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The round of 12 begins in the BNIT, with the winners from the first round facing off against each other. As I’ve noted, there are only three songs in each bracket this week, but they’ll work the same as our usual four-song brackets. The four winners this week will be the Final Four, and will compete for the BNIT championship.
IMPORTANT: Since I wasn’t able to post these brackets until today, ballots will not be due until midnight, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5! Yep—voting is open for over ten days.
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”
32. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”
33. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”
BRACKET N
13. The La’s, “There She Goes”
20. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”
21. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
BRACKET O
7. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
34. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
BRACKET P
3. Love, “Alone Again Or”
30. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”
38. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
And awaaay we go...
Much easier brackets this time around.
BRACKET M
1. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” - Fell in love with the White Stripes.
2. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” - Acoustic but dynamic. Makes me think I know what heroin's like.
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” - This was my first exposure to reggae. At the time I wondered what the big deal was.
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” - Not unlike Like a Rolling Stone Dylan's comeback tune is a sweet tale of vagabonds and romance. Doesn't have as much punch though.
2. The La’s, “There She Goes” - More heroin. A little more Hollywood this time though.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - Has an anthem ever sounded so small?
BRACKET O
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” - Best vocal work this side of Mercury (Freddie, that is).
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - Swapped this last minute for Chain of Fools. I would much rather hear Aretha tell us we're stupid than David tell us we're going to get killed.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - Doesn't sound like it.
BRACKET P
1. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - Androgynous Annie the anorexic android invades our nightmares with a seductive synth line.
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” - Sounds like the Beatles trying to be the Byrds trying to be Dylan.
3. Love, “Alone Again Or” - No love for Love. Too awkward and scattered.
BRACKET M
1. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”: One minute and fifty seconds of frenzied garage-rock bliss.
2. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”
3. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”
A call to arms against suppression or a seven-minute rant about opiate use? I'll take the former.
BRACKET N
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”: One of Lennon's best post-Beatles songs, if not the best. Wonderful.
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”: A decent song. It's just that I'd rather hear him sing about bullets from backs of bushes than some chick who he can't get out of his head.
3. The La’s, “There She Goes”: "Catchy" can only get you so far.
BRACKET O: Ranked in order from good to garbage.
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
BRACKET P
1. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”: My favorite quote from BNIT Week 3: "not one of the best Beatles tracks, but it's still the f**cking Beatles." (thanks RR)
2. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”: Not in my collection, but I won't turn it off if I hear it.
3. Love, “Alone Again Or”: After looking at the comments, it seems I'm in the minority when it comes to this song. It just doesn't do anything for me.
BRACKET M
1. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” - Borrows a lot from Pixies, which is OK by me.
2. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” - I'm sure it's a better musical accomplishment than the White Stripes track, but I just like WS better...
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” - Good reggae tune.
BRACKET N
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” - Destined to finish third against two heavy weights, but imo the freshest sounding track of the three.
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” - Classic 70's Dylan, but seems a little bit forced compared to the mid-sixties output.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - The chorus and hand clapping are just boring to me.
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - easy winner for me here. Just a great song.
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” - I don't appreciate Aretha as much as I am supposed to.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - fun stuff.
BRACKET P
1. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” - Great pop.
2. Love, “Alone Again Or” - Great pop. But can't hang with Lennon and McCartney.
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - A distant third for this worthy track.
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” - Fantastic song that builds up to a crazy crescendo and just.. well, drives you mad.
2. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” - The last song Marley ever performed on stage, and it's a worthy one.
3. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” - Ok I guess.. but it has nothing on the #1 and #2.
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” - Truely excellent song, and a very easy win. If Dylan doesn't take the win home in this bracket my faith in humanity will be lost.
2. The La’s, “There She Goes” - I put this last in week 2, while putting Lennon first.. I have to say that was unfair. Because really.. it's just better.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - Decent song.
BRACKET O
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” - Beautiful song from Aretha, easy winner.
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - Good song, but nothing special.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - Kinda dull.
BRACKET P
1. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - B-e-a-utiful! That's all I have to say this round. *knock on wood*
2. Love, “Alone Again Or” - Great.. in a way.
3. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” - Beatles?! SHIT! Nah, just kidding, this song is pretty good, certainly better than some of their work that is in the top 250, just not good enough to beat Lennox or Lee.
