Day #1:
I like Zeppelin, but Marvin Gaye is totally gonna win.
Listened to Zeppelin. This album is better than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be cocky blues posturing, but there’s some other cool stuff on here.
Yeah, but Marvin Gaye.
Day #2: Listened to What’s Going On. All fine tunes, but “Save the Children” is kind of awful. Am I awful for thinking that? Maybe Zeppelin will win.
Day #3: Listened to Zeppelin again. First time I was pleasantly surprised by tracks like “Good Times Bad Times” and “You’re Time is Gonna Come.” This time, I’m reminded that I don’t like tracks like You Shook Me” and “Dazed and Confused.” I’m so glad “Dazed and Confused” is only like six minutes.
Interjection – Short History of me and Led Zeppelin: MVB spent a lot of time in high-school trying to convince me that they were way better than The Cure. He never managed this (I sort of figured it out later by myself), but he did get me to appreciate them. We went on a ski-trip, and he put a tape of Houses of the Holy on repeat while I slept. You can call that brainwashing if you want, but it worked. I frickin love that album now. What didn’t help his cause at all was subjecting me to 40 minute versions of “Dazed and Confused.” I look back now and think, “Andrew, you were a pretty good friend for going with Mark while he tracked down those bootlegs and then listening to them later.” But, Mark could say the same things about me trying to find the perfect bootleg version of “A Forest”. Since then, I’ve come to really like III. I picked up IV, but that too left me bored—too much mumbo jumbo mystical shit.
Maybe Marvin Gaye will win after all.
Yeah, but “Save the Children”.
Day #4
Listened to What’s Going On again. Again, good tunes, but on this listen, it struck me how the whole album feels like one long slow jam. That’s not necessarily bad, but is this album over-hyped?
Interjection – Short History of me and Marvin Gaye: Back in college, I bought some Marvin Gaye CD’s. I really liked them.
Who will win?
Day #5
“Communication Break Down” and “How Many More Times” might be mockable, but they are also totally rockable. Their riffs are bigger than my junk (sorry for that everyone). Zeppelin is leading by a hair.
Day #6
Okay, but what about “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me,” “Wholy Holy”? So good. Not sure even the best tracks on Zeppelin touch these.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Day #7
Question: You know what What’s Going On lacks?
Answer: “Let’s Get It On”
Answer: “Can I Get A Witness?”
The truth is that I’d rather listen to other albums by both these artists. If Houses of the Holy were up, that would win hands down. If a collection of Marvin Gaye’s singles was up, ditto. Shit, shit, shit. Still not sure.
Day #8
Okay it comes down to this: which album am I more likely to listen to the most often? And I think the answer is Marvin’s.
Mark: I really liked the Zeppelin quite a bit. This was tough. At several points, I honestly thought Zeppelin was going to win. Maybe they should.
Okay, Zeppelin wins.
No wait, What’s Going On does.
Overtime decision:
Listened to both again. What’s Going On wins. Or does it? Yeah, it does.
Sigh.
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Nothing beats having to flip the record over to complete the rest of a song...
ReplyDeleteAt least you gave some reasoning for your choice, I can accept that (unlike some people.. for instance, my biggest nemesis, steve).
My retort is this: You are dumb and listen to shitty music.
I now feel better.
i've been listening to my old "what's going on" tape in my old car a bit these last few weeks...i agree with you about the one slow jam comment...also, "save the children" is lame and make me thinks of sally struthers...still a great album overall...historic really, within the context of racism, vietnam, and urban decay in the early 70's...stupid eric and his monkeys and music...
ReplyDeleteIt's really not a "slow jam"...To me, that term always suggests gettin' it on with yer woman...Besides, half of Bach's output sounds like one long baroque jam to me...WGO is like an urban symphony with the raw soul and the polished funk and the makes-me-wanna-hollas all ebbing and flowing in one long beautiful mix...And Marvin's voice, Good Lord...It's an historic album, yes, but whenever I listen I always think of how timely it still sounds in regards to the current state of affairs: environmentalism, war, racial tensions, the plight of the urban poor...And how hard is it to make an album that is both this blatantly political, spiritual, and commercially accessible? Seriously. Gawd, I love my monkeys and my music...
ReplyDeleteAnd anyways, since when does everybody hate children? You DON'T want to save them?!! God help us all.
it's not that i don't want to save the children...i just don't want to sing a song about it...instead of all that singing, maybe marvin coulda been saving some children...
ReplyDeletemaybe it's more of a groove than a jam, but anyway, i think it's clear that the songs run together a bit on this album...it's not a cut, it's a reality...also, i very much doubt your familiarity with half of bach's output
I was gonna say all this clever stuff, but, you know, whatever...Suck it, Wilson.
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