Board 8 > Rank the Tracks 110: The Smiths - The Queen is Dead (+ Pearl Jam/Bob Marley res)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_3

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, April 16 at 4:00 PM Central Time; the future week poll will close earlier, when I am putting up the next topic
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead track list:
1. The Queen is Dead
2. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
3. I Know It's Over
4. Never Had No One Ever
5. Cemetry Gates
6. Bigmouth Strikes Again
7. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
8. Vicar in a Tutu
9. There is a Light That Never Goes Out
10. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Current cycle:
4/16: darkx (Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl)
4/23: Raetsel_Lapin's bonus (Grimes - Art Angels)
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN
7/2: StifledSilence
7/9: MaxGalactica

Future cycle:
7/16: MetalmindStats
7/23: HBJDubs
7/30: Raetsel_Lapin
8/6: competitive week
8/13: Steiner
8/20: Snake5555555555
8/27: Jesse_Custer
9/3: competitive week
9/10: ZaziGuado
9/17: firefdr
9/24: Johnbobb
10/1: competitive week
10/8: VeryInsane
10/15: FoolFantastic
10/22: Seanchan
10/29: competitive week
11/5: Giggsalot
11/12: RyoCaliente

I'll have to run two polls next week; I've been rather offline this past week and didn't realize, so I was late at shooting a PM to neonreaper.

Pearl Jam - Ten results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
TheArkOfTurus (12)
FoolFantastic (16)
neonreaper (16)
Snake5555555555 (16)
BlueCrystalTear (18)
ZeroSignal (18)
ChichiriMuyo (20)
HBJDubs (20)
RyoCaliente (22)
Xtlm (22)
Johnbobb (24)
Seanchan (26)
firefdr (30)
MaxGalactica (30)
Raetsel_Lapin (40)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: A phenomenal album from beginning to end. If I prefer the singles, it's more due to exposure than any fault in the rest of the tracks. I feel like a lot of the post-grunge bands took after Pearl Jam in particular. The fact most of those bands became punchlines shows that, even if Pearl Jam's music sounds relatively simple to imitate, it takes a ton of talent to pull it off with convincingly raw emotions. "Black" feels like the underappreciated gem of the grunge era; it's rare for a song to be this vulnerable while also going this hard.

neonreaper: Killer album. Wish I had the ability to type out more on it. No weak tracks!

ZeroSignal: An absolute classic from start to finish. Literally the hidden track is the only thing worth skipping and even that has some good vibe to it.

Johnbobb: Soundgarden is my favorite of the big grunge bands but Ten is probably the best individual album. Just absolute iconic tracks back to back to back.

MaxGalactica: What a great album. Pretty much banger after banger all the way through. Great guitar solos throughout, and Eddie Vedder has a fantastic voice. Black was pretty close to taking the top spot for me, but I like Even Flow too much. Awesome pick this week.

Seanchan: A shockingly good album, outside of the hidden track, which is completely forgettable. I suppose I should clarify and say the "shocking" is for myself, as I have never been big on Pearl Jam's radio hits. I'd listen to them but they were never anything that made me want to see out their albums. Ten is a solid album top to bottom, and even if I'm not super high on any particular song, there's no real weak songs either. Obviously you've got an iconic vocalist but there's enough great instrumentation to keep someone like myself engaged the whole way through.

TheArkOfTurus: This was my favorite album for years as a kid. My tastes have changed, but it's still a good listen.

HBJDubs: I've been sitting on this with a blank top 2 for awhile since I couldn't decide which of Black or Jeremy I like more. They're two of the greatest grunge tracks ever. I never got into Pearl Jam as a whole, but this album is stacked with bangers with the aforementioned two tracks being on a whole other level.

BlueCrystalTear: This is a pretty hard album to rank, honestly. Because every one of these is a banger, most of them in pretty equal ways. I honestly see three "tiers" here with only slight differences between them... well four if you count the weird hidden track, but the other 11 are that close. If you asked me to do this again in two weeks, there'd definitely be a lot of moving around.

ChichiriMuyo: It's nice to do an album I already own. Although I haven't listened to it in a very long time, possibly because the singles are still in fairly heavy rotation on my local rock stations, it still hits. It's also crazy to be reminded just how much this album influenced rock going forward - perhaps even more so than any of the other big four grunge bands at their heights. A real nice hit of nostalgia.

Xtlm: This is near impossible for me to rank. It's one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. All of the songs on here are great.

