We begin with Division F tonight. This division doesn’t have any clear favorites, though The Weight (Band), White Room (Cream) and Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin) are up there. Rather, this division is known for its depth- a lot of solid, mellow tunes. Tonight’s match-ups are on Grooveshark, except Tonight Tonight.
El Scorcho (Weezer) vs. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)
Busted (Ray Charles) vs. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard)
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) vs. Hey Hey My My (Neil Young)
Wonderwall (Oasis) vs. Farmhouse (Phish)
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan) vs. Hurt (Johnny Cash)
Living the Dream 
El Scorcho (Weezer): 4
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 5
Busted (Ray Charles): 7
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 5
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 9
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 6
Wonderwall (Oasis): 8
Farmhouse (Phish): 6
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 4
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 8
El Scorcho (Weezer): 7
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 8.5
I hadn’t heard the voodoo chile riff for a while, so it gets an extra .5…
Busted (Ray Charles): 6.5
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 6.5
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 5
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 7.5
Not my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song by a long shot. Out of the blue and into the black…
Wonderwall (Oasis): 7
Farmhouse (Phish): 6
Phish over Oasis, but Farmhouse is pretty weak.
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 8.5
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 8
Deacon Blues gets the extra .5 to help round out the inevitable Steely Dan haters.
El Scorcho (Weezer): 5
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 8
Definitely not Weezer’s best song, off of one of their weaker albums. Great guitarwork by Jimi, this one won’t be close.
Busted (Ray Charles): 7.5
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 7.5
Hard to pick one, both classic.
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 7.5
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 7
Really loved the instrumentals on Tonight Tonight, but not a big fan of Corgan’s nails on a chalkboard voice. Neil Young ain’t much better. Both good songs, I just like sweeter voices.
Wonderwall (Oasis): 2
Farmhouse (Phish): 8.5
Go Jam Band, working hard to try to sound like they do live! Oasis, on the other hand, defines overrated.
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 5
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 8.5
Johnny Cash was so cool for making this album. Steely Dan did nothing for me.
El Scorcho (Weezer) 7.5
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix) 4.5
I’m going for a record on consecutive days responding to Nick’s comments. Pinkerton is definitely not the Blue album, but its a lost classic and depressing doesn’t equal “weak”. In fact, I personally can’t think of any album besides the Blue album, start to finish, as good as Pinkerton, and it just got a re-release this past fall. Hendrix just sounded loud to me.
Busted (Ray Charles) 5
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard) 6.5
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) 8
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young) 7.5
Wonderwall (Oasis) 7
Farmhouse (Phish) 7
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan) 5.5
Hurt (Johnny Cash) 6.5
El Scorcho (Weezer): 6.5
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 6
Busted (Ray Charles): 7
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 8
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 6
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 6.5
Wonderwall (Oasis): 5
Farmhouse (Phish): 6
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 3
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 9
El Scorcho [9]
Voodoo Chile [7]
Busted [6]
Long Tall Sally [5]
Tonight Tonight [7]
Hey Hey My My [9]
Wonderwall [6]
Farmhouse [5]
Deacon Blues [6]
Hurt [8]
El Scorcho (Weezer): 5.5
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 8.5
Busted (Ray Charles): 6.5
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 6
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 6
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 6
Wonderwall (Oasis): 6
Farmhouse (Phish): 3
Sorry, I’ve never liked Phish.
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 7.5
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 7
Jeez, not my favorite matchups today!!
