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

Pip's Invitation said:
I can understand skipping Television in '78, but when Tim skips them in '77, oh boy... 
I bought Adventure on vinyl to have something in my collection that I haven't already listened to a million times. It's surprisingly good. Worthwhile listen. It's not particularly memorable, though, unlike Marquee Moon, which certainly is. 

 
91. The Rolling Stones “Shattered” (from Some Girls

https://youtu.be/5IvxpNTNmzs

The Stones weigh in on the list with “Shattered”, a nice tune to rock out with, perhaps a bit repetitive for my taste, but featuring a fine vocal performance from Mick. He’s in tatters. 
My wife is a true fan of the Stones, in fact she saw both concerts at SoFi last week. She likes Shattered, though I think it's one of their worst songs, repetitive (as you said) and just boring.

 
Love is Like Oxygen sounds like a ELO song to me.  It could be on the album with Fire on High.


Yeah, an ELO song that Jeff Lynne is not handling the vocals on. And a bit gimmicky, although I must say ELO was too at times (see Mr. Blue Sky).

In all fairness I have seen that comparison before with several people on Twitter saying for years they thought that it was ELO. 

 
Marquee Moon is one of my all time favorite albums. That’s why I found @squistion’s post rather amusing, 


Interesting. 

On your "The 100 Greatest “New Wave” Songs" thread, Television is conspicuously missing from the list. Not one entry, which is odd considering how highly regarded and influential the band was as far as new wave scene was concerned and the fact that you rank Marquee Moon is one of your all time favorite albums.

 
Interesting. 

On your "The 100 Greatest “New Wave” Songs" thread, Television is conspicuously missing from the list. Not one entry, which is odd considering how highly regarded and influential the band was as far as new wave scene was concerned and the fact that you rank Marquee Moon is one of your all time favorite albums.
It's not a New Wave album by any stretch of the imagination. The hype sticker on the album says "Jazz for the punk rock set." It's clearly a rock/jazz/jam fusion album. It's not new wave at all. It's '77. No Wave, maybe, but not New Wave. 

 
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Interesting. 

On your "The 100 Greatest “New Wave” Songs" thread, Television is conspicuously missing from the list. Not one entry, which is odd considering how highly regarded and influential the band was as far as new wave scene was concerned and the fact that you rank Marquee Moon is one of your all time favorite albums.
My favorite album of all time is London Calling by the Clash. No songs from them either. I was pretty specific about what I meant by New Wave. 
But even if I regarded Marquee Moon as New Wave, I still very likely would have no songs from it on that list, because “Marquee Moon” (the song) and “Prove It” were too obscure, and my favorite tune from the album, “Guiding Light”, wasn’t a single and received no attention. 
But it sure seems like, from the way your post was written, that you’re trying to catch me out in a lie, that for some reason I would make up the fact that I love Marquee Moon. I find that amusing as well. 

 
91. The Rolling Stones “Shattered” (from Some Girls

https://youtu.be/5IvxpNTNmzs

The Stones weigh in on the list with “Shattered”, a nice tune to rock out with, perhaps a bit repetitive for my taste, but featuring a fine vocal performance from Mick. He’s in tatters. 
No. No. No. Way too low.  Such a great groove. Just a fantastic album, maybe the Stones last grasp. It smells like NYC in the late 70’s, but in a good way. 

 
Im trying to remember: were there any New Wave songs in ‘77 at all? Maybe “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads. Hard to think of many others. 
That wasn't even New Wave because the whole idea hadn't happened yet. Punk was still nascent. I like to think of it in this way. Post-punk's pop nephew was new wave, and punk hadn't died yet in '77. "Psycho Killer" is really an art rock song, at least to me. 

 
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It's not a New Wave album by any stretch of the imagination. The hype sticker on the album says "Jazz for the punk rock set." It's clearly a rock/jazz/jam fusion album. It's not new wave at all. It's '77. No Wave, maybe, but not New Wave. 


A fixture of CBGB's in the 70s that isn't considered new wave...

Okie Dokie, but not everyone agrees with that assessment.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Television-American-rock-group

Television, American rock group that played a prominent role in the emergence of the punk–new-wave movement.  

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/Television

Television were a cult Punk Rock/New Wave band from the USA, active between 1973-1978, 1992-1993 and since 2001. Its core lineup includes guitarist/vocalist ...

https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/13/archives/new-jersey-pages-band-television-rocks-around-two-guitars.html

TELEVISION, which appeared for two shows Sunday night at the Bottom Line, was one of the first of the New York new wave rock bands, along with Patti Smith, the Ramones and Talking Heads. But although Television's debut album, “Marquee Moon,” made many critics’ 10‐best lists last year, and the new album, “Adventure,” has been received nearly as well, the band's career has hardly blossomed as the others have.

https://guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/guitar-legends-television-tom-verlaine-richard-lloyd/

So, nah, Television weren’t “punk”. They were post-punk before anyone needed to think of such labels. They were new wave before the next wave had even started.

 
Love me some Toto way more than I should.  Such catchy hooks and underrated musicianship.

