Acclaimed Music Forums

35. Avenged Sevenfold - Fiction : 2 / I find this quite unbearable (sorry). The piano and music are actually fine, but the soppy, overdramatic singing is not something I can connect with. At all and this is quite often the case with AF.
36. Labi Siffre - (Something Inside) - So Strong : 2 - in a totally different style, but not much better.
37. Queen - All Dead, All Dead : 5 - Not a Queen fan - this song is however softer and less operatic than usual.
38. Los Saicos - Demolición : 6 - a Spanish "pa pa oom ma ma" ? Instant Fun, little replay value though.
39. KT Tunstall – Suddenly I See : 9 : Like others here, how did I forget about this song ? - Definitely a top 1000 and brings me great memories of dancing times with my youngest children.

Also have to share this live version of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" where she uses loops of herself + percussions to provide the rythmic part of the song. Mesmerising. 40. Rush - Yyz : 5 : Oh. Those guitars start quite nicely, but was there really a need for these horrible keyboards ? (fortunately they disappear). Still, this is prog where technique primes over melody.
41. Monks – I Hate You : 8 : Love it, biased by the Fall cover (or remake) of this song. I discovered Monks through "Extricate" and found that Mark E Smith landed a fitting tribute to this song.
Here is the link : 42. Car Seat Headrest – Not What I Needed 7 : OK, need to listen to this a bit more.
43. Rooney – When Did Your Heart Go Missing? 8 Really like it too, uptempo indie rock, right up my alley.
44. John Mellencamp - What If I Came Knocking : 5 Not my cup of tea, but I recognise a decent tune.
45. Tyler The Creator : 911 / Mr Lonely : 4 Still can't get trap rap, even though this sounds better than the common trap star.

Tyler, the Creator - 911/Mr. Lonely: 7

Nice discovery. I gotta listen to the full album.

45. Tyler, The Creator, featuring Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy – 911/Mr. Lonely
I don't like the different parts of the song the same way... some of them are really nice, others make me nervous. 5/10

Hymie wrote:

Rob wrote:very unoriginal

I fail to see why this is seen as a bad thing. I have no problem with unoriginal. In fact, I prefer it in most cases.

ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE SPEAKERS.

I'm going to make a difference here between a familiar sound and an unoriginal one. Songs that work in a familiar idiom can work very well for me, especially if I like the style. Later today I'm going to reveal my top albums of 2018 in another topic and my #1 is really a throwback to a previous era. But an act has to bring something unique to the music. This doesn't have to be a real innovation or "modern" elements, but something that is truly his own. That to me is artistry: a personal identity. If someone can make 1950s rock and roll in the year 2019 and make it feel like a natural expression of his or her personality than I might very well like it. "Personality" is a vague term that can't be defined by a formula, but all my favorite acts deliver something I can't get anywhere else, even if they work in a familiar genre.

Unoriginal to me is when someone works in a certain style, but doesn't bring something to the table. That Mellencamp song is a good example. Now Mellencamp has build his own identity in the 80's, but it seems by this stage he was more on auto-pilot. There effect is that What If I Came Knocking is maybe not bad on itself, but because there is so much like it I find no reason to remember it and if I don't remember it, I will not return to it. If I don't return to it, it won't become a favorite. I also think that the lack of originality hindered my reaction to what came out of the speakers. Something that sounds either fresh or more personal hits me like a bold of lightning. What If I Came Knocking got my attention less than an expected knock on the door.


By the way, new page, so here is the playlist again:

Henrik wrote:

Hymie wrote:But to answer your question, OF COURSE I DO although I have never heard an instance where both versions sound exactly the same.

Then originality has some kind of importance for you as well. It just means more to most people here.

Where do you get that from?

Which version is the original has NO BEARING AT ALL on which version I like better.

Can you show me an instance where a "cover" sounds EXACTLY the same as the original? I don't know of one.

Henrik wrote:If I listen to a song I really like and it has a familiar sound, then that's really good.

If I listen to a song I really like and it doesn't sound like anything I have heard before, then that's AWESOME because my appreciation of music has expanded again.

