# The Great Music Knockout: Round 1 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011 "2002-05-09T02:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/1 "2002-05-09T02:44:04Z")
The preliminaries are done and here is the draw for the first round. The rules are simple: There are 64 head-to-head matches and you vote for the winner of each match. You don’t have to vote for every match if you don’t want to. In the event of a tie I will make the call as to who wins. I’ll keep the voting open until 5:00 PM EST. Here goes: 1. Ray Charles Vs Peter Gabriel 2. The Kinks Vs Melissa Etheridge 3. Yes Vs Bruce Springsteen 4. The Buffalo Springfield Vs The Byrds 5. Rush Vs Pearl Jam 6. Van Halen Vs The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney Vs Green Day 8. Fleetwood Mac Vs Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley Vs The Beach Boys 10. Janet Jackson Vs The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground Vs The Doors 12. The Sex Pistols Vs Alice In Chains 13. Johnny Cash Vs The Ramones 14. Frank Zappa Vs Bon Jovi 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Vs Foreigner 16. The Guess Who Vs Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Charlie Parker Vs Blondie 18. Motley Crue Vs Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations Vs Led Zeppelin 20. Neil Young Vs Backstreet Boys 21. The Rolling Stones Vs Tony Bennett 22. Britney Spears Vs Miles Davis 23. The Carpenters Vs Madonna 24. Celine Dion Vs Willie Nelson 25. ABBA Vs Phil Collins 26. Genesis Vs George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra Vs Dyran Duran 28. Pink Floyd Vs The Beatles 29. Paul Simon Vs Queen 30. The Steve Miller Band Vs Barbra Streisand 31. Aretha Franklin Vs Radiohead 32. Metallica Vs The Scorpions 33. Guns 'N Roses Vs Stone Temple Pilots 34. Sheryl Crow Vs Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Chicago Vs Foo Fighters 36. Black Sabbath Vs KISS 37. Whitney Houston Vs James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin Vs The Commodores 39. The Who Vs The Human League 40. ZZ Top Vs The Four Tops 41. Thin Lizzy Vs R.E.M. 42. Smashing Pumpkins Vs Beastie Boys 43. Bad Company Vs Lou Reed 44. Joe Cocker Vs Billy Joel 45. Meatloaf Vs The Bee Gees 46. Ozzy Osborne Vs Styx 47. The Clash Vs Little Richard 48. U2 Vs Prince 49. Bush Vs Cher 50. Elton John Vs The Police 51. Alice Cooper Vs Soundgarden 52. Dire Straits Vs Aerosmith 53. Public Enemy Vs Creed 54. Garbage Vs John Lennon 55. Matchbox Twenty Vs AC/DC 56. Neil Diamond Vs Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Donna Summer Vs Sade 58. The Grateful Dead Vs Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix Vs Carole King 60. The Doobie Brothers Vs Rage Against The Machine 61. David Bowie Vs. Mariah Carey 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers Vs The Cars 63. Santana Vs Supertramp 64. Michael Jackson Vs Jerry Lee Lewis And remember, this is just an exhibition so please, no wagering. ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/2 "2002-05-09T05:10:59Z")
1.Charles 2.Kinks 4. Buffalo 5. Pearl Jam 7. Green Day 9.Elvis 11. Velvet 13. oooo…ouch…ummm Cash I guess 14. Zappa 15. Tom Petty 16. Skynyrd 19. LZ 20. o come on Neil Young 21. Stones 22. Davis 23. Carpenters 24. Nelson, Willie 28. odd first round paring(?) but Floyd by a nose 29. Queen 30. Miller 33. GnR 34. CCR 35. the Foo 36. Sabbath 39. Who 42. Pumpkins 45. Meat Loaf 49. Bush 51. Soundgarden 55. AC/DC 56. CSN(Y) 58. Dead 60. Doobie’s 62. RHCP 65. NIRVANA??? 66. NOFX 67. Yardbirds dead0man ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/3 "2002-05-09T11:55:51Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. Melissa Etheridge 3. Yes 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. Van Halen 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. The Beach Boys 10.The Eagles 11.The Doors 10. Alice In Chains 11. The Ramones 12. Frank Zappa 13. Foreigner 14. Lynyrd Skynyrd 15. Charlie Parker 16. Motley Crue 17. The Temptations 18. Neil Young 19. The Rolling Stones 20. Miles Davis 21. Madonna 22. Willie Nelson 23. ABBA 24. George Harrison 25. Frank Sinatra 26. The Beatles 27. Queen 28. The Steve Miller Band 29. Aretha Franklin 30. Metallica 31. Stone Temple Pilots 32. Creedence Clearwater Revival 33. Chicago 34. Black Sabbath 35. James Taylor 36. The Commodores 37. The Who 38. ZZ Top 39. Thin Lizzy 40. Smashing Pumpkins 41. Lou Reed 42. Joe Cocker 43. Meatloaf 44. Styx 45. Little Richard 46. Prince 47. Bush 48. The Police 49. Alice Cooper 50. Aerosmith 51. Public Enemy 52. John Lennon 53. AC/DC 54. Crosby, Stills & Nash 55. Donna Summer 56. Marvin Gaye 57. Jimi Hendrix 58. The Doobie Brothers 59. David Bowie 60. The Cars 61. Santana 62. Michael Jackson ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/4 "2002-05-09T12:39:28Z")
