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BRACKET 49
1. The Breeders – Cannonball – an enduring tune as the alternative music genre became established. Why these type of songs didn’t remain radio staples instead of the new wave of teen pop is a mystery to me. Also gets credit for my first glimpse of Pixies members, even before I knew who the Pixies were.
2. Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child of Mine – This band got excessive, and had a crazy destructive lifestyle that still scares me, but even though I haven’t listened to all of Appetite for Destruction, the hits from that album have multiple sweeping parts, and I’m surprised about how beautifully they’re sequenced.
3. The Police – Every Breath You Take – Haunting lyrics, gloomy video, and a soothing bass riff
4. Beastie Boys – Intergalactic – I don’t get how this is the Beastie Boys song that gets all the acclaim. When it first came up I thought it was catchy, but it’s nothing more than the single from the lastest Beastie Boys album
BRACKET 50
1. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On – Soul with a message. One of the great opening tracks of any album.
2. Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love? – Close call for #1, really like Singles Going Steady, almost anything from that collection could contend for at least top 256, but this one gets the credit, which is just fine.
3. Prince and the Revolution – Kiss – Scary how versatile (whether studio-manipulated or not) Prince’s voice is. It really confused me how high he was singing with this song, since I first got to know of him during Diamonds and Pearls / Love Symbol era.
4. Oasis – Wonderwall – The essential reason why I can’t stand Oasis is founded in everything about this song. The grating voice and the use of some made up term for a song title. Just don’t like them, sorry all of you fans.
BRACKET 51
1. James Brown – I Got You (I Feel Good) – I heard the James Brown was an innovator because of his use of horns as percussion, and this song encapsulates that sound and helps me recognize the James Brown influence in later funk and R+B
2. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – The Tracks of My Tears – Beautiful and heartfelt
3. Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley – pioneering tune
4. Oasis – Live Forever – Oasis is last again.
BRACKET 52
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Fortunate Son – This song is over so quickly, but I think among this whole top 3000 I have never heard such direct and powerful protest lyrics. Still incredibly and sadly poignant today.
2. Pink Floyd - See Emily Play – This was incredibly adventurous for its time.
3. Elvis Presley – With all the interesting tunes in this bracket, this seems a little too traditional, even though its an essential influence. Would probably be very high if in a bracket with any songs from the 80s onward.
4. The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar – Kind of a standard Stones song, still rollicking and fun though.
BRACKET 49
1. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983) The most perfectly realized song of Sting’s career. Its intensity mostly comes from the fact that it’s so restrained – it pulls back rather than going completely over the top, and it’s all the more powerful for that.l Also, Sting’s head wasn’t completely up his ass at this point.
2. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987) Good melodic hair metal. I’ve heard people say that they can’t buy the sentimentality of this song, but Axel’s apparent lunacy gives this song an added touch of resonance to me.
3. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993) – Crackers, it’s a perfectly fine song, but really, why is this OK-ish modern rock hit one of the most acclaimed songs of all time?
4. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998) Another mediocre modern track.
BRACKET 50
1. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986) Prince’s second-greatest minimalist funk creation (next to When Doves Cry), all the more bracing and exciting for what’s missing. I surely wouldn’t want to listen to music in this style exclusively, but it’s certainly a thrill to hear something like this in our age of the overly-compressed aural assaults that now pass for rock records.
2. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971) Pretty galling to put this impossibly perfect creation second to anything, but I really love classic Prince too much to not give it the pole position. What’s Going On is one of the great productions – a lovely cushion of easy listening-style horns, strings and backing vocals. Its greatness also derives from the fact that it doesn’t pretend to know any answers.
3. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978) Pretty great power-pop punk. Not as good as the undertone’s Teenage Kicks, which is the greatest song in that genre I figure.
4. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995) OK, I will admit that for about an album and a half, Oasis were pretty fun. After being bombarded by years of disposable, post-modern, arch, knowingly ironic and mostly very average British bands, it was very refreshing for this bunch to come out with brash, straightforward, no-bullshit shoot-for-the-stars rock. And this is a great melody that affected pretty much everyone who heard it back in ’95. So by all means, let’s give credit where credit is due. No way is it as good as the other three songs in this bracket, though.
