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Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

WEEK 16

A little breakdown of this week's songs by decade...
1920s: 1
1930s: 1
1940s: 1
1950s: 0
1960s: 10
1970s: 4
1980s: 8
1990s: 5
2000s: 4

Also of note:
Two songs from the Schubert bloc
Two songs from the Vivaldi bloc
A bracket with two songs separated by eighty years
A bracket with two songs from this decade


Here are this week's brackets. Remember, you can also view the brackets on this site. Voting is now open, and you have until 11:59 PM Pacific time on this upcoming Saturday to vote. Vote either in this thread or e-mail me.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
#150: "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
#363: "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
#662: "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
#875: "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
#208: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
#305: "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
#720: "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
#817: "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
#165: "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]
#348: "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
#677: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
#860: "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
#115: "Gloria" - Them [1965]
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
#627: "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
#910: "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
#57: "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
#456: "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]
#569: "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
#968: "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
#267: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]
#758: "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
#779: "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
#159: "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
#354: "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
#671: "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
#866: "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
#243: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
#270: "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
#755: "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]
#782: "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
Sure, "Heroin" is the more acclaimed, and possibly the more famous, song off VU&N, but I think this one is better. It's a toss-up between this one and "Venus in Furs" as to which I think is my favorite off the album. Like I've said before, I'm a sucker for a repeated one-note piano jaunt (much like the one in Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)" and the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog"), so here you go.
2. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
I've said before that I'm not really a fan of pre-1988 rap, but I love this one. And I can't really give an explanation as to why I do. I mean, the lyrics are good, but not great; after all, I can't entirely relate to the hardships that Kurtis is describing in his song. There are long stretches of instrumentation with no rapping. This shouldn't be in my favorites list, but it is.
3. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
I know that if I listen to this song more, I'll be rating this song higher, but as it is it's just a victim of me not having listened to it as much as I should. Nevertheless, that screeching hook/noise that runs throughout the song gets on my nerves really quickly.
4. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
Well, it's better than Nancy's other Bracketology song, "These Boots Are Made for Walking," but it's still not strong enough to surpass even the Public Enemy song.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
Something tells me that this board's Radiohead fans would be putting this one into the next round even without my vote, so I might as well go with the flow. That said, I agree that it's the top song in the bracket, just barely beating out one of the Fugees' best.
2. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]
I remember hearing during the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election that this was one of (then-)Senator Obama's favorite songs. Good to see that the man has good taste musically. It's not the Fugees' best (that goes to either "Killing Me Softly with His Song" or "Fu-Gee-La"), but it's definitely a great song. Every time I listen to this album, my love for it just gets deeper. What an amazing album.
3. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
This really is a killer bracket. All four are excellent songs, and I wouldn't shed any tears if any of them won. As for this one, I'm sure it won't win (this board seems to have too much of a popular music lean to it), but this is without a doubt one of the best songs of the big band era, and one of the most important songs of the last hundred years.
4. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
And then there was U2. As much as I think that this is a very good song, SHTB4. And the tie must always go to the band that is not U2. Interestingly enough, this is the only song of the four here that I have not rated five stars on my iTunes (this one gets four).

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
It's been said before, but I might as well say it again: best opening line from the opening song of a debut album. EVER. 'Nuff said.
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
A magnificent song, and definitely one of Stevie's best, but it's just a touch too soft. It almost sounds like this one was designed for adult contemporary radio.
3. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]
I'm putting this one in the 3 spot and not 4 because of the song's backstory. It's not the patriotic song that many people believe it is; it's actually a protest song. Read the full story here. Note especially the "missing" verse that is described in that article. Still, in spite of how truly great this song is, it just can't compete with the other two songs here. I'd rather listen to those two before this one.
4. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
Regardless of whether or not you believe Kelly actually peed on that girl, you gotta respect the giant brass balls it took to release an album called "Chocolate Factory" (yes, "Chocolate Factory") when that whole court case was at its peak. And the biggest single off that album features the line "I'm gonna take my key and stick it in the ignition" (but I'm pretty sure that the "dirty" version says "in your ignition"). And god damn it all if it wasn't a great song. I gotta hand it to Kelly, the man can write one hell of a song.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
You know, I always thought that this was a great song. Easily B.B.'s best. But then I had a bit of a falling-out with one of my female friends, and this song came up on my iPod. It clicked. Holy shit, this is a GREAT song. And the perfect song to play after you get out of a relationship. Fuck you, Jen!
2. "Gloria" - Them [1965]
Interesting that we get this one and the Patti Smith "Gloria" in the same week. I'm a little surprised that it worked out that way. All that aside, this song is so stupidly simple, and the name-spelling part is less-than-stellar, but somehow this song is absolutely fantastic. It just can't possibly compare to "The Thrill Is Gone."
3. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
The beginning of this song always feels so abrupt, like the guys started playing the song a few seconds earlier, and then they turned on the recording equipment after they played the intro. Ditto for the end. Feels very abrupt.
I remember being in junior high school when this song was really popular and thinking, "This is kind of a dumb song." Granted, I didn't really know much of anything of popular music at that time, but I still don't think it's THAT great. Good, yes. But hardly great.
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]
Three good (or great) songs, and then this stinker. Most obvious choice for #4 all week. This would have finished last in any of this week's brackets. Corny, cheesy, tacky, this song is everything that was wrong with pop music in the late '50s and early '60s.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
No, I know it won't win the bracket. But frankly, this is the only one of the four songs here that I enjoy. Ergo, here it is in the top spot. Still, I look forward to voting against "Waterloo Sunset" when it gets to the second round.
2. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
I don't understand why this song is so highly acclaimed. To me, this is just really bland and uninteresting. Maybe I'm not hearing something, but I just don't care about this song. Still, in a bracket like this one, SHTB2.
3. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
Three T. Rex songs so far in Bracketology, and I think I've put all three of them in the #3 spot. Frankly, there's nothing about this song that really makes me feel like I ever need to hear it again. Blah.
4. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]
Funny story. A few months ago, I was listening to my iPod, specifically to a playlist that had all 1,024 Bracketology songs on shuffle. This song came on and I was really unimpressed. Early country music. Pass. As soon as this song faded out, the next song comes on. Talk about an odd combination of songs to go from this to "If you're havin' girl problems, I feel bad for you son/I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one"

