Another week, another set of hard choices.

Ballots are due at midnight, Saturday, July 28.

BRACKET 25
44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)
213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)

BRACKET 26
21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)
108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)
149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)

BRACKET 27
53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)
181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)

BRACKET 28
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)
140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)

There’s been some confusion lately about the voting, so let me say it again: anyone should feel free to post a ballot, BUT you must explain your choices—not just list them—for your ballot to count in the results next weekend. For more details, look at Bracketology Central. I’m trying not to beat y’all over the head with this too often, but I’d also like to avoid misunderstandings if possible.

BRACKET 25
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)
213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)
172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)

Not my favourite heat. I quite like the Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton tune, but they're not what I prefer putting on my stereo. That Blur song is one of their worst, and the same goes for Donna Summer.

BRACKET 26
236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)
21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)
149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)

I absolutely love Jefferson Airplane. They were one of the first, if not THE first, 60s band I started listening to, back in my teens. Great song! I've developed a newborn interest in Bruce Springsteen. What a great album Born to Run is, though I like other songs from it better than the title track. Johnny Cash is excellent, and this early tune is magnificent. Really strong group, this. Van Morrison ends up last, because I'm not a great fan, and I find this song quite boring, actually.

BRACKET 27
53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)
204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)

My favourite Beach Boys song. God only knows how they made that one. Tomorrow Never Knows is a quite nice Beatles melody, but of course it comes short here. Green Onions is rather boring (I might be swearing in church now), and the Gladys Knight song isn't my cup of tea, though I enjoy the combination music and trains.

BRACKET 28
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)

One of the best from the Beatles. Glorious! I love Prince as well. He saved the 80s. The Smiths didn't ruin the 80s either, but this is definitely not my fav Smiths tune. And Otis is, no surprise, last. I find that kind of music quite boring, to be frank.

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) – this song is the undeniable number one of this bracket for me. An instantly recognizable guitar riff, a gorgeous piano outro, Duane Allman on guitar, lyrics of devotion for another man’s wife (the other man? Just some guy named George Harrison). Add it up and you’ve got a classic rock staple. The unplugged version was great, but I’ll always choose the original.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) – this one is great, no question. Another classic rock riff and one of the coolest middle sections ever. And is that a theremin solo? This one’s in my Zeppelin top five, for sure.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) – I’ve never understood the appeal of this song. I’ll take Noel Gallagher’s throwaways over this piece of excrement, anyday.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) – disco tripe.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) –this is the song I’ve been waiting for to appear on Bracketology. The Boss never wrote a song as epic as this, and it will always be a personal favorite. And as a musician, I admire (and completely understand) the perfectionism – recording 11 guitar tracks because it just doesn’t sound quite right. Standout lyric: “everybody's out on the run tonight but there's no place left to hide”.
2. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) – a good, catchy song. Perhaps overplayed, but despite that, he went on to write songs with melodies just as good but that also pushed more boundaries than this one.
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) – this one chugs right along; I’ve got the ol’ foot-tap going bigtime! And that’s one enthusiastic crowd of convicts!
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) – another song that just makes me shake my head and go “really?”. I don’t even care about the drug references…. where’s the frickin’ melody? The only thing there is to like about Grace Slick is “We Built This City”, and that’s not saying much. She didn’t even write that one.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) – my personal favorite in the Eastern-influenced category of Beatles songs. Taking a cue from other Bracketologists on here, I used the what-song-would-I-rather-hear-right-now test, and as it turns out, Lennon’s experimentalism trumps Wilson’s popiness.
2. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) – a classic instrumental. But it starts to sound monotonous after a while.
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) – sure.

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) – call me crazy, but I’ve always liked Penny Lane better. But that’s neither here nor there. A classic Beatles song = #1 in the bracket.
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) – not the best Smiths song imo, but good enough for #2 here.
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) – the percussion is great, and the song has a funky flavor, but it’s not anything special.
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) – sorry Otis.

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) - Clapton at his very best, and an amazing masterpiece. Pure love.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) - The 23 minute version on the new album is simply amazing.
3. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) - Never been a great fan of Donna Summer, but it's better than Boys who like girls who like boys who like girls..
4. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) - Very uninspired.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) - This song should be even higher, Springsteen takes #1 easily.
2. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) - He has quite a few songs I like more, but this one is pretty decent.
3. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) - Not much to say about this song, it's pretty good. Shalalalalalalatida!
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) - I don't like it.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) - This is music baby, the only BB song that comes close to Good Vibrations.
2. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) - Another Grand Theft Auto track, and another great song.
3. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) - Lets take the midnight plane to Houston, because Georgia just isn't that great.
4. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) - Like so many Beatles songs, it's just very mediocre.


BRACKET 28

1. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) - Great Prince song, and for a song that's so depressing.. it makes you pretty cheerful.
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) - Easy win over the last two, but a tough choice between this one and Prince. The best song from The Smiths.
3. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) - Like I've mentioned before, I'm not a Beatles fan, but this song being #1 of all Beatles songs baffles me. It's just not that good.
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) - The way this song starts out just makes me wanna turn it off. And unfortunately, it doesn't get much better when you keep listening.

A lot of songs I don't think deserve a spot in the top 250 this week.

Bracket 25: This is the SEX bracket!
1. BLUR, “GIRLS AND BOYS”: For me, this bracket comes down to Blur and Donna Summer—amazingly, two disco songs. I decided to throw Blur a bone, even though I don’t think this is among their best songs…you know, I can still put on Parklife at a party, and all my fellow Americans who hear it for the first time love it.
2. DONNA SUMMER, “I FEEL LOVE”: A sexy female song is extremely welcome in this bracket. Groundbreaking, hypnotic, and the best song of the disco era not written by Rodgers & Edwards.
3. DEREK AND THE DOMINOS, “LAYLA”: It’s Eric Clapton, so that’s already one strike against it. I cannot deny that the first three minutes are a searing, beautiful look into the mind of a stalker (and I mean that in a good way), but then it turns into a crappy love song.
4. LED ZEPPELIN, “WHOLE LOTTA LOVE”: See, songs ABOUT sex and seduction are sexy. Songs that actually try to evoke male orgasm are not…Frankie’s ”Relax” is a wonderful song, but not sexy; this one is just icky. I’d rather listen to Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom”; at least that one’s TRYING to be funny.

Bracket 26
1. JOHNNY CASH, “FOLSOM PRISON BLUES”: A masterpiece…simultaneously the best prison song ever and the best train song ever, right at the point where rock and country started to go their separate ways.
2. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, “WHITE RABBIT”: I hate the current wave of Summer of Love nostalgia, I don’t take hallucinogens, and the later career of this band is truly embarrassing…but my god, this song is a powerhouse.
3. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “BORN TO RUN”: My favorite Bruce stuff actually comes from before Born to Run, when he was just a talented Jersey kid messing around. This song is still good, but it’s the transition to his Woody Guthrie-wannabe phase, of which I am not fond.
4. VAN MORRISON, “BROWN EYED GIRL”: I like Van Morrison, but I’m allergic to “remember when?” songs…too bad “Into the Mystic” didn’t make the 256.

