Quick question: Whitney Houston was one of the greatest vocal talents of the past 25 years and her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” is perhaps one of the greatest vocal performances in pop music. But when it comes down to it, what exactly was her musical legacy? I’m not trying insult anyone or to be disparaging, but I’ve heard stuff talking about her lasting impact on pop music that leaves me asking what impact? At her peak, she was a poppier sounding version of her godmother, Aretha, with a bigger voice. How about this question, from a musical standpoint who had the more influential career: Whitney or Janet Jackson? I’d argue that Beyonce and others are much more influenced by the latter. She was a phenomenal talent, but her main legacy seems to be to convince people who couldn’t touch her game that they should over-sing at every spare opportunity.

Yessir

(If you’re unaware, Kevin is Mike’s nephew.)

After 2007 I declared myself “Bonna-Through.” The festival had become a sterling example of what my 12th grade government teacher called “tacky party enthusiasm,” a situation where the anticipation ancillary to a specific activity or event began to outweigh the merits of the specific activities or events. It seemed like the majority of kids going to the festival were going to Bonaroo to high and stagger around the camp site, maybe occasionally listening to some music. The festival had become primarily a party destination at the expense of being a musical event. It was a place for faux hippies (and also authentic ones who turn out to be giant, buzz-killing pieces of shit) to be seen running through the same tired lines that they never ceased to believe they were trailblazing. Maybe I, at the age of 22, was already making like Roger Murtaugh and getting to old for this shit.

Yet here I am, five years after my retirement, staring at the lineup and sending texts to old friends about possibly renting an RV. Perhaps it’s because for the first time I can remember, I have a genuine interest in seeing all three headlines (Thank god for no Widespread Panic). Maybe, although I’m bound to be disappointed, I’d be lying if I were to say that I’m not geeked out about seeing Brian Love play with the Beach Boys. Maybe, because, holy shit, Black Star is playing!!! Mabye because the last time Radiohead played in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee on a warm June night it was by far the best concert I’ve ever been to. Whatever it is, I’m tempted.

The only factoid that needs to be remembered when contextualizing Rolling Stone’s annual list is the magazine listed Mick Jagger’s Goddess in the Doorway as the third best album of 2001.

Considering that, this list could be a lot worse.

Uhhhh, Where’s Bon Iver?

James, screaming fans at a Dylan show?

If your going to make blanket statements about the pratfalls of rock mythology you shot maybe put a bit more thought into it. Obviously you have never heard Get Yer Ya-Yas Out. Sure that was recorded as late as 1969, but check out this footage from 1964: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWRrWpmMU6A&list=FLJbTCeec2OjORXdh54xUl2A&index=1&feature=plpp_video
The girls are going nuts, but still, seems like a pretty kick ass live band.

Dylan has released live shows from as early as 1962, all of them sound pretty great and last longer than 25 minutes. I mean, check out the “Royal Albert Hall” bootleg series release. Plus, you’re correct that some folk fans were unhappy about Dylan going electric, but Dylan was hardly the first folk artist to write his own songs. Do you really think a fan base that idolized Woody Guthrie would have a problem with a guy writing his own songs twenty years later?

Yes, the Beatles shows from ’64-66 weren’t great because it was treated as an opportunity to scream, but they learned the trade playing marathon shows at seedy dive bars in Hamburg. Before Beatlemania, they had a reputation for being an unbelievable live band.

If you want to hear other examples of unbelievable live playing from that period check out Live at Leeds, Live at the Apollo, Five Live Yardbirds, the second half of Wheels of Fire, Live/Dead, Neil Young or the Allman Brothers At the Fillmore East… I could go on and on and on.

I won’t get into whether an artists inability to reproduce studio recordings on the stage should detract from the merit of the studio recordings. (Mainly, because I don’t think anybody has made that argument which you appear to be responding to). But maybe you should put the Kiss records back in the garage and get some knowledge before you call besmirch some of the greatest live acts in history.

This isn’t an omission complaint, just random things on my mind:

a) Did anybody else really enjoy Collpase Into Now? I’ve listened to it several times more than I have any other R.E.M. album since New Adventures in Hi-Fi, without abandoning it for the classics on my semi-regular spins of R.E.M. If anyone deserves it’s a legacy spot, it’s REM.

b) Can we count The Smile Sessions as a new release. After all, it’s the first time it’s been released (officially) (as a full album) (with the original Beach Boys 1967 recordings). If so, that’s an easy #1 for me. Although it’s a bit derivative of Panda Bear.

The Drake record is only a third of what the Explosions in the Sky record is.

(Think about it.)

Is it just me, or did So Beautiful or So What sound like a complete Vampire Weekend ripoff?

a) This list is okay with me because Polly Jean Harvey friggin rocks. This is the year Rid of Me finally ‘sunk in’ on me. I’d listen to it a few times over the past couple of years, and I while I appreciated it, I didn’t really feel it in my bones until this year. Yeah it came out 18 years ago, but it’s probably one of my most spun records of 2011. While I haven’t listened to Let England Shake a ton this year, I’m giving it a listen right now, and it’s pretty great. How many artists on this list put out great albums in the early ’90s. I like to think in some alternative timeline Liz Phair is putting out new and exiting material.

b) To all those who say that King of Limbs is too high I have two questions: 1) Do you really think Pablo Honey is better? I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you if you do, I’m just curious; and 2) Does an albums place in the artists discography have a bearing on its ranking compared to other artists? My take KoL is probably not on the first tier of the Radiohead discography, but it has it’s definite charms. I predict that it’s going to become the Black and Blue or New Morning of the Radiohead catalogue. (Of course I find both of those albums charming as hell)

c) I’m going to resist the urge to bemoan this lists failure to confirm exactly with my tastes to meekly point out that this is the first of the year-end lists that I saw that sent me scrambling to my emusic account. If this holds up, it’s going to be an expensive account.

d) That being said, I was really expecting a consensus behind my pick, the brilliance of Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and at least a mention of Washed Out’s Within and Without. Sorry couldn’t resist.

Worst Bonnaroo lineup ever. Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, and LCD Soundsystem are the only headliner I have any interest in seeing. Kings of Leon and Dave Matthews at the top of the bill, I saw Kings of Leon at a 4:00 show a couple of years ago there, and that was when they were good. It seems like they have completely abandoned the jam band fans who made the festival and, in my opinion, they don’t have enough “inide” acts to justify a $280 ticket when they’ll probably be playing 70 minute sets all at the same time. I really think this may be a disaster for the festival. Are Against Me and Dropkick Murphy fans going to want to camp out for three days and pay a ton of money? Unless they change course in the next few years I am Bonnathrough.