Zig Zag

  

Many thanks to Paul Barber for compiling and explaining these lists.

1. Four Zigzag readers' polls:

1.1. Best Album Ever (Top 30; ZZ issue 23; Nov/Dec 1971)
1.2. Most Played Album (Top 10+; ZZ 45; mid 1974)
1.3. Album of the Century (Top 50+; ZZ 55; Jul/Aug 1975)
1.4. Favorite Track (Top 61; ZZ 65; Sep/Oct 1976)

2. Two lists compiled by Charlie Gillett and Simon Frith and published in

Rock File 3 (published by Panther, 1975):

2.1. Hot Hundred Singles
2.2. 100 Essential Rock Albums

 

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1.1. Best Album Ever (Top 30; ZZ issue 23; Nov/Dec 1971)

This was part of a bigger poll which also included Best Musician, Guitarist, DJ, "Ace Cat of the Century", etc.... As with the other Zigzag results supplied here, they are listed in traditional order of number of votes cast.

  1.  Forever Changes - Love
  2.  Sgt Pepper - Beatles
  3.  Blonde on Blonde - Dylan
  4.  Notorious Byrd Brothers - Byrds
  5.  Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan
  6.  Hot Rats - Zappa
  7.  Happy Trails - Quicksilver Messenger Service
  8.  Doors (first album)
  9.  Electric Ladyland - Hendrix
  10.  Live Dead - Grateful Dead
  11.  Liege and Lief - Fairport Convention
  12.  Sailor - Steve Miller Band
  13.  After Bathing at Baxters - Jefferson Airplane
  14.  Abbey Road - Beatles
  15.  Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
  16.  The Band - The Band
  17.  Every Picture Tells a Story - Rod Stewart
  18.  American Beauty - Grateful Dead
  19.  After the Goldrush - Neil Young
  20.  Velvet Underground & Nico
  21.  Tommy - The Who
  22.  White Light White Heat - Velvet Underground
  23.  Electric Music for the Mind & Body - Country Joe & the Fish
  24.  Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
  25.  In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
  26.  Are You Experienced - Hendrix
  27.  What We Did On Our Holidays - Fairport Convention
  28.  Hangman's Beautiful Daughter - Incredible String Band
  29.  Wheels of Fire - Cream
  30.  Deja Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

 

1.2. Most Played Album (Top 10+; ZZ 45; mid 1974)

This was also part of a bigger poll; instead of following the conventional format, categories had brief descriptions such as "artist that has suffered most neglect". This one was "most played album in your collection..."

  1.  Forever Changes - Love
  2.  Trout Mask Replica - Capt Beefheart
  3.  Notorious Byrd Brothers - Byrds
  4.  Moondance - Van Morrison
  5.  American Beauty - Grateful Dead
  6.  Clear Spot - Capt Beefheart
  7.  Hot Rats - Zappa
  8.  Safe As Milk - Capt Beefheart
  9.  Liege & Lief - Fairport Convention
  10.  Electric Ladyland - Hendrix

"Strong Challengers" were:

 

1.3. Album of the Century (Top 50+; ZZ 55; Jul/Aug 1975)

By this time, Zigzag was running a different readers' poll category each month; they'd done British Guitarist, and would later cover, for example, Best Vocalist, Best Drummer, Best Film.

  1.  Forever Changes - Love
  2.  Happy Trails - Quicksilver Messenger Service
  3.  Desperado - Eagles
  4.  Live Dead - Grateful Dead
  5.  Notorious Byrd Brothers - Byrds
  6.  Layla & other assorted love songs - Derek & the Dominos
  7.  Electric Music for the Mind & Body - Country Joe & the Fish
  8.  Blonde on Blonde - Dylan
  9.  Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
  10.  Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
  11.  American Beauty - Grateful Dead
  12.  California Bloodlines - John Stewart
  13.  Sailing Shoes - Little Feat
  14.  After the Goldrush - Neil Young
  15.  Sgt Pepper - Beatles
  16.  If Only I Could Remember My Name - David Crosby
  17.  Highway 61 Revisited - Dylan
  18.  Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
  19.  Surfs Up - Beach Boys
  20.  Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
  21.  For Everyman - Jackson Browne
  22.  L.A. Woman - Doors
  23.  And the Hits Just Keep on Coming - Mike Nesmith
  24.  Buffalo Springfield Again - Buffalo Springfield
  25.  Electric Ladyland - Hendrix
  26.  Eagles - Eagles
  27.  "Skull & Roses" - Grateful Dead
  28.  Everybody Knows This is Nowhere - Neil Young
  29.  Trout Mask Replica - Capt Beefheart
  30.  A Good Feeling To Know - Poco
  31.  Countdown to Ecstasy - Steely Dan
  32.  Workingman's Dead - Grateful Dead
  33.  Moondance - Van Morrison
  34.  "White Album" - Beatles
  35.  The Band - The Band
  36.  Tago Mago - Can
  37.  After Bathing at Baxters - Jefferson Airplane
  38.  Dixie Chicken - Little Feat
  39.  Live at the Fillmore - Allman Brothers
  40.  I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard & Linda Thompson
  41.  Who's Next - The Who
  42.  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
  43.  Tommy - The Who
  44.  Hot Rats - Zappa
  45.  Beggars Banquet - Rolling Stones
  46.  Boz Scaggs - Boz Scaggs
  47.  Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
  48.  Sailor - Steve Miller Band
  49.  Music from Big Pink - The Band
  50.  Sweetheart of the Rodeo - Byrds

"Next 16":

 

1.4. Favorite Track (Top 61; ZZ 65; Sep/Oct 1976)

This was another in the monthly sequence of readers' polls, which ran for a short while longer before the whole magazine was swamped by punk.

 

2.1. Charlie & Simon's Hot Hundred Singles

This was Charlie Gillett and Simon Frith's attempt to list the records having most impact as singles, which they emphasized was not necessarily the same thing as the hundred BEST singles. Their stated cut-off point was the end of 1972. They were listed by category, and covered singles in both Britain and the States... explaining the inclusion of Zepp's "Whole Lotta Love")

I) Beat Section

a) Classic Rockers

b) British Beat

c) American Beat

d) Disco Specials

e) Brutal Beat

 

II) Smooch Section

Classic Ballads

 

III) Poignant Section

a) Teen

b) Girl Talk

c ) Angst

 

IV) Joyous Section

a ) Novelties

b)  Instrumentals

c ) Summer Songs

 

2.2 One Hundred Essential Rock Albums

As with the singles, Gillett & Frith's declared aim was not to list 'best' albums or give a preferential order, but to select items that "someone hearing rock for the first time in 1974-75" would need. They gave several caveats to explain the exclusion of certain styles and artists. From the inclusion of 'Court & Spark', I guess that their cut-off of 1972 for singles was not carried over to the albums.

 

 

December 18, 2005