The Bong Zone

Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!!

Posted on: May 19, 2008 7:01 am

Edited on: May 19, 2008 7:51 am

Score: 92

Thanks to all of you that cast your initial votes. The first blog entry can be seen here:

http://the-bong-show.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/7488048/8313979/1

This is Round #1 in a "vote off" to decide the best frontman of bands throughout history. Here are the rules:

This is based on them as a front person for the band and NOT with the quality of the band's music. So if someone is a great frontman and the band sucks, they are still acceptable.

What you deem is the "best" is up to you. Perhaps it is someone with really unique vocals that has such a distinctive voice that you recognize the singer immediately. Perhaps it is someone with not such a great voice, but is a great stage performer. Perhaps it is someone who connects amazingly well in front of a live crowd. Etc, etc, etc...

The votes were VERY close. You cruel people left Bob off the list... why must you punish the Bong in this inhumane manner? lol

There were a bunch of people tied with 4 votes each. Gilmour, Axl, Ozzy, Joplin, Gillan & Armstrong. 6 people for only 4 spots. So to be fair, I decided the best way was to go and look at the "extras" that people mentioned and count those just for those 6 people. Thus, the brackets are as follows:

Mick Jagger (1) vs. Ozzy Osbourne (16)
Robert Plant (2) vs. Janis Joplin (15)
Freddie Mercury (3) vs. Axl Rose (14)
Jim Morrison (4) vs. Ian Gillan (13)
Roger Daltrey (5) vs. Steven Tyler (12)
David Lee Roth (6) vs. Kurt Cobain (11)
Bruce Springsteen (7) vs. John Lennon (10)
Bono (8) vs. Jimi Hendrix (9)

NOTE: I've decided to honor the Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 concept by doing this poll two different ways. On this blog (Blog A), the bracket is above. On Blog B, it is the same people above, yet seeded differently (strongest versus strongest, weakest vs weakest). It will be interesting to see if the final results are the same or different based solely on seeding. :)

Blog B is here: http://the-bong-show.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/7488048/8413652

Voting will end on 5/26/08.

Cheers!

