Sunday, July 27, 2008

The Envelope Please...

The winner of the 29th annual Sun Cleaners Album Tournament is...

Paul Simon, Graceland (1986)

We had our money on the other strange little man's band (Radiohead, Ok Computer), but Paul Simon (sans Garfunkel of course) cruised past Elvis Costello and Sublime in the first two rounds.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Graceland faced up against Talking Heads, Remain in Light in a moderately close match-up. One participant curiously voted for Talking Heads but noted, “I'd probably rather listen to Graceland.” That seemed to be the general consensus of the entire Tournament “population.”

In the Elite Eight, Graceland squeaked out a victory over pre-tourney favorite Ok Computer. It is the stated policy of Sun Cleaners staff not to question the quasi-consensus, but needless to say, we were surprised. Perhaps "Fitter Happier" had something to do with the upset.

In the abbreviated Final Four, general animosity for U2 (actually Bono - no one seemed to mention hatred for other members of the band) and apathy over Highway 61 Revisited contributed to Graceland's triumphant rise above Kind of Blue.

Please check back soon for a list of honorable mention albums, information on the prize and future tournaments. A Sun Cleaners leadership, planning and strategic work-flow dynamics sub-committee (referred to herein as “The Committee”) will be formed soon to lead, plan and define strategies and work-flows for future tournaments... potential topics might include favorite films (all films or genre specific), episodes of the Cosby Show, or LPGA golfers (our money is on Dottie Pepper). The Committee will most likely be meeting at a pub, we hope you can join us for a future meeting (times and dates TBD).

We'll leave you with this...



Thursday, July 17, 2008

Final Four - Vote Now!

The Sun Cleaners Album Tournament Final Four is set:

U2 - Joshua Tree (1 seed)
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (1)
Paul Simon - Graceland (2)
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (2)

This is the last round of voting. We are adopting a new method for the Final Four.

You can vote here!



Here is the revised bracket [pdf]

Here are some comments from participants during the Elite Eight...

"I guess Nas was right...hip hop is dead"

"Why can't we just get along. Everyone's a winner. Will this make the cover of a famous national magazine?"

"Am I one of the two girls who still like Pink Floyd? Or is this all because only 2 girls voted in the first place :)?"

"let's just give this to ok computer and be done with it." Sun Cleaners Staff were surprised by the Paul Simon "upset" of Radiohead


Saturday, July 12, 2008

Elite Eight Voting Now Open!

Who will make it to the Final Four? You decide...

Click Here to Vote in the Elite Eight

Here are some short (45 second) mp3 clips to help guide the neophytes...

U2 - Joshua Tree ... Bullet the Blue Sky [mp3]
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here ... Wish You Were Here [mp3]

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited ... Ballad Of A Thin Man [mp3]
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks ... Sweet Thing [mp3]

Radiohead - Ok Computer ... No Surprises [mp3]
Paul Simon - Graceland ... The Boy in the Bubble [mp3]

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On ... Mercy Mercy Me [mp3]
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue ... So What [mp3]

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Elite Eight Now Complete!

The Elite Eight representatives have been chosen. No time for an effusive recap (yet). Here were the results.

Region 1
U2 - Joshua Tree defeats Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here defeats Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys (close)

Region 2
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted defeats John Coltrane - Love Supreme (close)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks defeats The Band - Music from Big Pink

Region 3
Radiohead - Ok Computer defeats "Jr Gong" - Welcome to Jamrock (blow-out)
Paul Simon - Graceland defeats Talking Heads - Remain in Light

Region 4
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On defeats Nirvana - In Utero
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue defeats Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus (extremely close)

Sun Cleaners staff are espcially looking forward to the Region 4 final, we have dubbed it the "Battle of Cool."

Check-back later in the week for the Elite Eight voting.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Sun Cleaners Staff on Sabbatical - Stay Tuned!

Sun Cleaners staff are currently on sabbatical, and have hired a number of post-docs to assist in collating the results of the Round of 16. Please check back soon for updated results...

Ripley: You're still collating? I find that hard to believe.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Round of 16 Now Open For Voting!

Who will make it to the Elite Eight? You decide...

Click Here to Vote in the Round of 16

Here are some short (45 second) mp3 clips to help guide the neophytes...

U2 - Joshua Tree ... Bullet the Blue Sky [mp3]
Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret ... Bad Light [mp3]

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here ... Wish You Were Here [mp3]
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys ... Who Knows [mp3]

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited ... Ballad Of A Thin Man [mp3]
John Coltrane - Love Supreme ... A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement [mp3]

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks ... Sweet Thing [mp3]
The Band - Music From Big Pink ... This Wheel's on Fire [mp3]

Radiohead - Ok Computer ... No Surprises [mp3]
Damian "Jr Gong" Marley - Welcome to Jamrock ... Welcome to Jamrock [mp3]

Talking Heads - Remain in Light ... Once in a Lifetime [mp3]
Paul Simon - Graceland ... The Boy in the Bubble [mp3]

Nirvana - In Utero ... Pennyroyal Tea [mp3]
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On ... Mercy Mercy Me [mp3]

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus ... Natural Mystic [mp3]
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue ... So What [mp3]