Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

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Brad
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Brad »

Welcome to round 1.7 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 28th 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. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. Wayne Shorter - EMANON


TIE from last round!
R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
***Tie 11-11 Next vote from someone who has not already voted in this match-up wins!***


Old glasses clinking, and a new order's blinking
Last edited by Brad on Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Schüttelbirne »

1. 7 | Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. 2 | Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. 5 | Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. 8 | Rick James - Street Songs
3. 4 | Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances vs. 3 | Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. 6 | Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. 1 | Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by DaveC »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by StevieFan13 »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Rdwdbob »

KANYE WEST - 808s AND HEARTBREAK
RICK JAMES - STREET SONGS (I know ... I know ... just never could get into Joni - for me it's just the tone of her voice)
TITUS ANDRONICUS - THE AIRING OF GREIVANCES
THEA GILMORE - THE COUNTERWEIGHT
Last edited by Rdwdbob on Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Cold Butterfly »

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Rick James - Street Songs
Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances
Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Madzong »

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Rick James - Street Songs
Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances
Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight
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Romain
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Romain »

1. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by PlasticRam »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
I feel like that
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Akhenaten »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
2. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by FrankLotion »

1. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances
4. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Madzong »

Brad wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:12 pm Welcome to round 1.7 of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2020!

TIE from last round!
R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
***Tie 11-11 Next vote from someone who has not already voted in this match-up wins!***


Old glasses clinking, and a new order's blinking
Just curious but who won between R.E.M. and Nico?

Thanks :)
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Brad »

Nico in OT 12-11!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by mileswide »

8. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak v. 6. Fred Neil - Fred Neil

7. Joni Mitchell - For the Roses v. 2. Rick James - Street Songs

3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances v. 1. Taraf de Haïdouks - Band of Gypsies

5. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight v. 4. The Wayne Shorter Quartet - EMANON

Standout tracks: Amazing | That's the Bag I'm In | You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio* | Ghetto Life | Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ | Bride in a Red Dress (Louloudji) | New | Lost and Orbits Medley

*I know Joni recorded this as a joke but it's still the highlight!
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by acroamor »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Listyguy »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
I nominated 808s two years ago and it lost in round 1, hopefully it fares better this time around. I consider it Kanye's second best album (after MBDTF).

2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
This one was pretty close, I ultimately give Joni the edge though.

3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Jirin »

Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin 85 - 808s and Heartbreak 40
For The Roses 83 - Street Songs 80
The Airing of Grievances 83 - Band of Gypsys 77
EMANON 86 - The Counterweight 83
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. Wayne Shorter - EMANON

Band Of Gypsys and EMANON were especially enjoyable as work-from-home music this week. Thanks for nominating them!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Myself »

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
2. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Safetycat »

2. 808s & Heartbreak > 6. Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
5. For The Roses < 1. Street Songs
7. The Airing of Greivances < 4. Band of Gypsies
3. The Counterweight > 8. EMANON

Always liked 808s. Street Songs was one I really liked in the 80s poll. Band of Gypsies and Counterweight were both great surprises I really enjoyed on first listen, and the rest were all good. Still haven't figured out jazz though.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Rob »

A strange week in that it contains my least favorite album up to now, but otherwise I think it is the strongest line-up yet. The other seven are all very much worth my while.

8. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreaks
Usually it is my rule to listen to each album twice before voting in the first round, but in this case I felt no need. I have heard this album multiple times already, including twice two years ago for this very same game! Now I heard it once again and by now it is safe to say I don’t like this album one bit. Yes, I know this is one of those records that people claim will be bigger in the future, an overlooked masterpiece and whatnot, but I find it close to unlistenable. I probably said it before two years back, but this just sounds to me as an attempt by a guy who can’t sing if his life depended on it to disguise this fact by overlaying the sound of a robo-mosquito over his still clearly inept vocals. Curiously, it are the most popular and acclaimed tracks that grate on me the most: Heartless and Love Lockdown (as well as See You in My Nightmare) have the same effect on me as I suspect Peter Brötzmann’s Machine Gun has on many people on this forum. Kanye’s auto-tuned singing here is among the ugliest sounds I have ever heard and listening to this again and again just isn’t making things sound better in the slightest.

