Hilariously overthought and over the top "OOOOHH LOOK AT ME" to where it omits too many actual classics in favor of "cool" picks. Such a stupid list.

http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9935-the-200-best-songs-of-the-1970s/

200 Marianne Faithfull: “Broken English”
199 Patrice Rushen: “Haven’t You Heard”
198 Waylon Jennings: “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?”
197 Art Ensemble of Chicago: “Théme de Yoyo”
196 Jorge Ben: “Taj Mahal”
195 Lee Perry & the Full Experiences: “Disco Devil”
194 Manu Dibango: Soul Makossa
193 James Chance & the Contortions: “Contort Yourself”
192 Brian Eno: “Baby's on Fire”
191 Tom Zé: “Doi”
190 Betty Davis: “He Was a Big Freak”
189 Idris Muhammad: “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This”
188 Junior Murvin: “Police & Thieves”
187 Cerrone: “Supernature”
186 The Whispers: “And the Beat Goes On”
185 Thelma Houston: “Don’t Leave Me This Way”
184 The Spinners: “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”
183 Todd Rundgren: “International Feel”
182 Delta 5: “Mind Your Own Business”
181 Van Morrison: “Caravan”
180 The Damned: “Neat Neat Neat”
179 The Germs: “Lexicon Devil”
178 Siouxsie and the Banshees: “Hong Kong Garden”
177 Faust: “It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl”
176 Loretta Lynn: “The Pill”
175 Giorgio Morodor: “Chase”
174 Dillinger: “Cokane in My Brain”
173 Eddie Kendricks: “Girl, You Need a Change of Mind”
172 The Equals: “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys”
171 The Walker Brothers: “The Electrician”
170 The Roches: “Hammond Song”
169 Plastic Bertrand: “Ça Plane Pour Moi”
168 Sun Ra: “Door of the Cosmos”
167 Milton Nascimento: “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser”
166 Karen Dalton: “Something on Your Mind”
165 Donnie & Joe Emerson: “Baby”
164 Don Cherry: “Brown Rice”
163 Bruce Springsteen: “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
162 Black Flag: “Nervous Breakdown”
161 The Nerves: “Hanging on the Telephone”
160 The Chi-Lites: “Have You Seen Her”
159 Rose Royce: “I’m Going Down”
158 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: “American Girl”
157 Bobby Caldwell: “What You Won’t Do for Love”
156 William DeVaughn: “Be Thankful for What You Got”
155 Chic: “I Want Your Love”
154 T. Rex: “Metal Guru”
153 Faces: “Ooh La La”
152 Harry Nilsson: “Without You”
151 Townes Van Zandt: “Pancho & Lefty”
150 Grateful Dead: “Friend of the Devil”
149 Shuggie Otis: “Information Inspiration”
148 Wire: “Outdoor Miner”
147 Nina Simone: “Baltimore”
146 Donny Hathaway: “A Song for You”
145 Ramones: “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker”
144 Elvis Costello & the Attractions: “Radio Radio”
143 XTC: “Making Plans for Nigel”
142 Cheap Trick: “Surrender”
141 The Undertones: “Teenage Kicks”
140 The Raincoats: “In Love”
139 Throbbing Gristle: “Hot on the Heels of Love”
138 Bauhaus: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
137 Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: “The Bottle”
136 Isaac Hayes: “The Look of Love”
135 Marvin Gaye: “I Want You”
134 Brothers Johnson: “Strawberry Letter 23”
133 The Abyssinians: “Satta Massagana”
132 The Five Stairsteps: “O-o-h Child”
131 The Rolling Stones: “Miss You”
130 Electric Light Orchestra: “Mr. Blue Sky”
129 Toots & the Maytals: “Funky Kingston”
128 Herbie Hancock: “Chameleon”
127 Diana Ross: “Love Hangover”
126 Roxy Music: “Love Is the Drug”
125 Kool & the Gang: “Summer Madness”
124 John Lennon: “Jealous Guy”
123 Roberta Flack: “Killing Me Softly With His Song”
122 The Beach Boys: “Surf’s Up”
121 Neu!: “Hallogallo”
120 Serge Gainsbourg: “Melody”
119 Blue Öyster Cult: “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
118 Sex Pistols: “Anarchy in the UK”
117 Thin Lizzy: “The Boys Are Back in Town”
116 Richard Hell & the Voidoids: “Blank Generation”
115 James Brown: “The Payback”
114 Steely Dan: “Deacon Blues”
113 Gang of Four: “Damaged Goods”
112 Sparks: “This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us”
111 Judee Sill: “The Kiss”
110 Daryl Hall & John Oates: “She’s Gone”
109 Elvis Costello: “Alison”
108 Earth, Wind & Fire: “September”
107 Minnie Riperton: “Les Fleurs”
106 Joni Mitchell: “Free Man in Paris”
105 The Doobie Brothers: “What a Fool Believes”
104 The Clash: “Train in Vain”
103 Led Zeppelin: “Immigrant Song”
102 Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
101 Neil Young: “After the Gold Rush”

