The Pop World Cup SEMI-FINAL 1: Iran v Czech Republic

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The first semi-final, and who'd have put money on this pairing? dubdobdee's Iran takes on mostlyconnect's Czech Republic, and it's hard to know who was the bigger underdog - little-fancied Iran, or the Czechs who, let's not forget, found themselves mangerless and reliant on a random download as the group stages started.

Some pundits have commented that the shocks of earlier rounds had led to fairytale stories but poor-quality games, so the onus is on the remaining teams to give us a display to remember this time. Have they achieved it? There's only one way to find out - go to http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/popworldcup, download their tracks, and VOTE!

Iran

Lida - "Bito Nemikhandam" ( Teamtalk )

Czech Republic

Gabriela al Dhabba - "Pandorina Skrinka" ( Teamtalk )

So, how do we decide who goes through to the final?

( The Rules...and THE POLL )

The results will go up next TUESDAY (voting ends at NOON that day), and there will then be a 2-week break (while I'm on holiday) before the final. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE POP WORLD CUP - only four games to go, and they're all going to be crackers!

The Pop World Cup SEMI-FINAL; 2: Portugal v France

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The second semi-final pits thebopkids' Portugal against atommickbrane's France. Portugal are no minnows but their fans will be surprised and pleased by their progress, which commentators are putting down to the canny scouting policies of the manager and his Argentinian assistant. France must be congratulated for being the only one of the pre-tournament favourites to hold their nerve and make it through to a potential place on pop's biggest stage: they have strength in depth but will la boss get the formation right today?

Two sides with a commitment to attacking pop - it should be a good match! Head to http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/popworldcup/ for your downloads - and get voting!

Portugal

OVO - "Dormir" ( Teamtalk )

France

Alain Braxe and Fred Falke - "Rubicon" ( Teamtalk )

So, how do we decide who goes through to the final?

( The Rules...and THE POLL )

The results will go up next TUESDAY (voting ends at NOON that day), and there will then be a 2-week break (while I'm on holiday) before the final. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE POP WORLD CUP - only four games to go, and they're all going to be crackers!

New Pop

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

If you haven't voted in the Poptimists demographic survey, please do!

It makes interesting reading (FOR ME!) so far - we have a couple of years clearly in front as far as pan-generational excitement goes, and the agegroup distribution patterns are intriguing too - more detail on all this when I've got more votes in. The agegroup distribution is shaping up as expected - the majority of Poptimists (about 2/3) are in their twenties, with a handful under and a chunk over.

Something which does interest me in terms of the results - very few votes so far* for the early 80s, 80-83, the years of New Pop. New Pop has been repeatedly invoked - often by people who wouldn't consider themselves 'poptimists' I grant you - as a kind of pop ideal. Certainly as far as this - hugely unrepresentative - community goes, though, the number of people who remember it as exciting is dwindling. To recall New Pop as a critical moment you need to be 35 or more, I'd guess - even to remember it clearly as a pop moment you'd need to have hit 30. At some point New Pop is going to shift from being a beacon of inspiration to a stick to beat the kids with - perhaps that point has already passed...?

*(it's v.unscientific of me to mention this as there may now be a spike).

New Pop Backlash

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A qn for the oldsters and archivists:

I have - or had - a 12" by a band called The Room, called "Jackpot Jack". I have no idea when it is from - soundwise 83 or so, it sounds heavily Bunnymen-indebted. The chorus goes

You pulled the lever back
You hit the Jackpot, Jack
And all the radios
Are blaring new pop cack

I was reminded of this cos i) it suggests the "new pop" meme was more widespread than just the NME (or, OK, more likely that The Room were big NME readers), ii) it suggests that "new pop" was not immune from people hating it.

How many people hated it at the time? What did they say about it? What did they think people should be listening to instead?