1977- Also known as Year Zero- No Beatles, Elvis or Rolling Stones in 1977!  The sound of punk, which had been coming to a boil in New York City and London in the previous few years,  broke out full-tilt in the U.K. with the most important and famous singles and album releases by groups like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks & the Damned, becoming the most dominant musical force in the country.  Though Punk was much less commercially viable in the U.S. there were plenty of amazing releases- namely “Marquee Moon” by Television, The Remones 2nd and 3rd albums, and the debut albums by The Talking Heads and Richard Hell & the Voidoids.  Blondie’s second album, “Plastic Letters” was a disappointing follow up to a stellar debut but still contained some great moments.  Flawless debuts by U.K. artists’ Elvis Costello (My Aim is True) and Wire (Pink Flag) pointed the way to the New Wave and Post-Punk to come in the following years. Continue reading →

Best of 1977 Volume 1 (4/29/02)

1.  The Clash- Janie Jones

Buy

2.  Iggy Pop- Lust for Life

Buy

3.  Sex Pistols- God Save the Queen

Buy

4.  Wire- Three Girl Rhumba

Buy

5.  Elvis Costello- Less than Zero

Buy

6.  Bob Marley & the Wailers- Waiting in Vain

Buy

7.  Garland Jeffrys- New York Skyline

*Not available via iTunes                 Buy Ghost Writer [France] Album via Amazon

8.  The Jam- In the City

Buy

9.  Ian Dury & the Blockheads- Sex & Drugs & Rock N’ Roll

Buy

10.  X-Ray Spex- Oh Bondage! Up Yours!

Buy

11.  Cheap Trick- He’s A Whore

Buy

12.  Fleetwood Mac- Go Your Own Way

Buy

13.  Jackson Browne- Running On Empty

Buy

14.  Lynyrd Skynyrd- I Never Dreamed

Buy

15.  David Bowie- Sound & Vision

Buy

16.  Donna Summer- I Feel Love

Buy

17.  The Ramones- Suzy is a Headbanger

Buy

18.  The Buzzcocks- Orgasm Addict

Buy

19.  The Talking Heads- Psycho Killer

Buy

20.  Television- Marquee Moon

Buy

Best of 1977 Volume 3 (2/25/04)

1.  The Clash- White Riot

Buy

2.  Wire- 12XU

Buy

3. Plastic Bertrand- Can Plane Pour Moi

4.  Television- Venus

Buy

5.  Suicide- Rocket U.S.A.

Buy

6.  Kraftwerk- Trans-Europe Express

Buy

7.  David Bowie- Heroes

Buy

8.  Iggy Pop- China Girl

Buy

9.  Peter Tosh- Steppin’ Razor

Buy

10.  Earth, Wind & Fire- Serpentine Fire

Buy

11.  KC & the Sunshine Band- Keep It Comin’ Love (Single Edit)

Buy

12.  The Bee Gees- Stayin’ Alive

Buy

13.  Billy Joel- Only the Good Die Young

Buy

14.  Steely Dan- Peg

Buy

15.  The Buzzcocks- What Ever Happened To?

Buy

16.  Sex Pistols- Pretty Vacant

Buy

17.  The Ramones- Cretin Hop

Buy

18.  Neil Young- Like A Hurricane

Buy

19.  Elvis Costello- Alison

Buy

Best of 1977 Volume 4 (2/28/04)

1.  Queen- We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions

Buy Buy

2.  Elvis Costello- Welcome to the Working Week

Buy

3.  Cheap Trick- Taxman Mr. Thief

Buy

4.  The Clash- I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.

Buy

5.  Peter Tosh- Get Up, Stand Up

Buy

6.  Bob Marley & the Wailers- Exodus

Buy

7.  The Isley Brothers- Footsteps in the Dark (Parts 1 & 2)

Buy

8.  Peter Gabriel- Solsbury Hill

Buy

9.  Steely Dan- Black Cow

Buy

10.  Fleetwood Mac- Gold Dust Woman

Buy

11.  Lynyrd Skynyrd- That Smell

Buy

12.  Sex Pistols- Bodies

Buy

13.  The Damned- Neat Neat Neat

Buy

14.  Aerosmith- Draw the Line

*Not available via iTunes                        Buy Draw the Line Album via Amazon

15.  The Stranglers- (Get A) Grip On (Yourself)

Buy

16.  Richard Hell & the Voidoids- Love Comes in Spurts

Buy

17.  Trammps- Disco Inferno (Single Edit)

Buy

18.  The Modern Lovers- Morning of Our Lives (Live)

*Not available via iTunes                            Buy Modern Lovers Live Album via Amazon