100. Brian Eno, “1/1”
99. Miles Davis, “Right Off”
98. Jimi Hendrix, “Machine Gun”
97. Bob Marley & the Wailers, “Concrete Jungle”
96. Can, “Future Days”
95. Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”
94. Kraftwerk, “Autobahn”
93. Patti Smith, “Land”
92. Suicide, “Ghost Rider”
91. Joy Division, “Disorder”
90. The Congos, “Fisherman”
89. Blondie, “Dreaming”
88. The Cars, “Just What I Needed”
87. Steely Dan, “Peg”
86. Stevie Wonder, “As”
85. The Isley Brothers, “That Lady”
84. The O’Jays, “For the Love of Money”
83. The Kinks, “Lola”
82. George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
81. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster”
80. ABBA, “Dancing Queen”
79. Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime”
78. The Who, “Baba O’Riley”
77. The Velvet Underground, “Rock & Roll”
76. Brian Eno, “St. Elmo’s Fire”
75. Leonard Cohen, “Famous Blue Raincoat”
74. Jimmy Cliff, “The Harder They Come”
73. Caetano Veloso, “You Don’t Know Me”
72. Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”
71. 10cc, “I’m Not in Love”
70. The Slits, “Typical Girls”
69. Ann Peebles, “I Can’t Stand the Rain”
68. Bobby Womack, “Across 110th Street”
67. Big Star, “September Gurls”
66. Lou Reed, “Perfect Day”
65. The Rolling Stones, “Wild Horses”
64. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”
63. Funkadelic, “Maggot Brain”
62. The Modern Lovers, “Roadrunner”
61. The Beatles, “Let It Be”
60. Alice Coltrane, “Journey in Satchidananda”
59. Stevie Wonder, “Superstition”
58. Parliament, “Flash Light”
57. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”
56. Bob Marley & the Wailers, “Waiting in Vain”
55. Sly & the Family Stone, “Family Affair”
54. Can, “Vitamin C”
53. Fela Kuti & Africa 70, “Zombie”
52. Fleetwood Mac, “The Chain”
51. Black Sabbath, “War Pigs”
50. Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight”
49. Dinosaur, “Kiss Me Again”
48. The Clash, “London Calling”
47. The Cure, “Boys Don’t Cry”
46. Nick Drake, “Pink Moon”
45. James Brown, “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine”
44. David Bowie, “Young Americans”
43. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
42. Althea & Donna, “Uptown Top Ranking”
41. Chic, “Good Times”
40. Gil Scott Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
39. Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”
38. Neil Young, “On the Beach”
37. Suicide, “Dream Baby Dream”
36. Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side”
35. Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)”
34. X-Ray Spex, “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”
33. Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop”
32. Funkadelic, “Can You Get to That”
31. Michael Jackson, “Rock With You”
30. Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
29. Marvin Gaye, “Got to Give It Up”
28. Al Green, “Love and Happiness”
27. The Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane”
26. The Stooges, “Search and Destroy”
25. Curtis Mayfield, “Move on Up”
24. Led Zeppelin, “When the Levee Breaks”
23. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
22. Big Star, “Thirteen”
21. David Bowie, “Changes”
20. Patti Smith, “Gloria”
19. Kraftwerk, “Trans Europe Express”
18. Blondie, “Heart of Glass”
17. Iggy Pop, “Lust for Life”
16. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run”
15. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
14. Stevie Wonder, “Living for the City”
13. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”
12. Joni Mitchell, “A Case Of You”
11. Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine“
10. Joy Division, “Transmission“
9. Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams”
8. Television, “Marquee Moon”
7. Prince, “I Wanna Be Your Lover“
6. David Bowie, ““Heroes””
5. Kate Bush, “Wuthering Heights”
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love”
3. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
2. Michael Jackson, “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”
1. David Bowie, “Life on Mars?”


