The scores are in, and Led Zeppelin now finds itself one game away from victory! “In My Time of Dying” defeats “Do It Again,” 58.7-53.6. We now stand at the cusp of the end of this tournament and our coaches have offered up a double header to finish things off. The Beach Boys will need two wins to grab the crown- otherwise, it’ll be hats off to Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham for an incredible run for the crown and the undisputed title of Last Band Standing. Don’t count those Wilson brothers out, however- anything can happen, as we all know.
Match-ups are below, vote with your hearts, listen to songs here, and best of luck to all. Votes are due Friday, June 8th at Midnight. VOTE.
(Oh, I put the new Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes video up there for no reason besides a firm belief that you all should also watch that when you get a chance because it is awesome.)
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin
Living the Dream 
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 6.5
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 4.5
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 2
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8
I can’t see any scenario where Babe I’m Gonna Leave You doesn’t destroy Heroes and Villains…
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 7.5
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 6.5
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 5
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 6.5
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 5.5
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 4
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 7
I figured you were going to pull out Stairway for the finale… was that used in a prior round that I missed?
Back versus Bowie…
https://livingthedream.org/2012/03/18/last-band-standing-farewells-and-futures/
Game 7
Sick Again (Led Zeppelin) 7
Do You Want to Dance (The Beach Boys) 3
Heroes and Villains (The Beach Boys) 2
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin) 9
In the past, I’ve attempted to write about the music, but I’ll forgo doing so this time. I’ll say this, my opinion about the Beach Boys have completely changed, the group’s vocal talent and Brian Wilson’s occasional songwriting, and production brilliance aside, they are absolutely overrated as musicians and songwriters.
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin: 8
Just another good blues-rock Led Zeppelin song. Not much needs to be said.
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys: 3
This is one of those songs that just gets stuck in my head for days every time I hear it. It’s a sweet and endearing song, but after a while it begins to drive me crazy. Do you really want to dance, REALLY!? It’s like a more annoying version of Green Eggs and Ham where they only ask if you want Ham.
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys: 2
There were some nice harmonies here , but this song never stood a chance against Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin: 10
One of my favorite LZ songs. It’s just flat out amazing, everyone is on point. Page rips it on guitar, Bonham with the raging drums, Plant crooning his best and JPJ with a vicious bass line. I need not say more.
Sick Again (Led Zeppelin) = 5.5
Do You Want to Dance (The Beach Boys) = 4
Heroes and Villains (The Beach Boys) = 6.5
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Led Zeppelin) = 7
Heroes and Villains is from ‘Smile’ right? One of those songs/ records that I’ve always read about but never listened to in any form.
Cristina
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin: 7
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys: 8
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys: 8
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin: 9.2 my favorite Zeppelin song!
Note from Janos: Do You Wanna Dance is a Dennis Wilson vocal, his first of the tournament- so I’ve got all five covered. Brian was going for the Phil Spector sound that he so admired in this one.
Heroes and Villains is from the legendary Smile album that was destroyed mid-production. My vow at the outset was to focus on mid-late 60s material, so I left some surf-pop on the table, but I’m ok with that.
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin: 6
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys: 5
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys: 5
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8.5
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin: 6
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys: 5
I dunno if this cover is an improvement on the Bobby Freeman version from the 50s. I also have a soft spot for the American Graffiti soundtrack.
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 6.5
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8.7
Great Zepp track. Beach Boys was alright, you can definitely tell they were trying to do something interesting and different there. Good strategy for having this song til the end, Adrock.
Game 7:
Led Zeppelin- 6.5 Sick riff, drums are super heavy. Don’t care much about the rest, though.
Beach Boys- 9 This came on immediately after “Sick Again” and it was a total rush of energy. I’m sure it seems like a cornier song, less rocking or whatever, but I think it’s fantastic. Dennis’s vocals are perfect.
