The Border Battle Of The Bands 2015

[Jonny Come Lately]

Introduction
A while ago in another topic (the ‘Eagles Mentions In The Press’ thread) I mentioned the possibility of starting a game in this section which pits numerous legendary bands against each other in an attempt to determine which band is the best:

https://eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225&page=232

Obviously there is one band which I think would receive quite a lot of popular support on this forum and therefore it's definitely best that this band is excluded. I don't think I need to tell you which one (suffice to say they share their name with a bird of prey...)

Having seen an earlier version on this game that was played on the forum a few years ago, well before I joined (there are links to the relevant thread on the page I previously linked to) I would say that my version is similar in some ways but different in others. I am less bothered about determining whether a band was influential or not, simply about their level of greatness and therefore while I think it definitely best that the Eagles are left out, I am more than happy to include The Beatles in the game. Also, unlike the earlier game I intend for each round to be split into individual ties or battles where you pick which band you think is better (or prefer) until you get to the grand final where the final two surviving bands are pitted against each other to determine the winner of the battle.

I firmly believe that this game should focus solely on bands and not solo artists. I would include the likes of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse and even The Jimi Hendrix Experience in this as the more important name in those cases is the name of the singer. However, bands which are clearly dominated by one member, such as Dire Straits and Creedence Clearwater Revival, are as valid for inclusion as any other.

Gameplay Format
I intend for the game to feature 32 bands. I toyed with the idea of more but I felt that once I got beyond 40 bands it became more difficult to ensure that the artists remained sufficiently legendary, while 32 is enough to include more than just the most obvious bands.

In summary, I think there should be five rounds where the number of bands is halved in each round, following this format. This shows the number of ties in each round and how the number of bands will eventual dwindle to just the final two.
Round 1 – 32 bands -> 16 bands (16 ties; 2 rounds of 8 ties)
Round 2 – 16 bands -> 8 bands (8 ties; 2 rounds of 4 ties)
Quarter Final – 8 bands -> 4 bands (4 ties)
Semi Final – 4 bands -> 2 bands (2 ties)
Final – 2 bands -> WINNER!

I’m also quite tempted to include a third place play-off round, which would round off the podium by giving a bronze medal winner alongside the winning band and the runner up, but if I do this I will probably run it at the same time as the final.

There will be some differences between rounds as clearly the number of ties will decrease throughout the game.
First round (32) – The 32 bands will enter the draw where I will randomly draw bands against each other. There will be 16 matches or ties in total, of which eight will be done at the same time (so there will be two sets of ties in this round). If the two bands in a match get the same number of votes, I will allow an extension to deadline for that match alone and the next vote will win (‘sudden death’). If no one votes in the next day then I may have to give myself a second vote or else it’s down to tossing a coin... fingers crossed this doesn’t happen.
Second round (16) – The draw is made in the same way as for the first round. There are eight ties, again in two sets (four at a time). However, this time, if the two bands in a tie receive the same number of votes, the band which received more votes in the previous round will win. If they got the same number of votes in the 1st round as well, sudden death will again applied.
Quarter-Final (8) - Four ties, with all ties taking place at the same time from this point on. Rules otherwise as before.
Semi-Final (4) – Two ties, which will be run simultaneously. Down to just four bands with the winners entering the final.
Final (2) – And then there two. The two survivors face each other in the showdown to declare the victor.

WINNER – TBC!

I will allow a couple of days for you to vote in each round, I think this works well in the Survivor games so I will use the same approach.

If you strongly dislike both bands in a pairing, or simply don’t care who wins one particular match (but feel strongly about other matches), by all means abstain from voting in that tie if you intend to vote on the other matches in the round.

If you are familiar with the FA Cup in English football (soccer), or a similar sporting cup competition, then my idea for this game is fairly similar, with bands drawn against each other in the same way that different teams are drawn against each other in the cup, with the winner proceeding to the next round. I mentioned the FA Cup specifically because it is famous for not 'seeding' teams against each other which means that two big teams can play each other in the early rounds. For example, I have seen my favourites Liverpool face our arch rivals Manchester United in the third round in the last five years - this fixture is one of the biggest in English football and TV promoters would prefer this clash to be in the high profile final than at an early stage which means one of these big names will have to be eliminated there and then.

Likewise, using this system with the draw being made randomly (I have identified a couple of methods of ensuring a random draw) means that there is nothing to stop, for instance, The Beatles from facing The Rolling Stones in the first round, with clear parallels with the early round Liverpool-Manchester United match. I admit this is potentially quite controversial but I do not want to give any band special treatment – as you are meant to vote for your favourite, I think this will ensure a worthy winner.

Having explained how I plan for the game to play out, I will now post a list of bands which I believe are suitable candidates for the game. If you have any questions about the game feel or unsure about any aspect, feel free to ask me.

EDIT: The game starts on page 6, with the posts making up the preliminary round and the first half of the first round proper continuing through to page 15. This is followed by a break in play with about three pages of discussion. The game resumes from page 18 onwards.

[AlreadyGone95]

I understand the format and I do want to play. I just have one question: How do you intend to pick the 32 bands? Just randomly off of the top of your head or will they be bands with the meet a certain criteria. (ie at least 10 million albums sold worldwide?)

[Jonny Come Lately]

AG95: I've got the explanation of the band selection process below. It is essentially arbitrary but with some room for changes if other people comment. I've tried to be reasonably objective but my bias probably shows in places.

I didn't want to make the previous post too long so decided to include my current shortlist of bands for possible game in this separate post. This list will not be final and you can make suggestions for alterations to the list before I start the game proper.

There are a small number of bands who I think have achieved such a level of fame and respect that they simply have to be included in the game, regardless of what you think of them. IMO this select group - call them the 'Magnificent Seven' if you wish - consists of:
- The Beach Boys
- The Beatles
- Fleetwood Mac
- Led Zeppelin
- Pink Floyd
- The Rolling Stones
- The Who

I don't think any explanation is required for The Beatles. They changed the face of popular music forever and their influence is extremely far reaching. The Beach Boys were also important in this early era and their use of harmony vocals was also influential. The Rolling Stones are perhaps the iconic band of rock and roll and the second most iconic overall. Led Zeppelin and The Who have both been massively influential in the rock world, while Pink Floyd transcended the niche genre of progressive rock to be widely respected within the rock mainstream and achieve great success in the UK and US alike. Fleetwood Mac's influence is perhaps less evident, but few bands can match their popularity and versatility, and most people like at least one version of the group.

The remainder of the shortlist so far is as follows (in alphabetical order)

1. ABBA
2. AC/DC
3. Aerosmith
4. The Allman Brothers Band
5. America
6. Bee Gees
7. Black Sabbath
8. Bon Jovi
9. The Byrds
10. The Clash
11. Cream
12. Creedence Clearwater Revival
13. Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young)
14. Deep Purple
15. Dire Straits
16. The Doors
17. Foreigner
18. Genesis
19. Guns 'N' Roses
20. Heart
21. Journey
22. KISS
23. Lynyrd Skynyrd
24. Nirvana
25. Queen
26. Poco
27. The Ramones
28. R.E.M.
29. The Sex Pistols
30. U2
31. Van Halen
32. Yes
33. ZZ Top

This is too many already - to get the desired 32 bands I need to pick 25 other bands to go with the fixed seven I identified earlier (so at least eight of these bands won't be included in the game).

The list is probably very biased towards rock groups, which reflects more on my own musical preferences than anything else, although I do think the majority of legendary groups are rock bands. However, I have tried to cover the biggest names and ignore my own preferences towards certain bands.

I am happy to accept other suggestions for bands who you think should be on the list but I would say that any band on the list should have made at least two albums (this will rule out short-lived acts with one legendary album like Derek & The Dominos) and avoid obscure bands (the band names need to be relatively familiar, even if the music isn't). I will consider any possible changes.

I would actually find it every bit as helpful if anyone identifies any bands that they think shouldn't be on the list - having a second opinion (or more) on this is helpful and would prevent the inclusion of any bands whose popularity I have overestimated.

I hope to be able to finalise this list by the end of this week. Criticise my choices or omissions by all accounts as it will hopefully produce a better game!

[AlreadyGone95]

Well, ignore my first post then.


ABBA, America and Bee Gees seem a bit out of place to me. While their music is certainly popular(though I only like America out of the 3), they don't seem to have the "status" of the other bands you listed. The other bands are the ones that everyone thinks of when they think of as certain genre.

I'd also make a case for my favorite band, Bad Company. I don't about there in the UK, but here in the states they are still hugely popular and considered one of the best rock bands of the 70s.

ETA: Will we vote for the one we want to continue or for the one we want eliminated?

[Jonny Come Lately]

It's a 'positive' vote - in each tie, vote for the band that you want to continue. I apologise if this wasn't totally clear. So vote for the band you want to progress whether it's the band you like just that bit better, the one you love as opposed to one you hate, or the band that you least dislike. :)

I've given it a bit more thought (unfortunately this reminded me of some good bands that I'd forgotten!) and I have to say I think America probably won't make my final list. There's probably enough folk-rockers in there already and their style is pretty similar to the more widely praised CSN(&Y), who I would say are more likely to make the cut.

I included ABBA because to me they define pure pop. Their brand of pop music doesn't appeal to me (their songs and lyrics are too sugary for my liking and their music seems like wallpaper for the singers IMO) but I can't think of anyone else who does that style of music better. They have a pretty enviable bunch of pop hits. I'm not totally sure about The Bee Gees but then again my knowledge of older pop music, as opposed to rock, is fairly limited.

I'll see whether I can fit Bad Company in (not too familiar with their work beyond the debut album although I like the songs I have heard from it), might be quite tight though as there are only 25 remaining spots.

[L101]

This sounds like an interesting game - should be fun - hopefully :)

I think the following could be added to the list as it needs to cover a wider variety of sound (its a bit to folksy at the moment):
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - definitely should be included
- Talking Heads - are they well known enough to be included?
- Radiohead - are they popular enough to be included?
- The Police - are they popular enough to be included?
- Red Hot Chili Peppers

The bands that I think SHOULDN'T be on the list
- The Allman Brothers Band
- America
- The Byrds
- Cream
- Yes
- ZZ Top

There are other bands which I would love to be added to the list but I don't think they are too well known in the US:
- Snow Patrol
- Elbow
- Coldplay
- The Killers

[Freypower]

I'm really looking forward to this JCL & I appreciate the time & work you have put into it.

I am delighted you have included Abba & the Bee Gees. As someone who is familiar with the Bee Gees' entire career, not just Saturday Night Fever, they have an awesome catalogue of songs.

At the risk of provoking controversy I wouldn't have included Poco. They were well known in the California country rock field but they really only had one major hit (Rose Of Cimarron). I think America have more claims in this field. And then there is the Band. Wow. They were far more influential (especially with critics).

I would have included Oasis rather than Lynyrd Skynyrd or Kiss, but I love Oasis. We do have more Americans on this board than any other nationality & I guess that has to be considered.

On behalf of my husband I think Rush should be there. You don't have a lot of prog & if you're not including the Moody Blues then Rush would work. Or ELO? Too British?

One more - I think Blondie had wider appeal than the Ramones, but critics go on about the Ramones all the time, so...

*ETA: Lacken, I've just seen your post. Without the Byrds there would have been no Eagles, in my view.

[L101]

That's sort of the problem with some of these bands for me - I don't really know much about the Byrds other than they were major influences to the Eagles but how do I vote on them in the game unless I do a major listening weekend before the game starts - don't think that can happen somehow.

Its the same for POCO (but I left them in the list because it might cause some controversy if they were taken out), America, The Band - the list is mainly American as the majority of players will be American but I know next to nothing about them only what I read here on the Border and they were really before my time - I find it hard enough to keep up with the bands I love without having to go back to the early 70's to listen to these bands.....:-(

I forgot about Oasis, I would also love for them to be included but I can't see that happening as they are popular to only a small minority.

[thelastresort]

The bands that I think SHOULDN'T be on the list
...
- The Byrds
- Cream
- Yes
- ZZ Top


(I'm not doing this as a direct rebuke, I'm saying all this to counter their case for omission ;)).

The Byrds should be on there since I regard them as creating what the Eagles went on to perfect. They may not have had the recognition or longevity of other bands from that genre and era (CSN&Y, Eagles, Beach Boys etc), but they were integral to the era. I also believe it launched the careers of the likes of David Crosby and, Gene Clark.

Cream were a massive influence to the blues, hard and psychedelic rock genres and are one of the greatest rock trios of all time. Jack Bruce influenced endless bassists with the sound he created with them, and Clapton speaks for himself. Always sadly overlooked when people discuss the great British bands of the 1960s.

Yes's inclusion should be given. They are one of the greatest prog bands ever and have been about practically constantly since the late 60s. Yessongs is one of my favourite live albums ever and Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe and Chris Squire are arguably three of the greatest of all time on their respective instruments.

ZZ Top are one of my favourite bands and whilst aren't as strong as some of the others listed are still worthy of a place. Some of the Eliminator-era work is a bit cheesy but Billy Gibbons is a seriously talented guitarist, and they are one of the best examples you'll find of Southern, boogie and hard rock. That and their beards are epic.

[AlreadyGone95]

First off, I agree with FP on Rush. Besides Pink Floyd, Rush are probably the most known prog rock band.

Allman Brothers Band should be on the list because without them, there would be no southern rock. They were the first band to combine rock,blues,country, and gospel together to make what would become southern rock (ok, I am biased because they are my favorite band from my state )

Lacken, you talk about about not knowing much about the potential bands, it's the same way with me and the bands you listed :lol:

ETA: I agree with pretty much everything TLR said

[L101]

Yeah, I think I'll sit this game out and just observe :)

[Freypower]

Yeah, I think I'll sit this game out and just observe :)

No, dont do that! The variety of opinions will be what makes it interesting. I hope that after this game JCL may consider a Solo Artists game!

[AlreadyGone95]

Yeah, I think I'll sit this game out and just observe :)

I meant my comment as a joke :). Being serious, out of your list, Coldplay would be the one I'd say to put on the list because they were somewhat popular here.

[L101]

Its not that !!!! - its more me not having a clue about the bands and their history/influences

I realise that my taste in music is completely different to most on here and I'm not sure I could actually add anything to the game but I'll watch and if I think I can add something, then I'll join in.

But definitely, a Solo Artists game would be great - that one would suit me a lot better :grin:

[AlreadyGone95]

Even though my music tastes really do not agree with it, shouldn't there be at least one or two modern bands? (Formed within the past 20 years or are defining of the 2000s?)

[AlreadyGone95]

I'd be up for a solo artists battle as well :thumbsup:.

[Freypower]

Even though my music tastes really do not agree with it, shouldn't there be at least one or two modern bands? (Formed within the past 20 years or are defining of the 2000s?)

Are any of them 'legendary'? Pearl Jam, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers? In my view they haven't been around long enough, although Green Day are already in the Hall of Fame. The 90s are represented by Nrivana & if I had my way Oasis.

[AlreadyGone95]

Are any of them 'legendary'? Pearl Jam, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers? In my view they haven't been around long enough, although Green Day are already in the Hall of Fame. The 90s are represented by Nrivana & if I had my way Oasis.

I'd say that Green Day definitely are, giving how they kept punk rock going through the 90s, 00s, and now 10s. I'd rather have Pearl Jam than Nirvana, but I know that overall Nirvana are more well liked.
RHCP, I'm in between on. I know nothing about Oasis .

[WalshFan88]

I'm pretty straightforward with my tastes in music and don't like stuff that's much different than mainstream classic oldies rock like you hear on the radio. I've always liked the poppier stuff and radio hits and such. I'm not a big Yes/Pink Floyd/Genesis/RUSH fan etc and I'm not much into modern rock so no real decision either way there for me.

Love Allmans, Skynyrd, Cream, ZZ Top, and KISS though.

Skynyrd is definitely legendary, their songs are amazing and the guitar work is second to none.

I definitely stick to the Eagles, Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, GnR, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, KISS, etc of the world. I like mainstream stuff when it comes to "classics". I guess it's because I get excited as a performer to play the songs everyone knows and see people go crazy during a classic intro, and I love the songs I heard growing up around the house and I like the songs that have a more upbeat edge. I like some deep tracks, but they aren't "weird". It's the only way I can describe it.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks everyone for the great response! Glad you’re looking forward to playing.

Proposed Revisions to Gameplay
Having read through the suggestions (I will go through these in more detail below) I have considered making a change to the start of the game. This would involve increasing the total number of bands to 56, meaning that most of the band suggested so far could be included. There would be a preliminary round of 24 ties with 48 bands entering at this stage, with the ‘Magnificent Seven’ going straight into the first round along with one other band.

I would suggest that U2 is probably the most suitable candidate to join the seven. There are other bands I would prefer to have this honour but I think U2’s longevity and successful reinvention of their sound in the early 1990s, at a time when they could easily have become an irrelevance. Their appeal is more widespread than most of the other remaining bands and a decade ago their music was highly influential (perhaps less so now). The only major con is that their post-2000 work has done little to enhance their reputation (I know a few U2 fans who love their 80s/90s music but don’t care for the albums from All That You Can’t Leave Behind on), but I suppose something similar could be said for The Rolling Stones. I am happy to hear other suggestions though.

In some ways I like the more straightforward approach with 32 bands, but increasing the number of bands in this way would make it much easier to justify including more than one band from a particular movement (for instance with 32 bands – the seven plus another 25 – I think at least one of the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd would have to miss out as they are both Southern Rock, with 56 both can be included comfortably). I considered having a first round with 64 bands, but 32 ties is too many for a round IMO.

This is my proposal for the revised version of the game:
56 bands in total – 8 bands (The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd The Rolling Stones, The Who and U2 (?)) enter Round 1, the other 48 enter the Preliminary Round.

Preliminary Round – 48 bands -> 24 bands (24 ties; 2 rounds of 12 ties)
Round 1 – 32 bands (24 + 8) -> 16 bands (16 ties; 2 rounds of 8 ties)
Round 2 – 16 bands -> 8 bands (8 ties; 2 rounds of 4 ties)
Quarter Final – 8 bands -> 4 bands (4 ties)
Semi Final – 4 bands -> 2 bands (2 ties)
Final – 2 bands -> WINNER!

Suggestions for Changes to the List
Now I will try and respond to all the suggestions for amendments to the list (don't take it personally if I've forgotten anything, there were quite a few to cover... thanks for all the suggestions).

I am glad that you mentioned Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Lacken, as it made me reconsider their status – I think I can definitely count them as a band rather than the backing band to a solo artist. I would also say that The Jimi Hendrix Experience should count as a band too, I intend to add them to the list too. However, the likes of Crazy Horse and The E Street Band are the backing bands for Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen so I don’t think they should be included (Neil and Bruce would certainly be included in the solo artists version though!).

The Police are another good choice I think, they appeal to fans of rock, pop and post-punk. Radiohead are well known enough and are certainly sufficiently respected to include I think so I’ll add them as well. I couldn’t name a Talking Heads song though so I’m not sure they are sufficiently well known.

I’m not too sure about The Red Hot Chili Peppers or Green Day but wouldn’t be opposed to giving them a spot. Come to think of it, Pearl Jam would be a pretty sound inclusion – I think I mentally gave the ‘grunge’ spot to Nirvana but PJ have had a longer career and started over 20 years ago. Then again, maybe The Foo Fighters (effectively an off-shoot of Nirvana) could be a decent representative of modern rock – they too have been around a good while, especially as Joe Walsh has recently collaborated with them giving them a fair bit of exposure on this forum. It’s a bit early on to determine whether any bands started in the last decade or so are legendary, although I’d personally struggle to think of any impressive bands who have emerged in the mainstream in the last few years.

Of the last four you mentioned I think I will include Coldplay but not the others. They are certainly very popular in the US (Viva La Vida was the first number 1 single in the US by a British group for over a decade IIRC) and I think in time they will probably remembered as a group who have that knack of writing pop hit after hit, a bit like ABBA I guess. Elbow are good but I’m really not sure they are quite big enough outside the UK, The Killers are American themselves but I’m not sure whether they’ve done quite enough to justify inclusion. I’m afraid I don’t think Snow Patrol are sufficiently ‘legendary’ regardless of popularity – they have a couple of big UK hits, which are good but I think are too similar to Coldplay’s songs from the same era. They’re just not quite distinctive enough IMO.

I think thelastresort hit the nail on the head with The Byrds – they influenced the Eagles greatly as the pioneers of country rock, but they influenced many other bands as well (I have lost count of the number of times I have read the phrase ‘Byrdsian guitar line’). Cream may not be one of the most obvious names in rock as a band, but their guitarist (a certain Eric Clapton) is a household name.

I have to admit I probably wouldn’t include Poco if I was playing this game on a different forum, but as obvious peers of the Eagles I felt they were worth including, although I think The Byrds are more significant and if it came to a choice between including one or the other I would take The Byrds.

Rush is an absolutely excellent shout, another representative of progressive rock is welcome alongside Yes and Pink Floyd (Genesis is included for both the Gabriel and Collins eras). I’d be happy to include The Moody Blues as well.
If I was doing this on a forum for a British band I’d have included Oasis for sure but I still I think I can justify including them – if you aren’t familiar with them I’d suggest just checking a couple of their mid-90s singles (Wonderwall or Don’t Look Back In Anger) out on Youtube – they give a pretty good taste of their style.

I’d not thought of Blondie, mainly because I have no interest in disco and I tend to think of Debbie Harry as a solo artist – I think I’ll give this one a miss partially to avoid confusion. I’m quite happy to include ELO though, I don’t know if they’re that popular in the US although Jeff Lynne did produce Joe’s Analog Man album.

A few others that I’d forgotten about but have since considered are Blue Oyster Cult, Chicago, Jethro Tull and Kansas. I think Chicago (unique by virtue of being the rock band with horns) in particular may be worth including.
I must admit I would really like to be able to include Wishbone Ash who I am a big fan of but I fear they are simply not sufficiently well known. Maybe Thin Lizzy could be included for the twin-lead guitar spot?

One artist who I thought about but definitely did not want to include was Steely Dan – they are good enough and famous enough, but they just weren’t a band in any meaningful sense for most of their albums. I feel that they were playing a different game more akin to a solo artist’s approach (Donald Fagen and Walter Becker identified the best session players to realise the music exactly as it was in their heads, rather than working with a regular group of musicians).


I will end by saying don't worry if you're not overly familiar with all of the bands in the game, I think a lack of familiarity with one band's work is a perfectly fair reason to vote for the other band in a given tie. If you're not familiar with either or just don't care about the result of one tie you can skip it and still vote on other clashes.

[Lisa]

I like ABBA. I like the Doors.
Wow, it is a crazy lot of rock bands here!

I suppose the key idea is in the word: "BAND."

[Brooke]

JCL, this sounds like a great game and thank you for all the work you have done in putting it together!

I must admit there are a lot of bands that I don't know a lot about, but if I can play and base my votes on what I like to hear, I will gladly join in.

[Brooke]

Just listening to a song on the radio reminded me of Styx. What do you think about them? They were pretty big here.

[AlreadyGone95]

So you're doubling the number of bands, that will make things even more interesting! :thumbsup:

Brooke, I'm assuming that your question about Styx was meant for JCL, but I'd like to stick up for them. To me, Styx were one of the best bands to combine prog rock and pop (sorta like Kansas and Supertramp did). I personally think that Styx should be on the list instead of Kansas.

[Lisa]

Styx is a really great band!
I think they'd be a better choice than Kansas;
--they all play well, which is a really hard call!

Great stage personalities, voices, playing, shows.

[UndertheWire]

I'd like to see Wishbone Ash included other Thin Lizzy (why not both?) but what about Emerson, Lake and Palmer? They may be out of fashion now, but in the 70s they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Who can forget the Moog synthesizer?

[AlreadyGone95]

If we keep suggesting bands, this will soon become "The Border's war: battle of the top 100 bands". :lol: :p

[UndertheWire]

If we keep suggesting bands, this will soon become "The Border's war: battle of the top 100 bands". :lol: :p
Would that be a bad thing?

I'm surprised that The Police aren't in the original list. They were far more successful than the majority of the bands listed. I know that record sales isn't the only measure of success but it does show how popular the bands have been over the year. If you look at the following list, you'll find some obvious omissions:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I think the Grateful Dead should be on the list. Not that I'd really vote for them, but they are considered by many to be a great band and have a cult-like following. Since Don gave them credance in TBOS with seeing a Dead-Head sticker on a Caddy, they must be pretty good. :wink:

If nothing else, this game will highlight what bands reasonate with different parts of the world, since we're a global group, besides different age groups and backgrounds.

[AlreadyGone95]

No, it wouldn't, UTW. That's why I made the "tongue sticking out face". It was meant as a joke. Though, if it gets up to 100, JCL will have his hands full!

I didn't see any bands on that wiki list that were missing, except for Def Leppard. I would've mentioned them myself, but since I went with mentioning Bad Company myself, I didn't.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I'm quite happy to put Styx on the list instead of Kansas. I am personally more familiar with Kansas (I like Carry On Wayward Son quite a bit) but Styx are perhaps slightly more significant in that they were one of the first successful AOR bands.

I'd be fine with adding Def Leppard to the list. However, I do not intend for there to be any further expansion of the number of bands. If one band already on the list drops out, as things stand it will be America (I think they are the band who could be removed with least rancour, partially because they are fairly similar to CSNY).

Thanks for posting that list UtW. I must admit I can't see that many bands that haven't already mentioned (although it would be an excellent resource to consult before doing the solo artists version). I noticed Metallica on the list but I'm not sure if there are any fans on here. However, I think it confirms that Chicago would be a decent addition to the list, and perhaps helps the cases of Green Day and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. As for The Police not being on the original list, I think that was an oversight more than anything else.

One other name that I had forgotten about but has occurred to me today is Buffalo Springfield - I think I considered them originally but left them off because two of their most famous members were later in CSNY.

I actually did consider the Grateful Dead but I actually had an idea on another forum whereby I asked members to name their favourite songs by 18 different bands, with the Dead being one of them. I found that a surprising number of people struggled to name any songs by them so I think this put me off including them on the list. I'm happy to reconsider this although I tend to think of them as being comparable to the Velvet Underground in that they are beloved by critics and have a cult following, but are just not that popular overall.

