Music Tournament Round 128: Division N Results

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Janos Marton

Division N was pretty fascinating.  Technically there were three upsets, but every losing song had its supporters, and every winning song had its detractors.  All in all, an unexpected turn of events in some of these match-ups.

#9 Paint It Black (Rolling Stones) def. #1 Under the Bridge (Red Hot Chili Peppers), 135-128.  I’d characterize this as a shocker.  People had been solidly behind RHCP for the last two rounds, and the Stones have had a miserable Round of 128, losing three out of their first four.  Yet people were feeling Paint it Black from the get-go. Chili Peppers are artist #224 to never wanna feel like they did that day.

#12 Zombie (Cranberries) def. #4 You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC),  126-124. With its high energy and previous super high scores, YSMANL was being talked about as a Sweet 16 contender.  The Cranberries, however, pulled through again. Curious as to how a song I added to the tournament as kindof an afterthought could get this far, I looked at its former opponents. Round of 512: Sweet Child of Mine; Round of 256: Bullet with Butterfly Wing.  Clearly, Zombie is guitar rock out slayer.  That suits it well for its upcoming match against Paint It Black.  The ride may not be over yet.   AC/DC is artist #225 to get thunderstruck.

#2 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) def. #10 Laid (James), 136-116. Despite the flirtations of some, Nirvana was simply not going to lose this one, and it pulled away as the two days went on.  However, there were visible chinks in the armor- not a lot of 9s or 10s for Teen Spirit.  If Laid were a person, I’d want to hang out with him/her.  (Artist #226)

#6 Golden Slumbers Medley (Beatles) def. #3 Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane), 129-116. Putting aside that Jefferson Airplane was probably overseeded, the Beatles’ dominance has just been remarkable.  They tied Paul Simon/Simon&Garfunkel by advancing 9 songs to the Round of 256.  They then went 8-1 in that round.  This round they have gone 6-2.   No other artist has close to 6 songs left in the Round of 64.  Johnny Cash and Paul Simon are next with three (though Cash could wind up with 4). Jefferson Starship lives on, but the Airplane is artist #227 to bounce.

Interesting showdown coming up between Nirvana and the Beatles.  Kurt was a pretty big fan, which neither I and my hippie friends nor my grunge rivals recognized at the time.  If anyone has the clip of Kurt drunkenly singing “All You Need Is Love”, please drop a comment on it.

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division P

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Janos Marton

Once again, we have reached the end of an exciting round.  We finished the Play-In Round in mid-December, the Round of 512 in early February, and the Round of 256 a few weeks ago. Less than a month from now this will all be over, just a hazy, thrilling memory.

Without further ado, let us close out with Division P. Listen at Grooveshark and vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com before 8pm on Friday.  Then we’ll begin the Salty 64 on Saturday.

#1 Piano Man (Billy Joel) vs. #8 Gimme Shelter (Rolling Stones)

#4 Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Nirvana) vs. #12 Holiday (Green Day).   This is Green Day’s last stand.

#2 Wavin’ Flag (K’Naan) vs. #7 Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits).  Loser goes home here.  Will the upstart K’Naan take out Mark Knopfler and co.?

#3 I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) vs. #6 No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley).  Last days of disco, or end of reggae?  One genre must die tonight.

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division M Results

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Janos Marton

Across the globe, the voters came to virtual unanimity in their picks for Division M winners. In doing so, we have two highly intrigueing match-ups set up for the Round of 64. First, the scores:

#1 Under Pressure (Queen w/ David Bowie) def. #8 My Girl (Temptations), 135-117 . No offense, but I had kind of forgotten the Temptations were still around. They are artist #221 to go. The image above is of Bowie and Annie Lenox at a Freddie Mercury tribute concert, where they performed Under Pressure.

#4 Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) def. #5 Welcome to the Jungle (Guns n Roses), 129-115. This one had a couple dissenters, but GnR can now bow out of the tournament and work on a follow up to Chinese Democracy (artist #222).

#2 Let It Be (Beatles) def. #7 Is This Love (Bob Marley), 142-115. Let It Be hits the Wall of 10s thanks to Astrid, Mark B. and Guillermo. Don’t look now, but Bob Marley is one Gloria Gaynor matchup away from elimination.