OK. I’ll play. My Lazy self is using only initials when possible. P.G. M.E. Yes Byrds Rush V.H. P.McC. F.Mac B.B. Eagles V.U. AIC J.C. F.Z. T.P. & H. L.S. C.P, R.S. L.Z. N.Y.(kill 'EM both) R.S. M.D. Madonna W.N. P.C. Genisis F.S. P.F. Queen S.M.BAND A.F. Metallica STP CCR Chicago B.S. J.T. Commadores Who ZZ Top T.L. B.B. Bad CO. J.C. BG’s Styx L.R. Prince Bush E.J. A.C. D.S Creed J.L. M.20 N.D. D.S. M.G. J.H. DoobIES D.B. Cars Supertramp J.L.L. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/5 "2002-05-09T14:39:59Z")
1. Yes Vs Bruce Springsteen 2. Buffalo Springfield 3. Pearl Jam 4. Green Day 5. The Velvet Underground 6. The Sex Pistols 7. The Ramones 8. Neil Young 9. Madonna 10. Radiohead 11. Stone Temple Pilots 12. Foo Fighters 13. The Who 14. R.E.M. 15. The Clash 16. U2 17. Bush 18. Public Enemy 19. Garbage 20. Jimi Hendrix 21. Rage Against The Machine 22. David Bowie 23. Red Hot Chili Peppers dumb draw. talentless hacks get to the second round easily (eg either meatloaf or the bee gees don’t deserve to be there nor do bush when they inevitably defeat cher) while some respected bands will lose out in the first round because they were matched up with big name competition - pink floyd v beatles and aretha franklin v radiohead come to mind) should have seeded them, like they do in the tennis. besides, there’s some real losers in there. we’ve got to vote on donna summer and creed when groups such as blur, nirvana, the stone roses, joy division, new order, chemical bros, elvis costello, the cure, the smiths, pearl jam, bjork and weezer are not to be seen? not enough spread over time periods + genres. bad 60’s + 70’s rock is way over-represented. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/6 "2002-05-09T15:46:23Z")
1. Peter Gabriel 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Green Day 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10. The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. The Ramones 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Charlie Parker 18. Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. Phil Collins 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. The Steve Miller Band 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Stone Temple Pilots 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. Black Sabbath 37. James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Smashing Pumpkins 43. Lou Reed 44. Joe Cocker 45. Meatloaf 46. Ozzy Osborne 47. The Clash 48. U2 49. Bush 50. The Police 51. Soundgarden 52. Dire Straits 53. Public Enemy 54. Garbage 55. Matchbox Twenty 56. Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Sade 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. The Doobie Brothers 61. David Bowie 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers 63. Santana 64. Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/7 "2002-05-09T17:03:23Z")
1. Peter Gabriel 2. Melissa Etheridge 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. Pass 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10. The Eagles 11. Pass 12. Alice In Chains 13. The Ramones 14. Bon Jovi (oh, lord, what a choice) 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. Pass 17. Pass 18. Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations 20. Pass 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Pass 25. Phil Collins 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. Barbra Streisand 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Stone Temple Pilots 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Chicago 36. Pass 37. James Taylor 38. The Commodores 39. The Human League 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Smashing Pumpkins 43. Lou Reed 44. Billy Joel 45. The Bee Gees 46. Pass 47. The Clash 48. U2 49. Cher 50. Elton John 51. Soundgarden 52. Dire Straits 53. Public Enemy 54. John Lennon 55. Matchbox Twenty 56. Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Sade 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Carole King 60. The Doobie Brothers 61. David Bowie 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers 63. Santana 64. Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/8 "2002-05-09T17:34:35Z")
