WEEK 15

A little breakdown of this week's songs by decade...
1920s: 0
1930s: 1
1940s: 2
1950s: 5
1960s: 5
1970s: 3
1980s: 6
1990s: 5
2000s: 5

Also of note:
Two brackets from the Handel bloc
Two brackets from the Mahler bloc


Here are this week's brackets. Remember, you can also view the brackets on this site. Voting is now open, and you have until 11:59 PM Pacific time on this upcoming Saturday to vote. Vote either in this thread or e-mail me.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
#236: "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
#277: "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
#748: "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]
#789: "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
#10: "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
#503: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]
#522: "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
#1015: "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
#79: "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
#434: "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
#591: "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
#946: "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
#48: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
#465: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
#560: "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
#977: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
#42: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
#471: "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
#554: "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
#983: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
#123: "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
#390: "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
#635: "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
#902: "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#232: "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
#281: "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
#744: "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
#793: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
#424: "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
#601: "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
#936: "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
With almost every bracket, there's at least one song that I want to see win. Or at least, there's a song that I really DON'T want to win. Not this one. I cannot be bothered to care about any of these songs. I'll go with Robert Johnson, but that's only because I really like what Cream did with this song.
2. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
It's a fine song, but again, I just don't care. This whole bracket is a big pile of meh.
3. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
Good lyrics, but Hank's almost-yodeling voice, combined with those twangy guitars, ultimately does this one in.
4. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]
Okay, I'll admit to something here. I actually like this song, but at the same time... it's the Killers! I can't give this song a good rating and still be able to look myself in the mirror. If it ends up winning, fine. But I won't cry if it doesn't.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
As I said a few weeks ago, there are certain songs that radio DJs will put on simply so they can step out of the booth and take a crap. "Hey Jude," "American Pie," and "Free Bird" are in that category, and of course so is this one.
What "Imagine" is for piano players (see my comments on that song), this one is for guitarists. Of course, this led to a very funny joke in the original "Wayne's World." It's a staple of classic rock radio, and it always finishes in the top 10 of the "greatest songs of all time," but I have a bit of a confession to make: I've never thought it was that great.
This is a song that I think gains a lot of stature simply out of peer pressure. People don't want to rag on it because they don't want their friends to think they're an ass. But really, this is one of the most overrated songs ever. There, I said it.
In spite of that, it's still strong enough to move on to the second round. I look forward to voting it out once it gets to Round 2.
2. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
One of the better singles to come out of the last few years, I always get a kick out of the fact that my local alt-rock radio stations play this song, but in a severely bowdlerized version that eliminates the rap in the middle. I wonder if anyone ever bought "Demon Days," turned to this song, then got mad because there's RAP MUSIC IN THIS SONG! In a weird way, I'm kinda hoping that this one beats out Led Zeppelin, but I don't think it will.
3. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]
Not a Culture Club fan.
4. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
Even less of a Morrissey fan.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
Cochran does not get the respect he deserves. Sure, the song isn't the most complex lyrically, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.
2. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
Moonbeam, I'll admit that I'm with you in that I'm not a big fan of "chirpy" Beatles music (like this song). Unlike Moonbeam, I am a fan of the Beatles from about "Rubber Soul" onward. Still, I have a bad feeling that this one might make it through over Cochran, and that makes me a sad panda.
3. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]
Maudlin and sappy. Not a fan.
4. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
I've listened to this one a few times now and I still can't manage to wrap my head around it. To me, it just sounds completely indiscernible from about twenty other mid-'60s garage rock bands. And this one in particular sounds like about fifteen other Beatles songs. And at least ten other Byrds songs.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
When I made up my picks for Bracketology, I had this one in the semifinals, where it finally lost to eventual winner "Fast Car." And had it not been in the same semifinal as Tracy Chapman, it probably would've been in my Final Four. That's how much I love this song. I'm trusting that the rest of you will have the good sense to put this one through to the next round, as I'm saving my good comments for the second round.
2. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
One of my favorite verses in all of popular music: "Some people say that bowling alleys got big lanes/Some people say that bowling alleys all look the same/There's not a line that goes here that rhymes with anything/Had a dream, but I forget what it was" It makes no sense, and I love it.
3. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
Early '40s blues. Why am I not putting this in the #4 spot? Oh, that's right. Because #4 needs to be...
4. "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
I'd like to think I'm becoming more and more a fan of Blur, but I'm still not anywhere near being a FAN of Blur. To me, so many of their songs ("Song 2" excepted, of course) all sound the same. Is there really a difference between one Blur album and another? Maybe I need to listen to them some more...

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
I'm not a huge Nirvana fan, but I've always really liked this song, and I probably prefer the version off "MTV Unplugged." I have no doubt that R.E.M. will take this bracket, but frankly, I've never liked that song.
2. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
Not the best, or even the second-best track off "Dig Your Own Hole" (that honor goes to "Block Rockin' Beats" and "The Private Psychedelic Reel," though I'm not sure in which order), but it's still a hell of a track, and strong enough to put it into second place here.
3. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]
Aside from the title track to the album, I've never been a huge fan of anything off "Control," and this song is no exception. I have nothing against dance-pop, I just prefer Janet's work from one album later.
4. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
And here we go. Like I said above, I've never liked this song. I think I like the concept of R.E.M. better than I actually like R.E.M. (they were alt-rock before it was cool to be alt-rock!) because there's only a handful of songs by them that I like. As for the rest, I feel like I have to listen to them over and over and over before I start to get some kind of enjoyment from them. Frankly, I'd rather listen to any of the other three here.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
The other day I finally decided to take a listen to "Remain in Light." I'd had that album for too long without bothering to give it a spin, but I'm glad I finally did. What struck me as interesting was how a lot of the songs managed to sound like the last one, but "Once in a Lifetime" stood out.
Now that's not to say that this was the first time I'd heard "Once in a Lifetime." It's easily my favorite TH song, and arguably the best song of the '80s. I just thought it was interesting how unlike anything else off "Remain in Light" it was.
2. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
God, I love this song. Another song that I'd never heard until I started following AM, but it's been on my favorites playlist ever since. Kinda trashy, but lots of fun.
3. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
I'm a little mad at Kelis for this song because she clearly got the idea for it from me. For you see — boy, this is hard to admit — my milk shake is actually the one that brings all the boys to the yard. And I'll tell you something: their like is a hell of a lot better than yours.
4. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
Like I said last week, Holly was obviously a great talent, but I haven't heard a song from him that I'd want to hear again. The Stones' version is better, but that one isn't great either.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
My buddy hates this song; I can't get enough of it. It is, in my mind, the best single from the last three years. To steal a line from Bobby Kennedy, some people hear this song and think, "Why record a song about robbing convenience stores?" I hear this song and think, "Why not?"
2. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
When Otis gets to that "Got, got to TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS!" line (at about the 2:50 mark), this song becomes his and you almost have to get your ass up and start cheering. It's that good.
3. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
I'm not even a Sex Pistols fan, but the boys had better stuff than this. Which reminds me, it's been too long since I've listened to NMtB...
4. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
Giant meh.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
In spite of its rating, I wouldn't call this a "timeless" song. Sure, it's a good song and I really like it. In this bracket, that's more than enough to put it into the #1 spot.
2. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
Good, trashy rock from the Stones. But really, the Stones are one of those bands that have a lot of "good" songs (like this one) and only a couple of great ones. And frankly, this isn't strong enough to knock off Mr. Pickett.
3. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
After "Crazy" got knocked out a couple weeks ago, I knew there was no way Ms. Cline was going to be making it into the second round. Sure, she's still got this one, but there's no way this will top this bracket.
4. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
It's not bad. But by no means is it good. Just a very average new wave song. Why the hell is this one so acclaimed?

Only have time for the first 6 brackets right now!

