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Post by Red on Apr 11, 2015 17:36:39 GMT -5
Inspired by (and, really, almost entirely a ripoff of) ry4n 's wonderful Hot 100 #1 thread, I thought about doing a similar project. There were plenty of options at my disposal, including Airplay #1s, UK #1s, and (my personal favorite that I didn't choose) Country #1s, but, really, there was only one choice. Alternative has always been my favorite radio format, dating back to the days when I started falling in love with music at the turn of the millennium. I thought about actually going through the process of reviewing every Alternative Songs top ten hit ever, but I decided that this was a bit too ambitious. So, instead, I'll just look at the #1 hits, the songs that defined their time, the songs that either still get played a ton today or are ignored and lost to time. Along the way, we'll encounter the biggest artists of the Alternative format (like Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, and Foo Fighters), as well as some artists that you may not be as aware of (like Midnight Oil, The Sisters of Mercy, and XTC). And, god willing, I'm going to review every single #1 from 1988 until today. Wish me luck. (NOTE: Unlike ry4n, I plan on using a star system for the reviews. For example, ***** is reserved for a select few that I adore and consider among the best songs of all time, while 1/2* is reserved for the dredges, the worst of the worst.) (UPDATE 8/8/17: The rankings for "Peek-A-Boo" and "Desire" have both been upgraded 1/4 to ****1/4.) {TOP 10 SONGS SO FAR}1) Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence (*****/*****) 2) Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (*****/*****) 3) Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine (****3/4/*****) 4) Faith No More - Midlife Crisis (****3/4/*****) 5) R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (****3/4/*****) 6) U2 - Mysterious Ways (****3/4/*****) 7) Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth (****3/4/*****) 8) The Cure - High (****3/4/*****) 9) Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kiss Them for Me (****3/4/*****) 10) R.E.M. - Orange Crush (****1/2/*****)
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Red
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Post by Red on Apr 11, 2015 17:56:10 GMT -5
1Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peek-A-BooWhen Was It #1?: September 10th, 1988; September 24th, 1988It's only fitting that this project starts with one of the first Alt #1 songs that I was introduced to as I was growing up and just starting out as a music fan. I remember my oldest sister playing many different songs and artists, but I only distinctly remember a couple. Siouxsie and the Banshees is one of the bands that I definitely remember, and "Peek-A-Boo" is probably the song I remember most from the early days. When I was younger, I remember not really understanding what I was listening to. What were these mish-mashed sounds doing together? None of this made sense to young Red. Listening to the song in my mid-20's (and that's being generous), I find that I have a new appreciation for the risks Siouxsie Sioux and her band was taking at the time. There's almost a weird brilliance to this track and how disjointed the whole song feels. The song even features an accordion prominently! And at the heart of it all is Siouxsie Sioux and her distinctive vocals. They may seem odd to someone who is listening to her voice for the first time, but that's also part of her charm. They don't really make them quite like Siouxsie anymore, and that's probably a good thing, because one Siouxsie Sioux is more than enough.
This song is certainly not for everyone, and some will immediately be turned off as soon as the song begins. To some, this song will sound borderline foreign. But if you can figure out the mystery behind "Peek-A-Boo", you may find yourself appreciating just how ahead of its time it really was.
****1/4/*****
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Post by Red on Apr 11, 2015 18:09:15 GMT -5
2Big Audio Dynamite - Just Play Music! When Was It #1?: September 17th, 1988
If you're an ardent follower of the Alternative format, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with the OTHER Big Audio Dynamite #1 Alternative Songs hit. This...this is NOT that hit. "Just Play Music!" is the first and not as well-known #1 Alt hit from Big Audio Dynamite, Mick Jones'' main band after he was kicked out of The Clash. Whereas "Peek-A-Boo" was well ahead of its time, there's no denying that "Just Play Music!" is exactly of its time. It's exactly the kind of song you'd expect to hear from an Alternative band in the late 1980's, with the key difference between BAD and other similar bands being Mick Jones' vocals, which were...well, they were vocals, I'll definitely give him that. But the fact that this song sounds like what you'd expect to hear from this period feels like a bit of a detriment to the song. It's definitely not timeless. It would have only really been able to succeed during this period of time. Does that make the song bad? No, definitely not. But I just can't seem to get into this song all that much, and there's not much here that's all that memorable. "Peek-A-Boo" survived because you don't really hear songs like it very often. "Just Play Music!" is symptomatic of so many other songs and bands of the time, and I guess that's why it hasn't really survived the test of time, unlike their other Alt #1.
