I'll note that the wild card thread has been started and will last the whole next two weeks.
I'm almost completely tapped out this block. I have 3 of my top 200 in the 2801-3000 block, almost nothing in this block. So here's my slim ballot:
Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (10)
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die (8)
!!! - Myth Takes (5)
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (5)
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (1)
One note: Since the tiebreaker for 2201-2400's 10th spot was 4-4-0 between Streetcore and Clube De Esquina, I decided to check out samples for both. Streetcore seemed good to me but not impressive, but Clube de Esquina jumped out to me as something I need to buy. So I cast my vote for that, giving it the 10th spot for that block.
1. Tom Petty- Wildflowers
2. Stephen Malkmus- Stephen Malkmus
3. Yo La Tengo- Fakebook
4. Annie- Anniemal
5. Air- Talkie Walkie
6. Prince- Controversy
7. Prince and the New Power Generation- Love Symbol Album
8. Low- Things We Lost in the Fire
9. Le Tigre- Le Tigre
10. Betty Davis- They Say I'm Different
Top 3 albums are really good, the next 3 are also recommended.
1. The Sound - Jeopardy
2. Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars
3. The Posies - Frosting on the Beater
4. Håkan Hellström - Känn Ingen sorg för mig, Göteborg
5. The Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now
6. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
7. U2 - October
8. Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
9. Coldplay - X&Y
10. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
11. Le Tigre - Le Tigre
12. Mum - Finally We Are No One
Wow, good for me, I've got 8. Although I've relegated some of these to almost permanent storage status on my CD shelves. They all still have a least 2 or more decent songs.
1. Annie - Anniemal
2. !!! - Myth Takes
3. The Books - Thought For Food
4. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
5. Prince - Love Symbol
6. Tom Petty - Wildflowers
7. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
8. Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz
I think this is a bracket for Moonbeam if there was one.
1. Annie- Anniemal (top 20)
2. Annie Lennox- Diva (top 20)
3. Prince- Controversy (top 40)
4. !!!- Myth Takes (top 100)
5. Depeche Mode- Speak and Spell (top 150)
6. Joan Jett- I Love Rock 'n Roll (top 250)
7. Depeche Mode- Songs of Faith and Devotion (top 300)
8. Funkadelic- Cosmic Slop
9. Stevie Wonder- Hotter Than July
10. Mötley Crüe- Shout at the Devil
1. Yo La Tengo: Fakebook, 1990
2. Leonard Cohen: New Skin for the Old Ceremony, 1974
3. Gary Moore: Still Got the Blues, 1990
4. Leonard Cohen: The Future, 1992
5. Tindersticks: Curtains, 1997
6. Camera Obscura: Let's Get Out Of This Country, 2006
7. Neil Young: Unplugged, 1993
8. Coldplay: X&Y, 2005
9. Chris Isaak: Chris Isaak, 1987
10. Low: Things We Lost in the Fire, 2001
4 top 100 albums in this row, Architecture in Helsinki would be in my top 10.
1) Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
2) !!! - Myth Takes
3) Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
4) 2 Many DJs - As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2
5) Le Tigre - Le Tigre
6) The Jacksons - Destiny
7) Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
1) Bob Newhart BUTTON-DOWN MIND OF BOB NEWHART
2) Crowded House TEMPLE OF LOW MEN
3) Tom Petty WILDFLOWERS
4) AC/DC DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP
5) Don Henley THE END OF THE INNOCENCE
6) Death Cab for Cutie PLANS
7) Foreigner 4
8) Ben Fold Five WHATEVER AND EVER AMEN
9) Coldplay X&Y
10) Emmylou Harris ROSES IN THE SNOW
HONORABLE MENTION
Sheryl Crow SHERYL CROW
The Cars CANDY-O
Bonnie Raitt GIVE IT UP
1. Dwight Yoakam - If There Was a Way
2. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Private Eyes
3. Frank Sinatra - No One Cares
4. The Cars - Candy-O
5. Prince - Controversy
6. ZZ Top - Deguello
7. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
8. Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans
9. James Talley - Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love
10. Lonnie Mack - The Wham of That Memphis Man
11. Los Lobos - By the Light of the Moon
12. Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing
13. Memphis Slim - At the Gate of Horn
14. Keith Hudson - Pick a Dub
15. John Stewart - California Bloodlines
16. Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe
17. Joao Gilberto - Brazil's Brilliant Joao Gilberto
18. The Stylistics - s/t
19. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
20. Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb
21. Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up
22. Chris Isaak - s/t
23. Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
24. Nanci Griffith - The Last of the True Believers
25. Fela Kuti - Shuffering and Shmiling
26. Reverend Gary Davis - Pure Religion and Bad Company
27. k.d. lang - Shadowland
28. Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today
29. Santana - Lotus
30. Ricky Nelson - Ricky Sings Again
01. Other Planes Of There. Sun Ra
02. After Hours. Sarah Vaughan
03. There’s No Place Like America Today. Curtis Mayfield
04. They Say I’m Different. Betty Davis
05. The Clown. Charles Mingus
06. Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature. George Russell
07. Underground. The Electric Prunes
08. Fried. Julian Cope
09. Spy Vs Spy. John Zorn
10. Illuminations. Buffy Sainte-Marie
11. Straight Ahead. Abbey Lincoln
12. Dogon A.D. Julius Hemphill
13. Hissing Prigs In Static Couture. Brainiac
14. East Broadway Run Down. Sonny Rollins
15. Black And White. The Stranglers
16. Construção. Chico Buarque
17. The Freedom Book. Booker Ervin
18. Love Bites. Buzzcocks
19. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
20. First Album. The Fugs
1. The Move, SHAZAM
2. The Bangles, ALL OVER THE PLACE
3. The Bonzo Dog Band, THE DOUGHNUT IN GRANNY'S GREENHOUSE
4. Ben Folds Five, WHATEVER AND EVER AMEN
5. Betty Davis, THEY SAY I'M DIFFERENT
6. Low, THE GREAT DESTROYER
7. The Buzzcocks, LOVE BITES
8. Les Savy Fav, LET'S STAY FRIENDS
9. David Ackles, AMERICAN GOTHIC
10. 2 Many DJ's, AS HEARD ON RADIO SOULWAX, VOL. 2
1. Tindersticks - Curtains
2. Asian Dub Foundation - Rafi's Revenge
3. Wall of Voodoo - Call of the West
4. Interpol - Our Love to Admire
5. Tuxedomoon - Half Mute
6. Joe Jackson - I'm the Man
7. Urban Dance Squad - Mental Floss for the Globe
8. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
9. The Stranglers - Black & White
10. The Books - Thought for Food
1. Múm - Finally We Are No One
2. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
3. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
4. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
5. Low - Things We Lost in the Fire
6. Tortoise - TNT
7. Nits - Ting
8. Air - Talkie Walkie
9. Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
10. Low - The Great Destroyer
Interesting group here. My Top 10 is pretty solid, but after that 11-28 are very very close quality-wise.
