Best Song of the 1970s Bracket - Born to Run wins!

Wartortullian · Post by **Wartortullian** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:52 am

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
I wasn't expecting to vote for this song, but upon another listen, it's actually pretty cool and unique. "Funk #49" is also good, but kinda forgettable.

Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
I've never been a big fan of Warren Zevon, and this song is no exception. "Brandy", on the other hand, is one catchy song.

American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
"American Woman" was kinda catchy the first time I heard it, but I've gotten very tired of it since then. "Teenage Kicks", while admittedly less iconic had very refreshing atmosphere and ended at the perfect length for what it set out to achieve.

25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
Iconic.

I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Funky.

Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
Both very strong songs which I'd be happy to see in the next round. I slightly prefer the former, but would be happy to see either of these win.

The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
"Stuck in the Middle With You" is a fine song, but it can't beat what I consider the best track off Dark Side of the Moon.

Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter
Joe Cocker is good, and it's a pity that he recorded "Unchain My Heart" in the 80s.

Blackboard Monitor Vimes · Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:04 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
I'm not actually sure what my favorite Zevon song is (some days it's "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead", other days it's "Searching for a Heart"), but "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a strong entry, and I disliked "Brandy" well before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 tried to shoehorn it into a plot point. Fun Zevon anecdote: a bunch of quizbowlers gathered in my mom's living room for bad packets and other such shenanigans during the weekend of 2009 VCU Open, and it was during a round of Name That Tune that we all got to watch Fred's eyes almost widen out of his head as he listened to the lyrics of "Excitable Boy" for the first time.
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
I prefer the Lenny Kravitz cover of "American Woman" because it's louder, but the original is a classic for good reason, and this other song is pretty generic.
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I remember trying and failing to learn the words to "25 or 6 to 4" in middle school and am not sure now why I found it so difficult, but really, the words are not what you should be here for.
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

kammajos000 · Post by **kammajos000** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:39 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Gonna pretend that a different Pink Floyd song was chosen here and vote for the band. They have much better songs that aren't just screaming for a few minutes.
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

Victor Prieto · Post by **Victor Prieto** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 3:29 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

Whiter Hydra · Post by **Whiter Hydra** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:00 pm

No commentary this time unfortunately, except to say that I'm sad that Pink Floyd's entry is essentially the postscript to Time.

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:53 pm

Whiter Hydra wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:00 pm No commentary this time unfortunately, except to say that I'm sad that Pink Floyd's entry is essentially the postscript to Time.

It's not Pink Floyd's entry; it's Claire Torry's entry, featuring Pink Floyd. Torry completely improvised the vocals on her own. In my mind, it's one of the best performances I've ever heard in a popular music song, and Torry is deserving of the recognition.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:54 pm

We still have a couple of hours to vote.

Whiter Hydra · Post by **Whiter Hydra** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:01 pm

AKKOLADE wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:53 pm
Whiter Hydra wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:00 pm No commentary this time unfortunately, except to say that I'm sad that Pink Floyd's entry is essentially the postscript to Time.
It's not Pink Floyd's entry; it's Claire Torry's entry, featuring Pink Floyd. Torry completely improvised the vocals on her own. In my mind, it's one of the best performances I've ever heard in a popular music song, and Torry is deserving of the recognition.

Ah, I see Wish You Were Here now. That makes a lot of sense.

Ethnic history of the Vilnius region · Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:04 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

rylltraka · Post by **rylltraka** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:19 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
I've never been particularly interested in Lou Reed, but I like this. That said, it's hardly a song. Oh, "Funk #49" is *this* song. Neat. Apparently "Footloose" stole its rhythm/instrumentation from the second half, but man, does this trail off from a real promising opening. As someone who's been assessing student drafts, this lack of structure cannot stand.

Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
This Zevon song is fine, but didn't strike me as too special. The second one had much richer background and vocals, and rides an interesting line between rock and soul.

American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
I don't know if I've ever caught this introductory little jam before, but "American Woman", iconic as it is, is repetitive as all hell, and that irks me. However, this second one doesn't have much to recommend it at all. Nothing about it seems at all distinctive.

25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I remembered Chicago as being boring and stupid, but that is certainly not what this song is, and it makes great use of its five minutes, which seems to go by in about 30 seconds. This second one is moderately catchy and likeable, but it doesn't have the consistency or polish which the Chicago offering has to give.

I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
"I'll Take You There" is fine, one of these R&B "hangout songs" which seems to have been very popular in this decade. "Flash Light" ain't that different in its homogeneity, but I find the music infinitely more compelling.

Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
Joy Division's a band where they don't really have standout "singles"; there's a sonic similarity to most of their material. Too bad "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a 1980 piece. This is great, nevertheless. "Back Stabbers" initially sounds like something off the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. I have a feeling it won't go that far, but it's pleasing and the vocals are neat.

The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
I like this Pink Floyd thing, of course I would, but to me it barely even fits the definition of "song". Certainly not something you could ever karaoke. "Stuck in the Middle With You" is pretty good and memorable (if more famous than it deserves to be) as the best nonexistent Dylan song there ever was.

Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter
Song #1 was unexpectedly good, real strong vocals, good shifty backbeat, lots of vigor. I found less appeal in the cascading force of the second, but both were fine.

BenWeiner27 · Post by **BenWeiner27** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:07 pm

Walk on the Wild Side vs. Funk #49
Lawyers, Guns and Money vs. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
American Woman vs. Teenage Kicks
25 or 6 to 4 vs. Pressure Drop
I’ll Take You There vs. Flash Light
Disorder vs. Back Stabbers
The Great Gig in the Sky vs. Stuck in the Middle With You
Don't Ask Me Questions vs. The Letter

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:16 pm

Voting is now closed.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:27 pm

A very close set of voting this time around.

Walk on the Wild Side 16.5, Funk #49 7
Lawyers, Guns and Money 16, Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) 8.5
American Woman 13, Teenage Kicks 10
25 or 6 to 4 16.5, Pressure Drop 6.5
Flash Light 11.5, I’ll Take You There 10.5
Back Stabbers 11.5, Disorder 10
Stuck in the Middle With You 12.5, The Great Gig in the Sky 10.5
The Letter 12.5, Don't Ask Me Questions 11

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 8:40 pm

I'm going to post the next set tomorrow.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 11:44 am

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2tpNM ... KRXl40dGUw

#121 Drift Away – Dobie Gray
Album: Drift Away
Year: 1973
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnDu1HHOo78

#122 If You Don't Know Me by Now – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Album: I Miss You
Year: 1972
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSwg59g84Rw

#123 Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) – Waylon Jennings
Album: Ol’ Waylon
Year: 1977
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #25, US Country #1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EKHUA1aBLA

#124 Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City – Bobby "Blue" Bland
Album: Dreamer
Year: 1974
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #91
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OOUDTsqM0

#125 Taj Mahal – Jorge Ben Jor
Album: Africa Brasil
Year: 1976
Charts: did not chart in US/UK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8AuG1W59ig

#126 Wild World – Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Album: Tea for the Tillerman
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #11
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iC6K8fZDik

#127 California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys
Album: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Year: 1979
Charts: did not chart
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrWflCJPM4w

#128 Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band
Album: Fly Like an Eagle
Year: 1976
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvTdwxlo3Dc

#129 The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys – Traffic
Album: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Year: 1971
Charts: non-single
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZH0t5Yozw

#130 Treat Her Like A Lady – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
Album: Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
Year: 1971
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #3
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_PmccPnJU

#131 Outdoor Miner – Wire
Album: Chairs Missing
Year: 1979
Charts: UK #51
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO0nmjkMpw0

#132 If You Could Read My Mind – Gordon Lightfoot
Album: Sit Down Young Stranger
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #5, UK #30
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT_J-LNqVvw

#133 Good Times – CHIC
Album: Risque
Year: 1979
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51r5f5OdIY0

#134 I Saw the Light – Todd Rundgren
Album: Something/Anything?
Year: 1972
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #16, UK #36
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zPHZ3i_FU

#135 The Tears of a Clown – The Beat
Album: non-album single
Year: 1979
Charts: UK #6
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-0PbDanP3g

#136 Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) – Jim Croce
Album: You Don’t Mess Around With Jim
Year: 1972
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #17
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCoFz-Fi_40

YouTube links for convenience:

#121 Drift Away – Dobie Gray
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnDu1HHOo78

#122 If You Don't Know Me by Now – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSwg59g84Rw

#123 Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) – Waylon Jennings
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EKHUA1aBLA

#124 Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City – Bobby "Blue" Bland
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OOUDTsqM0

#125 Taj Mahal – Jorge Ben Jor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8AuG1W59ig

#126 Wild World – Yusuf / Cat Stevens
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iC6K8fZDik

#127 California Uber Alles – Dead Kennedys
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrWflCJPM4w

#128 Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvTdwxlo3Dc

#129 The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys – Traffic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZH0t5Yozw

#130 Treat Her Like A Lady – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_PmccPnJU

#131 Outdoor Miner – Wire
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO0nmjkMpw0

#132 If You Could Read My Mind – Gordon Lightfoot
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT_J-LNqVvw

#133 Good Times – CHIC
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51r5f5OdIY0

#134 I Saw the Light – Todd Rundgren
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zPHZ3i_FU

#135 The Tears of a Clown – The Beat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-0PbDanP3g

#136 Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) – Jim Croce
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCoFz-Fi_40

Your ballot:

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

You'll have a couple extra hours for this one; voting closes the 22nd around 7 p.m. eastern.

cdbarker · Post by **cdbarker** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:00 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Solid round of choices!

