Led Zeppelin vs. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Johnny Cash vs. The Doors
Prince vs. Elvis Costello
Queen vs. Bjork
The Beatles vs. Miles Davis
Pink Floyd vs. Bob Marley
Bob Dylan vs. Sam Cooke
Michael Jackson vs. Billy Joel vs. XTC
Led Zeppelin (#30) vs. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (#150-200) Johnny Cash (#8) vs. The Doors (#62) Prince (#11) vs. Elvis Costello (#25) Queen (#55) vs. Bjork (#150-200) The Beatles (#24) vs. Miles Davis (#100-150) Pink Floyd (#13) vs. Bob Marley (#20) Bob Dylan (#1) vs. Sam Cooke (#150-200) Michael Jackson (#15) vs. Billy Joel (#200-250) vs. XTC (Outside top 250)
1. Prince: I probably don't listen to him as much as some other artists lately, but he'll always be my favorite!
Amazing (in my top 25)
2. Björk (#4 all-time): Haven't listened to her in awhile, but seeing Robyn's performance of "Hyper-Ballad" really put me in the mood for Björk! She's got a solid 4 albums in my top 100, 3 of which are in my top 30, and 1 is in my top 10.
3. Michael Jackson (#23): Awesome pop artist! He had a string of really good (but not perfect) albums in my book from Off the Wall to HIStory.
Very good (in my top 100)
4. The Doors (#28): Perhaps their luster is wearing a bit with time, but little gets my blood boiling quite like L.A. Woman.
5. Elvis Costello (#79): This Year's Model was a real revelation for me. The debut I didn't like nearly as much, but I'm still interested in exploring more.
Good (in my top 200)
6. Sam Cooke: The more I age, the more I appreciate him and his contemporaries. Thanks for the early lessons, Mom!
Decent
7. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Another one I can see myself enjoying if I explored further.
8. Miles Davis: I'm largely ignorant of his material, but I'm intrigued.
9. XTC: I've been a bit lukewarm to most of the material, even though it should be right up my alley. Recommendations?
Not for me (I tend to dislike more songs by these artists than I like)
10. Billy Joel: I like "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "I Go to Extremes" (nostalgia) and sometimes "Uptown Girl". He's a solid perfomer and all, but perhaps a bit too much of a throwback for me to fully embrace.
11. Bob Dylan: I'll never be a big Dylan fan, but I have found some songs I enjoy.
Quite bad (Perhaps I enjoy a song or two amidst a mass of songs I truly despise)
12. Led Zeppelin: The first in a series of artists who predominantly work within genres I don't appreciate. Classic rock typically isn't my bag. I also don't like the music thievery!
13. Johnny Cash: Country also isn't my bag, but I'd much prefer him to all contemporary country- blech!
14. Queen: I love glam, but I'm not big on glam-lite (Queen) or cockrock arena glam (KISS). I like "Another One Bites the Dust" though.
15. Bob Marley: Reggae is yet another genre that tends to turn my stomach. I have so much more room to grow.
Scrate Awful (in my bottom 100 artists):
16. The Beatles: The vocals, personalities and tinny sound are all huge turnoffs for me.
17. Pink Floyd: I only like my prog when it's tempered by a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop. I have yet to hear a Pink Floyd song that comes close to satisfying either.
Led Zeppelin
Johnny Cash
Hard vote. Tiebreaker goes to 'What have you done for me lately?'
Prince
Tough to vote against Elvis Costello.
Bjork
Ugh. Queen's going to win this, aren't they? At least they can't beat Prince.
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Higher highs, lower lows.
Bob Dylan
Michael Jackson
Led Zeppelin (though "Tracks of My Tears" is better than any Led Zep song)
Johnny Cash (close matchup)
Prince
pass
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Bob Dylan
Michael Jackson
16. The Beatles: The vocals, personalities and tinny sound are all huge turnoffs for me.
17. Pink Floyd: I only like my prog when it's tempered by a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop. I have yet to hear a Pink Floyd song that comes close to satisfying either.
A few questions arise in my mind after reading the above:
1) What exactly is it about the Beatles vocals that make them a turnoff for you?
2) Do you equate (or amalgamate) the vocals of each band member of the Beatles when you are turned off - or do you distinguish your disdain in a manner where it is possible to differentiate your level of turnoff for each of the four vocalists.
3) What specifically makes the Beatles sound "tinny" to you?
