Out to sea:

20. Talking Heads (45)
19. Marvin Gaye (42)

On the beach: The Kinks (31), Led Zeppelin (30), Elvis Costello (30), Johnny Cash (27), The Clash (27).

You may have noticed that the point totals keep getting higher. The number of voters has increased slightly, but the main reason for the higher point totals seems to be that as the field shrinks, voters have fewer choices, so the artists at the top get a LOT of votes! (T-Heads were on 12 ballots, Marvin on 13).

And now, we’re 18, we don’t know what we want:

The Beach Boys, The Beatles, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Radiohead, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young.

Week 23, ahoy.

Starting to get dock-sick:
1) Jimi Hendrix
2) Radiohead
3) Stevie Wonder
4) The Clash

New:
5) Led Zeppelin - A lot of pretty good albums, and of course "Stairway To Heaven" but I can't help but thinking "Are they really that good?". There's only 1 album I enjoy throughout, and even quite a few songs that are just annoying. LZ has been dropping places on my artist list ever since I created it, and they're now almost at the bottom of the top 50.

By the way, I want to propose a new rule: once we’re down to our top ten, no more new voters can participate. I kind of feel like Survivor belongs to those of you who have stuck it out for the last five months, and you deserve to have the final say.

Anyone have a problem with that?

1) [5pts] Neil Young
2) [4pts] The Kinks
3) [3pts] The Beach Boys
4) [2pts] Johnny Cash

5) [1pt] The Who. One of the absolute kings of live rock music, of that there is no doubt. Even now, they rock. Who's Next and Tommy are very solid, all of their early singles are hall of fame-worthy, and yet they still get booted off. Can't we have 14 winners?

1. Bob Dylan
2. Elvis Costello
3. The Clash.
4. R.E.M.

Another new number 5 from me:
5. Stevie Wonder - because none of the other artists still on the island sang "I Just Called To Say I Love You". I love Stevie, but I love all of the remaining acts (apart from those I've listed 1-4)



Bubbling under, in alphabetical order:
The Beach Boys, The Beatles, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Neil Young.

Schleuse - My inclination is toward inclusiveness. Who knows who might stumble onto the forum and add something interesting to the discussion? A happy "the more, the merrier" from me. However, I understand the argument that we might want to reward those who stuck with it throughout with the all-important final cuts. You have not led us astray so far, so I'll stand by whatever you decide.

Returners -

1) Elvis Costello
2) R.E.M. -- Note, for the first time this game I have switched up my order (I had Costello and R.E.M. switched last few weeks). Largely because I listened to Murmur again this weekend and had forgotten how good it is.
3) The Beach Boys

New votes -

4) Led Zeppelin - A self-consciously epic sound that largely manages to pull it off. Of course, Robert Plant is ludicrous, but there is enough melodicism to save him. Loses points for consistently disappointing in live clips I've seen. But any pull I feel for the "majesty of rock" (and I do feel it, I do) emanates from these cock-rockers.

5) The Clash -- Ecclectic and urgent in equal measure. Intermittently tuneful (but very nice tunes when they do shine through). Marked by a lead singer of unique charisma who needs to enunciate just a wee bit better if we are to understand his polemics on more than just a visceral level. I find it hard to rank among them, the Sex Pistols, and the Ramones... but the Clash usually come out ahead.

I'm in favor of the new rule.

Now it's getting difficult to decide:

1 – The Clash
2 – Johnny Cash
3 – Neil Young
4 – Stevie Wonder

new:

5 – Prince – Obviously talented, but the funky sexiness style doesn’t appeal to me so much.

I'm in favor of the new rule (if i understood correctly week 26 will be the last one to admit new voters, right?).

1 below the Beatles (Talking Heads), 1 above (Marvin). I don't anticipate many changes this week, so I'll just cut and paste with a slight revision.

5 points: Led Zeppelin

4 points: Jimi Hendrix

3 points: Prince

2 points: Johnny Cash

1 point: Neil Young - I bumped up JC because Neil has really been growing on me. If anything, Survivor has made me relisten to After the Goldrush again and it's pretty awesome.

1. LED ZEPPELIN
2. THE KINKS
3. RADIOHEAD
4. THE BEACH BOYS
5. ELVIS COSTELLO. E-Cos invented adult alternative rock. So the reason I’m voting for him is that he’s the only artist left I can’t imagine a 15-year-old, of any era, listening to. Even VU gets some love from the artier-type high school kids. Not that high school kids should be the final arbiters, but if you don’t connect with them, you are not the compleat rock god.

