ILM POLLS THE 20TH CENTURY'S BEST TRACKS ››› YOUR RESULTS THREAD ‹‹‹

Pre-60s definitely makes sense, though I guess you can argue whether Elvis and Buddy Holly belong to the first or second half of the century in terms of musical culture.

Had never heard Gimme Shelter before. Found it boring, but then I really don't like the Rolling Stones.

The things that people said were obscure / before our time weren't really. Some giants (like Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby) have been mentioned. But some more:

Dave Brubeck's Take Five?
Gershwin's Porgy & Bess? Rhapsody in Blue?
Kurt Weill's Mack the Knife?
Irving Berlin's Putting on the Ritz?

No blues?

I guess there's no need to reiterate the general disdain for either late 60s / early 80s guitar choices. Absence of 90s was interesting. No acknowledgement that house music existed.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED PRE-60s BOLL!

BOLL!

but house music lol

Maybe make it "The Pre-Beatles Era" i.e. pre-1963? (I flatly deny that this is a veiled attempt at smuggling Roy Orbison in)

Er, haven't house music / techno and hip hop pretty much defined 1986-2000?

Dave Brubeck's Take Five?
Gershwin's Porgy & Bess? Rhapsody in Blue?
Kurt Weill's Mack the Knife?
Irving Berlin's Putting on the Ritz?

I attempted to nominate "Porgy & Bess" and was politely told to gtfo

I think first-half-of-century and 1950s need to be separate polls.

I would be really into a similar poll that was just limited to jazz/classical/country/popular music up to rock n roll

Glen Campbell more popular than Hank Williams? What is going on?

I would say pre-1963. 1963 is in many ways a key year. It was not only the first year of The Beatles (well, save for "Love Me Do"/"PS I Love You", but it was also a the year when Phil Spector, Beach Boys and Motown were really starting to find their sound. So, in a lot of ways, you could say that 1963 is the beginning of the "rockist" rock canon (save for the occasional Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly single). The girl groups/pop soul/Brill Building/pop country pop that dominated the 1960-62 era is hardly very represented in this poll at all.

Irving Berlin's Putting on the Ritz?

This is sheet music and not a recording. Unless you cite one specific recording, that is.

I would be really into a similar poll that was just limited to jazz/classical/country/popular music up to rock n roll

Jazz/blues/folk/country/pre-Beatles pop/rock'n'roll makes more sense and do classical separately.

Geir OTM big man.

x-post. Agreed. I knew that this was always going to reflect the tastes of iloxrs to some degree, but I was initially intrigued by the *century* idea. Thought it might mean that people might reconsider before putting say, the Pixies Debaser, ahead of placeless songs like Someone to Watch Over me, or Blue Skies, or Moonlight Serenade, or countless Robert Johnson songs.

The problem with pre-1963 is that it will be dominated by Elvis et al. because they are more familiar and closer to contemporary music than anything pre-1950. But hey, no poll is perfect and it would sure be fun.

as Geir said, you'd have to select performances I guess, which doesn't apply for classical and standards, for most at least

There have been people performing "Putting On The Ritz" before Taco, you know. :)

I was the only voter for "Gentle On My Mind.." WTF

Most of these are among my 30 or 40 favorite songs ever so I'm happy to see they placed decently...

314 Aaliyah - One in a Million
294 The Zombies - She's Not There
282 The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird
280 Gary Numan - Cars
276 The Zombies - Time of the Season
185 Chris Bell - I Am the Cosmos
155 The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee

wait why are we suddenly talking about 'putting on the ritz', are we doing a worst song of the 20th century poll?

155 The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee

I seriously had never got round to listening to this track before this poll and fucking hell, what a fantastic song. Thanks people!

Listenint to "Sway" now. Nice lil tune but wouldn't crack my top 10000.

"Milord" now. Ew no thank you. Everything unappealing about stereotypical "European" old-timey music, esp the accordion.

"putting on the ritz" is wonderful, shaddap

The problem with pre-1963 is that it will be dominated by Elvis et al. because they are more familiar and closer to contemporary music than anything pre-1950. But hey, no poll is perfect and it would sure be fun.

