ROUND 2, WEEK 16

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.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers


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

I knew you'd save this bracket for the final week.
VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie (I saw Blondie a few days ago, adn this was the encoure. They disco ball came down during the song.)
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths (A great song, but I don't see it as their best.)
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (The masterpiece of Pet Sounds, This battle will be epic)
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins (An easy 4. I preffer the Elvis version.)

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen (Van Halen is one of my favorite bands, and this is their best song.)
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution (This is one of the many songs that proves Prince's guitar skills)
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground (How did this song get through? Oh yeah, that's right. This forum loves the VU)
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones (I have to put if 4th if Jump has any shot of getting through.)

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (An excellent song. Very similar to Reach Out, which made it through.)
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett (Funky.)
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs (A decent cover, but for once, I think that it's rank on RS is more appropriate.)
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead (Not my favorite off the Bends.)

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel (A beuatiful song with some epic drumming near the end.)
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson (this song is off the wall)
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green (How the hell does he sing so high? Love the song)
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers (A hard 4th. The beggining of the songs is insanley funky though.)

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. #51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys /
One of my favorite tracks of Pet Sounds and also one of my favorite Beach Boys songs in general.
2. #78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins /
3. About the same quality as Elvis' version. Just good ol' rock'n'roll.
4. #179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths /
I'm not a Smiths fan (not yet anyway), but at the moment, I like this one best. Just fine.
4. #206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie /
I've never liked this one. The instrumentation, the singing and the song in general.


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. #33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones /
One of my favorite Stones songs, which should say enough. Although generally I don't love the Stones for their lyrics, this song deserves a lot of respect for them even when it comes to writing lyrics.
2.#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground /
Very good Velvet song and an easy number 2 pick in this bracket. Although I quite like the noisy Velvet as well, I still prefer the more subtle, beautiful songs like this one.
3. #161: "Jump" - Van Halen /
I don't like the keyboard-part from the start, sounds so very dated. Otherwise this song is quite O.K., just standard 80's rock, and therefore not even close to the two above.
4. #417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution /
One of the many Prince hits I just don't dig. I appreciate his musician-ship, but not necessarily his music.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. #296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead /
Favorite Bends songs only after the awesome 'Street Spirit'. Kind a different from the Radiohead that we know now, but this one still holds (very) strong anyway.
2. #168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs /
I liked this one since I was a small boy. I don't like it as much anymore, but it still does something with me what a song like 'In the Midnight Hour' doesn't do yet.
3. #40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles /
Very close call for numbers 2 and 3. This one is at least as good, but doesn't have the same position in my music-life.
4. #89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett. /
This one is not bad at all, I even kind a like it. Has some good soul, just not good enough for the next round.


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. #66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel /
Probably my favorite S&G song. Just very beautiful, I was drawn the first time I heard it. Quite emotional song actually.
2. #322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers /
This one gets the edge, because when I'm in doubt, I usually go for the underdog. You simply have to move when the beat of this song starts. The guitar work sound cool as well.
3. #63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green /
Could habe been number 2 on another day. First heard this song in a Tarantino film. One of the many great picks by him in his soundtracks. Just relaxing and smooth.
4. #319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson /
Decent pop song, with some funk in there. A typical MJ-song. Just not as good as his best work with the Jackson Five or on later solo-albums, in my opinion.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
This song is able to take me to a very restful place. I saw the Beach Boys perform this song in 1975 and it was awesome.
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
The Smiths have grown on me tremendously over the past few years.
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie
Excellent song, perhaps Blondie's best. The top three in this bracket are really superb.
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
OVERRATED. Decent song. Easy to put it in fourth place in this bracket.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
WOW!! Could be the Stones best song. It will be interesting to see what it's matched up against in the next round (if it wins)
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen
Lot's of fun at parties. Not a slam dunk to place this above Purple Rain, but that's my clear choice.
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution
Great Album, very good song.
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground
Very accessible for a VU song. But, not so ground-breaking. Starling @ http://starling.rinet.ru/music/velvets.htm characterizes Pale Blue Eyes as lullaby. I don't disagree with this characterization.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
One of Smokey's finest (6 on my scale where 1 is the best and the worst may be as high as 20). I also enjoy Ronstadt's version
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead
Radiohead is still growing on me, and although my numeric rating is only 11 for this song, it has lots of upside potential.
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs
I probably need to adjust my rating of 8 downward for this song (which I've probably heard too many times), or adjust my 11 rating for Fake Plastic Trees upwards.
"In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
Solid song that is overrated at 89, also gets an 11 (with very little expectation of upwards movement).