**1/2/*****
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 11, 2015 21:43:12 GMT -5
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Post by Green Baron on Apr 11, 2015 22:06:37 GMT -5
Oh, that, hahahahaha...
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Post by Red on Apr 12, 2015 10:36:44 GMT -5
Did not realize that Baron did something similar. It's a fun read. :kii:3
The Psychedelic Furs - All That Money Wants When Was It #1?: October 1st-October 15th, 1988
I've definitely been looking forward to talk about The Psychedelic Furs in some form. While their most influential material was released before the inception of the Alternative chart (particularly with songs like "Love My Way" and "Pretty In Pink"), the Furs were still a big part of the first couple of years of the chart, getting to the top of the chart three times before a hiatus cut their dominance short. Their first Alt #1, "All That Money Wants", feels very much like a Furs song, with a smooth rock beat and the decidedly British vocals of Richard Butler, and I have nothing else really to say, other than that this is a very nice and easy to listen to track. I wouldn't say that it's 100% "timeless", but nearly thirty years later, this sounds just as nice as I assume it would have sounded at the time.
***/*****
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Post by Green Baron on Apr 12, 2015 10:41:45 GMT -5
What about 3&4?
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Post by H. on Apr 12, 2015 10:44:50 GMT -5
Green Baron, what happened to your ranking the 2014 songs list?
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Post by Red on Apr 12, 2015 10:54:06 GMT -5
4U2 - DesireWhen Was It #1?: October 22nd-November 19th, 1988 (Five Weeks On Top)For the first couple of #1 Alt hits, you've had songs from artists that, outside of a few songs here and there, weren't exactly huge names in the mainstream. Well, that streak just ended in a big way with the first of eight #1 Alternative hits for one of the biggest bands of all-time, U2. This would also, technically, be the first crossover smash for the format, hitting #3 on the Hot 100...but U2 already had #1 Hot 100 hits under its belt before "Desire", so I'm not sure if this really counts as a "crossover smash". But I digress. The big release off of U2's massive album/rockumentary Rattle and Hum, which attempted to pay tribute to the forefathers of blues rock and folk rock in the US, "Desire" definitely has the feel of an arena rock-esque take on blues rock. What's most striking about "Desire" is how well Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. capture the essence of blues rock, only adding an arena rock atmosphere simply because it's U2 and it wouldn't have felt entirely right otherwise. There also are not very many songs quite like "Desire" in the U2 discography, especially prior to this song's release, which helps to allow the song to stand on its own, instead of becoming just another big U2 hit. The sexual tension of the subject material combined with the Bo Diddley-esque instrumental is singular amongst the big U2 hits.
While I feel that U2 has had better #1 Alt hits (though not many), "Desire" is definitely a standout on what would otherwise be a bit of a hit-and-miss record. It's everything right about the Rattle and Hum project, with none of the pretentiousness that would haunt other parts of the record. It's real, it's raw, it's dirty, and it's a must-listen.
****1/4/*****
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Post by Red on Apr 12, 2015 10:54:38 GMT -5
"All That Money Wants" is the 3rd #1. Whoops. Editing it now.
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Post by Red on Apr 12, 2015 11:15:13 GMT -5
5R.E.M. - Orange CrushWhen Was It #1?: November 26th, 1988-January 14th, 1989 (Eight Weeks On Top)From one big name on the Alt chart, we immediately move to another with the first of six #1s for perennial Alternative juggernauts R.E.M. Something that I never realized about "Orange Crush" until I started this project: "Orange Crush" was not commercially released as a single in the US. The first official single released would be R.E.M.'s biggest hit on the Hot 100 to this point, but we'll get to that one shortly. For now, let's talk about this behemoth of a tune. Up until the release of "Orange Crush", the band's most ubiquitous hit (and perhaps their best single) was "The One I Love", a dark song about one particularly nasty side of love. "Orange Crush" is no less dark. I mean, the title is a reference to Agent Orange, only one of the most destructive chemicals ever used in any war. This is fitting, because Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam War, which also happens to be the subject matter of the song itself. I love when a good sequence comes together. In particular, it's about a young man being taken from his football stardom and placed directly in the horror of the Vietnam War. It's not hard to tell that this is the case, because this song is anything but subtle. The song begins with a machine gun blast of an instrumental, for crying out loud. But subtlety is eschewed, in this case, for raw power and an extremely catchy and smooth main guitar riff, complete with Michael Stipe's determined and angry vocals.
