ROUND 3, WEEK 2

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.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#12. "My Generation" - The Who
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead


REMINDER: You must comment on ALL the songs in order for your ballot to count.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (The clear winner in this otherwise weak bracket.)
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye (It's got some nice lyrics, but it's not the best off the album.)
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King (No it's not! Epic guitar song!)
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges (Not a round 3 song.)
MOPL: Back in Black

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones (One of my favorite Stones songs. THis bracket runs circles around the first one.)
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones (Another great song by one of my favorite bands.)
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (Maybe not 3 all time, but still great.)
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash (Damn. This? Fourth? It could have won Vivaldi!)
MOPL: You Can't Always Get What You Want

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#12. "My Generation" - The Who (One of my top 20 songs of all time. The bass is timeless.)
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution (Speaking of bass...)
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks (The lyrics arehilarious, but this is round 3.)
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis (Love the acoustic, but it can't handle the competition.)
MOPL: My Generation

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles (It's in my top 10 all time, it's my favorite Beatle's song, what more must I say? The obvious choice here)
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead (The song is slowly overthrowing Karma Police as my favorite Radiohead song...)
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve (The beat of Britpop, but not the best Britian song in this bracket)
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash (Won round 2 in epic fashion, but it's not up to this level of competition.)
MOPL: Strawberry Fields Forever (Sunday Bloody Sunday is close behind)

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
One of those perfect pop songs.
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
Great energy like all the early Stooges songs.
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King
Good song, but not final 16 material.
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
Good song, but I think it's very overrated.



MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
One of the greatest pop songs ever written. The buildup and the harmonies are perfect.
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
Maybe the earliest song to nail teenage angst.
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash
The perfect song to kick off the album of the same name, but against very strong competition.
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
Maybe the best song I've put in 4th place since this thing started. It's a good song, but it's not near the top of the Stones' catalog.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
By far the easiest pick of the week. Masterful production and performance in every way.
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
A very strong pop song. I don't know how it made British critics think Oasis were the next Beatles though.
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks
Nice quirky song about transvestite affection.
#12. "My Generation" - The Who
Not a bad song by any means, but I think it's very overrated. It's oriented just around a hook and that cheesy stutter effect.




SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
Trippy multi-phased song, awesome video.
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
One of the Beatles' greatest trippy pop achievements.
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
Great song with a real grandiose feel to it without seeming cheesy.
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
Good song but in a very strong bracket.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. #19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye /
Beautiful, relaxing and just one of the best songs of the same-titles album. I can listen to it quite a lot.
2. #302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges /
My favorite Stooges song. I really love the simple but very rhythmic and effective riff that runs trough the whole song.
3. #51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys /
My favorite song from Pet Sounds and altogether a very fine song. It's all about the harmonies.
4. #398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King /
I do like this song, but the competition is tough at this moment in this bracket.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. #3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys /
The most perfect Beach Boys song. It's really yhat great. I always lose myself when I am listening to this one close enough.
2. #195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones /
A very good early Stones song. It's good enough to be first, but GV is just a little greater. I really like the dark mood of this one.
3. #606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones /
Not my favorite track from Let it Bleed, but still a great song. The choir is beautiful and not very Stonesy, but it works nonetheless.
4. #30. "London Calling" - The Clash /
Easy number four. It's one of the songs of The Clash that I don't dislike, but it still falls very short compares to the other three.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. #437. "Lola" - The Kinks /
First of all, very weak bracket for this stage. Although this is an easy pick for me, this wouldn't be second in the previous two brackets. But it's fun, surely.
2. #108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis /
I'm not an oasis fan, but this is the song that I probably like best. Maye I've heard it a little bit too often, but it's still more than alright.
3. #44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution /
Could have been fourth as well, but in the end I think that I appreciate Prince's effort more than the Who's. I can see why it was a major hit, but it doesn't move me unfortunately.
4. #12. "My Generation" - The Who /
I don't really care for this one. Like I said before, I don't like the stuttering at all. Also, I don't get the love for all the songs that influenced punk a lot. Most of the time they're so plain and simple.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. #305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead /
One of the best songs by my favorite band. It all works so well, the guitars, Yorke's voice, the different parts and even the weird, eerie computer voice during the 'chorus' adds something to a very layered song.
2. #17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles /
I guess my number one pick will have a hard time beating this, but I just like those psychedelic Beatles songs by Lennon. The atmosphere of this song is quite important for my liking it.
3. #48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve /
Sounds good, nice and interesting. I just like it. But it's not as good as the first two. Even only yhe title of this song reminds me of the videoclip.
4. #144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash /
This one comes in fourth easily. I like London Calling better and that songs was fourth anyway. It's time to vanish for this song.

