BRACKET I

1. Gimme Shelter – Everything great about the Stones without getting overblown. One of the few Rolling Stones tunes that doesn’t sound dated or overplayed.
2. The Message – The song truly changed music. Started an era of angrier, grittier, and more confrontational urban message music.
3. Purple Haze – Of course those crazy notes at the beginning make it essential. It’s over a little too quickly. At this stage it’s very difficult to put 2-3 minute tunes above more sweeping tracks.
4. The Weight – Never got excited about this song very much.


BRACKET J

1. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) – Now THIS is essential Hendrix. Blistering but patiently paced, the convergence of blues and psychadelic rock at its finest.
2. Stayin’ Alive – Sure Gibb’s voice is extremely light, and this is the core song of the very dated disco era. But this songs got groove hooks, and stands on its own as a testament to its time.
3. Heroes – This song is structured so well that the 7+ minutes it takes goes by so quickly. I’ll give it credit for the feat of making time stand still when you listen to it. I was impressed after a few listens but it does get a little plodding.
4. I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction) – Of course this is played over and over again, but I think maybe it makes me a little uncomfortable hearing this song so full of confidence and youth played by a band in their 60s. Fear of mortality and all that junk, you know.

BRACKET K

1. Louie Louie – Of course 3-minute tunes that redefine what quality music can be deserve credit. The early breath of the punk movement, where attitude mattered more than getting notes right. Not always true, but if you find the right hook, and play it in a way to convince other people that they could start bands too, your little song deserves all the praise it can get.
2. Losing My Religion – R.E.M., for me, seemed to the be the self-aware, innovative, and beautiful band that kept music from getting too artificial, at least from the early 80s through Automatic for the People. This song was all over top 40 radio when it came out, an amazing feat for a song that seems more nuanced then the other music (M.C. Hammer, New Kids on the Block) making waves at the time.
3. Common People – As long as I can get the William Shatner version out of my head, I can appreciate this recent masterpiece.
4. God Save the Queen – Can’t get into Sex Pistols yet, sorry. Will pick up Bollocks sooner or later.

BRACKET L

1. Oh, Pretty Woman – I can’t get enough of this Roy Orbison song. I was trying to put my top 100 songs of all time together and I knew Roy Orbison had to be represented, yet I dismissed the more interesting sounding songs musically for this sly lyrical delivery and stomping rock n’ roll tune.
2. London Calling – This is probably the best lead-off track of any album, so I give it credit for being representative of the classic record. By itself though, it grows tired.
3. I Heard it Through the Grapevine – Fine, but nothing epic.
4. Let’s Stay Together – I don’t even know how to sing this song all the way through.

BRACKET I
1. The Rolling Stones, “Gimme Shelter”: apocalyptic sounds coming from the end of the 60s decade. It was released on December 1969, the same month of the disastrous Altamont concert, signing with blood the end of the decade of the big ideals.
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze”: quintessential “under-the-influence” song. Schleuse, the “mondegreens” article was really hilarious. In Spain there’s now a joke on the radio about “momentos teniente” (fragments of songs in English that sounds similar to some Spanish words but with a completely different meaning). Examples: in Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” the verse “maybe get a blister on your thumb” sounds like “baby quiero queso roñoso” (“baby I want filthy cheese” or Sade’s “Smooth Operator” sounds like “es una porrera” (“she’s a pot smoker” .
3. The Band, “The Weight”: cryptic but captivating tale of rural background and Biblical imagery.
4. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message”: surely influential, it took the “message” to hip-hop. But hip-hop should not have lost its funny edge…

BRACKET J
1. David Bowie, “Heroes”: the centrepiece of Bowie’s Berlin period is an easy #1 for me. Yes, Rocky, in Honorio’s universe Bowie is better than Hendrix and the Stones.
2. The Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive”: I’m not ashamed for putting this at #2. I was not ashamed too when I danced at it doing a pathetic imitation of Tony Manero last Saturday at a party. This song was made for that reason, for getting the “Saturday night fever”.
3. The Rolling Stones, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”: immortal Jagger-Richards tune, despite its solid classic condition it proved quite malleable, surviving to very different covers from Otis Redding to Cat Power, from Devo to Björk & PJ Harvey.
4. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)”: impressive closer of “Electric Ladyland”, sadly closes this bracket too.

BRACKET K
1. R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”: there’s (sometimes) justice in this world. R.E.M. achieved international recognition and its biggest hit with its best song.
2. Sex Pistols, “God Save the Queen”: obviously its importance relies in the provocative attitude courtesy of Rotten. But I want to point to one thing that few people think but it’s obvious to me: it’s extremely well played, with Cook and Jones hitting and strumming its instruments with sheer energy and skill.
3. Pulp, “Common People”: the battle between Blur and Oasis had a winner: Pulp.
4. The Kingsmen, “Louie Louie”: easy #4 for me.

BRACKET L
1. The Clash, “London Calling”: apocalyptic sounds coming from the end of the 70s decade. It was released on December 1979, signing with anger the end of the decade of the broken promises, of the rise and fall of dinosaurs that “has bitten the dust”.
2. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”: HOT.
3. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”: the usual smooth performance of Gaye was surpassed this time by a hoarse and emotional rendering.
4. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman”: Orbison trying to fight British invasion within its own league. And succeeding, but not in this bracket…

Disappointed that I forgot to post in Week 2, but I think I've got to this one in time:

BRACKET I
1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze. The greatest actual tune that Hendrix penned in my opinion. Hint: it makes for a great ringtone!
2) Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - The Message. Ok, you have to say that it sounds a little dated these days, but nevertheless still hugely enjoyable, and the legacy cannot be ignored.
3) The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter. When I first became interested in this band, this was my initial favourite track of theirs. It no longer is, but it still feels a little unfair that I can't find a way to have it higher than third in this group.
4) The Band - The Weight. Struggling a little with the competition for me here. Not sure how it beat off 'No Woman No Cry' in round 1 to be honest. Good song though.

