass in Pocket > Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough > Good Times, but it's so close I already regret voting that way.

Reading down the list I thought, great, great, love that song, great...then I got to Michael, and THE SHIT JUST GOT REAL.

But I'm voting for Chic because Michael will (or should) likely walk away with the 1982 poll.

i'm going to have to think about this one but my gut is saying "Brass In Pocket."

Jesus, no what to vote for. Brass in pocket is like the 12th best song here.

"No idea what to vote for" is what that should have read.

Not enough r&b/disco

Leaning heavily towards "Rapper's Delight" - a song that completely blew my mind when I first heard it (I was about 7 at the time).

I didn't think "Rappers Delight" was that good.

Thirty something years later, I'm sure I was right, there's been a ton of much better rap records.

Even at the time (or, at least, shortly afterwards), better did come.

I don't deny it's importance, but.

This list just makes me think of Smash Hits which I used to read avidly at the time. It was such a great magazine at this point – enthused, fannish, not uncritical but never snide.

Well, seeing as no-one else is, I'm voting "Gangsters"

Are 'Friends' Electric? is a clear winner for me.

I still enjoy listening to "Rapper's Delight". A+ Classic in my book.

I got a copy of "Grandmaster Flash and the wheels of steel" 12" for £2 last weekend.

good times, indeed.

Shit, voted 'Heaven' to show my sympathy for Talking Heads in their peek phase but regretting it now a bit as it is a rather bland song compared to the splendid alternatives, favourite literally changes by the minute.

Fwiw, my personal top5 of that year (my year of birth, incidentally, good choice that was) of stuff that isn't already mentioned in the list above would read like this:
Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods (which should definitely be in the list, imo)
Robert Fripp - Here Comes The Flood
Iggy Pop - The Endless Sea
David Bowie - Move On
Marianne Faithfull - Working Class Hero

Wait, Damaged Goods isn't from 1979. Anyway, it's not on the list, not even for 1978, so still a shame.

Brass In Pocket. Strongest year we've seen yet, though, I say.

Well, seeing as no-one else is, I'm voting "Gangsters"

― Mark G, Thursday, August 11, 2011 2:33 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

Fuck, didn't even see Gangsters!

If there is one song I seriously miss in this selection, then "Video Killed The Radio Star" is it.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

DK all the way.

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

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/facepalm.jpg

Sonofabitch! Why didn't I vote here? "Good Times" or "Don't Stop" shoulda won easy.

The hell? I love Wire, but jeez.

Wire? Really?

(checks..)

OK, vote splitting won the day. There were way too many fantastic things to choose from.

I mean, I like "Outdoor Miner" too, but I'd have placed it fifth, probably...

Wire got three songs in the top 100 of our 20th Century poll iirc. People here seem to have an inexplicable-to-me love for them.

I love them too, but other music is also available.

It was my #2 or #3, <= Jacko < Roches. Not a huge wire stan but it is a beautifully simple gem.

shit, Lost In Music would have been my vote.

Yay Wire!

voted DK, though again I would have rather "Holiday in Cambodia" blah blah etc