Best Song of the 1970s Bracket - Born to Run wins!

[MiltonPlayer47]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
I have never been a big Queen fan; I just don't care for Freddie Mercury's voice. But "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still a great song.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
I like Simon & Garfunkel, but "Bridge over Troubled Water" has always been boring to me. This one is still close, but I'll go with the underdog.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
The hardest decision of this round.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
I generally dislike the Eagles, but "Hotel California" is a good song if you can forget how overplayed it is. But "The Tears of a Clown" is catchy.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[AgathokakologicalPunk]

Bohemian Rhapsody
Riders on the Storm
Life's Been Good
God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Ohio
Hotel California
Blitzkrieg Bop

[1992 in spaceflight]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
--If it was the original by The Animals, I'd be voting against Queen here. Also, it's worth noting that the best song on A Night at the Opera is certainly "Death on Two Legs."

Are you sure it isn't "I'm in Love with my Car?"

[ValenciaQBowl]

Yes, entirely sure.

[ValenciaQBowl]

Hey Fred, was/is there a Jethro Tull song in this field? I might be forgetting a vote or missing it in the bracket, but I don't find one. Terrible flute bro injustice, if so.

[dwd500]

No Kraftwerk, either. Anti-robot propaganda!

[Stained Diviner]

There is no Jethro Tull. Bungle in the Jungle and Locomotive Breath are better than some of these songs. So it goes.

Also no Kraftwerk, but that's a feature.

[AKKOLADE]

Aqualung was one of the last five songs I cut. If you're curious, the ten that were among the last cut were (in no real order):

• L.A. Freeway – Guy Clark
• Amos Moses – Jerry Reed
• Pancho and Lefty – Townes Van Zandt
• Come and Get Your Love – Redbone
• Year of the Cat – Al Stewart
• Come Sail Away – Styx
• Devil Woman – Cliff Richard
• Aqualung – Jethro Tull
• Groove Me – King Floyd
• Heard It in a Love Song – The Marshall Tucker Band

I think Kraftwerk would have been present if this were an album bracket. Autobahn was the song I settled on for consideration for them.

[dwd500]

Yeah, yikes - a 22+ minute "song."

Love The Year of the Cat.

[Asterias Wrathbunny]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[ValenciaQBowl]

Oh, god, "Pancho and Lefty" is faaaaaantastic, like nearly everything Townes ever did.

At least Yes made it in.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

• Pancho and Lefty – Townes Van Zandt
• Come and Get Your Love – Redbone

Bruh

[Stained Diviner]

Can't You See is the best Marshall Tucker Band song, not that it matters at this point.

[Whiter Hydra]

[*]Come Sail Away – Styx

I know that's not their best song (that's 1983's Mr. Roboto, of course), but I'm still sad it didn't make the cut.

[rylltraka]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
There's a reason Bohemian Rhapsody is #1. The second song is a fun, entertaining diversion.

Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
I'm normally one on the side of "Jim Morrison was every self-absorbed, arrogant, modestly talented hippie loser you've ever met", but still, "Riders on the Storm" has a subtle menace, much of which is owed to the production, which is excellent. I don't feel great voting against "Heart of Glass", because I love Blondie, but it feels so insubstantial and tossed-off. Great walking bassline, though.

Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Walsh's sprawling irony-rich rock opus seems to drag a little bit the second time around.

Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
I've been on a real Patti Smith kick lately, even though it's not my favorite. But "God Save the Queen" doesn't have much going for it beyond snottiness and shock, which is no longer shocking.

Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
I'll take the focus of the first over the sloppy soul sprawl of the second.

Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Goddamn, the curl on that opening riff of "Ohio" just plucks at you, doesn't it. This reminds me of a conversation I had maybe a dozen years ago with a Chinese national I was working alongside at the USC campus bookstore. She was learning American history, and maybe it even came up because of this song, and she was pretty nonchalant about Americans getting up in arms about four people dying while being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The luxury of America, for sure. She was an interesting person, and we were both rebels in quite different ways. She disappeared off Facebook about 10 years ago, who knows. Anyway, Frampton is better at album length than in individual songs; *Frampton Comes Alive* is worth the listen in its entirety.

Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Walkover; you can only deny the immanent greatness of "Hotel California" if you are blinded by prejudice against the Eagles, which is popular for understandable reasons.

Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop
"Lola" almost sounds like a Ramones song, but slower, more thematically and musically complex, but the attitude and the self-deprecating irony's all there.

All chalk, huh. Well, can't win 'em all.

[ScoBo]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[ValenciaQBowl]

you can only deny the immanent greatness of "Hotel California" if you are blinded by prejudice against the Eagles

Don't you tell me what I can deny, Mik!

--Who drinks pink champagne? And if you were to do so, why in god's name would you put it on ice???
--So they gather for a feast, but they can't kill the beast with their steely knives? What they gonna feast on?
--Who the heck has ever called it "colitas"???
--Wine is not a spirit, Don.

Most of you obviously didn't live through the '80s having to listen to AOR mainstream rock radio, but the main reason to hate that song is that it got played 700 trillion times and was revered by all kinds of bros who in the early 80s thought groups like The Clash and The Police were radical, unlistenable weirdos (until of course "Rock the Casbah" and "Every Little Thing" broke through to rock radio after being popularized on MTV).

So there.

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[AKKOLADE]

We have 24 hours to vote! Even if you haven’t voted before, you can join now!

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood Obviously Bohemian Rhapsody is going to win, but I don't get it. It's not that I find it bad, I just find it incohesive, overly abstracted, and full of tonal and musical shifts that are more disruptive than exciting. Vote for it if y'all feel the need to, but I don't understand the appeal.
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way You're going to have to work really hard to persuade me that this song isn't at least a, if not the, deserving winner of this bracket.
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown Firmly in the camp that denies all greatness associated with Hotel California
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[rylltraka]

you can only deny the immanent greatness of "Hotel California" if you are blinded by prejudice against the Eagles

Don't you tell me what I can deny, Mik!

--Who drinks pink champagne? And if you were to do so, why in god's name would you put it on ice???
--So they gather for a feast, but they can't kill the beast with their steely knives? What they gonna feast on?
--Who the heck has ever called it "colitas"???
--Wine is not a spirit, Don.

Most of you obviously didn't live through the '80s having to listen to AOR mainstream rock radio, but the main reason to hate that song is that it got played 700 trillion times and was revered by all kinds of bros who in the early 80s thought groups like The Clash and The Police were radical, unlistenable weirdos (until of course "Rock the Casbah" and "Every Little Thing" broke through to rock radio after being popularized on MTV).

So there.

I didn't live through the '80s (well, about half of it), but I did have hippie parents who blared the only classic rock station in town (KBOY, fellow Rogue Valley residents) for all of my formative years. I gathered that people hated the Eagles, and that they were overplayed, and I can understand why their music rankles people to this day; it's fine-tuned demographic perfection that often lacks a soul. But hey, sometime in the last few years I came around on the Eagles after picking up their greatest-hits records. What I'm trying to say, Chris, is that you're wrong for having the feelings you feel, and should apologize to me and to Don Henley.

[AKKOLADE]

Please apologize to Joe Walsh, who I’ve determined is the cool Eagle based entirely off of his writing of Life’s Been Good.

[ValenciaQBowl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2t2rwqky0

"Used to be in the Eagles/Now he whines like a wounded beagle"--three chords and the truth!

And Joe Walsh is excellent.

[BenWeiner27]

Bohemian Rhapsody vs. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Riders on the Storm vs. Heart of Glass
Psycho Killer vs. Life’s Been Good
Gloria vs. God Save the Queen
Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. The Letter
Ohio vs. Show Me the Way
Hotel California vs. The Tears of a Clown
Lola vs. Blitzkrieg Bop

[AKKOLADE]

You have about four hours to vote.

[AKKOLADE]

We're done!!

Bohemian Rhapsody 20, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood 7
Riders on the Storm 14.5, Heart of Glass 10.5
Psycho Killer 15.5, Life’s Been Good 10
Gloria 17, God Save the Queen 8.5
Bridge Over Troubled Water 18.5, The Letter 7.5
Ohio 22, Show Me the Way 4
Hotel California 19, The Tears of a Clown 7.5
Lola 17, Blitzkrieg Bop 8.5

[AKKOLADE]

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7huIh ... j9omw8bQ1w

#8 London Calling – The Clash
Album: London Calling
Year: 1979
Charts: UK #11
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvI2xbU3baQ

#165 More Than a Feeling – Boston
Album: Boston
Year: 1976
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #5, UK #22
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hQWgB07LLE

