Another interesting matchup pits the soft rock classic The Stranger from Billy Joel against an album that some say birthed heavy metal, Black Sabbath's Paranoid!

A clash of titans, as the 1969 Rolling Stones classic Let It Bleed takes on the 1984 mainstream peak of Bruce Springsteen's career, Born in the USA.

This one will surely be an ideological clash. Rock's greatest lyricist will meet the king of the groove, as Bob Dylan's 1965 classic Highway 61 Revisited faces off with Michael Jackson's esteemed album Bad.

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Today the coronavirus took one of country's greatest hitmakers from the nineties, Joe Diffie. Condolences to his family, friends and fans from all of us at Zen Zone Studios.

A battle between two quintessential classic rock staples. The Beatles make their first foray into psychedelia with 1965's Rubber Soul. Its opponent is the 1971 classic Sticky Fingers, arguably the crown jewel of the Rolling Stones catalog.

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Today's first round match is between Van Halen's self-titled debut from 1978 and Bon Jovi's breakthrough success, Slippery When Wet from 1986. This clash between 80s hard rock standouts launches our first round.

Our final preliminary match pits the self-titled debut album of Whitney Houston against Chicago Transit Authority, the first effort from Chicago. Both albums launched their artists to substantial early prominence. The winner will advance to face Michael Jackson's Thriller at a later date.

The only entries from both artists, Paul Simon's 1975 classic album Still Crazy After All These Years meets the pinnacle of commercial success for Styx, their 1981 album Paradise Theatre. Whichever album prevails will advance to meet Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at a later date.

Our second preliminary match sees a clash of two albums inspired by past sounds. Billy Joel's 1983 album An Innocent Man is built as an homage to music that Joel grew up on. Its rival, David Bowie's 1975 album Young Americans, is his first venture into a genre that Bowie defines as "plastic soul." The winner will advance to the first round, to meet Pink Floyd's masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon.

Did we get it right?

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Our first preliminary match pits the 1968 double album from the Jimi Hendrix Experience against Pearl Jam's 1991 debut effort Ten. Our panel breaks down the albums. Follow us on Twitter @ZenZonePodcast. Let us know your thoughts!