THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ROCK 'N' ROLL CIRCA 1975

Yes, it's that time again. We put the ballot in, you put the word out, and here are the demographics on YOUR fetishes in the year of our wackout 1975.

Factoids: Bowie was still as prominent as Townshend's proboscis, copping Best Male Singer and Sex Object of the Year, while Elton, as usual, created a riot of ambivalence, scoring as Best Songwriter with Bernie, Best Keyboard, and Hero of the Year as well as Disappointment and Most Pathetic of the Year. Truly a Renaissance man.

Meanwhile, Elton aside, you proved main to be more responsive to avant-garde JtirHngs than respondents to other magazmes' polls. Despite a late-year release for /Tories our Creem Dreem Patti Smith made a strong showing, as did Eno, the Tubes and Metal Machine Music (which placed high in the Ripoff, Drug and Jazz Album categories). And you apparently weren't offended by Columbia's PR efforts on behalf of Mr. Springsteen; talent will out.

In general, it was a year of, you should pardon the expression and perish the thought, hope. The combined phenomena of Patti and Springsteen alone are indication that there is at last a sense of artistic and

spiritual rebirth in this decade, is at last a 70's at all. And '76 oughta be a killer.

1975 READERS POLL

TOP THREE ALBUMS 1. Physical Graffiti

(Led Zeppelin)

2. Born to Run (Brace Springsteen)

3. Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith)

4. Young Americans (David Bowie)

5. Kiss Alive

6. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Elton John)

7. The Who By Numbers

8. Rock of the Westies (Elton John)

9. Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)

10. Sabotage (Black Sabbath)

11. Atlantic Crossing (Rod Stewart)

12. Red Octopus (Jefferson Starship)

13. Welcome to My Nightmare (Alice Cooper)

14. Blow By Blow (Jeff Beck)

15. Venus & Mars Are Allright Tonight (Paul McCartney & Wings)

16. Made In the Shade (Rolling Stones)

17. Frampton (Peter Frampton)

18. Ian Hunter

19. The Tubes

20. Dressed to Kill (Kiss)

"Top cold. Too mellow. Too meaningful

James DiRienzo,

New Orleans, LA

BEST R.&B ALBUM 1. Young Americans

(David Bowie)

2. Hotline (Jv Geils Band)

;3. Cut the Cake

(Average White Band)

4. Why Can't We Be Friends (War) 5 . Natty Dread

(Bob Marley & the Wailers)

6. The Heat Is On (Isley Brothers)

7. That's the Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire)

8. Honey (Ohio Players)

9. Phoenix (Labelle)

10. Pick of the Litter (Spinners)

"A lot more time to listen to music because nobody

had jobs."

John DePaul, Erie, PA

BEST RE-ISSUE 1. Made In the Shade

(Rolling Stones)

' 2. Metamorphosis (Rolling Stones)

3. Basement Tapes (Bob Dylan)

4. Shaved Fish (John Lennon)

5. Best of Free

6. Yesterdays (Yes)

7. Empty Sky (EltonJohn)

8. Jeff Beck & the Yardbirds

9. The Who Sell Oyt/A Quick One 10. Chicago's Greatest Hits

BEST JAZZ ALBUM

1. Biow By Biow (J ef f Beck)

2. Journey to Love (Stanley Clarke)

3. Chicago VIII

4. Return to Forever (Chick Corea)1

5. Tailspinnin' (Weather Report)

6. Manchild (Herbie Hancock)

7. Shabazz (Billy, Cobham)

8. Metal Machine Music (Lou Reed)

9. Koln Concert (Keith Jarrett)

10. Visions of Emerald Beyond

(John McLaughlin & the Mahavishnu Orchestra)

TOP TWO SINGLES

1. Fame (David Bowie)

2. Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)

3. Miracles (Jefferson Starship)

4. Ballroom Blitz (Sweet)

5. One of These Nights (Eagles)

6. Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith)

7. Young Americans (David Bowie)

8. I'm Not In Love (lOcc)

9. Tush (Z.Z. Top)

10. Rock 'n' Roll All Night (Kiss)

TOPTHREEGROUPS

1. Rolling Stones

2. Led Zeppelin

3.The Who 4r Aerosmith

5. Kiss

6. Bad Company

7. Roxy Music

8. Queen

9. Elton John

10. Pink Floyd

11. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

12. Black Sabbath

13. Rod Stewart & the Faces

14. David Bowie

15. Eagles

16. Sparks

17. Jefferson Starship

18. TheTubei,

19. Alice Cooper

20. Yes

BEST MALE SINGER

1. David Bowie

2. Mick,Jagger

3. Elton John

4. Paul Rodgers 'b. Robert Plant j

6. Steven Tyler

7. Bruce Springsteen

8. Roger Daltrey

9. Rod Stewart 10. Bob Dylan

BESTR&B SINGLE

1. Fame (David Bowie)

2. Get Down Tonight

(K.C. &the Sunshine Band)

