UPDATES:
Jamaica moves forward.
England survives Aussie’s OT challenge.
Ireland defeats Sweden in overtime!
Net-shredding Beach Boys tune edges Wales’ best shot at USA advances to semi-finals
Round 2 of the Rock Town Hall World Cup of Rock ‘n Roll is ready for kick off in full swing!
Following is the schedule for the second round of play, our first elimination round. There will be no ties, so coaches: have a third strike ready. You will pick up with the rosters you used to end the first round of play. Remember: any artist substituted for in Round 1 is now OUT of play.
Coaches can submit their opening two strikes in the Comments section. If you want to play your hand close to the vest and/or would like to submit mp3s for me to post, please send them to the Commissioner: mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com.
Blue font indicates winner of match.
Tuesday, June 29
USA v Wales: 3.5-3, OT
Ireland v Sweden: 3-2, OT
Wednesday, June 30
Australia v England: 3-2, OT
Jamaica v Canada, 2-1, OT
Play hard, play fair, have fun!
A gung-ho Ireland squad has already submitted its opening strikes! I’ll post them in the morning. Be ready, Sweden.
OK, while we await word from Team Sweden coach mockcarr on their opening strikes vs Ireland today (mockcarr, if you’d like, send your strikes directly to the e-mail address in the body of this post and I’ll release all strikes for both sides at once), we have received the opening blows for the USA-Wales match!
Wales coach plasticsun sends in the following:
And from Team USA’s beloved coach 2000 man:
Townspeople, you start your commentary!
I’m not the best person to judge, because I really have no use at all for Bob Dylan, but the winner of the bunch is Badfinger’s “Baby Blue”, followed by Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel”. “I Hear You Knocking” is a kind of parlor trick–hey, he played *all* the instruments–while Dylan just makes me grimace and wish for it to be over. So I’m taking myself out of this one, because I can’t see Dylan with even a hint of objectivity.
*******NEWS FLASH*********
A station in Southern California is having a musical World Cup.
Mod, shall I prepare a cease and desist letter?
http://www.kcrw.com/music/world-cup-2010
I’m very impressed with Wales’s selections (despite no appearance of Super Furry Animals).
Each team has submitted an original song and a song penned by another musician.
1. The covers: Elvis’s “Don’t Be Cruel” was written by Otis Blackwell. A good tune, great melody, but not much music going on there. I am irritated by Elvis’s little sly wink to the ladies out there right at the end of the tune. Condescending, EAP! In contrast, Dave Edmund’s cover of Smiley Lewis’s “I Hear You Knocking” is grittier but also still tuneful in a TRex kind of way. The young Dave Edmunds looks like Ewan McGregor, too. With this pairing, I favor the Welsh selection.
2. The originals: Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” is nice. I like it, and did not know if before. I’m a little distracted by the band’s clothing choices (bare chest? And you’re British!; Ice-cream cone shirt – I want one!) But I enjoy the powerpop sound. Plus it was produced by Todd Rundgren. On “Tangled Up In Blue,” Dylan is Dylan, but with eyeliner. This song has special symbolic meaning for me as my husband won a halloween costume party once when he arrived wrapped in blue yarn and said that he was clearly Tangled Up In Blue. But the song is, meh. Ok, it has good lyrics, but the tune? So – if I was going on pure enjoyment of the song, I would hail Badfinger; if we’re going on the weight of history and the better lyrics, Dylan’s the man.
It’s funny, bostonhistorian, I must have you mixed up with another Townsman (misterioso?) who loves Dylan so much that he even loves his brain-dead albums from the last 25 years:) Actually, whichever Dylan-loving Townsman I’m thinking of directed me to some good tracks from his last few albums. Some day we’ll have to find a way to celebrate popular, critically acclaimed artists that each of us despise. I’m thinking of hrrundivbakshi’s Velvet Underground aversion and 2K’s almost complete dismissal of anything by Led Zeppelin.
Oh, man. At least Bostoncontrarian has dropped from this one. Can’t see Dylan with even a hint of objectivity? If I’ve learned anything from this excercise, it’s to try to see these artists objectively (I truly struggle with that Serge guy and some of Big Steve’s choices, though). When this is over, I’d be interested in a discussion on the teams themselves.
I’m in this match, so I won’t toot my horn or try to convince anyone of anything, because that’s just rude, but I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of things I haven’t liked before (including one of my opponent’s artists that isn’t playing yet). I’m all for being a music snob, and I’m right up there with the best of them, but even I have to admit to seeing why other people are so interested in music that I find as interesting as a dial tone from this game.
And Mr. Mod, I’m there with the Stones.
Led Zeppelin isn’t in the tournament, right?
Then I completely, totally objectively, insist that they suck even more than the Eagles!
If they’re your bench, then I kind of take that back, at least as much as I can.
Thanks for the KCRW tip, cdm. I just became a fan of their Facebook page and let their fans know where to catch our action.
No, 2K, I purposely chose to LEAVE Led Zep at home knowing of your strong objections to them. Ha!
ladymiss, you no like the Stones? We need to talk:)
Odd choice on the Dylan song. I am a fan, and I think that would have been down in the double digits as far as my choices go. I don’t even think I would be top three from that album. I like Baby Blue, but maybe not enough to declare an upset. All in all I think it is a mediocre effort from The States, but they get by.
Sweden-Ireland Match Kicks Off!
Team Sweden coach mockcarr, who’s managed his tournament-built team almost flawlessly to date, sends the following strikes into play:
Meanwhile, controversial Team Ireland coach hrrundivbakshi, puts forth a double-shot instant-offense off his bench:
One of things that you learn as a historian is that objectivity is well nigh impossible so it’s best just to get your bias out in the open. And I did listen to Tangled Up in Blue twice, but it just doesn’t move me. My general approach to these songs is “What would I want to listen to again?” I’d want to hear Badfinger again and “Don’t Be Cruel”.
Perhaps the next tournament is to find who hates which artist the most? Sucking more than the Eagles is a serious charge…
“Tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak/
somewhere in this town”
Somewhere? At the jail, one would presume. First rule of Jailbreak: You don’t sing about Jailbreak!
bostonhistorian may have dealt a crippling blow to the Irish team’s hopes with that cut!
Argh! Waterloo! One of the only ABBA songs I actually like — PLUS Inge or Anna or Brita or whatever her name is actually strips down to a micro-mini before she starts singing! Argh! On the downside, Bjorn or Benny or Gunnar or whatever his name is *isn’t* playing A Hagstrom Swede, as he should be — and his exhortations to clap on the 1 and 3 show really bad judgement. I dunno, man…
Plus, Mockcarr, you gotta give mad props for Phil’s bass *strumming*. Seriously, he plays the bass like that in every song. Live, as well. I have no idea how he does it.
And I think Ireland’s defense has seen enough of Pelle’s schtick throughout this tournament to easily tangle the band up in front of the goal. That’s going to the Hives Scissor Kick one time too many, coach!
Can one go to the ROCK one too many times. Pelle is the modrin Mach Schau. Or howsoever it might be spelled in Swedish…
My blurry, old, farsighted vision led me to think that was a Hagstrom guitar, my apologies.
My initial thoughts on Wales’ herculean effort to upset USA…
I LOVE Dave Edmunds’ “I Hear You Knockin'” but I don’t think it fares well on the pitch. This is an athletic competition and this Edmunds recording sounds like it was made without the artist ever breaking a sweat. To me, “I Hear You Knockin'” is the sound of nerdy men and women playing out some kind of World Cup of Rock ‘n Roll over the Internet. I love the song, I can identify with these nerdy types I’ve heard about, but I think USA’s keeper makes an easy save on this shot.