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
The song I tend to play the most in my collection.
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
Garfunkel's soaring vocals and the fantastic harmonies never grow tiring for me in this song.
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
One of the key songs that brought MJ back on his Off the Wall effort. An easy 3 in this bracket for me.
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers
Just heard this for the first time and I enjoyed it quite a bit - but it does seem to be a bit repetitive. Perhaps after a few more listens, I will appreciate this song more.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: One of the great love songs ever, I particularly like how the verses constantly ascend heavenward, plus that seemingly and strikingly unromantic opening line.
2. "Heart of Glass" - Blondie: Disco crossover classic, oddly undated.
3. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths: Their best song, but the going is now tough.
4. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins: Doesn't hold up too well, even compared to other '50s classics.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution: To me, his masterpiece. Perfect in its own excess.
2. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground: Probably their best and most beautiful song.
3. "Jump" - Van Halen: Very fun stuff, nice nostalgia.
4. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones: Used to love this, but I'm tired of it. Should actually be scarier.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: One of the best Motown singles of 'em all.
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead: Hearing this and realizing that they were not a one-hit wonder, but in fact great, was one of the more shocking mid-'90s moments for my music-loving self.
3. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett: Excellent, but not good enough.
4. "Wild Thing" - The Troggs: Utter crap, don't get it. And I like my share of garage rock.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green: This is one of the toughest brackets for me, as all 4 songs are withing 200 places of each other in my all-time Top 2000. That's just weird. Anyway, Al's best-known hit squeaks to #1.
2. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson: Probably his 2nd-best single, which is saying something.
3. "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers: Just an absolute sonic blast.
4. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel: The ultimate SHTB4 so far? Beautiful, but a touch full of itself.

It's weird. It feels like this game has so far to go, but there's only six weeks left.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Great song. Very tightly written and produced, flawless pop song.
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
Very good song, but I don't get why it's often considered the best Smiths song. It might make my top ten Smiths songs, barely.
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie
Good pop song, but weak for this level of competition.
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
I like the twangy guitar, but the vocals are kind of annoying and the lyrics really cliche.



BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
On my short list of greatest songs ever. I don't look forward to picking between it and Like A Rolling Stone, if it wins. Amazing lyrics, amazing music, amazing everything.
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen
Possibly one of the best guitar riffs ever.
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground
Good emotional song, great play between the music and the vocals. A little too talk-singy.
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution
Great song, but up against greater songs.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead
Not my favorite Radiohead strong, but best in a weak bracket.
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Very good pop song with great production.
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
Good song.
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs
Meh. Good guitar riff but too gimmicky.


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
Great funky pop song. As much as I love Thriller, I kind of wish Michael kept making songs like this.
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
One of the most powerful folk songs out there. He starts to oversing and overdo the echo near the end, but I can forgive that based on the positive merits of the song.
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
Good, pleasant song, but not up to 'final 64' standards.
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers
Good song, influential song, weak for this level of competition.

Yeah, you're supposed to vote strictly based on your own tastes, blind to what anybody else might vote.

Otherwise, what's stopping me from waiting until an hour before the deadline, counting up the points myself, and doing whatever ranking I need to change the results to my liking?

If Listyguy can lie about his tastes to get Jump through, I might change mine, and push Jump down to 4th to get Sympathy through. Because why not?

Quick-and-dirty comments this time.

VIVALDI 18
1. GOD ONLY KNOWS. Better than “Good Vibrations.” I’ve at last reached the point with this one that I can appreciate its beauty and avoid the strange undercurrent of maudlin passive-aggressiveness in the lyrics. In fact, this is so good, that it even beats:
2. THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT. This would win most other brackets in this round, including the other three here. It’s in the grandest possible rock ‘n’ roll tradition—romance, car crashes, death, loneliness. Plus it’s drop-dead gorgeous. The Smiths’ best song.
3. BLUE SUEDE SHOES. Really, I only kept it out of the basement because Carl Perkins still needs more love around here.
4. HEART OF GLASS. Great song. I still don’t buy Blondie when they try to do hip-hop (“Rapture”) or reggae (“The Tide Is High”), but they nailed disco.