But I appreciate songs for what they are. In the way they were recorded, not as I heard them. So if the first song was released before the songs with a familiar sound I already knew, then I would find that song AWESOME as well. So yes, release year matters to me.

So you hear what sounds like an alternate take of a Radiohead song somewhere, you think it's great. You try and track it down on a bootleg or whatever, and you eventually come to find out that it's actually a Radiohead tribute band. Does that mean that it's no longer great?

Tyler The Creator : 911 / Mr Lonely

3

Rob wrote:Unoriginal to me is when someone works in a certain style, but doesn't bring something to the table.

If they don't bring anything to the table it doesn't matter if it's original or unoriginal. If it's bad, it's bad. The fact that it's original does not make it less bad for me.

Hymie wrote:

Henrik wrote:

Hymie wrote:But to answer your question, OF COURSE I DO although I have never heard an instance where both versions sound exactly the same.

Then originality has some kind of importance for you as well. It just means more to most people here.

Where do you get that from?

Which version is the original has NO BEARING AT ALL on which version I like better.

Can you show me an instance where a "cover" sounds EXACTLY the same as the original? I don't know of one.

The group Mostly Other People Do the Killing did a note for note cover of the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue”. They called it “Blue” and it’s damn near impossible to tell the two albums apart.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theatl ... le/381983/

Nick wrote:The group Mostly Other People Do the Killing did a note for note cover of the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue”. They called it “Blue” and it’s damn near impossible to tell the two albums apart.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theatl ... le/381983/

It's a shame that these two albums aren't tied on AM then.

Hymie wrote:

Henrik wrote:

Hymie wrote:But to answer your question, OF COURSE I DO although I have never heard an instance where both versions sound exactly the same.

Then originality has some kind of importance for you as well. It just means more to most people here.

Where do you get that from?

Which version is the original has NO BEARING AT ALL on which version I like better.

Can you show me an instance where a "cover" sounds EXACTLY the same as the original? I don't know of one.

Sorry, my bad. I was so sure that OF COURSE I DO meant "of course there is a difference" (and not "of course they are equally good") that I didn't check how I asked the question.

Hymie wrote:

Rob wrote:very unoriginal

I fail to see why this is seen as a bad thing. I have no problem with unoriginal. In fact, I prefer it in most cases.

ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE SPEAKERS.

A bold statement from the guy who attacks people who don’t include enough ‘black music’ on their lists, and criticizes other people’s taste more than everyone else here put together.

I’m starting to wonder if maybe...you used to post here under a different name?

I will agree that sometimes originality gets overvalued by critics. For people who constantly listen to music, familiar patterns start to seem boring even if they’re better executed. Like “X is good, but why do I need it if I get the same thing but better from Y?” It’s also a question of horizontal collectors versus vertical collectors.

Nick wrote:

Hymie wrote:

Henrik wrote: Then originality has some kind of importance for you as well. It just means more to most people here.

Where do you get that from?

Which version is the original has NO BEARING AT ALL on which version I like better.

Can you show me an instance where a "cover" sounds EXACTLY the same as the original? I don't know of one.

The group Mostly Other People Do the Killing did a note for note cover of the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue”. They called it “Blue” and it’s damn near impossible to tell the two albums apart.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theatl ... le/381983/

Okay, that's not really my kind of thing, but I might even like it better if the mix and/or fidelity strikes me as better. Certainly it's a lot more likely for something to sound exactly the same when there are no vocals.

Jirin wrote:

Hymie wrote:

Rob wrote:very unoriginal

I fail to see why this is seen as a bad thing. I have no problem with unoriginal. In fact, I prefer it in most cases.

ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THE SPEAKERS.

A bold statement from the guy who attacks people who don’t include enough ‘black music’ on their lists, and criticizes other people’s taste more than everyone else here put together.

It makes sense if I am calling out people for liking things for some other reason than what it sounds like.

And those are not "attacks." I am just noting the fact that some folks seem to mainly only like white music. It's fascinating to me that for one reason or another people of different races not only make very different kinds of music, but also usually listen to very different kinds of music. There has always been plenty of cross Pollenization, but it seems that it's much more common for whites to incorporate black styles into their music than the other way around. At least in popular music.