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

They're entitled their own bad taste, but their pretension is one of the reason I never read their content. It's like their site is made up of reviewers who don't know anything about enjoying music.

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow

i enjoyed the write-ups too.

i'll def shuffle this later on spotify

https://open.spotify.com/user/pitchforkmedia/playlist/5EFFN9rgKo7iy5nS4OBLXg

___

it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - sherlock holmes

jesus christ--"20th Century Boy"!! cmon, kids..

(one can argue for "Get It On" too of course, but i get thats not the pfork ethos)

fuck you.

pretty sure that song holds the world record for song most likely playing in background when car got clocked speeding by a state trooper.

for me it has that rare combo of (i see you, bigfunk) of "gutter as fuck", but fundamentally it's almost like an early krautrock-y stereolab track the way the whole band is locked in that chunky pocket. only other song i can think of that does that for me is "down on the corner" by stooges. it's the greatest rock 'n roll song the rolling stones never wrote.

talk about making one SPEED. god damn.

my right foot is planted on the floor just hearing it at my desk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bv_ALKkTjQ

but i hear you about '20th Century Boy' being deep in that fucking pocket. i don't often hear white/British acts getting down like that. CHONKY is a great way to describe it.

fuck you.

Automatic Pfork bashers are as annoying as Pfork can be - seems as poseurish as Pfork can.

The premise of the list is silly from the start, but not unique to them in the history of music mags.

But if you start by taking it with a grain of salt and ignore some of the stranger omissions - bc listing 200 "best" songs of anything, let alone a decade, is a ridiculous project that guarantees oversight - that's actually a pretty solid playlist.

But you know, if you actually want to have a conversation about music rather than simply post something to dismiss it without any commentary, I'd be interested to hear about the stuff you actually think is missing. You know, the music.

But apparently we don't do that anymore on OKP, which is a shame.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

No Carole King. No Smokey Robinson. No Aretha Franklin.

Only one song a piece for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead.

And it's not like these are just niche artists. These are PILLARS of 70's pop music.

The rankings. I guess all you have to do is die recently to get really high on the list. Bowie at #1? Prince in the top ten? That just smacks of in poor taste patronizing to me. Those are without a doubt great songs, but come on. They just got way too carried away.

And that's just for starters.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

>No Carole King.

that's them trying too hard to be different.

> No Smokey Robinson.

'Quiet Storm' launched a whole sub-genre of R&B music.

>No Aretha Franklin.

'Rock Steady' should be there.

>Only one song a piece for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Rolling
>Stones, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead.

i didn't see whether they have 'Us and Them'. but i suspect their point here is that all of these acts did their best work in the 60s.

>And it's not like these are just niche artists. These are
>PILLARS of 70's pop music.

word.

>The rankings. I guess all you have to do is die recently to
>get really high on the list. Bowie at #1? Prince in the top
>ten? That just smacks of in poor taste patronizing to me.
>Those are without a doubt great songs, but come on. They just
>got way too carried away.

no way 'Life on Mars' should sit at the top of this list. when i think of 70s music i do NOT think of that song. if i were going to put a Bowie up that high it'd be 'Heroes', i guess. but in my heart of hearts it'd be 'Golden Years' b/c i just fucking adore that song. it's my favorite Bowie 70s song. but it doesn't really represent his 70s stuff so well, sure. it's my personal fave.

fuck you.

