DJTees Blog — Lists & Charts

What I love about these readers polls is how they indicate rising and falling popularities. This one shows what an impact Alice Cooper’s #1 hit with Schools Out and the subsequent UK tour. The Schools Out record notoriously came wrapped in a pair of knickers in a variety of shades - blue was the rarest pink the most common. You’d get put in jail if you did such a thing today! Focus were also just coming to prominence having had a #2 album in 1971 and Focus 3 making #6 in 1972. Rod Stewart was selling a lot of records...

The magazine did regular Reader's Polls and they make interesting reading as a snap shot of the time and what was and wasn't popular.  The majority of the top 10 are 1960s albums with only the Eagles being a relatively recent release.  Funny that a poll for 'album of the century' includes nothing pre-1967! Almost very album in the 50 is a classic, interesting to see Mike Nesmith in at 23. Love being #1 is amazing really and shows how well regarded that album was even seven years after its release. It's gone on to be recognised as something of a...

Creem was a superb magazine but being an American publication was quite hard to get in UK if you didn’t live in a major city, so when we did pick it up, it felt like we were accessing a distant land of exotic full colour rock n roll. Every year they had a reader’s poll and they make fascinating reading, largely because almost every single album is a classic of the era and 1974 is no exception. Rolling Stones- It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) David Bowie- Diamond Dogs Bad Company- Bad Co. David Bowie- David Live...

If you recall, at the end of every year there was a reader’s vote in the New Musical Express. You had to fill out the coupon and send it in the post. Ah, the glory days of analogue communication! When the results were published we all poured over them and in the timeless fashion, said as one, ‘who voted for them/that?’ However, in 1973, the readership pretty much got everything spot on. I voted for John McLaughlin as best guitarist because I was in the first throes of falling in love with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I also voted for Chris...

The paper's "Pazz & Jop" music poll, started by Robert Christgau in 1971, was released annually and, especially in the 1970s and early 80s, was an influential survey of the nation's music critics. https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/12/26/1971-pazz-jop-what-does-it-all-mean/ The Village Voice was launched by Ed Fancher, Dan Wolf, and Norman Mailer on October 26, 1955, from a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village; that was its initial coverage area, which expanded to other parts of the city by the 1960s. In 1960, it moved from 22 Greenwich Avenue to 61 Christopher Street in a landmark triangular corner building adjoining Sheridan Square, and a few feet...

ZigZag was a British rock music magazine started by Pete Frame and the first edition was published on 16 April 1969. The magazine was noted for its interviews, articles, innovative "rock family trees" by Pete whih went on to be books in their own right and be included in album releases. It lasted in various forms through 1986. Their Reader's poll in issue 23; Nov/Dec 1971 makes interesting reading 49 years later. What strikes me is how these were regarded a wonderful works of art in '71 and they still are all these years later. Time has not dimmed their brilliance....

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Their end of year lists always make for interesting reading. We were certainly blessed with a lot of great records in 1975. I own all of these bar Bootsy and Max Romeo.  1. Desire - Bob Dylan 2. Station To Station - David Bowie 3. Stupidity - Dr. Feelgood 4. Heat Treatment - Graham Parker 5. The Ramones - The Ramones 6. Agents Of Fortune - Blue Oyster Cult 7. Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle 8. The Pretender - Jackson Browne 9. Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading 10. Cry Tough - Nils Lofgren 11. Elite Hotel - Emmylou Harris 12. Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy 13. The Royal Scam...

It really was the year of west coast rock and the year of Rumours. The Sex Pistols are the only punk intrusion. Even so, all records on this list have stood the text of time very well.   Albums Winner • Rumours - Fleetwood Mac • Runners-Up  • Hotel California - Eagles• The Pretender - Jackson Browne• CSN - Crosby, Stills & Nash• Love You Live - Rolling StonesSingles Winner • Dreams - Fleetwood Mac • Runners-Up - • Hotel California - Eagles• Night Moves - Bob Seger• Year Of The Cat - Al Stewart• God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

10 fine albums. The top 3 are classics. But at 10 a surprise appearance by Sadistic Mika Band!  1. The Hissing of Summer Lawns - Joni Mitchell2. Blood On The Tracks - Bob Dylan 3. Natty Dread - Bob Marley And The Wailers 4. The Who By Numbers - The Who 5. Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon 6. Caught Up - Millie Jackson 7. Back To The Night - Joan Armatrading 8. Nils Lofgren - Nils Lofgren 9. Visions Of The Emerald Beyond - Mahavishnu Orchestra 10. Hot! Menu! - Sadistic Mika Band 

NME writers voted for their best albums of the year and this is a cracking to 30. All killer, no filler.  1. Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan 2. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll - Rolling Stones 3. Before The Flood - Bob Dylan 4. 461 Ocean Boulevard - Eric Clapton 5. Todd - Todd Rundgren 6. On The Beach - Neil Young 7. Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt 8. Fulfillingness First Finale - Stevie Wonder 9. Country Life - Roxy Music 10. Average White Band - Average White Band 11. Future Days - Can 12. Smiler - Rod Stewart 13. Secret Treaties - Blue Oyster Cult 14. Maria Muldaur - Maria Muldaur 15. Another...

Creem was a wonderful magazine - pretty much America's only mag that covered rock music and nothing but rock music. Rolling Stone did but also covered current affairs and politics. Creems readers had fine taste too. Look at this stellar list of albums that they voted the best of 1973.  Amazing that Mott was voted top over all the other big bands. It is a wonderful album, though.Top Albums 1. Mott The Hoople - Mott 2. The Who - Quadrophenia 3. Elton John - Goodbye Yellowbrick Road  4. Rolling Stones - Goat's Head Soup  5. New York Dolls  6. Pink Floyd...