Bracket 27
1. THE BEACH BOYS, “GOD ONLY KNOWS”: I don’t know of any song that’s simultaneously so happy and so fearful that happiness is fleeting…jaw-dropping.
2. THE BEATLES, “TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS”: The psychedelic era began between the 13th track on Revolver and this, the 14th. Perhaps it should be first here, but my conscience is soothed by the presence of “Strawberry Fields” in the next bracket.
3. GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS, “MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA”: Fantastic track that shows what happens when Motown finally loosens up.
4. BOOKER T. & THE MG’S, “GREEN ONIONS”: I think this is the only instrumental track in the tournament. It kicks ass, but this bracket might be the most overloaded one so far, so it goes here.

Bracket 28
1. THE BEATLES, “STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER”: Easiest pick of the week, maybe the easiest of the tournament so far…and I think it even outshines “Day in the Life.” It’s cranberry sauce, people—cranberry sauce…
2. PRINCE, “SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES”: Despite my fondness for Prince, I think this one’s a little overrated; like “Ziggy Stardust” and “London Calling,” it’s highly ranked in part because it’s the title track of a great album.
3. OTIS REDDING, “TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS”: Typically great Otis vocals—it just takes too long to get to the best part of this song.
4. THE SMITHS, “THIS CHARMING MAN”: After last week, it’s almost a relief to deal with a Smiths song I don’t like.

This is the strongest week so far in my opinion. Some good songs are going to be shut out!

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) - The ultimate Clapton riff. A night-and-day verse/chorus structure alone would earn this classic status.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) - One of many covers that Zep refused to acknowledge as covers until recently (others include When the Levee Breaks, Bring it on Home and Dazed and Confused). Cool solo, hell, it's half the song, but I'm not that excited about the rest of the track. You, know, the actual song part. Sorry guitarists, I know it's hard for you to understand how a solo is not a song.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) - Why this was a Blur single is beyond me. It's unrepresentative, difficult and grating. Still it's qualities are easily understood as few other groups have produced such viable Cockney-funk. Maybe Parklife would've made a bigger splash in the States if this was more straightforward and less oddball (but would it have been worth it?)
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) - One of the few tracks from the disco era I actually enjoy. It's a shame it's up against such undeniable heavy-hitters because this was a track I would've liked to support.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) - An epic tale of teenage paranoia by and for blue-collar romantics. The track that made Springsteen a legend right after bankrupting him.
2. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) - The track that introduced the world to the man in black. As much as I hate relegating a Cash track to 2nd Springsteen's bells are downright killer.
3. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) - One of the few Morrison tracks I really enjoy. It might as well be the definition of AM radio.
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) - Psychedelic excursion through Wonderland. The funny thing is I find the source material trippier than this ho-hum dirge. Druggies are so overrated.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) - One of my all-time favourite Beatles tracks. It practically invented drum and bass. Famous for being inspired by the Book of the Dead this song introduced Beatles psychedelica. Between the nature-oriented lyrics, reverse guitar tracks and driving beat one'd be hard-pressed to find another drugged-out track that held together so well.
2. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) - It's not a great compliment to say that it took Love Actually to convince me this was a good song, but it's true. Best Beach Boys song of all-time? Maybe. I guess I'm not much of a surf-pop fan.
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) - Simple 12 bar blues played by some of the best musicians who ever lived.
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) - It pains me to put a soul song in 4th, especially one about a train. Tough competition.

BRACKET 28
1. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) - Pure emotion, sweat and energy from one of the most passionate singers to ever hold a microphone. Dethrones Cooke as the king of soul.
2. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) - Lennon later said he felt this song wasn't recorded properly. He was right. As a result Penny Lane will always be the memorable Beatles nostalgia track.
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) - Haven't heard this song and couldn't find it on youtube (I've been looking for it in CD stores but it's a rarity, especially at a reasonable price, even in Toronto). Still, it's gotta be better than Morrissey.
4. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) - Mommy, make the bad man stop singing.

Wow! My first try at Bracktology and we have four very strong brackets this week.

BRACKET 25
1. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) Whole Lotta Love is one of Led Zeps best and definetely the best of their epic songs.
2. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) A great song for the summer and I still love to play this one at parties.
3. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)
4. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)
The other two are not my cup of tea. I Feel Love is a bit to overlong and Layla is a song I hate.

BRACKET 26
1. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) I love White Rabbit's acid-feeling even though I'm only drinking alcohol nowadays.
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) I also like the Springsteen song but dare I say that I like the coverversion from Frankie Goes to Hollywood even more (or am I disqualified now?).
3. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)
4. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
The Van Morrison song is just nice but I don't like Johnny Cash. I understand what people love about him but I find most of his songs boring - including this one.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) What the heck is this? Three of the greatest songs of all time in one bracket! But I have to vote for the Beatles. When I did a Beatles Best Of Tape for my sisters a few years ago I ranked all songs and put this one at number one. I'm not so sure if it would be still number one today...
2 The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) ...But if I did a 'best of the Beatles AND the Beach Boys mixtape' God only knows would definetely not be my number one (but still be in the top ten).
3 Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) Green Onions is one of the best instumental pop song of all time but in this bracket only number three.
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) Gladys' song isn't bad but not as great as the others.


BRACKET 28
1. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) Again two great songs. But I go for the little man because it's a great minimalist song with a great video. It's one of Prince' finest and on the other hand I can easily name ten to fifteen songs by the Beatles I love more than SFF.
2. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
3. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) I really, really love the Smiths but this is just not one of their great songs.
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) No, I don't!

jonmarck, you've got to be one of the funniest writers on here.

Your bracketology comments and sarcastic response to Mike the Garbage Fan were hilarious. Keep it up man.

BRACKET 25- I don't know...any of these top 3 songs could be #1 since I don't have any strong feeling towards any of them. I just went by what I used to like in the past for this bracket. It was the best I could do.

1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)- Probably the only Clapton song that I really like. Except for Cream stuff. First in a weak bracket.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)- Goes on way too long. Zeppelin were good musicians with a 16 year old boy writing the lyrics and this song is the main offender of that idea.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)- I don't know...any of these top 3 songs could be #1 since I don't have any strong feeling towards any of them. I just went by what I used to like in the past for this bracket. It was the best I could do. I think I was into this song for a couple months.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)- Disco can have be ok, but not in this case.


BRACKET 26-

1. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)- Only the Godfather made you care more for criminals.
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)- So much emotion packed in one song.
3. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)- Better than most SF bands in the fact that they captured the darkness and scariness of the counter-culture instead of just painting an "everything's groovy" picture.
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)- Morrison has good albums. This sounds really goofy next to a lot of the rest of his work.


BRACKET 27- This is tough. One of my favorite Beatles songs, one of my favorite soul songs against one of the greatest songs ever. Nice.

1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)- This brought more to the table than God Only Knows and really ushered in a new train of thought of what you could do with rock. Plus it's a good song. Double whammy.
2. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)- I've never really taken a good look at the top 3000 before. I can't believe this song is #53. It's probably the most perfect pop song ever. But, in this battle I'm going with innovation that continues to shape music.
3. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)- One of my favorite soul songs and I just love the background vocals. I wish I was a Pip. Really tough bracket.
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)- Kind of good, but I always get the 60's inst. songs mixed up so it must not have had that much of an effect on me.


