The History Of Pop Part 39 aka Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Now then, the last couple of Nows have been described - perhaps rightly - as the "worst ever". Could the series turn the corner as it headed into 1998? The answer is a mighty YES IT COULD - this Now is a MONSTER: whether you love or hate the records here you'll probably find it contains stacks more memorable pop than recent polls.

So - pausing only to inaugurate Gala's "Freed From Desire" into the Pop n Poll Hall of Fame - I'll leave it to you.


[Poll #715994]


Can Now 40 follow that? Well...no. But it can have a very good go.

(Pop World Cup match to appear tomorrow, by the way)

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

In amongst the stellar pop some curious mysteries lurk i.e.

Lutricia McNeal
Camisra
Warren G doing an song called "PRINCE IGOR"!!??

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

You're right, this is a classic. Lutricia McNeal, All Saints, Natalie Imbruglia, Tin Tin Out... what a Now!

And Rest Assured's cover of Bittersweet Symphony that actually made it into a bearable song!

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

I have that Warren G song somewhere. It sampled the Rapsody Overture from Alexander Borodin's 19th century chart smash hit album, Prince Igor.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I KNEW IT. I knew from the moment I saw the track listing that Lutricia McNeal would be the forgotten classic, esp up against such monsters.

It's absolutely gorgeous retro-soul, also v catchy - "ain't that just the way that life goes down, down, down...gettin' up, gettin' high, gettin' no, no, nowhere" (descending chords a-go-go!)

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Wow - Vanilla made it to a Now! So I will be able to listen to 'No Way No Way' again one day, and will not have to regret forever chucking out my 12" of it!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

MNA MNA

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I think, a lot of the time, I think 'Never Ever' is the most perfectly constructed and crafted pop song EVER. I always see it criticised for being pathetic and un-feminist, but it's so exquisitely gorgeous precisely because it is so unashamedly abject. The spoken word intro is CHILLING.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The forgotten - or rather unjustly maligned - classic here is Vanilla.

Somebody YSI the Lutricia as I'm still drawing an blank.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

All I remember of the Vanilla is the chorus, I don't remember the beat or them or anything else. I was talking about it with Cis the other day and she said it was one of those songs where people go "haha it's so bad it's good" except it was actually bad (cf 'My Humps').

Yes, someone YSI Lutricia, I don't have a copy but at this moment in time feel that I cannot live another second without it!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Was it cited during the girl group thread on ILM recently?

It's one of the songs that I first heard on the radio and it really stopped me in my tracks, complete shiver down the spine, "my god they've pulled something amazing off here" etc.

Since then I've got slightly bored of it but it's still a monster.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Agree, although it's also one of the least gramatically correct pop songs ever.

You can tell me to my face or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter, either way, I have to know

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure - I came to that thread late because it was so unpromisingly titled, and then inside is all Kate being fantastic and stuff. I doubt it was cited cos Kate's a 'Never Ever' hater.

Is this where the "All Saints = credible" marketing turned into reality? The whole "to be credible pop star one needs a Monster Ballad" thing almost always holds up, cf 'Beautiful' and unfortunately 'Angels', and maybe 'Too Lost In You' even though it wasn't as inescapable as the others...

In the past week or so I've REALLY been feeling my All Saints best of CD, I hadn't heard most of the songs on it for quite a while.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The really HUMUNGOUS All Saints ballad is "War Of Nerves", which did fairly rubly as a single. :(

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yes I know! "A few questions that I need to know" for one thing.

I think this adds to its greatness, because it seems to clipped and deliberate - ie the narrator is so far gone that she is unable even to form proper sentences.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I only have the AAC version of the file (from my iPod), but if someone wants to convert this to mp3 then feel free... otherwise you can listen to it through iTunes. It's saved on my webspace so please right-click and 'save as' to preserve my bandwidth.

Lutricia McNeal - Ain't That Just The Way (http://www.superleaguefooty.co.uk/Lutricia_McNeal.m4a)

Enjoy.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Didn't it get to No 10 or so? Which is fairly good for 4th-single-off-album or whatever it was. I love 'War Of Nerves' too - the lyrics are fantastic.

[aqua blokes]

[vivalabridgetta.livejournal.com]

Rene from Aqua used to annoy me.
Just - what was the point of the corny porno responses?

Bridgey xxx
Still no reappraisal of his 'talents' 8 years down the line.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha so the so-called country ballads (LeAnn and Shania) gets no love :(

They're both fantastic! You can't beat a good Monster Pop Ballad (unless it's by R Williams) and I think this is easily the peak of either woman's career.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

See below.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Did I not tick Shania? Oversight.

I don't remember the LeAnn.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

This is a cracking Now!

Vanilla = comedy vote.

Songs that rly pissed me off tho:

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

All Seeing I.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

IT IS NOT. They're like a pop version of the Raincoats.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha the LeAnn is an unashamedly monster POWERBALLAD of Celine lung-busting proportions, it is v like 'You're Still The One': "how do I live without you? I WANNA KNOW - how do I BREATHE without you? If you should go, how would I EVER! EVER! SURVIVE!"

The case against Jason Nevins

[juror8.livejournal.com]

I did tick "It's Like That", because it allowed DMC and Jay to live for a few more years despite Run ripping them off during their career (allegedly), but: explain it to me. You listen to Run DMC for the BEATS, not for the nursery rhyme lyrics, surely? Why remix it? It's like taking the African chanting out of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", innit?