1. Peter Gabriel 2. The Kinks 3. Yes 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Green Day 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10.The Eagles 10. The Doors 11. The Sex Pistols 12. Johnny Cash 13. Frank Zappa 14. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 15. The Guess Who 16. Blondie 17. Rod Stewart 18. The Temptations 19. Neil Young 20. Tony Bennett 21. Miles Davis 22. The Carpenters 23. Willie Nelson 24. ABBA 25. Genesis 26. Duran Duran 28.The Beatles 27. Paul Simon 28. The Steve Miller Band 29. Aretha Franklin 30. Metallica 31. Stone Temple Pilots 32. Sheryl Crow 33. Foo Fighters 34. Black Sabbath 35. James Taylor 36. Janis Joplin 37. The Who 38. The Four Tops 39. R.E.M. 40. Smashing Pumpkins 41. Lou Reed 42. Joe Cocker 43. Meatloaf 44. Ozzy Osborne 45. The Clash 46. Prince 47. Bush 48. The Police 49. Alice Cooper 50. Aerosmith 51. Public Enemy 52. Garbage 53. AC/DC 54. Crosby, Stills & Nash 55. Donna Summer 56. The Grateful Dead 57. Carole King 58. The Doobie Brothers 59. David Bowie 60. Red Hot Chili Peppers 61. Supertramp 62. Michael Jackson ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/9 "2002-05-09T17:40:02Z")
1. Peter Gabriel 2. The Kinks 3. Yes 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Green Day 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10.The Eagles 10. The Doors 11. The Sex Pistols 12. Johnny Cash 13. Frank Zappa 14. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 15. The Guess Who 16. Blondie 17. Rod Stewart 18. The Temptations 19. Neil Young 20. Tony Bennett 21. Miles Davis 22. The Carpenters 23. Willie Nelson 24. ABBA 25. Genesis 26. Duran Duran 28.The Beatles 27. Paul Simon 28. The Steve Miller Band 29. Aretha Franklin 30. Metallica 31. Stone Temple Pilots 32. Sheryl Crow 33. Foo Fighters 34. Black Sabbath 35. James Taylor 36. Janis Joplin 37. The Who 38. The Four Tops 39. R.E.M. 40. Smashing Pumpkins 41. Lou Reed 42. Joe Cocker 43. Meatloaf 44. Ozzy Osborne 45. The Clash 46. Prince 47. Bush 48. The Police 49. Alice Cooper 50. Aerosmith 51. Public Enemy 52. Garbage 53. AC/DC 54. Crosby, Stills & Nash 55. Donna Summer 56. The Grateful Dead 57. Carole King 58. The Doobie Brothers 59. David Bowie 60. Red Hot Chili Peppers 61. Supertramp 62. Michael Jackson ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/10 "2002-05-09T18:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\*dumb draw. talentless hacks get to the second round easily (eg either meatloaf or the bee gees don’t deserve to be there nor do bush when they inevitably defeat cher) while some respected bands will lose out in the first round because they were matched up with big name competition - pink floyd v beatles and aretha franklin v radiohead come to mind) > > should have seeded them, like they do in the tennis. > > besides, there’s some real losers in there. we’ve got to vote on donna summer and creed when groups such as blur, nirvana, the stone roses, joy division, new order, chemical bros, elvis costello, the cure, the smiths, pearl jam, bjork and weezer are not to be seen? > > not enough spread over time periods + genres. bad 60’s + 70’s rock is way over-represented. \*\* I agree that this format is flawed. Perhaps if you list all 64 names and have us just pick 32. Of course this still doesn’t address the obvious omissions. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/11 "2002-05-09T18:29:15Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. The Buffalo Springfield 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10. The Eagles 11. The Doors 12. The Sex Pistols 13. The Ramones 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Charlie Parker 18. Rod Stewart 19. Led Zeppelin 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. Phil Collins 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. Barbra Streisand 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Guns 'N Roses 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. KISS 37. James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Smashing Pumpkins (I love doing that!) 43. Bad Company 44. Billy Joel 45. Meatloaf 46. Ozzy Osborne 47. Little Richard 48. U2 49. Cher 50. The Police 51. Alice Cooper 52. Dire Straits 53. Creed 54. John Lennon 55. Matchbox Twenty 56. Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Sade 58. The Grateful Dead 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. The Doobie Brothers 61. David Bowie 62. The Cars 63. Santana 64. Jerry Lee Lewis Who seede this thing? Beatles vs. Pink Floyd in the first round? Stupid to have to choose so early. ---
