Pollin' Tracks Spo-Dee-O-Dee! ILM does the 1950s—THE TOP 101 RESULTS THREAD

'Rubber Biscuit' was on my long list for ages but didn't make the cut. I think mainly because its been way overused in terrible adverts and films over the years and I can't really appreciate it in the way it should be appreciated.

I thought 'Rubber Biscuit' would be high. I love how it was used in Man Streets. Until I heard it for this poll I thought it was by Frank Zappa for some reason.

Cool! Plz do.

I take it that a lot of Rubber Biscuit's exposure is due to Mean Streets? That's what I gleaned by looking on youtube anyway. I've only seen that film half of one time, so I definitely didn't know the song prior to today. (I tried to get all the way through the nominations list, but didn't quite make it to the end.)

I don't think I've ever seen Mean Streets! But that may be where marketing execs etc picked up on it...

Indeed.

Thought its big exposure was The Blues Brothers

The song obviously, not the original version. I had never heard it until that movie came out and then, boy, did I hear it.

98. EDDIE COCHRAN "Somethin' Else" (1959) [305 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibk5BWng1gA

(I didn't have room on my ballot for this one, so I'm really glad it made it anyway.)

You've got to be kidding me, only #98!

It just occurred to me how youtube-heavy this thread will end up being, so PLEASE make use of bookmarks.

97. BILL EVANS "Peace Piece" (1958) [306 points, 6 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4R9l2AJ3og

Can't witness the countdown due to work sadly, but very excited about it!

Wasn't sure if I knew that Cochran, but yeah, I have heard it before. It's pretty good.

'Peace Piece' was another one that stayed on the long list right up until the end. Just not quite enough room for it.

So, as it turns out (due to busyness/lazyness on my part more than anyone else's), our #94 entry is actually from 1964. Fuck it, I'm posting it anyway.

*smh*

I get the impression that Cochran's reputation is higher in the UK than the US, would be interesting to see the demographics of that vote.

So, as it turns out (due to busyness/lazyness on my part more than anyone else's), our #94 entry is actually from 1964. Fuck it, I'm posting it anyway.

*smh*

Oops, hope it's not one of mine. I found a couple of '60s numbers sprinkled in the nominations list but too late to really do anything about them aside from to excise them from my own ballot. We can always skip and bump the other tracks (which would make Louis & Bebe actually in the top 100, hurrah).

I get the impression that Cochran's reputation is higher in the UK than the US

I think that's probably true, for whatever reason.

re rubber biscuit, I first heard it via the Blues Brothers, & yes it was over-exposed. But haven't heard it so much lately, & Ace's Great Googa Mooga nonsense compilation brought it back to life for me a few years ago.

96. WANDA JACKSON "Fujiyama Mama" (1957) [309 points, 5 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCKCj3QAyG0

TOO LOW

Know the Pearl Harbor and the Explosions version better and so couldn't vote for it.

and so

"Peace Piece" is absolutely beautiful btw. I'd heard it a few times before today, but sometimes a right place/right time thing happens and a song just hits the spot. That's what happened to me today. Dang!

Ah, that is a great song. Should have voted for it, really (though I'm sure I'll say the same about a fair few other songs).

(That was about 'Fujiyama Mama', in case it was confusing.)

95. THE CHAMPS "Tequila" (1958) [310 points, 7 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxyEgb8jQxY

Excited about the results already. The Monotones made my ballot. Listening to "Peace Piece" right now, so beautiful.

Ismael, I think the Zappa title you're thinking of is "Rubber Shirt."

It's too early to drink tequila along with the song right now, isn't it?

It's always after 5pm somewhere!

(xp)
Not if you're a crocfarmer.

There is a rumor that Glen Campbell played on that record but he did not join The Champs until much later.

Our 94th favorite song of the '50s actually comes from 1964, der.

94. HOWLIN' WOLF "Killing Floor" (1964) [311 points, 6 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T27V376AF4

Haha. I'm guessing there will be a bunch more Howlin' Wolf to come - hopefully the others will be suitably '50s-created.

exciting! following on my phone at the moment which isn't ideal. Aw man, Wanda - TOO LOW

man, I have not heard any of these songs before except "Tequila" which I did not vote for.

