CLASSIC ROCK TRACKS POLL voting thread -- deadline July 15 -- VOTING CLOSED

Yeah, seriously emil.y. Join the fun. I am not making any assumptions about what the results are going to look like. The more people who join who want to make it weird, the better, imo.

As long as people don't mind, I'm up for it. Not sure I'll make it particularly weird (is 'Barracuda' weird? Man I love that song), but I do have quite *specific* tastes.

you should absolutely submit a ballot, especially if you're voting for Heart

Even though I whined a little bit in the noms thread about not being able to vote for Van Halen's When It's Love, it's worth noting that both that one and Finish What Ya Started are 1988 and therefore after the cutoff.

Not that many of you would vote for them anyway.

listening to these songs while sitting at a computer is an unusual experience
come to think of it, listening to them on purpose is an unusual experience
my most hated list is coming along nicely -- lotsa old time rock and roll, you know "the good stuff"

Definitely submit a ballot, emil.y. I agree that the more people who submit and the weirder the results the better.

I'm down to 109 and shit just got super difficult.

I just got mine down to 100. It took cold precision.

Had to be a little heartless.

no heart??

Definitely a lot of Heart. I just meant that I ruthlessly cut some favorites.

Hey, why isn't Lou Reed's "Vicious" on there? I am 100% sure I heard that song on CR radio because 1) otherwise I wouldn't have known it in high school and 2) I remember dancing around the kitchen to it when I was in 9th grade after eating a shocking amt of Cheez-Its, as I did every day in my friend's kitchen as we gossiped and listened to the radio.

Haha, my first cut left me with 14 tracks.

Also I think "Jane" is going to kill in this poll. That song rules. I thought it was called "Change" until not too long ago.

Jane is absolutely badass.

"Jane" was in heavy rotation on WLS-AM in Chicago in 1979-80 because the mayor at the time was Jane Byrne. It's all a rich tapestry.

Don't know if I'll quite make it to 100, but I expect this will be my longest ballot yet. I will include things things that were cut--I understand why they were, but I figure there's no real harm if you include them on your own ballot. But I will try to honor the spirit of the poll, i.e. only vote for things that I've heard on Q-107 here. Except when I don't, because I really, really want to vote for something.

The beginning part of the guitar solo in "Jane" is the eighth wonder of the classic rock world.

I don't see any difference b/w "songs that epitomize classic rock" and "my favorite songs."

Boy that is really true. I cut Jane in round three after I listened to it again but now I'm having second thoughts. xp

Would it be fair to say that Seger is four-fifths Bruce Springsteen and one-fifth Van Morrison with about one-twentienth of their talents?

imo that is unfair, see also:

Bob Seger Reissue News

Ugh I just listened to it AGAIN and it is so good. I kinda want it to go on forever just like the opening part and then the solo and skip all the "playin a GAAAAAAAME" stuff but it's the classic song where I had no idea who sang it, what it was called, or even whether it was a man or woman singing, but I could identify it within a few seconds of it starting and I always liked it. Quintessence of turn it up man classic rock radio for me.

As I'm sitting here trying to whittle, there are so many songs I don't recognize the titles of. Makes me realize just how many Floyd/Zep songs I don't know.

I think could make my ballot so much easier if I could place my hand on a yes button and a no button while listening to each song -- so many of these songs are not associated with words for me, just sounds.

not and, OR

Probably won't be listening to any of these before voting. If I can't conjure it in my head, it doesn't get my vote.

that was my approach

"Hmmm...Sister Christian...not as good as War Pigs, but...better than Can't Find My Way Home?"

War Pigs >>>> CFMWH >>>>>>>>> Sister Christian

see, easy!

AC/DC and Bob Seger both absent from spotify-- any other big ones?

You, sir, need to do some more motorin'.

Probably won't be listening to any of these before voting. If I can't conjure it in my head, it doesn't get my vote.

total opposite-- there are riffs in my bones I couldn't begin to guess the name/artist for

I don't see any "All That It's Worth" by Buffalo Springsteen. Worst poll ever.

xp - otm

that's why i want yes/no buttons

also have we already talked about free bird? i just watched it live on the old grey whistle test and it made my arm hairs stand up.

not and, OR

i thought your original AND was kind of perfect for classic rock.

good point

I'd like to do some random campaigning for Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon. I just listened to that to get an idea of if/where it might place and that song is a fucking jam.

Jane has been my biggest "ohhhh THAT song!" so far

slowly working my way through the playlist, good grief what is this black oak arkansas abomination?

I'd like to do some random campaigning for Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon. I just listened to that to get an idea of if/where it might place and that song is a fucking jam.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, July 2, 2014 10:46 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Such a perfect highway song.

yeah that one is good. i find myself wishing there were less singing in 80% of these songs. speaking of REO Speedwagon, here's something i've always wondered: can someone explain/point me to the history of the high pitched male singer? i remember being a little kid and not being able to sing as high as some of these dudes. is it robert plant? what is a classic rock poll for if not asking the really big questions?

maybe they're all really big Frankie Valli fans?

Listening to all of these on Spotify and was surprised to find that I recognized not one, but all four of the 38 Special nominees.

fuck yeah that REO Speedwagon tune is a jam, and it survived both my initial cuts

down to 130 now, gonna give it a rest for a few days. I'll be incommunicado for the week of the 9th to 16th, so I need to send my ballot early.

Eunuchs? Clarence Frogman Henry?

I haven't listened to a CR station in years, and I just turned on 102.5 WDVE in Pittsburgh and sure enough, first song, Boston, "Rock and Roll Band," this is gonna be SO MUCH FUN.

can someone explain/point me to the history of the high pitched male singer?

Dude Sounds Like A Lady

(more a list than a history, but still.)

Also, the reason I haven't listened to a CR station in years is that I was a teenager in the 70s so save for a couple of the Canadian songs that I never heard on US stations (hello Crowbar), every single one of these songs is coded into my DNA.

I've whittled it down to 100 tracks, but ordering is going to be tough. So far I have it split between about 30 "top tier" tracks and then the other 70.

that thread doesn't really do it for me -- i'd like to know more! i just watched the video for "big log" because i thought the title was funny and i didn't recognize it. not familiar at all! but i was reminded of how similar these dudes looked to me. if i was lucky enough to get a look at these dudes, it didn't help to distinguish them much

http://heavyharmonies.com/bandpics/lougramm.jpg
and
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fd/5f/ff/fd5fffd6efc02681a20ac09d4096bd17.jpg

looked like basically the same person to me (until i could see lou gramm's teeth, which are his only distinguishing characteristic afaict)

Big Log is a weird song and I like it a lot.

Also: Big Log

wtf is that, Bob?