never really occurred to me til now that Cohen's voice took a pretty straight path from choirboy tenor to rumbling bass over the course of 50 years
― rip van wanko, Tuesday, 7 August 2018 23:29 (five years ago) link
Serious question: are we really counting "listening to an album" in 2018 instead of "I listened to a few Simon tracks in the last month on my phone/Spotify"?
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, August 7, 2018 3:58 PM (thirty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
idk these are both p album-oriented artists for me
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, 7 August 2018 23:31 (five years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:01 (five years ago) link
nice
― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:02 (five years ago) link
wow, nice
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:09 (five years ago) link
Cohen vs. Simon is more like a battle of theses rather than an competition between like songwriters. Cohen's style of "let's take a pile of jokes and string them together" is godfather to Morrissey, to Smog, to Xiu Xiu-- though Cohen sings more about his relationship to the infinite than the latter songwriters, who keep things strictly interpersonal or (regrettably) political.Simon is more classical metaphorical misdirection-- a song about viewing architecture that is actually about childbirth, a song about driving that is actually about a divorce. His twin shadow is undoubtedly Joni Mitchell, both as a "cloaking a heavy feeling in descriptive tableaux" and also musical cultural tourism. It sometimes makes me curious about a kind of moral bankruptcy, from an artistic perspective-- that Mitchell and Simon would pathologically take scenario after scenario after scenario and overlay their own internal emotional world, just as they engage in genre-exercise to prolong their own creative streak. Cohen, in comparison, writes his songs in a room― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, July 27, 2018 1:37 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Simon is more classical metaphorical misdirection-- a song about viewing architecture that is actually about childbirth, a song about driving that is actually about a divorce. His twin shadow is undoubtedly Joni Mitchell, both as a "cloaking a heavy feeling in descriptive tableaux" and also musical cultural tourism. It sometimes makes me curious about a kind of moral bankruptcy, from an artistic perspective-- that Mitchell and Simon would pathologically take scenario after scenario after scenario and overlay their own internal emotional world, just as they engage in genre-exercise to prolong their own creative streak. Cohen, in comparison, writes his songs in a room
― flamboyant goon tie included, Friday, July 27, 2018 1:37 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This is such a great post.
― Eyeball Kicks, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:15 (five years ago) link
N I C E
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:32 (five years ago) link
I know, I teared up a little bit knowing how pleased Lenny must be with these results
― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:34 (five years ago) link
Haha did NOT expect that. Silent majority, you ppl rule
― albvivertine, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:40 (five years ago) link
Wow, awesome. I though Cohen would get crushed, so I'm very pleasantly surprised.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:06 (five years ago) link
Thanks Eyeball KicksGood poll resultsI love both these songwriters
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 03:07 (five years ago) link
Oh my I really thought Simon was running away with it.
― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 04:34 (five years ago) link
dead guy always has a leg up
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 05:17 (five years ago) link
did not vote, happy with results
― niels, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 07:11 (five years ago) link
ime experience with any of these kinds of "canonical" matchups (see also the recent RTX vs. Pavement poll), there's a vocal contingent on the thread arguing for one side, and then the silent majority swoops in and votes in massive numbers for the more boring answer. This has happened a lot.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:26 (five years ago) link
He shall thus be known as 'Interesting' Paul Simon.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:32 (five years ago) link
Poll results would have been quite different if conducted offline.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:40 (five years ago) link
“You wouldn’t vote like that to my face”
― omar little, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:42 (five years ago) link
we couldn’t get enough volunteers to ring up all the ilxors to get their opinion so on here it’ll have to remain
― jeremy cmbyn (wins), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:44 (five years ago) link
I proudly voted Cohen and am not a lurker, fwiw
― sleeve, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:45 (five years ago) link
i didn't vote bc i didn't agree w/ the premise
― marcos, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:49 (five years ago) link
The silent majority wasn’t silent just less obnoxious iirc
― omar little, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:49 (five years ago) link
You guys know exactly what I mean - this small community doesn't really represent the tastes of the real world. Simon would win in a landslide if that were the case, and everyone here knows it.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:51 (five years ago) link
thx cpt obv
― jeremy cmbyn (wins), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:56 (five years ago) link
don't recall anyone ever suggesting that ILM polls were any kind of reflection of real world opinions.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:58 (five years ago) link
I've taken part in four polls of this sort 'in the real world' in the last 24 hours. Can't move for the bloody things.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 15:59 (five years ago) link
a poll of randoms/12 CD types would have Simon winninga poll of sophisticated music fans would also have Simon winning I'd thinkthen there's the murky lurky middle
― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:01 (five years ago) link
I think we'd all feel better if we got back to our Leonard Cohen stage musical
(I would, anyway)
either that or my long-dreamed of Lou Reed/Paul Simon gritty NY 70s buddy cop movie
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:07 (five years ago) link
(Leonard Cohen can play one of their sleazy informants)
a poll of sophisticated music fans would also have Simon winning I'd think
ooh sophisticated music fans!