Game 8:
LZ- 5. I know I am being unfair to this band especially since I am hearing all of these songs for the first time basically, but these songs just don’t resonate with me. I know the same reasons I don’t like them are probably things I like about other groups, I don’t know what to say…
BB- 10. And I have lived with these Beach Boys songs for 15 years. Lyrically, this is full of wordplay and cliches turned on their heads. Amazing. The slightly patchwork quality of the song structure feel like masterful twists and turns.
looks like this one is already decided before it’s over, but so are most elections-
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 5
Eh. This could be a Kiss song, which is to say it’s not that interesting.
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 7
This match up is like a fight between the class president and the bruising kid who smokes cigarettes in the high school parking lot. I can see why the Beach Boys come off looking weak, but there’s a lot to this song. It may not win this contest, but the chorus is lush and harmonious enough to differentiate it from other sixties pop standards. .
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 8
Another odd match up. Heroes and Villains doesn’t take itself seriously at all and Babe I’m Gonna Leave You is so full of pathos and angst that Robert Plant can barely contain himself. I love the lyrics in Heroes and Villains and the way it lulls and accelerates. Definitely one of the better tracks on Smile and a great way to start an album that is arguably one of the most playful ever recorded.
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 6
To continue the high school metaphor, I’ll go with the class clown over the goth kid in this one.
These scores obviously don’t count, but I felt like ending this tournament by voting – and to voice some thoughts particularly on Heroes and Villains which has been a favorite track of mine to listen to for very unusual reasons for quite a while. Also oddly, to apologize to the folks who really just don’t like Zeppelin and have either listened to a shitload of it, or have avoided voting for a while because they couldn’t take in any more. Hope y’all are back and voting in the next tournament and in honesty, I’m as sick of Zeppelin as anyone, given the countless hours I’ve revamped my lineup through this thing by relistening to songs and trying to guess voter preferences.
Game 7
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 7.1
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 6.5
Sick Again isn’t anything revolutionary, but its just one of those songs that i will never turn off and will always respond too. Just another really good Zepp track, even if not quite a great one.
Do You Wanna Dance works so well in certain settings, and i’ve always thought it would be a terrific movie song – actually i think it could work great in sort of a tongue-in-cheek play-over in a mob movie (much like the montage with the song Happiness in Donnie Brasco). It’s very tied to my mood at any time though – sometimes its an 8+ sometimes more 4ish. Today is a solid time for it, post lunch pickup.
Game 8
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 7.5
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 7.5
I’ve always been mesmerized by heroes and villains. I’ve heard a number of versions, and honestly can barely distinguish them anymore – but I remain convinced that it is so close to the masterpiece Brian Wilson wanted that we’d all be astonished at how little it takes – maybe a sort of repeated chorus thread (like Scenes from an Italian Restaurant) or something like, or some little lyrical fragment that draws you through the discord between sections a little better. Maybe I’m nuts too, and its not there. But my score is entirely reflective of the fact that when I listen to it, i feel like there is greatness not only there, but coming… it’s always just ahead of me… and likely in Heroin Hero, the dragon is never quite catchable, but by the time its done, as dissatisfied as I may be with the non-outcome, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the exhiliration – after all, so few songs really are undeniably GREAT, and this one could have been.
Always felt that Babe I’m Gonna Leave You felt a lot like it belonged on IV – little eastern influence to it, perhaps the little bit of extra polish that IV has, would have taken this from a bit of a rough gem to a purely brilliant one. I like this matchup, because in both cases, i think the songs fall short of what they could be – LZ has gotten a lot closer, but it also feels like there’s a real ceiling – the Beach Boys might have been limitless with Heroes and Villains…so i’m giving them even scores. Nothing like sitting firmly on the fence.
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 7.0
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 8.0
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 6.0
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8.5
Sick Again- Led Zeppelin 6.0
Do You Wanna Dance?- Beach Boys 6.0
Heroes and Villains- Beach Boys 5.0
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin 8.0
A “well played” to all of the band managers. Definitely heard some new and enjoyable tunes…………and a few klunkers.