The Badfinger number, as I always forget, is actually stronger than I think it’s going to be before I hear it. I’ve underestimated this song for years. It’s got an archetypal Power Pop rhythm and melody, and the middle eighth is really strong and surprisingly exciting. I’m awarding a goal to “Baby Blue.”
Team USA scores an easy goal, if you ask me, with one of The King’s friskiest hits. “Don’t Be Cruel” has all the humanity and bodily excretions that “I Hear You Knockin'” lacks. Check out Elvis as he rips open his checked jacket and slides toward the corner flag!
As for “Tangled Up in Blue,” as much of a titan as Dylan is, I think this is a highly overrated song from his most overrated album. Sure, it would be – by far – the greatest song Harry Chapin, Don McLean, or James Taylor would ever write, but I find the structure and lyrics a bit trite for a Dylan song (although nowhere near as bad as some other songs on that album). I think this tune hit the crossbar and riccocheted in. Unless convinced otherwise, I’m calling for OVERTIME. What do the rest of you think?
I’m down for a penalty shootout between Team America and Team Wales.
I agree with hrrundivbakshi that a shootout America/Wales is the next step.
As for the Sweden/Ireland match, Sweden gets the win. Waterloo is tuneful and has good lyrics, and it inspired a memorable movie scene that is much better than that ridiculous Abba musical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U4kDzwZAMk However, “Jail Break” is fabulous, too; a classic rock anthem, even if the lyrics, as bostonhistorian noted, make no sense in the world of crime. A draw there.
So, to me, it comes down between the Hives track and the other Thin Lizzy track. I’m liking the Hives track, even if it does sound like fleshed out/dressed up White Stripes. The Thin Lizzy doesn’t seem very strong.
However, depending on the other RTH’ers beliefs, a shoot out/3rd song may be in order.
My initial thoughts on Sweden v USA…
The Hives number, while it rocks, adds up to no shot on goal, as far as I can tell. What is the striker aiming at? It’s as if he dribbled past the defenders, got free on a breakaway, and then as he neared the 18 started juggling the ball for no other reason than to flip the ball onto the back of his neck. Did Sweden ever fire a shot with all those musical gymnastics?
ABBA’s “Waterloo,” on the other hand is a childhood favorite. However, while I don’t expect the Irish national team to share my childhood memories, I believe their hot-blooded keeper shares my fascination with the move seen at the 49-second mark of this clip. How could any keeper keep his eye on the ball at that point? GOAL Sweden!
Now Team Ireland’s – or more specifically coach HVB’s – play through this tournament has puzzled me throughout this tournament. I shouldn’t be surprised to be puzzled again, but HVB’s bringing the fresh legs of Thin Lizzy off the bench to play rock’s second-best “Dancing in the Moonlight”???? (Second-best to the 1-hit wonder King Harvest track, that is.) This is a clear case where Van the Man is missed. Think how much better a real swinging, nostalgic tune like “Jackie Wilson Said” would have sounded in this round.
“Jailbreak” is a hilarious tune, but – excuse my French – it fucking sucks! That said, the Swedish keeper is laughing so hard at Lynott’s tough-guy pose and bass crouch following the first chorus (about 1 minute in), that he doesn’t see a weak opposite-foot poke roll past him, barely over the goal line.
So, I don’t know what everyone else is seeing, but I see yet another game that’s headed for OVERTIME.
The Hives anticipated the vacuous attempts by team Leprechaun, and merely called attention to them. If you hold a Lucky Charms cereal box up to the light, you can easily see my premise.
Of course, this is what the UK and US are drooling over…
Ireland/Sweden
I like both of those Thin Lizzy songs well enough, but Waterloo is awesome. I can’t download the Hives song right now. I’ll listen to it when I get home, but unless it totally sucks, I think Sweden is going to take it based on the strength of the ‘Loo.
USA/Wales
Don’t Be Cruel and the Badfinger song are both pretty decent. I’ve never really liked that Dave Edmunds song. I like the Dylan song well enough but neither team seems to have landed a decisive blow. I’m in favor of a shoot out.
USA-WALES ENTERS OVERTIME
All right, USA and Wales, The People are calling for an OVERTIME SHOOTOUT! USA’s third strike was already submitted. Wales, I ask that you submit your overtime strike, preferably to my offlist e-mail address, to better build the drama. Thanks!
Wow. I like both “Tangled” AND “Jailbreak.” I voted for Ireland. I just can’t get behind ABBA. Sorry, Swedes. I’ll go for big dumb rock over big dump pop in this one.
“Baby Blue” is a monster, but Elvis and Bob side by side? Nobody can stop that train…
TB
Mod, don’t be raggin’ on my seemingly peculiar choices. You’ve got a good idea what I’m holding onto for the semis. Be afraid.
What’s more: I sincerely think Thin Lizzy’s “Dancin’ In the Moonlight” features one of Phil Lynnott’s best lyrics — and the music is strong, too. If there was ever a song that made sense of all the “he was a rock poet” nonsense that gets thrown at Lynott, it’s this one. Seriously, is there a real qualitative difference between the lyric in Lizzy’s “Dancin’…” and Big Star’s teen angst masterpiece, “13”?
I guess what surprises me about Thin Lizzy is just how polite both songs are. There’s no grit or menace to them, especially the Springsteen cover.
sorry, I meant copy, not cover.
Hold on, just got finished with USA vs Wales. That Dave Edmunds number doesn’t move me a bit. I generally like the guy but that one man retro-rock thing has been done better before (see John Fogerty). Badfinger nets one with that slashing single chord bridge and the fact that this is not a Beatles sound-alike.
The Elvis number is prime teen-idol Elvis, making all cute on Ed Sullivan. Love it. And the Dylan number works for me, especially in this version. Bob changes lyrics and cadences and keeps it from getting stale. I agree with the townsman who said previously that he probably does it to discourage singing along.
USA wins easily.
In Dave Edmunds’ defense, he may have been the first person to have a hit where someone played all the instruments to simulate a full band–we’re talking 1970 here, so this r’n’b revival was a totally uncool thing to be doing at that time.
I have to admit that I am following the RTH world cup nearly as closely as the real world cup, but I must have some inner alarm that goes off when someone is writing nonsense about Dylan…..
Talking’ bout you, Mod.
Tangled Up In Blue and Blood on the Tracks on general is Dylan’s most beautiful, resonant, and also most accessible work. Not necessarily his greatest–I would put Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 a miniscule notch higher and there is a slight demerit for “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts”–but magnificent. Probably the greatest singing of his career, too, and unlike most fools who don’t think Dylan is a great singer, I mean that as a high compliment.
From the past 25 years Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind, and Love and Theft (including the additional material subsequently released on Tell-Tale Signs)–braindead or not–are great records, certainly unsurpassed by anybody else at a comparable period in his or her career and, for my money, unsurpassed in the past 25 years, period. (Modern Times and Together Through Life are good but not in the same class with those others.)
Now, Abba doing Waterloo and those kitty outfits, that’s good stuff. Whereas Thin Lizzy basically blows.
I think I know what you’ve got planned for the semis, hrrundi, but I can’t overlook what I’m reading in the chat rooms and hearing on the streets. Check out this excerpt from a chat on Philly.com earlier today:
Later I saw this comment:
I did see at least one positive comment regarding the Irish team’s chances:
And on to Sweden / Ireland
How long is that Hives tune? I bet it is under 4 minutes but seems much longer. Pelle is straining all of the way through. It goes tension -> release, not tension -> more tension for a reason. “Waterloo” A++ Extra plus for the video from Australia, whose filmmakers brought ABBA back from the 70’s rubbish pile with Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Double shot of Thin Lizzy. Hard for me to be objective because I love these guys. I’ve never come across a band that could do credible hard rock (Jailbreak) as well as swinging beachy soul (Dancin’). Also, Brian Downey is a tremendous drummer, his slight stops and fills at the end of Dancin’ show what he is all about. Interesting comment about Lizzy’s lack of menace; they got in trouble in the 70’s for using a lot of street gang imagery during a rough time in Dublin.