[Freypower]

The suggestion of mine you didn't mention was the Band who were critcs' favourites. I would rather they were included than arena rock bands like Styx & Foreigner. But this is me showing my lack of knowledge of American arena rock bands. On behalf of my husband however, I would like to see Blue Oyster Cult in there.

Regarding Blondie they weren't disco. Not even Heart Of Glass was disco in my view. I see them as power pop. They probably got more attention than they deserved but they did have some great singles. So did the Cars.

Wishbone Ash would barely register today if you did a poll. I would go with 10cc for an esoteric British band that isn't much heard of these days. Thin Lizzy & ELP I agree with. I would also throw in Roxy Music.

I wouldn't have had either Fleetwood Mac or U2 in the Magnficent Seven. I like Fleetwood Mac but a lot of their recognition is really based on one (admittedly huge) album. I loathe U2. However I do acknowledge their global success. Looking at the alternatives my substitutions would be purely partisan (I wonder if you can guess what they would be)?! so I guess it makes sense to stick with these two.

What a shame it is there are no black bands (even the Experience members were white apart from Hendrix). It seemed that after the great bluesmen most black musicians chose to be either singers or musicans but not both (unless they are the great Stevie Wonder or Prince). You can't really have a vocal band like the Temptations in a game like this. Hopefully more black artists will be represented in a solo artist game.

[AlreadyGone95]

.

Thanks for posting that list UtW. I must admit I can't see that many bands that haven't already mentioned (although it would be an excellent resource to consult before doing the solo artists version). I noticed Metallica on the list but I'm not sure if there are any fans on here.

There's at least one here (myself). Metallica would rank in my top 20. Iron Maiden would be another band to add(#6 on my favorites list), and possibly Judas Priest (if you want to have a few metal bands represented besides Sabbath)

[AlreadyGone95]

Tbh, I can only name one black band, and that's Living Colour (late 80s/early 90s hard rock/funk metal band). I love their album Vivid, which had the hit Cult of Personality on it.

[thelastresort]

and possibly Judas Priest (if you want to have a few metal bands represented besides Sabbath)

I second that nomination. My second favoruite band ever (guess who's first? ;)), and everything a heavy metal band should be. Tipton-Downing is for me the best guitar duo ever (and early Halford the best rock / metal vocalist ever) and they are what sparked my love for music. Second only to Sabbath in the list of greatest metal band of all time (though I would argue they were the first intentional metal band). If someone like Maiden or Metallica make the final cut then they must be in there. It'd be like including the Eagles without including the Byrds if not.

[Roey]

Doobie Brothers ?

[Jonny Come Lately]

Just wanted to post a few thoughts of mine about the eight selected bands which will by pass the preliminary round.

One thing you can take consolation from FP is that I technically didn't put U2 in the 'Magnificent Seven'. ;-)

There are other bands that I would rather include as the eighth band in this group but I think U2 simply has the best credentials of any of the bands outside the seven. I sometimes think that they are indisputably an all-time great band in just about every aspect but the music itself (as musicians they are technically nothing special). They have the commercial success but also have at least two legendary albums and have inspired a lot of bands in the last 20 years or so. As a case in point, several of the bands Lacken listed back on page 1 would count them as a major influence.

Some bands are just too specialised to be able to justify sending them straight past the preliminary round (Yes in prog and Poco in country rock, for instance). I too would love to be able to give this honour to Dire Straits but for some reason they are too easy to ignore, with non-fans generally only recognising a very small number of songs. Genesis have better credentials but I feel their case isn't quite strong enough either.

In the UK I could probably justify giving U2's spot to Queen but in the US I don't think they are much bigger than, say, Journey. ABBA have numerous hits but do not hold the respect of the other bands listed - they were great at writing catchy pop songs but were not. Aerosmith might have a case now I think about it, as probably America's most iconic hard rock band, but they were strongly inspired by Led Zeppelin.

Fleetwood Mac I feel is different because you don't have to go too far into this section of the forum to realise just how popular they are on here. The level of interest in them on here is high but they are very popular on both sides of the Atlantic, and I think Rumours alone has a song to appeal to most tastes. Of course, while most of us on here are Lindsey/Stevie era fans they were also good as a British blues band. If a band has gone through multiple phases or line ups I don't think there is any need to consider all of them, just the ones you are familiar with (e.g. If I vote for Deep Purple I will be basing my opinion largely on the Mark II line up). If you are genuinely more familiar with Peter Green's FM, you can vote based on your opinion of them rather than the Rumours version.

I personally think it's very difficult for anyone to argue against the selections of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin - all are hugely successful, widely respected as artists, massively influential, have several legendary albums each and numerous widely recognised songs.

I'll include the provisional line up so far in my next post, along with potential candidates that have been identified for revisions to the list.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Battle Of The Bands - The List So Far

I am now close enough to having a good list of 56 bands to be able to post the provisional list of bands who will be entering the game.

The bands receiving a ‘bye’ to Round 1 (i.e. skipping the preliminary round) will be:
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones
U2
The Who

So far I have down 43 bands/groups who will enter the preliminary round. These are as follows:
1. ABBA
2. AC/DC
3. Aerosmith
4. The Allman Brothers Band
5. Bad Company
6. The Band
7. Bee Gees
8. Black Sabbath
9. Bon Jovi
10. The Byrds
11. The Clash
12. Coldplay
13. Cream
14. Creedence Clearwater Revival
15. Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young)
16. Deep Purple
17. Dire Straits
18. The Doors
19. ELO
20. Foreigner
21. Genesis
22. Guns 'N' Roses
23. Heart
24. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
25. Journey
26. KISS
27. Lynyrd Skynyrd
28. Nirvana
29. Oasis
30. Pearl Jam
31. Poco
32. The Police
33. Queen
34. Radiohead
35. The Ramones
36. R.E.M.
37. Rush
38. The Sex Pistols
39. Styx
40. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
41. Van Halen
42. Yes
43. ZZ Top

Candidates for Addition to the List
There have been several decent nomination where I have not quite been sure whether to add to the list, I have counted 16 bands so far and here they are:

1. Blondie
2. Blue Oyster Cult
3. The Cars
4. Doobie Brothers
5. Emerson, Lake & Palmer
6. The Grateful Dead
7. Green Day
8. Iron Maiden
9. Jethro Tull
10. Judas Priest
11. Living Colour
12. Metallica
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers
14. Roxy Music
15. Thin Lizzy
16. 10cc

Five of these bands will make the list unless there are any strong further nominations or there is another band that I think I can remove without significant complaint.

My thoughts so far on possible inclusions:
At least one more metal band will be included for sure as only Black Sabbath was included on the original list, and quite possibly more as I think there needs to be a representative of later metal (i.e. Iron Maiden or Metallica), whereas Judas Priest are from the same era and movement as Sabbath.

I think The Cars would probably be a slightly better choice than Blondie as a power-pop band. I think this is simply because I've seen more discussion about their music on the internet than for Blondie.

I'm not sure Living Colour are quite well known enough to include (FWIW I'd never heard of them), I can definitely see the merit in including a black band though.

Omissions
There is one band that has been removed from my original list and two others that I have I ruled out from including in the game.
- America (CSNY take the folk-rock spot)
- Kansas (lost out to Styx)
- Wishbone Ash (too obscure, and would be a biased choice on my part)


One thing I'd remembered was this interesting opinion based Youtube video which gives this user's 25 favourite classic rock songs. It includes songs by a number of bands included in the game, including some which perhaps are not quite as familiar to everyone, with the top three including songs by Rush and Yes, for instance.

I've posted this video below as I think it might be useful to get a taste of the styles by some of the featured bands as the video is only about 8-9 minutes in length with short snippets from each song. Most of the selections are reasonably representative (Dire Straits, for instance, are represented by the organic bluesy Fender Stratocaster sound of Sultans Of Swing, not the distorted Les Paul of Money For Nothing) bar Pink Floyd's Young Lust, which is heavier than most of their other songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzY6T7BjNK8&spfreload=10

(You might just recognise #18 on their list :thumbsup:)

[thelastresort]

...
At least one more metal band will be included for sure as only Black Sabbath was included on the original list, and quite possibly more as I think there needs to be a representative of later metal (i.e. Iron Maiden or Metallica), whereas Judas Priest are from the same era and movement as Sabbath.

Debatable sentiment there, the only real similarity Sabbath and Priest share is that they grew up in post-WW2 Birmingham and went on to become the most recognised heavy metal bands. They have very different tales though - Sabbath got their first album released four years before Priest, and even when Priest got their first album in '74 it was a concoction of prog and blues rock that Sabbath had generally abandoned before their stardom. Furthermore, Sabbath cemented themselves in the genre almost instantly, Priest almost called it quits after their first two albums and spent half of the decade skint since their producers treated them so poorly. It wasn't until the late Seventies Priest really took off (by which time arguably Sabbath had peaked and began to decline), and they and Maiden were the two acts that dominated 1980s metal. I would also argue their catalog covers a lot more musical styles than most other metal bands - Rocka Rolla contains some songs that wouldn't be out of place on a prog album; Sin After Sin was years ahead in the heaviness stakes when released in 1977, and is very akin to classic hard rock; complimenting British Steel and the proceeding three albums which were classic, textbook 1980s metal; Turbo was an Eliminator-style glam metal output; Painkiller is out and out thrash metal and for good measure they've even done a concept album, Nostradamus. Again unlike Sabbath they also accomplished much of their output using the same core of musicians - two members have been perpetual, one left in 2011 after the same term, one took a decade out in the Nineties (with one constant replacement) and they've only had two drummers since 1979. Compare that to Sabbath who only have one perpetual member, and particularly in the 1980s went through an endless stream of line-up changes.

If we are to discriminate on the basis that bands come the same movement and era as each other then maybe we should also choose only one of The Who and Led Zeppelin; or maybe one of Pink Floyd and Yes; or Sex Pistols and The Clash...

My point is is that Sabbath and Priest complement each other. Metal would not be the same without either of them and they both deserve recognition, not one being palmed off as they're too similar. It's the same for other genres of rock / metal: prog is what it is now because of Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis in combination. All components are equally important.

[AlreadyGone95]

I only mentioned Living Colour in response to FP's talking about there needing to be a black band. I really don't know if they're in the same league as most of the bands in the competition already.

I also agree that Priest and Sabbath are from different eras. Sabbath, Purple, and Zeppelin are the 3 "huge" starters for metal and they all started in the late 60s, versus Priest who came along in the mid 70s. Priest are thought of as a "New Wave of British Heavy Metal " band by alot of fans, which would put them in the same category as Maiden.
If I had my way, the list would include:
Blue Oyster Cult
Def Leppard
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Metallica

I would make a case for Thin Lizzy, but because I'm more familiar with BOC, I went with them.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thank you for your post about Judas Priest and heavy metal, tlr. You know a lot more about them than I do and as my knowledge of their music was quite sketchy I did not realise about their range of different styles. I learnt a lot about their music and style from your comments and I am very happy to include them in my final list, I can see that they are quite distinct from Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Your point about not necessarily including just one band from a particular movement is also very fair, especially as the examples you cited were all on my original list! :)

Blue Oyster Cult are a pretty cool band (Don't Fear The Reaper is one of the best songs in rock history IMO - it's got great music, great lyrics and great vocals, as well as an interesting twist on a common central theme, and is brilliant from start to finish), so I'd quite like to include them as well.

My other current thoughts (I hope to finalise the list in the next two days if not before):
- The cases for Living Colour and 10cc are probably a bit weak compared to most of the others listed. I think it's unlikely I will include either.
- I am leaning towards not including the Grateful Dead. I get the impression they are more popular with critics than with music fans.
- I could perhaps justify including one of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day, probably the former, but not both. It is more difficult to judge the status of modern bands than classic ones.
- Jethro Tull was my own suggestion, not by anyone else, so I think we can live without them in the game.
- I think the five bands AG95 listed are all good candidates although they all lean towards hard rock and heavy metal. Representing all genres isn't essential but I think another band with a different style may be desirable (ELP as another pure prog band, or the glam/art rock style of Roxy Music). I think this may be me simply trying to over-correct for my own bias towards rock as a genre though. I wouldn't mind having the five you suggested to round off the list though if no one else feels strongly about any of the other candidates.

Removing Tull, 10cc, Living Colour, the Dead and one of the Chili Peppers or Green Day from consideration would reduce the selection process to a choice of 5 from 11, which seems a bit more straightforward (famous last words...).

I've tried to identify any obviously vulnerable bands in the 43 to maybe give another of these bands a chance although I think I might a bit blinded by this stage as I gave some thought to including all of these artists in their own right in the first place. Decisions, decisions...

[L101]

For the extra candidates you have chosen, I'd like to add my vote for Thin Lizzy to be added to the list.

Thin Lizzy because they are the classic Irish rockers who wrote the brilliant 'Whisky in the Jar' and 'The boys are back in town'. They created melodic rock that has stood the test of time and influenced many hard rockers like Metallica and The Smashing Pumpkins.

I like that you added U2 to round 1 - I know a lot of people dislike them because of Bono and the way that they released their new album but their early music (I call it Classic U2) was brilliant rock and some of their early music is timeless, 'Bad' for example. They keep reinventing themselves and up until 2000ish, did it well. I have yet to listen to the new album but when they eventually bring their Innocence and Experience tour to Ireland, I will go and see them, as I do every time they tour here.

But one thing that shocked me JCL, was that you could not name one Talking Heads song !!! What about 'Road to nowhere', 'Psycho killer' and 'Once in a lifetime' ????? :)

[AlreadyGone95]

Well, if you a different band that's not of the hard rock or metal genre, I'd recommend Mott the Hoople. (In place of Metallica). They were never huge over here, except for All the Young Dudes, but they were the precursor to bands like Sweet, Def Leppard and pretty much every glam rock band to form after 1971. They had some great songs(besides Dudes, All the Way from Memphis, Whizz Kid, Drivin Sister etc). Their album Brain Capers is an underrated gem. Mick Ralphs, the guitarist, went on to Co-found Bad Company.

[Funk 50]

I'm not sure what the requirements are to make the list, JCL. I'd struggle to name half-a-dozen songs from most of the bands suggested. A handful I couldn't name a single track, although I am familiar with them all.

I can only just about scrape together six titles from Led Zep and The Who from the top table.

I'm OK for Genesis and ELO, and the hits of Abba, Status Quo (not listed) and a couple of others but the majority of American bands, I'm very sketchy on.

The Sex Pistols only made 1 LP didn't they?

[Freypower]

I only mentioned Living Colour in response to FP's talking about there needing to be a black band. I really don't know if they're in the same league as most of the bands in the competition already.

I also agree that Priest and Sabbath are from different eras. Sabbath, Purple, and Zeppelin are the 3 "huge" starters for metal and they all started in the late 60s, versus Priest who came along in the mid 70s. Priest are thought of as a "New Wave of British Heavy Metal " band by alot of fans, which would put them in the same category as Maiden.
If I had my way, the list would include:
Blue Oyster Cult
Def Leppard
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Metallica

I would make a case for Thin Lizzy, but because I'm more familiar with BOC, I went with them.

I didn't say there needed to be a black band. I said it was 'a shame, that's all' :huh: that there aren't any which are even worthy of consideration, as they appear not to exist (I know of Living Colour but have never heard them).

My husband would want Mott the Hoople as well, but I would think most people on the Border wouldn't know them.

F50, you mention Quo. I love them but they are unknown in the States.

[Roey]

Not sure if the following bands represent the desired era or genre but how about The Mamas and Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Temptations ? It is going to be fun!

[Freypower]

The problem with the Temptations as with the Four Tops, Supremes & other black groups is they were vocal groups. They weren't really 'bands'. S&G were a duo. I think we have folk rock covered & the Mamas & Papas weren't influential enough. However it's obviously up to JCL to decide this.

[AlreadyGone95]

I didn't say there needed to be a black band. I said it was 'a shame, that's all' :huh: that there aren't any which are even worthy of consideration, as they appear not to exist (I know of Living Colour but have never heard them).

My husband would want Mott the Hoople as well, but I would think most people on the Border wouldn't know them.


:oops: I misread your post. Sorry, I apologize.

I thought that some of the British Borderers might like to see Mott be included, but perhaps I was wrong.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I can't say there are any set criteria for inclusion although I would say that all of the bands have to have achieved some level of commercial success and be fairly popular in both the US and UK, but that they also have to be of a certain level of significance and have a clearly discernible identity. The only truly objective measure of success is the number of albums or singles sold but this alone is not enough IMO. There have been a number of girl groups or boy bands which have achieved great commercial success but are artistically pretty empty, One Direction being an obvious recent example - they are extremely popular but ultimately are just another new kid in town and will be forgotten when somebody new comes along. ;)

Perhaps more significantly (serious music fans in my experience simply ignore the manufactured groups), I can think of bands who have been successful by being in the right place at the right time. About a decade or so ago, after the release of Coldplay's highly successful A Rush Of Blood To The Head there was considerable demand in the UK for bands which had the same sound. One such band was Keane, who had a smash hit with their 2004 debut album Hopes & Fears, which had several successful singles which received a lot of airplay. It was fully expected that the follow up album would also be a big hit but when it was released two years later IIRC it sold about half the number of copies, with its singles being much less successful and receiving noticeably less airplay. FWIW, my parents bought and enjoyed Keane's debut but did not even buy the follow up (as opposed to buying it and not liking it) so it seems they weren't alone. I think this shows that Hopes & Fears was successful in part because it was released at the exact right moment, and that it probably wouldn't have done much better than the follow up had it come out a couple of years later.

Hopefully these examples show why I feel that the significance of each band being considered matters before deciding whether to include them in the game or not. Any list based on quantitative measures would I feel leave out better bands for more successful ones. The most legendary bands fall into both categories but beyond this I would rather include bands who people like rather than the bands where the most people bought the album. To illustrate this, it is possible that an adult listener who likes ABBA may simply be happy to listen to their songs when they come on the radio whereas avid boy band fans will most likely want to own their album.

I'm quite surprised it took this long until someone pointed out about The Sex Pistols. You are right of course F50 but I felt I could make an exception to the usual rule for them simply because they managed to have such a massive cultural impact. I am far from being a fan of them but the fact that they rose to such prominence while only releasing a single LP solidifies their claim for inclusion I think.

I did not consider Status Quo originally when I was only planning to include 32 bands, with the increased number in the game they have a better case but I think their lack of recognition in the US counts against them too much. Mott the Hoople on the other hand might be worth a spot, there's not that much in the way of glam on the list. The American band R.E.M. did mention them on the hit Man On The Moon but whether that's enough I don't know, Don namechecking The Grateful Dead wasn't sufficient to convince me and although the list is perhaps a bit short of glam (especially if we are talking glam rock rather than pop) Roxy Music could also fill this void.

I must admit that I never considered including vocal groups like The Temptations simply because I would never think of them as being great bands. I personally think it is best to leave these type of groups out of the game. Simon & Garfunkel aren't really a band to me either. In my view The Mamas & The Papas have one absolute classic song (California Dreamin') but I can take or leave the rest of their music, and there are enough West Coast bands already. I think they are definitely not as significant as The Beach Boys, The Byrds or CSNY. America has already fallen by the wayside while I like to think that Poco are effectively filling the Eagles' place on the list.

One thing working towards finalising this list has made me realise is that when determining which bands should be included, it is the significance and recognition which matters most. I have actively included bands that I don't like and genres that I do not especially care for to ensure that a wide range of reasonably popular bands are included. I just think this makes a more interesting and dynamic game.

[AlreadyGone95]

Whatever bands you decide to make up the rest of the list, I look forward to playing. :thumbsup: :)

[Jonny Come Lately]

Battle Of The Bands - The List

I've given this some thought and I now have a working list of 56 bands, which I will list below. There is now only a limited opportunity to make any alterations before I intend to start the Preliminary Round.

Summary of Gameplay
Just as a reminder, here is how the game will be structured:

56 bands in total – Eight bands selected in advance enter Round 1, with the other 48 entering the Preliminary Round.

Preliminary Round – 48 bands -> 24 bands (24 ties; 2 rounds of 12 ties)
Round 1 – 32 bands (24 + 8 ; 16 bands (16 ties; 2 rounds of 8 ties)
Round 2 – 16 bands -> 8 bands (8 ties; 2 rounds of 4 ties)
Quarter Final – 8 bands -> 4 bands (4 ties)
Semi Final – 4 bands -> 2 bands (2 ties)
Final – 2 bands -> WINNER!

In each tie, vote for your favourite band out of the two.

The Bands - List
The bands receiving a ‘bye’ to Round 1 (i.e. skipping the preliminary round) will be:
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones
U2
The Who

Here is the list of 48 bands which will enter the Preliminary Round. The five additions to make, for the first time, a list that will work have been highlighted in bold for clarity.
These bands are as follows:
1. ABBA
2. AC/DC
3. Aerosmith
4. The Allman Brothers Band
5. Bad Company
6. The Band
7. Bee Gees
8. Black Sabbath
9. Blue Oyster Cult
10. Bon Jovi
11. The Byrds
12. The Cars
13. The Clash
14. Coldplay
15. Cream
16. Creedence Clearwater Revival
17. Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young)
18. Deep Purple
19. Dire Straits
20. The Doors
21. ELO
22. Foreigner
23. Genesis
24. Guns 'N' Roses
25. Heart
26. Iron Maiden
27. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
28. Journey
29. Judas Priest
30. KISS
31. Lynyrd Skynyrd
32. Nirvana
33. Oasis
34. Pearl Jam
35. Poco
36. The Police
37. Queen
38. Radiohead
39. The Ramones
40. R.E.M.
41. Rush
42. The Sex Pistols
43. Styx
44. Thin Lizzy
45. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
46. Van Halen
47. Yes
48. ZZ Top

(If anyone has wondered why the eight bands at the top are not numbered, it is because these the numbers listed are those which assigned to the respective bands in the draw for the Preliminary Round, which the first eight bands will bypass).

Having considered which five bands to go for, I felt that Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were probably the easiest choices. I have opted to include Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult as I felt they both received a decent amount of support for their inclusion (they were suggested or were supported by different posters), so Def Leppard miss out I'm afraid. I decided to go for The Cars for the final spot as I didn't want to give all the remaining places to hard classic rock or heavy metal bands, and they are probably more recognisable in the US, especially to people who listen to relatively little contemporary music, than most of the alternative options. I considered Roxy Music and Mott The Hoople for their glam rock styles but feared they would not be sufficiently well known in America.

If anyone feels strongly that any of these bands should NOT be on the list, I can still alter it before finalising the list and making the draw but at this stage I think it is appropriate to prevent any new suggestions for inclusion (apologies for this), it was hard enough picking which ones to include from the shortlist! IMO the most realistic alternative choices at this stage would now be Def Leppard, ELP or Metallica although I may consider others if I think there is a band that could be relatively easily removed beyond the last five additions.

If there are any no significant objections to these choices then I am happy to use this list and start the game. I will make the draw for the Preliminary Round tomorrow and should be able to start the first round over the weekend. However I think this may be best left until Sunday as I am aware some members don't usually visit the boards on the weekends.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Thanks for all the hard work, JCL. I will be glad to participate although I haven't had time to go through this entire thread to read and understand the rules. I'm fine with whatever bands you decide on, but in scanning the list, I did think their were a few noticeable omissions such as Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Def Leppard, and Green Day, while there are also a few included on the list that I have never heard a single song from. It would be virtually impossible to come up with a list that we would all agree on though.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks dreamer - I will try and ensure most of the rules are covered in the first preliminary round post, although if you want to check the game mechanics, these are covered in the last post on the second page.

I did consider two of the bands you mentioned, Def Leppard missed out quite narrowly (they were edged out by Blue Oyster Cult and Thin Lizzy), and Green Day were also in contention although I am aware that there is more interest in older bands on this forum.I left out Bruce Springsteen because the E Street Band are his backing band (in contrast to The Jimi Hendrix Experience, where Jimi is actually a member of the trio), and Springsteen certainly has the respect and success required to be included in a solo artists version of the game so he shouldn't miss out entirely. It just isn't realistically possible to please everyone when making a game like this with a limit on the total number of bands (even with 56 bands rather than the original intended total of 32) although hopefully the majority of the list is acceptable to most people.

I have made the draw for the preliminary round today so everything is ready to go in that respect. I will put up the first half (12 of the 24 ties) on the board tomorrow. All I am going to say for now is there are some interesting pairings...

I will explain a few rules now ahead of tomorrow, which apply to all of the rounds rather than any one round in particular.

In each tie, vote for which of the two bands you prefer. You can ignore a tie if you don't care for either band or aren't familiar with either band's music. Each vote for the favoured band in a pairing will give 1 point to that band, if the tie is ignored neither band gets any points and there is no way of losing points. When the round (or section of the round) is completed the band with more points will progress to the next round, or expressed more simply the band which more people prefer will advance to the following stage.

If there are any draws after the time given to the round is over, I will confirm the results of all the ties where a winner can be determined but leave the undecided matches open - at the end of the round the next vote will determine the outcome. If 24 hours elapse and there are no further votes, I will give myself a second vote on the tie. I will admit this isn't the fairest way of doing things, but I don't think it is worth delaying the progress of the game any further beyond this and while tossing a coin or a similar method is fairer, it just isn't appropriate to this game IMO.

For each set of ties I will allow two days for people to get their votes in - I think this is the right amount of time, it seems to work well in the Survivor games. The number of ties will decrease as the game progresses so it will get simpler as it advances.

I will not be accepting any further suggestions for additions to the list as my next post in this thread will start the game proper. So this means I can officially confirm that the bands in The Battle Of The Bands will be:
Entering Round 1 (these bands will bypass the Preliminary Route)
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones
U2
The Who

Entering the Preliminary Round
1. ABBA
2. AC/DC
3. Aerosmith
4. The Allman Brothers Band
5. Bad Company
6. The Band
7. Bee Gees
8. Black Sabbath
9. Blue Oyster Cult
10. Bon Jovi
11. The Byrds
12. The Cars
13. The Clash
14. Coldplay
15. Cream
16. Creedence Clearwater Revival
17. Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young)
18. Deep Purple
19. Dire Straits
20. The Doors
21. ELO
22. Foreigner
23. Genesis
24. Guns 'N' Roses
25. Heart
26. Iron Maiden
27. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
28. Journey
29. Judas Priest
30. KISS
31. Lynyrd Skynyrd
32. Nirvana
33. Oasis
34. Pearl Jam
35. Poco
36. The Police
37. Queen
38. Radiohead
39. The Ramones
40. R.E.M.
41. Rush
42. The Sex Pistols
43. Styx
44. Thin Lizzy
45. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
46. Van Halen
47. Yes
48. ZZ Top

If there are any further questions about the rules and gameplay (but not about choices of band), I will try to address them in my game opening post.