I prefer Elvis Costello's live at the White House version of "Penny Lane" by a bit over the Beatles version. Elvis sings it with more emotion than Paul IMO. The piccolo trumpet solo is exactly the same.

46. Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute
Year: 2008
Album: Chinese Democracy
Biggest Fan: Live in Phoenix (#727)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute: 6

31) Girls In Hawaii Catwalk 6
32) Jenny Lewis Acid Tongue 7
33) Riot You Burn In Me 5
34) Fergie feat Ludacris Glamorous 4
35) Avenged Sevenfold Fiction 5
36) Labi Siffre Something Inside (So Strong) 8
37) Queen All Dead, All Dead 7
38) Los Saicos Demolicion 6
39) KT Tunstall Suddenly I See 9
40) Rush YYZ 4
41) Monks I Hate You 4
42) Car Seat Headrest Not What I Needed 5
43) Rooney When Did Your Heart Go Missing? 7
44) John Mellencamp What If I Came Knocking? 6
45) Tyler, the Creator feat Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy 911 / Mr Lonely 5

Rob wrote:Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute

2

Tyler, The Creator, featuring Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy – 911/Mr. Lonely: 5
Varied, but none of the different parts really connect with me. I guess this isn't my thing, although I appreciate the attempt.

Guns 'N Roses - Prostitute: 5
I used to really be into Guns 'N Roses, but I never ended up listening to Chinese Democracy. Still, it was something of a surprise how little was left of the original sound. Slash really made a difference. There might be more missing, though. It still rocks, but the glee, swagger and even the grotesque emotions are gone.

Today the second Live in Phoenix pick in a row.

47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
Year: 1990
Album: Heaven or Las Vegas
Biggest Fan: Live in Phoenix (#147)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Rob wrote:47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires

2

Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires: 5

Guns N Roses Prostitute 3
Cocteau Twins Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires 6

Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires: 8

Not many votes for this yet, but I'm surprised how low they are as Cocteau Twins basically laid some of the groundwork for a specific type of soft female vocal-led dream pop that does well on this forum. And this is a good one, although the vocals this time are a bit more playful. A very good track if you ask me.

44. John Mellencamp - What If I Came Knocking:4.5
45. Tyler The Creator : 911 / Mr Lonely:3
46. Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute: 5
A good score for a GNR song.
47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires: 8
Nearly as surprising to see here as "Suddenly I See" and my first 8 here.

37. Queen - All Dead, All Dead 5
38. Los Saicos - Demolicion 7
39. KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See 5
40. Rush - YYZ 7.5
41. Monks - I Hate You 7
42. Car Seat Headrest - Not What I Needed 7
43. Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing? 4
44. John Mellencamp - What If I Came Knocking? 5.5
45. Tyler, the Creator feat Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy - 911 / Mr Lonely 5
46. Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute 6
47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires 7

Thanks!

The following song ranks on AM, at #7930:

48. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun
Year: 1969
Album: Five Leaves Left
Biggest Fan: Andyd1010 (#640)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Rob wrote:48. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun[/b]

4

46. Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute
It's funny, I felt like I heard Bowie at the very beginning.
Otherwise, it's not the kind of music that moves me, but this one looks pretty good! 5/10

47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
I've always loved this band. This song doesn't break the rule. 7.5/10 (maybe a 8 in the future)

48. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun
Beautiful voice, sweet melody, but don't really touch me. 5.5/10

40. Rush - Yyz - 3.5
41. Monks – I Hate You - 3
42. Car Seat Headrest – Not What I Needed - 4
43. Rooney – When Did Your Heart Go Missing? - 4
44. John Mellencamp - What If I Came Knocking - 4
45. Tyler, The Creator, featuring Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy – 911/Mr. Lonely - 2.5
46. Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute - 4.5
47. Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires - 6
48. Nick Drake – Saturday Sun - 5

Nick Drake - Saturday Sun - 8

Nick Drake - Saturday Sun: 7
I've said it before, but Nick Drake to me is one of the great album artists, someone who really works best when his songs are contained in a the larger format of the album. Taken on their own his songs can fade away a little. Still, Saturday Sun works reasonably well on it's own and the gentle voice and playing always reminds of those moments when the cold of Autumn feels strangely welcoming.