>
>>Only one song a piece for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Rolling
>>Stones, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead.
>
>i didn't see whether they have 'Us and Them'. but i suspect
>their point here is that all of these acts did their best work
>in the 60s.

At least not in my mind... His solo stuff from the 70s is him in his prime...

_____________________________________________________________
Everyone here hates pop music, but loves Michael Jackson... Okay Player...

fuck you.

Will write more later but:

>Only one song a piece for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Rolling
>Stones, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead.

Neil Young has three songs listed, the Stones have two.

Agreed on Carole King/Robinson/Franklin - sore oversights, esp. Franklin.

Playing devil's advocate a bit here, limiting the number of tunes by an artist, whether intentional or not, to just one or two is, I think, preferable on lists like these. I mean, take Elton John: he has one tune listed (Goodbye Yellowbrick), but this is a guy who had streak of five or six albums that are each stellar. So even if we say that only one or two songs off each of those albums are among the "best" of the decade, add those up and your potentially putting 10 or 12 John tunes on a list. An you could do the same with many of the artists you listed. Is "Goodbye" Elton's best song from the '70s? Maybe, maybe not. But it's a solid one and it kind of acts as a representative for his place in the decade. Possibly.

(Which of course is a question unto itself --- do we aim to represent with a list like this, or is it hardnosed "best" in most literal sense, without regard to popularity, cultural relevance, historical relevance, or anything else?)

>The rankings. I guess all you have to do is die recently to
>get really high on the list. Bowie at #1? Prince in the top
>ten? That just smacks of in poor taste patronizing to me.
>Those are without a doubt great songs, but come on. They just
>got way too carried away.

Bowie at #1 isn't problematic to me at all - this *is* a subjective best-of list, and Bowie was certainly one of the *biggest* and most accomplished acts of the '70s. I'm not sure that I would go with Life on Mars although I do think it's one of his best songs hitting on pretty much every level (writing/arrangement/performance). I'd probably lean toward something from Ziggy - but again, how much of that is taste. But there's really nothing wrong with putting Bowie near the top, recent death or no.

Prince is a difficult one. I've never been a huge proponent of either of his first two albums (which cover '78 and '79), but both have at least a few really substantial, solid songs. I'd probably put Lover in there --- maybe for the drums alone, I don't know why but I love those fucking drums --- but not so high.

All of that said, I actually appreciate a lot of the lesser-knowns that they threw on here. Music in the '70s was not confined to the music of popular radio, nor of the US alone. That they incorporated some jazz and avant stuff, along with non-US material, is at least a solid gesture toward that fact, and their picks are pretty good. It's easy to dismiss that sort of move as trying too hard, but there's reason to think of it as something more than as arcane for arcane's sake.

And again, as a *playlist*, putting aside the question of "best," it's actually really enjoyable.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

___

it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - sherlock holmes

Brian Eno has 3, one of which is from my favorite ambient album of all time but in that sense feels like a nod to that album as a whole and therefor somewhat frivolous.


It's interesting to see where the staff played favorites and where they didn't; a lot of it seems to revolve around a certain camp from the mid-70s.


edit: I'm not with those who'd naysay the list, as someone who used to build these lists I always felt it was more important to start a conversation than be right. But a couple scans reveal, to me, an interesting staff bias.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

>Brian Eno has 3, one of which is from my favorite ambient
>album of all time but in that sense feels like a nod to that
>album as a whole and therefor somewhat frivolous.

I didn't see that Eno has three. I like his stuff a lot, but that's excessive, esp. considering that (as you're getting at) he's less of a song-oriented artist, more of an album or experiential artist. I can't name more than a handful of songs from him even though I own a fair bit of his catalog...

