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