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Post by wonderwall on Nov 27, 2011 15:29:36 GMT 1
Robert miles massive radio hit was so unlucky never to get to number 1
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 28, 2011 17:48:21 GMT 1
27TH APRIL- A DESIGN FOR LIFE- Manic Street Preachers (1 week)I've said it before in this thread but SOMETIMES social commentary and music can combine to be very effectual. There is nothing very subtle about "Design" it wears its socialist badge with evident pride and whilst I don't agree politically with it I can't deny that the track is probably one of the best No 2 hits of the decade, paked with high drama and has all the force of a tornado slamming into the injustices of social elitism and class conflict, and it all came as a shock really. Not really for fans I'm sure, but to casual chart observes we had been used to middling chart performances and the concept of the group being rather stuck in a groove unable to strike out for their small but dedicated fanbase, they first came to my attention in 1992 with the excellent "Motorcycle Emptiness" which I loved at the time but after that they raised minimal interest in me. It must be with some ambivalance therefore that they view the loss of guitarist Richey Edwards in 1995 one of the main singwriters of the group, popular theory suggests that had Edwards lived the resulting album after "The Holy Bible" would not been anything like "Everything Must Go" but it was that album that really sprung the group into the A list of Britpop acts. With refrences to Newport library and German concentration camps in the lyrics it is hardly a shalow piece of work (there's more than enough of that in 1996 don't worry) but the bombast of the production and the anger in Bradfield's voice is more than to convince of the sincerity and emotive connection he feels to the track, and for the passion alone this should have been a No 1 hit. Really it's hard to find a fault with ADFL, maybe it's too clever for the pop audience of 1996, traditionally as we enter boom times we have less to be concerned about and our satisfaction with governments tends to go up (or our desire to do something about it goes down, one of the two) , but we're just about to enter the period where even Prescott was saying "We're all middle class now" so maybe the message was too little, too late. Anyway none of this detracts from just what a fantastic record this is- another one of my top 10 No 2 hits of the decade.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 28, 2011 17:48:52 GMT 1
13TH JULY- BORN SLIPPY- Underworld (1 week)With a title taken from a greyhound the band bet on and won, "Born Slippy" is one of the hardest songs to dance to if I recall correctly. In terms of dance music THIS takes me back to 1996 more than Mark Snow or Robert Miles ever can, lifted from the "Trainspotting" film which EVERYONE saw that year "Born Slippy" is meant to represent an internal dialogue of an alcoholic (i.e it's not meant to make much sense) but it's a record that always sounds great, i'm not keen on the parts with the beat but the synth bits of the track are great, quite ethereal in places, and almost hymnal. Of course in some ways it was seized on as a pre cursor to hits like "Tubthumping" with its lads out on the p*ss feel and chants, but it's much more delicate a flower than Chumbabwamba's full on three pints and a packet of pork scratchings approach to pop. In a way cultural moments are hard to define but I remember a journey to see the film felt like a defining moment in the decade, in a year when everything was about the UK (or it felt like it at least) this British film was the equivalent of Britpop, part of the movement, its flagship trailblazer, and for all those reasons I will always love "Born Slippy" more for what it represents maybe than the song itself. To get the most from it you simply HAD to be there.
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Nov 28, 2011 18:57:39 GMT 1
A Design for Life and Born to Slippy... sure in the list of best #2s ever A Design is really the Manics at their best, fantastic musically and lyrically... had been a Manics fan since day one, but really took me by surprised as I never expected them to make the step from little known indie band to one of the best rock bands in the UK... and Born Slippy, love it to pieces, especially the Lager Lager part. Don't recall having any trouble dancing to it
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Post by andrew07 on Nov 28, 2011 19:16:25 GMT 1
"A Design For Life" should definitely have been a No.1, in my view, luckily they got one two years later, and also the first new No.1 of the new millennium. Everything Must Go was a great album too, it was great that they finally got that deserved success from that point on. I think they said recently that they're not wanting to release singles anymore, probably because Nicky Wire was disappointed with the chart positions of their last couple of singles.
"Born Slippy" is such a memorable song for me, especially when I saw Trainspotting for the first time back then and I was playing the soundtrack a lot as a teenager, both very era-defining. :-)
Was an X-Files fan as a teen too, I think from the beginning up until David Duchovny left and Robert Patrick (he of Terminator 2) joined the show, was a surprise to see the original theme chart at No.2, used to play that tv soundtrack Songs In The Key Of X often too, the highlights on that were the Foo Fighters cover of Gary Numan's "Down In The Park" and William Burroughs narrating R.E.M's "Star Me Kitten".