He was a great songwriter, and if he’s relatively forgotten today, that’s no fault of his. And, as I’ve mentioned a few times, he’s one of the only artists on this site I trust to be a good music critic (even if I don’t always agree with him)—not that that’s relevant to his music.

No change

1. Bob Dylan
2. The Velvet Underground
3. The Beach Boys
4. Led Zeppelin
5. Neil Young - You wanted a reason. I don't really like his one note style of playing the guitar and vocally he is barely above the first two on this list.

I'm also in favour of the new rule

I'm also in favour of the new rule. Maybe some criteria would not some people are amusingly focusing on singular strengths of a artist or limited influence on just one genre without looking at the total picture.

I apologize, I'm also in favour of the new rule. Maybe some criteria would help some people are amusingly focusing on singular strengths of a artist or limited influence on just one genre without looking at the total picture.

schleuse, I'm just going to be a bit anecdotal as a response to your Elvis Costello comment. I know that I discovered EC at the age of 16 with My Aim is True and it instantly struck me as brilliant/relevant. There's a lot of sexual frustration and animosity towards the world that speaks across generational bounds in some of EC's earlier/better works. My lil' sis also loves EC and she's 17 now. I know she has been listening to him since she was about 13 and most of her friends listen to him. I tend to think the musical elite from younger generations still admire Costello.

As for his dwindling popularity, I'm curious about that. Was EC ever really that popular (honest question, not rhetorical)? I always got the impression he more or less skirted with the mainstream.

Nonetheless, I can see why people are voting for EC at this point with the competition, although I won't vote for him for awhile if he survives a few more rounds.

I've always been reluctant to vote since my music knowledge is clearly lacking compared to most of you. But here I am this time since I know most of these acts.

1. Elvis Costello - He simply does appeal to me. Some people call what he does punk, to me, that seems flawed since it doesn't have the raw power. He fits into his own niche, of which I don't seem to enjoy too much. He also does feel like the odd one out from this list; I feel that the body of work of everyone else is much more substantial.
2. Johnny Cash - Good, but at this point, it seems like good doesn't quite cut it. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of country, but what Cash does is quite good. Still, I feel his best recordings was the American series, of which are rather lackluster compared to the works of the other artists here.
3. Led Zeppelin - I used to love their fourth album a few years ago, but now it just feels like it hasn't aged well as I listen to more music. Many of the songs are epic, but the sounds are also often repetitive. It doesn't seem like they brought anything new to the table sometimes.
4. Stevie Wonder - To me, he has a few brilliant songs, but nothing else. I just don't listen to his albums and here, that's enough to get voted out.
5. Prince - I recently tried to get into his music more, so while "1999" and "Purple Rain" have peaks that rival the works of almost everyone that's left, there's a lot of filler on some of his other works too.

On the edge:
The Clash, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix

As for schleuse's response that Costello doesn't connect with younger audiences, I feel that it's true. Being a 17 year old, I can still see some people listening to other acclaimed music, but few people ever listen to Costello anymore. Myself included.

I'm in a hurry tonight (my girlfriend is naked), so no comments on the ones I've voted for earlier.

1. (5p) The Clash
2. (4p) Jimi Hendrix
3. (3p) Radiohead
4. (2p) Neil Young
5. (1p) Elvis Costello - I like this Elvis, but it's not a long time since I discovered his music. He's got quite heavy rotation on my LP player these days, so I'm sad to give him a point. Maybe Survivor 2011 will see him at the top of my list. Who knows?

5 points. Johnny Cash
4 points. Elvis Costello
3 points. Stevie Wonder
2 points. The Clash
1 point. Prince- He's the hometown favorite but when I look at the rest he's the next to go. Led Zep was close but I like II and IV way too much and the the only album I love by Prince is 1999. So, I had to decide if the rest of the singles outweighed another great album and I said no. But, it was a tough choice.

Slush, I can't really back up my "Costello isn't for teens" position; it's more my impression than anything else. I assume, however, that you (and your sister) might not be the best example, since you obviously have exceptionally good taste!

(Yes, I know that was circular reasoning.)

