Acclaimed Music Forums

by **slick** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:13 am

Vote for your favorites. Artists have been reseeded for the round of 64...

R.E.M. vs. Oasis
The Smiths vs. Beastie Boys
Nirvana vs. Pixies
Johnny Cash vs. Public Enemy
Prince vs. Duran Duran
Michael Jackson vs. Elvis Costello
The Police vs. Peter Gabriel
The Cure vs. Madonna

by **slick** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:14 am

R.E.M.
Smiths
Pixies
Cash
Prince
Jacko
Police
Cure

by **Nick** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:16 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
Madonna

by **Greg** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:40 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
The Cure

by **John** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:42 am

R.E.M.- Oasis has been lucky to get this far. Round of 64 should consist of bands that aren't tied to a moment in time. R.E.M. is timeless, Oasis is nostalgia.

The Smiths- Hello Nasty is my favorite album out of both catalogs but I gave it to the Smiths for the singles.

Pixies- Close call here but Nirvana has aged a lot for me. I think that's unfair since I grew up with Nirvana and didn't really listen to the Pixies until after college, but I'm just going with how I feel.

Johnny Cash- Critically, probably the kings of their respective genres.

Prince- Another case of timeless vs. time piece.

Elvis Costello- This is a tough one because you don't really judge MJ on his albums and you don't judge Costello on singles. They are two very different artists. Billie Jean is one of my favorite songs of all time, but I just don't think any of his albums are great, most of them are pretty bad actually minus a couple songs. I have to give the edge to Costello.

Peter Gabriel- Easy choice. In polite terms, screw The Police.

Madonna- Another easy choice, but the Cure are ok.

by **Evan** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:20 am

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Public Enemy
Prince
Michael Jackson
The Police
The Cure

by **Zorg** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:24 am

R.E.M. vs. Oasis - Oasis face a lot of (undeserved) backlash, just because of the sheer hype they received during the britpop era. But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album. That said, no contest here.
The Smiths vs. Beastie Boys - The Queen is Dead is simply so amazing that it outshines any- and everything that the Beastie Boys ever did.
Nirvana vs. Pixies
Johnny Cash vs. Public Enemy
Prince vs. Duran Duran
Michael Jackson vs. Elvis Costello
pass
pass

by **Henry** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:35 am

R.E.M. (very close for me)
The Smiths
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Michael Jackson (very close for me)
The Police (very close for me)
The Cure (very close for me)

by **John** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:48 am

Zorg wrote:R.E.M. vs. Oasis - Oasis face a lot of (undeserved) backlash, just because of the sheer hype they received during the britpop era. But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album. That said, no contest here.

It's good. I've voted for Oasis because of their easy matchups up until this round. It's not great to me though. I look at 90% of the other artists in the round of 64 and they are timeless artists. What I mean, is that most of these artists aren't defined by a generation or a genre... a new listener probably wouldn't be able to place them to a specific era. I think that's a huge part of what makes a band great. When I think of Oasis, I think of them as part of the 90's brit-pop scene instead of thinking that Oasis is a great band.

by **Nassim** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:58 am

Oasis
Beastie Boys
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Michael Jackson
The Police
The Cure

by **Brad** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:05 am

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure

Thanks!

by **Michel** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:43 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Pixies
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure

by **Romain** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:44 am

Oasis
The Smiths
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure

by **Stephan** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:01 am

1. R.E.M.
2. Johnny Cash
3. Prince
4. Elvis Costello
5. Michael Jackson
6. The Police
7. The Smiths
8. Oasis
9. Pixies
10. Peter Gabriel
11. Madonna
12. The Cure
13. Public Enemy
14. Beastie Boys
15. Duran Duran
16. Nirvana

by **Midaso** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:06 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Pixies
Johnny Cash
Prince
Michael Jackson - watch MJ win by getting a few votes on here,but then completely dominating in the non-AM votes
Peter Gabriel
The Cure

by **Moonbeam** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:26 am

R.E.M.: 6 vs. Oasis: 0

What a weak matchup! Both of these are among my least favorite acclaimed bands of their respective decades. That said, R.E.M. doesn't come close to the house of horrors that is Oasis.

The Smiths: 19 vs. Beastie Boys: 15

A band with 4 albums I can get behind beats out a band with some great songs but no albums that stick with me.

Nirvana: 16 vs. Pixies: 8

I'm not sure if this matchup was intentional, but it is hilarious! I know the "correct" answer is Pixies, but I can't get with Francis Black's vocals - sorry.

Johnny Cash: 5 vs. Public Enemy: 14

I'm happy to be able to vote for PE this time around.

Prince: 20 vs. Duran Duran: 14

I just got tickets for a Prince show in Sydney - my first in 6 years! Woo hoo!

Michael Jackson: 18 vs. Elvis Costello: 16

Touch matchup for Elvis. I love This Year's Model, but MJ has a solid catalogue of material that I enjoy from 1979-1995, bar a few missteps ("The Girl Is Mine", "Childhood"). That said, I only know the first 2 Costello records. What would you guys recommend?

The Police: 14 vs. Peter Gabriel: 14

Tough matchup. I only own one album by either one of these (So), and it doesn't do all the much for me. However, I imagine that if I dug further, I'd enjoy PG's stuff more.

The Cure: 20 vs. Madonna: 20

What a cruel, cruel matchup. Both of these artists are among my top 6. I'm tempted to go with Madonna because I've been more into her lately, but The Cure deserves to move on. Why couldn't Madonna have been paired against R.E.M. or Oasis?

by **Moonbeam** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:29 am

Zorg wrote:But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album.

Good God, no. To date, this is my 3rd least favorite album of all time.

God save us all!

by **nicolas** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:39 am

R.E.M
Beastie Boys
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Michael Jackson
The Cure

by **Otisredding** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:52 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Pixies
Public Enemy
Prince
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
The Cure

by **Henrik** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:32 am

R.E.M. #81 vs. Oasis
The Smiths #23 vs. Beastie Boys #40
Nirvana #64 vs. Pixies #55 - really close but it feels correct
Johnny Cash #60 vs. Public Enemy #96
Prince #6 vs. Duran Duran
Michael Jackson #72vs. Elvis Costello #73
Before looking at my top 100 artists list I thought that EC was in the second half somewhere and MJ just outside of it. And I felt that maybe this was unfair, as MJ has such amazing top songs. Then I saw MJ on my list, one place ahead of EC. Well, then.
The Police vs. Peter Gabriel
The Cure #1 vs. Madonna #46

by **dr_Robert** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:20 am

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Pixies
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
The Cure

by **Gillingham** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:34 am

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
pass
pass
Peter Gabriel
The Cure

by **Spaz** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:40 am

R.E.M. (Sophie's choice)
The Smiths
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Duran Duran
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure

by **Schwah** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:04 am

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
Madonna

by **Listyguy** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:02 pm

R.E.M.
Smiths
Nirvana (These two faced off last year too)
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis (Of course, MJ will get every single non-AM vote and win in a blowout :angry-nono:

)
Police
The Cure (Like I said for MJ, but this shouldn't be a blowout)

by **Kingoftonga** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:04 pm

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Public Enemy
Duran Duran
Michael Jackson
The Police
(Abstain)

by **SuperFurry** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:28 pm

Oasis
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Public Enemy
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure

by **Jirin** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:33 pm

R.E.M.
The Smiths
Pixies
Public Enemy
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police (We have an over-production-off in this matchup)
The Cure

by **Greg Rumpff** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:34 pm

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis Costello
The Police
The Cure-Toughest matchup. The Cure got the nod for having more full albums I like over Ms. Ciccone...

by **sonofsamiam** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:12 pm

R.E.M.
Beastie Boys
Pixies
Public Enemy
Prince
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
Madonna

by **slick** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:56 pm

Listyguy wrote:R.E.M.
Smiths
Nirvana (These two faced off last year too)
Johnny Cash
Prince
Elvis (Of course, MJ will get every single non-AM vote and win in a blowout )
Police
The Cure (Like I said for MJ, but this shouldn't be a blowout)

Not so fast on the MJ blowout thing, I have not started totalling up the votes yet but I have seen 4 or 5 non-AM votes for Mr. Costello. The biiger surprise to me is Beastie Boys.

by **Jirin** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:42 pm

Zorg wrote:But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album.

It's an album with a few pretty great singles.

by **nicolas** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:16 pm

I can't believe so many people prefered Costello to Michael Jackson

by **Henry** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:09 pm

John wrote:
Zorg wrote:R.E.M. vs. Oasis - But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album. That said, no contest here.

I enjoy (What's the Story) Morning Glory more than any R.E.M. album. That's what made my choice of R.E.M. in this contest more difficult than it apparently was for most others.

by **Dan** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:45 pm

Zorg wrote:R.E.M. vs. Oasis - But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album.

I used to be a big fan of Britpop, and there's no denying that Oasis were at the forefront of the genre in the mid-'90s. Then it started to annoy me. And just when I was about to call the whole Britpop thing a load of ole horseshite, I read this very eloquent post from Nick during last year's all-time albums poll, and it changed my mind...

Nick wrote:I totally agree, I'm a pretty big britpop fan myself and I always get a little disheartened when people entirely write it off.

Bands like Blur and Pulp crafted excellent pop music while at the same time conveying very deep messages, primarily ones about the intricacies of British life in the 1990's.

While Oasis never made "smart" music, I wouldn't ever call them disposable. Apparently I'm the biggest "Morning Glory" fan on this site, so I think I should defend them.

Oasis don't have particularly deep lyrics. They don't have bad lyrics, just ones that are (for the most part) kind of meaningless. And that's okay. Because to me it's not about the lyrics, it's about the way the songs make me feel. "Morning Glory" could be the definitive guide to how to craft a pop song. You have the sprawling "Champagne Supernova", the soaring ballad of "Don't Look Back in Anger", the life affirming anthems of "Roll With It", and "Some Might Say", the endearing "Wonderwall", and 5 other really great pop songs. Everything sounds like it could be a single. The album sounds just like a greatest hits album would.

What separates "Morning Glory" from disposable pop? For one thing the bold attitude that the songs convey. Some might say (no pun intended) that the music is loud and rude, however I disagree. To me it simply sounds like the music of a couple of guys who are really really excited about life and about being alive. If there's one consistent message of theme that runs through the album it's about being happy. That sounds mundane, but when I listen to the album the term that instantly comes to mind is "life affirming".
The album is loud. Everything part of the instrumentation (particularly the guitars) creates spirited atmosphere. To borrow a term from Phil Spector, there's like a "wall of sound" that envelops the album. I don't know how else to explain it. Maybe it's in the layered guitars. Just everything about the album sounds big and bold. This isn't some faint disposable pop we're hearing, these are big audacious anthems.

Another common criticism is that the music is "derivative". First of all, maybe this is just out of pure ignorance, but I have never ever heard any albums that sound like "Definitely Maybe" or "Morning Glory". No other albums have managed to capture that same distinctive "wall" of sound that I hear when I put on either of those albums. I understand that Oasis are influenced by The Beatles, but I honestly would never mistake a Beatles song for an Oasis one. Furthermore, britpop itself is heavily based on the music of bands like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and especially, The Smiths. Oasis sound like none of these bands.

In the end, there are albums that are smarter than "Morning Glory". There are albums that are more experimental. There are albums that are more complex, more deep, and made by more likable people. But in terms of pure fun, great hooks, and a bold, unashamed love of life, "Morning Glory" does it for me.

by **Moonbeam** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:29 am

It's interesting to read the testimony of someone who really likes Oasis. A lot of what Nick has pointed out is exactly what I loathe about them. It's great that this site is not as monotone as it must appear to the non-AMers in this game!

by **Zorg** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:32 am

John wrote:
Zorg wrote:R.E.M. vs. Oasis - Oasis face a lot of (undeserved) backlash, just because of the sheer hype they received during the britpop era. But let's just admit it guys, (What's the Story) Morning Glory IS a pretty great album. That said, no contest here.

It's good. I've voted for Oasis because of their easy matchups up until this round. It's not great to me though. I look at 90% of the other artists in the round of 64 and they are timeless artists. What I mean, is that most of these artists aren't defined by a generation or a genre... a new listener probably wouldn't be able to place them to a specific era. I think that's a huge part of what makes a band great. When I think of Oasis, I think of them as part of the 90's brit-pop scene instead of thinking that Oasis is a great band.

That's part of the appeal! It's like when I listen to Marquee Moon by Television, and I feel like I'm at the back of CBGB's listening to some maverick guitar band play some intricate tunes. Morning Glory makes me feel like I was a young adolescent in John Major's Britain (I was only 1 at the time of its release, and 6 days old when Definitely Maybe came out), it transports me to an age that I know so little about. Time-specific here for me is a good thing, it's like a timestamp of being a young Manc growing up in the real world.

(Though, being a Londoner, I have a natural distaste for anything outside the M25)

by **Zorg** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:41 am

Moonbeam wrote:Michael Jackson: 18 vs. Elvis Costello: 16
Touch matchup for Elvis. I love This Year's Model, but MJ has a solid catalogue of material that I enjoy from 1979-1995, bar a few missteps ("The Girl Is Mine", "Childhood"). That said, I only know the first 2 Costello records. What would you guys recommend?

I've recently become a Honorio Is Always Right person, so I'd go for King of America. I prefer it to his first two albums.

by **Moonbeam** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 2:25 am

Zorg wrote:
Moonbeam wrote:Michael Jackson: 18 vs. Elvis Costello: 16
Touch matchup for Elvis. I love This Year's Model, but MJ has a solid catalogue of material that I enjoy from 1979-1995, bar a few missteps ("The Girl Is Mine", "Childhood"). That said, I only know the first 2 Costello records. What would you guys recommend?

I've recently become a Honorio Is Always Right person, so I'd go for King of America. I prefer it to his first two albums.

Thanks for the recommendation!

by **Nick** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 2:55 am

Moonbeam wrote:It's interesting to read the testimony of someone who really likes Oasis. A lot of what Nick has pointed out is exactly what I loathe about them. It's great that this site is not as monotone as it must appear to the non-AMers in this game!

Ah yes, the beauty of subjectivity in music. Where you hear "rude and obnoxious" I hear "life affirming and bold". It's so interesting to see the multitudes of reactions people can get from hearing the exact same piece of music.

And I'm glad that I helped change your mind on britpop and Oasis in particular, Dan!

by **Henry** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:41 am

Moonbeam wrote:
Zorg wrote:
Moonbeam wrote:Michael Jackson: 18 vs. Elvis Costello: 16
Touch matchup for Elvis. I love This Year's Model, but MJ has a solid catalogue of material that I enjoy from 1979-1995, bar a few missteps ("The Girl Is Mine", "Childhood"). That said, I only know the first 2 Costello records. What would you guys recommend?

I've recently become a Honorio Is Always Right person, so I'd go for King of America. I prefer it to his first two albums.

Thanks for the recommendation!

I am not so familiar with King of America. The only songs I can recall from King of America are: Brilliant Mistake and Indoor Fireworks. While I enjoy these songs a bit, they don't compare to some of the songs on This Year's Model (such as: No Action and Pump It Up) in my current estimation. I also note that Pitchfork rates TYM as 10/10 and KA as 8.7/10.

by **Romain** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 6:19 am

"King of America" is pretty well but I prefer "Armed Force", "Imperial Bedroom" and "Blood and Chocolate" which are my three favorite albums by Costello.
The last one contain the most beautiful song of Elvis : "I Want You".

by **slick** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:48 am

RESULTS... (48) voters...

R.E.M. over Oasis (41-7)
Beastie Boys over The Smiths (27-21)
Nirvana over Pixies (27-21)
Johnny Cash over Public Enemy (34-14)
Prince over Duran Duran (35-12)
Elvis Costello over Michael Jackson (25-22)
The Police over Peter Gabriel (30-16)
The Cure over Madonna (35-11)

by **Midaso** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:51 am

Damn - didn't realize the Beastie Boys were that popular here

by **slick** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:05 am

Midaso wrote:Damn - didn't realize the Beastie Boys were that popular here

I was a little surprised by both the Beasties and Elvis. 21 non-AMers voted (+13) for Beastie Boys, but only (+5) for Michael Jackson.

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