It's not hard to see why this was the biggest Alternative hit to this early point, and it's not just because R.E.M.'s core sound has held up well as the years have passed. Nearly thirty years later, "Orange Crush" holds up remarkably well due to its persistence of not adding sounds or earmarks of the period, sticking to a tried-and-true sound that has helped to influence so many Alternative bands decades later. This is the sound that many would hope to emulate in the years to come, to varying degrees of success. Nobody, however, did it quite as well as R.E.M.
****1/2/*****
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Post by Green Baron on Apr 12, 2015 16:09:26 GMT -5
The year of Swift.
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 13, 2015 8:16:52 GMT -5
Green Baron, what happened to your ranking the 2014 songs list? He probably doesn't have time for that/ has better things to do
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Post by Red on Apr 14, 2015 11:17:54 GMT -5
6Julian Cope - Charlotte AnneWhen Was It #1?: January 21st, 1989From U2 and R.EM. to...this. Julian Cope is the first artist that I've encountered that I'm, honestly, not too familiar with their work. Cope seems to have been popular enough in the United Kingdom, having many top 40 hits across the pond, but he's only had a couple of songs cross over to the States. "World Shut Your Mouth" is Cope's only Hot 100 hit, while "Beautiful Love" would get to #4 in 1991. "Charlotte Anne" would prove to be his biggest hit, though, reaching #1 on the Alt chart and displacing the mighty R.E.M. from the top, even if its reign only lasted a week. After listening to 'Charlotte Anne" a couple of times, I'm still struggling to come up with much to say about the song. It hasn't left much of an impression on me, and compared to the songs that preceded it, it feels like a bit of a letdown in comparison. THIS is the song that knocked "Orange Crush" out of the top spot. Yeah...okay, sure. That's 1989 for you.
**/*****
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Post by Red on Apr 14, 2015 11:30:10 GMT -5
7R.E.M. - StandWhen Was It #1?: January 28th-February 4th, 1989Okay, so there's good news and bad news. The good news is that Julian Cope was replaced at the top by R.E.M., making R.E.M. the first artist to have more than one #1 Alt hit. The bad news (and this may be the first truly controversial opinion in this thread) is that the song is "Stand". Urgh. I know that this can be a pretty popular song, and for many, it's a source of nostalgia and happier times. And hell, it was R.E.M.'s biggest hit to date. I should totally love this song as much as I do "Orange Crush". The problem with "Stand" is that it's really stupid and inane. It's also ungodly catchy, which makes things even worse, because once you hear it, you will have trouble getting it out of your head. Granted, this is actually what Michael Stipe was going for with the song, but that doesn't give the song an excuse to be so weak for an R.E.M. track. I just can't get over how THIS song, this purposefully dumb and idiotic tune, followed "Orange Crush". I definitely have more hated Alt #1s, but this is easily one of the most disappointing, as far as I'm concerned.
*1/2/*****
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Apr 14, 2015 18:50:25 GMT -5
I can't wait for Red to s**t on Butterfly/Psycho lol
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Post by shakermaker on Apr 16, 2015 12:47:14 GMT -5
Siouxsie, P-Furs and R.E.M. (yes, even "Stand", whose giddiness I'm a sucker for, though "Orange Crush" and "Pop Song 89" were superior singles from Green) all great. Hell I'll even rep for Mick's fake Rasta get-up on "Just Play Music" and the Copey track, though they're easily the least remarkable of this bunch (first alt. #1 I'd give less than 3 stars to is prob Gene Loves Jezebel's "Jealous" in 1990).
For a while I considered doing one of these for alt #2s but I can't really be bothered with that for now at least, though it sure would be fun
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Post by Red on Apr 17, 2015 10:32:21 GMT -5
I can't wait for Red to s**t on Butterfly/Psycho lol While I'm not sure what direction I'll take for "Butterfly" just yet, I have a feeling "Psycho" is going to get absolutely eviscerated. Just a hunch.8Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.When Was It #1? February 11th-March 4th, 1989 (Four Weeks On Top)I won't fault anyone who can't get into Lou Reed and his distinct vocal style here. I can't really say that it's "singing", but this is definitely a song. At the same time, though, I tend to enjoy anything Lou Reed-related (Lulu being a huge outlier), and "Dirty Blvd." is no exception. It's not among Lou's best songs, really (and I'd argue that it's not quite as good as the other Lou Reed Alt #1), but the combination of the catchy (if a bit generic) instrumental with Lou Reed's gravelly and almost spoken vocal style is a nice contrast. Again, if this kind of song is hard for some of you to get into, I completely understand. But I think that a big part of Lou Reed's brilliance was that he was able to take normal-sounding instrumentals and make them somewhat unique if only because of his voice and the way he carries himself in any given song. "Dirty Blvd." is definitely an example of that.