I'll put it like this--call it the T-shirt test. We've got 18 artists left; which of them are most and least likely to be seen on a T-shirt in the typical American high school? I'll rank 'em from 1 to 18, off the top of my head:

1. The Beatles
2. Led Zeppelin
3. The Rolling Stones (the logo, anyway)
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Radiohead
6. The Who (the Tommy cover)
7. The Clash
8. Prince
9. The Velvet Underground (the VU & Nico cover)
10. David Bowie
11. Johnny Cash
12. R.E.M.
13. Bob Dylan
14. The Beach Boys
15. The Kinks
16. Elvis Costello
17. Stevie Wonder
18. Neil Young

(Damn, I forgot Neil. He's a better example of what I'm talking about...but I also happen to like him more than Elvis.)

Of course, none of them is actually LIKELY to be on a teenager's T-shirt--Nirvana or Slipknot or Tupac are much more probable. But I taught high school for several years and I doubt a day went by when at least one of the top five on that list wasn't adorning at least one student on campus...in any case, I'm pretty sure I saw each of the artists in the top 14 at least once.

Oye! Oye! The champion of our basketball pool is here! Welcome, Penguin.

And Rune...I'm concerned about your priorities...

T-Shirts?

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. The Beatles
4. The Rolling Stones
5. The Velvet Underground
6. Radiohead
7. The Who (I'd say the Union Jack logo though)
8. The Clash
9. Johnny Cash
10. Bob Dylan

The rest...doubtful.

Nobody is naked at my house, so I've had a lot of time to come up with this list:

5 pts - Radiohead - repeat
4 pts - Led Zeppelin - repeat
3 pts – Prince - repeat
2 pts - Stevie Wonder – repeat
1 pt. – David Bowie – There’s no denying his accomplishments, but I don’t have the same personal affection for his music as I do for the others on the island.

I liked Elvis Costello when I was 18, but he was a lot more current back then.

John, you've never seen a wan, unkempt 16-year-old wearing a shirt with the Ziggy Stardust cover?

And I have seen girls wearing Prince T-shirts. I've also seen girls wearing Beach Boys T-shirts, although generally for the kitsch value (a la the movie Juno).

(If memory serves, I think I even wore a Prince shirt when I was in high school, although only the one time. FRANKIE SAY RELAX, and, later, the Specials, got a lot more wear and tear.)

1. The Who
2. The Clash
3. The Kinks
4. Led Zeppelin

5. R.E.M. (my all-time #75)
The second artist in my personal top 100 and the second artist I'm voting out that has made an underrated album, namely Reckoning. It has been nice to have R.E.M. around through the years, but the other remaining artists feel more "important".

I went to a suburban high school in the Midwest which my little sister is still attending so that has a lot to do with it. You don't see too many Bowie or Prince shirts...

More important? Is that possible?

No, I'm kidding, Henrik, although I think their underrated gem is Lifes Rich Pageant.

Their most overrated album is Out of Time:
Two classic songs,
two embarrassments,
and a lot of decent-to-indifferent material in between.

Reckoning is my favorite R.E.M. album and I always wondered why it did not get more attention. Another album that I really like is Fables of the Reconstruction, which is even more underrated.

I would argue that R.E.M. from 1981-1985 is very important from an influence standpoint but a little less important from a catalog standpoint. They inspired countless other bands, but I'm not sure how many truly classic songs came out of that period (or later). As much as I treasure Pretty Persuasion, I can't help but wonder whether its simply a matter of demographics and nostalgia. I will never be able to hear those records outside of that time period when I was a fun loving college kid discovering lots of new exciting stuff.

If I had been a year or two younger, my favorite R.E.M. records would probably be Life's Rich Pageant and Document.

1. The Beatles
2. Radiohead
3. Stevie Wonder
4. The Velvet Underground

New

5. The Kinks - jesus, i have almost nothing bad to say about these guys. i like almost all their material, even their late '70s/ early '80s output. my favorite album is a toss-up between Something Else (of course) and Muswell Hillbillies (which i can't believe more people don't talk about). i've said before that i'm a big fan of davies as a songwriter and his legacy of british working-class storytellers, which i think can be traced through paul weller, morrissey, jarvis cocker and mike skinner.

AND matt lucas [Biting

You're probably right, Paul...I am a couple of years younger than you. My first R.E.M. album was Fables, which certainly made Pageant and Document sound even better (and my age probably had something to do with me sticking with them through the mid-90's).

The consensus seems to be that Reckoning is about their fifth-best album, which I think is about right...it might be their most consistently good album.