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:09 pm

I fixed the issue with the Spotify link.

A Dim-Witted Saboteur · Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:20 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
I really like Jim Croce in general and this song in particular, but I have too much of a childhood attachment to Drift Away to vote against it.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Not voting against a Smokey Robinson song, even if it's a much less good cover. Even British people can't ruin an all-time great song.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Willie and Waylon and the boys.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Not really into Chic's vocal style. It's up against an okayish soul song with a decent horn solo that I guess I'll vote for.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
It's sad that a lot of the best Jorge Ben songs were released in 1969, and that this is a matchup between two artists I like a lot and who deserve to move on to the next round. I'm going with If You Could Read My Mind because gentleness is a quality I like a lot in songs.

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
I don't really like Cat Stevens' more nasally register. Outdoor Miner has cool lyrics at least

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Funny, even though in retrospect it was wrong about which 70s California governor was an incipient fascist leader.

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Both of these songs are boring, but at least one isn't too long.

dwd500 · Post by **dwd500** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:49 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
- Drift Away is a great example of how Country and Soul aren't all that different. But still, I think Croce's really underseeded here. Just off that same album, there's You Don't Mess Around With Jim, and freakin' Time in a Bottle!

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
- A ska band doing a weak cover vs. Teddy Pendergrass? Not having it.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
- This had to be a pain to pick songs. There's 23 albums from just the 70's between these two. Waylon's stuff is always good, but it's hard to find something that stands out from that catalog. Not so with Rundgren.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
- Hadn't heard Ain't No Love before. Maybe it's from listening to a lot of similar stuff through this bracket, but it's pretty boilerplate. I'm pretty much just pulling for Good Times to meet Rappers Delight somewhere in this down the line.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
- I would have pegged Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald for the top 20, or Sundown for maybe the top 40. I can't believe Gordon's here at the #132 seed.

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
- So this round is where you've put all the singer-songwriters?

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
- Eh, Dead Kennedys just aren't my style. Too Late to Turn Back Now would have been a good choice, too.

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
- The drums on that whole album, especially for this song and Take the Money and Run, are just on a different level than the Traffic song.

kammajos000 · Post by **kammajos000** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:02 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Cool song I haven't heard of before. If You Could Read My Mind is good too, but I prefer The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald for Gordon Lightfoot. Maybe that's just the Minnesotan in me
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
Wire is not that good
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

ValenciaQBowl · Post by **ValenciaQBowl** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:45 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
--The English Beat (the name they had to take after some lawsuit) is fantastic. Even today they still put on a great and energetic live show.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
--This Todd Rundgren song definitely sounds like the 1970s.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
--First concert I ever saw was Gordon Lightfoot, 1978. He was fantastic.

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
--Hard to pick against Cat Stevens, who I grew up listening to, but Wire is excellent.

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
--I was never a big DK fan, but Jello Biafra seems pretty cool, and his later work with Mojo Nixon is tight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rcyAF4lz04

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
--Contra Jakob, neither of these songs is remotely boring, but "Low Spark" is epic 1970s Traffic noodling.

Asterias Wrathbunny · Post by **Asterias Wrathbunny** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:58 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Stained Diviner · Post by **Stained Diviner** » Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:50 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
I would have chosen a different Croce song.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
It's sappy, but so is the other song.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
I don't like country music, especially bad country music.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
These songs are both 4 minutes too long. I'm picking the one that is longer than 4 minutes.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
I can't get into Taj Mahal. I can't get into If You Could Read My Mind right now, but I have done so in the past.

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
This song is totally awesome. I hope this doesn't get me banned from quizbowl, but Harold and Maude is an awesome movie. This song isn't in the movie but is on the soundtrack.

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Unfortunately Jerry Brown never became president, though he got my vote in 1992. I also worked at a school where all the students meditated. So I'm voting for a song even though it is making fun of me. "Give me convenience or give me death" probably should be updated to say and instead of or. Honestly, I'm fine with either of these songs winning.

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Other than Wild World, these are the two best songs in this round. I'm voting for the better song, but Traffic is awesome, Steve Winwood is awesome, and Dave Mason is awesome. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is also awesome, but so is Fly Like an Eagle.

