ROUND 2, WEEK 10

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 17
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
#714: "God" - John Lennon

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren


REMINDER: You must comment on ALL the songs in order for your ballot to count.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's : more a follow-up to VU's Heroin than to VU's There She Goes, 2 apparently happy songs about drugs but hiding their share of suffering
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin : at this level, small details make the difference. Aretha's duck voice at 2:13 beats Kingsmen "yayayayayayaaaa", so she takes a very slight edge.
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen : as I said, between 2 flawless classics, you have to find the little gimmick which makes the difference
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions : good song, but we are on round 2 now !

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18 : very easy choice here, there seems to be miles between each song
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who : 3 musicians at their apex (Daltrey has done better) for a rock'n'roll masterpiece, a template for all the music that followed. Still sounds as new and audacious at ever.
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley : one of the King's greatest
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys : 2 many of the things I dislike about the 80's here to count them, but Pet Shop Boys are talented enough to make it listenable.
#714: "God" - John Lennon : musically weak, lyrically weak... give me XTC's Dear God over that anytime.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20 : 4 of my 5 favourite songs of the week in the same bracket...
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash : terrifying song, one of the few who seems to encapsulate a universal fear and suffering. Nine Inch Nails version was already very sick and disturbing with this cover puts it in a totally different level, changing its impact without changing a single word.
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio : there is something shamanic in that song which makes it bewitching. And the album version is nothing compared to anytime they play it live, a wonder.
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience : musical maestria, Hendrix guitar is as perfect as usual but bass and drums are also astonishing
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead : I have to put a song of one of my favourite albums ever here, but the competition is just incredible. Among Dummy songs, only Roads might have topped that bracket anyway.

Echoing Listyguy's post on the thread for Week 9 ... Matt, why'd you start a day early?

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin (Another great song by Aretha Franklin)
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen (A close second. Nice guitar solo)
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions (Inspired my favorite Marley song)
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's (Not a fan)

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley (What's with the Elvis hate around here? I like this song, it's the king's best)
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who (I like this song more than Hound Dog, but Hound Dog is more deserving)
#714: "God" - John Lennon (I never did like Lennon's solo career..Born to be Wild is a better song.)(ONE POINT!)
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys (This Crap beat out Under Pressure?)

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash (Another tough choice between one and two, but this song is just so good!)
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (I've been learning it on guitar, which makes me apprecitate it more.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead (The top two are near perfect, the bottom two suck)
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio (I just said this, but, THIS CRAP OVER BROWN SUGAR?!?!)

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan (I orginially had Crying first, but then I took another listen to this, and relized how awesome it is)
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison (As I said above, almost got my first place vote)
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (classic jazz)
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren (Third times the charm- This crap over Jailhouse Rock AND Bad Moon Rising?)

AHH! Why are the four best songs of the week in the same bracket?! Boo!

I think Matt just got confused what day it is. I wouldn't be surprised if he had Friday off. I've had Friday off and thought all day like it was Saturday.

I feel the same way about this bracket. The other three brackets are incredibly weak and all four of these are in my all-time top 400.

That's exactly what happened. I had Friday off, and I spent all day thinking it was Saturday. I even woke up this morning feeling like it was Sunday. So... you've got an extra day for Week 9 (I extended it until midnight Sunday night), and you got an extra day for Week 10 (since I posted it a day early).