I'm with you, though--I also remember the excitement of discovering R.E.M. (and the Replacements and Husker Du and Minor Threat and so on) back then.

OK, I hate nostalgia, so the old farts have to clear the floor now.

Hey, we probably are/were exceptions. Maybe some day This Year's Model will start appearing on T-Shirts.

Scleuse,

Do you think there are any R.E.M. songs that are as great (or at least in the same discussion) as the best songs of the Beatles, Dylan, Stones, Kinks, Who, Hendrix, etc.). As much as I have a sentimental attachment, my "problem" with R.E.M. is the lack of truly classic material.

Losing My Religion is really the only contender, imo, but something tells me it won't stand the test of time like Gimme Shelter or Tangled Up In Blue. Could be wrong on that one. Anyway, I'm really not trying to harp on your favorite band. I just think they were more about an attitude and a very cool & original "sound" than truly classic rock songs.

I'm gonna be in Egypt the next 2 weeks, if/when I can find some internet I'll try to vote here.. but I wouldn't count on it. I don't suppose I could persuade you to enter my votes in advance schleuse?

Hmm…good question, Paul.

(I’m trying not to blather about R.E.M. too much, but if I’m asked, hey…)

If we’re talking about songs that have had an impact, that you could put in a movie soundtrack and have random people say “hey, I know what that is,” well, besides “Losing My Religion,” I think you could make a case for “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.”

If we’re just talking about holy-shit-that-song’s-perfect, I’d put “Fall on Me” or “Gardening at Night” up against anything, but those songs will always be gems that most people don’t discover.

So, in a way, that answers your question: when you’re talking classic songs, no, they’re obviously not on the same level as the Beatles, Dylan, or the Stones; although I think they could punch their weight with the other artists you mention (all of whom also had their own particular attitude and a cool original sound).

However, I think the same question could be asked of any artist of the last 30 years. Instead of R.E.M. songs, try the same thing with Clash songs, or Prince songs, or Nirvana songs, or Radiohead songs (I’ll leave out U2 in deference to your taste). So, are the sixties the unquestioned, never-to-be-disputed pinnacle of pop music?

Of course not.

The sixties could only happen once. The top tier of sixties artists get to be the cornerstone of rock and roll until the heat death of the universe. There’s no reason to think that a band won’t pop up tomorrow that writes better songs than Lennon & McCartney, plays live better than the Who, and has more charisma than David Bowie. But that band still doesn’t get to be the Beatles, because we already have the Beatles.

Put it this way: Alex Rodriguez could be, by the time he retires, the greatest baseball player ever. But he’ll never be Babe Ruth, because the Babe pretty much established what it means to be a superstar slugger, and that only happens once.

I think all the artists we’re talking about are great, but only some of them get to be “classic.” However, I don’t add points for classic status, which I think is largely an accident of history.

Stephan, you may email your picks to me at mwschleuse@gmail.com (be sure to include comments). If you can’t post by…let’s say Sunday…I’ll put up your ballot for you.

1. Madness, “Night Boat to Cairo”
2. Radiohead, “Pyramid Song”
3. Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian”
4. Kate Bush, “Egypt”
5. Miles Davis, “Nefertiti”
6. Steve Martin, “King Tut”
7. Egyptian Lover, “Egypt Egypt”

What am I missing? Seems like there should be some Sun Ra in there, and maybe part of Philip Glass’ Akhenaten.

Alright, you'll receive my email shortly. I've only got two to add:

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Egyptian Reggae
Sufjan Stevens - Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run

The Fiery Furnaces - My Egyptian Grammar

R.E.M. - Man On The Moon ("Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.")

Schleuse, good point about R.E.M.'s contemporaries being in the same boat. I think a case can be made for the sixties/early-seventies superiority based on the number of timeless classics generated during that time.

5 Points - Radiohead
4 Points - The Kinks
3 Points - The Beatles
2 Points - Stevie Wonder
New: (at this point it's just getting rid of the worst of the best)
1 Point - The Rolling Stones

I don't think "getting rid of the worst of the best" really constitutes as giving an argument for your choice, does it? Of course that's up to schleuse though.

1. Prince
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Stevie Wonder
4. Johnny Cash - I'm not a follower of his like some are. I enjoy the highlights but that's really about it.
5. The Clash

Paul, I thought of "Man on the Moon," but didn't include the line about the horrible asps because, frankly, I think it's one of the stupidest things Stipe ever wrote (I still really like the song, though).