And as much as I love Bowie through and through, four songs on a list of 200 is too much, no matter how good those songs are.

>edit: I'm not with those who'd naysay the list, as someone who
>used to build these lists I always felt it was more important
>to start a conversation than be right. But a couple scans
>reveal, to me, an interesting staff bias.

Yeah. I'd be interested in learning how they put the list together, considering that individual staff members wrote bits for each tune. It would be interesting to correspond writers with types of music a bit.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I haven't looked at the list on the actual site so I don't know if they did that here but it might be a first if they didn't.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

>
>Neil Young has three songs listed, the Stones have two.
>

Missed these. Duly noted.


>
>All of that said, I actually appreciate a lot of the
>lesser-knowns that they threw on here. Music in the '70s was
>not confined to the music of popular radio, nor of the US
>alone. That they incorporated some jazz and avant stuff, along
>with non-US material, is at least a solid gesture toward that
>fact, and their picks are pretty good. It's easy to dismiss
>that sort of move as trying too hard, but there's reason to
>think of it as something more than as arcane for arcane's
>sake.
>

The cherry-picking and revisionism is where my problem lies. Putting a sixteen minute Brian Eno ambient song well over undisputed classics from other styles like Junior Murvin's 'Police & Thieves' and Jorge Ben's 'Taj Mahal' is not only an insult to those two tunes, it reeks of pandering to fans of those styles simply for the argument of inclusion. Furthermore, that's not even one of Brian Eno's better ambient songs.

Elsewhere we get very well known signature songs from Thin Lizzy, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, etc. Meanwhile someone like Sun Ra —who surprisingly even made the list— is represented by a totally deep cut. Are they going for the populist picks or the specialist ones? As a matter of fact, all of the jazz picks are pretty much deep cuts. If you're repping for the popular stuff of 70's jazz, where's Weather Report? There's no consistency. It's strictly based on how "cool" the pick is in hindight.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

. . .was this:
165 Donnie & Joe Emerson: “Baby”

"WHO?" I said out loud upon reassessing the list yesterday evening. So, I Googled it and, lo and behold, the wiki turns this up: "In July 2012 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti covered the song 'Baby.'" Instant hipster posturing points revisionism. And, upon further research, it turns out, the original was a privately pressed, self-produced album. So, I mean, really? That's what we're doing now? Listing obscuro stuff over legit giants of music?

What's more, the inclusion of Idris Muhammad's 'Could Heaven Ever Be Like This' is just embarrassingly obviously there because Jamie XX recently sampled it. Guaranteed, if he didn't sample it, there's no way it's on the list.

In the same vein, Curtis Mayfield's 'Move On Up' is there which, fair enough. But, also guaranteed, if Kanye hadn't sampled it, it wouldn't be there. This goes without saying as well, but Curtis had far bigger hits than 'Move On Up', which makes the canonical picks for other artists all the more confusing. I mean, hell, if we're just going on how great the song is and ignoring popularity, 'Right on for the Darkness' is clearly Curtis' biggest tune, so where's that one?


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

>. . .was this:
>165 Donnie & Joe Emerson: “Baby”
>
>"WHO?" I said out loud upon reassessing the list yesterday
>evening. So, I Googled it and, lo and behold, the wiki turns
>this up: "In July 2012 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti covered
>the song 'Baby.'" Instant hipster posturing points
>revisionism.

Ugh, hipsters. They're the fucking worst. So glad no one in their right mind would ever think any of us around here were hipsters. They should all die slow, painful deaths.

> That's what we're doing now? Listing obscuro
>stuff over legit giants of music?

Great, so what do you think about the song?

And does obscurity necessarily exclude one from such a list? If not, what parameters might we use to amend the errors of hipsters around the world in the future? If a cover leads us to a song that we then in turn genuinely like, genuinely count among our favorites songs of a decade, genuinely think it's among *the best* of a decade, who should the hipsters talk to for the Great Approval of putting it on The List?