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14

1. Robert Johnson- "Cross Road Blues": I've liked many of the other Robert Johnson offerings better so far, but it's still great to hear stuff like this popping up. I'm still shocked that I'm putting it first.
2. The Drifters- "There Goes My Baby": This song doesn't strike me as all that special, but the vocals are enough to get it second in this weak bracket.
3. The Killers- "When You Were Young": I really can't stand The Killers. Everything from their name to their style is so derivative of other, better stuff. This song is slightly more tolerable than most of their cringeworthy stuff.
4. Hank Williams- "Lovesick Blues": What he does with his voice drives me absolutely bonkers. Sorry, country fans, but this is a perfect example of why country is my least favorite genre.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1

1. Gorillaz- "Geel Good Inc.": Demon Days is probably one of the best 5 albums of the 2000s- no other album has tuned into the universal fear that has permeated the entire decade. The entire album plays like a really good horror movie- the kind where the viewer actually cares about the characters and there is a universal message about mankind. This is one of the more deceptively fun moments, working as a funky genre-hybrid at the surface but commentating on the frightening trend of increased corporate presences in our lives. It's not my favorite on the album, but it'll do!
2. Morrissey- "Suedehead": Morrissey is an absolute genius of melodies. That "I'm sooooo sorry" makes me swoon every time! That said, Gorillaz just has too much.
3. Culture Club- "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me": Blue-eyed soul of the 80s! Culture Club often gets either too maligned (for their style) or too praised (for their style?) for my taste, but I quite enjoy this. It would have easily won the previous bracket.
4. Led Zeppelin- "Stairway to Heaven": Bloated "classic" rock is not my thing.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8

1. Jerry Butler & the Impressions- "For Your Precious Love": Another case where the vocal delivery raises a song above the competition. This is a nice song, but it's hard to believe that it's my top choice.
2. The Searchers- "Needles and Pins": The voices are still a bit to chirpy for my taste, but the melody is quite good, as are the harmonies.
3. Eddie Cochran- "Summertime Blues": More classic rock. It's more tolerable than most classic rock, but it still leaves me cold.
4. The Beatles- "A Hard Day's Night":

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9: Tough bracket!

1. The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony": One of the few alternative 90s songs that I actually liked at the time of its release was this- its majestic grandeur lent it a cinematic feel, and its universal desperation really touched people.
2. Blur- "Out of Time": This song carries an eeriness about it that is commonplace in Gorillaz songs, which makes it one of my favorite Blur songs.
3. Leadbelly- "Midnight Special": This song has nearly a gospel feel with the backing vocals adding a chilling effect. I don't know much about the song's history, but it seems to be very powerful.
4. Camper Van Beethoven- "Take the Skinheads Bowling": This song seems to be pretty fun, and it's indeed quite silly. I hadn't heard it before, but it'll have to settle for 4th here, unfortunately.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9: Perhaps the easiest choices of 1, 2, 3 and 4 in all of Bracketology!

1. Janet Jackson- "Nasty": I'm definitely the biggest Janet Jackson fan here (she's among my top 5 artists!), but this wouldn't even make my top 30 Janet songs. That said, I still love it- it's got a Princely groove courtesy of ex-Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Janet nails the tough-but-sweet personality that the song calls for. Her best material would come on the next album, but Control was an exciting fresh start for Janet, and led to a wildly successful career that is often dismissed as a result of her more famous brother. The fact is, Janet Jackson is an icon.
2. Nirvana- "All Apologies": Kurt Cobain was one of the greatest songwriters of the 90s, and this is an excellent exhibit to that effect.
3. R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion": I couldn't stand this song in 1991, and I haven't exactly warmed up to in the years since. R.E.M. used to seem fun to me ("Stand"), but this was just maudlin.
4. The Chemicals Brothers- "Setting Sun": I'm not a Chemical Brothers fan at all, but through in Noel Gallagher in the mix, and I really am not going to like it.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4

1. Kelis- "Milkshake": It's sooooo stupid but sooooo fun. Those weird synth stabs are what make it so effective. It will forever remind me of clubbing out in Salt Lake City, and that nostalgia (gosh, I'm already nostalgic about songs less than 6 years old?!) is tough to beat.
2. Basement Jaxx- "Red Alert": For the longest time, I wanted to find out what this song was- I had heard it over and over again on various commercials and thought I would be in for a funky delight when I heard it. And indeed, I was! I still prefer "Breakaway", but this is still a heck of a lot of fun.
3. Talking Heads- "Once in a Lifetime": I LOVE Remain in Light (it's my 2nd favorite Talking Heads album after Speaking in Tongues), but "Once in a Lifetime" is by far my least favorite song. I sometimes struggle with David Byrne's vocal weirdness (which is strange considering the artists that I love), and this is one of the reasons why. "Born Under Punches"? "The Great Curve"? Those would have made for easy number 1 choices here.
4. Buddy Holly- "Not Fade Away": I like Buddy Holly, but this is far from his best.

Hope to tackle the remaining brackets at some point this week.


VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "When You Were Young" - The Killers
2. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams
3. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson
4. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters

An extremely tight bracket for me, so it comes down to what would I rather listen to right now. And the answer is: out of this group, it's the 4-minute cyclone ride powered by one of the greatest guitar lines of this decade. Yeah, I know this is the unpopular vote -- the Killers seem to get sharted on at every opportunity (and most of the time it's justified), but there've been times when they've gotten it right, and I think "When You Were Young" is the finest example of it. A song so brilliant that even frontman Brandon Flowers couldn't believe he wrote it (anyone remember his claim in late '06 that Sam's Town was just as great as OK Computer?), but regardless, it's one the best, balls out rock songs in recent memory. 'It takes in Jesus and the devil, and has a hook as big as both.'

As for "Lovesick Blues", it's probably 1A -- can't explain it, but I love it. "Cross Road Blues" is 1B -- it really shouldn't have to compete in a game like this. And I can do without the Drifters' song.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
2. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul)
3: "Suedehead" - Morrissey
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club

If I hadn't grown up 'Stairway', I'd likely think of it as the pretentious, overrated, terribly-aged 8+ minute nonsensical nugget that schleuse claims it is. As it stands, however, because my formative musical years included the teaching of 'Stairway' as the archetype for indulgent-in-the-best-possible-way '70s guitar rock, it deserves no other place than #1.


LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles
2. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions
3: "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers
4.: "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran

This one's a no-brainer. John and Paul had Ringo's title; all they need was a song. So they cranked out a classic with about as much effort as it takes most of us to tie our shoes.


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly
2: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
3: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven
4: "Out of Time" - Blur

Some 'Belly love. Potent stuff from a musical pioneer.

Ok, so I mentioned last week how R.E.M.'s "Drive" was an example of a track #1 being the worst song on an amazing album. Here's another one. Alright, maybe it's not the worst song on 'Urban Hymns', but "Bittersweet Symphony" is definitely not the best. Anyone who claims it is probably hasn't heard the album and the amazing tracks on it, like 'Sonnet', or 'Weeping Willow', or 'Rolling People', which are far more expressive.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1.: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M.
2. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher)
3. "All Apologies" - Nirvana
4.: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson

A toss-up between #1 and #2 here. I've always really enjoyed 'Setting Sun', Noel's foray into electronic music (which, on paper, looks like a bigger step than it actually is). But then I remembered how effortless 'Losing My Religion' sounds; it will always be one of my favorite R.E.M. songs. "All Apologies" isn't one of Cobain's best, in my opinion; too skeletal.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14

1. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
2. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
3. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
4. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]

It's amazing how too old songs with "Blues" in the title can be so different, yet also so good and so definitive of their genres. It's easy to forget how powerful Robert Johnson' is in light of Cream's ubiquitous live version, but the original smokes it. Meanwhile, that's not one of favorite Drifters songs, and "Wnen You Were Young" has a couple nice Springsteen-meets-U2 moments but is ultimately derailed by the verses (both lyrics and delivery).


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1

Terrible bracket. No "bad" songs, but pretty much just OK across the board.

1. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
2. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
3. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

I doubt I can even sit all the way through "Stairway" these days, but it blew my mind when I ran into it on the radio when I was 11, so I guess that counts for something. Good drumming, too. "Feel Good Inc." is decent, "Suedehead" is decent, and there are better Culture Club songs for sure, and I'm not much of a fan of them.


LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8

1. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
2. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
3. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]
4. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]

An even worse bracket. Normally I really like a lot of "old" songs and get frustrated by this board's knee-jerk bias against so many of them, but these aren't just oldie but also moldie. Cochran wins on attitude alone. "Hard Day's Night" is fun but about the 7th best song on its old album. I never have been much of a fan of Jerry Butler (either solo or with the Impressions) which I suppose is a weird blind spot for a huge fan of soul like I am. And "Needles and Pins" is what it is, to use one of the worst cliches of our times.