Gotta give it to Ireland here.
Wow, the tide is beginning to turn in Ireland’s favor! We’ll let the poll and your comments play out a little longer. Meanwhile, USA has submitted its OT strike and awaits Sweden’s counter. This will surely test Sweden’s depth!
misterioso, thanks for giving me shit about my general stance on Blood on the Tracks. I like the album, but its accessibility hampers my enjoyment. Normally I would give myself shit for holding an artist’s accessibility again him, her, or them, but in the case of Dylan I want that sense that it’s all about him, not about me. The backing tracks on that album sound like a producer and a bunch of studio cats woodshedded in advance of Dylan’s arrival, and then Bob added his vocals after the tracks were cut. No other Dylan album sounds so “pro” to me. I know there’s some difficult story behind the recording of this album, but I don’t know what it is.
Jamaica and England have submitted their songs for their respective matches vs Canada and Australia!
While I welcome the chance at a shootout, I first off have to ask, “WTF?” Is Rock Town Hall unimpressed by anything? Don’t Be Cruel is Elvis’ first Number One hit on all three charts back then. For all I know, it was the first time it ever happened. Like A Rolling Stone is one of the most historic songs ever, for several reasons. What does the Hall do? They yawn collectively. All the other teams have truly brought their A Games, and we welcome the challenge from the best, and it wouldn’t be any fun to win if it was anything less than the best. I’ll try to do better, I promise. Right now I have an overtime to coach.
Anyway, on to 2000 Man the fan’s view of the other match from the locker room! Team Ireland just nailed it, if you’re asking me. Boom! Bam! Goal! Lathered, rinsed and repeated. I really like that team!
Sorry, that’s “impressed,” not unimpressed. My sister’s kids are generally unimpressed with the world and I was thinking about them.
Sorry bout that!
Man after a day in the National Gallery (the Ginsberg photos are way cool) I come back to this mess.
I don’t think Dancing in the Moonlight is a Springsteen copy. This kind of Van Morrison-style swing tune was very widely practiced in that era — Elvis Costello and Graham Parker drank from this well too. But why would you put a Boston guitar solo in the middle of it? And why even go there where Van Morrison is on the bench!
I hate that chirpy Waterloo shit though. And that convert-a-skirt move does not have me pining for the fjords.
I’m on record as opposing live videos being played, but I think they work in the Hives’ favor. That chunky guy playing the guitar always makes me smile. Plus this song has way too many chords, so many it just hung up Windows Media Player and almost crashed the trusty laptop.
I’m calling it a 0-0 tie.
I love Dave Edmunds, but I Hear You Knocking doesn’t put him in the best light. I know this is probably his biggest hit, but he got so much better with Rockpile behind him. Baby Blue is a classic, so much so it survives this clip with its dodgy Look and grannies in the audience.
But the Welsh are trying to beat the Americans at their own game. Elvis is already on the edge of self-parody in that clip, but even if the Welsh had gone totally vowel-free they’d be unlikely to beat Dylan at the top of his form.
USA 2 – Wales 1.5
“Tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak/
somewhere in this town”
Thin Lizzy came from a tough town. we all know where the only jail in my town is. The Irish are tough, I’m tellin’ ya!
How long are you going to let Ireland look past everyone? These two songs just lay there. Really, Lynott’s “singing” just brings up how much better it would be if Van Morrison were doing the vocals. Jailbreak is ok, but Dancin in the Moonlight is a paler than Swedish version of the song HVB continues to NOT let us hear.
I like that version of I Hear You Knocking, but it is treated cruelly by Elvis, and does not come in. If it came down to actual colors, I would go for tangled up blue, but I do dig Baby Blue a bit more. So, suprisingly, I say DRAW. I wonder if my favorite Edmonds cover song will come up as a penalty shot, but the US is so strong they really need to put up another song to win, I think.
As we await Wales’ overtime strike (the USA team has already submitted its OT strike), let the Ireland-Sweden debate rage on. The poll is beginning to tell me something, so make your voice heard!
As the #1 Welsh supporter throughout the tournament, it pains me to say that, had I been around for things, I would have actually voted to send them home and move USA on. I think Steve called it: Team Wales was tricked into playing America’s game, and the US managed to stay ahead of them. This would have been the perfect time to unleash an SFA epic or play Badfinger’s “Day By Day”, if I’m not mistaken and that hasn’t been used yet.
Still, the concept of a USA/Wales shootout is exciting and could be the highlight of the tournament so far. What does Wales play knowing it can put away the #2 seed? Does the US finally let its thus-far silent third starter take a shot, knowing the band’s troubled history at Rock Town Hall?
Meanwhile, The Hives have finally run out of gas. If the Swedes had saved SOS for this round, I think that would get them by, but I’m kind of stuck on this one.
Part of me wants to reward mockcarr’s excellent coaching throughout the tournament and still holds a grudge against HVB’s shameful choice to play two interview clips in a meaningless game. But Jailbreak still works for me (even though there’s a chance for a better song named Jailbreak to still be played before the Cup ends), and those ARE some bitchin’ shades Lynott is wearing.
So, I dunno. Double shootouts, I suppose? Exactly the scenario England was hoping for.
Wales has sent in its shot. As a spectator not participant I’d like to throw my two cents in about Ireland v. Sweden – get ABBA out of this competition! Ireland has perhaps overplayed its Thin Lizzy but Sweden must be eliminated.
Coach plasticsun of Wales presents his shootout selection:
While Team USA’s earnest coach 2000 man counters with the following:
Does this decide the match, Townspeople?
That somewhere in this town line from Bostonhistorian is the funniest thing I have read here in a while!
“I Get Around” is a goal. Whether that Super Furry Animals” song is or not, I don’t know. But “I Get Around” is a Beckham scores from half goal..
The Super Furry Animals track was wonderful, but the better shot is the Beach Boys.
I think the USA wins this one. I will add that the “my buddies and me are getting real all known/yeah the bad guys know us and they leave us alone” has always struck me as wishful thinking on the part of Mike Love, who I always imagine as the model for Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
sheesh…”real well known”
and George McFly. Too tired to keep my pop culture straight so I’m going to bed. Looking forward to tomorrow’s matches.
The Beach Boys had this thing locked up with the song selection, but then they rushed the tempo, probably egged on by Dennis’ crappy drumming. And I’m sorry, but the sight of Mike Love frugging is for me the noisehair of this round. I’m shocked to hear myself say this, but I’d give this one to Cymru.
I believe Mike Love may have pushed the other Beach Boys out of the way to take the shot himself.
USA, USA, USA…
That Super Furry Animals track was the best thing I’ve ever heard by that always-interesting-but-never-quite-gripping (for me) band. As others have mentioned, it scores a goal, but “I Get Around” is one of my favorite songs ever, maybe a Top 10. It knocked over Wales’ keeper and then ripped through the back of the net. Wales, you have much to be proud of in this tournament, but USA wins and advances to the semi-finals!
IRELAND-SWEDEN MOVE TO OVERTIME!
Clearly, the Ireland-Sweden match needs to move into overtime. The judges have analyzed both the Comments on this match and the poll results and concluded that there is no decisive winner in regulation. The coaches of each team will have until tomorrow at 12:00 noon to submit their overtime strikes. For dramatic effect I would suggest that you send them directly to my offlist e-mail account. Thank you.
