Highway 61 Revisited: The So Called All Time Greatest Album

JOETOPIC  PRESS

POSTED July 17, 2015 

ALBUMION  (JP) -  Highway 61 Revisited defeated Sticky Fingers, 3-2.5, in the So Called All Time Greatest Album Championship match. The match featured several lead changes and a nail biting finish. Sticky Fingers took a small lead into the half as both albums traded scores throughout. The see-saw battle continued in the second half as the two albums broke the tournament record for lead changes in one match. Highway 61 scored the match’s last points in the closing moments to take the lead and ultimately the victory. But Sticky Fingers song Moonlight Mile quickly answered with what appeared to be the go ahead score from way out. But play was stopped as officials reviewed the replay and found that Moonlight was out of bounds. The score was waved off and Highway 61 ran out the clock to preserve the win and the championship.

ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

 Sticky Fingers and Highway 61 Revisited in Championship Match

JOETOPIC  PRESS

POSTED July 14, 2015

ALBUMION  (JP) -  Sticky Fingers will face Highway 61 Revisited in the So Called All Time Greatest Albums Tournament Championship match. Sticky Fingers defeated Kind of Blue, 2.5-2, and Highway 61 defeated top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 3.5-1, in the semifinals.

Sticky Fingers, a #55 seed, struggled early against Kind of Blue’s unorthodox style, but managed to adjust and take a small lead into the half. Sticky came out hot to start the second half while Kinda went cold, and Sticky appeared to be on the verge of running away with this one. But Kinda Blue came storming back behind the play of songs Blue in Green and All Blues to nearly tie the match. But some clutch scores in the closing moments from Sticky song Moonlight Mile preserved yet another nerve-wracking victory for the Rolling Stones Conference album.

Top seed Sgt. Peppers scored first to mark the first time in the whole tournament that Highway 61 has been behind on the score. In fact, it was the first time 61 had been scored on at all in the tourney, a hot topic for discussion among analysts who wondered how 61 would react if scored on early. 61 did appear to be a bit rattled during the early part of the match, but finally regrouped and managed a tie near the middle of the half. From there the albums exchanged the lead several time in an awesome display of scoring and closed the half deadlocked. The slugfest continued through most of the second half, with Highway 61 finally managing a small lead just past the halfway point. Pepper’s made another run but got into foul trouble late in the match as 61 pulled away to a comfortable lead and eventually the victory.

ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

And Then There Were Four

Regional Championships Completed, Final Four Set

JOETOPIC PRESS

POSTED July 12, 2015

The participating albums for the Final Four have been determined as the regional championships have been completed. Kind of Blue will face Sticky Fingers, and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band will face Highway 61 Revisited. The Final Four begins July 13 in Albumion.

Kind of Blue Delivers Blow

East Regional

CYNICAL CITY  (JP) -  #11 seed Kind of Blue defeated #3 Revolver, 2.5-2, in the East Regional Championship. The outcome surprised many as oddsmakers listed Revolver as the heaviest favorite among the elite eight matchups. The assessment appeared accurate early on as Revolver built a “business as usual” lead to start the match. But Kinda Blue came roaring back to tie the match at halftime. Revolver answered as it rebuilt a lead and by midway through the second half appeared to be in control. But once again, Kinda Blue came from seemingly out of nowhere to take the lead with little time left. The albums went back and forth in the closing moments but Revolver was unable to regain the lead.

Sticky Fingers Rolls

North Regional

LAKELAND  (JP) -  #55 seed Sticky Fingers defeated #15 Blood on the Tracks, 3.5-1, in the North Regional Championship. The match was evenly contested early on as Blood on the Tracks took a small lead midway through the first half, but it was all Sticky Fingers from there. Sticky’s all-star song Can’t You Hear me Knocking led the charge as Sticky took a lead into the half. Sticky continued the scoring spree in the second half behind songs Bitch and Sister Morphine. Despite being the lower seed by a long shot, oddsmakers had this match listed as nearly even. “I wouldn’t say it’s entirely unjustified” said Sticky of the #55 seed. “We lost some matches in the regular season that we shouldn’t have.” Sticky heads into its unlikely final four appearance with this match being its most convincing. All three of Sticky’s previous victories were by the slimmest of margins and it took a monumental comeback and a last second shot to defeat Rumours in the second round. Sticky Fingers will face #11 seed Kind of Blue in the semifinals. 