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
Good bracket here. Two very good songs, one fair one and one crap one. I'm really torn between my #1 and #2 picks, but I gotta go with Echo & the Bunnymen. I think that the "fate up against your will" is one of those lines that isn't nearly as good as people think it is, but it's still a lot of fun to sing along with it when I'm driving in my car.
2. "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
For a long time, I only knew the version of this song done by Sixpence None the Richer, and I hated it. Granted, I hated SNtR, so maybe that's why I didn't like the song. Then I heard the original and I fell in love with the song again. So maybe it was my detestation of the band more than the song. Plus, SNtR also did a remake of "Don't Dream It's Over" that made me question the existence of a higher power. So there you go.
3. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
Sure, it's a pleasant enough song and gets plenty of play on classic rock radio. But CCR has other, better songs. This one is just okay.
4. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]
This song just brings up all kinds of negative memories. The sooner this song is gone, the better.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
Very good bracket, strong from top to bottom. Unfortunately, aside from this one and Aretha, there isn't anything that hits the "great" category. "Soul Man" is one of the all-time great songs, unparalleled in its genre. Sam & Dave came close with "Hold On, I'm Comin'," but this will always be their high point.
2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
Beginning-to-end perfection. Aretha is the queen of soul for a reason. It's not her best, or even her second-best, but this will always be a timeless song. Wha-ooh.
3. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
After the classics of the first two, there's an inevitable drop off to get to this one this one. Which is not to say that "Firestarter" is bad, it's quite good. But if I'm going to choose one song out of this bracket to put on repeat, it's not going to be this one.
4. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
Everyone always talks about the video and how the Boss can't dance. But no one ever talks about the fact that Courtney Cox couldn't dance in that video either. Nevertheless, this song is okay at best. Pleasant enough, but hardly on par with the other stuff in this bracket.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
Very hard to decide if this or "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is JB's best. I'll go with this one right now, but I reserve the right to change my mind later. I remember watching some show where an interviewer was talking to James Brown. Right in the middle of the interview, the guy asked James how he felt, and James shouted, "I feel good!" Biggest laugh of the whole program.
2. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
What a shame for Elvis. All his songs so far in Bracketology are fantastic, but they've all been up against superior competition. "Chelsea" has a great driving rhythm. Combined with Costello's slightly-snotty delivery, this gets into "classic" territory. Just not as good as JB.
3. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
This was the best track off "The Marshall Mathers LP." Dark and scary, but with a really intelligent story too. But in a bracket like this, SHTB3.
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]
As corny and silly as it is, I actually like this song. Seriously. I'm not kidding like Jason.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Matt, you didn't think it was worthy of an "Also of note..." that there are two "versions" of the same song this week?

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Harold Wexler
Matt, you didn't think it was worthy of an "Also of note..." that there are two "versions" of the same song this week?


Oh man, I can't believe I didn't even notice that until now, but you're right. (facepalm)

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
2. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
3. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
4. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]

The Public Enemy song is great, and Kurtis was a true innovator. Neither can take on my second favorite song from the VU&N though.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
3. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
4. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]

Arguably Radiohead's best song, containing multiple moments of brilliance, this one isn't really a contest.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
3. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
4. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]

Kind of meh bracket for me. I like the first three about as much as each other. Guthrie gets points for being important and influencing Dylan, but I cant honestly rank it higher considering that I would never choose to listen to it.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
2. "Gloria" - Them [1965]
3. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]

There's an abyss of difference between The Thrill Is Gone and the rest of this bracket. When I first visited AM, I puzzled that The Trill Is Gone wasn't higher. I still am.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
2. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
3. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]
4. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]

Again, huge difference between #1 and the rest of the bracket. Once I listened to Waterloo Sunset 17 times in a row.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
2. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
3. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
4. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]

I actually do like the Madonna song, but SH2B4. Of the remaining three, The La's narrowly edge out Echo and CCR.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
3. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
4. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]

Two great soul songs get placed ahead of mediocire Springsteen and lame Prodigy.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
2. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
3. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]

James Brown's best song crushes the competition. When he sings "When I hold you/In my arms" it's just too unreal to be real.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead

[Scene: inside the office of some Capitol A&R man, circa early '97]

CAPITOL: So, the reason I've asked you lads to come in today is, uhh... you know, this new album of yours.... well, we've taken a listen to it, and, uhhh... well, there's really no easy way to put this, but, well... it's not exactly what we were expecting. Y'know, heh heh [nervous laughter], we don't quite hear anything that we can sell; nothing that we can shop to radio. To be honest, to us, it's, uhhh... well, just a lot of noise really. And nothing that we think the blokes at BBC are interested in playing, honestly. And well, if radio's not going to play it, well.... I mean, that "Fake Plastic Trees"... that song was great. Or how about that "Higher and Dryer"? Really good stuff. And "Creep"? Fantastic! But these new songs... they don't, errr.... well, they aren't quite as catchy as those ones. Don't get me wrong, no no, I mean, we love you chaps around here, and we know the fans seem to love you boys, after all, your last effort was a dynamite release. Just dynamite. Really it was. I guess, what I'm trying to say here is, well, we were kind of hoping for the same thing this time around... some more of those catchy rock songs. And uhhh, we really think that's what your fans want as well. You boys agree, right? Thom?
THOM YORKE: [grumbling] No.
CAPITOL: [more nervous laughter] Heh heh... well, ummm... listen lads, I'm really under the gun. The boss is really ridin' me to work something out here. Ok, I guess that "I Feel My Luck Could Change" song is sort of catchy; maybe we can give that a try. But that one's already been a single, kind of. Or "Let Down Hangin' Around", I suppose that might work; we could shave a bit off for a radio edit. Let's give one of those a try at radio, yeah? I mean, I know you boys spent a great deal of time on this record, but, well... we were just hoping to see, uhh, something like "Creep" or, y'know. Nevertheless, it is what it is I guess. So, "Hanging Around" it is then?
PHIL SELWAY: It's called "Let Down". And no. We've got an idea for the first single... this one.

And that's pretty much how it happened that the longest, most noncommercial song on OK Computer became the first single. At least, that's how I imagine the whole thing going down. Really, I don't have much to add that hasn't been said before. This is just an extraordinary piece of music that, really, shouldn't work as well as it does, but somehow, effortlessly manages the feat. It's the type of song that a band like Coldplay is incapable of writing, and the type of song that's so uniquely and expertly performed that it would inevitably fail as a cover. The type of song that's so awe-inspiring and life-ruining at the same time. Every time I hear it, I feel grateful that I was born in the right time and place to be able to experience it.

