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!

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.

Power Jam ft Chill G Rob!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Good work pollsters. Which came first???

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

"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.

[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"

[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?)

[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.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Fear Of A Black Planet was my proper intro to them in that i bought this album this year and found it to be the most exciting amazing thing i'd ever heard at that point. i would say it's every bit as good as the previous album as can't see why it wouldn't be (e.g. production is as good, more ambitious perhaps? but still 'hooky'. topics covered still worthwhile/important presumably).

Re: Power Jam ft Chill G Rob!

[koganbot]

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

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?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

FoaBP was definitely a disappointment for me - too long, too sprawling, too many bitty tracks, not enough hits, hated the nursery-rhyme hook on "911". "Terrordome" I liked well enough though it's a bit elephantine, and much better on the album with that little bubble-of-paranoia media-snippets intro track.

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

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Probably although I am expecting a plucky rally in the early 90s.

buttplug!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

but in a good way

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

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The number of listed tracks expands to 40 at some point in the 90s, which might well allow for some more variety.

I agree that the 'big numbers' here are not ones I'm in a great hurry to hear again right now, though as ever it's quite interesting to see how the US received some of this stuff.

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

[koganbot]

Wikipedia: "A Snow cone is a dessert item usually made of compacted shaved ice flavored with a brightly colored sugary syrup, usually fruit-flavored. Variations include the "stuffed" snow cone, which has a layer of soft-serve vanilla ice cream inside. Some are served with a spoon, and some are meant to be eaten with the hands like an ice cream cone. The popularity of snow cones remains concentrated heavily in cities such as Baltimore, New Orleans, and Houston."

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

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

ice-cream cones IN A CARDBOARD TUB (i think) as opposed to a soggy cornet made of "wafer"

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?

Fear > Nation

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I am with AMG. Fear is their best album. I was initially attracted to its dense sound but even now I think that track-for-track it outscores Millions. The subject matter is varied and I like the use of guest vocalists. The bittiness is part of its appeal as well. Provides some welcome levity if anything. Millions just wears you down by the end, it's like Chuck D is beating you over the head with all the many different ways he can make the same basic point.

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

[koganbot]

Well, "Candy" is on the list for Kate Pierson way more than for Iggy, I think. Also, it's a good song, though Iggy doesn't sing it that well. It got onto MTV.

I'd not heard "Love's Gonna Getcha" until I YouTubed it yesterday, but actually it was a near tick for me - finds its groove better than either of the two PEs, has a nice roll and the piano and background voices give it an emotional undertow. Fairly obvious cautionary tale about the drug life, but not too preachy.

WTF - no KLF?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

bloody 'mericans