― seandalai, Friday, December 3, 2010 4:49 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark

this could be true. it's true that i'd expect an open-ended pre-63 poll (pre-60s poll, whatever)to be somewhat dominated by familiar standards & "golden oldies" from the late 40s through the early 60s. that stuff has been kept alive in the media, has a clear relationship to the pazz & jop that followed, and those artists often worked well into the latter half of the century. but i don't think this this would be anywhere near soo one-sided as the crushing dominance of post-50s and especially 70s & 80s pop in this last poll. where immediate experience won out over historical perspective time and time again.

o editor!

276 The Zombies - Time of the Season
185 Chris Bell - I Am the Cosmos

yeah, voted for these two with varying degrees of hope. expected the zombies to do better, especially given all the beach boys/beatles love floating around.

Not trying to offend, but I can't get over how awful that Kate Bush song and video are! You guys are playing a practical joke, right?

Which one?

Running Up a Hill. Forgot there were two, what a travesty.

228 Andrea True Connection - More, More, More

ROBBED!

This should have been #1 instead of that fucking Beach Boys tripe.

Also, no other votes for Ultravox's "Slow Motion?" Y'all need a new wave history lesson.

I think if you do a poll of the 1900-1959, the 50s are going to tend to dominate (with maybe some competition from the 40s). Might as well just do a 50s poll.

I think the video for Running up That Hill is pretty bad, but I think the song is great.

Also, shocked that not one James Brown placed. Vote-split or not, "Sex Machine" should have placed.

More, More, More another victim of anti-one-hit wonder bias. Think nominating & voting thought process went like "hmm what are my favorite artists...okay now what are my favorite songs of theirs" rather than purely "ok what are some really awesome tunes". I didn't vote but that's prob how I'd do it, too, cause it's too difficult to pull up most of those random awesome songs without the hook of a favorite artist with them.

Also, no other votes for Ultravox's "Slow Motion?" Y'all need a new wave history lesson.

― Kent Burt, Saturday, 4 December 2010 01:33 (6 minutes ago)

I have Ultravox's Island Years compilation and fucking love it to bits. Slow Motion is one of the worst tracks on it. They should have chosen Can't Stay Long instead which is so much better

I attempted to nominate "Porgy & Bess" and was politely told to gtfo

― Yeezy reupholstered my pussy (DJP), Friday, December 3, 2010 7:36 PM (49 minutes ago)

I already said that, given the opportunity to do it over again, I'd probably accept composers' full works instead of chopping them up -- including things like "A Love Supreme" and the entirety of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, for example. However, I maintain that staged musicals can easily be split into individual parts, including Gershwin's Porgy & Bess.

James Brown was the highest-scoring artist not to make the top 125. Elvis was next, then Leonard Cohen, then Scott Walker.

Or, kept Slow Motion which isn't bad really but not amazing like most of the other songs, but DEFINITELY dropped Life At Rainbow's End which sticks out like a horrid sore thumb

I Think I'm Alone Now Galleria of Sadness (one vote wonders) has a Grooveshark Playlist now :D
(only missing songs are Umm Kulthum - 'Robaeyat El Khayam', Fairouz - 'Nassam Alayna Al Hawa', Spratleys Japs - 'Fanny', Farid el Atrache - 'Ya Reitni Tir' and La Lupe - 'Amor Gitano')

did this actually happen? link a lazy drunk bastard to the top 100 would you?

no, bottom 100

I did nominate "Summertime" Dan!

Results are here: http://mondosalvo.com/TOP20th.htm

Was the Cardiacs song in the Galleria of Sadness (grooveshark) your vote Abbbottt?

It's a pretty good little playlist I made here

'Twas mine, Lorax, as you should know :P

Abbott voted for a Cardiacs song but I voted for it too! Kitchen Person voted for Dirty Boy and someone even voted for Flap Off You Beak which is pretty staggering

Only Cardiacs I voted for was R.E.S. on the reasoning that I was voting for maybe five songs in one.

but DEFINITELY dropped Life At Rainbow's End which sticks out like a horrid sore thumb

Madness.

that is true

xpost

dude, I'm saying the rest is solid gold, one mediocre and one dud outta 18 ain't bad

Also I should note I think R.E.S. is fucking awesome.

So does anyone who presses play:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEZ_x3rDspo

Dusty Springfield's best moments >>> Be My Baby obv

― gospermaban sim gishel (acoleuthic), Friday, December 3, 2010 12:51 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

coming back to read this hours after the fact, still so angered by this. I think it's the 'obv'