7. Rick James – Street Songs
During the time Prince was just on the rise there was another funk rocker dressed in curiously feminine fashion, but with hetero sex on his mind: Rick James. I really only knew him from the awesome Super Freak, though at least in the USA he had more hits and perhaps around the release of Street Songs you might be forgiven for thinking that Rick James would become a bigger article than Prince himself. James’ music is not as expansive as Prince’s. In fact, much of his sound feels like a slight update from funk of the early seventies: Curtis Mayfield, P-Funk, The Temptations, Sly & the Family Stone, that kind of stuff. Like Prince James mixes songs of lust with those of politics, the former usually more effective than the latter. It’s a great party record for the most part. The only thing keeping it down is the slow, dull, mawkish and seemingly endless duet with Teena Maria, Fire and Desire. Otherwise, this is a lot of fun.

6. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances
Like Pod last week this is an album with muddled production that gets by on sheer rock energy alone. Apparently these guys write sharp lyrics that matter. I couldn’t tell you; with this mix I’m happy if I can understand a quarter of what is said. Admittedly, like Pod it does annoy me somewhat that the voice has drowned in the overall sound and The Airing of Grievances can’t rely on the easy immediacy of The Breeder’s instruments. That doesn’t make it a bad album at all, as in the end it rocks and the emotions come through soundly.

5. Joni Mitchell – For the Roses
Something of an in between album for Mitchell. It is mostly still folksy stuff, but elements of jazz are creeping in and she takes a more free-form approach to melody. In this form she isn’t as good as on the earlier, more traditional Blue or Ladies of the Canyon, nor as strong as on the more innovative The Hissing of Summer Lawns or Hejira, but it is still a more than solid album by a great artist. The songs need to take their time to work into my system; only You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio (actually her first hit of sorts), is immediate. Once these songs have settled however, you’ll find another Mitchell gem, with great songs like Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire or See You Sometime. These tend to get a bit overlooked in her discography, but shouldn’t be.

4. Wayne Shorter – EMANON
Wayne Shorter is one of the legends of sixties jazz, but he is also a survivor who is still releasing music to this day. The thing with many of these old jazz legends is that unless you’re Miles Davis the world stopped paying attention to what you put out after perhaps the late seventies… If you were lucky to be in the picture that long! I don’t doubt that there are jazz fanatics who kept track of all these jazz legends’ careers throughout the decades, but based on acclaim and music history, that old guard of the fifties, sixties and seventies could well have died then and there. Like most musicians, however, they didn’t know how to stop and if health permitted they went on into old age.
I know very little about what they put out, so it is nice to at least get an example with EMANON, a Wayne Shorter record from the year 2018! Alas, my knowledge of the Wayne Shorter discography is extremely limited so I can’t compare this to his classic output. Still, this was a great surprise. This is accessible, but still expansive jazz, that for its long running time of 127 minutes doesn’t overstay its welcome. That length is also the result of the album being somewhat in two parts (or three, if you think in CD discs). For somewhat over 50 minutes we get a studio recording and after that there are live performances, many times of the songs from the first half. I don’t have much to say about the comparison between the studio and live versions, I leave that to jazz pro’s. What I can tell you is that I love how massive this sounded. Much of the music reminded me on a free-from version of old movie scores and I’m a sucker from that. However, paying more close attention I also couldn’t fail to note the tight interplay between the musicians. It’s a great record, regardless of when it was made and a lesson we should always keep an eye out for old masters.

