that works for me. Great job so far btw

sorry about my drunken insults towards you last night

I'm a latecomer to U2, also, and I defend your pick of a later track and ATYCLB itself (though I might have gone with "Walk On"). What's so wrong with an album by an established rock band turning out some decent tracks that are hummable without being clownish or pretentious, as they have often been accused of? It's a better album than most of the late-period albums by any number of canonical artists like Bruce, REM or the Stones.

Forevergreen
I Know She's Here
In California

#23.




Pixies (1694 Points, 33 Votes)

Years Active: 1985-1993, 2004-2007

SOMB Says: Writing about the Pixies is hard.

This probably has something to do with the fact that I’m not a very good writer, but I’d like to think it also has to do with the fact that as a band, it’s hard to describe what the team of Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lowering did sonically, and it’s impossible to explain how well they pulled it off. I suspect this will be a very short essay.

Let’s try this for an example: open up a blank Word file. Now just begin slamming your forearm down on the keyboard for about 3 minutes. Done with that? Good. Now take a look at what you’ve written. If you’re being honest with yourself, I suspect that all your seeing is a tangled mess of letters. But, if this were a Pixies song, somewhere within that pile of mush in the Word document would be a poem. And the Pixies did this every fucking time they wrote a song. It seems like this kind of stuff should happen by accident, but considering their track record, you just kind of assume it’s what they intended to do.

Most every song the Pixies wrote is a perfect example of finding beauty in destruction (or vice versa). It’s no surprise this is why a new generation was able to discover the band as “Where Is My Mind?” was blaring at the final scene in Fight Club (a scene entirely about, not coincidentally, finding beauty in the destruction of humanity). People love two kinds of music; stuff that they can easily re-create in their own crappy band, or stuff that they would never be able to re-create ever. The second category is why people love Arcade Fire and Radiohead. It’s also why people love the Pixies.

Even in their most poppy songs, something always seems off or askew. Part of that is probably because Black Francis has more of a yelp than a singing voice, even when he’s trying to croon out something like “Here Comes Your Man”. Or it will come from a Santiago guitar solo, almost perfect but just a little off. Or it will come from Kim Deal, whose haunting back-up vocals provide so much of the odd sonics of this band.

Some bands make great records because their singer has a fantastic voice, or they write amazingly catchy melodies, or because they can write simple songs about love that everyone can relate to. But the Pixies made music because they had to. It’s like something inside them needed to express their need for chaos and destruction and insanity. It’s why so many bands have referenced the Pixies as huge influences. They didn’t need to make music; in the end, they just needed to make art. - MattDrufke

Album Pick: Doolittle

Track Picks: “Where Is My Mind?” from Surfer Rosa
“Here Comes Your Man” from Doolittle
“Alec Eiffel” from Trompe le Monde

Ranked Highest By: BobtheSquid (#2)

Also Ranked By: Melted Cheese (#3), simakos, nagode (#4), w. josh (#5)

When I first started to read it, I thought that mean your introduction came with Sweetest Thing the FIRST time around.


BTW, my listing is missing the #1 concert, which was MTV unplugged. I forgot to look up the date.

My comment was directed more at Theremin, but I know you were trying to make a point beyond "Why isn't my favorite song in the three songs you picked."

Weird random person to direct a comment at, since I've never said that.

My (ONE) comment was about the mix cd, which had songs from (i think) every Bjork album except the one I like best. That was out of 11 tracks, not 3.

Not bad Matt.

Surprised no #1's for Pixies.

Wait, did I vote for these guys? Fuck.

all my nirvana links are dead. Should I re-upload them, or does no one care?

Time To Get It
Before You Let It
Get To You

#22.




Sonic Youth (1765 Points, 28 Votes, 2 #1 Votes)

Years Active: 1981-present

SOMB Says: Sonic Youth? More like Sonic Booth, right? Because when you hear those guitars chime in in the first minute of "Teenage Riot," you know you’re in for a treat, just like when you had your first "Famous Slush" sitting down inside Sonic, "America’s Drive-In!" But be careful, drink it down too fast and you’ll get a brain freeze! Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, it'll pass soon. As for that ringing in your eardrums, well, you're on your own!

Hey, don't look at me! I told you to order a famous Toaster Sandwich! An American classic, just like Daydream Nation, Goo, Sister, or Dirty. Hot, juicy, but not quite what you’d expect. Texas Toast? Hardly. More like New York Coast! These fucking hipsters took Velvets-meet-Ramones NYC attitude to the max, making your record collection look pretty boring in the process. But wait, don't throw out those Carpenters and Madonna albums! Too late? You idiot! You wouldn't know the meaning of alterna-era cool if this band didn't take your hand and lead you through the fire and flames of your troubled adolescence. "Follow me, set me free, trust me and we will escape from the city," sang Thurston Moore on the band's hit single "City Escape." Sure enough, the band had places to go. They had to follow their rainbow, or else, and what amazing places it's taken them.

