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All-time countdown · John Peel (BBC Radio 1) · January 1, 1979

John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978)

The all-time countdown (January 1, 1979) from John Peel (BBC Radio 1) ranks 50 songs, with “Anarchy in the U.K.” by The Sex Pistols at number one. The list features 29 different artists; Siouxsie and the Banshees has the most entries with seven songs.

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Listener poll of all-time favourite tracks (not restricted to 1978 releases), broadcast 26 December 1978 - 1 January 1979.

# Song ListsBest
1 Anarchy in the U.K. The Sex Pistols 96 #1
2 Complete Control The Clash 9 #2
3 God Save the Queen The Sex Pistols 72 #3
4 Suspect Device Stiff Little Fingers 7 #4
5 Shot By Both Sides Magazine 4 #5
6 Pretty Vacant The Sex Pistols 23 #6
7 White Man In Hammersmith Palais The Clash 24 #3
8 What Do I Get? The Buzzcocks 7 #8
9 Public Image Public Image Ltd. 18 #9
10 Teenage Kicks The Undertones 18 #2
11 Alternative Ulster Stiff Little Fingers 10 #6
12 Boredom The Buzzcocks 4 #12
13 New Rose The Damned 24 #8
14 Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin 169 #1
15 White Riot The Clash 20 #15
16 "Heroes"" ("Heroes David Bowie 1 #16
17 Another Girl, Another Planet The Only Ones 13 #17
18 Holidays In The Sun The Sex Pistols 9 #11
19 Freebird Lynyrd Skynyrd 122 #1
20 I Can't Stand My Baby" (7 Rezillos 1 #20
21 Madame George Van Morrison 6 #21
22 Hong Kong Garden Siouxsie and the Banshees 8 #22
23 Police and Thieves The Clash 29 #23
24 Down in the Tube Station at Midnight The Jam 12 #4
25 Watching the Detectives Elvis Costello 60 #25
26 Born to Run Bruce Springsteen 139 #1
27 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" (7 Ian Dury 1 #27
28 Sultans of Swing Dire Straits 143 #6
29 Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pink Floyd 71 #7
30 Moving Away from the Pulsebeat The Buzzcocks 1 #30
31 Layla Derek and the Dominos 132 #2
32 Hanging Around The Stranglers 3 #32
33 No More Heroes The Stranglers 8 #33
34 Helter Skelter Siouxsie and the Banshees 2 #34
35 Dancing the Night Away Motors 3 #1
36 Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan 97 #2
37 Alison" (My Aim Is True, 1977) Stiff Records (played from the 7 Elvis Costello 1 #37
38 Overground Siouxsie and the Banshees 1 #38
39 My Generation The Who 85 #26
40 London Lady The Stranglers 2 #21
41 Switch Siouxsie and the Banshees 5 #38
42 Mirage Siouxsie and the Banshees 1 #42
43 Jigsaw Feeling Siouxsie and the Banshees 5 #35
44 In The City The Jam 9 #44
45 EMI The Sex Pistols 4 #45
46 Desolation Row Bob Dylan 13 #3
47 Summertime Blues" (7 Flying Lizards 1 #47
48 Like a Hurricane Neil Young 79 #8
49 Emerald Thin Lizzy 1 #49
50 Metal Postcard (Mittageisen) Siouxsie and the Banshees 1 #50

About this countdown

John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978) was voted by John Peel (BBC Radio 1)’s listeners in January 1, 1979. Positions are shown exactly as the station ranked them; artist and song names have been standardized so that every entry links to that song’s complete chart history across all stations. It counts toward the Alternative & Modern Rock rankings.

Source: John Peel Wiki (Fandom), "1978 Festive Fifty".

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