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” - A long lasting high, must be the winner here.
2. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” - Adrenaline kick.
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” - Good song, but in the semi-finals it's tough.
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” - The brackets sure get more difficult.
2. The La’s, “There She Goes” - Pure and wonderful.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - John can write great songs, and he did, but still last.
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - The talking heads are so original. Very recognizable style. Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fantastic.
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” - Not really bad.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - I can understand this means fun, fun, fun.
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or” - Lovely. The trumphet does it.
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” - Good Beatles, not top Beatles.
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - No shame to be last against this competition. One of the best 80s.
Bracket M
1. THE WHITE STRIPES, “FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL”: The standout song in probably the weakest semifinal bracket. It’s just a rollercoaster I never get tired of.
2. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, “HEROIN”: Undeniably powerful, but (perhaps y’all are getting tired of me saying this) I’ll take two minutes of brilliant thrashing (see above) over seven minutes of character study.
3. THE WAILERS, “GET UP, STAND UP”: I was a little too dismissive of this song last time out, but I still think Bob went on to do better things.
Bracket N
1. THE LA’S, “THERE SHE GOES”: Despite my not picking it over “Rock Lobster” in the first round, I don’t think I conveyed what a masterpiece this is (Anthony, in my book, “catchy” can get you very far indeed). And despite what several people (including me) said about it, I think the jury’s still out on whether it’s a heroin song.
2. JOHN LENNON, “INSTANT KARMA (WE ALL SHINE ON)”: Does mid-period Bowie sound like early solo Lennon, or vice versa? I liked this even more after another hearing.
3. BOB DYLAN, “TANGLED UP IN BLUE”: I’ve taken sentimentality as far as it can go with this one, which is the semifinals. I agree with those who thought it wasn’t quite up to his 60s stuff.
Bracket O
1. TALKING HEADS, “PSYCHO KILLER”: Thanks for the translation, nicolas…I wasn’t actually asking for one—just quoting the song—but it was very interesting. David Byrne in French sounds like David Byrne.
2. ARETHA FRANKLIN, “CHAIN OF FOOLS”: Very, very close between the top two songs here. “Chain of Fools” clearly has it all over “Psycho Killer” in terms of both performance and song structure, but it loses out (barely) on lyrics and—most importantly for me—aesthetic.
3. JOAN JETT, “I LOVE ROCK N ROLL”: It was clearly a fluke of the first-round seedings that this song got to this point…although it’s not a BAD song—frankly, it sounds like what it is, a by-the-numbers cover of the original by the Arrows.
Bracket P
1. EURYTHMICS, “SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)”: Although it barely escaped a tough bracket last week, I think this song crushes the other two here. The more I listen to it, the more it sounds like a miracle.
2. THE BEATLES, “TICKET TO RIDE”: Interesting that it’s about as well-constructed as the Eurythmics song above…but it still falls short of that.
3. LOVE, “ALONE AGAIN OR”: Many thanks to Mr. H. Wexler for giving me an idea what to listen for in this song. I think I appreciate it a little more, but I still think it’s the turkey on this ranch.
BRACKET M:
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”
2. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”
"Get Up, Stand Up" is all well and good, but "Fell In Love With A Girl" takes it on tight, jagged melody and blistering energy. While "Heroin", with its incredible imagery and epic nature, rules all.
BRACKET N:
1. The La’s, “There She Goes”
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”
Really tough bracket, but "There She Goes" takes it, being a perfect pop song. All three songs are staggering, though.
BRACKET O:
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
"Psycho Killer" is still amazing, "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" is still so-so, and "Chain Of Fools" is somewhere in between.
BRACKET P:
1. Love, “Alone Again Or”
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
"Alone Again Or" is still amazing, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" is still so-so, and "Ticket To Ride" is somewhere in between.
Well,well,well I can't remember how I voted for these the first time - I think I might have had only 2 out of all of them as a #1
Bracket M
1)Velvet Underground - Heroin:Class - a great rollercoaster of an epic - maybe their finest
2)The Wailers - Get Up Stand Up:Misinterpreted lyrics as a political anthem - great song still
3)White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl:Great high energy stuff,sort of rolls off though - can't exactly hum it...