4) Do you dislike each of the Beatles' personalities with equal intensity?
5) Which progressive artists do you like best; e.g., Genesis, Yes, Rundgren, EL&P, ELO, Bowie, Eno, King Crimson?
6) In what way do any of the progressive artists you prefer demonstrate a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop in your estimation?
winners in 5.4...
Led Zeppelin 87.8% / Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 12.2%
Johnny Cash 58.5% / The Doors 41.5%
Prince 75.6% / Elvis Costello 24.4%
Queen 69.2% / Bjork 30.8%
The Beatles 85.3% / Miles Davis 14.7%
Pink Floyd 55% / Bob Marley 45%
Bob Dylan 90.2% / Sam Cooke 9.8%
Michael Jackson 68.3% / Billy Joel 17.1% / XTC 14.6%
16. The Beatles: The vocals, personalities and tinny sound are all huge turnoffs for me.
17. Pink Floyd: I only like my prog when it's tempered by a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop. I have yet to hear a Pink Floyd song that comes close to satisfying either.
A few questions arise in my mind after reading the above:
1) What exactly is it about the Beatles vocals that make them a turnoff for you?
2) Do you equate (or amalgamate) the vocals of each band member of the Beatles when you are turned off - or do you distinguish your disdain in a manner where it is possible to differentiate your level of turnoff for each of the four vocalists.
3) What specifically makes the Beatles sound "tinny" to you?
4) Do you dislike each of the Beatles' personalities with equal intensity?
5) Which progressive artists do you like best; e.g., Genesis, Yes, Rundgren, EL&P, ELO, Bowie, Eno, King Crimson?
6) In what way do any of the progressive artists you prefer demonstrate a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop in your estimation?
If possible could I add my own question of why one should take an artists personality into account when critiquing their music?
A few questions arise in my mind after reading the above:
Just caught this now!
1) What exactly is it about the Beatles vocals that make them a turnoff for you?
The chirpy, nasal delivery really irks me!
2) Do you equate (or amalgamate) the vocals of each band member of the Beatles when you are turned off - or do you distinguish your disdain in a manner where it is possible to differentiate your level of turnoff for each of the four vocalists.
George is the least offensive to my ears, and John is the worst. I can't recall Ringo's voice, to be honest. I just know that the vocals are a big part of the reason that I don't like The Beatles.
3) What specifically makes the Beatles sound "tinny" to you?
It's got that Wall of Sound thing going on that was big in the 60s. I prefer a crisper production. It's not something that I can fairly fault them for, but it does have an impact on how I respond to the songs.
4) Do you dislike each of the Beatles' personalities with equal intensity?
John Lennon is definitely the most offensive to me. I don't really mind George Harrison. Paul McCartney can be irritating as well. Let me make this clear- the personality I'm referring to is the personality portrayed within the songs. A lot of artists I quite like have aspects of their personalities in real life that I don't admire (including my favorite artist in Prince), but I'm more concerned with the way they come across in their songs.
5) Which progressive artists do you like best; e.g., Genesis, Yes, Rundgren, EL&P, ELO, Bowie, Eno, King Crimson?
I hadn't heard Bowie or Eno referred to as prog before, but they would definitely be my favorites. The one artist I really like that sometimes is lumped in with prog is Roxy Music. Does Can count as prog? If so, I like them too.
6) In what way do any of the progressive artists you prefer demonstrate a sense of fun or has a strong flirtation with pop in your estimation?
Based on your list, I'd say it's quite clear that Bowie is definitely the most "pop" of the bunch. While his material may be considered challenging, I don't think it fits the prog label well- the conventions he toys around with seem to still be firmly rooted in the pop/rock sphere. The same goes for Brian Eno, although I'm not nearly as familiar with his solo career.
As for Roxy Music, the songs I can see being referred to as prog are "In Every Dreamhome a Heartache" and "The Bogus Man". You can read my review of For Your Pleasure if you like, but it boils down to the fact that songs like "The Bogus Man" still carry a sizable groove and "In Every Dreamhome a Heartache" still has that "dream home heartache" hook in the end.
If possible could I add my own question of why one should take an artists personality into account when critiquing their music?
No one should, really. The music should stand separately from the men or women who create it (note that I won't say the artist, as the artist and his/her material are permanently bound). That said, I've got my own shortcomings, so when I have a tendency to dislike an artist's music, qualms I have with their persona don't help matters. I can admit that.