3. Shame, Shame, Shame (Shirley & Company)

4. Lady Marmalade (Labelle)

5. Games People Play (Spinners)

6. Shinin'Star (Earth, Wind & Fire)

7. Cut the Cake (AWB)

8. The Hustle (Van McCoy)

9. That's the Way

(K.C. & the Sunshine Band)

10. Jive Talkin' (BeeGees)

TOP THREE LIVE GROUPS 1. Rolling Stones . 2.Kiss

3. Led Zeppelin

4. The Who

5. Rod Stewart & the Faces

6. Aerosmith

7. The Tubes

8. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

9. Alice Cooper

10. Roxy Music

11. Queen

12. Pink Floyd

13. Jethro Tull 44. Bad Company

15. Black Sabbath

16. Z.Z. Top

17. Jefferson Starship

18. Blue Oyster Cult

19. Emerson, Lake & Palmer

20. Sensational Alex Harvey Band

BEST FEMALE SINGER

1. Linda Ronstadt

2. Grace Slick

3. Patti Smith

4. SuziQuatro !

5. Joni Mitchell

6. Bonnie Raitt

7. Carly Simc*n §. Phoebe Snow 9. Joan Baez

10,Kiki Dee

BEST R & B SINGER 1. Stevie Wonder 2. David Bowie 3. Mick Jagger 4. Peter Wolf 5. A1 Green 6. Eric Clapton 7. Rod Stewart 8. Chaka Khan 9. Billy Preston 10. Sly Stone

BEST GUITARIST 1. Jimmy Page 2. Eric Clapton 3. Keith Richard 4. Jeff Beck 5. Mick Ronson 6. Phil Manzanera 7. PeteTownshend 8. Ron Wood 9. Ritchie Blackmore 10. Todd Rundgren

BEST KEYBOARD 1. Elton John 2. Keith Emerson 3. Rick Wakeman 4. Billy Preston 5. Nicky Hopkins 6. Mike Garson 7. PatMoraz 8. Jon Lord 9. Eno 10. Edgar Winter

BEST BASSIST John Entwhietle 2. Bill Wyman 3. Paul McCartney 4. John Paul Jones 5. Stanley Clarke 6. Gene Simmons 7. Chris Squire 8. SuziQuatro 9. Dee Murray 10 .lark Rrnre

BEST DRUMMER 1. Keith Moon 2. Charlie Watts 3. Nigel Olsson 4. Carl Palmer' 5. Peter Criss 6. John Bonham 7. BillBruford 8. Simon Kirke 9. Aynsley Dunbar 10. Ringo Starr

BEST HORN MAN 1.AndyMackay 2. Clarence Clemons 3. Edgar Winter 4. Bobby Keyes 5. David Bowie 6. Tom Scott 7. John Entwhistle 8. Miles Davis 9. James Pankow 10. David Sanborn^