Their first album, The Youth of Today (1982), marked the first of many phases for the band. By the time they released their follow up just one year later, they'd largely abandoned their reggae roots, turning instead to a rougher, (f)art-damaged take on punk rock, completely abandoning their guitars and drums for screwdrivers and maracas. By the time "Daydream Nation" was announced, Hayden Panettiere had already made a name for herself on NBC's "Heroes," playing a cheerleader who possessed extraordinary healing powers. If she could use those powers on others, would she be a Sonic Nurse? Watch the season premiere Monday, September 22 to find out!

As the 1990s dawned, Sonic Youth became figureheads of the alternative scene, headlining Lollapalooza and making brief appearances on MTV. Mainstream success eluded them, however, until their legendary appearance on "Home Improvement," playing a band (Washing Machine) whose tour bus breaks down in Detroit. Who else should come to the rescue but the "Tool Time" crew, who not only fixed the bus but lent the band a power drill to use onstage during their performance of "The Diamond Sea." That finale was meant to "bring the house down," but not literally! Too bad no one told Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, who gave them a drill with a little more power than they bargained for! Now a household name thanks to their primetime appearance, the stage was set for their critically-acclaimed masterpiece, NYC Ghosts and Flowers. "This goes out to all the heroes," Thurston shouts at the beginning of "Small Flowers Crack Concrete," giving the nation the healing anthem it would need come September 11, 2001.

Now three decades into their existence as a band, Sonic Youth might be Sonic Adults, but it’s the Sonic Kids who are still going Sonic Crazy over their Sonic Soundz. And why shouldn't they? Few bands have continued to challenge themselves and experiment for as long as they have, and even when the results are self-indulgent or simply unlistenable, you can still console yourself with the fact that you're not listening to Girl Talk, The Spinto Band, or The Decemberists. With a new album on the way next year (Sonic Youth goes indie?), "The Fab Four" continue to be, as Mick Jagger once said, "The Only Band That Matters." Never trust anyone over 90! - undo

All Music Album Pick: Daydream Nation

All Music Track Picks: "Teenage Riot"
"The Diamond Sea"
"Schizophrenia"

Ranked Highest By: Dark Heat, undo (#1)

Also Ranked By: Save it for yr iVillage blog(#2), Drinky, Burz (#3), Efrim, Elemeno P.T. (#4), The Truth (#5)

"Ask" is the bomb...

I dunno if I ever would've guessed that it was Rap who did that blurb. But I guess it's too perfect to have been done by anyone else.

We Come From The Land Of The Ice And Snow
From The Midnight Sun Where The Hot Springs Blow

#21.




Led Zeppelin (1807 Points, 38 Votes, 1 #1 Vote)

Years Active: 1968-1980

SOMB Says: Growing up 35 miles north of San Francisco afforded a useful vantage point from which to observe and vicariously experience the abrupt evolution of the late 1960s. Although I was too young to attend, my eldest sister got to see the Beatles and Stones each time they toured the bay area and for a time, her tastes in music informed mine. I adopted her favorites--the Beatles, Stones, Doors, Cream, Sly-- as my own while she attended shows each weekend at the legendary Fillmore, Avalon, and Winterland Ballrooms.

My sixth-grade teacher, a young woman who taught just one year at my insular parochial school, was pretty, hip, and most notably, not a nun. Mrs. Grissom noticed my hippie-wannabe tendencies and gifted me with a sterling peace sign to wear on my uniform sweater. My admiration for her grew when she brought in and introduced her hunky husband to the class one day. He was, she told us, a freelance writer for the new chronicle of music and the counterculture, Rolling Stone Magazine, of which I straightaway became a faithful reader.

Which is how I eventually came to read a review of a new album by the erstwhile dregs of the Yardbirds, a band called Led Zeppelin. The review wasn't great but it made them sound interesting, an advancement of the Yardbirds' sound yet a departure from the status quo. I bought the eponymous LP as soon as Sears had it in stock. Even before hearing it for the first time, my excitement to own it was palpable. It was my first step away from the path laid out by my sister. It was not yet getting airplay on the bay area radio stations, and I had gambled my hard-earned $3.68 that it would be worthwhile. Which, of course, it was.