For the comments, as usual, my english is too bad for doing correct sentences. I'm doing the best but it's bad.
VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
One and only classic in these four songs, I put in first of course. I never understand why "What's going on" is so well appreciated.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
Four excellents songs. The first three would have finished first.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
#12. "My Generation" - The Who
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks
One extraorinary song, the first, two good songs and Lola...what does this song here ?

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
the second and third could be reversed, and the fourth is not bad.

I hope you understand.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
Great song, and obvious pick for number 1. It's my third favourite song ever, so the other really hadno chance.
2. The Stooges - I wanna be your dog
It blows my mind that this was released in 1969. Iggy does a very good impression of Mick Jagger here. Also I love that piano.
3. Marvin Gaye - What's going on?
I can't help but think that this is overrated. It's delicate, and of course the message is admirable, but it doesn't reward further listening.
4. BB King - The Thrill Is Gone
It's done very well to get this far, but this is the end of the line, I think.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want
A fabulous ending to an awesome album. It's overblown, it's Hey Judey, but without Paul Mccartney. That's a recipe for success.
2. The Clash - London CAlling
The start of one of the most perfect albums ever. Almost faultless as a song.
3. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
It's good, but it's so overrated. Number 3 of all time? That should be for God Only Knows.
4. The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black
I put the Stones first, and now I put them last. While the other song is the Stones at their peak, this is the stones at their early peak, foretelling what they would later be destined to produce.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. Prince - when doves cry
quite an easy winner, i don't even like this song very much.
2. The Kinks - Lola
This is quite a weak bracket. Lola comes nowhere near the best of the Kinks.
3. Oasis - Wonderwall
British critics lapped this up because they thought it sounded deep. I guess it does somewhat - my Oasis loathing has turned into respect for their good songs, of which this is one.
4. The Who - My Generation
Important indeed, but sounds tame and rather simple nowadays.

I'll do the next one later.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
01. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys : Still perfect after many, many listens. This song definitely should be in the AM top 10; maybe it will rise in the next update.
02. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges : Impossible to put this in second, but one of the Beach Boys' masterpieces had to win its bracket. Might be the greatest punk song ever written.
03. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye : I don't really like this song that much anymore. It simply does not compare to the album's amazing closer, "Inner City Blues."
04. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King : Better than I remembered, but it is still outclassed in this bracket.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
01. "London Calling" - The Clash : It just sounds so much more important than most songs.
02. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys : Tough to put this in second. Every time I listen to it, a different part stand out as amazing.
03. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones : I don't play this one often, but maybe I should. Its mystic atmosphere and ominous lyrics give it a fantastic atmosphere.
04. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones : Definitely one of their most overrated; I can't make it through the first thirty seconds. Sometimes ambition is a detriment.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
01. "Lola" - The Kinks : "Waterloo Sunset" should be in this bracket if I remember correctly, but in its absence I'll have to go with this other Kinks classic. Though it's not in my top twenty for the Kinks (or even my top five from the underrated album it appears on), "Lola" is a great example of Davies' songwriting wit and versatility.
02. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution : This will definitely win this bracket. I'm starting to get tired of it, but I can't deny it as an achievement for pop music.
03. "Wonderwall" - Oasis : The drumming keeps it interesting.
04. "My Generation" - The Who : I typically try to stay away from over-the-top statements like this, but...this is the most overrated song from one of the most overrated bands of all time. It would have definitely worked better as a two-minute single like "I Can't Explain," as it really overstays its welcome toward the end.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
01. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve : Still in my all-time top ten, "Bittersweet Symphony" is an amazing achievement that is both mass marketable and emotionally powerful. I'm glad it is so acclaimed.
02. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead : OK Computer is no longer one of my favorite albums, but this track is still a knockout. I especially love the harmonies in the last two minutes.
03. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles : This will probably win this bracket, and deservedly so. It really is one of their best singles.
04. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash : Probably my least favorite acclaimed Clash song from the 70s.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
What else is there to say that hasn't already been said? While others look to Good Vibrations as the peak of Brian Wilson's production talents, this will always stand as the high point of his songwriting.
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
The Kinks might have planted the seed, The Velvet Underground were certainly the catalyst, but was this the moment when Punk was born? I could ride that murky three chord riff forever.
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King
Great production and wistfully elegant song; shame I haven't gotten to know it better.
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
I find it hard to contemplate the enormous reaction this track and its accompanying album got without seeing this fervour as simply a knee-jerk reaction to an artist suddenly focusing on bigger, heavier themes. I just can't get into the song; there are better songs on the album, but it'll just never do it for me like his earlier stuff.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
I can't split the top three in this bracket, but if I really have to, this one's gospel feel together with its melody pushes it to the top.
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash
Aside from its greater significance, one of the best punchy guitar songs ever recorded.
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
In many other brackets I'd put this first. I might have put it first in this one on another day. It's such a summer song, but in such an unconventional way, with a somehow casual urgency which makes it compelling.
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
A long way from my favourite song by The Beach Boys. I can't deny its quality, but it doesn't strike the same chord as many of their other better known songs.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks
The way I see it, unfortunately this bracket has the opposite dilemma to the last. I am reluctant to put this at the top since I don't normally go for gimmicks and it's not a personal favourite. However, it's a big karaoke number with a power chord riff, which propelled one of the most important bands of its generation back into view from undeserved obscurity. Still a winner.
#12. "My Generation" - The Who
A song which gets too much praise for its overt socio-political content, it is nevertheless among the best things The Who ever did.
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
This entire bracket, in my opinion, is overrated. Another exceptional song, which diminishes alongside several others by Oasis.
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
I don't like Prince full stop. I've played this song several times in the last hour trying to find some glimmer of optimism, but I just can't. Sorry, Moonbeam.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
I've really got into this song recently. I go through phases of liking certain Beatles songs, and this is among my most played at the moment.
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
Nice bit of ska incorporation here to suit the song's subject. Really different from most of what this week has to offer.
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
I probably should have started listening to Radiohead before Muse; I'm still in the mindset that Thom Yorke and Matt Bellamy are in some way biologically related. Fantastic song though, which perhaps showcases the band more than any other.
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
This song plain gets on my nerves. Particularly as I now have to listen to it at the start of every Engalnd football match too. I used to like it, and can still just about appreciate it, but that's as far as it goes.