***1/2/*****
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Post by Red on Apr 17, 2015 10:44:31 GMT -5
9The Replacements - I'll Be YouWhen Was It #1?: March 11th, 1989I could have just linked to the song-only version of this video and left out the spiel at the bit from Replacements singer Paul Westerberg, but he brings up a really good point about this era for the band and for this song in particular, "I'll Be You", even if I don't entirely agree with it. I don't feel the same way Paul does about Pleased To Meet Me. That is a wonderful sellout album for a band who had been too punk for the mainstream previously. But while I also like Don't Tell a Soul, I can also completely understand why Westerberg wasn't a big fan of the album or especially its big hit single. The previous album had "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Alex Chilton", songs that were immediately catchier but, particularly in the case of the latter, also just as rocking as their previous material. "I'll Be You" is not that kind of song. It sounds like a song that was made specifically to be a hit. It's also polished to the point that you'd think someone used a particularly strong ammonia to clean it before release. This is the "goop" that Westerberg was referring to, and, in that sense, I get where he's coming from. "Alex Chilton" was polished, but it was also still raw, in a way. "I'll Be You" is not nearly as raw and much more polished.
And yet...as I listen to this song again, I can't get over just how good the song sounds, regardless of how mainstream it strives to be and how polished it sounds. Paul Westerberg may not be a huge fan of this era for his band, but there's little denying that they put hard work into the material, even if it's a form of selling out that few have accomplished since.
***/*****
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Post by Red on Apr 17, 2015 10:55:54 GMT -5
10Elvis Costello - VeronicaWhen Was It #1?: March 18th-March 25th, 1989Lou Reed was not the only rock icon to have a #1 Alt hit in 1989, as Elvis Costello topped this chart with his biggest American hit, "Veronica". There's something of a timeless quality with a song like "Veronica". It has a sound to it, whimsical and alive, that tends to survive the test of time. And there's little denying that Elvis is at near-peak form here, with a vocal performance as powerful as any that he's ever had. But what really gives a song like "Veronica" its punch is the lyrics and the subject matter of the song. "Veronica" sounds like a nice tune about a lovely lady named Veronica at first glance, but the sad reality is that the song is about a woman who is struggling with memory loss. Elvis has said that this song was inspired by his grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's and had, according to Costello, "terrible moments of lucidity". That helps to give the song a huge amount of weight and adds to the power of Costello's straining vocal performance.
When you add a passionate vocal performance and a strong and personal subject matter together, usually, you're going to get something pretty damn great. "Veronica" is no exception.
****/*****
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Post by Red on May 5, 2015 23:39:30 GMT -5
I'm not dead! I've been caught up in other matters recently, but I'm ready to start updating this again, and there's some heavy hitters coming up, including a pretty big hit from an old Alt staple and possibly the most iconic hit to that point. The next update probably won't be until tomorrow, but count on it being up by then! Until then, here's the biggest song from the next #1 artist. Surprisingly, THIS song did not reach the Hot 100 in the States...but the next #1 did.
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Post by Red on Oct 22, 2015 17:07:13 GMT -5
Surprise! 11XTC - The Mayor of SimpletonWhen Was It #1?: April 1st-April 29th, 1989By the time XTC unleashed "The Mayor of Simpleton", XTC had been together for almost twenty years and recording music for over ten years. Suffice to say, they had been around the block a few times. A decent success story in the UK, XTC never really quite broke through in the US. Not even their most widely-known single, "Senses Working Overtime", didn't break through into the Billboard Hot 100. The only song that would make even the slightest dent on the biggest music chart in the United States is this one, "The Mayor of Simpleton", and even then, it peaked at #72. Bands like XTC are why I wanted to do this project in the first place, though, because XTC is a very, VERY good band. In some ways, I feel like they were a bit ahead of their time (and, in the case of a song like "Senses Working Overtime", WAY ahead of their time). It's weird that I'm pumping XTC up so much right now, because "The Mayor of Simpleton" is not one of my favorite XTC tracks. It's okay, don't get me wrong, but it's not one of my five favorite songs by the band. It also makes perfect sense as the song that finally broke XTC through in the US, because it certainly sounds like a song that would help a band like XTC break through at this point in time. I just feel like XTC has made (and would make) better songs.