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:10 (five years ago) link
Can’t believe all these boring flyover country rubes who prefer Leonard Cohen
― omar little, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:12 (five years ago) link
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, August 8, 2018 10:26 AM (forty-four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this comparison makes no sense. pavement was far more popular and well known that RTX, simon is far more popular and well known than cohen.
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:13 (five years ago) link
― omar little, Wednesday, August 8, 2018 11:12 AM (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
we should go to a small town diner to talk to laid off steelworker trump voters about which track off songs from a room is their favorite
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:14 (five years ago) link
pavement was far more popular and well known that RTX, simon is far more popular and well known than cohen.
idk out there "in the real world" yes, but I'm talking about relative to ILM. In both cases the more boring answer (Pavement/Cohen) won, why because corny indie fux00rs
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:17 (five years ago) link
fwiw I didn't vote in the Pavement/Trux poll cuz I honestly couldn't decide, I love them both and they do v different things. But I was not entirely surprised when all the "RTX" posts were followed by Pavement winning handily.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:18 (five years ago) link
simon is far more popular and well known than cohen
If you're talking audience, then I'm pretty confident more people have heard or own some version of "Hallelujah" at this point than anything by Simon. For whatever that is worth. What is the most iconic/perennially ubiquitous Paul Simon song? "Sound of Silence" or something like that? Are there any Paul Simon songs that, say, a high schooler or middle schooler would immediately know?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:21 (five years ago) link
"heard or own" is a low bar
idk what Simon's most widely known song is. Mrs. Robinson? Me & Julio?
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:24 (five years ago) link
If you're talking audience, then I'm pretty confident more people have heard or own some version of "Hallelujah" at this point than anything by Simon
uh what? Yes, it's true they -- whoever they are -- may know a song called "Hallelujah," maybe even identify Leonard Cohen, but this is a world where people will think "Paul Simon" and name "The Boxer," "Mrs. Robinson," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "You Can Call Me Al," "Me and Julio" and so on.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:28 (five years ago) link
i don't know guys, a lot of songs, you can call me al or any number of incredibly popular songs you mentioned and many others. like it's not even close simon has many standards.
but i'll dip out and let simon fans jack themselves off about their really advanced tastes in music
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:29 (five years ago) link
Heard or own is definitely a low bar! I doubt many under the age of, I dunno, 30 know much about either artist, so knowing just one song from one of them might be it!
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:32 (five years ago) link
I mean, Cohen's Various Positions wasn't even released in the U.S. when it came out in the early 80s.
A few years later, Cohen accepted an award and said about Columbia Records "I have always been touched by the modesty of their interest in my work."
Which has nothing to do with quality, just popularity.
― ... (Eazy), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 17:03 (five years ago) link
Giggling at the conspiracy theories explaining why Simon got robbed.
― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 18:10 (five years ago) link
idk what Simon's most widely known song is. Mrs. Robinson? Me & Julio?― Οὖτις, Wednesday, August 8, 2018 4:24 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, August 8, 2018 4:24 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
At this point, I'd say 'You Can Call Me Al', actually!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 18:49 (five years ago) link
http://simonandgarfunkelnews.web.tv/video/the-sweeney-sisters-paul-simon-bridge-over-troubled-water-webtv__bloizapjrnk
omg watching this again serious lols
― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 18:52 (five years ago) link