BEETHOVEN 19
1. SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL. The Stones have better-composed songs (though not many), but they never topped the lyrics for this one.
2. PALE BLUE EYES. I still have to force myself to remember the VU version rather than the R.E.M. pisstake.
3. PURPLE RAIN. A great closer to Prince’s finest album, and further proof that the man is completely shameless. In a good way.
4. JUMP. A great song, but I prefer VH songs which feature Eddie a little more…unchained.

MAHLER 19
1. THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS. Pure uncut Smokey. How could someone with a voice this joyous sing so convincingly about problems with women? (Problems which, at this time in his life, he apparently didn’t have.)
2. FAKE PLASTIC TREES. Is it wrong that, as much as I like this song, I sometimes skip tracks 3-5 on The Bends to get past the slow stuff? Anyhow, this one gave me my most egregious mondegreen of recent years: I heard “crack parlor staring man” instead of “cracked polystyrene man.”
3. IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. See, isn’t this much more fun than “Green Onions”?
4. WILD THING. Stupid and direct (that’s a compliment…I like all four of my last-place songs this week).

BACH 18
1. DON’T STOP TIL YOU GET ENOUGH. My favorite MJ song…lots of tracks are hard not to dance to, but this one is also hard not to smile along with.
2. BLOCK ROCKIN’ BEATS. This is still, for me, the sound of the late 90s. Great fun.
3. LET’S STAY TOGETHER. Rev. Al breaks out some vocal pyrotechnics toward the end, but really, they’re just lagniappe…his easy, declamatory falsetto in the verses is what carries this song.
4. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. It’s an effective, affective needle-burying heart-tugger, but it doesn’t work as well as “Purple Rain.”

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: Beauty in music, defined and personified. Nothing more to say.
2. "Heart of Glass" – Blondie: To return to a common theme in my comments: their breakthrough smash isn’t even close to being the best track on its own album (I’m partial to “One Way or Another” and “11:59” myself). But when that album is PARALLEL LINES, that’s a relative distinction. Endlessly listenable. FUN GAME: When it comes on the radio, see if they leave in “pain in the ass.”
3. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths: Their most moving song, largely because it’s free of camp – the edge Morrissey brings to “it’s not my home, it’s their home and I’m welcome no more” is palpable, as is the dual sense of desperation and devotion. Brilliantly arranged, too, as usual.
4. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins: Perkins’ gutbucket redneck original is far superior to Elvis’ version, and one of the true gems of early rock. But it’s an unfortunately easy #4 here.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones: Hard to imagine anyone other than Mick being able to pull this off – there really was something gleefully satanic about him during this whole period. He’s more than matched, flourish for demonic flourish, by Nicky Hopkins, and Keith (in his solo, and his fills on the coda) delivers a master class in minimum space/maximum impact.
2. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground: Simple but not simplistic, and utterly gorgeous, with some of Lou’s most evocative imagery.
3. "Jump" - Van Halen: A fantastic pop single that deserved every bit of its massive success. I continue to marvel at the way they get away with the melody completely dropping out during Eddie’s guitar solo.
4. "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution: As much as I love Prince and the album as a whole, I’ve simply never been a big fan of the epic (and overblown) title track.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: His best song, which makes it one of Motown’s best. I think I’ve said this before, but “My smile is my make-up I wear since my breakup with you” may be the greatest line ever in a pop song.
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" – Radiohead: One of the songs in this bracket is not like the others – although at 15, the magnificent ballad from THE BENDS has become a bit of an oldie in its own right. And every bit as much a classic.
3. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett: Pickett’s signature song was instantly iconic, endlessly covered but never topped. It’s as good a working definition of soul as you can get, with what may be the most hummable horn charts of all time.
4. "Wild Thing" - The Troggs: The first sentence of #3 above mostly holds true for this one too, but it’s so brutally simple that you can really only hear it so many times before you start to get tired of it. Except for the ocarina – really, how DID they come up with that?