I offer my biggest apologies.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17 (weak)
1. #139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions /
Nice song, I like their sound. Definitely better than the other three.
2. #630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin /
I prefer this one to Respect and Chain of Fools. Not so much because of her voice on this one, but because of the song itself.
3. #11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen /
Could have been number two as well. I guess, when in doubt, I tend to support the underdog. It's fun, but not even near my top 10, like it is in the AM ranking.
4. #246: "There She Goes" - The La's /
Not so good, not so bad. Maybe I should listen to it more often, but I don't really have the inclination to do so.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18 (average)
1. #714: "God" - John Lennon /
Seems like a bit of a love-or-hate song. I guess I belong in the first camp. Arrogant and pedantic? Probably. Interesting and beautiful? Even more probably.
2. #55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley /
One of my favorite Elvis songs. It really rocks and rolls all the way through. Highly danceable.
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
3. I am really sorry to put this one in third. One of the better Who songs, in my opinion. I like this better than their mid-60's sound.
4. #439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys /
Everything I don't like about 80's synthpop combined in one horrible single.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20 (strong)
1. #412: "Sour Times" - Portishead /
Almost too close to call, this one and the number two. Very relaxed and smooth. I really, really love the streetcarish sound on this one. And you can hear Beth Gibbons being torn apart. Ouch.
2. #229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience /
One of my favorite Hendrix songs. Would have been number one in the other three brackets. Talking about relaxed and smooth, but in another way. Shows, much like All Along the Watchtower, Hendrix ability to really excel when doing covers.
3. #485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash /
Another great cover. Why, oh why should this beautiful song be number three in the second round. Cash really made this one his own. Very convincing.
4. #357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio /
In a bracket of three personal top 100 songs, this is a very easy number four. It is not even close.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18 (average)
1. #448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra /
Good old Ellington does what he does best, creating beautiful, easy listenable jazz on his own terms. Maybe it's even better without the orchestra, but I'm not sure about that. Great pianowork.
2. #320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison /
I got to really appreciate this one only when hearing the Spanish Llorando version in the fantastic Mulholland Dr. I still prefer that rendering, but this one surely has it's moments as well.
3. #704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren /
Nice, but not outstandig. I prefer the verses to the chorus and the guitarsolo's. In my ears he sings a bit like The Eagles would.
4. #449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan /
The weakest of the pack. I like the other three, but I don't think I like this one. I think it's the melody, or the guitarparts. I don't know, just not working like it should.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's ~ It's a wonderful song, and one of those which you've already heard before you know what it is, but can't stop loving it no matter how many times you listen to it again. The bridge creates a wonderful contrast to the rest of the song.
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin ~ There's a whole lotta soul in Aretha's catalogue. It's damn funky, too.
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen ~ It's a bit hypocritical to praise this for being, well, bad, for the sake of saying it created the whole garage rock genre, and contributing to the birth of punk. I mean, it's good in that sense, sure. And, yeah, it's probably the best version of the song. But that doesn't mean it's good. ..does it?
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions ~ Despite its influences on the wonderful One Love/People Get Ready, this song just doesn't really do much for me.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who ~ This is the greatest and best song in the world. If it doesn't make at least Round 3, I will be a highly unhappy man.
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley ~ Clearly, something by the King is not going to hold up very well against my all-time #1, but this is certainly one of his best.
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys ~ I don't mind '80s synth-pop as much as some people here seem to do, but it's true that it doesn't tend to encumber some of the greatest songs ever. This isn't bad, though.
#714: "God" - John Lennon ~ This, however, is. The lyrics are just terrible, and contend with Give Peace a Chance for some of his worst and inane lyrics ever. At least God has, well, actual music going for it.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience ~ Should I be putting this above Hurt? Jimi Hendrix was more of a musician than a songster himself, which shows as this one is probably better than everything else on any release of Are You Experienced, but Hurt is a cover as well. I think the sheer technical excellence of Jimi, plus the Experience [Mitch Mitchell is such an underrated drummer] makes for a greater song in the end, which is confirmed as they play off into the sunset with the fade-out.
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash ~ Nine Inch Nails has nothing compared to this cover. It's just so much more hard-hitting because, while Trent Reznor was deliberately using dischord and expletives to garner some kind of cold, industrial feel, Johnny Cash very tastefully removes all of that, and makes it his own (his own American Recording at least). And you can just feel the age and sorrow in his voice. Truly astounding.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead ~ I especially like the guitars on this one. I think this works better within Dummy as a whole album, though.
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio ~ I hadn't heard any TV on the Radio before. This song seems to be rather good, but it is in quite a strong bracket, and for a first listen, they haven't made enough of an impression. Yet, at least.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan ~ It's one rank lower than Take the 'A' Train, and to some tastes, it should be, but this song is too great for me to agree with that. The guitar solos are just excellent, and before I could think it was just another rock and roll song, the piano brought the brilliant verses into view. Helps make Can't Buy a Thrill such a great album.
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra ~ There are so many versions for there to really be a definitive one, but, according to the performance on Ellington at Newport, the countless cover versions are well deserved. A great example of jazz/swing, and one which suggests that to make jazz interesting, you can't just play any old wrong note - you've got to play the right wrong notes. That's what Duke Ellington sure did.
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren ~ As much as I love Todd Rundgren, it's a shame that this is his only song to get into the tournament--hell, the top 3000 songs at all. It's a great song, but he has done so much better.
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison ~ It's not a bad song, but definitely doesn't hold up in this pretty strong bracket.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
Overrated as hell, but still one of the best garage rock songs of all time. But seriously, the 11th greatest song ever???
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's
Damn, this song is taking a lot of heat this round, which is a shame because it's a really beautiful song, not dated the least bit. It only loses to Louie Louie by a hair.
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
A good song, but a tad bit overrated.
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin
While I like Aretha a great bit, I've never really fallen in love with her. Although, this is one of her best songs, it just isn't strong enough to make it to the next round.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
I've always found Elvis a bit overrated, but this is one of his very best singles, maybe in his top 3 (behind Heartbreak Hotel and Suspicious Minds)
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
And on the flip side of things, here's a song that is ridiculously underrated, and would probably make number 1 in any other bracket. But SH2B2.
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
This song comes in a very close third. It's one of the very best synthpop songs, while there was a lot of stuff to hate about the 80's, synthpop included, there are a handful of singles that really are damn near perfect, and this is one.
#714: "God" - John Lennon
A good song, one of Lennon's best, but not extraordinary.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
I'm sure that by the late 90's people stopped thinking that Cash was anywhere even close to being relevant. But then in the twilight years of his life, he puts out an amazing string of albums, and one of the best singles of his career. Unbelievable.
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
One of Jimi's best, and that's saying quite a lot.
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
This is the song that helped me really get into TV on the Radio, great song.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead
It pains me to put this great song here, it really does, but as they say SH2B4. (sigh)


