The History Of Jop Part 13 aka It's fun to lose and to pretend

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Back after a short absence it's the Pazz and Jop poll for 1991 - a particular blockbuster of a poll this with TEN ticks to be shared between 28 singles (would have been 29 but for C&C Music Factory cropping up last year too).

There's a fair bit of ground to cover in the comments boxes, I'm thinking!


[Poll #845917]


1990: Time For The (Poptimist) Guru

1. Groove Is In The Heart (48 votes)
2. Vogue (42)
3. Nothing Compares 2 U (34)
4. Gonna Make You Sweat (28)
5. Been Caught Stealin (26)
6. Justify My Love (25)
7. Hold On (24)
8. Kool Thing (21)
9. Epic (19)
10=. Welcome To The Terrordome (18)
10=. 911 Is A Joke (18)

Note very rapid drop off in vote totals from 1-3 down.

Comments

Jeremy

[koganbot]

Far more bands went for the Pearl Jam sound.

Re: Jacko's last stand

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I bought Scream on cassingle, but it hasn't stood the Test Of Time.

Re: I was a Complete Chump for not voting for "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I was so full of utter resentment at the triumph of "alternative" over so much better music that I wasn't willing to acknowledge that it had produced a great song.

you were RIGHT!

Hole are the only grunge band who've ever made music which was resonant with me, and I suspect this is because of Courtney Love's un-grunginess, all the things which made her problematic for the 'alternative' community.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Butch Vig wasn't it? Of Garbage fame?

Re: GOD I HATE NIRVANA

[http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/]

that is a great totp moment d00d!

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

I tend to distinguish between the more garage-y end of grunge (Tad, Mudhoney) and the more metal end (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam). None of it really sounds like Nirvana to me, although Bleach is closer to a) than b) in sound (I think!)

At the time...

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Still liked a lot of Brit indie and shoegazer - this was the year of "Tremelo" and Loveless after all. But I was getting into "dance music" in a fairly significant way too thanks to chart hits by the likes of Cathy Dennis, Don Pablo's Animals, T99, t' Prodge, Candy Flip etc etc, as well as indie dance crossover stuff - this was also the year of Screamadelica and Blue Lines don't forget. I bought quite a few dance comps on cassette tape this year and listened to Pete Tong's R1 show quite a lot. That was where I heard the "Urge mix" of 'Gett Off' first.

My favourite LPs of the year, at the time, were Seal's and PM Dawn's respective debuts, with World of Twist's Quality Street coming in third. (De La Soul is Dead is clearly the best LP of 1991 in retrospect though.)

But one Stanley/Wiggs song towered over all of the above...

My top 15:

1. Saint Etienne - "Nothing Can Stop Us"
2. Primal Scream - "Higher Than The Sun" (+ various remixes)
3. Prince - "Gett Off" (7" mix / 12" 'Urge Mix')
4. My Bloody Valentine - "Swallow"
5. Electronic - "Get The Message"
6. Definition of Sound - "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"
7. Slowdive - "Albatross"
8. The Belltower - "Outshine The Sun"
9. PM Dawn - "Paper Doll"
10. Seal - "The Beginning"
11. My Bloody Valentine - "I Only Said"
12. The Prodigy - "Charly"
13. PM Dawn - "A Watcher's Point of View (Don't Cha Think)"
14. Slowdive - "Catch The Breeze"
15. Blur - "There's No Other Way"

Re: I was a Complete Chump for not voting for "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

[koganbot]

I'm with you on Courtney. She's a Grace Slick roarer and wailer, awesome and fearsome. Kinda wish there were more soul-r&b in the Hole rhythm, as there usually is in most great rock bands. Would make it kick harder, even. (And actually I rate "Doll Parts" and "Violet" ahead of "Smells Like Teen Spirit.")

By the way, Ashlee used to cover "Celebrity Skin" in concert.

Re: GOD I HATE NIRVANA

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

maybe but 13 year old me was unimpressed and unaware of the joke. wasn't it all because Kurt was told he HAD to sing live hence taking the piss?