BRACKET 51
1. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955) Still could be the greatest and most primal groove song in rock history. I saw Bo Diddley live in ’92 or so, and the guy just rode every groove until the crowd got worked up to a frenzy – absolutely one of the most exciting gigs I’ve ever seen.
2. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965) Great Motown single – a touch wet for my tastes, but it’s undeniably well-crafted.
3. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965) Give me Cold Sweat, Papa’s Got a …, or almost any other funk groove he created over this. It’s one of his most unimaginative hits, I think.
4. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994) I tried to make the case for Oasis above, but I do not understand how this song came to be considered a classic (at #78 no less!!!). It’s completely lacking in any dynamics or distinguishing melody – a simple, dreary drone that carries on in a plain manner for its running time. It’s just nothing.
BRACKET 52
1. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956) Another reason why the king is the king.
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969) Most of Creedence’s great singles were easy-going good-time pop, but this is pretty much the greatest and most angry political song, almost certainly until the Clash came along.
3. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967) I really do love certain eras of Pink Floyd. I figure you can break them down into about five distinct eras, and the first three are pretty great. This is a pretty prime slice of psychedelia, but I think there were greater songs on Piper and in their future.
4. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971) I think this is one of the lesser singles of the Stone’s classic era.
Wow, this seems to be a divided camp when it comes to Oasis.
As a fan, it hurts somewhat to see them regarded so low by some, although I can understand that of course, not everyone will have the same opinion. And I can admit that they’re not the greatest rock group, modern or otherwise - in fact, they seem to have outlasted their shelf-life, as many bands are wont to do. Sure, Liam’s whine can become grating after a while, and yes, Noel Gallagher did steal shamelessly from his idols (read: The Beatles). Why stop there? They were/are cocky as hell; I’d be hard-pressed to think of another band as arrogant and brash as Oasis. Their third LP was about as bloated, sonically, as you’ll find, and their subsequent records have been quite, umm, lackluster.
On a personal level, however, I’m quite pleased to see two Oasis songs in the AM top 256 and I’ve been excited for quite a while about this week in Bracketology. I think these two songs are excellent representations of their first two albums, which I think are amazing (and I really couldn’t choose one over the other.) Moreover, I think that because those albums are still relatively recent, Oasis’ influence has yet to be fully felt, but it has shown itself in bands such as Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Fratellis, etc. I’m tempted to assume that the majority of new British bands cite Oasis as an influence.
Do I think that “Live Forever”’s rank of #78 is too high, as damosuzuki claims? Possibly; it certainly isn’t groundbreaking, but I think people tend to forget that it (arguably) started BritPop in the UK, and as history shows, songs that launch musical “sea changes” are often, if not always, given acclaim. (speaking of which, jonmarck, you were working on identifying the next one. How’s that coming? lol) As for “Wonderwall”, well, a handful of artists have ripped off the first few bars (some examples can be found here). Several artists have covered it, and U2’s The Edge wishes he’d written it. It might be disliked on this forum, but the song has an interesting resumé.
I’m not trying to change minds here; maybe just further justifying why I ranked both songs #1 in their respective brackets.
BRACKET 49
A rather weak one, for me, maybe the weakest i ever knew (except GnR)
1. Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child of Mine” (1987) ***** : I can’t believe it’s 1987 ! One of the best intros of rock history. When I started my band back in ’91, I wanted to be like Axl Rose (I don’t think I would, now, this band carried so many clichés, it was pathetic : blond singer and browned-haired guitarist.. after all Izzy Stradlin and Duff McGagan were the coolest guys in GnR). That song is great, with all of its excess. But then Axl Rose and Slash forgot to die young and things strated turning bad..
2.Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998) *** : ok, they created a whole scene : I doubt the Freestylers, Asian Dub or even the Streets would have existed without this group. But do I really enjoy listening to this song. The answer is “not completely”. These vocals are impossible, I guess.
3. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983) *** : Good cold-blooded pop-rock for 80’s radio stations; everything is slick, melodic, but is this really rock music ? Very strange : first seconds, I thought i love it and then I realized how fake and vain it was
4.The Breeders, “Canonball” (1993) *** : I’m bored. Ok, there’s one guitar/bass lick, but that doesn’t make a song. The rest is aping Nirvana
BRACKET 50
1. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971)***** : great , great song opening a great album. Love those conversations at the beggining, and then that unique sound (sometimes, the choice of the right instruments, the right sound is pure alchemy. It’s rare in music, and it happens here). A classic. Is there better lovemaking music than this one ? Wins hands down.
2. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986) **** : one of the songs I’ve danced the most on in my life can’t be wrong. (love the guitar solo). A little disappointed though when I listen to it now; good : the guitar, the falsetto, no bass; bad : the drum machine.
3. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995)*** : what to say about Oasis ? First, this song is a good song, it’s catchy, it flows (just like “One”, but to a lesser extent). I’m perplex with them : I hate them, their sound just sucks (because so many f***ing britpop bands just used this sound), but I can’t kill that song
4. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978)*** : Ignorant as I am of Punk Rock (I could have said indifferent, well I’ve been indifferent but now thanks to you, things have changed), I knew they were influent but it’s the first time I hear one of their songs. They just invented Supergrass, didn’t they ? Not bad at all (I love Supergrass’ first album).
BRACKET 51
1. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965) **** : God knows I love the Godfather, but that song has been so overplayed that you forget that it’s a real masterpiece
2. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955) ****: Where he got that sound, that rhythm is still a mystery.
3. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965) : ** funny, when you listen to it just after hearing James Brown, you understand most of "hardcore" soul lovers in the 60's rejected Motown (too pop-oriented, black music for whites, etc). Too much sugar
4. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994) : This one, I just can’t. Even Guns N Roses at their worst wouldn’t use that sound.
BRACKET 52
Bracket de la Mort number 2
1. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956) ***** : Just the voice and the double bass at the beginning. It’s Sun sound but with discipline. Chet Atkins supervised the first RCA recordings and it shows : it’s classy (Chet Atkins, when he didn’t sell pop country by the pound, could be the hell of a producer
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969) ***** : You don’t write about Creedence, no more than Little Richard. You just Listen and enjoy. They are to me the essence, the raw bones of rnr
3. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971) **** : I’ve been away from rock’n roll for 10 years, busy with blues and country and world music (well in fact with every other music). Coming back, I realize how good dylan and the Stones were. Even with rather minor hits compared to other songs they made, the Stones know how to pay tribute to the blues and other roots music but while playing rnr and not trying to reproduce these styles.
243. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967) : the 3 other songs are very homogenic : 3 roots oriented american songs. This one is the debut of a British band inspired by the Beatles but already innovative in their sound. Well, in this brilliant bracket, there’s got to be a 4th...
I hold no particular brief for the Breeders--even though I voted them #1, I agree that bracket 49 is not a strong one. But, nicolas, it's not quite true that they were aping Nirvana; the Great Mind behind the Breeders was Kim Deal, formerly of the Pixies...and the Pixies were probably the greatest single influence on Nirvana.
Which reminds me: remember those old flowcharts that showed the influence of earlier bands on later bands? I loved those...does anyone know if they're online anywhere? (Or, for that matter, does anyone know what the heck I'm talking about?) I know allmusic does something similar...
Schleuse - I think you may be thinking of the "Rock Family Trees" drawn by Pete Frame. They are flow charts showing how different rock bands were interrelated by their members moving from band to band. They appeared in the Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock, which was a big Rock book to have back in the 1980's. Pete Frame also has his own books of these charts available on Amazon. They're a lot of fun to study.
ok, I agree about the Pixies being an influence on Nirvana
But this single by the Breeders is from 1993 and there are similarities with Nirvana that's why I said that
And, more, I've had enough of this song which was over and overplayed on rock radios in the 90s.