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison
While I like pre-1965 music, the majority of it has seemed to really slip in relevancy. This song however, hasn't slipped one bit. A stone cold classic.
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
I never really cared for Steely Dan, but recently I'm really starting to appreciate them. I think Donald Fagen's superb album "The Nightfly", really helped a lot with that. Anyways, it's a great song.
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
I like Duke, but I'm not a huge fan by any means. When it comes to jazz, I'm more of a Coltrane, Davis, Mingus kind of guy.
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
decent at best.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
Very good song, but nothing special. Good enough to take this relatively weak bracket.
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin
Not my favorite by Aretha, but she delivers.
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's
Nothing special as far as I'm concerned, but pleasant enough.
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
OVER-RATED!!! I am tired of this song.



HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
Who's Next is amazing and this song starts off the fun with gusto.
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
A bit over-rated but still very good
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
I enjoy this song quite a bit.
#714: "God" - John Lennon
Excellent topic and Lennon always provides food for thought lyrically. Musically, this song does not stand out for me.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Easy choice for me as number 1 in this bracket. Not my favorite Hendrix song, but I did learn to play the bass line for this song.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead
One of my favorites by Portishead
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
Decent song, but not in my top 500.
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
I don't mind listening to this song, but not one my faves.



BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
The first song I heard by my personal favorite performer. Todd does all the instruments and all the vocals. His voice may not be the best, but it works on this song. I would be surprised if anyone else picks this song as the top in this bracket.
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
Great hit by my second favorite act from the 1970's.
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison
Great emotional track by Roy.
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Shouldn't have to be 4th, but the other tracks in this bracket work better for me.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin--Pure sass. Pure soul. Going to be bold here and say it's better than "Respect".
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions--Just an important song, with really great voices giving it to us.
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen--Fun song. I've always liked that people thought it was saying more than it was.
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's--Good song, but it was never one of my favorites.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who--One of the greatest intros ever, by one of the greatest bands ever.
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley--It's Elvis. Sort of enough said. (Although not his best song.)
#714: "God" - John Lennon--Not my favorite Lennon song.
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys--I've never liked this song. Just not my type of music. That being said, if it were, it is a good song. For me, it doesn't compare to the rest of the list.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash--The song became even more when he sang it. "Everyone I know goes away in the end". Beautiful.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead--I always liked the sound of this song. This was a band that was able to get me to listen to other bands I never would have, largely due to this song.
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience--Not his best song, but it's better than the last option.
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio--Not a big fan of the group in general. It's okay, but not my thing.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison--BEAUTIFUL! One of the best voices we've ever had the honor to hear.
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan--Not a fan of the group, but I do like this song. It's very summer driving.
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra--Good song.
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren--Again, I'm biased due to the artist. Not bad, but not a fave.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
#630: "Think" - Aretha Franklin
I remember this song being the best of a weak bracket in the first round. And once again. Hopefully the winner of this gets an actual tough bracket next round.
#139: "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
Great production, great vocals, nice emotional feel to the song.
#11: "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
Nice catchy song with a good riff. The funniest thing about this song is that when it came out people thought it was dirty.
#246: "There She Goes" - The La's
Nice hook, but that's all there is to the song.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
#695: "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
Is this a joke? This song against those three? One of the best songs from one of the best rock bands, with that unforgettable opening piano riff.
#714: "God" - John Lennon
Arrogantly anti-establishment and we love him for it. The melodies and emotion are so strong we happily ignore what we don't like about the lyrics.
#439: "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
Nice moody song. A lot of the good things about synth pop with not many of the bad things. But overall the song's not that interesting.
#55: "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
This is the song that started Elvis's annoying mannerisms. But, it's energetic and catchy. Another one of those singles in the transitional period between good Elvis and bad Elvis.




WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
#357: "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
Probably one of the best singles of the 00's. "I love you so I'm going to turn you into a werewolf, so we can spend our lives eating people together". That could be the premise of an HBO series.
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
You have to love the outlaw feel and 'old school man's man' tone of the lyrics, delivered with emotional power and one of the most memorable hooks in rock. "Yes I did, I shot her!"
#485: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
One of the best covers of all time. You have to love the emotional power in Cash's voice. In pretty much any other bracket this week it'd be #1, excepting for Baba O'Reilly.
#412: "Sour Times" - Portishead
Great song, but some of the more annoying quirks of trip-hop bring it down to the bottom of one of the best brackets of the round.


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
#704: "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
Fourth place in the last bracket. First in this one. It doesn't stand out that much as a single, but it's pleasant and has some interesting melodies.
#320: "Crying" - Roy Orbison
Orbison has a great voice but the song just feels a bit too glossy and bouncy.
#449: "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
This is a good song for this bracket, but Steely Dan's lyrics always come off as kind of dickish to me. "Your life pursuits are a waste of time, all the things you value are silly".
#448: "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Meh. Doesn't do much for me.

So far, it's up against I'm Waitng for the Man, the winner of the I walk the Line/In My Life bracket from last week, and will also be up against either Walk on the Wild Side, Living For the City, Uptight or It the End of the World as we Know it.

http://www.ambracketology.com/schubert/bracket.html

Ahh, the winner of that fourth one will be really tough to get by no matter which one wins.

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
1 - "There She Goes" - The La's
2 - "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
3 - "Think" - Aretha Franklin
4 - "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
'There She Goes' is easily one of the finest pop offerings to ever come out of Liverpool,and that's saying alot. 'People Get Ready' is great also,in my top 500 songs. Not my favourite by Aretha,but she never really fails - good track. 'Louie Louie' is obviously overrated,it's the weakest song this week even though it;s the highest ranked...

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
1 - "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
2 - "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
3 - "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
4 - "God" - John Lennon
'Baba O'Riley' is the Who's greatest song,easy winner despite the competition being pretty good. 'West End Girls' is absolutely immense,and would have been my #1 in the last 2 groups. 'Hound Dog' is overrated,but still classic Elvis from a time when he was still the king. 'God' doesn't really stand out musically or lyrically to me...

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
1 - "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
2 - "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3 - "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
4 - "Sour Times" - Portishead
Not a huge TV On The Radio fan,but 'Wolf Like Me' is a killer. Pretty close between 2 outstanding covers. 'Hey Joe' at #2 because no other versions come close. 'Hurt' is one of Cash's best singles,but I don't know if I prefer it that much over the original. 'Sour Times' is OK,but it's no Glory Box...