BRACKET 28
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)- Now, God Only Knows beats this! This kind of took all of the innovation in Tomorrow Never Knows and then soaked it in drugs. Either way, it was the Beatles true departure in the public eye and they were one of the few big bands to pull off the sound.
2. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)- Awesome especially when he performed it at Monterrey.
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)- Just ok.
4. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)- I don't know where I put myself as a Smiths fan. I like about 20 of their songs a lot, some are my favorites of all-time. The rest of their catalog just isn't very good to me and this is one of those songs.

BRACKET 25
1. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) - Bombastic, over-the-top, blues-rock done right, but would get trounced in any other bracket this week.
2. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) - A bit repetitive, but still a stand out.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) - A decent track, but not as timeless as Layla.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) - Leftover

BRACKET 26
1. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) - This is a cornerstone of my collection. The recent movie does a decent job explaining why. Country music is not well liked on this site, so it will probably finish third.
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) - Another over-the-top rocker that I like. Poetic lyrics. Would be better without the wall of sound and sax solo.
3. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) - When I used to work at a record store, a confused lady once came in and asked for "Little Brown Girl." I finally figured out that she wanted this.
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) - I don't get it. Rock critics must like drugs.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) - This one is in my personal top five. A pop masterpiece.
2. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) - Great lyrics. Just kidding. This is just a totally cool sound. Reminds me of American Graffiti.
3. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) - A nice seventies hit.
4. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) - The sitar gives me a headache. A bad trip.

BRACKET 28
1. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) - The horn introduction, followed by Otis' soul singing is magical. And then the slow build up...! Wow. Please listen to this song before you reflexively vote for the Beatles.
2. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) - A classic rock tune that would win most brackets, but I suspect John would have voted for Otis.
3. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) - I'm surprised to be putting this classic Smiths tune in third place, but the competition is tough.
4. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) - For me, the other three tunes are just killer, so this has to be fourth.

It's really hard to decide some of these brackets this week - but here goes:

BRACKET 25
1)Derek & The Dominos - Layla:Wins this bracket solidly - the piano coda at the end must be one of rock's most sublime moments
2)Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love:Classic riff but overall,doesn't do a lot for me anymore
3)Blur - Girls And Boys:Well obviously they weren't taking it too seriously - so I don't either
4)Donna Summer - I Feel Love:I can see why the acclaim is there - it just doesn't really do it for me

BRACKET 26
1)Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run:Epic rock track - kickass stuff - deserves it's place
2)Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues:Never heard the original(don't know if many people have) but love the version on 'Folsom Prison'
3)Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl:Nothing wrong with it - just overplayed so seems a bit pedestrian now
4)Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit:I really don't like this song

BRACKET 27
1)Beach Boys - God Only Knows:Heavenly pop tune - easily #1 here
This is where it gets hard,I love all these other 3 tracks
2)Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows:For it's innovation -the weirdest stuff going on at the time
3)Gladys Knight & The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia:I love this song - just it's behind 2 classics
4)Booker T & The MGs - Green Onions:Gotta be the greatest instrumental ever but I'll put it behind the others since there's no words...

BRACKET 28
GODDAMN is this bracket hard!
1)Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever:Same reasoning as 'Tomorrow Never Knows'
2)Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness:Almost unmatched in the soul genre
3)The Smiths - This Charming Man:A very good song - would be higher in most other brackets
4)Prince - Sign O'The Times:I really hate putting a musical genius at #4 in a bracket but such is the strength of the bracket - great tune still
Ask me tomorrow and this bracket would probably be completely different...

Mmm, this week’s getting easier for me, 3 of this songs are in my Top 10 of ever favourites. Surely the comments will reveal which three…

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970): Clapton at his peak. The first part with the legendary riff, the fiery guitars and the desperate love lyrics is great. But the second part driven by the piano with the intertwined acoustic and slide guitars is absolutely precious.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969): well, the basis may have been stolen, but the clever arrangements and studio trickery (downwards guitars, stereo effects and voice echoes) were entirely original at the time.
3. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977): when Brian Eno first heard the song, he told David Bowie: “I’ve heard the sound of the future”. And no one can discuss the visionary abilities of Brian Eno.
4. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994): a funny one, but not even near the previous three.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975): the culmination of the backstreet Romeo and Juliet stories of the previous two albums is his more focused and intense effort. Yes, intense. It sounds more that a flood of music overflowing than a band playing.
2. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967): this song gives a notion of the heights Van could have reached if he had chosen to be a pop star.
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956): great lyrics, “I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away…”
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967): nice slice of 60s psychedelia, but I suspect that its high position owns more to historical significance that to music itself.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966): if someone asked me for my favourite minute of music (although why the hell somebody could ask me that) I would choose for sure the last minute of “God Only Knows”, where the vocal harmonies goes intertwining again and again forming a spiral that elevates to heaven.
2. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966): no one expected at the time such risky move from a band that could have remained making million sellers records without any effort. But they always opted for the uneasy way, and that’s its greatness.
3. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973): 70s soul at his best, powerful singing.
4. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962): mmm, good but I’m not sure if it stands the test of time as the previous three.

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967): the perfect evocation of a LSD trip, with a sweet evocative beginning with the flute-sounding mellotron, then achieving a sombre and ominous tone with the strings and trumpets and ending with a bizarre, fractured and avant-garde arrangement. And all that not completely intentional (the final version was the edit of two different takes of the song).
2. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987): Prince doing a superb protest song for the then current times. I’m shocked that it’s not on YouTube, the song had a wonderful clip that put emphasis on the lyrics.
3. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966): I put it on #3 cause it’s the studio version that lacks the unstoppable force of the Monterrey performance, the best way to appreciate the song.
4. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983): great song with a fantastic bass line and perverse lyrics, but life is hard (and full of complexities), Mozzer.

25:
1. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love: My body lies scattered all over the floor from the impact of this ROCK EXPLOSION! The incredible hard rock shouting, unforgetable riff and amazing changes of tempo rockets this song into a secure spot on my all time top 20. I often listen to it 10 times in a row while preparing for parties
2. Derek and the Dominoes - Layla: Laaaaaaayla! The desperation echoes in my head for hours after listening to this. Great riff, fantastic desperate screaming and superb guitar work. Really, really sorry to put this in second place, but that's what you get when you compete with the Zep - second place.
3. Donna Summer - I Feel Love: Fine Tune. I like the combination of up-beat background synthesizers and slow-tempo vocals. A bit monotonous though - after 2 minutes it just gets boring and I change back to Whole lotta Love!
4. Blur - Girls and Boys: Great band, stupid song.

A very divided bracket containing two amazing songs and two not that spectacular ones.

