The History Of Jop Part 12 aka Just lovely and delicious

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Another day, another decade - it's the 1990 Pazz and Jopp poll.

No particular gerrymandering this time so you get the full NINE picks. I left off some EPs (MBV's Glider, Ride's Smile) which I knew might have brought smiles to ageing Brit faces, but I figured the "I've heard of them" defense wouldn't really justify them being included when others weren't.


[Poll #840496]


1989: Joptimist Verdict is IN!

1. Like A Prayer (42 votes)
2. Buffalo Stance (40)
3. Fight The Power (33)
4. Me Myself And I (33)
5. Monkey Gone To Heaven (30)
6. Back To Life (26)
7. Good Life (22)
8. Straight Up (21)
9=. She Drives Me Crazy (19)
9=. Love Shack (19)

Comments

APOLOGIES

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

are due to Snap (will surely get loads of ticks so I repped for 'Hippychick' instead) and Public Enemy (have been very loyal to them up til now) and L Stansfield.

There is so much amazingness there! So much!

also, Tom -

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

so NEARLY snap!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Well Jane's Addiction must have been stealing for a reason.

They treated Chuck D like their butler

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I realised after nominating Kool Thing as the worst that I had got it confused with REM "Radio Song": it's still a bit rub though, but consider my worst vote switched for Jane's Addiction.

buttplug!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

but in a good way

Re: They treated Chuck D like their butler

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Surely "Radio Song" is 100 times worse, though!

Power Jam ft Chill G Rob!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Good work pollsters. Which came first???

Re: Power Jam ft Chill G Rob!

[koganbot]

Chill Rob G. - though the Snap is slightly better, actually.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Unlike Lex, this looks like a LOUSY year in retrospect. Normally I get most of my ticks in the first pass, but this time nothing really jumped out at me. Clearly there's some good stuff there.

I still remember this PE album as a huge letdown after "Nation of Millions," although allmusic is telling me it's their best.

[koganbot]

Yeah, I think this is a lousy list, though I wouldn't have minded a couple of more ticks to vote for "Love's Gonna Getcha" and "Gonna Make You Sweat" and maybe "Hippychick," which I've kind of forgotten.

"Ice Ice Baby" and "U Can't Touch This"

[koganbot]

Conspicuous by their absence: "Ice Ice Baby" and "U Can't Touch This." This is a major major major embarrassment for P&J, and at the time I knew these songs didn't have a chance. To my own current embarrassment I didn't vote for "U Can't Touch This," though now I think it's way better than several I did vote for.

Re: "Ice Ice Baby" and "U Can't Touch This"

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing this is who Christgau's referring to in his 1990 essay as "The Oreo and the Sno-Cone"

(Sno-Cones have never travelled to the UK - what are they? Just ice cream cones?)

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Think this list is a BIG FAT YAWN to be honest. There are a lot of clearly amazing records here that I am utterly bored of and ticked more out of duty than any real enthusiasm.

Re: "Ice Ice Baby" and "U Can't Touch This"

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

that's gonna be the case from this point onwards tho surely?

Rockstar Games Present...

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Is there going to be a significant split over the next few years between those who experienced these songs at the time, and those who experienced them mainly through GTA:San Andreas?

Stop what you're doin 'cause I'm about to ruin the image an' the style you're used to

[koganbot]

Why isn't "The Humpty Dance" doing better?

Re: Stop what you're doin 'cause I'm about to ruin the image an' the style you're used to

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

This is definitely a YSI moment, I agree. I can't remember if "Love's Gonna Getcha" is on this list for the same reason as Iggy, or if it's a forgotten classic.

And surely BBD should be getting some poptimist love, shouldn't they?

WTF - no KLF?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

bloody 'mericans

Re: WTF - no KLF?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

all things 808 state (year of ex:el?), Tremelo EP (MBV), WTiL, GROOVY TRAIN and WORLD IN MOTION = this year for me.

My P&J ballot, 1990

[koganbot]

1. Madonna "Justify My Love" (Sire)
2. Teque Nick/Bhundu Boys "Bye Bye Stembi" (Mango)
3. Snap "The Power" (Arista)
4. Chill Rob G "The Power" (Wild Pitch)
5. Michel'le "No More Lies" (Ruthless)
6. Paris "Break the Grip of Shame" (Scarface)
7. L.L. Cool J. "The Boomin' System" (Def Jam)
8. Madonna "Vogue" (Sire)
9. B-52s "Roam" (Reprise)
10. Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby" (SBK)

This year was the collapse of freestyle, basically. Hence, a shitty list for me, as I'd yet to discover Europop. But - therefore - this is probably the greatest P&J convergence I ever did or would have, 5 out of 10. But looking back I don't really think either "Power"s (not to mention "Everybody Everybody," which I also ticked in this poll, and "Gonna Make You Sweat," which was a near tick) hold up all that well; too much bombast from teh lungs, nowhere near as interesting as the Marshall Jefferson-Phuture-Bam Bam house that I'd been glancing at out of the corner of my eye over the previous few years. Not the same thing, either. I overrated "Break the Grip of Shame," but it's effectively menacing, and paired with the menacing sound - yes - of "Ice Ice Baby" gave a really eerie tinge to Bay Area radio.