Ethnic history of the Vilnius region · Tue Apr 21, 2020 8:38 am

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)

This was a tough one.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown

Easy choice.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light

Todd Rundgren is pretty great.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times

Going with the upset here. My Dad bought me a Bobby "Blue" Bland t-shirt back in the day.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner

I've never been much of a Cat Stevens fan.

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Great song by Traffic that I can listen to any time. I've never been much of a Steve Miller fan and Fly Like an Eagle is one of those songs I'd be fine going the rest of my life without hearing.

ValenciaQBowl · Post by **ValenciaQBowl** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:53 am

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
It's sappy, but so is the other song.

I have to disagree with my age-cohort colleague here; The Beat version of "Tears of a Clown" is an upbeat groover!

Captain Sinico · Post by **Captain Sinico** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:16 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
You're going to get a bit of the tail wagging the dog on this one, because it kills me to have to vote against Jim Croce, and you're going to hear about it. I'll grant that this tune is fairly Crocesque, but it's nearly inconceivable that it's put forth as Jim's best. Its charts were mediocre, for an artist who had 2 outright #1s and a number of other top-10s in his tragically shortened career, and I don't know anyone who has this as their favorite Croce song, for a singer who has songs that are many people's outright favorites! In fact, "Operator" isn't even on my podium of slower Croce songs, being clearly less than "Time in a Bottle", "I Got a Name", and "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song". When you consider that Jim's two best songs aren't even of that slower type, I'm left to conclude that somebody must have messed around with Jim to make this bad, bad choice.
All that said, "Drift Away" is a fine song, and is simply better than "Operator". "Drift" meanders a bit at times, but has a very strong melody and lyric with a good rhythm section. Jim Croce's very best songs are a high bar, but this tune happens to be up against none of them.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Not much of a contest here. I don't even particularly like "If You Don't Know Me..." - a bit maudlin and over-produced for me. However, it's an original and an excellent song of its kind with some strong singing and certainly a very emotive lyric.
This version of "Tears...", on the other hand, doesn't belong anywhere near this list. This is a mediocre cover of a great song whose chart performance, such as it was, reflected a not-that-interesting cultural moment in part of the U.K. Were people in the 70s impressed by this?

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
A tough choice here, with two favorite songs. Coincidentally, both are strong entries by criminally underrated musicians who were often plugged into the very heart of things across their careers. "I Saw..." takes it by a nose with a better lyric and tighter composition.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Tough for me to vote against "Ain't No Love...", a song I've always liked. Now, it's a bit structurally simple, but it has some real excellences – lyric is good, if somewhat repetitive; delivery is outstanding; and some of the instrumental licks are really catchy. That said, I wish it'd pick a lane, production-wise. Seems like it could be a stronger song either stripped down or dolled up (which, I think, would need a different singer... so maybe not).
Some of the same things are true of "Good Times" – talk about catchy licks! However, most of the criticisms don't apply: this one knows exactly where it's going. Get the single cut, but it's an outstanding song of its kind and has to get the nod.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Not close for me. I'm vaguely aware that the first song is allegedly to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" as "He's So Fine" is to "My Sweet Lord", but I don't even hear that. Just not something I'm interested in listening to.
"If You Could Read My Mind", on the other hand, is a solid tune. One is tempted to say that it's a better Croce song than "Operator", even though it's not by Croce!

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
Again, not close. Ol' Cat might have released the same song like 50 times, but it's a good song.
This second thing, on the other hand, might as well not be here. It's okay to put some energy into music, boys! (I wanted to feel bad for only having heard of this band's name and nothing else, but I've gotten over that quite quickly -- they got badly out-rocked by Cat Stevens!)

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
On the surface, another pretty big contrast, but these songs are very similar in what they do for me: not much! "Treat Her..." is a (somewhat distant) runner up to "Outdoor Miner" (just ahead of "Taj Mahal" or that bad "Tears..." cover, perhaps) in insubstantial character among this tranche -- there's just not much there. That said, I might not change the station if it came on the radio.
On the other hand, "California..." has always struck me as severely overrated. Even when I was young (yes, there was a time!) and presumably primed to like this kind of crap, it exuded the stupid variant of "FUCK YOU, DAD!" so pungently that it drove even me away. That's a bit odd to write, since I've liked plenty of songs like that... so I'm not sure what it is about this one: maybe the poorly hidden sanctimony, or unsophisticated political character, or a mismatch between singer and tone. Anyway, it gets the nod over a weak competitor, and, for the record, I expect it to win this round in a landslide. (It's too bad that "Holiday in Cambodia" missed the decade cut by a few months, as it would have made a much easier choice, now more than ever.)