[Jonny Come Lately]

The Battle Of The Bands - Preliminary Round

The list of 56 bands involved in the game has now been finalised and we are ready to start! Once I have posted the first half of the Preliminary Round draw gameplay will start and you will able to vote on the matches for two days. I will ensure that you all have at least 48 hours to cast your votes (I can't guarantee timings will be exact but I should generally expect to be able to finish each set of matches after 50 hours at most, hopefully before).

In my last couple of posts I have listed some information which I will not repeat here as they apply to all of the rounds of the game and these posts are on the same page as this one. Having said this, although I have recently described the format of the game I will repeat this with additional information about how each stage will work:

Preliminary Round (48 bands) - The 48 bands listed in post #51 enter the draw for the Preliminary Round (this has already been made) where bands are randomly drawn against each other. There will be 24 matches or ties in total, twelve being played at a time. If the two bands in a match get the same number of votes, I will reopen voting for that match alone at the end of the round (after both halves of the draw have been played) and the next vote will win (‘sudden death’). If no one votes in the next day then I will vote again for the sake of finishing the round (if you disagree with my opinion this will provide a stronger incentive to vote within the 24 hours!)
First round (32) – The eight remaining bands (the original Magnificent Seven I listed on page one plus the later addition of U2) will enter the draw alongside the 24 winners from the Preliminary Round. There will be 16 matches in total, of which eight will be done at the same time (so there will be two sets of ties in this round).
Second round (16) – The draw is made in the same way as for the first round. There are eight ties, again in two sets (four at a time). However, this time, if the two bands in a tie receive the same number of votes, the band which received more votes in the previous round will win. If they got the same number of votes in the 1st round as well, sudden death will again applied.
Quarter-Final ( 8 ) - Four ties, with all ties taking place at the same time from this point on. Rules otherwise as before.
Semi-Final (4) – Two ties, which will be run simultaneously. Down to just four bands with the winners entering the final.
Final (2) – And then there two. The two survivors face each other in the showdown to declare the victor.

Although I have said previously that the voting system is positive (even if your primary motive behind voting in a match is to help eliminate a band you dislike, you have to vote for the other band as they are technically your preferred choice out of the two), I've realised that at no point have I said how to express your vote for your favourite band - there are several possible ways of doing this. I think this is best illustrated using this (fictional) example:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem

You can highlight the band you prefer in bold:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem

Alternatively you can name the band you prefer as shown below:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem - The Electric Mayhem

There are other ways which have not crossed my mind but I am not going to enforce any strict rules about how to express your vote. It just needs to be clear.

(You can use acronyms as long as these are commonly accepted, e.g. if you wanted to vote for Crosby, Stills And Nash (& Young) then CSN(&Y) would be perfectly clear and acceptable. By contrast if you wanted to vote for, say, Black Sabbath then I'd suggest putting down their full name or at least 'Sabbath' for clarity).

By all means feel free to discuss your choices, as long as you make it clear which band you choose in each match. If you think you can explain your preference then I'd love to hear why you chose that band. You don't have if you don't want to though so don't worry about this.

To avoid cluttering this post too much I will reveal the draw for the first half of the preliminary round in a separate post (see below):

[Jonny Come Lately]

The Battle Of The Bands - Preliminary Round

Without further ado I will list the pairings for the first twelve matches in the Preliminary Round, involving 24 bands. Voting is open as soon as this post is submitted, and will remain open until around this time on Tuesday.

Preliminary Round - Matches 1-12 (First Half of the Draw)
Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

You can copy and paste this list if you wish, or write it out in another clear way (I don't mind either way).

I will be back later with my choices. It will be interesting to see how these matches turn out!

Have fun everyone! :)

[AlreadyGone95]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN


1. Bad Company
2 Journey
3.ELO
4.CCR
5.Black Sabbath
6. Guns n Roses
7.Van Halen
8. The Byrds
9.Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
10.REM
11.Judas Priest
12. Lynyrd Skynyrd

(I spent 10 minutes debating that last one, my favorite metal band or the most popular rock band around my home? That's too tough to decide! )

[Lisa]

1. The Doors
2. ABBA
3. ELO
4. Queen
5. Thin Lizzy
6. Dire Straits
7. Van Halen
8. The Byrds
9. Heart
10. Bee Gees
11. The Ramones
12. Lynyrd Skynyrd

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

My hardest choice by far was #4 - hated to see these two great bands going head-to-head so early in the game. #2, #6, and #9 were tough for me as well.

[UndertheWire]

1. Bad Company
2. Journey
3. The Police
4. Queen
5. Thin Lizzy
6. Guns 'n' Roses
7. Van Halen
9. Nirvana
9. Tom Petty
10. Bee Gees
11.
12. Lynyrd Skynyrd

[sodascouts]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

[WalshFan88]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

[WalshFan88]

All of them were no brainers for me except Tom vs Heart. Now that one was brutal, lol, as I love them both but ultimately the Heart sisters won out. They know how to rock and showed that girls can rock as much as the guys.

[L101]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10.R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11.JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12.LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

The only one that was hard for me was Dire Straits vs Guns 'n' Roses - tough choice!!

[thelastresort]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for all the votes so far! I'll make my choices now:

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS (The Doors are a worthy opponent, but Bad Company's music is quality British rock)

Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA (I didn't expect to vote for ABBA, but as a pure pop group I'm not sure anyone else has done that style of music better and I've never been much of a Journey fan).

Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO (Quite a tricky one, but I'll go for The Police, although not without reservations).

Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN (One of the toughest ones IMO - both are strong, but CCR's swamp rock gets my vote).

Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH (Also challenging, might just give Thin Lizzy the edge as I think the late Gary Moore was a fine guitarist).

Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES (I can understand why some of you have found this a tricky choice, but I must admit it's no contest for me. Dire Straits are quite possibly my favourite band out of all those in the preliminary round and I love their music so I'll take them every time here).

Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN (Neither are favourites of mine but I think Van Halen are the superior of the two).

Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS (The Byrds are the originators of country rock and a very good band, plus I don't care for Nirvana's brand of grunge).

Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART (Another fairly difficult one to call, but I think Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers edge it with their excellent melodic rock. I agree with Austin that Heart showed women could rock though!)

Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES (Easy choice for me, quite simply I prefer R.E.M. and their style of music to that of the Bee Gees).

Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES (The Ramones probably edge this although I'm not crazy about either).

Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN (I have to agree with everyone else so far here, Skynyrd is a legendary band and another of my favourites).

It has been interesting to see how people have voted so far, a couple of the standings so far have surprised me a little - at the end of the round I will probably post a review of the round where I can make some comments about the results and whether they fitted my expectations.

[UK TimFan]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

I'm abstaining for matches 11 and 12 as I'm not familiar with any of the groups. (And it's hardly fair to vote for Iron Maiden just because I saw Bruce Dickinson fly one of his vintage aircraft at an airshow last year. :smile: )

[Funk 50]

My choices are in bold print

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

Delighted to get the chance to vote off Queen and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I can't believe I've voted for The Byrds and Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers but against R.E.M. No abstentions means this is more fun than I expected it to be. :thumbsup:

[thelastresort]

Delighted to get the chance to vote off Queen

Indeed. I don't insomuch dislike Queen, but a vote for them is a vote for Brian May, which I couldn't abide to do.

[NOLA]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

No. 4 was tough! Although I love Queen, especially Freddie Mercury, I had to go with CCR because of their nod to New Orleans.

[Freypower]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8 . NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

Much as I loved CCR's hit singles Queen had a wonderful body of work & are one of my favourite bands.

The Dire Straits vs Guns & Roses thing was a no-brainer for me, of course, but I see that most of our American voters prefer G&R who did precisely nothing for me at all. As for Judas Priest I have never heard anything by them so I had no choice but to vote for the Ramones. My husband (I will just start calling him Mike to save time) will be pleased I voted for Iron Maiden. I think he would have gone for Bad Company too but the Doors had a higher number of great & very distinctive songs.

REM were unlucky here to come up against my beloved Bee Gees.

[Roey]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

[Brooke]

Match 1. BAD COMPANY vs THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY vs ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE vs ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS vs GUNS ‘N’ ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS vs VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA vs THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. vs BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST vs THE RAMONES
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs IRON MAIDEN

The hardest one for me was #9, Tom Petty vs Heart. Love them both, but Tom just a little bit more. Also, I don't know much about either in #11, so abstained.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Time's up for the first half of the preliminary round as the 48 hours have elapsed - voting on these matches is now closed.

The results of these matches are shown below, with the number of points won by each band in the match being shown.

In each case, the winning band is shown in bold, the loser in italics.

Match 1. BAD COMPANY 5-10 THE DOORS
Match 2. JOURNEY 9-6 ABBA
Match 3. THE POLICE 5-10 ELO
Match 4. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 9-6 QUEEN
Match 5. THIN LIZZY 9-6 BLACK SABBATH
Match 6. DIRE STRAITS 8-7 GUNS N' ROSES
Match 7. THE CARS 6-9 VAN HALEN
Match 8. NIRVANA 3-12 THE BYRDS
Match 9. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS 11-4 HEART
Match 10. R.E.M. 8-7 BEE GEES
Match 11. JUDAS PRIEST 4-8 THE RAMONES (3 abstentions)
Match 12. LYNYRD SKYNYRD 12-2 IRON MAIDEN (1 abstention)

I am pleased to say that all of these ties have produced a winner so these results can be 'signed off'. I'll post some analysis at the end of the preliminary round but now I will release the pairings for the second half of this round to give us the other 12 bands which will join the 20 confirmed bands in Round 1 (as before I'll do a separate post for better clarity).

[Jonny Come Lately]

The pairings for matches 13-24 can now be revealed! These matches bring the other 24 bands in the preliminary round into play, but only half of these will progress to Round 1.

Preliminary Round - Matches 13-24 (First Half of the Draw)
Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

These pairings if anything I reckon are slightly spicier than the ones in the first half of this round. IMO this round contains probably the most ridiculous pairing (in terms of contrast of style - I laughed when I first saw it), possibly the fairest pairing in terms of talent (I'd be happy to see either of these bands into the next round) and the most interesting tie from a board perspective based on my knowledge other members' favourite bands. Not saying which matches these are though just yet!

Voting on this half of the round is now open and will remain so for another 48 hours.

I look forward to seeing these results every bit as much as I did the first half of this round, and I'll back later with my choices. Once again, have fun!

[UndertheWire]

I only matched on four of the results from the last round but maybe I'll be more mainstream this time.

13. Coldplay
14. The Sex Pistols
15. Oasis
16. Jimi Hendrix
17. Bon Jovi
18. The Clash
19. Yes
20. Deep Purple
21. CSN&Y
22. Cream
23. Genesis
24. Blue Oyster Cult

The one I'm worried about is AC/DC vs Cream. I know AC/DC were/are huge but Cream were such an important part of the sixties blues-rock scene.

[AlreadyGone95]

13. Coldplay
14. ZZ Top
15. Foreigner
16. Jimi Hendrix
17. Rush
18. Pearl Jam
19. Yes
20. Deep Purple
21. Allman Brothers Band
22. AC/DC
23. Genesis
24. Styx



#s 19, 21,22, and 24, were extremely hard.

[Brooke]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

I don't know much about Pearl Jam or the Clash, so I abstain there. And, it was very hard to choose between the Allman Brothers and CSNY, but I absolutely love CSNY more. I wish they weren't paired together, but so it is!

[Funk 50]

Well I'm stunned that legendary acts, Abba, Black Sabbath and Bee Gees have been beaten by bit part acts.

There are a few acts that I'm pretty sketchy on from the next bunch. Although it wont affect how I vote, can anybody recommend one or two tracks from Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers, Aerosmith, Rush, Styx and Blue Oyster Cult. I feel I may be missing something.


Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY :: Can't stand Kiss. Coldplay's music is iffy but a good band.

Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS :: I'm impressed with ZZ Top's longevity but The Sex Pistols edge it on impact.

Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS :: I haven't any urge to listen to either but I find Oasis more entertaining.

Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE :: Hendrix is iconic. His band sounds a bit, chucked together imho. The Band were an intriguing bunch. I like both in small doses.

Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH :: Bon Jovi do nothing for me (not positive any way). I'm more tolerant of Rush, despite the pretentiousness and Geddy's vocals.

Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH :: I've heard bits from both bands. The Clash, I can favourably recall.

Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH :: I like Jon Anderson. Aerosmith, like Bon Jovi, have me reaching for the skip switch, plus I find Steven Tyler's face and voice bring me out in a mild form of nausea.

Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD :: Deep Purple are mighty but I prefer the more weirdie subtle stuff that Radiohead produce.

Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) :: The Allman Brothers Band remind me of Lynrd Skynyrd, so unfortunately, they've got no chance. CSN(Y) I used to like. The vocals are great. I think they're more of a musical concoction than a genuine band.

Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM :: I'm very fond of AC/DC. Not so, Cream. Give me The James Gang every time.

Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO :: Rusty Young can make his Pedal Steel sound like a keyboard. Genesis had Tony Banks.... I love Genesis! Great tunes, mad tempos, power and subtly, Why haven't they been knighted?

Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT :: Not very familiar with either but Blue Oyster Cult did Don't Fear The Reaper and Styx didn't.


Thanks JCL, This is a lot of fun. :thumbsup:

[NOLA]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

No. 21 was another tough one! As much as I love that blues band from GA, I had to pay a little tribute to the godfathers of the "Avocado Mafia."

[Brooke]

F50, I don't know anything technical. I can only tell you what songs I love from some of those.

Allman Bros. -Love, love Midnight Rider, Melissa, and Ramblin' Man

Aerosmith -I laughed out loud at your comment there! I love Steven Tyler because of his craziness and outlandishness and I think he's an amazing song writer and entertainer! My favorites-Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Cryin', and Amazing. (In the blink of an eye you might finally see the light!) :wink:

Styx -Love Renegade and Come Sail Away

Surely you've heard all of these songs, so maybe you just don't care for them, period?

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thank you for your post, F50. Although I disagree on some of the matches I found it interesting to read your opinions.

I can't agree that R.E.M. are a bit part talent compared to the Bee Gees, I think R.E.M. are the more substantial of the two. They are also a better band than U2 IMO but that's a debate for another day (Round 1? Or later? Even I don't know yet). On the other hand, I can sympathise with your view on Black Sabbath despite my preference for Thin Lizzy and I agree with you on ABBA who although prone to get too sugary are superior to Journey in my view (although I would not have voted for them had they been up against a band like Dire Straits, Bad Company or - dare I say it - 'Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd').

So, here's my choices in this group:

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY - Fairly easy pick for me as I like Coldplay's first two albums, but I don't like KISS or bands that wear makeup as part of their identity in general. I'm interested in your description of Coldplay's music as iffy, F50, as they used to be one of my favourites but they've fallen down my list as I've explored more classic rock. I preferred their early days when their sound was more organic - this might be a bit controversial but I think Chris Martin's marriage prevented them from reaching their true potential (it meant he was no longer the 'everyman' he was originally).

Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS - Not a fan of the Pistols at all (I get their cultural impact but I like my 'dinosaur' rock and their music is just not good music to my ears - sorry), give me the blues/southern rock of ZZ Top any day.

Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS - One of the weaker pairings IMO (I'd take either band in Match 21 over these two if I had the option). I agree with F50 on this one, Oasis are a more fun and their lyrical limitations are not a big deal as the songs are centred around the massive hooks. I enjoy Don't Look Back In Anger more than the Foreigner hits I've heard.

Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Hendrix for me, I'm more familiar with his work than that of The Band and I like the Are You Experienced album and his version of All Along The Watchtower quite a bit. There's also the small matter of his outstanding guitar ability.

Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH - Rush by a country mile, I consider them to be Canada's greatest band and the only North American prog band who can match their British brethren. Bon Jovi are overblown stadium rock at its worst IMO, not a lot else to say about them.

Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH - Not that fussed either way on this one, but I'll go for Pearl Jam as they collaborated with the grandfather of grunge himself (Neil Young). The Clash are one of the better punk bands though, and I prefer them to Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten.

Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH - I'll go for Yes, at least partially for Rick Wakeman's keyboards (they're all very talented musicians - and of course I must say RIP Chris Squire, an excellent bassist and harmony singer). I prefer the great British hard rock bands to Aerosmith personally.

Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD - Easily Deep Purple, an absolutely terrific set of musicians producing brilliant hard rock music. Radiohead are overrated IMO, I find Thom Yorke's lyrics pretentious and they seem virtually immune to criticism in the UK press (IIRC fan opinions on their last album were mixed but critics gave it rave reviews).

Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) - I am gratified by the comments from other people finding this a difficult choice - this was the pairing I had in mind when I mentioned a fair pairing in terms of talent. I'd be happy to see either in Round 1. I think I'll have to go for CSNY but I feel the Allmans deserve more votes.

Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM - I much prefer Cream's blues rock to AC/DC, so them. I prefer Eric Clapton in Cream and Derek & The Dominos to his solo work, not that it's bad, just not quite as exciting as his late 60s playing.

Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO - I know what I like, and I know I would like to see Genesis in Round 1. ;) I prefer the Gabriel era myself and have been hugely impressed by Selling England By The Pound (including the song I referenced above).

Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT - BOC get my vote, just think they're the superior band. There is something that marks them out from most American hard rock bands, probably their preference for darker or quirkier songs and lyrics. FWIW I'd have voted for them over Kansas as well, who I know better than Styx.

All 24 bands in this half of the draw have received at least one vote so far (IIRC when I voted last time Iron Maiden had yet to get a single vote). Thanks for all the votes again.

[L101]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

Match 15 - that was hard!! Oasis got the vote in the end, as I know more of their songs (and I also love Champagne Supernova - nice space out song :))

I picked 16, 21, 24 because I've only heard of the other choice, and thats it :grin:
Had to pick 22 because I'm going to see them tomorrow night !!
And I love 13, 18, 19 and 23......

[Lisa]

13. Kiss
14. ZZ Top
15. Foreigner
16. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
17. Rush
18. Pearl Jam
19. Aerosmith
20. Deep Purple
21. Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young)
22. Cream
23. Poco
24. Styx

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

[thelastresort]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY - I love their cover of Argent's God Gave Rock and Roll to You and I don't mind so much their make up etc as I think they are fully aware of it but also have talent to go with it - for example, Iron Maiden annoy me for their whole epic image / stage show / Eddie carry on, and Steel Panther are a piss take of the whole Kiss / glam metal era, minus the actual ability the original bands had...
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS - This is the toughest pairing by far for me. I love the Southern and boogie rock output of ZZ Top but the Sex Pistols, for only having one album, have had an astronomical impact on UK music and the whole punk movement. That and I adore Johnny Rotten. Sorry Billy, Dusty and Frank!
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS - Not as mad about them as some seem to be (probably exaggerated with coming from as close to Manchester as I do mind), but they were huge and as much as I'm not keen on the Gallagher Brothers they were a solid foundation for that era of music.
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH - I think if this was on a predominately-British forum it would be a (rightful ;)) foregone conclusion.
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD - again no question, one of the finest rock bands there ever was.
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO - Purely on the basis the latter didn't release Abacab.
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT - This battle needs cowbell!

[Freypower]

Congratulations to Dire Straits on their survival. Just. And Queen are still the champions with me. :sad:

This lot...some interesting matches here which will demonstrate a lack of knowledge on my part.

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

If Kiss had been against anyone else, no way would I have voted for them. (I am not the sort of person who likes abstaining). I don't know Coldplay, same as I don't know Pearl Jam and I don't know Yes. The hardest for me was the Band vs Hendrix. I felt on balance it had to be Hendrix. I do hope Genesis can get past Poco & I hope Oasis can get past Foreigner. On Mike's behalf I want Purple & BOC to survive.

[WalshFan88]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY - no question
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

[Roey]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

Match 16 was a tough choice!

[UK TimFan]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

Abstaining on matches 13, 19, 20, 22, and 24 because (again!) I'm not familiar with their music. (Never even heard of BOC before this thread. :smile:)

[sodascouts]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

[Funk 50]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT


Abstaining on matches 13, 19, 20, 22, and 24 because (again!) I'm not familiar with their music. (Never even heard of BOC before this thread. :smile:)

You need to stay in more UK TimFan :p


These earlier comments raised an eyebrow :eyebrow:

I don't insomuch dislike Queen, but a vote for them is a vote for Brian May, which I couldn't abide to do.
What's up with Brian May?
He wears clogs, uses a sixpence as a pick and built a fabulous guitar out of a fireplace. A guy, serving tea to Queen in a recording studio, commented that BM would spend ages umming and aahing over which drink he wanted, if it's not too much trouble, whatever you're making etc.
I don't like Queen but Dr. Brian May seems a good sort.


Match 5. THIN LIZZY vs BLACK SABBATH (Also challenging, might just give Thin Lizzy the edge as I think the late Gary Moore
was a fine guitarist). I quite like Thin Lizzy. Sometime member, Gary Moore was gifted but what about Black Sabbath's brilliant Tony Iommi. Riffmaster general despite having the tops of his fingers chopped off!

[thelastresort]

What's up with Brian May?
He wears clogs, uses a sixpence as a pick and built a fabulous guitar out of a fireplace. A guy, serving tea to Queen in a recording studio, commented that BM would spend ages umming and aahing over which drink he wanted, if it's not too much trouble, whatever you're making etc.
I don't like Queen but Dr. Brian May seems a good sort.

I quite like Thin Lizzy. Sometime member, Gary Moore was gifted but what about Black Sabbath's brilliant Tony Iommi. Riffmaster general despite having the tops of his fingers chopped off!

I don't mind Queen, I like a lot of their music (I always thought it was sad that people adored the likes of I Want to Break Free, when you had gems like Breakthru and These Are the Days of Our Lives that slipped under the radar by and large). I loved Freddie, and John Deacon was a boss (spent several decades playing bass fairly anonymously, wrote the odd song and retired young absolutely minted), Roger Taylor is bearable (some of his comments and the way he acts surrounding Freddie's death leaves me cold though), but as much of a polymath as he is I just cannot abide Brian May. I said on the H&H thread last night that I never let a musician's personality get in the way of my appreciation of them, but something about him really rubs me up wrong. In all honesty it could well be his politics and activism (for example, whilst I suspect I do not match Henley's political leanings I still appreciate his work for Walden Woods, May not so much).

[thelastresort]

I should add I totally agree with you about Tony Iommi - my favourite guitarist ever; he can pull out guitar riffs like there's no tomorrow. It is on account of his accident and subsequent impairment that there will never be anyone else who plays the guitar like him.

[UK TimFan]

You need to stay in more UK TimFan :p
My lack of knowledge probably stems from the fact that I never listen to the radio. Plus certain genres of music such as punk, metal, grunge, house, rap, have never interested me.
Though at the other end of the scale, I'm not (apart from odd pieces) into classical music either. :grin:

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Match 13. KISS vs COLDPLAY
Match 14. ZZ TOP vs THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER vs OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND vs THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI vs RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM vs THE CLASH
Match 19. YES vs AEROSMITH
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE vs RADIOHEAD
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 22. AC/DC vs CREAM
Match 23. GENESIS vs POCO
Match 24. STYX vs BLUE OYSTER CULT

Well - This half of the round was a lot easier for me than the first half. The only hard choice I had this time was #21. On the other hand - it's hard for me to imagine that ABBA, Queen, Guns N' Roses, Heart, and The Bee Gees have already been eliminated.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

#16 was hard for me, too! Jimi Hendrix is an absolute legend, but I love The Band, so I had to go for them.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Time's up for the second half of the preliminary round as the 48 hours have elapsed - voting on these matches is now closed. This of course means the preliminary round itself is now complete

The results of these matches are shown below, with the number of points won by each band in the match being shown.

In each case, the winning band is shown in bold, the loser in italics.

Match 13. KISS 6-9 COLDPLAY (1 abstention)
Match 14. ZZ TOP 12-4 THE SEX PISTOLS
Match 15. FOREIGNER 9-7 OASIS
Match 16. THE BAND 5-11 THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Match 17. BON JOVI 9-7 RUSH
Match 18. PEARL JAM 10-5 THE CLASH (1 abstention)
Match 19. YES 5-10 AEROSMITH (1 abstention)
Match 20. DEEP PURPLE 12-3 RADIOHEAD (1 abstention)
Match 21. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND 3-13 Crosby, Stills and Nash
Match 22. AC/DC 9-6 CREAM (1 abstention)
Match 23. GENESIS 10-6 POCO
Match 24. STYX 9-6 BLUE OYSTER CULT (1 abstention)

Happily, all of the results of these matches can now be confirmed and there is no need to reopen voting on any of them.

I should warn you all that I will be away for the weekend and it is doubtful that I will have computer access. There is some small hope that I will but I suspect I probably will not be able to post on this thread all Saturday and most of Sunday. I am happy to start the first half of the first round later today, when the first eight ties in this round will go up (I have yet to make the draw for this round), but this time I will say strictly that the voting will end after 48 hours exactly. If there are any undecided ties, these will also close and I will reopen these at the end of the round, after both halves of the draw have been played.

[Jonny Come Lately]

PRELIMINARY ROUND SUMMARY

Before I make the draw for the First Round proper I thought it would be interesting to have a look back at the results of the Preliminary Round.

BANDS ENTERING ROUND 1 (32)
Not involved in the Preliminary Round: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, U2, The Who.
Bands victorious in the Preliminary Round: The Doors, Journey, ELO, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits, Van Halen, The Byrds, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M., The Ramones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Coldplay, ZZ Top, Foreigner, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Crosby, Stills And Nash (& Young), AC/DC, Genesis, Styx.

BANDS ELIMINATED (24)
Bands eliminated in the Preliminary Round: Bad Company, ABBA, The Police, Queen, Black Sabbath, Guns 'n' Roses, The Cars, Nirvana, Heart, Bee Gees, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, KISS, The Sex Pistols, Oasis, The Band, Rush, The Clash, Yes, Radiohead, The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, Poco, Blue Oyster Cult.

