Rave Recs Favorites Contest: Bad Brains v. Dead Kennedys

[mad rhetorik]

Match 2, Punk Division: Bad Brains v. Dead Kennedys

Polls close 4/20.

[MindGoneHaywire]

Very tough call. I saw both bands in 1985. Both have enormous strengths & weaknesses. I think the DK's have the one great album from start to finish that the Bad Brains never quite put together; but Pay To Cum is one of the greatest punk rock singles of all time, possibly the best. Nobody sounded like that in 1979. The Bad Brains have more longevity, but I'm not sure what that's good for if they haven't been turning out decent material along the way. And I've never quite figured out whether I like Jello Biafra as an entertainer, been indifferent to him as a social/political activist, or disliked him for his abrasive manner. In the end I guess I have to give it to the Bad Brains because even if they were never quite the punk rock icons the DK's were, they were a good punk band AND a good reggae band, which was unheard of at the time. Maybe they made the world safe for Sublime, but I'm just not sure how many records I have by bands that exist because the DK's made the world safe for hardcore.

[nobody]

This one's pretty funny. Back in the day, I probably played a lot more Dead Kennedys. Now, I'll grab the Bad Brains almost every time. I think politically and all that the Dead Kennedys were more relevant to the era. They were more melodic and got more people's attention with humor and insight.

Yet, Bad Brains musical message seems to have stuck with me more. More brutal hardcore attack, softened by those reggae jaunts that take up a good bit of most of their records. Then, on I Against I, they really fused a whole mess of stuff into a cohesive new style of heavy music. Spotty since then, they do have the disadvantage of not breaking up early enough. Although their recent dub record was actually pretty good and has gotten a lot of play around the house.

In the end, I'm going with Bad Brains since the musical innovation and power holds up better over time as opposed to the Dead Kennedys political themes. That and Jello acts like such a whiney shithead these days that he just bugs me.

[mad rhetorik]

In a previous poll I declared a tiebreaker based on responses; obviously it's not an ideal solution, but aside from having the admin declare a winner (I don't want to waste Chris's time), I can't really think of any option worth the trouble.

For this poll, since Jay and Nobody responded in support of their choice, I'll declare the Bad Brains the winner this time 'round. Sorry DK fans.

Next polls: Rush v. Jethro Tull, Metallica v. Sepultura, Beastie Boys v. Run-DMC, and the Finals from the Mini-Shootouts.