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
1 - "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
2 - "Crying" - Roy Orbison
3 - "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
4 - "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
'Reelin' In The Years' isn't an all-time favourite,but it's enjoyable enough,awesome guitar. The kd Lang duet version of 'Crying' is always the one in my head,but the original is pretty great too - there was nothing else like this coming out at that time. 'I Saw The Light' is catchy enough,doesn't stand out too much though. 'Take the A Train' was always going to be #4,I don't hate jazz - I just like lyrics...

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17

1. "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
2. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
3. "Think" - Aretha Franklin
4. "There She Goes" - The La's

Easy call here for me, "People Get Ready" is just perfect, and possibly the earliest example (along with "A Change Is Gonna Come") of the progressive soul that was perfected in the '70s and of which I'm a huge proponent. "Louie Louie" is great raucous fun (the drummer is out of his mind). "Think" is sort of standard late-'60s Aretha, which of course is still very very good. "There She Goes" is fine but sort of bland to me these days.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18

1. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
2. "God" - John Lennon
3. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
4. "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley

One of The Who's best, even more interesting now that I enjoy Terry Riley's music and the influence becomes apparent. "God" is a fine act of subversion, even if Lennon is being whiny (probably the point), "West End Girls" fantastic synth-pop of its time. "Hound Dog" certainly is a critical early rock track, but might be the single super-famous Elvis song I'm least likely to play. (Either that or "Love Me Tender" I suppose.)


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20

1. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
2. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
4. "Sour Times" - Portishead

VERY tough bracket, all 4 of these are close quality-wise. I'm going with Cash's perfect cover ... the video gets talked about a lot and deservedly so, but the music and performance itself are fantastic and transcendent. "Hey Joe" is pretty spooky when you really think about it (those backing vocals are like the murdered lover's voice). I love TVOTR, but "Wolf Like Me" isn't one of my absolute favorites of theirs, relentless as it is. And "Sour Times" is great noir-pop, but it's rubbing shoulders with greatness at this point and will have to settle with 4th.


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18

1. "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
2. "Crying" - Roy Orbison
3. "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
4. "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan

'A' Train may well be my favorite pre-1945 jazz instrumental -- it's just joyous and fun, badass in its own enjoyably dated way. It will never wane. "Crying" is a close, close second, my favorite Orbison song of 'em all. "I Saw the Light" is fine pop (give me "Hello It's Me" instead though), and while I love the Dan the first album and all its hits have always left me cold. (Give me Aja!)

