Summer Psychosis: Results for Part 4 of the First Round

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! I'm sure you were watching fireworks of some kind and singing this. Or this. Or maybe this?

Anyway, another week of Summer Psychosis is in the books. It's the last of the First Round! We are now officially down to a more manageable 64. It only took us a month to do it, no big deal. Well, I hope you've had fun thinking and debating each matchup, because now we're about to move into the next chapter. All of the easy decisions are out of the way. Part 4 had its share of sweeps and no-brainer picks, but a big surprise is also in store.  

Led Zeppelin 5, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles 0

"Zeppelin rocked so hard that they have spanned bands that rock so hard to this day." - Mark

Despite the excellence of Smokey Robinson, this result was no surprise. As Mark said, you can trace a direct line from Zep to the hardest rocking bands today, and most notably through Dave Grohl: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/led-zeppelin-19691231 

Tom Waits 3, Jay-Z 2

"Does Tom Waits deserve a win over Jay-Z? Perhaps not, but that doesn’t mean that I won't give it to him. Waits' long and consistently good career puts him above Jay-Z’s shorter and less consistent one in my book, so I’m going with Tom." - Steve

The gravelly-voiced troubadour just beat out the classy rapper/businessman in one of the tightest matchups of the week. But what was funny is that it was Tom Waits vs. rap. Those two wouldn't think of going together, right?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ2znlF5TVM

Sly and The Family Stone 3, Eminem 2

"I know I’m the resident rap guy and Eminem is one of the powerhouses of rap, but I have to go with Sly. Eminem is good, don’t get me wrong. He’s funny when he wants to be, and incredibly dark when he wants to be. But he doesn’t really do anything else well. On top of that, his last few albums weren’t all that good, with songs designed to be radio hits with cheesy lyrics (“I guess that’s why it’s called window pane/pain”? Seriously?). Sly is a classic. He’s just so smooth, and has a great band behind him." - Eric

Another close one that caused NJWB to go against his favorite genre! These two artists were great, but both ran into serious drug problems. Props to Eminem for being able to come back and be successful. Sly's best attempt at a comeback might have been this (watch until the end): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mtuKDmA3C4 

Miles Davis 5, Pulp 0

"Just think of how many people were conceived to Miles Davis' music. He might have contributed more to the growth of the human population more then Genghis Khan or Wilt Chamberlain." - Elliott

Remember ladies, it's not the notes that are important, but the space between the notes. By the way, did you know that Chamberlain played Volleyball in the International Volleyball Association after his basketball career? And that the league was co-ed? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Volleyball_Association

Lou Reed 3, Captain Beefheart 2

"Lou Reed seems like a realist. His songs are never without hope, but at the same time nothing’s perfect. Pick up a copy of Transformer to see what I mean." - Mark

An upset barely missed yet again. Plus, I think Mark's got the whole analyzing thing covered. So I'll just give you this slightly uncomfortable performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiVUqwXAXx0. Doo. Doo doo. Doo doo. Doo doo doo.   

Nirvana 4, Paul Simon 1

"Had this been Nirvana up against Art Garfunkel I may have reconsidered, but as is it has to be Nirvana" - Steve

While we all tease Art about being second-fiddle, he has a decent solo career himself.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aoxUeAw0E. Oh yeah, you're totally thinking twice about your decision now, aren't you voters?

Parliament/Funkadelic 4, Bjork 1

"Seriously? Bjork? And she’s a #7 seed? How? Is John rigging this thing? And how do you vote for Bjork over George Motherfucking Clinton? Did you just Google whether George Clinton’s middle name is “Motherfucking”? Because you totally know it is, don’t you? Can I keep writing in questions? I guess I can. Oh, dammit." - Eric

Hey man, I'm just following what Acclaimedmusic.net laid out for me. Don't ask too many questions. Oh wait, too late. As for Clinton's middle name? I actually couldn't find it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clinton_(musician)

Elvis Presley 5, The Chemical Brothers 0

"The only matchup easier to decide then this one was Coldplay vs. Rod Stewart." - Elliott

Whoa, taking a shot at the Chemical Brothers! I mean, it's understandable. They never did this on stage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtAOltn7iw

Bob Dylan 5, The Everly Brothers 0

"Great music, excellent discography, good singer (Yes, I said it!). Bob Dylan is an artist you can worship religiously with no qualms." - John

Not much to say about this one. But I do remember that Cate Blanchett was awesome in her portrayal of Dylan in "I'm Not There":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqenrSRfZ9k

Simon and Garfunkel 5, Massive Attack 0

"Now we are talking, a project with aid from Art Garfunkel. Art is like the Robin of sidekicks. Sure, he gets a lot of crap from everyone, but Batman keeps him around (sometimes). At the end of the day that’s all that matters." - Steve

Picture this video, except that Batman is Paul Simon, Robin is Garfunkel and Tony Zucco is Massive Attack. Sweep in an 8 vs. 9 seed matchup. Ouch is all I can say. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_31YhqNZMos

The Kinks 4, Primal Scream 1

"So many artists in this bracket are British Invasion, and The Kinks are here for a reason. Sure, they’re lower on the list, but they belong. And to me they beat a band who's great, but is sometimes hit or miss." - John

The funny thing about Primal Scream is they sometimes made music with a heavy Stones influence. The Kinks won here mostly because for a period of time, they matched the Stones song for song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLjkYNorhkk

Public Enemy 4, Smashing Pumpkins 1

"Voting against Public Enemy is Harder Than You Think. Most people (a.k.a. people on this blog) would discount Public Enemy in favor of Smashing Pumpkins, who are more in line with what the writers like. But Public Enemy was huge in forming modern hip-hop. They changed what it meant to be a rapper, what a flow was, and what being in a hip-hop group meant. But most importantly, their music holds up fairly well over time, which is hard to do in such a fast-moving genre like rap. If Smashing Pumpkins win (which they will), Don’t Believe the Hype, and Fight the Power." - Eric

How wrong you were, Eric! Turns out that we appreciate rap a little bit more than you think. Is it all because of Flavor Flav? Absolutely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfGPQIDxA1A&feature=related

Beck 4, Frank Sinatra 1

"Beck is and always will be amazing. The type of music he puts out is always new, what he does to the music is innovative and the songs individually are just genius. While I loves me some Sinatra, I can’t NOT choose this guy." - Mark

Frank Sinatra is classy, no doubt about it. Sadly, he didn't write his own songs. Not only did Beck write his own songs, but he actually wrote a song called "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack." Now that's classy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fs8vLOEiCs

Randy Newman 3, The Smiths 2

"I kinda see where this matchup is going. Still, I’m not going with the obvious choice here. Randy Newman is one of a kind. A satirist and pianist like that is the type of artist I aspire to be in some ways. He’s got my vote." - John

Turns out I was wrong too! HUGE upset! The Smiths are one of those bands that you think are gonna go far, but bam! Toy Story happened!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy4uiiy0qgA

Ramones 4, Brian Eno 1

"Why oh why did it have to be Ramones vs. Eno? Anyone else whould have let me vote against the Ramones without a guilty conscience." - Elliott

I wouldn't feel too guilty about it, Elliott. Did you know that Brian Eno has produced U2 AND Coldplay?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuA5_5qZHp4

The Beach Boys 4, Aerosmith 1

"I’ve never been a huge Aerosmith fan. They’re good and all, but their music just doesn’t do it for me. But The Beach Boys used to be the shit. They still are, but they used to be too. Pet Sounds alone gives them a pass for Round 1 of this bracket, not to mention the less experimental stuff they did early in their careers." - Eric

Not a huge surprise here either, despite the greatness of Aerosmith. Speaking of still being the shit, The Beach Boys just reformed this year. Here's a sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1EhNnCZ9kw

Best Minority Opinion - Elliott

This week's voting looked like it was going to mostly be in lockstep with sweeps galore. Luckily, Elliott prevented four sweeps by being the sole supporter of Aerosmith, Paul Simon, Smashing Pumpkins and Frank Sinatra. For that, he gets this week's best minority opinion. Here's his Smashing Pumpkins blurb: 

"FLAAAAAAAVVVVVVOOOOOOOORRRRRRRR FFFFFFLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAVVVVVEEEEEE YYYYYEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH BOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYY!! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. No but really, this tournament has given me a couple new bands to check out. Smashing Pumpkins is on the top of that list. Why? Because they rock."

Always good to see that this bracket has expanded one of our voters' musical tastes. Because really, that's a great feature of Summer Psychosis. It's a way to be educated in the annals of popular music history. Not to say that we aren't, especially with certain artists. 

Best Minority Opinion Runner-Up - Eric

For instance, Eric's spirited defense of Jay-Z gives a compelling argument. While he contributed to the elimination of Eminem, NJWB is clearly sticking to his roots:

"I’m not a huge fan of when the Cookie Monster sings (good luck listening to him after that without imagining the Cookie Monster). I respect Waits for his longevity in the music industry, especially when your voice goes from rough to being dragged down a gravel road, but Jay-Z is too good. Not only is he a brilliant lyricist, he sort of broke the mold for rappers. While he did glorify his crimes, he had this “I didn’t like it, but you have to do what you have to do” way about him. On top of that, he has a great delivery and flow. Also, we wouldn’t have a Kanye West if he didn’t exist, so Jay wins."

Why do I have a funny feeling that the last point is the only one that matters? Oh well, it's probably nothing.