"Killing Floor" was in my top 10. I didn't even think of it being a later song of his.

hoo boy, fujiyama mama placing that low makes me worried about a lot of my favorites

I had three Howlin' Wolf tracks under consideration, including that one, but I think I actually ended up not voting for any of them.

I'm just worried that JF only started from #101 because that's the *only* electronic track that came close and he doesn't want me to go all HULK SMASH on you all.

First time hearing: Fujiyama Mama, the original Rubber Biscuit (I know the Blues Bros version), Somethin' Else.

Really? You never even heard The Tenpole Tudor version of "Somethin' Else."

I had three Howlin' Wolf tracks under consideration, including that one, but I think I actually ended up not voting for any of them.

One of the first tapes I ever bought was a bargain series Eddie Cochran "best of" because I'd heard "Somethin' Else" on the radio. I go back with that song a long way, yet for some reason I gave my vote to "Summertime Blues" instead. I'm giving myself the stink eye.

Tenpole Tudor falls off a lot of US radar screens for some reason.

Or maybe it was Sid Vicious, it's been awhile.

93. THE TEDDY BEARS "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (1958) [319 points, 7 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW2Bi9J2hQE

Aha, another one of my votes. Somewhat sappy, I know, but wonderfully done.

xxpost
Voted for 'Somethin' Else' but not 'Summertime Blues'. I'd say that 'Summertime Blues' is the better song but at the time preferred 'Somethin' Else's aggression.

fab song---the bridge is celestial.

(xpost) Sid--I've got a 45. It's also on Rock 'n Roll Swindle, which Tenpole Tudor turns up in, so maybe that's the confusion.

Yup. Thanks, for the clarification, clemenza. Tenpole Tudor does sing "Who Killed Bambi?" I think.

Can't even remember which Eddie Cochran I voted for, don't have access to my ballot right now. But I used to have this LP on Liberty called 20 Golden Greats in college that my roommate and his buddy took a liking to so I listened to it all the time and could easily have voted for, say, "Drive-In Show" if it had been nominated.

Think I ended up voting for "Somethin' Else" because it did the stop-start thing especially well. Two random facts about Eddie Cochran: He was one of the first rockers into multi-tracking. In Earl Palmer's autobiography Earl says that he played a lot of sessions and the artists didn't pay any attention to him so he really appreciated when Eddie Cochran came over and shook his hand.

The title of that Teddy Bears song came from Phil Spector's dad's tombstone, no?

RIP Gil Bernal, who played sax on "Youngblood" and "Searchin'" among others. http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/07/rip_gil_bernal_los_angeles_ten.php

:(

Didn't know much about him, thought King Curtis played all those, but see here: Gil Bernal - Search & Destroy

Enjoying listening to the playlist. There are a couple of re-records instead of originals here and there but I supposed that couldn't be helped. Really liking how the different strands intertwine, like I-95 and the Hutchison River Parkway.

Also liking the closely placed Minguses. May be time to go see the Mingus Big Band again soon, especially while Conrad Herwig is playing with them.

24 Charles Mingus - Haitian Fight Song
25 Edgard Varèse - Poème électronique
26 Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy
27 Johnny Burnette - The Train Kept A-Rollin'
28 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Summertime
29 Jacques Brel - Ne Me Quitte Pas
30 Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown
31 Karlheinz Stockhausen - Gesang der Jünglinge
32 Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise

Is there a more schizophrenic sequence of tracks in any other ILM poll?

not sure it's schizophrenic. feel it reflects the age, tho that's a dangerous concept I realise. traps of telescoping, imposition of canon, bias of inclusivity - a good one - all at play.

but classical from period is still fairly well known, jazz was in its extended heyday, rock and pop in mid-teen genesis.

great poll.

Ha, that's great. Someone should put on a 50s club night and mix that sequence.

We've done a lot of corkers, but this was the best poll.

