Let Me Take You Down 'Cause We're Going to 1978

[Frayed Knot]

I thought I'd revive some of our music threads from the old place -- these were fun.

For those who weren't around back then: someone found one of those ubiquitous 'Top 100' lists that were popular right after the turn of the century. This one was something like 'Best 100 Songs of the Last 25 Years', and while it wasn't a bad list, it was kinda boring; y'know, one from coumn A, one from column B, only the big hits thing, etc. So it didn't take long until someone said; 'hah, WE could make a better list than that' ... which led to a challenge to do exactly that. So everyone grabbed a year or two (1978-2002) and named their top 30 (or so) songs from that year to be subject to scrutiny, ridicule or maybe even praise.

Cal/Sharpie kicked it off with 1978



CAL KOONCE

Here, finally, the Top 30 for the first year of the last 25.

That year found me in college madly listening to a lot of this stuff and shunning other songs that appear here. Disco reaches its apotheosis with the release of "Saturday Night Fever" and the 355 hit singles that were spawned offa it.
The Sex Pistols broke up (I saw their last show in SF) but protopunk songs started hitting the mainstream airways.

The list is mostly comprised of familiar songs but I had to stick on some that were important to me then or are important to me now even if they didn't resonate for most people at the time. I also used the one-song-per-artist rule.

Songs listed alphabetically.


Badlands - Bruce Springsteen
"Promised Land" was the single but this is the one that really gets me going. Especially the opening -- the drum fill followed by the keyboards and guitar and finally that slidy bass thingee right before the vocal. One of his best songs.
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
It's all about the saxaphone solo.
Because the Night - Patti Smith Group
A Bruce song which Patti improved by adding the "Touch me now" bit. Her only hit single.
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits
From the "Blue Valentine" album where Tom begins to move away from the piano crooner stuff of his first 2 albums. The best was yet to come but this song is good.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Retro-rockabilly. Totally fake but I love it.
Cruel to Be Kind - Nick Lowe
LF listed this as a '79 release and maybe the single got released then but the album was this year. Never got why he didn't make it bigger.
Hey Hey My My (Into the Black) - Neil Young
From "Rust Never Sleeps." Neil mentioning Johnny Rotten in a song at that time seemed somehow important then. Can't remember why now.
I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones
One of those songs that have gotten more popular years later than they were at the time. At this point their most well-known song.
Just What I Needed - The Cars
The Cars were the first of the new wave acts that broke on the radio. Ultimately they weren't as big or as good as people thought they'd be but this song rocks.
Kaya Bob - Marley
Bob during his spiritual phase which lasted the rest of his life.
King Tut - Steve Martin
A novelty song which I hadn't heard for many years til about 2 years ago. It still works for me and his Saturday Night Live performance of it was hysterical.
King’s Lead Hat - Eno
From "Before and After Science." I love those Eno pop records of the time. That same year he did "Music for Airports" and it was downhill for him for me as a performer. This might be my favorite song of his.
Miss You - Rolling Stones
Coulda picked "Shattered" or "Beast of Burden" and I would've felt just as good about myself. "Some Girls" the last worthwhile album from these guys and a surprise at the time as the few albums before that (It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, Goat's Head Soup, Black and Blue) indicated a band in decline.
Mongoloid - Devo
A friend of mine got me the singles from when they were an indie band in Ohio and I was a little disappointed in the Eno-produced "Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!" album but this song always does it for me.
On Broadway - George Benson
Used as the opening for "All That Jazz" a couple of years later. An odd radio hit for a jazz guitar guy.
One Way or Another - Blondie
"Parallel Lines" was a huge hit and contained a number of good songs. Always liked Debbie Harry's "I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha" phrasing.
Pump It Up - Elvis Costello
A great song from a great album by a great artist. Have listened to it innumerable times over these 25 years and still don't know most of the words.
Roxanne - Police
LF had this one as '79 also but again might've been an album/single thing.
Safe European Home The Clash
One of the best opening tracks of any album ever. The littlest Koonce is playing the Clash a lot these days and daddy couldn't be prouder.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - Ian Dury & the Blockheads
The song that inspired the catchphrase.
Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb
Haven't put on many disco songs (being from the "disco sucks" school of the time) but I've always liked this one.
Short People - Randy Newman
Another novelty song. Not his best (his decline just started) but still fun.
Sign of the Times - Bryan Ferry
From the transitionary period where Bryan Ferry moved to California. One of the last of the songs that sounded like the original Roxy Music before the squishy "Avalon" era began.
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
I promised Wide that I would put a Bee Gees song on this list but of all the "Saturday Night Fever" songs this one will live as long as people have oldies radio.
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
We all thought "who are these Dylan poseurs" but we all liked it anyway.
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel - Talking Heads
The hit from "More Songs About Buildings and Food" was "Take Me to the River" and "The Big Country" has always had a special place in my heart but this one about a guy teaching a baby how to walk is the one that has run through my head the most so it gets the nod.
Tropical Hot Dog Night - Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band
From "Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)" the only Beefheart album that I still put on every now and then. This song made it onto a tape that was played at my wedding. It cleared the dance floor.
Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton
Great lyrics and an odd crossover hit.
Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
His first hit. Still probably his best known.
Who Are You - The Who
Their last gasp. The album was weak and they'd done far better songs but even second rate Who is better than most.