26:
1. Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl: Pleasant and romantic. Not fantastic though - a tad boring.
2. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit: I like this song and the reason that it doesn't occupy first place may be that I haven't heard it enough. One thing holds it back though; the whole song sounds like it's building up to something - some great sound extravaganza. It never reaches this climax though (in my opinion at least), and I am left wanting.
3. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues: I don't get country. The bass in this song is awfully country'ish. The lyrics are kinda cool though.
4. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run: Eeww, icky pop! The happy, easy listening-like drumming, the carefree, overdone guitars and the ultracheasy bells (not to mention the terrible saxophone solo) come together in one big, sticky nothingness. This must be what they play in sticky-pop heaven. Yuck!
(heavily exaggerated for effect )

Not a very strong bracket. All mediocre.

27:
1. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows: not one of their best songs, but still very nice. The drums are fantastic.
2. The Beach Boys - God only knows: Lovely. A bit to surfy for me though - lacks a bit of edge imo.
3. Booker T & The M.G.s - Green Onions: I love onions. I'm not that much into instrumental music though, but I must admit that this is rather good. Would have been great, if some soulful voice sang about onions with this in the background. That would be an instant hit.
4. Gladys Knight & the pips - Midnight Train to Georgia: Trains seem to be a big thing in this forum - everybody loves them. To gain your respect, I have decided that I love trains and songs about this subject as well (keeping my fingers crossed). Even though this song is about trains (and is therefore great), it's not the best song in the train category. Maybe it would be better if they sang about trains even more...

Not a that good bracket - ok songs (and trains woo!), but nothing spectacular.

28:
1. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever: Breathtakingly beautiful.
2. Prince - Sign O' The Times: Slick and funky. A bit too much talking by the royal artist though.
3. The Smiths - This Charming Man: Good, but it's no Frankly Mr. Shanky
4. Otis Redding - Try a little tenderness: okay, but not quite my cup of tea.

A bracket with a clear winner!

BRACKET 25
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) - Rip-off from Dixon / Faces. But much, much better, so what's the problem?
44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) - Written about Pattie Boyd. She can similarly bask in the glory of "Something" and "You Look Wonderful Tonight".
213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) - How this song is the second most acclaimed Blur song is beyond me.
172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) - Boring Disco


BRACKET 26
236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) - I like the ecphrasis of Lewis Carrols works, the drums, and the crescondo structure.
149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) - In the movie, one of the guys from his band seemingly improvised the guitar hook from this one. Which I found kind of odd, since it might be the best Cash hook there is. Also a mention of a train. yay!
108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)
21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) - Born to be mediocre



BRACKET 27
181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) - They didn't even need the 1000 chanting monks to win this weak bracket.
53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) - I like the Beach Boys, but this one doesn't really do it for me.
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) - It's instrumental, so why is called specifically "Green Onions"? Is that really the one vegetable and color combination that most closely relates to it? That's what I want to know.
204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) - It really hurts me to put this song last, as it contains lyrics involving trains. Which of course rules.

BRACKET 28
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) - Far ahead of the others. A factor in the collapse of Brian Wilson.
140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) - The sign being lousy synthesizer sounds and talking lyrics. Still, there is good song construction underneath this.
117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) - Mediocre. No Frankly Mr Shankly.
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) - Not that much, though.

BRACKET 25
1- Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love”
2- Blur, “Girls and Boys”
3- Derek and the Dominos, “Layla”
4- Donna Summer, “I Feel Love”

BRACKET 26
1- Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl”
2- Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues”
3- Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run”
4- Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit”

BRACKET 27
1- Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions”
2- The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows”
3- Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia”
4- The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows”

BRACKET 28
1- Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times”
2- Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness”
3- The Smiths, “This Charming Man”
4- The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever”

BRACKET 25 (Poor bracket)
1. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) (I'm not a huge Zep fan. But I and II both released in 1969 was quite the shot across the bow. I take this as a representative of those albums (although I prefer the songs on I to this song))
2. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) (I know it is an important forerunner to a lot of later house and elctronic hits. I'd just rather listen to them.)
3. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) (I like the bridge, it gives me good memories of Goodfellas, but otherwise... nah.)
4. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) (I like Blur quite a lot, but HATE this song. Always have. Turned me off from listenting to other Blur for a while.)

BRACKET 26 (2 great songs, two relatively poor ones)
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) (one mark of a great song is when you're not listenting to it you think "God, that's overplayed," but every time it's on you get sucked right back into it. This does that for me.)
2. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) (would be first on the majority of lists. Just edged by Bruce)
3. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) (yawn)
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) (hate Grace Slick's voice. Hate the far too obvious "wow psychedelic drugs are cool" theme.)

BRACKET 27 (3 superb entrys here)
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) (I dilike most of the Beatles Indian forays. But when they layered other stuff on top, chopped it up and invented studio collage rock, it was genius. Someone tell Jefferson Airplane this is how you do psychedelia.)
1. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) (If you had told me before considering this for a while that I'd put this song above God Only Knows, I'd have said you're crazy. Then I listened to it again. Gladys sings that so fabulously. I came really close to putting at the top, but couldn't see putting the Beatles #2 in two straight brackets (see below).)
3. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) (As gorgeous as this is - and it is as gorgeous as it comes - it is not soulful, and it is not edgy. I guess I prefer soulful and edgy.)
4. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) (Left very far in the dust.)

BRACKET 28
1. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) (Otis is as unrerrated a singer and songwriter (yeah, I know he didn't write this one) as there is. Everyone knows he is a good soul artist. No one says that he is just about the best. To my mind, he is far greater than Aretha, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and all of the Motown artists save Stevie Wonder. (BTW, I'm leaving the holy trinity of funk - JB, Sly, and George Clinton - out of this consideration.))
2. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) (Again, someone tell Jefferson Airplane this is how you do psychedelia. This and I Am the Walrus are my favorite marriage of lyrics and delivery in the Beatles catalogue)
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) (Love ya Prince, but this is not your best.)
4. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) (Like I said last week, I like the Smiths' sound, but never get into the songs themselves.)

Thanks for another great week.

BRACKET 25:
1. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
2. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)

"Whole Lotta Love" is tremendous - a riff so good that the 'my cock is so big' lyrics will be heard for many a-decade. Marvellous.

"Layla" is really two great songs for the price of one - the former boasting THE RIFF which pretty much defines "classic rock", the latter a highly poignant, wistful piano piece (used to wonderful effect in Goodfellas).

I didn't care for "Girls & Boys" back in the day, but I do really dig it now - its lyrics trounce cockily through a lack of employment and an abundance of sexuality, while them beats getcha dancing and the chanting gets every pint in the pub pounding in time!

"I Feel Love" isn't without charm, though is obviously quite dated.

BRACKET 26:
1. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)
3. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)

The abrupt line "But I shot a man in Reno / Just to watch him die" gives "Folsom Prison Blues" the edge, helped out though it is by Cash's distinctly cherishable vocals and the great rhythms his band came out with.

"Born To Run" is also a great song - it boasts a terrific sound, great instrumentation, and an inspired, powerful structure.

"Psychedelic music", as far as I'm concerned, should sound completely otherworldly, like something actually beamed in from another dimension. "White Rabbit" does that, for me, it shimmers lazily into view with tones and moods you wouldn't find in 'normal' music. It's intoxicating. Or put simply, it's like "Bohemian Rhapsody" on a shit-load of crack.

