The History Of Jop Part 6 aka Animals strike curious poses

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Beware the savage jaw of 1984! The Pazz and Jop poll takes some curious turns this year with plenty to analyse in the comments boxes. For once no holdovers from last time or entries from the EP list, though I was sorely tempted to put Into Battle With The Art Of Noise in.


[Poll #823959]


The Joptimist Metapoll Remix (1983 Dub) is as follows:

1. Billie Jean (35 votes)
2. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (34)
3. Little Red Corvette (30)
4. Beat It (28)
5. White Lines (Dont Dont Do It) (26)
6. It's Like That/Sucker MCs (21)
7. Burning Down The House (18)
8. Every Breath You Take (17)
9=. Lets Dance (16)
9=. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (16)
9=. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (16)

Much wider spread of voting last time btw.

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This selection feels much more 'American' than some previous ones, though most of these were big international hits too. I've noticed US posters on ILM talk about 1984 as some amazing best-year-ever for pop, too.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Apart from the obvious two - 'When Doves Cry' and 'Time After Time' - this seems kind of underwhelming for me.

Have never heard any Springsteen!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I am fairly confident in saying that you wouldn't like Born In The USA.

Dancing In The Dark is a disco record though.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The only Springsteen song I am interested in hearing is 'I'm On Fire' and then only to note its inferiority to Tori's cover.

His RAWK GAWD status is v off-putting to me.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Dancing In The Dark" is excellent, one of the best things here, but you won't like it - there is probably a cover of it out there somewhere that you would enjoy though.

"I'm On Fire" is creepy enough in its original so I can't imagine what Tori does with it!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I put her cover on sukrat last week! Everyone who downloaded it loved it.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

It's actually a pretty straightforward cover, doesn't add much to the song IMO.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Agreed. The Chas 'n' Dave covers were the treasures from that sukrat post.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Heather Nova version also v. good.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

You are bang OTM about 'feels very American'. And you really should have included that Art of Noise EP: it outclasses everything here.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

also, where is Frankie? or black lace

[koganbot]

I was going to say "...and very white, too," though looking at the board there are actually 11 songs w/ black performers. But the taste in blacks seems very white, if you know what I mean. Shit list for club music and hip-hop (Run-DMC klutzy on this one, the two Bambaataa mediocre, even w/ famous guests (Lydon's on "World Destruction"), McLaren & Williams fine, but you wouldn't know from this list that dance music is being reconfigured amazingly on all fronts). But honestly, it is a good list, a year when MOR pop-rock was generally pretty engaging.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Re: "and very white": this was the year Julie Burchill wrote her infamous 'beige' piece(s), no?

(er, that question is directed at Brits rather than Frank obv)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I do not know this piece but would like to read it!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard it in years but I remember really liking "World Destruction" - like "Open Up" later (same doom-prophecying content I guess) Lydon seemed to relax and enjoy himself a bit more on it than on PiL's at-the-time stuff.

[koganbot]

Yeah, Lydon's pretty funny in his guest bit, but the song is still rather so-what compared to the Soul Sonic Force tracks (and the earlier Time Zone).

[epicharmus.livejournal.com]

Oh God, yes, I thought I was in a minority of one with "Rock Box" and "world Destruction": applaudable sentiments with middling execution.

[epicharmus.livejournal.com]

As you well know, I am one of those posters.

Later P&Js get markedly less Euro. Some pop-house charts (Dee-Lite wins one year) but very little techno does. This designates some kind of shift, but I don't know exactly what.