2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2: Ordinarily, this song would probably win its bracket, but here, it's like a 5 or 6. It's one of those "won't turn it off if I hear it" songs -- Larry's thunderous snare march never fails to amaze (it blows my mind that, live, he manages to maintain it for as long as he does.) Speaking of which, to me, it's a song that has always worked better in a live setting -- the added rawness makes it more affective. Edge's guitar tone is right on the money too. And it helps that Bono isn't the annoying twat that he would later become.
4. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
3. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer: Foreshadowed a career of catchy pop built around cliched riffs and ham-handed pop culture references, but it's hard to fault it for being the first. It's not my favorite Weezer song, but it's indicative of their sound and maybe more importantly, of a time when they weren't the repellingly unnecessary band that they are now. (For similar career trajectories, see: Live, Smashing Pumpkins.)
2. "Gloria" - Them
3. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King: I've never felt inclined to delve into the B.B. King back catalog. Two reasons. One, because I never considered his guitar playing to be all that expressive (or impressive). And two, because I never thought this, his most acclaimed AND popular song, was all that great.
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons: Despite being interchangeable with what a handful of other bands were doing a few years ago, it's still better than the musical phlegm in this snot rag of a bracket. [Twenty minutes later: it's still stuck in my head. There might be something to it, actually.]
2. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers
3. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex
4. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks: Still don't get it. And frankly, I'm past the point of caring whether or not I ever will.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "There She Goes" - The La's: I had "Killing Moon" at #1, until I realized that this song, a hit single three times in the last two decades, is what I would choose to hear first about 99 times out of 100. [Incidentally, Noel Gallagher once said that Oasis existed 'to finish what The La's started'. Little tidbit for youz.]
2. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen: It's jangly, and moody, and I dig it.
3. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
4. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy: Goddamn, this is a great song. Dark electronica, just how I like it. And only one word can describe that beat: SICK!
2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin
3. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen: It seems odd to me that this jaunty nugget was only two years removed from the emotionally bleak sound of Nebraska. At any rate, it's my fifth favorite song from the Boss.
4. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido): I disagree that it's the best song from the Marshall Mathers LP (my pick would be "Who Knew") and in fact, I'm pretty much at the point where I would never need to hear this song again, but it's still better than everything else here.
2. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown: There's a movie called 'K9', starring James Belushi (released in '89), and in it there's a scene where a german shepherd police dog gets its freak on with a french poodle, and this song soundtracks it. Classical conditioning's a bitch -- I've never been able to hear this song without it immediately bringing to mind doggystyle (in the truest sense of the word), and it's really unfortunate. If it weren't for my better judgment, it would be #4 here. [Incidentally, Dan Castellaneta had a cameo in 'K9', as a waiter. Funny stuff.]
3. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly
4. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15

1. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
2. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
3. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
4. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]

Pretty solid bracket here -- PE wins barely, sheer ferocity just beating surreal country-psych. "The Breaks" is also fantastically fun, just not quite strong enough. I've never really like "Waiting for the Man" ... it might be my 7th favorite on VU&N?


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6

1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
3. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
4. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]

"Paranoid Android" is objectively really fantastic, even though I burned it out sometime in the late '90s. Similarly, I've got to say that "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is probably U2's best song of 'em all -- stunning drums and very nice melodic guitar on the chorus. "In the Mood" is a classic, though I most enjoy it when Grandpa Simpson runs to his room like a child, slams the door, and immediately starts blasting it. That's fall on the floor funny. And I always thought the Fugees were overrated.



WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11

1. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]
2. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
3. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
4. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]

Tough call, but on close inspection "This Land Is Your Land", while a grade school staple, has some real social merit that continues to apply. Out of the grand epics from Horses I probably like "Gloria" the least -- Patti's poetic side just doesn't resonate with me. And I love Stevie, but there's too much treacle in that Sunshine for my taste. And I don't get the love for "Ignition". I've heard it called the 00's "Little Red Corvette", but Prince dusts R. Kelly every day of the week.



VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4

1. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
2. "Gloria" - Them [1965]
3. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]

Sort of a lame bracket, nothing bad here, nothing really great either. B.B. wins by virtue of being B.B., though I'll take virtually anything from Live at the Regal instead. "Gloria" gets another #2 slot, just by being a wonderfully sloppy mess. "Buddy Holly" just comes off as too smarmy for me these days (gimme "Say It Ain't So" instead). And "I'm Sorry" is OK, but all I remember is the one line. So I'm sorry "I'm Sorry".


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5

1. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
2. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
3. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
4. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]

Easy, easy win for the Kinks, especially against this competition. 2-4 are fairly interchangeable for me quality-wise, I'm in sort of a T. Rex mood today so it gets #2. "Golden Skans" is very good but I fail to see how it's a Top 1000 song. And "Blue Yodel No. 1" is clearly here for it's influence -- there are actually several better "Blue Yodels" by Rodgers.


SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2

1. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]
2. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
3. "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
4. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]

What a flipping tough bracket! All 4 really good songs. I'm pulling for Madonna here, since "Like a Prayer" took such guts, though "Killing Moon" is of course great. "There She Goes" is an evergreen pop song, and it's very tough dropping CCR to 4 here, as that's one of their best. This may actually be the only bracket I've seen here where all 4 would be in my personal Top 2000. (Unlike Vivaldi above or Bach below, where none would be.)


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15

1. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
2. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
3. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
4. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]

Weak bracket, Aretha's vocal puts her through. "Soul Man" is pretty tired (though unfairly ruined by the Blues Brothers), "Dancing in the Dark" badly badly dated, and "Firestarter" both dated and REALLY annoying.


VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2

1. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
2. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
3. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]

"Stan" wins this -- very effective storytelling there. "Chelsea" is yet another great song from TYM, though not one of my very favorites. "I Got You" really sort of pales next to the Godfather's other mid-'60s classics, and "Hot in Herre" is both dumb and sonically boring.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]: Lou Reed opened his set at Lollapalooza this year with this song, which still hasn’t lost any of its force and power 42 years later. Except that his keyboardist didn’t try to replicate the indelible sound of John Cale insistently banging on the “wrong” note at the end, which takes an already-classic song to an even higher level.
2. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]: I don’t believe I’d ever heard this one before this week (despite its many covers) – believe me, I’d have remembered. What a strange, eerie record, and what an oddly beautiful one. I can’t imagine what the hell Frank must have thought when he heard it.
3. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]: One of the more minimalist tracks on IT TAKES A NATION…, the better to throw that quintessential Bomb Squad squealing siren noise into even sharper relief. In truth, it’s not one of my favorite tracks on that landmark album.
4. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]: Classic early hip-hop, but brings up the rear here. That’s the … well, you know.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]: The greatest, most insanely ambitious track on my choice for the greatest album of all time (I don’t mind tipping my hand). So, no further explanation necessary for this pick, except to continually marvel at the way it so brilliantly embodies -everything- that this band does so well.
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]: Oh, how this pains me. My favorite U2 song would have gotten my #1 vote in at least five of this week’s brackets outright and given the other two a run for their money. One of the best protest songs ever written, brought to magnificent life by all concerned – especially Larry Mullen Jr., who’s never been better.
3. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]: Another one of those songs that you almost can’t believe someone wrote, so ingrained is it in our cultural DNA. The high-water mark of the big-band era.
4. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]: SH2B4, no doubt – the key track on one of the great hip-hop albums (all the more so because there’s never been a proper follow-up). Docked a notch, maybe, because Nina Simone would never have done THAT to a microphone…