Highway 61 Cruises

South Regional

MAYBERRY  (JP) -  #4 seed Highway 61 Revisited completed its dominating run through the South Regional with a convincing victory over #44 At Fillmore East, 4.5-0 , in the Championship match. 61 has been a juggernaut in the tournament as it has yet to be scored on. 61 jumped out to an early lead, then Fillmore kept pace for a short period until 61 pulled away and built a sizeable lead by halftime. 61 added to its lead in the second half leaving little doubt as to the outcome, yet a large contingent of Fillmore fans remained until the end of the match to applaud Fillmore’s unlikely advancement to the regional championship. 61’s victory sets up a highly anticipated showdown with top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the semifinals, pitting the champions from the two highest rated conferences in the world against each other. Sgt. Pepper’s is from the top rated Beatles conference and 61 is from the #2 rated Bob Dylan conference. 

Sarge in Charge

West Regional

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  Top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band defeated #9 Blonde on Blonde in the West Regional championship, 3.5-1. Pepper’s controlled the first half and took a comfortable lead into the break. Blonde on Blonde made an early second half run and had a chance to take the lead towards the end of the match. But Pepper’s responded with a barrage of points to put Blonde away for good. “You can’t fall behind on an album as good as Pepper’s” said Blonde. “We made a nice run but had nothing left in the tank at the end of the match.”

ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

Pepper’s Dominates, Highway 61 Steamrolls, Fillmore Surprises

JOETOPIC PRESS

POSTED July 8, 2015

East Regional

CYNICAL CITY  (JP) -  #3 seed Revolver topped #14 Are You Experienced in a slugfest, 2.5-2, in the East Regional. The match was tied at halftime as Experienced traded blows with the favored Revolver. Experience started the second half with a quick burst of scores but Revolver responded with a run to open a lead it maintained throughout the remainder of the match. Experienced put together a strong run down the stretch and had a few chances to take the lead, but Revolver’s steady play and some questionable calls from the officials preserved the Revolver win. Revolver will face #11 Kind of Blue in the East Regional championship.

Kind of Blue jumped out to an early lead and cruised past #27 seed Blue, 3-1.5, in the East Regional. Oddsmakers had the match listed as a “pick ‘em”, but this one was all Kinda as Blue never recovered from a slow start. Blue made the score look respectable with some garbage points near the end of the match, but most of the fans had already left as the outcome had long since been decided.

North Regional

LAKELAND  (JP) -  #15 seed Blood on the Tracks ended #63 Physical Graffiti’s storybook run with a convincing 4.5-0 victory in the North Regional. Graffiti entered the match as the only play in album to ever reach the Sweet 16, knocking off #2 seed Pet Sounds along the way. But Graffiti was trampled underfoot in this match as Blood on the Tracks scored at will. Blood will get another chance to end an unlikely tournament run as it faces #55 seed Sticky Fingers in the North Regional championship.

#55 seed Sticky Fingers defeated conference rival #7 Exile on Main Street, 2.5-2, in the North Regional. Sticky advances as the lowest seed remaining in the tournament, winning all three of their matchups by the slimmest of margins. The seedings would indicate this victory over Exile as yet another upset, but many considered the albums as equals heading into the matchup as the two split during the regular season, each winning at home. The match lived up to expectations as it was hotly contested throughout with Sticky’s all-star starting lineup keeping pace with Exile’s deep rotation of songs. “Typical Sticky-Exile match” said Sticky Fingers. “Hard fought and undecided until the final moment.” “We played well, but we just didn’t have enough tonight” said Exile. “They’re our conference brother so we wish ‘em the best in the tourney.”

South Regional

MAYBERRY  (JP) -  #4 seed Highway 61 Revisited continued to steamroll its way through the South Regional with another 4.5-0 victory, this time over #13 Abbey Road. 61 was considered to be only a slight favorite in all three of its tournament matches, but has won all three in blowout fashion and is the only tournament album that has yet to be scored on. “We’re playing really well right now” said 61, “probably the best we’ve played all season, so we’re peaking at the right time.” Highway 61 will face #44 At Fillmore East in the South Regional championship.