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Post by evansabove on Nov 28, 2011 19:58:51 GMT 1
Born Slippy always brings Trainspotting to mind for me too. There are some other great dance tracks here as well particularly Robert Miles
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Post by Earl Purple on Nov 29, 2011 0:49:58 GMT 1
I assume Mysterious Girl got left off this thread due to it finally reaching #1 in 2004.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 29, 2011 0:57:44 GMT 1
I assume Mysterious Girl got left off this thread due to it finally reaching #1 in 2004. Yes.
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Nov 29, 2011 12:58:53 GMT 1
didn't recall 1996 being such a good year for #2s!!!! I love them all so far except 3T not sure what's left though... did Macarena also hit #2??
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 29, 2011 17:49:58 GMT 1
10TH AUGUST- FREEDOM- Robbie Williams (1 week)Popstars bleating on about fame- it never goes down well, well ordinarily that is. With the arrival back on the scene of George Michael in 1996 (he'd already got a couple of chart toppers in the year by this point) it was an apt time for a cover, and right on cue here's Robbie. "Freedom 90" as it was originally titled, was written by Michael and released in 1990 when it peaked at the princely position of no 28 suffering from a lack of promotion, though its supermodel studied promo is not easily forgotten, and concerned Michael breaking free from the restrictions of being in a "teen scream" band to forge a "serious" career. It was therefore the perfect track for the newly solo Williams to re-record with the demise of Take That in March 96. William's hadn'teven recorded the track by the time he had to do the video so instead mimed along to the Michael original, but whilst Michael's version seem sfull of intent and personal memories (obviously) this seems rather a hollow remake, Williams sneering through his performance with what would become his career persona of cocky schoolboy with an eye on a opportunity. Sure he was to write some belters of pop songs in his career but this seems like a stop gap track, saying "I'm still here, the albums on the way" and sure it enough it worked, theoug interestingly as if to prove my point, this track never appeared on a Robbie album until his greatest hit set in 2010. What we see in "Freedom" is an artist with a fragile ego who is really unsure where he is and where he's going, the direct opposite of what the song is about- by 1990 Michael was very sure where he wanted to go, whilst Williams can't even feign sincerity at any point through the track. For this reason the version doesn't work, the cracks in Williams's phsche are too clear to see, and he's too eager to share, whilst on the surface this choice of song is an obvious move, for the parities between Take That and Wham!, really he's failed to grasp the true meaning behind it all.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 29, 2011 17:50:49 GMT 1
didn't recall 1996 being such a good year for #2s!!!! I love them all so far except 3T not sure what's left though... did Macarena also hit #2?? let's see....... 17TH AUGUST- MACARENA- Los Del Rio (1 week)Now fess up- did you do the dance? I know I did, but then again I knew the dance to "Saturday Night" in 1994 so it follows. The song actually dates back to 1992 and was first released in a rumba version in 1993 gaining success in Mexico and Spain, subsequent releases in 94 and 95 gained further success in most spanish speaking countries and in some US cities with large Hispanic populations. Once the track was taken and remixed by the Bayside Boys and given some English lyrics the stage was set for a full international release, trouble was it had been around for so long another group Los Del Mar were also ready with their version and during the summer of 1996 they went head to head. Well the winner is clear, Los Del Mar peaked at No 43 here, spare a thought for the Australians though where Los Del Mar peaked at No 2 behind, you guessed it, Los Del Rio, a bit too much "Macarena" for my money. Anyway as a song there's little point saying it isn't catchy, and believe me it was everywhere radio wise, and I can't say I dislike the song, drunk and at a 90s night I dare say I may join in if someone did the moves (I've forgotten them honest) so let's not be too harsh, of its moment certainly, but it was a fun moment.
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Nov 29, 2011 18:21:15 GMT 1
haha i've done all the dances, the Macarena, Saturday Night, Asereje, YMCA, all of them!!!! agree that RW's Freedom was a pointless release...
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Post by evansabove on Nov 29, 2011 19:51:39 GMT 1
Yes i knew all the moves to the dance and probably could still remember a lot of it-it was hardly serious choreography was it!
I forgot just how young Robbie used to look from that cover. My the years havent been kind to him
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Post by Earl Purple on Nov 29, 2011 21:21:21 GMT 1
"Freedom" was released to try to knock Gary Barlow off #1 but they didn't quite reckon for the Spice Girls. I don't know if he'd met Guy Chambers yet and if so how many songs they'd written by this point.
I think the purpose of the George Michael song was asking the record company to allow him to make the music he wanted to make, which was different from the kind of music he had made with Wham. Thus "Freedom" to write music in his new style, although he did get into a battle with the record label wanting to leave. Not sure if that was for more money or for artistic freedom.
Britpop is really in full swing here (even without any Blur at this point). It would be interesting to just pull out a random top 40 from the summer of 1996.