**3/4/*****
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Post by Red on Oct 22, 2015 17:20:21 GMT -5
12The Cure - Fascination StreetWhen Was It #1?: May 6th-June 17th, 1989 Time for another debut from another heavy hitter of the Alternative format. This time, it's The Cure, who, of course, had already been well-established before the inception of the Alt format, but were also a perfect fit for the format at the same time. The Alt format also caught Robert Smith and his bandmates at the perfect time, as the band was on the verge of a huge breakthrough with their seminal album Disintegration. While "Lullaby" would be the first big worldwide hit for the band, Elektra refused to release the song as a single in the US first, instead focusing on "Fascination Street". Was it a smart decision? Well, "Fascination Street" was actually a bigger hit in the States, and it served as the precursor to the band's biggest hit in the States ever, "Lovesong". Fun fact: "Lovesong" did not reach #1 on the Alt chart. That fact still baffles me. But I digress. "Fascination Street" is a really strong opening #1 act for the band, a good song that is carried to another level by a incredibly smooth bass line and Robert Smith's ubiquitous vocals. It's going to be fun to try and decide which of The Cure's four #1 Alt hits are the best...and by "fun", I mean "excruciatingly difficult".
****1/4/*****
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Post by Red on Oct 24, 2015 23:58:39 GMT -5
13Love and Rockets - So AliveWhen Was It #1?: June 24th-July 22nd, 1989 Ladies and gentlemen, your biggest Modern Rock hit of 1989, according to Billboard. I will readily admit that I wasn't really familiar with "So Alive" when going through the process of listening to the song for this post, though, along with being the biggest hit on the Modern Rock format in 1989, it was also a #3 hit on the Hot 100. There's definitely a really nice feel to the track, though, and it's little wonder that it was as successful as it was, because this song is incredibly catchy and has quite the chorus. I definitely want to come back to Love and Rockets at some point in the future, because if "So Alive" is any indication, I've probably missed some pretty damn good music. As for my rating of their biggest American hit? Well, I'm glad you asked, because I really don't have that much to say about this song otherwise...
***1/2/*****
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Post by Red on Oct 25, 2015 0:11:30 GMT -5
14Public Image Ltd. - DisappointedWhen Was It #1?: July 29th, 1989 Unlike Love and Rockets, I have PLENTY to say about Public Image Ltd. If you don't know about Public Image Ltd., they are the band that John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon created after the destruction of the Sex Pistols. They are also very interesting as a case study, because there are a lot of differences between the two bands, and nowhere is that more apparent than on, arguably, PIL's biggest hit in the US, "Disappointed". Try to picture a Sex Pistols fan coming out of a coma after 12 years and then discovering that not only were the Sex Pistols no longer a thing, and not only was Sid Vicious dead, Johnny Rotten was now going by his real name and was making decidedly softer, easier to accept, and, dare I say, POPPIER music with his new band. The most interesting thing, though, is that John Lydon is surprisingly adept at making a catchy pop tune, as "Disappointed" will attest. I will always love the Sex Pistols more, but Public Image Ltd. will also have a soft spot in my heart for as long as I live, because it was proof that there was more to John Lydon than just causing chaos.
Also, pay close attention to the video that I posted. I decided to go with the cut down single music video version, admittedly, but I only did so because John Lydon's wardrobe is an absolute RIOT. It's a must-watch for that alone.
***1/4/*****
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Post by Red on Oct 25, 2015 0:30:15 GMT -5
15The B-52's - Channel ZWhen Was It #1?: August 5th-August 19th, 1989 The first single release from the band after the death of long-time member (and brother of Cindy) Ricky Wilson, "Channel Z" is the first of three Modern Rock #1s for the iconic B-52's, and it's easily their least well-known of the three. It's also, in my opinion, the best of the three, though that could have to do with the lack of overplay for this track in comparison to their OTHER two Alt #1s. As you would expect from The B-52's, "Channel Z" is lively, energetic and very catchy, but it also represents a HUGE, more poppy shift in their sound after Ricky Wilson's death, a necessity given how important of a role Ricky played in the band. I wouldn't say that the seismic change was entirely for the better, but it's arguable that the band become a tighter and more polished unit after Ricky's death, and their music continued to be as great as before as a result, if not in a much different way than before. If people thought that "Channel Z" was a big sonic shift for The B-52's, though (and it was), nothing could prepare those same people for what followed...
