For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
This will likely be the last CoronaVinyl post for a week and a half, as I'll be in an intensive stimulus check scam seminar next week, and I have to work on all my regional accents tomorrow. I can't be calling someone in Alabama with a Chicago accent and expect them to wire me $1,400! Anywho, today's CoronaVinyl category is "H," and I'm listening to Haircut 100's debut album, 1982's Pelican West.
London's Haircut 100 was flash in the pan in the early '80s. With horns and congas to complement the normal array of instruments, their music was kind of a combination of new wave, jazz, funk, and a little 2-tone. The songs on Pelican West are mostly upbeat, uptempo, and easy to dance to. Think Duran Duran with a little more funk.
Pelican West made a big splash in the UK, reaching #2 on the UK album chart. It also reached #31 on the Billboard album chart. In the UK, all three singles from the album charted in the Top 10 on the UK pop chart, with "Love Plus One" going to #3, "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" going to #4, and "Fantastic Day" going to #9. "Love Plus One" was also the band's only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #37.
But like many bands, just as quickly as they rose to fame, they were gone. In late 1982, lead singer and main songwriter Nick Heyward left the band to go solo, and the remaining members put out one more album in 1984 that failed to chart in the UK or U.S. The band then broke up after that -- though they did reunite in 2004 for the VH-1 show Bands Reunited and they have played together here and there since then.
Heyward went on to a relatively successful solo career, particularly in the UK. An interesting tidbit is that drummer Blair Cunningham -- an American who replaced original drummer Patrick Hunt during the Pelican West recording sessions -- has not only had a long and successful career as a session drummer, but his older brother Carl was in the Bar-Kays and was killed in the same plane crash that killed Otis Redding in 1967.
The Spotify version of Pelican West is a deluxe edition that has five extra tracks.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Favourite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl)"
The album kicks off with a bang, a catchy, danceable little ditty with a breakneck funk guitar riff, some conga solos, and prominent saxophones.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Surprise Me Again"
This one is more new wavey and poppy than the rest of the album, with less emphasis on horns and percussion. Not that I dislike the other songs by any means, but this is a good little pop song.
Today is the 35th anniversary of the release of English duo Pet Shop Boys' debut album Please. The album was a big success, going platinum in both the U.S. and UK, and reaching #7 on the Billboard album chart and #3 on the UK album chart. Much of the album's success is thanks to their huge international hit "West End Girls."
The song was originally released as a single in 1984 but was re-recorded for the Please album. I remember hearing the song as a mere 8-year-old and thinking how foreign and urbane it sounded. There were a lot of British singers who sang with more of an American accent. For instance, I remember being blown away the first time I heard Phil Collins in an interview and he had a British accent. On the other hand, there was no doubt where Pet Shop Boys were from. Neil Tennant's vocals sounded so British, and I had no idea what the difference between the West End of London and the East End of London was. And I certainly didn't understand what it meant to be a West End girl or an East End boy, or why it would be strange if they mingled. Now, I understand that it was about mixing of classes, with the East End boys getting a little taste of the higher class West End with their girls.
"West End Girls" is a synth pop gem, and it was a massive hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the UK pop chart, and the pop charts in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and Norway, as well as the Top 10 on the pop charts in ten other countries. I frankly don't remember the video all that much, but here it is.
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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "G," and I'm going with the 2005 album Demon Days by Gorillaz.
Gorillaz was founded as a virtual band by Blur member Damon Albarn and comic artist Jamie Hewlett, with the idea that the characters in the band would be cartoons (drawn by Hewlett, of course). Albarn wanted to explore musical genres other than the Brit pop Blur was known for, and Gorillaz touched on various genres from hip hop to alt rock to electronic, among others. When the band toured, the actual band members stayed obscured, and their cartoon versions were displayed on a screen.
Produced by Danger Mouse, Demon Days was the group's second album, and it features cameos by the likes of De La Soul, Ike Turner, Dennis Hopper, Neneh Cherry, and the London Community Gospel Choir, among others. It's a funky mix of hip hop, trip hop, pop, and art rock.
The album was an international success, reaching #6 on the Billboard album chart, #1 on the album charts in the UK, France, and Switzerland, and Top 10 on the album charts in 15 other countries. It has gone double platinum in the U.S. and 6x platinum in the UK.
Demon Days also featured the group's only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Feel Good Inc.," which went to #14. The song also went to #2 on the UK pop chart, and three other songs made the Top 40 on the UK pop chart, including the band's only #1 ("Dare"), another Top 10 song ("Dirty Harry"; #6), and "Kids With Guns" (#27).
I have a special edition that was released in 2017 and that I got as part of the Vinyl Me Please record club. It splits the album into four sides, and as you can see from the blurry photo -- Get it, blurry? Because Damon Albarn was in Blur -- the vinyl is red.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "O Green World"
This song has kind of a trippy garage rock feel to it.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Feel Good Inc."
One of the group's most well-known songs, "Feel Good Inc." does, in fact, make you feel good. Then again, it features De La Soul, so how could it not?
Favorite Song on Side 3: "Every Planet We Reach is Dead"
This one has a funky intro and riff, but is otherwise mellow and spacy.
