Let us compare two different musical things.
Mark E. Smith kicks Johann’s ass!
Beethoven, on the other hand…
Come back in 300 years and see if anyone has heard of The Fall.
Who or what is The Fall to be mentioned in the context of J. S. Bach?
Yes, I know how to find Google, and YouTube, and Wikipedia - I’m just making the point that I’ve known of the works of J. S. Bach since I was eight and I doubt I’ve remotely plumbed the depths of his musical genius. Somehow I’ve completely missed The Fall…
This somewhat frivolous poll was prompted by me noticing that Winamp reports that I have 547 Fall tracks on my hard drives, and 532 entities composed by Bach (obviously that is trickier to break down by the nature of the thing). I even paid for most of them.
Anyway, point is there is no point in making comparisons in music. Michael Jackson vs. Prince might as well be Michael Jackson vs. “I like balloons” vs. “My mum’s home-made lasagne”.
I’m guessing that this is the “The Fall” the OP is referring to? I’ve never heard of them.
I totally agree that asking which of two artists is objectively better is usually silly. But it makes some sense to take two artists who are similar in some respects and ask people who they prefer and why. We can learn about why people like particular artists, we can learn about why people like music in general and we can learn about other people’s general impression of artists.
For example, I can explain that I realize that Bach is far more influential and his music will endure for centuries to come. But The Fall have been a really important band to me for most of my life and I am really grateful they exist. I don’t expect most people to enjoy their music but records like Hex Enduction Hour, Slates and Grotesque give me more pleasure than any of Bach’s music.
Really?
Oh, and 547 tracks must be at least two thirds of their official output!
As the one who started the Prince/MJ poll, I disagree. “I like balloons” and “My mum’s homemade lasagne” aren’t, as far as I know, pop/R&B/rock artists who achieved their greatest fame in the '80s, so I don’t know what basis you’d have for comparing them to Michael Jackson.
Also, comparing works of art with each other is one of the basic concepts in determining aesthetic value. It’s fine to say “all artists are equally valid”, but you still have to answer why some people respond to particular works and others don’t. I, for one, don’t find it pointless to discuss why I prefer one musician to another, and to hear opposing views that might make me re-think my position or give me a greater appreciation of something I might have otherwise written off. I think such discussions are valuable. Nobody’s claiming there’s an objective answer; they’re polls asking for opinions. There’s actually nothing wrong with having opinions.
As to your poll, I’ll go with The Fall.
One of us! One of us! Gooble gobble!
I’ve never heard of the Fall, but Bach walks all over them, whoever they are.
I like The Fall. Ridiculously prolific punk/post-punk band, with a fair degree of talent.
That said, well short of J.S. Bach. Almost everything that guy wrote was perfection. Not only that but his influence can still be heard today in popular music, especially in jazz. The guy is untouchable.
Venetian Snares vs. J.S. Bach would have been a far more interesting thread.
Bach wins for being more Rock’nRoll. Over 20 children (they lost count after that)! The guy was a sexmeister!
When I think of the Fall, I think of this.
I believe the young whipersnappers are currently in your front yard. I’d go out and investigate if I were you.
I think I might start a poll between apples and oranges.
I’ve always wondered how Bach got away with playing his organ fugues, especially the minor-key ones, in churches. (That’s where all the organs were, right? And he dedicated all his music yo the glory of God and whatnot.) They seem like the antithesis of what we think of as church music. So dark and dissonant. The Toccata & Fugue in Dm BWV 565 has become a stereotype of evil-sounding music. Isn’t the tritone supposed to be the Devil’s Interval?
Bach was great. But 50,000 Fall fans can’t be wrong either. I’m going with “both”.
I think that Bach would have made a great Fall keyboard player.
That works well if you are trying to invoke the horrors of Hell. I don’t think I’d go to a church that was all happy music all the time.