#57 Run Through The Jungle – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo’s Factory
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #4
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFx-eNrjtmQ

#75 La Grange – ZZ Top
Album: Tres Hombres
Year: 1973
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #41
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vppbdf-qtGU

#25 Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
Album: Wish You Were Here
Year: 1975
Charts: non-single
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjpF8ukSrvk

#116 25 or 6 to 4 – Chicago
Album: Chicago
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #4, UK #7
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUAYeN3Rp2E

#40 Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
Album: Dire Straits
Year: 1978
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #4, UK #8
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyF1FwiYcoQ

#97 Cruel to Be Kind – Nick Lowe
Album: Labour of Lust
Year: 1979
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #12, UK #12
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQdxGpV5aV8

#9 Ain't No Sunshine – Bill Withers
Album: Just As I Am
Year: 1971
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #3
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PeyzXvvdmw

#156 War – Edwin Starr
Album: War & Peace
Year: 1970
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #3
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZJRJpbGkG4

#56 Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Album: Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
Year: 1977
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #4
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lytDLaMfls

#76 Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel
Album: The Stranger
Year: 1978
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #24
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERWREcPIoPA

#24 Won't Get Fooled Again – The Who
Album: Who’s Next
Year: 1971
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #15, UK #9
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrHUD2XmLN4

#121 Drift Away – Dobie Gray
Album: Drift Away
Year: 1973
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnDu1HHOo78

#41 Papa Was A Rolling Stone – The Temptations
Album: All Directions
Year: 1972
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #1, UK #14
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ1Eu3Z9IHU

#96 Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Album: Poems, Prayers, & Promises
Year: 1971
Charts: Billboard Hot 100 #2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo

Your ballot:

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[MiltonPlayer47]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
I was disappointed to have to vote against a few of the other songs here, but this was the only matchup that was actually a tough decision. "Papa" does have to lose some points though for being twice as long as it needs to be.

[Ethnic history of the Vilnius region]

London Calling to vs. More Than a Feeling

Not my favorite Clash song, but listening to classic rock radio growing up kind of ruined More Than a Feeling for me.

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange

Very hard choice between 2 of my favorite bands. Billy Gibbons is good at guitar.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4

Another very tough one. Depends on my mood, and right now I'm in a Pink Floyd mood.

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind

Pretty easy choice.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War

Another really tough one. One thing: Edwin Starr made it his own, but the original version by the Temptations is really good.

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young

Really hard choice for me.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away

Easy choice.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

This was the toughest of all. I had to go with the shorter song here. If "Just My Imagination" was the choice for the Temps, I would have voted for that, if only because it inspired this really stupid Comedy Bang Bang sketch that I love.

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
This is almost unique among major dire straits songs in that I don't like it
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[kammajos000]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[mrtyrmystry]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
me, picking the worst song on London Calling over the only perfect arenarock-aor-whatever song ever written

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

The Spotify playlist is missing Bill Withers

[dwd500]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
- But if this were an album bracket, Boston all the way. That More Than a Feeling is the best track off that album says a lot for it. Unfortunate matchup.

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
- Another case of the best song on a strong album. A song so good John Fogerty stole it from himself. La Grange is fun, but it ain't got that harmonica.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
- Prime example of the Floyd's lyrical depth. I guess on La Grange I didn't vote for Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarist, I might as well not vote for the guitar player that Jimi said was better than he was. BTW, there's a great live version of Kath's solo here.

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
- Jeez, the legends of guitar are all in this round. I like Cruel better this go-around, but not enough to vote for it over Knopfler's homage to your local bar band.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
- Votin' a lot of chalk here..

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
- Fixed it. I like How Deep Is Your Love better for the Bee Gees, but I also had to march to Stayin' Alive back in college. Nearly anything else was going to get my vote here.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
- Just because I'd much rather listen to Dobie Gray in April 2020 doesn't mean it's a better song than one of the Who's best.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
- That Temptations album is a trip, though. That song follows Run Charlie Run.

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange Another set of two weird choices for their respective bands. Both of these songs are fine but not their artists' best; I'll pick the song by the better band.
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4 I just said that you'd have to persuade me Ohio shouldn't win, but this is the first song in the bracket that could do that for me
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War This is a really tough one - both of these song are great. I'll go for the one that's more visceral, and just as topical now as it was in 1970.
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads Papa has a lot of great moments, but wastes too much time meandering around before getting to its point. Country Roads tells you exactly what it's doing, and executes perfectly.

