Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 3, 2020 19:26:12 GMT -5
that's what happens when i'm trying to rush...fixed...total pts not affected |
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Nov 3, 2020 19:49:16 GMT -5
Fingers crossed that ABC, Howard Jones, and Dire Straits leave in the next 10
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Post by Doc Indie Party Rock on Nov 4, 2020 1:02:03 GMT -5
#44 "Strength" - Alarm
I'm pretty surprised to see this one go out so soon, especially given how well it fits the format. There's a strong drama flair to the piece that's elevated by the excellent production work, plus a bit solid guitar slashing to match.
Finally someone who gets it. ;) |
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Post by Doc Indie Party Rock on Nov 4, 2020 2:23:40 GMT -5
Me when I hear alternative rock in an alternative rock rankdown
 I feel the need to change this so it fits my criteria. Me when I hear alternative rock that sounds like a chaotic mess
. It's more of a confused look than scared.  and with that clarification let's get to these reveals. #40: "New Day Rising" - Husker Duthis song here was a major tune out. It had nothing to do with fearing the Alternative Rock sound. It was more a case of If it wasn't for those drums in the intro I wouldn't have known where it started nor ended. 'nuff said. #39: "Cry" - Godley & Creme...and there it is. The last one still swimming around in my tank. This is one of the worst songs from the 80's to ever come my way. The lyrics, the vocals, that annoying bass line. Yes there are bass lines I hate, and those faces. Now that used to scare me. True story. A bunch of people in agony crying or whatever. Almost made me cry.  Anyway feels good to clear my bottom 10. #38: "Johnny Come Home" - Fine Young CannibalsI like this one a lot, but it had to fall sooner or later. BTW this is really the only song I can say i like from this band. General Public blew these half of the band away, but English Beat slayed both. #37: "Skills Of Summer" - Wire TrainI believe I have generally ranked high most if not all the first time listens from this band. Such a great Modern Rock sound for the 80's and a mean Spanish rock vibe to tie the bow. Going back to that scary Alternative Rock sound comment. This is what Alternative rock is to me, so that is why I had to correct that statement to fit my criteria. #36: "Would I Lie To You?" - EurythmicsThis would be my favorite anti Synthpop song for the band. I think Annie's lyrics really command the music in a strong Modern Rock route, while never cutting out the melodic ,and 80's sonic punch. #35: "Whole Of The Moon" - WaterboysHere is a case where the music is so pleasant and catchy where I can forgive vocals that usually tune me out. He sounded like a listenable version of Bob Dylon, but the musica especially the brass elements were pretty magical. #34: "Can't Get There From Here" - REMAmateur R.E.M wasn't so terrible for this list. Michael doesn't strike me as the best vocalist for the big sonic 80's. He got way better in the 90's. Maybe it was this music he had to follow. Just a heads up. Don't expect me to give this song anything as high as #79 on my Mainstream Rock list. #33: "Perfect Way" - Scritti PolittiFirst off one of those bottom 10's surprises the pants off me, but I've seen worse. Anyway this song came dangerously close to being in my top 10. Always loved the Sophistipop vibe the music created, with the synths and chimes. I also really liked his vocals. They were a tad female tainted but very....unique. . #32: "Vicious Games" - YelloThis is surely my favorite song from this band. Didn't even know it was them back then. I just thought some Hi-NRG oriented song made the list. I really enjoyed the female vocals so I had to look them up ,and nothing made sense to me. Supposably this actress Mirjam Montandon is miming Rush Winter's vocals. So is a guy singing? To top it off That Mijam actress is a stunt double for Mila Jovovich so WTF? (insert confused looking meme that I'm too lazy to search for). #31: "Lay Your Hands On Me" - Thompson TwinsOoh what kick to the balls this reveal is. I know this was a huge top pop hit, but damn it perfection on many musical levels. For one Tom Bailey vocals. Second Thompson Twins melody works which could have written the book on Sophistipop. There are quite a few versions of this song. This Music Video version is nice, if you like warm soup, but if you want it sizzling hot I preferred the one with the guitar breakdown (The U.S. Version). It had more power. Below that one was an even better version that keeps the guitars in the mid section, but also has a proper song ending. Anyway these two versions contributed to my #9 slot. |
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Post by Daryl the Beryl on Nov 4, 2020 8:22:18 GMT -5
#40: "New Day Rising" - Husker Duthis song here was a major tune out. It had nothing to do with fearing the Alternative Rock sound. It was more a case of If it wasn't for those drums in the intro I wouldn't have known where it started nor ended. 'nuff said. Do you at least like Bob Mould's new single "American Crisis"? I thought you would like it since it's much heavier than what alt is now, but after seeing your rank, I dunno now. |
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 12:57:38 GMT -5
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 13:08:20 GMT -5
