Another list: CBC picks top 50 songs of the last 100 years or so

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Through the summer, CBC Radio has been running an ongoing segment called "50 Tracks", with the aim of determining the best 50 songs of the last century or so. Each week a panel of guests (musicians, critics) come on and nominate two tracks each from that week's decade, they FITE, and then five tracks from that decade move on. Yeah, it's arbitrary, but some good tracks have been chosen so far. Also some really good tracks haven't even been mentioned. Luckily, they're going to add 10 more tracks based on feedback from the audience. What tracks would YOU add to the decades already covered?

http://www.cbc.ca/50tracks/50trackslist.html

Next week: the 80s.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 13 August 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" was nominated but eliminated from this week's batch of songs. I probably would have picked "Autobahn" instead, or even "The Robots". Maybe they'll get something from Computerworld on the 80s list.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 13 August 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Born to Be Wild" are they kidding?

― Huck, Friday, 13 August 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that may be Canadian pride kicking in or something. I'd have picked the Velvets, myself.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 13 August 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

"River" over "High School Confidential"!?

― dave q, Friday, 13 August 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

alternate headline:
CBC FINALLY ADMITS GOOD CANADIAN SONGS FEW, FAR BETWEEN

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 13 August 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Imagine" over "I'm A Lumberjack"? ;)

― zebedee (zebedee), Friday, 13 August 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"River" over "High School Confidential"!?
hahaha

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 13 August 2004 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

There's waaay too much emphasis on balladry in this list, from the standards I'm not so surprised, but The Beatles (In My Life?!?), Zeppelin (Stairway). Along with the token (apparently) fast punk number (Pistols).

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 13 August 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I have nothing against "Born to Be Wild" per se but it is a bit of an odd choice for the only 60s hard rock song over Hendrix, the Stones, the Doors, Cream, Allmans, Yardbirds, . . . And would it have killed to throw in just one soul, funk, or disco track from the 70s rather than one more British rock star? (And if you must, I just don't see the case for "Imagine" over "I've Seen All Good People".) I'm glad to see "Strange Fruit" and "Stairway" though, obvious though they may be.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 13 August 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S "WEST END BLUES" (1928)???

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 14 August 2004 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I also would have liked to see "Salt Peanuts"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 14 August 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

only reason born to be wild is in there is really, simply due to canadian content.

magic carpet ride > born to be wild

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Sunday, 15 August 2004 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The '90s will be dominated by Barenaked Ladies, clearly.

― Gear! (Gear!), Sunday, 15 August 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"Cinnamon Girl" is also better Canadian 60's content than "Born To Be Wild".

― wetmink (wetmink), Sunday, 15 August 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I thought of Neil right after I posted. What an odd choice Steppenwolf is. (Although I'd probably pick "Cowgirl In the Sand" over "Cinnamon Girl" meself.)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 15 August 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"Albert Flasher"!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 15 August 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"This Flight Tonight"!

― Huck, Monday, 16 August 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"Stop! In the Name of Love!" does not belong on this list.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 16 August 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

"Stop! In the Name of Love!" does not belong on this list.

Think it over, baby.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Monday, 16 August 2004 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, you know, I've gotta say that while this is making for some very interesting radio, with three expert basically duking it out for their own personal faves, it doesn't really make for a very comprehensive list when all is said and done. Many of the more interesting picks from each decade are getting omitted when they cull the ten picks from each decade down to five, no matter whether those culled five are any better than ones that were picked or culled from neighboring decades. So for the 80s, you have a vote for Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue" and nothing from Madonna or the Police; fair enough but then there's the weird situation where you now have no Neil Young, no Kraftwerk, no Fleetwood Mac, no Dylan (apart from the Byrds cover), and nothing from many other artists that would be considered essential on almost any other list compiled as a whole when considered by the criteria that were set out beforehand for this particular list. I'm happy that the pre-culling 80s have Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash, and Joy Division but a whole pile of other songs should have been in contention that weren't nominated. And someone in the audience had the smarts (ugh) to nominate Tom Cochrane's "Big League" to redress the imbalance. Yay.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 20 August 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Part of me really wishes they'd just looked at the last 50 years and restricted the picks to Canadian tracks, because then at least it would have provided something new to the canon rather than reaffirming that Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" affected someone's life and affected a whole school of music afterwards. Shocking to CBC audiences perhaps, but anyone who knows the song...y'know, already KNOWS that and doesn't need a CBC show to tell them that AGAIN.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 20 August 2004 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm surprised now, looking back over the list, that Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On" didn't actually make the final cut.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 20 August 2004 01:24 (twenty-one years ago)

So they started the 90's this week, first with Nirvana and Lauryn Hill(you can guess the songs), and continued today with Mary J. Blige, 'Real Love' and MY BLOODY VALENTINE, 'SOON'! Everyone, aside from the fellow who picked it and Ghomeshi, who defended it gamely, was totally confused and alienated. select quotes: 'Aside from critics, I mean, who cares!', 'I've honestly never heard that before, and I really wouldn't mind if I don't hear it again', 'there's nothing between the lyrics and the music! there's no SONG!', etc. etc.

It honestly made my day to hear MBV on daytime CBC, but the ensuing discussion was neat too; is the project meant to chronicle popular songs? Jian Ghomeshi tried defending MBV by citing their importance('they started shoegazer rock!'), vision ('Eno said that this song sounded like the future of music!'), etc., but what does that matter if no one's heard the song, knows what 'shoegazer rock' means(yep, he was asked to explain, it was funny), or cares what Eno has to say?

Ned, you must write in and explain things to them!

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha I wrote in after the 70s and told Jian that he had to make sure "Soon" got included!! Who picked it, Rayner?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

yep!

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Ben Rayner is the shit.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

'they started shoegazer rock!'

for this, they should be celebrated? Oy.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

them's fightin' words!

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but like "these guys started a trend of bands that tried to sound exactly like them" big deal.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

this show's format is completely bizarre – they go to the trouble of assembling a 'panel of experts' then barely give them any airtime!! instead you get ghomeshi explaining the concept of a "list" to whatever dimwit happens to be hosting Sounds Like Canada that day. it's like listening to the dvd commentary of the lamest rolling stone article ever

― jones (actual), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

p.s. Dear Canada i think there were black people in the 1970's

― jones (actual), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

heh, maybe, but not in canada.

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, sad for me and Ned, but My Bloody Valentine's "Soon" was turfed from the list. On the list: Nirvana, Mary J Blige, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill and Alanis. Great.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 27 August 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I definitely agree that Nirvana should have been there, and yeah, maybe even the Radiohead, but holy shit, it's like the massive electronic surge in the 90s never happened. I think Ben Rayner may have been the only one who GOT it this time around, picking songs that actually meant something beyond chart success. I'm just glad they didn't pick any Sheryl Crow. Oy.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 27 August 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

What were the Radiohead and Alanis picks?

I'm guessing Paranoid Android and Hand In My Pocket.

― derrick (derrick), Friday, 27 August 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Paranoid Android keee-rect. The Alanis song was "You Oughta Know".

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 27 August 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

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