Favorite Song on Side 4: "Don't Get Lost in Heaven"
This one has a late '60s Beach Boys feel to it -- kind of psychedelic pop, with the help of the London Community Gospel Choir.
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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "F," and I apparently own two Dan Fogelberg albums, so fuck it, let's listen to some Dan Fogelberg.
Peoria, Illinois's Dan Fogelberg was a pretty successful singer-songwriter from the mid '70s to the mid '80s. 1974's Souvenirs was his second studio album, and the album that helped him breakout. It's mellow combination of folk rock and country rock. The album was produced by Joe Walsh, about a year before he joined The Eagles, and he plays on ten of the eleven tracks. Also joining as backing musicians and/or vocalists on several songs are Graham Nash and Eagles Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, among others.
The album went to #17 on the Billboard album chart and would be the first of seven studio albums in a row that reached the Top 30 for Fogelberg. It also went double platinum in the U.S., one of his six studio albums to go platinum in the U.S. The album also produced his first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Part of the Plan" (#31).
All told, Fogelberg had 11 Top 40 songs, including four Top 10 hits (three of which came from his 1981 album The Innocent Age). Sadly, he died of prostate cancer in 2007 at the age of 56.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Illinois"
I've lived most of my life in Illinois, so this song made sense on various levels.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler"
It's March Madness, so what better time of the year to highlight a song about gambling. And when you combine it with my favorite song from Side 1, hopefully you gambled not on the state's flagship university, but on the school that is still the only college in Illinois that has won a men's NCAA basketball championship.
Well that was a hell of a fun five days. In this unusual year of college basketball, we did have one team that had to withdraw from the NCAA Tournament because of COVID (VCU, before it's Saturday First Round game against Oregon), but fingers crossed we don't have any more. And that was far from the craziest thing that happened this past weekend. We had upsets galore and some crazy finishes. Between the First Four and the first day of the Round of 32 on Sunday, there were 15 games where the margin of victory was five points or fewer and/or that when to overtime. And then there was yesterday -- or what I'm now dubbing Blowout Monday -- where the closest game was 8 points (Michigan over LSU, 86-78) and the average margin of victory was 18 points. All in all, 10 higher-seeded teams upset lower-seeded teams in the First Round, and 7 higher-seeded teams upset lower-seeded teams in the Second Round -- and of those 17 upsets, 12 were by teams seeded at least five lines higher than who they beat, which is a record. Madness!
I'll be on vacation next week, so I won't get to post my usual opus about the Final Four, but for now, we're at the Sweet 16. Only five of the Sweet 16 teams are repeats from 2019, but Gonzaga is the only one left that made it as far as the Elite Eight in 2019, so no matter who makes the Final Four, there won't be any repeats from last tournament. And this year's Sweet 16 will be on Saturday and Sunday instead of Thursday and Friday, with the Elite 8 following on Monday and Tuesday instead of the usual Saturday and Sunday. All games are in Indianapolis from here on out. Here are the Sweet 16 teams, along with the last time they made the Sweet 16 (and their region, seeds, game time, and what station is televising the game):
Midwest Region
(8) Loyola (IL) (2018) vs. (12) Oregon State (1982) - Saturday 3/27 2:40 p.m. ET CBS
(2) Houston (2019) vs. (11) Syracuse (2018) - Saturday 3/27 9:55 p.m. ET TBS
South Region
(1) Baylor (2017) vs. (5) Villanova (2018) - Saturday 3/27 5:15 p.m. ET CBS
(3) Arkansas (1996) vs. (15) Oral Roberts (1974) - Saturday 3/27 7:25 p.m. ET TBS
West Region
(1) Gonzaga (2019) vs. (5) Creighton (1974) - Sunday 3/28 2:10 p.m. ET CBS
(6) USC (2007) vs. (7) Oregon (2019) - Sunday 3/28 9:45 p.m. ET TBS
East Region
(1) Michigan (2019) vs. (4) Florida State (2019) - Sunday 3/28 5:00 p.m. ET CBS
(2) Alabama (2004) vs. (11) UCLA (2017) - Sunday 3/28 7:15 p.m. ET TBS
If you're like me -- and you better pray to Eric Clapton that you're not –- you not only love the NCAA Tournament, but you are fascinated with the history and statistical minutiae associated with the tournament. Like I've done the last couple years, I'm going to drop knowledge bombs on your mind. Here are 16 fun facts about this year's NCAA tournament. You know, 16. For the Sweet 16.
16. With Texas Southern and Norfolk State's wins in the First Four on Thursday, this was the first NCAA Tournament in which multiple HBCUs won an NCAA Tournament game.
15. 15 of the 16 seed numbers won games in the First Round, with only the 16-seeds missing out on the fun. This is the 4th time this many different seeds have won games in the same tournament, with 1991, 2013, and 2016 being the other three years.
14. Only one school got its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, and that was East 14-seed Abilene Christian, which beat 3-seed Texas, 63-62, in the First Round.
13. There is no region in which all top four seeds advanced to the Sweet 16, which is actually a pretty common occurrence. Since seeding began in 1979, that has now happened 23 times: 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021.
Likewise, there is no region in which all top three seeds advanced to the Sweet 16, which is only the 13th time that has ever happened: 1981, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2021.
