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cjlasky71. Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby
The best selling vocalist of the first half of the 20th century against the best selling vocalist of the second half. Few people remember than Bing was one of the first artists to take full advantage of the microphone. Not having to sing to the rafters allowed Crosby to create a warm, intimate atmosphere that drew the listener in. "White Christmas" is like having your Dad wrap you in a fuzzy blanket while handing you a cup of warm cocoa. (That Bing's image was entirely fabricated makes the illusion even more impressive.)
Frank didn't go for cocoa. He was loud, bold, confident--and yes, the man could swing. Sinatra was also one the first artists to take advantage of the 33-1/3 album, using the 45 minute running time to group his songs into themes, moods--a method followed by countless artists since. When rock and roll took over the airwaves, he was the last man standing on the charts to uphold the banner of George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Sammy Cahn. He kept his style of music alive until succeeding generations rediscovered the songs for themselves.
Sinatra.
2. Ray Charles or Johnny Cash
Titans. Both men were steeped in gospel: Ray secularized it and gave birth to American soul music; Johnny spent his entire career examining the question of faith and reshaped contemporary country. Both men refused to be categorized. They saw the breadth of the American songbook as a limitless well of source material for their own obsessions.
Who else but Johnny Cash could have hits from songs by Shel Silverstein, Kris Kristofferson and Nine Inch Nails? Who else but Ray Charles would have the brass balls to record an album called "Modern Sounds in Country Western Music" in 1962?
Ray was the better singer and player and that opened him up to even wider range of songs. But there's no mistaking a Johnny Cash song from the first note. Johnny (and Elvis) are the only two musicians my mother and I agree on. So....tie, I guess.
3. Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix
In the sixties, Eric Clapton took electric blues about as far as it could go--past extended jamming, past psychedelia, approaching something like altered consciousness. (Listen to "Tales of Brave Ulysses" at high volume, and see if the room doesn't shimmer and wobble a little.) But once he beat his drug addiction, his output flattened out. MTV Unplugged turned "Layla" from a howling cry of unrequited love into a lazy blues shuffle.
I know, it's not fair. Hendrix never lived long enough to become boring. But more than that, Hendrix wasn't limited to blues. He saw the guitar as an orchestra unto itself, and the Hendrix catalog is like sneak peaks into an entirely new world--a door that slammed shut when he died.
4. Temptations or Four Tops
I like Levi Stubbs' voice better than either David Ruffin's or Eddie Kendricks'--but the Tempts had both those guys, and that's the difference. I think the Temptations catalog is a little deeper too. Is there a brighter, more joyous love song than "My Girl"? Is there a grimmer song about broken families than "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"?
5. Dianna Ross or Aretha Franklin
Tough one. How do you choose? Do you prefer Diana, backed by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard with the Funk Brothers behind them? Or Aretha with Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations backed by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section? "You Can't Hurry Love" or "Chain of Fools"? "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" or "I Never Loved a Man"?
All things being equal, I go for Aretha's full-bodied, brassier tone. And besides, only Aretha could make you forget that Otis Redding wrote "Respect." ("That woman stole my song.")
6. Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder's 1970s output--from "Music of My Mind" through "Hotter than July"--is one of the great runs in music history, a multiethnic, polyrhythmic stew that still sounds fresh 40 years later. (I think I've memorized "Talking Book" and "Innervisions.")
"What's Going On" is probably going to be played a century from now, but Marvin never quite pulled it together on that level again. Leaving Motown and "Sexual Healing" could have been the start of something great... but we'll never know.
7. Elton John or Billy Joel
Elton is a grandmaster of melodies, a peerless performer, and a fashion icon for the ages. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" will probably haunt me until death. Nevertheless, Billy Joel literally hits me where I live. He's a Noo Yawkah through and through, and even if we don't know Brenda and Eddie or Catholic girls like Virginia or Mr. Cacciatorre on Sullivan Street, we know people like them. Basically even, but home field advantage to Mr. Joel.
8. Britney or Whitney
Britney Spears has limited vocal range, her breakthrough singles and videos were the definition of "jailbait pop" and she's flamed out more than she's topped the charts. But she still doesn't irritate me as much as Whitney. Here was a woman with all the natural gifts in the world, a powerhouse of a voice, and her discography is an extended excercise in technique, without an ounce of real feeling. ("So Emotional" has to be the most ironic title ever.) I cannot listen to her songs. At all.
9. Nsync or Backstreet Boys
1990s boy bands: nostalgia for an era of pop music that nobody liked much in the first place. Dion and the Belmonts would beat these guys up and take their lunch money. Timberlake's solo material has been far more interesting. (He seems to have hit a large bump, though...)
10. Rihanna or Beyonce
One of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches of recent years was "The Bey-gency", about an ordinary man hounded by a shadowy organization when he foolishly says out loud that Beyonce's music is just "okay." On the run, he's unexpectedly helped by "24" superspy Jack Bauer (yes, Keifer Sutherland). When he asks Jack "why?", Jack rolls up his sleeve to reveal a "Rihanna #1" tattoo.
That's my feeling exactly. I know Beyonce is beautiful and socially conscious and Ivy Blue is adorable and her albums are crafted within an inch of their lives, but I can't get into her music. Meanwhile, I could listen to "Umbrella" on a loop for a week. It's gorgeous and it just seems so effortless.
The best selling vocalist of the first half of the 20th century against the best selling vocalist of the second half. Few people remember than Bing was one of the first artists to take full advantage of the microphone. Not having to sing to the rafters allowed Crosby to create a warm, intimate atmosphere that drew the listener in. "White Christmas" is like having your Dad wrap you in a fuzzy blanket while handing you a cup of warm cocoa. (That Bing's image was entirely fabricated makes the illusion even more impressive.)
Frank didn't go for cocoa. He was loud, bold, confident--and yes, the man could swing. Sinatra was also one the first artists to take advantage of the 33-1/3 album, using the 45 minute running time to group his songs into themes, moods--a method followed by countless artists since. When rock and roll took over the airwaves, he was the last man standing on the charts to uphold the banner of George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Sammy Cahn. He kept his style of music alive until succeeding generations rediscovered the songs for themselves.
Sinatra.
2. Ray Charles or Johnny Cash
Titans. Both men were steeped in gospel: Ray secularized it and gave birth to American soul music; Johnny spent his entire career examining the question of faith and reshaped contemporary country. Both men refused to be categorized. They saw the breadth of the American songbook as a limitless well of source material for their own obsessions.
Who else but Johnny Cash could have hits from songs by Shel Silverstein, Kris Kristofferson and Nine Inch Nails? Who else but Ray Charles would have the brass balls to record an album called "Modern Sounds in Country Western Music" in 1962?
Ray was the better singer and player and that opened him up to even wider range of songs. But there's no mistaking a Johnny Cash song from the first note. Johnny (and Elvis) are the only two musicians my mother and I agree on. So....tie, I guess.
3. Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix
In the sixties, Eric Clapton took electric blues about as far as it could go--past extended jamming, past psychedelia, approaching something like altered consciousness. (Listen to "Tales of Brave Ulysses" at high volume, and see if the room doesn't shimmer and wobble a little.) But once he beat his drug addiction, his output flattened out. MTV Unplugged turned "Layla" from a howling cry of unrequited love into a lazy blues shuffle.
I know, it's not fair. Hendrix never lived long enough to become boring. But more than that, Hendrix wasn't limited to blues. He saw the guitar as an orchestra unto itself, and the Hendrix catalog is like sneak peaks into an entirely new world--a door that slammed shut when he died.
4. Temptations or Four Tops
I like Levi Stubbs' voice better than either David Ruffin's or Eddie Kendricks'--but the Tempts had both those guys, and that's the difference. I think the Temptations catalog is a little deeper too. Is there a brighter, more joyous love song than "My Girl"? Is there a grimmer song about broken families than "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"?
5. Dianna Ross or Aretha Franklin
Tough one. How do you choose? Do you prefer Diana, backed by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard with the Funk Brothers behind them? Or Aretha with Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations backed by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section? "You Can't Hurry Love" or "Chain of Fools"? "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" or "I Never Loved a Man"?
All things being equal, I go for Aretha's full-bodied, brassier tone. And besides, only Aretha could make you forget that Otis Redding wrote "Respect." ("That woman stole my song.")
6. Stevie Wonder or Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder's 1970s output--from "Music of My Mind" through "Hotter than July"--is one of the great runs in music history, a multiethnic, polyrhythmic stew that still sounds fresh 40 years later. (I think I've memorized "Talking Book" and "Innervisions.")
"What's Going On" is probably going to be played a century from now, but Marvin never quite pulled it together on that level again. Leaving Motown and "Sexual Healing" could have been the start of something great... but we'll never know.
7. Elton John or Billy Joel
Elton is a grandmaster of melodies, a peerless performer, and a fashion icon for the ages. "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" will probably haunt me until death. Nevertheless, Billy Joel literally hits me where I live. He's a Noo Yawkah through and through, and even if we don't know Brenda and Eddie or Catholic girls like Virginia or Mr. Cacciatorre on Sullivan Street, we know people like them. Basically even, but home field advantage to Mr. Joel.
8. Britney or Whitney
Britney Spears has limited vocal range, her breakthrough singles and videos were the definition of "jailbait pop" and she's flamed out more than she's topped the charts. But she still doesn't irritate me as much as Whitney. Here was a woman with all the natural gifts in the world, a powerhouse of a voice, and her discography is an extended excercise in technique, without an ounce of real feeling. ("So Emotional" has to be the most ironic title ever.) I cannot listen to her songs. At all.
9. Nsync or Backstreet Boys
1990s boy bands: nostalgia for an era of pop music that nobody liked much in the first place. Dion and the Belmonts would beat these guys up and take their lunch money. Timberlake's solo material has been far more interesting. (He seems to have hit a large bump, though...)
10. Rihanna or Beyonce
One of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches of recent years was "The Bey-gency", about an ordinary man hounded by a shadowy organization when he foolishly says out loud that Beyonce's music is just "okay." On the run, he's unexpectedly helped by "24" superspy Jack Bauer (yes, Keifer Sutherland). When he asks Jack "why?", Jack rolls up his sleeve to reveal a "Rihanna #1" tattoo.
That's my feeling exactly. I know Beyonce is beautiful and socially conscious and Ivy Blue is adorable and her albums are crafted within an inch of their lives, but I can't get into her music. Meanwhile, I could listen to "Umbrella" on a loop for a week. It's gorgeous and it just seems so effortless.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-28 10:35 pm (UTC)The others...really don't. LOL!
Actually cactuswatcher and I had a discussion about Clapton and Hendrix, I think a better comparison is Clapton and Townsend. Hendrix gets the edge on player, as cactuswatcher pointed out, while Clapton gets the edge on range and composition due to a much longer career.
Pete Townsend and Clapton are more similar in trajectory and both still alive, I think. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 07:57 am (UTC)Dude, how come you aren't on the radio? NPR pays actual money for people who effortlessly know all this stuff!
OK, probably not very much money, but still...
:-)