Bob Dylan vs. The Fall: the first ten years

do you go with your heart ... or your third eye??

abstain

Dylan

I enjoy the Fall, but c'mon.

I quite like Dylan, but c'mon.

I like only one Fall song, so not really a contest for me.

which one?

"Cruiser's Creek". Every few years I immerse myself in their catalog and after three tries and fifteen albums, it still boils down to just that one track. I get why other people like them, they just aren't for me no matter how many times I try.

They tend to be rather hit & miss in my opinion - but the high points are quite high. Probably "Grotesque (After the Gramme)" is the most consistent full-length album. But you need to pick & choose from the various singles and EPs to get a proper selection of their high points, including IMO: "How I Wrote Elastic Man", "Lie Dream of a Casino Soul", "C.R.E.E.P." and a few others.

Dylan was horrible from the get go, the Fall classic up until 2001, possibly even after.

mark e smith must be deep in his EMPIRE BURLESQUE period by now

lol i have been listening to the fall on shuffle for the last two hours and I'm still voting Dylan

The Fall, easily (never really dug Dylan, personally)

would love to see this poll cross-tabbed with data on britishes vs. americans voting

Speaking as an American, as much as I love the Fall, Dylan seems to be an easy winner.

The Fall never put out an album as bad as Self-Portrait, so them.

I love Self-Portrait. Totally misunderstood album. It's no masterpiece (it might have been if you cut it to a single LP) but it is loads of fun.

I really hate the Fall.

The fall. I'm merkin, btw.

both are all attitude (yeah i'm caustic and can't sing either) but at least dylan came up with a tune every now and then

Dylan sure, but for the next 20 years, Fall all the way.

The Fall. I like Dylan a lot, just never got my feathers ruffled over him.

It seems Fall fans don't like Dylan but Dylan fans seem to like the Fall. What that means I have no idea.

It means that Dylan Fans cannot be Fall Fans.

Cage match! The Cantankerous Contrarian vs. The Prolix Proletarian!

Which one's which?

... or isn't that merely Mark E. Smith vs. himself?

Flatmate of mine would have The Fall and Dylan as his two favourites, but which he'd put in front of the other, if pushed, I do not know. He'd probably just shrug his shoulders and say he could care less, but that is clearly the coward's route out.

The first ten years aspect of it wouldn't make much difference I think - he's pretty much all the way with both, apart from a few things here and there.

I'd choose The Fall, being my favourite group, but I'm not really enough of a Dylan fan to make the comparison at all meaningful, although I like what I've heard.

Fall by light years.

No contest. The Fall every goddamn time.

Dylan was pretty good during this period. The Fall by ten parsecs.

I quite like the Fall, but my answer is Dylan Dylan Dylan.

Dylan

dylan wins. dylan 65-69 vs fall 78-82 is closer.

dylan. the fall for me lose their appeal around 84 or 85. Not that the records are bad, just a sort of diminishing returns.

This contest wouldn't even be a close one outside of ILM, but I honestly have no idea who's going to win here.

I voted Dylan.

will not vote. prefer having more geniuses to genius vs. genius.

Yeah, I imagine for most folks this is a simple either-or decision depending on your favorite/introductory era of music. For me, it's The Fall - I don't like Dylan's voice though acknowledge the brilliance of his songs, covers of which always grab me.

I find the idea of disliking Dylan's voice but liking Mark E. Smith's funny.

I understand your sentiment completely. I can't explain it, something about nasally (bad) vs drunk (entertaining).

Oh man I love Dylan but this is a no-brainer. The Fall, every time.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

vangelis-like poll triumph tragedy averted, phew

I understand your sentiment completely. I can't explain it, something about nasally (bad) vs drunk (entertaining).

Bingo!

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" kind of invented the idea of the Fall - oddly poetic mutterings of a possibly insane person set to amphetamine-fueled blues-rock.

didn't vote cos i honestly don't think i could decide, but in retrospect i'd prob go with dylan. while i can't imagine a fall song being as moving as "blind willie mctell," dylan rocked as hard (and as weird) as the fall lots of times -- "tell me momma" espec.

That's a good point^

IMO this poll's specified swatch of Dylan was pretty much the high water mark for lyrical achievement-- until this poll's specified swatch of The Fall.

There are many passages in both men's songs that are just ecstatically affecting to me (MES examples: Winter, Garden). True that MES is never reflectively sad in the way that Dylan can be.

It is interesting that both men's best lyrics were written on speed.

Anyway yeah I would have voted Fall.