Ten preference questions

[Matt Wilson]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Clapton or Beck?
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
Pacino or DeNiro?
Kinks or The Who?
Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Springsteen or Prince?
Nirvana or Oasis?
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Davis or Coltrane?

Just a little mindless time wasting for your weekend. Choose one or the other, but please explain why.

[Jimbly]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Talking Heads. I loved XTC up till English Settlement, nowadays I find them unlistenable and annoying. I never went beyond ES.

Clapton or Beck? No time for either

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?

Macca, EJ I just don't like.

Pacino or DeNiro? Can't chose.

Kinks or The Who?

The Who. Apart from the singles and the odd song, I've not bothered with the Kinks.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?

Couldn't tell you one song by The Pretty Things

Springsteen or Prince?

Prince, better songs about cars and girls

Nirvana or Oasis?

Nirvana because they're not Oasis

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?

Stevie because of Innervisions

Davis or Coltrane?

Coltrane because I've just finished a book about A Love Supreme.

[Spock!]

Talking Heads or XTC?
XTC. Never cared for the Heads, some XTC singles were OK

Clapton or Beck?
Clapton. Better songs.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
McCartney. Dislike the sound of Elton's voice.

Pacino or DeNiro?
Fairly certain these are actors and so I'm in don't give a fig mode.

Kinks or The Who?
The Who. Both great singles bands but the Who have albums much more to my taste than any the Kinks produced.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Pretties. Can listen to whole albums by them, whereas great as some of the songs are I rarely last more than 5 songs by the Small Faces.

Springsteen or Prince?
Neither are likely to pass my ears again, but if push comes to shove, Prince. A little of either goes a long way.

Nirvana or Oasis?
Nirvana. Neither Gallagher was in Nirvana.

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Marvin. Much prefer his voice and production, tend to find I don't enjoy listening to more than 3 songs in a row by the Wonder.

Davis or Coltrane?
The first pairing that have artists I now regularly play of your entire selection.
Davis, because he has so many more periods which produced so many sounds- the classic group with Coltrane, the work with Gil Evans, the Williams/Hancock/Shorter group and the seventies conglomerations that I've only recently started delving into. Tough call.

[C]

XTC - I am not familiar with either but I recall seeing a documentary about XTC and they sounded pretty good.

Clapton - Beck is good but I have never been that keen on much that he has produced. Clapton for the second solo on Crossroads alone!

Paul McCartney- I have never been keen on Elton John and McCartney's solo works not that foamier - except the Band on the Run album which I really like

DeNiro - I love them both but DeNiro has the edge for Taxi Driver

The Who - Some great singles. Live at Leeds. Enough said

Pretty Things - more of an albums band which suits me although Ogden's is good but not a match for SF and Parachute

Prince - Purple Rain album I quite liked. Springsteen I have never got

Nirvana - I have three Nirvana albums and no Oasis albums

Stevie Wonder - I am not that familiar with either but Wonder made some nice singles I enjoyed

Davis - for longevity and a range of styles




.

[Six String]

Talking Heads or XTC?

XTC and I like the Heads a lot. It’s close but I give XTC the edge due to the songs

Clapton or Beck?
Beck all the way. A better guitarist imo. Slow Hand has had his moments but I am indifferent after Layla whereas I have way more Beck albums and saw him more in concert.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?

Macca. I have two EJ albums, Tumbleweed and Madman and they are tge only ones I care about and I rarely play them. I have a few more albums by Paul but I gave up on him after Venus and Mars.

Pacino or DeNiro?

I’m not a huge film buff but DeNiro gets my vote simply because I think he’s a better actor.

Kinks or The Who?

The Who because I own more albums by them vs the Kinks. I like the Kinks plenty but Pete is just as good a songwriter as Ray and the band is way better.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?

Again I own more Small Faces, only one Pretty Things In my collection (SF Sorrow) and I’ve never really taken a shine to it.

Springsteen or Prince?

Tough call. I like early Bruce but haven’t bought anything since Human Touch and I was disappointed with it. Prince is supremely talented and a better songwriter I think but I don’t listen to either much these days.

Nirvana or Oasis?

Scraping the barrel are we? I care very little for either band. Nirvana made wearing flannel cool again so I’ll go with Nirvana.

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?