BEST SONGWRITER

1. Elton John /Bernie Taupin

2. David Bowie

3. Mick Jagger/Keith Richard

4. Bruce Springsteen

5. Jimmy Page/Robert Plant

6. Bob Dylan

7. Pete To'wnshend

8. Paul McCartney

9. Lou Reed ~

10. Ian Anderson \

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

1. Ron Wood

2. Keith Richard

3. Elton John

4. Jimmy Page

5. Pete Townshend

6. David Bowie

7. Eno

8. Mick Ronson

9. Nicky Hopkins 10. Rick Derringer

BEST PRODUCER

1. Todd Rundgren

2. Gus Dudgeon

3. Jimmy Page

4. John Cale^

5. George Martin

6. Tony Visconti

7. Glyn Johns

8. Bob Ezrin

9. Glimmer Twjns 10. Phil Spector

BESTR&B GROUP

1. Rolling Stones

2. J. GeilsBand

3. Average White Band

4. Earth, Wind & Fire

5. Spinners

6. Ohio Players

7. War

8. K.C. &the Sunshine Band

9. Isley Brothers 10. Labelle

WORST GROUP

1. Bay City Rollers

2. Kiss

3. Elton John

fL Black Oak Arkansas

5.BTO

6. Osmond. Brothers

7. Kraft werk

8. Allman Brothers

9. Doobie Brothers 10. New York Dolls

BEST NEW GROUP V

1. The Tabes

2. Bruce Springsteen *

3. The Outlaws,

4. Patti Smith

5. Pavlov's Dog

6. Kiss ,

7. Dictators

8. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

9. Mott 10. Orleans

BEST INSTRUMENTALIST

1. Ian Anderson

2. Eno

3. Ray Cooper

4. Todd Rundgren

5. Mike Oldfield *

6. EddyJqbson %,

7. Pete Townshend

8. Magic Dick

9. Lou Reed'

10. Papa John Creach

SUNDRY

DRUG OF THE YEAR

1.RlarQuana

2. Alcohol

3. Cocaine

4. Quaaludes '

5. Boy Howdy Beer

6. Speed >7. Valium

8. LSD

9. Heroin

10. Metal Machine Music

"Burn your magazines and start working."

Cary S. Loren, Ann Arbor, MI

RIP-OFF OF THE YEAR

1. Concert Prices

2. Album Prices

3. Metal Machine Music

4. Elton John

5. Rolling Stones

6. Tommy

7.CREEM

8. Bay City Rollers

9. Dope Prices

10. Rock Music Awards

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

1.NeilSedaha

2. Rolling Stones

3. Bob Dylan

4. Jefferson Starship

5. Eric Clapton

6. Jeff Beck

7. The Who

8. Simon & Garfunkel

9. Pink Floyd 10. JohnFogerty

HERO/HEROINE OF THE YEAR

1. Elton John

2. Bruce Springsteen

3. Ron Wood

4. Keith Richard

5. Patti Smith

6. David Bowie

7. Mick Jagger

8. Lou Reed

9. Patty Hears(

10. Pete Townshend

MOST PATHETIC

1. Elton John

2. David Bowie

3. President Ford

4. Lou Reed

5. Bay City Rollers

6. Gregg Allman

7. Alice Cooper

8. Kiss

9. Cher

10. John Denver

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

1. Elton John

2. David Bpwie

3. No Led Zeppelin Tour

4. NoIggyLP

5. New York Dolls Split

6. Rolling Stones

7. Lou Reed

8. Alice Cooper

9. Faces Breakup

10. Rock Awards Show

"1967was

a good year."

Chris Lemmerhirt, Beloit, WIS

CRITIC OF THE YEAR I . Lester Bangs

2. Jaan Uhelszki

3. Robert Christgau

4. Jon Landau

5. Dave Marsh

6. Lisa Robinson

7. Rex Reed

8. Gordon Fletcher

9. Robert Duncan 10. Greil Marcus

FAD OF THE YEAR

1.Disco

2. Bruce Springsteen

3. Trying to Kill the President

4. Jaws

5. The Tubes

6. Drinking

7. Sex

8. Reggae

9. Earth Shoes 10. Short Hair

ALBUM COVER OFTHE YEAR

1. Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Elton John)

2. Atlantic Crossing (Rod Stewart)

3. Country Life' (Roxy Music)

4. Wish You Were Here\

(Pink Floyd)

5. Kiss Alive

6. Young Americans (David Bowie)

7. Physical Graffiti (Led Zeppelin)

8. Siren (Roxy Music)

9. Blues for Allah (Grateful Dead) 10. The Who By Numbers

FASHION PLATE OF THE YEAR

1.BryanFerry

2. Cher

3. Elton John

4. Mick Jagger

5. Bianca Jagger

6. David Bowie

7. Keith Richard

8. Roger Daltrey

9; Bruce Springsteen 10. Lou Reed

SEX OBJECT Of%HE YEAR

1. David Bowie

2. Mick Jagger

3. Linda Ronstadt

4. Elton John

5. Paul Rodgers

6. SuziQuatro

7. Roger Daltrey

8. Ruby Starr

9. Robert Plant 10. Steven Tyler

BEST ROCK 'N' ROLL MOVIE

1.Tommy

2. Stardust

3. Lisztomania

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones

6. Yessongs

7. Nashville

8. Jaws

9. Shampoo

10. Slade in Flame

PUNK OF THE YEAR

1. Lon Reed

2. Steven Tyler

3. Elton John

4. Fee Waybill

5. Bruce Springsteen

6. Mick Jagger

7. David Bowie

8. Rick Derringer

9. John Denver 10. Iggy