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Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles vs. Bob Dylan
Top 10 songs: A Day in the Life > Like a Rolling Stone > Come Together > A Hard Day's Night > She Loves You > Just Like a Woman > Eleanor Rigby > Because > Dear Prudence

Radiohead vs. OutKast
Hey Ya! > Lucky > Where I End and You Begin > Street Spirit ( Fade Out) > I Might Be Wrong > Everything in Its Right Place > No Surprises > Ms. Jackson > Like Spinning Plates > The National Anthem

Prince vs. Bruce Springsteen
Kiss > Born to Run > Sign 'O' the Times > Hungry Heart > Controversy > When Doves Cry > Purple Rain > 1999 > Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out > Sometimes It Snows in April

U2 vs. R.E.M. vs. Nirvana
With Or Without You > One > Smells Like Teen Spirit > Losing My Religion > Stay Away > Something in the Way > Lithium > About a Girl > Drive > The Fly

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
Radiohead (Outkast is really THIS popular?)
Prince
Nirvana

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
OutKast
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Prince
U2

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
U2
Prince
R.E.M.
Nirvana
OutKast

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.

Thanks!

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
U2

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan - this is it for the Beatles - win this match,and they'll bloody win this title again.
Radiohead - How the hell did OutKast get this far? Unbelievably outclassed...
Bruce Springsteen
U2

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles Haha
Radiohead Hoho
Prince Hihi
Nirvana

Incredible how easy are the choice at this level.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles vs. Bob Dylan: I'm no Dylan fan, but I hope he can pull the upset here. If anyone can dethrone The Beatles, perhaps it's him.
Radiohead vs. OutKast: This is quite close. I like OutKast, but they're far from my favorite rap. I like Radiohead, but they're far from my favorite rock. What tipped the balance for Radiohead is that I have 2 albums of theirs I enjoy pretty well (OK Computer and Kid A) compared to only 1 for OutKast (Aquemini).
Prince vs. Bruce Springsteen: Bruce is OK, but come on. Could Prince do what Bruce does? Not as well, probably, but he could deliver a fair imitation. Could Bruce do what Prince does? Not even close.
U2 vs. R.E.M. vs. Nirvana: I'm disappointed that the 80s reps came down to these 3, but U2 is my favorite of the three, even if they probably should have stopped awhile ago.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The two greatest men in music;
1. Bob Dylan
2. Bruce Springsteen
the two greatest bands since the '80s;
3. R.E.M.
4. U2
the two who are peerless in their genres;
5. Prince
6. OutKast
and then the three most overrated bands in the world.
7. The Beatles
8. Radiohead
9. Nirvana

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Well, there’s still a possibility I’ll get three of my top four bands in the Final Four…

THE BEATLES. They have at last run into an opponent worthy of their mettle.

It’s been a good long while since the Beatles/Dylan debate ignited a flame war on the Forum, and I don’t want to risk reignition. So, what is clear is that after these two mighty cultural forces intersected in 1964, both Dylan and the Beatles emerged newly energized and seeing much wider horizons. I don’t think it’s too much to claim that the modern era of popular music began with that mutual encounter.

In their different ways, both Dylan and the Beatles were emblems of their decade. Dylan seemed to emerge as a fully-formed troubadour trickster, a prophet-prankster. He was powerfully, titanically ambiguous – as the Sixties themselves were. But many, many people didn’t want him to equivocate – they wanted him to show them the way out. He couldn’t; nobody could. All he could do was keep making his art. And he has, to this day.

The Beatles, on the other hand, were the perfect band for a civilization that took its own frightening, wonderful, often confusing and harrowing magical mystery tour over the course of their decade. The Beatles’ own journey saw them become, in turn, American-rock-loving music nerds, then acid-fueled oracles, then world-weary burnouts struggling, and ultimately failing, to keep their band alive. In their own way, they showed the world as many contradictory facets as Dylan – but in sequence, rather than all at once on every album.

In other words, Dylan is a poet. The Beatles are a canon. Choosing either one is valid; I prefer the canon.