The Wales/USA decision was announced barely two hours after the songs were posted. Seriously?
I take it, BigSteve, you won’t select “Refereeing” in the current poll.
I think 2 hours can be plenty of time to assess a couple of 3-minute songs. They were both very good strikes, but one of them is among the coolest songs the Beach Boys ever recorded in their early period. It’s a given that, in this inaugural RTH World Cup tournament, with the baseline-setting allowance of both past and present artists, that artists with rich back catalogs will have a huge advantage. If SFA sticks around until 2014, Wales will have a strong tournament-tested team available in the tournament’s first year of allowing only active artists.
I thought plasticsun did an excellent job with a roster that some of us scratched their heads over. It’s too bad, when he entered Dave Edmunds into play, that he didn’t go for the gusto with a song like “Girls Talk,” but I think all coaches of underdog teams are struggling with when to play their killer tracks. Sweden, for instance, has got to be wondering if it has enough left in the tank should it emerge from its current shootout. I feel for these coaches, both as Commissioner of this tournament as as a coach.
CANADA AND JAMAICA SQUARE OFF
Team Canada coach, northvancoveman, enters the following strikes:
While Team Jamaica’s coach, bostonhistorian, counters with the following:
I see Jamaica’s first shot from far away, and it’s coming at us slowly, very slowly, and I think Canada’s goalie is going to go enjoy a nice, cold Labatt 50/50 before he stretches and swats it away. Canada’s shot by The Guess Who isn’t a great one, but it was a solid shot.
The Toots and the Maytals shot was much better, but Neil Young’s blast of fuzz is a solid goal. I see it 2-1 Canada.
The Guess Who was sponsored by the greatest How To video I’ve ever seen, too. I think I can upload videos to the Internet now, and if I can’t, I’ll just keep watching this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keKWacq2dso&feature=fvw
I think two hours is plenty if only the commissioner has to hear them. If you want input from the Hall, two hours, especially late at night, will mean that the match is over before most people would have had a chance to watch/listen. I’m guessing you’re concerned about us getting bogged down, and you want to make sure we get the Cup decided before Fall.
Don’t really like the Marley or Guess Who songs much, Toots and Neil are better but Neal burns a shot close in there while we’re waiting for the break to come in the Toots song. I call it 1-0 Canada.
I Get Around is so good it eclipses some real well known place holding lyrics. That SFA song is groovy though. I agree with Mod’s assessment.
AUSTRALIA GIVES ENGLAND ITS BEST SHOTS!
Team Australia coach, cdm, checks in with his opening strikes vs the mighty Team England:
Team England coach, Mr. Moderator (that’s me), counters with “We’re not dicking around!” and presents the following strikes:
Was Day After Day left on the sideline? I think my favorite Edmunds number is Fogerty’s Almost Saturday Night. Dig that jangly solo.
I think Buffalo Soldier is 2nd tier Marley, and I don’t think Guess Who have a first tier. But Neil can’t stop Funky Kingston, he can only hope to contain it. He seemed kind of lost during the breakdown, and his amp was already on eleven. I’d call this one for Jamaica.
Damn, Mod has thrown DOWN. US wins in a total meltdown of defense 4-3.
Sorry, I meant UK, of course,
Jamaica/Canada
I generally agree with 2k Man. This seems like it could have been a tie had Team Jamaica chosen a song like Exodus or Stir It Up or even a left field choice like Redemption Song to go against the Guess Who. That Neil song is almost unstoppable though. I’m saying 2-1 Canada. This just in from the Self Awareness Desk: Apparently, I only think I hate the Guess Who but I’m actually okay with a lot of their songs.
As for US/Wales
I have always considered the Beach Boys to be a second or even third tier act. I don’t think the SFA song beats I Get Around, but this was not a rout by any stretch of the imagination.
The Guess Who number combined with that nice time-capsule video pile on the positive, optimistic late-60’s vibe. Folks that rank on “dirty hippies” and don’t get this are missing a neuron somewhere. By 1979 and Hey Hey My My (Black, I presume), that feeling is long gone. Neil’s burnt out roar is all the 60’s survivor has got left. … and then Neil went on making records for another 30 yrs.
Buffalo Soldiers is proof that Marley is a classic. I don’t think it is his best but it has all of the elements. I especially like how he adds little musical elements all through the song to keep it fresh. Toots’ Funky Kingston doesn’t need this decoration, it is a straight groove that could go all night.
Minor (very minor) edge to Canada for making me think about more than music. Good songs in new combinations does this for ya.
Team Sweden may be interested in an ABBA fan group’s dismissal of an earlier RTH “Bullshit On!” piece. Scroll about two thirds of the way down this page:
http://www.iphpbb.com/board/ftopic-30652567nx61610-7458.html
Those Brits can stop worrying, TSOOL is warming up to come in finally.
Mod wrote: “misterioso, thanks for giving me shit about my general stance on Blood on the Tracks.”
Aw, shucks. That’s why I’m here, bro.
Mod wrote: “I like the album, but its accessibility hampers my enjoyment.”
Yeah. Well, it’s not like it has been all that embraced. You might hear Tangled once in a while on classic rock radio. I NEVER heard a song from this when I was growing up. The first time I heard it was when I bought it (a decade after it came out). So, it’s accessible but not exactly shoved down your throat.
Mod wrote: “The backing tracks on that album sound like a producer and a bunch of studio cats woodshedded in advance of Dylan’s arrival, and then Bob added his vocals after the tracks were cut. No other Dylan album sounds so “pro” to me. I know there’s some difficult story behind the recording of this album, but I don’t know what it is.”
I think I know what you mean, but I don’t hear it that way. The “difficult story” is that much of the album was recorded in NY and then much of it re-recorded a few months later in Minnesota. (There’s a pretty good book about the recording of the lp.)
By my memory, the “NY songs” on the lp are Simple Twist of Fate, You’re Gonna Made Me Lonesome When You Go, Meet Me in the Morning, Shelter from the Storm, and Buckets of Rain. Thus Tangled Up in Blue, You’re a Big Girl Now, Idiot Wind, Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, and If You See Her Say Hello are the “re-recorded” versions. The Bootleg Series has issued some of the NY versions and all are easy to find on bootleg. There is also the brilliant outtake Up To Me that was on Biograph. There is definitely a camp that prefers the NY versions over the more wood-sheddy Minnesota versions; certainly they are quite different. Me, I like ’em all.
Oh, man! I wish the Aussies were so far off their game when we played! I think they must have caught the flu. Was Bon really a bagpipe player? Here I thought he was always way cooler than the lawn gnome they got to replace him, and it turns out it may be a toss up?
The garage rocker in me has a hard time admitting this, but that Easybeats song is a letdown. I hate songs that reference other songs, but the music is cool. I think that’s a shot at the goal that looked good, but spin ended up veering it fifteen feet wide.
The UK played their best shot with The Stones. The original single version of JJF is like pure, concentrated Rolling Stones. It’s like they took a penalty kick from two feet and used a cannon. Ozzy Osbourne may be using the Aussie goalie’s head as a prop in his current tour. Paperback Writer is just piling it on.
Sorry, Australia. I see it 15-0, England.
I think England wins, but not by much. Jumping Jack Flash shows every sign of what Mick is going to become: a self-mythologizing caricature which reaches full bloom in the early 70s, while Paperback Writer strikes me as a novelty masquerading as social commentary. “Back in Black” would have killed both these songs dead.