THE FACTS
- CSN(&Y) were the band to receive the most votes (13). The Byrds, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Deep Purple all received 12 votes.
- CSN(&Y) and Lynyrd Skynyrd had the biggest winning margins, in each case by 10 votes over their opponents.
- By contrast, Dire Straits and R.E.M. won their ties by the odd vote (their matches against Guns 'n' Roses and the Bee Gees both finished 8-7).
- Iron Maiden received the least votes of any band (just 2). Nirvana, Radiohead and The Allman Brothers each received 3 votes.
- The Ramones, Dire Straits and R.E.M. won their ties with just 8 votes, the lowest of any victors. However, where the matches involving the other bands were undeniably very close, The Ramones received twice as many votes as their opponents Judas Priest.
- Guns 'n' Roses, the Bee Gees, Oasis and Rush were the losing bands with the most votes (7).

Personal Opinion
- I thought the most surprising result was ELO comfortably beating The Police, I think this is because I had previously thought the latter were much better known outside of the UK. CCR's defeat of Queen would seem surprising in the UK but I was less surprised by their victory on here, likewise The Byrds seeing off Nirvana (however, I was shocked by the emphatic nature of the scoreline).
- At the opposite end of the scale, I expected Lynyrd Skynyrd to comfortably defeat Iron Maiden so was not too surprised by that outcome.
- The luckiest winners IMO were probably The Ramones - their tie against Judas Priest was the only one in the round where more than one voter abstained, and I suspect Judas Priest were not among the most popular bands in the game. There were few comments about this round so I can't say for sure but I suspect they may have struggled to beat a number of the other bands.
- The unluckiest losers were either Heart or The Allman Brothers Band. Several people commented on their matches against Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and CSN&Y as being difficult to decide on yet they were beaten comfortably by their opponents. I felt these two probably 'deserved' more votes and would could have beaten some of the eventual victors.
- Alternatively, if your definition of the unluckiest losers is the bands that had the strongest case for going through to the next round based on the votes, then the Bee Gees and Guns 'n' Roses are the standouts. I think they would have defeated quite a few of the other bands and were handed tricky draws (Oasis I felt were relatively lucky to be up against Foreigner, who weren't one of most popular bands in the draw - I myself was fairly indifferent to the final result - and Rush had the benefit of appealing to different audiences to Bon Jovi so were always likely to get a decent number of votes).
- My most personally satisfying result was Dire Straits beating Guns 'n' Roses, however narrowly (I can see why some people thought that match was quite tough) - I was also very pleased to see Deep Purple beat Radiohead and The Byrds beat Nirvana so comfortably.
- The result I am least happy with is Bon Jovi's victory over the IMO superior Rush. I know Bon Jovi are probably more popular, and Rush gave them a good fight but I definitely prefer the latter band. I'm not as bothered by Aerosmith's win over Yes as I think Aerosmith are better than Bon Jovi and I expected them to win anyway. I also think Cream are better than AC/DC although many will disagree with this, and likewise I prefer Blue Oyster Cult to Styx. On most of the other matches where my opinion disagreed with the final result I was not quite so worried about the final outcome.

[Jonny Come Lately]

The Battle Of The Bands - Round 1

All of the bands involved in the game have now entered, with the 24 winners from the Preliminary Round being joined by the eight bands which bypassed that stage. There are 16 ties in this round, again split into two halves - I think that playing eight matches at one time will work well.

(I should say that I have had a change of heart for Round 2 and I now think it should be played in one go as there are only eight matches).

Voting for the first half of this round is now open and will close exactly 48 hours after the submission of this post. As stated previously I think it is unlikely that I will be able to start the second half of the game until late on Sunday when I return home. Any votes entered after the 48 hour deadline will only be counted if I'm feeling generous! All the votes so far have been in good time so I hope this isn't an issue.

So here's the first half of the draw for Round 1:

Round 1 - Matches 1-8 (First Half of the Draw)
Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

Once again, hope you have fun - I look forward to hearing your opinions!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

Previous rounds, for the most part, were obvious choices for me, but I had to think about it on nearly every one on this one!

[AlreadyGone95]

I find it hard to believe that Bon Jovi beat out Rush.

1. Fleetwood Mac
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. Thin Lizzy
4. Rolling Stones
5. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
6. Genesis
7. Deep Purple
8. Aerosmith

Most of these were easy for me to decide, #4,5, and 8 were a bit difficult. Both bands in match 5 and 8 are about even on my favorites list, so I just went with whichever band I'm enjoying more at the moment.
For #1, while I love both bands, Fleetwood Mac is my 2nd favorite band and Styx would rank 8th or so, so almost a no brainer there.
I know that my vote for #3 will probably be in vain because I'll be shocked if the Beatles don't make it to at least the next to last round. For me personally, I never could get in to them.
The rest were matches where I like one band, but not the other.

[UndertheWire]

1. Fleetwood Mac. Who are Styx?
2. Bon Jovi. I don't mind either, but I've heard more Bon Jovi over the years.
3. Thin Lizzy. It's an age thing. The Beatles were 60s but I'm a 70s girl.
4. Rolling Stones. I don't like them much but I can never remember who Foreigner are. I mix them with Journey, Toto and others.
5. Tom Petty.
6. The Beach Boys.
7. Deep Purple
8. CCR

[Brooke]

Round 1 - Matches 1-8 (First Half of the Draw)

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

#8 is super tough for me as I love both bands and have seen them both only once. I will be sad to see either go, but Aerosmith has that 'edge' of wild man Steven Tyler!

And I can already see the outcome, I think! Those 8 that you listed in the first bye! We shall see!

Thanks for the game, JCL!

[Funk 50]

Thanks for the summary of the prelims JCL. I'm no fan of Bon Jovi but I think they've been around long enough now to earn some respect.

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC :: Not keen on the Mac. Styx are an 80s hair band as far as I know

Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD :: Bon Jovi are an 80s hair band. Lynyrd Skynyrd have the honour of being my least favourite record out all the hundreds I've I ever bought. Freebird

Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES :: Thin Lizzy are great. The Beatles are the greatest.

Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES :: Foreigner are an 80s hair band from the 70s. The Stones are great.

Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS :: Initially I thought this was close but Mike Campbell's co-written some of my favourite Henley & Nicks songs. No contest.

Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS :: Beach Boys, I can listen to and enjoy many tracks. Genesis, it's many hours.

Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M. :: In the past I've got deep into R.E.M. although not their really early, "critically acclaimed" crap. The post Zevon stuff. They're overrated. Deep Purple are great although a little indulgent. Unfortunately I switch off when guys (and gals) start screaming.

Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH :: I like a few CCR songs. If Aerosmith come on the radio I switch channel even before Tyler gets screamy. I prefer Run DMC.

[Funk 50]

I don't mind Queen, I like a lot of their music.... I just cannot abide Brian May. ... something about him really rubs me up wrong...

I get it thelastresort, he's an astrophysicist. What was it Badgers or Beavers or something? :roll:

My favourite The Naked Gun joke: "Nice Beaver" :rofl:

[L101]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

[Roey]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

[Freypower]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLEvs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

They were all easy except Match 2. I don't like Bon Jovi. In fact yesterday I deleted most of the Crossroad CD from iTunes. The fact remains though that the only Skynyrd song I have ever heard is Sweet Home Alabama (no, I haven't heard Free Bird). I'm not the biggest Petty fan either but he's better than ZZ Top. I've seen REM & only because of the Out Of Time album I had to choose them above Mike's beloved Deep Purple. I do think 8 is a tough match (not for me, though).

ETA: I posted before I had seen the other votes. I can't believe anyone could vote for Thin Lizzy over the greatest band of all time. Wow.

[UK TimFan]

Round 1 - Matches 1-8 (First Half of the Draw)
Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

Abstaining on matches 5, 7, and 8.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Round 1 - Matches 1-8 (First Half of the Draw)And I can already see the outcome, I think! Those 8 that you listed in the first bye! We shall see!

I don't want to give too much away about the draw for the latter half of this round (five of these bands are in the latter half of the draw for this round) but I will provide a 'teaser' by saying that it might be possible for them to get the quarter finals together. I'm not sure they will all survive this round though.

Here's my thoughts on the first half of the draw:

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC - No contest for me, with Rumours alone being enough to give this one to Fleetwood Mac. Throw in the other great songs from the Buckingham/Nicks and Peter Green eras and it's a no brainer in my mind. I'm pleased to say Fleetwood Mac appear on course for a 'Landslide' victory. :)

Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD - Also no contest as I much, much prefer Lynyrd Skynyrd to Bon Jovi.

Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES - In some ways I think I enjoy Thin Lizzy's music more, but I can't honestly vote for them over The Beatles.

Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES - Another relatively easy one for me, The Stones quite simply are the better band in my mind.

Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - Actually one of the more difficult choices IMO, I like music by both of them. I think I'll go for ZZ Top. Kind of surprised how one sided this match has been.

Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS - I can enjoy music by both, but here I will vote against one of the 'favourites' by giving my vote to Genesis. They have more variety and have better lyrics than The Beach Boys (part of the reason I feel Pet Sounds is overrated is it just has too much of a 'teenager in love' feel to it).

Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M. - R.E.M. are a very good band, but Purple are one of the very best, and I cannot ignore Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore's superb musicianship. I think Purple's classic albums are more consistent than R.E.M.'s. In Rock and Machine Head are IMO brilliant from start to finish whereas Out Of Time and Automatic For The People have some great tracks but also a bit of filler.

Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH - I prefer CCR's swamp rock to Aerosmith, although I can definitely see why some people find this a challenging decision and I wouldn't begrudge Aerosmith a place in Round 2.

[WalshFan88]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

[L101]

ETA: I posted before I had seen the other votes. I can't believe anyone could vote for Thin Lizzy over the greatest band of all time. Wow.

While I like the Beatles, I honestly wouldn't consider them to be the greatest band of all time! True they were one of the first classic rock bands but it doesn't justify calling them the greatest band of all time. They were a huge influence to other musicians - Ringo Starr was a major influence on Don's drumming style for instance.

The Beatles music all sounds the same, it may be catchy, but it does get boring after a while. I don't see how every song is fantastic and could be listened to all the time. Personally I prefer their individual music, I love John Lennon and Paul McCartney but as the Beatles, I would give them a miss.

Thin Lizzy on the other hand are the quintessential Irish rock band! They influenced so many bands as their musical spectrum was so wide ranging including blues, soul, and traditional Irish music, but they are generally known for their hard rock. All you have to do is to listen to 'Whisky in the jar' and 'Boys are back in town' to hear their genius.

I wouldn't call them the greatest band of all time either as it is near impossible to label any band with that title - unless of course, you are Kanye West !

[NOLA]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

Re: no. 8, as much as I enjoy CCR for their "swamp rock" (used to think they were from New Orleans, and great description, JCL!) , I'll go with Aerosmith on this one. Their sound is as much gritty northeast rock as the Eagles were southern CA style.

[AlreadyGone95]

While I like the Beatles, I honestly wouldn't consider them to be the greatest band of all time! True they were one of the first classic rock bands but it doesn't justify calling them the greatest band of all time. They were a huge influence to other musicians - Ringo Starr was a major influence on Don's drumming style for instance.

The Beatles music all sounds the same, it may be catchy, but it does get boring after a while. I don't see how every song is fantastic and could be listened to all the time. Personally I prefer their individual music, I love John Lennon and Paul McCartney but as the Beatles, I would give them a miss.

Thin Lizzy on the other hand are the quintessential Irish rock band! They influenced so many bands as their musical spectrum was so wide ranging including blues, soul, and traditional Irish music, but they are generally known for their hard rock. All you have to do is to listen to 'Whisky in the jar' and 'Boys are back in town' to hear their genius.

I wouldn't call them the greatest band of all time either as it is near impossible to label any band with that title - unless of course, you are Kanye West !

I agree with you,Lacken.

As I said in my post, The Beatles never appealed to me. I can think of maybe 8 songs of theirs that I would say that I enjoy. I really don't care for their solo work either, except for Paul's work with Wings. I realize that without them, most of my favorite bands wouldn't exist so I respect their influence o. Music and pop culture worldwise, but I don't enjoy them much on a music level.

Thin Lizzy, I admit that I don't know as much about them as some of the bands on the list. I'm familiar with some of their albums (Jailbreak, Johnny the Fox, Vegabonds of the Western World etc). From the 4 or so albums I've heard, Lizzy are a great hard rock band. Hard rock is my overall favorite sub genre of music, so that's why I went with Thin Lizzy over The Beatles.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

Okay JCL - Match #8 - it is criminal to put these two bands head-to-head so early. :lol: I really had to struggle with that one, but, in the end, CCR got my vote simply because I like maybe one or two more of their songs than I do Aerosmith.

And Re: The Beatles. They are not my favorite band - that honor goes to some 70's L.A. band whose name escapes me at the moment. :wink: And while I agree it is hard to name a greatest band of all time, they are as close as you can get. Why?


They were a huge influence to other musicians ...

I certainly can appreciate that not everyone may enjoy their music, but I totally disagree with any notion that their music is one-dimensional. If you listen to their catalog, there is almost no resemblance between their early, middle, and later stuff. They practically invented experimentation with different musical styles and instrumentation. And this was all accomplished in less than a decade. As L101 mentioned, there is hardly a band around even today that wasn't influence by them in some way.

[L101]

And Re: The Beatles. They are not my favorite band - that honor goes to some 70's L.A. band whose name escapes me at the moment. :wink: And while I agree it is hard to name a greatest band of all time, they are as close as you can get. Why?

I certainly can appreciate that not everyone may enjoy their music, but I totally disagree with any notion that their music is one-dimensional. If you listen to their catalog, there is almost no resemblance between their early, middle, and later stuff. They practically invented experimentation with different musical styles and instrumentation. And this was all accomplished in less than a decade. As L101 mentioned, there is hardly a band around even today that wasn't influence by them in some way.

Fair enough, they probably influenced the majority of bands over the past 40 odd years, and experimented with musical styles
but I would still choose Thin Lizzy over them any day. Like I said, I prefer the Beatles solo work.
My favourite band though is somewhere along the lines of your favourite band :grin:

But what got to me was the assumption that you had to choose the Beatles over Thin Lizzy just because they were "the Beatles"...
Quote: ETA: I posted before I had seen the other votes. I can't believe anyone could vote for Thin Lizzy over the greatest band of all time. Wow.

And as the quotee always says, "I will say no more", I just prefer Thin Lizzy over the Beatles - its not the end of the world :)

[Freypower]

Fair enough, they probably influenced the majority of bands over the past 40 odd years, and experimented with musical styles
but I would still choose Thin Lizzy over them any day. Like I said, I prefer the Beatles solo work.
My favourite band though is somewhere along the lines of your favourite band :grin:

But what got to me was the assumption that you had to choose the Beatles over Thin Lizzy just because they were "the Beatles"...
Quote: ETA: I posted before I had seen the other votes. I can't believe anyone could vote for Thin Lizzy over the greatest band of all time. Wow.

And as the quotee always says, "I will say no more", I just prefer Thin Lizzy over the Beatles - its not the end of the world :)

I didn't say 'I will say no more' then. And it isn't just because they were 'the Beatles'. See Dreamer's post above.

[Lisa]

1. Styx
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. The Beatles
4. Foreigner
5. ZZ Top
6. The Beach Boys
7. Deep Purple
8. Aerosmith

[Funk 50]

While I like the Beatles, I honestly wouldn't consider them to be the greatest band of all time! True they were one of the first classic rock bands but it doesn't justify calling them the greatest band of all time. They were a huge influence to other musicians - Ringo Starr was a major influence on Don's drumming style for instance.

The Beatles music all sounds the same, it may be catchy, but it does get boring after a while. I don't see how every song is fantastic and could be listened to all the time. Personally I prefer their individual music, I love John Lennon and Paul McCartney but as the Beatles, I would give them a miss.

Thin Lizzy on the other hand are the quintessential Irish rock band! They influenced so many bands as their musical spectrum was so wide ranging including blues, soul, and traditional Irish music, but they are generally known for their hard rock. All you have to do is to listen to 'Whisky in the jar' and 'Boys are back in town' to hear their genius.

I wouldn't call them the greatest band of all time either as it is near impossible to label any band with that title - unless of course, you are Kanye West !


Nice Try Lacken101. :thumbsup:


Decades after they split and without a huge reunion to promote it, The Beatles had a Number 1 hit album, that consisted entirely of Number 1 hit singles. Songs that made number 2, in the charts, didn't make the cut. As good as they are, Thin Lizzy are not in the same league.

I've heard Whisky In The Jar and The Boys Are Back In Town and others too. I can assure you Lacken101 that I wasn't thinking "Wow! These guys are better than the Beatles"

I can believe anyone saying that they'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy than the Beatles but to say that they were a better band, is pretty ludicrous... and that, pretty much, goes for every other band in the competition too.

You're not from Ireland are you?


PS. It's painful witnessing every vote for The Beach Boys
#Not Fun :worried:

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Nice Try Lacken101. :thumbsup:


Decades after they split and without a huge reunion to promote it, The Beatles had a Number 1 hit album, that consisted entirely of Number 1 hit singles. Songs that made number 2, in the charts, didn't make the cut. As good as they are, Thin Lizzy are not in the same league.

I've heard Whisky In The Jar and The Boys Are Back In Town and others too. I can assure you Lacken101 that I wasn't thinking "Wow! These guys are better than the Beatles"

I can believe anyone saying that they'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy than the Beatles but to say that they were a better band, is pretty ludicrous... and that, pretty much, goes for every other band in the competition too.

You're not from Ireland are you?


PS. It's painful witnessing every vote for The Beach Boys
#Not Fun :worried:

"Better" is subjective, and is the whole point of competitions like this. The Beatles were more than their music, and they moved music and an entire generation to a new era. They were a phenomenon, that's for sure. However, for myself, I've never been able to figure out why. I've always considered it to be a case something new and different catching on, and then everyone needed to follow along. To me, they were a popular fad with about as much to recommend them as any other fad. Today, they are more remembered for what they did for music than their actual songs. I just can't follow the attraction of songs like Sgt. Peppers and Yellow Submarine. Their later music had a lot more substance, IMO.

I know there are people who really love the Beatles, and more power to them. Me, I've changed the radio station every time one of their songs comes on for 40 years, and I don't own anything they've ever put out. I'm 53 years old, and in my entire life, past high school, I've only ever had one friend who liked them, so it's not just me. There's no doubting their icon status, they just aren't my icons.

[sodascouts]

Match 1. STYX vs FLEETWOOD MAC

;)

Match 2. BON JOVI vs LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY vs THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER vs THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 6. GENESIS vs THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE vs R.E.M.
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL vs AEROSMITH

[Freypower]

"Better" is subjective, and is the whole point of competitions like this. The Beatles were more than their music, and they moved music and an entire generation to a new era. They were a phenomenon, that's for sure. However, for myself, I've never been able to figure out why. I've always considered it to be a case something new and different catching on, and then everyone needed to follow along. To me, they were a popular fad with about as much to recommend them as any other fad. Today, they are more remembered for what they did for music than their actual songs. I just can't follow the attraction of songs like Sgt. Peppers and Yellow Submarine. Their later music had a lot more substance, IMO.

I know there are people who really love the Beatles, and more power to them. Me, I've changed the radio station every time one of their songs comes on for 40 years, and I don't own anything they've ever put out. I'm 53 years old, and in my entire life, past high school, I've only ever had one friend who liked them, so it's not just me. There's no doubting their icon status, they just aren't my icons.

Their fans remember them for their songs. I could give you a list of at least 50 songs, right now, that I could not do without. I cannot do that for any other band. Look at the list of album titles & you will find an unsurpassed body of work. If they were a 'fad' they would not be as beloved as they are to this day.

[EagleLady]

VA, You couldn't be more wrong about The Beatles. They are remembered for more than their songs, their legacy on pop culture and their influence on today's music is more than apparent.

[Freypower]

VA, You couldn't be more wrong about The Beatles. They are remembered for more than their songs, their legacy on pop culture and their influence on today's music is more than apparent.

Actually VA diddn't dispute their influence. She said it was the songs that weren't remembered as much, and that's what I disagreed with.

[Funk 50]

I remember Don (F) saying how great it was to sing Hotel California at the United Nations and have people from all over the world singing along.
You could do that with dozens of Beatles songs including the much maligned Yellow Submarine. Watching Ringo, Joe and Tim, plus all the other All Starrs perform Yellow Submarine live, was a brilliant and memorable experience.

I've never felt so much love and joy during a concert performance. It was joyously life affirming, right up there with Desperado, Life's Been Good and Hotel California as a concert experience. I can't begin to imagine how good it would've been if John, Paul and George were on stage singing it too!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Like I said, I knew people here didn't agree with me, and more power to them for liking what most consider the best band ever. All I was trying to say is that not everyone feels that way, and it's more than just Lacken and me. F50 made the comment that they are the best band in the competition, and I was saying 'best' is subjective, and not everyone agrees with it. Perhaps I was too overly influenced by the likes of Waylon and Willie, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams to appreciate the sound of the Beatles.

[AlreadyGone95]

I think with me, it's a bit of a generational gap thing. As I said before, I grew up on my parents' music and that music formed the basis of my taste. However, I don't remember hearing much of the Beatles as a kid. I remember Here Comes the Sun, Let It Be, Revolution, and Come Together, all 4 of which I do like.(Come Together and Let It Be are my favorite song of theirs). I've listened to their albums, and overall, I'm not impressed, especially with the earlier stuff. For me, they are a band in which I want to own a cheap greatest hits of for the occasional listen to.

I don't knock them for their influence on music. Heck, in school, The Beatles were the only band that my classmates could name that were close to my tastes. It'd be like "Oh, you like that old music like The Beatles". I just don't get the big deal. Maybe it's because of growing up in a different era where there's so much different music? Maybe it's because I can't understand what it was like to turn on the TV and see the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show (or in concert like Glenn did). For me, the music that they help to create had already existed for a long time when I became interested in music. I don't know what it was like to experience Beatlemania. (I hot stuck with Justin Beiber mania :yuck: ).

The Bottom line is that I don't like 90% of the Beatles' music. If you do, then enjoy listening to them! :)

I'm basing my votes in this competition on my personal feelings on each band, so I don't take popularity into consideration.

[L101]

Nice Try Lacken101. :thumbsup:


Decades after they split and without a huge reunion to promote it, The Beatles had a Number 1 hit album, that consisted entirely of Number 1 hit singles. Songs that made number 2, in the charts, didn't make the cut. As good as they are, Thin Lizzy are not in the same league.

I've heard Whisky In The Jar and The Boys Are Back In Town and others too. I can assure you Lacken101 that I wasn't thinking "Wow! These guys are better than the Beatles"

I can believe anyone saying that they'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy than the Beatles but to say that they were a better band, is pretty ludicrous... and that, pretty much, goes for every other band in the competition too.

You're not from Ireland are you?


PS. It's painful witnessing every vote for The Beach Boys
#Not Fun :worried:

Why is it a nice try F50? I'm not saying that the Beatles were bad, I just don't like them as much as some people on here do!! (And yes I am from Ireland. Are you from England by any chance ?? :))

When I said listen to the Thin Lizzy songs, it was to hear how good their music sounded just in comparison to the Beatles. I would never assume people would think "wow they are a better band than the Beatles"! Can you imagine someone insisting that you have to like the Beatles because they think they are the best band in the world, that would never happen here would it :grin:

I agree with VA regarding the popular fad comment. Yes there are people who love them and people who don't think much of them......I'd nearly say they are a Marmite band - you either love them or hate them!!

[UndertheWire]

I've never been a Beatles fan. They were everywhere when I was a child, so were both over-familiar and old-fashioned by the time I reached my teens and their songs were covered by everybody, including some very middle-of-the-road artists. I could name and sing along to dozens of their songs but I don't own any of them. Thin Lizzy are more to my liking - I've always loved their version of Whisky in the Jar. I can still appreciate that The Beatles had a huge impact on the music industry, leading the shift of power from producer to artist but they're no more relevant to me than Elvis.

[sodascouts]

I think Beatles music is overrated, but I've never even heard of Thin Lizzy.

[WalshFan88]

My thoughts are this.

I love Thin Lizzy's music. I like the Beatles music, but am more of a Stones man. BUT I recognize the greatness that is the Beatles, and just for impact alone Beatles win. I probably personally listen to TL more, but I do like the Fab Four and their music, and feel that they had a huge impact on people and musicians who's music we also love.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Well I was going to come back and put up the results for the first half of Round One... and I was NOT happy to find the responses. The game has been drawn into an irrelevant debate about The Beatles and one which could make those who do not believe that The Beatles should be placed on a special pedestal of their own uncomfortable.

I will draw particular attention to this comment, which I feel has derailed this thread. My heart sunk when I read it as it goes so far against the tone in which I hoped this game would be played.

'I can believe anyone saying that they'd rather listen to Thin Lizzy than the Beatles but to say that they were a better band, is pretty ludicrous... and that, pretty much, goes for every other band in the competition too.'

Firstly, if you read through the introductory posts I think will you find that the idea of the game involves voting for your favourite band. I feel annoyed that this misconception may now have spread thanks to this inaccurate statement. Secondly, I can personally think of band that, in my opinion, made better music than The Beatles. It's just that - an opinion. You are perfectly entitled to your opinion but it only counts for one vote in each round. I was not impressed by the tone of your comments about Journey, Thin Lizzy and R.E.M., but at least I can understand why you were upset that your preferred choices lost. The Beatles were winning that tie comfortably and yet you saw fit to criticise one of the few votes against them. Thirdly, the game only works when people feel comfortable when making unpopular musical opinions. This is a particular sensitive issue with The Beatles, a band which many non-fans see as a 'sacred cow' which cannot be criticised without. None of these bands are sacred and all of them should have a fair chance of winning. You telling them that voting for any other band is ludicrous is intimidating to voters who happen to disagree with your views. I would have been okay if you had said that you thought that match was no contest but a comment like that could easily put someone off voting in the game. Finally, how would you feel if someone had told you that 'to say that Genesis were better than The Beach Boys is pretty ludicrous'? This game will not work if voters do not respect the views of others.