Fair enough, nicolas. I've been reading up on the Breeders, and it looks like they opened for Nirvana on the In Utero tour. Probably not relevant to either of our cases.
As for being overplayed, well, "Cannonball" came out about the time I stopped listening to the radio, so I didn't have a chance to get sick of it. I can see how it might grate after too many listenings, though...
BRACKET 49
1. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987): the expression “instant classic” was made for this song. And the guitar intro went directly to (a hypothetical list of) the most memorable guitar intros ever the very instant Slash played it for the first time.
2. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983): yes, I know, Police are not cool. But I always liked a lot its first (severely underrated) two albums. And this song, although not my favourite, features another memorable trademark guitar intro by Andy Summers.
3. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993): I can’t think of a better song to explain to an extraterrestrial how it was the 90s indie-rock sound.
4. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998): third appearance of Beastie Boys in Bracketology and third consecutive #4 from me. It seems that they’re not my favourite band.
BRACKET 50
1. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971): Seen with the incredulous and cynical eyes of the ones living in the XXI Century and knowing that after Vietnam came Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Irak and that the masters of war continued doing what they wanted, the message of the songs reveals tremendously naïve and innocent. But this fact don’t make untrue that “war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate”.
2. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986): the third #1 US single for Prince was a minimalist funk masterpiece, with terrific guitar work and falsetto voice.
3. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995): I think that many of us dislike Oasis for its arrogance and not for musical reasons. This song is really a strong reason for liking Oasis.
4. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978): excellent pop-punk tune, sadly #4 of this strong bracket.
BRACKET 51
1. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965): my favourite song for singing in the shower, not precisely for the delight of family and neighbours.
2. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965): “Take a good look at my face / You’ll see my smile looks out of place / If you look closer it’s easy to trace / The tracks of my tears”. Verses from the American’s greatest living poet, in Dylan words.
3. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955): the rhythm of the jungle.
4. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994): this song isn’t really a strong reason for liking Oasis.
BRACKET 52
1. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956): the time has somehow diluted the impact of seeing Elvis on TV playing this song live shaking his hips. It was scandalous at the time, now it’s only a great song played with simultaneous nerve and class.
2. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971): terrific opener of one of my favourite albums ever (I see “Sticky Fingers” as superior to “Exile on Main Street”). Great riff, great laid groove, great sax.
3. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967): excellent lunatic pop song from “crazy diamond” Syd Barrett.
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969): raucous message, #4 of a terrific bracket.
BRACKET 49
1. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)
2. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993)
3. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
4. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (199
'Sweet Child' marries a tremendous riff to a terribly sweet bit o' lyrics, and so on. "Ace Of Spades" step back; the most perfect metal song of the '80s.
"Cannonball" has a delicate, broken-down feel to it I enjoy a lot. It's almost like some sort of ambient-punk from another planet. Yaboysaheck!
"Every Breath You Take" is pretty good, I suppose - and "Intergalactic" is - I feel - a rare miss for the Beasties. Though I'm sure it would have more of a chance to grow on me if I had that particular album.
BRACKET 50
1. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995)
2. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (197
3. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971)
4. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986)
"Wonderwall" is just gorgeous. EFIL? is superb - crammed full of hooks, and a great performance. WGO is cool and souly and IMPORTANT, while Prince can Kiss my fucking arse.
BRACKET 51
1. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994)
2. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965)
3. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965)
4. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955)
"Live Forever" is Oasis's best song - gorgeous melody, punky energy and a somewhat mystical sentiment. TTOMY is plinky-plonky gorgeous, IGY(IFG) is some funky-ass shit, and something of a thumbs down for ol' man Bo.
BRACKET 52
1. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971)
2. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
3. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967)
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969)
"Brown Sugar" is almost too good for its own good - its a sleazy, filthy, infectious riot, that makes competitors tumble like a house of cards.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is, for me, as good as '50s Elvis ever got. Elvis's vocals were always something special, but he rarely had a set of lyrics so unrelentingly bleak to wrap them around - and the song boasts killer freakin' guitar - 'specially for a '50s song.