#44 seed At Fillmore East upset #5 Rubber Soul, 2.5-2. Fillmore, despite being an underdog in its two previous matches as well as this one, has gone relatively unnoticed in its path to the Sweet Sixteen. But the album is no longer under the radar as this victory over top regional seed Rubber Soul is easily the most shocking upset of the three. Rubber Soul jumped out to an early lead and appeared to be in control until Fillmore went on a scoring spree to tie the match at the half. The run continued at the beginning of the second half as Fillmore took a modest lead and held it for the better part of the half. Rubber Soul came battling back in the final moments to nearly tie the match but in the end fell short, leaving Rubber Soul songs sitting on the court in dismay as the Fillmore songs celebrated. “This is for all the non-believers” exclaimed Fillmore song Whipping Post. “Nobody gave us a chance but we shocked the world tonight.” “We knew they were gonna come at us with a run eventually” said Fillmore, “and they almost got us.” “I’m not going to use that as an excuse” said Rubber Soul when asked if its songs were overconfident. “We just didn’t play well until the end of the match and by then it was too late.”

West Regional

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  Top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band defeated #16 Nevermind, 4.5-0, in the West Regional. Pepper’s appeared sluggish at times in previous tournament games but turned in a dominating performance in this matchup. “Our best performance of the tournament” said Pepper’s. “We’re getting better all the time.” Pepper’s will face #9 Blonde on Blonde in the West Regional championship.

Blonde on Blonde defeated #8 seed London Calling, 3.5-1, in the West Regional. London Calling held a small lead midway through the first half, but from there Blonde on Blonde took command of the match behind the hot shooting of “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again”. Blonde took the lead just before the half and gradually built on it throughout the match. Blonde is one of three albums from the Bob Dylan conference to make the Elite Eight.  

ALBUM TOURNEY SWEET SIXTEEN PREVIEW

Beatles, Dylan, and Stones Conferences Prevalent

JOETOPIC PRESS

POSTED July 4, 2015

Over half of the remaining sixteen tournament entries will be from three conferences. Four albums are from the Beatles Conference, three from the Dylan Conference, and two from the Rolling Stones Conference. Here’s a look around the Regions as the Sweet Sixteen gets underway:

East Regional

CYNICAL CITY  (JP) -  Tournament officials are considering bringing in extra lighting for the Blue vs Kind of Blue matchup despite the objections of both albums. “I think both albums play better under a darker setting, so why add lighting?” said Kind of Blue. “We haven’t made a final decision yet,” said a tournament official, “but we have to think about the safety of the fans. The combined deep blue of both albums could make it so dark that our audience won’t be able to see where they’re walking or what they’re doing. And considering our audience’s usual state of mind for these matchups, that’s not good.”

West Regional

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  Nevermind hopes its youth will be a positive rather than a negative against top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Nevermind is by far the youngest album in the sweet sixteen and the Nirvana conference champ hopes to use its youth to its advantage. “Our fresh legs have gotten us this far so we’re not gonna stop using them now” said Nevermind of victories over the aged Elvis Presley and the more than twenty years older Born to Run. “Hopefully that will cover for our inexperience. Well, inexperience relative to Pepper’s, that is.”  Sgt. Pepper’s has yet to be seriously threatened, but also hasn’t been winning by wide margins, leaving some to think the Sarge is prime to be upset. “We’re not fooled by the (Pepper’s matchup) scores” said Nevermind. “Sometimes they take their foot off the gas, but when it’s crunch time they always come through. Every album is gunning for you when you’re top ranked, so it’s difficult to display the same intensity on a consistent basis. But I’m sure we’ll get their best.”

South Regional

MAYBERRY  (JP) -  Highway 61 Revisited has been dominant in the first two rounds as it navigates its way through what many say is shaping up to be the toughest path for any of the regional top seeds. Oddsmakers listed Highway 61 as only a slight favorite over both first round opponent Graceland and second round opponent Let it Bleed, yet 61 won both matches in blowout fashion. And once again, 61 is expected to be in a tight battle with third round opponent Abbey Road. Abbey Road finished fifth in The Beatles conference, yet is the #13 seed. “Any album from The Beatles conference is a challenge” said 61. The Beatles conference is rated as the best according to RS Power Ratings. The Bob Dylan conference is rated #2. Highway 61 is the Dylan conference champion.