Bracket N
1)The La's - There She Goes:A bit surprising to be #1 but it's just sublime - the most played track on my ipod out of 4300 songs
2)Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue:My favourite song of Dylan's off my favourite Dylan album - a real masterclass in songwriting. He changes the lyrics in concert
3)John Lennon - Instant Karma:A fine song by Lennon,just one of many - don't know if I feel particularly strongly about it...
Bracket O
1)Talking Heads - Psycho Killer:Is this a punk track? I never thought that way but I guess they were more punk early in '77 - fine track
2)Aretha Franklin - Chain Of Fools:Never think of it as one of her best,but of course sublime
3)Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Love Rock n'roll:Well hardly a miracle,just OK
Bracket P
1)Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams:Didn't think I'd actually have this #1 but now it just sounds an awesome slice of synth pop
2)Love - Alone Again Or:Well sort of strikes me as a bit cheesy,but with it's horns and spanish acoustic guitars,it's hard to resist
3)Beatles - Ticket To Ride:Great song still,but not outstanding
Actually, Midaso, you had 5. You voted for all three songs in bracket N, plus VU and Joan Jett.
(I'm jealous...I only had 4.)
This announcement has been a public service. Bracketology voting stats for everyone coming up in a few weeks, I promise.
I'm just glad Sweet Dreams got in there (though sunday bloody sunday would've been nice)
Really? I forgot about some of those...
A bit surprised I had JJ at #1 - must have been a weak bracket...
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”
2. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”
3. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
2. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”
3. The La’s, “There She Goes”
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or”
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
A bit surprised I had JJ at #1 - must have been a weak bracket...
Oh, it was. No less than two freaking TLC songs. 
BRACKET M
1. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” (Jack White's voice is such a peculiar, unique instrument. Lou Reed is all cool. Baritone, sunglasses and black clothes. Sneering that he invented indie rock. Then Jack comes in wailing in a strange hybrid of falsetto and screech. Blinding in red and white. Lou just had the rug pulled under him.)
2. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” (... of course he had the rug pulled out from under him, he was nodding off. This song does a wonderful job of mimicking the blood flow and heartbeat of a junkie. "Fell in Love With a Girl" is the adrenaline shot straight to the heart that revives the junkie.)
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” (Hard not to repeat myself from last round. Some nice turns of phrase, but boring chant along chorus. Lesser Marley.)
BRACKET N
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (I typically blanche when songs get too hippie dippie. "We all shine on like the moon, and the stars, and the sun" should not work as a chorus. But it is delivered with such joyful verve, it doesn't annoy me.)
2. The La’s, “There She Goes” (I was a little over harsh on this last round. It is a very sweet melody.)
3. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” (I still contend this is retread Dylan.)
BRACKET O
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” (Aretha's best. Great background vocals, great soul.)
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads are like Aretha for me. I admire them more than I love them. But Chain of Fools is her apex, whereas this is not Talking Heads best. I overrated it last round.)
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Again, the beat is tiresome, the guitars are good. Jett competently snears with the best of them, without making you feel like her heart is in it.)
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or” (I only discovered this song recently, and am on a big kick with it now. So maybe I am rating it higher than I might a year from now. Again, I love it each time the strings melt away to leave just the sole guitar.)
2. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (The "Hold your head up!" bridge could have beena cheesy example of what made a lot of 80's songs poor. Unmelodic, pure exclamation. But somehow, in the context of the cool tempo of the song that surrounds it, it comes as a enervating jolt. The song is pure nonsense, but it is funny, and wild, and a different kind of musical than most of the other song in the bracketology tourneys. But I prefer the orchestral pop to the synth pop (usually, and certainly in this case), so Love takes it.)
3. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” (Surprised to ever put a Beatles song last, but here it is. I'm reevaluating it since the last round, and think it's a poor sample from their songbook. Not as overrated as Paperback Writer (see my upcoming main Bracketology picks). I do enjoy the "Ri-hi-hide." But as I said before, it drags.)
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”: it’s not the best VU song, it was the #10 in the top 10 that I posted a year ago. But anyway it was/is raw, bold, uncompromising, innovative, groundbreaking, imaginative, strong, dissonant, perverse and more and more and more.
2. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”: great rebel music from the biggest star not coming from US or UK. If only for that fact it deserves all praise.
3. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”: good garage-rock piece, but for me not so special as anyone seems to think.