Michel'le wuz robbed!

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

"No More Lies" is still one of my favorite singles.

[whalefish.livejournal.com]

I am interested to see that so far Jane's Addiction have 14 but Faith No More only 6...I'd have thought that if you were into one of them you'd be into the other. Though that said, FNM have dated pretty badly I suppose.

The Scene That Celebrates Itself

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

The name given to all the post-MBV UK nindie noiseniks from the Thames Valley before "shoegazer" was adopted as the standard moniker.

Lush, Ride, Slowdive ... who else was in it? Did Blur belong at first?

Re: The Scene That Celebrates Itself

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Moose? early Catherine Wheel?

Wilson Phillips, Skid Row, Roxette, Mariah, Phil

[koganbot]

1. Hold On - Wilson Phillips
2. It Must Have Been Love - Roxette
3. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
4. Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
5. Vogue - Madonna
6. Vision Of Love - Mariah Carey
7. Another Day In Paradise - Phil Collins
8. Hold On - En Vogue
9. Cradle Of Love - Billy Idol
10. Blaze Of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
11. Do Me! - Bell Biv Devoe
12. How Am I Supposed To Live Without You - Michael Bolton
13. Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic
14. Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul
15. Escapade - Janet Jackson
16. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
17. Close To You - Maxi Priest
18. Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
19. Release Me - Wilson Phillips
20. Don't Know Much - Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
21. All Around The World - Lisa Stansfield
22. I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
23. I Remember You - Skid Row
24. Rub You The Right Way - Johnny Gill
25. She Ain't Worth It - Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown
26. If Wishes Came True - Sweet Sensation

Re: Wilson Phillips, Skid Row, Roxette, Mariah, Phil

[koganbot]

Er, that's the Billboard Top 26 for 1990.

My ten favorite songs of 1990 (in alphabetical order)

[epicharmus.livejournal.com]

I actually did something of a year-end thing for my college paper. The think-piece stuff is utterly embarrassing, but I don't mind sharing the list and its after-party:

1. "Everybody, Everybody," Black Box
2. "Groove Is in the Heart," Deee-Lite
3. "The Humpty Dance," Digital Underground
4. "Epic," Faith No More
5. "Touch Me," the 49ers
6. "J. Beez Coming Through," The Jungle Brothers
7. "Pure," The Lightning Seeds
8. "Praying for Time," George Michael
9. "Soon," My Bloody Valentine
10. "The Blues," Tony! Toni! Toné!

Forty other great songs, in no particular order:

"Hold On," En Vogue; "Until You Come Back to Me," Miki Howard; "Pretty Pink Rose," Adrian Belew and David Bowie; "Manhattan Skyline" and "I'll Come Driving," Julia Fordham [didn't know at the time that ICD was probably EBTG]; "Here's Where the Story Ends," The Sundays; "A Dream's a Dream," Soul II Soul; "Freedom '90," George Michael; "Love's Gonna Getcha (Material Love), Boogie Down Productions; "All Around the World," Lisa Stansfield; "Brother's Gonna Work It Out," Public Enemy; "Loaded," Primal Scream; "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor; "The Jingling Baby," LL Cool J; "No Myth," Michael Penn; "My Secret Garden," Barry White et al.; "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em," Eric B. and Rakim; "Ghetto Heaven," The Family Stand; "Poison," Bel Biv Devoe; "Mentirosa," Mellow Man Ace; "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book," Dead Can Dance; "Bonita Applebaum," A Tribe Called Quest; "Tic-Tac-Toe," Kyper; "Birdhouse in Your Soul," They Might Be Giants; "Blue Thunder," Galaxie 500; "Way Down Now," World Party; "Feel It," The Afros; "Jerk Out," The Time; "Harlem Blues," Cynda Williams; "Wiggle It," 2 in a Room; "Gonna Make You Sweat," C&C Music Company; "Been Caught Stealing," Jane's Addiction; "Rub You the Right Way," Johnny Gill; "What is Love," Deee-Lite; "A Deeper Shade of Soul," Urban Dance Squad; "Feels Good," Tony! Toni! Toné!; "Walk On By," Sybil; "I'm Free," The Soup Dragons; several anonymous house music records [one of which turned out to be A Guy Called Gerald's "Blow Your House Down"]...and, O.K., I admit, "U Can't Touch This," MC Hammer.

Re: My ten favorite songs of 1990 (in alphabetical order)

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

share the think piece!

(michael i got yr email but am in deadline hell for a coupla days -- REMIND ME if you think i have forgotten)

At the time

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

My top 15. Surprised now to see TWO baggy classics in there. I was rather more into The Scene That Celebrates Itself, I think. Of course the Weatherall remix of "Soon" sort of unified the two scenes.

