Spirit of Radio BBS

CFNY had the first(?) top 1002 countdown in Sept. 1991. I have read here(?) that one of the dates that it was on was Sept. 2.

The list is nowhere to be found. I've looked like mad, but only can find the 1999 edition. (There's a TXT file copy linked right here at spiritofradio.ca.) It would be an ideal thing to have as this was just after the end of the New Wave era, when the alternative material that made CFNY famous was fresh on everyone's mind, plus of course the usual This Was A Formative Period In My Life crap.

Just to save the effort, I've of course Googled it (plus looked on a few other search engines... only two matches were someone in 1994 writing he had it on typewritten pages but of course not providing it, and someone's else's wife typing in only the Top 100 of them... I think that is here) and also checked the microfilmed back issues of the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, Now magazine and Eye (the Toronto entertainment periodical), as for some reason I seem to remember it was going to be published somewhere when the countdown was done.

Well, nothing so far. Any hints where I could find this list would be great. If it's on paper, I don't mind typing it in. I believe this falls into the 'Labour of Love' category. Thanks in advance.

Hey MrKevvy,

Kev here, (?)

Looking at a couple of 1002 lists here. The one you are speaking of as heard sept 2, '91(or that weekend), I only have the top 100 of the 1002 list printed out from somewhere? The link on the page no longer exists. I also have another top 1002 list which happend later where the top 10 are different-mainly Smells Like Teen Spirit (of radio is changing) beats out How Soon is Now. But pretty sure that one was closer to Y2k and not at all what you are looking for. I do have all of the latter printed out but no link(maybe here on site) Sorry to have typed all this out having provided little help but I just spent so much time searching through papers......

I thought I had it....hmph!

You have the 1999 version. The #1 on the 1999 Top 1002 was Smells Like Teen Spirit. The #1 on the 1991 Top 1002 was How Soon Is Now (The Top 100 list you have with that at the top is the first 100 from the Top 1002 1991 list, but the other 902 elude me.)

But thanks for replying nonetheless, fellow Kevin person.

Hi MrKevvy,

I remember the 1991 edition if the 1002 countdown - in fact I taped a fair chunk of it! I have just started converting my tapes to digital files and typing out the track listing, but I only managed to catch about half of the whole massive catalogue. It rocks all the same.

I will be blogging the list on Mog and on Buzznet. Please visit! and feel free to contact me at leonasha [at] gmail [dot] com.

Best, Leona

Nice! I will be bookmarking those. Was a pleasant surprise to get a notification that this thread had updated after all this time.

leonashanana wrote:Hi MrKevvy,

I remember the 1991 edition if the 1002 countdown - in fact I taped a fair chunk of it! I have just started converting my tapes to digital files and typing out the track listing, but I only managed to catch about half of the whole massive catalogue. It rocks all the same.

I will be blogging the list on Mog and on Buzznet. Please visit! and feel free to contact me at leonasha [at] gmail [dot] com.

Best, Leona

Hey Leona,

Once you get it all typed in, I'd be thrilled to have a copy to post here as well!

I have literally been looking for a complete list of the 1991 edition since er, about 1991.

I have the top 100 taped on audio somewhere but it eludes me at the moment. I can remember most of the top 10 in my head, maybe someone else can help out?

1. How Soon is Now? - The Smiths
2.
3. Blue Monday - New Order
4. Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
5. Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
?. Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes
?.
?.
9. Add it Up - Violent Femmes (maybe both vfemmes songs weren't in there?)
10. Forever Young - Alphaville

11. Troy - Sinead O'Connor

Okay clearly I can't remember the top 10 as well as i thought. I remember at a certain point when i was all of 14 or 15 i could recite the top 25. I do remember people being totally appalled that Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now charted in the top 25, and that there weren't any female artists in the top 10. I seem to recall that David Bowie had the most songs in the top 1002 (including #1002), followed by the Beatles.. and if you combined Morrissey and the Smiths they beat out the Beatles, or something like that.

Thanks for the suggestion. I wrote to Geets and he did reply but wasn't able to help. I also was able to contact a person who had indicated that they had a digital copy of the list, but that was way back in 1995 and they lost it long ago.