It's an excellent run, is what it is. And yeah, this is definitely right up there in 'best polls' for me.

a ilm masterpiece

Please help me locate a complete list of nominations and/or a list of the winning tracks from this poll?

http://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmydPg1ULhKNdFlOdWpJWmhkT0ZaVThEQ0k5bW96WEE&hl=en_US&pli=1#gid=0

yes!!! thank you!!!

No problem, nominations thread here: Pollin' Tracks Spo-Dee-O-Dee! ILM does the 1950s— NOMINATIONS THREAD.

one more question - i know there was a spotify playlist -- is there a youtube playlist?

just looking through the list of songs on that spreadsheet is making me absurdly happy
i asked my mom about her experience as a kid listening to music in the 1950s (she was age 5-15 during that decade) and she had a lot to say but really lit up when she talked about buddy holly. it almost made me cry how much she loved buddy holly <3

Buddy Holly rules. in many ways so ahead of his time. plus he could write a tune.

"in the still of the night" snuck up on me -- i was reading through the list (again) and thinking about how much i like all of these songs and then POW -- that one. i adored this song as a kid. in 6th grade i made my friends perform a lip synch routine to it with choreography and everything. i was super into it. this is a most excellent list of songs, thank you so much.

just like this only we were 12 year old girls, lol (i don't remember ever seeing this clip before -- thank you youtube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBT3oDMCWpI

Got into a "Who's left?" (from the '50s) thing on Facebook today, following the death of Huey Smith.

A friend suggested Smokey Robinson and Chubby Checker, both of whom I consider '60s guys...until I checked, and the Miracles' first two charted hits were indeed from the '50s, and both were iconic ("Got a Job" and "Bad Girl"). "The Twist" is 1960, one minor hit from '59; that one's shakier.

After that--and discounting Pat Boone/Frankie Avalon-types--all I could come up with were Dion (83), Billy Emerson (not all that well known, but 97!), and Sonny Curtis (Crickets' guitarist, 85). There are undoubtedly some doo-wop people left, but not anyone who also had solo success, I don't think. Berry Gordy and Mike Stoller, too, but they're different.

The '50s are almost gone. Even more today than yesterday.

Huh, fun to scroll back through this one. Along with Madonna and Elton John, this was my favorite ILM poll to run.

Real long shot, I know, but you don't have a spreadsheet anywhere with voters' lists, do you? I only post my Top 10, and I'm curious what my other 40 were. I usually have these lists in my e-mail, but this one was a Google Form.

sad to note the Spotify playlist has been deleted

xp I'm sure I don't. That was 2 computers ago.

There’s a spotify playlist with the nominations https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4dZR1lNRm0gmFVX5Ovg7vH?si=wfX4LsjWQ1GwZcSbW_CugA

Maybe someone’s keen enough to do the top 101.

Brenda Lee (78) and Wanda Jackson (85) are still around.

...and Jackie DeShannon (81) made her first records in the '50s.

Hey hey, Ronald Isley (81).

As Tom and Jerry, Simon and Garfunkel had a charting single in the 50s (although of course they're not "seen as 50s").

Those listed below are probably insufficiently rockin' but:

I watched the 1956 musical comedy The Girl Can't Help It last night; Fats Domino and Little Richard are gone, but which musical performers from the film are still around?

Johnny Olenn, 85
Nino Tempo, 87
Ray Anthony, 100

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, October 21, 2022 6:43 PM (three months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Brenda Lee and Wanda Jackson were pointed out to me on the FB thread. Definite oversights, in that they had iconic singles in the '50s. (I went by two online lists that missed them too.) Ronald Isley too, obviously--I'm sure I missed a few people who members of groups. I do think of Jackie DeShannon as the '60s, in spirit if not in fact.

"who were"

Ditto Simon & Garfunkel.

Cliff Richard (82) & Hank Marvin (81)

Marilyn Maye is more of the '60s but first sang on a record in the '50s and is now 94 and still singing. She appeared on Johnny Carson's show more often than any other singer.

Elephant In The Room: Pat Boone (88)

Smaller elephant: Frankie Avalon (82), who started charting in '54 and had two #1s in the '50s.