Oh, MAN. I really want to give Australia a surprise upset win, but it’s tough. “Paperback Writer” frankly bulldozes through the “Long Way” defense, and scores. That song is at the pinnacle of the Beatles’ output for me, so I gotta say my boyz from down under lose on that one. HOWEVER: “JJF” has always struck me as a slightly-better-than-average Stones song at best, and “Good Times” is an absolute MONSTER. (Legend has it that the author of “Paperback Writer,” Macca himself, had his Rolls pulled over at a call box on the highway so he could ring the BBC to ask for another play of the track the first time he heard it. He ought to know!)
So for me this is a tie. We need a shootout!
HVB
IRELAND AND SWEDEN LAUNCH TIEBREAKER STRIKES!
From coach mockcarr of Team Sweden:
And from coach hrrundivbakshi of Team Ireland, who anticipated the Swedes’ call to its bench:
I truly believe there are a few SFA songs still remaining in their arsenal that could have won the day, but “God Show Me Magic!” isn’t one of them. I always felt it kind of starts off too high and doesn’t build to the action like their very best songs do. It has its strengths, but not quite enough to overtake “I Get Around”. Grudgingly, I agree that Wales has finally come to the end, but I hope they have proven their place in both the historical rock context and as a key modern-day player in the international rock scene.
Nice work by the US coaching staff to play a proven winner without going for the Beach Boys song I thought they would choose, the song best equipped to attack SFA at their own game.
Australia goes all out on its first shot, and “It’s A Long Way To The Top” is maybe the best goal of the Cup so far. But this was the time to go for the AC/DC double shot. England is the #1 seed, and this was when Australia needed to go in guns blazing and pair Long Way with a “Highway To Hell” or “Jailbreak” to get to the finals. Lennon, McCartney, Jagger and Richards finally woke up this round and did what they needed to do to make it past Angus Young, the clear MVP of the Cup.
Strong showing by the revitalized Canadians, but I have not yet been able to give the Toots & The Maytals song the review it deserves, especially considering how they’ve already performed, so I can’t provide any judgment on Jamaica/Canada yet.
I can’t judge the Ireland-Sweden shootout so soon, but how cool is it that mockcarr included himself in TSOOL’s video!
Sweden/Ireland
The massive goodwill garnered by the lead ‘stache is completely offset by the band’s poor name choice and the lead singer’s inexplicable and off putting decision to wear a creepy-era Peter Gabriel style caftan. The song itself, though is strong. Quite a nice effort. But…
That Undertones song kicks ass, plain and simple. I knew that song but never realized it was the Undertones. nice work, boys!
I’m going to have to give this one to the Undertones.
Holy mother of god, for his performance in that live version of ‘Get Over You’ Sharkey will be the most celebrated man in Ireland since St. Patrick! Sweden’s coach played yet another masterful strike, but Feargal is man of the match. Ireland’s coach finally earns his pay.
I was kind of hoping Sweden would have fielded The Hellacopters, but S.O.O.L. is a decent choice. Now, where I saw a win by Ireland, and was almost ready to leave my seat after that Undertones song, Sweden pulls out my favorite S.O.O.L. song, and the singer rocks a moo moo! Where do I get a Mensa shirt? Or if I have to ask, am I too dumb?
Oh well, I have to go with Sweden now. Well played!
The Ireland / Sweden tiebreaker doesn’t change my mind from my earlier call for Ireland. Those have to be the 2 geekiest groups around. Both songs may very well have the same number of notes: The Undertones just play twice as fast for half as long.
England / Australia have a primetime matchup. Comparing like to like, AC/DC just cannot top the Stones. Banging chords + those bagpipes (love ’em) can’t take on the Kieth riff + Mick’s delivery + the movin’ bottom end of that song. The Easybeats song was very good; I’d never heard it before. I always thought Paperback Writer was a solid McCartney track but no better than that. I have problems with the overdone background vocals on that one. (Not the choral part on the title but all of the other parts). And the Easybeats mach some serious show in that clip. Sorry, Mod, if you insist we listen on vinyl, no look points are available.
2-0 England with both scores from the Stones.
The Undertones!
The combination of Feargal’s Teenage Kicks and how they play it Like That, I’m Hypnotized. I make a Conscious Decision to go with Ireland this time. You’re Welcome.
correction: mach some serious SCHAU.
So far it’s looking good for England to put an end to the Aussie’s brave run. Let your voice be heard!
Same goes for Ireland. I found this comment on the RTH World Cup chat currently taking place live on Philly.com:
Looking good for England? You can’t be serious.
Please tell me you’re not counting votes from people like mockcarr. He’s a starry-eyed zealot, completely incapable of objectively evaluating this competition, for chrissake! That guy would vote for an outtake of Ringo breaking wind while whistling For the Benefit of Mr Kite before he would be willing to acknowledge the greatness of the Wizards of OZ.
I hereby move that anyone who listens to Andre Gardener’s Breakfast with the Beatles Sunday Morning Circle Jerk be disallowed from voting during this crucial round.
cdm, welcome to the Big Leagues! Don’t let the strain of competing against rock’s royalty get you off your game. I sense a lot of pent-up hostilities directed toward the Queen’s boys, a lot of class-based bitterness, and a lot of that X X X X on your breath. I’m way too classy a coach to take part in efforts to dismiss The People’s role in our match – and I’m way too impartial a Commissioner to be goaded into a quick judgment. I do agree with you re: mockcarr’s outtake of Ringo breaking wind comment, however, but we’ll glady accept his support!
You know what else I think is happening? People are scared. Scared to voice their true opinion for fear of incurring the scorn of their fellow Rock Nerds. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to say you like an ACDC song better than a Beatles song. Throw of the shackles of your musical oppression, people!
If this were an anonymous poll, the results would be very different…
Newsflash: cdm issued yellow card for taunting fans!
Man, they should have put that “Ringo cuts one” outtake on as a hidden track at the end of the A Toot & A Snore in ’74 bootleg.
Speaking of 1974: cdm, when this is over, we won’t think less of you if you feel like admitting that failure to dip into Jailbreak ’74 for an unstoppable Double Angus attack was what cost your boys the chance to knock out the favorites.
What you don’t notice is that I had the score closer than anyone else, cdm, and have been the Aussies staunchest defender against these seedings. Sour grapes indeed, and nary a Guru in sight the whole cup. I would actually have rated the Beatles/Easybeats set a tie at 2 and Flash over the dumb as a rock yet effective ACDC number 2 to 1, hence my final score.
I think I’m even voting for Undertones in this one, but I could no longer endure putting up ABBA numbers, and now everyone is tired of the Hives.
Deep cuts by Ringo indeed smell the worst.
Man, the Canada-Jamaica showdown is really getting little play today. Could it be that the beauty of The Guess Who’s “Share the Land” has us all taking a moment of silence? I know I needed one. There are few things more moving in rock than big, earnest men with long hair playing a peaceful rock anthem. Is that Randy Bachmann featuring the hippified Ted Kluzewski Look on lead guitar? Then, Neil Young comes in to put The Power and Glory of Rock to bed – or does he mean to reawaken it? Once again the pride of Team Canada makes me proud simply to imagine having such a sense of pride in my own nation.
I, too, was a little surprised by the play of “Buffalo Soldier,” which seems to be a bit of a Marley Lite tune. However, if you know your history, it’s much more than that. Don’t be fooled by the Banana Splits part. It’s also the walk-up music of my favorite Phillies phirestarter, Shane Victorino, so if there was any doubt, trust me, the ball crossed the goal line!
“Funky Kingston” is a no-doubt-about-it goal. It’s one of those songs that makes me want to kick someone’s ass about 15 seconds into it.
I don’t know how others are feeling, but I think this game may also be headed for overtime.
alex, I will do some significant soul-searching followed by a public postmortem, when (and if) I am eliminated from this contest. I’m not familiar with Jailbreak 74. At this point, best for me to keep blissfully ignorant.
mockcarr, keeping the Gurus on the bench was not an easy decision. Only time will tell if it was the right one.