1. Chico Buarque - Construcao
2. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3. George Russell - Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature
4. This Heat - This Heat
5. Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different
6. The Sound - Jeopardy
7. Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today
8. Cluster - Zuckerzeit
9. Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop
10. Annie - Anniemal
11. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
12. Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye
13. The Move - Shazam!
14. Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Bright Moments
15. Fela Kuti - Shuffering & Shmiling
16. Fela Kuti - Roforofo Fight
17. Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
18. Buffy Sainte-Marie - Illuminations
19. Julius Hemphill - Dogon A.D.
20. Charles Mingus - The Clown
21. Ron Sexsmith - Ron Sexsmith
22. Tortoise - TNT
23. John Zorn - Spy Vs. Spy: Music of Ornette Coleman
24. Leonard Cohen - New Skin for the Old Ceremony
25. Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July
26. Prince - Controversy
27. Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
28. Guru - Jazzmatazz
1 Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
2 Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
3 Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves
4 Foreigner - 4
5 Steve Malkmus - S/T
1. Curtis Mayfield – There’s No Place Like America Today
2. Low – Things We Lost in the Fire
3. Chris Isaak – Chris Isaak
4. Ennio Morricone – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
5. Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell
6. Neil Young – Unplugged
7. ZZ Top – Deguello
8. Leonard Cohen – New Skin for the Old Ceremony
9. Tuxedomoon – Half Mute
10. The Wailers – Soul Rebels
1. Annie - Anniemal
2. Pat Metheny Group - Bright Sized Life
3. Leonard Cohen - New Skin for Old Ceremony
4. The Cars - Candy-O
5. Hall & Oates - Private Eyes
6. Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop
Ok, nobody's going to try to sneak in a vote in the last half hour, so I'll put up the results.
Annie - Anniemal (79/5/3)
Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen (58/6/0)
!!! - Myth Takes (52/4/0)
Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze (49/3/0)
Tom Petty - Wildflowers (45/3/1)
Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today (44/3/1)
Low - Things We Lost In The Fire (42/4/0)
Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different (41/4/0)
Leonard Cohen - New Skin For The Old Ceremony (40/3/0)
Prince - Controversy (36/3/0)
Yo La Tengo - Fakebook (35/2/1)
Sonic Youth - Washing Machine (33/2/1)
Tindersticks - Curtains (31/2/1)
The Sound - Jeopardy (30/2/1)
4 tied with 28
I've been second guessing the idea to group albums by year. It's looking like doing that will probably put In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, XO, Either/Or, Mutations, and The Boy With The Arab Strap all in the same eighth of the draw.
Maybe the solution is to have four groups instead of eight? Or just to move one of the higher seeds into the comparably weaker group that will have 1993-1996?
Yeah, I agree that grouping albums by year is probably not the right choice. How about just a bracket system? 4 matches each week, 1 on 1, highest vs. lowest?
I'm don't know exactly how you planned this Bill, but I think it will only be a fair game if we vote between albums we've heard, so I'm with John on the 1 on 1 system. With larger brackets a lot of people will probably have to vote for or against albums they haven't heard.
Oh, yeah, I was going 1 on 1, I think you misunderstand.
I was going to break it up into groups of 16 then seed each of those 1-16. Kind of like Eastern Conference/Western Conference in basketball.
Like, this is how the 1959-1972 conference might look:
1 Magical Mystery Tour
16 Clube De Esquina
8 Chuck Berry Is On Top
9 Live At The Star Club
4 Sounds Of Silence
13 Begin
5 The Wild, The Innocent, The E Street Shuffle
12 Once Upon A Time In The West
6 Chelsea Girl
11 Black Monk Time
3 Let It Be
14 Teaser And The Firecat
7 Meddle
10 Turn, Turn, Turn
2 Help!
15 Smiley Smile
The problem I'm saying is, this way the 1997-1998 conference would have 5 of the top 20 point getters, so maybe it should be 32 per conference instead of 16.