#3 Tiny Dancer (Elton John) def. #6 Rapper’s Delight (Sugarhill Gang), 135-94. Who thought a 14 minute song would start to wear on people? Sugarhill Gang is out (artist #223), leaving hip-hop with one angry white man from Detroit as it’s rep.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Below are the match-ups for the Round of 64:

#1 Under Pressure (7.9) vs. #4 Go Your Own Way (7.6) : An energetic, emotionally draining battle.

#2 Let It Be (8.4) vs. #3 Tiny Dancer (7.9) : Two piano driven classics from the same era.

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division O

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Janos Marton

(This post is going up a little early, as I’ll be offline much of the evening)

I love Division O as well. It’s hard to get more eclectic than the battlers we have below in the penultimate division.  Listen at Grooveshark and vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com before Thursday at 8pm.

#1 Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show) vs. #8 Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash).  Despite the seedings, I wouldn’t count Cash out yet.  As Guillermo pointed out yesterday, he is still undefeated to this point (a dazzling 11-0 record).

#4 Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin) vs. #5 Say It Ain’t So (Weezer).  It’s the end of the line for one of these artists, who have both had solid tournaments.

#7 Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. #15 Sabotage (Beastie Boys).  After their performance in the Round of 256, I’d actually consider the Beastie Boys favorites here. Again, one of these artists will be eliminated.  Have you ever actually seen a picture of Steppenwolf before?

#3 Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) vs. #6 Fortunate Son (CCR).  This could be a doozy.

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division N

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Janos Marton

If you remember, Division N is the Division that Rocks!  These guys will get you amped up, which is important on a Tuesday/Wednesday.  Listen here (except Golden Slumbers) and vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com by 8pm on Wednesday.

#1 Under the Bridge (Red Hot Chili Peppers) vs. #9 Paint It Black (Rolling Stones).  The Stones got clobbered in their last two matchups, so hopefully they can turn it around here. The Chili Peppers have casually averaged an 8 in their first two rounds, and have yet to be challenged.   That’s Stones’ guitarist Brian Jones in the photo. He rocked the sitar for Paint It Black, and died drowning in a swimming pool three years later. Keith Richards stole his girlfriend and really, really hated him.

#4 You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC) vs. #12 Zombie (Cranberries).  Countdown till Adrock makes a comment about how there should be more AC/DC songs in the tournament in three…two…one…

#2 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) vs. #10 Laid (James).  Obviously Nirvana is the favorite, but Laid is a plucky tune that could catch people in the right mood.

#3 Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane) vs. #6 Golden Slumbers Medley (Beatles).  The 60s were pretty cool, yeah?

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division L Results

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Janos Marton

Today’s vote may have set a record for non-vote related comments, which is nice. Chatter will be appreciated as we get into the intense decisions that lie ahead.

The Dusty fans were back in the house today, but Division L had some other intriguing subplots. Namely, brother Otis looks more than ready for what would be an exhilerating Round of 32 match up.   The opponents they’d have to first, however, aren’t exactly slumming it either.

#1 Son of a Preacherman (Dusty Springfield) def. #9 The Boxer (Simon and Garfunkel), 128-113.  Aiko, Carrie and Catholic deliver Son of a Preacherman to the Wall of 10s.

#13 Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix) def. #12 Another One Bites the Dust (Queen), 105-102.  Queen writes it’s own epitaph in this nailbiter.  That sounds like Jeopardy clue.  DrJ and Catholic deliver Wind Cries Mary to the Wall of 10s.

#2 Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) def. #10 Everlong (Foo Fighters), 199-97.  Otis looks smooth and gentlemanly as always.  The Foo Fighters go down swinging, artist #219 eliminated.  Adrock and Catholic give Otis a trip to the Wall.

Things looked close between #14 Come Sail Away (Styx) and #11 Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), but the freshly rejuvenated Catholic ended the debate with +6.5 vote for Brown Eyed Girl, giving Van the Man the victory, 110-105.   Van had it rough early, but he’s been vindicated with a trip to the Salty 64.  Meanwhile, Styx became artist #220 to climb aboard that starship and head out for the skies…

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division K Results

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Janos Marton

We’ve got a ho-hum Sunday here in Division K.  None of the matchups were particularly close or exciting, and only Stand By Me put together a score that will intimidate anyone outside the Division.

#1 Stand By Me (Ben E. King) def. #8 Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Beach Boys), 132-110.  The Brothers Wilson are artists #216 to wash out.  Is now a good time to mention that only one of them could surf, and he drowned in the ocean?

#4 Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) def. #5 Killing Me Softly (Fugees), 120-111.  I retract my Fugees diss- they performed admirably.  MJ sends its second Thriller song to the Round of 64,  where it’ll face Stand By Me. Good luck.

