We've arrived at the Final Four. And yes, Interpol is in the final four. I blame Simon and anyone who hasn't heard of Arcade Fire. Voting ends on Sunday night at midnight. New tie-breaker rules are in effect. If you want to download a song from each of these artists, I suggest the following:
Bob Dylan - All Along the Watchtower or Like A Rolling Stone
Interpol - Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down or Slow Hands
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name or Bulls on Parade
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit or In Bloom
Post your favorite song or album of each band in the comments when you vote.
29 comments:
Bob Dylan: my favorite album of his is Blood on the Tracks. There are no bad songs on that album. If you want to listen to a couple I suggest Tangled Up in Blue or Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. Also, if you're actually interested I have a CD of bootlegs I can give you that is amazing.
Nirvana: Nirvana's first album, Bleach, is actually really good. It's much more raw but really shows what they were trying to do musically and also shows that they didn't change their sound much on their more commercially successful (understatement) album, Nevermind.
Interpol is out of their league.
To argue that Rage Against the Machine is the best band ever is to promote and encourage other rap-rock bands like 311, Incubus, and Kid Rock. You don't want to encourage Kid Rock do you?
Say No to Dylan! I realize that means voting for Interpol, but please, when one of the two 'best' songs by the artist was made a million times better by another artist (see All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix), then that artist does not belong in any final four. No one actually wants to listen to Dylan whine his way through tambourine man or other crap like that.
I vote Interpol.
Tough call on the other...I go Rage Against the Machine.
Don't listen to Taylor's drivel about rap-rock bands, Rage is not part of 311, Incubus, or Kid Rock. Their anger is pure and they deserve more respect. I believe that their smaller library of 4 CDs (1 being a cover CD) is flawless. There is rarely a track I even think of skipping.
For more listening choices I recommend:
Microphone Fiend - simply awesome, pleae check out their cover
Ashes in the Fall ("Ain't it funny how the factory doors close, round the time that the school doors close, round the time that a hundred thousand jail cells open up to greet you....like the reaper")
Revolver ("Don't mothers make good fathers, revolver")
Down Rodeo ("Rollin' down Rodeo with a shotgun/People ain't seen a brown skinned man since their grandparents bought one")
the list goes on and on...their songs are great.
Ethan makes a great point about Dylan... I'm neutral in this choice. However, one of my favorite songs of Dylan's is only one of my favorites because jimi did it.
So... interpol. However next round it will take some serious swaying to get me to vote for them.
This is a hard choice. However, I must say that Rage is a one of a kind band. With innovative anger filled lyrics and out of this world guitar work there simply isn't a better option. Nirvana was great and could have been great. But i pose this question to you all.... *IF* rage were to get back together and put out a new album or go on tour, how long would it take you to go buy their new album? How bad would you want to go see them in concert? I'm gonna say that for most of us, we could say the same for nirvana also, however i think i'd want to see/hear new rage a lot more. I mean i have a playlist on my ipod named "rage" i'm sure you can figure out what's in it.
and Taylor, to compare rage to incubus? really? that's a load of bullshit. kid rock? again, bullshit. Hey i see a trend....
Even your "listen to list" only has 2 of Rages songs, which probably are the songs you heard the most on Krock growing up. Those aren't even their two best songs. I'm surprised you didn't list Guerilla Radio.
Also more sample songs, at least 1 off each album -
Battle for los angeles:
1. Maria
2. Voice of the Voiceless
3. New Millenium Homes "hungry people don't stay hungry for long"
Evil Empire:
1. People of the Sun
2. Without a Face
3. Year of tha Boomerang
Renegades:
1. I'm Housin'
2. The Ghost of Tom Joad
3. Maggie's Farm - funny, they just does it better than Dylan.
Rage Against the Machine:
1. Township Rebellion
2. Fistfull of Steel
3. Take the Power Back
4. Bullet in the head.
ah screw it, if you don't own this album I simply don't respect your music collection.
oh another thing about Rage...
None of us knew the F-bomb could sound so damn cool.
Taylor,
I must speak out about being 'singled' out as part of the group who hasn't heard of Arcade Fire.. Just because most of my votes thus far have included Classic Rock bands doesn't mean I don't like some of the other bands listed.. including Arcade Fire. I do like them and have listened to them a lot but I do not think they are the "best" band ever....
My thoughts on Arcade Fire....
1. After listening to all of the albums..( 2 of them..) I much prefer Funeral... I can best describe the experience as needing some patience to listen to it, and hard to hear.. but eventually hard to stop listening to..
I think after learning that the album was named after the deaths of some band members (while they were recording it)... makes the usual self pity anguish of a lot bands fade into insignificance of the honest emotions in this album!