Right now though, I think an apology to L101 might be in order. How dare she have an opinion that differs from yours! Given that she clearly states she is from Ireland I felt that comment was also unnecessary.

With regards to which is the best band in the game I can only quote the Eagles on this: 'Who can go the distance? We'll find out in the long run'. I do have my opinion but I feel it would not be appropriate to share it at this stage.

In light of this I will be introducing a new rule, lifted straight from the Survivor games. I hoped this would not be necessary, but I feel like I now have no choice to ensure that people do not feel threatened when posting controversial choices.

. Do not criticize how/why other people vote. Their reasons are their own and they are free to vote however they like. Also, never attack a fellow poster. You can disagree without making it personal. Sometimes these games can get heated, but remember... it's still just a game.

The parts in bold are the most important parts and from on I will be enforcing these rules strictly. Disagreements are absolutely fine, but directly questioning other posters in an aggressive manner about their choices will not be tolerated from now on and anyone who does this can expect their votes to get ignored. I am sorry to have to do this but I feel that this will be necessary to ensure that the game continues to be fun. Anyone who makes surly comments about this in their attempts to vote will be asked to stop contributing altogether. Again, the game is meant to be fun.

I have decided that the game will take a two week break now (partly as I will again be away for a week from Friday) in order to allow things to cool down. I will however now post the results, with everyone's votes counting.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Time's up for the first half of the first round and voting on these matches is now closed.

The results of these matches are shown below, with the number of points won by each band in the match being shown.

In each case, the winning band is shown in bold, the loser in italics, as before. However, this time we have one drawn match.

Match 1. STYX 1-14 FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI 7-8 LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY 3-12 THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER 4-11 THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP 2-12 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (1 abstention)
Match 6. GENESIS 7-8 THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE 6-8 R.E.M. (1 abstention)
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER Revival 7-7 AEROSMITH - Draw (1 abstention)
I am aware that the CCR and Aerosmith clash (Match 8) has ended in a draw and therefore this will need to be dealt with later. I will confirm what will happen at the time when this round ends.

The game will now take a break and hopefully when it returns it will be played in a good spirit where people feel free to voice their opinions on the music, even if they are unpopular or unusual, without being criticised by other voters.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

JCL, I'm sorry if you felt the discussion got out of hand. I didn't see where things heated up, I felt it was just discussion. In fact, my thoughts were that people were voting for bands and not discussing their choices, and not everyone is going to agree with everyone. What F50 said was pretty strong, but as someone who doesn't like the Beatles, I can tell you I've run across far worse. For people who like the band, and given their legendary status, there's usually not a place for me to express my opinion. I felt it was welcome here and so I gave it. Again, I'm sorry if it offended you. Perhaps one of other mods can move the discussion to a more relevant thread. You'll understand if I remove myself from further discussion in this game.

[AlreadyGone95]

I also don't see where things got out of hand. There were some opinions that were stated as facts, and that's as bad as it got,imo. However, it's your game, and your call on this.

As VA said, I've seen worse than this when saying that I'm not a Beatles fan. I feel that my comment when I first posted my votes that "my vote for #3 will probably be in vain" might have started this debate. If that's the case, then I do apologize.

I'll end with saying this, I have enjoyed playing this game and I look forward to its resumption in 2 weeks :).

[L101]

JCL - thanks for sticking up for me in your post :grin: I appreciate that you think I need an apology but its not really necessary. I felt it was just a lively discussion/debate as I thought that is what you wanted when people give their vote. I've grown a nice thick skin since I joined The Border (its my first ever message board!!) and I've gotten to learn how certain people will react, no matter what you say.

But I also think its good that you are bringing the Survivor rule "Do not criticize how/why other people vote. Their reasons are their own and they are free to vote however they like. Also, never attack a fellow poster. You can disagree without making it personal. Sometimes these games can get heated, but remember... it's still just a game." into the game. As you know, Survivor games can usually get a bit heated but it is nice to have a little bit of discussion regarding voting for your favourite band otherwise it does get a little bit boring and its nice to hear different views from other people - sometimes that actually gets me listening to a band I would never otherwise consider.

So see you all back here after the two week break and we can kick it all off again :thumbsup:
ETA:: VA, I hope you join in the discussion when the game resumes in two weeks....

[Funk 50]

I'm very sorry JCL. I didn't read your rules before the game and I'm very ashamed and disappointed that I've scuppered the contest for 2 weeks.

I have every respect for all the contributors here, I enjoy reading the posts and have no intention to attack or intimidate anybody.

Again I'm sorry for ruining your game Jonny Come Lately, I'll take no further part. :sigh:

[Jonny Come Lately]

Just wanted to say I'm sorry about the fallout from my reaction to the posts made while I was away. Coming back to these posts tired after my weekend away I probably overreacted and saw it as being worse than it was. I apologise for this. I was concerned that if things were this heated in the first round proper then it could get unpleasant in the later rounds where more popular bands were up against each other.

F50, please do not worry about ruining the game. I fully accept your reply and I do not believe you were intentionally upsetting anyone so you have not ruined it in any way. It was a misunderstanding on my part and the rules could have been more coherently structured and posted all in one go so it's my fault to a significant extent. Your contributions are perfectly welcome - I enjoyed reading your comments on the matches in the preliminary round. I encourage you, and everyone else who has voted so far, to continue to contribute as long as you feel comfortable to do so.

(If it's any consolation like you I am not especially happy to see Genesis gone - I honestly thought they'd do just enough to win that one, shame but never mind - and I do think The Beatles are better than Thin Lizzy).

Given that one of the matches in this round has ended in a draw there is unfortunately now not enough time before I go away for me to fully complete the round anyway. I am considering reopening voting for the CCR v Aerosmith tie as this would require 24 hours at most, hopefully less, although this would only be open to people who have not already voted in this round. Thanks for your supportive comments about the game and I look forward to reopening it once I return. :thumbsup:

[L101]

The stress eventually gets to the best of us JCL :grin: but I'm loving the game and hope that everyone is fit and ready to go when it reopens in two weeks time!!

I think we all got a bit carried away in the game but hey, that's what makes it all the more exciting and fun !!

JCL, I hope you enjoy your time away and that the British Grand Prix was fun and F50, look forward to the next round :partytime:

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for asking about the British GP, L101, I had a fantastic time. I will probably post about it more in the Cheap Talk And Wine section.

(I didn't' reveal it when I started the round but I had decided before the race that I wouldn't check the times at which the votes were posted if Lewis Hamilton won the race... he won so I let all the votes count without seeing whether they were in the 48 hour limit :)).

-----------------------------------------------

I have decided to reopen voting on the one drawn match in this round so far (there were a couple of other close ones as the results show but these were decided by the odd vote).

However I must apologise to the regular voters so far and say that voting on this tie is exclusively open to people who have not voted yet. I am hoping that board members who perhaps have not voted due to indifference about other ties in the round have an opinion on these two bands. I would encourage people to vote if they have a preference in this battle even if it is the only contribution they make to the game at all.

The outcome of this tie will be decided by 'sudden death' or to use a less bleak description 'Next vote wins', i.e. the next valid vote will determine whether it is CCR or Aerosmith who enters the next round. Voting will be open for up to 24 hours although will close as soon as the first vote is submitted if before then.

Voting on this tie reopens immediately and, just to be clear, the first vote will win so if you think that Aerosmith should advance or that CCR should continue and are yet to vote on this round just go for your preferred choice. If 24 hours elapse and no one has voted I will have to give myself a second vote to end this match. This isn't really fair, but I cannot leave voting open forever and in a game which at its heart as about favourite bands a truly fair method like tossing a coin just isn't satisfactory IMO. I'd rather not have to resort to this though so please, if you haven't voted, give your opinion on just this one match:

Match 8: Creedence Clearwater Revival 7-7 Aerosmith (1 abstention)

Once the game proper restarts 2 weeks from now I should hopefully not be away from my home computer for any extended time and we should be able to play the game to the end. :partytime:

[WalshFan88]

Aerosmith (by a country mile)

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for your contribution but you've already voted on this round, so I'm afraid I can't count your vote on this, Austin. :sad:

Having said this, if no one votes I can count your vote instead of mine to decide the round, so I thank you for giving this alternative option.

[WalshFan88]

Thanks for your contribution but you've already voted on this round, so I'm afraid I can't count your vote on this, Austin. :sad:

Having said this, if no one votes I can count your vote instead of mine to decide the round, so I thank you for giving this alternative option.

I thought everyone was supposed to vote on a tiebreaker?!

Thanks. :)

[Jonny Come Lately]

What I meant was that the next 'new' vote would win. I'm sorry if that wasn't previously made clear. The problem with a tiebreaker is that I am aware that an even number of people voted in this round with the end result of 7-7 and there is a risk that the same result.

Having said that, if no one votes before tonight then I think I might change the method of deciding this match to a tiebreaker with everyone free to vote over 24 hours, with the result of the second round being decided by the outcome of the tiebreaker. The previous result would effectively being ignored in determining the winner, although it would still be shown in the final results for the round.

You wouldn't object too strongly if I did this Austin? I can count your vote as I don't think you are too likely to change it based on your comment so the tiebreaker would start at Aerosmith 1-0 CCR.

The ideal situation would probably be for anyone who abstained to return and choose a favourite by (I would be open to people voting based on say, checking out one popular song by each band, and making their choice simply based on which one they prefer). Having said this anyone who feels sufficiently indifferent to abstain on the match in the first place and as only one person abstained on this tie I doubt this will happen, and it is perfectly understandable.

I'm quite glad now that I don't have to cast the final vote myself though whatever happens.

[NYC Fan]

JCL-

Hopefully those of us who are just joining the game can vote too?

If so, I'll cast my vote for CCR. Lookin' Out My Back Door was the first 45 I ever bought, at age 7. The beginning of a lifetime of music appreciation 😀

Looking forward to joining the next rounds, if it's not too late to join!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

JCL-

Hopefully those of us who are just joining the game can vote too?

If so, I'll cast my vote for CCR. Lookin' Out My Back Door was the first 45 I ever bought, at age 7. The beginning of a lifetime of music appreciation ��

Looking forward to joining the next rounds, if it's not too late to join!

NYC_Fan, welcome back!!!!!!!! We missed you!

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for your nomination. We have a winner - CCR will join the other seven bands confirmed earlier in Round Two. My commiserations to Aerosmith and everyone who voted for them, this was a close contest (both bands are very popular, whereas I'm not that surprised that Fleetwood Mac breezed past Styx).

I can now post all of the results of the first half of the first round proper:
Match 1. STYX 1-14 FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI 7-8 LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY 3-12 THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER 4-11 THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP 2-12 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (1 abstention)
Match 6. GENESIS 7-8 THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE 6-8 R.E.M. (1 abstention)
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 8-7 AEROSMITH* (1 abstention)
* Finished 7-7 in regular voting time - determined by sudden death vote

(Curiously, looking back at the results for the first half of this round all of the matches seemed to either be very close, or produced a comfortable winner. I will look into this further when I analyse the round as a whole after completion but this became very noticeable as the votes came in).

NYC_Fan, I am afraid it is too late to vote on the first half of the first round but when the game resumes in just under two weeks everyone is welcome to vote, including those who have not already participated, so if you wish to contribute do so by all means. At no stage is it too late to join the game, if for instance someone is only interested in voting on the final then I'm fine with that.

Out of curiosity, out of these eight ties are there any matches where you preferred the defeated bands?

[Funk 50]

Well I've popped back to see what's happened and I'm delighted that things aren't as bad as they appeared yesterday, except Genesis are no longer in the contest. A close call against the mighty Beach Boys is a pretty good performance.


As The Border Battle Of The Bands 2015 is on a hiatus,I hope it's not taking the thread too far off topic to list my favourite bands. I love loads of bands and solo performers but here's my top 6 bands;

1 Genesis >> The deeper I dug, the more I found to like. Gabriel and Collins are musical colossi. (which spell-check didn't question so it must a correct word)

2 Eagles >> As much as I love Barnstorm and The James Gang. They only lasted 2 or 3 years. The Eagles are the Walsh band that stuck around for 40 years... and counting. Great songs, Great vocals, Great musicians, production etc. etc.

3 Elbow >> It could be because they're local but after many years of struggle they finally hit the big time in 2008, much to the delight of all the friends they made along the way. Genesis without the instrumental solos. Great front man/lead singer, Guy Garvey. Still have the original line up after 20ish years and I know all their names.

4 El Rayo-X >> I seem to have this thing about bands beginning with E. El Rayo-X were an 80s band, featuring string instrument virtuoso, David Lindley. The vocals were an acquired taste but the vibes were always terrific. I wish they'd lasted longer but the American circuit seems to be a band demolisher.

5 ELO >> I was too young for The Beatles but I loved the 70s version, ELO. Great tunes, top notch production. Just on the rocky side of pop. Each album built on the previous.

6 Spirit >> I could've gone for Status Quo but I thought they went through a sticky patch for 15 or so years from the early 80s. I see Spirit as the American version of Genesis, although they preceded Genesis by several years, Their music is probably a little jazzier too.

Spirit were a retrospective discovery as I explored Jay Ferguson's back catalogue. Another victim of the American live circuit. I'm sure they would have been huge if they were British. Bassist, Mark Andes must have one of the best résumés in rock and I do love Jay Ferguson. Any pal of Joe's is a pal of mine.


Thanks for the general apology Jonny Come Lately. I hope you find the rest of the game rewarding and hugely enjoyable. That goes for everybody else, who is joining in too. :thumbsup:

[AlreadyGone95]

I read the results wrong at first. I thought that Genesis had won. Ah crap.. :sad:

As for CCR vs. Aerosmith, I like both bands almost equally. I'm glad that one of them is moving on to the next round.

I much enjoy playing this game :)

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for posting that F50. During the break contributions like this are welcome by all means!

There's nothing new I can say about #2 on your list. :thumbsup: I have only recently started to listen to Genesis (mainly from the Gabriel era) but have really liked what I've heard. I know ELO reasonably well without ever making an active effort to listen to their music, same goes for Elbow although I have to say One Day Like This is a very good song. I first heard of Spirit when I heard they were taking legal action against Led Zeppelin for plagiarising their song Taurus in making Stairway to Heaven. I will admit I honestly hadn't heard of El Rayo-X before now, although I know David Lindley quite well thanks to his work with Jackson Browne (IIRC he plays pedal steel on Jackson's version of Take It Easy).

Genesis were definitely unlucky to come up against The Beach Boys. I must admit I had them down as a 'dark horse' but the draw reckoned against them. It is difficult to guess how people might have voted in hypothetical matches, but out of the fifteen possible opponents that ended up in this half of the draw, they had one of the toughest and I think they could have beaten quite a few of the others. They'd have probably taken a few votes from Petty & The Heartbreakers had they ended up in match 5 in ZZ Top's place, and although I doubt they'd have beaten Fleetwood Mac I think they'd have given them a better run for their money than Styx for sure. As soon as I saw that pairing, I thought that Mac had got a pretty easy draw, and so it proved.

My most personally satisfying result from this round was Lynyrd Sknyrd seeing off Bon Jovi. It was quite tight in the end but I much prefer the Southern rockers. The other tie where I had a very strong preference was no contest. It seems I wasn't alone in preferring Fleetwood Mac over Styx, to say the least! My vote for ZZ Top was partially out of sympathy and had the tie been closer I would have considered voted for Petty & The Heartbreakers. I like songs by both but don't strongly favour one over the other.

The result I most disagree with is R.E.M.'s victory over Deep Purple, although it was fairly close and while I prefer Deep Purple and feel their best albums are more consistent, I can understand why people find their music and vocals overwhelming. I like R.E.M. so I'm not too disappointed, and I'm not surprised that they did win as they are a band that appeals to fans of pop, rock and alternative music alike (Purple mainly appeal to hard rock and metal fans and their songs are generally not particularly radio friendly).

I would list my favourite bands but I must say most of them are still in the game so I will have the chance to give my opinions then. My favourite band from those not included in the game would be Wishbone Ash, who IMO are excellent (Andy Powell and Ted Turner are a fantastic guitar duo) but are not very widely recognised nowadays, even in the UK. From the bands eliminated in the preliminary round the five I most like are Bad Company, Rush, The Allman Brothers, Cream and Blue Oyster Cult.

Thanks for the positive comments F50 and AG95. Should be good when we get going again. :)

[WalshFan88]

As I've said previously, I've always liked the more "mainstream" bands and even poppier stuff. I've always been hits-driven, perhaps because I'm a performer and want to play the big hits. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than launching into a guitar intro that brings everyone to their feet. But still, even my own listening is made up of stuff I've heard lots of times. I rarely burn out on songs, and when I do it usually wears off. I like the hits, and personally believe that most songs are a hit because they are great songs and they resonate with people.

So I've never been much of a Genesis, Floyd, RUSH, Yes, etc fan. Prog has never been my thing. I've always liked poppier stuff and stuff that was less "experimental".

Which is why I'm so disappointed in modern mainstream music, as it used to be really good. I'm not much of an indie/underground guy. I miss the days when pop-style rock n' roll was good and had great lyrics and real music played by real people. I miss the pop rock bands of the 70s and 80s like Sweet with Fox On The Run, or Styx with something like Come Sail Away or Too Much Time On My Hands. I'll take that stuff anyday over "2112" or "YYZ", for instance. I like easy listening where the guitars and the music make the song as much if not more than the lyrics. I pay attention to lyrics, not as much as the music but I do, and today's lyrics are garbage and the music is computerized.

That's why I love modern country (although it's showing signs of becoming less human in it's production) - the music sounds like classic rock. Now the new thing is RnB though (with guys like Sam Hunt), which sucks. I went to see Keith Urban live because of his guitar playing and the music on his records. I couldn't sing one of his songs to you, or know the words but I know the riffs and melody intimately. I've just always been more about the music, less about the lyrics/words. The guitar is what captures me and when I go to a concert, I spend the whole time looking at the guitarist(s). I think frontmen and vocalists are wildly overrated (see another thread in this section for more). They are needed, and I like meaningful lyrics, but their importance to a band is not as much as they think it is, or most people think it is.

[Freypower]

Genesis do have 'poppier' material on the Collins era albums which is why a lot of Gabriel era fans deserted them. Perhaps you should give the Invisible Touch album a try, but you still probably wouldn't like Domino or Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. However I guess that ultimately they are not a guitar band although obviously guitars figure in their work.

I would have thought you would have some appreciation of Alex Lifeson as a guitarist even if you find Rush too prog. I don't really think YYZ is prog & certainly Tom Sawyer isn't. Both of those songs fit your criteria for the music being as important as the lyrics (er... YYZ is an instrumental, of course. Working Man, then. That's just a mainstream rock song).

What about Blue Oyster Cult? Do you consider them prog? Donald Roeser is a great guitarist.

I wasn't into prog at all until I met my husband & to this day I've never heard any Yes. I have no interest in Pink Floyd's earlier albums before Dark Side & I ddin't like The Wall. My husband worships ELP but I can't make myself like more than a couple of their songs.

Lyrics are extremely important to me & that is one of the reasons why suddenly Genesis resonate with me; their lyrics, just as Dire Straits are important. I find that it's hard for me to talk about my other favourite bands on this board although in a way I would like to. It seems too personal & self-indulgent.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

IMO, you have to be a real fan of the Eagles to come here and post a lot, yet I like how we all love this band and yet our other favorites are so very diverse.

[AlreadyGone95]

Styx are considered a prog/aor band, like Kansas or Supertramp(I love both Styx and Supertramp. Breakfast in America is one of my top 15 albums). Granted, they're no ELP, but Come Sail Away definitely as prog aspects to it, as do other hit songs, like Miss America, Mr. Roboto, The Grand Illusion etc.

Rush, I think, are one of the few bands that prog fanatics and rockers can agree on. I love Rush, too, especially the song Subdivisions. Songs like Freewill anx Working Man are more hard rockers than prog rock.

Genesis, I cannot express how much I love the song No Son of Mine. FP covered them well, but I had to talk about that song. (The lyrics of the first verse resonate with me because in most ways, that was my childhood).

I'm a fan of almost every rock/metal sub genre(exceptions being pubk and indie rock). I like a bit of everything. I love prog rock, blues rock, folk rock, hard rock, southern rock, heavy metal, pop rock, thrash metal, death metal, doom metal etc.

[AlreadyGone95]

Here are my favorite bands:

10. Black Sabbath
9. Lynyrd Skynyrd
8. Van Halen
7. Styx
6. Iron Maiden
5. Def Leppard
4. Free
3. Eagles
2. Fleetwood Mac
1. Bad Company

If I had more time, I'd give reasons why I like each band, though the Eagles should be obvious lol.

[Freypower]

I don't know if a separate topic is needed now. Anyway my top 10 bands are:

Beatles
Rolling Stones
Dire Straits
Led Zeppelin
Genesis
Eagles
Bee Gees
Queen
ELO
Oasis

They are all British except for the Eagles who have slipped down the list, and there is nothing I can do about it.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

My favorite bands:

Eagles
MercyMe
Boston
Van Halen
Led Zeppelin
U2
Genesis
Foreigner
Cheap Trick
NewsBoys

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band would hit #3 on my list if I really considered them a band and not a solo artist. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would also make the list.

[AlreadyGone95]

VA, you like Foreigner enough to list them twice? :lol: :p

[WalshFan88]

My top 10:

Eagles
Rolling Stones
AC/DC
Aerosmith
Led Zeppelin
Guns N' Roses
Fleetwood Mac
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Journey
REO Speedwagon

Lots more faves though from Van Halen to Foreigner to Styx to Def Leppard and on and on.

As you can see, other than the Eagles - I prefer more rockin' stuff and guitar-focused stuff. "Eagles" have always been the anomaly for me - normally I'd hate a show that isn't a bit more advanced in lights and production and more upbeat but their music resonated with me. But you'll never find me at a CSN concert. I did go see Jackson Browne, and while it was amazing, it also was a rare occurrence. I think it was because it was such a short drive. Normally I like high energy rock n' roll and modern country shows.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

VA, you like Foreigner enough to list them twice? :lol: :p

Good catch!! Not sure how that happened! I edited my list..

[Jonny Come Lately]

Although Genesis were certainly progressive during the Gabriel era, even then they had a couple of songs which weren't. Look at the Selling England By The Pound album - while Firth Of Fifth and The Battle Of Epping Forest are definitely prog, More Fool Me is a sweet Collins ballad, and I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) was actually a hit single and although it's somewhat quirky it is quite melodic for the most part.

Even Pink Floyd aren't really a pure prog band, at least not in the way the likes of ELP are. Their first two albums, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and A Saucerful Of Secrets are psychedelic rock. Their true progressive rock albums IMO are Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and Animals. The Wall although very progressive in its album structure actually feels more like a hard rock album - not just the likes In The Flesh and Young Lust but. The two 1980s albums are essentially solo projects by Roger Waters (The Final Cut) and David Gilmour (A Momentary Lapse Of Reason). The Division Bell however is more a group effort, albeit without Waters, and I'd describe it as laid-back guitar music in the vein of Dire Straits (although Gilmour's lyrics are not as good as Mark Knopfler's).

I'd agree that Rush straddle hard rock and prog rock. Another song that I'd say leans more towards the former is Red Barchetta, which is from the same album as Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures).

FP, have you ever heard Pink Floyd's Meddle or Obscured by Clouds albums? If you like Wish You Were Here you will probably like a fair bit of the former (One Of These Days, Fearless and Echoes are all among their absolute best songs IMO), and although the latter has a few instrumentals most of the songs are actually quite melodic and accessible. Burning Bridges, The Gold It's In The..., Childhood's End and Free Four are all very good and underrated songs.

Austin, I think you should probably give Wishbone Ash a listen. Knowing your love of great guitar work, and bands with multiple lead guitars like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Walsh/Felder Eagles I'd be surprised if you didn't enjoy at least some of their music. Some of it might be a bit progressive for your liking but it is pretty much all guitar music, not keyboards, and on the whole they lean more towards guitar/bass/drums hard rock (like Led Zeppelin they also have a few acoustic songs). Andy Powell and Ted Turner are one heck of a guitar duo and had plenty of chances to show their skills. I'd suggest maybe start by checking out Jail Bait (from Pilgrimage) and Blowin' Free (from Argus).

Overall I'd say I am a rock fan who isn't attached to any one sub-genre in particular although I have definitely always had a liking for folk-rock. My preferred era stretches from 1965 (Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited) to 1980, a time when a lot of my favourite bands had either broken up (or in one case, went on vacation) or were about to do so, while others went into creative decline. Also, two of my favourite solo artists, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, had disappointing decades in the 1980s, it wasn't Joe Walsh's best era either come to think of it. I think there was an improvement around 1989-1995, although this perception is at least partially thanks to Neil Young's rich run of form in this era with several great albums in succession. Nowadays I think there is still good music around, but with a few exceptions it is not the music that is getting airplay and mainstream attention.

[Funk 50]

Genesis do have 'poppier' material on the Collins era albums which is why a lot of Gabriel era fans deserted them.

I think this is a misconception. The Collins era had tonnes more fans than the Gabriel era. Like The Eagles, the new fans went back a bought the earlier albums and enjoyed the early material too.

In 1987 Genesis were replaced at the top of the charts by Peter Gabriel (or the other way round. Invisible Touch and So were full of hits thanks to MTV.


normally I'd hate a show that isn't a bit more advanced in lights and production

The prog rock bands were the pioneers of live productions. Genesis developed both vari-lights and Jumbotron screens. They didn't realise how revolutionary the Jumbotron screens were until they noticed that at the first full rehearsal, all the screens' support crew had their fingers crossed.

Pink Floyd were the real masters of the jaw dropping light show.
I remember a visual designer, working on part of a Floyd show, being a little worried about informing the band about just how much his idea would cost them, expecting to be asked to scale it down or have it dropped altogether, deemed too expensive. Pink Floyd gave him a huge budget increase and asked him to develop his idea further :).

I'm pretty sure Gilmour brought somebody in to write the lyrics of The Division Bell.

I like about half a dozen Bad Company tracks a lot. I don't think they've made enough albums to be a truly great band. Their record company felt they were inferior to Free but from what I've heard, I prefer Bad Co.

