The History of Pop part 28 aka A Body Like Arnold with a Denzel face

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A slip of the fingers means this poll was briefly published CONTEXT-FREE but here we go, it's 1994, Wet Wet Wet spend 15 cruel weeks at the top of the charts and the first stirrings of Britpop turn up on Now, playing second fiddle to Stiltskin.

Fans of the Mad Stuntman will be gutted by his one-vote loss to Ace Of Base's "The Sign" - both acts return on this compilation. The general consensus on the Smashing Pumpkins is "not very good at all", with a small but vocal minority arguing for "good, actually".

And that's about all I can say - over to you!


[Poll #683198]

Comments

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

1. I never realised 2 Unlimited released so many singles! They must be nipping at UB40's heels by now, if still well behind Mr P. Collins of Switzerland.

2. What's the poptimist view of M People? I thought Movin' On Up and Renaissance were both pretty good singles. I probably still spat blood at the time when they won the Mercury tho. But how does history view this event? Was it a triumph of pop over the rockists or just a perverse decision by Frith & co.?

3. I own 3 of these songs.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

1. I think they - cannily - made sure pretty much everything they released landed on a Now.

2. I am with you on Movin On Up and particularly Renaissance which is a fine record. At the time of the Mercury I was at uni and there was uproar, I seem to recall that I took a contrarian view cos it was fun, but no doubt I thought Pulp or whoever should have won really. Was this the year Luke Haines got annoyed? I think Frith liked the idea of giving the prize to something that was pop, aspirational, black, feminine etc etc - you can totally see WHY they won.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Renaissance is the best M People single although it nicks the piano hook from the superior 'High' by Hyper Go Go (which in turn nicked it from somewhere else probs, along with major chunk of 'Strings Of Life' - shame it didn't get on a Now!)

I don't remember this 2 Unlimited single.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

a 2 Unlimited POINT which has been overlooked thus far - their frankly bizarre method of titling their albums nearly after the lead single, but not quite.

'Get Ready For This' => Get Ready
'No Limit' => No Limit
'The Real Thing' => Real Things

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I approve of this tictac

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

If M People had had a half-decent singer - Heather Small's croak really is one of the least appropriate vocals in pop music - they would've been outright classic. As it is their high spots mostly come when she's drowned out by the backing singers, despite the generally consistent storming tunes.

Those 2 Unlimited singles in full (I think this is probably the last of them):

2 2 Unlimited Get Ready For This Oct 1991
2 2 Unlimited Twilight Zone Jan 1992
4 2 Unlimited Workaholic May 1992
11 2 Unlimited The Magic Friend Aug 1992
1 2 Unlimited No Limit Jan 1993
4 2 Unlimited Tribal Dance May 1993
8 2 Unlimited Faces Sep 1993
15 2 Unlimited Maximum Overdrive Nov 1993
6 2 Unlimited Let The Beat Control Your Body Feb 1994
6 2 Unlimited The Real Thing May 1994
17 2 Unlimited No One Oct 1994
22 2 Unlimited Here I Go Mar 1995
16 2 Unlimited Do What's Good For Me Oct 1995
38 2 Unlimited Wanna Get Up Jul 1998

Re: attn CARSMILE

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I remember 'No-One' but not the ones after that.

Re: attn CARSMILE

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'Here I Go' is AMAZING, Anita does some proper house diva vocals on it - "here I go! here I go, catch me, I'm falling free".

(at one point I possessed all three 2U cassalbums)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I feel I should proclaim love for the Tlimited somewhere other than the "what is best" poll box. So. Tlimited = ace.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

Best M People single: "Open Your Heart". Only because there has, never, as far as I know, been a bad song called "Open Your Heart". OK, apart from that I can only think of Madonna, The Human League and Birgitte Haukdal, but they are all brilliant too.