12. Oregon State -- who was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 at the beginning of the season -- is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1982, and Creighton and Oral Roberts are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. Here's how they stack up with the longest-ever droughts between Sweet 16 appearances (since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951):
-58 years: LaSalle (1955-2013)
-56 years: Cornell (1954-2010)
-52 years: Virginia Tech (1967-2019)
-51 years: Bradley (1955-2006), St. Mary's (1959-2010)
-47 years: Creighton (1974-2021), Oral Roberts (1974-2021)
-46 years: Penn State (1955-2001)
-44 years: South Carolina (1973-2017)
-42 years: Oregon (1960-2002)
-41 years: Butler (1962-2003)
-40 years: USC (1961-2001)
-39 years: Davidson (1969-2008), Oregon State (1982-2021), Tulsa (1955-1994)
-38 years: Ohio (1964-2002)
-35 years: Houston (1984-2019), West Virginia (1963-1998)
Here are the schools that have current Sweet 16 droughts of 50 or more years. Again, it's since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951. I'm adding a year, since they obviously aren't in this year's Sweet 16 -- and, of course, teams that are no longer Division 1 teams are not included, nor are teams that have never made the Sweet 16. Here they are:
-71 years (1951): Montana State, San Jose State
-69 years (1953): Holy Cross
-68 years (1954): Rice
-65 years (1957): Canisius, Lafayette, St. Louis
-64 years (1958): Dartmouth, Manhattan
-63 years (1959): Boston University
-61 years (1961): Morehead State
-59 years (1963): Bowling Green
-58 years (1964): Seattle (although they were not D-1 from 1980 to 2008)
-55 years (1967): Princeton, SMU
-54 years (1968): Columbia, East Tennessee State, TCU
-53 years (1969): Colorado, Colorado State, Duquesne
-52 years (1970): Jacksonville, Niagara, Santa Clara, St. Bonaventure, Utah State
-51 years (1971): Drake, Fordham, Pacific
-50 years (1972): Weber State
11. Since the First Four format was introduced in 2011, UCLA became the 5th First Four team to advance to the Sweet 16, although only one of the prior four has advanced past the Sweet 16. Here are the teams that have done it:
2021: 11-seed UCLA
2018: 11-seed Syracuse
2014: 11-seed Tennessee
2013: 13-seed LaSalle
2011: 11-seed VCU (advanced to Final Four)
10. If Rutgers hadn't shit the bed against Houston, the top 7 seeds in the Midwest Region would have lost before the Sweet 16. That has never happened. The closest was in 2018, when, in the South Region, none of the top four seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 -- which was the first time that happened since the Tournament began seeding in 1979.
9. With its 85-51 loss to USC in the Second Round, Kansas suffered its worst-ever loss in the NCAA Tournament. It's previous worst loss was by 18 points in the 1940 NCAA Championship Game to Branch McCracken's Indiana Hoosiers.
8. The Big Ten and Big 12 were supposed to be the two best conferences in the country this year. Together, they had 16 teams in this year's tournament, with the Big Ten getting 9 bids and the Big 12 getting 7. Both conferences have only one team that advanced to the Sweet 16 -- Baylor in the Big 12 and Michigan in the Big Ten (both 1-seeds, mind you). It was the first time in 14 years that more than one Big Ten team didn't advance to the Sweet 16. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, here are the major conferences –- which I define as the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 8/Big 12, Pac-10/Pac-12, and the Big East (until 2013) –- that only advanced one team (or no team) to the Sweet 16:
-ACC: 5 times (one team in 2007-2008, 2010, 2014, and 2017)
-Big East (until 2013): 5 times (no team in 1986 and 1993, and one team in 1988, 1992, and 2001)
-Big 8/Big 12: 13 times (no team in 1990 and 1998, and one team in 1985-1986, 1992, 1996-1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2013, and 2021)
-Big Ten: 8 times (no team in 1995-1996 and 2006, and one team in 1985, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2021)
-Pac-10/Pac-12: 21 times (no team in 1985-1987, 1993, 1999, 2004, 2012, and 2018, and one team in 1988-1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2009-2011, and 2016)
-SEC: 13 times (no team in 1988 and 2009, and one team in 1990-1992, 1997-1998, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013, and 2015-2016)