Jesus, I should have checked out that ABBA thread before putting out my songs. WTF was I thinking?
IRELAND PROGRESSES TO SEMI-FINALS!
Congrats to Sweden on a well-managed run through the deep end of this tournament!
Hell, I’d call Neil Young a goal as well, and I’m the Team Jamaica coash. However Team Jamaica anticipated at least one political song from Canada and countered with political Marley. So, the question is, actual history or John Fogerty wanna be peace love and happiness? Marley knows who stole the land the Guess Who wants to share…
Ireland, sporting black eyes and bruised knees, missing teeth and stinking of mud and sweat, leaves the pitch to the roar of the crowd. Sweden played hard, and should be commended for doing much with very little. Van may be sulking on the sidelines, but coach HVB still feels he’s saved enough high-grade juju to make it through the next round(s).
Erin go bragh!
The Guess Who song – meh. The Neil Young- GOAL! Bonus points for being about Rock and Roll.
The Marley – not great, but better than the Guess Who. Matching political tune with political tune, the Marley is better. And the Toots – exceptional!!! Can we award 2 goals to them for that track?
Congratulations to Ireland. But I have to give Sweden a standing ovation as they leave the field. What a scrappy team. Help yourselves to a big heaping glass of Akvavit, boys. You’ve earned it.
Aussies v. Brits:
Just the facts, ma’am:
1. Jumpin Jack Flash is a killer riff and all that;
2. Paperback Writer is (as someone already mentioned) Macca-lite;
3. That’s one catchy Easybeats song!
4. How can you deny a very cool bagpipe solo, especially from Bon Scott?
It’s a draw on Easybeats and JJF, but I’ve got to give it to the Aussies for It’s a Long Way to the Top over Paperback Writer.
England could have knocked it out of the back of the net here, but that lazy defense by Ringo cost them the game.
Aussies 1, Brits 0.
Jesus Sweden lost already?! I know nothing about TSOOL, but any band where a fat bearded guy is the lead singer is ok with me, and I really liked that song. Does finesse lose out to power every time in this tournament? I don’t know anything about the World Cup, but do teams just bludgeon their way through?
The kids are really getting into the tournament!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slM6g03Ufvk&feature=related
Sonny wrote:
This is the price Team USA and Team England pay for being such favorites in this competition. This is like people taking cuts on “Like a Rolling Stone.” I’m not claiming that “Paperback Writer” is among the Top 5 Beatles songs, but as a single? IT’S KILLER! The Easybeats would give AC/DC’s left nut for a “lite” number like that. Jeez! I’m tempted to aware England the 15-0 victory that a hang-up free Townsperson wanted to award the squad early on. But I shan’t. Let me see what other comments have followed in the wake of a poll that makes it seem like we’re headed for a shootout. (And my beefs are not to take away from the mighty Aussie squad.)
BigSteve wrote:
Already? That match played out for a good 6 hours, didn’t it? I love that song too, and I love the band’s Look and everything else, but shit, man, that band’s got the depth and originality of Lenny Kravitz! The Undertones came out with a purpose. I don’t think this was about bludgeoning an opponent but bringing something substantial to the table. The Undertones’ clip is pure joy, not a bunch of super-cool play-acting.
I’m am beginning to become disenchanted with rock ‘n roll. If England has to go to a shootout with Australia, there will be hell to pay!
ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA TO ENTER OVERTIME! ENGLAND PROMISES “HELL TO PAY.”
Is this what you people really want? Is it time for Australia to call the fucking Hoodoo Gurus off the bench, or will AC/fucking/DC have what it takes to overcome any number of “lite” Stones, Beatles, or Costello tunes I might offer? Damn, I wish I had some rock nerds’ darlings like The Creation to come off the bench rather than The Who.
BRING IT ON, cdm – and don’t think I’m angry with you. I’ve got my tune picked out. The ears of the world are upon us.
England you have already won this match – one of your own is actually singing the chorus of the Easybeats Good Times. Well, not a member of your squad mind you, but one the English greats. Listen carefully and it is very very obvious.
That’s right, plasticsun, that’s Steve Marriott kicking the choruses into high gear. I should also note – and again, this doesn’t really score one for Team England but does show their coach’s excellent taste – that the band I’m in has covered this song, half decently, I believe. Has cdm and his band covered it? I think not!
Anyhow, I’ve got my OT strike set and ready to launch as soon as my esteemed colleague in the coaching fraternity is ready to go!
Thank you, Silent Majority. England’s Glory will not let you down!
I dare anybody to play a slow song.
Why do I feel the England OT song is going to be by Elvis Costello? Why? Because England Coach Mod put up a glowing new post on Elvis just now. cdm, is this unabashed influence peddling grounds for Mod to be yellow-carded?
I’ve got a busy morning tomorrow, so rather than wait for cdm and then have him and his fine team wait for me until god knows when, let me serve my OT strike now:
The Beatles, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
Think of all the magic this early single contains: a killer intro; horny, adenoidal harmonies; distinctive guitar runs on the low strings; booming drum fills; the type of middle eighth that is pictured when you look up “middle eighth” in the dictionary; nerd-boy handclaps… It’s sensitive and hopeful and cranked up all at once. It’s got everything Team Australia’s roster could possibly wish to throw onto the pitch, other than some ponderous, pseudo-deep and dark mumbo-jumbo from Nick Cave and his boys (and don’t get me wrong, I like my share of his stuff, but my Beatles are laying down a tent-pole production here, in terms of progressing the state of rock ‘n roll as it was in 1963). Now 47 years later it’s still the stuff of dreams, nearly attainable dreams.
Perhaps the likes of BigSteve and Sonny will shrug and offer this obscure, less-bludgeoning version of another early Beatles’ thing of beauty by your Australian countrymen (more or less – I know they’ve got English roots too, before anyone dons the Pince Nez on me):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaprCa9m_Mc
But I say, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” by The Beatles. And I don’t mean this obscuro version, which is probably favored by the likes of dbuskirk and his partner-in-freak folk, my man, dr john:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHRb35H4kLc
Actually, northvan, I fear someone has hacked into my account to post that horrendous Costello clip. Surely it’s an effort to discredit my (relatively) young players.
Even Cathy Berberian knows
There’s one roulade she can’t sing.
Steely Dan, “Your Gold Teeth”
What a different world Mr. Mod, the English skip, lives in. He simply has to worry about not monumentally fucking up, whereas the rest of us have to worry about pace, selection and timing. How many of these do you have in reserve Mr. Mod? Two, three? You haul out “I Want to Hold your Hand” like an afterthought. Don’t get fat and lazy with these choices. We’re watching and waiting to punish you when you do. Australia, in my estimation, can offer nothing here. I’m sorry Aussies, what fantastic shrimp could you possibly throw on this barbie?
don’t let ’em get you down, mr. moderator! now there’s a song for canada. lol.
Now is that any way to represent, Mr. Mod? As coach of the Brits, you might want to maintain your decorum for the good of your team and this competition. Just a suggestion, my good man.
I appreciate your passion, and am throwing you a virtual fist bump on your overtime selection. I will reserve additional commentary until that saucy Aussie coach lays it down
You’re right, Sonny. Sorry. The pressure got to me and my hot-headed American nature. The British press and fans have always been a little uncomfortable with me coaching their national team, and this may be the reason why.
Canada v Jamaica: what’s it gonna be, Townspeeps?
In retrospect, it seems our discussion some time back about which members of the Jam and the Beatles were the fastest runners surely helped Coach Mod determine what kind of shape his strikers were in, letting him know that he could count on Lennon and McCartney to have enough left in the tank to go all out like this in extra play. Good luck, Australia. You need it.
While “I Wanna Hold You Hand” is definitive early Beatles, it’s not the best version of the song–I’ll take Al Green’s version 75% of the time. Put it this way: while the Beatles version is just happy to be having a soda at the malt shop with a girl, Al Green’s version is already in the back seat unhooking her bra. Australia is going to have bring it, but it’s not an impossible task.
Canada.
Hmmmm….feeling the pressure, Mod? Starting to think that this year’s tournament could have been won with Never Mind the Bollocks and Hellbound Train by Savoy Brown more easily than the icons at your disposal?
Trust me, I know how you feel!
But this:
my Beatles are laying down a tent-pole production here, in terms of progressing the state of rock ‘n roll as it was in 1963
Is the kind of thing the judges stuff in their vuvuzela’s and blow.
It’s all about the good times, though I may take Big Steve up on his request.
The Wizards of OZ, in what will no doubt be the source of many an argument on sports/rock talk radio and in bars for years to come, have decided to sub the HooDoo Gurus for the Easybeats.
My first choice was not available on youtube but no matter. The Guru’s catalog is a treasure trove of songs that, while smart and catchy, still rock hard enough for the band to avoid taking a beating at the hands of some of the more enthusiastic fans on the notorious Aussie pub scene.
And so, I present a song that has it all: power chords, floor tom smashing, an all-feedback solo, a KEY CHANGE for chrissake, all in a tidy 3 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoyzhBV-leI
I was fearful that England was going to throw Please Please Me at us. I would have probably just walked off the field at that point. But this light weight trifle? No contest. Who do we play next?
Big Steve,
I played a slow song by Nick Cave and it cost me the match against the Netherlands, which meant that I came in second place instead of first. As a result, I had to face England sooner rather than later.
So, I’ve given up on slow songs.
Besides, I think that might have been the only slow song in our entire collective catalog.
…tent-pole production…
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” plus two bizarre distractions? Never heard of Cathy the Librarian before and I was a better man for it.
And this … “Damn, I wish I had some rock nerds’ darlings like The Creation to come off the bench rather than The Who.” Careful what you wish for. I chose and played one of my teams based on one killer song. “How is the Air Up There?” seemed like a rock nerd wet dream but got no points and not even a single comment in the Hall. The wisdom of this crowd here is really hard to figure.
Don’t forget the giant turd Van Morrison laid early in the tournament with the slow song “Into the Mystic.”
Oh, yeah. Canada for me, too.
I had the match at 15-0, England before, but the overtime I see as a draw. I can’t deny the impact of the Beatles song, but when push comes to shove, my ambivalence towards the Beatles often lets fun things like The Hoodoo Gurus trump those historic, world changing songs.
But I think I have to give the OT to England. Barely. That song was as big a game changer as something like, oh, I don’t know, Like A Rolling Stone?
k,
I though I voted for NZ solely based on How Is the Air Up There. It’s all starting to run together so maybe I’m not remembering it correctly.
Holy crap! The poll currently shows the Gurus with 100% of the vote! The People have spoken. What an upset!
No, no, no, no, NO! What were you thinking, Australia?! That slab of pretendo-garage nonsense is nowhere near good enough. Groan. I would’ve stood up for a few of AC/DC’s classics in the face of “I Wanna…” — but not this. It’s a rout. England wins huge.
I love “Into the Mystic” and would have stuck up for it had I not been coaching the other team, just like I’m giving Canada a point for Neil Young. The low note (a cello? I’m not sure what it is) kicking in when Morrison sings “and when the foghorn blows” is one of my favorite moments in all of rock.
But Team Jamaica’s coach will be damned if he’s going to lose to the Guess Who….
I listened to the Hoodoo Gurus twice and kept waiting for the song to kick into overdrive after the solo. It never did, so, England wins this one. I’m baffled why we didn’t see “Highway to Hell” or a song off of Back in Black. I’m not a big AC/DC fan but I’ll put “Back in Black” in my top fifteen or twenty songs of all time because the production is absolutely monster.
Mod, that Cathy Berberian clip is shocking, and I only made it to about the 5 second mark.
Two relatively evenly-matched songs. Both good fun bash ups. Honestly, the Gurus was more fun for me to listen to this morning. I Want to Hold Your Hand was more fun for every teenager in Great Britain and the US in 1963-64. Who is more important here; every person who has ever loved rock n roll or me, today?
Winner: The Beatles, but not by much.
UK.
I Want To Hold Your Hand is a better song. But I guess I’m biased or something, and my vote doesn’t count.
Future idea for Last Man Standing. Songs with all-feedback solos. I don’t even care who wins, I just want a list of things to listen to since I can’t get enough of this device. 15 – 20 in a row should break that.
OK, so does that Berberian broad do Highway to Hell?
Some mid-game thoughts:
Some of the comments I’m seeing can be reduced to this general sentiment: “I feel like I’m supposed to vote for the musical cod liver oil that is the Beatles but, frankly, I’d rather actually listen to the HooDoo Gurus”. This mindset is exemplified by the fact that the Mod could have chosen to cover any song (including a Beatles number) but he chose to cover one from the Aussies (and yes, the Head does a fantastic job of it).
I understand what people are going through. The Beatles have long been held up as the gold standard of all that rock has to offer. And I don’t disagree that they have some catchy songs. But is this really the best example of what’s so good about them? Or is there really just some sort of Pavlovian reaction going on here?
Yesterday I called upon people to throw off their musical shackles and I make that plea again today. Do we want to keep tamping down our true feelings and towing the company line? Or are we ready to take a long look in the mirror and make some tough admissions about ourselves?
I thank you for your time.
By the way, I have a series of meeting over the course of the day but I’ll try to check in occasionally to monitor the progress of the game and chart my fellow Townsmen’s personal growth.
I have to say, it really should be harder for us to vote down a band with an album called Mach Schau.
Cdm makes some good points but I think my less enthusiastic reactions to the Dylan/Beatles/Beach Boys stuff may have more to do with over familiarity – have I heard the Beatles song at least 100,000 times? This may explain Badfinger’s huge appeal – I have heard their songs hundreds of times, but not even close to the number of times that I have heard “I Get Around” or “Like a Rolling Stone” just unintentionally on the radio. It seems like the Rock Town Hall enjoys the more unexpected and need I say, obscure choices. Although, I also loved “How is the Air up There?” but I wonder if it was a bit too obscure for the rank and file?
ENGLAND SURVIVES OVERTIME CHALLENGE FROM AUSTRALIA!
“I was afraid they were going to play that ”74 Jailbreak’ number by AC/DC,” said a relieved coach Mr. Mod of Team England. “We tip our hats to the ferocity of the Australian team and their cagey coach, cdm!”
Three matches down, only Canada v Jamaica left to decide. So far Canada is up 3 favorable comments to 1 with one suggestion of a possible tie. It’s only fair we give our contestants the analysis they deserve. Thanks.
An excerpt from a live chat taking place at Philly.com:
Speaking of The Band, how is it that I’d never seen this incredibly cool footage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_hsp4SBwO4&feature=related
Very, very cool look at them before they became Robbie and the Hawks.
While I agree that RTH does love the unexpected, I’m not going to toss out songs that changed everything after they were released because I didn’t expect a decent song by a French band, or a great song like How Is the Air Up There when they’re competing against Dylan or The Beatles. Mod could have picked anything off of Revolver or Rubber Soul and he’d have crushed about anything Australia could offer.
*****Which, by the way cdm, why didn’t you go for Jailbreak? It really is a great song, and there were actually requests for it. I think I’d be happy to honor a request if it turned out to be that good. Then again, I pick the wrong things all the time, so who am I to say?***********
Anyway, the case could be made that I just did that with Bob Marley, but had Bostonhistorian not picked a song I needed backstory to appreciate (all reggae sounds pretty much the same to me, so I like the little I like and try to appreciate it as best I can), I may have leaned Jamaica’s way. I really could have been swayed by something a little less hypnotic, and had he chosen Redemption Song or something, I’d have considered the impact of the song on more than the charts in my decision.
Should Elena Kagan fail, I’ll be happy to take her place. I’m an awesome judge!
Although the Hudu Guru’s song is GREAT, the Beatles’ is iconic. Sorry, Aussies, but I’m going with the mother land on this one.
I jokingly – I hope Sonny and BigSteve got that – ranted about Townspeople favoring underdogs in this competition, but the truth is, reactions have been as balanced and open-minded as can be expected. We should enjoy sparring over some of this stuff, even if it means expressing that one song is overplayed while another is fresh – or the converse, arguing that the classic is a classic no matter how tired it is! I’ve been as guilty as anyone of taking a shot at a chestnut through this tournament (eg, “Tangled Up in Blue”), but I’ve also found myself – and seend others – keep an open mind to stuff they’d previously dismissed. Hell, I almost liked one of those Gainsbourg songs, and I typically HATE that stuff and that guy in particular.
All in all, it seems like enough of us are enjoying this game to see it through. For those turning up your nose in disgust to this nonsense, thanks for your patience, and feel free to change the discussion. This Is Your Rock Town Hall and all that jazz. If you’ve got the privileges to craft a new thread, by all means use them! If you’d like to get entry to The Back Office and learn how to kick off new threads, let me know. We’re always psyched to get new voices leading us into thinking about music in new ways. For instance, a lot of the relatively newer voices in the Hall who coached teams in this tournament showed themselves to be really good, entertaining writers. I read your comments and think, That person needs to get in The Back Office and help keep this place fresh!
What the what?! I leave to go to a few meetings and return to find this?
Alright, the People have spoken. Just so you know, even I couldn’t vote for an outright win by Team Australia in the poll yesterday. The best I could do was vote for a tie.
I knew Mod was going with something iconic like Satisfaction or IWHYH. A real single’s single. And I didn’t think I had the firepower to beat him straight on. I considered throwing up the Mercy Seat or Tupelo by Nick Cave in hopes of throwing people of kilter.
I know that there were calls for Back in Black and Jailbreak. I couldn’t pick either of those two songs because I’d never heard Jailbreak before this morning and at first listen, it didn’t seem as good as some of the others I was considering like Whole Lotta Rosie, Problem Child or Highway to Hell. Also, ACDC can cause listening fatigue and I wasn’t sure how much room I had left. Remember what happened to that third Hives song.
As for Back In Black, I know that would have gotten me at least one vote from bostonhistorian, but I refuse to disrespect the legacy of Bon Scott by choosing a song featuring the new guy on vocals.
So I gave the Guru’s a shot at the Big Show. Why not? They’re scrappy, tuneful and they rock. As Keef himself said “On any given day, almost any band can be the greatest rock and roll band in the world.” My first choice was I Was A Kamikaze Pilot and I was also considering What’s My Scene, but I felt that you would hold the lame-ass video against me.
In the end, we’re happy with our performance. Remember, Rocky didn’t beat Apollo in the first movie; he only did better than expected. Thanks to all who supported Team Australia.
Congrats, Team England, and well played.
Good to have you back to your mensch-y self, Mod. And congrats on the win over Oz.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand was a terrific play at just the right time.
Hey, I just learned that today is Canada Day. That’s got to count for something, no?
In the backseat whatever-the-equivalent-of-quarterback-is-in-soccer department, I would have played I Want You Back by the Hoodoo Gurus.
The People have spoken, and they now ask Canada and Jamaica to submit a tie-breaker song to my mrmoderator account. You guys know the drill. Hopefully we’ll have this settled by the morning! Thanks.
Canada offers “Cortez the Killer” by Neil Young
misterioso, I believe that Band footage is on this DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Albums-Band/dp/B0007GADYU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1278038368&sr=1-4
It’s from the Classic Albums series. I believe there’s a little more of the same on there.
I highly recommend that Classic Albums DVD on The Band! It’s got a number of goosebump-inducing moments. Better than BigSteve’s link, you can find it on this page:
http://astore.amazon.com/rotoha00-20?node=2&page=3
Orders through the RTH portal to Amazon help us keep this place up and running. Thanks.
Team Jamaica had been saving this one, thinking it appropriate if they had to go up against the USA or England–after all, a song covered by Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer has to have some merit–but I think even Neil Young will remember what it meant to be solo with an acoustic guitar singing one’s heart out:
Bob Marley “Redemption Song”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnApthgw4Mo
Holy Cow, I think that’s another tie. Both great entries.
Team Canada is a bit like creeper weed. Just when you think nothing is going to happen, they sneak up on you.
Nearly impossible decision. Cortez is what Neil and Crazy Horse do best. And the 3 chord rhythm is just something I play reflexively every time I pick up a guitar (which is not very often).
As the historian said, Redemption Song transcends its time and place and is applicable to anyone anywhere in the world. Edge: Jamaica.
Also, it is one thing to deplete the Mod’s stockpile of Beatles & Stones numbers but it would be cruel to do that to the eventual winner of this round.
Oh, man. Those are awesome picks for the OT. I can totally get behind both of them, but I’m leaning towards Jamaica now. That was a great shot by Neil, but an acrobatic save by the Jamaican goalie seals it for Jamaica.
Jamaica. That song is the thermonuclear bomb of Marley righteousness. If Neil were here, he’d agree with me.
“Also, it is one thing to deplete the Mod’s stockpile of Beatles & Stones numbers but it would be cruel to do that to the eventual winner of this round”
That’s a fair point. I’m going to reexamine and see if I can decide.
We should have a decision this afternoon, then we’ll take the weekend off to refresh for the semi-finals and finals! Townspeople, make your voice heard on this key match.
Personally, I feel that had Canada gone for the gusto with a Neil Young song one notch more biting, like “Cowgirl in the Sand,” Canada would have clinched it. I like “Cortez the Killer,” but for me it’s a second-tier song in that vein.
The Marley song is hard to top, but with that big maple tree standing in its way I was hoping for a small ax.
I’ll have to get over my fanboy rooting perspective and see if I can’t objectively assess these fine overtime strikes for what they are.
I’m a big fan of Bob’s, but I have never understood the appeal of Redemption Song. He was a great songwriter, but without the Upsetters’ rhythm section behind him he doesn’t do anything for me.
Jamaica wins by a roach length!
Congratulations to Jamaica for advancing to the semi-finals. Congrats, too, to the Canadian team for its spirited play and, in my opinion, some of the funniest strikes in the tournamet. (I still think that Rush song early on got a bad rap. History will prove that its coordination with the Guess Who number was one of the finest attacks in these games.)
Looking ahead to Monday, most likely, for the start of the semis, we’ve got England v Ireland and USA v Jamaica! Coaches, take a day or two to rest with your team and then it’s back to the blackboard!
bostonhistorian: great job. Cortez is my favorite Neil Young song and I was saving it. But that to say that Redemption Song still has power after all of us here, I assume, would like to squash a thousand copies of Legend like so many grapes means the song must really be something, and it is.
northvancoveman–
Thanks. I love Neil Young, so I wouldn’t have minded losing to something as awesome as “Cortez the Killer.”
And for the weekend, a sixteen year old Toots Hibbert singing with the Maytals…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWdL6I8je5g
Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!