"See Emily Play" is a cool psychedelic pop song, but fails to hint at just how amazing the band were about to become. Sort of like The Beatles with "Love Me Do"; more of a dry run than an honest-to-goodness classic, imo.
And finally, Creedence Clearwater Revival can kiss my arse. They suck.
BRACKET 49
1. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993) - What a standout single! If Debaser is the best rock, then Cannonball is the best pop from the Pixies family.
2. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998) - I don't play a lot of computer games, but this song makes me wanna.
3. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983) - Definitely the highlight of Police's (and Sting's) career. Sadly ruined by Puff Daddy.
4. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987) - I've never been much into guns.
BRACKET 50
1. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986) - Maestro groove. I absolutely love the rhythm.
2. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971) - Best intro ever?
3. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978) - Yes
4. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995) - Boring
BRACKET 51
1. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965) - My favourite JB song. So uplifting!
2. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994) - Now this was Oasis at their best.
3. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965) - Beautiful
4. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955) - I know repetitiveness is the thing here, but still that's what puts this to #4
BRACKET 52
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969) - My CCR favourite. They should have used more of this heavier sound.
2. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967) - A psychedelic pearl. I agree that the PF songs are underrated at AM. Critics who like to make singles lists are usually not big PF fans.
3. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956) - Made Elvis a STAR.
4. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971) - A good #4.
BRACKET 49
1. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
2. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)
3. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998)
4. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993)
BRACKET 50
1. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971)
2. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986)
3. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995)
4. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978)
BRACKET 51
1. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965)
2. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994)
3. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955)
4. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965)
BRACKET 52
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969)
2. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971)
3. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967)
4. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
BRACKET 49
1. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987) – I still remember hearing that opening riff for the first time and thinking, “Well, THIS is interesting.” Commands your attention from the jump like few other records ever made, and repays it in spades even if Axl’s lyrics are a little maudlin. When they were on musically, they ruled.
2. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (1983) – Two undeniable, riff-driven ‘80s classics here, with this one falling only slightly short of the top. Even at the time people seemed to comprehend that this was a dark confession of obsession rather than a sunny pledge of devotion, and that it became one of the biggest hits of all time anyway is a tribute to Sting’s long-departed gift as a master of the hook.
3. The Breeders, “Cannonball” (1993) – One of the goofiest records ever to become a radio staple, thanks to Kim Deal’s improbably melodic pop sense and some seriously crunching twin (literally) guitars.
4. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (1998) – A terrific single, but far outclassed in this company, even if it does contain the great line “I’ll stir-fry you in my wok”.
BRACKET 50
1. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” (1986) – Quite possibly my favorite Prince single, from his most underrated album. Almost as minimalist as “When Doves Cry”, but looser and more fun, with wonderful chicken-scratch guitar and a miraculously sustained falsetto from our man that somehow never becomes irritating.
2. Oasis, “Wonderwall” (1995) – Not as important as #3 or even as great a song as #4, but a perfect pop recording that captured its moment. Brilliantly sung and arranged.
3. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (1971) – A remarkable song and album, to be sure, but I confess that I rarely listen to it for pleasure. If it’s possible for something to be -too- perfect, this might be it.
4. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” (1978) – Punk’s best singles band (although, as I did earlier with THE SUN SESSIONS, allow me to once again make the case that SINGLES GOING STEADY deserves to be included on AM as an album!) near its peak. The sudden key change at the very end is genius.
BRACKET 51
1. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965) – Simply one of the finest songs ever written, given the performance and production it deserves. “My smile is my makeup I wear since my breakup with you” – maybe Dylan was right about Smokey being America’s greatest poet.
2. Oasis, “Live Forever” (1994) – I understand why a lot of people hate this band, but I really can’t imagine anybody not liking this song, even if Noel -is- kind of a lazy lyric writer (and guitar soloist). It builds like “Wonderwall”, but to an even greater crescendo of excitement.
3. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” (1955) – One of rock’s great characters, defining everything that made him who and what he was (and is). But it’s not really one of his best songs.
4. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965) – Does anybody really need to ever hear this song again, classic though it is?
BRACKET 52
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” (1969) – This could be rock’s single greatest protest song, 2:20 of genuinely righteous (and sadly timeless) anger at the privileges of the privileged enveloped in a searing blast of guitars-and-drums energy.
2. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” (1971) – Another longstanding classic-rock favorite, docked a notch here for its, um, questionable (even if satiric) attitudes. One of Keith’s greatest riffs, and one of rock’s best sax solos from the fabulous Bobby Keys.
3. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956) – As the song that introduced Elvis to the wider American public, one of the most culturally significant records of all time. As a recording in and of itself … just OK.
4. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967) – Pure Syd Barrett psychedelia, which means it’s as pure as it gets. I actually haven’t heard the song that much, otherwise it might rank higher (why isn’t it a bonus track on the PIPER CD?).
Well,fortunately it looks as What's Going On will at least hold out Wonderwall - if Oasis won that,it would be the most ridiculous thing ever...Unfortunately,they will probably win with 'Live Forever' over 3 hall of famers...
You don't think Oasis will be in the rock and roll hall of fame? I think they most definitely will. Have you seen who's in the hall? If Traffic is in surely Oasis will be. When it gets around to putting 90's bands in their turn will come around.
Thank someone that dried-up dinosaur tracks are making way for the group that brought brit-pop out of the underground. I'm not the world's biggest Oasis fan, I actually resent Wonderwall, which is a stupid thing to say about a song, but I'm thrilled Live Forever is at the top of it's bracket. There just might be some life to this rock critic thing yet.
BRACKET 49
1. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” - A tossup between the top two here, but the ultimate obsession song wins it by a hair.
2. Guns ‘n’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” - Axl gets all sentimental, and Slash does his Slash thing on guitar. Blows away any other hair metal.
3. The Breeders, “Cannonball” - Love the intro, and the whole song has a goofy charm to it.
4. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” - A goofy (there's that word again) track, but it's fun. I do prefer "Sabotage," though.
BRACKET 50
1. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” - Emotional, soulful, heartfelt. This song's so good, it's a major reason the album is a little overrated as a whole.
2. Prince and the Revolution, “Kiss” - Sparse funk you can dance to, and what girl could refuse the purple one a kiss with come on lines like these? "There's no sign I'm more compatible with ..."
3. Oasis, “Wonderwall” - Try, try as they might, they're not the Beatles. Settling for being Oasis isn't so bad.
4. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love?” - A fine, tight punk tune with pop sensibility, but outmatched here.
BRACKET 51
1. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tracks of My Tears” - I find this beautiful ballad irresistable. One of the two "Tears" songs that are Smokey's peak.
2. Bo Diddley, “Bo Diddley” - Ahead of its time to my ears, sound like a cross between the blues and surf music.
3. Oasis, “Live Forever” - I do like these guys, and this has an epic sheen, but I find them overrated by the Brit press and also in here.
4. James Brown, “I Got You (I Feel Good)” - Some more great funk from the gut, but it does get repetative. Best No. 4 this week.
BRACKET 52
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son” - I love cranking this one up loud, and considering the times we're living in here in the U.S., it's as timely today as it was during the Vietnam War. P.S. Fuck Bush (In this instance I'm talking about the president).
2. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” - He's not the king in my musical world, but he deserves his due on this slow burner.
3. The Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar” - It's a great Stones song (and I agree with the sentiment), but this is a tough bracket.
4. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” - Seems to me Pink Floyd has had better songs. But this one's pretty good.
"speaking of which, jonmarck, you were working on identifying the next one. How’s that coming? lol"
Not identifying...creating!
I'll be done my debut by the winter. I'm 9 tracks in but have the bad habit of overhauling the tracks I've already done. Hopefully that means it'll turn out better.
Good for you man.
Will you allow your fellow AM'ers the privalege of hearing some of this lo-fi, indie-pop modern classic?