Led Zeppelin were a groundbreaking (and, as we subsequently learned, highly resourceful) band. The music had roots in blues, rock, and traditional folk and was massive, technical and thought-provoking. Jimmy Page provided the backbone with his dominant guitars and mandolin, soaring through and about melodies whether acoustic, plugged in, slide, 6 or 12 strings. Bonham and Jones were as masterful and versatile with their respective drums and bass. Tying it all together was Robert Plant's spry, distinctive wail wrapped up in tight, tight pants. The songs on that first album were in turns meditative ("Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"), bluesy ("You Shook Me," "I Can't Quit You Baby"), folky/melodic ("Black Mountain Side," "Your Time is Gonna Come"), hard rock ("Communication Breakdown," "How Many More Times"), and spooky ("Dazed and Confused"). By mixing it up from their very first LP, they succeeded in establishing a brand that was unclassifiable.

Like the eclectic jumble of songs included on their debut, the band's direction on future albums continued to be unpredictable and appealing. Sure, we now know that they "borrowed" a great deal from others to arrive at their 'signature' blend of sounds, but (aside from the lack of attribution where it was in fact due) they weren't much different from chefs and designers today, who cull techniques and trends to come up with an amalgam that's unique and completely their own.

Led Zeppelin II, released later that year, was more mainstream, consistent and accessible, yet also included Tolkienian references, massive hooks, and lurid allusions to sex. Words alone can't convey the impact of experiencing Led Zep in those days, but there's this: We had a listening party w/ some pals when II was released. "Whole Lotta Love" was playing and my other sister's boyfriend found the breakdown/solo so exhilarating and provocative that he threatened to stab someone if she didn't immediately change the song. She didn't, and he did (with a butter knife).

There was no junior slump. The next album strengthened their traditional bent ("Hats off to Roy Harper," and the relentless "Gallows Pole") while also including tasty psychedelic rockers "Celebration Day" and "Out on the Tiles" as well as the jarring, amelodic "Immigrant Song." 1971's Led Zeppelin IV seemed a maturation of the sound they had been circling toward since the beginning, substituting the epic ballad "Stairway to Heaven" and folky "Going to California" for previous albums' traditional-sounding blues tunes while "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," "Misty Mountain Hop" and "When the Levee Breaks" solidified their 'heavy metal' chops (funny how they were labeled the quintessential 'heavy metal' band when their recordings were in fact never all that heavy).

With Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti, Led Zep remained the perfect band. I mean, Jebus, "The Rain Song"! "Over the Hills & Far Away"! "The Crunge"! "Dancing Days"! "The Rover"! "Kashmir" (which loses momentum at 6:37 but its maximum heaviosity, with strings, has stood the test of time)! It may be that Led Zeppelin were my micro-generation's Beatles.

I could go on, but must admit to never having owned Presence, The Song Remains the Same, or In Through the Out Door. I had moved on to new wave, Devo and the Cars but Led Zep carried on with the hypnotic "In the Evening," exuberant "Hots on for Nowhere," and syncopated, jazzy "Fool in the Rain." Despite my gradually waning interest, Led Zep pretty much ruled the world until 1979, when John Bonham died and the survivors subsequently decided that disbanding was in order. A complete, ten-year break from their music and a gift of the boxed set in the late '90s refreshed their appeal and replenished my appreciation for them. The fact that I never got to see them perform remains one of my biggest music-related regrets. Which makes the recently-unearthed How the West Was Won DVDs and CDs an essential buy for those similarly deprived. - velocity

Album Pick: Everything through Physical Graffiti is unfuckwithable and if forced to choose, Houses of the Holy may be my favorite studio album.

Track Picks: "Misty Mountain Hop," with its backdrop of quasi-chanting, is a spastic march through a manic breakdown and into the sunset/Misty Mountains.

For a tour-de-force of choice riffs and some of Led Zep's crunchiest goodness, try "In My Time of Dying."

"The Ocean" has a great bass line, some crunch, lovely harmonies, doo-wop, a few time signature changes and some of "The Crunge"'s humor.

Honorable mention (it's impossible to recommend just 3 songs!!): The meandering, poignant "Ten Years Gone." Oh darling...oh darling...!

Ranked Highest By: Ennui #1)

Love this blurb, theremin, apart from the reminder of Trouser Press Music Guide, a book which exists, so far as I can tell, to assure you everything you grew up loving is utter shit and everything you've always ignored the wailing ultimate.

Surprised to see indie-centric faves like Eno, Heads, Pixies and Sonic Youth bow out before the top 20. Did The Who really beat out all these guys?

I've got 14 of the top 20 figured out. Should be interesting to see the order though.