So, as I've now put in enough effort for some official action, I wrote to Alan Cross of the current CFNY show The Ongoing History of New Music, and he replied with a spreadsheet that had dozens of CFNY Top lists in it. One of them was the Top 1002 from 1991 (which was in there as the Top 1021.) Unfortunately it only had the first 202 entries with a few random insertions of other track names. But it's a definite improvement over the longest list currently available on the internet... a miserable ten!

So, without further delay, here are the first 202 from CFNY's Top 1002 Songs of all Time from 1991!

1 The Smiths - How Soon Is Now
2 Soft Cell - Tainted Love
3 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
4 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
5 New Order - Blue Monday
6 The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
7 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
8 Alphaville - Forever Young
9 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
10 Violent Femmes - Add It Up
11 Sinead O'Conner - Troy
12 Depeche Mode - Somebody
13 Act - Absolutely Immune
14 Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
15 The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
16 Modern English - I Melt With You
17 Depeche Mode - Strangelove
18 Talk Talk - It's My Life
19 The Cure - Just Like Heaven
20 The B-52s - Rock Lobster
21 The Cure - In Between Days
22 Ministry - Every Day is Halloween
23 The Clash - London Calling
24 Love & Rockets - Haunted When The Minutes Drag
25 U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
26 Adventures in Paradise - You'll Never Know
27 The Cure - Pictures of You
28 The Charlatans U.K. - The Only One I Know
29 REM - Superman
30 A Flock of Seagulls - The More You Live, The More You Love
31 REM - It's The End of The World As We Know It
32 The Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The U.K.
33 Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole
34 The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
35 Tones On Tail - Go!
36 The Cure - Close To Me
37 Morrissey - Every Day is Like Sunday
38 The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom
39 U2 - Bad
40 A Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song
41 Pop Will Eat Itself - Wise Up! Sucker!
42 Agents Aren't Airplanes - The Upstoke
43 UB40 - Red Red Wine
44 Material Issue - Valerie Loves Me
45 The Tragically Hip - New Orleans is Sinking
46 Alarm - The Chant Has Just Begun
47 Depeche Mode - Route 66
48 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - The Power of Love
49 EMF - Unbelievable
50 Morrissey - Suedehead
51 Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
52 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
53 Endgames - First - Last - For Everything
54 Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
55 Happy Mondays - Step On
56 Alphaville - Sounds Like a Melody
57 The Cure - Love Song
58 The Police - Roxanne
59 U2 - With Or Without You
60 The Soup Dragons - I'm Free
61 Ministry - Stigmata
62 The Associates - Take Me To The Girl
63 Front 242 - Headhunter
64 Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
65 REM - Losing My Religion
66 Yaz - Situation
67 Peter Baumann - Strangers In The Night
68 The The - Perfect
69 Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours
70 Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
71 Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
72 U2 - New Year's Day
73 Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
74 The Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
75 The Clash - Rock The Casbah
76 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
77 Beloved - Loving Feeling
78 New Order - Perfect Kiss
79 The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out
80 The Cure - Love Cats
81 The Cult - Wild Flower
82 The Style Council - Long Hot Summer
83 U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love)
84 Berlin - Sex (I'm a …)
85 New Order - True Faith
86 The Lotus Eaters - The First Picture of You
87 The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
88 New Order - Temptation
89 Skinny Puppy - Assimilate
90 Jane's Addiction - Jane Says
91 Simple Minds - Love Song
92 Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song
93 Jesus Jones - Right Here, Right Now
94 The Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
95 Violent Femmes - American Music
96 Billy Bragg - A New England
97 The Housemartins - Happy Hour
98 The Police - Every Breath You Take
99 The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
100 Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
101 The Smiths - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
102 The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon
103 Bible - Mahalia
104 The Style Council - You're the Best Thing
105 The Smiths - This Charming Man
106 Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
107 Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
108 Killing Joke - Love Like Blood
109 Big Country - In A Big Country
110 54-40 - I Go Blind
111 The Specials - A Message To You Rudy
112 Roxy Music - Avalon
113 The Art of Noise - Moments In Love
114 Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
115 Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It
116 The Cure - Fascination Street
117 B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
118 Black - Everything is Coming Up Roses
119 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground
120 The Housemartins - Caravan of Love
121 David Bowie - Space Oddity
122 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
123 Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
124 Erasure - A Little Respect
125 Blancmange - Blind Vision
126 Spoons - Nova Heart
127 Sid Vicious/The Sex Pistols - My Way
128 The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums
129 Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant
130 Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
131 Blancmange - Believe
132 Inspiral Carpets - Commercial Rain
133 Sinead O'Conner - Nothing Compares 2 U
134 Peter Murphy - Cuts You Up
135 Voice of America - Story of Love
136 Depeche Mode - Question of Lust
137 U2 - I Will Follow
138 Blancmange - That's Love That It Is
139 The Mission - Tower of Strength
140 Blue Peter - Unchained Heart
141 Pigbag - Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag
142 The The - Uncertain Smile
143 Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
144 The Jam - That's Entertainment
145 Jane's Addiction - Stop!
146 54-40 - Baby Ran
147 Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
148 Skinny Puppy - Dig It
149 Blue Zoo - Somewhere In The World There's A Cowboy Smiling
150 Gazebo - I Like Chopin
151 B-Movie - A Letter From Afar
152 Stephen "Tintin" Duffy - Kiss Me
153 The B-52s - Planet Claire
154 David Bowie - Golden Years
155 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
156 Skinny Puppy - Smothered Hope
157 XTC - Dear God
158 Siouxsie & The Banshees - Peek-A-Boo
159 David Bowie - Heroes
160 U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name
161 Depeche Mode - Shake The Disease
162 Generation X/Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself
163 Depeche Mode - People Are People
164 The Cure - Hot Hot Hot
165 Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth
166 Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
167 Rush - The Spirit of Radio
168 KMFDM - Godlike
169 Tears For Fears - Mad World
170 Depeche Mode - Master and Servant
171 REM - Shiny Happy People
172 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
173 Book of Love - I Touch Roses
174 Boys Brigade - Melody
175 Revolting Cocks - Beers, Steers and Queers
176 Nine Inch Nails - Down In It
177 Ministry - Over the Shoulder
178 The Clash - Train In Vain
179 Boys Brigade - The Passion of Love
180 Boys Brigade - Into The Flow
181 The Call - Everywhere I Go
182 Jesus Jones - Info Freako
183 Chalk Circle - 20th Century Boy
184 Morrissey - The Last of the Famous International Playboys
185 The Pursuit of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now
186 The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma
187 Chameleons UK - Tears
188 Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug
189 The Clash - Clampdown
190 Jesus Jones - International Bright Young Thing
191 China Crisis - Tragedy and Mystery
192 The Grapes of Wrath - All The Things I Wasn't
193 OMD - Souvenir
194 Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
195 The Human League - Don't You Want Me
196 China Crisis - Working With Fire and Steel
197 Bob Marley & The Wailers - One Love/People Get Ready
198 Yaz - Only You
199 The Housemartins - The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death
200 Rush - Tom Sawyer
201 Elvis Costello - Alison
202 Skinny Puppy - Testure

