CLASSIC ROCK TRACKS POLL: THE RESULTS

ELO is a novelty freakin' band

Word is, Malcolm's out (but physically present), and his nephew took his place for recording (and presumably will do so for the tour).

And now, we're going to smooth things out for a few minutes.

http://i.imgur.com/b9fGuh8.jpg

75. The Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky
896 points, 13 votes

YES! This song is so smooth and creepy.

It was in my top 10! It also very strongly reminds me of a certain place and time, namely waiting for my mom in her giant Caprice Classic.

images are something special today.

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

I had midnight rider at 11. Probably could have gone higher though. Awesome song.

this song & coast 2 coast AM* are forever fused in my mind

*and weed and french fries

didnt vote for it because its not sufficently CR imo, but its prob in my top-10 of all songs that were nominated

Based on that performance, I'm gonna say the Suzi Q cover of Breakdown was the keyboardist's idea. It was a good idea.

UGH work and not feeling well kept me from these festivities for the past 24 hours.
5 songs of mine so far. WALK AWAY! Twilight Zone, Highway to Hell, Evil Woman, and Midnight Rider.
Work better be slower today, I am not in the mood to try to play catch up, it all just goes to hell when that happens.

I had never knowingly heard "Eye In The Sky" before this poll, I'm a little mystified by its placement

It was a top 40 hit, was it not? I remember it getting a lot of airplay in the early 80's.

Yeah, it was a big hit. I didn't vote for it, but it was definitely ubiquitous on rock radio at least through the '80s.

Eye in the Sky is from 1982 btw.

(I prefer the second single from that album, "Games People Play" -- which is not as good as Joe South's "Games People Play," but is still good.)

I don't doubt that it was a hit, I've just never heard it on classic rock radio

I used to have some pills that made me smaller, but I decided the weight loss just wasn't worth the night terrors.

http://i.imgur.com/FbUTIq4.jpg

74. Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit
897 points, 14 votes

YES! This song is so smooth and creepy.

― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Tuesday, July 29, 2014 9:49 AM

Yeah -- I was not a fan of it in its first-run days, but I like its bland menace now. A late cut from my ballot though.

Oops, "Games People Play" is actually from the previous APP album.

i love white rabbit

"Eye in the Sky" hit the top five..very much an L.A. pop hangover.

"white rabbit" is great but OLDIES

(also i may blame Grace Slick more than she really deserves for Linda Perry)

APP is good and so creepy. I was most familiar with "Don't Answer Me" and its weird video as a kid. "Eye" is great, and "Time" is probably the most depressing top 40 hit ever but also really quite beautiful in the midst of its efforts to induce suicide in the listener.

Weirdly, "White Rabbit" is by far the most-played Jefferson song on cr, while "Miracles" is all over the oldies station.

78-75 were all on my list!

"White Rabbit" is no "Somebody to Love" IMO

Learning that Grace Slick wrote "White Rabbit" while tripping and listening to "Sketches of Spain" is pretty much the least-surprising song origin story ever.

White Rabbit is probably used a lot as a palate cleanser in the context of CRR.

"White Rabbit" is definitely one of the pre-68 songs holding strongest on classic rock radio, in my experience. Songs like that and "Paint It, Black" get a lot of leeway for being pretty dark for the era.

Interestingly enough, the first time I heard of the Alan Parsons Project was also in Austin Powers 2.

Eye in the Sky is pretty great, not really capital C capital R Classic Rock though.

"White Rabbit" is no "Somebody to Love" IMO

― Lewis - J'Agour (crüt), Tuesday, July 29, 2014

agree, and that's no knock on white rabbit. but "white rabbit" is important but also kinda herky-jerk and shouty where "somebody to love" is a 3-minute pop rampage that deploys slick's foghorn to devastating effect.

"White Rabbit" is no "Somebody to Love" IMO

― Lewis - J'Agour (crüt), Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Also agree, hopefully we'll be seeing it place later

And now, we dispense with another biggie surprisingly early in the countdown...

http://i.imgur.com/O6OsSPA.jpg

73. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
904 points, 14 votes, 2 first place votes

another excellent photo choice

turn it up

Jefferson Airplane, like CCR, were riiiight at that borderline to Oldies, but they just have so much in common with the core classic rock sound that follows. "Dark for the era" is one way of putting it for sure. I only gave them one vote and this wasn't it, but glad to see this here, it rules.

The last few images have just been stellar. 76-74 could have plausibly been the covers to the albums in question, especially Eye in the Sky - that's great!

In general, loving the kind of weird sideline choices for some of these acts - would never have expected Breakdown to make it here, but don't mind it at all. Also funny to imagine what ILM would have produced for this poll ten years ago or more - would there be so much southern rock?

lord, but i hate sweet home alabama

ha ha 10 years ago ILM would have found some way to nominate every Eno song

Speaking of Southern rock, I'll be sad if "Flirtin' With Disaster" does not beat "Sweet Home Alabama."

Felt compelled to include Sweet Home Alabama in my Skynyrd ROCK BLOCK, felt equally compelled to put it very low, it's no Gimme Three Steps

Two first place votes, one of them was Kid Rock

man i just don't get the hate at all. sweet home is grebt. tremendous hook, great arrangement, slyly funny, slyly honest... what's not to like (other than overplay and maybe dbag fans?)

with sweet home and free bird out of the way it'll be real interesting to see if any other skynyrd places...

Objectively, Sweet Home is a great single. But having grown up in the state of Alabama, where this song flowed as freely as the breeze, I've heard it enough for ten lifetimes.

what's not to like (other than overplay and maybe dbag fans?)

That's it, yeah.

xposts yeah, it may be easier to enjoy objectively if you don't live surrounded by rebel flags.

Johnny Fever! I grew up where they love the governor as well!
It made my top 10, there's a resignation that I hear in Van Zant's voice on this that slays me.

What's that? You wanna hear some more southern rock?

http://i.imgur.com/C0eYx0r.jpg

72. The Marshall Tucker Band – Can’t You See
910 points, 14 votes

Overplay absolutely a factor in my placing it so low.
Also, it's no Gimme Three Steps.

attn: how's life, i webmailed u