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

[koganbot]

The Airplane generally played faster music than this; also, their bass player, Jack Casady, was genuinely unique, would play these improvisatory licks from a basis of funk and soul, but since it didn't come with the label "funk and soul" (of the San Francisco bands, Big Brother & The Holding Company were the ones who had the funk 'n' blues 'n' soul rep [unless you count Sly & The Family Stone as "San Francisco," who of course were obviously funk and soul; but they were East Bay rather than SF; however, when Sly was still a DJ he produced the first single by Grace's previous band, The Great Society]), no one quite noticed this aspect, though it explains why the Airplane stuff was danceable.

Here's my favorite Airplane song (the YouTube guy did a weak rip unfortunately, so turn it up). Listen to what happens after a couple of stanzas when the bass comes in:

The Jefferson Airplane "If You Feel"

And here's more Grace:

The Jefferson Airplane "Grace"