[Auks Ran Ova]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling - tough one, figured I'd vote slightly against type and throw Boston a bone. If it was band vs. band, or almost any other Clash song, or even remotely close, I'd probably go the other way.
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young - by a huge, huge margin (this was a great choice of Billy Joel song)
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[Habitat_Against_Humanity]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[ValenciaQBowl]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
--By any metric, any assessment, any principle, any aesthetic

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
--I agree that these are maybe not the most representative songs for these groups in the '70s, especially for CCR, which on Cosmo's Factory features the fun ode to LSD "Lookin' out My Back Door" and the fantastic "Long as I Can See the Light." CCR is everything the Eagles were trying to be. But "La Grange" is a better song.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
--Everything Peter Cetera touches dies.

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
--"Cruel to be Kind" is a good song, but "Sultans of Swing" is a truly great song.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
--Easy.

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
--I dislike both of these songs, so I'll abstain to allow folks who have a preference decide.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
--The Who is a top-ten group for me.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
--Has there ever been a larger funk differential between two songs?

[Wartortullian]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
I probably would've taken "Peace of Mind" over "London Calling", but as it stands, the latter wins this handily.

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
It pains me to vote against such an iconic disco track, but "Only the Good Die Young" has a lot of significance to me personally, so it gets my vote.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
I started listening to the Spotify playlist (which doesn't include "Ain't No Sunshine"), and I was quite relieved when I found out that I wouldn't have to vote against the Who. "Drift Away" is kinda meh.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
The Temptations deserve better than this, but "Country Roads" has one hell of a chorus.

[kitakule]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young - in general, I like Billy Joel more than the Bee Gees, but most of my favourite Joel songs are in the 80's, and there are several of his 70's songs that I'd rather have seen in this bracket. Anyway, I can't vote against such an iconic disco track.
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[AKKOLADE]

Ain't No Sunshine has been added to the Spotify playlist. Sorry about that!

[Whiter Hydra]

London Calling — An anti-establishment song so good apparently that they included it in promotions about the 2012 Olympics. I like it, it's got a good rhythm, but I won't necessarily seek it out the way I would some other songs.
More Than a Feeling — This song's probably not going to win, which is a shame because Boston is such an amazing album with 8 quality tracks. More Than a Feeling rocks hard, especially as the bridge segues into the chorus.

Run Through the Jungle — It's okay, and I appreciate the anti-gun message, but it doesn't really have the same effect that a lot of CCR's other stuff has on me.
La Grange — This song is an excuse for Billy Gibbons to show off. Thankfully for all of us, he's good at it.

Wish You Were Here — I remember getting my first MP3 player in junior year of high school, and the first song I listened to on it was Wish You Were Here. I got really concerned when I couldn't hear anything out of the left ear for 30 seconds. Anyway, this song is the perfect combination of the Pink Floyd style and of mainstream accessibility, which makes this a great entry for the bracket.
25 or 6 to 4 — 25 or 6 to 4 is a great song about writer's block. Unfortunately, it's also probably how badly they'll be beat by Pink Floyd in this matchup, which is a great shame. It's probably in my top 5 of this octant, helped a lot by its killer baseline.

Sultans of Swing — This is a song that I don't think I would like, but whenever I listen to it, I invariably enjoy it. Maybe it's because of a combination of painting a good picture and good but not overwhelming guitar work to carry the song for the full six minutes. Also it's one of a few songs to mention "Harry", for what it's worth.
Cruel to Be Kind — Now that I've subjected myself to repeat listenings of this song, it holds up a lot better than I was initially expecting. It's not good enough to knock off Mark Knopfler, but I feel better about it.

Ain't No Sunshine — It would be an okay breakup song to listen to, except the "I know I know I know I know..." part really takes me out of the song.
War — It's raw, it's visceral, it's to the point, and it does it well. If people remember the big takeaway lyric to your social protest song, you're doing it right.

Stayin' Alive — It's disco done right. I think the not-so-intelligble lyrics don't really help things, but it's still a strong song.
Only the Good Die Young — Billy Joel is probably my favorite solo artist. Unfortunately, there's about a third of his discography that I enjoy more than this song. That being said, it's still good, and I'm partially voting for this one because of Joel's other works.

