Select your favorite Artist from each of the 9 matchups.

Matchup #1: RE-Run from previous group due to a tie.

#121 Bush
vs
#136 Patti Smith Group

Matchup #2

#1 The Beatles
vs
#128 "Weird Al" Yankovic

Matchup #3

#64 The Cure
vs
#65 Ozzy Osbourne

Matchup #4

#32 Arcade Fire
vs
#97 Spoon

Matchup #5

#33 Sonic Youth
vs
#96 The Church

Matchup #6

#16 Johnny Cash
vs
#113 Beck

Matchup #7

#49 The Ramones
vs
#80 Dave Matthews Band

Matchup #8

#17 David Bowie
vs
#112 The Police

Matchup #9

#48 Michael Jackson
vs
#81 Beastie Boys

Bush
The Beatles
The Cure
Arcade Fire
Sonic Youth
Beck
The Ramones
The Police
Michael Jackson

= J

Matchup #1:
#136 Patti Smith Group

Matchup #2
#128 "Weird Al" Yankovic

Matchup #3
#65 Ozzy Osbourne

Matchup #5
#33 Sonic Youth

Matchup #6
#16 Johnny Cash

Matchup #7
#49 The Ramones

Matchup #8
#17 David Bowie

Matchup #9
#81 Beastie Boys

Bush
The Beatles
Ozzy
Spoon
Sonic Youth
Cash
Ramones
Police
MJ RIP

all easy picks

The Beatles
Ozzy
Johnny Cash
The Ramones
The Police

1 - abstain
2- The Beatles - very easy choice
3- Ozzy - very easy choice
4- abstain
5- abstain
6- Johnny Cash
7- The Ramones
8- The Police -really enjoy them both but the police get the preference
9- Michael Jackson - very very easy choice

Patti Smith
The Beatles
Ozzy
abstain
Sonic Youth
Johnny Cash
The Ramones
David Bowie
Michael Jackson

All easy choices.

Bush
The Beatles
The Cure
Arcade Fire
Sonic Youth
Beck
The Ramones
David Bowie
Matchup #9 (Abstain, dont really care for either.)

Matchup #1: Patti Smith Group
Matchup #2: The Beatles
Matchup #3: The Cure
Matchup #6: Johnny Cash
Matchup #7: The Ramones
Matchup #8: David Bowie
Matchup #9: Michael Jackson

More than one person voted for "Weird Al" Yankovic over The Beatles? I understand this is the internet but come on!

I like both but I tend to listen to Weird Al more than the Beatles.

My picks:

Matchup #1: Bush
Matchup #2: "Weird Al" Yankovic
Matchup #3: Ozzy Osbourne (Easy Choice)
Matchup #4: Abstain (Don't listen to either band)
Matchup #5: Abstain (Don't listen to either band)
Matchup #6: Johnny Cash
Matchup #7: The Ramones (Very Easy Choice)
Matchup #8: David Bowie
Matchup #9: The Beastie Boys (Extremely easy choice)

So far johnbook and rhpsozzy are tied. But johnbook has one more "very easy" that trumps rhpsozzy's "easy". Now the question is, what should we consider easier, an "extremely easy" or a "very very easy"? I'd say "extremely easy" wins very very easily. Good job rhpsozzy, you're in lead.

My picks:
Rnd 1 - Abstain
Rnd 2 - The musicians
Rnd 3 - The Cure
Rnd 4 - Arcade Fire
Rnd 5 - Abstain (I don't think I'm familiar with The Church)
Rnd 6 - Beck
Rnd 7 - Ramones
Rnd 8 - David Bowie
Rnd 9 - Beastie Boys

...I don't think it's The Beastie Boys, The Ramones, or The Dave Matthews Band, is it? Not that it's that important.

All pretty easy. I can't believe Arcade Fire is beating Spoon though.

Some actual tough choices for me this round, and some not. Had some of these been an artists prior group (re: Ozzy/Black Sabbath and Michael Jackson/Jackson 5) instead of their solo work, it may have gone another way in the voting for me.

Black Sabbath is also in the tourney, they are the #22 seed. The Jackson 5 didn't make it in.

The question is "favorite", not "most influential" or "best". I chose the band/artist I would generally prefer listening to of the two. These were all easy, very easy, or extremely easy choices for me.

Matchup #1: The Beatles
Matchup #3: Ozzy Osbourne
Matchup #6: Johnny Cash
Matchup #7: The Ramones
Matchup #8: The Police
Matchup #9: Michael Jackson

I abstained in all but two matches:

The Beatles vs. "Weird Al" Yankovic - The Fab Four never did anything for me, whereas Al has periodically contributed parodies of pure genius. He wears thin quickly for me, but he's on my iPod and they're not.

Johnny Cash vs. Beck - I'll say this right now: I think if Johnny Cash had died prior to working with Rick Rubin, he wouldn't even be in this tournament. Those American Recordings made him relevant again, and he hadn't been that in quite a while. Still, when I look back on that body of work--full of forgettable recordings though it may be--I see some genuine works of art.

abstain - never heard of "Patti Smith Group"
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Ozzy Osbourne
abstain - never heard of either
abstain - never heard of "The Church"
Beck
The Ramones
The Police
Michael Jackson

Weird Al - I listened to him all the time as a kid. And I still like some of 80's parodies and original songs. I never could get into the Beatles.

The Ramones
Johnny Cash

Thank you! A sentiment I have repeatedly had to keep making for other folks who "don't get it" in the other rounds. Glad it wasn't me who had to do it this time.

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If Beck has to lose to somebody, I'm glad it's Cash.

The Beatles
Ozzy
Johnny Cash
Ramones
David Bowie
Michael Jackson

Just the Beatles and MJ for me this round.

The 80's forever tainted Bowie for me, culminating with the duet with Jagger, ripping apart my soul... hope the Police can pull it out.

#1 Neither
#2 Weird Al
#3 The Cure by a mile
#4 Arcade Fire
#5 Sonic Youth
#6 Cash
#7 The Ramones
#8 Bowie by a mile
#9 Jackson by a mile