Category: General

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The Bong Show Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 24, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 7:08 am Score: 87 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! My picks are: Ozzy Osbourne (16) - I always found Mick rather annoying as well. Great singer, great frontman, love the music, just preference. And I mean come on.... Ozzy bit the head off of a bat on stage... what more do you want? lol Robert Plant (2) - Plant Axl Rose (14) - #1 Choice Jim Morrison (4) - Great frontman. Steven Tyler (12) - I went with Cobain on the other thread, so I have to pick Steven here just so I can say, "Steven Tyler PJ's, Steven Tyler PJ's!" (it's from Son in Law). David Lee Roth (6) - I'll go with Roth here Bruce Springsteen (7) - Bruce! Jimi Hendrix (9) - I can listen to Jimi, but I can't hear him! Make sure to vote on Blog B as well!!!! Link in the main entry above. Thanks for your participation! Cheers! [ Reply to Comment ]
True_Rebel Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 21, 2008	Posted on: May 19, 2008 8:03 am Score: 91 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! Nice blog, bong. I'll have to go with: Ozzy - Still putting a$$es in the seats without nearly the exposure of "mainstream" groups. Robert Plant - One of the greatest of all times. Axl Rose - Still great when he shows up. Jim Morrison - He is/was The Doors. Roger Daltry - One of the best screams in rock (just listen to Won't Get Fooled Again) David Lee Roth - One of the greatest showmen I've seen. The Boss - You'll be set for about 5 hours at one of his shows. Jimi Hendrix - He was gone before his time. [ Reply to Comment ]
Da Fan in Japan Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 29, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 8:35 am Score: 92 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! -Good idea for a blog, Bong- Too bad I missed out on the initial vote- I'd have put in a plug for James Brown. A huge influence on all who saw him from Jagger on down, IMO... Glad I had the opportunity to see JB before he passed away- he wasn't young, but dang, he still smoked up there... Anyways, here it goes... Mick Jagger (1) vs. ~~Ozzy Osbourne (16)~~ -I do love Ozzy, but he doesn't measure up to Mick, perhaps the all-time great front man, IMO... Robert Plant (2) vs. ~~Janis Joplin (15)~~ -Plant was an absolutely huge influence on a generation of performers. Janis was great, but... Freddie Mercury (3) vs. ~~Axl Rose (14)~~ -Freddie had one of the best all-around voices in pop, and was one of it's most flamboyant performers. With all due respect, Axl was firmly in the mold of Robert Plant, albeit with a bandana... Jim Morrison (4) vs. ~~Ian Gillan (13)~~ -Jim was the stuff of legends- at least untill he started to drink too heavily... Roger Daltrey (5) vs. ~~Steven Tyler (12)~~ -Gotta go with a true orignal here... David Lee Roth (6) vs. ~~Kurt Cobain (11)~~ -For all his worth as a singer and songwriter, when it comes down to stage performance, Dave's gymnastics have Kurt licked... Bruce Springsteen (7) vs. ~~John Lennon (10)~~ -I actually prefer Lennon, but The Boss' shows are legendary- he really aims to please. If JB was the "Hardest Working Man In Show Business", The Boss has also gotta be right up there... ~~Bono (8)~~ vs. Jimi Hendrix (9) -Jimi toned down his stage theatrics later in his all too brief career, but more than made up for it with his playing. Who would you rather see live if you had the chance? I know my choice... -Thanks, Bong- I'll definitely put in a plug for your blog on the WAYLT? thread- I'm sure that it will generate some interest there. Nice work [ Reply to Comment ]
DDriver80 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Feb 9, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 9:21 am Score: 94 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! Ozzy Plant Rose Morrison Tyler Cobain Springsteen Hendrix (Bono pisses the f-ing hell outta me) [ Reply to Comment ]
Da Fan in Japan Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 29, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 9:24 am Score: 89 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! Hendrix (Bono pisses the f-ing hell outta me) -LMAO, DD.... [ Reply to Comment ]
YankeeLuvnGator Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 17, 2008	Posted on: May 19, 2008 9:31 am Score: 95 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! Well Bong I know how much work this requires, especially if you get a good turn out here. So thanks for the effort and good luck. Mick Jagger Robert Plant Freddie Mercury Jim Morrison Roger Daltrey David Lee Roth Bruce Springsteen Bono Well this round was all favorites for me but it will get interesting as this goes on for sure. [ Reply to Comment ]
redfoxes Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Feb 2, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 9:36 am Score: 90 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! 1. Mick -the definition of frontman 2. Plant - will the tour ever come off 3. Freddie- great energy. Without a doubt the best at Live Aid 4. Morrison - ever the poet 5. Daltry- that voice, that scream 6. Roth- can't sing, but ever the showman 7.Bruce- this one was the toughest 8. Bono- 30 years and still great music No upsets for me here. Maybe the quarters. [ Reply to Comment ]
KeyWestCorona Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 7, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 9:57 am Score: 92 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! Mick Jagger (1) vs. Ozzy Osbourne (16) - Mick is the guy every frontman wanted to be since the 60's. There are few guys with a longer resumes than Ozzy. Mick is one of those guys. Robert Plant (2) vs. Janis Joplin (15) - Upset special #1. I am going to blaspheme a little here, because I truly think Led Zeppelin are rock's great pioneers, but this is about stage prescence. Janis Joplin's performances were mesmerizing. You could not take your eyes off her. She WAS Monterey. People left that festival talking about HER. As good as Plant is, Jimmy Page is often times more entertaining to watch than he is. Freddie Mercury (3) vs. Axl Rose (14) - I wasn't really a fan of Queen, and I love G'n'R...I think both command your attention. I just don't think Axl had the career or the vocal chops that Freddie had. Jim Morrison (4) vs. Ian Gillan (13) - Score one for Mr. Mojo Risin. You can't find a more twisted freak of nature than the Shaman, but dude could mess with your mind from the stage. No one had the charisma and the the nads to try anything like Morrison. Roger Daltrey (5) vs. Steven Tyler (12) - Upset Special #2. Roger Daltrey was a great performer, but again, I make the same argument against him that I made against Plant. More often, you were watching Pete Townsend instead of Roger. Steven Tyler is such a great showman, in the Mick Jagger mold for certain. If this was about the music, it would be the Who in a landslide...but its not. David Lee Roth (6) vs. Kurt Cobain (11) - The 80's would have been a pretty dull decade if not for the on-stage antics of DLR. Nina Blackwood called Roth "like Liberace on stage." Kurt was a musical pioneer that busted the cookie cutter molds that music had been packaged in, but his stage prescence wasn't really his thing. Bruce Springsteen (7) vs. John Lennon (10) - The Boss. I would like to see what John Lennon would have looked like after 3+ hours on stage. Lennon wasn't even the best frontman in his own band. McCartney was as good a singer and performer as Lennon. Springsteen is an incredible performer. He leaves it all on the stage. #7 seed? This ain't your average Chiminade here. Bono (8) vs. Jimi Hendrix (9) - I am hard pressed to argue against Jimi Hendrix here. I just think Bono is a frontman and Jimi was a freak of nature. Jimi was so talented as a musician, but his stage shows to me were like UFO sightings. People babble about his shows like rednecks describing the tornado that wrecked the trailer park. Bono connects with the audience and its like you are brought along for the ride with him. Bono is one of those guys that takes you someplace special. With Jimi, you had no idea where you were going. You just hoped you landed safely. [ Reply to Comment ]
Da Fan in Japan Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 29, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 10:27 am Score: 92 Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!! People babble about his shows like rednecks describing the tornado that wrecked the trailer park. -Gotta hand it to ya, KeyWest- that was one heck of an image you just conjured there! LMAO... Too funny... [ Reply to Comment ]
lennon_lives Reputation: 0 Level: Amateur Since: Dec 11, 2007	Posted on: May 19, 2008 11:56 am Score: 95 This comment has been removed. Music's Best Frontman Ever: Round 1A Begins!!!