North Regional

LAKELAND  (JP) - The buzz around Lakeland is whether Physical Graffiti and Sticky Fingers can continue their storybook run through the tournament. The albums are by far the lowest seeds in the sweet sixteen. “Both of ‘em have a legitimate shot” said ESPN guest analyst Paul Simon. #63 seed Physical Graffiti will face #15 Blood on the Tracks and #55 Sticky Fingers will face conference foe and #7 seed Exile on Main Street. Exile won the Rolling Stones conference while Sticky Fingers finished fourth, but the two split during the regular season, each winning at home. “We’ve beat ‘em before so we know we can do it” said Sticky Fingers song Sway, “but we also know we’ll have to play our best to beat ‘em.” “They’ve got some weapons” said Exile, “we’ll have to rotate songs to defend ‘em and hopefully wear ‘em out.” Despite the fourth place finish, Sticky Fingers placed three songs on the all-conference team and one on the second team. “Sticky Fingers has the four superstars, but Exile has a stable full of very good songs that keep coming at you” said Simon. “One good song goes out and a song just as good comes in. But Sticky has some pretty good songs on the bench, too, so it should be a great battle.” 

ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

One Two for the Ages

       Cinderellas Sticky Fingers, Physical Graffiti Come Back From                Huge Halftime Deficits to Advance to Sweet Sixteen

          Top Seed Sgt. Pepper’s Wins Again

JOETOPIC PRESS

POSTED July 3, 2015

#55 seed Sticky Fingers upset #23 Rumours, 2.5-2, in an “instant classic” that will be remembered as a tale of two halves. Rumours dominated early and by halftime had built a seemingly insurmountable lead behind the hot shooting of the whole starting lineup, particularly The Chain and Never Going Back Again. But the second half was all Sticky Fingers until the closing moments when both albums were trading scores and the lead.  A last second buzzer beater by Sticky Fingers superstar Can’t You Hear Me Knocking sealed the victory and left Rumours and their fans stunned. “We enjoyed so much success early on that we became complacent, greedy and individualistic” said Rumours, trying to explain the second half meltdown. “Instead of staying together as a unit we all just went our own way.” Sticky Fingers will face conference rival and champion Exile on Main Street in the third round of the North Regional. The albums split in the regular season.

#63 seed Physical Graffiti continued its unlikely run through the North Regional in dramatic fashion. The play-in album came roaring back from a huge halftime deficit and shocked #31 Music From Big Pink, 2.5-2, taking its only lead of the match just as the final buzzer sounded. Graffiti, coming off a shocking first round upset over #2 seed Pet Sounds, becomes the only play-in tournament entry to ever make the Sweet 16. Graffiti song Kashmir lead the scoring but struggled near the end as fellow song Ten Years Gone hit the game winner off of a Kashmir miss. “That’s what we’re all about” said Kashmir, “we pick each other up. I got pressured at the end but my supporting cast came through.” Physical Graffiti will face #15 Blood on the Tracks in the third round.

Top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 3-1.5 victory over #33 Tapestry. Tapestry stood up to the legendary album and took a lead into the half. But that only seemed to awaken a sleeping giant as Pepper’s poured it on in the second half. “We had ‘em where we wanted ‘em, but they really kicked it up a notch in the second half” said Tapestry. “So close, yet so far away.” Sgt. Pepper’s will face #16 seed Nevermind in round three.

In other tournament action:

East Regional

CYNICAL CITY  (JP) -  #27 seed Blue held off Led Zeppelin IV, 2.5-2, in the East Regional. It was a matchup of contrasting styles with Zep IV’s fast paced attack countering Blue’s unhurried strategy. The match was tied at the half as the #59 seed Zep IV, coming off a stunning upset in round one, continued to play well. Blue established a small lead early in the second half behind solid performances from Blue, California, and River. Zep IV stayed within striking distance throughout the match behind the power of When the Levee Breaks and the speed of Black Dog, but was unable to ever gain the lead. “We just ran out of time” said Zep IV. “I’m proud of the way we played in this match, and all season. I love every one of our songs.” Blue will face Kind of Blue in the third round.

#3 Revolver crushed fellow conference member Please Please Me, 4.5-0, in the East Regional. It was the second tournament shutout in a row for the powerhouse album and the third victory this season over Please Please Me. Revolver established dominance early and never looked back. Please Me came close to scoring at the end of the match, but by then the outcome had long since been decided. Revolver will face #14 seed Are You Experienced in the third round.