I mean can you imagine singing those songs after probably jointly writing them with people who died... Makes the listening experience seem easier after knowing this.
The lead singer has been described by many as a new Echo and the Bunnymen lead singer type...(ian McCulloch) .. do you know them Taylor?
This initially intrigued me as I loved this band in the 80's... kind of The Cure but with a less commercial edge. I can see the post-punk likeness in the vocals.
2. This album defines a band , i think, at the top of their game.... that is why I have a harder time listening to the bigger budget ( some would say better) Neon Bible... Admittedly I only like Intervention and Black Mirror.. sorry if that offends anyone.
3. I would very much like to see this band live.. I have heard they are amazing.I did watch clips of the Central Park concert(2005) and very much enjoyed it. Did not see the Obama Convention concerts... surprised that they were Democrats..(just kidding!)
4. For those of you slamming U2 , and voted for Arcade Fire.. you might be interested to know that they were an opening band on the U2 Vertigo Tour... wow there's a little twist to your little blog.
Anyway, all that said.. I like Arcade Fire and want to thank my lovely wife for making me listen to them a year or so again... however.... in my humble opinion... not the BEST BAND EVER..
That is all.
thank you Simon,
I would like a full report on Modest Mouse next please!
Sincerely,
Blog Management
Ethan,
Not sure about detailed report as my knowledge is very limited with Modest Mouse..
What I do know off the top of my head is that they are from Seattle.. Johnny Marr ( awesome post-guitarist from The Smiths) is the guitar player.. I know this because I used to listen to The Smiths in my teen angst days! and really embarrassing hair days..
I will probably get critiqued as I state that I prefer the more mainstream "Good news for people who love Bad news" album... I just do... catchy tunes are sometimes easier to listen to in the car, what can I say?
Thats all I know.. and yes, I could have named 5 songs.
If only I had known about this awesomeness sooner...maybe things would be different?
I blame Brian K. for not telling me and ultimately for what will perhaps result in the worst ever 'best band ever'
Nirvana. Really? REALLY!
Rage Against. C'mon!
Dylan. Wha...the...fu..?
Interpol. Please.
As far as I'm concerned no matter who wins; we all lose.
hey
who are you and why do you type your name like a junior high girl?
bLacKfoOt? really?
if you are a junior high girl, I apologize, you should probably look elsewhere for age appropriate content...perhaps Leslie's blog...ouch.
Bob and Nirvana.
I like Bob, I think I can actually understand/translate him when he sings, at least I think I do. I like his style and his independent attitude. I think Bob also had a lot of different types of sound in his music.
And Nirvana, I definitely like, but I never really got into the rage music. It's not just because I'm a girl, but I generally want to be happy, feel good and have fun. Rage does not provide those for me. In fact, Rage actually makes me feel quite the opposite. Music is definitely an artistic way for people to express whatever feelings, opinions, break-ups, political opinions, or whatever they want, but I definitely don't share those with Rage.
And on a side note... I think the next bracket we do of best/worst movie of all time... I think you need to have a disclaimer on the blog that basically says that if you post on this blog it gives everyone and anyone the right to make fun of your dog, especially your wife, and your hair, maybe even your race i don't know how far we want to take it... And very well may end friendships. If you are going to post a stupid band... say Madonna/The Police/Elvis/ Sigur Ros/etc........, that gives you the right to be ridiculed, so get over or don't vote....
What a joke. Voting Interpol over Bob Dylan shows that you're not actually looking at the merits of either artist. You're essentially trying to turn this thing into a "vote for the worst" situation, despite the fact that this should have been something fun for us all to enjoy. I'm disappointed.
Please, Blackfoot, vote! and bring some reason back to this blog. I don't know you but I find your ideas intriguing.
I feel kind of left out actually... can you guys make fun of me a little more and give me a hard time? I don't care what about....
A few interesting correlations about our final four:
Interpol and Rage Against the Machine have both been opening acts for U2 ( and Arcade Fire..).
Dylan walked out of The ED Sullivan show in protest. Rage were kicked off SNL for a protest of appearing with Steve Forbes.
Here's my votes:
Bob Dylan:
I think this match up perfectly describes the whole point of this blog.. voting on Merits or personal taste. Dylan clearly takes band merits.. Voice of American unrest in the 60's , Pulitzer prize special citation winner, toured steadily since the 1980's... probably been covered by more great artists than anyone.
I agree with Ethan that "All Along The watchtower" was covered better by Jimi hendrix.. well, it was even covered better by U2 and Pearl Jam. BUT.. the fact that Dylan's songs are covered by so many artists proves his songwriting abilities are incredible.
I have to admit having recently listened to Interpol I do like them (kind of Joy Division-esque) and would vote for them on personal taste if this match up wasn't so uneven. I honestly find Dylan's songs brilliant but his voice irritates me. However, they are not a match for Dylan's amazing merits.