BRACKET N
1. The La’s, “There She Goes”: I don’t care if it’s about heroin, it’s the best pop song of the 90s. Period.
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”: the confessional Dylan was the model for all the confessional singers that went after him. And “Blood on the Tracks” was the unsurpassed top of confessional albums. Well, maybe along with “Plastic Ono Band”.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”: talkin’ bout Lennon… A wonderful anthem, but not Lennon best (not near to “God”, “#9 Dream” or “Imagine”).
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”: the best song from this band had to be as simultaneously bizarre and catchy as this one.
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”: classy soul driven by the prodigious throat of Aretha.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”: simple, no doubt, but capturing perfectly the spirit of early rock’n’roll.
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or”: disagree with many of you, I think this song is a masterpiece, with an excellent use of the chords and brass, particularly this Herb Alpert-influenced trumpet.
2. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”: well, maybe Euryhtmics are underrated everywhere… except in this forum. Synth-pop at its best.
3. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”: I can’t believe that I could put any Beatles track at the bottom of any bracket, but they got about 70 or 80 better songs.
I don't know if this way of explaining oneself gives me voting credits, but here I go - my favourite comments from the quarter finals.
BRACKET M
1. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up”
nicolas: Énorme, I would say in French. Marley beating Williams Sr and Orbison : where is my mission to defend roots material ? Well I’m defending roots reggae, cause I think it needs a little defense too
2. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl”
Schwah: Radio City Music Hall to see the Strokes. Opening act Jack and Meg White blow the Strokes out of the water. It was no contest. That's how you fall in love with a band.
3. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin”
Harold Wexler: Lou’s paean to oblivion, with extraordinarily blatant viola abuse by Mr. Cale
BRACKET N
1. The La’s, “There She Goes”
marc: Timeless song, sounds like it was always there
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
Harold Wexler: One of Dylan’s very best, the brilliant lead track on a masterful album. Full of elliptical and unforgettable imagery about everything that can go right and wrong between two people.
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”
Harold Wexler: One of my favorite solo Lennon songs, filled with the raw passion that permeated all his early post-Beatles work but glazed with just the right pop sheen.
BRACKET O
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools”
JR: The Queen of Soul's voice- at its peak- could elevate just about anything to a higher plane.
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
John: Awesome, awesome song. I think it sounded even better live on Stop Making Sense. Yes indeed.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”
Rocky Raccoon: A riff and a catchphrase. Still, a pretty good riff and catchphrase.
BRACKET P
1. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
schleuse: The pinnacle of synth-pop, simultaneously luxuriant and ice-cold.
2. Love, “Alone Again Or”
Rocky Raccoon: Great pop with all sorts of strings and orchestration. Makes me want to listen to the whole album again.
3. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride”
Anthony: It kills me that I have to put them in 2nd, but it must be done. Great use of drum fills and rhythm changes, and the harmonies are good too.
Henrik, that's definitely acceptable--great idea.
Quick reminder: Voting on the semifinals is on an unusual schedule, and you still have about 40 hours (until midnight tomorrow--Wednesday) to vote.
If ya don't vote, ya cyan't complain about the Final Four.
BRACKET M
1. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” – Deserves to win just about any bracket it appears in. A towering achievement by any standards.
2. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” – A great record, but not their best. Certainly pales in comparison to #1.
3. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” – See #2.
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” – See #1 in Bracket M. Again, possibly my favorite Dylan song.
2. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” – A favorite, but a distant #2 here.
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” – Hmm, two songs about heroin in the BNIT semis (no, it is, really). Are you with me, Doctor Wu?
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” – Set the template for their whole career, but it doesn’t really sound like anything else they ever did. A paradox.
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” – Pure R&B. Nothing against the pop-soul of Motown, but Berry Gordy would’ve soiled himself if one of his ‘60s artists had delivered a record like this.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Fun, but no contest up against the other two here.
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or” – One of the most beautifully arranged and performed of all rock songs.
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” – Diamond-sharp Beatlepop, led by Ringo at his underrated best.
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” – Who am I to disagree?
I've been listening to 'There She Goes' a few more times, and I've started to love it. What a fantastic song. :O I would change my order to La's, Dylan, Lennon but if I counted correctly it doesn't matter.
But what about your "faith in humanity"?
