The rules, as usual: Anyone can vote but you have to have heard both albums to vote. Vote lasts until next Sunday at 11:00 PM board time.

Division 1:

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack vs
John Martyn - Solid Air

Division 2:

Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love vs
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

Division 3:

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood vs
Morphine - Cure The Pain

Division 4:

Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night vs
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die

And of course, two of the votes from last week have tiebreakers, and the next vote wins.

Lots of albums I've already heard this week.

Division 2: Brian Eno

This is one of the most high power matches of the tourney so far.

Division 4: Julee Cruise

Back when In Case We Die came out I think it was my #7 of the year. But at this point the cartoony twee-ness of it has started to wear on me. Julee Cruise's album I hadn't heard before, but I had heard almost all the songs from. You might as well call it the 'Twin Peaks soundtrack'. So, maybe that association causes me to overrate it, but I can't listen to it without re-living one of my favorite shows.

Solid Air
Tunnel of Love
Misplaced Childhood
Floating Into the Night

Solid Air
Taking Tiger Mountain
Cure For Pain
Floating Into The Night

Did some preparatory listening since I'm very busy this week. I'm going to rank all the albums and the bolded ones are the bracketwinners.

1. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (my #1 nomination and a fantastic album, and it has the highest ranking on my personal lists out of all the albums in the race, but..)
2. John Martyn - Solid Air (.. Solid Air is probably my favorite album in the entire tournament. It has grown on me so much over the last months, it might overtake Misplaced Childhood soon)
3. Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love
4. Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
5. Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night
6. Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die
7. Morphine - Cure For Pain
8. Queen - Sheer Heart Attack

1. Sheer Heart Attack

As much as it pains me to cast this vote, because I strongly dislike Queen and like Solid Air, I did enjoy it more on this particular listen. I love guitar solos, and I guess pre-Night At The Opera, Queen focused more on being a guitar band and less on the over the top gimmickry.

3. Marillion

A good, strong album, against an inconsistent album with a few really good singles.

Is anyone going to vote in the 1.5 tiebreaker?

Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night vs
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die

I was afraid to be biased in this match-up, but I honesly don't see any appeal to Floating Into The Night, except to now have an answer if Falling appears during a blind test. So my vote goes to In Case We Die, my own personal P_ro_zac (looks like this word is considered like spam by the forum ^^ )

Vote: Sheer Heart Attack
Finally got around to Solid Air on Youtube so I could cast this vote. Wasn't really a compettion, hopefully the album cna rally the rest of the week so I get a pick through.

John Martyn
Eno
Marillion
Julee Cruise

Queen
Springsteen
Morphine
Julee

Division 3:

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood vs
Morphine - Cure The Pain

Nothing special to say, just enjoyed one much more than the other.

Division 1:
WINNER Queen - Sheer Heart Attack vs
John Martyn - Solid Air
I found the queen album a little bit better, but not really good.

Division 2:
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love vs
WINNER Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain
Taking Tiger Mountain is an album I love a lot. MAybe the best of Eno. One of my favourites in this game.

Division 3:
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood vs
Morphine - Cure The Pain

I don't know.

Division 4:
Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night vs
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die



I don't know.

Division 1:
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack WINNER
vs John Martyn - Solid Air
Two really good albums; I prefer the rip-roaring Brian May guitar assault here.

Division 2:
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love vs
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) WINNER
Strong post-commercial Springsteen, but the Boss runs up against the Master. Surprisingly (or not) Eno's effort still sounds fresh to me. Awesome album!

Division 3:
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood WINNER
vs Morphine - Cure The Pain
I was new to the Marillion album, and while I'm not crazy about it, I like the flow. Can't see voting for it again however. Morphine has a unique sound, but I think it grows old quickly.

Division 4:
Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night WINNER
vs Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die
AIH is more fun, but as a coherent album-length work, Julee takes it. Definitely more high points. Some great & intense memories associated with "Floating..." as well.

Thanks!

John Martyn
Bruce Springsteen
Marillion
Julee Cruise

Division 1:

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack WINS vs
John Martyn - Solid Air

Yeah, Martyn is more subtle, more nuanced, more emotive...but if you asked me which album I wanted to listen to again, right now, I would go with Queen.

Division 2:

Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love WINSvs
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

The last great album from the Boss against a Brian Eno album that didn't really grab me.

Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) over Tunnel of Love

Though I'm obviously going to vote for my own album (especially one I have ranked in my all-time top ten), I must admit I am dismayed by the amount of votes going Bruce's way. Tunnel of Love was simply mediocre on first listen, not even approaching the Boss' better material.

Taking Tiger Mountain, meanwhile, is a revelation: a truly unique pop album with an intoxicating atmosphere, a diverse array of songs, and masterful arrangements. This is truly progressive music, simultaneously catchy and avant-garde. I hope the best album by one of the greatest music creators ever can get through here.

And the results...

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack 6 def
John Martyn - Solid Air 5

Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) 7 def
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love 4

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood 6 def
Morphine - Cure The Pain 3

Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night 8 def
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die 1

Winners from last week's tiebreaker:

Pere Ubu - Dub Housing 6 def
Studio - West Coast 5

The Associates - Fourth Drawer Down 5 def
Circulatory System - Circulatory System 4

Joshua now leads Predict It. Henrik is in sole possession of second, though his overall winner is already out, so for him to have a chance, Summerteeth needs to lose.

I'm kind of sad that I cast what turned out to be the deciding vote for a band I don't like on the basis of enjoying that album more on that listen.

Wow, I really expected John Martyn to do very well in this tournament. Odd.