"Brown Eyed Girl" I like also - a fun, distinctive and whimsical pop song. I do prefer the more 'out there' material of Astral Weeks, though.

BRACKET 27:
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
2. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)

"Tomorrow Never Knows" was decades ahead of its time - not to mention just a great fuckin' song and an all-time great album-closer. It's just so bloody good.

"God Only Knows" is one of The Beach Boys' most gorgeous songs - and being as they have more than their share of gorgeous songs, that's a compliment.

"Green Onions" is short, sharp and funk-ay - but I can't say MTTG does overly much for me.

BRACKET 28:
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)

"Strawberry Field Forever" is one of The Beatles' very, very best songs for my money - a lyric that cuts right to the heart of the human experience, tied to a beautiful, organic and inventive piece of music. Bliss.

"This Charming Man" is a typically great Smiths song - excellent music, typified by those opening guitar licks, and some fabulous lines ("...he knows so much about these things(!)").

SOTT was the first song that piqued my curiosity in Prince, having previously dismissed him. Prince's social commentary is bizarre, though - he's a total nutter with no real grip on reality, and he's trying to be Bob Dylan! Nuts.

TALT I hadn't heard before today. It sounded rockin' enough.

BRACKET 25
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) Whole Lotta Love is a little too goofy to really be genuinely great (Robert Plant obviously was born completely lacking an normal sense of embarrassment), but that riff is monstrous, and without question this is one of the most influential sounds of the rock era.

172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) – Dated? Perhaps, but that throbbing synth-bass still sounds incredibly vital to me. This is another incredibly influential sound, but bloated metal means more to me than bloated disco, so this comes in 2nd.

44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) I’ve never thought all that highly of Eric Clapton’s most acclaimed moment – too frenetic, too frenzied to my ears, excluding the coda of course. I’d rather listen to anything else off the album than this track.

213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) I don’t care for the band to begin with, and this song sounds positively minor when compared to its competition.

BRACKET 26

108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) Forty years of relentless radio play have worn the sheen off, but it’s still a perfect pop song.

236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) The most under-rated band of the sixties? Could be, could be – this is Californian psychededia’s finest hour.


149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) It slightly rankles me that Cash has become the default country performer that it’s ok to like while other (I’d say) superior artists like Merle Haggard and George Jones are relegated to country graveyard. No complaints about the performer himself though, and this is an utterly appropriate signature song.


21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) I certainly won’t question his talent, but the melodrama and bombast that runs through his music and (especially) his vocals are completely unpalatable to me. I simply cannot handle over-wrought vocalists.




BRACKET 27

181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) I prefer the pure pop side of the Beatles over the psychedelic freak-out aspects, but this is their best song in that style.

76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) impeccable, stylish, classic.


53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) The melody’s untouchable, but I hate the simpering, wimpy lyrics. Call me old-fashioned, but a grown man mewling ‘god only knows how much I love you’ makes me want to vomit in disgust. I also don’t care for that overly fruity instrumental break.


204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) very nice, but not my style.


BRACKET 28
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) One of the greatest pieces of pop culture of the last ½ century. The perfect blend of psychedelia and melody, and the lyrics manage the unique feat of being simultaneously trippy and touching.

245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) The greatest soul singer of the sixties, I feel – I’d rank him just below al green in terms of all-time greats.

140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) The least great successful Prince single of the eighties. Lyrically it’s completely hollow – rock’s most egomaniacal tyrant develops a social conscience overnight? Total balderdash and thoroughly unconvincing. Musically, it’s another fine entry in his minimalist style.


117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) Listening to Morrissey is like spending the evening with my brother-in-law. At first he seems witty and charming. After a while his witticisms start to sound tired and grating. After an hour I’m usually playing out murder scenarios in my head. Musically it’s a nice but undistinguished bit of retro-guitar rock.

a grown man mewling ‘god only knows how much I love you’ makes me want to vomit in disgust.

Carl Wilson was actually only 19-years-old when he sang "God Only Knows".

Before anything else, I'd like to say hello to everyone - this is my first ever post on this forum, although I've been an admirer of the AM site for a year or two.

OK, here goes. Sorry if I do this wrong.


BRACKET 25
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)
213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)
44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)

I've always disliked "Layla", I'm not a big fan of Clapton and this song is, in my opinion, hugely overrated. Other than that, my choices here match the rankings. I'm a huge fan of most music from the late 60s/early 70s (with some exceptions, obviously) so "Whole Lotta Love" is way up there for me. "I Feel Love" is also great, I wish I still had that extended 12" that I used to own (16 minutes, nice!). For me, Blur were an average pop band until their eponymous 1997 album, when they improved greatly.

BRACKET 26
236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)
149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)
21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)

OK, so I'm a hippy lol. I love the way "White Rabbit" builds up and up to its finale. Great song. Then Johnny Cash, one of his finest. I don't like Van Morrison or Bruce Springsteen's music, but between these two songs "Born To Run" annoys me more, so it's 4th here.

BRACKET 27
181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)
204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)

Ah, the 'eternal' battle between the pair of 1966 classic albums by classic bands, here represented by two of their most iconic songs. I love them both, but "Tomorrow Never Knows" gets the top spot because when I was young I used to blast it at maximum volume in pitch darkness (and probably annoyed the neighbours lol). "Green Onions" might have been placed first if it hadn't been grouped with those two classics, it deserves higher but I can't put them all first. "Midnight Train To Georgia" is the only one of these four songs which I consider good rather than great, so it loses out.

BRACKET 28
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)

Otis & The Beatles are both great artists, and these are both great songs, but "Tenderness" gets the top place because I'm too over-familiar with "Strawberry Fields Forever", the appeal's worn off for me. I don't like The Smiths' music (with the sole exception of "How Soon Is Now") so they are in fourth place, putting Prince third. It's a good song, but not his best - not even the best on that album in my opinion.


OK that's my tuppence -hope it's the sort of thing you wanted.

This is depressing me. The nearly complete lack of love for Donna Summer and Prince makes me very sad.

Moonbeam, I'm with ya on bracket 25--the fact that the 1970s were three decades ago and people still overwhelmingly prefer metal to disco is bizarre to me. Ah well, as Chic might have said: vive la difference.

I'm less worried about Prince--two of his songs, including Sinead's cover, have already advanced, and he's got two more after this week. And "Sign" is currently second (albeit a distant second) in its bracket, behind "Strawberry Fields." And I know you do not love the Beatles, but it seems to me that their psychedelic era inspired a fair amount of Around the World in a Day...

...and that gets me to thinking--the only songwriters who have had more than one song advance so far are Prince, with two, and Jagger/Richards, with either two or three (depending on how one feels about "Bittersweet Symphony"--I personally would not count a sample as a songwriting credit, although I'm sure I'm probably in the minority on that one). David Bowie has production credits on two advancing songs.

Among songwriters, Jagger, Richards and Nelson will probably be joined this week by Lennon/McCartney and possibly by Page/Plant (editorial comment deleted). Lieber/Stoller and Phil Spector already have one song each with some good chances to get more, and there are probably some others.

