The four hundred and seventy-fifth song: Non-Alignment Pact - Pere Ubu
This song starts with a high-pitched squeal that becomes off putting quickly and feels like an odd contrast with the punk Pere Ubu plays. They mix in some other sounds, but as experimental as the punk is sometimes, it is a basic song with some odd sounds rather than fully embracing it - a decent experiment, but not much more.
The four hundred and seventy-sixth song: Blue Valentines - Tom Waits
There's something quite bluesy about this track, a darkly voiced song with some sparse guitar playing that comes through in some soft soloes, but mostly underscore the story Tom Waits is telling of an ill-fated relationship. It's quite effective as the emotion of the track is open in his voice, telling its own, raw story.
The four hundred and seventy-seventh song: Heart of Glass - Blondie
For a band that was known for their punk outlook, it sounds like this shift to disco was quite a departure, full of electronic music and a full-on production while Debbie Harry's voice almost sits on top, feeling minimal in there. It's a lovely sound, that works incredibly well here, and feels like another step to a more modern pop rock feel.
The four hundred and seventy-eighth song: Ever Fallen in Love… (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) - Buzzcocks
While it feels like punk has very much falling into a specific sound, with related riffs and usually more aggressive lyrics, Ever Fallen In Love turns that around, with the tenor vocals having more musicality and variation that continues to sound quite good through here. It draws on pop rock, with a catchy riff and chorus that keeps feeling delightful to listen to and could easily get stuck in your head.
The four hundred and seventy-ninth song: Le Freak - Chic
It feels like we're alternating punk and disco for a bit - and Le Freak really feels like the quintessential disco song. The lyrics are mostly about dancing and going out partying, there are extended dance sequences (which do drag), and it embodies the aesthetic through and through (and it's no wonder it's been used on RuPaul's Drag Race). It's catchy and infectious and feels like a perfect example of the genre.
The four hundred and eightieth song: Milk and Alcohol - Dr. Feelgood
Milk and Alcohol feels like a throwback to garage rock and proto pink, hard guitars playing while the vocals are growled on top. The protagonist isn't having a good time, living on milk and alcohol, and the song seems to cover a meaningless life that you need to drudge through. It's an aggressively angry song about a personal problem and the problems that inspired these genres of rock years ago are still around, with the anger still there.
The four hundred and eighty-first song: Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen
There's something very personal about this song, at a very odd level - more than anything, this describes Freddie Mercury's lifestyle at the time. It's celebratory, gloriously indulgent and the energy feels quite infectious, while at times referencing the danger of it as well. It's a hedonistic anthem and it keeps rolling forward no matter what. It's perfectly put together, with the right breaks and solos to keep up that energy.
The four hundred and eighty-second song: Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
There is something quite simple in the guitar line of this song, still keeping the song firmly in punk territory, with a more conventional rock solo, but the vocals make this feel somewhat different - the younger punk voice mixing in with something rougher to create a short, upbeat song that's enough punk to work, but is close enough to pop to stay listenable.
The four hundred and eighty-third song: You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Sylvester
We finish the first third of 1978 with some disco, with a gay anthem of sorts that stays away from the repetition other disco songs provide, instead moving through far more sounds in a big production that keeps building through the song. It's effective to listen to and sounds like a good disco song throughout.