It was an extraordinary contest, so it only makes sense it would end with an extraordinary result. Having failed to whittle the field down to two in the semi-finals, our friend Friday did the only thing he could - he asked us to each rank our finalists, Jordsjo, Yolk, Hermann Szobel and Regal Worm, from 1 to 4. The hope was that this would produce one clear winner.
This gave me two problems. I knew that my two favorites were Regal Worm and Jordsjo, but even this late in the contest, I still wasn't sure which of the two I preferred. Likewise, I wasn't really sure whether who I liked better between the Yolk and Hermann Szobel LPs. I had no choice but to give them each an extra listen.
In the end, in spite of that sweet, sweet flute, I decided to go with the craftsmanship of the Regal Worm album. As for the others, while there was much I admired in the Hermann Szobel project, there was also just a little bit too much harshness for my taste. My final vote was:
1. Regal Worm
2. Jordsjo
3. Yolk
4. Hermann Szobel
As the votes came in, the lead seemed to go back and forth. At first, it appeared that Regal Worm had it wrapped up. Then a late run seemed to put Jordsjo in the lead. Several of us tried to keep a running count, but it was so confusing that we each came up with different numbers.
In the end, there was no choice but to wait for Friday's official count. Fittingly enough, on Friday the 13th, our friend Friday 13th gave us the final results. In the man's own words:
The votes are in. Unfortunately, the 1,395,308 last minute RYM pm ballots for Syzygy were held void in the Supreme Court of Prog. All of RYM is in tears. Here is the final tally: REGAL WORM: 52 votes - Jordsjo: 48 votes - Yolk: 46 votes - Hermann Szobel: 44 votes. The true winner is Regal Worm - Pig Views! Congrats Jethro for the second win in this tournament series. Feel free to rave about your personal favorites from the tourney, vent about the state of prog, etc. Is this Friday the 13th of August, 2021 the true end, or only the beginning?
So it was official. Regal Worm was the winner, and Jethro 42, the User who had recommended it, became only the second ever User to win the Obscure Prog Rock Tournament twice (tying MySirLordGentleman). Our prog contest, the last ever, was done.
But just as we all prepared to end our prog rock explorations for the year, our friend Friday had one last surprise for us!
Tune in tomorrow, and I'll tell you all about it.