Hey matt, I can only think of three Beatles song that made it to this round. Did they get more than that through, Or did the Stones beat them with songs in this round? (I can think of 4 they got through.)

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET

1. The Beach Boys- "God Only Knows" 9.5: The one Beach Boys song I really like. It's just so heavenly!
2. The Stooges- "I Wanna Be Your Dog" 8.5: That relentless piano line and driving energy is really, really great!
3. Marvin Gaye- "What's Going On" 7.5: I appreciate the album as a whole, but none of the songs jump out as real favorites.
4. BB King- "The Thrill Is Gone" 7: Decent song here, but in the wrong bracket. It could have finished as high as 2nd in some of the other brackets this week.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET

1. The Clash- "London Calling" 9.5: Much like "I Wanna Be Your Dog", the rough, relentless energy is irresistible. It's definitely my favorite Clash song, and that's really saying something given that I like a lot of their songs.
2. The Rolling Stones- "You Can't Always Get What You Want" 8: Another favorite song by an artist for me! However, I like The Clash way more than The Stones, so this is an easy choice.
3. The Rolling Stones- "Paint It, Black" 5.5: The Eastern flavor is the only thing that really interests me about this.
4. The Beach Boys- "Good Vibrations" 5: A hugely important song, but not one I ever want to play.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET

1. Prince- "When Doves Cry" 10: The entire last half of this song doesn't feature any real lyrics, and that is just one reason why it's amazing how well this song did. Any way you slice it, this song is exhilarating, although I like about 50 songs of Prince's more.
2. The Kinks- "Lola" 4: I think I like The Kinks, but this makes me worry about investing in a full album of theirs.
3. The Who- "My Generation" 0: I'm sorry, but I find this unbearable.
4. Oasis- "Wonderwall" 0: Even more unbearable! The vocals are so shrill on these ears.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET

1. The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony" 8.5: A true 90s classic, and it's the only song I know by The Verve. It's really, really moving. Any other recommended songs I should hear?
2. Radiohead- "Paranoid Android" 6.5: I avoided getting into OK Computer for a long time because I didn't really find this, which is pretty universally lauded as the best song on the album, to be that great. I won't deny loving the "Rain down... from a great height" segment, but there are about 7 songs on the album I prefer to this.
3. The Clash- "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" 6.5: Close call with "Paranoid Android", and if I were trying to strategize to get my favorite here to win, I'd have put this in 2nd, but I can't do that honestly. Simply put, I still have a reggae filter that I haven't quite been able to overcome, and it prevents me from fairly evaluating this song, I think.
4. The Beatles- "Strawberry Fields Forever" 0: I'm no Beatles fan, but this is one of my least favorite songs of theirs. That droning "noooothing is real" vocal does me in.