Stevie for his overall talent and songwriting and more consistent album run. That string in the 70s when he took control is amazing.

Davis or Coltrane?

Another tough one but Miles for his breadth and innovation and influence on jazz in general. Coltrane influenced tenor and soprano players and the “New Thing” but Miles did so much more.

[GoogaMooga]

Talking Heads or XTC? Talking Heads I only know that song about Nigel
Clapton or Beck? Beck Beck did better in Yardbirds
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney? Paul McCartney Band on the Run
Pacino or DeNiro? DeNiro DeNiro by a hair, although both suck lately.
Kinks or The Who? God save the Kinks
Pretty Things or Small Faces? Small Faces They had the songs and the look
Springsteen or Prince? Prince by a million miles Swagger or funky swagger
Nirvana or Oasis? Nirvana A denial! A denial! A denial!
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder? Marvin Gaye Keep getting it on!
Davis or Coltrane? Coltrane Cool vs. Ascension

[Matt Wilson]

Talking Heads or XTC? I don't know, really. This was the choice which caused me to start this thread.
Clapton or Beck? I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney? This is one I've been chewing on for awhile... I see everyone so far has chose Paulie. Not so sure it's that black and white.
Pacino or DeNiro? I refuse to answer on the grounds...
Kinks or The Who? Christ, who thinks of these questions?
Pretty Things or Small Faces? Small Faces, are you kidding?
Springsteen or Prince? Bruce
Nirvana or Oasis? Nirvana
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder? I like Marvin's voice better, that's for sure. Innervisions or What's Goin On? It's like Sophie's Choice.
Davis or Coltrane? Davis. Way more to choose from.

[Walk In My Shadow]

XTC for the singles,can't stand Byrne

Clapton, Beck's too much guitar wankery

Elton, Paul's lost without the Beatles

Neither

The Who for the harder edge and Tommy

Small Faces for the singles

Bruce has it for better early albums

Neither

Neither

Coltrane, Davis is too superstar

[Brickyard Jack]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Talking heads by miles. One of the greatest bands ever.

Clapton or Beck?
No time for either. I saw Jeff Beck live once and was completely bored.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
Good question, really. Elton was at his peak, Macca in a lesser phase, but both produced truly great songs and some junk. I would pick Elton on a knife edge.

Pacino or DeNiro?
Pacino cannot lace DeNiro's shoes, even now.

Kinks or The Who?
Both have few great songs, but really second rate.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Both third rate.

Springsteen or Prince?
Both brilliant, in the studio and live, and I love nearly everything both have done.

Nirvana or Oasis?
Christ.

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
I love Marvin Gaye but would pick Stevie Wonder up to Hotter than July.

Davis or Coltrane?
Davis, but I prefer his stuff before Bitch's Brew, or even Nefertiti. I'm not really into Coltrane. My go to jazz sax is Sonny Rollins, followed by Gerry Mulligan.

[robertff]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Got all the TH albums and a few XTC - says it all really. Liked the Dukes of Stratosphear albums more than XTC

Clapton or Beck?
EC by miles, better songs (yes), better singer (yes), better albums (yes) in Cream (yes) in Blind Faith (yes) better guitar player (maybe).

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
PM, liked EJ but Macca's albums, voice and all round musicianship eclipses EJ

Pacino or DeNiro?
Not bothered about either really.

Kinks or The Who?
Love both, very close but the Who albums win the race.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?
SF who I listen to a lot and who had much better singles and a much better singer. Nothing PT ever did got close to Tin Soldier or All Or Nothing.

Springsteen or Prince?
P if you pushed me but not bothered about either really.

Nirvana or Oasis?
Probably Oasis but not really bothered about either, certainly listen to Oasis more than Nirvana

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
SW but not really bothered about either, have got more records by S than M and SW's purple patch was/is very good.

Davis or Coltrane?
Like both but MD for the sheer variety of styles and volume of records to choose from and I think I prefer the sound of the trumpet.

.