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9

1. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
2. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
3. "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
4. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]

A weird bracket. I think I like all 4 of these about equally, and all 4 a little more than "Summertime Blues" in the last bracket, but none are a favorite of mine by any stretch. Leadbelly ends up winning 'cause his stands the test of time against many odds. Camper Van Beethoven is woefully underrated, so here are some props (though that song is a bit novelty). "Out of Time" is actually a very cool track, but I'm a little sick of Blur. And the Verve come in last just because of Ashcroft's false "hardness" meeting pomposity in the video.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9

1. "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
2. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
3. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
4. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

And now, a really great bracket, of all newer stuff! These early rounds are very bizarrely random. "All Apologies" is the easy winner for me -- my favorite Nirvana track by some distance, I would argue its simplicity is its strength. "Setting Sun" also still sounds great. "Losing My Religion" isn't one of favorite R.E.M. tracks, though it's certainly a fine song. And there are so many better Janet tracks, and I feel bad having "Nasty" number 4, but I have to be honest with the ranking.


TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4

1. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
2. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
3. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
4. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]

Talking Heads win this one fairly easily, and I'm sick of Talking Heads. "Not Fade Away" is a fine Buddy song, but he's got better. Same thing for Kelis -- "Millionaire", "Trick Me", and "Caught Out There" all dust "Milkshake" IMO. And give me "Rendez-Vu" over "Red Alert" anyday.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14

1. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
2. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
3. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
4. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]

Decent bracket. "Paper Planes" wins pretty easily -- that's gonna end up being a deserving era-definer, just watch as the EOD lists come in. Otis's revamp of a dusty standard is still soul-stirring, "Pretty Vacant" sort of pales next to the Pistols' other famous singles, and "Rock Island Line" is an important song that I never feel like listening to.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12

1. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
2. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
3. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
4. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]

Tough call between 1 & 2, both excellent songs. Patsy ends up winning with her best single (take that, "Crazy"). "Echo Beach" is a pretty glorious new wave single for all daydreamers out there. "In the Midnight Hour" is really good but has a sound that has become sort of standardized. And "Miss You" is just awful fake disco ... so many great Stones songs not in these brackets, and we have to deal with this?!?

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14

01. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]- Johnson and Williams were neck and neck, but RJ eeks him out.
02. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
03. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
04. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
01. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]- Easy win for arguably the most epic moment in hard rock history.
02. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
03. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
04. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8

01. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles[1964]- One of Rock's most iconic songs, which produced one of it's most iconic videos, by it's most iconic band. Flat out classic.
02. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
03. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
04. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9

#48: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]- I've always thought this song was pretty overrated. I vastly prefer "Sonnet" and "The Drugs Don't Work". Still this song manages to win this block.
#465: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
#560: "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
#977: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9

#471: "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]- Perhaps Cobain's most naked moment. I was tempted to go with "Losing My Religion" but I don't consider that nearly R.E.M.'s greatest, despite what the critics say.
#42: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
#554: "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
#983: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4

01. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]- Brilliant song off of my favorite album of the 80s.
02. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
03. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
04. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14

01. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]- I'm so ashamed putting this in front of Otis, but...God what a single.
02. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
03. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
04. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12

#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
#424: "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
#601: "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
#936: "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
#236: "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
The first Robert Johnson song in this poll had me rushing off to the store to buy King of the Delta Blues. This one could have done the same.
#789: "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
Hank Williams is another big gap in my music collection. Country music sounds great when it hasn't lost its connection with its emotional core.
#748: "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]
The Killers: Good singles band, bad album band. In ten years or so they'll have a damn good greatest hits album.
#277: "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
The echoey production in this song really brings out the feeling behind the vocals, and makes what's otherwise a pretty standard 50's pop song really stand out.



HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
#10: "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
Deservedly considered the peak of epic guitar rock.
#522: "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
#503: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]
#1015: "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
Gotta love Morrissey's atmospheric moodiness, but in this case, it's the only one of the four that doesn't particularly stand out.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
#434: "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
The Animaniacs owe The Beatles some royalties. Just like Bugs Bunny owes them to Buster Keaton. They even stole the accents!
#591: "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
I really like the harmonies in this song. Even if the melodies are a bit Beatles-ripped.
#79: "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
It's a fun simple little song, but I like the Who version better.
#946: "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
#465: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
Add Leadbelly to my list of 'People from the 30's and 40's I need to be educated about'.
#48: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
Have you ever watched the video, then been tempted to just walk down the street crashing into anyone in your way?
#560: "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
#977: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
#42: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
#471: "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
#554: "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
#983: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
#123: "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
I love the ostentatiously wacky vocals. No other song not by Radiohead better expresses disillusionment with the mundane.
#635: "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
#902: "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
Basement Jaxx are one of the big electronic acts from the 90's I just don't get.
#390: "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
Yet another lifeless loopfest celebrating modern entitlement. Why do critics like this junk?

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#793: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
A great song, but I don't think it's her best song. Funny how an artist with such musical virtuousity got attention through a gimmick. (The sound effects).
#232: "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
#744: "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
Fun speedy song.
#281: "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
Rebellion for the sake of rebellion fails to actually be such. Conforming to the anti-mainstream is just the same as conforming to mainstream. The Sex Pistols aren't about what they are, they're about what they're not.



MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
A song that brims with power and charisma.
#936: "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
Sounds like the Pretenders, in a good way.
#601: "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
#424: "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
Tries too hard to be middle of the road.

The rule about commenting at minimum your #1 choice is still in play for this week, and there are a couple of brackets that I can't count right now because of that. Just a heads-up...

Jonathan- Mahler 12
BillAdama- Handel 9

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. Cross Road Blues - Possibly the greatest blues song ever, by one of the greatest guitar players ever. He done sold his soul to the devil, and it shows.
2. When You Were Young
3. There Goes My Baby
4. Lovesick Blues

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. Stairway to Heaven - Hate it or love it, it's one of the greatest. Fantastic lyrics, and really good songwriting.
2. Feel God Inc.
3. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
4. Suedehead

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. Summertime Blues - Classic tune. Beats out the Beatles by a hair.
2. A Hard Day's Night
3. Needles and Pins
4. For Your Precious Love

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. Bittersweet Symphony - Really classic. Urban Hymns is one of the greatest albums of all time, and this is its flagship song. The video is great too. Such a bummer that the Rolling Stones sued the shit out of them over this song.
2. Midnight Special
3. Take the Skinheads Bowling
4. Out of Time

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. Losing My Religion - Tough call, but it's gotta be made. Really, I just like Stipe's vocals better than Cobain's, but it's a matter of taste.
2. All Apologies
3. Nasty
4. Setting Sun

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. Once in a Lifetime - Pretty cool song I guess. Weak bracket though, that's why it wins.
2. Not Fade Away
3. Red Alert
4. Milk Shake

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding is a classic, and this is a great song by a master vocalist.
2. Pretty Vacant
3. Rock Island Line
4. Paper Planes

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. Miss You - I really like this song. Tough to bump Pickett to second, but I gotta go with my gut on this one.
2. In the Midnight Hour
3. Echo Beach
4. I Fall to Pieces

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
2. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
3. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
4. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]

What a strange bracket, with three super-old songs mixed in with a very recent one. I really don’t like any of these songs, but I’ll go with the Drifters for their Sam Cooke-esque soul sound. Hank Williams and Robert Johnson are two artists I can never see myself listening to due to their very dated sound, but I recognize both of those songs as classics. “When You Were Young” will hopefully be forced out of the top 1000 by the time the end-of-decade lists are added to the site; I can see no merit in it whatsoever and have actively hated the song since it appeared on the Guitar Hero III setlist.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
2. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
3. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

Do I think “Feel Good Inc.” is a better song than “Stairway to Heaven?” Of course not, and “Stairway” will rightfully win this bracket. But I’d choose to listen to “Feel Good Inc.” nine times out of ten over “Stairway,” so it’ll take my top spot. This bracket is truly a two-horse race: “Suedehead” is decent but unspectacular Morrissey, and that Culture Club song is unlistenable for me.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
2. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
3. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
4. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

The Searchers out-Beatle the Beatles in this bracket, with excellent harmonies of “Needles and Pins” edging out this bracket’s guaranteed champion, “A Hard Day’s Night.” “Summertime Blues” is a rock standard that was done much better by other artists (The Who and Blue Cheer, to name two). And it’s safe to say I’m not exactly dreading the day when “For Your Precious Love” is forced out of the top 1,000 by superior songs.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
2. "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
3. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
4. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]