Zep misses the top 20. Wow.



I know, right? I alternated from being deeply offended to being deeply in love from sentence to sentence.

Man, it'd be great if #1 isn't The Beatles, or Pink Floyd, or Radiohead.

But New Order.

Probably hoping for too much.

I probably have screwed up and included someone who already made the list but anyways, here's my random guess:

20. The Who
19. Weezer
18. New Order
17. Pink Floyd
16. Beach Boys
15. Prince
14. Kinks
13. Pavement
12. The Clash
11. Elvis Costello
10. Wilco
9. Bowie
8. Replacements
7. Dylan
6. Neil Young
5. Rolling Stones
4. Velvet Underground
3. REM
2. Radiohead
1. Beatlesfixed. thanks mitchell.

Great artists coming one after another now. And the blurbs are so much fun. Kudos to all.

Had them, it's Weezer.

wow..I'd have picked a few different tracks for Zep and Bruce..when I have more time I will definitely read these...and for U2..if I chose 1 song off CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND..it'd definitely would have been "New York."

Why can't we delete posts now? I just answered Elco's prediction but Mitchell beat me to it.

Still, I can't wait.

Thanks boo. Do you feel that way about the original Guide (circa 91?) Cause I sort of feel the opposite. They certainly gave a lot of glowing reviews to things I loved, although, there was always some sort of backhanded compliment somewhere I imagine.

I think it pales in the snarkiness levels of a p4k or something.

Not only wasn't the review great it all but pissed on the band; calling Page "a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs, and the Zeppelin album suffers from his having both produced it and written most of it," calls Plant "prissy," "strained and unconvincing ," and all but ignores Jones & Bonzo calling the band "a two- (or, more accurately, one-a-half) man show." I congratulate you for finding any of the band's interesting points from that famous turd of a review.

I just want to say that the track picks for Sonic Youth are so spot on!

And I feel bad that I didnt' vote them top five. Oh, if I could do it again!

Awesome thread (sad, angry folks aside). Thanks again, Paul.

Yeah, I don't even read p4k - I have enough problems with anger management.

Honestly, I cannot tell you which edition I read - all I recall is checking it out from the library a few years back and wanting to murder Ira Robbins about every other page or so. Which makes it all the more weird, as Robbins and TP were responsible for turning me onto whole worlds of new music back in the '80s before he voluntarily folded.

"Ask" is not one of my faves however it was the first song by them I ever heard so I have a special place for it regardless.

great job on the Ramones and Springsteen blurbs

Not that anyone cares but on my comp that died I had several pieces about Deftones, Kiss Neutral Milk Hotel etc that I would of loved to share

someday I will rewrite them after reading Duff and Norton I'm guessing it will be sooner then later

lastly

whenever I feel old I must admit remembering that I saw Nirvana live twice makes my age seem like an advantage

The Bible:

I really wanted at least the mix CD - was gonna mentiion it in my comment on your blurb, but I thought my shit talk about TP was enough negativity for one post.

Ouch! That's way worse than I remembered...I had really liked the Yardbirds and may have just been hoping for more of the same.

Great blurb - hilariously OTM, HD.

The mix CD, if it didn't come through, is all non-album tracks.

I'll try to reupload it tonight, but it might not be till after the weekend.

holy fuck ahahahha

Good blurbs all round from 40 down (I've caught up now) especially Duff. An enjoyable read these past few days (wonder why...)

Undo, your blurb is fucking genius, that is the best thing ever written about Sonic Youth in their entire 25+ years of existence.

Holy shit

hooking up Dreamcast right now

I think it was '83, I was still in College.

Proof this poll is a joke.

Top 5 band OAT.

This video should have been the Springsteen blurb.

mods plz ban red lobster

Best post ever. Tell me you mean it...

Hi Red Lobster.

My friend used to board here and would always tell me how great this place was. I applied for an account several times over the past year but never got a response.

I asked him about it the other day to see if he could email a mod but he shook his head and told me he wasn't posting here anymore. Fortunately he offered me his account. Is that not allowed?

I'll probably just be lurking most of the time. I try to be respectful of everyone online and will only post when I have something important to say. Until then, on with the countdown!

Today's run of bands would be flawless if it weren't for Nirvana. Still, mighty impressive.

Great, great blurbin' by Duff and velocity!

I cannot say that I am a fan of this comment.

Yeah that is a pretty baffling post.

my brother and i talked about music today and somehow No age came up and he said they were today's nirvana so I can guess I can see why people would feel apprehensive towards supporting Kurt and company.

The difference of course is that, well, there really aren't any that many better songwriters than Kurt Cobain