Other scores:

Are You Experienced 3  Bridge Over Troubled Water 1.5

Kind of Blue 4.5 Live at the Apollo 0

North Regional

LAKELAND  (JP) -  #15 Blood on the Tracks easily dispatched of #18 Astral Weeks, 4.5-0, in the North Regional.  “Sweet sixteen, baby” shouted Tracks song Idiot Wind in the tunnel, smiling as it echoed off the walls. Blood on the Tracks will face red-hot #63 Physical Graffiti in round three.

Other scores:

Exile on Main Street 4.5  Dark Side of the Moon 0

South Regional

MAYBERRY  (JP) -  #44 seed At Fillmore East rode a late surge to advance to the sweet sixteen with a 2.5-2 upset over #12 The Velvet Underground & Nico. The match was hotly contested throughout as the lead changed hands often. Fillmore fell behind early but overcame the slow start to take a slight lead into halftime, which it held onto through most of the second half. But The VU made a late run and regained the lead behind the play of I’m Waiting For the Man, Venus in Furs, and Heroin. But the lead was short-lived as Fillmore completely shut down VU and closed the match with a dominating finish to complete its second straight tournament upset -  Fillmore defeated #21 Innervisions in the first round. “We just kept believing in ourselves” said Fillmore song Statesboro Blues, “But we ain’t satisfied. We still got work to do.”

#4 seed Highway 61 Revisited cruised to an easier than expected victory over #29 Let it Bleed, 4.5-0, in the South Regional. Both albums played well in the much anticipated matchup between the Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones power-conferences. But Highway 61’s depth proved to be too much for Let it Bleed as 61’s reserves outscored Let It Bleed’s bench by a significant amount. “Don’t let the final score fool you” said Highway 61, “the game was closer than what it indicates”. Indeed, Highway 61 had difficulty containing Let it Bleed songs Gimme Shelter and Monkey Man. And Country Honk played one of its best matches. But 61 got production from most all of its roster and simply outscored the hot shooting Let it Bleed. Ironically, Like A Rolling Stone led Highway 61 in scoring. Highway 61 will face #13 seed Abbey Road in the third round.

Other scores:

Abbey Road 3.5  Here’s Little Richard 1

Rubber Soul 3  Bringing it All Back Home 1.5

West Regional

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  #16 seed Nevermind overcame a halftime deficit to defeat #17 Born to Run 3-1.5, in the West Regional. The match started off sloppy as both albums shot poorly from the field and committed several turnovers in the first half. But the young Nevermind caught fire in the second half while Born to Run continued to struggle against the fresh legs of the Nirvana Conference champion. The outcome was still unresolved late in the match as Nevermind held on to a slight lead, but those who watched had little doubt as Nirvana appeared to be in complete control.

Other scores:

Blonde on Blonde 3.5  The Band 1

London Calling 2.5  Who’s Next 2

Power Conferences Flex Their Muscles in First Round

POSTED  JUNE 26, 2015

BLOGTOWN  (JP) -  The three power conferences, Dylan, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones were a combined 12-3 in first round action. The Bob Dylan conference remains undefeated as all four albums advanced. The Beatles conference has the most remaining entries as five of seven advanced.

Tournament Conference Breakdown

            Conference Win Loss Record                                Conference Albums Currently in Tournament

Bob Dylan	4	0	1.000			The Beatles	5
The Band	2	0	1.000			Bob Dylan	4
Bruce Springsteen	1	0	1.000			The Rolling Stones	3
Carole King	1	0	1.000			The Band	2
Fleetwood Mac	1	0	1.000			Led Zeppelin	2
James Brown	1	0	1.000			Bruce Springsteen	1
Joni Mitchell	1	0	1.000			Carole King	1
Little Richard	1	0	1.000			Fleetwood Mac	1
Miles Davis	1	0	1.000			James Brown	1
Nirvana	1	0	1.000			Joni Mitchell	1
Pink Floyd	1	0	1.000			Little Richard	1
Simon & Garfunkel	1	0	1.000			Miles Davis	1
Allman Brothers	1	0	1.000			Nirvana	1
The Clash	1	0	1.000			Pink Floyd	1
The Velvet Underground	1	0	1.000			Simon & Garfunkel	1
The Who	1	0	1.000			Allman Brothers	1
Led Zeppelin	3	1	0.750			The Clash	1
The Rolling Stones	3	1	0.750			The VU	1
The Beatles	5	2	0.714			The Who	1
Neil Young	1	1	0.500			Jimi Hendrix	1
Jimi Hendrix	1	1	0.500			Van Morrison	1
Van Morrison	1	1	0.500
AC/DC	0	1	0.000
Billy Joel	0	1	0.000
Captain Beefheart	0	1	0.000
Curtis Mayfield	0	1	0.000
David Bowie	0	1	0.000
Eagles	0	1	0.000
Elvis Presley	0	1	0.000
Guns N' Roses	0	1	0.000
John Coltrane	0	1	0.000
John Lennon	0	1	0.000
Love	0	1	0.000
Marvin Gaye	0	1	0.000
Patti Smith	0	1	0.000
Paul Simon	0	1	0.000
Prince	0	1	0.000
Public Enemy	0	1	0.000
Radiohead	0	1	0.000
Ramones	0	1	0.000
Sex Pistols	0	1	0.000
The Beach Boys	0	1	0.000
The Doors	0	1	0.000
Michael Jackson	0	2	0.000
Stevie Wonder	0	2	0.000
U2	0	2	0.000

 ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

Top Seed Sgt. Pepper’s advances, #2 Pet Sounds Out

JOETOPIC PRESS

POSTED JUNE 22, 2015

#1 seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band survived a late run from #64 After the Gold Rush to advance in the West Regional, 3-1.5. Sgt. Pepper’s established a commanding lead but After the Gold Rush wouldn’t go away. “We knew coming into the match this wasn’t going to be easy”, said Pepper’s song With a Little Help From my Friends, “Tell Me Why is a helluva song.” Other Pepper’s songs weren’t so gracious. “We face songs as good as Tell Me Why all of the time in our conference” sniffed A Day in the Life.

#63 seed Physical Graffiti upset #2 seed Pet Sounds in the North Regional, 2.5-2. Pet Sounds jumped out to an early lead, but eventually wore down as Graffiti kept pounding away with drums and hard driving riffs. “We had our chances but we just couldn’t match their physicality” said Pet Sounds. Graffiti, which finished third in the Led Zeppelin conference, barely made the cut as a Play In entry and now finds themselves in the unlikely position to advance to the sweet sixteen. Graffiti will face #31 seed Music From Big Pink in the second round.

In other tournament action:

East Regional

CYNICAL CITY  (JP) -  #59 seed Led Zeppelin IV stunned #6 What’s Going On in the East Regional, 3.5-1. What’s Going On, the only entry from the Marvin Gaye conference, played well, but in the end Zep IV wore down Going On with consistent play throughout the match. Zep IV superstar Stairway to Heaven was exuberant after the match. “We knew if we forced them into gimmicks like talking instead of singing, and overusing cliché phrases that are now outdated, we could score some points on them. And that’s what we did.”

In other games:

Revolver 3  Superfly 0

Please Please Me 3.5  The Ramones 1

Bridge Over Troubled Water 2.5 Thriller 2

Are You Experienced 3.5  Beggars Banquet 1

Kind of Blue 3  Achtung Baby 0

Live at the Appolo 2  It Takes a Nation of Millions 0

Blue 3.5  The Doors 1

North Regional

LAKELAND  (JP) -  #55 seed Sticky Fingers upset #10 The Beatles- a.k.a. The White Album, 2.5-2, in the North Regional. The matchup featured albums from two of the top four conferences in the world according to Rolling Stone Magazine’s power ratings. Both teams finished fourth in their conference. The White Album presented arguably the deepest bench in the tournament, but many have criticized the album throughout the season for over utilizing its bench. The criticism proved justifiable in this matchup as White Album songs Revolution #9, and Wild Honey Pie entered the match and missed badly, allowing Sticky Fingers weakest threat You Gotta Move to score easily at the other end. “In hindsight I suppose we should have stuck with our starters”, said The White Album, “but there have been many occasions throughout the season where our bench provided a spark, so you just never know.”