1. Prefab Sprout – “Jordan: The Comeback”
2. Happy Mondays – “Step On”
3. My Bloody Valentine – “Soon”
4. S(k)in(h)ead O’Connor – “I Am Stretched On Your Grave”
5. “Groove is in the Heart”
6. Cocteau Twins – “Wolf in the Breast”
7. Brian Eno & John Cale – “Spinning Away”
8. “Welcome to the Terrordome”
9. 808 State – Cübik”
10. Lush – “Deluxe”
11. Public Enemy feat. Ice Cube & Big Daddy Kane – “Burn Hollywood Burn”
12. “The Obvious Child”
13. MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This”
14. The Charlatans – “The Only One I Know”
15. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - "Farmer John"

Re: At the time

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think of the Scene/shoegazing as being a '91 thing - I was well into baggy all through 1990 and fondly remember a Radio 1 documentary at the end of the year whose big sell was the first opportunity to hear the latest James song! ("How Was It For You?" possibly - ew).

Shoegazing was what drove me to stop buying the NME for a year or so in 91/92, it seemed really tedious to me, "Soon" aside. I bought the first three Ride EPs out of indie kid duty (and maybe a bit of speculator mentality) but to this day I don't really see the point of it all.

Don't put the bodies in the wishing well

[koganbot]

I feel the need to link the YouTube for these two:

Slaughter's "Up All Night"

Warrant's "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Meanwhile In Britain

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The NME Top 50 singles - crossovers, as ever, in bold:

Groove is in the heart - Deee-lite
Step on - Happy Mondays
Nothing compares 2 U - Sinead O' Connor
Where are you baby - Betty Boo
Loaded - Primal scream
Being boring - Pet shop boys
My definition of a jazz style - Dream warriors
Come home - James
World in motion - England/New order
Different drum - The lemonheads
In the day before rock 'n roll - Van Morrison
Doin' the do - Betty Boo
Kinky afro - Happy Mondays
There she goes - The la's
The only one I know - The charlatans
It's on - Flowered up
This is how it feels - Inspiral carpets
Groovy train - The farm
Only love can break your heart - St Etienne
The storm - World of twist
Unbelievable - EMF
I'm free - The soup dragons
Mad love EP - Lush
Message in a box - World party
My boyfriends back - Alice Donut
Come together - Primal scream
Vogue - Madonna
Everything flows - Teenage fanclub
Fall EP - Ride
Glider EP - My bloody valentine
Bonita Applebum - A tribe called Quest
So hard - Pet shop boys
Welcome to the terrordome - Public Enemy
Getting away with it - Electronic
God knows it’s true - Teenage fanclub
The only rhyme that bites - MC Tunes
Kill your television - Ned’s atomic dustbin
Hey Venus - That petrol emotion
Soccer fan - The real sounds of Africa
Hello hello hello hello (petrol) - Something happens!
Velouria - Pixies
The ship song - Nick Cave
Wash your face in my sink - Dream Warriors
One love - The Stone Roses
The power - Snap
Probably a robbery - Renegade soundwave
What time is love? - The KLF
The Boomin’ system - LL Cool J
It wasn’t a dream - The Ruthless rap assassins
Sway - Ocean colour scene

v. little Transatlantic consensus there! I love very many of those records, possibly beyond reason.

The Melody Maker Top 20 less baggy-oriented.

Groove is in the heart - Deee-lite
Nothing compares to you - Sinead O'Connor
Kinky afro - Happy Mondays
What time is love - The KLF
Glider EP - My bloody valentine
The only one I know - The charlatans
Fall EP - Ride
Justify my love - Madonna
Killer - Adamski
The ship song - Nick Cave
Dub B good to me - Beats international
Step on - Happy Mondays
Fascinating rhythm - Bass-o-matic
There she goes - The La's
Everything flows - Teenage fanclub
World in motion - England/New order
This is how it feels - Inspiral carpets
Only love can break your heart - St etienne
Mad love EP - Lush
Espero EP - Cranes

Re: Meanwhile In Britain

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

dub be good to me and duh! getting away with it! - actually the first 7" i ever bought (cos i bought cassingles and 12" innit)

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I can remember 1990, just about and all I ever hear is fucking Deee-Lite's HORRIBLE TINNY NOISE. :( Seriously, they play that all the time 'for the students' and it makes me want to pull my brain out through my ears.

What is appealling about that song? I don't mind the repetitiveness, the danciness, the slight wooziness or anything else about it singularly, in fact many of my favourite songs possess a lot of its qualities but I find it totally and utterly intolerable.

[koganbot]

I sort of agree with you, and this would have been a no tick for me except that Tom unexpectedly allowed us a ninth (despite their only being 25 songs on the chart, presumably due to a mass tie-up at 26), and the basic undeniability of its danciness is what merited the tick, I decided. But the competition was weak. (And I don't share the love for the bald squawking song listed right below this one, either.)