Paul Rodgers has one of those voices I quickly tire of.

I reckon I need to like 20ish tracks or 90% of a bands material to call myself a fan.

[NYC Fan]

NYC_Fan, I am afraid it is too late to vote on the first half of the first round but when the game resumes in just under two weeks everyone is welcome to vote, including those who have not already participated, so if you wish to contribute do so by all means. At no stage is it too late to join the game, if for instance someone is only interested in voting on the final then I'm fine with that.

Out of curiosity, out of these eight ties are there any matches where you preferred the defeated bands?

JCL: Thanks. I was just hoping I could join the game going forward, since I hadn't already voted. Looking forward to it!

If there was one close match where I would have voted for the losing band in the last round, it would have been Genesis over The Beach Boys. I am most definitely not a Beach Boys fan, much as they may have influenced the Eagles. Genesis drove me a little crazy in the 80's because they were so overplayed, but I like them now, and always liked the Gabriel era music.

There are a few bands I would have liked to see make it through: The Police, The Clash (although I like Pearl Jam too), The Band (But Jimi is Jimi after all), but mostly this has gone the way I would have voted. My musical tastes for this contest run less toward mid-70's AOR, and more towards the music I listened to in the late 70's, early 80's, with the exception of the Eagles of course. Hoping U2 does well in this. They start their 8 night run at MSG soon, and I'll be seeing a few of those shows. Looking forward to it! I hear the new show is spectacular. I saw Billy Joel there last week, and couldn't help thinking of all the great Eagles shows at MSG in the last few years.

And thanks for the welcome back, VA! Good to be here. I'm going to see our guys in Hartford next week, and I can't wait to read all the good reviews from everyone going before then!

[AlreadyGone95]

I like about half a dozen Bad Company tracks a lot. I don't think they've made enough albums to be a truly great band. Their record company felt they were inferior to Free but from what I've heard, I prefer Bad Co.

Paul Rodgers has one of those voices I quickly tire of.



Bad Company have released 11 studio albums (12 if you count one with 50% new material). 6 with Paul Rodgers, 4 with Brian Howe, and 1 with Robert Hart as singer (plus Stories Told and Untold, which is 50% old (told) and 50% new (untold). That's more albums than our beloved Eagles have released. Here's a list:

With Paul Rodgers:
Bad Company, Straight Shooter, Run with the Pack, Burnin Sky, Desolation Angels, and Rough Diamonds

With Brian Howe:
Fame and Fortune, Dangerous Age, Holy Water, and Here Comes Trouble

With Rbert Hart:
Company of Strangers and Stories Told and Untold

For me, the album Bad Company is better than all albums bar one, Rumours. I like it more than anything the Eagles did. (I should be preparing for war with that remark). It's my 2nd favorite album of all time. All 6 Paul Rodgers albums are good,imo. Rough Diamonds gets tossed aside by most fans, but it's really one of their best albums. Straight Shooter and Run with the Pack are just a few hairs short of the quality of the album Bad Company. Burnin Sky and Desolation Angels are my least favorites, but are still 4 star albums, for me.

Company of Strangers, though, is my favorite Bad Company album. It has 13 great songs vs. 8 on Bad Company. The song Company of Strangers is my favorite Bad Company song.

The Howe era has its good moments, as well, but it's a far cry from the material with Paul Rodgers.

As for Free vs. Bad Company, I love both. Bad Company is my favorite band and Free ranks 4th. I love blues rock, and both bands play that genre of music damn well. Overall, Bad Company are more popular because they had more than one hit (although Alk Right Now is probably inthe top 10 classic rock songs). Obviously, I like Bad Company more, but Free are one of the best late 60s/early 70s blues/blues rock bands. They released 6 studio albums themselves, Tons of Sobs, Free, Fire and Water, Highway, Free at Last, and Heartbreaker(my favorite album).

I'm on my phone, so it's not easy for me to put links, but here are 2 youtube videos of 2 of Free's best songs. My favorite song of theirs Wishing Well : https://youtu.be/LLSAGnHNqGc and The Stealer: https://youtu.be/ssZtFzrWSVE.

For Bad Company, here's a list I made for them:
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/motormouth16/bad_company______ranked/

If you don't like either band, that's fine, but Bad Company, especially, have released more than enough quality material to be considered a great band. Heck, I hear them on the radio as much as I do the Eagles. When they do occasionally tour (rip bassist Boz Burrell), they have no problem selling out. Fans still love them.

As for Paul Rodgers voice, well that's up to personal taste. For me, he's my favorite singer, and he's called "the voice" for good reason.

[UndertheWire]

6 Spirit >> I could've gone for Status Quo but I thought they went through a sticky patch for 15 or so years from the early 80s. I see Spirit as the American version of Genesis, although they preceded Genesis by several years, Their music is probably a little jazzier too.

Spirit were a retrospective discovery as I explored Jay Ferguson's back catalogue. Another victim of the American live circuit. I'm sure they would have been huge if they were British. Bassist, Mark Andes must have one of the best résumés in rock and I do love Jay Ferguson. Any pal of Joe's is a pal of mine.

I tried to start a Spirit/Jo Jo Gunne thread a while back but nobody bit. I doubt I had much interesting to say but I remember posting links to a couple of really good interviews with Jay Ferguson where he talked through Spirit's "The Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus" and the first Jo Jo Gunne album.

Whilst I'm at it, I'll bemoan the way history has been rewritten so that no one acknowledges that Jo Jo Gunne were the first band to appear on the Asylum label.


Austin, I think you should probably give Wishbone Ash a listen. Knowing your love of great guitar work, and bands with multiple lead guitars like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Walsh/Felder Eagles I'd be surprised if you didn't enjoy at least some of their music. Some of it might be a bit progressive for your liking but it is pretty much all guitar music, not keyboards, and on the whole they lean more towards guitar/bass/drums hard rock (like Led Zeppelin they also have a few acoustic songs). Andy Powell and Ted Turner are one heck of a guitar duo and had plenty of chances to show their skills. I'd suggest maybe start by checking out Jail Bait (from Pilgrimage) and Blowin' Free (from Argus).
I'll second that. Please, Austin, give them a go. You could also try "No Easy Road", a single that was re-recorded for the album Wishbone Four. The bass player plays melodies, too. And if you get hooked, there's lots of information on how they wrote.

[Freypower]

[quote=Funk 50;304619]I think this is a misconception. The Collins era had tonnes more fans than the Gabriel era. Like The Eagles, the new fans went back a bought the earlier albums and enjoyed the early material too.

I would certainly like to think it's the case that earlier fans of Genesis didn't desert them but I do get the opposite feeling occasionally.

I agree about the light shows for prog band. They were as spectacular if not more so than so-called mainstream band shows.

[Freypower]

Bad Company have released 11 studio albums (12 if you count one with 50% new material). 6 with Paul Rodgers, 4 with Brian Howe, and 1 with Robert Hart as singer (plus Stories Told and Untold, which is 50% old (told) and 50% new (untold). That's more albums than our beloved Eagles have released. Here's a list:

With Paul Rodgers:
Bad Company, Straight Shooter, Run with the Pack, Burnin Sky, Desolation Angels, and Rough Diamonds

With Brian Howe:
Fame and Fortune, Dangerous Age, Holy Water, and Here Comes Trouble

With Rbert Hart:
Company of Strangers and Stories Told and Untold

For me, the album Bad Company is better than all albums bar one, Rumours. I like it more than anything the Eagles did. (I should be preparing for war with that remark). It's my 2nd favorite album of all time. All 6 Paul Rodgers albums are good,imo. Rough Diamonds gets tossed aside by most fans, but it's really one of their best albums. Straight Shooter and Run with the Pack are just a few hairs short of the quality of the album Bad Company. Burnin Sky and Desolation Angels are my least favorites, but are still 4 star albums, for me.

Company of Strangers, though, is my favorite Bad Company album. It has 13 great songs vs. 8 on Bad Company. The song Company of Strangers is my favorite Bad Company song.

The Howe era has its good moments, as well, but it's a far cry from the material with Paul Rodgers.

As for Free vs. Bad Company, I love both. Bad Company is my favorite band and Free ranks 4th. I love blues rock, and both bands play that genre of music damn well. Overall, Bad Company are more popular because they had more than one hit (although Alk Right Now is probably inthe top 10 classic rock songs). Obviously, I like Bad Company more, but Free are one of the best late 60s/early 70s blues/blues rock bands. They released 6 studio albums themselves, Tons of Sobs, Free, Fire and Water, Highway, Free at Last, and Heartbreaker(my favorite album).

I'm on my phone, so it's not easy for me to put links, but here are 2 youtube videos of 2 of Free's best songs. My favorite song of theirs Wishing Well : https://youtu.be/LLSAGnHNqGc and The Stealer: https://youtu.be/ssZtFzrWSVE.

For Bad Company, here's a list I made for them:
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/motormouth16/bad_company______ranked/

If you don't like either band, that's fine, but Bad Company, especially, have released more than enough quality material to be considered a great band. Heck, I hear them on the radio as much as I do the Eagles. When they do occasionally tour (rip bassist Boz Burrell), they have no problem selling out. Fans still love them.

As for Paul Rodgers voice, well that's up to personal taste. For me, he's my favorite singer, and he's called "the voice" for good reason.

Rodgers has one of the best voices ever but as a frontman, judging by the Live At Hard Rock DVD, he's very cheesy. 'We feel the love... oh yeah'.... that sort of stuff. I have never been able to bring myself to watch anything he did with Queen, speaking of whom, I amended my top 10 list above. They have to be there. They were awesome & Freddie was a god.

[Freypower]

FP, have you ever heard Pink Floyd's Meddle or Obscured by Clouds albums? If you like Wish You Were Here you will probably like a fair bit of the former (One Of These Days, Fearless and Echoes are all among their absolute best songs IMO), and although the latter has a few instrumentals most of the songs are actually quite melodic and accessible. Burning Bridges, The Gold It's In The..., Childhood's End and Free Four are all very good and underrated songs.



I purchased Fearless after you said there was a choir at Anfield on it. I haven't heard it yet. I know One Of These Days from Delicate Sound of Thunder. I wish to put in a good word for The Division Bell though because I think it's really good.

[AlreadyGone95]

Rodgers has one of the best voices ever but as a frontman, judging by the Live At Hard Rock DVD, he's very cheesy. 'We feel the love... oh yeah'.... that sort of stuff. I have never been able to bring myself to watch anything he did with Queen, speaking of whom, I amended my top 10 list above. They have to be there. They were awesome & Freddie was a god.

I agree with you on that FP. Paul Rodgers isn't much of a frontman, especially compared to someone like Freddie Mercury. Bad Company are like the Eagles where it's mainly the music that make the show, instead of antics or big stage props/displays. People go to see them play. It's about the music, not a "show". Bad Company's best live performance dvd is the 2010 show from Wimbley Stadium, (Live at Wimbley). I recommend it over the Hard Rock show.

I've been tempted to listen to the Queen with Paul Rodgers album, but I've yet to do so. I'm a bit more than a casual Queen fan. I just can't separate Freddie from the band, and to a lesser extent, John Deacon. No matter what Brian May or Roger Taylor do, the band that rocked the 70s/80s is no more.

[WalshFan88]

I like Bad Company, but I LOOOOVE Free. Awesome blues rock and Paul Kossoff on guitar.

I LOVE Paul Rodgers voice, but he doesn't have a great stage persona. That said as far as voices go, he's one of my faves.

That said, I listen to Free's Fire And Water album and it is just amazing. Everyone knows "All Right Now", but the title track to that album is the piece de resistance.

I will check out Wishbone Ash. Heard the name many times but not the music.

I'm not a Queen fan. Brian May's signature guitar sound makes me want to bang my head against a brick wall. I hate Vox amps and that treble boost sound. Sounds like icepicks into your ears. Good lyrics, but I have a lot of other frontmen I'd rank higher.

[AlreadyGone95]

I like Bad Company, but I LOOOOVE Free. Awesome blues rock and Paul Kossoff on guitar.

I LOVE Paul Rodgers voice, but he doesn't have a great stage persona. That said as far as voices go, he's one of my faves.

That said, I listen to Free's Fire And Water album and it is just amazing. Everyone knows "All Right Now", but the title track to that album is the piece de resistance.



I agree, Fire and Water is best song on the Fire and Water album. If I hadn't been on my phone, i would've posted a youtube link to it as well. Mr. Big is also a great song from that album.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Pink Floyd's The Wall tour was one of the biggest and most expensive productions in rock history at the time (it cost over $1 million before the first show had even been played). I have seen footage of it from Youtube and it looks absolutely spectacular with the wall and the giant puppets. By this stage Roger Waters had fired Rick Wright but he was re-hired as a paid musician for the tour. Wright was thus the only member of Pink Floyd who made any money on the tour, the other three all made losses. My parents actually had tickets for one of the Earl's Court The Wall shows although unfortunately I believe they sold them and didn't go. :sad:

Most of The Division Bell's lyrics were co-written by David Gilmour along with Polly Samson (who he married shortly after), except for Wearing The Inside Out which was co-written by Rick Wright (music) and Anthony Moore (lyrics), and Coming Back To Life which Gilmour wrote alone. I believe Gilmour wrote the music for the most part, with Rick Wright contributing on four of the ten Gilmour songs.

I am very fond of The Division Bell myself. High Hopes is outstanding, especially Gilmour's slide solo. I also love Poles Apart (which has verses about Syd Barrett and Roger Waters) and Coming Back To Life, along with the two instrumentals, Cluster One and Marooned (brilliant guitar work by Gilmour on this one - so powerful, almost like a scream for help). The only track which I find a bit weak is Keep Talking, the backing vocalists just get tiring quick and it's over reliant on the gimmicky Stephen Hawking vocals. I do quite like the talk-box use though, and the synth solo mid-song. I very much enjoy everything else. Recently I have been enjoying Wearing The Inside Out - it has that Wish You Were Here album vibe, especially in the synth sounds and Dick Parry's saxophone. As a huge fan of WYWH I appreciate this a lot.

FWIW I think The Division Bell is a much better (and far more authentically Pink Floyd) album than A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, which hasn't aged very well IMO, especially side two. Having said that I think the worst song on Momentary Lapse is on side one, Dogs Of War, where David tried to write a song in Roger's style, but did a very bad job of it. I find it overbearing and lacking in melody, while the lyrics are too forced. Say what you want about The Final Cut (it isn't my favourite Floyd album) but Roger felt very deeply about his father and the Falklands War. David comes across as being much more comfortable in his own skin on The Division Bell.

The lyrics on The Division Bell aren't a big problem to me, it's more that Waters was an outstanding lyricist (as is Mark Knopfler) and therefore whatever the post-Waters Floyd did was always likely to fall a little short of the 1970s albums lyrically. With the exceptions of Keep Talking and Take It Back, I think most of the songs are pretty solid lyrically. Indeed, High Hopes has some strong and memorable lyrics - it's not every day you hear a song with lines.

I think I might have given away one of my favourites... if you didn't know already, lol. :hilarious:

I like Bad Company, I am mainly familiar with their first album though, which is excellent. My favourite song is Feel Like Making Love (I like the way the louder guitar comes in). I agree Paul Rodgers is an excellent singer.

I thought F50's definition of being a fan was an interesting point. I'd say my number one criterion is that I need to love at least two albums by a band to become a fan (I think this is quite similar to your 20ish tracks rule). The point about liking 90% is a good one because for instance I have met several big Stone Roses fans, yet they only have two albums. Most of these will like 90% of their music but they just don't have many songs, compared to even the Eagles or Led Zeppelin, let alone Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I don't tend to buy music unless I really like it so my music library on my computer consists mostly of my favourite bands and albums. I do like to be fairly sure about an album before adding to my collection although I am not free from the inevitable dud 'why the heck did I ever buy this' purchases, though fortunately these so far have almost always been isolated songs, not complete albums.

[Funk 50]

Bad Company have released 11 studio albums (12 if you count one with 50% new material). 6 with Paul Rodgers, 4 with Brian Howe, and 1 with Robert Hart as singer (plus Stories Told and Untold, which is 50% old (told) and 50% new (untold). That's more albums than our beloved Eagles have released.

Just showing my ignorance there. :eyebrow:
I've got Bad Company, Straight Shooter and a Bad Co. compilation album. It's all the Bad Company I felt I needed. I thought Brian Howe was a Rodgers tribute act. I've nevber heard Robert Hart.

I love Pink Floyd's The Division Bell. Makes Gilmore's decision to prevent Waters dissolving the band worthwhile.
The Pulse DVD is jaw dropping. The huge audience are spellbound throughout.
A trivial family disagreement led us to delay getting tickets for one of those Pink Floyd Earls Court shows. We've regretted that ever since, No matter where we went. there were "No Pink Floyd Tickets" signs on the window.

They sold out 14 nights, they could have sold out three times as many.

Interesting that you mention Neil Young and Bob Dylan JCL. I'm not a fan of either as I could like 20ish songs and but that would still only represent a tiny percentage of their catalogues and I'd have to listen to them for hour and hours to even hear 90% of their music. I'd say I admire them.

I am a fan of Van Morrison though. 20 songs easy. I reckon I'm familiar with over 90% of his music, the vast majority of that, I like very much.

Lastly, buying duds. I've bought popular hyped up albums that didn't live up to the hype but the CD I took back because I thought it was rubbish, and told the shop so, was CSN(Y) - Four Way Street.

:bye:

[Jonny Come Lately]

F50, I would personally consider myself to be a fan of both Neil Young and Bob Dylan, but would definitely say that I am more of a fan of Neil. I myself have not heard 90% of either man's discography although I have listened to a greater proportion of Young's music than Dylan's. FWIW in my iTunes library I have about 180 songs by Young, more than by any other artist. Admittedly I do own more than one version of several of his songs (I have no less than four versions of Like A Hurricane and three recording of a few other songs) but I do own almost all of his 1969-79 releases as well as all the albums from 1989-1994, with a couple more from outside these eras. This includes albums like American Stars 'n' Bars and On The Beach which were not released on CD until relatively recently (2003), along with the more famous likes of Harvest and After The Gold Rush. I also went to see him live in Liverpool last summer (I absolutely loved it! :partytime:)

With Bob Dylan I own about 70 songs, a distant second as far as songs by solo artists in my collection are concerned. This consists of just six albums, all of which are relatively reputable (Freewheelin', Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde, Blood On The Tracks, Desire) with a few additional iconic songs I have downloaded separately (e.g. All Along The Watchtower, Knockin' On Heaven's Door). I definitely feel as though I like enough of his music to consider myself a fan, although I would not be as well placed to write a brief guide of his back catalogue as I would with Young.

I would agree that liking only 20 songs by Neil or Bob is probably not quite enough to make someone a fan of these two exceptionally prolific musicians/songwriters (20 songs is, on average, equivalent to about two of their albums) - I mentioned them for this very reason. I tried to think of really prolific bands but couldn't immediately think of a great example to use. R.E.M.'s 15 albums in under 30 years, with just one significant line up change, is one of the better records I can think of off the top of my head. Pink Floyd also have 15 albums but 11 of these were recorded between 1967 and 1979, with just four since. Fleetwood Mac have 17 albums but likewise released music significantly less frequently once the 1970s turned to the 1980s. The Beach Boys are probably the best example I can think of, although I would rather not recognise the albums from 'Mike Love's Beach Boys' era of the late 80s/90s (an exercise in money grabbing IMO) alongside to the records with the true heart and soul of the group, the Wilson brothers (this still leaves a lot of albums though).

(I've just come back today hence the delay in my reply).


I think I'll get the game started again on Sunday with the latter half of the first round proper. I'll probably put together a post providing a recap of the rules of the game in case anyone's forgotten, and to ensure that they are all available in one place without needing to check back through page after page.

One point of interest I will raise is that in the first eight ties, only three of the bands which bypassed the preliminary round appeared, meaning five have yet to appear. With a further eight ties, it's not exactly implausible that two of them might meet in this round... you'll find out soon enough. :thumbsup:

[Jonny Come Lately]

Just about to get things going again... thanks for waiting, I wouldn't have been able to manage the game while I was away so it was best to keep it on hold during that time.

The Battle Of The Bands - First Round (continued)

(most of this is a repeat from page 6 but as I know at least one player has joined I thought it best to provide a refresh).

In case you need reminding about the format of the game I will repeat this with additional information about how each stage will work:

Preliminary Round (48 bands) - The 48 bands listed in post #51 enter the draw for the Preliminary Round (this has already been made) where bands are randomly drawn against each other. There will be 24 matches or ties in total, twelve being played at a time. If the two bands in a match get the same number of votes, I will reopen voting for that match alone at the end of the round (after both halves of the draw have been played) and the next vote will win (‘sudden death’). If no one votes in the next day then I will vote again for the sake of finishing the round (if you disagree with my opinion this will provide a stronger incentive to vote within the 24 hours!) NOW COMPLETE!
First round (32) – The eight remaining bands (the original Magnificent Seven I listed on page one plus the later addition of U2) will enter the draw alongside the 24 winners from the Preliminary Round. There will be 16 matches in total, of which eight will be done at the same time (so there will be two sets of ties in this round). HALF COMPLETE
Second round (16) – The draw is made in the same way as for the first round. There are eight ties, with all ties taking place at the same time from this point on. However, this time, if the two bands in a tie receive the same number of votes, the band which received more votes in the previous round will win. If they got the same number of votes in the 1st round as well, sudden death will again applied.
Quarter-Final ( 8 ) - Four ties, played simultaneously. Rules otherwise as before.
Semi-Final (4) – Two ties, which will be run simultaneously. Down to just four bands with the winners entering the final.
Final (2) – And then there two. The two survivors face each other in the showdown to declare the victor.

Although I have said previously that the voting system is positive (even if your primary motive behind voting in a match is to help eliminate a band you dislike, you have to vote for the other band as they are technically your preferred choice out of the two), I've realised that at no point have I said how to express your vote for your favourite band - there are several possible ways of doing this. I think this is best illustrated using this (fictional) example:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem

You can highlight the band you prefer in bold:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem

Alternatively you can name the band you prefer as shown below:
Match 0. Spinal Tap vs The Electric Mayhem - The Electric Mayhem

There are other ways which have not crossed my mind but I am not going to enforce any strict rules about how to express your vote. It just needs to be clear.

(You can use acronyms as long as these are commonly accepted, e.g. if you wanted to vote for Crosby, Stills And Nash (& Young) then CSN(&Y) would be perfectly clear and acceptable. By contrast if you wanted to vote for, say, Black Sabbath then I'd suggest putting down their full name or at least 'Sabbath' for clarity).

It is just a game so please don't get too upset if your favourite falls early, or to a band you loathe. Be respectful of the choices of other voters, although discussion is quite welcome (if you're surprised by someone's choices, feel free to say so, I just hope it doesn't get too heated). Everyone is welcome to join in, including those who haven't joined in so far, and if you miss a round, this will not prevent you from voting in the next one.

The draw for the second half of the first round will now be released. :)

[Jonny Come Lately]

As promised - the pairings for matches 9-16. Play will resume immediately and voting will be open for slightly longer than usual. I will close it on Wednesday morning - I know if I post early in the morning in UK time it will be even earlier in the US and therefore outside 'prime voting time'.

First Round - Matches 9-16 (Second Half of the Draw)
Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

There's a few of my very favourites in this set so I'm hoping they do well. One of these ties is a very, very easy choice for me (nothing to do with my less favoured choice and everything to do with my preferred one)... I'll explain further when I make my choices.

As in all previous sets, please vote for your favourites - you can justify your choices if you wish to although this isn't necessary if you'd prefer to simply state your favourites. As always I'll look forward to hearing your opinions (I always like to know which choices you find the hardest and easiest).

As before, have fun! :)

[AlreadyGone95]

9. Led Zeppelin
10. The Byrds
11. CSNY
12. Van Halen
13. Pink Floyd
14. The Who
15. Dire Straits
16. AC/DC

That round was pretty easy. Each match had one that I prefer over the other one. The hardest was Zeppelin vs. Hendrix.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I'm back with my choices, given I've known the pairings for some time I couldn't leave it too long before choosing with a clear conscience.

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN – My first thought when the draw produced this match was ‘what a pair of guitarists’. Jimi and Jimmy are titans of rock guitar and arguably the two most iconic blues rock players. Very difficult to choose between them. However, as a band, I think Led Zeppelin are definitely on top here (they are my second favourite band in the game). John Paul Jones and John Bonham formed a mighty rhythm section, and Robert Plant is a fantastic singer (and IMO a lot more versatile than he tends to get credit for), which IMO puts them above the Experience in all other aspects.

Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO – My taste for folk-rock/country-rock means I think The Byrds win this particular battle. Don't have that much else to say about this one TBH.

Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY – Found this one quite tricky actually. I feel they share some common ground in that their second albums (Déjà Vu and A Rush of Blood to the Head, respectively) were their best and after that they never reached the same heights again. CSN(&Y) just wasted too many of their prime years. Coldplay in fairness have consistently scored hits but the songs too often feel 'forced' to me, for various reasons, where their earlier songs feel natural. My heart says Coldplay, who I have listened to far more over the years, my head says CSN(&Y), who I consider more talented. I will listen to my head as some of the songs from the last couple of Coldplay albums make me feel almost too embarrassed to admit to liking their older music. If they had stopped after Viva La Vida I would probably have voted for them. Questionable perhaps, but I feel I can enjoy listening to CSN(&Y) with no real reservations.

Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN – I’m not quite as strongly opinionated on this one as I am on some of the others. I’ll go for Pearl Jam again though.

Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES – No contest IMO! No disrespect intended to The Ramones, I make no secret of my love of Pink Floyd. They are my favourite band in the game and I wouldn’t vote for anyone else above them. I dearly love their music and they have my favourite album and song of all time (Wish You Were Here and Shine On You Crazy Diamond). There is also the small matter of the Dark Side of the Moon.

Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY – Whenever the debate of British bands vs American bands comes up, comparisons like this one emerge. I usually side with the Brits and will do the same in this match. The Who are just the better band by a mile in my book (they should still be able to see Journey though as they can see for miles ;)).

Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS – One of rock’s most overrated bands against one of its most underrated. I accept this opinion is not likely to be popular! Don’t get me wrong, U2 have some good songs but it just feels a bit like the emperor’s new clothes to me at times (especially Bono’s lyrics and The Edge’s guitar work). Dire Straits, to me, are the real deal. I absolutely love this band and of course Mark Knopfler in particular (although I also think the band’s original rhythm section, John Illsley and Pick Withers, was very solid). He is a great lyricist, his voice may not be technically perfect but suits his songs well, but above all he is IMO the only guitarist who can touch Gilmour when it comes to the sheer emotional power in his playing.

Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC – I’ll take Jim Morrison and co. here, I don’t own any music by either but I do prefer The Doors from this pair. If I was to rationalise this I'd put it down to my general liking of rock music which makes prominent use of organ in a psychedelic sort of way.

Overall then match 11 definitely required the most thought on my part. I knew which band I would vote for in match 13 as soon as I saw it! I also found numbers 14 and 15 easy.

[UndertheWire]

9. LED ZEPPELIN
10. THE BYRDS
11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
12.
13. PINK FLOYD
24. THE WHO
25. U2
26. THE DOORS

[sodascouts]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

[L101]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

Match 9 - Hard choice as it was literally a toss up between them
Match 14 - Very easy as I don't like The Who and find them extremely annoying :)
Match 15- Even though I like both, U2 won out because of their earlier music (and I love the Edges guitar work!! :grin:)
Match 16 - Very hard - Even though I voted for AC/DC before, The Doors won out because of the classic LA Woman!!

[Freypower]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

I would rather Dire Straits be eliminated by any band in the world rather than by U2. Oh well. I tried to have the name in approximate Brothers In Arms colours. It's the best I could do.

The Byrds were great & I love them. However ELO are very important to me, although I never saw them live.

I am completely indifferent to both Pearl Jam & Van Halen but I guess VH is one of Mike's favourite bands As for the Who & Journey I have only heard one song by Journey, ever. I think the Who are pompous & overrated but there are a handful of songs by them that have lasted.

[WalshFan88]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

9 - I love Jimi but it was no contest band-wise
10 - Not much of an ELO fan so The Byrds get it
11 - Anything but Coldplay :hilarious:
12 - I like Pearl Jam but I like Van Halen more
13 - Not a punk rocker, and not a prog rocker but between the two it's PF
14 - This is tough. But ultimately Journey wins. I like my rock slightly polished and I love the 80s stuff. As much as I like raw rock, I like the so called "corporate rock" stuff and the polished pop rock stuff. I wish today's pop was like this stuff!
15 - Not much of a U2 fan, but I admire Knopfler's playing so I gotta go with DS
16 - Not a Doors guy, but I freaking LOVE AC/DC. No contest!!!

[Roey]

First Round - Matches 9-16 (Second Half of the Draw)
Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELINMatch 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs

[UK TimFan]

First Round - Matches 9-16 (Second Half of the Draw)
Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN

Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

Match 13. Abstaining

[NOLA]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

[Lisa]

9. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
10. ELO
11. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)
12. Van Halen
13. Pink Floyd
14. Journey
15. Dire Straits
16. The Doors

[Brooke]

First Round - Matches 9-16 (Second Half of the Draw)

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

The toughest choice here for me is #10. I voted for ELO first, but after thinking about it, I like the Byrds better!

#14-Steve Perry's voice has to be one of the most beautiful in rock music, so he gets my vote.

[Funk 50]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN :: This is a close call. I like a few tracks from each. I reckon Led Zep were the better band.

Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO :: I think The Byrds are overrated. They were together for such a short time, they haven't got much of an archive. I was a huge ELO fan in the 70s.

Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY :: I sorta like both in small doses. Coldplay get my vote for drums, bass and aspiration.

Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN :: I'm still unfamiliar with Pearl Jam and I don't really want to vote for Van Halen. So I'll abstain if I may.

Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES :: Both 70s Icons but Pink Floyd win on almost every aspect.

Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY :: I've not heard much from Journey that I like. The Who have got some serious rock chops.

Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS :: I probably listen to Dire Straits more but as a band, I rate U2 a lot higher as they've retained the original line up

Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC :: I like a few songs by The Doors but when I wanna Rock, AC/DC are the first point of call.


Sorry for not voting for any American bands :fear:

[Jonny Come Lately]

Been interesting to read all the comments so far. Thanks again to everyone who has voted.

One thing I'd be interested to know if there is anybody here who voted for Led Zeppelin in match #9 but who prefers Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist to Jimmy Page? I get a sense that the balance of opinion on here is something approaching this (free feel to disagree):

Guitarist: Page vs Hendrix - close battle, open to debate
Vocalist: Robert Plant > Hendrix
Rhythm section: John Paul Jones & Jones Bonham > Noel Redding & Mitch Mitchell

And therefore, overall, Led Zeppelin > Jimi Hendrix Experience.

I must admit F50 I would consider CSN(&Y) not being a full band (or, perhaps more significantly, not having the ability to function as a full band) as a disadvantage if they were up against most of the other groups but in Coldplay's case they do often feel rather a lot like 'Chris Martin and friends'. I dare say the other three musicians could be replaced with session players without most people noticing, whereas the difference would be noticeable for most of the other bands. For instance, to me there is a big difference in the feel of the Dark Side Of The Moon (which used Dick Parry on sax and female backing singers, but all of the rest of the music was recorded by Gilmour/Wright/Waters/Mason) and that of The Wall (where a number of session players were used for various reasons), that goes beyond the obvious difference between the musical styles of those two albums.

I don't feel concerned by this in some of the other bands dominated by one member, like Dire Straits or CCR, as I think Mark Knopfler and John Fogerty are immensely talented musicians and inspired songwriters who can independently produce quality work. By contrast I feel Martin probably would have benefitted from a healthy level of opposition within his band, 'quality control' if you like - I think he is prone to overusing musical and lyrical ideas (Also, Dire Straits and CCR do still feel for the most part like bands which feature Knopfler and Fogerty as their dominant musicians, whereas Coldplay can sometimes come across as Martin's backing band). CSN(&Y) had the exact opposite problem, having too many cooks, or if you prefer, lead singers/lead guitarists. Having a full-time bassist and drummer who kept out of the bickering may have helped keep things more workable, in the way Tim did for the Eagles in the Long Run era.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE vs LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS vs ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) vs COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM vs VAN HALEN
Match 13. PINK FLOYD vs THE RAMONES
Match 14. THE WHO vs JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS vs AC/DC

Match 14 was the hardest decision for me. I actually probably like Journey's music more, but The Who have carved a place for themselves as one of an elite group of rock and roll icons.

[WalshFan88]

As far as Page vs Hendrix, its no contest for me.

I'd get killed on a guitar forum for saying this but while I really like his playing and music, I've always thought Hendrix was a touch overrated. He really carved out a sound for him with his effects and Strat into a Marshall which no one was doing at the time, but I just don't get the jaw-drop feeling I get when I watch Page. When I watch Led Zeppelin videos, my eyes go to Page. He just had that swagger and charisma and the way he played guitar spoke to me. Hendrix was a great player, no doubt - but best ever? Not in my book.

I don't like technical guitarists, I like guys who are more sloppy, raw, and have a LOT of swagger. Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Joe Walsh, Slash, Keith Richards, etc. Less theory based and can't read a lick of music, but have a real improv side to them and aren't so by the book. I don't care for the shredder virtuosos everyone goes nuts over like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, or guys like that. To me it's boring. Give me a Tumblin' Dice type groove and thick in the rhythm and some bluesy leads. Sure it's less hard to do but I genuinely like it, not just as a cop out. That's the music I like. Not instrumental weedly weedly types.

[AlreadyGone95]

I think that the difference between the Hendrix Experience and Zeppelin is that all 4 Zeppelin members are well known in the rock world. They are all 4 considered masters of their craft. With Hendrix, people only think of or know Jimi. I, myself, couldn't tell you what popular Hendrix songs were done with the experience or solo.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Time's up for the second half of the first round and voting on these matches is now closed.

The results of these matches are shown below, with the number of points won by each band in the match being shown.

In each case, the winning band is shown in bold, the loser in italics, as before. I'm not sure how, but we managed to get through the entire preliminary round without a single drawn match, but once again, as in the first half of this round, we have one draw. More on that after the results.

Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE 1-13 LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS 10-4 ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) 11-3 COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM 5-7 VAN HALEN (2 abstentions)
Match 13. PINK FLOYD 13-0 THE RAMONES (1 abstention)
Match 14. THE WHO 8-6 JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 7-7 DIRE STRAITS
Match 16. THE DOORS 10-4 AC/DC

Match 15 has gone to a tiebreaker, as match 8 did in the last round. However, I have decided to change the format of the tiebreaker so that everyone is welcome to vote on this tie. It is just a straightforward head to head between U2 and Dire Straits now. Voting on this match will only be open for approximately 24 hours this time and has re-opened now.

If it's still a draw after 24 hours, I will give myself the so far avoided second vote for the sake of ending the match and the round as by then I think we will have given enough time to this set of matches and I will want to press on with the second round.

[Jonny Come Lately]

So without further ado...

Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS

There was no way I was changing my vote this time around! I could listen to Mark Knopfler play for hours. I was listening to Telegraph Road and Private Investigations on the hi-fi system at home yesterday, which I don't do that often but it sounded absolutely great. U2... no. I must admit I would feel uncomfortable voting for them against most bands as I absolutely loathed the handling of the iTunes release, which I think was at best naïve, at worst downright cynical. I actually think it would have been better for U2 fans had the album not been released in this way as the release totally overshadowed the music (I know a U2 fan on another forum who really likes the album but any discussion of the music was essentially prevented by the controversy over the 'free gift'). Also, the album was harder to remove from a computer system than it should have been, and it was arrogant to assume that the general public was interested in music made by a band in their mid-50s. This relates to the other problem that I feel that U2 is more concerned about being 'relevant' and 'the world's biggest band' than about actually making good music, and in recent years they've managed neither IMO. I feel Mark Knopfler was correct to disband Dire Straits when he did as it has enabled him to make the music he wants without being told he needs to make another Money For Nothing.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm also sticking with my original vote.
15. Dire Straits

[NOLA]

I'm voting for U2 again - have enjoyed their music since the release of "Joshua Tree."

[L101]

Match 15. U2 vs DIRE STRAITS

I'm sticking with my vote of U2 - yes, they :censored: up big time with the release of their last album on itunes - even though I kept it, I have yet to listen to it!! And when Bono is being Bono, I just ignore or mute ! :)

Why I am voting for them is because of their earlier music from the 70's up until the late 90's and for me, that sound is much more interesting than listening to Dire Straits. I do like DS, but given a choice of listening to U2 or DS all day, then its U2.

[Brooke]

Dire Straits

[UndertheWire]

Sticking with U2. I've never liked Dire Straits.

[UK TimFan]

Sticking with Dire Straits.

[Funk 50]

It was quite an achievement for U2 to get bad press for giving away an album for free but there's no doubt that they made a complete horlicks of it.

Dire Straits always seemed to be Mark Knopfler's toy to me. He ditched it a long while back. U2's loyalty, longevity and diversity are commendable.

I prefer bands that evolve rather than dissolve. U2 for me.

[Freypower]

It was quite an achievement for U2 to get bad press for giving away an album for free but there's no doubt that they made a complete horlicks of it.

Dire Straits always seemed to be Mark Knopfler's toy to me. He ditched it a long while back. U2's loyalty, longevity and diversity are commendable.

I prefer bands that evolve rather than dissolve. U2 for me.

The Beatles 'dissolved' too. Is the only criterion for how good a band is how long they have stayed together? Wow.

Knopfler has continued to 'evolve' as a solo artist & if you have never heard any of his music because you appear so contemptuous of him for 'ditching' Dire Straits you are the poorer for it.

It doesn't need to be said that I will again vote for one of my top 5 bands of all time, dIRE sTRAITS, as opposed to a band I have never liked.

[Jonny Come Lately]

FWIW, I agree with you 100%, FP.

Perhaps this is partially down to being a sports fan (where realising that yesterday's heroes are now has beens is a fact of life) I don't think bands deserve any credit for longevity if they just continue to churn out music by numbers, or release albums which devalue their legacy. U2 are IMO guilty on both counts and have been a spent force creatively for most of the last 20 years. In fact, I honestly believe the legacies of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin have been enhanced by the fact that both managed to quit at the right time (albeit in the latter case due to tragic circumstances). Similarly, I thought U2's contemporaries R.E.M. were right to break up when they did. The fact that these are the same guys who were there at the start only makes things worse IMO (from a 'look at what they became' point of view). By contrast I admire Mark Knopfler for turning his back on this route and instead making the music he wants to create without worrying about being the 'most important musician in the world'.

To use a sporting analogy from Formula One, I admire Mika Hakkinen (who quit relatively young, while still a winning driver, as he knew he'd lost the motivation to perform at his peak) a lot more than I do Jacques Villeneuve (who was very successful early on, but in his later years he earned a lot of money for a mediocre performance level) or David Coulthard (who had a long career, but his later campaigns were largely unimpressive, and his last season was frankly embarrassing).

[L101]

Wow JCL - don't hold back on how much you dislike U2!! :)

FWIW, I think you are giving way to much credit to DS and how good they are. I know we all have different tastes in music, and mine is very much in the minority here, but U2 were good up until the last few years. They are trying to re-invent themselves and its not working out too well at the moment.

Both bands are good in their own way, but IMO U2 are the better band here because they are always evolving and changing but still keeping that U2 sound. And I'm not saying that just because I'm from Ireland!!!! :)

[Freypower]

No-one disputes that U2 continue to evolve & change. Dire Straits, as has been mentioned, no longer exist. However their body of work (which, sadly, was not that big) is deeply important to me. I would rather not comment further about U2.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Time is now up for the tiebreaker and the result is as below:

Match 15. U2 4-5 DIRE STRAITS

So Dire Straits will now enter the draw for the second round. Commiserations to U2. We now have 16 bands confirmed in the next round and I can make the draw.

The complete results for the first round are shown below, as always the band that won each tie is shown in bold, the band which has gone out is in italics.

Match 1. STYX 1-14 FLEETWOOD MAC
Match 2. BON JOVI 7-8 LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Match 3. THIN LIZZY 3-12 THE BEATLES
Match 4. FOREIGNER 4-11 THE ROLLING STONES
Match 5. ZZ TOP 2-12 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (1 abstention)
Match 6. GENESIS 7-8 THE BEACH BOYS
Match 7. DEEP PURPLE 6-8 R.E.M. (1 abstention)
Match 8. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 7-7 AEROSMITH (1 abstention)
(Tiebreaker: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 8-7 AEROSMITH
Match 9. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE 1-13 LED ZEPPELIN
Match 10. THE BYRDS 10-4 ELO
Match 11. CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) 11-3 COLDPLAY
Match 12. PEARL JAM 5-7 VAN HALEN (2 abstentions)
Match 13. PINK FLOYD 13-0 THE RAMONES (1 abstention)
Match 14. THE WHO 8-6 JOURNEY
Match 15. U2 7-7 DIRE STRAITS
(Tiebreaker: U2 4-5 DIRE STRAITS)
Match 16. THE DOORS 10-4 AC/DC

[Jonny Come Lately]

FIRST ROUND SUMMARY

Before I make the draw for the Second Round I think it would be good to have a look back at the results of the First Round with some facts about the results and my own personal thoughts.

BANDS ENTERING ROUND 2 (16)
Bands victorious in the First Round: Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beach Boys, R.E.M., Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young), Van Halen, Pink Floyd, The Who, Dire Straits, The Doors

BANDS ELIMINATED (16)
Bands eliminated in the First Round: Styx, Bon Jovi, Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, ZZ Top, Genesis, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, ELO, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, Journey, U2, AC/DC

THE FACTS
- Fleetwood Mac received 14 votes in their first round match, the most received by any band in this round and indeed the most received by any band in any round so far.
- Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin also equalled CSN(&Y)’s record of 13 set in the Preliminary Round.
- Fleetwood Mac’s winning margin over Styx – 13 – is also a record jointly shared by Pink Floyd who beat The Ramones by 13 votes.
- Led Zeppelin also beat the previous record of 10 from the first round with their 12 vote advantage over The Jimi Hendrix Experience, while
- Conversely, Van Halen won their match with just 7 votes. With two abstentions, this was enough to give them a two point lead over Pearl Jam.
- Genesis and Bon Jovi both lost their ties in spite of receiving 7 votes, the same number as Van Halen got in winning.
- The Ramones became the first band to have failed to receive a single vote in a match in the game so far. All 13 voters on match 13 opted for Pink Floyd.
- Lynyrd Skynyrd had the biggest winning margin in the Preliminary Round (by 10 votes). They won again but this time only by a single vote. This was the biggest decrease in winning margin for a victorious band between the Preliminary Round and First Round.
- Oddly, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – comfortable victors in the Preliminary Round and then again in the First Round – had the biggest increase in their winning margin, from 7 votes in the former to 10 in the latter. No other band improved substantially in this area.
- Both of the matches drawn in regular game time finished 7-7 (Creedence Clearwater Revival vs Aerosmith and U2 vs Dire Straits respectively).
- U2 became the first of the 'great eight' bands to be eliminated after losing to Dire Straits on a tiebreaker. Of the other close ones, The Beach Boys narrowly defeated Genesis and The Who beat Journey by a couple of votes.
- On the flip side, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones secured comfortable victories while the remaining three bands (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac) were dominant in their ties and defeated their opponents by an aggregate score of 40-2.

PERSONAL OPINION
- Most surprising result? I know I might be a bit biased… but I certainly did not expect Dire Straits to actually not only draw with U2 over the two days, but then beat them on the tiebreaker. Given that U2 was one of the only one of the great eight selected bands to drop out in this round this has to go down as a big surprise in my book. I was also a bit surprised at the ease with which Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers defeated ZZ Top. I wasn’t shocked that they won, but I thought ZZ Top would get more than just one vote beyond mine.
EDIT: Come to think of it, I was kind of surprised AC/DC didn't get more support in their match against The Doors. I thought that match would be quite close.

- Least surprising result? Once I deduced the pairings produced by the random number generator I’m using, and discovered that Fleetwood Mac were paired with Styx I thought it was a foregone conclusion that Mac would win easily. I wasn’t wrong! Pink Floyd’s victory over The Ramones was also very unsurprising to me, as was the win for The Beatles over Thin Lizzy (although they did fare better than Styx or The Ramones).

- My most personally satisfying result? It’s no secret by now that I wanted Dire Straits to beat U2. I should probably emphasise that this is mostly down to my love of Dire Straits, rather than my dislike for U2. I think their music is great and it means a lot to me. To me there is no other band quite like them (they played oldschool blues and folk-influenced rock music at a time when punk ruled). I think there is more to the band than just Mark Knopfler (John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums) formed a tight rhythm section, and some of the piano/keyboard parts on Making Movies and Love Over Gold are great). I accept not everyone will agree with this – if not blame my Dad who has always been a big DS fan. I was also pleased to see Lynyrd Skynyrd win as I personally far prefer them to Bon Jovi. I’d have mentioned Pink Floyd in most cases, but The Ramones provided too little resistance to make it an especially satisfying.

- My least personally satisfying result? Although I do like R.E.M. I definitely wanted Deep Purple to win that match – although R.E.M. have many good qualities they don’t have an answer IMO to the absolutely superb musicianship by Ritchie Blackmore and especially Jon Lord. I’d also have preferred to see Genesis beat The Beach Boys, but if I’m being honest I think based on my personal opinions most of the bands I really wanted to go through (in the cases of Floyd, Zeppelin and Mac, extremely comfortably) and with the exception of Purple I wasn’t too concerned when my choice disagreed with the end result.

- The unluckiest losing band IMO was Genesis, who I reckon were unfortunate to come up against a very strong opponent in The Beach Boys and only lost narrowly in the end. They fit both possible criteria (unlucky with the draw, and unlucky to lose). CCR and Aerosmith were also unlucky to be up against each other and could also have beaten several of the others.

- The Jimi Hendrix Experience I think were unlucky in the draw (although unlike Genesis, not really unlucky to lose as Led Zeppelin won very comfortably). I’d have voted for them over a fair few bands in this round.

- Van Halen strikes me as the luckiest winning band from this group, their match was the only one in this round with more than one abstention. Had they been paired with, say, Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin, I don’t think they’d have got through.

I will go and make the draw for the second round and the eight ties should go up later today. Unlike in the previous rounds as there are only 8 matches (and 16 bands) in this round I think it makes sense to play them all at the same time.

I must say I am looking forward to the second round – I feel like we have lost most of the bands who seem to have little support on the board and therefore had little real chance of winning (The Ramones probably stand out most in this regard, as fairly fortunate preliminary round winners who then sank without trace in the first round) and therefore we should get some really fascinating battles in this round between the more popular and more highly rated bands in the game.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Okay... time to start the second round. There's a few fascinating clashes in there, and the only shame is that they have come in at the round of 16 stage. Unlike in the last round, bands from the group of eight (ironically now reduced to my original 'magnificent seven') have crossed paths.

The Battle Of The Bands - Round 2

There 8 ties in this round, and for the first time all of these will be played simultaneously.

(I originally planned to split this round in half but whereas splitting 24 matches into two groups of 12 in the preliminary round and 16 matches into two groups of 8 in the first round made monitoring the game a lot more manageable

Voting for this round is now open and will close 48 hours after the submission of this post. As always, just make sure your choices are clear.

So here's the complete set of matches for Round 2:

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

Keep voting and have fun! I will be especially interested to hear your opinions on the 'big name' clashes.

[UndertheWire]

This is getting tricky.

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Maybe an odd choice as I abstained from the VH match last time. I just don't like the other band.
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
I don't mind the Stones when I hear them but I choose to listen to CSNY. I guess I like harmonies and mellow music.
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
I'm going to abstain. I'm happy to hear both but I'll leave the decisions to those who feel more strongly about it.
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
This is the trickiest one so far. I like both a lot but I'm more likely to stop and listen to Led Zeppelin.
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
I like the few Byrds songs I know but Petty & Co have a much larger body of work.
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
I know FM will win easily but for me it's close. There are a couple of Doors songs I really love but only the one Fleetwood Mac (Albatross).
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES
It's the Beatles overkill when I was growing up. Beach Boys are still a little exotic.

[AlreadyGone95]

1. Van Halen
2. CSNY
3. CCR
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. Led Zeppelin
6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
7. Fleetwood Mac
8..The Beatles

I know that it might seem weird for me to vote for The Beatles given gow I voted for Thin Lizzy last round. I only like one Beach Boys song, whereas I do like several Beatles songs.
#3 was the only one that I had to think about for a few minutes. I love both bands almost equally, but right now, I'm feeling CCR more.

[L101]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

[Jonny Come Lately]

Okay, here goes, these are my choices for the second round:

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS – I guess this one depends on whether you prefer Eddie Van Halen or Mark Knopfler as a guitarist. I probably don’t need to state my opinion about Dire Straits again, I will just add that I think they made great music which for some reason critics always rail against. Van Halen are not really my cup of tea but I don’t dislike them in any way, I just prefer DS.

Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) – Both are worthy challengers but I think I’ll have to go for The Stones, they have more great songs and were greater than the sum of their parts, something I can’t honestly say for CSN(&Y) who I think could and should have achieved more together. I think the Stones also benefitted from having a clear hierarchy in the band with Jagger and Richards at the top, whereas although CSN(&Y) having three or four guys who could sing lead, write good songs and play guitar was great in some respects it produced albums where the differences between songs could be quite jarring (contrast Neil Young’s Helpless with Graham Nash’s Our House on Déjà Vu, for instance).

Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL – I can’t vote against my favourite band! They have five of my very favourite albums – Meddle, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals and The Wall, and Wish You Were Here which is probably my single favourite record of all time. To me they are the ultimate album band with their superb concept albums. I have even been to the amphitheatre where they recorded Live at Pompeii (where I listened to Echoes in its entirety). I do like and respect CCR as well but there’s only one winner for me.

Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M. – Both bands hail from the southern states, although have contrasting styles. I favour the southern classic rock sound of Lynyrd Skynyrd and I can’t ignore their superb debut album which is my favourite by anyone. It’s a great album by any standards IMO but for a debut it’s truly outstanding. I like R.E.M. but feel their music can’t quite match Skynyrd’s three guitar attack and I find even their best albums while mostly very good have one or two filler tracks.

Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO – A clash of the titans for sure! Two of the most legendary British rock bands. However, I personally prefer Led Zeppelin. Their set of albums is very difficult to beat, with one of my absolute favourite sequences from the stunning debut album through to Physical Graffiti. Every one of these six albums is top drawer and the others are still pretty good by any standards (most bands would kill to have a ‘disappointing’ album like Presence with Achilles’ Last Stand, For Your Life). The Who are great musicians too but I put Led Zeppelin just above them, and IMO Robert Plant is a serious contender for the greatest rock vocalist.

Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS – Don’t mind if either wins this tie but I did have to think about this one a bit. I’ll go for the country-rock pioneers The Byrds as I really like the organic feel of their music and I think Roger McGuinn is an excellent guitarist. I’m also very thankful for their influence on the early Eagles.

Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS – Fleetwood Mac’s music is very special to me as Rumours is pretty much the only album I’ve listened to throughout my life and has long been a firm favourite of mine. I like some songs by The Doors but I definitely prefer Mac. I do like Peter Green’s version of the band as well although I am mostly a Lindsey/Stevie fan, mainly from 1975-80.

Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES – I have to be honest here, I don’t own any music by The Beatles but I do have a Beach Boys compilation. There are some songs that I love by them and some that I am less fond of, but on the whole I’d say I think I enjoy them. I can’t claim to be a huge fan and do consider Pet Sounds to be a bit overrated but if the weather is warm and sunny and I’m in the right mood I certainly enjoy listening to their music. I’m sure there are people who think I’m crazy for not being much of a Beatles fan even though I live so close to Liverpool. I respect them and their legacy but I have heard enough of their music to realise that music by others just seems to resonate with me more.

(Out of sheer curiosity AG95, which Beach Boys song do you like?)

[Brooke]

Round 2:

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

No contest for me on any of these! I take that back, I do love CSN &Y, but the Stones rule!

[Freypower]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

If the Beatles were to be eliminated by the Beach Boys I would be heartbroken. I consider the Beach Boys to be staggeringly overrated. I could live with the others, although there is no contest in my view between Zeppelin & the Who. Basically we have my top 4 bands here.

