Who Was Better?

I knew I'd be in the minority there, but something about the harmonies from Staley and Cantrell just does it for me.

 

Guns N' Roses mastered a genre. Skynyrd created one. Advantage: Skynyrd.

 

I like "Dirt" better than any single Soundgarden album; if you could wear out a CD, I would have with "Dirt." It's the best album about drug addiction since, probably, "Bitches Brew." Layne Staley putrefying in a Seattle apartment was the logical endgame of "Dirt."

That said, I'll go with Soundgarden, who had by far the better catalog and Cornell's pipes.

 

Wilco or Son Volt?

 

Wilco. Especially after Kotche joined the band.

 

Wilco, because the music evolved and improved so much from "AM" to "The Whole Love" and "Star Wars" (I haven't really kept up since that album).

That said, if I had the ability to write one great song and had to pick someone to sing it, I'd choose Jay Farrar.

 

Wilco, but the last few albums have declined from forgettable to awful

 

Totally agree.

 

Counterpoint: Skynyrd subjected this world to incessant playing of Sweet Home Alabama and calls for Free Bird from every jackass trying to be funny.

 

Free Bird never gets old. Never.

Neither does Gimme Three Steps.

 

Free Bird might not get old but the cries for FREE BIRD!!!!11!!! do.

Gimme Three Steps is awesome, but Sweet Home Alabama needs to be taken for a long drive...

 

Ahem. The Allman Brothers would like a word.