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The 100 Greatest Songs Of 1978 #1. Werewolves of London (1 Viewer)

timschochet said:
83. Johnny Cougar “I Need a Lover” (from John. Cougar)

https://youtu.be/sdl5_3HX8bU

I suppose John Mellencamp thought it was really cool to go by the name of Johnny Cougar. Seems really silly now. But this was his first hit single and it’s still one of his best songs IMO. 
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I am more familiar with the Pat Benatar version from "In The  Heat Of The Night" from 1979.

 
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82. REO Speedwagon “Roll With the Changes” (from You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish) 

https://youtu.be/4PdU6migsqQ

Before I get to the song, let me address the album title, because I truly believe it’s the worst name for an album of all time. Not that I know every album that’s ever been released, but one would be hard pressed to find anything more awful. Enough of that. 

The song is great; I’ve always thought so. This band was known more for their ballads than their rockers, but this is clearly their best rocker ever. Their best ballad ever is coming up a little later on this list. 

 
81. Nick Gilder “Hot Child in the City” (from City Nights) 

https://youtu.be/ERqwe_D7anI

As I recall, this song did very well on my one hit wonders of all time list, though the criteria was a little different. In any case, this is a very good rocker with a nice sound that still gets a lot of attention. 
Returning to my memories of 1978 (I was 13 at the time), this tune makes me recall the wonders of the roller skating rink: they would darken the lights, put in a disco ball and cute little 8th grade girls that I longed to know (but didn’t have the nerve to approach) would skate around in large giggling clusters. 

 
timschochet said:
83. Johnny Cougar “I Need a Lover” (from John. Cougar)

https://youtu.be/sdl5_3HX8bU

I suppose John Mellencamp thought it was really cool to go by the name of Johnny Cougar. Seems really silly now. But this was his first hit single and it’s still one of his best songs IMO. 
Click to expand...


I forgot about this song and had never seen the video.   

Easily my favorite tune of those recently ranked here.

Some of these songs are absolutely unlistenable for me.

 
timschochet said:
 (from You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish) 

Before I get to the song, let me address the album title, because I truly believe it’s the worst name for an album of all time. Not that I know every album that’s ever been released, but one would be hard pressed to find anything more awful. Enough of that. 
Click to expand...
 Van Halen - OU812

Limp Bizkit  - Chococolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water 

Guns N Roses - The Spaghetti Incident?

Mudhoney - My Brother The Cow

Green Day - Dookie

 
timschochet said:
 (from You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish) 

Before I get to the song, let me address the album title, because I truly believe it’s the worst name for an album of all time. Not that I know every album that’s ever been released, but one would be hard pressed to find anything more awful. Enough of that. 
Click to expand...


No, I think that distinction belongs to:

The Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven

A twofer with a terrible band name followed by a lame malaprop.

 
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timschochet said:
80. Foreigner “Double Vision” (from Double Vision) 

https://youtu.be/dD-SpHH7qDA

The hard rockers of my youth, sure to be played at bowling alleys and video arcades. I was supposed to see them in concert but I got sick and my dumb brother took his dumb friend instead. 
Click to expand...


LOL, cheesy AF.  First time hearing this song or seeing the video.

Is Foreigner accused of being a "coprorate/manufactured" band under the Gordon Gekko definition?  I honestly don't know but would lean yes based on what I've gathered from those in this thread and other threads.

 
TripItUp said:
LOL, cheesy AF.  First time hearing this song or seeing the video.

Is Foreigner accused of being a "coprorate/manufactured" band under the Gordon Gekko definition?  I honestly don't know but would lean yes based on what I've gathered from those in this thread and other threads.
Click to expand...
There were certainly people that would accuse them of having a slick corporate sound - it’s not an unfair opinion. One of my college buddy’s cousin was their original bass player, Ed Gagliardi. There’s a picture of my friend backstage as a toddler. That’s all I got - another band that I liked when I heard on the radio or on MTV but never played on my own.

 
timschochet said:
86. Gerry Rafferty “Right Down the Line” (from City to City) 

https://youtu.be/NSfOB8ANdWU

True Scotsman and former Stealers Wheel member Gerry Rafferty had a breakthrough album in 1978 with.City to City which featured two hit songs. “Right Down the Line” is one; the other is coming up a little later: This is a slick and enjoyable pop song which still sounds pretty good.
Click to expand...
This one and his other one are 2 of my favorite songs. While most of this list is instant channel changer for me, this one is "turn the volume up to 30"

 
TripItUp said:
LOL, cheesy AF.  First time hearing this song or seeing the video.