>What's more, the inclusion of Idris Muhammad's 'Could Heaven
>Ever Be Like This' is just embarrassingly obviously there
>because Jamie XX recently sampled it. Guaranteed, if he
>didn't sample it, there's no way it's on the list.

Ugh --- that's so... hipstery of them. But out of curiousity, what do you think about the song?

>This goes without saying as
>well, but Curtis had far bigger hits than 'Move On Up', which
>makes the canonical picks for other artists all the more
>confusing. I mean, hell, if we're just going on how great the
>song is and ignoring popularity, 'Right on for the Darkness'
>is clearly Curtis' biggest tune, so where's that one?

I know, it's like there's this problem of balancing representation with popularity with nuts-and-bolts qualitative judgments regardless of context. Crazy.

So what Mayfield tune would you choose for such a list? And are you aiming for representation, for quality, for popularity, or some cross-section of the three?

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>
>Great, so what do you think about the song?
>

It's an underwritten, poorly sung plod of a song that goes absolutely nowhere.


>And does obscurity necessarily exclude one from such a list?

When you're ignoring actual talent, yes.


>But out of curiousity,
>what do you think about the song?
>

It's an unfortunate turn into sappy producer-helmed disco for a once greatly talented player.


>
>So what Mayfield tune would you choose for such a list?

Already suggested 'Right on for the Darkness.'



"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

>>
>>Great, so what do you think about the song?
>>
>
>It's an underwritten, poorly sung plod of a song that goes
>absolutely nowhere.

Not having heard the original or the cover before, I actually think the song's pretty interesting. Its vocals are its best asset, and a pretty earworm of a melody. Would I list it in a top 200 of the '70s? Definitely not. Is it a curious tune that might make its way onto a mix of mine, as something a bit ghostly, a bit off, one of those tunes that makes you calm down and tune in because you're not sure what you're hearing?

Absolutely.

>>But out of curiousity,
>>what do you think about the song?
>>
>
>It's an unfortunate turn into sappy producer-helmed disco for
>a once greatly talented player.

I honestly don't know what sampled this recently --- but I love that Muhammad record, and think that's a great track. When the beat comes in, from about 1:10 on --- shit, how much does that sound like Dilla? Especially right around 1:40 or 1:45...

Would I put it on a best of 70s? I wouldn't have thought of it, whatever that's worth. But I'll be damned if that's not a solid track that's worth more than its weight in time... those drums, esp. once the tune starts to move around 1:40? Greatness. And strangely enough, a good pairing with the above "Baby" ...


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>a pretty earworm of a melody.



"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

. . .everything about that 'Baby' tune is unremarkable. I mean, even for an independently-produced 70's album, it's almost offensively bland.

As far as Idris, I'm obviously not a disco fan. But, even so, that song is pretty unimaginative.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

Looking at this list, you'd assume that Prog Rock had basically zero impact in the 70's. That's just incorrect. There's no way around it.

I'd much rather have bands like Yes, King Crimson and Jethro Tull repped for than the confounding inclusion of niche obscuro oddities or yet another Bowie or Eno song.

I mean honestly, how can you reasonably leave 'Roundabout' or 'Starless' or 'Aqualung' off of a 70's list?


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

>I mean honestly, how can you reasonably leave 'Roundabout' or
>'Starless' or 'Aqualung' off of a 70's list?

So tell me why they're among the 200 best. Or screw best. Just tell me why you think they're really, really, really good.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

Ignoring everything else wonderful about 'Roundabout' and focusing solely on the bassline: it's been hugely influential. Hard to imagine much speed metal or really technical players like Flea or Les Claypool existing without it.

'Starless' is another one that's been insanely influential. It's sadly beautiful, but intensely sauntering mood predates other similarly-minded post-rock by at least twelve or fifteen years.

And 'Aqualung' is just undeniable. The riff is classic. The story is brilliantly written and played. It's just an incredible tune from top to bottom. And it's from a time when people still believed in the power of music to change the world — an obvious reflection on the song's content.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

Alongside "Fracture" (also KC), pretty much my favorite prog-tune; instrumental section in the middle is amazing and tense...