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]: As many have noted, no song has ever had a better opening line, and Smith spends the next six extraordinary minutes living up to it. Transforming Van Morrison’s classic cock-rock anthem into a shamanistic Sapphic incantation is inspired enough as a concept, but Patti and Lenny Kaye and company have the goods to deliver on it and then some.
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]: I’m always surprised when I listen to TALKING BOOK and remember that the horns were added later for the single release. And it’s still odd to hear the first two lines sung by different vocalists. Such a great, elemental song that it’s hard to imagine Stevie not immediately realizing, “People are going to be singing this song 35 years from now.”
3. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]: It becomes even more of a classic when you discover there are more verses, angrier ones, than the ones you may have grown up singing in school, and it suddenly hits you that Guthrie intended it as a -reminder-, not a celebration.
4. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]: It’s quite enjoyable – more so than I was expecting, as I wasn’t a big Kelly fan even before the, um, interesting revelations about his personal life – but I don’t really need to hear it again.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Gloria" - Them [1965]: The man who fronted Them seems at first to be a completely different person from the one who would spring ASTRAL WEEKS on us by the end of the decade, until you pick up on the trademark obsessiveness below the garage-rock surface. One of the great riffs of all time, and THE greatest hey-kids-what’s-that-spell chant.
2. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]: Spare, elegant, tasteful (probably the finest use of strings ever on a blues record), and brilliant. B.B. in a nutshell, only even more so.
3. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]: It wouldn’t have become such an inescapable presence without Spike Jonze’s landmark video, but it’s a first-rate slice of exuberantly weird and hilarious (you know what you’re in for when it opens with “What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl?/Why do they gotta front?” delivered by one of the whitest singers imaginable) alt-power-pop.
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]: A pure country singer who became one of the biggest pop stars of the pre-Beatles era mostly because of the novelty of her youth. Her records are sleek and professional, but they sound like pap today.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]: It’s probably destined to win this bracket by a landslide, and deservedly so – but mostly because it’s a pretty weak bracket. It’s a great record, but I’ve always found it just the slightest bit overrated. (I probably like at least half the songs on VILLAGE GREEN more.)
2. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]: Very early country, but it has a lot more in common with the blues (e.g., the repeated lines in each verse, the overt threats to the well-being of one’s woman) than with the country to come, even with the yodeling (which is actually pretty cool here).
3. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]: A terrifically catchy and propulsive single which also has the benefit of not overstaying its welcome.
4. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]: This one doesn’t overstay its welcome, either, but there’s barely enough here to justify any length. At this point, Bolan could have had a top 5 hit with a song whose lyrics he’d scribbled on a bag of chips, which is what this sounds like.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]: The lead, title, and best track on her best album; it summarized and went beyond everything she’d done up to that point. It’s an instant classic from the start, but it reaches masterpiece status the second she commands, “Let the choir sing,” and it does, gloriously.
2. "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]: Another instant classic – in fact, this entire bracket is populated with them. Possibly the greatest power-pop record ever made, depending on your definition of the genre and give or take a “September Gurls” or two.
3. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]: Quintessential ‘80s Britrock, full of sound and fury and (probably) signifying nothing, but compulsively listenable. Memorably used in DONNIE DARKO, regardless of which version you see.
4. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]: I hate to put Creedence in an SH2B4-hole, but there are a lot of other Fogerty songs I’d pick before this one. That doesn’t make it any less wonderful, particularly the numerous overdubbed guitars, all playing in different styles.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]: The Queen of Soul meets the Queen of the Brill Building (a/k/a Carole King), and the result is a magisterial pop single. Fun fact: if you reverse all of the “you”s and the “I” / “me”s, this becomes the most shamelessly sexist song ever written!
2. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]: Iconic from the word go, with Steve Cropper’s indelible gutbucket guitar riff sliding into Al Jackson’s pocket and those horns giving it all they’ve got throughout. So musically perfect that Mssrs. Moore and Prater themselves are almost an afterthought – until they start singing, of course.
3. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]: With its BIG production, startling-at-the-time synths, and Max Weinberg sounding more like a drum machine than he ever has before or since, it seemed like a fairly naked grab at pop-radio superstardom for an icon who already had it all, and it worked. It worked so well that it’s still easy to overlook the fact that the song itself is pretty downbeat (although veering ever-so-slightly toward hope) and very much of a piece with the best of the Boss’s work. (He still shouldn’t have tried to actually dance, though.)
4. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]: Not necessarily my thing, but very effective for what it is (even if “Breathe” is far superior).

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]: I’ve said this many times, but it’s worth saying again: for my money, this is the single greatest examination of the relationship between artist and audience (its most obsessive and increasingly unhinged portion, anyway) ever, in any art form, and it’s far and away Mr. Mathers’s finest single track. It’s funny (and full of Em’s trademark lightning-quick and hyper-intelligent wordplay), frightening, brilliantly produced (that skittering-pencil sound effect is drop-dead genius), and in the end, quite moving.
2. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]: Inexplicably left off the original U.S. release of THIS YEAR’S MODEL (as was “Night Rally”), this has the same lyrically mysterious and musically overdriven (and vaguely menacing – thanks to Steve Nieve, the Farfisa organ never sounded so sinister) vibe as the rest of that extraordinary album.
3. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]: I probably like “Hot in Herre” more, but I just can’t bear to put the Godfather in last place. In any case, it’s been so ridiculously overexposed that it’s quite easy to forget how great it actually is.
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]: SH2B4. Brazen and catchy as all hell, and the most inescapable single of its year. Fun fact: for the longest time, I was convinced that the line about which Nelly immediately says he’s kidding was “I got a friend with a HOLE in the basement.” What that says about me is probably best left unpondered… At least I’d thought that it was a -good- thing that he was kidding.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Harold Wexler
Fun fact: for the longest time, I was convinced that the line about which Nelly immediately says he’s kidding was “I got a friend with a HOLE in the basement.”


Don't feel bad; I always thought the line was "I got a friend with a FORD in the basement." No comment.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. The Breaks - Great, classic hip hop. Love it.
2. Rebel Without a Pause
3. Some Velvet Morning
4. I'm Waiting for the Man

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. Paranoid Android - Really? 305? This should be higher. Not quite my favorite Radiohead song, but it's up there.
2. Ready or Not
3. In the Mood
4. Sunday Bloody Sunday

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria - I'm just as surprised as you are. Not sure why I like it. Good lyrics, I guess. Solid song.
2. Ignition
3. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
4. This Land Is Your Land

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. The Thrill Is Gone - Pretty weak bracket. King wins by default.
2. Gloria
3. I'm Sorry
4. Buddy Holly

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. Golden Skans - I don't know. I guess. Whatever. Weak bracket. Didn't really like anything here.
2. Children of the Revolution
3. Waterloo Sunset
4. Blue Yodel No. 1

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. There She Goes - Really great song. This is what good songwriting is all about.
2. Green River
3. Like a Prayer
4. The Killing Moon

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. Soul Man - Classic. He's on a mission from God.
2. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
3. Firestarter
4. Dancing in the Dark - Fuck the boss.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. I Got You (I Feel Good) - Does it get more classic than this? FUNK IS BORN.
2. Stan
3. (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
4. Hot in Herre

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT 15. Chalk. (I seem to be going with the chalk much more often than I did last time around…and I’m STILL consistently among the people with a low percentage of favorite songs advancing.) (For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, “chalk” means I’m ranking the songs in the same order as their AM seeds.)
1. I’M WAITING FOR THE MAN. The banana album might be my nominee for the finest LP of its decade, and this is the most powerful track on it. One of the first of Lou’s uncountable narratives about the scum of the earth. It doesn’t freak out as much as “Venus in Furs” or “European Son,” but that just means that the listener won’t have his guard up, allowing the punch to land with more force.
2. REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE. I always connect PE in my mind with Sonic Youth. New York bands, almost exact contemporaries, that both redrew the map in their respective genres and influenced just about everything in the following two decades. This song was a great taster for what was about to emerge on Nation of Millions.
3. THE BREAKS. I think I said last week that I’m educating myself about very early hip-hop, and I was tempted to give this one a boost. But putting even the brilliant Kurtis Blow above one of PE’s finest tracks…nah, can’t do it.
4. SOME VELVET MORNING. SH2B4.