Is Foreigner accused of being a "coprorate/manufactured" band under the Gordon Gekko definition?  I honestly don't know but would lean yes based on what I've gathered from those in this thread and other threads.
Click to expand...
I always hated Foreigner, and I can't even tell you why. But even back in the heyday golden halcyon days of roller rinks and arcades, I hated them

 
timschochet said:
81. Nick Gilder “Hot Child in the City”
Click to expand...
I lol every time I hear this song because one of my best friends in college said his older brother used to tease him whenever this song came on by substituting his name (Kyle) with 'Child' so he'd sing.

Hot 'Kyle' in the city

Running wild and looking pretty

When he told the story he grit his teeth and went errr, lol.

 
timschochet said:
82. REO Speedwagon “Roll With the Changes” (from You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish) 

https://youtu.be/4PdU6migsqQ

Before I get to the song, let me address the album title, because I truly believe it’s the worst name for an album of all time. Not that I know every album that’s ever been released, but one would be hard pressed to find anything more awful. Enough of that. 

The song is great; I’ve always thought so. This band was known more for their ballads than their rockers, but this is clearly their best rocker ever. Their best ballad ever is coming up a little later on this list. 
Click to expand...
I'd go with Golden Country for that.

 
79. Billy Joel “Big Shot” (from 52nd Street)

https://youtu.be/bEea624OBzM

Billy Joel was pretty ubiquitous in the late 70s, scoring one hit after another. This was one of his harder rock songs. Much like Paul McCartney and Elton John, Joel has a terrific knack for the catchy melody that is sure to get a lot of radio play. 

 
ProstheticRGK said:
I always hated Foreigner, and I can't even tell you why. But even back in the heyday golden halcyon days of roller rinks and arcades, I hated them
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Glad I’m not the only one.   There is nothing wrong with Foreigner but I despise them.  The vocals seemed like they were trying to hard and the songs were never catchy to me. 

 
TripItUp said:
timschochet said:
80. Foreigner “Double Vision” (from Double Vision) 

https://youtu.be/dD-SpHH7qDA

The hard rockers of my youth, sure to be played at bowling alleys and video arcades. I was supposed to see them in concert but I got sick and my dumb brother took his dumb friend instead. 
Click to expand...


LOL, cheesy AF.  First time hearing this song or seeing the video.
Click to expand...
Sounds down 'n dirty. Even kinda mean.

 
timschochet said:
79. Billy Joel “Big Shot” (from 52nd Street)

https://youtu.be/bEea624OBzM

Billy Joel was pretty ubiquitous in the late 70s, scoring one hit after another. This was one of his harder rock songs. Much like Paul McCartney and Elton John, Joel has a terrific knack for the catchy melody that is sure to get a lot of radio play. 
Click to expand...
Really like all the name/place dropping in the lyrics.

 
in the 70s, i'd walk into record stores and scan the entire stock of album covers for names of musicians, producers, even engineers i knew, heard talked about or listened to previously, i picked up Foreigner's first record before it ever made air because it had King Crimson multiinstrumentalist Ian MacDonald and featured Jones from the ultimate "band i seen 40 times even tho i'm not a fan cuz they open for everybody" Spooky Tooth.

being in music mgmt in Boston at that time, we were all licking our wounds because each and every one of us had passed on Tom Scholz demos at least once - the drummer had played parties at my house and i still couldnt get enthused about Boston til, like everyone else, i'd heard the debut - so, when i put the Foreigner disc on and heard that still-very-new brand of power pop similar to Boston and along the lines of what Toto would atomize & replicate - i just wanted to grab a town-crier bell and walk the streets of Salem calling "10 oclock and all is well and i know what the next hit album is gonna be".  if i could have bet the future of the Foreigner debut, i would have laid the proverbial farm on the line. that sense of propriety kept me from hating those guys, which i normally would on principle.