****/*****
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I have learned I will rise & you'll see me return Being what I am Theres no other Troy For me 2 burn
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Post by Troy on Oct 30, 2015 22:26:45 GMT -5
... I definitely want to come back to Love and Rockets at some point in the future, because if "So Alive" is any indication, I've probably missed some pretty damn good music ... um, yeah...you most certainly need to listen to all of their 80s material!!! first of all, there was a band called Bauhaus & a little tune called "Bela Lugosi's Dead"...then they split up w/ singer Peter Murphy going solo & the remainder of the band becoming Love & Rockets...both Murphy and L&R had some amazing records in the 80s...L&R peaked w/ this album and would manage only hit-and-miss efforts after that, but Peter Murphy is still going strong...also, there are the one-off side-projects Tones On Tail and Dali's Car, plus solo records by both Daniel Ash and David J...so there is quite a bit of great music to savor on the Bauhaus menu
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Red
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Post by Red on Nov 28, 2015 21:50:40 GMT -5
Hey, I SAID that there would be an update "soon"...that didn't exactly imply WHEN that update would be. 16
Hoodoo Gurus - Come Anytime When Was It #1?: August 26th-September 9th, 1989
Fun fact: This song was what kept The Cure's iconic "Lovesong" from reaching #1 on this chart. This song, by a band that would only have one other Alt hit, by a band that would only have Alt success with one album. Granted, Hoodoo Gurus are actually a pretty important band in their native Australia, as evidenced by the fact that they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007. And maybe there's a chance that I'll find a strong band within Hoodoo Gurus if I actually took the time to seek out their discography...but perhaps "Come Anytime" wasn't the best introduction to the band. There's intrigue to be found with the song, and the instrumental work is tight enough, I guess. But I feel like I've listened to this song before. That could just be my love of Midnight Oil talking, admittedly, but it's hard not to sense a similarity between the two when you consider how much Hoodoo Gurus' singer sounds like Peter Garrett. Now that I really think about it, that comparison to Midnight Oil does make me more intrigued to check out Hoodoo Gurus beyond "Come Anytime". It's just a shame that I didn't really care for my first impression of the band too much.
**1/2/*****
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Red
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Post by Red on Nov 28, 2015 22:12:48 GMT -5
17The B-52's - Love ShackWhen Was It #1?: September 16th-October 7th, 1989If I tried to say the same thing about "Lovesong" that I said in the "Come Anytime" blurb here (ie. "this song kept 'Lovesong' from reaching #1"), that would be just a little bit silly, given that, like "Lovesong", "Love Shack" is one of the most popular songs of its era, a song that would go on to outlive just about every other major hit from the period. Also, it would be factually wrong, because "Lovesong" started to drop off when this hit #1. So there's that.
"Channel Z" was a pretty big sonic shift for The B-52's, but once "Love Shack" was unleashed on an unsuspecting public, it became obvious that "Channel Z" was only the appetizer for the main course. "Love Shack" is so pop that it practically feels like the pop sound is slapping you in the face. (Yes, that was my attempt at a "Glove Slap" reference. I tried.) As it turns out, though, The B-52's happen to be really, REALLY good at being a pop band, because "Love Shack" is an absolute jam. For years, I felt like "Love Shack" was ever so slightly overrated, because it overshadowed so many great B-52 tracks. During the process of reviewing these Alternative #1s, though, something just clicked. Listening to the song for this particular thread was like rediscovering a long lost gem, which seems impossible, given how ubiquitous this song has become over the years, but I hadn't listened to "Love Shack" in full in years before listening to it for the purpose of review, and, honestly, I'm shocked by just how tight, precise and GOOD "Love Shack" is. From beginning to end, The B-52's have complete control, never once wavering, even when it seems like they're going off into their own universe. (I'm looking at YOU, Fred Schneider.) They never once sound like they are uncomfortable in their new pop surroundings. If anything, it almost seems like pop and The B-52's were always meant to go together. They may not have started out that way, but one trip to the Love Shack was all they needed to stay that way.
****/*****
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Troy
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I have learned I will rise & you'll see me return Being what I am Theres no other Troy For me 2 burn
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Post by Troy on Dec 9, 2015 1:20:37 GMT -5
i love this thread & am eagerly awaiting the next installment
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