Before The Flood

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This is a poll about John Peel's Festive Fifty, 1976. Just tick all the songs you like from the list of 50 (counting down from #50 to #1, as it happens). I've put it up because i) I'm curious about the results, ii) I'm probably writing a pitchfork column about the F50.

[Poll #1137239]

And some more general questions I'd like to think about - they're quite big questions though:

- What does rock do better now? What does it do worse?
- How does the stuff that won respect and adoration on this poll differ from the stuff that critics and fans enjoy now (a VERY broad formulation, I know)?
- Where's the modern equivalent of the audience suggested here - Pazz and Jop? the Pitchfork Readers Poll?
- What were Poco and can we eat them?

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

my analysis of peel's line is that he too was becoming insensely unhappy with what this list "represented", and from c.77 made HUGE efforts to push back against his listeners' prejudices -- tho a less in areas of black music that still got daytime play than ones that got none (reggae)

i think the longterm project was a failure -- it ended up establishing indie: his diffidence and self-depracation a kind of shambling virtue-out-of-shy-incompetence which became increasingly passive-aggressive

but i think JB's approach was a failure also (it's possibly not helped by my judgment that she's at root a perniciously racist careerist homophobe): i think by agreeing to the pre-drawn lines but merely switching the "good" and the "bad" signs, she affirmed exactly the settlement lex is protesting

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A very tempting torrentable is a "Peel Punk Rock Special" from 1977 - Eddie & The Hot Rods ahoy.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

hee

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

The list of 1977 Peel Sessions makes for interesting reading:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1970s/1977/

Of course, Peel and Walters could only play the hand they were dealt as far as commissioning sessions went. But even well into 1977 I'm guessing Peel didn't realise or couldn't believe the extent of the sea change.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The most interesting bit is the middle months, where stretches of punk and pre-punk alternate uneasily (unease projected by victor-written history of course).

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

also, attn dubdobdee: MOON got their fourth(!) (and final) Peel session in '77