Nothing stands a chance against this week’s best, “Bittersweet Symphony,” a truly beautiful song musically and lyrically that I will increasingly comment on as it moves through Bracketology. I used to think Blur’s “Out of Time” was overrated within their output, but I changed my mind as I listened to it again; it gives excellent treatment to the ‘alienation with modern society’ theme that Radiohead does so well. “Take the Skinheads Bowling” is a good strum-along pop song, far better than I expected it would be given the title. “The Midnight Special” isn’t that bad, but it pales in comparison with the competition here.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
2. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
3. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
4. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

Nirvana’s best edges R.E.M.’s best in a 90s showdown, with the excellently produced “Setting Sun” and the outdated pop song “Nasty” falling well behind.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
2. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
3. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
4. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]

In the most dominant bracket of the week, “Once in a Lifetime” annihilates the competition. It’s certainly one of the best songs of all time, and I’ll save more detailed comments for later in the competition. “Red Alert” is a pretty good Daft Punk-ish jam, making me want to listen to more Basement Jaxx. Like I said last week, I don’t really ‘get’ Buddy Holly, but “Not Fade Away” easily tops “Milk Shake,” which, like the two big Missy Elliott songs, absolutely flabbergasts me with its acclaim. Not only do I dislike it, I genuinely can’t understand what people like about it.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
2. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
3. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
4. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]

The seeding on this bracket is a little deceiving: “Paper Planes” is going to move way up with the next site update, likely to top-100 territory after the EOD lists are added. “Try a Little Tenderness” might be Otis’ best besides “Sittin on a Dock,” but it can’t match a song that is probably the most widely loved single of the last three years. “Pretty Vacant” has an excellent intro riff and is among the Pistols’ best work, and “Rock Island Line” is a casualty of a tough bracket.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
2. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
3. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
4. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]

One of the Stones’ most underrated tunes beats out a soul classic in this bracket. The main riff of “Miss You” is excellent enough to make it the Stones’ best post-Exile song, while “In the Midnight Hour” is a great vocal performance in search of a better song, in my opinion. “Echo Beach” is good pop-rock but didn’t exactly blow me away on first listen, while I thought “I Fall to Pieces” was genuinely terrible.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]: It might sound dated now, but it sure as heck didn’t at the time – Leiber and Stoller were pretty much the first people ever to put strings on an R&B record, and it was seen as a radical act. The impassioned-but-elegant result set the template for everything the Drifters did after that, and for soul music in general.
2. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]: The lyrics define the legend, but as many have said, you can ignore the words and just focus on how brilliant and ahead of its time the man’s guitar playing was; with those icy slide stabs punctuating those impossibly intricate rhythm patterns, any questions about what Johnson might have sounded like with a full band are irrelevant – he -was- a full band.
3. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]: Williams was a genius, but I’ll concede that I get why so many people find this song irritating – the yodeling does get on your nerves (he’s clearly trying to imitate Jimmie Rodgers). Thankfully, he didn’t do it all the time.
4. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]: I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking, “What the hell happened here?” What happened was they somehow decided that combining the most bombastic elements of Springsteen and U2 was a great idea. And somehow, millions of people seem to agree. Doesn’t mean I have to.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]: The ultimate CRW (Classic Rock Warhorse). But it’s the perennial listener-poll topper for a reason – it really is just that great. You have to get past some spectacularly dippy lyrics, but when is that NOT the case with Zep? All I know is that even after a billion listens, that split second of silence leading into the sudden entrance of the wall-of-Jimmy leading into that guitar solo is still as exhilarating as music gets.
2. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]: Hooking up with Danger Mouse is probably the smartest move Damon Albarn has ever made; DM’s endlessly groovy sonics are the reason DEMON DAYS is a cohesive, coherent whole rather than the intermittently brilliant hodgepodge that was the debut. I can’t make out most of the words here, but they’re distinctly secondary to the aural attack, choc-o-late or otherwise.
3. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]: A terrific single that served its purpose well: it proved that Moz was still Moz (“so many…illustrations”) but sounded sufficiently different from the Smiths to serve notice that he was doing his own thing now.
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]: You have to hand it to George O’Dowd; to create a singular persona certain to engender (no pun intended) an ugly, vitriolic reaction and then give your first single such a loaded title was pretty ballsy. Said persona and said reaction tended to overshadow the salient fact that the music was actually really, really good. It got better on the second album, but this is still a case of SH2B4.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]: This is likely the oldest overall bracket so far in the game; it also happens to be one of the very best, with every song a winner. But even in this company the effortlessly shimmering, brilliantly produced title track from the Beatles’ first film stands out.
2. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]: A great song (from the only-in-dreams team of Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche), given a great performance that manages to combine folk-rock with power-pop even though it predates both.
3. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]: The familiarity of both of the classic hard-rock covers of this song (Blue Cheer and the Who at Leeds) hasn’t dimmed the pleasures of the acoustic-rockabilly original. The sentiments are so timeless and expressed with such perfect economy and humor that it’s probably impossible to do a bad version (the ultra-arch Flying Lizards did a good one, too).
4. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]: The ballad that introduced the world to both the Iceman and the true leader of the group, Curtis Mayfield. An easy #4 in this group, but it’s still a first-rate record.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]: Sometimes I think this song is overrated, and then I listen to it again and I realize, no, it isn’t. Who knew a cheesy 1960s string sample (one that unfortunately screwed up the songwriting royalties, even though you probably couldn’t identify it as “The Last Time” if your life depended on it) could be the basis of such a majestic track?
2. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]: From the sublime to the sublimely ridiculous. Mid-80s dadaist indie-rock at its apex, and it still sounds great.
3. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]: Is it heresy to admit that I prefer the Creedence cover on WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS? A great, classic American song, regardless.
4. "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]: See, this is why so many of us find the later Blur albums frustrating – the chorus proves that Albarn could still write these kinds of classic hooks in his sleep, and while I understand that making THE GREAT ESCAPE forever would have been a dead end, he could have found a better compromise than half-assedly jumping on the Marrakech Express at every opportunity. Just my $0.02.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]: A rare example of a band’s biggest pop hit also being one of its very best songs. It had the feel of an instant classic from the moment I first heard it, and there’s still nothing about it that I don’t love.
2. "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]: I prefer the UNPLUGGED version – the Zen brilliance of the coda comes through more purely when it isn’t overlaid with Albini-ized fuzz ‘n’ thump. But it’s one of Cobain’s best either way.
3. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]: In a high-school science lab class one day in ’86, apropos of nothing, I casually asked a classmate, “Who’s that thinking nasty thoughts?” He was caught off guard for a second but then smiled and replied, “Nasty boys?” I nodded and then asked who was driving that nasty car, and so on until we got to the “Ladies?” It was one of my few cool teenage moments, so thank you, Janet, Jimmy and Terry.
4. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]: It works better as part of the overall flow of the album than as a stand-alone track, but it’s still enjoyable.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]: REMAIN IN LIGHT may be the Heads’ most acclaimed album, but it’s my least favorite of their first four; I usually start to drift a little during the second half. Not during this song, though, which effortlessly encapsulates in four minutes everything David Byrne has ever tried to say about personal/cultural dislocation. It helps, too, that Jerry Harrison brings his Modern Lovers organ sound into the mix at the end to snap the music into sharper focus.
2. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]: Simple, stripped-down, and timeless. Not much more needs to be said, except maybe that this is the best-ever use of the Bo Diddley beat by anyone not named Bo Diddley.
3. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]: Not my favorite genre, but I can warm up to the best of it, and this qualifies. Love those retro synth oscillations.
4. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]: Hilarious in its bluntness, but so overplayed at the time that I could easily go the rest of my life without hearing it again.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]: Aretha may have stolen “Respect,” but that’s nothing compared to Otis’ wholesale hijacking of this hoary old standard. He truly makes it his own and transforms it into one of the great slow-build-to-an-explosive-release records ever made, although the version on LIVE IN EUROPE is even better.
2. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]: Almost everything on KALA is dazzling, but this improbably joyous ode to armed robbery (beware the radio edit that cuts out the gunshots) stands out and provides a fitting climax.
3. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]: The least consequential of their brilliant singles, but still a pretty potent (and timeless, given today’s celebrity “culture”) attack on vapidity.
4. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]: Yes, there really was a skiffle craze in both the U.K. and the U.S. in the mid-‘50s. No, I can’t explain it either.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]: One of those classics that it’s hard to believe someone actually sat down and wrote – it’s always just kind of seemed to be there. Everything just falls into place, from the Wicked One’s natural authority to those amazing horn lines. A working definition of soul.
2. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]: Speaking of natural authority… Early ‘60s country-pop perfection. A working definition of heartbreak.
3. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]: Not a working definition of anything, except for how the Stones always sound like themselves even when Charlie’s playing a disco beat. Exemplifies exactly what made SOME GIRLS so great: the Keith-and-Ronnie dynamic jells perfectly, and Jagger’s performance is loose-bordering-on-unhinged (“Chk-chk-chk, whassamattawitchoo, boooyyy?”).
4. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]: A working definition of The New Wave One-Hit Wonder. A great chorus (the way Martha robotically enunciates “My job is very boring I’m an office clerk” is perfect), but this must have sounded dated the day it came out.