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel: A very, very tough choice between #1 and #2 here. In their own ways, each is utterly perfect. In the end it might come down to the fact that Simon’s masterpiece is such a beautifully crafted and sculpted piece of art, building from a lone piano to those brilliant crescendos, with Artie’s voice getting the showcase it deserves – even as I recognize that that perfectionism is exactly why some might prefer #2.
2. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green: The Reverend’s Seventies catalog is legendarily rich and deep, but even so here’s one case where an artist’s biggest and most popular hit really is as definitive as it gets. It would be a classic for Green’s little vocal asides (“Wouldjoo, bay-bay…”) alone.
3. "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers: DIG YOUR OWN HOLE was undoubtedly a lot of people’s gateway into electronic music, as it was mine; its lead track is still a remarkably fun listen for the way it molds at least a dozen discrete “hooks” out of pure noise.
4. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson: The very last bracket of Round 2 produces the first true instance of SH2B4 for me in quite a while. OFF THE WALL’s great lead track is one of MJ’s finest moments, but in this group, it falls short.

I know I've mentioned this "cover" before, so I thought I'd share it. This was made in 1967 as a novelty-record response to an actual hit single by the actual Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen, a spoken-word piece called "Gallant Men."

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys - There's really only one place that this song belongs, and that's first. It's utterly euphoric.
2. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths - It's hard to put a song this beautifully melancholic in second. Morrissey's best lyric and a beautiful arrangement combine for a killer record.
3. "Heart of Glass" - Blondie - A song that could probably win some of the weaker brackets of this round, and probably the great disco-punk record.
4. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins - A song that, if not outclassed by Elvis' version of the same song, is far behind the rest of this bracket.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones - I have to say, this is the song that got me into both the Rolling Stones and classic rock as a whole. It's just fantastic; demonic, yes, but joyous, even more so.
2. "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution - It's definitely a little overdone, but when I'm in the right mood it's absolutely enthralling.
3. "Jump" - Van Halen - I don't like it as much as I used to, but it's as solid a pop-metal single as there is.
4. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground - This is a good song and all, but I can't seem to get into the Velvets beyond their brilliant debut.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Of all Motown's brilliant records, this one may be the most brilliant. Tightly written, arranged, performed, the whole bit. Besides, read these lyrics:

"Although she may be cute
She's just a substitute
Because you're the permanent one"

and

"Outside I'm masquerading
Inside my hope is fading"

Brilliant!

2. "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead - Another case of biggest hit off the album, but 4th or 5th best song. (In case you're wondering: 1. Just 2. Street Spirit (Fade Out) 3. Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was 4. My Iron Lung 5. Fake Plastic Trees)
3. "Wild Thing" - The Troggs - Garage rock is starting to get on my nerves lately...there's too much of it in this tourney.
4. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett - Not a fan, I guess.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson - The ultimate dance song. Period.
2. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green - I love this song so much, I feel like I've stated this several time before but it remains the truth.
3. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel - A little melodramatic, but well done.
4. "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers - Deserved to make the first round, but not the second.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie : winner by default, the only song here I really enjoy, mostly for its cold and elegant aesthetic
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys : I can not find a real default to that song, but it never touched me much, might be too flawless for its own sake
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths : a song by the Smiths I can stand, that's quite rare. Lyrically great (very great indeed) but I really don't like Morrissey's voice and the band's musicality (except on How Soon is Now ?).
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins : lacks the energy of Elvis version, quite boring for me

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground : thanks to Adventureland for making me reconsider that song which I first had found too simple and repetitive ; now I find it touching and direct... movies do change the way you listen to music some times
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones : a bit overlong too, but it really has its moments (the intro, the guitar solo, some piano eruptions...)
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution : a good Prince song, neither his worst nor its best
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen : hair metal at its less annoying. Still annoying.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead : used to be in my top 10 all time, still a solid top 100, I love how it slowly builds with chords before the drums arrive then explodes before calming down again...
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett : great soul song, full of intensity and involvement
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs : I love the slacker attitude, but the strong is not strong enough at this time of the game
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles : I know it is supposed to be a Motown classic, I don't see why

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green : I could have choose any of those first 3 songs for the top spot, I like them the same. But the 2 others are songs which fits templates I usually like, while I normally dislike most of the romantic and sexy songs; but that one is incredibly cool.
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers : now to pick between those 2 songs made for dancing, I made a simple test : on which one have I moved the most right now, and Tom, Ed and their huge bass line took the lead
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson : as I said, any of those 3 songs going to next round would be fine for me, that's a great dancefloor anthem and that opening "wooooo" is legendary. MJ voice can be irritating as some points of the chorus though.
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel : not on the top tier of the album of the same name, a bit too melodramatic. I like the strange optimism of The Only Living Boy in New-York much more

