Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match

This is the first in what will be a regular feature here at Penny Ante known as Rock ‘n’ Roll Death Match. The premise is pretty simple: Pick two albums that are considered the masterpieces of their respective bands, such as Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” and Blue Oyster Cult’s “Agents of Fortune”, do a comparative evaluation over the course of a couple paragraphs, and declare one better than the other, explaining precisely why. That’s the only rules. The comparison will probably mean more if they come from within a genre, but that’s not a requirement. You could even take a band that is considered to have multiple masterpieces, such as Pink Floyd, and compare the masterpieces, i.e. “Dark Side of The Moon” versus “The Wall”. If you have two albums that you’d like to have compete in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Death Match, reader contributions would be loved. Kicking it off will be Music Consultant Graham and his selection, The Beatle’s “Abbey Road” and The Rolling Stones “Let It Bleed”. Take it away, maestro. Oh, and if you think that the opinion of the “referee” is bunk, write in and let us know why.


Rock 'N' Roll Death Match
The Beatles 'Abbey Road' vs. the Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed"
by Music Consultant Graham

Released in 1969, both records are undeniably classic, and are considered by many to be the (arguably of course) high water-marks of their respective careers. Both contain at least three classic songs (Something, Come Together, & Here Comes the Sun on 'Abbey Road', Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and Midnight Rambler from 'Let It Bleed'), and are notable for their immaculate productions (especially in the case of the Stones, whose records before that point had suffered with inferior production compared to the Beatles). So, let's rumble!

Winner: 'Let It Bleed'!

While they're both nearly unimpeachable as pop music goes, 'Let It Bleed' is ultimately the better record. While 'Abbey Road' is an amazingly constructed record, with incredible performances, arrangements, harmonies and songwriting, not to mention the conceptual bravado of the song suite on side two of the record, the record in the end is just a touch lifeless. The Beatles were at the end of their journey and knew it - John Lennon, according to the Beatles 'Recording Sessions' book by Mark Lewissohn, was hardly even present for the bulk of the recording (including much of the otherwise brilliant ensemble playing). On the surface the record sounds like a perfect distillation of what made the Beatles so great, but a deeper inspection reveals a distinct lack of energy and drive present in most other Beatle records - the energy of a band firing with all four cylindars, fearlessly driving into uncharted vistas.

'Let It Bleed' on the other hand, is a record that captures a band just as it has discovered not only it's potential as a music-making combo, but also it's role as cultural avatars. The record is as tightly constructed, arranged and performed as 'Abbey Road', but where 'Abbey Road' sounds like a band exhausted, 'Let It Bleed' is a can of nitro-glycerine, ready to ignite and explode at the mere drop of a spark. While the Beatles were gracefully and nobly bowing out of the cultural Zeitgeist, the Stones saw their opportunity to claim the crown with a record that truly captured the tension and flavor of the times.