Best vs. Favorite
As I recently went through my 6,578th phase of listening to Smashing Pumpkins music (thank you, Gish and Siamese Dream re-issues), an interesting tug of war came to mind-trying to distinguish between my favorite of something, and what I objectively think is the best. Of course, with anything in the arts, it is hard to decide the “best” of something. How I experience a song, movie, tv show, book, etc is colored so much by my own personal experiences, and what I am going through at that very moment. I’ll stick with music since that is my favorite art form. A certain song, while not among my favorites, could be etched in my brain forever because it is linked to an unforgettable moment in my life. Or an unforgettable song could be heard during a rather dull moment of life, but it is still meaningful to me.
So indulge me while I attempt to work all this out while I write. I suppose what I mean by “the best” is which one of the artists that I listen to do I consider to be the most technically profficient at their craft. This doesn’t mean who can play the guitar the fastest (like this guy), but rather, who is the most talented at creating a song, whether it is 2-3 minutes or 6-7 minutes. Of course, the field is limited to artists that I like. I would guess this is why I dislike so many music reviews. It is obvious after reading the first paragraph of some reviews that the writer not only dislikes the artist, but is gleeful while deconstructing and destroying each part of the album. When I read a review, I want to hear from the perspective of someone that actually likes the band. That way I can know what a true fan believes, instead of someone who is trying to impress me with how clever they can be (while largely ignoring the actual music in favor of other less important things about the artist).
If you are indifferent to an artist, then maybe it is easier to give an objective viewpoint. However, the problem is that your opinion is not tethered to any kind of emotion that you feel for the art. And isn’t art by definition supposed to be emotional? (maybe another topic up for debate). So perhaps the best of either inherently flawed options is to try and be objective about something that you already feel fairly positive about.
So using those parameters, I would have to say that the best band I’ve ever heard is The Beatles. In terms of musical talent, and the amount of great songs they wrote, and the talent of the band members (especially McCartney, who by himself can play about 68 instruments), I don’t think they have any peers. Then add on top of that their influence on popular music and it is no competition. (Sorry Rolling Stones fans-longevity doesn’t equal superiority). When I hear the musical and emotional growth the Beatles had in their relatively short musical career, I am astounded. In fact, it puts them at #2 in the list of my favorite bands, but not quite at the top spot.
That would have to be reserved for The Smashing Pumpkins. I’ve written about them before (click here to see it). They managed to hit that sweet spot of me being 16 years old, right in the middle of high school, with all that entails. I became obsessed, and hung on every word, and looked at every nook and cranny of every liner note. I felt a connection to what they were singing that I did not feel from any other artist I had heard up to that point. And even though I’ve left many of those teenage feelings behind, their music and how much it meant to me is still imprinted on my brain and heart and feels like it will be forever. And they continue to put out great music (even if Billy Corgan is the only original member left), which just adds to the personal legacy they hold for me.
In the end, I supposed it matters most when you were exposed to an artist, and how much personal growth you were going through at the time. That is why so many people latch onto music from their childhood or adolescence, because those are the formative years. Of course, this could also lead to artist burnout. A friend of mine says that while the Beatles may be both the best and favorite of his, he also does not get the urge to put on an album of theirs any more, becaues after 20+ years of listening to them, he perhaps has completely absorbed all those songs. I don’t have that problem yet, and hope that I never do. But that brings up another topic for another day: is it more likely for a person to get sick of a band they started listening to when they were 14 vs. a band they started listening to when they were 20 or some other older age?
So there are my picks. Feel free to leave your picks of best vs. favorite in the comments section.