Nirvana
I love listening to Nirvana but find the "Spokesman for a Generation" pretentious... At least Dylan was a spokesman for an era of real pain and loss (and a lot of drugs..) , but Cobain's era of angst was Generation X.. yes, the 80's.. what was the angst? War? No... The Draft?... No.. lost some money on the stock market ? Now, we're talking real rage. ...
I think Nirvana's anti-establishment popularity not only came from some great songs but also a backlash against the pop shit that came from the 80's.. It was a huge sigh of relief against the blue and pink flannel bands...
I think Taylor's comparison of Rage to Kid Rock is somewhat valid... the lead singer did come from a background of free-style rapping as did Kid Rock. They opened for Wu Tang Clan and have commercially successfullymerged rock and rap... best band ever? No not even close. One final point. Last album Renegades.. collection of cover tunes? ?Seems like a desperate attempt to cover a lack of original material.
The most covered artists..... Beatles, then Bob Dylan. Says something. Rage is not on there, nor is Interpol. It does ruin my argument having Beatles as #1 though.
Bob Dylan is a disappointment for us all. The seeding set this match-up.
First off, a great song writer does not make someone great. Ask the judges of American Idol, isn't that what that one broad is famous for...writing hits. Honestly, no one listens to this guy anymore. He has lost relevance. All his 'protests' who cares, none of us were born yet...except maybe Simon. And since when is smoking weed and singing incoherently a form of protest.
Rage has more in common with Dylan, except De La Rocha is actually angry and willing to do something about it. He actually quit his band in order to pursue change in Chiapas.
Interpol and Nirvana never tried to do more than make music, money, score chicks and drugs.
Best Interpol song not yet mentioned: No I in Threesome
Taylor, stop clinging to the past, unlike your AP English teacher, we aren't dry humping his poetry just because we got high to it when we were 17. Dylan sucks.
I agree that other bands deserve to go further than Interpol, but it is what it is...and Interpol ranks higher than Dylan anyday in my book.
The Brit, sorry don't know who you are so will call ya that.
Renegades is without a doubt Rage's worst CD. However, to say lack of content? look at the first 3 albums please. A lot of content there. Nirvana (even without kurt's shotgun) wouldn't have had much better after 3 albums. They woulda probably failure cascaded or just ran themselves into a ditch doing drugs and only producing the same music.
As for the rapper comment. I'm not gonna deny that Rage has rap influences, but to compare it to kid rock and/or incubus/311 is a bit much. For example, on renegades they cover How I could just kill a man by cypress hill, listen to the song. You'll notice there is a lack of something, a turn table. They do it with a guitar, bass guitar, drums, and one angry dude. Kid rock = produced music requiring samples, 311 = same, incubus = just flat gay. So, really they are a band doing something that most can't, use their instruments to make rap music. In my opinion that is impressive.
Also, why the hate on rap music? I'm reading a lot of people talk about 'impact' etc. of an individuals songs... well um, were any of you alive to be 'impacted' by dylan's songs? didn't think so. However, as much as it's gonna pain a lot of you to admit, someone like 2pac has had more of an impact and influence on our generation. I know I know, you're a white kid from white suburbia so you don't dare associate with some gangster rapper that got his ass shot... *rolls eyes* You've ALL listened to and ALL known the lyrics to a 2pac song at one point.
Taylor, it's not a vote for the worst, at the beginning of this it was "vote who you think personally is better" now it's "vote the most influential in music history", you want merits? shoulda had Michael Jackson as #1.
Also Carrie, how in the hell is someone gonna cover "Killing in the Name"?... I can see it now, Carrie Underwood rocking "F*** YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!" Also looking up a list of covered artists notice that a lot of those groups are much MUCH older than either rage/interpol, of course something written in the 60's is gonna be covered more than something written in the 90's
DeAr EthAn.
A) I aM a giRl.
B) Not iN JunIor HiGh.
C) NevEr occUrreD to me tHe capItaliZatiOn (or laCk thereOf) of My naMe coUld be sO ofFeNsive oR warrAnt sUch HarSh crItiCism buT I kiNda liKe iT.
D) YOur friEnd, BriAn, is aLso my fRiend/worK soMetHing oR othEr.
E) My nAme is bRiTtaNy.
F) I enJoy goOd mUsic, alPhabEtizeD liSts, loNg waLks on The bEach, suNsets, pOetrY anD beEr.
Taylor, are you mocking me as well?! Damn. I had no idea I'd have to come into this thing with gloves on!?!
My thoughts at this point in the game are none of these 'bands' belong this far in the competition. I also feel jumping in to vote now would be unfair to those who've followed from the beginning. I would hate to piss more pEopLe off.