SALAMANDER Q

Alice doesn't live here anymore, Cal.

You've included songs from the last year I was an active music consumer. Thank you very much. I still listen to "Some Girls," "King Tut," "Werewolves of London"---they're my latest music purchases, in fact.

For the last twenty-four years, there seems to be a lot of music I've never heard of. A lot of catching up to do. Widey turned me on to the Smithereens, which surprised me in its retro-sixties qualities. I suspect that I got to thinking sometime around 1979 that the stuff the kids were listening to was anti-melodic, anti-harmonic, deliberately and in-your-face unmusical, so I felt better about giving it up while I hit the books for a few years. But I see I've missed quite a lot.

Unless you're all crazy, of course.




THE BIG TRAIN

Is this top to bottom or bottom to top?

"My Best Friend’s Girl Rick Springfield"
Isn't this a Cars song?

You and LF have some fighting to do over some songs. "Miss You" is great. I love Jagger singing falsetto. I love Prince's and Bono's falsettos also. Why?



CAL KOONCE

List is alphabetical. You're right about the Cars doing "Best Friends Girl" -- which violates the no two by same band. I'll fix.




LF

These overlap things are going to happen.
Music, unlike baseball, doesn't have an off-season.



METHEAD

Wow, Tropical Hot Dog Night. Seems like it gets better with repeated listens... Beefheart is like Tom Waits on acid.




WIDE BEE GEE

I demand order from this fine list. Make the hard calls... NOW!!!!




CAL KOONCE

OK, OK, here's an order (from top to bottom):

Pump It Up
Badlands
Because the Night
Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)
Miss You
Safe European Home
Mongoloid
King’s Lead Hat
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel
Roxanne
I Wanna Be Sedated
Stayin’ Alive
Sultans of Swing
Cruel to Be Kind
One Way or Another
Tropical Hot Dog Night
Who Are You
Just What I Needed
Shake Your Groove Thing
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Werewolves of London
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Sign of the Times
Two Doors Down
Baker Street
Kaya
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
King Tut
On Broadway
Short People



THE BIG TRAIN

Know what would have been cool? If number 30 on his list was "My, My, Hey, Hey" and number one was "Hey, Hey, My, My."

Too late for that thrill, though.




OHSHEACANKC

>>>Safe European Home The Clash
One of the best opening tracks of any album ever.<<<

Cal / KC similarity scores sky-rocket in early morning trading.




CAL KOONCE

"Clash City Rockers" and "London Calling" were also great opening tracks. Those guys knew how to start it off.





FK: I'll revive more of these as I get around to it.
If someone wants to create a specific place for them since they're not technically 'MOFO' archives then be my guest ... although it's not like we're going to have a lot of other stuff to put here.