Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

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Brad
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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Brad »

Welcome to round 1.4 of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2020!

Vote for your favorite album in each match-up.
Remember, anyone can vote as long as the voter has heard both albums.

Good-spirited comments are encouraged, but not absolutely necessary.
Deadline = April 7th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=473090

Match-ups:
1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy


Also, a tie from the last round!
Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges - Clube da Esquina vs. The Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk
***TIE! 12-12 Next vote from anyone who has not already voted for this matchup wins!***


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Last edited by Brad on Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Schüttelbirne »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by DaveC »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy

Didn't expect to vote for 'Still Bill' before listening back-to-back.
Happy to hear a cover of 'July Morning'.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Bang Jan »

1 | Rush | 2112
3 | Madness | One Step Beyond

2 | Fiona Apple | When the Pawn…
4 | Bill Withers | Still Bill

7 | Don Henley | End Of The Innocence
7 | Brand New | Deja Entendu

Abstaining from this matchup.

6 | Axel Rudi Pell | The Masquerade Ball
5 | Built To Spill | There is No Enemy

Favourite song of the week: Rush | 2112
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by StevieFan13 »

Madness - One Step Beyond
Fiona Apple - When the Pawn...
Don Henley - End of the Innocence
Built to Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Rdwdbob »

MADNESS - ONE STEP BEYOND
BILL WITHERS - STILL BILL
DON HENLEY - END OF THE INNOCENCE
BUILT TO SPILL - THERE IS NO ENEMY
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Wisnu Tirta Aji »

1. Madness - One Step Closer
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pion...
3. Don Henley - The End of the Innocence
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Cold Butterfly »

1. Madness - One Stop Beyond
2. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Pass
4. Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Madzong »

Madness | One Step Beyond
Fiona Apple | When the Pawn…
Don Henley | End Of The Innocence
Built To Spill | There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Romain »

1. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
3. Pass
4. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy[/color]
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by andyd1010 »

A lot of people seem to hate the 3rd matchup...

Pass
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
3. Brand New - Deja Entendu
Pass
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by PlasticRam »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy

Still Bill is on my AT list.
I feel like that
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Rob »

andyd1010 wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:00 pm A lot of people seem to hate the 3rd matchup...
It is very noticeable how many people skip that one. Does it have something to do with #me-too situation regarding Brand New's frontman?
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Jirin »

2112 88 - One Step Beyond 64
When The Pawn 97 - Still Bill 78
Deja Entrendu 75 - The End Of Innocence 54
There Is No Enemy 61 - The Masquerade Ball 57
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by bonnielaurel »

Madness - One Step Beyond
Bill Withers - Still Bill
Don Henley - The End of Innocence
Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by mileswide »

4. Rush - 2112 v. 3. Madness - One Step Beyond

2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn.... v. 1. Bill Withers - Still Bill

5. Brand New - Deja Entendu v. 8. Don Henley - The End of the Innocence

6. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball v. 7. Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy

Standout tracks: A Passage to Bangkok | The Prince | To Your Love | Who Is He (And What Is He to You)? | Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades | Gimme What You Got | Earls of Black | Good Ol' Boredom
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Listyguy »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
This isn't as much a vote for Rush as it is a vote against Madness

2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
The two best albums out of the six that I listened to are facing off, sadly.

3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by acroamor »

Holding off on voting right now, but one of this week's contenders, Bill Withers, just passed away. (from heart complications, not coronavirus).
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by PlasticRam »

acroamor wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:37 pm Holding off on voting right now, but one of this week's contenders, Bill Withers, just passed away. (from heart complications, not coronavirus).
Damn. Rest in peace.
I feel like that
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Safetycat »

1. 2112 > 5. One Step Beyond

3. When the Pawn... < 2. Still Bill

6. End Of The Innocence < 4. Deja Entendu

8. The Masquerade Ball < 7. There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Madzong »

Rob wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:45 pm
andyd1010 wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:00 pm A lot of people seem to hate the 3rd matchup...
It is very noticeable how many people skip that one. Does it have something to do with #me-too situation regarding Brand New's frontman?
And possibly because of this? (From
Wikipedia):