That's all for sports....
The following is just conjecture, I will cast my vote in all CAPS.
It could be a battle of the songwriters: Dylan vs. Cobain. The remainder of Nirvana would pick up the slack there.
It could be a battle of the politicians: Dylan vs. de la Roca. The remainder of RATM would pick up the slack here.
But we can't have it be RATM vs. Nirvana and Interpol is just an oddity whose presence in the final four has already been explained.
Let's look at RATM & Nirvana.
Both spawned new bands:
RATM-Audioslave (why wasn't Soundgarden in this?) & Morello's got his Nightwatchmen
Nirvana-Foo Fighters (and Nick K. has got some side stuff too.)
Even though I cannot stress how much potential Audioslave has, I must admit it will probably only ever be a side project. Foo Fighters, on the other hand, have in certain ways surpassed Nirvana. How they are not in the running (if Interpol can make it)?
VOTE:
DYLAN ("The Times, They Are A Changin'" & "Subterranean Homesick Blues")
NIRVANA ("Smells Like Teenage Spirit" & "All Apologies")
And the winner is. . . THE BEATLES (everything)
Brittany,
Not mocking you. I really want you to vote because I can just tell that you have better music taste than any Glazener.
Taylor
As awful as everything is that the Glazeners have said I would like to commend Brian G for bringing up a good point about Rage Against the Machine, one which everyone should be aware of if they're not already: none of their music comes from computers or synthesizers. All of those crazy sounds are coming from Tom Morello's guitar. The amazing part is that it's not just like most bands' crazy noise-solo outros. When I saw them in concert I was skeptical as to whether the show would match the production of the album, but I was quite impressed that he can actually replicate every sound, feedback, and chirp from his guitar live. Impressive and certainly unique.
Nonetheless, even though I loved Rage in high school [subtext: grow up, Glazeners], I currently listen to Bob Dylan more than Rage because I think it's better music. It's more than just the one-of-a-kind songwriting, it's the fact that his voice is addicting. There are certain voices that are either loved or hated, e.g. Neil Young, Billy Corgan, Tom Waits. Bob Dylan's is one of these. Pointing out that Bob Dylan doesn't have a voice that could make it on American Idol is pointless. There is a level of soul in his voice and in the voices of the bands you consistently vote against that I'm starting to think you'll never understand.
My hockey pump-up song: "White Walls" by Between the Buried and Me. You're welcome to anyone who wants to get more penalty minutes.
Ethan,
I didn't have time for seeing Dylan live or protests as I was in my foxhole in Vietnam doing my part for making the world a safer place for the spoiled shit bags from Generation X to play their video games and BE FREE to listen to Kid Rock and RATM.....
Oh and I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
so Simon(the brit?) if you were in a foxhole how come you're standing up for some protesting hippy? Isn't that like... un-american?
And Taylor, are you trying to say that you're not still in high school? You voted for F-ing Nivana. Why don't you go slit your wrists and strap a shotgun to your face and pull the trigger.. Oh and don't forget to tell all the world why you hate them and they hate you... Might as well dress in all black too... I think you get the point.
wow brian, getting a bit morbid.
i realize i voted for Rage...but that doesn't mean I don't like Nirvana.
they probably define my generation more than any other band. i think all of us (in our late 20s early 30s) would agree to the idea that Nirvana was a large part of our collective junior high/high school experiences.
and they are still of a very high quality. All Apologies, Polly, Dumb, Rape Me, In Bloom, Smells like Teen Spirit, etc...the list goes on and on of great songs by Nirvana that I still enjoy today.
there was a time when I could play almost the entire Unplugged album...Lake of Fire, what a classic, fun to sing as well.
which brings me to another point...I want to agree with Taylor's comment about Tom Morello of Rage. I first learned to play guitar my junior year of high school, and like any kid I wanted to play the songs I heard on the radio. I learned to play Killing in the Name, but sadly, Tom Morello is SO talented at using his guitar to do new and experimental things, that I never could mimic what he does for seemingly simple songs like People of the Sun. He is innovative in the way that made Jimi Hendrix so revolutionary...expanding the spectrum of sound coming from an electric guitar.
No, Brian, I don't get your point.
The guy blew his brains out... so yea.. morbid.
Look, Nirvana has some good songs, however to be completely honest. I personally don't get the big deal on them. They just didn't impress me that much. Now I will strongly admit that most of my favorite music is based off of the quality of musicianship, NOT lyrics. Ethan should be able to remember that I liked a band that he adopted way back named JOE CHRISTMAS (yes all caps).
Nirvana was not the most talented group ever. While their lyrics and ideas were stimulating to some people. *shrug*
Interpol
Rage Against the Machine
cuz i wanna.
Dylan
Nirvana
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