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 13:22:19 GMT -5
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 13:24:28 GMT -5
coming up next, we have the song with THE MOST Top 10 rankings to NOT make the Top 10 in this rankdown, & yet due to it being the THIRD HIGHEST Standard Deviation, it fails to make the Top 25
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 13:43:27 GMT -5
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wheatsquares33
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Post by wheatsquares33 on Nov 4, 2020 13:44:11 GMT -5
What is wrong with y'all I was expecting fucking Money for Nothing
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 14:00:04 GMT -5
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peacebone
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Post by peacebone on Nov 4, 2020 14:01:59 GMT -5
Even if this song didn't contain multiple f-slurs the production still sounds like the musical equivalent of slimy school cafeteria lunch. Shameful that it even beat my #1, but if it had to I'm glad it was only by one reveal
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 14:06:51 GMT -5
LADIES & GENTLEMEN, presenting your Top 25 (alphabetically by artist):
Slave To Love - Bryan Ferry
In Between Days - Cure
You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead Or Alive
Life In A Northern Town - Dream Academy
Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
Makes No Sense At All - Husker Du
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Love Vigilantes - New Order
Perfect Kiss - New Order
Secret - OMD
So In Love - OMD
Pop Life - Prince
Duel - Propaganda
Driver 8 - REM
Smooth Operator - Sade
Alive And Kicking - Simple Minds
Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
Boy With A Thorn In His Side - Smiths
Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
And She Was - Talking Heads
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
Shout - Tears For Fears
Voices Carry - Til Tuesday
Bad - U2
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Nov 4, 2020 14:08:17 GMT -5
Bruh if Paul Buchanan's singing is "tuneless warbling" then where does that leave Mark Knopfler who sounds like a f**king caveman on anesthetics
"funny I Want My MTV meme" can't make up for everything, you know
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gonecountry
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Post by gonecountry on Nov 4, 2020 14:29:43 GMT -5
LADIES & GENTLEMEN, presenting your Top 25 (alphabetically by artist):
not a bad top 25 at all, shy one song that I don't particularly get the love for but I can live with it. |
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newpower
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Post by newpower on Nov 4, 2020 15:27:47 GMT -5
unexpected pop leaning Top 25. Not complaining thou
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 18:36:42 GMT -5
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 18:49:28 GMT -5
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 18:58:58 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Nov 4, 2020 19:00:50 GMT -5
...is it seriously going to make the top 20 lmao
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 19:09:46 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Nov 4, 2020 19:12:37 GMT -5
shitass-annoying wordless choruses strike again
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newpower
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Post by newpower on Nov 4, 2020 19:13:26 GMT -5
The way the election results are turning makes that Howard Jones song very relevant today.
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 4, 2020 19:19:12 GMT -5
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singingrulebritannia
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Post by singingrulebritannia on Nov 4, 2020 19:39:13 GMT -5
Yo my #3 made the top 20, that's huge! I doubt it has the capacity for top 10, considering it's in way more famous company now, but the song didn't do as well in its previous rankdown so this is just as satisfying
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Post by thethirdcurry on Nov 4, 2020 22:55:48 GMT -5
#40 "New Day Rising" - Husker Du Not surprised at all to see this have such a high standard deviation. The harsh instrumentation and packed production make this one an all-out audio assault of punk noise. I found it exhilarating and intense. Others clearly found it unbearable. #39 "Cry" - Godley & Creme Just something... "off" about this track to me. The mood here is unsettling, and I'm not sure if it's supposed to be. I ranked it low out of confusion as much as anything else. #38 "Johnny Come Home" - Fine Young Cannibals The band was closer to their English Beat roots on this track compared to the more pop-driven hits they would drop a few years down the road. Roland Gift has a very unique voice and singing style (in a good way) and the band settles into a good groove here. #37 "Skills Of Summer" - Wire Train
Reminds me of a bit of Simple Minds in that it combines '80 alternative with radio ready pop hooks. I like the sheen of the guitar tone here and that chorus is one of the strongest in this countdown in my opinion. #36 "Would I Lie To You?" - Eurythmics
The band made their shift to R&B influenced pop music work out on this song. Whereas Ball and Chain felt flat and repetitive, this song has a strong beat and some solid vocals from Annie Lennox.