In other games:

Music From Big Pink 3  Hotel California 0

Astral Weeks 3.5  Meet the Beatles 1

Blood on the Tracks 3.5  Songs in the Key of Life 1

Rumours 3  A Love Supreme 0

Dark Side of the Moon 2.5  Led Zeppelin 2

Exile on Main Street 3  Off the Wall 0 

South Regional

MAYBERRY  (JP) -  #44 At Fillmore East upset #21 Innervisions, 2.5-2, in front of a mostly long-haired crowd clad in a variable assortment of bandanas, tye-dyes, and cowboy hats. “Well, it wasn’t exactly bipartisan” said Innervisions of the crowd, “ and that cloud of smoke they were putting in the air was so thick I couldn’t see. The South is about the worst place they could have sent us for this matchup.” “Fillmore is a great album” said Innervisions song Higher Ground, “but I’d like to see how they’d do in front of our home crowd.”

In other games:

Highway 61 Revisited 4.5  Graceland 0

Let it Bleed 3  Forever Changes 0

Here’s Little Richard 2.5  Plastic Ono Band 2

Abbey Road 3  Trout Mask Replica 0

The VU and Nico 3.5  Appetite for Destruction 1

At Fillmore East 2.5  Innervisions 2

Bringing it all Back Home 3  Never Mind the Bullocks 0

Rubber Soul 3  The Stranger 0 

West Regional

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  The Band defeated The Joshua Tree in a mild upset, 2.5-2. The Joshua Tree, coming into the match on the strength of several hit singles, appeared visibly frustrated with the officiating. “I’m not saying it’s the reason we lost, but I don’t think the officials were prepared for our style of play”. Tree tried to maintain diplomacy, but when pressed on the matter became increasingly annoyed. “Look, I don’t want to want to take anything away from The Band, they played great. But a lot of those calls don’t get made in our conference. Or in our genre, for that matter. They just don’t. Now that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

In other games:

Tapestry 2.5  Ziggy Stardust 2

Born to Run 3.5  Electric Ladyland 1

Nevermind 3  Elvis Presley 0

Blonde on Blonde 4.5  Moondance 0

Who’s Next 3  Horses 0

London Calling 3  Kid A 0

 Tournament Officials Decide to Move Voting Deadlines Up Two Days

joetopic: “We didn’t want to let the tournament get too stale”

By joereporter   

JOETOPIC PRESS 

POSTED JUNE 15, 2015

BLOGTOWN  (JP) -  Tournament officials have decided to shorten the first round voting period for the So Called All-Time Greatest Albums tournament by moving the voting deadlines up two days. The changes to the schedule will be completed on the brackets over the next 24 hours. We had a chance to sit down with tournament commissioner joetopic to discuss the reason for the change and the tournament in general:

Q: Why the change in deadlines?

The reason for the lengthy time period was to allow joeseddit enough time to listen to some of the many albums he hasn’t yet heard. We figured his vote would be important due to the possibility that he may be the only one voting on several of the matchups. But as it turns out, we’ve had some very credible participants voting on most all of the matchups. And even though we know joeseddit isn’t going to get to all of the first round albums, he is making good progress. We didn’t want to let the tournament get too stale to hold interest.

Q: Shortening only the first round by two days doesn’t seem very significant. Any chance of shortening subsequent rounds or maybe even taking more days off of the first round?

The possibility exists. This is all new to us so we’re kinda playing it by feel.

Q: Yes, it is new. Is this the first annual?… Will there be another in the future?

(laughs) No, that would be kinda pointless.

Q: How do you think it’s going? Anything you would have done differently?

(laughs again) You mean other than the time frame? We’ve had a couple of ideas in hindsight that we discussed, but decided that they probably wouldn’t have worked.

Q: Such as?

Well for one, we discussed the idea of allowing voters a certain amount of points per matchup to assign between the two albums, which would give us an idea of how strongly the voter felt about a selection. If, for example, if we assigned seven points for each matchup and a voter likes “After the Gold Rush” over “Purple Rain”, the voter could assign Gold Rush 4 points and Purple Rain 3 points if it was a close call. And if another voter loved Purple Rain and didn’t care for Gold Rush, the score could be 7 for Purple Rain and 0 for Gold Rush. Then we’d add the voter’s scores to the album’s running total as opposed to just one vote each. In this example the score would be 10-4 in favor of Purple Rain. But we decided that even if we had thought of it, we probably wouldn’t have implemented the idea. Too much work for the voter -we don’t want to discourage any one from participating. Plus it would leave our scorekeepers vulnerable to errors.  We also thought it may have been cool to report periodic progress on a “Not in The Tournament” (NIT) consisting of albums 69 thru 100, but decided that would have been overkill.

Q: What criteria is the voter supposed to use for choosing an album?