RADIOHEAD. So long, OutKast…I’m surprised, but very pleased, that you got to the Final 8. The lesson of the 90s/00s region is that, at least from 1995-2001, Radiohead was far, far out in front of all their competition (Blur, OutKast and Wilco were next in line). And I say that even though I think the post-Nevermind era has been the strongest two-decade stretch in the period covered by AM.

I’ll have a lot more to say about Radiohead when they’re up against the Beatles on Monday. I’ll be thinking about it a lot this weekend.

PRINCE. Ach. In the good old days, Bruce never would have beaten the Clash on this Forum! That was a golden time, when we all walked through blizzards and duststorms to get to our battered computers, there to roar on the Forum about Rod Stewart and Minor Threat with Bangsian flair, Shavian wit, and substance-fueled ferocity!

I hope everyone recognizes that was tongue-in-cheek. Withal, Prince is light-years ahead of the Boss. Although his first two (mostly forgettable) albums landed him in the 70s region, Prince is eminently an 80s guy. Now, unlike Elvis in the 50s, the Beatles in the 60s, and Bowie in the 70s, it’s harder in more recent decades to name one artist who was clearly ahead of everyone else (and, by the way, I think that’s a sign of music getting better – or at least more diverse – rather than worse).

But for the 80s, Prince, was arguably the most accomplished artist, and definitely the one who everybody, regardless of clique (hey, I was in high school then) could agree to respect and enjoy. I don’t think he was as incandescent as the Clash, as evocative as R.E.M., or as influential as the Pixies. But in a way, he was, in terms of accomplishment and appeal, the last great pop star. I’m happy to vote for him.

(See, wasn’t that nicer than just blasting Bruce again?)

R.E.M. Yesterday I covered why I prefer R.E.M. to U2. Nirvana is stiffer competition (the Pixies and Beastie Boys would have been, also). In all honesty, I cannot claim that R.E.M. had the kind of sudden, transformative effect on music that Nirvana did. To use a metaphor I’ve trotted out before, R.E.M.’s slowly developing success from 1983 to 1992 is a slow burn compared to Nirvana’s sudden explosion in late 1991. Both are impressive, but the former was, and is, more rewarding to me.

Kurt Cobain loved R.E.M., both as musicians and as role models (I’m sure he envied their gradual emergence into the sun, compared to his own band’s experience of being in darkness and then having the klieg lights turned on suddenly). And he idolized Michael Stipe. For his part, Stipe greatly admired Kurt, and never failed to praise the hell out of Nirvana (R.E.M.’s unstinting championing of younger indie bands throughout their career is one of their most admirable qualities). Famously, the two men had plans to collaborate, which were scuttled by Kurt’s death.

Body of work. Nirvana had two ferocious, brilliant albums in the early 90s, followed by the lovely coda of Unplugged. Now, I’d put Murmur and Automatic up against Nevermind and In Utero, but to fully appreciate R.E.M., you have to immerse yourself in their entire output (well, OK, you don’t need the stuff after Bill Berry left). I listen to Nirvana for the occasional blast of pop brilliance (usually while driving). But R.E.M.’s EP and first ten albums are the soundtrack of my life.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles (The Beatles win a clash of the titans, but I think radiohead will be stiffer competition than people think. This is the AM forum)

Radiohead (OutKast is great, but they didn't have the sustained great output of Radiohead)

Prince (Using yesterday's standards: Purple Rain > Born in the U.S.A. > Sign 'o' the Times > Born to Run > 1999)

U2 (Wow, I was right about the U2 vs. R.E.M. vote being very close yesterday. This could be a three-way tie. It's almost an impossible pick, but I'll stick to my guns. The advantage U2 and R.E.M. have over Nirvana is consistent longevity)

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
OutKast
Prince
R.E.M.


Prince
Bob Dylan
The Beatles
OutKast
Radiohead
R.E.M.
Bruce Springsteen
Nirvana
U2

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Beatles
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
Nirvana

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Voting against Mr. Dylan (again) is tough, but the Beatles are just that good. There is no artist left that I would vote for over them.

Outkast
I'm usauly the first on the forum to dis rap (and the 00's), but I love Outkast. They are one of my favorite groups from the genre (after Biggie and Run DMC). It was pretty close, but I find Radiohead to get overrated on this forum.