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
A very tough choice between two songs with a lot of similarities, two being: that I like both a great deal, but consider both flawed. I've changed my vote several times on this classic Steve M. v. Steve W. matchup.
I've often struggled to rate "Low Spark..." in particular. This song has been among my very favorites at different points in my life, and still sounds good today. Hopefully irony doesn't completely undermine me if I say: "Low Spark..." is just not good enough to be 12' long. It might be perfect at 6', but I've never heard how to do a good job making it any shorter; any cuts I've heard seemed to really weaken the song, despite the cutter's ideal starting point of 15" of total silence. It's also another of those '70s songs that's at least superficially about how hard it is to be a famous rock star, a trend whose zenith is The Wall but which had many nadirs and which I can stomach little these days.
"Fly...", on the other hand, has a mix of structural problems. While it still feels slightly too long at a modest 5', it also has the feel of a song that someone had to cut down from Steve M. jamming at length, maybe like a cut of "Low Spark...", so that it also leaves one wondering where the rest it is. However, in contrast to "Low Spark...", the ideas and music would do an even worse job supporting 12' – indeed, as noted, they don't do great at 5'.
Both songs are a bit out there in their instrumentation, but "Fly..." has cast itself a bit more toward what we might call the "bloop, blop, bleep" region, which bothers me more than it used to. "Fly..." shares with "Low Spark..." some good melodies, outstanding instrumental playing, and a certain hypnotic quality, but "Fly..." wins slightly on at least two of those three lines. The lyric is acceptable, which is outstanding for Steve Miller – no attempts to rhyme "Texas", "facts is", "justice", and "taxes" this time! - but has a bit of a pollyanna, marmite character: I really have to be in the right mood, or not listen closely. Therefore, "Low Spark..." has to win in lyric and delivery, despite the aforementioned issues with "Low Spark..."'s content.
In the end, I'm ineluctably drawn to say that "Fly..." is the better of these two very '70s songs, so it has to win. It's a shame if Traffic falls at the first hurdle – Steve W. deserves better, considering his career – but I've got to vote the songs as I hear them (or else go back and vote for Jim Croce!).

MiltonPlayer47 · Post by **MiltonPlayer47** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 6:47 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Blackboard Monitor Vimes · Tue Apr 21, 2020 8:47 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Stained Diviner · Post by **Stained Diviner** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:33 pm

ValenciaQBowl wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:53 am
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
It's sappy, but so is the other song.
I have to disagree with my age-cohort colleague here; The Beat version of "Tears of a Clown" is an upbeat groover!

Fair enough. It's an unsappy version of a sappy song. The Beat kind of reminds me of a band I watched a bunch in the 80s called BOP(harvey).

ScoBo · Post by **ScoBo** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:42 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
I probably would have voted for "Operator" over most of the other songs in this set.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Both are good - I'm not sure I actually like one of these songs more than the other. (These happen to be the only two in this set I have in my library.) I guess I'll vote for the one I don't ever recall hearing on the radio. If the Traffic selection had been "Glad", I probably would have voted for it without a second thought.

Steeve Ho You Fat · Post by **Steeve Ho You Fat** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 11:54 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

BenWeiner27 · Post by **BenWeiner27** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 1:33 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:05 pm

Four hours left to vote!

rylltraka · Post by **rylltraka** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:54 pm

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)
Oh wow, this is this song. Don't know if I've ever heard the original, but the cover was clearly too good for the band that was performing it. It's a lovely piece. Second song, also good, despite being in the singer/songwriter vein that I don't feel much attachment towards; liked it, but gotta give the nod to "Drift Away", because of the strength of the melody.

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
Dear god, this first song is so slooooow. I was waiting for the song to start the entire time. Certainly it has some appeal for the vocals and production, which are both fine, but it has the feel of sitting through an endless church ceremony and barely being able to stay awake. The instrumentation of "Tears of a Clown" is so archaic (all those horns), but rides on the strength of the vocals and the beat, which remain impressive even if the subject matter isn't that worthy of empathy. Really, how can you be sadder than sad? Seems like a contradiction in terms, and as a positivist I am offended.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light
Song #1 is likeable, although it does what many songs of this type do - take a decent concept, polish it a little bit, and then run it into the ground (there's what, one chorus and one verse, and the idea of mixing it up is to have Willie do the third go-round?). I appreciate it, but goddamn. However, the second song sucks (those bland, undifferentiated vocals, forgettable backbeat), so all that don't matter too much. It's three minutes long and I was waiting for it to end. Somehow in my mind I associate Todd Rundgren with, like, chainsaw guitars, and was disappointed that there was none of that here.