Am I missing anyone?

schleuse, you are the only person so far who ranked Donna Summer above Led Zeppelin, and even you didn't put her first. I almost did, but I'm in a band who sound exactly like that weird middle section of Whole Lotta Love.

Despite my continuing disparagement of Zeppelin, that sounds like a pretty cool band--I actually have a lot of time for Jimmy Page, if not Robert Plant.

With a name like Harpo, I'm guessing you play the horn?

(Sorry--Marx Brothers geek reference.)

I'm a fan of Harpo Marx, and like him I'm self-taught and unorthodox musically. But I play mostly keyboards.

The other question for Harpo is whether or not he likes Joanna Newsom. (When Kurt Cobain facetiously asked "What are they tuning, a harp?" during UNPLUGGED when the time between songs was dragging, could he have had any way of knowing that someday an acclaimed artist would come along who actually plays one?)

I'll post my bracket later. Also, I'm kind of glad to see that my denigration of "Stand by Me" last week didn't keep it from winning - in retrospect maybe I was a little harsh.

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)


BRACKET 26
1. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit”(1967)
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)



BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)
2. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987)
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)

Very interesting week
some tough brackets (for me it will be 26, hosting 2 of my very favorite artists, the boss and the man in black)
some real tight games (27, looks like that 2006 world cup group with Argentina, Holland, Serbia and Ivory Coast, we used to call it le groupe de la mort (group of death)in FRance)
my ballot for tomorrow
hhvg

So, as I said, very interesting week.


BRACKET 25

1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970)**** Good song. We were talking in another thread about outros. What about that one ?
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)*** Strange : I dislike everything in this song except the guitar riff and the chorus : the break is painful to me, the whole song is a mix between Chicago blues (it is partially derived from Muddy water's "You need love") and hard rock psychedelia. Not talking about Plant singing macho blues lyrics that don't really fit him... But anyway,it's 2nd
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994)*** Funny, danceable, well structured song. Don't understand why so many of you hate it.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977)**: I try my best to be open-minded, but it is definitely not my cup of tea

BRACKET 26
The toughest one : 4 good pieces of music
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975)*****
: Bruce is my teenage hero, and Born to run, one of my own personal anthems. By the way, do you know Frankie Goes to Hollywood's cover ? surprisingly good !
2.Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956)*****: one of the best Sun singles by the man in black. I prefer the live version at Folsom. A great prison and trains song. In any other bracket, it would have ended # 1
3.Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)**** : I like this spanish guitar part
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967)*** : I love Van but BEG is like a dry run for "Astral weeks", as they say at AMG

BRACKET 27
None of these songs is perfect to my ears, but it's a very tight bracket, le bracket de la mort
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)****: I never was a fan of the Beatles' Indian songs, but this one is really innovative and what a beat !
2.The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966)**** : great melody and harmonies, but I find it a little... light.
3.Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962)**** : one of the best instrumentals, based on a John Lee Hooker beat. Swinging
4.Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)**** : the way she sings, everything seems easy. Great song, but a little too long and lacking a touch of originality

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)***** : they were the first, along with the Beach Boys, to make beautiful songs without the usual guitar-bass-drums. A classic
2. Prince " Sign O' the times" (1987) ***** : One of my favorite Prince songs : very simple but funky and bluesy, love the guitar outro and the lyrics
3. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966)*** :
Far behind.I wonder if Otis hasn't been a bit overrated. Nevertheless, I like the lyrics (compare them to a lot of blues and r&b machism)
4. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983)** : sorry to slate an icon, but apart from the guitar intro, I just couldn't go through.

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) – Another classic-rock staple I haven’t gotten tired of. The transition from the frenetic emotion and squalling guitars of the first half to the elegiac piano coda by drummer Jim Gordon (a truly sad case – Google him sometime) is still breathtaking. Brilliant use of said coda in GOODFELLAS, too.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) – So over-the-top it’s almost self-parody, but it defines not only Zep but hard rock in general. The middle section could be shorter, but Page’s solo is one of his most succinct.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) – Works better as the lead track of a brilliantly diverse album than it does on its own; I usually switch stations when it comes on the radio.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) – Defines its genre and its period as well as anything I can think of, but still #4 here.

BRACKET 26
1. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) – An all-time favorite of mine; a perfectly constructed, slow-building gem that encapsulates an era.
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) – The Boss shoots for the moon and just about clears the ferris wheel on the Shore. A great homage to the Wall of Sound, featuring the greatest “Huh!” in rock history.
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) – As several previous commenters have written here, both a classic train song and a classic prison song, and when he says what he did in Reno and why, you –believe– him.
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) – Hard to believe this is the same man who would soon record ASTRAL WEEKS. A classic pop single, but for me it’s in “Stand by Me” territory at this point.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) – As easy a #1 pick as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was last week. One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, with possibly the greatest harmony vocal arrangement of all time.
2. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) – In any other bracket… John and George Martin go nuts in the studio and pave the way for all the experimentation to come.
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) – The definition of cool. Stax’s house band takes the instrumental spotlight. They never veered from this formula, but man, they didn’t have to.
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) – This is one of the best song-for-song brackets so far; this classic ‘70s soul ballad, with wonderful call-and-response vocals, would be #1 in some of other others.

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) – Maybe it doesn’t –quite– deserve to be the most acclaimed Beatles track, but it comes close, and it surely merits #1 here. Endlessly fascinating arrangement and production touches, and some of John’s most quizzically moving lyrics.
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) – A cheery piece of guitar pop until, of course, you pay attention to the sinister lyrics. I like a lot of other Smiths songs better, but this set the template quite well.
3. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) – A great performance that doesn’t snap into focus until Otis starts turning it on at the end. The titanic version on LIVE IN EUROPE does a better job of making the case.
4. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) – Lead track on one of rock’s greatest albums – but I like almost every other cut better. It’s a good, minimalist record, but I never listen to it unless I know “Play in the Sunshine” is coming next.

B25
1. I Feel Love (listenin' to Moroder's finest hours doesn't even come close to eating meth by a shovel)
2. Girls And Boys (pow(d)ered by the clip that echoed Club Tropicana - just grittier and sarcastically dumb. even my grandma used to lala to it)
3. Whole Lotta Love/4. Layla (summoning rock classics like these still leaves a stale taste in my mouth. plus that's why I'm not so eager to comment every runner of this game. these tunes just don't bother me. nor do they suck. they're simply stuck to their own legend of "pieces you have to live through though you're wholly fed up with them")

B26
1. Folsom Prison Blues (the most wholesome and biggest Horcrux of the Black One)
2. Born To Run (an endless mastiff of Americana that the Shangri-La's, Dean Moriarty and Del Shannon had promised yet meagerly missed in their heydays)
3. White Rabbit (It's also Mary Poppins... I've always distrusted fairytales that exclusively were made for children)
4. Brown Eyed Girl (great song if you have a brown eyed girlfriend who likes songs about brown eyed girlfriends. bad song if you have a brown eyed girlfriend who doesn't like songs about brown eyed girlfriends)

B27
1. God Only Knows (I may not always love you... (but). greatest lyrical intro ever)
2. Tomorrow Never Knows (still the centerpiece of my instincts how great Revolver would've become if it was solely for George Martin)
3. Midnight Train To Georgia (irrevocably and heartbreaklingly upright, even if it was the midnight plane to Houston)
4. Green Onions (no matter, what Booker T et al had in mind, but it makes you and your iPod invincible when you cross any street on this world with this track upon your membrane)

B28
1. Sign O The Times (stripped down and almost naked... that's what it sounds like even and especially when your cousin's doin' horse next time)
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (tamingly broodish after all... as if they were up to something that might've even overcome the helter skelter magnetism toward the commonly remembered socio_pathologists)
3. Try A Little Tenderness (prime reason why cover versions aren't abandoned from this planet yet... and why true Soul always can rely on three things he might've not recognized in the first place.. lots of undisciplined aching, an unearthed mighty larynx and after a second thought... a soul as well)
4. This Charming Man (allegedly Geoff Travis turned into earthquakes by the time they mastered that song. Do I? well, sort of..)