****

"good point about R.E.M.'s contemporaries being in the same boat. I think a case can be made for the sixties/early-seventies superiority based on the number of timeless classics generated during that time."

That wouldn't be my argument. I mean, of course that case can be made (what are you, a lawyer or something?)--it DOES get made, all the time.

But...well, let me put what I said in the previous post another way--"timeless classics" can only be identified in hindsight. No reasonable person listened to "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in 1965 and thought, "wow, that's a classic"--it's only later listeners and critics who see it that way in retrospect (and I wouldn't say they're wrong).

I think pop music crossed some line about 30 years ago, where we don't look back at great songs from the 80's and 90's and call them classics, even though (in my opinion) just as many great songs were recorded in those decades as in the 60's and 70's. I don't know why...maybe a loss of idealism, maybe the fact that the first generation of serious rock journalists grew up on 60's music, maybe the deference our culture generally gives to the Boomer generation.

But I still think "classic" does not necessarily equal "great."

Let’s try something…this was inspired by my discussion with Paul about classic songs. I felt like I needed to give a really concrete example.

Here are the ten most highly-acclaimed songs for two four-year periods, twenty years apart (credit, as always, to Henrik). Take a good look at ‘em:

TOP 10: 1968-1971
1. Otis Redding, “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”
2. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
3. Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven”
4. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
5. John Lennon, “Imagine”
6. The Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
7. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”
8. The Beatles, “Hey Jude”
9. The Rolling Stones, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
10. Derek and the Dominos, “Layla”

TOP 10: 1988-1991
1. Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
2. R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”
3. Massive Attack, “Unfinished Sympathy”
4. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
5. U2, “One”
6. Sinéad O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U”
7. The Stone Roses, “Fools Gold”
8. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart”
9. Sonic Youth, “Teenage Riot”
10. Pixies, “Monkey Gone to Heaven”

Think of this as a Rorschach test. What do you see?

Do you see “proof” that the quality of music increased?
Do you see “proof” that the quality of music decreased?

Here’s what I see: I don’t think either set of songs is better than the other. Both lists include mostly songs I think are brilliant (and one or two songs I don’t like much at all).

I also see that, without question, the earlier list includes more “classic” songs—nine, maybe all ten (I’m on the fence about “I Want You Back”). The later list includes four or five, depending on how you define classic. But here’s my point: just because the first list includes more classics does not mean the songs on it are better.

I realize that statement might seem counterintuitive, or even perverse, but I really want to be understood about what I see when I look at the history of rock.

What do you see?

I see your point, but looking at those lists I'd have to say that's "proof" the quality of music decreased. Not by a lot, but I definitely prefer the first list.

For the most part I see critics on crack.

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Radiohead
3. The Kinks
4. Johnny Cash
5. David Bowie

Same as last week, except Radiohead have been promoted.

I didn't mean to start an argument about the sixties. I was just pointing out my gut feeling that the acts of the 60's and 70's reached greater heights than the acts of the 80's and 90's. I can't really back it up. (I'm kind of miscast as a lawyer.)

There is no one from jazz left. Jazz music suffers a lot when it comes to these polls. I have respect for the Beatles, Hendrix and the Beach Boys Pet Sounds so it's all good anyway.

Hey, Paul, no harm, no foul.

I don't have much stomach for a 60s-vs.-80s argument either. I like 'em both.

Stephan, I don't have your email yet.

Thanks for reminding me, almost forgot it with all the hassle of packing and everything. It's sent now.

Stephan, have a safe and good trip!

5 pts: The Clash (holdover)
4 pts: R.E.M. (holdover)
3 pts: The Kinks (holdover)
2 pts: Led Zeppelin (holdover)
1 pt: Neil Young - I love a lot of his stuff, particularly from '74-'79, but there's A LOT of crap, and the country-rock stuff gets a bit boring.

Can't believe the talking heads got the boot.

5 POints - Stevie wonder - Like em, dont love em
4 POints - Elvis Costello - Same
3 Points - The Kinks - Like em, but I cant believe how much love there getting in this competition
2 POints - The Who - Like em a fair bit, but if I have to choose
1 Point - The Clash - Love london calling, but thats about it.

God save Radiohead

1. Elvis Costello
2. The Kinks
3. The Clash
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Stevie Wonder (re-entry) - Talk about flip-flopping... he exited the list after I had heard Innervisions for the first time. Now he's back on because I heard the same album for the second time, and I wasn't 110% blown away by it. Probably more like 99.5% blown away, but tough break for Stevie.