 
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timschochet said:
81. Nick Gilder “Hot Child in the City” (from City Nights) 

https://youtu.be/ERqwe_D7anI

As I recall, this song did very well on my one hit wonders of all time list, though the criteria was a little different. In any case, this is a very good rocker with a nice sound that still gets a lot of attention. 
Returning to my memories of 1978 (I was 13 at the time), this tune makes me recall the wonders of the roller skating rink: they would darken the lights, put in a disco ball and cute little 8th grade girls that I longed to know (but didn’t have the nerve to approach) would skate around in large giggling clusters. 
Click to expand...
Nick Gilder was in Canadian glam rock band, Sweeney Todd.He and the guitar player left the band to pursue great things in the USA as a solo artist. This was Nick's only hit. He did gain some success as a songwriter though. He co-wrote "The Warrior" for Scandal w/Patty Smyth.

Gilder's replacement with Sweeney Todd was a very young (16) Bryan Adams.

 
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northern exposure said:
Nick Gilder was in Canadian glam rock band, Sweeney Todd.He and the guitar player left the band to pursue great things in the USA as a solo artist. This was Nick's only hit. He did gain some success as a songwriter though. He co-wrote "The Warrior" for Scandal w/Patty Smyth.

Gilder's replacement with Sweeney Todd was a very young (16) Bryan Adams.
Click to expand...


Yeah, it was Nick Gilder's only hit but he had a couple great tunes on his next LP which I can mention here since they are from the LP Frequency in 1979 so they won't be on Tim's list (and wouldn't expect them on a 79 list if he ever does one).

You Really Rock Me, which charted peaking at #57 Billboard Top 100, and is best described as Queen meets Cheap Trick.

https://youtu.be/OFOiGhAvsq8

And another power pop gem, Metro Jets 

🎶 All the downtown girls, the Metro Jets 🎶

🎶 All the downtown dudes, the Metro Jets 🎶

🎶 All the Metro Jets🎶

https://youtu.be/ydpL0Sf_o7Y

 
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78. The Kinks “A Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy” (from Misfits) 

https://youtu.be/6SzrxMNBE2g

Not to be confused with Bad Company’s “Rock And Roll Fantasy”, released a year later (and by the way @squistion I’ve already done a list for 1979!). 
This is one of Ray Davies’ best compositions of the decade, a meditation on fan worship and the state of the band (seemingly about to break up). In the end, he decides it’s worth it to keep things together for a while longer, which turned out to be awesome for the rest of us. 

 
77. Bruce Springsteen “The Promised Land” (from Darkness On the Edge of Town) 

https://youtu.be/azQY2YBUMQc

While “The Promised Land” is nowhere near one of the best Bruce Springsteen songs, it’s one of the most quintessential Bruce Springsteen songs, continuing the saga of the blue collar white guy from Jersey seeking out the last remnants of a lost American Dream. Most of the great tunes from this album are elements of the same theme. 

 
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timschochet said:
78. The Kinks “A Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy” (from Misfits) 

https://youtu.be/6SzrxMNBE2g

Not to be confused with Bad Company’s “Rock And Roll Fantasy”, released a year later (and by the way @squistion I’ve already done a list for 1979!). 
This is one of Ray Davies’ best compositions of the decade, a meditation on fan worship and the state of the band (seemingly about to break up). In the end, he decides it’s worth it to keep things together for a while longer, which turned out to be awesome for the rest of us. 
Click to expand...


timschochet said:
77. Bruce Springsteen “The Promised Land” (from Darkness On the Edge of Town) 

https://youtu.be/azQY2YBUMQc

While “The Promised Land” is nowhere near one of the best Bruce Springsteen songs, it’s one of the most quintessential Bruce Springsteen songs, continuing the saga of the blue collar white guy from Jersey seeking out the last remnants of a lost American Dream. Most of the great tunes from this album are elements of the same theme. 
Click to expand...