Nick Drake – Saturday Sun: 9.5

Beautiful song, my favorite by Nick Drake.

Car Seat Headrest – Not What I Needed:
Great album - I had an original one with Just What I Needed, but to be honest I prefer the reworked version. Bonus points for name dropping William Onyeabor - 7

Rooney – When Did Your Heart Go Missing?:
Nice power pop. I like some of the other stuff from the album that has a 70s flavor to it (such as I Should Have Been After You) - 5

John Mellencamp - What If I Came Knocking
Song from my home-town boy. This album has a somberness to it that I always preferred in his music. This song exhibits some of that - 7

Tyler, The Creator, featuring Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy – 911/Mr. Lonely
Perfect example of Tyler's schizophrenic music - 911 with Frank Ocean's sweet voice and Mr Lonely with the rumble and Tyler's incessant flow - 6

Guns ‘N Roses - Prostitute
Feels more like a bad Bowie song from the late 90s than a GNR song - 4

Cocteau Twins – Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
Those ethereal vocals - 6

Nick Drake – Saturday Sun
Another great album. This song probably rates in the bottom half of the songs on the album for me (what with Time Has Told Me, River Man, Way to Blue, Cello Song, and Fruit Tree all on one album!), but great nonetheless - 8

Nick Drake – Saturday Sun: 6

1. Cocteau Twins | Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires | 8
2. Nick Drake | Saturday Sun | 8
3. Car Seat Headrest | Not What I Needed | 6
4. Tyler, The Creator, featuring Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy | 911/Mr. Lonely | 5
5. John Mellencamp | What If I Came Knocking | 5
6. Guns ‘N Roses | Prostitute | 5
7. Rooney | When Did Your Heart Go Missing? | 4

I haven't tallied it up but it seems like Suddenly I See has gotten the best reception so far, which is pretty cool - surprising for a popular song with a fair amount of radio play and no acclaim to be secretly beloved. I came very close to voting for it and disqualifying it from this game. Another great bridge-into-final-chorus combo.

andyd1010 wrote:surprising for a popular song with a fair amount of radio play and no acclaim to be secretly beloved.

I'd say the opposite. It's shocking to me that opinions of the forum fall in line so well with what is acclaimed. I'd expect a lot more popular (but unacclaimed) things to do much better here.

Hymie wrote:

andyd1010 wrote:surprising for a popular song with a fair amount of radio play and no acclaim to be secretly beloved.

I'd say the opposite. It's shocking to me that opinions of the forum fall in line so well with what is acclaimed. I'd expect a lot more popular (but unacclaimed) things to do much better here.

If you look at the forum polls, there are plenty of folks who strongly correlate with the AM rankings.

I hope that future polls will deviate to include more popular performances and hidden gems that we discover through each other.

Hymie wrote:

andyd1010 wrote:surprising for a popular song with a fair amount of radio play and no acclaim to be secretly beloved.

I'd say the opposite. It's shocking to me that opinions of the forum fall in line so well with what is acclaimed. I'd expect a lot more popular (but unacclaimed) things to do much better here.

Well at least this one is doing well! We did have a recent guilty pleasures poll, which highlighted some popular unacclaimed forum favorites.

Yes, there is a high correlation between the tastes of critics and AM users. Critics, as a whole, have heard most popular songs, so when a popular song is unacclaimed, it's generally because they heard it and didn't like it, and the same is often true for the forum. If an unpopular song is unacclaimed, there's a stronger chance it's due to a lack of exposure, when it would otherwise be acclaimed.

andyd1010 wrote:

Hymie wrote:

andyd1010 wrote:surprising for a popular song with a fair amount of radio play and no acclaim to be secretly beloved.