7. Oral Roberts became only the second 15-seed ever to advance to the Sweet 16 -- matching Florida Gulf Coast's (aka Dunk City) feat in 2013 -- and only the 10th team ever seeded 13 or higher to advance to the Sweet 16. None of them has advanced to the Elite 8. Here are all ten:
2021: #15 Oral Roberts
2013: #13 LaSalle, #15 Florida Gulf Coast
2012: #13 Ohio
2006: #13 Bradley
1999: #13 Oklahoma
1998: #13 Valparaiso
1997: #14 UT-Chattanooga
1988: #13 Richmond
1986: #14 Cleveland State
6. The Pac-12 has 4 teams in the Sweet 16 (Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, and USC), but no other conference has more than 2 teams. Here are the years in which only one conference had at least three teams in the Sweet 16. Note that 1980 was the first year in which more than one at-large bid could be awarded to each conference, so that was the starting point:
2021: Pac-12 (4)
2011: ACC (3)
2010: Big Ten (3)
2006: Big East (4)
1991: Big East (3)
1990: ACC (4)
1984: ACC (4)
1982: Big East (3)
5. Defending champ Virginia got upset by Ohio in the First Round, losing 62-58. It was the fourth tournament in a row that the defending champ lost before the Sweet 16 and the 24th time since seeding began in 1979 that the defending champ failed to make it to the Sweet 16. If you're counting, that means a defending champ is more likely than not to fail to make it to the Sweet 16. Setting aside that grammatical garble, here is a breakdown of defending champions who have lost before the Sweet 16 or failed to make the NCAA Tournament since 1979:
2021: Virginia (lost in Round of 64)
2019: Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
2018: North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
2017: Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
2015: UConn (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2013: Kentucky (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2012: UConn (lost in Round of 64)
2010: North Carolina (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2008: Florida (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
2006: North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
2005: UConn (lost in Round of 32)
2000: UConn (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1996: UCLA (lost in Round of 64)
1994: North Carolina (lost in Round of 32)
1993: Duke (lost in Round of 32)
1990: Michigan (lost in Round of 32)
1989: Kansas (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1988: Indiana (lost in Round of 64)
1987: Louisville (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1986: Villanova (lost in Round of 32)
1984: NC State (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
1982: Indiana (lost in Round of 32)
1981: Louisville (lost in Round of 32)
1980: Michigan State (did not make the NCAA Tournament)
4. 9 double-digit seeds won their first round games, including a record 4 teams seeded 13 of higher. The 9 wins by double-digit seeds is well above the average, and it marks only the 4th time since 1985 that 9 or more double-digit seeds advanced to the Round of 32. In the 35 tournaments since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been 224 double-digit seeds that have won their first round games, which is an average of 6.4 per year. Here is a year-by-year list of every double-digit seed that has won its first round game since 1985 (with the hears in which 9 or more teams won bolded):
2021: 9 (#10 Maryland, Rutgers, #11 Syracuse, UCLA, #12 Oregon State, #13 North Texas, #13 Ohio, #14 Abilene Christian, #15 Oral Roberts)
2019: 8 (#10 Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, #11 Ohio State, #12 Liberty, Murray State, Oregon, #13 UC Irvine)
2018: 6 (#10 Butler, #11 Loyola (IL), Syracuse, #13 Buffalo, Marshall, #16 UMBC)
2017: 5 (#10 Wichita State, #11 Rhode Island, USC, Xavier, #12 Middle Tennessee State)
2016: 10 (#10 Syracuse, VCU, #11 Gonzaga, Northern Iowa, Wichita State, #12 Little Rock, Yale, #13 Hawaii, #14 Stephen F. Austin, #15 Middle Tennessee State)
2015: 5 (#10 Ohio State, #11 Dayton, UCLA, #14 UAB, Georgia State)
2014: 6 (#10 Stanford, #11 Dayton, Tennessee, #12 Harvard, North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin)
2013: 8 (#10 Iowa State, #11 Minnesota, #12 California, Mississippi, Oregon, #13 LaSalle, #14 Harvard, #15 Florida Gulf Coast)
2012: 9 (#10 Purdue, Xavier, #11 Colorado, North Carolina State, #12 South Florida, VCU, #13 Ohio, #15 Lehigh, Norfolk State)
2011: 6 (#10, Florida State, #11 Gonzaga, Marquette, VCU, #12 Richmond, #13 Morehead State)
2010: 8 (#10 Georgia Tech, Missouri, St. Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, Washington, #12 Cornell, #13 Murray State, #14 Ohio)
