THE CREEM READERS GUIDE TO 1974

So, that was 1974, huh? Well, the gnarled little old gnome who counts the ballots just came out of the closet - Good to see you again, Elmo. What’s it been, six weeks? -and has presented us with his tabulations of over 5,000 votes and a letter of resignation. Which is okay. It’s been getting increasingly difficult over the years to decipher the old sot’s handwriting. But not nearly as difficult as it is to discern a voting pattern from you freaks. But that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna try, right?

It looks like the Rolling Stones really hit home with that new album. Or was Goat’s Head Soup so bad that this one looks like a gem in comparison? Anyways, they made a significant comeback in the poll over last year, copping Best Album and Top Group, among a slew of other mentions. Bad Company won Best New Group in a no-contest, no-surprise race. And, once again, you people out there in CREEMland are way ahead of the rest of the country, placing Roxy Music and Eno high in several categories. But can you explain to us why David Bowie did so well when you had nothing but scorn for his... well, we’ll call it his “soul” tour? Elton did well, but for a man with an endless succession of hits we’d expect more. Then there’s these two newcomers Sparks and Kiss. No single hits, but they show up several times in the poll. Like we said, you’s unpredictable.

All in all, though, not too much changed from last year. Betty Ford did debut (albeit by a hair) in CREEM, thanks to our initiating a Sex Object of the Year category. And John Lennon slipped in as a Hero of the Year, possibly on the strength of the rampant Beatles necrophilia in 1974. And, as Elmo pointed out in his resignation letter, there was a greater quantity of votes this year.

But, listen, we printed the goddamn results, so read ’em yourself! Oh, by the way, we’d like to blame old Elmo for the fact that there’s no R & B Single category this year (he is a stupid fart), but in actuality, in the rush of excitement to get the poll out to you, we made nasty in our typewriters and forgot. But thanks for voting so much and getting Elmo to quit and remember, vote again next year, your country depends on it!

This beer can is one of Elmo's empties, they're all we could afford to give to poll winners.

CREEM READERS POLL 1974

WAX

Top 3 Albums

1. It’s Only Rock‘n’Roll (The Rolling Stones)

2. Diamond Dogs , (David Bowie)

3. Bad Co. (Bad Company)

4. David Live (David Bowie)

5. Stranded (Roxy Music)

6. Caribou (Elton John)

7. Welcome Back My Friends to the Show that Never Ends (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)

8. Rock ‘n-’ Roll Animal (Lou Reed)

9. ,Bridge of Sighs (Robin Trower)

10. Odds and Sods (The Who)

11. Todd Rundgren’s Utopia

12. War Child (Jethro Tull)

13. In Too Much, Too Soon (New York Dolls)

14. Not Fragile (BTO).

15. Kimono My House (Sparks)

16. The Hoople (Mott the Hoople)

17. Kiss

18. Here Come the Warm Jets (Eno)

19. Mott Live

20. Secret Treaties (Blue Oyster Cult)

Top 2 Singles

1.Can’t Get Enough

JBad Company) tebel, Rebel (David Bowie)

3.It’s Only Rock *n’ Roll (Rolling Stones)

4.The Bitdh is Back (Elton John)

5.You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (BTO)

6.Radar Love (Golden Earring)

7.Bungle in the Jungle (Jethro Tull)

8.Junior’s Farm

(Paul McCartney and Wings)

9.Bennie and the Jets (Elton John)

10.Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) 1

Best R & B Album

1. Fulfillingness’ First Finale (Stevie Wonder)

2. Nightmares (J. Geils Band)

3. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (Rolling Stones)

4. Average White Band

5. Rags to Rufus (Rufus)

6. lnnervisions (Stevie Wonder)

7. 461 Ocean Boulevard (Eric Clapton)

8. Marvin Gaye Live

9. Fire (Ohio Players)

10.Imagination

(Gladys Knight and the Pips)

Best Re-Issue

1. A Quick One (The Who)

2. Endless Summer

(The Beach Boys)

3. Best of The Move

4. Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen (Mott the Hoople)

5. Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits

6. Elton John’s Greatest Hits

7. History of British Rock, Vol. 11

8. From Genesis to Revelation (Genesis)

9. Backtrackin’ (Them)

10.So Far (Crosby, Stills, Nash,

& Young)

“Whatever happened to punk bands making records in their garages?”

Wyatt Earp, T ucson, Ariz.