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
This Bobby Bland song is a step above most of the soul we've seen so far; the use of lower-tune guitar gives it a bit of an edge, and although I probably wouldn't seek it out, it's definitely worth a listen. But for infectious energy, "Good Times" blows it out of the water, even if it does dilute its advantage by being so lengthy and by having vague, pointless lyrics - it's like the "Get Lucky" of its era.

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind
Well, I did a lecture today that included the Taj Mahal in it, so...that's pretty immaterial of a coincidence. The song is lively, if sorta one-note, and I don't understand what's going on. This Gordon Lightfoot song starts with the same 10 seconds every single 70s singer-songwriter song start with, which is getting old already. I find these vocals saccharine and overly affected, and it's really pushing "this is deep" vibes although I don't agree with its opinion on that one.

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner
"Wild World" is exactly what I'd expected, if perhaps not entirely worth all the hype. I'm fine with Cat Stevens. The other song does nothing for me, but at least it's only 100 seconds long. After punk, I guess everyone decided to be boring.

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
I was already familiar with "California Uber Alles", which has not aged so well considering the long, successful, critically acclaimed career of Jerry Brown. Dunno why so many of us are against songs in this bracket for "not being another song by the same artist", which doesn't seem like great logic to me (obviously "Holiday in Cambodia", while ineligible, is a better song and better skewering of the radical left). This matchup is a walkover, although I have nothing against song #2.

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
"Fly Like an Eagle" (a song I am very familiar with) does something the SMB often does, which is to start with a great riff and then never, ever come back to it - in this case, transitioning into a spacey groove that is more bass and drums than what you might expect. However, I don't think I can argue with the statement that "time keeps on slipping (slippin') into the future", which is what a stoned person would think was genius. Works in context. This Traffic song either needed to be shorter or much, much weirder to keep my attention for as much time as it's demanding.

mrtyrmystry · Post by **mrtyrmystry** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:34 pm

zzz songs

ill be pleasantly surprised if this vote is counted

Drift Away vs. Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)

If You Don't Know Me By Now vs. The Tears of a Clown
It took 20 more years for American bands to ruin ska.

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) vs. I Saw the Light

Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Good Times
these two songs are the best, no?

Taj Mahal vs. If You Could Read My Mind

Wild World vs. Outdoor Miner

California Uber Alles vs. Treat Her Like a Lady
the Dead Kennedys are a bad punk band and Jello Biafra is a good guy

Fly Like an Eagle vs. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
whaaaaat am i supposed to do about these two songs....

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:41 pm

Voting has closed.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:49 pm

Not very many close results this time.

Drift Away 13.5, Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) 7.5
The Tears of a Clown 14, If You Don't Know Me By Now 7.5
I Saw the Light 12.5, Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) 8.5
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City 11.5, Good Times 9.5
If You Could Read My Mind 15, Taj Mahal 6
Wild World 14.5, Outdoor Miner 7
California Uber Alles 13, Treat Her Like a Lady 6.5
Fly Like an Eagle 15.5, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys 5.5

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:56 pm

You can find the full bracket from the second round on here. https://i.imgur.com/2ONYrM5.png

The first set of the second round will be posted tomorrow; I need to find YouTube links and I don't feel like doing that tonight!

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:18 pm

It's time!

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3HcgV ... fZ15Tbql3A

#1 Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Album: A Night at the Opera
Year: 1975
Charts: UK #1, Billboard Hot 100 #9 (initial release)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ

#190 Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood – Santa Esmeralda
Album: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Year: 1977
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #15, UK #41
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hwiCkU73NA

#64 Riders on the Storm – The Doors
Album: L.A. Woman
Year: 1971
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #14, UK #22
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hrgT_ZDUvs

#65 Heart of Glass – Blondie
Album: Parallel Lines
Year: 1979
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

#32 Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
Album: Talking Heads: 77
Year: 1977
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #92
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eauZzwt8Ci8

#109 Life's Been Good – Joe Walsh
Album: But Seriously, Folks…
Year: 1978
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #12, UK #14
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O_OVTrHQqM

#33 Gloria – Patti Smith
Album: Horses
Year: 1976
Charts: did not chart
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ

#108 God Save the Queen – Sex Pistols
Album: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Year: 1977
Charts: UK #2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQeCiGJYoU0

#16 Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
Album: Bridge Over Troubled Water
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G-YQA_bsOU

#137 The Letter – Joe Cocker
Album: non-album single
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #7, UK #39
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY4MrmZWiAk

#49 Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Album: non-album single
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #14
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1PrUU2S_iw

#87 Show Me the Way – Peter Frampton
Album: Frampton Comes Alives!
Year: 1976
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #6, UK #10
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIRqMTg1GVc

#17 Hotel California – Eagles
Album: Hotel California
Year: 1977
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #8
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1pK5anfAVM

#135 The Tears of a Clown – The Beat
Album: non-album single
Year: 1979
Charts: UK #6
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-0PbDanP3g

#48 Lola – The Kinks
Album: Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #9, UK #2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LemG0cvc4oU

#88 Blitzkrieg Bop – Ramones
Album: Ramones
Year: 1976
Charts: did not chart
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iymtpePP8I8

Your ballot:

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

You'll have until Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. eastern to vote.