2009: 8 (#10 Maryland, Michigan, USC, #11 Dayton, #12 Arizona, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, #13 Cleveland State)
2008: 6 (#10 Davidson, #11 Kansas State, #12 Villanova, Western Kentucky, #13 San Diego, Siena)
2007: 2 (#11 Winthrop, VCU)
2006: 8 (#10 Alabama, NC State, #11 George Mason, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, #12 Montana, Texas A&M, #13 Bradley, #14 Northwestern State)
2005: 5 (#10 NC State, #11 UAB, #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, #13 Vermont, #14 Bucknell)
2004: 3 (#10 Nevada, #12 Manhattan, Pacific)
2003: 5 (#10 Arizona State, Auburn, #11 Central Michigan, #12 Butler, #13 Tulsa)
2002: 7 (#10 Kent State, #11 Southern Illinois, Wyoming, #12 Creighton, Missouri, Tulsa, #13 UNC-Wilmington)
2001: 9 (#10 Butler, Georgetown, #11 Georgia State, Temple, #12 Gonzaga, Utah State, #13 Indiana State, Kent State, #15 Hampton)
2000: 3 (#10 Gonzaga, Seton Hall, #11 Pepperdine)
1999: 8 (#10 Creighton, Gonzaga, Miami (OH), Purdue, #12 Detroit, Southwest Missouri State, #13 Oklahoma, #14 Weber State)
1998: 8 (#10 Detroit, West Virginia, St. Louis, #11 Washington, Western Michigan, #12 Florida State, #13 Valparaiso, #14 Richmond)
1997: 5 (#10 Providence, Texas, #12 Charleston, #14 Tennessee-Chattanooga, #15 Coppin State)
1996: 6 (#10 Santa Clara, Texas, #11 Boston College, #12 Arkansas, Drexel, #13 Princeton)
1995: 6 (#10 Stanford, #11 Texas, #12 Miami (OH), #13 Manhattan, #14 Old Dominion, Weber State)
1994: 5 (#10 George Washington, Maryland, #11 Pennsylvania, #12 Tulsa, Wisconsin-Green Bay)
1993: 4 (#11 Tulane, #12 George Washington, #13 Southern, #15 Santa Clara)
1992: 5 (#10 Iowa State, Tulane, #12 New Mexico State, #13 Southwest Louisiana, #14 East Tennessee State)
1991: 8 (#10 BYU, Temple, #11 Connecticut, Creighton, #12 Eastern Michigan, #13 Penn State, #14 Xavier, #15 Richmond)
1990: 5 (#10 Texas, #11 Loyola Marymount, #12 Ball State, Dayton, #14 Northern Iowa)
1989: 8 (#10 Colorado State, #11 Evansville, Minnesota, South Alabama, Texas, #12 DePaul, #13 Middle Tennessee State, #14 Siena)
1988: 4 (#10 Loyola Marymount, #11 Rhode Island, #13 Richmond, #14 Murray State)
1987: 6 (#10 LSU, Western Kentucky, #12 Wyoming, #13 Southwest Missouri State, Xavier, #14 Austin Peay)
1986: 5 (#10 Villanova, #11 LSU, #12 DePaul, #14 Arkansas-Little Rock, Cleveland State)
1985: 5 (#11 Auburn, Boston College, UTEP, #12 Kentucky, #13 Navy)
3. The average seed number for Sweet 16 teams this year is 5.875, which is the record for the highest average seed number in the Sweet 16 since since seeding began in 1979, and only the 9th time since then that the average seed number has been 5 or greater. Of course, if the seeding played out as it should (i.e., all teams seeded 1-4 advancing to the Sweet 16, which has never happened), the average seed number would be 2.5. Here is the average seed of Sweet 16 teams since 1979 (with the years when the average seed number was 5 or higher bolded):
2021: 5.875
2019: 3.0625
2018: 5.3125
2017: 4.0625
2016: 4.125
2015: 4.375
2014: 4.9375
2013: 5.0625
2012: 4.5625
2011: 5
2010: 5
2009: 3.0625
2008: 4.375
2007: 3.1875
2006: 4.4375
2005: 4.5
2004: 4.5625
2003: 4.1875
2002: 4.6875
2001: 4.5625
2000: 5.3125
1999: 5.5
1998: 4.75
1997: 4.8125
1996: 3.6875
1995: 3.1875
1994: 4.25
1993: 4.0625
1992: 4.1875
1991: 4
1990: 5.5
1989: 3.125
1988: 4.3125
1987: 4.25
1986: 5.5625
1985: 4.875
1984: 3.8125
1983: 3.5
1982: 3.1875
1981: 4.5625
1980: 4.125
1979: 3.8125
2. We have four mid-majors in the Sweet 16 -- Gonzaga and Houston. (I consider schools in conferences other than the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC to be mid-majors, even if a school is now in one of those conferences, so, for instance, Butler and Xavier were mid-majors before joining the Big East a couple years ago, but are no longer mid-majors. It's not a perfect science. Deal with it.) 25 mid-majors have advanced to the Final Four since 1979. Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the number of mid-major teams that made it to the Sweet 16 since 1979:
2021: 4 (Gonzaga, Houston, Loyola (IL), Oral Roberts)
2019: 2 (Gonzaga, Houston)
2018: 3 (Gonzaga, Loyola (IL)*, Nevada)
2017: 1 (Gonzaga*)
2016: 1 (Gonzaga)
2015: 2 (Gonzaga, Wichita State)
2014: 2 (Dayton, San Diego State)
2013: 3 (Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle, Wichita State*)
2012: 2 (Ohio, Xavier)
2011: 5 (Butler*, BYU, Richmond, San Diego State, VCU*)
2010: 5 (Butler*, Cornell, Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, Xavier)