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Post by Milliways on Nov 30, 2011 0:15:23 GMT 1
Britpop is really in full swing here (even without any Blur at this point). It would be interesting to just pull out a random top 40 from the summer of 1996. This playlist's for you: 13 July 1996Two songs are missing: Black Grape - 'England's Irie' Def Leppard - 'Work It Out' Also The Exciters should be Quentin & Ash, but it was such a faithful cover I don't think it matters much.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 30, 2011 16:01:21 GMT 1
24TH AUGUST- WHY?- 3T Featuring Michael Jackson (1 week)Bloody good question! (Sorry it did ask for that though). More soppy balladry from the brothers Jackson this time roping thier uncle who really should have known better, and that's because this track was destined for inclusion on his "HIStory" album but didn't make the cut so he handed it to his nephews who turned it into this No 2 hit. Would it have made it without Michael Jackson? well debatable really, Babyface's production is as smooth as ever but the lamentable performance is just one long bore quite frankly. We're coming to the end of Michael Jackson popstar and getting ready for Jacko the legend, yes he's passing from active popstar to being an "influence" only, whilst "HIStory" may have been a good move from a marketing angle (his record company were concerned in 1994 that a whole new album maight not sell after the allegations so opted for part greatest hits past new album) but it reminded the audience of one great truth- the guy's best days were now behind him. True, a lot of the new tracks he had done were very good but they were a side show to his 80s greats, and he did no favours by contributing to this version, 3T look slightly disinterested for most of the video, it purely served to extent their shelf life for a further 6 months but no-one has gained here.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Nov 30, 2011 16:01:56 GMT 1
31ST AUGUST- SPINNING THE WHEEL- George Michael (1 week)Like a pheonix from the proverbial flame 1996's "Older" proved to be Michael's greatest success of his career, though it almost never saw the light of day. More often in courts and litigation against his record company the 90s saw extended break for Michael as wrangles with Sony meant that from 1991 to 1996 his only releases were for charity, not bad though he still scored a couple of No 1 hits to keep his name in the fray, then came 1996. "Jesus To A Child" and "Fastlove" had already topped the charts, and third release "Spinning The Wheel" almost followed suit actually leading the Spice Girls in midweek flashes only to falter at the last hurdle. A tale of sexual promiscuity of a lover and the danger of AIDS, it was preachy Michael alright, and the album version is, in all honesty, a little dull so I've chosen the remix of it which did the rounds at the time and is much better IMO. I was a massive fan of the "Older" era though, purchasing all the singles on the day of release, though in hindsight the album is dull and steeped in its own pretentions and solemnity- thank god for the dance remixes that invariably spiced up the single releases. Indeed if he'd put the remixes out as the original album it would probably shifted even more than the 2 million that it did! Anyway if you're not a Michael fan then this won't convert you, but it's a timely reminder of when the man could produce quality tracks and dominate the charts (all 6 singles taken from the album made the top 3- something not even Rihanna and Lady Gaga can pull off) so he was doing something incredibly right during 96-97.
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Post by evansabove on Nov 30, 2011 16:29:26 GMT 1
The 3T song is very bland and definitely relied on the Jacko credit to guide it to #2
The whole Older era was fantastic with George at the top of his game. Such a shame he has lost his way since with his music.
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Nov 30, 2011 17:21:33 GMT 1
I have mixed feeling about the Older era, I looooved some of the songs like Fast Love, The Strangest Thing and especially You Have Been Loved... but the first single Jesus to a Child was far too bland and was never really into Spinning That Wheel
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Dec 2, 2011 0:17:49 GMT 1
7TH SEPTEMBER- HEY DUDE- Kula Shaker (1 week)There's a fine line between imitiation and inspiration, and this oversteps it. Of all the Britpop acts the one I probably enjoyed the lease was Kula Shaker and I can't really put my finger on why, it may have been the clear the clear influence of late 60s psychadelia on the output that just turned me of, but it was almost play pop, there was no passion like Oasis, nor playful wittiness of the likes of Pulp or Blur, and no flirtation of Sleeper or Echobelly, just really quite bland indie. They were obviously popular enough in their heyday but the music always reminds me of those kids who used to dress in retro 60s clothing (from a charity shop) because they perceived it to be cool and were clearly middle class, sort of dad rock for the late teens but all in a very 90s way. There's a fair amount of "mysticism" and "symbolism" alledgedly thrown into the mix, but you get the overall impression that all is deeply pretentious in the most irritating way, rather than trailblazing the sense here is of a band who are being dragged along by the tailcoat of an amazing time in British music ended up little more than a footnote, all thrown into sharp relief when compaired to "Wannabe" which STILL stood at No 1 denying all comers with it's colourful moniker of bright brash pop. Dreadful at the time, dreadful now.
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