A Dim-Witted Saboteur · Thu Apr 23, 2020 1:39 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Protest vote; I like the Animals a lot and don't think BoRhap should've been the 1 seed

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Not voting against my king

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

mrtyrmystry · Post by **mrtyrmystry** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:01 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
the loser of this round could have been Friend of the Devil, a song which made me happier than anything last round, and has made me happier every time I've listened to it since.
anyways,
mama.... uwu

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
i kind of like the Doors. i mean, jim morrison was made of bs and bad poetry, like patti smith. and when the band jams, it's cool.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
if anyone puts on Life's Been Good, i wouldn't complain. if you put on psycho killer ill break my throat singing along.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
singing "jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" is probably the only overrated thing patti smith ever did but anyways, both these songs and artists wouldnt be who they are without their own special brand of bs, and have conviction, darnit. why do i have to vote against one?

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
why the most gifted melodists gotta be so boring
well, until the wall of sound kicks in

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
frank ocean's "cover" is GOOD. ska is GOOD. songs GOOD. GOOD GOOD GOOD

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
im vote for better and more remarkable song.
AT LEAST half the songs on the Ramones debut are thoroughly enjoyable. and the cover of Lola by the Raincoats (all-female group who doesn't change the lyrics) is Good.

Ethnic history of the Vilnius region · Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:27 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

kammajos000 · Post by **kammajos000** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:57 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

34 + P.J. Dozier · Post by **34 + P.J. Dozier** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 3:06 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

Whiter Hydra · Post by **Whiter Hydra** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 3:08 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody -- Look, it's Bohemian Rhapsody, it's the #1 seed for a reason. There's a lot that can be said about this song, but I'm going to save it for a more worthy matchup.
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood -- This is a good three-minute song. Unfortunately, its runtime is listed as 10:29.

Riders on the Storm -- It's one of the classic Doors song, but I associate it with the late 60s rather than the 70s. I've never been super into The Doors, but this song is still peak Morrison.
Heart of Glass -- This is very much a pop song, but it does a good job of being pop. It's catchy, but not overly-repetitive, and the music is fun but not simplistic.

Psycho Killer -- I always have a lot of fun singing the chorus to this song. It gets kinda weird at certain points, but for the most part it works.
Life's Been Good -- It's a great sign if a song is 8 minutes long but it doesn't feel long. Even though all the lyrics are hammed up, it feel like something you'd expect you'd hear from a rock star.

Gloria -- If it weren't for Self Control, we could probably have three different decade brackets featuring songs named Gloria. As opposed to a lot of the more political punk songs that seem to be more prevalent, this is more social rebellion and kinda refreshingly not as ham-fisted (except for the opening line).
God Save the Queen -- Was I subtweeting this song in Gloria's writeup? Of course not! Yeah, it rocks, but it's a song that loses out somewhat upon repeat listenings because there's not really anything else to pick up.

Bridge Over Troubled Water -- If you aren't familiar with this song, please listen to it all the way though. It starts good, but it gets even better near the end and has one of the more satisfying conclusions in music.
The Letter -- I like that Joe Croker puts his own unique spin on things, but I think I prefer the original version. At some points I feel like the lyrics don't really fit the song.

Ohio -- One of the quintessential protest songs. In my opinion, it works very well because rather than go "the pigs in power sucks," it brings up a specific incident and evokes great imagery.
Show Me the Way -- It's a fine song, don't get me wrong, but it isn't nearly as evocative as Ohio and it doesn't really have any amazing strengths.

Hotel California -- It's a good song, but it runs a little too long. Still, there are reasons why it's such a classic and I have no issue voting for it for the next couple rounds.
The Tears of a Clown -- Sorry, ska's not really my thing. This is the third song in this octant of the bracket where I much prefer the original to the cover that I'm to vote on.

Lola -- I am embarrassed to admit how old I was when I realised what this song is about. I did find it amusing that the BBC had issue with the song, but not because of the subject matter, but because the Kinks dared to name-drop Coca-cola.
Blitzkrieg Bop -- This song wins the "most accurate title" contest, in that it's good, but is over way too quickly. It's not quite as memorable as Lola, though.