Henley called paramedics to his home on November 21, 1980, where a 16-year-old girl was found naked and claiming she had overdosed on quaaludes and cocaine. She was arrested for prostitution, while a 15-year-old girl found in the house was arrested for being under the influence of drugs. He was subsequently charged for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, fined and put on probation. Henley was arrested and pleaded no contest. He was fined $2,500 and put on two years' probation. Chiles, who was no longer in a relationship with Henley at the time of the incident, later said, "I was shocked to hear about it. He didn't have drugs around the house. It was an accident, I'm sure." The media attention from this incident was primary among the inspirations for the solo hit, "Dirty Laundry".
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by StevieFan13 »

madzong wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 2:20 am
Rob wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:45 pm
andyd1010 wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:00 pm A lot of people seem to hate the 3rd matchup...
It is very noticeable how many people skip that one. Does it have something to do with #me-too situation regarding Brand New's frontman?
And possibly because of this? (From
Wikipedia):

Henley called paramedics to his home on November 21, 1980, where a 16-year-old girl was found naked and claiming she had overdosed on quaaludes and cocaine. She was arrested for prostitution, while a 15-year-old girl found in the house was arrested for being under the influence of drugs. He was subsequently charged for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, fined and put on probation. Henley was arrested and pleaded no contest. He was fined $2,500 and put on two years' probation. Chiles, who was no longer in a relationship with Henley at the time of the incident, later said, "I was shocked to hear about it. He didn't have drugs around the house. It was an accident, I'm sure." The media attention from this incident was primary among the inspirations for the solo hit, "Dirty Laundry".
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by andyd1010 »

Wow, never knew that story. For the record, I didn't skip my two matchups because of any moral dilemmas, but just because I haven't heard any of those albums and am prioritizing Springsteen and 1972 so I don't miss the deadlines this month.

Unfortunately, many of my favorite artists (and many of the top artists on this site and this forum) have committed criminal offenses and done horrible things to people. I'm going to continue to judge their works separately from them as human beings.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Listyguy »

Off the top of my head I can think of incidents involving underaged girls that involved Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones. And we all know about Michael Jackson. Fame corrupts.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by FrankLotion »

1. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by andyd1010 »

Listyguy wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:06 am Off the top of my head I can think of incidents involving underaged girls that involved Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones. And we all know about Michael Jackson. Fame corrupts.
Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith as well.

Domestic abuse for John Lennon, Miles Davis, James Brown and Ike Turner.

Jim Morrison (The Doors) got arrested for a whole bunch of things.

Frank Sinatra is tied to all kinds of shady activities and crimes.

Jay Z sold crack, shot his brother and stabbed a guy.

Johnny Cash started a 500-acre fire that killed nearly all the remaining California condors, contributing to their extinction.

Eric Clapton said at a concert, "Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white. I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism."

That's just the tip of the iceberg.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
My hesitance on this one has nothing to do with ethics... it's that these are easily my two least favorite tournament selections so far. Don't really want to hear either again.
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
BTS's "Tomorrow" is my favorite song of the 21st century

Thanks!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by acroamor »

2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
3. Brand New - Deja Entendu
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Rdwdbob »

andyd1010 wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:06 pm
Listyguy wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:06 am Off the top of my head I can think of incidents involving underaged girls that involved Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones. And we all know about Michael Jackson. Fame corrupts.
Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith as well.

Domestic abuse for John Lennon, Miles Davis, James Brown and Ike Turner.

Jim Morrison (The Doors) got arrested for a whole bunch of things.

Frank Sinatra is tied to all kinds of shady activities and crimes.

Jay Z sold crack, shot his brother and stabbed a guy.

Johnny Cash started a 500-acre fire that killed nearly all the remaining California condors, contributing to their extinction.

Eric Clapton said at a concert, "Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white. I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism."