It's gone. All gone. It was just that I thought the other 2 songs to be much weaker, but 'There She Goes' is actually pretty good, so I suppose I might have a little faith left.
BRACKET M
1. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” Thanks Henrik for quoting me, although I was wrong because the song made it to the semifinals. I never read other comments before posting but I’m afaraid it won’t go further (White Stripes)
2. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” : first time I heard it I didn’t like it. Second time : excellent
3. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” This song has a good intro but it is a little too long. Pretentious too.
BRACKET N
1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”: a great song in a great album
2. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” : John Lennon was so proud of this song when he composed it that he wanted to be in the stores the morning after. It took one week eventually. Strange drums. A very close second
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” : Byrds-like intro (is the guitar a Rickenbaker ?) . But the sound is so 90’s They were one of the creators of that sanitized sound...;it’s the sixties revisited by Glamorama era (Every one should read this book by Bret Easton Ellis, a brillant rendition of the spirit of this strange plastic decade)
BRACKET O
1. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” : Irresistibly groovy. A lesson of soul singing
I love the guitar sound (very Creedence-like)
2. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” : this song is pure fun for me. Great for parties.
3. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” : the guy is a little paranoid, ain’t he ?
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or” **** : Intro sounding like flamenco, a strange and beautiful object. Pure diamond
2. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” **** : synth, when it’s good. It was just misused most of the time, that was I hate most of 80s production. And the song is above time.
3. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” ***: another Byrdlike riff, but the same year as Tambourine Man (1965) Who copied ? This song does not move me that much, which is rare for a Beatles song
Shit! Good call on the Rickenbacker nicolas! It could be a really bright Tele, but you're right - it does have that jangly Roger McGuinn/Peter Buck tone that could only be made with a Rick.
I tried to find out for sure (and I even stumbled onto the La's fan forum, WTF), but I wasn't able to get any sort of equipment info.
I hate to sound desperate, but we've got a logjam at the top of some brackets here, with about 6 hours left on the clock. More ballots would be great!
(Where are you, Mo? And Rocky Raccoon? And marc? Slush, Keith, otisredding, JR... Anyone?)
I guess it was inevitable that this would get harder. Thanks for the props Anthony.
BRACKET M
1. The White Stripes, “Fell in Love With a Girl” - A perfect little pop-punk number with cutely clever lyrics.
2. The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” - Sometimes you have to make a simple statement to get people to hear you.
3. The Velvet Underground, “Heroin” - I'm getting high just listening to this song.
BRACKET N
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - One of John's most rockin' tracks.
2. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue” - Dylan is back. That's what people must have said in 1975, because it sure had been a brutal decade for him up until then.
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” - A beautiful song no doubt, but edged out in this bracket.
BRACKET O
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - Tough choice, but squeaks by Aretha because of creativity and "Chain of Fools" is one of Franklin's absolute best.
2. Aretha Franklin, “Chain of Fools” - It's great, but would place a few of her other songs higher.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - The novelty has worn off.
BRACKET P
1. Love, “Alone Again Or” - I'm impressed with this one everytime I hear it.
2. The Beatles, “Ticket to Ride” - A lovely Beatles pop song; jangly, Byrds style.
3. Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - It's good, borderline great, but a little to cold and robotic to really get to me.
Quick votes!
M
1. "Heroin"- the perfect example of a bleeding, exorcised heart.
2. "Fell in Love with a Girl"- raucous example of good rock this decade.
3. "Get Up, Stand Up"- never could get into it.
N:
1. "There She Goes"- liltingly beautiful
2. "Tangled Up in Blue"- not crazy about this
3. "Instant Karma"- OR this...
O:
1. "I Love Rock 'n Roll"- ballsy cover. Joan completely makes this song her own.
2. "Psycho Killer"- quirky brilliance!
3. "Chain of Fools"- yawn...
P:
1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"- my very favorite song in the BNIT or the main Bracketology. This song is in my DNA- no pun intended. Its providential origin and booming synths defined music for me. I'll go into more detail when I've got time.
2. "Alone Again Or"- way out of its league with Eurythmics.
3. "Ticket to Ride"- Hate it.
Sorry the results aren't up yet; I did my usual doublechecking this morning and realized that I'd left out one ballot--Mo's--so there will be a brief delay while I plug that in and recalculate. Should be up in a few minutes.
(No offense, Mo. Sorry.)