[UK TimFan]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)

Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

Match 3. Abstaining
Match 4. Abstaining

[Ive always been a dreamer]

As far as the tie between Dire Straights and U2, I did not vote in the tie-breaker round because I didn't want to tie the round again. However, my opinion is that U2 is the more significant band. It's too bad that they are gone this early. I'm personally not a huge fan of either of these bands, but I think U2's catalog is superior to Dire Straights. FP, the band may be 'important' to you, but here in the states, they just aren't that big. Outside of Money for Nothing and Walk of Life, their remaining body of work is just not that impressive AFAIC.

Now, for this round ...

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

[Freypower]

As far as the tie between Dire Straights and U2, I did not vote in the tie-breaker round because I didn't want to tie the round again. However, my opinion is that U2 is the more significant band. It's too bad that they are gone this early. I'm personally not a huge fan of either of these bands, but I think U2's catalog is superior to Dire Straights. FP, the band may be 'important' to you, but here in the states, they just aren't that big. Outside of Money for Nothing and Walk of Life, their remaining body of work is just not that impressive AFAIC.

Now, for this round ...

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

It's spelt 'Straits'. To be in dire straits is to be experiencing hard times.

They were 'important' to a very large number of people for quite a while, including at their peak in 1985 when they were possibly the biggest band in the world. That includes the United States. Those two songs, Money For Nothing & Walk Of Life, were just the tip of the iceberg & not entirely representative of their work (I make no apologies for still loving MFN, however). It's true it would be hard for them to be 'big' now over a decade since they disbanded. However I did not mean to suggest that because they are important to me, that anyone else should feel that way.

I'm quite prepared for them to go next round. They probably did better than I thought they would.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I think it is very unfortunate that the first three songs from Brothers In Arms have become Dire Straits' most recognised work. Only Money For Nothing, with its clever lyrics and iconic guitar riff, truly justifies its reputation. Walk Of Life although enjoyable is a bit of a throwaway and I think it is actually one of their least impressive songs (I consider it to be an inferior Industrial Disease - it shares that song's organ sound but replaces its original and funny lyrics with a catchy but not especially substantial chorus). So Far Away is better but I find it a bit flat compared to a lot of their other songs, it's lovely but after a promising start the lyrics don't really go anywhere and it becomes too repetitive. If you want a real top song from that album - and one that I feel better represents the quality of this band - then listen to the superb and evocative title track. The likes of Ride Across The River and Man's Too Strong are also excellent tracks AFAIC.

Their only early hit, Sultans Of Swing, is much more representative of their work and is IMO better than Money For Nothing, vastly superior to Walk Of Life. I consider it to be one of rock's greatest songs and I never seem to tire of it. By contrast I can only enjoy Walk Of Life if I don't listen to it too much. I wish the Making Movies album had received the attention Brothers In Arms gets - side one consists of Tunnel Of Love, Romeo And Juliet and Skateaway which I consider to be one of the finest sides of music in the rock era. I personally cherish Love Over Gold although I can understand why not everyone loves the 14 minute Telegraph Road, which is my favourite DS song.

I will comment on U2's music and that alone and I find a significant chunk of it does not live up to its reputation. I actually like a fair few of the songs from Boy, which is raw and unpretentious, but in terms of quality it is a typical debut album (i.e. a bit of a mixed bag) and IMO nowhere near the outstanding debuts of, say, Led Zeppelin or Lynyrd Skynyrd. The album War, which I often see praised, I feel has the two big hits, Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day, but most of the rest I find to be average. I will admit the early 90s work is not my cup of tea and therefore the only album I really rate is The Joshua Tree and even then I have to be honest and say I do not think it is as good as Making Movies or Love Over Gold. If you prefer U2's music to that of Dire Straits, that is absolutely fine by me.

I would like to politely clarify that we are voting for favourites, not which bands are deemed more significant, although I don't think there have any problems in this regard in this round so far so just wanted everyone to be certain.

I've got to say I'm a bit surprised Led Zeppelin are beating The Who so comfortably. Not that I mind! Pink Floyd got a tough opponent in CCR (who have already beaten Aerosmith) so looks like we might lose them :-( . If they do go out I will probably vote for Led Zeppelin as long as they stay in - I think they are a better band than The Beach Boys and I prefer them to The Beatles and The Stones. I consider Floyd in this class as well but they are never going to be everyone's cup of tea. Although I really like Fleetwood Mac they are not quite consistent enough IMO - Rumours is absolutely top quality, but although they have plenty of other great songs they also have a number of weaker ones - and I honestly prefer more of Led Zeppelin's music (there about as many tracks I find unimpressive on Tusk alone as there are in LZ's entire discography). Of the other likely winners, Skynyrd are in my mind the best of the rest.

[NOLA]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

Good grief, no. 5 was difficult! You have two of the most influential British blues-rock bands in history pitted against each other. I chose The Who only because I'm more familiar with their body of work and Keith Moon's connection to Joe Walsh. :)

ETA: JCL, I'm sure you realize it was The Who who gave Led Zeppelin their name. IIRC, it was Keith Moon who came up with it.

[WalshFan88]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

[Funk 50]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS :: I'm yet to discover a Van Halen song that I like, although I haven't dug very deep. I prefer my music understated. which makes it very difficult to listen to anything involving Dave Lee Roth. There are many Dire Straits songs a like although I'm not impressed with the way they drag them out when performed live.


Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG) :: Hit for hit the Stones are much better than CSN. I saw CSN live once. I was underwhelmed. My appreciation of them has been severely diminished ever since. I've not seen the Stones but I've been treated to many great Rolling Stones covers by countless bands.... including Genesis.


Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL :: There are a handful of CCR songs that I like to listen to but listening to Pink Floyd is an emotional journey, every time.


Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M. :: I'm somehow psychologically scarred by the purchase of Skynyrd's Freebird single. I went through a lengthy R.E.M. listening phase and emerged un-scarred with the opinion that they're not that great but I still like a lot of their songs.


Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO :: I've never been a fan of Led Zep although I like the odd song. It took me a while to like The Who, despite them being bosom buddies with Joe Walsh. I'd say their sixties pop hits edge it.


Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS :: It's s pity The Byrds didn't stick around for longer. I don't think any of them have produced anything better since leaving the band. Tom Petty is ok. I'm not a fan of his voice but I think Mike Campbell is a great guitarist. Mike Campbell and, to a lesser degree Stan Lynch's contributions to Henley's solo career outstrip anything The Byrds have produced, except maybe the Dylan cover.


Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS :: I'm not really a fan of either. FM are a factions band, like CSN[Y] The Doors have a handful of great tunes. I can't quite believe that they beat AC/DC. Back In Black was an almighty hit album. I'd say Fleetwood Mac's catalog, even without the earlier phases of their career, has a lot more depth than The Doors'.


Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES :: The Beach Boys are undoubtedly the sound of summer but The Beatles are always and forever.


Looking forward to the de-brief JCL:thumbsup:


Out of sheer curiosity AG95, which Beach Boys song do you like?)

I'd love to know too!

[Roey]

So here's the complete set of matches for Round 2:

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

Yikes! Matches 2,3,8 were tough.

[AlreadyGone95]

(Out of sheer curiosity AG95, which Beach Boys song do you like?)

Kokomo, of all songs. My parents loved it, and I grew up listening to it.

[NYC Fan]

Match 1. VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS
Match 2. THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
Match 3. PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
Match 4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.
Match 5. LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO
Match 6. THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Match 7. FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS
Match 8. THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES

Can't believe I missed the last round and was sorry to see U2 get voted out. Ironically I missed it because I was busy with work and seeing them a few times at the Garden this week. They are still fantastic in concert, and the Garden was absolutely electric. I've seen hundreds of concerts in my life and rarely does an audience react the way it does for U2. Bono and the boys may not be everyone's cup of tea, but wow do they put on a great show. We had GA and the building was rocking from the floor to the rafters. Back for more this week :-)

Nothing close for me choice-wise in this round, and there are a couple of bands that I find eternally irritating that I would not mind seeing go. It does seem that we're paring it down to the heavyweights now!

[Desperada]

Match1. Van Halen V Dire Straits
Match2. The Rolling Stones V Crosby Stills and Nash( and Young)
Match3. Pink Floyd V Creedence Clearwater Revival
Match4. Lynayrd Skynyrd V R.E.M
Match5. Led Zeppelin V The Who
Match6 The Byrds V Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Match7 Fleetwood Mac V The Doors
Match8 The Beach Boys V The Beatles

[Jonny Come Lately]

NYC Fan, I am glad that you really enjoyed the U2 concert and hope that you have a good time when you go again this week. They are a band that was born to play in the really big venues and I'm sure their show is a very impressive spectacle. It would be dishonest of me to claim to be sorry that they went out, as I am most likely the board's second biggest Dire Straits fan (after FP), but it was a close fight and they weren't the only big name to drop out in that round (Aerosmith also lost their tie, and I was personally rather sorry to lose Deep Purple).

I agree we are definitely getting down to the heavyweights now! There were a couple of bands that got through to the First Round which I feel are not that great from a reasonably objective point of view (I don't necessarily mean bands I dislike, just ones that IMO don't have that impressive a legacy). I think it's a little unfair to state names at this stage though. All of the bands at this stage have strong reputations and when it comes down to my opinions I like quite a lot of them, some a little, some a lot! There is only one band in this game that I truly cannot stand, and they went out in the Preliminary Round.

FWIW had U2 defeated Dire Straits then the Second Round would have looked a bit different - this is because U2 entered the First Round and the eight bands in this category would have taken the lower numbers in the draw in alphabetical order (so The Beach Boys were number 1 and The Who were number 8, meaning U2 was number 7), whereas Dire Straits entered the Preliminary Round and therefore took number 10.

Here's the actual draw as with the numbers produced by the random number generator I've used, and which band they represent:

Match 1. 11 v 10 (VAN HALEN vs DIRE STRAITS)
Match 2. 6 v 16 (THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG))
Match 3. 5 v 9 (PINK FLOYD vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL)
Match 4. 15 v 14 (LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.)
Match 5. 4 v 7 (LED ZEPPELIN vs THE WHO)
Match 6. 12 v 13 (THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS)
Match 7. 3 v 8 (FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE DOORS)
Match 8. 1 v 2 (THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES)

Had U2 entered Round 2 in place of Dire Straits the draw would therefore have been as below:

Match 1. 11 v 10 (VAN HALEN vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL)
Match 2. 6 v 16 (THE ROLLING STONES vs CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG))
Match 3. 5 v 9 (PINK FLOYD vs THE DOORS)
Match 4. 15 v 14 (LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs R.E.M.)
Match 5. 4 v 7 (LED ZEPPELIN vs U2)
Match 6. 12 v 13 (THE BYRDS vs TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS)
Match 7. 3 v 8 (FLEETWOOD MAC vs THE WHO)
Match 8. 1 v 2 (THE BEACH BOYS vs THE BEATLES)

I must admit this would have made very little difference as far as I'm concerned - I would definitely still have voted for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (my two absolute favourites), as I'd vote for The Who over U2 and probably go for CCR over The Doors if they'd been paired. I'd have still voted for Fleetwood Mac although I think I would take The Who above The Doors. The only difference is that I'd have voted for CCR against Van Halen in place of Dire Straits, and Van Halen is probably the band I care least for in this round. I might have abstained from Van Halen vs U2, and would have considered voting for U2 (although I am not U2's greatest fan there are a few songs I do like whereas with Van Halen I have never gone out of my way to listen to them).

One quirk I've noticed is that of the bands in the latter half of the Preliminary Round, only CSN(&Y) made it to the Second Round and they look set to go out the Stones. Does this suggest the draw was somewhat lopsided, or were the bands in the latter half of that round simply unlucky to be drawn against strong opponents? By contrast, no less than eight bands from the first half still remain, with both bands in matches 1, 4 and 6 coming from matches 1-12 in the Preliminary Round meaning that at least three of them are guaranteed to get to the quarter finals. CCR seem likely to join the winners of those matches to make it four (I'll miss Pink Floyd! Ah well), although The Doors need a pretty big turnaround to stand any chance.

If anyone's wondering about the time limit, I thought it was fair to grant an extension to this round and am happy to wait until the votes dry up before stopping. I don't mind if takes 3-4 days to complete a round now as there are fewer matches meaning I am less worried about enforcing time, it is more important that I feel we get enough votes to make me feel the results are 'meaningful'. From now the only round where I think the time limit needs to be enforced strictly is the final itself.

[Funk 50]

FWIW had U2 defeated Dire Straits then the Second Round would have looked a bit different - this is because U2 entered the First Round and the eight bands in this category would have taken the lower numbers in the draw in alphabetical order (so The Beach Boys were number 1 and The Who were number 8, meaning U2 was number 7), whereas Dire Straits entered the Preliminary Round and therefore took number 10.

You're losing me now JCL :crazy:

U2 are top notch live. I suspect the vast majority of people who have a downer on them, haven't attended one of their gigs.
I wonder if Bono's taken up Henley's form of cycling, after his unfortunate accident.

[AlreadyGone95]

You're not the only one who's a bit confused about the drawings that make the matches, F50, lol.

The only vote of mine that would've changed would have been Pink Floyd over The Doors.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

It's spelt 'Straits'. To be in dire straits is to be experiencing hard times.

They were 'important' to a very large number of people for quite a while, including at their peak in 1985 when they were possibly the biggest band in the world. That includes the United States. Those two songs, Money For Nothing & Walk Of Life, were just the tip of the iceberg & not entirely representative of their work (I make no apologies for still loving MFN, however). It's true it would be hard for them to be 'big' now over a decade since they disbanded. However I did not mean to suggest that because they are important to me, that anyone else should feel that way.

I'm quite prepared for them to go next round. They probably did better than I thought they would.

First of all, my apologies for misspelling Dire Straits' name. It was late and I was tired when I wrote that post. FWIW, I actually love both Money For Nothing and Walk of Life. Although I’ve not heard their entire catalog, I am familiar with quite a few of their other songs, but, none of them are as good as those, IMHO. However, my point is that here in the U.S., they were popular for about a year based primarily on these two songs and their accompanying MTV videos. I think it's safe to say that the general public here wouldn’t be familiar with their entire body of work. It is almost impossible for a band that hasn’t been together for over a decade to be considered relevant unless they had made an enormous impact at the height of their popularity, regardless of the quality of their work. And love ‘em or hate ‘em, U2 remains influential and significant.


I would like to politely clarify that we are voting for favourites, not which bands are deemed more significant, although I don't think there have any problems in this regard in this round so far so just wanted everyone to be certain.

JCL, I’m a little confused, because I was unaware that criteria for voting was only about our favorite bands. Based on various comments throughout this game, I believe many of us have voted for bands based on how influential or relevant they are. Quite honestly, I'm afraid if you try to dictate how folks should vote, you may end up with a lot of abstentions.

[Freypower]

First of all, my apologies for misspelling Dire Straits' name. It was late and I was tired when I wrote that post. FWIW, I actually love both Money For Nothing and Walk of Life. Although I’ve not heard their entire catalog, I am familiar with quite a few of their other songs, but, none of them are as good as those, IMHO. However, my point is that here in the U.S., they were popular for about a year based primarily on these two songs and their accompanying MTV videos. I think it's safe to say that the general public here wouldn’t be familiar with their entire body of work. It is almost impossible for a band that hasn’t been together for over a decade to be considered relevant unless they had made an enormous impact at the height of their popularity, regardless of the quality of their work. And love ‘em or hate ‘em, U2 remains influential and significant.

.

It wasn't just two songs & two videos. It was the entire Brothers In Arms album. The album spent 9 weeks at Number One on the Billboard chart. It sold 9 million copies in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_in_Arms_%28Dire_Straits_album%29

So in my view they did make an enormous impact. The fact that they split up to me is irrelevant because I only have to say one word; Beatles.

In any case you appear to have based your vote on what your perception is of the general American public's view of the band rather than your own opinion. You also seem very dismissive of music markets outside the United States. But if you have voted for what you consider more signifcant as opposed to what you prefer, then fair enough. I have taken the opposite view throughout. I have voted & will continue to vote based on my personal preference. Ther alleged 'significance' of U2 means nothing to me, as I don't like them.

So we will have to agree to disagree as we have used opposite methods of deciding how to vote. Both are entirely valid.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

FP, just to clarify, I didn’t say that I was basing this vote on what I consider ‘more significant as opposed to what I prefer’. What I did say is that I’m actually not a huge fan of either of these bands. So since I really don’t have a preference, I either had to abstain from voting or use some other criteria to make a decision; therefore, I chose to vote on influence and significance.

I’m not saying that Dire Straits didn’t make an impact, I just don’t believe their overall impact was as influential and significant as U2’s. And, while I did specifically comment on Dire Straits’ impact in the U.S., it doesn’t change my mind at all when I compare the two bands worldwide. Here’s what Wikipedia says about each band’s credentials ...


They also became one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of over 120 million. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards—winning Best British Group twice, two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other music awards.


U2 have released 13 studio albums and are one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band; and, in 2005, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and labeled them the "Biggest Band in the World".

If you feel that Dire Straits made an enormous impact, then that’s your prerogative. But, as you said, we’ll just have to agree to disagree about that.

[Lisa]

Match 1. Van Halen
Match 2. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)
Match 3. Creedence Clearwater Revival
Match 4. Lynyrd Skynyrd
Match 5. Led Zeppelin
Match 6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Match 7. The Doors
Match 8. The Beach Boys

[NYC Fan]

NYC Fan, I am glad that you really enjoyed the U2 concert and hope that you have a good time when you go again this week. They are a band that was born to play in the really big venues and I'm sure their show is a very impressive spectacle.

JCL- Thanks, I did have a fantastic time seeing them. Interesting that you would mention the spectacle aspect. The first time I ever saw them was in a small hall in New Haven on Bono's 23rd birthday, and the only "spectacle" was Bono marching around with his white flag and climbing up the rigging into the balcony. But I was completely blown away, and to this day it remains one of my favorite shows of any band I've seen. I actually just found this article which talks about that show, and his little balcony walking stunt.

http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/2014/05/10/31-years-ago-bono-almost-gets-himself-killed-with-a-birthday-stunt/

Even on this tour, my favorite part of the show is the stripped down mini-set that they do on the small stage at the back of the floor. They may have all the screens and lighting effects, but they certainly don't need them. The music and performance is enough to carry the show.

And F50, I think you are right about people who really dislike them have probably never seen them live. But they are a band much like the Eagles and Springsteen, where people who hate them seem to really hate them. Since it's already hard enough to get tickets to see all these bands, I don't try to convince anyone otherwise :-)

But I digress. I will be interested in seeing what happens with this round and going forward! It's getting interesting now...

[Funk 50]

Kokomo, of all songs. My parents loved it, and I grew up listening to it.

Thanks for sharing that AG95. It probably would've taken me about 50 attempts to guess that Kokomo was the only Beach Boys track you like... and I like the Keeping The Summer Alive album. :thumbsup:

[Jonny Come Lately]

I think now is a good time to call the end to the Second Round. Apologies to anyone intending to vote in the next 24 hours but 15 votes is a good number . As 15 is of course an odd number I can therefore confirm that all the matches have ended in a victory for one band over the other, so no need for tiebreakers this time round.

With voting now closed, the results are as follows - as always, the winner in bold, the loser in italics.

1. VAN HALEN 8-7 DIRE STRAITS
2. THE ROLLING STONES 9-6 CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (& YOUNG)
3. PINK FLOYD 5-8 CREEEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (2 abstentions)
4. LYNYRD SKYNYRD 10-4 R.E.M. (1 abstention)
5. LED ZEPPELIN 12-3 THE WHO
6. THE BYRDS 4-11 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
7. FLEETWOOD MAC 12-3 THE DOORS
8. THE BEACH BOYS 5-10 THE BEATLES

I'll put the draw up, but a shorter summary of the Second Round will follow first. With fewer matches I have less to say and this will be the last one I do, and with just four matches in the next round I simply will not have enough to say to justify giving a full summary.

[Jonny Come Lately]

SECOND ROUND SUMMARY

Before I reveal the draw for the Quarter Finals I think it would be good to have a look back at the results of the Second Round as I have for the Preliminary Round and First Round with some facts about the results and my own personal thoughts.

BANDS ENTERING THE QUARTER FINALS ( 8 )
Bands victorious in the Second Round: Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles

BANDS ELIMINATED ( 8 )
Bands eliminated in the Second Round: Dire Straits, Crosby, Stills and Nash (& Young), R.E.M., The Who, The Byrds, The Doors, The Beach Boys

THE FACTS
- Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac both received 12 votes and won their respective ties 12-3. This represented both the most votes received by any band in this round and the biggest winning margin, by 9 votes.
- The Who and The Doors received just 3 votes in losing their matches, the join lowest.
- Dire Straits received the most votes of any losing band (7).
- CCR and Van Halen by contrast won their ties with 8 votes.
- Van Halen's victory over Dire Straits by just a single vote is clearly the closest finish of any match in this round. The next lowest victory margin was 3 votes (CCR over Pink Floyd, with 2 abstentions, and The Rolling Stones over CSN(&Y)).
- Two of the three very comfortable winners in Round 1 again secured big wins - Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. The other, Pink Floyd, lost to CCR, a band which won its previous match by a tiebreaker.*

Personal Opinion
- I can't pick one result that stands out to me as especially pleasing above the others, although I was happy to see the Stones beat CSN(&Y) and Lynyrd Skynyrd beat R.E.M.. Come to think of it, I think Led Zeppelin defeating The Who was probably my 'favourite' result.
- No contest for my least favourite result, I definitely wanted Pink Floyd to beat CCR and I think it was closer than the score line suggested (a couple of the comments suggested some people found this a close one). Kudos to CCR though, they've beaten some very tough opponents so far (Queen, Aerosmith and Pink Floyd is a good list of bands to have beaten!) I wanted Dire Straits to beat Van Halen but I am less worried as I expected a Van Halen win and it was quite close in the end.
- Fleetwood Mac's win over The Doors felt like the least surprising result in this round - of the other remaining 'elite' bands at least one of Led Zeppelin or The Who and The Beatles or The Beach Boys was going to go out.
- I was surprised Led Zeppelin had such a secure margin of victory over The Who, something closer to the result between The Beatles and The Beach Boys (a 4-5 vote win) was more in line to what I would have expected.
- If anyone was unlucky I would say it was CSN(&Y), who did slightly better against The Stones than The Beach Boys did against The Beatles. I think they might have come through against quite a few of the others.
stage. All of them justified their places by winning at least one match and I - I'm not sure I can really identify any one band as particularly lucky at this think the eight bands entering the quarter finals are all strong candidates.

*I think this says more about their opponents than about CCR or Pink Floyd, and suggests that CCR faced a much stronger opponent in Round 1 than Floyd. I therefore suspect that Aerosmith would have been likely to defeat The Ramones had those two faced each other.

[Jonny Come Lately]

We now enter the Quarter Finals. There are now just eight bands left in the game, and all have had to win at least two matches to get to this stage (in some cases three).

The Battle Of The Bands - Quarter Finals

There now just 4 ties in this round, and these, as with all ties from now on, will be played simultaneously.

Voting for this round is now open and I'll keep it open for between 3-4 days, so expect voting to close on Friday if it has not already closed on Thursday. As always, just make sure your choices are clear.

So here's the complete set of matches for Round 2:

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

Keep voting and have fun! By this stage I think the 'end game' is becoming a bit clearer and we can probably identify the bands we'd each most like to win.

[UndertheWire]

This is weird. In previous rounds I've voted against at least three of the bands I'm voting for this time round. I'm sure it's to do with the pairing.

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

[Lisa]

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Van Halen

[AlreadyGone95]

1. CCR
2. Fleetwood Mac
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Van Halen

[L101]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

Match 2 - Abstaining because I can't actually choose which one of these bands should go!!
If either of them had been against any of the other bands (apart from CCR), then the choice would have been so much easier :grin:

[Funk 50]

I've just started listening to The Who's last compilation. They're a lot better that I thought they were. I must give Led Zep another listen, see if I get it this time.


1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL :: I'm surprised CCR have done so well. They've got about 4 tracks I really like. I tire of Fogerty's voice beyond that. I admire troopers like the Stones, they've amassed a great cannon of songs too.

2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC :: I can take or leave both. I listen to Mac lot more. Stevie Nicks the most.


3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN :: Well, I don't know enough about either of these to pick a favourite. I know Joe Walsh is a big Zeppelin fan but I wont let that sway my opinion. Abstention.


4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN :: Impact, ability, integrity, talent, success, aspiration, productivity, achievement, loyalty, diversity, respectability and locality. I make that 12-0 to the Fab Four

[Brooke]

Round 2:

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

I really hated to see CCR go down, but there's no doubt that the Stones are more deserving. And LZ is more worldly than LS, but I like LS better.

[NYC Fan]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

[Freypower]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

JCL, I feel I should point out tht you had DS in bold & VH in italics. For one brief moment there I thought DS had won. My husband would be pleased at the continuing votes for VH. He loves them & he doesn't care for the Beatles.

My knowledge of Fleetwood Mac is based on two albums & a handful of other tracks, but I consider those songs superior to Petty's work. To me the only song of his that really stands out & makes you want to listen is Refugee.

As for my other votes they are for my second & third favourite bands respectively. LS mean nothing to me. Sweet Home Alabama - that's it.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks for pointing that out FP, the score was correct but that was a mistake on my part. I apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

I'll submit my own votes now - with my preferred choice in bold:

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

I must admit I found these choices relatively easy. I will take The Stones over CCR, while Fleetwood Mac are among my favourites and I definitely prefer them to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I love Lynyrd Skynyrd but I've got to go with Led Zeppelin. Van Halen are my least favourite of the bands remaining and The Beatles have far more songs I admire.

[WalshFan88]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

All of these were easy but 3. Why did those two have to be up against each other?! :hilarious:

[Ive always been a dreamer]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN

This round I do have clear favorites. However, in the cases of matches 1 & 3, I am not voting for my favorites, but rather the bands that I believe are most deserving to advance.

[Roey]

1. THE ROLLING STONES vs CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS vs FLEETWOOD MAC
3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD vs LED ZEPPELIN
4. THE BEATLES vs VAN HALEN