Muchas gracias Honorio por la traducción. Thanks to Honorio by the translation.

BRACKET 25
1. Donna Summer, I Feel Love (1977), bold experiment that produces a pleasant dizziness
2. Blur, Girls and Boys (1994), it’s funny but every time I hear it I like it less and less
3. Led Zeppelin, Whole Lotta Love? (1969), hard rock inventors
4. Derek and the Dominos, Layla (1970), pretty guitar riff and little more. Very deficient vocal performance

BRACKET 26
1, Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run (1975), here Bruce gives it all, putting all his soul on every word. The track ends with huge power.
2, Van Morrison, Brown Eyed Girl (1967), wonderful (even it’s one of George W. Bush favourite songs)
3, Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit (1967), 1967 has been the best year in musical history. This song could be Top 5 in every current end-of-year lists
4, Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues (1956), great voice. But Cash never achieved a ‘five star’ song

BRACKET 27
1, The Beach Boys, God Only Knows (1966), the melody from the four first verses led them already to the summit. Good vibrations
2, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia (1973), delicate and elegant silk sound
3, The Beatles, Tomorrow Never Knows (1966), a single chord for an hallucinatory trip
4, Booker T. & the MG?s, Green Onions (1962), magic cause you don’t know what it is: soul, psychedelic rock, jazz?

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever? (1967), it’s not easy, it seems badly constructed, but it’s a delight
2. Otis Redding, Try a Little Tenderness (1966), it doesn’t seem fair putting myself on number one
3. Prince, Sign ‘O’ the Times? (1987), it made us young again
4. The Smiths, This Charming Man (1983), intelligent music that surprised us all

Cash never achieved a 5-star song ???

Come on fellows, join me in my indignation ! (even if it is not a country-oriented forum)

OK. I understand you don't get country, but just listen to his cover of "One", on American Recordings 3. I just cannot hear Bono singing this song anymore now.

I guess that particular cover is the best cover and one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life

Calm Nicholas. I either do not agree in your qualifications of “I feel love” or “Brown Eyed Girl”, for example, but I understand that it is a question of pleasures. You do not raise so many, Nico.

Otis, I was just kidding, I wasn't really offended

That's the problem with written expression in these forums and e-mails : misinterpretation, but you can't alwas write : THIS IS A JOKE before any of your posts, because nobody's gonna laugh or smile, then

I'll pay more attention though

But by the way Otis, have you heard JC version of "One" ?

Nicholas, I do not understand everything what you say because to use the translator of Google. Sorry.

No, I have not heard “One” sung by Cash. I will already do it. I mean that I like much Johnny Cash (for example, American recordings is my number 6 of 1994) but that does not have a song to compete with great the classic ones which they arrived at the end of the BRACKETELOGY.

Otis,

I'm going to try spanish

En mi precedente e-mail, queria decir que no fui veramente enfadado a proposito de Johnny Cash

Estaba de broma

cheers
Nico

OK, then we will engage in a dialog another day about music.

25: strong bracket!

1. Donna Summer- "I Feel Love": a complete jolt to electronia and disco, and it still as seductive as ever.

2. Derek and the Dominos- "Layla": GREAT guitar riff. Not a big fan generally, but I dig it.

3. Blur- "Girls and Boys": Cheeky fun dance song. Not my favorite, but I can get with it.

4. Led Zeppelin- "Whole Lotta Love": Not a whole lot of love from me I'm afraid...

26: I'm not crazy about any of these songs.

1. Bruce Springsteen- "Born to Run": His trademark song is a decent one, but would be 4th in many brackets for me.

2. Johnny Cash- "Folsom Prison Blues": I had never heard this one before, but I certainly like it better than what appears below.

3. Jefferson Airplane- "White Rabbit": Grace Slick can suck my left titty.

4. Van Morrison- "Brown Eyed Girl": Perhaps I'm too young, but this song has always been a cliche to me. Blech.

27: I quite like the top 3!

1. The Beach Boys- "God Only Knows": Touching and heart-breaking at once- this is a perfect pop song.

2. Gladys Knight and the Pips- "Midnight Train to Georgia": GREAT soul classic! Gladys is sorely underrated on this site, I fear.

3. Booker T and the MG's- "Green Onions": Wonderful groove! Delectable!

4. The Beatles- "Tomorrow Never Knows": Stock Moonbeam answer: the vocals piss me off, and the music is tinny.



28: strong bracket!

1. Prince- "Sign o' the Times": Prince at his minimalist best. I'm always pleasantly surprised to hear the acclaim this song gets, because it absolutely deserves it. Amazing resonance and timeliness.

2. The Smiths- "This Charming Man": Charming indeed! Vintage Smiths sound and a truly classic single. Not their best, but still wondrous.

3. Otis Redding- "Try a Little Tenderness": It's no "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", but it's gutsy bluesy soul at its best.

4. The Beatles- "Strawberry Fields Forever": I heard this whole album once in a computer lab when another person was playing it for everyone. As you'd expect from me, I couldn't stand it. This song in particular was underwhelming to me.

BRACKET 25
1. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) - Pop music taken to new heights.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) - Like "Enter Sandman", it's all about the intro/riff. But that's more than OK in this case.
3. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) - Moroder inventing a new sound. And what a sound!
4. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) - OK song, awful production.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) - I have always felt there are a lot of similarities between The Boss and Rocky. I love the Rocky theme, but it would have been amazing if "Born to Run" had been the soundtrack to when Rocky runs up the stairway.
2. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) - Had songs been built up like this before? Anyway, it's an odd bird in this game and I love it.
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) - Classic Cash.
4. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) - Safe from harm. Not bad at all, but fourth.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) - I save my comments to the next round.
2. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) - The Beatles invented big beat almost 40 years ahead of The Chemical Brothers.
3. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) - The ingratiating intro used to annoy me, but a few years ago I was suddenly converted; it's not too perfect anymore.
4. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) - Really cool groove. I'm a bit sad to have to put Gladys and Booker at 3&4 like almost everyone here.

BRACKET 28
1. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) - I love Prince's minimalistic grooves, and this is one of his best. Massive!
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) - The song that established The Smiths as the British critics' darlings. Normally I'm not a fan of flat productions, but it suits Morrissey and the boys perfectly.
3. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) - Probably overrated.
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) - Good, but not a rival here.

