New York’s Top 50 Bands….
by 
Mike on September 17th, 2007
Back to that list I was rambling about.
The Top 50 bands to have ever called New York home. Quick recap: Velvet was number 1…agreeable.
Miles, the man who delivered Cool to the world came in at number 4. It’s crazy to think that Miles Davis may have been a spark to the tinder for New York’s encompassing and forever ‘coolness’. Could New York’s present swagger date back to a few sessions from 1949 and 1950? That’s a hearty alcohol fueled debate for another night with far more white wine. Anyway, Miles rings in at number 4, I say 2.
Now let’s compare Miles at number 4 to the last entry on the whole list. Number 50 is represented by none other than…..Paul Simon. This is where I sit and think and in turn re-evaluate my interpretation of how and why ‘lists’ work and don’t work. I’m a big fan of both the Jazz legend and folk hero. One is 
the definition, if not creation, of cool. The other is so far behind cutting edge cool that you truly wonder whether he knows something that the rest of us don’t. Check the ‘Best of Simon and Garfunkel’ LP cover for what I mean. You laugh at the cover for a minute or two and then immediately try to calculate how long it would take you to grow your hair that long with additional calculations to include that sweet ’stache’. The tremendous music that these guys created made Simon & Garfunkel cool. The songwriting made Paul Simon one of the coolest guys of the late 60’s. For those that have really listened to ‘The only living boy in New York’, ‘Mrs. Robinson’ and the living soundtrack ‘America’ are songs that will stay with you forever.
So this list….New York’s Top 50 bands lists one of the creators of cool at number 4, and the guy responsible for at least two songs you whistle a week at number 50. So does this list focus on influence on music or influence on people? This is more thinking out loud than it is a beckon for a debate, but I’m interested in what you think about the fact that 46 musicians separate these two legendary musicians.
Let your thoughts roll.
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