Best of 1977 Volume 5 (4/14/07)

1.  Culture- Two Sevens Clash

Buy

2.  The Congos- Ark of Covenant

Buy

3.  Brian Eno- Backwater

Buy

4.  David Bowie- Breaking Glass

Buy

5.  Kraftwerk- Europe Endless

Buy

6.  The Jam- All Around the World

Buy

7.  The Tom Robinson Band- 2-4-6-8- Motorway

Buy

8.  The Talking Heads- Pulled Up

Buy

9.  Television- Elevation

Buy

10.  Pink Floyd- Pigs (Three Different Ones)

Buy

11.  The Clash- Capitol Radio One

Buy

12.  Sex Pistols- EMI

Buy

13. Radio Birdman- Murder City Nights

14.  The Ramones- Sheena Is a Punk Rocker

Buy

15.  E.L.O.- Sweet Talkin’ Woman

Buy

16.  The Bee Gees- How Deep is Your Love

Buy

17.  Wire- Strange

Buy

18.  Elvis Costello (The Angles Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

Buy

19.  Cheap Trick- Oh, Candy

Buy

Best of 1977 Volume 6 (4/15/07)

1.  The Clash- 1977

Buy

2.  The Police- Fall Out

Buy

3.  The Stranglers- No More Heroes

Buy

4. David Bowie- Speed Of Life

5.  The Ramones- Teenage Lobotomy

Buy

6. Radio Birdman- Do The Pop

7. The Rezillos- I Can’t Stand My Baby

8.  Fela Kuti & Africa ’70- Zombie

Buy

9.  The Congos- Congoman

Buy

10. Althea & Donna- Uptown Top Ranking

11.  Chic- Everybody Dance

Buy

12. Evelyn “Champagne” King- Shame

13.  Odyssey- Native New Yorker

Buy

14.  The Talking Heads- Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town

Buy

15.  Brian Eno- King’s Lead Hat

Buy

16.  Ian Dury & the Blockheads- My Old Man

Buy

17.  Cheap Trick- Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School

Buy

18.  Suicide- Ghost Rider

Buy

19.  E.L.O.- Turn to Stone

Buy

20.  Fleetwood Mac- The Chain

Buy

Best of 1977 Volume 7 (4/24/10)

1.  Motorhead- Motorhead

Buy

2.  The Clash- Career Opportunities

Buy

3.  The Ramones- Commando

Buy

4.  Iggy Pop- Dum Dum Boys

Buy

5.  The Buzzcocks- Boredom

Buy

6.  Con Funk Shun- Ffun

Buy

7.  Chic- Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah) (Single Edit)

Buy

8.  Parliament- Bop Gun (Endangered Species)

Buy

9.  The Congos- Fisherman

Buy

10.  Bob Marley & the Wailers- Natural Mystic

Buy

11.  Fleetwood Mac- You Make Loving Fun

Buy

12.  E.L.O.- Mr. Blue Sky

Buy

13.  David Bowie- The Beauty and the Beast

Buy

14.  Pink Floyd- Dogs

Buy

15.  Giorgio Moroder- From Here to Eternity

*this version of track not available via iTunes

BuyFrom Here to Eternity album via Amazon

Best of 1977 Volume 8 (4/24/10)

1.  Heart- Barracuda

Buy

2.  Wreckless Eric- Whole Wide World

Buy

3.  Fleetwood Mac- Don’t Stop

Buy

4.  Billy Joel- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)

Buy

5.  Sex Pistols- Seventeen

Buy

6.  The Ramones- We’re A Happy Family

Buy

7.  David Bowie- Be My Wife

Buy

8.  Andy Gibb- I Just Want to be Your Everything

Buy

9.  Lynyrd Skynyrd- What’s Your Name

Buy

10.  AC/DC- Whole Lotta Rosie

*Track not available via iTunes              Buy Let There Be Rock album via Amazon

11.  Cheap Trick- Southern Girls

Buy

12.  Jimmy Buffett- Margaritaville

Buy

13.  Elvis Costello- Blame it on Cain

Buy

14.  Iggy Pop- Nightclubbing

Buy

15.  T. Rex- Dandy in the Underworld

Buy

16.  Eric Clapton- Cocaine

Buy

17.  Kraftwerk- The Hall of Mirrors

Buy

18.  Television- Guiding Light

Buy

19.  Steely Dan- Josie

Buy

20.  Dennis Wilson- End of the Show

Buy