Re: Yeah You Know Me

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Yes, wtf?

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Whither Blood on the Dancefloor?

Re: Jacko's last stand

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I didn't like any of his 90s stuff much at the time (except maybe 'Jam') but much of it has grown on me since. i did think 'Scream' was okay initially tho because it felt like the media were delighted that it was a 'flop' and this got annoying - plus all that 'most expensive video ever made' disdain even tho the video is ace and totally worth the money!

Re: I was a Complete Chump for not voting for "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

[koganbot]

And I'll admit that there's no way Ashlee has Courtney's power as a singer; but Ashlee works hard hard hard on arrangements etc. to try to get across, and her lyrics are way more articulate.

Re: At the time...

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

I like this list a lot, but then I would because this was most of the stuff I was listening to at the time.

Re: At the time...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Hahahah I got a 7" of Don Pablo's Animals off the back of a Frosties packet! Andandand Ninja Turtles' Spin That Wheel!

Billboard 1991

[koganbot]

Billboard Top 29 1991

1. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
2. I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd
3. Gonna Make You Sweat - C+C Music Factory
4. Rush Rush - Paula Abdul
5. One More Try - Timmy T
6. Unbelievable - EMF
7. More Than Words - Extreme
8. I Like The Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
9. The First Time - Surface
10. Baby, Baby - Amy Grant
11. Motownphilly - Boyz II Men
12. Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
13. Someday - Mariah Carey
14. High Enough - Damn Yankees
15. From A Distance - Bette Midler
16. All The Man That I Need - Whitney Houston
17. Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones
18. I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
19. Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
20. Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch Featuring Loleatta Holloway
21. Justify My Love - Madonna
22. Emotions - Mariah Carey
23. Joyride - Roxette
24. Romantic - Karyn White
25. I Don't Wanna Cry - Mariah Carey
26. Hold You Tight - Tara Kemp
27. You're In Love - Wilson Phillips
28. Every Heartbeat - Amy Grant
29. Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

13yr old stevem's year winners:

best album: 808 State 'Ex:el' (actually found it a bit hit n' miss at the time but the ones i didn't like then i came to appreciate more as i got older, so this really just a big vote for the big two singles (plus 'Olympic' altho this was not on the cassette version :( back then)

best single: Prodigy 'Charly' (was embarassed because i didn't hear this until they showed the video on TOTP but had noticed the buzz about it everywhere inc. on newly legal Kiss FM - mind blown instantly hurrah)

Re: Billboard 1991

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Wow, I didn't realise that Jesus Jones was that big a US hit.

Re: Meanwhile In Britain

[koganbot]

There's an amazing number of these I've never heard.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I was totally listening to Kiss FM at this point too (had just swiped clock radio from Grace), but never really bothered finding out what any of the ace music I heard was. A true poptimist :-)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

discLAMEr: also loved 'Achtung Baby' and 'Use Your Illusion 1 & 2' at this point. and Madness.

biggest disappointment of the year? 'Apocalypse '91: The Enemy Strikes Black (DYS)' - thought it was really poor compared to FOABP

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I only listened to it a few times. Didn't become a regular Kiss listener until '95. Late '91 was also when I first heard Pete Tong and John Peel's shows. preferred Tong's but again didn't listen regularly until 4 years later.

am i being previous again

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

no shamen yet? boss drum? "pro-gen" revival of move any mountain?

Re: Meanwhile In Britain

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Higher Than The Sun" seemed to me - and still seems actually - a weird thing for the NME to pick as #1. I guess in retrospect it's part of a minor tradition in UK indie of people writing songs about/invoking the 'rave experience'

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I moved to Europe this year, and so completely missed "the year punk broke." I remember asking my clueless mother to go out and buy "The Fly" single for me on the day it came out and mail it to me.

A friend made a cassette for me in December or early 1992, which was the first time I heard Nirvana (and some other stuff). Electrifying, but I still loved (and love) Achtung Baby much much more. But I remember coming back to the US in 1993, I guess, and feeling like the whole world had changed. Suddenly I didn't understand the music scene at all.