Moonbeam, Lola is perhaps worse than every single song The Kinks made in the 60's. They're a great band, you should definitely check them out, although they may be a bit too beatles-y for your tastes.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
Fantastic song, one Marvin's top three efforts in my opinion. Gets a 3 on Henry's scale where 1 is awesome and higher than 11 indicates substantially lacking in some aspect.
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King
Great clean guitar with perhaps B.B.'s best understated vocals. Nice interplay with the keyboards as well. 4 on Henry's scale.
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Beautiful song gets a 5.
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
The Stooges are not my favorite act, but this song is fun, gets an 11.3. Suffers from VU emulating vocal delivery which some folks adore, but not me. Easy 4 for me that dramatically weakens an otherwise solid bracket. I don't consider this song deserving of the third round.


MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys at their best. Gets a 1 on Henry's scale along with only 13 other songs.
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash
Great energy and my favorite by the Clash, gets a 2 on Henry's scale along with only 12 other songs.
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
Tough competition in this bracket, so this great song gets 3rd, gets a 5 on Henry's scale
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
This is probably my highest rated song that takes the cellar, 6 on Henry's scale. I wonder if Joe Jackson was thinking of this song when he wrote one of my faves - "You can't get what you want (till you know what you want) - which gets a 4 from Henry

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
Nice intro guitar, captivating song, with some heavy-hitting lyrics. Gets a 6 on Henry's scale. But, I respect this song even more than I enjoy listening to it - perhaps because of the sparse instrumentals and my general view that Prince's vocals are not so wonderful, e.g., I far prefer Sinead's cover to Prince's original of "Nothing Compares 2 U".
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks
My favorite Kinks song. Gets a 5 on Henry's enjoyment scale - but like Dangerfield, doesn't get any respect.
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
I still remember when my nieces and daughter entertained with an improvisational dance to Wonderwall when they were mere children. It was super-cute. Gets a 7 on Henry's enjoyment scale.
#12. "My Generation" - The Who
I enjoy the song despite the stuttering, but the Who have plenty of songs that enjoy more. Gets a 7 on Henry's enjoyment scale.
Second most enjoyed bracket of the week.



SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
I have only been familiar with this song for a few years and it has won me over. Gets an 8 on my enjoyment scale which is enough to win this weak bracket.
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
Gets a 9 on Henry's enjoyment scale. Musically, this song probably deserves better, tight percussion, very skillful transitions, and wonderful instrumental interplay. The vocals demonstrate great emotional range. But, I just don't "love" the vocal tone (a bit whiny and nasally for my taste). I can see my rating for this song improving.
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
I understand that this song is considered groundbreaking by many, but I just don't find it particularly interesting Gets a 9 on my enjoyment scale.
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
Decent Clash song, but doesn't deserve to be in the third round in my view. Gets an 11 on my enjoyment scale.

My general all-time position is in parens...

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. (Top 50) "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: Sonic perfection, as well as their best overall lyric (well, either this or "Til I Die").
2. (Top 200) "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye: I almost take this for granted at this point, but this is really quite incredible.
3. (Top 700) "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges: Great juxtaposition between general sleaze and the comforting sound of sleigh bells.
4. (just outside Top 2000) "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King: I love him, but this is outclassed here.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. (Top 700) "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: Maybe not as much of a complete masterpiece in my mind as in that of others', but a winner here nonetheless.
2. (Top 1500) "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones: Some great drumming here, all the more odd since Charlie Watts sat this one out.
3. (Top 1500) "London Calling" - The Clash: I respect more than love the album on the whole, and that would apply to the song too.
4. (Top 2000) "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones: Pretty evil stuff, but I don't rate it as high as many others.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. (Top 500) "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution: Easy winner here, and a track that somehow defines and transcends its era at the same time.
2. (Top 1500) "My Generation" - The Who: The bass and drums make it.
3. (outside Top 2000) "Wonderwall" - Oasis: Lovely, but the lyrics are just too patently ridiculous.
4. (outside Top 2000) "Lola" - The Kinks: Way too novelty for my tastes, I just like my Kinks when they're subtler.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. (Top 300) "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead: OK Computer has a bunch of mini-masterpieces on it, but after years of listening, it comes down to this as the best of 'em all, even if it's the obvious choice.
2. (Top 700) "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash: My favorite Clash song.
3. (Top 1200) "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles: I don't buy that this is one of Lennon's great lyrics (just too bs-y abstract in places), but it's a pretty impressive production and Ringo never sounded so weirdly funky.
4. (outside Top 2000) "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve: It can only ride that magisterial string hook so long until Ashcroft's obnoxiousness ruins it.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King : easy pick, really intense and well, thrilling
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges : I like the Stooges, and that song, but I grew a bit tired of it
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys : sure, that song is cute, but I don't hear that "perfection" most of you are talking about
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye : as I said, I really like Marvin's voice but I can not stand the orchestration, really spoils the song for me


MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys : ok, here I hear that pop perfection you talk about
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones : that's the kind of song that made teenage me want to learn more about music (even though I never dug Stones that much), the calm intro, the drum pounding in, that desperate voice and perfect guitar... why did I put that 2nd by the way ?
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash : another good'ol classic to singalong, that seems to be the topic of this bracket
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones : lose against 3 mastodontes, great song but a bit overlong

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution : intense, sexy, powerful and very "unique", what else sounds like this ? (and now that I think of it, the back-up vocals are among the greatest ever)
#12. "My Generation" - The Who : rock'n'roll encapsulated in 3 minutes, still as intense as 45 years ago
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks : funny lyrics are good, huge musical crescendo is even better
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis : teenage me would really have been happy this week, "now" me not that much with that song, beautiful one but does not stand comparison with other great pop gems

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead : when your music meets your high ambition, you can create UFOs like this. Not my favourite song of OK Computer but still great enough to win this bracket
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles : that might not be AM correct, but I enjoy Ben Harper's cover a bit more. For once, I would have liked my Beatles a bit simpler, the basis of the song is marvelous enough to keep it raw
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve : tired of it sure, but still a great song, enough to beat the Clash here
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash : enjoyable song which never tops its intro

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys - I had to listen to the top two songs here to figure out what I would put it first, but it took about the first 3 seconds of this to put it first. It's just about as perfect a 3 minutes there is.
2. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye - Marvin's magnum opus is wonderfully uplifting, perfectly arranged and incredibly poignant. It just isn't "God Only Knows".
3. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges - A clear third, but a great song nonetheless, even as the guitars drown in fuzz.
4. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King - Just isn't in the class of the above songs.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "London Calling" - The Clash - There isn't a more heavy-hitting song that I can think of. When your speakers sound like they're about to explode, that's a good thing.
2. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations" as always struck me as a little too psychedlic/weird for the sake of weird to be counted as one of Brian Wilson's best works. Nonetheless, it's still a fantastic single.
3. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones - Once upon a time, I would have named this the Stones' best early track, but it's worn out its welcome now.
4. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones - Another second-tier Stones song, it's in a virtual toss up with "Paint It, Black", which wins for brevity.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution - I can't really find anything wrong with this song. No bass, and it doesn't matter. Ridiculous guitar intro, and it doesn't matter. The last half of the song has no words and it still doesn't matter. What the hell, Prince! Are you just messing with us?
2. "My Generation" - The Who - It's a little gimicky I suppose, but when everything comes crasahing down at the end you understand - they mean business!
3. "Wonderwall" - Oasis - This is the kind of song I greatly enjoy despite its quite obvious flaws.
4. "Lola" - The Kinks - You know it's an extremely strong bracket when this finishes in fourth.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve - My radio station progression went Top 40 - hard rock - classic rock - hits from any decade - modern rock. "Bittersweet Symphony" is the kind of song I loved as a child (I would have been 5 when it came out), rediscovered when I was much older and it held up even better than I remembered it.
2. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead - I know, I know, it's the best song off the best Radiohead album, but that album is not the kind of album you listen to all the time. I don't like to hear "Paranoid Android", as insanely good as it is, near as much as I like to admire it.
3. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles - The most overrated song in the Beatles' catalog next to "Octopus's Garden". The experimentation is brilliant, but it hardly has a melody or chord structure. It could have used a little more tightening up in the studio, although it gets points for making Brian Wilson cry.
4. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash - Anyone who puts this anywhere besides fourth is going to have a heck of a time justifying how it's better than any of the three songs above it.

I can't believe SFF is gonna lose the Paranoid Android. The only thing still on it's side is that Matt always votes Radiohead last.

Matt, what are next week bracket ?
I will be on holiday and I want to see if there is a bracket is ABSOLUTELY have to vote for !

