Voting to continue until at least 8:00 PM CDT, August 6, 2004

1. REVOLVER
8. LET IT BE

4. THE BEATLES (aka "The White Album")
5. ABBEY ROAD

3. RUBBER SOUL
6. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

2. SGT. PEPPER
7. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

Analysis of Round One: I think we had 20 voters in the first round and 11 of those ballots had the top 8 seeds listed--no "upsets".

Those seeded 9-16 got a grand total of 10 votes (out of a possible 160 cast--20 voters and 8 selections per ballot).

Please note the voting time has been shortened this time. I'm working on the song tournament and MAY have it ready to go this weekend.

Thanks for playing, all that have joined, and for those that haven't, it's not a problem to play this round if you didn't last.

8. LET IT BE - sorry, but i love Let it Be

5. ABBEY ROAD - that one was hard

3. RUBBER SOUL

7. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - another hard one, but i just can't dig Sgt. Peppers

1. REVOLVER

4. THE BEATLES (aka "The White Album")

6. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

2. SGT. PEPPER

1. REVOLVER

4. THE BEATLES (aka "The White Album")

3. RUBBER SOUL

2. SGT. PEPPER

With the exception of Revolver over Let It Be, these were all hard choices. I chose the White Album because it's probably my favorite all time rock album anyway, so how could I not choose it? As for Rubber Soul, I had to pick it over MMT simply because MMT isn't actually an album in the sense of an intentional work of art...it's a marketing tool that masquerades as a "work of art" so well that it's come to be viewed as a definitive Beatles album (when originally it was only a double EP set in the UK). As for Sgt. Pepper over A Hard Day's Night...Pepper wins only because it's from my favorite musical era. A Hard Day's Night is one great mid-60s British rock album, to be sure--possibly the best all around "British Invasion" record. It's quite significant that it was the first (actually the only) Beatles album to consist entirely of Lennon/McCartney compositions.

Rock, I understand what you said about MMT; I felt comfortable including it since the Beatles' interests released it in 1987 as the unit we in the US (and other parts of the world) have known since 1967. It is a hodgepodge, with the single that pre-dated SGT. PEPPER included with the tracks that came later.

Whatever criteria one uses for making a choice, of course, is not at issue here; if you pick RS because MMT wasn't originally the album in the UK that it now is, that's reason enough. Your note just served as a springboard for these thoughts.

Yes, Joey, I agree that now that it is on CD in the American configuration throughout the world, it is "definitive" by default, and just as worthy to be included in the competition as Past Masters or BBC if not moreso.

I should also add that MMT is probably my favorite all time "psychedelic album". I like it more than I like Sgt. Pepper. But since Rubber Soul is pretty much universally hailed as the Beatles' first "masterpiece" (and happens to be my second favorite Beatles album next to the White Album), well, I had to go with that.

1. REVOLVER


4. THE BEATLES (aka "The White Album")


3. RUBBER SOUL


2. SGT. PEPPER

1. REVOLVER

5. ABBEY ROAD

3. RUBBER SOUL

2. SGT. PEPPER


Hard choices.

8. LET IT BE (Yeah, I know it's not going to win. I just enjoy Let It Be more...)

4. THE BEATLES (aka "The White Album")

6. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

2. SGT. PEPPER

Ahhh, that second part wasn't clear in your first note.

Some opt for A HARD DAY'S NIGHT as the first masterwork. I'd be in that group.