I Love No.1's - 1989

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

August saw 'Toxic' walkover the 2004 vote, with 33 ticks, whilst even Band Aid 20 got more ticks than Brian McFadden. Ha! Today we have a curious mix of soap stars, charity singles and... Jive Bunny. It's 1989!


[Poll #1065273]

Comments

[koganbot]

I ticked four of the six I remember hearing (and I must have heard "Ride On Time," but I don't remember). The entirety of Jason Donovan's chart action in the U.S. = "Too Many Broken Hearts" no. 39 on the hot dance maxi-singles chart.

[koganbot]

(I didn't tick the Bangles or the ignorance of Xmas song.)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I like 'Eternal Flame' somehow. maybe the crappy Atomic Kitten cover years later made me appreciate it more. my real Bangles re-discovery lately tho has been 'Goin Down To Liverpool' <- it's ace altho i wish there was a longer, dronier version

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

Yes! That song IS ace. Also, I was surprised that the lead single off their last album, "Something That You Said" was great too.

I love "Eternal Flame" dearly. I also liked Atomic Kitten (at least pre-Jenny Frost), but their version of EF was dismal on every level.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

part of why i like GDTL is it reminds me of Sheila E's 'Belle Of St Mark' but this is probably just because i've always associated them together from radio memories. the backing vocals, guitar twangs and opening "heeeeeey" are so great tho.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

OOOH belle of st mark!

[adds to list of songs to find for saturday]

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

play 'Deep Heat 89'!

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I have always loathed Eternal Flame, despite (or more probably precisely because) generally loving the Bangles.

Susanna Hoffs sounds even more smurf-like than original, and its tweeness irritates the hell out of me. In Your Room (lead single from the same album) was infinitely superior.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Ditto for me - they did all kinds of good stuff before this, and this was just another cookie cutter Diane Warren song. I mean, those songs were all good, but I would've much rather there to have been a "Diane Warren (or Desmond Child or etc.) stable" like PWL than record companies forcing these big ballads on everyone they wanted to have a big hit.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

I was very close to submitting a Bangles song in the 80's pop open group, but, alas, didn't have the time to go rediscover anything that isn't on their greatest hits.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

n.b. "Going Down to Liverpool" is a cover of a Katrina and the Waves song, a fact I learned when I stole a copy of Walking on Sunshine from my university's radio station.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

this is an interesting development!

i thought it was about Courtney Love... (not really but maybe it could be)

[koganbot]

Kylie had a couple of bright-as-toothpaste hits here in 1988, "Locomotion" even getting up to number 3, then disappeared for thirteen years until "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," with only sporadic chart presence since.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

was surprised that CGYOOMH did well in the US altho i suppose the Cathy Dennis association may have helped in some not necessarily conscious way.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

The only Jason Donovan song I like was his Christmas single this year, "When You Come Back to Me" which is one of those songs that isn't Christmas thematically but sounds christmassy due to liberal use of bells.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Ride on Time is ace - it was the biggest hit of the year, spending 6 weeks at number one and was the best selling too (just shy of a million).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2sjAnu_5ek

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

ride on time - blackbox VS numero uno - starlight (aka blackbox)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

vs Mixmaster 'Grand Piano' vs Wood Allen 'Airport 89' (both also Daniele Davoli iirc)

i must find an mp3 of Starlight's Magic Atto II someday tho - i remember it as having v weird/naff vocal hook but also v great L Holloway rip-off chorus (shockah)

Re: Ooooh top secret copyright comments fun

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

They were forced to rerecord the vocals though, if I recall correctly, as they hadn't cleared the sample.

Re: Ooooh top secret copyright comments fun

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

they got the BB girl to mimic Holloway's voice...is that right? she DID sound like her and obv herself on subsequent Blackbox singles. what a mindfeck.

still...why on earth would Hartman not want the credit for what was effectively a rework of his song?

Re: Ooooh top secret copyright comments fun

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Whoops, thought I'd got away with that one.

ANYWAY, just because Hartman doesn't want his name listed on the album sleeve etc doesn't mean he's not getting any money, IYGWIM.

Re: Ooooh top secret copyright comments fun

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I think it was much more complicated than that - the original copies used a Holloway sample, but they got in trouble, so they reissued it using the BB's girl's voice - except it wasn't her voice at all either, it was actually Martha Wash's, which then came out later when Martha Wash sued them or something. Martha Wash then sang on all subsequent singles, although BB girl mimed to them in videos and performances.

Re: Ooooh top secret copyright comments fun

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

wow really? martha wash! i didn't think she sounded quite like that. it's a bit jocelyn brown too i guess, but not quite that deep.

it makes sense given Katrine was really just a thin model so unlikely to have that kind of voice! i remember a Blackbox interview (probably in Smash Hits again) where they talk about the girl not being able to speak English but learning to sing in it for the performances!

Top sekrit copyright comments action

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Although this track is renowned throughout the industry as being a cover version of Love Sensation by Dan Hartman, after months of research the letter from [EMI] confirms that they make no claim to this title and Dan Hartman is not to receive a writer credit. EMI also request that this work is left as it is crediting the writers of the group Black Box only.