Bruce Springstten
Interesting this matchup occured on boht AM Survivor and UMT the same week. I'll use the same logic for both (Born in the USA > Purple Rain). I'm interested to see if the same artist comes out on tops of both (I think the results willbe different, but that's just me).

U2
It pains me to vote against Nirvana and R.E.M. general, but to vote against both at once has me pulling my hair out. In all honesty, I'd be happy to see any one of them win, because I only like U2 slightly more than the other two.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Schleuse, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Kurt Cobain was listening to "Automatic for the People" when he killed himself. I've always found this interesting.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Listyguy
Schleuse, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Kurt Cobain was listening to "Automatic for the People" when he killed himself. I've always found this interesting.


Yeah, I had heard that.

The critical consensus on Automatic is that it's a beautiful meditation on mortality and loss (that's a bit pat, but it's generally sound). It's painful to imagine a great, visionary artist like Kurt listening to songs like "Sweetness Follows," "Nightswimming," "Find the River," and of course "Everybody Hurts," presumably looking for solace, and not finding it.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Listyguy
Schleuse, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Kurt Cobain was listening to "Automatic for the People" when he killed himself. I've always found this interesting.



Kurt & Stipe were also talkin collaberation and had Nirvana put out another album, chances are...

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Prince
R.E.M.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Dylan
#1 artist all time for me. Too bad he almost certainly will lose. If the Beatles win it all they will deserve it, but it'd be disappointing just from a predictability standpoint.
Radiohead
Though it's great that Outkast is the last surviving rap act.
Prince
The two titans of the 80's.
Nirvana

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles (they deserve to win the whole thing, but maybe next time there should be a rule that past winners are out of the next competition? I agree that it's getting a bit predictable.)
Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.
U2
Prince (he didn't win the match-up but he's growing on me more than any of the others. Give me time...)
OutKast
Nirvana

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
U2

The first three choices were really easy for me. Too easy for this stage.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Brucie
R.E.M.

I can't say that any of this was particularly difficult. Bob vs Beatles would've have been difficult a year ago, but now I'm quite sure that the Beatles are insanely overrated. Not to say that they're a bad band (probably top 10 of all time, Revolver is in the top ten albums of all time), but they're against the King, and you can't beat the King. Outkast have certainly run their course, I'm really happy to see they've got this far, but Radiohead is just too steep a mountain to climb. Brucie wins it easily, by virtue of being downright incredible (Darkness on the Edge of Town is now my 3rd favourite album of all time), and I haven't listened to enough Prince. And lastly R.E.M. win against two bands I respect, but have little time for.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

No doubt the e-mail voters will increase the Beatles' advantage over Dylan - DAMN IT.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles

Highway 61 Revisited > Rubber Soul > Revolver > Abbey Road > Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Radiohead

OK Computer > Kid A > In Rainbows > Speakerboxxx/The Love Below > Stankonia

Bruce Springsteen

Born to Run > Purple Rain > Darkness on the Edge of Town > Born in the U.S.A. > Sign 'O' the Times

Nirvana

Nevermind > In Utero > The Joshua Tree > MTV Unplugged in New York > Automatic for the People

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Midaso
No doubt the e-mail voters will increase the Beatles' advantage over Dylan - DAMN IT.


And Bruce over Prince.

This forum has list its swag.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Prince
Nirvana

If I ever know enough about music to make an all-time artist list, I am sure The Beatles and Radiohead will be the top 2.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

Dan M
The Beatles (they deserve to win the whole thing, but maybe next time there should be a rule that past winners are out of the next competition? I agree that it's getting a bit predictable.)


That's actually a great idea. Someone else deserves to win once in a while, and it would only be an absence for a year or two.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

The Beatles
Radiohead
Bruce Springsteen
R.E.M.

Re: UMT2: Elite (9)

RESULTS:
The Beatles 61.4% / Bob Dylan 38.6%
Radiohead 75% / Outkast 25%
Bruce Springsteen 56.8% / Prince 43.2%
R.E.M. 43.2% / U2 38.6% / Nirvana 18.2%