#35 "Whole Of The Moon" - Waterboys
I was thinking this one had a shot at the top 20, but looks like I'll have to settle for top half. While the production has its issues - the synths here sound more intrusive than anything - the wide-open soundscape provides the perfect backdrop for Mike Scott's excellent songwriting. He's got a real talent for making grand, sweeping songs feel intimate and personal. This was the biggest and arguably best hit of their '80 alternative era. The band would depart to more folksky waters on their next album.
#34 "Can't Get There From Here" - REM
Looking back, I may have been a bit too hard on this one. It didn't make a great first (or second) impression, but after a few more listens, that chorus did get pretty catchy. While I still don't love it, it'll be getting a higher finish from me in the mainstream rock countdown, although some of that boost is probably from competition level. Personally, I much preferred their other hit.
#33 "Perfect Way" - Scritti Politti
Not a huge fan of the vocals on this track, but that's not the main reason it's down here. This is one of those tracks that just kind of gradually sank down below marginally better tracks as I was ranking.
#32 "Vicious Games" - Yello
Quirky, but in a much different way than their other big hit. It's a little on the repetitive side, but it packs plenty of interesting atmosphere and an addictive beat. The few vocal bits enhance things as well.
#31 "Lay Your Hands On Me" - Thompson Twins
I'm not a big fan of this group, at least not from the admittedly small sample size of music I've heard from them. This was an alright synth-pop track, nothing more or less.
#30 "Road To Nowhere" - Talking Heads
I'm definitely agreeing with the order of these Talking Heads tracks. Much like Stay Up Late, Talking Heads went all in for David Byrne quirkiness, but he delivers much better results this time around. The marching drums certainly feel appropriate for traveling a road to nowhere.
#29 "Appetite" - Prefab Sprout
I guess I just like my sophisti-pop to be more uptempo. Still though, I liked this one better than my rating indicated; it's got a suave sway to it that I can get into.
#28 "Be Near Me" - ABC
The band's production work is great as usual, and the hooks here elevate this song to heights that "Tower of London" didn't reach. I love the keyboard and piano sound on this song.
#27 "When Love Breaks Down" - Prefab Sprout
I criticized the band's other song for being a bit low-tempo for my tastes, but they make up for it here with an excellent sense of ebb and flow between the verses and chorus. I kept expecting the song to go into some big, more explosive chorus (guess I'd been listening to too much stadium rock/AOR for the mainstream rankdown) but instead, the band kept things relatively subdued and managed the tempo and dynamics of the piece very carefully. Very effective subtle songwriting here.
#26 "Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits
Bruh if Paul Buchanan's singing is "tuneless warbling" then where does that leave Mark Knopfler who sounds like a f**king caveman on anesthetics
Maybe tuneless warbling was too harsh, but I just didn't care a whole lot for his vocals on that track - I'm not too familiar with Blue Niles' music in general. As for Mark Knopfler... honestly I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other about his vocals. His range is certainly limited, but I don't find it distracting. Then again, my taste in vocals can admittedly get inconsistent; for example, I'm fine with Lou Reed and Kevin Rowland and usually okay with Bob Dylan, yet I can't stand Van Morrison and find Bryan Ferry a bit too eccentric at times. At any rate, my ranking for Money for Nothing had little to do with Knopfler vocals and a lot to do with Knopfler riffs. I don't know what it is, but this track's guitar riff keeps me hooked for the entire runtime, and the backing vocals from Sting and the stabs of keyboard give the song variety it needs to stay engaging for its runtime. The fact that the band could write a catchy chorus about repairing house appliances is also pretty impressive.
#25 "Fortress Around Your Heart" - Sting
Sting was fresh out of The Police at this point, and you can still feel a bit of the band's later sound lingering around on this solo album. The guitar sound here is nice, the chord progression in the verses are interesting, and I like Sting's vocals in the chorus.
#24 "Makes No Sense At All" - Husker Du
It's still harsh and packed full but much more melodic than their other piece. Great punk energy here.
#23 "Slave To Love" - Bryan Ferry
Despite having just criticized Bryan Ferry a few reviews ago, I have to say that he sounds fine here. I found the verse music too uneventful on my first pass of the song, but the chorus eventually won me over and elevated this one out of my tank.
#22 "Things Can Only Get Better" - Howard Jones
I didn't think I'd ranked this one so high, but it's a fun slice of synth-pop, so I don't have any regrets.
#21 "Bad" (live) - U2
Took me a long time to rank this one. It's filled with plenty of expected U2-isms, which makes it a bit predictable, but U2 was doing well enough during this era for even their average songs to be solid.
