Vote for your winners, results posted tomorrow:
#1 The Beatles vs. #9 Bob Seger
#5 The Band vs. #4 Sam Cooke
#3 Aretha Franklin vs. #6 Muddy Waters
#7 Bee Gees vs. #2 Johnny Cash
#1 The Velvet Underground vs. #8 The Animals
#5 The Temptations vs. #4 Fleetwood Mac
#3 Van Morrison vs. #6 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
#10 Chicago vs. #2 The Who
SEGER ~~~ Now Bob was OK, but this is where I start my for the love of God not let The Beatles win this thing campaign... It probably will not be effective here..
COOKE ~~~ From "You Send Me" in '57 - "A Change Is Gonna Come" in '65, this man had so many great hits. Anyone who really has not familiarized themselves with the work of Sam Cooke should. way underappreciated...
ARETHA ~~~ The Queen of Soul narrowily defeats a Blues Legend...
CASH ~~~ Not a Bee Gees fan, so I may have taken Menudo to beat them, but in this case JC is the easy choice, for just the 6 albums put out after 1994, all classics. Then you remember what he did in the 50's and late 60's and it blows you away...
ANIMALS ~~~ Unpopular choice with the half of the voters on AM, but if given the choice I would rather listen to the 8 or 9 great Animals songs than any of the handful of VU songs I actually like...
TEMPTATIONS ~~~ Love this band, to me "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" is better than the entire 9 songs of 'Rumours' alone, and that is a great album. You then bring The Temps early 70's funk-style like "Psychedelic Shack" & "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" in the mix and this is a blow out. The Motown legends do not even need to use songs like "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "Get Ready" or "My Girl" until round #3...
SMOKEY & The MIRACLES ~~~ For me Van has one great song "Into The Mystic", The Miracles have 6 or 7 songs that I would probably place ahead of Van's 2nd best song...
THE WHO ~~~
The Beatles (Not only do I dislike Seger’s music, but I find it completely uninteresting. Also, he’s up against the Beatles.)
Sam Cooke (Very good matchup. The Band pretty clearly is ahead on musical chops, but Sam’s a lot more enjoyable, and I’m feeling kinda poppy today.)
Muddy Waters
Johnny Cash (The Bee Gees do not suck, but this is no contest.)
The Velvet Underground
The Temptations (Pretty much what Slick said: body of work over one great album. Fleetwood Mac had a perfect storm of songwriting and musical talents – not to mention raging emotional turmoil – playing off each other in 1976-77. But if you leave out Rumours, they’re pretty much Canned Heat.)
#1 The Beatles
#5 The Band (very difficult choice against Sam Cooke)
#3 Aretha Franklin
pass
#8 The Animals
#4 Fleetwood Mac
#3 Van Morrison
#2 The Who
#1 The Beatles
#4 Sam Cooke
#3 Aretha Franklin
#2 Johnny Cash
#1 The Velvet Underground
#5 The Temptations
#6 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
#2 The Who
#1 The Beatles
#4 Sam Cooke
#3 Aretha Franklin
#2 Johnny Cash
#1 The Velvet Underground
#5 The Temptations
#6 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
#2 The Who
#1 The Beatles
#4 Sam Cooke - Oh wow. So the last two albums I listened to were Music from Big Pink, and Cooke's Portrait of a Legend. And I recently spent a half hour looking up the genesis and history behind my #3 song of all time, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." And I have written that "A Change Is Going to Come" is one of the more overrated acclaimed songs. But I'm only just realizing how monumentally good Sam Cooke was. Gorgeous voice, savvy businessman, good-looking to the ladies, and a great songwriter. The Band hit some spectacularly high highs, but too much of their stuff falls flat, or the performance fails to match the song (particularly with some of their covers).
#6 Muddy Waters
#2 Johnny Cash
#1 The Velvet Underground
#5 The Temptations
#6 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Just becuase of my recent rise in admiration for Cooke, don't think I no longer love you too, Smokey.
#2 The Who
#1 The Beatles - They win my hypothetical tournament. No sadness for eliminating Seger.
#4 Sam Cooke - Wonderful World defeats Ruben Remus. Only one this go-round that was close for me.
#3 Aretha Franklin - I like Hoochie Coochie Man, but Aretha has ten songs that good.
#2 Johnny Cash - Never understood the Bee Gees.
#1 The Velvet Underground - By a landslide.
#4 Fleetwood Mac - Me and Fleetwood just clicked. I'm almost positive there's a better song than Landslide. Almost.
#3 Van Morrison - Van Morrison does more without hooks than any artist I can think of.
#2 The Who - By a landslide.
#1 The Beatles
#4 Sam Cooke
#6 Muddy Waters
#7 Bee Gees- I used to be an apologist for the Bee Gees early work, now I'm actually getting into their middle work as well... Main Course, Sat. Night Fever. Five years ago I would have said I dislike the Bee Gees now I'd probably put them in my top 30 bands/artists ever.
#1 The Velvet Underground
#5 The Temptations
#3 Van Morrison- Toughest choice I've had to make so far this tourney. Miracles have so many great songs, but Van Morrison has Moondance and Astral Weeks.
#2 The Who- Another tough choice because I love Chicago's first album and I don't love any of The Who's albums. But, looking at an entire catalog or at least the best work, The Who wins.
#9 Bob Seger: I'm with you, Slick.
#4 Sam Cooke: Easy win.
#6 Muddy Waters: Easy win.
#7 Bee Gees: Easy win.
#1 The Velvet Underground: My favorite to advance.
#4 Fleetwood Mac: My feeling is that if I knew The Temptations better, they'd have a shot. As it is, I own 3 Fleetwood Mac CDs, so...
#6 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Easy win.
#10 Chicago: Easy win, even if Chicago is bland.
RESULTS:
The Beatles 87.1% / Bob Seger 12.9%
Sam Cooke 65.5% / The Band 34.5%
Aretha Franklin 64.5% / Muddy Waters 35.5%
Johnny Cash 79.3% / Bee Gees 20.7%
Velvet Underground 80.6% / The Animals 19.4%
The Temptations 53.3% / Fleetwood Mac 46.7%
Van Morrison 67.8% / Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 32.2%
The Who 83.9% / The Who 16.1%