That's just the tip of the iceberg.
There are so many levels and degrees of disfunction and malfeasance everywhere in politics and entertainment. Obviously so many of them are heinous and unforgivable. I try to appreciate art for arts sake regardless of where it came from. Do I sometimes shudder at the fact that I might like something that comes from a deplorable? Absolutely! But I still judge the art for art. (politics aside lol)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by rumpdoll »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
In all other constellations Bill Withers would have gotten my vote (and I have no idea why I wrote this in german first)
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
Last edited by rumpdoll on Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Rob »

8. Don Henley – The End of the Innocence
This is very subjective I know, but the main element that ruins The End of the Innocence for me is that Don Henley sounds very insincere to my ears. Or perhaps: not authentic in his emotions. This album is full of social commentary, about how terrible modern life is, but it feels like it is sung from a far remove. This is from the era in which the protest song was no longer the detailed poetry of Bob Dylan or the lived-in experience of a Woody Guthrie, but is all about sweeping statements and generalizations. The era that gave us We Are the World and Do They Know It’s Christmas, where someone as isolated from everyday life as Michael Jackson gave musical advise about how people should live. This was rampant in the eighties – the era of the worst protest songs – and went on until somewhere in the nineties, but is looked deservedly unfavorably at today. No measure of well-meaning could disguise how self-congratulating and fake these songs are. The End of Innocence is this as a full-length album. I do not so much care that Don Henley is a rich man singing about troubles mostly ailing the non-rich, but I do mind that he sounds like he hasn’t had to deal with anything he sings about. To be fair, I’ve never cared for either the Eagles or Don Henley solo, outside of Hotel California (the song, certainly not the album) and Boys of Summer. Everything sounds to glib and worked-over when these guys are involved and Don Henley doesn’t have a voice I find generally appealing. But mixed with lyrics as on this album it becomes something truly awful.

7. Brand New – Deja Entendu
Controversies aside, this isn’t my favorite type of rock. It’s emo rock apparently, a genre I have little familiarity with, but it reminds me very much of rock that was typical of the late nineties, early zeroes, mostly vocally. It’s a type of singing that is rough, but without character. There is a very thin line between self-pity (which I hate) and critical self-examination (which I tend to love) and it is primarily the whine in the vocals here that make this feel like it belong in the former category. There is also the by now familiar soft-loud approach to verse and chorus that grunge popularized, but here just doesn’t work as well, because the riffs aren’t all that great. That doesn’t make it a bad album to listen to, but one that failed to draw me in during the first two listens. Maybe there are hidden depths here that have to reveal themselves over time, but for now I didn’t care much.

6. Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
Built to Spill. Did they already appear once (or multiple times) in previous editions of Moderately Acclaimed? I have a feeling I have listened to them before, but am not sure. The problem is that this sounds very typical of a kind of alternative rock. Although not the same, my description of it is surprisingly close to how I described the music of Psychedelic Furs last week. This type of music is typified by singers who do not excel in anyway: their voices are neither ugly nor pretty and focus neither on storytelling nor emotion. The lyrics are fine and meaningful, but also not particularly poetic or gripping. The music is expansive, especially when it comes to the guitars, but lack playfulness, real hooks, deep emotion or anything to make it captivating. It’s a type of alternative music that to me deals in moderation and maybe even resignation. Maybe not in lyrical content, but in feel and sound. There Is No Enemy is not a bad listen at all and a few times the songs do seem to try to break through (almost ironically, the song called Good Ol’ Boredom succeeds most), but there is something missing to make this type of music stand out to me. Bands like this rarely if ever become truly popular, but their uncommercial, subtle attitude have given them a strong following (though Built to Spill has a lot of albums more beloved than this one) and I want to get behind it, but at the moment still fail.

5. Rush – 2112
There was never a band like Rush, was there? Prog rock has mostly mixed the cheesy with the sublime, but none did it quite like this band. When the title track starts we are treated by a magnificent wall of sound that can only be described as epicness incarnate. The less inhibited Rush are, the better, it seems. At the same time, that 20 minute song highlights a flaw of them: they could be aimless. Few songs, even long songs, alternate so much between the sublime and the dull. It’s a song I could never rank in any list, because the inconsistency of its movements. There are also five other tracks, all around the three minute mark. These are remarkably consistent, always good, but none of them among their best work. In the end 2112 is a solid Rush record, that shows that being Rush is a blessing and a curse. I do have a soft spot for them, regardless of their flaws.

4. Axel Rudi Pell – The Masquerade Ball
In a week where cheesiness reigns supreme, from the weak-tea schmaltz of Don Henley to the ambitious fun of Rush and wherever you place Madness on the cheese spectrum, there is also The Masquerade Ball by Axel Rudi Pell. Pell was once a guitar player for the band Steeler, unknown by me. That was an eighties metal band and although this album hails from 2000, it really feels like it came out two decades too late. Which is not to say that is a problem, as this is eighties metal done very well. Basically what you get is something in the vein of Iron Maiden. Big fat guitar riffs, unashamed epicness, silly dark lyrics with a hint of fantasy, goofy-cool vocals, high doses of energy and above all a lot of fun. In contrast to a lot of the miserabilism of post-eighties metal this is music that clearly means to be entertaining and seems to be done with a fair wink. The thing that clearly matters the most are the guitar riffs and although they are far from innovative, they are memorable and dare I say cool. Another plus is the consistency, as this remains a blast through all it’s 67 minutes. Even the ballads work. This is a real genre album, with nothing for people who don’t like heavy metal, but since this genre doesn’t show up much on this forum I am happy to say that this is a good one.

3. Bill Withers – Still Bill
I already wrote about it in the topic dealing with Withers’ passing, but it bears repeating: Whithers is a master of down-to-earth soul. Soul is not always my thing, because when things get too smooth I lose interest, but people like Withers and Otis Redding have a very lived-in and grounded voice. It really enhances the strength of the genre: pretty melodies. I knew him mostly for gentle hits like Lean On Me (the highlight of this album) and Ain’t No Sunshine, but there is also a tougher side here too, with songs like Who Is He and Use Me. What I didn’t know was that he also does funk very well, as shown on the great Kissing My Love. A very good album, all the way.

2. Madness – One Step Beyond
That album title is of course the name of the opening track and most famous song here, but it is also a mission statement, I feel. These guys seem to want to go one step beyond with each new song. It is relentless and there is no stopping them. Madness were a group who worked best (and as far as I know exclusively) as a high energy, joyous, humorous band and here they achieve this with each song. Few albums I know match this as a pure party record, where every track could get people on the dance floor.

1. Fiona Apple – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right
Sorry, Bill Withers, you were great and I’d love to commemorate you with a vote, but Fiona Apple’s album is a personal favorite. It is not one of my nominations, though, not in the least because I feel this is already an acclaimed album, but curiously it doesn’t rank all that high. For me, this is Apple’s masterpiece, the place where her mix of pop and jazz synthesize in a jubilant, but wry collection of songs of fucking up, recovering and fucking up again. To me, A Mistake has always been the key song and in an ideal world it would be her signature song. It captures the humorous, defiant way Apple can deal with her very serious pain. It’s easy to relate to.


A simple overview of my votes:

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Brad »

22 hours left to vote!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by spiritualized »

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball vs. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Myself »

1. Rush - 2112
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
3. Brand New - Deja Entendu
4. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by CupOfDreams »

1. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Pass
4. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red:

1. Rush - 2112 vs. Madness - One Step Beyond
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… vs. Bill Withers - Still Bill
3. Don Henley - End Of The Innocence vs. Brand New - Deja Entendu
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4718
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.4

Post by Brad »

25 voters this week:
acroamor
andyd1010
Bang Jan
bonnielaurel
Brad
Cold Butterfly
CupOfDreams
DaveC
FrankLotion
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
madzong
mileswide
Myself
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
Romain
rumpdoll
Safetycat
Schüttelbirne
spiritualized
StevieFan13
Wisnu Tirta Aji

Winners:
1. Madness - One Step Beyond over Rush - 2112 16-7
2. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn… over Bill Withers - Still Bill 15-10
3. Brand New - Deja Entendu over Don Henley - End Of The Innocence 12-7
4. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy over Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball 17-4

Round 1.5 up next!
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