SIBELIUS 6
1. PARANOID ANDROID. Good stuff, Anthony. Releasing this as OKC’s lead single certainly was audacious—the most obvious thought experiment here is: What if the Beatles had released “Day in the Life” as a single? What’s more it was BBC1’s “Pick to Click” or something, which meant that, for one week in 1997, people in offices all over the UK were listening to it…Thom said he got a kick out of that. One of the most brilliant songs of my lifetime, mostly because it’s the finest uncool song I know of.
2. IN THE MOOD. Also uncool, but it’s great fun. I might have trouble trusting someone who claims not to enjoy this…but then, I have a sneaking fondness for swing.
3. SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY. Being this earnest and anthemic? Definitely uncool.
4. READY OR NOT. Too cool for this bracket.

WAGNER 11
1. GLORIA (Patti Smith). Another one of those Covers That Surpass the Original. To flash back to Otis Redding last week, this performance is so powerful that the lyrics are completely incidental (once we’re past the famous spoken intro). And what’s amazing is that it starts out full throttle and then seems to accelerate.
2. YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE. It’s amazing the way Stevie can get away with being this sweet—even cloying—and still melt the hardened hearts of music critics. And me.
3. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND. Matt, I notice you have this dated to 1944, rather than the “official” AM date of 1947…mind if I ask what your source was? About a year ago, I tried to arrange all the pre-1950 songs here into a chronological listening order, and had a hell of a time trying to figure out when Woody’s anthem actually came out. I know 1947 seems too late, especially if it was meant as an “answer record” to “God Bless America.”
4. IGNITION. Pass.

VIVALDI 4
1. THE THRILL IS GONE. Takes a relatively soft bracket…B.B. is just one of those early guys whose very identity means rock n roll.
2. BUDDY HOLLY. Irresistible. Even though it’s not groundbreaking, dozens of bands would factory-farm this sound for the rest of the 1990s.
3. GLORIA (Them). For some reason, I’m feeling pretty sour on Van right now.
4. I’M SORRY. My generation likes to think we invented the ironic nostalgia bit. You know, “rediscovering” some bit of tuneful fluff from our childhoods—Journey, Toto, Hall & Oates—and proclaiming their unheralded genius. But I bet Brenda Lee was the subject of similar ironic nostalgia by the first generation of rock critics in the 1970s. At least, that’s my guess about why she’s here.

MAHLER 5
1. BLUE YODEL (T FOR TEXAS). To recycle one of my own lines: Jimmie Rodgers invented country music…what have you done lately? Normally, I try not to rank songs #1 based solely on influence, but that’s close to being the case here.
2. GOLDEN SKANS. Had heard this but hadn’t actually sat down and listened to it. Not bad.
3. WATERLOO SUNSET. One reason I’ve never really warmed up to Pet Sounds (stay with me here) is that Brian gets too cloying a little too often. This song’s a little like that. I recognize how well it’s put together, but even after multiple listens, it just ain’t sweepin’ me off my feet the way it’s meant to.
4. CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION. Why am I supposed to like T. Rex, again? (kidding—I do, but I’ll pass on this)

SCHUBERT 2
1. THERE SHE GOES. Re-listening to this 3-minute masterpiece (for, what, the 857th time?), what struck me this time was the lead vocal. Something this catchy really shouldn’t be able to get away with alternating between Fogerty-type growling and shaky falsetto. But it all works.
2. THE KILLING MOON. Came out when I was in high school, and all the drama students loved it. Took me a while to get over that and realize that it’s actually really good.
3. LIKE A PRAYER. If I recall, this was the first of Ms. Ciccone’s Great Big Statements. I liked her better when she seemed more like Cyndi Lauper’s naughtyish cousin, and didn’t come back on board until Ray of Light.
4. GREEN RIVER. I like CCR, but they have too many songs of middling quality overranked, and this is one of ‘em.

BACH 15
1. FIRESTARTER. Terrific song, although when I first heard it, I mentally categorized it as dance music. Once I tried dancing to it, I realized it was a different breed. Hey. HEY. Hey.
2. (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN. The closest Aretha ever got to sounding seductive, with, of course, fantastic songwriting.
3. SOUL MAN. Guess I lose all cred for this, but I have a soft spot for Sam & Dave just because of John Belushi (although I prefer “Hold On, I’m Coming”).
4. DANCING IN THE DARK. The lure on the hook for Born in the U.S.A., marred by the video that first inflicted Courtney Cox on the world.

VIVALDI 2
1. I GOT YOU (I FEEL GOOD). Has been travestied so often (most notably, for me, by Hurley’s rendition on Lost) that it’s difficult to appreciate now. I think it’s a second-tier song for James, but good god, are those horns funky. Takes this group, anyhow.
2. (I DON’T WANT TO GO TO) CHELSEA. Grossly underrated Elvis track, at least here in the states…I don’t think I’d even heard it before I found Acclaimed Music.
3. STAN. On a storytelling level, it remains gripping; musically, not so much. And after all these years, it suddenly occurred to me to ask: what the hell is Dido doing here?
4. HOT IN HERRE. Get the bucket.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
#363: "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
Public Enemy could loop a steaming tea kettle and make it sound awesome. They were that good.
#875: "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
I didn't expect anything from this one, but charisma and production, and the weird cutting between the two vocals make it engaging as hell.
#150: "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
Not the most standout song on a great album.
#662: "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
I could like this song, but that clowny thing he does with his voice is offputting and the lyrics have too many MC cliches.