**Author:** ![Fish42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@Fish42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish42)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/12 "2002-05-09T20:11:00Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley 10. Janet Jackson 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Charlie Parker 18. Rod Stewart 19. Led Zeppelin 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. ABBA 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. The Steve Miller Band 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Guns 'N Roses 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. KISS 37. James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Lou Reed 44. Joe Cocker 45. DRAW (Meatloaf Vs The Bee Gees) 46. Ozzy Osborne 47. The Clash 48. U2 49. Cher 50. The Police 51. Soundgarden 52. Aerosmith 53. Public Enemy 54. John Lennon 55. AC/DC 56. Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Donna Summer 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. Rage Against The Machine 61. David Bowie 62. The Cars 63. Santana 64. Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/13 "2002-05-09T20:21:30Z")
1. Peter Gabriel 2. The Kinks 3. Yes 4. The Buffalo Springfield 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. The Beach Boys 10. The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground 12. Alice In Chains 13. The Ramones 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Blondie 18. Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. Phil Collins 26. Genesis 27. Frank Sinatra 28. Pink Floyd Vs The Beatles (Geez! are ya tryin to kill me here?)29. Queen 29. Barbra Streisand 30. Aretha Franklin 31. Metallica Vs The Scorpions 32. Guns 'N Roses Vs Stone Temple Pilots 33. Sheryl Crow 34. Chicago 35. Black Sabbath 36. James Taylor 37. Janis Joplin 38. The Who 39. The Four Tops 40. Thin Lizzy 41. Smashing Pumpkins 42. Lou Reed 43. Joe Cocker 44. Meatloaf 45. Styx 46. The Clash 47. U2 48. Cher 49. The Police 50. Alice Cooper 51. Dire Straits 52. Public Enemy 53. John Lennon 54. AC/DC 56Crosby, Stills & Nash 55. Sade 56. The Grateful Dead 57. Jimi Hendrix 58. Rage Against The Machine 59. David Bowie 60. The Cars 61. Santana 62. Michael Jackson Some of these were very difficult. If I had to “kill” some of these artists to save the other in real life, I would have taken the pipe by now. ---
**Author:** ![PolishSausage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@PolishSausage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PolishSausage)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/14 "2002-05-09T20:46:39Z")
1. Petey 2. Melissa 3. The Boss “BRUUUUUUUUUUUCE!” 4. Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. Van Halen 7. Paul 8. Simon -n- G’funk 9. The King, baby 10. The Eagles 11. The Doors 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. The Guess Who 17. Charlie Parker 18. Motley Crue 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. ABBA 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. The Steve Miller Band 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Stone Temple Pilots 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. KISS 37. James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Lou Reed 44. Billy Joel 45. Meatloaf 46. Styx (I’d rather watch Ozzy at home though) 47. The Clash 48. U2 (the hardest two to choose from, for me) 49. Cher 50. The Police 51. Soundgarden 52. Aerosmith 53. Public Enemy 54. John Lennon 55. AC/DC 56. Crosby, Stills & Nash 57. Sade 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. Rage Against The Machine 61. David Bowie 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers 63. Santana 64. Michael Jackson ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/15 "2002-05-09T20:49:54Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. Melissa Etheridge 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. Rush 5. The Supremes 6. Paul McCartney 7. Fleetwood Mac 8. Blast, I can’t choose just one of these 9. The Eagles 10. Bon Jovi 11. Foreigner 12. Lynyrd Skynyrd 13. Charlie Parker 14. Motley Crue 15. Led Zeppelin 16. Tony Bennett 17. Miles Davis 18. Madonna 19. Celine Dion 20. Phil Collins 21. Genesis 22. Frank Sinatra 23. The Beatles 24. Queen 25. The Steve Miller Band 26. Aretha Franklin 27. Chicago 28. KISS 29. Whitney Houston 30. Janis Joplin 31. The Who 32. ZZ Top 33. R.E.M. 34. Smashing Pumpkins 35. Billy Joel 36. Meatloaf 37. Styx 38. Little Richard 39. U2 40. Cher 41. The Police 42. Aerosmith 43. Garbage 44. AC/DC 45. Crosby, Stills & Nash 46. Sade 47. Marvin Gaye 48. Carole King 49. David Bowie 50. The Cars 51. Santana 52. Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/16 "2002-05-09T21:03:02Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. 5. Pearl Jam 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. The Beach Boys 10. 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. 17. Blondie 18. Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. 25. ABBA 26. Genesis 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Queen 30. 31. Radiohead 32. Metallica 33. Guns 'N Roses 34. 35. Foo Fighters 36. Black Sabbath 37. 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Lou Reed 44. Billy Joel 45. 46. 47. The Clash 48. Prince 49. 50. The Police 51. Alice Cooper 52. Aerosmith 53. Public Enemy 54. John Lennon 55. AC/DC 56. 57. Donna Summer 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. 61. David Bowie 62. 63. 64. ---