2009: 3 (Gonzaga, Memphis, Xavier)
2008: 4 (Davidson, Memphis*, Western Kentucky, Xavier)
2007: 4 (Butler, Memphis, Southern Illinois, UNLV)
2006: 5 (Bradley, George Mason*, Gonzaga, Memphis, Wichita State)
2005: 2 (Utah, UW-Milwaukee)
2004: 4 (Nevada, St. Joseph's, UAB, Xavier)
2003: 2 (Butler, Marquette*)
2002: 2 (Kent State, Southern Illinois)
2001: 2 (Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Temple)
2000: 2 (Gonzaga, Tulsa)
1999: 4 (Gonzaga, Miami (OH), SW Missouri State, Temple)
1998: 3 (Rhode Island, Utah*, Valparaiso)
1997: 3 (St. Joseph's, Utah, UT-Chattanooga)
1996: 3 (Cincinnati, Massachusetts*, Utah)
1995: 3 (Massachusetts, Memphis, Tulsa)
1994: 2 (Marquette, Tulsa)
1993: 4 (Cincinnati, George Washington, Temple, Western Kentucky)
1992: 5 (Cincinnati*, Memphis State, Massachusetts, New Mexico State, UTEP)
1991: 4 (Eastern Michigan, Temple, UNLV*, Utah)
1990: 4 (Ball State, Loyola Marymount, UNLV**, Xavier)
1989: 2 (Louisville, UNLV)
1988: 4 (Louisville, Rhode Island, Richmond, Temple)
1987: 3 (DePaul, UNLV*, Wyoming)
1986: 5 (Cleveland State, DePaul, Louisville**, Navy, UNLV)
1985: 3 (Louisiana Tech, Loyola (IL), Memphis State*)
1984: 6 (Dayton, DePaul, Houston*, Louisville, Memphis State, UNLV)
1983: 4 (Houston*, Louisville, Memphis State, Utah)
1982: 6 (Fresno State, Houston*, Idaho, Louisville*, Memphis State, UAB)
1981: 5 (BYU, St. Joseph's, UAB, Utah, Wichita State)
1980: 2 (Lamar, Louisville**)
1979: 8 (DePaul*, Indiana State*, Louisville, Marquette, Penn*, Rutgers, San Francisco, Toledo)
*Advanced to Final Four
**Won NCAA title
1. There are five teams seeded 8 or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16, which matches the record set in 1999 and 2011. Thirteen teams seeded 8 or higher have advanced to the Final Four (Villanova in 1985 was the only national champion). Here is a year-by-year breakdown of the number of teams seeded #8 or lower that made it to the Sweet 16 since 1979:
2021: 5 (#8 Loyola (IL), #11 Syracuse, #11 UCLA, #12 Oregon State, #15 Oral Roberts)
2019: 1 (#12 Oregon)
2018: 4 (#9 Florida State, #9 Kansas State, #11 Loyola (IL)*, #11 Syracuse)
2017: 2 (#8 Wisconsin, #11 Xavier)
2016: 2 (#10 Syracuse*, #11 Gonzaga)
2015: 2 (#8 NC State, #11 UCLA)
2014: 4 (#8 Kentucky*, #10 Stanford, #11 Dayton, #11 Tennessee)
2013: 4 (#9 Wichita State*, #12 Oregon, #13 LaSalle, and #15 Florida Gulf Coast)
2012: 3 (#10 Xavier, #11 NC State, and #13 Ohio)
2011: 5 (#8 Butler*, #10 Florida State, #11 Marquette, #11 VCU*, and #12 Richmond)
2010: 4 (#9 Northern Iowa, #10 St. Mary's, #11 Washington, #12 Cornell)
2009: 1 (#12 Arizona)
2008: 3 (#10 Davidson, #12 Villanova, #12 Western Kentucky)
2007: 0
2006: 2 (#11 George Mason*, #13 Bradley)
2005: 2 (#10 North Carolina State, #12 UW-Milwaukee)
2004: 3 (#8 Alabama, #9 UAB, #10 Nevada)
2003: 2 (#10 Auburn, #12 Butler)
2002: 4 (#8 UCLA, #10 Kent State, #11 Southern Illinois, #12 Missouri)
2001: 3 (#10 Georgetown, #11 Temple, #12 Gonzaga)
2000: 4 (#8 North Carolina*, #8 Wisconsin*, #10 Seton Hall, #10 Gonzaga)
1999: 5 (#10 Gonzaga, #10 Miami (OH), #10 Purdue, #12 Southwest Missouri State, #13 Oklahoma)
1998: 4 (#8 Rhode Island, #10 West Virginia, #11 Washington, #13 Valparaiso)
1997: 3 (#10 Texas, #10 Providence, #14 UT-Chattanooga)
1996: 2 (#8 Georgia, #12 Arkansas)
1995: 0
1994: 2 (#9 Boston College, #10 Maryland, #12 Tulsa)
1993: 1 (#12 George Washington)
1992: 2 (#9 UTEP, #12 New Mexico State)
1991: 3 (#10 Temple, #11 Connecticut, #12 Eastern Michigan)
1990: 4 (#8 North Carolina, #10 Texas, #11 Loyola Marymount, #12 Ball State)
1989: 1 (#11 Minnesota)
1988: 2 (#11 Rhode Island, #13 Richmond)
1987: 2 (#10 LSU, #12 Wyoming)
1986: 4 (#8 Auburn, #11 LSU*, #12 DePaul, #14 Cleveland State)
1985: 4 (#8 Villanova**, #11 Auburn, #11 Boston College, #12 Kentucky)
1984: 1 (#10 Dayton)
1983: 1 (#10 Utah)
1982: 1 (#8 Boston College)
1981: 2 (#8 Kansas State, #9 St. Joseph's)
1980: 2 (#8 UCLA*, #10 Lamar)
1979: 2 (#9 Penn*, #10 St. John's)
*Advanced to Final Four
**Won NCAA title
For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
Today's CoronaVinyl category is "E," and the only album I have left by an "E" artist I haven't already featured is the soundtrack to the 1960 film College Confidential by Dean Elliott.
Elliott was a TV and film composer, from the '50s to the '80s. He composed music for several famous cartoons, like Mr. Magoo, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Heathcliff, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and several Dr. Seuss TV movies, among others.
