Posted October 27, 200618 yr It's a debate as old as music itself. Which half of the country has produced the better bands? We thought we'd lay the question to rest by way of a highly scientific study. It's rock and pop civil war, so let the battle commence. The Rules No pseudo-scientific study would be complete without a subjectively chosen set of rules. This is no different. These rules are bound to cause objections, perhaps even outrage, but even if we cared this can't be helped. 1. The North South Divide: You've got to draw the line somewhere, as they say. Yes, there is an area of Britain known as the Midlands but for the purposes of this exercise it doesn't exist. The line we have chosen runs above Nottingham and below Stoke-on-Trent (see map), meaning Robbie Williams is officially northern, while, ummm, the Stereo MCs are southern. That's the way it is. 2. Eligible Bands: This is explicitly and unapologetically a look at British bands who have achieved a significant degree of both critical and commercial success over a number of years. This means no solo artists, no manufactured pop acts, and nobody that first appeared this century. 3. How Points Are Awarded: Taking the four decades from the 1960s to the 1990s in turn, we're going to pit the foremost band from the north against its southern counterpart and rate them on three criteria; sales, critical acclaim, and lasting influence. To this combined score we'll add a further mark out of ten for the quality of their respective peers. 4. Which Decade?: Some bands have been successful for more than one of the decades we're looking at. In fact, some have been at the top of the pile for all four. In these cases, we're going to place them in the decade they are most closely associated with. In some cases this will come down to a matter of opinion. As before, the referee's decision is final. 1960s - The Beatles vs The Stones The daddy of all North vs South musical debates, despite the fact their rivalry was largely an invention of the media. Beatles Rolling Stones Sales - 10 Sales - 8 Critical Acclaim - 10 Critical Acclaim - 10 Lasting Influence - 10 Lasting Influence - 10 The Stones' rebellious image and harder sound meant they fell short of the Beatles sales. However, despite following in the footsteps of their northern counterparts for much of the 1960s, their output from 1968 onwards was every bit as ground-breaking and influential. Perhaps even more so. Best of the Rest - Sorry, but this one goes to the South by a score of 10 to 7. Gerry and The Pacemakers et al simply don't compare to the likes of The Who, The Kinks, and The Small Faces - to name but three. Final Score - The South triumphs by a score of 38 to 37 1970s - The Bay City Rollers vs Pink Floyd Who'd have thought it would come to this? A bunch of posh stoners against a mob of tartan-clad pop chancers. Bay City Rollers Pink Floyd Sales - 9 Sales - 10 Critical Acclaim - 5 Critical Acclaim - 10 Lasting Influence - 6 Lasting Influence - 8 Not much of a contest really. Pink Floyd are one of the biggest-selling and most critically lauded acts of all time while the Rollers were basically a proto-boyband whose time in the sun lasted no more than three or four years. Best of the Rest - Even more of a whitewash for the South than the 1960s. Led Zeppelin, The Faces, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Queen, T-Rex... The Buzzcocks and Joy Division were good but not good enough to take on that lot. 10 against 6. Final Score - The South is victorious again with a score of 38 against a paltry 26. 1980s - Duran Duran vs The Smiths The preening new romantic princes of Thatcher's Britain versus its bedsit-dwelling miserabilist underclass. Duran Duran The Smiths Sales - 8 Sales - 6 Critical Acclaim - 6 Critical Acclaim - 10 Lasting Influence - 5 Lasting Influence - 10 The North rises to meet the challenge. In a largely vapid and vacuous decade, The Smiths were arguably the only British band to compete artistically with their illustrious forebears. The only thing they didn't do was sell loads. Best of the Rest - The North comes good again. Great as The Jam and Madness were, New Order, The Stone Roses, and Happy Mondays take it by a score of 10 to 8. Final Score - The North are runaway winners by a score of 36 to 27 1990s - Blur vs Oasis A genuine edge of antipathy pervaded their rivalry, which was the musical centrepiece of the decade. Mad fer it! Blur Oasis Sales - 8 Sales - 10 Critical Acclaim - 9 Critical Acclaim - 9 Lasting Influence - 8 Lasting Influence - 8 Oasis, and therefore the North, shade it on sales. Both had their critics, and while it's possibly still too early to judge their respective lasting influences, collectively they gave rise to the current wave of British guitar bands. Best of the Rest - Mighty, mighty close. Suede, Radiohead, and Supergrass were superb for the South but the North just pip them with The Verve, Pulp, Take That (who are eligible despite the 'no manufactured pop' rule by virtue of having written most of their songs), and, ahem, Simply Red. 10/9 to the North. Final Score - The North just sneak the win by a score of 37 to 34 Overall Verdict It quite literally couldn't have been any closer but the South just shades it by a score of 137 to 136. Like our friend on the right (no pun intended), we're great believers in freedom and democracy, so, in the interests of both, we want to hear your opinions. If you've got something to say about what you've just read, why don't you let rip on the MSN Music message boards? You know you want to
November 4, 200618 yr A Great concept, but whoever wrote this piece and came up with these categories & selections is crackers, needs to be sacked for a very poor piece of journalism..... :wacko: Firstly, since when have The Midlands been part of Southern England? .... This will certainly be news to the likes of The Hollies, Slade, 10cc, Led Zeppelin, UB40, Duran Duran, etc. I don't think they or their southern conterparts have ever regarded them as Southern. :lol: Then to the debates: The 1960s - no argument there. The 1970s - The Bay City Rollers representing the north. :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: Since when were a manufactured Scottish bunch of teen idols who did not write their own material or even play on their own albums until 1976, become the best representatives for "The North"???? Surely Led Zeppelin or Slade have been more worthy of representing the North. Especially as they sold more records, wrote their own material & were brilliant live compared to the BCRs. If you selected Led Zeppelin as the 1970s Northern selection (after all only Abba sold more albums than them in the world in the 1970s), then I think they would just defeat Pink Floyd. The 1980s - Since when the f**k have Duran Duran been "from the South". This will certainly have been news to their southern contemporaries Spandau Ballet, Culture Club & Wham who regarded them as Northerners..... I also don't like to pick holes but how can an act like Duran Duran (who have sold over 70 million albums worldwide & have around a dozen trans-Atlantic Top10 Hits) score just 8 for record sales; whilst The Smiths who just sold 15 million albums score a 6????? As I regard D2 as Northern, then 1980s "South selection" should be The Jam/Style Council or Madness in which case the North would win to make it 3-0. Going onto the 1990s - Whether it is Oasis v Blur or Take That v East 17, the North would win. Although the biggest selling British Act (Worldwide) of the 1990s - The Spice Girls were only 40% Northern. So the North would win the Four Decades of British Music debate: 4-0. Which probably explains why this journalist did not apply common sense and logic to his/her selections.... :lol:
November 4, 200618 yr 1960s - Freddie & the Dreamers 1980s - New Order 1990s .............. Robbie :wub:
November 4, 200618 yr 1960s - Freddie & the Dreamers 1980s - New Order 1990s .............. Robbie :wub: North btw
November 5, 200618 yr Author A Great concept, but whoever wrote this piece and came up with these categories & selections is crackers, needs to be sacked for a very poor piece of journalism..... :wacko: Firstly, since when have The Midlands been part of Southern England? .... it was in either the indie or the guardian. think they just wanted to do north vs south to keep it v simple.
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