VERDI 14
1. LOVESICK BLUES. Two roots masterpieces clearly lap the other two songs in this bracket. I have enormous respect for both artists and both songs, so I have the luxury of going with the one I happen to like a little better (so who minds a little yodeling, Harold?).
2. CROSS ROAD BLUES
3. THERE GOES MY BABY
4. WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG. The Killers went past their expiration date at the speed of light.

HANDEL 1
1. FEEL GOOD INC. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would pick two Gorillaz songs #1, but them’s the breaks. This is just beautifully put together. Sure, it’s kind of a cheap trick to get your audience smiling by having a laugh track as an intro, but Damon redeems that promise big time.
2. SUEDEHEAD
3. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. Pass. I’m assuming I’ll have more chances to comment (don’t worry, I have something new to say).
4. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME. I was tempted to put this above “Stairway” as a poke in the eye to all the idiotic homophobes who hated this when it came out. But seriously, this is ridiculous hokum.

LISZT 8
1. A HARD DAY’S NIGHT. In retrospect, it’s hard to realize, 1) that this was written hurriedly for the soundtrack, and 2) that it’s from 1964. The Beatles’ most accomplished and interesting composition at the time, and one of the finest outros ever.
2. SUMMERTIME BLUES. It really kills me to put this second; were I to sit down and do a personal 50s list, this would be top 10, maybe top 5. Never fails to get the blood moving.
3. FOR YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE
4. NEEDLES AND PINS

SIBELIUS 9
1. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. Blues Is Folk, and Huddie Ledbetter is exhibit A. For the most part, I’ve been giving short shrift to pre-rock classics in this tournament, but this is pure ore from the deep mine of American music, and towers over the rest of a soft group.
2. BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY. Deserves the acclaim it gets, although I have to wonder about a song which can be best described as “effective.” In my opinion.
3. OUT OF TIME. As Henrik himself noted this week on the MVAs thread, the songs list is skewed toward singles, and that’s the only explanation I can think of for this being ranked where it is. I mean, it’s a nice song, but there are three or four better ones on the underrated Think Tank—this became the lead single because it’s the album’s most “normal” sounding song.
4. TAKE THE SKINHEADS BOWLING. Nostalgic fun for me, but in over its head.

HANDEL 9. Chalk.
1. LOSING MY RELIGION. No, it’s not their best song (their actual best song is outside the tournament, in the 1500s)...but it is their most iconic. And mandolinerrific. R.E.M.’s music is great for many reasons, but the one all the critics latched onto early (well, besides the mumbling) was arpeggio. If nothing else, this song sounds like the pinnacle of Peter’s plinking.
2. ALL APOLOGIES. The best track on Nirvana’s most accomplished (though not most powerful) album.
3. SETTING SUN. Seems cruel to rank the song which stands as the Chems’ finest moment AND the Gallagher family’s finest moment at #3, but bracketology is a harsh mistress.
4. NASTY. Speaking of harsh mistresses…nah, out of respect for Moonbeam’s sensibilities, I will forbear. (although, ‘beam…”Stand”? really?)

TCHAIKOVSKY 4
1. ONCE IN A LIFETIME. I’ve been undergoing a bit of a T-Heads renaissance lately, but I had never gotten tired of this. Both the original and the Stop Making Sense version are essential. The 60s were the decade of blowing minds, but this had to be the most mind-blowing song of the early 80s for a lot of people around my age—and it’s interesting that it’s about wry alienation rather than cosmic oneness. But the 80s were more of a time to disconnect.
2. NOT FADE AWAY. Fantastic, vintage, spastic Holly. There’s little that can match the joy of Buddy wailing, “MAH love bigger than a Cadillac…”
3. RED ALERT
4. MILKSHAKE. Said it before, I’ll say it again: sexy only happens if you don’t look like you’re trying too hard (see also: “Whole Lotta Love” and the entire Salt-n-Pepa ouvre).

MAHLER 14
1. TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS. Not so much here as a great song (though it is), but for Otis’ tour-de-force vocal performance, still his most potent.
2. PRETTY VACANT
3. PAPER PLANES. Close between #2 and #3 here; both are powerful enough to peel paint. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the Pistols’ third most famous song.
4. ROCK ISLAND LINE. I could recycle my comment for “Video Killed the Radio Star”: this is here as a museum piece only. And unlike the Buggles, it’s virtually unlistenable…unless you decide just to enjoy Lonnie’s exuberant earnestness about this exotic American material, but that’s a greater feat of historical imagination than I can usually manage.

MAHLER 12
1. I FALL TO PIECES. It’s called acting. Reputedly, Patsy was a tough, fun-lovin’ gal who acted like she never mooned over anyone in her life. But I imagine her singing this in some honky-tonk, swooping octaves and all, and can you imagine anyone doubting her?
2. IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. In all honesty, I wonder if I might consider this for #1 if I hadn’t listened to Otis for the previous bracket. I love Pickett, but even this soul masterpiece sounds tame next to the master.
3. MISS YOU. The Stones in the process of losing the plot…I still like it, and it was unavoidable for a couple of years when I was a kid.
4. ECHO BEACH. A fantastic pastiche of new wave which…wait a minute, you mean they really meant it?

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1 - "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
2 - "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
3 - "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]
4 - "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
Awful bracket - don't really like any of these songs. 'There Goes My Baby' is the songs I'd listen to out of the 4 though,great vocals,production. Not really my favourites of Hank Williams or the Killers,the Robert Johnson song is pretty strong,but I prefer Cream...

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1 - "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
2 - "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
3 - "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
4 - "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]
One of Morrissey's all-time classics(and therefore one of my all-time favourites) easily beats out the overrated 'Stairway To Heaven'(which will no doubt win anyway). The Gorillaz I've never really got,The Culture Club aren't too bad,but not good enough here...

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1 - "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
2 - "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
3 - "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
4 - "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]
Maybe The Who and Blue Cheer versions of Summertime Blues were better,but I still prefer the classic original. Sounds very different to what I'm used to in 1950s rock n'roll. Pretty standard songs from the Searchers and The Beatles,nothing special.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1 - "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
2 - "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
3 - "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
4 - "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
How is it that 'Take The Skinheads Bowling' has 95 plays on my ipod placing it in the top 40 players from a playlist of over 15000? It's just so ridiculous,so fun,so catchy. No doubt the Verve will win with their classic 'Bittersweet Symphony',which I always seem to overlook for some reason. Not one of the best Blur songs,not a huge fan of the Leadbelly song...

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1 - "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
2 - "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
3 - "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
#983: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]
REM and Nirvana - 2 bands I have a love-hate relationship to. Although I think 'Losing My Religion' is way overrated,it's the best song here for sure. 'All Apologies' is one of Cobain's best,would have won 2 or 3 of the other brackets this week. I quite like the Chemical Brothers,but for some reason 'Setting Sun' never quite does it for me. 'Nasty' outclassed...

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1 - "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
2 - "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
3 - "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
4 - "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
No doubt about this bracket - Talking Heads bulldoze the competition with the thrilling 'Once In A Lifetime',although I admit it didn't blow me away on first listens on the radio. One of Buddy Holly's finest moments,unfortunate draw to receive. 'Red Alert' is decent,'Milk Shake' is pretty lame...