Among the films he scored was 1960's College Confidential, starring Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Mamie Van Doren, Rocky Marciano, and Conway Twitty. I've never seen or heard of the movie before, but here is the description of the plot on Wikipedia: "Sociology professor Steve McInter conducts a survey at Collins College about the lifestyles and sexual urges of the younger generation. One of his students, Sally Blake, excels with the survey and may be having an affair with the professor. Reporter Betty Ducayne receives an anonymous tip that Steve is corrupting the youth and she discovers the dark past which he had fled." Color me intrigued!
The film was directed by Albert Zugsmith, who directed such other films as 1960's Sex Kittens Go to College (for which Elliott also composed the soundtrack), 1962's Confessions of an Opium Eater, 1966's Psychedelic Sexualis, 1966's Movie Star, American Style or; LSD, I Hate You, and 1974's Violated!
College Confidential the album is all jazz. It's not bad, and definitely good background music for when you're trying to work and have college basketball on mute. I couldn't find the album on Spotify or YouTube, so I'm not going to bother you by telling you my favorite songs on each side, as it is highly unlikely you will ever listen to this album. But given the Wikipedia description, you may want to check out the movie.
1. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" by Def Leppard
2. "Tell Me" by White Lion
3. "This is War" by Vandenberg
4. "Second Wind" by Cinderella
5. "Spanked" (live) by Van Halen
6. "Kissin' Kitty" by BulletBoys
7. "Falling In and Out of Love" by Lita Ford
8. "Livin' On a Dream" by Britny Fox
9. "Young and Wasted" by KISS
10. "Hell Bent for Leather" by Judas Priest
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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "D," and were going mellow with John Denver's first Greatest Hits album, released in 1973.
Henry John Deutschendorf decided at some point that was a mouthful, so he changed his professional name to John Denver. After getting his start writing songs for others -- including "Leaving on a Jet Plane," which became a big hit for Peter, Paul & Mary -- he began to put out his own music in 1969. With his soft voice, folksy easy listening songs, and warm smile, Denver ended up becoming one of America's most beloved performers in the early '70s, despite his super weird medieval squire boy haircut.
Though he had only been releasing music for a couple years by 1973, he had enough ammo for a greatest hits album. Among the songs on the album are his first three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 -- "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (#2), "Rocky Mountain High" (#9), and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" (#1). The latter was actually released on Denver's 1971 album Poems, Prayers & Promises, but it wasn't released as a single until the Greatest Hits album was released, and it became his first #1 hit.
The Greatest Hits album was a massive success, hitting #1 on the Billboard album chart -- oddly enough, his first #1 album in the U.S. -- #1 on the Canadian album chart, and the top ten on the album charts in several other countries. It has gone 9x platinum in the U.S. and 5x platinum in Canada. It also became one of the first albums to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.
This album really propelled Denver from a relatively big star into a huge star. All told, Denver had 15 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including 8 Top 10s and 4 #1s. On the Billboard Country singles chart, he had 7 Top 10 songs, including 3 #1s, and on the Billboard Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening chart, he had 18 Top 10 songs, including 9 #1s. On the Billboard album charts, he had 7 Top 10 albums on the main chart and 11 Top 10 albums on the Billboard country albums chart.
In the mid '80s, he was a key figure in the infamous PMRC music censorship/labeling Senate hearings. Most people -- including the Senators conducting the hearings -- assumed he was going to be testifying in favor of censoring or labeling allegedly crude or explicit music, but to the contrary, he was stanchly against the PRMC's mission, noting that many people misconstrued "Rocky Mountain High" as being a song about drugs.
Sadly, he was a better songwriter and political activist than a pilot, and he died in 1997 when the plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay in California.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
Probably Denver's best-known song, "Take Me Home Country Roads" was his first Top 5 song (and first Top 40 song, for that matter) on the Billboard Hot 100. It's a musical advertisement for West Virginia, but it holds a special place in my heart because, for unknown reasons, it's a huge favorite at the Oktoberfest tents in Munich.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Rocky Mountain High"
It's not about drugs. It's about mountains. For those Dumb and Dumber fans, this is what Lloyd was referring to when he said "That John Denver's full of shit."
For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
I'm taking a one-day hiatus from the alphabetical order to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and there's no better way to do that musically than by going with a selection from Ireland's greatest rock band ever, Thin Lizzy. It's also a fitting one-year anniversary of CoronaVinyl. A mere 365 days ago, I gave you the first installment of CoronaVinyl with Thin Lizzy's fantastic 1976 album Jailbreak. That was the first day I was working from home because of COVID-related shut downs, and we all thought we'd be back in the office within a couple weeks. Little did those of us who aren't epidemiologists know that an entire year later, many of us would still be working from home. It's insane to think that I haven't stepped foot in my office in a year.
Thin Lizzy is one of my favorite bands, and Johnny the Fox was the band's follow-up to Jailbreak. Also released in 1976, it was the band's seventh studio album, and it was written and recorded while lead singer and bassist Phil Lynott was recovering from hepatitis, which had forced the cancelation of half of the band's tour in support of Jailbreak (one of the many instances of bad luck the band would endure -- so much for the "luck of the Irish").