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: I don't necessarily think it's the most beautiful song of all-time, but it sure is up there.
#19. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye: My father's favorite song, I still think Marvin's voice cant be beat.
#398: "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King: Excellent song, blues-y, funky, and sultry.
#302: "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges: Huge fan of the stooges, but I've always though this one was a bit overrated.


MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: An easy winner in a strong bracket. Harmonies are perfect and the song-structure is complex and amazing.
#30. "London Calling" - The Clash: The Clash's energy is just apocalyptic. The riff sounds like it could be the end of the civilization, and the bassline confirms it.
#195. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones: That this one is third testifies to the strength of the bracket. A meditation on depression with contrasting music, people have already said enough about the ingenius use of diverse instrumentation, so I'll just let that one be.
#606. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones: Great song, but SH2B4.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution: Even if this bracket wasn't so incredibly weak, this one would still be a shoo-in. Most interesting pop song of all time? Probably. Prince's singing is incredible, his guitar playng is virtuoistic, and the bass.... oh, wait. Shit!
#12. "My Generation" - The Who: Below-average song, bass is sick but the stuttering kind of sucks.
#108. "Wonderwall" - Oasis: Could this be Oasis's best song? Nope, Live Forever is. And Oasis is pretty bad already.
#437. "Lola" - The Kinks: I hate this song. It's a tragedy it's the only one a lot of people know by them.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead: An easy win here. Paranoid Android is as brilliant as anything anyone's ever done. Takes Happiness is a Warm Gun to another plane.
#48. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve: The song makes it easy to ignore how much of a douche Ashcroft seems like. It's simply stunning.
#17. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles: An old favorite of mine, but I never listen to this one anymore.
#144. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash: I've never understood why this one is so heralded. I like about 7 songs from London Calling more.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: Hmm…seems like I just wrote about this one a couple of weeks ago. Something about “Beauty in music, defined and personified. Nothing more to say.” There still isn’t.
2. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges: The absence of beauty in music, defined and personified. With sleigh bells.
3. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye: I’ve said it many, many times – I think the album is slightly overrated, but its singles definitely are not. I just love #1 and #2 a lot more.
4. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King: A great single that deservedly made him a bigger star, but an easy #4 here. I’m stunned it went this far.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "London Calling" - The Clash: It’s in very heady company here, but it’s still an automatic #1 for me. Possibly the greatest album opener ever, a grabber from the word go that somehow just gets even more exciting as it goes on.
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones: And #2 is one of the greatest -closing- tracks of all time, a masterpiece almost in spite of the fact that it’s trying so hard to be one.
3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: I’ve probably said this before, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, but the music and the production are so brilliant that it’s easy to overlook the fact that the lyrics are pretty ridiculous. It’s as if Brian and Mike just tossed off some guide words to fit the melody and then forgot to write the real ones.
4. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones: Again, I can’t believe this one made it to Round 3. Except for some typically wicked fills from Mr. Watts, it’s never been a favorite of mine.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution: Best top-to-bottom bracket of the week…but yet another no-brainer #1 pick, at least for me. Only one man could have achieved such a massive commercial breakthrough with such a surpassingly strange record.
2. "My Generation" - The Who: Even 45 years later, it still has an electric charge and a dangerously out-of-control feel that most bands can only dream of duplicating. Even if the stuttering sounds like an affectation.
3. "Lola" - The Kinks: As others have said, their big “comeback” hit doesn’t really represent what’s truly great about them any more than their loud-and-stoopid first run of singles did. Doesn’t matter when you’re actually listening to it, though.
4. "Wonderwall" – Oasis: The one genuine SH2B4 moment for me this week. I do love this record, but not enough to rank it anywhere but here.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "Paranoid Android" – Radiohead: I think OK COMPUTER became my #1 album of all time right from the very first moment I ever heard those guitars slam into the bridge of this magnum opus, which has always been my favorite track, insta-dated yuppie reference notwithstanding.
2. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles: The legend of how it was pieced together in post-production (George Martin’s greatest achievement) might be more fascinating than the song itself; fortunately, that’s pretty good too.
3. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve: As I’ve said, it’s not even close to being my favorite on its own album, but I recognize its brilliance.
4. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash: Love the band, but this is by far the easiest #4 of the week. Again, that it’s still in the competition is mind-boggling.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1) "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: If there's a band I could never tell exactly which is my favorite song of theirs, then this band is the Beach Boys. Sometimes it's Good Vibrations, in others, my personal faves Here Today and I Know There's An Answer, in the past I must have considered I Get Around, and in the all time poll, Don't Worry Baby stood well ahead of the others. But, damn, every time I hear this one outside of the album I see it's obvious this is the best thing they could have ever created. Like someone have said, it's so heavenly. Musically it is warm, heartfelt and spiritual. It contains everything that have made the BB so beloved, including the so-talked unconventional structure that was exacerbated in Good Vibrations. Surely, the best moment of inspiration to have happened inside of Brian Wilson's genial mind.
2) "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye: Miles behind God Only Knows, but also, way ahead the two below. I don't like it's album much, but this track is a delicious piece of R&B/soul. It's nice to hear all those vocal frills and other not serious elements in such a socially engaged song. Not to tell how sublime his vocal timbre have managed to become here.
3) "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King: First time I heard it, and although I didn't love it, I have a feeling I'll discover a great song here with more listenings.
4) "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges: Nice track, but nothing unforgettable.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1) "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: Not as perfect as God Only Knows, but still outstanding. In the contrary of the Pet Sounds tracks, this one contains their traditional sunny, "beachy" felling, and it's awesome to see such a complex song being built from this surf climate. Oh, and that bridge is maybe my favorite musical moment among all the songs of this week. Gives me goosebumps every listen.
2) "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones: One of the best Stone's songs. It starts like a mere Dylan-esque track, but in the end they have delivered there most anthemic piece. If "Satisfaction" is their "She Loves You" and "Sympathy for the Devil" their "Strawberry Fields Forever", than this would be their "Let It Be". Great arrangement, specially the piano chords that appear now-and-then.
3) "London Calling" - The Clash: I've always considered this one of the least good London Calling tracks, what doesn't mean anything, cause the album has no filler at all.
4) "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones: Interesting production meeting a song very similar to The Kinks. Could have been number 3 in another day.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1) "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution: I thought I had became tired of it, but today I discovered not. After not listening to it since the all-time poll, it's good to see this wierd robotic synth-funk-rock continues being one of my favorite songs, although I can't explain why.
2) "My Generation" - The Who: I like it's structure, similar to those call-and-response songs. Yet, that never fails with me (being the latest example LCD's "Drunk Girls"). Well, it is good for a top 1000 or top 500, but all time top 20 is just too much.
3) "Wonderwall" - Oasis: One of my favorite bands, with lots and lots of great tracks released. Well, this is surely not one of them!
4) "Lola" - The Kinks: The worst song of the week.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET - The best bracket of this round so far, with 3 songs I would give a 10! It's a pitty I have no time to discuss on these a bit more, like in the previous brackets.
1) "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles: Incredible production, transforming an auto-biographical song in a universal trip to another dimension. All time top 10 for me!
2) "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve: As epic as pop appealing, it's one of those rare cases of universally beloved songs.
3) "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead: Wow, every little moment in this track is great, deep, and impressively creative. And, together with Good Vibrations and it's bridge, it contains the most chilling moment among all these songs, in the transition to the 3rd part of the track.
4) "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash: Not as good as it's similar Rudy Can't Fail, but still an awesome track. Could have been even #2 in some other brackets.

VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Pure pop perfection, and vocals from the unlikeliest of Beach Boys. It starts with that very first line: "I may not always love you." The singer realizes that this might not last forever, but loves every moment of what he's feeling at that time. Genius.
2. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
There's a reason why there isn't a question mark at the end of this song's title. Marvin isn't asking what is going on in this country, he's telling you what's going on. He's not sugar-coating it or putting a happy face on things. And considering the smiley-face that Motown had been putting on its music for the last decade-plus, that's saying something.
3. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King
I can't really explain why I love this song as much as I do. All four songs in this bracket are excellent, and I can't really find much fault with any of them. It's simply a matter of which one I prefer more, and B.B. lands here.
4. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges
Speaking of not really being able to explain why I love a song... So many absurd things happening in this song that I inexplicably love: the repeated one-note piano riff, the sleigh bells, the call to sexual subservience... I love it, it's just a victim of a tough bracket.

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
So many other people have commented that this song isn't as good as "God Only Knows." I'm sorry to say that you're wrong. "GOK" might have beauty in spades, but this one has experimentation out the wazoo, and it rocks too. I can put this on now and only wonder what the hell was going through Brian Wilson's mind when he came up with this one.
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones
It's not my favorite Stones track, but it's definitely #2. If it weren't for the sheer genius of "Good Vibrations," this would be in the top spot.
3. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
I agree with Harold. I'm not entirely sure how this song made it to the third round. I'd go back to look at what competition it faced in R2, but I can't be bothered to do that. It's good, but it isn't great.
4. "London Calling" - The Clash
And then there was the Clash. I wasn't that crazy about it in Round 1, I wasn't that crazy about it in Round 2, and I'm not that crazy about it in Round 3. Easy #4.