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
#305: "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
Epic, frantic, psychotic classic Radiohead. I should see that video on Youtube, it was even more fucked up than the song.
#208: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
My favorite U2 song by a wide margin. Why does it have to be against Paranoid Android?!
#817: "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]
#720: "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
Sounds like background music for every 30's movie.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
#348: "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
Patti Smith sings with more raw emotional energy than anyone else.
#165: "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]
I've found in this contest it's hard for me to fairly judge songs I learned when I was 5. Just because of the way my brain has compartmentalized them as 'From childhood'. It's really a distinctly American folk song though. One that certain people should take a little more to heart. (Woody Guthrie didn't intend there to be an asterisk: '*Only if you were born here')
#677: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
Stevie's worst song from the 'holy trinity' era. The lyrics are cringe-inducingly cheesy, and this song singlehandedly kept one of my music buff friends away from Stevie Wonder for years.
#860: "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
Ugh. I have less tolerance for R Kelly than N Sync. Either he's pandering to parents of small children or he's failing miserably to be as sexual as other R&B stars.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
#115: "Gloria" - Them [1965]
I like every version of this song I've heard. Both the versions this week are rawly emotional.
#910: "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]
#627: "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
The one Weezer song I really like.
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
King is held back here by the demands of a single.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
#456: "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]
I like these simple pre-rock songs. They're straightforwardly experiential and emotional without any pretension.
#569: "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
#57: "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
A good song, overrated in the Kinks canon.
#968: "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
A fun bouncy indie pop song. My only minor issue with it is the falsettoey singing. A trademark of indie pop I'm not particularly fond of.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
#758: "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
Ecclectic pop masterpiece.
#267: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]
The title song on the one album where Madonna truly transcends the dance-pop genre.
#779: "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
#354: "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
Easily one of the best soul songs.
#866: "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
One of the funnest Bruce songs.
#671: "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
Another Aretha song that isn't either I Will Survive or Respect. Of course, pretty much everything she did is at least good.
#159: "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
I couldn't stand The Prodigy in 1997, watching them on MTV. Earlier this year I thought, they've got two albums in the top 500, maybe I missed something back then. Nope. Musically it's just a bunch of hollow loops, lyrically they only go for 'look at me I'm so cool' and shock value.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
#782: "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
Almost every song on Costello's first three albums is awesome.
#243: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
James Brown at his charismatic best.
#755: "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]
This is one I really didn't expect to like, but it's freaking awesome.
#270: "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
My opinion of Eminem is a matter of public record on this forum. This one I think could have been a great song. I think he missed an opportunity to make a statement about iconic obsession when he made himself come off like a saint in the last verse.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

5 for now. More to come.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15

1. The Velvet Underground- "I'm Waiting for the Man": The relentless chug takes this song to the top. Such sass!
2. Kurtis Blow- "The Breaks": A hip hop song without a sample? Awesome! Even better, it's damn funky.
3. Public Enemy- "Rebel Without a Pause": The synth that sounds like a kettle going off is pretty fun, but they've done better.
4. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood- "Some Velvet Morning": I can see why this gets love, but it's not really my thing. Still, pretty haunting indeed.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6

1. U2- "Sunday Bloody Sunday": I've always preferred "New Year's Day" from War, but I can't help but get caught up in this as well. They were so passionate back then!
2. The Fugees- "Ready or Not": That chilling backing music is pretty great. I like The Fugees a lot more in retrospect than I did at the time.
3. Radiohead- "Paranoid Android": I like several songs on OK Computer more than this. This is a little too Pink Floyd for me, but I do love the "Rain down from a great height" segment!
4. Glenn Miller & His Orchestra- "In the Mood": I detest every second of this. It was drilled into my head when I was little, and it's tantamount to cruelty to play this for me now.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11

1. Patti Smith- "Gloria": Is there a better opening line to an album than "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"? Maybe, but this has to be up there. The way the tension mounts for several minutes before that raucous chorus comes in is pretty special.
2. Stevie Wonder- "You Are the Sunshine of My Life": There may be better songs on Talking Book, but this is pretty wonderful in its own right.
3. Woody Guthrie- "This Land Is Your Land": It's weird to rank this among the others, but my neutral response to it makes it land here.
4. R. Kelly- "Ignition": I can't fathom for the life of me why this is acclaimed. At all.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2

1. Madonna- "Like a Prayer": It's only my 8th favorite song on the album, and it's still wonderful! Like a Prayer is one of the greatest pop albums of all time, and this incandescent lead-off single shows just how powerful pop can be.
2. Echo & the Bunnymen- "The Killing Moon": My 2nd favorite Bunnymen song (after "Never Stop"), the chorus is just soaring and gorgeous. It's a shame that this song is in the same bracket as "Like a Prayer".
3. The La's- "There She Goes": Yet another amazing song! Songs don't get much more colorful than this.
4. CCR- "Green River": Didn't stand a chance, and I kind of like CCR.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2

1. Elvis Costello- "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea": That eerie synth that runs through the cascading and somewhat funky rhythm makes this one of the highlights of an awesome album.
2. Nelly- "Hot in Herre": Wow. What a drop off! This was sort of fun to dance to back in college, I guess.
3. Eminem- "Stan": The Dido bit is the best part of the song for me.
4. James Brown- "I Got You (I Feel Good)": I never liked this, but hearing it over and over and over and over and over again has made me rather despise it.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

schleuse
when I first heard it, I mentally categorized it as dance music. Once I tried dancing to it, I realized it was a different breed.


Haha. That was good.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

schleuse
3. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND. Matt, I notice you have this dated to 1944, rather than the “official” AM date of 1947…mind if I ask what your source was? About a year ago, I tried to arrange all the pre-1950 songs here into a chronological listening order, and had a hell of a time trying to figure out when Woody’s anthem actually came out. I know 1947 seems too late, especially if it was meant as an “answer record” to “God Bless America.”


When I wrote down the years for all these songs, I just pulled it off of my iTunes. So then the question becomes: where did I get the year when I was entering it into iTunes. In the case of this song, I don't remember exactly. Knowing me, the odds are good that I got it from that bastion of veritas, Wikipedia. Let me look around and see if I can't find something a little more reputable.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Just a heads-up. You have just under 28 hours left to vote this week.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
#875: "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968] : and the outsider takes the lead with this very cinematic and moody song, delicious !
#150: "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
#363: "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
#662: "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
#305: "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997] : too bad for U2 and Fugees appearing with two really great songs, but they can not compare to that absurdly sublime landmark of the 90s
#208: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
#817: "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]
#720: "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
#348: "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975] : very slick and sexy version of Gloria, you know where PJ got her talent for mixing danger and feminity
#677: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
#860: "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
#165: "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969] : that is the song that defines "blues" for me, you can feel the ache and the intensity on every second of it
#627: "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
#910: "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]
#115: "Gloria" - Them [1965] : really great songs but suffering from 1) the comparison with Patti Smith version 2) a very tough bracket

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
#57: "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967] : pretty close to pop perfection, but should not overshadow how good Klaxons album was (even if Two Receivers is ten times better sans Golden Skans)
#968: "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
#569: "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
#456: "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
#267: "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989] : between 2 great pop templates which inspired tons of other artists, I enjoy this one most, first because it has not been topped since (while There She Goes has) and secondly because it might be the only song that comes close to Billie Jean regarding the effect on any crowd on a dancefloor
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
#758: "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
#779: "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
#354: "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968] : tough call once more, Breathe, Mindfields and Smack my Bitch Up would have taken the first place, but Soul Man slighty takes the edge over a weaker Prodigy song
#159: "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
#866: "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
#671: "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]


VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
#270: "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000] : the only song I really like in that bracket, thanks to the art of storytelling mastered by Eminem
#782: "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
#243: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
#755: "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Time caught up with me this week, so I'll only rank four out of the eight brackets.


SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
2. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
3. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
4. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]

This is one of those brackets that actually pissed me off when I first saw it because it contains two personal favorites. I’ve tepidly placed so many songs in first over the past few months without liking them, and I have to stick the amazing “I’m Waiting for the Man” in second because of the presence of my favorite rap song, “Rebel Without a Pause.” Both songs are fantastic and I’d be fine with either of them getting through, but I just wish they had been in separate brackets.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
2. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
3. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
4. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]

I’m not a Robert Christgau fan by any means, but he was spot on when he called “Waterloo Sunset” “the most beautiful song in the English language.” I’ll save my personal comments for later weeks, considering it’s bound to get through. Has there ever been weaker competition for a classic song since the beginning of Bracketology?