Best Jazz Album 1. Headhunters

(Herbie Hancock)

2. Mysterious Traveller (Weather Report)

3. Thrust (Herbie Hancock)

4. Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Chick Corea)

5. Eleventh House (Larry Coryell)

6. Chicago VH

7.. Crosswinds (Billy Cobham)

8. Apocalypse (Mahavishnu)

9. Where Have 1 Known You Before (Chick Corea)

10.Solo Concerts (Keith Jarrett)

“My mother was within a foot of Elton John in a hotel lobby and she thinks he looks tike Truman Capote. So do I.”

Carolyn Berg, Needham, Ma.

FLESH AND BLOOD

Top 3 Groups

1. Rolling Stones

2. The Who

3. Roxy Music

4. Bad Company

5. Mott the Hoople

6. Emerson, Lake and Palmer

7. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

8. Led Zeppelin

9. New York Dolls

10. David Bowie

11. Blue Oyster Cult

12. Jethro Tull

13. Genesis

14. Elton John

15. Queen

16. Kiss

17. Sparks

18. Eagles

19. Robin Trower

20. Chicago

Top 3' Live Groups

1. Emerson, Lake & Palmer

2. The Who

3. David Bowie

4. Mott the Hoople

5. Elton John

6. Kiss

7. Led Zeppelin

8. Genesis

9. Rolling Stones

10.J. Geils Band 11; New York Dolls

12. Deep Purple

13. Jethro Tull

14. Alice Cooper

15. Yes

16. Bad Company

17. Aerosmith

18. Edgar Winter

19. Black Oak Arkansas

20. Grand Funk

Best Male Singer

1. David Bowie

2. Elton John

3. Mick Jagger

4. Paul Rodgers

5. Roger Daltrey

6. Robert Plant

7. Bryan Ferry

8. Greg Lake

9. Ian Hunter

10.Freddie Mercury

Best Female Singer

1. Joni Mitchell

2. Suzi Quatro

3. Grace Slick

4. Linda Ronstadt

5. Maria Muldaur

6. Kiki Dee

7. Carly Simon

8. Olivia Newton-John

9. Bonnie Raitt

10.Minnie Riperton

Best R & B Singer

1. Stevie Wonder

2. Peter Wolf

3. A| Green

4. Barry White

5. Mick Jagger

6. Marvin Gaye

7. Billy Preston

8. Chaka Khan

9. Eric Clapton

10.David Bowie

Best R & B Group

1. J. Geils Band

2. Rufus

3. Gladys Knight and the Pips

4. Average White Band

5. Rolling Stones

6. War

7. Ohio Players

8. The Spinners

9. Kool and the Gang

10.The O’Jays

“Teenagers are out of style, so just ignore the tittle bastards in 1975.”

Frank Focus, Chicago, Ill.

Best Guitarist

1. Jimmy Page

2. Mick Ronson

3. Eric Clapton

4. Robin Trower

5. Keith Richard

6. Davey Johnstone

7. Pete Townshend

8. Johnny Winter

9. Buck Dharma

10.Ritchie Blackmore

Best Keyboard

1. Keith Emerson

2. Elton John

3. Rick Wakeman

4. Billy Preston

5. Mike Garson

6. Nicky Hopkins

7. Ron Mael

8. Eno

9. Tony Banks

10.Jon Lord

“Loved it for everything it wasn't but could’ve been.”

Don Snyder, Evanston, Ill.

Best Bassist

1. Paul McCartney

2. John Entwistle

3. Bill Wyman

4. Dee Murray

5. Jack Bruce

6. Suzi Quatro

7. Chris Squire

8. Greg Lake

9. Overend Watts

10.Geezer Butler

Best Drummer

1. Carl Palmer

2. Keith Moon

3. Nigel Olsson

4. Charlie Watts

5. Ringo Starr

6. Simon Kirke

7. Jerry Nolan

8. Tommy Aldridge

9. Aynsley Dunbar

10.Bill Bruford

“The Rise Of Fat Groups”