I was glad to see another favorite on the list though:AEOC's "theme de yo-yo".

Anyway, I didn't find this list particularly "cool" or hip overall; if anything it was surprisingly safe and populist. One can diss Pitchfork for a variety of things, this list being self-consciously "cool" or elitist is not one of them. If anything,the top 30 could just as well appeared in Time magazine with a few exceptions...

i would put 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' at #1 though.

fuck you.

It did come along with their reformatting, though. Probably get a slot in the drop down header now that it has an accompanying tracks list; maybe that was the ultimate inspiration for doing this list?

Would be interesting to see someone track how much crossover from albums to tracks these lists have; unlike the other decades, these two lists were published 12 years apart by almost if not entirely different staffs.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

We gonna act like "One Nation Under A Groove"
isn't a must on such a list huh?

"Living For The City" should've been #1, but
I wouldn't be mad at "Bohemian Rhapsody" being
there.

They were trying to choose less popular songs
than the bigger hits with too many of these
artists and ended up not choosing their best.
The Eddie Kendricks choice... wtf. Dope song,
because he's just dope, but cmon. This man
made Intimate Friends.

With many of the Black artists, they chose
their more crossover (whiter-sounding) songs...
see, the Funkadelic choices and the Minnie Riperton
choice... Les Fleurs? Cmon. I do like the song,
but "Inside My Love" and "Loving You" exist. Cmon.

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Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

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Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

>We gonna act like "One Nation Under A Groove"
>isn't a must on such a list huh?

Would certainly be a solid contender...

>"Living For The City" should've been #1, but
>I wouldn't be mad at "Bohemian Rhapsody" being
>there.

Picking Stevie tunes would be hard for me for a list like this. And lord knows I'd probably try too hard and throw something like Heaven Help Us All on there, because I genuinely think it's one of his best tunes (though not *his* tune)... or Superwoman! Superwoman would be in the running for sure, as would As, which is know for sure is a favorite of many folks around here... so nice that wound up on the list, and reasonably high though could of been in the top 10 for all I care.

>With many of the Black artists, they chose
>their more crossover (whiter-sounding) songs...
>see, the Funkadelic choices and the Minnie Riperton
>choice...

Wait, wait, wait... Maggot Brain is "whiter-sounding" now? And not a certified Funkadelic classic of enormous Funkadelic magnitude? Lol.

Les Fleurs? Cmon. I do like the song,
>but "Inside My Love" and "Loving You" exist. Cmon.

I actually think Minnie's a good example of popular tracks *not* being the pinnacle of a catalog. When that two-disc set dropped in the early '00s, all of us were giddy over getting remasters of album cuts that we could share with folks who had never had the pleasure of hearing them, folks who only knew Minnie on Loving You alone. But there's Les Fleurs (which I have genuinely always counted among my favs, and I would argue is at least in her top 5 in terms of writing, arrangement, execution) ... there's Memory Lane (probably a contender for her top 3 for me) ... "Take a Little Trip," "Reasons," "Adventures in Paradise." I think all of these and others are at least *arguably* better songs, than Loving You or Inside My Love.

Personally, if I had to choose --- I'd probably choose Memory Lane. But now what I really want to do is listen to some Minnie all day... maybe some Syreeta, too...

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

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Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

>Picking Stevie tunes would be hard for me for a list like
>this. And lord knows I'd probably try too hard and throw
>something like Heaven Help Us All on there, because I
>genuinely think it's one of his best tunes (though not *his*
>tune)... or Superwoman! Superwoman would be in the running for
>sure, as would As, which is know for sure is a favorite of
>many folks around here... so nice that wound up on the list,
>and reasonably high though could of been in the top 10 for all
>I care.


Yeah definitely Superwoman.



>Wait, wait, wait... Maggot Brain is "whiter-sounding" now? And
>not a certified Funkadelic classic of enormous Funkadelic
>magnitude? Lol.


