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"Mr. Tambourine Man" vs. "Sweet Jane"
Anyone who ever had a heart… wouldn’t vote against “Sweet Jane” in this instance. Velvet Underground.
"Hickory Wind" vs. "Rock n' Roll"
I don’t know “Hickory Wind” from Jimmy Dean’s Hickory Smoked Sausages, and I couldn’t get the MP3 to play, but I gave it a listen to an Amazon 30-second clip and liked what I heard. I can’t vote against my long-term relationship with “Rock n’ Roll” in this case, but I’d probably pick it in another match-up. Velvet Underground.
"So You Want to be a Rock & Roll Star" vs. "Waiting for the Man"
In a better world, “So You Want to be a Rock & Roll Star” matches up against “Rock n’ Roll.” I want to be a rock and roll star, and I don’t want to be a junkie. Byrds.
"Eight Miles High" vs. "All Tomorrow's Parties"
Does it say more about the bands, about the “issues” or about me, that I enter into the not-enough-money-for-a-stylish-party-dress tragedy of “All Tomorrow’s Parties” more than the atomic-doom tragedy of “Eight Miles High.” Byrds.
"Pretty Boy Floyd" vs. "What Goes On"
“What Goes On” has a great rockin’ rhythm but it’s too damn lo-fi even by VU standards, sounding too washed out to dance to. That guitar interplay, by the way, is the direct ancestor of the riffing from Matthew Sweet’s “Girlfriend.”) “Pretty Boy Floyd” is a little goofy. Maybe it should match up with “Rocky Racoon.” Tie.
"5D (Fifth Dimension)" vs. "I'll Be Your Mirror"
“5D” is the Byrds — in the sense that Dylan’s sound and the Rubber Soul is still there, but what’s theirs shines sweetly over what’s borrowed. I love “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” but I’m going to throw this slightly one to the Byrds because Nico is Nico.
"I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" vs. "Pale Blue Eyes"
I’m going to throw this one to VU, as a thank you for writing a pretty song and letting Lou sing it instead of Nico. Really faint harmonies are pretty too. Velvet Underground.
"You Don't Miss Your Water" vs. "White Light/White Heat"
“WL/WH” wins but thanks for reminding me how cool the Country Byrds were. Velvet Underground.
"Mr. Spaceman" vs. "Heroin"
The slowing down and speeding up carry the day for “Heroin.” People don’t generally put up with those sorts of arrangement indulgences without being high themselves. Lou has them gripped though. Velvet Underground.
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)" vs. "Beginning to See the Light"
A great lead vocal (a) of what could’ve been a boilerplate folkie cover, and (b) that could’ve been washed away in the harmonies, really sells “T!T!T!” Byrds.
I had no idea which way I was going when I was voting. VU is one of my bands and the Byrds aren't. But this contest asks you to put aside your self-image and re-assess. And I'm not sure I've particularly liked the VU lineups I've been seeing. So let's count.
| Round | Byrds | Ties | VU | | 1 |
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| X | | 2 |
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| X | | 3 | X |
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| | 4 | X |
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| | 5 |
| X |
| | 6 | X |
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| | 7 |
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| X | | 8 |
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| X | | 9 |
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| X | | 10 | X |
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Looks like an edge to the Velvets, 5.5-4.5.
I've got to buy me that Sweetheart album, though.
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