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1 - "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
2 - "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
3 - "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
4 - "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
Never thought I'd have M.I.A. ahead of the King of Soul,but 'Paper Planes' is a brilliant track,one of my favourites of this decade. I really need to hear more of her stuff. 'Try A Little Tenderness' is one of the great soul vocal performances of all time,'Pretty Vacant' is OK,but not even close to the 2 most acclaimed tracks on the record,'Rock Island Line' is alright,nothing special...

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1 - "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
2 - "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
3 - "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
4 - "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
'In The Midnight Hour' wins pretty easily here,a soul classic which has become a standard for cover bands. 'Miss You' is good fun,hardly could be compared with their greats of a few years earlier. 'I fall To Pieces' is OK,not really my genre. 'Echo Beach' sounds pretty standard,nothing special really...

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14 : pretty weak bracket, Robert Johnson takes it easily, mostly thanks to his not-that-well-hidden madness
#236: "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
#789: "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
#277: "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
#748: "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
#10: "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971] : you don't become one of the most iconic song of all time for nothing, you can call is overplayed or bombastic, I just call it majestic
#522: "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005] : the guitar part during the "windmill windmill" part is just incredible with the sheer sense of melancholy which I think is Damon Albarn best secret, but the following rap verse is a bit disappointing, especially given who it comes from
#1015: "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988] : actually pretty cool, even in normal standard
#503: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
#946: "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958] : weak bracket I don't think much of, still that song has an interesting dark love feeling
#79: "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
#434: "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
#591: "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9 : Leadbelly and Camper van Beethoven bring unexpectedly cool songs to the fight but Blur takes it all with what seems like the template for The Good, The Band and the Ugly... melancholy + Albarn = greatness
#560: "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
#977: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
#465: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
#48: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
#554: "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997] : and there another one of my top 50 songs (and my favourite electronic track ever I think) will be eliminated... by a very solid bracket however, Cobain & Co would have won the 2 previous brackets
#42: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
#983: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]
#471: "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
#902: "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999] : very tough bracket once more, I think this one take the first spot because I had not listened to it for a long time. It's amazing how this song is the best song ever when you hear it once in a while and awfully annoying when you hear it more than 2 times in the same week...
#635: "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
#123: "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
#390: "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#793: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007] : another great bracket with 4 songs I like, but I'm a 00s lover and Paper Planes is one of those few decade defining moments
#281: "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
#744: "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
#232: "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
#89: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966] : good old classic, enough for this bracket, even though Martha & the Wuffins song is really surprising
#936: "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]
#601: "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
#424: "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]

I thought I wouldn't be able to play this week with the Am poll but right now lists have stopped raining so I'm happy to do my bracketological duty


VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1 "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]: early Hank, a tribute to the great Jimmmie Rodgers
2 "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
3 "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
4 "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1 "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]: "the bloody wedding song" as Robert Plant called it, is still one of the great masterpieces of Led Zep, no matter the massive airplay
2 "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]
3 "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
4 "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1 "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]: one of my favorite 50s songs wins this oldies' bracket
2 "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
3 "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
4 "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9

1 "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]: lots of great vintage music this week : nicolas is happy; Leadbelly is a giant. This song was first recorded in 1933 when he was still in the Angola pen for assault on a white man. Happy it got a positive reception from most of you guys.
2 "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
3 "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]
4 "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1 "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]: I've always preferred the more commercial, radio-friendly REM of "Out Of Time" and "Automatic" than the alternative REM of the early 80s
2 "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
3 "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]
4 "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1 "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]: one of those Talking Heads songs I really dig
2 "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]
3 "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
4 "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1 "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]: powerful, smart, danceable, MIA outruns Otis even foe an oldies daddy like me
2 "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
3"Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]: nice imitation of Leadbelly but feels a little ridiculous when you know the original
4 "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1 "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]: mixing blues with a disco beat was not new in 1978,a lot of blues singers were doing that in Chicago to survive, but Jagger and Richards make a great hit out of it.
2 "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
3 "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
4 "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006] These guys must be really assholes. It seems that half of the forum members hate them because of something else than their music (and the rest because of their music). This is a quite decent rock song and that's enough to win this bracket.
2. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]
3. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
4. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005] One of the best songs of 05 and the best video of 05.
2. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971] I was so sure that this will be my #1 but I'm not going to put to #1 a song that I hardly had enough strength to listen to the end today.
3. "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958] A pre-Unchained Melody or whatever. This really isn't my favourite bracket.
2. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
3. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
4. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997] It's a shame that we don't have Last Time by The Staple Singers... I mean by The Rolling Stones in this weeks bracketology. I would have loved to read the comments about that. Bittersweet Symphony is still one of the best songs of 90's.
2. "Out of Time" - Blur [2003] It's a shame that Out of Time is against Bittersweet Symphony. This is one of the greatest songs by Blur. Think Tank album hasn't aged very well but Out of Time sounds still very good.
3. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
4. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991] This is actually one of my least favourite R.E.M. songs but today it sounded surprisingly fresh and it beats Nirvana.
2. "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993] This is actually one of my least favourite Nirvana songs.
3. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997] This is actually one of my least favourite Chemical Brothers songs.
4. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986] And this is actually one of my least favourite Janet Jackson songs and Janet is my least favourite artist among these four.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999] The glimpse of 2-step garage and yelling girl in vocals. Sounds like winning combination in my list. Red Alert brought the partying back to dance music in the late 90's. And this song sounds still so good.
2. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
3. "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
4. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007] The mash up version of Paper Planes by The Very Best is maybe my favourite mash up song ever (after Bittersweet Symphony). It's maybe better than the original (at least in this moment) but the original is also amazing.
2. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
3. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]
4. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980] Decent new wave song wins. The sound of 80's is already there and it's ruin the song a bit.
2. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
3. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
4. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1.  "Cross Road Blues" – I understand this a lot better than his previous stuff. In a weaker bracket this sounds more timeless.
2. "There Goes My Baby"
3. "When You Were Young" -  Quite good, but not much more.
4. "Lovesick Blues" -  I can't get past the singing.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Stairway to Heaven" – Is larger than any song here and maybe ever.
2.  "Feel Good Inc." -
3. "Suedehead" -
4. : "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" – At least it cracks me up

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "A Hard Day's Night" -  Yes one of the best Beatles songs and it's a blast.
2. "For Your Precious Love" -
3.  "Needles and Pins" -
4.  "Summertime Blues" - 

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" – Laid back masterpiece wins this easily.
2. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" -
3.  "Out of Time" - 
4. "Midnight Special" - 

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1.  "Losing My Religion" -  Close call with the first two. Both are close to the best songs by their artists, but this just has more of a lasting appeal to me.
2. "All Apologies" -
3.  "Setting Sun"
4.  "Nasty"

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Once in a Lifetime" – I can't think of anything that sounds like this. One of the craziest songs that works on all levels.
2.  "Not Fade Away" – Decent song.
3. "Red Alert"
4. "Milk Shake" -  Cool beat that gets old quickly and some of the wort lyrics and singing in any song.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Try a Little Tenderness" - So much emotion.
2. "Pretty Vacant" -  Aggressive in the same way as their two huge singles, but not quiet as good.
3. "Paper Planes" – Very good, but not quite as good as the other two. Has grown on me, but I still dislike the noveltyish chorus.
4.  "Rock Island Line" – Can't compete with the other 3.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "Miss You" - The Stones last great song is one of their most fun. Too bad they couldn't stop soon after this.
2. "In the Midnight Hour"
3. "Echo Beach
4. "I Fall to Pieces"

Just to let you all know, there's only six hours and 48 minutes left to vote this week. I haven't totalled up any brackets, but I'm willing to bet that just about all of them are wide open!

I just realized I forgot to order one of the brackets.

(Notice none of them are commented in my original post. That's cause I skipped over them by mistake, then copy pasted them.)

-Nirvana - All Apologies
Nirvana's most sensitive sounding song, like he's letting down the burnout veneer and saying "Sorry I can't be what you want me to."
-REM - Losing My Religion
Maybe the most perfect REM single. Really nails the feeling of loss of identity and disillusionment of ambition, and does it in a catchy, epic sounding way.
-Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
Chemical Brothers are better than almost anyone else at making looped samples have a natural sounding flow. It just has the misfortune of being up against two all time classics at the moment.
-Janet Jackson - Nasty
Boring hook-n-video oriented marketingly sexual single from the queen of vicarious fame.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1: "When You Were Young" - The Killers [2006]
2: "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson [1936]
3: "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters [1959]
4: "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams [1948]

A bracket full of songs I can appreciate but don't like to listen to.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1: "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin [1971]
2: "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) [2005]
3: "Suedehead" - Morrissey [1988]
4: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club [1982]

Ugh did I really just put Stairway #1? This might have been an awful week to jump back into the mix.

LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1: "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers [1965]
2: "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles [1964]
3: "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran [1958]
4: "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions [1958]

Needles and Pins is one of my favorite solid gold oldies.

SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1: "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve [1997]
2: "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven [1985]
3: "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly [1940]
4: "Out of Time" - Blur [2003]

Can you call Bittersweet Symphony a ripoff if it's better than the song it's ripping off?

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson [1986]
2: "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. [1991]
3: "All Apologies" - Nirvana [1993]
4: "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) [1997]

Janet Jackson only has two songs I like- Nasty and Again. But those two songs are better than most pop stars have ever sung.

TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1: "Milk Shake" - Kelis [2003]
2: "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads [1980]
3: "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly [1957]
4: "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx [1999]

Milk Shake narrowly beats a really good but overrated Talking Heads song.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1: "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan [1954]
2: "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. [2007]
3: "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
4: "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding [1966]

Weak bracket but Rock Island Line is a great early rock song.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1: "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett [1966]
2: "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline [1961]
3: "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones [1978]
4: "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins [1980]

I'll go chalk here but nothing is a favorite of mine.

Three hours left this week!

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14

1. Otis Redding- "Try a Little Tenderness": Otis has several better songs, but this is still fantastic. The buildup is what makes the song so powerful.
2. M.I.A.- "Paper Planes": One of the most irresitible hip hop songs of the past few years!
3. Sex Pistols- "Pretty Vacant": Although not my preferred brand of punk, this is still worthwhile.
4. Lonnie Donegan- "Rock Island Line": Completely outclassed by the other three.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12

1. The Rolling Stones- "Miss You": I know that this isn't the Stones' main thing, but that's perhaps why I like this so much. Gimme disco/funk Stones over blustery rock Stones any day.
2. Martha and the Muffins- "Echo Beach": What? Good music can come of Canada that isn't from Quebec?! Just kidding. I hadn't heard this before, but it's a decent slice of new wave goodness.
3. Wilson Pickett- "In the Midnight Hour": I've never particularly been a fan of this.
4. Patsy Cline- "I Fall to Pieces": Or this. Still, I'll take it above "Crazy".

Voting is now over for this week. Results will be posted as soon as I get everything totaled up.

Took me a little while, but here are your...




RESULTS

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Cross Road Blues" - Robert Johnson (54 points, 8 first-place votes)
2. "There Goes My Baby" - The Drifters (38, 3)
3. "Lovesick Blues" - Hank Williams (37, 2)
4. "When You Were Young" - The Killers (31, 3)

Robert Johnson only has two songs in Bracketology, but both of them are now in the second round, as "Cross Road Blues" joins "Hellhound on My Trail" in Round 2. Johnson will face Nirvana's "Come as You Are" in the next round. The Drifters are now oh-for-three with only two songs left. Hank Williams is oh-for-three with four songs left, and the Killers are out.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 1
1. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin (56, 11)
2. "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz (Featuring De La Soul) (50, 4)
3. "Suedehead" - Morrissey (32, 1)
4. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club (22, 0)

Led Zeppelin stairway will take them into the second round, where it will face David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" Gorillaz kept it close all week long, ultimately falling short by a scant six points. Damon Albarn and company finish the first round one-for-two, as "Clint Eastwood" has already advanced. Morrissey is now oh-for-two with only "Everyday Is Like Sunday" remaining. Culture Club is done.


LISZT BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "A Hard Day's Night" - The Beatles (49, 6)
2. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran (44, 5)
3. "Needles and Pins" - The Searchers (35, 2)
4. "For Your Precious Love" - Jerry Butler & the Impressions (32, 3)

The Beatles continue their dominance over this game, as they are now 8-for-12. "Summertime Blues" made a bit of a comeback late in the week, but did not have enough to overtake the Fab Four. "A Hard Day's Night" will face off in the second round against Pulp's "Common People" and Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman." Eddie Cochran, the Searchers, and Jerry Butler are all done after their only bracket, but the Impressions (sans the Iceman) already have "People Get Ready" in Round 2.


SIBELIUS BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve (53, 9)
2. "Midnight Special" - Leadbelly (40, 5)
3. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper Van Beethoven (35, 1)
4. "Out of Time" - Blur (32, 1)

The Verve walk confidently into Round 2, putting away Huddie Ledbetter by a dominating thirteen points. "Bittersweet Symphony" will face off against Sonic Youth's "Teen Age Riot" and the Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." Leadbelly is out of Bracketology, finishing oh-for-two. Camper Van Beethoven is also out, though with a record of oh-for-one. Blur is now oh-for-three, but still has "Song 2" and "Girls & Boys" remaining.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 9
1. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M. (52, 8)
2. "All Apologies" - Nirvana (49, 5)
3. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers (Featuring Noel Gallagher) (33, 1)
4. "Nasty" - Janet Jackson (26, 1)

The week's closest bracket is right here, as R.E.M. edges past Nirvana in the battle of '90s alt-rock all-stars. The boys from Athens finally break through and put a song into the second round. "Losing My Religion" will take on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" in Round 2. Nirvana is now two-for-four in the first round with only "Heart-Shaped Box" left. The Chemical Brothers are oh-for-one with "Block Rockin' Beats" left, but Janet is done after her only bracket.


TCHAIKOVSKY BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads (54, 11)
2. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx (36, 2)
3. "Not Fade Away" - Buddy Holly (36, 0)
4. "Milk Shake" - Kelis (24, 2)

The week's biggest blowout belongs to the Talking Heads. "Once in a Lifetime" wins by eighteen points over Basement Jaxx and Buddy Holly. David Byrne and company will face off in the second round against Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue." Basement Jaxx and Kelis are out after only one song, but Buddy Holly still has two songs left.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. (50, 9)
2. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding (45, 5)
3. "Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols (31, 0)
4. "Rock Island Line" - Lonnie Donegan (24, 1)

Sri Lanka rejoices as M.I.A. advances past Otis Redding and into the second round. "Paper Planes" will take on John Lennon's "Imagine" and David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in Round 2. Otis Redding is now one-for-two in the first round, and the Sex Pistols are oh-for-one, but Lonnie Donegan is done.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "In the Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett (44, 6)
2. "Miss You" - The Rolling Stones (40, 5)
3. "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline (28, 2)
4. "Echo Beach" - Martha & the Muffins (28, 1)

Wilson Pickett makes good use of his only appearance in Bracketology, as he advances to the second round with "In the Midnight Hour." The Rolling Stones' woes continue, as they are now one-for-five in the first round. Patsy Cline is eliminated from the game, finishing oh-for-two, while Martha & the Muffins are done after their only song.

STATISTICS




STATISTICS



TOP TWENTY BEST-PERFORMING SONGS
1. "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" - Otis Redding (3.905 points per ballot)
2. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (3.9)
3. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (3.882)
4. "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" - The Four Tops (3.8)
5. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana (3.778)
6. "Like a Rolling Stone" - Bob Dylan (3.765)
7. "All Along the Watchtower" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (3.75)
8. "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks (3.7)
9. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley (3.667) tie
9. "Georgia on My Mind" - Ray Charles (3.667) tie
11. "Ms. Jackson" - OutKast (3.65)
12. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie (3.611)
13. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads (3.6)
14. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder (3.588)
15. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles (3.571) tie
15. "London Calling" - The Clash (3.571) tie
15. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles (3.571) tie
18. "Heroin" - The Velvet Underground (3.556)
19. "Sweet Child o' Mine" - Guns n' Roses (3.533) tie
19. "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys (3.533) tie


TOP TWENTY WORST-PERFORMING SONGS
1. "Chime" - Orbital (1.176)
2. "Back in the Saddle Again" - Gene Autry (1.214)
3. "Young Blood" - The Coasters (1.235)
4. "Donna" - Ritchie Valens (1.333)
5. "You're No Good" - Linda Ronstadt (1.35)
6. "Just the Way You Are" - Billy Joel (1.353)
7. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club (1.375)
8. "I Want It That Way" - Backstreet Boys (1.4)
9. "The Only One I Know" - The Charlatans (1.412)
10. "It's Too Soon to Know" - The Orioles (1.45)
11. "I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston (1.467)
12. "Maneater" - Nelly Furtado (1.471)
13. "Crazy Arms" - Ray Price (1.474)
14. "Chantilly Lace" - The Big Bopper (1.529)
15. "Hot Stuff" - Donna Summer (1.529) tie
15. "Dry Your Eyes" - The Streets (1.529) tie
17. "Up on the Roof" - The Drifters (1.55)
18. "Hounds of Love" - The Futureheads (1.556)
19. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (1.571)
20. "Wabash Cannonball" - Roy Acuff & His Smoky Mountain Boys (1.588)


TOP TWENTY WORST-PERFORMING SONGS TO ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND
1. "California Girls" - The Beach Boys (2.667) tie
1. "God" - John Lennon (2.667) tie
1. "One More Time" - Daft Punk (2.667) tie
4. "I Feel Love" - Donna Summer (2.75) tie
4. "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell (2.75) tie
6. "Me, Myself and I" - De La Soul (2.765)
7. "Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley (2.778)
8. "Fast Car" - Tracy Chapman (2.810)
9. "Genius of Love" - Tom Tom Club (2.813)
10. "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (2.842)
11. "Blowin' in the Wind" - Bob Dylan (2.85)
12. "Reelin' in the Years" - Steely Dan (2.857)
13. "Crying" - Roy Orbison (2.867)
14. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges (2.882) tie
14. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - Bob Dylan (2.882) tie
16. "Ashes to Ashes" - David Bowie (2.895)
17. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - The Byrds (2.9)
18. "Many Rivers to Cross" - Jimmy Cliff (2.941) tie
18. "I Only Have Eyes for You" - The Flamingos (2.941) tie
18. "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio (2.941) tie
18. "Smokestack Lightning" - Howlin' Wolf (2.941) tie
18. "Dream On" - Aerosmith (2.941) tie
18. "Think" - Aretha Franklin (2.941) tie


TOP TWENTY BEST-PERFORMING SONGS TO BE ELIMINATED IN THE FIRST ROUND
1. "All Apologies" - Nirvana (3.062)
2. "No Woman, No Cry" - Bob Marley & the Wailers (3.059)
3. "I Can See for Miles" - The Who (3.053)
4. "Rid of Me" - PJ Harvey (3.036)
5. "Try a Little Tenderness" - Otis Redding (3.0) tie
5. "Got My Mojo Working" - Muddy Waters (3.0) tie
5. "Oliver's Army" - Elvis Costello & the Attractions (3.0) tie
5. "Atmosphere" - Joy Division (3.0) tie
9. "Walk on By" - Dionne Warwick (2.952)
10. "Sign 'o' the Times" - Prince (2.95)
11. "Family Affair" - Sly & the Family Stone (2.941) tie
11. "Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys (2.941) tie
11. "Ace of Spades" - Motörhead (2.941) tie
11. "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" - The Jam (2.941) tie
15. "The Sound of Silence" - Simon & Garfunkel (2.929)
16. "Iron Man" - Black Sabbath (2.9)
17. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Lauryn Hill (2.895)
18. "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" - Underworld (2.882) tie
18. "Pressure Drop" - Toots & the Maytals (2.882) tie
18. "Everybody's Talkin'" - Nilsson (2.882) tie
18. "Higher Ground" - Stevie Wonder (2.882) tie
18. "Follow the Leader" - Eric B. & Rakim (2.882) tie


TWENTY LOWEST-RANKED SONGS TO ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND
1. "Frankie Teardrop" - Suicide (ranked #990)
2. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - Bob Dylan (ranked #920)
3. "Ashes to Ashes" - David Bowie (#878)
4. "Hellhound on My Trail" - Robert Johnson (#870)
5. "One More Time" - Daft Punk (#824)
6. "Pale Blue Eyes" - The Velvet Underground (#801)
7. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A. (#793)
8. "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" - Mission of Burma (#772)
9. "Rebellion (Lies)" - Arcade Fire (#760)
10. "God" - John Lennon (#714)
11. "Karma Police" - Radiohead (#709)
12. "California Girls" - The Beach Boys (#696)
13. "Come as You Are" - Nirvana (#661)
14. "The Boxer" - Simon & Garfunkel (#657)
15. "So What" - Miles Davis (#636)
16. "Think" - Aretha Franklin (#630)
17. "Me, Myself and I" - De La Soul (#612)
18. "Genius of Love" - Tom Tom Club (#595)
19. "Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke (#584)
20. "Back on the Chain Gang" - Pretenders (#558)


TWENTY HIGHEST-RANKED SONGS TO BE ELIMINATED IN THE FIRST ROUND
1. "Hey Jude" - The Beatles (#35)
2. "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" - Bill Haley & His Comets (#46)
3. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" - Jerry Lee Lewis (#64)
4. "Get Ur Freak On" - Missy Elliott (#70)
5. "That's All Right (Mama)" - Elvis Presley (#72)
6. "No Woman, No Cry" - Bob Marley & the Wailers (#75)
7. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran (#79)
8. "Mystery Train" - Elvis Presley (#83)
9. "Crazy in Love" - Beyoncé (Featuring Jay-Z) (#105)
10. "Maggie May" - Rod Stewart (#107)
11. "Walk on By" - Dionne Warwick (#109)
12. "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" - Underworld (#113)
13. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" - Hank Williams (#118)
14. "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who (#121)
15. "Eight Miles High" - The Byrds (#124)
16. "Family Affair" - Sly & the Family Stone (#127)
17. "Sign 'o' the Times" - Prince (#129)
18. "Sexual Healing" - Marvin Gaye (#138)
19. "Blitzkrieg Bop" - The Ramones (#145)
20. "Crazy" - Patsy Cline (#147)

MORE STATISTICS


WHO GOT THE MOST CORRECT WINNERS THIS WEEK?
1. Jonathon (6 out of 7 - 85.71%)
2. BillAdama (6 out of 8 - 75%) tie
2. brose (6 out of 8 - 75%) tie
2. Harold Wexler (6 out of 8 - 75%) tie
2. Matt Schroeder (6 out of 8 - 75%) tie
6. Lanka (5 out of 8 - 62.5%)
7. Anthony (3 out of 5 - 60%)
8. Midaso (4 out of 8 - 50%) tie
8. Nassim (4 out of 8 - 50%) tie
8. nicolas (4 out of 8 - 50%) tie
8. sonofsamiam (4 out of 8 - 50%) tie
12. Jackson (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
12. John (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
12. pop elton (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
12. schleuse (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
16. Moonbeam (2 out of 8 - 25%)


OVERALL TOP TEN (BY PERCENTAGE)
1. Michael (15 out of 19 - 78.95%)
2. Jonathon (7 out of 9 - 77.78%)
3. Honorio (6 out of 8 - 75%) tie
3. Mindrocker (6 out of 8 - 75%)tie
5. Alex D (59 out of 87 - 67.82%)
6. SR (54 out of 80 - 67.5%)
7. Harold Wexler (80 out of 120 - 66.67%)
8. nicolas (79 out of 120 - 65.83%)
9. Greg Rumpff (5 out of 8 - 62.5%)
10. Midaso (74 out of 120 - 61.67%)


OVERALL TOP TEN (BY NUMBER CORRECT)
1. Harold Wexler (80)
2. nicolas (79)
3. Midaso (74)
4. brose (71)
5. BillAdama (69) tie
5. Matt Schroeder (69) tie
7. sonofsamiam (66)
8. schleuse (65)
9. Alex D (59)
10. SR (54)


OVERALL BOTTOM TEN (BY PERCENTAGE)
1. Moonbeam (36 out of 108 - 33.33%)
2. pop elton (44 out of 118 - 37.29%)
3. Jeff (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
3. netjade (3 out of 8 - 37.5%) tie
5. johan_at (2 out of 5 - 40%)
6. Rune (23 out of 57 - 40.35%)
7. The Lone Gunmen (20 out of 47 - 42.55%)
8. Nassim (47 out of 108 - 43.52%)
9. VanillaFire1000 (35 out of 79 - 44.30%)
10. John (43 out of 96 - 44.79%)