Their stuff holds up amazingly well for me as I continuously celebrate the catalog.

Africa, Rosanna, Hold the Line….so many bangers!  For my money, Africa is one of the greatest pop tunes ever.

Toto is a national treasure.
I have Toto ranked between GGG and Arriola.

 
I mean I’m all for some good natured ribbing when Tim picks tripe, but what’s going on in here?
I knew, when I looked over this list, that there were several songs that are- well, let’s just say that many many people find them awful and annoying. We’ve only scratched the surface; there’s a lot more to come. 
I love them all. I’m not ashamed of a single song on this list, obviously. 

 
I knew, when I looked over this list, that there were several songs that are- well, let’s just say that many many people find them awful and annoying. We’ve only scratched the surface; there’s a lot more to come. 
I love them all. I’m not ashamed of a single song on this list, obviously. 
I get certain songs “must” be included and I’m pretty open minded in musical taste.

I was mostly talking about the witch-hunt to prove you don’t like Television though.

 
Best band ever that was named after a little girl's dog.


Well, yes and no...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toto_(band)

Once the band came together, David Paich began composing what would become the eponymous debut album, Toto. According to popular myth, at the first recording sessions, in order to distinguish their own demo tapes from other bands' in the studio, Jeff Porcaro wrote the word "Toto" on them. In the early 1980s, band members told the press that the band was named after Toto the dog from The Wizard of Oz.

[9] After the completion of the first album, the band and record were still unnamed. David Hungate, after viewing the name on the demo tapes, explained to the group that the Latin words "in toto" translated to "all-encompassing." Because the band members played on so many records and so many musical genres, they adopted the name "Toto" as their own.

 
I knew, when I looked over this list, that there were several songs that are- well, let’s just say that many many people find them awful and annoying. We’ve only scratched the surface; there’s a lot more to come. 
I love them all. I’m not ashamed of a single song on this list, obviously. 
Don't sweat it, tim. As an unapologetic lover of schlock, I'm in for the ride. I'll poke at you, but it's meant in good fun.

The Manilow song you posted is my least favorite of his big hits. I think he does ballads better, but he's a fine singer & songwriter.

 
I knew, when I looked over this list, that there were several songs that are- well, let’s just say that many many people find them awful and annoying. We’ve only scratched the surface; there’s a lot more to come. 
I love them all. I’m not ashamed of a single song on this list, obviously. 


Oh, dear.   :(

 
90. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “I Need to Know” (from You’re Gonna Get It)

https://youtu.be/qdMwneWwzEs

Classic early rocker from Perry’s second album. Watching the live video, it always strikes me how incredibly tight these guys are. Truly one of the greatest live bands ever due to their synchronicity with each other. 
I'm guessing "Running Down A Dream" would get more votes but, to me, this is their best groove record. This is bar-band greatness, which is what the Heartbreakers did best.

 
I have questions for the Really old geezers that were in their 20s or 30s during peak Toto. 
 

were they universally loved?  Primarily liked by young people? What was their demographic? 
 

I was a toddler during peak Toto so I don’t know much about them except they made these bangers that stand the test of time 40 years later. 
 

also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  

 
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also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  
When a band called Yacht Rock Review performs Africa, it would be safe to say, yes.

https://youtu.be/yZoEk0kUz88

However, I wouldn't call Hold The Line yacht rock. When it was released, everybody across the rock spectrum seemed to like it, not just the AM top 30 crowd (it was a huge Top 5 hit). 

Their later stuff, Rosanna and Africa, was mostly just liked by those that favored middle of the road pop. The term "Yacht Rock" had not been coined then, but it would certainly have been applied to them if it existed.

 
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94. Sweet “Love Is Like Oxygen” (from Level Headed

https://youtu.be/zRgWvvkSvfk

Throughout the 1970s, Sweet had one great single after another, including this one, but none of their albums are anything special. I’ve tried. Since I’m a fan of their singles I figured that surely there are some hidden gems out there, forgotten catchy tunes that I would enjoy as well and could add to one of my playlists: There aren’t. At least I haven’t heard it: Each of the albums I’ve sampled, including this one, contains that one memorable song- and then blah. 
I have to disagree with you here. Desolation Boulevard is a classic album in my books.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
They had about five good-sized radio hits over about a five year period and no two of them sound like they even came from the same band, which is amazing for a hits-based group. It probably also hurt them from gaining more traction. 

"Little Willy" is the Ramones, two years early

"Ballroom Blitz" could be a Queen record

"Fox On The Run" would fit in on Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits

"Action" is sanded-down Clash

"Love Is Like Oxygen" is what the love child of 10CC & Roxy Music would sound like. If fact, I thought it WAS Roxy the first dozen times I heard it

A greatest hits package is probably the best long-form way to listen to Sweet, though the album with "Action" on it was pretty good, IMO.
I got a bit of a T-Rex influence from Sweet. In fact, I became aware of Sweet prior to learning about Marc Bolan and T-Rex. So, when I first heard "Jeepster", etc. I thought it was Sweet. :bag:

 
I have questions for the Really old geezers that were in their 20s or 30s during peak Toto. 
 

were they universally loved?  Primarily liked by young people? What was their demographic? 
 

