Living the Dream

Another day appreciatin’ ya’ll.  Some good tunes below.  Listen on Grooveshark, except Sweet Thing by Van Morrison.  He’s real finicky about copyright stuff, so listen to it on youtube here.

Thanks to Adam Small, Brian Orce, Astrid Spencer, Guillermo Olivos, Carrie Hughes, Colin Hunt and Russ Agdern for tonight’s match-ups.  The last one is for my boys and girls in Kittens Ablaze, taking on a band some feel I underrepresented in Pearl Jam.

My Hero (Foo Fighters) vs. Carolina Drama (Raconteurs)

Mixtape (Butch Walker) vs. Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)

Breakaway (Irma Thomas) vs. The Impression That I Get (Mighty Mighty Bosstones)

Voodoo Chile (Jimi Hendrix) vs. I Wanna Rock n Roll All Night (Kiss)

This Machine is Dying (Kittens Ablaze) vs. Daughter (Pearl Jam)

As always, vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com.  Voting closes at 9pm Friday.

A large number of people have been enthusiastically voting for match-ups and letting me hear it when I have the wrong artist, the wrong song by an artist, or the wrong version of a song by an artist.  For the next two days, enjoy some of the classics that LTD participants feel that I unfairly left out. 

Big thanks to Jordan Ballard, Andy Walton, Jim “Rock” Schiller, Lindsey Earls, Nick Heymind, Jacob Press, Cristina Castro and Mike Corbett for today’s picks. The last match-up includes two songs that have been urged on me by multiple people.

Listen to them on Grooveshark here.

Holland 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) vs. Mean Streets (Van Halen)

Rock n Roll N*** (Patti Smith) vs. Rocks Off (Rolling Stones)

This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads) vs. Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)

25 or 6 to 5 (Chicago) vs. Head Over Heels (Tears for Fears)

Aqualung (Jethro Tull) vs. Tom Sawyer (Rush)

You can vote by commenting below, on Facebook, or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com.  Thus far I’ve either not voted or kept my vote anonymous, but given that I don’t even know some of these songs, this’ll be the first time I’ll post my own votes below with ya’ll. Also- if recommenders want me to post a different version of the song in question, let me know soon.

Welcome to Day 12.  If you’re feeling worn down, consider this- Day 12 will be the last day before we start featuring your songs- the recommendations of the voters and listeners.   Hear them all on Grooveshark, cast your votes, below, on Facebook, or by emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com

Sample in a Jar (Phish) vs. Peaches (Presidents of the United States)

Sweet Emotions (Aerosmith) vs. It’s the Same Old Song (Four Topps).  This was a last minute substitution for Tubthumping, which I got the sense that you were all gonna hate. Oh well, it’s a fun song.   Four Topps deserve a second shot in the tournament though.

Paradise (John Prine) vs. Country Roads (John Denver).  For some Biloxians, this is a cruel match-up, but musically it makes sense.

Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead) vs. Second Hand News (Fleetwood Mac)

Shoop (Salt N Pepa) vs. Drunk Girls (LCD Soundsystem)

Stay tuned, because in the next 24 hours I will be releasing the first set of 32 song divisions for the 512 song round.  After working through some of the so-so maybe hits of the last week, those lists will be mouth-watering.

Black or White (Michael Jackson) def. Body Movin’ (Beastie Boys w/ Fatboy Slim), 82-56.  Ok, ya’ll hated Body Movin’.  Well, don’t blame next time you’re slumped in your chair at work in need of a pick me up.

Straight to Hell (Clash) def. There There (Radiohead), 77-66.  Not the most conventional Clash song, but I like its bare-bones simplicity.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper) def. Crazy in Love (Beyonce), 90-85.  Shilpa, who called this song’s original omission sacrilegious, is vindicated tonight.

Around the Dial (Kinks) def. Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood (Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah), 67-63.  With Pavement en route to a loss tomorrow, it seems like indie rock will have the worst record of any genre in the play-in round.

Me Gustas Tu (Manu Chao) def. Candela (Buena Vista Social Club), 80-77.  I’m sure most of you would have been fine with either song winning- two classy numbers.

What a funny-looking rock star. Van Morrison, who has two more songs coming up in the play-in, put up his first win of the tournament, with Moondance defeating Long Black Veil (Band) 93-87.   He has another match-up starting today.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie Wonder) def. Take the Money and Run (Steve Miller Band), 91-80.

Regulate (Warren G) TIES Empire State of Mind (Jay Z), 91-91.  This was our first tie that I couldn’t resolve on the spot, because I and the people around me had already cast our votes.    Fortunately Astrid had just emailed me that she was back from her weekend trip (hence lack of voting), and I asked her to cast a late vote, which resulted in…drumroll…98.5 for Empire and 96 for Regulate. Sorry, Warren G, but you’ll have to settle for this academic synopsis of your song and video.

Ohio (CSNY) def. American Woman (Guess Who), 81-73.

California Dreamin (Mamas and the Papas) def. Army (Ben Folds), 84-81.  Cristina had to break the tie on this one- at the conclusion of voting it was locked at 77.  Every point counts, folks.  I went the other way with my vote…

Pigs, they tend to wiggle when they walk. It’s Sunday, right? After a cold weekend you need some of the wackiest choices to hit the tournament yet.  Rest assured, while some of these songs are out there, they pack a punch.

Listen on Grooveshark, and vote by commenting below, at Facebook, or by emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com

Satisfaction (Rolling Stones) vs. Caravan (Van Morrison).  I almost didn’t include Satisfaction, but felt the tournament would lack credibility without it.  Caravan is taken from the Last Waltz, which is just leaps and bounds better than the original studio version.

Wildwood Flower (June Carter) vs. Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key (Billy Bragg w/ Wilco and Natalie Merchant).  Both songs are just incredibly pretty, perfect for a rainy Sunday.

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) vs. The Gang’s All Here (Dropkick Murphys).   Punk all-star cover band vs. pub heroes.  Just so you know, the Grooveshark version includes a skit after the song, so you can skip after the 2:30 mark.

Stereo (Pavement) vs. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bob Dylan).  The battle of awesome, nonsense lyrics.   Stereo was the ultimate indie-rock anthem of the late 90s, Homesick Blues was the first taste of electric Dylan offered the world.

New Day (Wyclef Jean w/ Bono) vs. Wavin’ Flag (K’Naan).  Two of the most optimistic songs I’ve ever heard.  Not sure if any of you heard Wavin’ Flag this spring/summer, but a remixed version became the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup, and helped lift an entire continent.

With voting on the play-in round now more than half-finished, it’s worth looking back on 40 songs that will be competing among the 512 (starting Saturday) thanks to your votes. It’s a good list, and we should all be proud.