CLASSIC ROCK TRACKS POLL: THE RESULTS

Queen were first rock royalty too

I heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the radio a lot in the '80s. I didn't vote for it, but I do appreciate its subversion of the '70s multi-part rock epic -- like, a "Stairway to Heaven" that knows it's ridiculous and revels in its ridiculousness.

I was listening to "The Mercy Seat" the other night. Now I'm imagining this going through Nick Cave's head at the big moment.

All the songs people say they don't or didn't hear on Classic Rock Radio, I keep thinking how would 14 or 21 year old me have ever even known of the existence of these songs without Rock or Classic Rock Radio.

I heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the radio a lot in the '80s. I didn't vote for it, but I do appreciate its subversion of the '70s multi-part rock epic -- like, a "Stairway to Heaven" that knows it's ridiculous and revels in its ridiculousness.

― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, July 30, 2014 3:18 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah "BR" and "Thick As A Brick" are two of my favorite '70s epics because they're such knowing parodies of the form but still awesome

And now, the opening track from our #6 album. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

http://i.imgur.com/fiHR5fj.jpg

48. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Refugee
1054 points, 19 votes

Join us on 107.7 tonight as we dig in to Tom Petty's greatest deep cuts, with and without the Heartbreakers:
http://narrowcast.blogspot.com/2014/07/deep-album-cuts-vol-23-tom-petty-and.html

For ilxors who have a handle on what the culture was like pre-Wayne's World, was Bohemian Rhapsody top-tier Queen or was it elevated to some massive degree by the film?

I guessing it was around quite a bit. April-ish 1991 I taped this VH1 "'70s Sunday" thing where they played '70s videos all day, which was my first time hearing the song or seeing the video (the old version). I heard it a few times on classic rock stations afterwards and it turned into one of my favorite songs by the time summer arrived. Wayne's World was released the following February and my obsession felt more vindicated.

the Wayne's World soundtrack was the first CD i purchased with my own money, but the whole Queen greatest hits album was a staple of my household well before that.

April '91 was also while Freddie was alive. Dang.

ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU GOTTA FEEL TO BE TRUUUUUUUUUE

Man, 107.7 is all Top 40 and shit here.

https://lh5.ggpht.com/tfevx7jJFMGrU5P9n99rXKXgZULHZVhl-45tJDSE41gYtiREpHhMC-2RmXqY-iXxGu3S=w300

Why would anybody leave Baltimore...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EpfCzdMoY

This poll has me listening to my own CR-ish playlist and remembering so many little-remembered gems that, if they'd become "classics", would've fit seamlessly into the format, like Jo Jo Gunne's "Run Run Run" and "Ebony Eyes" by Bob Welch. I'd love to see other people's picks along those lines once all of the legit results have rolled out.

ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU GOTTA FEEL TO BE TRUUUUUUUUUE
yeah man, that part. :)

re: the popularity of Bohemian Rhapsody, when I was in fourth grade (c. 1982), cool kids would bring tapes out to recess and play them on those little single-speaker mono tape decks and being the coolest kid of them all I brought a tape recording of Bohemian Rhapsody and spoke enthusiastically to my skeptical audience of how amazing the song was because it had so many different PARTS and that was the last time I was allowed to play my tapes on the playground.

haha

cool kids otm

A college friend hated "Refugee" because of the "kidnappedtieduptakenawayandheldforRAN-som" part -- "It has too many words!"

"Ebony Eyes" by Bob Welch

is insanely great. and is, like "don't stop believin'," one of those exceptionally rare pop songs where the chorus doesn't appear until the end of the song.

I distinctly remember Mark Goodman on MTV referring to that Queen song as "The BoHo Rap".

The Petty documentary has a bit where the members and Jimmy Iovine failing take after take, pissed off because they knew it was such a great song.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' was definitely of population-permeating renown over here, from probably the first day it was released. Pretty sure I voted for it, it's just so ridiculous.

scarves and boots and flowy skirts, oh my

http://i.imgur.com/m97m3pB.jpg

47. Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen
1065 points, 22 votes

fuck yes.

nice one-two there. "edge" and "refugee" both on fire from the first note. huge radio stopping power.

(still kicking myself for not also voting for "stand back" though.)

AXIS OF PETTY

xp Yeah, "Ebony Eyes" absence from CR playlists is a puzzler. I never hear "Sentimental Lady" anymore either.

SUDDENLY
THERE WAS NO ONE
LEFT STANDIN' IN THE HALL

i'm a huge stand back stan and didn't vote for "stand back" either fwiw. crushingly good but not so classic rock.

I voted "Edge" high, but would vote it even higher in a poll of the greatest rock-song intros.

"Edge of Seventeen," "Talk to Me," and "Stop Draggin'" were the only Nicks songs I heard on CR radio ("Stand Back" and "Leather and Lace" and once in a while "If Anyone Falls" on AC or eighties radio).

Not said enough: the excellent relationship Nicks has with her backup singers of 30 years. Note how well they trade lines or echo them.

I never knew what this song was. It's great.

so many great songs piling up agh i cant take it

edge of seventeen is so gorgeously spooky -- gypsy and rhiannon are fine and all but she goes so far into the eternal divine feminine magical mystery you really wonder if she'll come back.

(putting the broom down and riding waddy wachtel's guitar all the way. make of that what you will.)

i learned on "jeopardy" last night that there is a medical term for fear of the number 17: heptadecaphobia

COME AWAY COME AWAY

what a relief to get to a classic rock staple that's about unabashed lust for a young dude

maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody" counts but

i love edge of seventeen so much

MAYBE
I WILL GO
AGAIN
TOO
MORROW

he was no more than a baby then xxp

EYES

ON

HIYUM

Dave Marsh put the live version in his 1001 singles book.

my favorite story abt this song is when a friend who DJs weddings professionally received a typed-up request list from a bride and groom a month before their wedding which had a few inaccuracies including:

Fleetwood Mac - One-Winged Dove

A+

also the photo for this song is part one of a two-part super-easy photo-scavenger-hunt, (pt 2 in our next result)

"Edge of Seventeen" c/d

Ooooh, nice teaser! (xpost)

http://i.imgur.com/ZyvAJhe.jpg

46. Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
1067 points, 13 votes

I need to make a list of what I at one time would have guessed that these songs were called.

Stevie Nicks - "Just Like The Wild Wing-uh (Seems Like The Song Sounds Like She's Singin' (Ooh Baby Ooh Ooh))"

and she's got another song called "Ooh My Love."