I'd say the opposite. It's shocking to me that opinions of the forum fall in line so well with what is acclaimed. I'd expect a lot more popular (but unacclaimed) things to do much better here.

Well at least this one is doing well! We did have a recent guilty pleasures poll, which highlighted some popular unacclaimed forum favorites.

Yes, there is a high correlation between the tastes of critics and AM users. Critics, as a whole, have heard most popular songs, so when a popular song is unacclaimed, it's generally because they heard it and didn't like it, and the same is often true for the forum. If an unpopular song is unacclaimed, there's a stronger chance it's due to a lack of exposure, when it would otherwise be acclaimed.

I wonder how much of this is a self fulfilling prophecy, meaning people who want to appear or feel hip convince themselves that the acclaimed things are the best things. In other words, do people come to this forum because they already like what is acclaimed, or do they come here because they want to like what is acclaimed in order to feel hip?

I can tell you this. In the other music forums that I have been in there is little correlation between what is acclaimed and what the members like.

Hymie wrote: I wonder how much of this is a self fulfilling prophecy, meaning people who want to appear or feel hip convince themselves that the acclaimed things are the best things. In other words, do people come to this forum because they already like what is acclaimed, or do they come here because they want to like what is acclaimed in order to feel hip?

I'll also posit a third option: That the users of AM discover a disproportionate amount of music through this site, and as such, have their tastes align with the critics simply because that's the music they're exposed to.

The truth probably lies somewhere between all three though.

Nick wrote:

Hymie wrote: I wonder how much of this is a self fulfilling prophecy, meaning people who want to appear or feel hip convince themselves that the acclaimed things are the best things. In other words, do people come to this forum because they already like what is acclaimed, or do they come here because they want to like what is acclaimed in order to feel hip?

I'll also posit a third option: That the users of AM discover a disproportionate amount of music through this site, and as such, have their tastes align with the critics simply because that's the music they're exposed to.

Could be. The members here do seem to be much younger than most forums I have been in, so they are still formulating their tastes. Probably most older music that a 19 year old would discover would be acclaimed stuff. I wish there was a place like this around when I was first getting interested in older music, back in like 1972.

Hymie wrote:

Nick wrote:

Hymie wrote: I wonder how much of this is a self fulfilling prophecy, meaning people who want to appear or feel hip convince themselves that the acclaimed things are the best things. In other words, do people come to this forum because they already like what is acclaimed, or do they come here because they want to like what is acclaimed in order to feel hip?

I'll also posit a third option: That the users of AM discover a disproportionate amount of music through this site, and as such, have their tastes align with the critics simply because that's the music they're exposed to.

Could be. The members here do seem to be much younger than most forums I have been in, so they are still formulating their tastes. Probably most older music that a 19 year old would discover would be acclaimed stuff. I wish there was a place like this around when I was first getting interested in older music, back in like 1972.

I'm young (late 20s) and I've been using AM for over 10 years now, and I think it's safe to say that this website is the single biggest influence on my taste in music. I can almost certainly guarantee that I wouldn't be into some of my favorite bands (Blur, Wilco, New Order, etc.) if it wasn't for this website, and I consider myself very, very lucky to have found it.

Nick wrote: I'm young (late 20s) and I've been using AM for over 10 years now, and I think it's safe to say that this website is the single biggest influence on my taste in music. I can almost certainly guarantee that I wouldn't be into some of my favorite bands (Blur, Wilco, New Order, etc.) if it wasn't for this website, and I consider myself very, very lucky to have found it.

In my case I think my taste does not correlate much with the critics, mainly because critics are very interested in lyrics while I have zero interest in lyrics. That, plus these critics only give a cursory look at pre-Beatles-Dylan-Beach Boys music, while that stuff is my favorite stuff.

Today another song that ranks on AM, at #2289. It also has over 228.000.000 plays on Spotify at the time of writing!

49. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Year: 2009
Album: Walking on a Dream
Biggest Fan: Slick (#59)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

49. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
I like this kind of song, I just miss a little touch of madness so that I love it 7/10

Rob wrote:49. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream

3

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream: 7

Nostalgic song.