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
1. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen: As I’ve said before, this is probably the crappiest-sounding record ever to become such a huge hit (although “Hanky Panky” comes close), and it’s certainly the only Top Two single with such a blatant mistake (the singer coming in too soon on the last verse) left in. But that’s all part of its indelible brilliance.
2. "Think" - Aretha Franklin: You have to assume this song owes a large part of its enduring popularity to THE BLUES BROTHERS. But the original is one of The Queen’s best singles, from a period where she could do no wrong.
3. "There She Goes" - The La's: It’s a love song! It’s a drug song! It’s a floor wax AND a dessert topping! Whatever it is, it’s the best power-pop song of the last thirty years.
4. "People Get Ready" - The Impressions: A heartfelt, iconic social-protest song, but I’d rather listen to any of the other three in this bracket.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who: The opening track on the first album I ever bought, and one that I’d loved for a long time before that. I always will, too. It’s the first song that comes to mind whenever I think of the band.
2. "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley: Cheesy backup vocals aside, you can still hear what scared parents so much about the strange new sounds their kids were listening to, especially in Scotty Moore’s jagged guitar and D.J. Fontana’s manic snare fills. The way Elvis spits out one last “you ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog” off-mike at the very end is worth the price of admission by itself.
3. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys: They achieved perfection and deserved international chart-topping success right off the bat, even if it doesn’t really sound much like the rest of their oeuvre.
4. "God" - John Lennon: I initially had Lennon’s deeply personal goodbye-to-all-that-and-hello-me song at #2 here, but then realized that it really works better as the climax to a brilliant, soul-shredding album than as a stand-alone track. So here it is.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience: This is the best top-to-bottom bracket this week, but Hendrix’s staggering reinvention of what was already a tired old garage-folk warhorse is an easy #1. The previous versions (even Love’s), were all kind of incongruously jaunty, given the grim subject matter; Jimi restored the menace, and then some.
2. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash: Speaking of reinvention… well, Cash didn’t so much reinvent Trent Reznor’s anthem of pain so much as fully inhabit and invest it with the weight of all his decades and all the sins he’d ever atoned for. The fact that Mark Romanek blessed it with what may be the greatest video ever made (at least by someone other than Jonze or Gondry) helped.
3. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio: TVotR’s secret is that, as notably knotty and arty as they can be, Tunde Adebimpe and company know that sometimes unambiguous and galvanizing is the only way to go, and the centerpiece of their second album is the best example.
4. "Sour Times" – Portishead: SH2B4. The startling THIRD made me re-evaluate and better appreciate their previous records, which I had already been liking more with each listen. DUMMY’s big hit isn’t my favorite track, but it’s representative of their early sound.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan: An odd bracket, topped for me by two of my absolute classic-rock favorites from the early seventies (studio weirdo division). This Becker-Fagen masterpiece is a very, very easy #1 for me here; there’s nothing about this record that isn’t brilliant, especially Elliott Randall’s extraordinary guitar work.
2. "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren: Rundgren labeled the then-Side 1 of his almost-one-man magnum opus SOMETHING/ANYTHING? as “a bouquet of ear-catching melodies,” and this wonderful single was the ear-catchingest of all. Gotta love those multitracked Harrisonesque guitars!
3. "Crying" - Roy Orbison: He had a formula, no doubt – start slowly and build to an operatic, almost absurdly melodramatic crescendo – but thanks to magnificent arrangements and the Big O’s incredible voice, it worked every time. This is one of his best.
4. "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: I hate to put the Duke in last place, but it just doesn’t have the same impact on me as the rest here.

Two questions:
1- How do you choose which brackets we vote on each week?

2- What happens in a tie if two songs tie in everything?

With only a couple minutes to spare... !

SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
1. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen
My top three songs here could be rotated around to any other combination, and it would probably be good with me, but today it's this order. There is no good reason why this should be #1 for me, but there's just something about it. A certain je ne sais quoi. The absolute raw-ness of the song... The guitar solo that even I (who has never played guitar before) could play... The early entry on the last verse by the vocalist... It all adds up to create a kind of rough charm. And in the end, that's enough to push it into the top spot.
2. "There She Goes" - The La's
While "Louie Louie" is purely raw and dirty, this one is polished and sweet. It always brings a smile to my face. Not sure what else to say, it's just a great pop song.
3. "Think" - Aretha Franklin
Like someone else mentioned, this was a time when Aretha could do wrong, but if this had been recorded by anyone else, it would have been a big hit. Granted, Aretha's charm and flair added a lot. But this is one of those can't-miss songs.
4. "People Get Ready" - The Impressions
It feels weird to put a song of this magnitude at the bottom, but as Kurtis Blow would say, these are the breaks. Still, I've never been THAT enamored with this song. So of the four in this bracket, this is a fairly easy pick for me for the #4 spot.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who
Easy, easy pick for the top spot here. Nothing else even comes close. Hopefully it sweeps into the next round. Always been my favorite off "Who's Next."
2. "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
Huge dropoff between 1 and 2, but this is my favorite of the remaining three.
3. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
Just not really a fan of PSB. And I really am not a big fan of this song.
4. "God" - John Lennon
After this song stunned me and moved into the second round, I went back and gave it a few more listens. I'm not against atheistic songs (I love me some "Dear God"), but this one just seems really heavy-handed and overbearing. And the music of the middle part is way too repetitive. Perhaps this works better as a part of "Plastic Ono Band," but I haven't gotten around to listening that one yet.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Is "Purple Haze" Jimi's masterpiece? Quite possibly. After all, that's the one that gets all the acclaim. I might be willing to say that this one is his masterpiece. It's menacing, yet beautiful. It's simple, yet the guitar solo is the work of a virtuoso. It really is flawless.
2. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
Other people have mentioned that it's inferior to NIN's original, but as someone who didn't hear the original until long after this one had seeped into my conscious, I have to say that I prefer this one. Where the original is obviously about heroin use, Cash turned it into a song about himself and the failures of his own life. And Harold was 100% correct: the video is absolutely perfect. It gives me, an almost-30-year-old, chills, and it's resonates emotionally with my father, an almost-70-year-old. How's that for power?
3. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
Speaking of albums that I really need to get around to listening to... All of TV on the Radio's three albums are all high on my "must listen to" list, but the strength of this song is the reason why I've listened to the first half of "Return to Cookie Mountain." Perhaps it's not the most representative of TVoR's work, but this is still one monster song.
4. "Sour Times" - Portishead
Like in the first bracket of the week, it hurts to put this one at the bottom, but frankly, Portishead is one of those groups that I like a lot, but I don't LOVE. At least, I don't love them the way I love other trip-hop groups (Massive Attack, for one). "Sour Times" grows on me with every listen, but it's not quite at the "great" level for me.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Part of me wants to put either Steely Dan or Todd Rundgren in the top spot, but the fact is that while I think that both are great, they don't have that certain something that this one has. It's truly a timeless song. Methinks that if there were more people on this board who preferred jazz to pop music (and I can't say that I'm necessarily in that group), it would have a better chance at advancing to Round 3.
2. "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan
Yes, the guitar solo is killer. And yes, the lyrics are deceptively mean-spirited (I can almost see Fagen smiling as he sings the words). But Has anyone mentioned that SD has some really underrated vocal harmonies? Listen to the chorus again. Sure, it's not in the realm of the Beach Boys, but it's not half-bad.
3. "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren
It's not my fave by Todd, but after it won its first round matchup, I gave it a few more listens, and it really is a fantastic song. Just, not in the same realm as "Reelin' in the Years," and certainly not in the same realm as "Take the 'A' Train."
4. "Crying" - Roy Orbison
Brutal to put this one at the bottom. This is easily my favorite by Mr. Orbison, and his voice is truly superb. But like I said above, and like Kurtis Blow said almost thirty years ago, these are the breaks.