Paul C. Akstulewicz, Menasha, Wisconsin

josepn Mevens

Best Horn Man

1. Andy Mackay

2. Bobby Keyes

3. Edgar Winter

4. James Pankow

5. Jim Horn

6. John Entwistle

7. Tom Scott

8. David Bowie

9. Miles Davis

10.Ian Anderson

Most Valuable Player

1. Elton John

2. Pete Townshend

3. Nicky Hopkins

4. Keith Richard

5. Keith Emerson

6. Mick Ronson

7. Todd Rundgren

8. Eno

9. Ro.y. Wood

10.Ian Anderson

Lynn Goldsmith

Best Producer

1. Todd Rutndgren

2. Gus Dudgeon

3. David Bowie

4. Richard Perry

5. Bob Ezrin

6. Glimmer Twins

7. Tony Visconti

8. Greg Lake

9. Chris Thomas 10. Bill Szymzyck

Worst Group

1. New York Dolls

2. The Osmonds

3. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

4. Elton John

5. Black Oak Arkansas

6. Grand Funk

7. Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods

8. Kiss

9. Slade

10.Bad Company

Best Songwriter

1. Elton John-Bemie Tanpin

2. David Bowie

3. Mick Jagger-Keith Richard

4. Jackson Browne

5. Ian Anderson

6. Pete Townshend

7. Bryan Ferry

8. Joni Mitchell

9. Paul McCartney

10.Stevie Wonder

Best New Group

1. Bad Company

2. Kiss

3. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

4. Sparks

5. Kiki Dee Band

6. The Sensational Alex' Harvey Band

7. Mahogany Rush

8. Todd Rundgren’s Utopia

9. U.F.O.

10. Nektar

"f really thought Nixon was gonna die and get off the hook again.”

Chris Turek, N.Y. NY

Best Instrumentalist

1. Ian Anderson

2. Eno

3. Magic Dick

4. Mike Oldfield

5. Roy Wood

6. Todd Rundgren

7. Ray Cooper

8. Pete Townshend

9. Jim Dandy Mangrum

10.Papa John Creach

“The shit has hit the fans.”

Jeff Baenen, Moorhead, Minn.

SUNDRY Most Pathetic of the Year

1. Richard Nixon

2. David Bowie

3. Elton John

4. New York Dolls

5. John Denver

6. Lou Reed

7. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

8. Paul Anka

9. Alice Cooper

10.Donny Osmond

Drug of the Year

1. Marijuana

2. Cocaine

3. Alcohol

4. Acid

5. Asprin

6. Speed

7. Hash

8. Quaaludes

9. Boy Howdy Beer

10.Heroin

“Concerts were

too short, too shitty, and too goddamned expensive.”

Bruce Catonia, Scarsdale. NY

Hero(ine) of the Year

1. Elton John

2. David Bowie

3. Judge John Sirica

4. Keith Richard

5. Suzi Quatro

6. Todd Rundgren

7. Pete Townshend

8. Ian Hunter

9. John Lennon

10.Patti Smith

Comeback of the Year

1. Eric Clapton

2. Bob Dylan

3. David Bowie

4. Steppenwolf

5. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

6. Neil Sedaka

7. Rolling Stones

8. George Harrison

9. Jethro Tull

10.Muhammed Ali

Biggest

Disappointment

1. George Harrison

2. David Bowie

3. Jerry Ford

4. Nixon pardon

5. No new Led Zeppelin

6. Eric Clapton

7. Dylan tour ,

8. Elton John

9. Midnight Special

10.No Iggy album

Rip-Off of the Year

1. Record Prices

2. Evel Knievel

3. David Bowie

4. Nixon Pardon

5. Elton John

6. George Harrison

7. Dylan tour

8. Ticket prices

9. Rick Wakeman

10. Grand Funk

Critic of the Year

1. Lester Bangs

2. Robert Christgau

3. Jaan Uhelszki

4. Ed Naha

5. R. Meltzer

6. Jon Landau

7. Rex Reed

8. Dave Marsh

9. Gordon Fletcher 10. Ed Ward

Fad of the Year

1. Streaking

2. Glitter

3. Elton John

4. Short hair

5. Sex

6. David Bowie

7. Inflation

8. Bisexuality

9. Synthesizers 10. Disco Music

Album Cover of the Year

1. Diamond Dogs (David Bowie)

2. ITS Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (Rolling Stones)

3. Dragonfly (Jefferson Starship)

4. Nighmares (J. Geils Band)

5. Relayer (Yes)

6. Stranded (Roxy Music)

7. War Child (Jethro Tull)

8. Eldorado (Electric Light Orch.)

9. Shinin’ On (Grand Funk)

10.Caribou (Elton John)

Sex Object of the Year

1. Susi Quatro

2. David Bowie

3. Elton John

4. Linda Lovelace

5. Bryan Ferry

6. Greg Lake

7. Mick J agger

8. Fanne Foxe

9. Sable Starr

10.Betty Ford

Best Rock ‘n’ Roll Movip

1. Ladies and Gentlemhn, the Rolling Stones •2. Phantom of the Paradise

3. Pink Floyd

4. Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein

5. Lenny

6. Son of Dracula

7. Blood for Dracula

8. Flesh Gordon

9. Trial of Billy Jack

10.Chinatown