The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time ended today with the top song being Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Whilst many of the songs in the list are brilliant, they are all very commercial - and would all be heard on Triple M or Fox - many on high rotation. I wasn't expecting much better to be honest, considering Triple J has moved far far away from the alternative, smash-the-system, down-with-mainstream ideals it had when the youth station was conceived.
Glaring omissions:
Sonic Youth, The Who, The Velvet Underground, The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, Iggy Pop, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Church, The Jam, The Cruel Sea and James (who's 1993 album Laid is in my opinion one of the greatest of all time).
Laughable inclusions:
System Of A Down - Chop Suey! and Tool - Forty Six & 2. The call was for the best songs EVER not songs you like to wank over.
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia might be a technically exceptional song but top 20 of ALL TIME? Methinks not. Same goes for Hilltop Hoods.
Overkill factor:
Jeff Buckley. Yes, he was amazing, yes, it was a shame he died ... but four songs, two of them in the top 10 is just mental. Same goes for Radiohead.
I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm getting older that the list amazes me - clearly there are people over 30 voting or Metallica, Guns'n'Roses and Led Zeppelin wouldn't have got a look in.
The list is basically disappointing. WAY too much cock-rock. It's hopefully a lesson to Triple J that their audience has shifted well and truly away from what was originally intended and that they may need to re-assess the music they're putting out there.
There has been talk over the last few years that Triple J in its current form is no longer relevant ... I would suggest that the results of this countdown might prove that to be true. If a commercial station were to do a Top 100 of All Time I think it would be almost identical.
Whilst many of the songs in the list are brilliant, they are all very commercial - and would all be heard on Triple M or Fox - many on high rotation. I wasn't expecting much better to be honest, considering Triple J has moved far far away from the alternative, smash-the-system, down-with-mainstream ideals it had when the youth station was conceived.
Glaring omissions:
Sonic Youth, The Who, The Velvet Underground, The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, Iggy Pop, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Church, The Jam, The Cruel Sea and James (who's 1993 album Laid is in my opinion one of the greatest of all time).
Laughable inclusions:
System Of A Down - Chop Suey! and Tool - Forty Six & 2. The call was for the best songs EVER not songs you like to wank over.
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia might be a technically exceptional song but top 20 of ALL TIME? Methinks not. Same goes for Hilltop Hoods.
Overkill factor:
Jeff Buckley. Yes, he was amazing, yes, it was a shame he died ... but four songs, two of them in the top 10 is just mental. Same goes for Radiohead.
I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm getting older that the list amazes me - clearly there are people over 30 voting or Metallica, Guns'n'Roses and Led Zeppelin wouldn't have got a look in.
The list is basically disappointing. WAY too much cock-rock. It's hopefully a lesson to Triple J that their audience has shifted well and truly away from what was originally intended and that they may need to re-assess the music they're putting out there.
There has been talk over the last few years that Triple J in its current form is no longer relevant ... I would suggest that the results of this countdown might prove that to be true. If a commercial station were to do a Top 100 of All Time I think it would be almost identical.
Couldn't have said it better myself miss mully!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long, long time since Triple J was doing something different from the commercial stations; I remember coming back from o/s in 1997 and they were playing lots of electronic/drum n bass; but within about a year the only difference b/w Triple J and the mainstream was about 6 months, apart from the occasional specialist program.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be left of centre, but it's really not left of centre anymore. Didn't they have some Kylie Minouge in the last few hottest 100s? Hardly JJJ material.
ReplyDeleteYou had me laughing at cock rock though - ditto! Muse shouldn't have been there. Even the no. 2 spot was a bit of a weird one. A great RATM track, but 2nd best of all time? Nah.
Was there any Nick Cave? Bit of an ommission methinks. Am a massive Radiohead fan, so not complaints there. Though Creep is one of their crappiest songs. Also, although commercial, I think some of Silverchair's recent stuff is fairly brilliant. That might just be me though...
What a load of garble! It's called a poll. Average of listeners opinions. You just voiced yours!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, anonymous; re the 'garble' - the point I was trying to make was that the songs chosen weren't exactly alternative or of a genre that Triple J has traditionally played - thus suggesting that the Triple J listeners are more mainstream than they think. I didn't say that all the songs were shit - however I am a self-confessed music-elitist and don't propose to be anything else.
ReplyDeleteI have indeed voiced my opinion - which is the point of having a blog.
Cheers.
I believe that there needs to be a much wider variety of genres played. It seems that Mully you prefer music of the slower/softer variety and thats great but Im curious to know what you believe is an alternative genre as I do not consider the music of sarah blasko to be of an alternative genre.
ReplyDeleteHi GG Gale - I don't really think I could pinpoint the genre of alternative, you're right about Sarah Blasko probably not being it. I guess the word 'alternative' suggests 'something else', i.e. not what you traditionally hear on commercial radio. I guess the lines have been blurred over the last decade with bands/artists that used to be known as 'alternative' becoming mainstream (Nirvana, Pearl Jam). I don't think the Hottest 100 needed to be more 'alternative' - just that what did come of it was disappointing.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about the need for a wider variety of genres.
yes the lines have been blurred! Its all too confusing in terms of what is and what is not alternative. Personally if its good, its good no matter what the genre so thats why what was considered as aletrnative can become commercial as everyone will want to listen to it.
ReplyDeleteNow days I would conisder alternative to be the more confronting genres of music or the genres which the majority of people will not listen to as they do not understand it.