The album is the band's last full album of the band's four albums featuring their "classic" lineup of Lynott on vocals and bass, Brian Downey on drums, and Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson on those signature twin lead guitars -- 1974's Nightlife, 1975's Fighting, and Jailbreak being the other three albums. Robertson would only play on a few tracks on the next album, 1977's Bad Reputation, before quitting the band in 1978. Fun fact: Phil Collins (then in Genesis), who was a friend of Lynott, played some of the percussion on a couple tracks, though he was uncredited on the album, and the band members can't remember which songs he played on.
As with many of Thin Lizzy's albums, Johnny the Fox features several songs with Irish themes or undertones. "Massacre" was inspired by Protestant vs. Catholic religious prejudice (though its lyrics appear to be about the massacre of Native Americans). "Fool's Gold" is about the migration of Irish immigrants to the U.S. as a result of the Great Famine in the 1840s. The album cover -- by Jim Fitzpatrick, who designed many of the band's album covers -- has an intricate Celtic border.
Johnny the Fox is a great '70s rock album, with some Lizzy classics. Lynott's lyrics were great as always, Gorham and Robertson's twin lead guitars shone, and Downey was always good for some delicious fills. "Johnny," "Rocky," "Don't Believe a Word," "Fool's Gold," "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed," "Massacre," and "Boogie Woogie Dance" are all solid rockers, and there are a couple poppier and slower songs to show off Lynott's softer side, like "Borderline" (co-written by Robertson as a result of being rejected by a lady), "Old Flame," and "Sweet Marie."
The album went to #11 on the UK album charts -- the band's 2nd of what would eventually become 10 Top 20 albums on the UK charts (including studio, live, and compilation albums). It also went to #52 on the Billboard album chart. The only single from the album was "Don't Believe a Word," which went to #12 on the UK pop chart -- their 4th of what would be 15 Top 40 hits on the UK pop chart -- and #2 on the Irish pop chart -- their 3rd of what would be 7 Top 10 hits on the Irish pop chart.
I think it's criminal that Thin Lizzy doesn't get more recognition or more love from whoever does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations. They influenced a hell of a lot of bands that came after them, from hard rock to metal to punk to grunge. Lynott's songwriting is up there with the best of them, in my opinion. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying a Guinness or a Smithwick's today while you listen to this Irish gem. Sláinte!
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Don't Believe a Word"
At barely over two minutes long, this song is short but sweet. It's one of my favorite Thin Lizzy songs, and I first heard it as a cover on Def Leppard's excellent 2005 covers album Yeah!, which prompted me to get into Thin Lizzy. Yet another reason Def Leppard is awesome. Anywho, as originally written by Lynott, it a slower 12-bar bluesy song, but then Robertson and Downey reworked it, sped it up, and Robertson added the song's signature riff. Lynott liked the reworking, and the results are great. I've always been taken by Lynott's lyrics. He's essentially telling a woman "don't believe anything I tell you, especially if I tell you that I love you." He's pouring his heart out to her, but hedging his bets, giving both of them an out. If he wants to ditch her, he can say, "I told you not to believe me when I told you I love you," or if she says she doesn't love him or isn't interested, he can say, "no big deal because, as I said, I was just kidding." And if she wants to ditch him, he can't protest because then she'll say "you told me not to believe a word you said."
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Massacre"
"Massacre" is a scorching hard rock song with echo effects on Lynott's vocals. As I mentioned above, it's a rebuke of religious prejudice, focusing on the massacre of Native Americans at the hands of white Americans. It was kind of a sequel to "Emerald" from Jailbreak, which was about the massacre of native Irish at the hands of presumably the British. There's a great guitar solo, as well as some great drum work by Downey.
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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "C," and I was all ready to go with a Pablo Cruise album when I realized that Pablo Cruise is the name of a band, and not a man, so that belongs in "P," not "C." Boy was there egg on my face!
Instead, I'm going with Déjà Vu, which was the first album released by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as a quartet that included Neil Young. It would also be their only studio album released as a quartet until 1989.
The album was truly a collaboration, with all four members co-producing the album, writing songs for the album, and handling lead vocals on at least two songs each. The result is a classic, with many of CSN/CSNY's most recognizable songs, like "Carry On," "Teach Your Children," "Our House," "Helpless," the title track, and the Joni Mitchell-penned "Woodstock." And, importantly, every band member shines on the album. There's a mix of folk rock, regular rock, and soulful ballads.
Déjà Vu was the most successful of any of the CSN or CSNY albums, having gone 7x platinum in the U.S. and sold over 14 million copies worldwide. It was also the only CSN/CSNY studio album to reach #1 on the Billboard album chart. The album also went to #1 on the album charts in Australia, Canada, and The Netherlands, and it went Top 10 on the album charts in France, Spain, Sweden, and The UK. It also produced three Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Woodstock" (#11), "Teach Your Children" (#16), and "Our House" (#30).
The album was ranked #148 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Helpless"
This is one of my favorite Neil Young songs. It's slow and soulful, and Young's signature high voice adds an element of eeriness to it.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Everybody I Love You"
The album concludes with a short-but-sweet uptempo rocker, co-written by Stills and Young, and sung by Stills on lead, with Crosby and Nash on vice-lead.
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