The History Of Pop part 22 aka I just know that something good is gonna happen

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Further World Cup shenanigans bring us Now 22 a day early, but the decision had been made anyway - a comfortable win for "Justified And Ancient" on Now 21, with "America: What Time Is Love" in second place, and Opus III and Shakespear's Sister trailing slightly behind. The question of which bit of Bohemian Rhapsody is best exercised you more, with some addlepates opting for witty variations on 'none of it', and other opinion falling about evenly between "Scaramouche! Scaramouche!" and the Waynes World bit.

Harder choices perhaps on this volume, with - unlike Now 21 - a lot of genuinely enormous and/or well-remembered hits. And - drum roll - the one and only appearance of CARTER USM in a Now poll. The compilers have adopted an eclectic strategy of breaking up the genre hits a bit, hence you get Nick Berry next to Snap. No UB40, no Phil, a first appearance for The That, but double Elton.


[Poll #669080]


EDIT: The En Vogue track is properly called "My Loving (Never Gonna Get It)", just in case that influences yr votes.

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This music is from the summer before I went to University, and the first couple of weeks there. Very happy times, reflected by a few ticks for tracks that might not otherwise have deserved them.

[plumsbitch.livejournal.com]

what an odd selection. Very... eclectic.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I really really like the Abba-Esque EP, even though Andy Bell dressed as Freda (or was it the other one?) reminded me a lot of my Aunt. 'Take A Chance On Me' marks the last ever appearance in the hit parade from erstwhile lyrical genius MC KINK-EH :( :( :( farewell to the greatness.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Should "Blue Room" win I would of course play the FULL SINGLE VERSION at the Pop and Poll Party.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

WHICH I HAVE

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

"Very happy times, reflected by a few ticks for tracks that might not otherwise have deserved them."

Yes same here (except they were MISERABLE times for me saved only by the healing power of RAVE).

This doesn't quite explain why I have ticked both ANNIE LENNOX AND VANESSA WILLIAMS tho :/

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

En Vogue, Orb and SL2 all terrific here and would have been shoo-ins for my favourite if they'd appeared in many of the other Now polls instead of this one.

Quite dramatic fall off in quality on the last third, esp given the Vanessa Williams is v.marginal in the any good at all stakes.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

The only decent track on the last one is En Vogue!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I secretly thought U-U-U-UTAH SAINTS would walk this - 'parently not!

Notice the looming appearance of Acid Jazz also.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Acid Jazz = horrible then, horrible now. Apart from Apparently Nothing, which is excused on the grounds of actually having a hook.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

eh eh, ba-day-er, ba-wa-da-da-day
em-ba-day-er, ba-day-er, ba-wa-da-da-day

After much Googling, I have been unable to find any actual lyrics for this masterpiece of our time. But I have been able to find it on my iTunes and am now dancing around the office like a loon, much to the amusement of my co-workers.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

THE NEXT NOW WILL BE MY FIRST EVER NOW! This one would have been except I remember looking at the track listing in the shop and getting excited before discovering that I had RUN OUT OF POCKET MONEY.

Lately I keep getting torn between the r&b-pop I loved then and now, and the BOSHBOSHBOSH I loved then and now. As I was ticking the songs going down, I thought "oh OBVIOUSLY u-u-u-utah saints will be my favourite" and then "oh hang on no SL2 duh!" before En Vogue snuck in at the last minute.

Let's have some love for Vanessa Williams please, this song = maybe best powerballad ever!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I was going to pick the Usies, Die Snaps or the Slipmatt n' Limes but then I had an epiphany and realised that 'My Lovin' by En Vogue is the best slinky rnb track of the 90s - it even has flute!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Also it has the best harmonies in the history of pop music: nevergonnagetit nevergonnagetit nevergonnagetit (woah woah woah WOAH!)

[marnameow.livejournal.com]

This is the nostalgia-trippiest NOW so far if you're me. That was an *interesting* summer.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I think this is the first time I've had recourse to a None Of The Above option.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

No love for My Lovin'?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

I never understood the excitement abt FIIL. Both the NME and MM were all 'CURE IN TOP POP SHOCKER!' abt it at the time. This made 0 sense to me, the Cure having put out several grebt pop trax before then, all of which were far, far superior to FIIL. Which is kind of rub, really.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes exactly, I can never pin down the style they're trying on FIIL but I know it annoys me.

I'm also annoyed by CeCePeniston though so perhaps I'm just an grumpus.

YOU WANTED THE BEST YOU GOT THE BEST

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I am listening right now to "Something Good" again - IT IS COMPLETELY FLAWLESS.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Conversely it's a bit weird that Snap is the great unifier on this one - good track but it's not even as good as "The Power", certainly not as good as a lot of other rave+rapper boshpop and nowhere NEAR as good as the other good ones here. I will be a bit disappointed if it wins.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

why aren't Capella or The Prodigy on this anyway?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Capella - coming up.

Prodigy - dunno, I think they're on later ones too.

[zenith.livejournal.com]

This one also triggers a lot of fond, semi-sad memories for me too. I think this was about the time I discovered the ridiculous possibilities of pop - my favourite bits of songs from this era were all wordless nonsense like "BA-DEY, BA-DEY, A-WADDLE-A-BI-DAY" and "OOH-ER-AYE, OOH-ER-AYE". When I remember hearing these songs it's like remembering being drunk even though I wasn't, I'd just had too much fizzy drink and E numbers.

[plumsbitch.livejournal.com]

I MUST DANCE OUT SOMEWHERE TO 'ON A RAGGA TIP' WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH OR DIE.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

It's all very close so far innit? I may have to use my Casting Vote heh heh

(tho quite how come The SHAMEn are contenders is beyond me)

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

YSI LSI

[genie22.livejournal.com]

Take That covered the Tavares hit from the 60's, right?

Has anyone actually heard the original?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I don't know about Tavares, it was famous in the 1970s in a version by Barry Manilow, which is pretty good.

And now, it's time for a breakdown

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Fantastic stuiff, possibly the most I've ever ticked (granted the 3rd Disk is Rub City). A really strange connection of different musical events - my first exposure to The Orb (sadly not my last) + reinvention of U2 + Take That in full swing + Carter + presumably trip hop gearing up (did they ever trouble the NOWs again?). How many more until the heavy foot of Britpop appears?

NOTE particularly: alexmacpherson has never knowingly heard Carter. New Poptimism now, please!

Re: And now, it's time for a breakdown

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The first song which everybody in the world would agree counts as "Britpop" is on Now 28. There are possibly a couple of marginal cases before then though.

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

Can someone do a YSI ov Utah Saints pleeeeeease?

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

I gmailed it to you. But if anyone else wants it, I can now do a YSI...

MSP!

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

Are we into Manics time period yet? Were they on any Now comps?>

Re: MSP!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure that they're one of those bands who refuse to go on Now comps.

Which isnt to say you won't see them in a poll at some point.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Does NOBODY love Shakespeare's Sister as much as me? Or Right Said Fred... Or Jimmy Nail... (though I lied, he's not really the best thing on that comp!)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I like the Jimmy Nail track, it was funny to do impressions of.

[(Anonymous)]

Celine Dion does an excellent, loud, foot-pounding version of "I Drove All Night."

[(Anonymous)]

By "loud" I mean "good," though in other instances by "loud" I mean "not good."

The Clarifier

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I think the Big O's version of 'I Drove All Night' is balls compared to Cyndi Lauper's which seems to possess much more drama.