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

ValenciaQBowl · Post by **ValenciaQBowl** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 3:52 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
--If it was the original by The Animals, I'd be voting against Queen here. Also, it's worth noting that the best song on A Night at the Opera is certainly "Death on Two Legs."

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
--"The Gypsies had no home, and The Doors have no bass!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xillqqt0Y0

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
--This song should go a long way in this bracket.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
--"God Save the Queen" is a more "historically important" song, but I'd rather listen to Patti Smith.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
--Oh Artie, this was the best thing anyone ever gave you.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
--Hate to vote against any song with vocoder, and "Ohio" is probably my fifth-favorite song from 4-Way Street. But so it goes.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
--I hate "Hotel California" so much, what an overplayed garbage song. Uh, no offense if you like it or whatever.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
--"Lola" is overplayed but what a great melody and rhythm guitar.

Stained Diviner · Post by **Stained Diviner** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 4:33 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
This is easy so far. See Wayne's World, kids.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
A few years ago, one of my friends asked me whether Jim Morrison was a visionary or a brat. It's probably the latter, but this is a good song either way. RIP Ray Manzarek.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
I like both of these songs a lot, but I like Psycho Killer more. See Stop Making Sense, kids.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
This version of Gloria takes a while to get going, but it is worth the wait. This might be as good as the Them version, and I am a Van Morrison fan.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
This vote is probably blasphemous. I'm glad my family isn't seeing it. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a great song, and I plan to vote for it next round. The Letter is an awesome song--turn it all the way up.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Frampton is pretty good, but he's not this good. If you don't know about the incident that this song is a reaction to, then go learn some things.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Obviously. Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is a great album despite having a country sound and being too early for this song.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
I like Blitzkrieg Bop and all, but seriously.

dwd500 · Post by **dwd500** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 4:38 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
I think Bohemian Rhapsody is going to bow out surprisingly early, but not this round.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Morrison may get a lot of credit, but the rest of the Doors are just crazy good at what they do.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Talking Heads are another group I just never really got into.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Insert wisecrack on how the Queen already has seniority over God here.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Even though You Are So Beautiful would have made a matchup with some real storylines. BOTW's reputation gets dragged down by a bajillion elementary school choirs, but it's still as simple and powerful as ever.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
A protest song with real bite beats the Talk Box. Didn't know this came right after Teach Your Children. I gotta get that album.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Most of the songs on this, one of the best road trip albums, would win this matchup.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
Toughest matchup of this round.

ahuff · Post by **ahuff** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 5:56 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
My hardest choice here. For personal listening, I like Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood a lot more, but Bohemian Rhapsody has undeniable sing-a-long song energy going for it. Because I know I'm going to lose, I'm going to vote for the one I like over the important one.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
I don't like Jim Morrison as a lyricist or vocalist. That said, the instrumentals are killer. The slow creepy blues/jazz works for me every time.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
I like a ton of bands influenced by Talking Heads, but never really got into them. That said, Joe Walsh's voice just makes my skin crawl. Easy choice.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
While not my favorite song of the 1970s, Gloria might be my favorite song on this bracket. Also the Sex Pistol's have always struck me as all style no substance.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
I liked The Letter a lot more than I expected to. Still no competition.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
There's a reason this song has come up in four or five of my American history classes. Not too many songs do a better job of capturing the feeling of an era.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
I can't say I love either of these songs. That said, I can't really think of any song that reminds me of Hotel California, which is more than enough to pick it.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
Lola is a perfect pop song. There's something infectious about its melody and rhythm guitar work that on certain days I would take it all the way in this bracket. Every time I listen to the Ramones it reminds me that I would rather be listening to the Buzzcocks. Speaking of which, "Ever Fallen in Love" should absolutely be on this bracket.

Wartortullian · Post by **Wartortullian** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:18 pm

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" deserve better than to lose out this early. "Bohemian Rhapsody", while it's reached cultural oversaturation to the point where I don't enjoy listening to it, is the #1 seed for a reason and a damn good song.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Doors boring.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
"Psycho Killer" is iconic. Life's Been Good isn't bad, but kinda boring.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
As far as punk goes, the Sex Pistols were never really my thing.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Two more amazing songs that don't deserve to go up against each other. BOTW is gonna win anyway, and I'm feeling the Joe Cocker song way more right now, so I might as well throw it some love.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Not really that into Frampton, but this is kind of a jam I guess.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
I hadn't heard this cover of "Tears of a Clown" until now, but I like it!

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
Gaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy