134 voters.

1278 artists voted for.

Much more impressive turnout than I was expecting. I think we'll have some surprises on the way.

The results for this poll will most likely take a bit longer to post than the end of year ones, mainly because I don't need to get them out as quickly for them to remain timely, but hopefully they will not drag on and on.

Just to get this out of the way, I'm not going to start posting the point totals and ranked highest by until #150 and then blurbs aren't starting until the top 40. Once the entire countdown is down, I'll post the list that has all the ranks and points and stuff.

Speaking of blurbs, tomorrow night is supposed to be the deadline to get them back to me, but I've realized their is no way that we will be at the top 40 results until after the weekend at the very earliest, so if you need until Monday the 25th, that is fine. If you have yours ready to go now, PM it to me and you'll be good to go.


All right, so #300 will be up in a couple minutes.

awesome

I’m Ten Feet Underground

#300.




Doves

SOMBies Say:

“doves, on the other hand, seem to specialise with great singles / middling albums.” – DemonAndrew

“I thought Doves were from Ireland.” – maztrax

You’re So Cute When You’re Frustrated, Dear

#299.




Interpol

SOMBies Say:

“Interpol is a fucking awesome band. And perhaps you can try and make vague complaints ("the sound is old now", "they sound like She Wants Revenge"), but at the end of the day, there's this little fact for me: Interpol writes fucking amazing songs, and has had 2 damn great albums (everyone loves Turn Off The Bright Lights, but I think that Antics is just as good.” – MattDrufke

“THis annoying girl I work with kept talking about innerpool at our happy hour today. I wanted to slap her. She said, "innerpool and the killers are my favorite bands. oh, and i also love mars volta." She also said I rock becaus eI was the only one who knew what teh hell she was talking about.” – red

You better have counted my ballot.

I'm not saying I'll come after you with the fillet knives if you didn't, but I know 100 ways to give someone food poisoning.

What Do You Do When All Your Enemies Are Friends?

#298.




Foo Fighters

SOMBies Say:

“None of the early Foo Fighters lyrics make much sense. I always assumed it was the Kurt Cobain influence.
Besides, wasn't the first album originally a tape that Grohl made for yuks? Like a demo or something?” – Ted Hussein Falconi

“Foo Fighters have the best single song (Everlong), the best single album (There is Nothing Left to Lose), and would make the best Greatest Hits compilation. Fact.” – attraversoargento

It’s A Rainy Day, Sunshine Baby

#297.




Faust

SOMBies Say:

“Best of the Krautrock bands by a mile. They sound like a bunch of mental patients that decided to form a band and make music to pass the time. Which of course makes the music inventive, weird, but also CATCHY AND FUN!” – cerebralcaustic

“One of my former roommates used to jerk off to faust so far in 4/4 time...” – derry_dukes

Listen Close And Don’t Be Stoned

#296.




Slowdive

SOMBies Say:

“I went bowling with Slowdive in 1992 when they played a concert hall/bowling alley in Omaha opening for Ride.

Man that was a great show. Ride and Slowdive in a club with a capacity of MAYBE 300.” – Peanut Butter Motherfucker

“"Good Day Sunshine" and "Country Rain" are two of my favorite Slowdive songs” – The Good Dr Bill

Some Of My Friends Don’t Know Who They Belong To
Some Can’t Get A Single Thing To Work Inside

#295.




Gram Parsons

SOMBies Say:

“If I'm listening to GP, I need to remove all of the sharp objects from the house first. Guy's more depressing than Tracy Chapman.” – NumberTenOx

“To know his influence on any band...just listen to The Byrds' Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. While a member of that band, for that one album...he totally changed their sound.” – Trails

We Were Perfect When We Started
I’ve Been Wondering Where We’ve Gone

#294.




Counting Crows

SOMBies Say:

“I never have understood the appeal of Counting Crows. Ponderous, looooong lyrics about being drunk and lonely, adrift in Grateful Dead hum and drum. Meh.” – agrimorfee

“I love the way everyone slags off Counting Crows nowadays. The rest of their output was dubious but August.... is one of the best albums of that decade and Anna Begins is one of the best songs” – Robbie

Should have been lower. These guys are horrible.

interesting results so far. I like Counting Crows. But to see them 1 spot above Gram Parsons just doesn't seem right.

I like the presentation on this Paul. Helps keep it entertaining even without the stats. Well done.

i already like this thread a lot. paul, you're doing some good things here. some very good things.

keep at it!

Last one for right now. Hopefully will get a few more up later tonight.

Signs In The Street That Say Where You’re Going
Are Somewhere Just Being Their Own

#293.




The Byrds

SOMBies Say:

“AND YEAH, SIMAKOS, THAT CROSBY ALBUM IS GREAT. NEVER MIND THAT APART FROM THAT ALBUM, EARLYASS CSN(&Y), AND THE BYRDS ("EVERYBODY'S BEEN BURNED," ANYONE?) THE DUDE IS FUCKING UNBEARABLE” – Pavement Ist Rad

“I think if I feel like listening to the Byrds, I grab a Byrds album.” – norton

weird though that for a big-time band like the byrds, neither quote really has much to do with the byrds.

nice start paul. thanks for doing this. great idea and looks like it's gonna be good fun.

man, byrds and parsons are super low! (and yet wilco, who I also like, will be like #24)

good luck doing a search for quotes on !!!

Tiny sample size.

And with this quote, I cemented my reputation as one of the most insightful SOMBies ever.

I'm glad to see Counting Crows out of the way early.

Already my #1 Favorite Poll Of All Time. Nice work, Paul.

Not really, at least for it to represent the SOMB. There are roughly 400 active SOMBies (i.e., folks who have posted this summer and have at least 100 posts). Thus, 134 respondents is dead-on 1/3 of the universe, making the results highly projectable.

A lot of votes from people who never post here (or dupes for all we know). Not sure how representative it's going to be.

^bitch bitch nag nag

Awesome job with the Quote pulls with opposing views. (not just because you used mine). Jim & Greg would approve I think, because this really gets to the heart of what SO is/was supposed to be.

Grateful Dead hum and drum?



Ag has some serious problems with his ears.

Bless you. That's one less thing I have to do tonight. Also, it gives me a chance to soundtrack a drive to and from Madison Wisconsin this week with the artist that I'll be blurbing.

Great work so far, Paul. Predictable work so far, Montana. Oh, and somebody pin this thread.

to damn early and too damn low.

Made my day.
As has been said, I like the quotes you're pulling from us.

Funny how both GP and The Byrds rank so close and far too low.

Foo Fighters....ha.

he's counting the ways to our hearts..

No counting going on here. But good pick on the vampire since it's likely this list is really going to suck.

Paul, I sent you one... I'll get you the other one by the weekend.

I must've made this quote after the first listen of Our Love To Admire... I'd say it's still 70% true.

This is great, Paul.

+

I'd quibble much more with Counting Crows than with Foo Fighters. I would imagine that the more modern acts will continue to be the most polarizing.

Nice work, Paul. I'll have to tell my wife that Counting Crows made it... she has a special dance she does only for "Mr. Jones" that is fucking hysterical. And that's pretty much all CC is good for, if you ask me.

Wish I would have given my list more thought...I always meant to revise it since it was pretty much made in midwork boredom one day.

Regardless, this looks to be a great thread that will certainly be interesting. So far I'm disgusted that somehow the Counting Crows beat out the Foos.

We had about 177 voters for the 2007 Album poll, which admittedly I know you had the same concerts with regarding "fake" accounts, but I still think it is pretty impressive. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I'm pretty sure that is more than most if not all of the decade polls from a couple years ago.



That was actually taken from a Tom Petty thread. So far, the Byrds quotes were the hardest to find, which is why neither one is really about the band.



IIRC, that thread was either a while before the new album or just as news about it was coming out.

Mona Lisa On A Motorcylce Gang

#292.




Joe Strummer/Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

SOMBies Say:

“So this morning on the train, I heard Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros', "X-Ray Style" (the song I want to have played at my funeral, BTW), and it got me because of Strummer's untimely death and the lyrics.

...you'd think that God shouldn't be so hard/when you see all the little children runnin'/runnin' in the backyard...

Bang. All teary on the upper deck of the train pulling into Lake Forest.” – NumberTenOx

“"Streetcore" makes me wanna rape and pillage. Even on my days off. God damn what an amazing album.” – tweed

Ninety-Nine Percent of My Life I Was Lied To
I Just Found Out My Mom Does More Dope Than I Do

#291.




Eminem

SOMBies Say:

“his verse on "Smack That" is a definite '06 low point” – The Good Dr Bill

“maybe it's just me, but if i had to make a list of bands/artists who took the hardest fall during this decade, Em would probably make the top three spot.
God, Marshall Mathers was such a good album, and Encore is one of the worst discs of the decade.” – The Luscious Phil

by the grace of god they will not make it.

A Long Time You Waited
You Thought It Had Abated
Shame Of It All
The Harm That It Causes
Pours Down Like A Faucet
Shame Of It All

#290.




Low

SOMBies Say:

“I just think they are tops. Probably my second american favorite act going right now (number one being Yo La Tengo).” – The Luscious Phil

“Is "kick-ass" really the right positive phrase to describe Low?” – Efrim

Better Think Of Your Future
Else You’ll Wind Up In Jail

#289.




The Specials

SOMBies Say:

“The Specials are easily one of the best singles bands of this era.” – Clem The Gem

“I'd also consider The Specials first Lp full of some great bass riffing” – Trails

Wow, I had no idea this was even a poll. Already I have a lot of listening to do, especially with Faust and Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. I love the Clash but I never really listened to other Joe Strummer stuff so now I will have to. I had no idea we were even doing this poll. Interesting list so far. And as I write this, Low has been added. Nice.

Hello, This Is Phil Spector
It Is So Difficult At This Time
To Say Words That Would Express My Feelings
About The Album, To Which You Have Just Listened

#288.




Phil Spector

SOMBies Say:

“Phil Spector's is my favorite rock & roll Christmas album ever.” – Don Gately

“I mean Phil Spector may be a murderer, but I wouldn't keep my daughter from listening to his stuff” – elcorazon

Insight, Foresight, Moresight
The Clock On The Wall Reads A Quarter Past Midnight

#287.




DJ Shadow

SOMBies Say:

“the four big electronic records - daft punk, avs, BoC, Shadow-- sure kicked some ass on a points per voter scale. We needed the sickpup method for this poll” – falling and laughing

“I think most people that view music as art will probaby call DJ Shadow ‘art’.” – Jigga

I Put Your Favorite Records On
And Sit Around

#286.




The Wrens

SOMBies Say:

“kinda rare for a band with their sound/style to have such stunning lyrics, but they are a big part of why i love the record so much.” – solace

“it scares me when jimmy, solace, yancy & i agree on something.” – Sickpup

I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love
I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love

#285.




Primal Scream

SOMBies Say:

“I remember Primal Scream's first album sounding a lot like the Stones last time I listened to it (over 3 years ago)” – ddd

“i'm not sure i can take another riot city blues-like effort from primal scream.” – no magnets







That's it for tonight. We'll pick back up again sometime tomorrow.

I really dig this presentation, and already wonder how I left The Byrds off my (useless vote-skewing n00b) list...

full marks for resisting an afroed Phil Spector photo

Oh, it was tough. Only because those are apparently the only ones to be found on google image search.