BRACKET J
1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Jimi wins again. If Purple Haze was my favourite tune of his, this is my favourite track overall. The riff to conquer them all.
2) David Bowie - Heroes. For a long time I was only familiar with the single edit version, which though good could never possible convey they magic of this, definitely amongst Bowie's finest career moments.
3) The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Yet again, I can't believe that the Stones only make third place. And they're both career highlights as well. Not even the best riff in its bracket!
4) The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive. Also really good. Not 'cool' I suppose, but hell I like it.

BRACKET K
1) Pulp - Common People. So maybe it's because I'm a brit who grew up in the Britpop era, but this is damn near the ultimate single for me. The precarious build-up, the obligatory Cockerian wit, the keyboard riff, the passion with which Jarvis feels those 'life sliding out of view' lines, the realisation of a lifetime's pop aspirations, that Glastonbury set. It's got it all.
2) R.E.M. - Losing My Religion. Never has been my favourite REM song, but it doesn't have to be to still be awesome. The lyrics - c'mon, they must mean something?!
3) Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen. Give me "Anarchy..." any day. Don't dislike it, but 23rd best song ever written? Can't be. (I know, I know, it's the ultimate statement/culmination of punk rebellion, etc, but still doesn't quite do it for me).
4) The Kingsmen - Louie, Louie. Again, I like it, but it stumps me how it could be seen as the 10th greatest track of all time.

BRACKET L
1) The Clash - London Calling. Not my favourite track from the album, but this IS a punk anthem I can connect to (cf. God Save The Queen above). And, yeah, you gotta mention the environment meltdown prophecies too.
2) Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine. From a compilation cd I had as a child, this was always the track that hooked me in better than any other (Imagine, Good Vibrations, Waterloo Sunset and many others were there too). Fantastic performance.
3) Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman. Nice and enjoyable, (this was also on the aforementioned cd, btw), but would've been last in any other group here I'm afraid.
4) Al Green - Let's Stay Together. It's really rare for me to just not get one of the songs in the top 256 songs here, but this just passes me by. One day I'm sure it'll suddenly hit me, but for now, it has to come last.

Bracket I: 2 songs I enjoy and 2 I don't

1. "The Message"- that groove and synth flourish will not be denied.
2. "Purple Haze"- brilliant paranoid guitar heft.
3. "The Weight"- meh.
4. "Gimme Shelter"- yuck.

Bracket J: Up to 3 songs I enjoy!

1. "Heroes"- I used to not quite dig this, as it seemed like cheesy arena rock. But when I heard the full version and how it builds and unveils its vulnerability, I fell in love.
2. "Voodoo Chile"- Masterfully brilliant mind-bender.
3. "Stayin' Alive"- The groove is DEEP and the delivery is fantastic.
4. "Satisfaction"- no thank you.

Bracket K: all fairly lukewarm

1. "God Save the Queen"- wins a weak bracket. It is a lot of fun, though.
2. "Louie Louie"- sleazy delight for sure, but not really my thing.
3. "Common People"- I'm pretty ambivalent to this.
4. "Losing My Religion"- completely overrated. I used to abhor it- now I merely dislike it.

Bracket L: 3 good ones again! This week is pretty solid for me!

1. "London Calling"- propulsive punk punch. Their best song!
2. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"- you all know by now how much I can immerse myself in a groove. This one is tight!
3. "Let's Stay Together"- I'm sad to rank this 3rd, especially since it would have won out in several brackets from earlier weeks in Round 2.
4. "Oh, Pretty Woman"- This can't keep up.

BRACKET I
1. The Rolling Stones, “Gimme Shelter”
2. The Band, “The Weight”
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze”
4. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message”

#4 and #3 may be influential, but at this point, I'm looking for great songs, not great advances in music. And while The Weight is a lovely enough song, it never goes into 2nd and 3rd gear of awesomeness that is Gimme Shelter's chorus.

BRACKET J
1. David Bowie, “Heroes”
2. The Rolling Stones, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
3. The Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive”
4. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)”

I hate to put this Jimi song at #4, because it's a true song, with a great chorus, and pretty much lays down the gauntlet for anything on the guitar to come after him...but the Itunes Play Count says that this is clearly #4 on my list. And while Stayin' Alive is catchy as hell...it's still the Bee Gees, and I can't exactly justify them cracking the top 16. Which leaves the final two songs. And while both are great, I know that the Stones are probably going to have two songs in the round o' 16...and it would be a shame for Bowie not to have one, so chalk this up to strategic voting.

BRACKET K
1. Pulp, “Common People”
2. Sex Pistols, “God Save the Queen”
3. R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”
4. The Kingsmen, “Louie Louie”

There are only 9 songs in the world better than Louie Louie? Really music critics of the world? You sure about that? As for R.E.M., it's a shame this is their only contribution to round 2, because there's plenty of songs I enjoy more than this one...it flows effortlessly, but the beat and pace don't exactly change at all in the 4.5 minutes. Being from Canada, where the question of "should we keep the monarchy?" periodically in the newspapers, the sting of this song comes through quite clearly, thank you very much. Which leaves Common People, a great story, statement, and song.

BRACKET L
1. The Clash, “London Calling”
2. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
3. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman”
4. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”

Al Green and Roy Orbison do nothing for me. Sorry. As for Grapevine, it may not be (ok, it isn't) deserving of the #8 position overall, but it's another virtuoso performance by Gaye. Which leaves London Calling as the best of a relatively weak bracket - I can't see it doing all that well in the next round, but you can see why the album was pretty much the be all and end all of the music scene in 1980.