1 The Clash
2 Led Zeppelin
3 Radiohead
4 Stevie Wonder:a genius and visionary in his 70s heyday, but 'genius' and 'visionary' are two words that don't spring to mind during my Monday morning car-share to work, soundtracked by a barrage of Wonder's mercilessly awful 80s chaff.
Nothing can transform a mild post-weekend funk into a suffocating pit of suicidal despair quite like the Casio-driven Chinese water torture that is 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'.

5 Neil Young

All holdovers

1) The Kinks - They really don't got me.
2) Johnny Cash - A 10-song best of original material is all you need.
3) David Bowie - He really did release too much crap.
4) Elvis Costello - Armed Forces and This Year's Model are great, and he released a number of other very good albums. However, compared to other artists left, he's diluted his importance by releasing a number of mediocre albums. If he'd stopped making albums when the '80s ended, he wouldn't be on my list yet.
5) Neil Young - He's been a little more consistant than Costello, but a lot of what I said about him applies to Young. It was a toss up between Young and Marvin Gaye, but the power of Gaye's singles won me over.

Bubbling? Hmm, I guess the Beach Boys and Velvet Underground. Not sure I'm going to be voting anymore.

As for the top ten lists posted from 1968-1971 and 1988-1991, I prefer the earlier list a lot more. But I don't think that's an indication of my liking that era more, just an indication that I agree more with the critics on that era.

1)Led Zeppelin(Holdover)
2)Johnny Cash(Holdover)
3)REM(Holdover)
4)Elvis Costello:'This Year's Model' and 'My Aim Is True' are great,but can't ignore the crap he's released in recent years...
5)The Beatles:Are here because,for me,I'll always think of them as pretty glib and unemotional. Of all the artists left,I think they are probably the ones whose lyrics speak to me the least. When Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys did "I just wasn't made for these times" you actually believe it - it sounds sad and depressing. When the Beatles did a song like "Help",they were supposed to be crying out for help but it sounds bouncy and happy - just hit fodder. People say their early albums are weakest but the later ones are also littered with forgettable songs...

5 – Elvis Costello
4 – Prince
3 – The Clash
new:
2 – Stevie Wonder – It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to The Definitive Collection, but I love “Sir Duke,” “Pastime Paradise,” “Living for the City,” “Overjoyed.” Some of his other songs drive me nuts (“Ebony and Ivory,” “I Just Called to Say I Love You”). I would like to get into his music again though.
1 – The Velvet Underground – I absolutely love “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Sweet Jane,” and “Pale Blue Eyes,” and I enjoy everything else I have heard from them. I would love to listen to The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Same votes again:

1. The Who
2. The Beatles
3. Bob Dylan
4. Johnny Cash
5. Led Zeppelin

5 Cash
4 Hendrix
3 Costello

as before.

2 R.E.M. A solid career but they now have more albums I don't want to hear than do.

1 Led Zeppelin Everyone goes through a LZ phase, I've gone through mine.

The same for me also this week.

1. Velvet Underground
2. Neil Young
3. Bob Dylan
4. Radiohead
5. The Beach Boys

Back from vacations

1 Pixies 5
2 E Costello 4
3 Nirvana 3
4 REM 2
5 Radiohead 1

nicolas, nirvana and pixies are gone!

I was wondering what happened to you Nicolas and was hoping you didn't decide to leave us. Where did you go?

Oops !
Sorry

1. Costello 5 pts I'm listening to "Imperiam Bedroom" right now. Good album, but still, I think his presence here among the top 18 is an oddity
2. REM 4pts : Good band too, quite a personnality, excellent songs but sometimes a bit dull and cryptic
3. Radiohead 3 pts: Brilliant but so depressing and sometimes on the verge of pretentiousness
4.The Velvet Underground 2pts : yes, they were influential, and yes, I prefer them to each and every band they ever influenced. But there are 14 better artists than them on that list for me, which is not so much
5. The Kinks 1 pt ; With them, we enter the "I really love them all" territory. In fact I don't have a lot of Kinks records : a singles compilation, "Something else" and that's all.

No, John, I didn't leave you. I was just enjoying great holidays in the Southern Alps, in the beautiful town of Briançon, near the Italian border. I skied, I enjoyed the mountains in April, a great season when the sun shines, the air is warm but the mountains are still white. Magical.