**Author:** ![pezpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@pezpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezpunk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/17 "2002-05-09T21:03:34Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. The Byrds 5. Pearl Jam 6. Van Halen 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley Vs The Beach Boys TIE(?) 10. The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. I cannot choose either 17. Charlie Parker 18. Motley Crue 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. Phil Collins 26. George Harrison 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles 29. Paul Simon 30. The Steve Miller Band 31. Radiohead 32. The Scorpions 33. Guns 'N Roses 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. KISS 37. James Taylor 38. The Commodores 39. The Who 40. ZZ Top 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Lou Reed 44. Billy Joel 45. Meatloaf 46. Ozzy Osborne 47. The Clash 48. U2 49. Bush 50. The Police 51. Soundgarden 52. Dire Straits 53. Public Enemy 54. John Lennon 55. AC/DC 56. Neil Diamond 57. Sade 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. The Doobie Brothers 61. David Bowie 62. The Cars 63. Santana 64. Michael Jackson Whew… ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/18 "2002-05-09T21:11:52Z")
\*\* 1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Yes 4. The Byrds 5. Rush 6. The Supremes 7. Paul McCartney 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley (Talk about a clash of the titans!) 10. The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash 14. Frank Zappa 15. Foreigner 16. Lynyrd Skynyrd 17. Blondie 18. Rod Stewart 19. Led Zeppelin (clash of titans #2) 20. Neil Young (in a ridiculous walk) 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis (yeah, this was a fair match) 23. Madonna 24. Willie Nelson 25. ABBA 26. Genesis 27. Frank Sinatra 28. The Beatles (#1 and #2 seeds going at it here) 29. Queen 30. The Steve Miller Band (tepid match) 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Guns 'N Roses 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Chicago 36. Black Sabbath 37. James Taylor 38. The Commodores (upset special) 39. The Who 40. The Four Tops 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Bad Company 44. Billy Joel 45. The Bee Gees 46. Styx (Ozzy gets in with his band) 47. Little Richard (last second shot) 48. Prince 49. Bush 50. Elton John (clash of titans #3) 51. Alice Cooper 52. Aerosmith 53. Public Enemy (laughs at the “competition”) 54. John Lennon (deserves it for solo career alone) 55. AC/DC 56. Neil Diamond 57. Donna Summer 58. Marvin Gaye 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. The Doobie Brothers 61. David Bowie (benched all starters at halftime) 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers (great match) 63. Santana 64. Michael Jackson \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/19 "2002-05-09T21:15:50Z")
1. Ray Charles 2. The Kinks 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. The Buffalo Springfield 5. Rush… reluctantly 6. The Supremes 7. Green Day 8. Simon & Garfunkel 9. Elvis Presley… reluctantly 10. The Eagles 11. The Velvet Underground 12. The Sex Pistols 13. Johnny Cash Vs The Ramones (tie) 14. Frank Zappa 15. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 16. The Guess Who 17. Charlie Parker 18. Rod Stewart 19. The Temptations 20. Neil Young 21. The Rolling Stones 22. Miles Davis 23. Madonna… reluctantly 24. Willie Nelson 25. Phil Collins 26. George Harrison 27. Duran Duran 28. Pink Floyd 29. Queen 30. The Steve Miller Band 31. Aretha Franklin 32. Metallica 33. Guns 'N Roses (hate 'em both, actually) 34. Creedence Clearwater Revival 35. Foo Fighters 36. Black Sabbath 37. James Taylor 38. Janis Joplin 39. The Human League 40. ZZ Top 41. R.E.M. 42. Beastie Boys 43. Lou Reed 44. Billy Joel 45. The Bee Gees (what is this? a who’s-cheesier match?) 46. Ozzy Osborne 47. The Clash 48. U2 49. Cher 50. The Police 51. Alice Cooper 52. Dire Straits 53. Public Enemy 54. Garbage 55. AC/DC 56. Neil Diamond 57. Donna Summer 58. The Grateful Dead 59. Jimi Hendrix 60. Rage Against The Machine 61. David Bowie 62. Red Hot Chili Peppers 63. Supertramp 64. Jerry Lee Lewis ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011/20 "2002-05-09T21:21:34Z")
What gex gex said, in it’s entirety. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-music-knockout-round-1/108011.md?page=2)