I was referring more to "Can You Get To That" with
them. I like how you avoided that one, because you
know I'm right LOL. I don't think I know anyone
who'd even put that in their top 5 Funkadelic songs.
Maggot Brain is classic as a guitar solo for sure
and rightfully always appears in "greatest guitar solo"
list... which speaks somewhat to why PF included it.
I ain't mad at it.



>Les Fleurs? Cmon. I do like the song,
>>but "Inside My Love" and "Loving You" exist. Cmon.
>
>I actually think Minnie's a good example of popular tracks
>*not* being the pinnacle of a catalog. When that two-disc set
>dropped in the early '00s, all of us were giddy over getting
>remasters of album cuts that we could share with folks who had
>never had the pleasure of hearing them, folks who only knew
>Minnie on Loving You alone. But there's Les Fleurs (which I
>have genuinely always counted among my favs, and I would argue
>is at least in her top 5 in terms of writing, arrangement,
>execution) ... there's Memory Lane (probably a contender for
>her top 3 for me) ... "Take a Little Trip," "Reasons,"
>"Adventures in Paradise." I think all of these and others are
>at least *arguably* better songs, than Loving You or Inside My
>Love.


Lol. While I like all those songs (including Les Fleurs)
"Reasons" is the only one that can even hold a candle to
"Inside My Love". I love the shit outta Reasons, but she
simply does not have a better song than "Inside My Love."

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Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

"Can you get to that" is the most soul/gospel-inspired, least "rock" tune on "Maggot brain"; trying too hard here I think... And "Flashlight" is on there for P-funk, not a very "white" song. And Funkadelic-NOT Parliament-was frequently very "rock"-sounding; "One nation" (and "Knee deep") are almost anomalies in their discography and not representative of Funkadelic when they were a *band*.

If *I* was to put P-funk tunes on a list like this, I would pick Parliament and bootsy for the more fonky stuff and Funkadelic-songs that sounded more "funky rock" to showcase the diversity of their artistry...

----
bshelly

"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God

And only 2 Kraftwerk songs? And one is Autobahn? (I love Kraftwerk, I like Authobahn - it has a huge influence - but it's not better than The Robots.

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Gone: My Discogs collection for The Roots:
http://www.discogs.com/user/tomhayes-roots/collection

Sheesh.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

If you're making a best of the 70s list, 200 tracks, what Kraft tunes are you including?

Keep in mind, if you were to make a full list, every track you choose is taking one from someone else... so use that knowledge as you may.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

The two I'd have included for Kraftwerk for BEST SONGS are:
The Robots
The Man-Machine

These two are the standout best songs of those two albums.

Devo's would be:
Uncontrollable Urge
Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)
Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA


Looking at the list:
No Gary Numan? I mean all really??
Cerrone's on there but no Devo or Numan?

Also - no fucking Bee Gee's??

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Gone: My Discogs collection for The Roots:
http://www.discogs.com/user/tomhayes-roots/collection

. . .'Trans-Europe Express.' It's a unique, innovative and obviously very influential song. (though my personal pick would be 'Radioactivity')

And the obvious Devo pick should be 'Jocko Homo.' Though, I agree, 'Gut Feeling / (slap your mammy)' totally kicks butt.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

>And the obvious Devo pick should be 'Jocko Homo.' Though, I
>agree, 'Gut Feeling / (slap your mammy)' totally kicks butt.

I don't know if Jock Homo is their best song from the period - that and Mongoloid and Satisfaction are the ones people remember the most - but Uncontrollable Urge is a great song that still gets people moving - and one of the best opening songs on a debut album of all time, IMHO.

Trust me - I go DEEP into Devo.

If you had to pick the best TV musical performances of the 1970's then Satisfaction would be in the Top 10 for sure.

But regardless of which song we pick they definitely should be on the list.

And as someone else noted - NO JACKSON 5?? This list is garbage.

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Gone: My Discogs collection for The Roots:
http://www.discogs.com/user/tomhayes-roots/collection