3. Fred Neil – Fred Neil
One of these names I have known for a long time, but never listened to. I only knew his Everybody’s Talkin’ through the more famous Nilsson cover. A shame, because Neil is much better than Nilsson. He has the type of deep, characteristic voice that makes everything sound immediately interesting. Beyond that voice there are also captivating, sorrowful lyrics, although not without humor, as That’s the Bag I’m In testifies. I also love the production here that creates an open feeling, as if things were recorded in something like a church, which only deepens the effect of Neil’s voice. Curiously, it ends with a word-less 8 minute raga, that somehow manages to come out of nothing, yet turns out to be a fitting coda. Since I don’t like 808’s and Heartbreaks Fred Neil technically only had to show up to win, but luckily he brought something strong to the table.

2. Thea Gilmore – The Counterweight
A true, worthy discovery. I’d never heard of Thea Gilmore before and based on Spotify streams and other information I’m not the only one. She seems to have a small group of dedicated fans, but otherwise seems to be the definition of a hidden treasure, with a long string of albums that seem to be regarded well by the few who are in the know. Based on The Counterweight alone I have to agree that she is special. Sure, there is a lot here that sounds more than a little familiar. Many of the tunes remind me of other songs, even if I have a hard time pinpointing what songs they may be. There is a great variety in the music though. Opener Fall Together sounds like an honest to goodness Bond theme and beyond that she dabbles into rock, folk, light dance music, electronics and more traditional ballads. What ties it all together is her voice, which can convince you that all these songs belong together. The lyrics also have a unity, as they reflect on woes of modern times. It’s not stridently political, but close enoughIt’s not a work of great innovation, but one of great beauty, storytelling and insight. Exactly what I want out of a singer/songwriter album.

1. Taraf de Haïdouks – Band of Gyspies
One of my own nominations. I was travelling through Romania and Bulgaria during the Summer of 2018 and all the while I was listening to a lot of local music. The highlight to me was this album, a live recording by a band of Romani’s, mostly consisting of veterans and including various national backgrounds. The music is traditional, but there are a lot of cultural influences to be found here, thanks to the nomadic gypsy life-style. So Eastern European elements are mixed fluently with some Middle Eastern flavors. What makes this album so special is the way this large group attacks these songs. It’s one of those records were every player sounds possessed. It’s clear from the get-go that these men are very skilled and are playing on a very high level, yet at the same time they sound loose and spontaneous, as if it all comes to them at the moment. During the wildest tracks, like A La Turk and The Return of the Magic Horses, the band sounds like they have just caught on fire. Even the ballads have a hard edge to them. I have no idea what they are singing about, but music like this speaks for itself.


A simple overview of my votes:
1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Bang Jan »

6 | Kanye West | 808s And Heartbreak
4 | Fred Neil | Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin

1 | Joni Mitchell | For The Roses
5 | Rick James | Street Songs

8 | Titus Andronicus | The Airing of Grievances
3 | Taraf de Haidouks | Band of Gypsies

7 | Thea Gilmore | The Counterweight
2 | Wayne Shorter | EMANON

Favourite song of the week: Fred Neil | Everybody's Talkin
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Brad »

under 18 hours left to vote!
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
2. Joni Mitchell - For The Roses vs. Rick James - Street Songs
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
4. Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight vs. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by spiritualized »

Had time for just two this week

1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak vs. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by Brad »

21 total voters this week:
acroamor
Akhenaten
Bang Jan
Brad
Cold Butterfly
DaveC
FrankLotion
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
madzong
mileswide
Myself
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
Romain
Safetycat
Schüttelbirne
spiritualized
StevieFan13

Winners:
1. Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak over Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin 12-9
2. Rick James - Street Songs over Joni Mitchell - For The Roses 10-9
3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances over Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies 11-10 (ot)
4. Wayne Shorter - EMANON over Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight 11-6

Round 1.8 soon!
Last edited by Brad on Tue Apr 28, 2020 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.7

Post by PlasticRam »

Titus Andronicus gets my vote.

Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances vs. Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
I feel like that
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