1. Random choices.

2. If two songs tie on total points, the first tie-breaker is the number of first-place votes. If both songs tie there too, then it goes to the song that is higher than the other on the most ballots. If it's still tied (which hasn't happened yet), I'll figure something out. Maybe a coin flip.

Voting for this week is now over.

Couldn't you go by their AM rank if it came down to it?

That would be a bad idea. Then it wouldn't be *our* opinion deciding the match.

Here are the tiebreakers I tend to use for the polls I run, if they may give you ideas.

1) Leave vote open one more week
2) Head to head vote (Each vote counts for whoever rated it higher)
3) Cancel out the points given to whichever of the two rated lower. (That is, if a person rates one of them 5th place and the other 7th, the 7th place points are canceled)
4) Cancel out all 20th place votes
5) Cancel out all 19th place votes
6) Cancel out all 18th place votes
7-23) Go up to 2nd place votes in this manner
23) Finally, if every item has the exact same distribution of votes, cancel out my own vote.

Very sorry I missed last week's voting--had a bit of a crisis come up and wasn't able to get to it.

I'll be back this week!

Here are your...

RESULTS




This week's winners hail from Memphis, Tennessee; London, England; Seattle, Washington; and Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Bling-bling.


SCHUBERT BLOC, BRACKET 17
1. "Think" - Aretha Franklin (36 points, 3 first-place votes)
2. "People Get Ready" - The Impressions (30, 4)
3. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen (30, 3)
4. "There She Goes" - The La's (24, 2)

In the third round: Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line"; the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man"


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who (44, 9)
2. "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley (33, 2)
3. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys (22, 0)
4. "God" - John Lennon (21, 1)

In the third round: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven"; R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion"


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 20
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (38, 4)
2. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash (37, 5)
3. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio (24, 2)
4. "Sour Times" - Portishead (21, 1)

In the third round: Aretha Franklin's "Respect"; Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan (32, 4)
2. "Crying" - Roy Orbison (29, 2)
3. "Take the 'A' Train" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (25, 3)
4. "I Saw the Light" - Todd Rundgren (24, 2)

In the third round: Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"

JC won the bracket I didn't want him to, and he lost the one I wanted him to win.