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
#179: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
Easily The Smiths best song, the production and arrangements are beautiful, the synthesized strings are heartbreaking, and the lyrics are beyond amazing. This is also the song that features the greatest line of lyrics in all of pop music "And in the darkened underpass, I though 'oh God, my chance has come at last!', but then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask." The story of the song is filled with romance, redemption, adolescent angst, and death wishes all in 4 minutes. The lyrics resonant to me like no other song. Ladies and gentlemen, this could be the greatest song ever made.
#51: "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
One of the two twins peaks in terms of Beach Boys songs, this is the peak that's slightly shorter imo, but that doesn't mean it isn't one of the all time greatest songs. In terms of pure beauty, this song takes the cake over almost anything else.
#206: "Heart of Glass" - Blondie
Blondie freaking nails it right here, everything good abut disco with none of the bad. It manages to avoid sounding anywhere near gimmicky, which is pretty much nothing short of a miracle. Probably their best song, though "Call Me" and "Rapture" are good competition.
#78: "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
Great early rock single, but falls short of being excellent.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
#33: "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
The samba rhythms and instruments save this song from being "just another good Stones song" and turn it into one of their very best singles. The guitar work here always struck me as incredible, the lyrics are among the Stones best.
#161: "Jump" - Van Halen
A classic fusion of hair metal and synth pop, two genres I've never been too keen on, but here they both work together perfectly, creating one of the best songs from the 1980's.
#417: "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution
Overblown and slightly overrated, I can think of about a half dozen Prince songs I like way more. Nevertheless it's still really good, just nowhere near his very best work.
#801: "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground
A really good song, this and "Purple Rain" are almost interchangeable. Though it lost by just a little bit.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
#296: "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead
Probably their second best song, which says a hell of a lot. The explosion of energy at the end is early Radiohead at it's single best moment. In fact this song was so good, it was endlessly copied or the next 15 years, for better or for worse.
#40: "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
The 40th greatest song ever? Not really, but it's still really good, the better of two motown songs in this bracket. Better, but not by much.
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
How I went for so long without knowing about this song is beyond me. It's Pickett's best by a long shot, and is one of the top motown songs.
#168: "Wild Thing" - The Troggs
Great early garage rock single, but somewhat lacking when compared to many other songs in this round.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
#63: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
An absolute classic, Al Green's voice is at it's silky smooth best here.
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
Slightly overblown, but still a superb vocal performance right here. This is yet another classic.
#322: "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers
Great song, prime example of big beat and The Chemical Brothers at their best.
#319: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
Probably in his top 5 songs for me, but as much as I like Michael, that's not enough to get this song any higher than 4th. Still though, it's a damn good song.

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Easy, easy pick for the top spot here. Nothing else in the bracket is in the same ballpark. Heck, nothing else in this bracket is even in the parking lot outside the ballpark.
2. "Heart of Glass" - Blondie
As a bit of a follow-up on Harold's comment, for a long time I was sure that this song did have the words "pain in the ass," but every time it came on the radio, they'd play the edited version, so it got to the point with me where I assumed that the line was never there. Then I heard it again a couple weeks ago, and the line in question was there.
3. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
It's a pleasant enough song, but nowhere near the greatness that is "God Only Knows." And it has no place in Round 3.
4. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
For as much as this song is loved by this forum, it never clicked with me. And now I have to re-acquire it after my big music crash. Maybe it'll click with me then, but for now it's an easy 4.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution
I debated putting the Stones in the top spot, but this song is just too good for me to put something else above it. I've never seen all of "Purple Rain" the movie, but it seems like once a month, I'll be flipping channels and I'll wind up on VH1 when they're airing it, and I'll be able to catch the last fifteen or so minutes. If you've never heard this song outside of the context of the movie, it doesn't have the same oomph.
Note: as I write these words, VH1 is airing arguably the worst movie of all time, Road House.
2. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
I'm sure it'll get into the next round, and I have no problem with that. I just prefer "Purple Rain."
3. "Jump" - Van Halen
There's only one way to tell if there's an American soldier or an Iraqi soldier in that tent...
"Van Halen sucks!"
"Old Van Halen or new Van Halen?"
"It's an American. He's not down with Van Hagar."
Thank you, Bobcat.
4. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground
It's pleasant enough, but compared to anything off of VU&N, it pales (har, har) in comparison.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
I know that there are people out there who will disagree with me, but I think that Smokey's other "tears" song is better. Still, this is far too good to put anywhere besides the top spot.
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead
I know I said that I'd be putting every Radiohead song in the bottom spot this round, but I absolutely adore this song. It's easily my favorite Radiohead song. And that moment when Yorke's voice breaks as he sings "wears"... Absolute perfection.
3. "Wild Thing" - The Troggs
The ultimate garage rock song, and it's gleefully trashy, almost to a fault. It just isn't Round 3 material.
4. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
Not my favorite by Wilson. Fairly easy pick for the bottom spot here.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers
There's virtually no chance of this song making it into the next round, but I love it too much to put it anywhere beside the top spot. If only other people on this board were "ready to rock... steady."
2. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
This is about as close to perfection as a song can get. I can't fault anyone for putting this song into the next round. It's just too good.
3. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
It's such a good song, but at this point I'm putting it here not because I dislike it, but because I just prefer the other two a little bit more.
4. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
Like Harold said, SHTB4. I really like this song, but in this bracket, I'm not voting against any song so much as I'm choosing which one I like the best.