On to the weaker half of the bracket…

#15 Man In Black (Johnny Cash) def. #10 Me Gustas Tu (Manu Chao), 107-71. Not Johnny’s best, but it was enough to send the trilingualist packing (artist #217).

#6 We Built This City (Jefferson Starship) def. #3 Johnny Appleseed (Joe Strummer), 93-77 (short two voters).  A day after powering the Clash to two wins, Strummer ran out of gas, and is eliminated as a solo artist (#218).

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division M

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Janos Marton

I like Division M.  It is so rich in musical history and odd-ball matchups, it really epitomizes what the tournament is all about.  You can listen here (except Let It Be), and vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com before 8pm Tuesday.

#1 Under Pressure (David Bowie/Queen) vs. #8 My Girl (Temptations).  I watched an interview last night from the 80s in which Mercury said that Bowie tried to take his name of the song right before the song came out because he was unhappy with his vocals. “Yeah, he’s an asshole,” Mercury reflected.

#4 Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) vs. #5 Welcome to the Jungle (Guns n Roses).  The monster smash album versus the monster smash album of the 80s.  Lindsey Buckingham wrote Go Your Own Way about Stevie Nicks, who was banging Mick Fleetwood. Awkward…Equally awkward- John and Christie McVie, the other two members of the band, were simultaneously going through a divorce. “You Make Loving Fun” is a Christie McVie tribute to the tour lighting director she was cheating on John with.

#2 Let It Be (Beatles) vs. #7 Is this Love (Bob Marley).  Two legends.  Can’t really see people being upset with either song winning here.

#3 Tiny Dancer (Elton John) vs. #6 Rapper’s Delight  (Sugarhill Gang).  This is Elton John’s last stand, after losing Rocket Man a few nights ago.  Equally significantly, however, Rapper’s Delight is the second to last hip-hop song left in the tournament.  The groovy bass-line and fun lyrics have allowed Sugarhill ascend to heights that Biggie, Tupac and Jay-Z  could not reach in this tournament.  A loss here would leave Eminem as the genre’s sole rep.  (Just because Outkast did it doesn’t make “Hey Ya” a hip-hop song, any more than “Train in Vain” is punk.)

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division J Results

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Janos Marton

On a light-voting, chilly Saturday, Division J featured the Clash, my favorite band of all-time, battling for dear life to hold on to their last two songs in the tournament.

In the first match-up, #9 Train in Vain was a major underdog against #1 Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye).  The battle was close throughout the day, but Train in Vain pulled away, 91-77.

Meanwhile, the #4 Rock the Casbah was favored against #12 Rocket Man, but on a hungover Saturday I guess people gravitated towards the soothing piano stylings of Sir Elton.  This one also went down to the end, but Rock the Casbah pulled away, 79-74.  Good day for Strummer, Jones, Simonon and Headon.

In the battle of foot stompers, #6 Twist & Shout (Beatles) def. #3 Buddy Holly (Weezer), 95-88.

#2 America (Kathy’s Song)(Simon & Garfunkel) easily handled #7 One Headlight (Wallflowers), 94-74. The Wallflowers will battle on through their remaining songs, “6th Avenue Heartache” and “Heroes”…who am I kidding?  The Wallflowers are out of the tournament (artist #215).

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Music Tournament Round of 128: Division L

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Janos Marton

Paging Carrie Hughes and the rest of Dusty’s base.  Ms. Springfield eviscerated her opponents in the play-in round, Round of 512 and Round of 256.  Now #1 Son of a Preacherman faces #9 The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel), a song with a strong finishing kick.

The rest of Division L was wracked with upsets in the Round of 256, so we may see a very low seed coming out of here.

#13 Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix) vs. #12 Another One Bites the Dust (Queen)

#2 Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) vs. #10 Everlong (Foo Fighters)

#14 Come Sail Away (Styx) vs. #11 Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)

The last four artists are all making their last stands.   This is a very fun looking division.  Listen at Grooveshark and vote by commenting below or emailing LTDdotorg@gmail.com by 8pm Monday.

Oh, and since multiple people in the last few days have confessed to me that they lurk this site without voting- it’s time to get over being shy/lazy.  However, as a transitional option, just email me who you think the winners are.  Non score-specific votes (i.e, “Dock of the Bay wins”) attribute 7 points to the winning song and 5 to the losing song.

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