We intentionally didn’t specify criteria. We want to leave that up to the voter. All we ask is that the voter has heard both albums in a matchup. And to refrain from voting on the matchups where only one or neither album has been listened to.

Q: What’s with the extra half-vote for joeseddit? Seems kind of pompous. Is that some kind of reward for running the tournament?

No, not at all. We just knew there could be a lot of ties. How else you gonna break ‘em?

Q: You keep saying “we”. Who’s “we”?

(chuckles) Well, me and my imaginary associates here, of which you’re one of ‘em so I’m surprised you’d ask that question.

Q: Just seems weird is all. Are you crazy?

I just feel it gives us more options to make this site fun and to dispense information. Like this interview for instance. It also allows us to participate in the comment section with joeseddit’s opinions and to neutrally facilitate the posts as joetopic. I dunno, if we are crazy we’d probably be the last to know. So I guess I’m not the best one to answer that question. 

Tapestry Cleared in Compilation Investigation

POSTED  JUNE 15, 2015

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  Tournament officials have completed their investigation and have cleared the album Tapestry of claims that some of the album’s songs may have been illegally recruited from a previous album. “A couple of the songs previously played for albums in a different conference as a different version, but we found no evidence of an exact version of any of the Tapestry songs being previously released on another album” said a tournament official. Under the compilation rules, an album could be disqualified from the tournament if its songs were recruited from an album within its own conference. The most notable songs in question were Will You Love Me Tomorrow? and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, which previously played in the Shirelles’ and the Aretha Franklin conferences respectively. According to tournament officials, songs that transfer from a different conference are eligible to play immediately. “Actually, the rules allow for more discretion than most people realize” said one tourney official, “We generally excuse one or sometimes two duplicate songs if a large portion of the album is original releases.  Meet the Beetles! for instance has been cleared to include I Saw Her Standing There on its roster, even though it was previously released on Please Please Me. And then there’s the early albums that were released in the U.S. and in England with slightly different rosters. The purpose of the rule is to prevent an album from cherry-picking its conference’s best songs at the end of the season and trying to enter what would amount to a conference all-star lineup.”

When asked if the investigation was a distraction, Tapestry replied, “Well it was a little unnerving so we’re glad it’s over. I don’t know what took so long, there was only one other album to investigate. But I don’t think it will affect our performance. We finished our prep work over 40 years ago. Now we just have to go out and play.”

Tapestry is currently in a matchup with Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars from the David Bowie conference.

ALBUM TOURNEY ROUNDUP

After the Gold Rush, Physical Graffiti Advance

POSTED  JUNE 13, 2015

CENTERVILLE  (JP) - After the Gold Rush and Physical Graffiti advanced from the four album Play In round to the field of 64 in the So Called All-Time Greatest Albums tourney.

Physical Graffiti defeated Back in Black by a score of 3-0 and will face #2 seed Pet Sounds in the North Regional.

After the Gold Rush defeated Purple Rain 3-0 and will next face top seed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the West Regional. The Pepper’s matchup is anticipated to be tighter than the 1 vs 64 seeding would indicate as many felt the Neil Young conference was snubbed with Gold Rush barely making the cut as the conference’s only tournament entry. “Obviously we would have liked to have been seeded high enough to not have to endure an extra round and then immediately face the top seed” said Gold Rush, “but to win the tournament you have to face the best eventually. We just want to make a good showing.”

Tapestry Under Investigation for Recruiting Violations

POSTED  JUNE 11, 2015

LIBERALVILLE  (JP) -  The album Tapestry is under investigation amid allegations that some of the songs may have been illegally recruited from other albums. Compilation albums are not allowed in the So Called All-Time Greatest Albums tournament. Tapestry would be immediately disqualified if found guilty. “We have nothing to hide” said Tapestry, the only tournament entry from the Carole King conference. “Those songs are original releases and we expect a quick resolution absolving us of these charges.” Tapestry did acknowledge that some of the songs were released by other conferences, but maintains that since they were not previously released under any album from the Carole King conference that the album should not be considered a compilation. Tournament officials confirmed that in order for an album to be considered a compilation, the songs would have to have been recruited as a transfer from an album in the same conference. “It can sometimes get tricky if the song’s writing credits belong to a different conference” said a tournament official, “but we don’t think that’s an issue in this case. It’s still very early in the investigation.”