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
2. "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
3. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
4. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]

The creepy atmosphere of “The Killing Moon” just beats out the pop classic (and forum favorite) “There She Goes” in this bracket. CCR would usually be good enough for first place with many of their classic singles, but I’ve never cared for “Green River.”

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
2. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
3. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]

Closest bracket of the week with little separating the four songs. I even like “Hot in Herre” as a nice nostalgic blast from the past. The Elvis Costello song is one of my favorites by him, but it can’t compete with the only Eminem song that really stands up as ‘art’ in my opinion.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT 15
1. "Some Velvet Morning" - pretty sublime
2. "The Breaks"
3. "I'm Waiting for the Man"
4. "Rebel Without a Pause"

SIBELIUS 6
1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - i also prefer new year's day, but this one's great too
2. "In the Mood"
3. "Ready or Not"
4. "Paranoid Android"

WAGNER 11
1. "This Land is Your Land" - should really be the national anthem
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
3. "Ignition (Remix)"
4. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria"

VIVALDI 4
1. "The Thrill is Gone" - classic track
2. "Buddy Holly"
3. "I'm Sorry"
4. "Gloria"

MAHLER 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" - i think "death of a clown" is the album's real masterpiece, but this one's great too
2. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)"
3. "Golden Skans"
4. "Children of the Revolution"

SCHUBERT 2
1. "Green River" - love that bass. it's almost completely toneless
2. "Like a Prayer"
3. "There She Goes"
4. "The Killing Moon"

BACH 15
1. "Dancing in the Dark" - very deep emotional connections with this one
2. "Soul Man"
3. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
4. "Firestarter"

VIVALDI 2
1. "Stan" - narrative virtuosity. trenchant commentary on celebrity worship
2. "I Got You (I Feel Good)"
3. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea"
4. "Hot in Herre"

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1 - "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
2 - "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
3 - "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]
4 - "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
It's got to be The Velvets 1st in this bracket,maybe a bit overrated as a song,but still one of their classics. I was expecting 'The Breaks' to be terrible,but I enjoyed that track. Never been a huge PE fan,but I can tolerate this track. Didn't find 'Some Velvet Morning' that impressive.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1 - "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
3 - "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
4 - "Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]
2 classics and 2 duds. I may slightly prefer 'Let Down' to 'Paranoid Android' but it's still one of my all-time favourites,never gets old - and great video. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' would have been first in any other bracket here except the ones with The Kinks and La's. Other 2 - wouldn't give them the time of day.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1 - "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
2 - "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
3 - "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
4 - "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]
It may be soppy,but it can't be denied that it is one of his best - I certainly never turn it off. Never really got into the Horses album,but I don't mind 'Gloria'. 'Ignition' is decent,'This Land Is Your Land' I never listen to...

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1 - "Gloria" - Them [1965]
2 - "Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
3 - "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
4 - "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960]
I used to always think Them were the Rolling Stones on the radio when I was new to that stuff. 'Gloria' wins with one of the great riffs ever,this song is miles better than The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie,a similar song which is ranked much higher. 'Buddy Holly' - great video,catchy,fun. 'The Thrill Is Gone' and 'I'm Sorry' are a bit boring...

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1 - "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
2 - "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972]
3 - "Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
4 - "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]
Too easy for the Kinks. Probably the closest pop music has ever got to perfection. My 2nd favourite song of all time. The others are OK,but not even close to being in the same league...

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1 - "There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
2 - "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
3 - "Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]
4 - "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
One of the great brackets of all time. 'There She Goes' - nothing could possibly be added or subtracted from it that would make it any better - instant classic. 'Killing Moon' is a wonderful song of course,a reminder that I really need to get it's parent album. 'Like A Prayer' - another great song,although it's one of those songs,like 'When Doves Cry' that probably carries on a little too long. 'Green River' is OK,don't think it's even close to their best though.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1 - "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
2 - "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]
3 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
4 - "Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
'Dancing In The Dark' was the first Springsteen song I ever heard,and remains one of my favourites of his even though I realize it's not among his best. 'Soul Man' is one of the best Stax songs,can't fault 'Natural Woman',not a favourite or anything though. 'Firestarter' and Prodigy in general can get a little annoying.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1 - "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
2 - "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
3 - "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]
4 - "Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]
'Stan' is definitely the Eminem song that will live on for years to come,really moving stuff - great introduction to Dido as well. 'Chelsea' is among my favourite Costello tracks,'I Got You' I've never enjoyed as much as his other 'classics' really,'Hot In Herre' - god knows how it got acclaim...

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

2 hours and 46 minutes left! Don't miss out this week!

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

"Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood [1968]
Nancy sinatra is has an amazing voice in this song. Art bell used to play this all the time as bumper music on his radio show. Very haunting song
"The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow [1980]
"I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground [1967]
"Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy [1988]

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 [1983]
The lyrics and subject matter are good really like the pre chorus and the actual chorus
"Paranoid Android" - Radiohead [1997]
"In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra [1939]
"Ready or Not" - The Fugees [1996]


"Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
weak bracket but i thought this song was alright
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
"This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]


"Buddy Holly" - Weezer [1994]
I don't really like weezer but this wins just for generally catchiness.
"Gloria" - Them [1965
"The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King [1969]
"I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee [1960

"Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex [1972)
Out of these songs t-rex is the closest thing i would probably listen too
Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks [1967]
"Golden Skans" - Klaxons [2007]
"Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers [1927]

"Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
Ill go with CCR for this bracket but im starting to think all their songs sound the same
"The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen [1984]
"There She Goes" - The La's [1990]
"Like a Prayer" - Madonna [1989]

"Firestarter" - The Prodigy [1997]
"Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen [1984]
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin [1968]
"Soul Man" - Sam & Dave [1968]

"Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) [2000]
I'll go with this, but mostly because i like the dido song.
"Hot in Herre" - Nelly [2002]
"(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions [1978]
"I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown [1965]

"Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly [2003]
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder [1972]
Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith [1975]
"This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie [1944]

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" – One of my favourite drug songs.
2. "Rebel Without a Pause" -  I dig the screeching noise which never gets old.
3. "The Breaks" – First listen sounds like throwaway party music, but I had no idea it was so old.
4. "Some Velvet Morning"  - Easily fourth here.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. Paranoid Android" – No question here. An ex may have said it best “You really love songs that change up”. And this song may be the best of its kind.
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" – One of their best and I think the Edge's best.
3. "Ready or Not" – I like the chorus.
4. "In the Mood" - Normally when songs sound familiar from influence or cultural references it is a good thing, but not here.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. "Ignition (Remix)" – I don't usually like such overly dumb sexual references, but with my limited knowledge of R. Kelly I seem to view it more as showing he could. Even if this was serious it still is a great song if you ignore the lyrics. Seems to me to be one of the catchiest R&B songs of the decade.
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" -  With a title like this you could expect a lot, but Stevie narrowly manages to keep this song as an interesting listen.
3.  "This Land Is Your Land" – I appreciate this song more than I enjoy listening to it.
4. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria"  - Tries to be bigger than the original and falls a little short.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Buddy Holly" – Interesting. I've always known them as one of the bland bands, but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I should start looking back since this song is fantastic.
2. "Gloria" – Works better with Van's scream and less epic feel.
3. "The Thrill Is Gone" – Seems very average.
4.  "I'm Sorry" – Somewhat slow and I'm not liking the vocals.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" – A perfect song for thinking.
2. "Golden Skans" – Freaky and puts me in a great mood.
3.  "Children of the Revolution" – The dirt and fun are a great combo here.
4. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" -  Ancient. Huge gap hear.


SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Like a Prayer" -  Probably her best. Doesn't have the horrible production, lyrics, or singing that plague most of her earlier stuff.
2. "There She Goes" – Close to first. The simplicity works.
3. "Green River" – Very good song, but not close to their best.
4. "The Killing Moon"  - Interesting, but will need more listens to understand it all.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1.  "Dancing in the Dark" -  All songs are just good so I have to go with Bruce. Kinda lame, but it has its moments.
2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" – A very powerful chorus.
3. "Soul Man" – Could be a lot more than it is.
4. "Firestarter" - Good enough, but lacks a killer beat.


VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Stan" – It takes a lot of confidence, ego, to write about your relationship with your fans. It works great and the story still is powerful after repeated listens.
2.  "I Got You (I Feel Good)" -  A ton of energy, but overplayed.
3. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" – Sounds cool, but doesn't connect with me.
4. "Hot in Herre" – There is a bunch of hooks, but they are easily overpowered by the stupidity.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4

1. BB King- "The Thrill Is Gone": Sultry, funky blues is something I like more than I realize. This is quite fine, indeed! I think BB just got an album sale out of this.
2. Them- "Gloria": It's nice enough garage rock, but it's hard to hear this after Patti Smith's caldera explosion version and not find it much, much weaker.
3. Brenda Lee- "I'm Sorry": Not as sorry as I am, Brenda. Yeesh.
4. Weezer- "Buddy Holly": I never liked Weezer, and this is part of the reason why not.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5

1. Klaxons- "Golden Skans": This is a pretty great pop/rock track masquerading as indie!
2. The Kinks- "Waterloo Sunset": I don't know much by The Kinks, but I suspect I'll like them a bit if I explored their music. This is a bit too Beatlesy for my taste in places, but I can see the appeal.
3. T. Rex- "Children of the Revolution": I've appreciated T. Rex more and more throughout this tournament, but this sounds a bit perfunctory compared to the other stuff.
4. Jimmie Rodgers- "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)": I'm sure this must be pleasing to someone, but I'm surely not that person.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15

1. Bruce Springsteen- "Dancing in the Dark": I know it's kind of a sellout for Bruce, but this pop offering is by far my favorite one of his songs!
2. The Prodigy- "Firestarter": I much preferred the follow-up single "Breathe", but "Firestarter" and its incendiary roar was pretty great, too.
3. Sam & Dave- "Soul Man": A decent song that suffers from bracket placement.
4. Aretha Franlin- "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman": I just can't seem to like Aretha Franklin- she overdoes it for me every time.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Voting for this week is now over. Results will be posted as soon as I get them totaled.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

I don't get why people give rappers creative credit for their samples when all they did was take a verse from somebody else's song and put it directly in theirs, barely editing it.

At least Eminem's actually good at rapping, unlike a certain other stern-expressioned, dark glasses-wearing fishsticks-eating rapper who gets creative credit for putting a verse of another band's work directly in his song.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

My feelings regarding sampling is that if done properly, it's trully an art form; if done heavy-handedly it isn't. So Paul's Boutique, 3 Feet High and Rising, ...Endtroducing, and Since I Left You are all great, and the song Stronger isn't.

I really like the sample in Stan though. Sets the tone perfectly. Though Eminem shouldn't recieve creative credit for it, it is a good choice.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Everything OK, Matt? The results have never taken this long before.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

SR
My feelings regarding sampling is that if done properly, it's trully an art form; if done heavy-handedly it isn't. So Paul's Boutique, 3 Feet High and Rising, ...Endtroducing, and Since I Left You are all great, and the song Stronger isn't.

I really like the sample in Stan though. Sets the tone perfectly. Though Eminem shouldn't recieve creative credit for it, it is a good choice.


My feeling about sampling is that it's fine, so long as you make it your own. Really do something to alter it and make it sound like a separate entity from the original recording.

The riff from Thank You as background is a perfect choice for the song, and does set the mood perfectly, but I don't see why he needed to throw the entire verse in. (Maybe as just a space filler between letters?) At least in Eminem's case he raps *well* over the sample. I can't say the same for P Diddy or K Widdy.

Re: Bracketology: Round 1, Week 16

Harold Wexler
Everything OK, Matt? The results have never taken this long before.


I'm tremendously sorry for the long delay in posting the results. These past few days have been an absolute nightmare. Nevertheless, here are your...




RESULTS (sorry I didn't write anything up about each bracket, but you'll get to see what each bracket winner will take on in the next round)

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" - The Velvet Underground (42 points, 7)
2. "Rebel Without a Pause" - Public Enemy (36, 3)
3. "Some Velvet Morning" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood (31, 3)
4. "The Breaks" - Kurtis Blow (31, 1)

In the next round: "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 6
1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead (50, 11)
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2 (40, 3)
3. "In the Mood" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (26, 0)
4. "Ready or Not" - The Fugees (24, 0)

In the next round: "Every Breath You Take" by the Police; "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles; "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 11
1. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria" - Patti Smith (42, 8)
2. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder (37, 1)
3. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie (26, 2)
4. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly (25, 2)

In the next round: TBA


VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King (44, 8)
2. "Gloria" - Them (40, 3)
3. "Buddy Holly" - Weezer (36, 3)
4. "I'm Sorry" - Brenda Lee (20, 0)

In the next round: "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks (48, 8)
2. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons (41, 1)
3. "Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex (33, 1)
4. "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" - Jimmie Rodgers (28, 2)

In the next round: "Walk Away Renee" by the Left Banke


SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "There She Goes" - The La's (44, 5)
2. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & the Bunnymen (40, 3)
3. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna (38, 5)
4. "Green River" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (28, 2)

In the next round: "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen; "People Get Ready" by the Impressions; "Think" by Aretha Franklin


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 15
1. "Soul Man" - Sam & Dave (39, 5)
2. "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin (34, 2)
3. "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen (32, 4)
4. "Firestarter" - The Prodigy (25, 2)

In the next round: "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds


VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Stan" - Eminem (Featuring Dido) (49, 9)
2. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" - James Brown (40, 4)
3. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions (40, 2)
4. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly (21, 0)

In the next round: "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley; "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King