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” - the intro, the riff, the solo..etc
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” - stairway to rock-heaven!
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” - I like it, but not as much as other Blur songs.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” - compared to the others it's no.4.

BRACKET 26
1. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” - just one comment: shalalalalalala
2. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” - I like the reference to Alice in WOnderland.
3. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” - I like Bruce.
4. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” - A train song, so it must be good. But unluckily there were 3 better songs in this bracket.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” - original, innovative, totally cool!
2. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” - A bit too mild and meek (like His Son).
3. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” - nice instrumental song.
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” - Again a train song on no.4. How dare I?

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” - I guess I will never grow tired of this masterpiece.
2. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” - Impossible to beat the Beatles, so there is another light that will go out :(
3. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” - I like the minimalistic style of Prince. Not his best song though.
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” - Bad luck, Otis, to be put in this bracket.

BRACKET 25

Layla - Absolutely number 1 in this bracket. Great piece of guitar-art
I feel love - One of the best disco songs I know
Whole lotta love - It takes more to make a good song than just a good guitar-riff
Boys & girls - Doesn't come close to the other three. I can't believe this is the second most acclaimed blur song

BRACKET 26

Brown eyed girl - The only Van morrison song in this competition. A good reason for me to put this at #1
Folsom prison blues - I like the live version on "At folsom prison" even more
White rabbit - Good song, no more no less
Born to run - I like a lot of Springsteen's work, but this one simply doesn't do it for me

BRACKET 27

God only knows - Best song on one of the best albums of all times, what can I say more?
Midnight train to Georgia - A song I can listen to all day long.
Green onions - Sometimes words are not necessary
Tomorrow never knows - To me this is a "you had to be there to understand this"-song. I wasn't there in the '60's so I don't understand it. I must admit this is a revolutionairy song. But it's not one I like to listen to. Revolver has a lot more to offer than this

BRACKET 28

Sign 'o' the times - I can't say I like everything Prince has made. But if he makes something good it is really good
Strawberry fields forever - Good beatles song but absolutely no number 1 song for me. They made a lot better songs
This charming man - Good guitar pop
Try a little tenderness - Not my kind of music, great voice though

I think I took a week break from bracketology, but here I go

BRACKET 25

1. “Girls and Boys” – This song has got a bit dated, but this song really provided the first distinctively British contribution to the alternative music landscape that I would come to really like.
2. “Whole Lotta Love” – Classic Zeppelin, amazing that this was one of their hit singles with that expanded non-poppy noise section
3. “Layla” – Best and longest song coda of all time.
4. “I Feel Love” – Easy one to be last, I don’t even know how the song goes!

BRACKET 26

1. “Born to Run” – Hands down, as epic as a non-indulgent song can be. If he was singing about some dramatic emotional struggle only rock stars suffer through, you could dismiss this. But like most of his words they’re gritty, heartfelt, and down-to-earth.
2. “White Rabbit” – Haunting psychedelica, accentuates a lot of good cinematic moments (the ones that come to mind are the Sopranos and the movie the Game)
3. “Brown Eyed Girl” – A little dated but still sweet
4. “Folsom Prison Blues” – all respect to Mr. Cash, this one just isn’t memorable melodically

BRACKET 27

1. “God Only Knows” – One of my top ten songs of all time. Nothing else can really be said.
2. “Tomorrow Never Knows” – Lots of knowable songs in this bracket, this song signalled an experimental Beatles side while still being hummable
3. “Green Onions” – Instrumentals have to really be something to be timeless, and this one has a universal groove.
4. “Midnight Train to Georgia” – A lesser soul song.

BRACKET 28

1. “Strawberry Fields Forever” – One of my favorites, orchestral, with another distinctive coda.
2. “Sign ‘O’ the Times” – One I’m learning to appreciate since I got my hands on the 1987 classic album only recently. If Prince didn’t have this song, his sexual singles might have dominated my views of his artistic depth.
3. “Try a Little Tenderness” – I probably heard this on the radio at one point or another, Otis Redding is always good
4. “This Charming Man” – can’t remember this song, sorry

BRACKET 25
1. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” - Shows you how good music can be when it's written my a man who wants to nail another man's wife.
2. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” - Like the first song, this is a rock 'n' roll classic about carnal desires. If you don't like these songs, you're probably a woman. Nothing wrong with that of course, I'm just pointing it out.
3. Blur, “Girls and Boys” - Catchy little Brit pop number with clever chorus.
4. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” - A song for those who don't like the first two in this bracket.

BRACKET 26
1. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” - An epic. "Baby, kids like you and me were born to run."
2. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) - Since my wife and daughters are all brown eyed girls I have a certain affinity for this song. Plus it has a killer pop melody.
3. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” - Always cool, but in a tough bracket.
4. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” - 'psychedelic' doesn't do a lot for me, and a lot of it sounds forced. But this is one of the better examples of the genre.

BRACKET 27
1. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” - Wins one of the weaker brackets. The simple, touching sentiment is effective, and of course the Boys can harmonize like nobody's business.
4. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” - A classic blues groove.
3. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” - Let the studio experimentation begin. Good song, but doesn't stand out as one of the Beatles' greats. Sounds like they were warming up for "Sgt. Pepper's."
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” - Effective '70s soul.

BRACKET 28
1. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” - My favorite Beatles song, and if that's not enough to put it at the top of most brackets, I don't know what is.
2. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” - A cool intro, and the examples Prince uses as signs of the times in 1987 work just as well in 2007.
3. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” - I'm not a Morrissey hater or a Morrissey fan. This is a good Smiths song, nothing more, nothing less.
4. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” - I'm an Otis Redding fan, but while good, this isn't one of his best.

Hope I'm not too late

BRACKET 25
44. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla” (1970) Very awesomely pretty and painful.
213. Blur, “Girls and Boys” (1994) Not Blur's best, but definitely a fun, stupid pop song.
85. Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love” (1969) Great riff, though I think the Plant groaning part goes on too long.
172. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” (1977) Haven't hear it enough. Probably unfair to Donna.


BRACKET 26
21. Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (1975) Just, frakin' perfect in its bombastic account of an everyday person who's fed up.
149. Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” (1956) For the "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" line.
108. Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) Pretty, happy pop song.
236. Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967) A cool song, but not one I ever feel the desire to listen to.

BRACKET 27
53. The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (1966) Yeah, this song is perfect and just really the most beautiful song in pop.
76. Booker T. & the MG’s, “Green Onions” (1962) Such a groove on this. Instantly recognizable and I never get tired of it.
204. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973) Cool little soul ditty
181. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) I personally find this song much more influential than enjoyable, but I feel that way about the Beatles in general.


BRACKET 28
117. The Smiths, “This Charming Man” (1983) What a weak bracket, but this is my favorite. I can't believe this is The Smiths' highest rated song.
12. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967) I've always found this song a bit irritating as well, but it's up against some other weak songs.
140. Prince, “Sign ‘O’ the Times” (1987) I love Prince's vocal delivery, but this song is just really dull.
245. Otis Redding, “Try a Little Tenderness” (1966) Definitely not Otis's best.