[ChrisB]

Talking Heads or XTC? XTC, but Heads not far behind
Clapton or Beck? Clapton
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney? Neither
Pacino or DeNiro? DeNiro, purely for the latest Kia advert
Kinks or The Who? Kinks, but could easily have been the Who
Pretty Things or Small Faces? Pretty Things. Can't stand Steve's voice
Springsteen or Prince? Early Springsteen
Nirvana or Oasis? Nirvana had the image, Oasis the tunes
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder? Stevie
Davis or Coltrane? No idea

[Rayge]

Talking Heads or XTC?
First two TH sinbgles were pretty good. XTC are from Swindon. Talking Heads
Clapton or Beck?
As Yardbirds guitarists and leader of group, Beck - I Feel Free and Layla notwithstanding.
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
Not familiar with either as I have taste
Pacino or DeNiro?
No opinion
Kinks or The Who?
Based on singles, the only real way to judge ’60s acts, probably the Who, althouigh these are easily my favourite two British bands of the decade
Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Diamond geezers over scruffy herberts any day
Springsteen or Prince?
Bruce because the E Street Band gave better sax
Nirvana or Oasis?
Meh
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Both made some great singles in the 60s and travelled up their own arses and mined a load of shit thereafter. Marvin, for Can I Get a Witness
Davis or Coltrane?
Coltrane. Trumpets are rubbish, and all that Bitches Brew and after stuff is rubbish squared

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Talking Heads or XTC?

I prefer the tunes. With XTC, there's a neverending supply. I'm coming around to the Talking Heads, but I definitely like XTC better.

Clapton or Beck?

I've never really listened to Jeff Beck apart from his records with Rod Stewart on them. I'll take Clapton for a handful of Cream records and the Layla LP and two or three of his solo hits.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?

Tough call. I'll take McCartney as I like the filler on his records whereas I basically only care about Elton's hits.

Pacino or DeNiro?

I'm not particularly interested in either one, but I guess DeNiro.

Kinks or The Who?

The Kinks, I think, but it's tough.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?

I like pretty much everything I've heard by the Pretty Things, while the Small Faces have a fair amount of tunes I'm not crazy about, but their peaks are higher for me.

Springsteen or Prince?

I'm not really interested in the Springsteen thing and Prince's records sound like crap to me, but he has a better pop sense, so I'll go with Prince.

Nirvana or Oasis?

Nirvana, easily. How many good Oasis cuts are there? Three?

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?

I guess I'll take Stevie Wonder, he has more records I love.

Davis or Coltrane?

Coltrane for me. I'm not interested in trumpet players and only really listen to electric Miles these days. Whereas Coltrane's records (especially with McCoy Tyner) are a deep well I can return to endlessly. They keep giving and giving.

[Pool Hall Richard]

Talking Heads or XTC? Talkings Heads
Clapton or Beck? Clapton is my man, always has been, always will be
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney? Tough one, hmmmmmmm, Elton
Pacino or DeNiro? DeNiro
Kinks or The Who? Who
Pretty Things or Small Faces? Small Faces
Springsteen or Prince? Springsteen
Nirvana or Oasis? Nirvana
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder? Wonder
Davis or Coltrane? Coltrane

[Darkness_Fish]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Talking Heads. I still think they're better at their poppiest, rather than their supposed artier stuff, but XTC are a pet hate.

Clapton or Beck?
Beck. I quite liked Loser and Devils Haircut...

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
I'd take XTC over post-Beatles Macca. Utterly wretched stuff. Elton wins.

Pacino or DeNiro?
Pacino.

Kinks or The Who?
Kinks. Not really my bag, but occasionally capable of some great pop tunes and great lyrical touches. Aside from My Generation, The Who seem pretty pointless to me.

Pretty Things or Small Faces?
No interest in either.

Springsteen or Prince?
Probably Springsteen. All Prince's music just sounds so dead, flat and lifeless, really clunky.

Nirvana or Oasis?
Nirvana. Oasis had one decent track borrowed from Neil Innes. Nirvana just had a bit more energy and excitement to them.

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Wonder, just about. Neither really in my comfort zone.

Davis or Coltrane?
Love both, but Coltrane's highs are probably that bit higher. Ascension in particular is an absolute monster, pretty much musical perfection.