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Post by Doc Indie Party Rock on Nov 5, 2020 2:38:09 GMT -5
#40: "New Day Rising" - Husker Duthis song here was a major tune out. It had nothing to do with fearing the Alternative Rock sound. It was more a case of If it wasn't for those drums in the intro I wouldn't have known where it started nor ended. 'nuff said. Do you at least like Bob Mould's new single "American Crisis"? I thought you would like it since it's much heavier than what alt is now, but after seeing your rank, I dunno now. The song while riding on a pretty nice post punk melody has the same issues. I can hardly hear their vocals. Even the backups band's vocals are drowned out. I hate to even say it, but maybe the music is too loud for their vocals. My guess is that this is their thing and you either like it or don't. As far as the other question? Yes I'll take this song over half of what's on Alternative right now, and definitely over some of that "Atmospheric" rock on Active. Now for some thoughts. #30: "Road To Nowhere" - Talking HeadsI didn't really go for this song back then. The melody seemed a little on the silly side for me. This coming from a member who loved "Tarzan Boy" ah, but that song was heavenly influenced by Italo Disco. This one was not. #29: "Appetite" - Prefab SproutThis was another first listen. It had all the ingredients I find enticing in this band's singles. Especially the female backups. I love them in duo vocals mode. While being a fantastic Sophistipop tune it didn't grab as immediate as "The King of Rock and Roll". Rest assured tho I did rank their other entry even higher. #28: "Be Near Me" - ABCWhat?????? This song is melodic Ectasy. Every note falls into place on a picture perfect canvas. Every instrument compliments the other, and Martin Fry leads them in perfect harmony. Am I the only one here that melts at the sound of a gorgeous melody.  #27: "When Love Breaks Down" - Prefab SproutCrap! My last remaining First time listen that I thought deserved a slot in my top 10 falls. I know most of you probably don't wanna hear this, but this song reminded of those stunning pop ballads from the British band Breathe whose songs I loved back then. #43 (#26): "Money For Nothing" - Dire StraitsI'm guessing there is a joke here with that #43 that is over my head? Anyway Don't be fooled by that #18 I gave the song. I just felt it went a bit to Mainstream Rock for this Rd. I still had to squeeze it into my top 20 here, because its a stellar Stellar rock jam in every sense of the word. I also don't think it did so bad on this RD considering it's basically a guitar riff wet dream. Also a little bonus. For those of you who wondered about First Floor "baby baby". The band is actually called Elso Emelet which means First Floor. i have no idea what's going on lyrically. I don't know if it's about a kangaroo, but I like these two songs. This is another song of there's that shows that the lead singer was actually fond of the red tank top look. LOL!  #25: "Fortress Around Your Heart" - StingThis song is good, and sounds great on this modern Rock rankdown. I don't think it was better than "free free set them free", but some of you obviously did. #24: "Makes No Sense At All" - Husker DuA much more acceptable musical composition by this band. The melodies made their existence known, but I'm still not a big fan of the vocal tones. At least they are louder than the actual music. That's a plus. I think I liked the second act of the song even better. #23: "Slave To Love" - Bryan FerryI dug this one. A bit lustrous and sexy with that Sade kinda percussion going on. I think it fit well with the song's Sophistipop atmosphere. #22: "Things Can Only Get Better" - Howard Jonesok is it me or am I getting the vibe that one of our premier PULSE members does not dig on big 80's synths? My friend you will be the death of my top 10.  For me it's quite the opposite. This is Synth Pop heaven. Lyrics? bah, who needs lyrics when "whoa Whoa" fits perfectly with your drum pads ,and synth beats. I only hope we can get "What Is Love" or "New Song" into the top 20 in the near future? #21: "Bad" (live) - U2I didn't know this song back then and it sounded like the boring side of U2. Pre "Where Streets Have No Name". So this is where that guitar melody came from? This was pretty bad in studio version as well. Now let me go see what kind of heartbreak you all are causing me over at the mainstream RD.  |
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rowellfarm490
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Post by rowellfarm490 on Nov 5, 2020 10:09:37 GMT -5
Solid top 20. Everything that's left is really good. Still it doesn't feel right that neither of Prefab Sprout's songs were able to make it. {LAY YOUR STATS ON ME}  |
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Butterflies & Hurricanes
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Post by Butterflies & Hurricanes on Nov 6, 2020 17:36:07 GMT -5
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Anyway feels good to clear my bottom 10.
For me it's quite the opposite. This is Synth Pop heaven. Lyrics? bah, who needs lyrics when "whoa Whoa" fits perfectly with your drum pads ,and synth beats. I only hope we can get "What Is Love" or "New Song" into the top 20 in the near future?