The Temperate 100

The Triple J "Hottest 100 of All Time" was released this week to not a great deal of fanfare. To anyone who might read this unaware, Triple J is the Australian government-paid 'hip with the kids' channel - every year, they compile a top list of the year's songs, but this year they felt compelled to attack the eternal 'elephant in the room' with which music media outlets persistantly waltz - the 'greatest of all time' vote.

These seem to take on two general forms - the 'industry vote', where the punters are locked out in favour of a balance towards 'importance' (which equates to sheer chin stroking power, safety and the comfort of continuity) and the 'popular vote', a concept which (like its use elsewhere in society) often inspires the equal mixture of excitement (that you will get something that will be cool without necessarily being important) and fear (that the top picks could be utterly, utterly... wrong)

It seems that the fallout within the Triple J faithful is standard - from the 'lets move on from this disgrace' to the expletive laden invective in reply.

You can never remove the subjective. Music seems to have that evangelical power, like religion, to have someone spout incessantly about the indefinable - matters like the 'intensity' of the music increasing 'the power'. But people buy this tosh. The endless tennis match of grand statements and declaring victory or defeat for musical good or evil really doesn't assess the great question - does the sum of its musical parts render this countdown worthy of its 'all time greatness' claim?

So how to look at this countdown? What I decided to do was to start with the empirical - take the raw data of the countdown numbers and state literally what the vote has said. If you stated the countdown results - and their presumed implications - this is how I read it:-

1. The 1990's was the greatest era in music.... by a fair way (45 songs out of 100)
2. The 2000's was the second (ahhh.... anyway)
3. To answer the rest - 1980's, 1970's, 1960's, in that order. Blunt and brutally simplicitic, I know, but thats the way the folks voted
4. 67% of the best music ever made was between 1990 - 2000 (not me saying that... the vote)
5. 8 songs from the 1960's were great - just not 'top 20' great (top 24 works, though - Day in the Life got in there at 24)
6. There was apparently no 'all time greatness' worthy Australian music released until August 1987 [Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil #97] (sorry Bon, sorry Harry and George, sorry Colin)
7. The Hilltop Hoods 'The Nosebleed Section' is the greatest Australian song of all time (and I say again - this is the vote speaking)

As is inevitable with these countdowns, the subjective fights its way out and, secretly, you go looking for a train wreck. I reckon, in a lot of respects, credit has to be given where credit is due.

The top spot of the 1960's (The Beatles - Day in the Life #24) is killer in so many respects people have already waxed lyrical about, rightfully, before. Two more late Beatles tracks feature (Come Together and Hey Jude), so overall later period is the order of the day - we dont want to hold their hand anymore, obviously. Dylan - usual song for Dylan (go on... guess, I dare you!). Stones (oops, a clue!) sneak in twice - Gimme Shelter (noice) and Paint It Black (probably not my second choice - no votes for anything from Exile on Main Street, people?)

The 1970's (Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody #6) - again, ditto regarding Day in the Life (although I could probably live without ever hearing that song again, for some reason - Bohemian I mean, not Day in the Life). Couple of Floyd, token Clash, Bowie (Life on Mars was a nice pick) - all very worthy. Stevie Wonder got in just with Superstition at #95 - lets face it, Stevie clearly isnt going to be the next Hilltop Hoods.

So they kind of struck the balance there. The philosopical dilemma comes in the 1990's and the 2000's. First, a short disclaimer:-

• I like Nirvana. I really do.
• Triple J is for young dudes and chicks. Votes of this ilk will invariably favour Nirvana.
  

Disclaimers having been said, why do these votes - when looking for the apex of greatness - always, always call a 'code flannel'? Why does the number 1 always have a clear funk of the teen spirit? For the record, I dont think the song deserves it - the worst part, however, is this song is getting that distinct feeling of being a staple. By that I mean this - if you have a greatest countdown on an 'oldies' station, you can bet that Meatloaf will tear arse to the near top with one of those droning, 90 minute, pre pubescent sex symphonies that he and Jim Steadman should have been tried for and, before long, you will have to strap yourself in for the worst moment - the totally god damn inevitable (which is American Pie by Don McLean, by the way).

This seems to be sticking to Nirvana somewhat. Smells Like Teen Spirit smelt like number 1 long to me before the numbers dropped. It has become the worst thing of all - 'important'.

Finally, just some parting comments:-

• System of the Down are, to paraphrase Homer Simpson, a footnote on musical history. Lets keep it that way and keep them away from anything (votes, cities, syntax) that in anyway implies otherwise

• Jeff Buckley's album Grace is a very good album. This fact doesnt require the Mississippi Transistor Swimmers Fan Club branch stacking the Christ out of these votes to affirm, does it?

• Good to see the John Butler Trio represented - paintin' the town beige.

• Why couldn't Bernard Fanning do something 'music renouncingly' drastic, like finding fundamental Islam like Cat Stevens? Or, alternatively, invent and build a flux capacitor, buy a DeLorean, go back to before Powderfinger formed, tell them all it is a bad idea, then convert to Islam to save us all from your solo career (obviously before you record a note on any album, cd, cassette, cassingle, 8 track or wax cylinder). Im sure he is a lovely guy; however, his music is not a lovely guy - its the dude you avoid at parties

Thats it for me