El Scorcho [7]
Voodoo Chile [7.5]
Busted [6]
Long Tall Sally [7]
Tonight Tonight [8]
Hey Hey My My [6]
Wonderwall [7.5]
Farmhouse [5]
Deacon Blues [6]
Hurt [8.5]
El Scorcho (Weezer): 8
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix): 5
Busted (Ray Charles): 5
Long Tall Sally (Little Richard): 7
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins): 8.5
Hey Hey My My (Neil Young): 6
Wonderwall (Oasis): 9
Farmhouse (Phish): 5
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan): 3
Hurt (Johnny Cash): 10
El Scorcho (Weezer) 6 vs. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix) 8
Busted (Ray Charles) 8.5 vs. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard) 8
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) 6.5 vs. Hey Hey My My (Neil Young) 6.5
Wonderwall (Oasis) 8 vs. Farmhouse (Phish) 4.5
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan) 2 vs. Hurt (Johnny Cash) 9.5
El Scorcho (Weezer) vs. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix) = 7 to 8.5
Two great tunes, but c’mon, Jimi talks about choppin down mountain tops with the edge of his hands!!!
Busted (Ray Charles) vs. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard) = 8.5 to 6
I’m a big Little Richard fan but ‘Busted’ wins this one for sure. Plus, I’ve definitely been there.
Have to throw this in there – discovered this Little Richard tune on a northern soul comp a while back – had no idea he could belt it out like this! A real stomper, definitely worth cranking up full blast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uad_QsCrTJQ
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) vs. Hey Hey My My (Neil Young) = 5 to 7
Wonderwall (Oasis) vs. Farmhouse (Phish) = 4 to 4.5
I will rock to some Oasis tunes but this one doesn’t hold up for me.
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan) vs. Hurt (Johnny Cash) = 3 to 7.5
I’ve always wondered what it would have been like to party with Steely Dan?
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return): 9 def. El Scorchio (6). Wow, when the bass drum doubles the rhythm of the guitar at the beginning, I still get a little shiver. I remember when I first discovered this song, I’d turn the volume low as the lead in riff approached the beginning of the tune, and when it dropped, i’d crank the volume full blast. A shame to have El Scorchio run into this buzzsaw so early, I do dig this tune off Pinkerton. Rivers Como is reading my diary. A little creepy, but yeah. Also, I think I was madly in love with a redhead when this came out, so it makes it a bit sentimental. Not sentimental enough to save it from getting it’s ass kicked, but you know.
Long Tall Sally (6) vs. Busted (8). Forgot about this great little Sax solo while Little Richard is busting out the double time comping underneath. Great vocals. Every wants to say WOOOO! like Little Richard, as far as I’m concerned. Great, snappy tune, never sad to hear it. But hearing those horns make me sway at the keyboard like I’m Ray. COTTON IS DOWN TO A QUARTER FOR A POUND… wow, everything is old is new, huh? Man, this song is a killer right now. And Ray also seems to be the master of the hilarious commentary as the song fades out that makes you want more. And I want more. So hopefully it goes to the second rd.
Hey Hey My My (6) vs Tonight Tonight (6.5) Billy Corgan et al get an ever so slight edge. Wouldn’t be sad if Neil advanced, either.
Deacon Blues (3) vs. Hurt (8). Not close. not compelling versus gripping. Sax solo comes too late to save Steely Dan from their fate.
Farmhouse (5) vs. Wonderwall (7). It feels really unfair to say that Farmhouse feels like something that didn’t make the cut of the Counting Crows second album b/c I know how gifted the gents that make up Phish are. But yeah, maybe it’s because I just watched a great 20 minute Meatstick that this feels underwhelming. Guitar Solos are pretty awesome, Trey gets a great tone there. But Wonderwall is just a great song. throwing the strings in early but not going all “Long and Winding Road” production on it. lots of moving parts but not muddy. also, I just want to belt when I hear this song. Maybe the greatness in it is that if you have solid lung power but not great range, you too can rock out on this song with not a ton of effort. It’s an everyman’s singalong.
El Scorcho (Weezer) 8 vs. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix) 7
Busted (Ray Charles) 8.5 vs. Long Tall Sally (Little Richard) 8
Tonight Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins) 9 vs. Hey Hey My My (Neil Young) 7
Wonderwall (Oasis) 8 vs. Farmhouse (Phish) 7.5
Deacon Blues (Steely Dan) 7 vs. Hurt (Johnny Cash) 8