These days though if I want to listen to this album, I usually just turn to a live concert, or if I need a pick me up, specifically a 1992 live concert (like Pink Pop for example). I would rate this whole ranking differently if we were going on live performances, as I think they play better live then in the studio. While the studio album has this cool mellow rocking out vibe to it that's very unique. Their live stuff was just pure unbridled energy while somehow playing and sounding better then in the studio. Heck, the current version of the band still is lol

Ten track ranking

12. Master/Slave (Track #12)
Score: 15 (Average Rank: 12/12)
Biggest Fan(s): n/a
Biggest Detractor(s): literally everyone (#12)

11. Deep (Track #10)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 8.6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente, HBJDubs (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus (#11)

10. Why Go (Track #4)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 8.2/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Xtlm (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper, ZeroSignal, ChichiriMuyo (#11)

9. Garden (Track #9)
Score: 75 (Average Rank: 8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Johnbobb, Xtlm (#11)

8. Oceans (Track #7)
Score: 78 (Average Rank: 7.93/12)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr, ZeroSignal (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): RyoCaliente, Seanchan (#11)

7. Porch (Track #8)
Score: 83 (Average Rank: 7.73/12)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, MaxGalactica, BlueCrystalTear (#11)

6. Release (Track #11)
Score: 92 (Average Rank: 6.87/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, RyoCaliente, Johnbobb (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr, Snake5555555555 (#11)

5. Once (Track #1)
Score: 123 (Average Rank: 5.33/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

4. Alive (Track #3)
Score: 154 (Average Rank: 3.67/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr (#7)

3. Even Flow (Track #2)
Score: 159 (Average Rank: 3.47/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica, Xtlm (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#6)

2. Jeremy (Track #6)
Score: 173 (Average Rank: 3.4/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, ZeroSignal, RyoCaliente, BlueCrystalTear, ChichiriMuyo (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, MaxGalactica (#9)

BlueCrystalTear: This one just gets me every time. It's a true story intertwined with Vedder's own experiences. The thought of a high schooler going to the front of class and shooting himself is just... ;_;

1. Black (Track #5)
Score: 185 (Average Rank: 2.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, neonreaper, Johnbobb, TheArkOfTurus, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

Johnbobb: one of my all time favorite songs, still kinda fucks with me

Why Go in 10th place is absolutely wild

It's unfortunate Morrissey turned out like that, because the actual music of The Smiths does such a perfect job of capturing (queer) wistfulness. This album feels relatively short, yet it constantly switches gears from denser moments like the title track to pure pop rock such as The Boy With the Thorn in His Side. There's a clear divide between my top 6 and the bottom 4, but I still find myself singing along to Frankly Mr. Shankly every time I listen, which is probably once every couple months. This was one of the first albums I discovered when I started listening to albums in full, and it has remained a constant member of my all-time top 10 ever since. It's hard to overstate how much this meant to me back when I was coming out of the closet.

And, yes, There is a Light That Never Goes Out is one of my go-to karaoke songs because I am a brooding, overdramatic fop.

my ranking:
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
The Queen is Dead
I Know It's Over
Cemetry Gates
Never Had No One Ever
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Vicar in a Tutu
Frankly, Mr. Shankly

First listen done.

I was expecting this to be moody, melancholy album that I wouldn't like. And yet again this album cycle, I come away pleasantly surprised! I wasn't doing super close listening but I did pick up on some of the angsty-ness and melodrama. More importantly for myself, I found this instrumentally upbeat and super listenable.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
FoolFantastic (10)
Seanchan (12)
MaxGalactica (16)
neonreaper (16)
Giggsalot (18)
Johnbobb (22)
MetalmindStats (22)
HBJDubs (26)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: If you took the most generic form possible of all popular genres, reggae might win out as the best. The problem is, it has such a narrow definition that it is difficult to stray too far from that sound. If you turn on a reggae record, I will probably enjoy it, but I will largely struggle to differentiate between the tracks. Exodus has a few songs that fall into that pit, but it also features several of the most iconic pieces from the genre. I think what gives Marley the edge is the way he utilizes his backing vocalists.

Giggsalot: Hi everyone! As mentioned last week, I thought it would be fun to try a genre we haven't touched yet. Anyone hearing this for the first time, you're not alone! As part of a nerdy personal project to fill in my musical blindspots, I listened to this for the first time about a month ago. As soon as I heard it, my slight sheepishness about never having properly checked out Bob Marley became full-fledged embarrassment. From my very first listen, this was one of the best, most flawless pop albums I've ever heard.

All of the big hits here are on side B, but I think the quality is exceptional throughout. The darker, slightly overlooked songs on the first half really provide the album with gravitas, and every single one of them have moments of pure brilliance. There are so many things I love about this record - the bass lines, the bluesy guitar licks, the simple but evocative lyrics, the vocal harmonies, the fact it ends at the perfect time without overstaying its welcome.

This feels as much like a greatest hits than any studio album I know, just a ludicrous flex of songwriting talent. Entirely deserving of its massive reputation, this is one of the best albums of all time.

Seanchan: Man, that's just an album that goes down smooth. Loving the vibes, even if I'm sure there's more there lyrically than I was paying attention to.

Johnbobb: I've never cared for religious music, largely because most religious music often tends to be repetitive and lazy (Christian rock has to be the single most boring genre of music that exists). But I've also always maintained that Bob Marley is one of the biggest exceptions to that. Most of his music is very directly religious, but never in the generic "god is great" kind of way designed to be easily digestable on mass. It's moreso about how the direct influence on his life and culture, like in So Much Things To Say where he ties the crucifixion to modern day minority oppression or in Jamming, where he sings about how singing and dancing both in the name of equality and his faith.