[Johnny Fartpants]

Talking Heads or XTC?
Talking Heads. Never really got the love for XTC. Couple of decent singles, that's about it. But If I'm honest, If I never heard either band's music again, I wouldn't be bothered.
Clapton or Beck?
Clapton. But again, could happily never hear either of them again.
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
Probably Elton, but again, there's a theme developing here ... (see above).
Pacino or DeNiro?
Pacino is the better actor, but both had their moments.
Kinks or The Who?
Probably The Who overall, but I do like the Kinks a lot too. This is the first choice that was difficult to make so far.
Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Small Faces. Don't know enough Pretty Things. Steve Marriott had a great voice.
Springsteen or Prince?
Prince, easily. Springsteen gets on my fucking tits. I wouldn't describe myself as a Prince fan, but I recognise his genius as a musician. Springsteen is just a gurning bell end.
Nirvana or Oasis?
Nirvana. Although I do love the first two Oasis albums.
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Stevie Wonder. But both are great.
Davis or Coltrane?
Don't know enough about either to make a choice. I'd rather nail my testicles to a table than list to jazz.

[trans-chigley express]

Talking Heads or XTC?
XTC easily, I'd choose them ahead of most bands. I do like TH though and really should get more of their albums.

Clapton or Beck?
Clapton has done more that interests me but I'm not a big fan of either.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney?
Paul McCartney, I just enjoy his tunes, voice and style more and even with his less celebrated stuff I find something to enjoy, but EJ has done some undeniably great singles.

Pacino or DeNiro?
DeNiro, I've watched more of his films.

Kinks or The Who?
The Who, I've never really been won over by The Kinks

Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Pretty Things, their best albums are among my favorites by anyone.

Springsteen or Prince?
Prince. Neither are artists I've ever full embraced but I think Prince's music is more varied and interesting and gives me more pleasure overall.

Nirvana or Oasis?
Oasis but I've never been fussed about either

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Stevie Wonder's classic 70s run tops anything I've heard by Marvin Gaye

Davis or Coltrane?
Davis for In a Silent Way alone but I listen to Davis far more anyway. I actually listen to more Alice Coltrane than John.

[toomanyhatz]

Talking Heads or XTC? - Easy. There are a few THs songs I like, but really no albums I can't live without. XTC has several. Partridge's voice annoys me less as time goes on, Byrne's annoys me more.

Clapton or Beck? - As a guitarist, probably Beck. And Beck didn't have huge hits with really boring soft rock, so he's got that going for him. But zero albums with him as the main songwriter, so Layla alone makes this a pretty easy call.

'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney? - Close. Maybe. But Elton was my first musical hero, and even if he weren't a sentimental favorite, he was pretty amazing for the first half of it. And both were much better in the first half of the 70s than the 2nd half.

Pacino or DeNiro? - Both amazing in their prime, obviously, and both have done some cheesy self-parody recently. But I think it's unquestionable that DeNiro's done more of it, and Pacino has more recent great performances.

Kinks or The Who? - Really really really super close. I think in the end it's the songs. I'm sick of Who's Next and QUadrophenia, but can still listen to anything from the Kinks' peak. Classic radio's fault and not theirs, I realize, but them's the facts.

Pretty Things or Small Faces? - I like Small Faces more than I used to. But they have one great album, and the Pretties have 3 or 4. (We've been over this, of course.)

Springsteen or Prince? - Another tough call. Prince was a more complete talent, but that talent never manifested itself in self-editing. Springsteen probably has more stuff I absolutely love and a better batting average, though Prince may have "accomplished more" by some measures. And there's little Prince I dislike, just find some of it dull. Bruce has had some very poor production, and not just the obvious.

Nirvana or Oasis? - The least close decision here. Oasis has two, maybe three decent songs, done by very average uninteresting musicians. Nirvana may be overrated by some, but Oasis pretty much means nothing to me.

Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder? - Crazy close. So glad I have both. I don't think Marvin would have done anything as bad as the worst Stevie stuff had he lived, but Stevie is such an amazing, varied talent.

Davis or Coltrane? - Super, super close, but I guess it comes down Coltrane died before he could do dull fusion. Miles has some great fusion, of course, but there was the 80s...

[Jumper K]

I don't like any of them really. They are all mostly rubbish. Except for Stevie. So its him I prefer.

[pcqgod]

Talking Heads or XTC
Clapton or Beck
'70s Elton John or '70s Paul McCartney
Pretty Things or Small Faces?
Springsteen or Prince
Nirvana or Oasis?
Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder?
Davis or Coltrane

There's no one I dislike here other than being mainly indifferent to Oasis, so this is just basically first impression (and some are too close to call) so no need to get into the whys and wherefores.