Now this is the content I'm here for.

 
timschochet said:
79. Billy Joel “Big Shot” (from 52nd Street)

https://youtu.be/bEea624OBzM

Billy Joel was pretty ubiquitous in the late 70s, scoring one hit after another. This was one of his harder rock songs. Much like Paul McCartney and Elton John, Joel has a terrific knack for the catchy melody that is sure to get a lot of radio play. 
Click to expand...
Great song! I forgot about this song until it was used in the Amazon Prime series "The Boys". One of the characters is a huge Billy Joel fan.

 
squistion said:
Yeah, it was Nick Gilder's only hit but he had a couple great tunes on his next LP which I can mention here since they are from the LP Frequency in 1979 so they won't be on Tim's list (and wouldn't expect them on a 79 list if he ever does one).

You Really Rock Me, which charted peaking at #57 Billboard Top 100, and is best described as Queen meets Cheap Trick.

https://youtu.be/OFOiGhAvsq8

And another power pop gem, Metro Jets 

🎶 All the downtown girls, the Metro Jets 🎶

🎶 All the downtown dudes, the Metro Jets 🎶

🎶 All the Metro Jets🎶

https://youtu.be/ydpL0Sf_o7Y
Click to expand...
I can definitely say I am not a fan of his voice.

 
timschochet said:
78. The Kinks “A Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy” (from Misfits) 

https://youtu.be/6SzrxMNBE2g

Not to be confused with Bad Company’s “Rock And Roll Fantasy”, released a year later (and by the way @squistion I’ve already done a list for 1979!). 
This is one of Ray Davies’ best compositions of the decade, a meditation on fan worship and the state of the band (seemingly about to break up). In the end, he decides it’s worth it to keep things together for a while longer, which turned out to be awesome for the rest of us. 
Click to expand...
The bolded could apply to just about any year :lol:

 
timschochet said:
78. The Kinks “A Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy” (from Misfits) 

https://youtu.be/6SzrxMNBE2g

Not to be confused with Bad Company’s “Rock And Roll Fantasy”, released a year later (and by the way @squistion I’ve already done a list for 1979!). 
This is one of Ray Davies’ best compositions of the decade, a meditation on fan worship and the state of the band (seemingly about to break up). In the end, he decides it’s worth it to keep things together for a while longer, which turned out to be awesome for the rest of us. 
Click to expand...
One of their best tunes IMO, which is obviously saying a lot.

 
This thread is reminding me of why I listened to KROQ exclusively at that point in my life.

 
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timschochet said:
There is no way that I am going to review the 100 greatest songs of 1978 and leave out Grease. Not gonna happen. Not on my watch. 
Click to expand...
If that song was just a song, and not a part of the Grease Soundtrack would you consider it a "great" song?

I mean I get the nostalgia and I loved the movie but this should strictly be about the songs. Promised Land is 100x better as a song - and there's at least 300 songs I'm sure fit the topic better.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
If that song was just a song, and not a part of the Grease Soundtrack would you consider it a "great" song?

I mean I get the nostalgia and I loved the movie but this should strictly be about the songs. Promised Land is 100x better as a song - and there's at least 300 songs I'm sure fit the topic better.
Click to expand...


i've just taken xtra heart medicine so i'm sure to be around when Summer Lovin' goes ahead of Miss You...

ETA:        niii-HAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTS!

 
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Dr. Octopus said:
If that song was just a song, and not a part of the Grease Soundtrack would you consider it a "great" song?

I mean I get the nostalgia and I loved the movie but this should strictly be about the songs. Promised Land is 100x better as a song - and there's at least 300 songs I'm sure fit the topic better.
Click to expand...
I can’t answer your question. I don’t know. But I think it’s a great song. 

 
75. Van Halen “Jamie’s Cryin’” (from Van Halen) 

https://youtu.be/OOjm4I7LRgY

David Lee Roth is a better rock vocalist than John Travolta…I guess. 
Nah this is an excellent song from a pretty good debut album- I actually like their second album better, but this one has a few highlights that we will discuss here. Van Halen had a pretty fresh sound in 1978. 

 
wikkidpissah said:
i've just taken xtra heart medicine so i'm sure to be around when Summer Lovin' goes ahead of Miss You...

ETA:        niii-HAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTS!
Click to expand...
C'mon wikkid when you speak about the classics you have to get them right. You mean "Summer Nights". Tell me more, tell me more.

 
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