I've posted that (202 item) list on the Charts and Lists page, thanks!

admin wrote:I've posted that (202 item) list on the Charts and Lists page, thanks!

Very nice.. thanks! I didn't know if it qualified, being incomplete, but now I know who to bother when it is. If I ever manage to get the entire list I'll ensure it's formatted like the 1999 one is .

It's not the only incomplete list on there...I figure something is better than nothing at all!

I'm amazed anyone kept this doctored list. Those random insertions are mine. They replaced artists that appeared on the official list that in my opinion were embarassing. If I recall correctly the official list contained artists such as The Beatles, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin etc...

Had it been a true CFNY list of alternative artists I would never have parted with it. Perhaps this may be partly the reason why nobody has been able to come up with or bothered to keep the original list. I didn't keep the doctored list either. Figured there was no point since it wasn't official.

Thanks for clearing that up... not only was the altered list kept but it appears to have replaced the "official" one as it was the one that CFNY has, worked into the rest of the archived lists!

Eventually I hope that someone at CFNY looks into the archives. I don't doubt that there's a printed copy hiding in there; just a matter of someone having a look for it.

My five-year quest may be at an end...

I wrote to the Live Earl Jive and I got a reply. He indicated that he has the list and will be sending it to Scott so it can get posted.

'Looking forward to it' is an understatement.