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Johnny vs. Stevie

J. R. Cash
Total votes: 31 (49%)
Steveland Hardaway Judkins
Total votes: 32 (51%)
Total votes: 63

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

61 by longdivi_Archive
steve wrote:
Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:Cash--not even close.

I respect Stevie Wonder, but I've always thought he was overrated. I'd put Sly and Curtis (and Prince) ahead of him--not to mention James Brown, Ray Charles, P-Funk, etc.

You crazy.

Blind, at age 12 (!) if you just count the harmonica, he was already a better musician than any of the dudes you mention. He was also eventually a super badass arranger, drummer and guitarist. Given that he also wrote almost all his material (which Cash can only say for about an album's worth), you got to be 100 percent out of your mind to say such things as you have just said here.

Hank Williams Jr is overrated. Professional football is overrated. Porn is overrated. If anything, Stevie PWonder is underrated. People forget how incredible Stevie Wonder is because they can only name about 15 awesome songs of his. They forget he was doing it all from memory, no peekies and he played every sound you hear on most of it.

Fuck me, if there's a badder dude in all of music I couldn't name him.


Seriously, no comparison here. Cash's greatness, which I more than concede, is at LEAST in part because his untrained voice and the mystique surrounding him lend his recordings a certain weight and grace. He also remained deeply connected to the legacy of Southern music that preceded him, and his music has a particular fearlessness and soulfulness that would be difficult to replicate.

Stevie Wonder, on the other hand, is from another fucking PLANET. I hope I'm not just completely rehashing what Steve said, but come on. More than anyone I can think of, Stevie Wonder has created songs that speak directly and clearly to the human experience -- deeply personal to his own life and at the same time universally recognizable to anyone who bothers to listen.

I find it distasteful to even compare these two artists because it does Johnny Cash a disservice, and I love Johnny Cash.

PRINCE? I don't hate Prince but he is RICK JAMES compared to Stevie. Even the almighty James Brown is no Stevie Wonder. If you voted Cash, you are wrong.

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

62 by sunlore_Archive
kerble wrote:besides, Stevie never covered Soundgarden.

Or "U2." Or "NIN."

Plus Stevie fucked with Motown. Before he even hit twenty, he fucked with one of the biggest entertainment companies in the United States.

"Uh, hey guys, here's my harmonica record. Hope you like it."

Stevie Wonder is fucking punk rock.

longdivi wrote:PRINCE? I don't hate Prince but he is RICK JAMES compared to Stevie. Even the almighty James Brown is no Stevie Wonder. If you voted Cash, you are wrong.

I agree. Curtis though, that's the tough call for me, but mostly because of extra-musical considerations. Just love that guy.

I have been playing pretty much straight Stevie Wonder over the past few days. For the fuck of me, I can't think of any popular artist that worked on such level of perfection for that amount of time. He was a Beatles plus George Martin all by himself. Except he was better than that.
chairman_hall wrote:This song is my favourite Stevie track, and it baffles me everytime I listen to it.

I try to work the parts of the track out in my head and it just messes with my brain.

Si, si. Also, "Black Man."

Take that, man in black.

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

63 by tmidgett_Archive
steve wrote:
Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:I respect Stevie Wonder, but I've always thought he was overrated. I'd put Sly and Curtis (and Prince) ahead of him--not to mention James Brown, Ray Charles, P-Funk, etc.

You crazy.

Blind, at age 12 (!) if you just count the harmonica, he was already a better musician than any of the dudes you mention.


Musicianly stuff, being blind, don't so much care. Though I do not think he is a better musician than Prince or Ray Charles, if you want to go there. And he's no more blind than Ray Charles was, far as I know.

As you note, Superstition is a masterwork. It's not any better than Dance to the Music, Everyday People, I Want to Take You Higher, Hot Fun in the Summertime, Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin, Everybody is a Star, or Running Away. But it is great.

I like a lot of his music. Some of it is fucking awful, but I like a lot of it. But he is not in a league with Sly Stone, Prince, James Brown, and Ray Charles. Each of them individually has more great albums to his credit than Stevie Wonder.

He is in a league with Johnny Cash. I just don't think he's as good.

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

65 by steve_Archive
tmidgett wrote:Musicianly stuff, being blind, don't so much care. Though I do not think he is a better musician than Prince or Ray Charles, if you want to go there. And he's no more blind than Ray Charles was, far as I know.

While I know Ray Charles accompanied himself on the piano, I can't think of anything special about his music. I don't remember any of his playing at all. He performed, like Johnny Cash, with the sensation of being in the moment of every lyric, which I admire, and he had a propulsive delivery, but neither of them did anything groundbreaking with their music. The trumpets in "Ring of Fire," whoop-de-shit.

I know you don't care so much, but that's the distinction I would make.

Sly Stone and James Brown had awesome bands, and used them to good effect. Good party music. Stevie Wonder often was the band and covered a much wider emotional spectrum.

Prince? A little puppy. If he has 10 interesting minutes of music in his catalog, I'm being generous, and his production aesthetic was poisonous.

When I think of all the boobs routinely lauded as wunderkinden (Brian Wilson, Skip Spence, John Lennon, Prince... name your poison) they all look like raisins next to Stevie.
steve albini
Electrical Audio
sa at electrical dot com
Quicumque quattuor feles possidet insanus est.

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

67 by Justin from Queens_Archive
Is there any consideration for the low-lows that each of these guys has?

Stevie Wonder has made some terrible shit. The theme song to "Jungle Fever"? It's the absolute opposite of what people here are going on about.

Interesting arrangement? No.
Compelling lyrics? No.
Baffling songwriting? Hardly.
Technically compelling? Not at all.
Ad nauseum. It's terrible, vapid Casio preset music that just repeats over and over and over.

Look, if you don't care and want to point out that Sesame Street clip (FUCKING AWESOME) as evidence to the contrary, then you're just asking "which of these guys is better at his peak". Ok, Stevie wins.

If, on the other hand, you're taking into account the whole kit and caboodle, at least Cash is dead. He worst stuff is already out there, tempered well by his best. Stevie, on the other hand, spent the better part of the 80's pumping out crap that surely sullies whatever legacy he'd been building for the previous two decades. I'm not too familiar with the stuff he's been up to lately, but it could just keep getting worse and worse.

= Justin

PS - Re: Cash and covers - Excellent artists can do wonderful covers of previously terrible songs by bullshit pretenders. See Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings tear shit up with "What Have You Done For Me Lately". JJ must cry a damn river when she hears Sharon bring it.

Thunderdome: Johnny Cash vs Stevie Wonder

68 by spoon_Archive
steve wrote:<snip>
Prince? A little puppy. If he has 10 interesting minutes of music in his catalog, I'm being generous, and his production aesthetic was poisonous.



Whoa there! This is Prince you are talkin about.

Interesting music, definitely (Ok, I will concede Bat Dance).
Poisonous production, sometimes but it is hardly poisonous.

Plus...plus, he is Stevie's only contemporary when it comes to command of multiple instruments.

Seriously, he can play well.

I hear his family were all very talented musicians...he often refers to his skill pailing in comparison.



Cheers,
David
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