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed that this bracket is going to go to one of these four. It's not that I dislike any of the top three (as I have them rated) here. It's just that none of them seem like they should be "Sweet Sixteen" material. Sure, Prince's magnum opus is breathtaking, but it's always left me a little bit cold. And as for the others...
2. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
..."Wonderwall" is good, but it's always felt like it's missing a certain je ne sais quoi. Again, it's a damn good song, but I guess maybe it's just the chord structure. It feels unfinished. Or unsatisfied. Or some other word that escapes me at the moment.
3. "Lola" - The Kinks
And then there's "Lola". Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy this song. But it's fairly lightweight and definitely doesn't deserve to be in the final 16. Which only leaves...
4. "My Generation" - The Who
I think I had this song getting eliminated in Round 1. I've always thought it to be overrated, and hopefully it will be eliminated here so I won't have to say it anymore.

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
1. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
Sorry, not going with the Fab Four here. To my way of thinking, this just might be the best song of the '90s. It's epic, it's sweeping, it's grandiose, it's anthemic, it's majestic, and I could listen to it over and over and over. Every time I think to myself that it isn't that good, I listen to it again and I realize that yes, it really is.
2. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
At this stage in the game, I'm not voting against songs so much as I'm saying I'd rather listen to one song instead of another. Pretty much everything is a great song (like this one), but give me "Bittersweet Symphony" over this any day of the week. And considering what the other two songs in this bracket are, this is the only place "SFF" could possibly go for me.
3. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
I know, I know. I said that I was going to be putting Radiohead in 4th place from here on out simply on principle. And while it still irks me to see how this board goes ga-ga over everything that Radiohead does (especially this song, which isn't even the third-strongest song off "OK Computer," imho), the ugly truth is that I would gladly listen to this song over...
4. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
Two songs by the Clash this week, and I'm putting both of them in 4th place. Maybe this says something about how I feel about that band. Maybe it's just a matter of stronger competition. But as I've said before, I have a hard time getting into punk music, and the Clash's popularity has escaped me for a long time. It's just not my thing. To be honest, I could take this song or leave it. I don't feel strongly about it one way or the other.

Voting for this week is now over.

Where last week, there were four very close brackets, this week features a couple of blowouts. Let's get to the...

RESULTS




VIVALDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
The Beach Boys put a song into the semifinals, as "God Only Knows" storms into the fourth round in a runaway.

1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (58 points, 13 first-place votes)
2. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye (38, 2)
3. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges (36, 0)
4. "The Thrill Is Gone" - B.B. King (28, 1)

MOZART BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
The Beach Boys put a second song into the semifinals, as "Good Vibrations" finishes strong and defeats "London Calling" by a mere six points.

1. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (48, 8)
2. "London Calling" - The Clash (42, 4)
3. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones (36, 3)
4. "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones (34, 1)

VERDI BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
The week's second blowout belongs to Prince, as "When Doves Cry" wins by a whopping 21 points and moves into the semifinals. The final nine ballots all put Prince in first place.

1. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution (57, 12)
2. "Lola" - The Kinks (36, 3)
3. "My Generation" - The Who (36, 1)
4. "Wonderwall" - Oasis (31, 0)

SIBELIUS BLOC, FINAL BRACKET
The Beatles and the Verve made it close, but Radiohead proved to be too strong in this all-British third-round matchup. "Paranoid Android" defeats "Strawberry Fields Forever" by only six points, and "Bittersweet Symphony" by eight.

1. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead (48, 6)
2. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles (42, 4)
3. "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve (40, 5)
4. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash (20, 0)

Just to give you an idea of what the semifinals look like at this time...

SEMIFINAL 1

Winner, Beethoven Bloc
Winner, Mahler Bloc
Winner, Rachmaninoff Bloc
#305. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead


SEMIFINAL 2

#356. "B.O.B." - OutKast
Winner, Wagner Bloc
#44. "When Doves Cry" - Prince & the Revolution
Winner, Brahms Bloc


SEMIFINAL 3

#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
Winner, Schubert Bloc
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys


SEMIFINAL 4

Winner, Bach Bloc
Winner, Haydn Bloc
#10. "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
#50. "Common People" - Pulp