Voting for this week (and for all of Round 2) is now over.

Chopin has an awesome final bracket, Handel a great one, the other 2 not that much.

CHOPIN BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#356. "B.O.B." - OutKast : relatively easy pick, even though I really like the 4 songs here. That one sounds so special and galvanizing that not much can compare with it
#324. "Marquee Moon" - Television : another personal favourite, and a milestone, sort of gave birth to much of the music I like
#4. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana : an all-time great classic, it took 2 personal favourite to beat it
#36. "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" - The Four Tops : one of my Motown fav, SH2B4


LISZT BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#50. "Common People" - Pulp : one of the best example of crescendo in modern music (with All My Friends of course), constantly gaining intensity and power
#18. "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks : not really the Kinks I enjoy the most but a good song anyway
#114. "Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday : as I said previously, I find the vocal performance astonishing but the overall music not much interesting
#47. "Layla" - Derek & the Dominoes : might be Clapton less irritating song, still it is Clapton and it bores me to death

HANDEL BLOC, FINAL BRACKET :
#10. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin : I was going to put it third... but then I realized it has most of the qualities I liked in the 3 other songs
#695. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who : incredible intro and outro, I guess nothing sounded like that back then
#151. "Ziggy Stardust" - David Bowie : I hate to put 3rd today's song I would most likely chose in a karaoke, the guitar part is almost perfect... but it fights with 2 other guitar legends
#42. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. : a great song, but clearly below the 3 others

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#230. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles : easy winner, the only song here I really enjoy
#123. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads : a band I don't get much over 2 of my all time fav, it's just that it's one of their best while I don't think that's the case for the following 2
#38. "Purple Haze" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience : far from being my favourite Hendrix song
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie : and far from being my favourite Bowie song either

How you managed to put this in the wrong thread, I don't know

VIVALDI BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (40 points, 8 first-place votes)
2. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths (28, 1)
3. "Heart of Glass" - Blondie (27, 2)
4. "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins (15, 0)

In one of the more anticipated brackets of the tournament, the Beach Boys win in a runaway. In Round 3: Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"; the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog"; B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone"


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones (37, 7)
2. "Purple Rain" - Prince & the Revolution (25, 2)
3. "Jump" - Van Halen (25, 1)
4. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground (23, 1)

The week's second runaway goes to the Rolling Stones, as "Sympathy for the Devil" destroys the rest of its competition. In Round 3: Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"; the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back"; Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years"


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 19
1. "The Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (37, 7)
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead (35, 4)
3. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett (20, 0)
4. "Wild Thing" - The Troggs (18, 0)

Despite garnering seven of the eleven first-place votes, "Tracks of My Tears" only manages to pull out a two-point win over Radiohead. In Round 3: David Bowie's "Space Oddity"; Prince's "1999"; Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 18
1. "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green (32, 4)
2. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel (29, 3)
3. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson (26, 3)
4. "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers (23, 1)

In the week's closest bracket (nine points separating first from last place), Al Green squeaks out the win to move into the quarterfinals. In Round 3: Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come"; the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter"; Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer"