Okay, so results. First the number by your name is your total score. The numbers by the songs themselves are the song score, the theme score, the creativity score and the song total.
I'm repeating myself (but anyone in P/R will be used to that) but the theme score, to get "2" I just needed something, anything, beyond just a subjective "My Favorite". If I got it wrong, well, so be it, the good thing is, with so many options there are a lot of ways to make up ground. The two highest scorers did it in almost exactly opposite ways.
One guy is going to be PISSED at me, but all I can say is, I go by what my gut says and my gut says, um, yeah.
NEKOV – 16.5
Foxy Shazam – Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll 5 2 0.5 7
Florence + The Machine – Kiss With A Fist 6 2 1 9I first heard Eric Nally on a TV show by Demi Lovato (I forget what it was, but Demi Lovato is gorgeous, so I watch her when she comes on TV) and I was like “Who IS this guy?” He looked like one of the Village People, or Joey Silvera, but he could sing. I remember checking out one Foxy Shazam song, and not being at all impressed. I loved this performance but the song didn’t grab me. I get and love three minute bursts of rock and roll energy, but there has to be something to grab onto, and I wish there was more here. Great performance but the song couldn’t support it. And I feel exactly the opposite about the b-side. I dug the hell out of the song, but the sort of reedy quality of Florence’s voice doesn’t really work for me. I have a thing for female vocalists – Ann Wilson, Johnette Napolitano, Anneke van Giersbergen, Shirley Manson – but they all have a sort of powerful quality to their voices that I just don’t from this. But I love the song; I think it’s clever and dark, and you never quite get where she’s coming from; is it rueful? Is it regretful? Is there desire in there? That’s a well-crafted tune right there, in search of a definitive performance.
I like the adherence to the theme. While I didn’t dig the song, that Foxy Shazam song COULD be a Kiss tune (I kept thinking “God Gave Rock and Roll To You, Part II), and I loved the cleverness of the b-side, with the iron fist/velvet glove reference, which is a big part of Kiss for me. Well done.
INDISCIPLINE – 17.0
Michael Schenker Temple of Rock – Wicked 5.5 2 1 8.5
Crowded House – Lester 5.5 2 1 8.5
No, this isn’t cheating. I’m a HUGE Michael Schenker fan, but I’ve made no bones that for me, “MSG” is the first four albums with Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet. I can’t really stand Robin McAuley (though he’s growing on me having seen him live) and Doogie is, well, I just feel he’s wasted opportunity. “Stranger In Us All” (I know it’s Rainbow) should have been great, but it was not. So I’ve never heard this before. But this was a really good tune; GREAT chorus, and while it’s not a legendary MSG solo, it’s certainly unique, and his playing is just so… warm and comforting while it punches you in the kidney. I liked this. I really liked the b-side; that’s the sort of quintessential b-side for me. V-chlortho kind of nailed it in his submission: “A sides are the hit. The catchy song that grabs the listener. The B side is a different side of the band that you won't necessarily see from the hits.” I don’t love, but I respect Crowded House, and this was a new look at that band. I kind of dug the odd nature of the song, too. Is he singing to his dog?
Okay, so theme-wise, he NAILED THE CRAP OUT OF IT. Took the “favorite”, the “b-side” and the “Kiss” and did something non-obvious and clever with it. I said I threw in the Kiss because I have no fucking idea who some of you consider your “favorite band” so I needed something I could objectively dig into. This got that perfectly. Others did as well, and perhaps Indiscipline’s score won’t separate him from the pack as much as it should, but be warned: in future rounds, something like this may cause everyone else to be at best a 0.5 on creativity.
KINGSHMEGLAND - 14.5
Dada - Dizz Knee Land 5 1.5 0 6.5
Dada - Baby Really Loves Me 5.5 2 0.5 8Hardest write-up to do - well, maybe second hardest – because I know King’s tastes, and we’re pretty spot on on most things music (and beer). But this feels like a bit of a miss. I like the a-side, and I think the meaning is clever and catchy, and there’s some neat guitar playing in there. But while it’s clearly a favorite of yours (I’ve heard you mention this before, I believe) it doesn’t floor me. It kind of reminds me of other bands of the era – Toad The Wet Sprocket comes to mind, Jesus Jones is another – that sort of all sounded alike. But the b-side makes up for it. I thought that was an excellent song, first off, and a sort of perfect b-side. I really liked that, and when I was researching this, I read a quote where the bass player said “Dizz Knee Land” is their best KNOWN song, but not their BEST song, and that, coupled with the b-side and the fact that I generally trust your taste, does make me want to hear more.
Thematically, I gave the full two points, because I know they are a favorite of yours, but I felt like I had to keep back some of the creativity points. I didn’t get any Kiss – or even Kiss-evocative – feelings, and without that, I’m not sure how it necessarily fits. I’m searching for something to make the link and I can’t find it. It’s far too deep for a Kiss song, it’s far too political (well, social politics, maybe) for a Kiss song, and while the guitars are excellent, it’s almost too technically accomplished for a Kiss song. Maybe I should look at the irony, because in many ways, Kiss IS “Disneyland”, so there’s that, but that seems a stretch. I did give you a half a point for the b-side, since you did capture what I feel is the essence of a good b-side.
JINGLE.BOY – 15.0
Symphony X - Run With The Devil 4 2 0.5 6.5
Accept - Final Journey 5.5 2 1 8.5
Haha, sorry Chad. I don’t know what it is, but Russell Allen just rubs me the wrong way. I’ve never met the man, he did nothing to me, and certainly there’s evidence that in real life he’s a nice enough guy and an heroic man. But purely in terms of music, it’s fire and water. Liam and Noel. Trump and Cohen. I should have liked this song, as musically it’s pretty good – though the solo was a little gimmicky for me – but I had a hard time getting past the vocals (maybe because I was half expecting him to scream out “mutherfuckin’ psychosane!” or “I heard you took one in the FACE!”) and especially when I heard the other song in this round that I think you COULD have sent, it really made it hard to like this. Thankfully, though, you nailed it on the b-side. I have a sort of grudging, even slightly mocking respect for Udo (I’m sorry I just find him hilarious in the same way I find Glenn Danzig hilarious, but I find I actually like the Accept songs I’ve heard) but I never got into Accept beyond “Balls To The Wall” and a ballad off one of the early albums that I can’t remember. I know this isn’t Udo (it’s Mark Tornillo) but I thought it was him at first and that’s a good thing. This was just a good, hard rock song. Vaguely Priest-like at times, and I actually dug the outro solo with its classical quote (Grieg, I think).
Thematically, I liked what you did. I liked the reference to “Final Journey”, since even as a big fan I find it comical how Paul Stanley is approaching this (“we’re going to do one last lap – of up to three years!”) and I gave you a little more benefit of the doubt, since even though you wouldn’t have known this, the first time I ever saw Kiss – and got to meet the band before hand! – Accept was the opening act. You meant that, right? Right?
Topic: Stadler's Roulette, 2.0: Singles A's and B's: We have a Champeen! (Read 47673 times)