I was a toddler during peak Toto so I don’t know much about them except they made these bangers that stand the test of time 40 years later. 
 

also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  


I think Toto was the kind of band that a lot of us didn't actively promote ...but also secretly liked.  It wasn't cool to like them though.

Are they yacht rock?  

reaction.

 
I have questions for the Really old geezers that were in their 20s or 30s during peak Toto. 
 

were they universally loved?  Primarily liked by young people? What was their demographic? 
 

I was a toddler during peak Toto so I don’t know much about them except they made these bangers that stand the test of time 40 years later. 
 

also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  
Early Toto was liked by the classic rockers of that era.  By the time Rosanna and Africa was released, AOR was starting to wane a bit.  Those two songs were never on AOR.  

 
I have questions for the Really old geezers that were in their 20s or 30s during peak Toto. 
 

were they universally loved?  Primarily liked by young people? What was their demographic? 
 

I was a toddler during peak Toto so I don’t know much about them except they made these bangers that stand the test of time 40 years later. 
 

also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  
the teenage girls loved them.  Toto hit that sweet spot that would get them on the playlist with Madonna and cyndi Lauper and on another station Kansas and Foreigner. 
 

just asked my chick partner from that era and she hated them…classified them as pop. 

 
Early Toto was liked by the classic rockers of that era.  By the time Rosanna and Africa was released, AOR was starting to wane a bit.  Those two songs were never on AOR.  
AOR is a stupid made up non-genre anyway.  It's basically a subgenre made up about bands who were good enough to get deep cuts played on the radio, but it is usually used an insult. 

 
AOR is a stupid made up non-genre anyway.  It's basically a subgenre made up about bands who were good enough to get deep cuts played on the radio, but it is usually used an insult. 
I agree with you.   How many of those bands were relevant after 1984-5 though?

 
I have questions for the Really old geezers that were in their 20s or 30s during peak Toto. 
 

were they universally loved?  Primarily liked by young people? What was their demographic? 
 

I was a toddler during peak Toto so I don’t know much about them except they made these bangers that stand the test of time 40 years later. 
 

also, is Toto yacht rock? I need a ruling.  
I was 12/14 for peak Toto. They were big staples on MTV and people mostly liked their hits but I personally didn’t know anyone that was “a fan” of Toto. I still don’t actually. I liked their songs  when I heard them but never actually played them on my own.

 
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I agree with you.   How many of those bands were relevant after 1984-5 though?
Well, relevance can be subjective, but what rock bands that made their bones in the 70s (or 60s) were relevant after 1984-1985?   Some, for sure, but a lot less were not. 

Boston, who is often called AOR, had a number 1 in 1986 (Amanda). 

Foreigner, also usually called AOR, had a top 5 hit in 1987 (I Don't Want to Live Without You).

Styx had a top 3 hit in 1990 (Show Me the Way).

Even a band like Toto, being called AOR here, had a hit go to number 11 in 1986 (I'll Be Over You). 

 
Well, relevance can be subjective, but what rock bands that made their bones in the 70s (or 60s) were relevant after 1984-1985?   Some, for sure, but a lot less were not. 

Boston, who is often called AOR, had a number 1 in 1986 (Amanda). 

Foreigner, also usually called AOR, had a top 5 hit in 1987 (I Don't Want to Live Without You).

Styx had a top 3 hit in 1990 (Show Me the Way).

Even a band like Toto, being called AOR here, had a hit go to number 11 in 1986 (I'll Be Over You). 
This song was very AOR, Rosanna and Africa were not.

 
I got a bit of a T-Rex influence from Sweet. In fact, I became aware of Sweet prior to learning about Marc Bolan and T-Rex. So, when I first heard "Jeepster", etc. I thought it was Sweet. :bag:


Both T. Rex and The Sweet were part of the UK glam rock scene, although T-Rex surfaced earlier in as far as popularity (see Ride A White Swan and Hot Love). I never heard a T-Rex influence outside of the fact Marc Bolan seemed to have influenced about everyone (except Bowie) in that scene at the time. 

 
89. The Kinks “Misfits” (from Misfits

https://youtu.be/R__Yy1ZMPy8

In 1978 the Kinks were still trying to find songs that would duplicate their earlier successes. They hadn’t had a hit in nearly 8 years (really since “Lola”, although “Celluloid Heroes” got a little play). It would be another year before they really broke through again with the ironically titled Give the People What They Want. 
Misfits was an excellent album and the title song is tremendous (a few years later Ray lifted the melody for “Don’t Forget to Dance”, which actually was a hit for the band.) But not too many folks heard it at the time. 

 
squistion said:
I suspect that if asked, he couldn't name a song by either Television or Tom Verlaine without a Google search.
He's probably been in enough music drafts where the title track of the first album was taken, so he might recognize that one, at least by name. 

 

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