Won't Get Fooled Again — It's an 8:31 song that doesn't feel long. The final 45 seconds are an extremely satisfying conclusion in a way that most other pieces of music can only dream of.
Drift Away — It's an okay song, but nothing special against a very strong opponent.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone — It's classic late Motown, but it's about two minutes too long for my taste. It's a shame, because the Temptations have a lot of great songs.
Take Me Home, Country Roads — Are my Virginian biases going to make me want to vote for this song? Yes. Would I still vote for a John Denver classic regardless? Probably yes. Should more people listen to John Denver songs? Definitely.

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[Stained Diviner]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
I've never gotten into The Clash, but this song is better anyways.

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
La Grange is great. I'm glad I get to vote for it this time.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
I knew the lyrics by heart at one point. The whole album is great. If you are not aware of the sad story of Syd Barrett, look it up.

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Dire Straits is a great band. Making Movies and Brothers In Arms are great albums, but that's the 80s.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
These songs are both great. Paul McCartney did a great unplugged Ain't No Sunshine, though the original might be better.

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
This was a difficult decision. Both of these songs are OK.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
This was an easy decision. Drift Away is pretty good, but not nearly good enough.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is absolutely awesome. It will be a tough decision if it is up against Won't Get Fooled Again next round.

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads

[ScoBo]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
Hardest pick for me this round - would be happy to see either of these advance. Going to vote for CCR so I don't vote exactly the same way as Harry two rounds in a row.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
"Papa" dragged on a little too long. I like a lot of longer songs, but it usually takes several listens before I can get into them.

[AgathokakologicalPunk]

Tough, tough slate. Only Nick Lowe, Edwin Starr and Dobie Gray stick out as weak candidates and the Clash, CCR, Dire Straits, the Who, the Temptations, and Boston could all have been top 15 IMO.

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling - Bad selection for Boston; Peace of Mind, Foreplay and Feelin' Satisfied would all be stronger to me. Maybe just too overplayed. Wouldn't matter. Even with a song that doesn't quite fit their style, the Clash has to roll on.
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange - The more I listen, the more strident John Fogerty's voice becomes to me. Only Down on the Corner could get CCR past that sick riff.
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4 - Very painful matchup, but can't vote against the Floyd. Sad, Chicago nailed the horns on this one.
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind - Easy pick. Good job to Nick Lowe for making it here, I hope he makes it no farther.
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War - Don't know enough to vote well.
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young - Ah yes, the sententious ramblings of BJ. This one doesn't annoy me much more than it did after the second or third time, because I was sick of it after the second or third time.
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away - Better to get lost in the Who.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads - Country Roads, ruined by too many renditions on too many bus rides.

[rylltraka]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling
I've never been that into the Clash (except for the sublime "Rock the Casbah"). Maybe I'm not cool enough. This might be an important song, but it's not really that good of a song, and additionally, it might the inspiration for the eight million modern bands who have a lead singer who can't sing. Boston might be exactly what the Clash were rebelling against, but most every piece of "More Than A Feeling" is so perfect that its 4 1/2 minutes just flies by. Those vocal harmonies? That instantly recognizable guitar tone?

Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange
CCR was a staple of my childhood, and more specifically, was the constant soundtrack to my 9th grade Weightlifting class. I got up to 310 in squat. This is pretty good CCR, but not my favorite. Kinda sloppy, like most CCR, which is part of the charm. "La Grange" is *the* early ZZ Top song in terms of fame, and has its groove, although the vocals are fairly grating (check out Just Got Paid for something more organic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db94lyKYOcg). A contest between second-tier songs from first-tier artists; tough call.

Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4
This is really hard to do, because I really found "25 or 6 to 4" to be such a pleasant surprise and have listened to it repeatedly the last few weeks. But I guess it has its little flaws.

Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind
These are similar songs in that they present a constant "feel" to them, although those feels probably could not be more different. I really like Sultans of Swing, but couldn't name more than a couple parts of lines from the verse, so I'm going to side with the accidentally perfect '70s pop tone of the second one.

Ain't No Sunshine vs. War
RIP Bill Withers. This would have been an excellent '60s song, but sounds a bit dated and lacking in complexity compared to what came after. And it's so short! "War" is more memorable, and more iconic (despite its ramshackle nature), so this isn't that tough of a decision.

Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young
"Stayin' Alive" is deservedly the greatest song of the disco era, even in this seven-minute version. It survived while many lesser breeds were extinguished for good reason. For me Billy Joel has always been like *Seinfeld*; enjoyable, East coast, hyped by people for reasons I don't really understand. It's fine, but to me this isn't a contest.

Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away
Maybe it's because I've heard it a million times, or that I'm not that into The Who, but this didn't hit me super well. Think I'll stick with the greater focus of "Drift Away", which moderates itself far better.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads
Being subjected to eleven minutes of this? It's fine when it picks up but I very quickly became distracted during the atmospheric sections. Compared to this, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is like hardcore.

[BenWeiner27]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling-this was a really hard one, both of them are some of my favorite songs. London Calling is simply more distinct for me.
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange-The bass line of La Grange edges it out over not-my-favorite CCR song.
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4-A very good Chicago song has the unfortunate of being edged by a slightly more impressive Pink Floyd song.
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind-Sultans of Swing is the best Dire Straights song in my opinion with the Alchemy Live version being even better, Cruel to Be Kind is a fine song but is no where near as impressive.
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War-Both of these songs are kinda meh for me, War is more memorable.
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young- I have never really been a fan of Stayin' Alive, Only the Good Die Young is a Billy Joel song I hadn't listened to much before this, but it has definitely grown on me since.
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away - I feel like Won't Get Fooled Again just goes on for too long. I think that Baba O'Riley is a much better song off of Who's Next as it doesn't drag on for as long as WGFA does. That being said, Drift Away, while having a memorable chorus, is also kind of underwhelming, so I'll vote for WGFA for now.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads - I am sure the day will come when I have grown tired of John Denver, but that day has yet to come.

[AgathokakologicalPunk]

London Calling vs. More Than a Feeling-this was a really hard one, both of them are some of my favorite songs. London Calling is simply more distinct for me.
Run Through the Jungle vs. La Grange-The bass line of La Grange edges it out over not-my-favorite CCR song.
Wish You Were Here vs. 25 or 6 to 4-A very good Chicago song has the unfortunate of being edged by a slightly more impressive Pink Floyd song.
Sultans of Swing vs. Cruel to Be Kind-Sultans of Swing is the best Dire Straights song in my opinion with the Alchemy Live version being even better, Cruel to Be Kind is a fine song but is no where near as impressive.
Ain't No Sunshine vs. War-Both of these songs are kinda meh for me, War is more memorable.
Stayin' Alive vs. Only the Good Die Young- I have never really been a fan of Stayin' Alive, Only the Good Die Young is a Billy Joel song I hadn't listened to much before this, but it has definitely grown on me since.
Won't Get Fooled Again vs. Drift Away - I feel like Won't Get Fooled Again just goes on for too long. I think that Baba O'Riley is a much better song off of Who's Next as it doesn't drag on for as long as WGFA does. That being said, Drift Away, while having a memorable chorus, is also kind of underwhelming, so I'll vote for WGFA for now.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone vs. Take Me Home, Country Roads - I am sure the day will come when I have grown tired of John Denver, but that day has yet to come.

Very true on The Who. Baba O’Riley was their best song and best encapsulated the band. Aggressive but wistful, sometimes quiet and somber, but never slow; a song of independence and rebellion, but also of reliability and love.

[AKKOLADE]

It came down to Baba vs. Fooled for me. I like both a lot and thought you could go either way with it. I went with Fooled since it’s a bit more guitar-based, the signing (once it hits hard) is emblematic if their status as the biggest hard rock band of the early 70s, the bass line is excellent, and Keith Moon does Keith Moon things.

[Stained Diviner]

I was on the Forensics Team for a year or two in high school. The leader of the team was a huge Who fan who did Extemperaneous, which means they got asked a current events question, had a few minutes to prepare a talk, and then gave a talk that was a few minutes long. During the trip to State, he spent most of the time listening to The Who.

He was very good. He was one of six people who made it to the final round at state, which I watched. He was asked whether Gorbachev would be any different than his predecessors. He gave a very bland talk saying that nothing would change (which was the common opinion at the time even though it was completely wrong), and he got 5th out of 6.

I was talking with him about it afterwards, and he said the speech opening he really wanted to go with was "According to The Who in We Won't Get Fooled Again, 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss'," but he chickened out and went with something more conventional.