The History of Pop Part 5 aka What is wrong in my life that I must get drunk every night?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

So, yeah, you know when I said in the last Now Poll that Now 5 was tons better than Now 4? Erm, well...that was before I typed it out. And also I remember this particular 'era' (first half of 85) with especial sharpness so my judgements may well be softer than yours. There are a few big hitters though - by now of course we're into the period where the success of Now had spawned rivals, and the brand's compilation predominance wasn't assured, so there was a hard fight for the good tracks. Things get gradually better from about Now 7 onwards (I think). As ever, "go for it" in the comments box.

Note a particularly annoying Now syndrome where the follow-up hit shows up on a comp and the better, bigger hit doesn't. PETE BURNS wuz ROBBED in other words.

Note the first thought given to actual sequencing w/the 'soul section' on disc 2!

RESULTS of Now 4 - a comfortable, perhaps too comfortable, win for "Together In Electric Dreams" over "Ghostbusters" and the Pointer Sisters. Nool Pwah to Eugene Wilde, though Limahl seems to have fared the worst in the write-in votes.


[Poll #622466]

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

But it's totally a stadium-sized belter! And it's probably about Jebus!

(Or Aslan)

[zenith.livejournal.com]

Is it a belter? I am imagining it in my head right now and it is floaty and proggy. I suppose it builds to a Bonoan crescendo worthy of stadiums.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Maybe my belter-detecter is too sensitive. Maybe it teases too much to be a belter, or rather it backs off within the song from its own beltingness (that marvellously un-Bono "I'm only asking")

If the mountains should crumble...

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

It does belt a bit BUT this is OK because it has 1) ace piano riff 2) an actual BASSLINE 3) one of best uses of string section in mid eighties pop 4) atmospheric whooshy bits to glue it all together. Thus Bono's belting has gd backup and is therefore not empty hollering. Tho it does help that he is a bit more restrained than on most of the BIG! EPIC! ANTHEMS!

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

I think it is abt SECHS.

(But not with Aslan. He's not a tame lion, you know!)

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

In fact, he's a terrible Dublin band, of "This is" fame(?).