Seanchan: A pretty great album. Slightly repetitive at points but when I'm enjoying the general sound it hardly matters.

MaxGalactica: Pretty solid album. Reggae is very one-dimensional with little nuance, so it's difficult to get variety in an album like this. It's a nice style regardless. Only the bottom 3 in my rankings didn't capture my interest much.

HBJDubs: Reggae is a genre that I can put on a playlist and chill but I'm not into it enough to seek out specific songs to listen to. If any of these songs came up randomly I would know it's Marley but would probably never remember what song it actually is. Cool album though, it serves its purpose of being something to chill out to.

Exodus track ranking

10. Guiltiness (Track #3)
Score: 32 (Average Rank: 7.56/10)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica, neonreaper (#10)

9. So Much Things to Say (Track #2)
Score: 32 (Average Rank: 7.44/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica, HBJDubs (#9)

8. The Heathen (Track #4)
Score: 34 (Average Rank: 7.33/10)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Seanchan (#10)

7. Turn Your Lights Down Low (Track #8)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 6.67/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#10)

6. Natural Mystic (Track #1)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 5.89/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)

5. Exodus (Track #5)
Score: 58 (Average Rank: 4.89/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#9)

4. Waiting in Vain (Track #7)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 4.78/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot (#10)

3. One Love/People Get Ready (Track #10)
Score: 78 (Average Rank: 3.67/10)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

2. Three Little Birds (Track #9)
Score: 83 (Average Rank: 3.33/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, neonreaper (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

1. Jamming (Track #6)
Score: 84 (Average Rank: 3.44/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Giggsalot, Johnbobb, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#9)

Songs that saved my life, part one (three?). The ultimate outcasts' album, still. But it's not emo. The music, and the wit and humour displayed in the lyrics make The Smiths more than just a depressing band (even though they can perfectly be that).

1. I Know It's Over
A complete, bone-chilling breakdown, every single time.

2. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
My favourite of the middle pop-songs. It's just got such a nice flow to it.

3. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Growing up (and to this day still I suppose) I was always a Morrissey kid. I loved Marr's guitar playing, but in my mind I always more the vocalist, the frontman, putting himself on display for everyone. Morrissey sings well on Some Girls, but this is the one Smiths song (aside from the instrumentals) where he's almost completely superfluous to the song; Marr comes up with pure musical wizardry here. The guitar is just stupendous.

4. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
THE track. This is one of the first songs I really actively listened to, probably the oldest track that I heard that I still listen to. Will always have a special place in my heart.

5. The Queen Is Dead
Maybe the best opener to an album ever. I love the ferociousness of the drums, I adore the lyrics, and I love the outro as well.

6. Bigmouth Strikes Again
I honestly probably like Cemetry Gates more; I've just overplayed Bigmouth over the years that it has dulled my appreciation for it. But for this ranking I did try to really listen to the track, and the complexity of the guitar and other instruments just make it that I really can't put it any lower than this.

7. Cemetry Gates
I adore this track, but it's probably a bit simpler than the other ones rated above.

8. Never Had No One Ever
Underrated, but I've always really liked this one. When you walk without ease, I love that opening line.

9. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
Lots of lyrical fun here.

10. Vicar in a Tutu
I like it more than before, but it's still my least favourite off the record.

1: There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2: Bigmouth Strikes Again
3: I Know It's Over
4: Never Had No One Ever
5: The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
6: Cemetry Gates
7: Frankly, Mr. Shankly
8: The Queen is Dead
9: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
10: Vicar in a Tutu

bump

up

Damn there's a new Ben Folds album out 2 weeks after I'm scheduled to go next......although I'm not sure people want to rank another of his albums anyway

jcgamer107 posted...

although I'm not sure people want to rank another of his albums anyway

please no

1. I Know It's Over
2. Bigmouth Strikes Again
3. The Queen Is Dead
4. Cemetry Gates
5. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
6. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
7. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
8. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
9. Vicar in a Tutu
10. Never Had No One Ever

Good album. No huge standouts, but I liked every track here. Lots of great acoustic guitar work. Top 5 I'd consider a tier higher than the bottom 5.

1. There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2. Cemetry Gates
3. Bigmouth Strikes Again
4. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
5. Vicar in a Tutu
6. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
7. The Queen is Dead
8. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
9. I Know It's Over
10. Never Had No One Ever

After 2 more listens, I'd say that I enjoyed this but it's not a favorite.

The Queen Is Dead
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Never Had No One Ever
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Cemetry Gates
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
I Know It's Over
Vicar In A Tutu
Frankly, Mr. Shankley

Nothing really sticks out to me, but other than the bottom two the album is pretty good all around

bump

Sorry if its too late, still wanted to rank cuz its a good album

The Queen is Dead
I Know It's Over
Cemetry Gates
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
Never Had No One Ever
Frankly, Mr. Shankly
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Vicar in a Tutu