TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Jan 4, 2015 15:32:06 GMT 1
No cant agree with this one, That Petrol Emotion - Big Decision is the best #43 by far. Loved their album 'Chemicrazy' the most though. And while we talk great Irish bands An Emotional Fish deserve a mention for a #46.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 4, 2015 15:56:56 GMT 1
I love how music is so subjective.
Personally I found the Farmers Boys = Norfolk's answer to the Housemartins somewhat apt, as they had a lot of Alan Partridge about them, especially unforgivable when passing on Emiliana Torrini.
As for your #43 selection. You've selected a to be kind very mediocre record compared to the obvious choice of That Petrol Emotion's Big Decision; or the best record made by a member of Abba outside of the group, which is also probably the best record Phil Collins made outside of Genesis:
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vya
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Post by vya on Jan 5, 2015 8:30:33 GMT 1
I'm also a bit of a That Petrol Emotion fan, and at 45, I'd have had Love And Money at least among the contenders (although: that said, the band they span out of, Friends Again, might have been a shoo-in at 59 for me.)
Interested to see what's coming next...
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 5, 2015 11:18:37 GMT 1
Best record Phil Collins made outside of Genesis was this one...
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 5, 2015 22:04:58 GMT 1
42. LadytronI really ought to go with Howlin' Wolf, the legendary bluesman, but despite his phenomenal talent it's just not my type of music. Got a few almost-but-not-quite indie acts that peaked out here; Salad, who featured MTV's style guru Marijne van der Vlugt, definitely did not rely on her laurels but produced some rather excellent singles; The MoDettes, who benefitted from funding from the Prince's Trust, and who had future no. 1 hitmaker (and Terry Hall collaborator) June Miles-Kingston on drums; and The Family Cat, whom I didn't remember having a hit at all, but the stats books assure me they did. Even more amazingly, none of them was " Tom Verlaine". But I've gone with Ladytron, if nothing else because of their persistence; they had singles peak at 42, 43, 44 and 45. How little more would it have taken to nudge them into the 40? I note that they spent last year recording an album which is due out this year - doubtless in this vapid era it won't generate any hit tracks, but it might get them in the top half of the album charts, if anyone remembers them...
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 5, 2015 23:31:04 GMT 1
41. Art BrutSome time in early May 2005, two people bought the CD of "Falling Stars" by Sunset Strippers. There is no rational reason why they should have done so. Firstly, it had been in the chart for two months. They had ample opportunity to buy it at any time. Secondly, it is utter sh*te. Thirdly, they could have looked out the original by Boy Meets Girl if they were really bothered about the tune. I want those people found, arrested, detained, tried and incinerated. Slowly. Because their stupid, brainless, useless, moronic purchase turned out to be the difference between Art Brut getting a top 40 hit and a guaranteed Radio 1 play and missing out. Two copies. Two bloody copies. I suppose though one should not put all the blame on them. Whoever was running the charts should have sussed that this was a statistical dead heat. Easy to miss a purchase or two, or mis-attribute one to another. So why the bloody hell did they not swap the two around? There isn't a single person on the entire intercoursing planet who could give a flying monkey's toss about Sunset bloody Strippers. But maybe getting Eddie Argos' unique take on talking to the kids across to the, er, kids might just have inspired someone to look out more of their material, or even produce their own. Anyway. By the time the second album came out, nobody was interested in proper indie any more, it was all Fix Factor Brit School dross like Adull, so the peerless " Direct Hit" barely made the 200, let alone the 100. But at least they make this list, which is far more important on the cosmic scale of things than getting a UK top 40. History will vindicate me, because I am writing it. Anyone else for 41? Magazine. Beggars belief that Howard Devoto's post-Buzzcocks band never scored a much bigger hit with " Shot By Both Sides", a song which remains strong today.
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Post by Earl Purple on Jan 6, 2015 0:17:10 GMT 1
Aside for Art Brut I would consider The Auteurs for the #41 position.
And of course Luke Haines of The Auteurs was in Black Box Recorder who recorded with Art Brut on that wonderful "Christmas Number One" song.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 6, 2015 20:04:32 GMT 1
Into the top 40...woo. 40. Mazzy StarFunny how the memory plays tricks. I was absolutely convinced that " Fade Into You" was Sandoval and Roback's biggest hit; quite the surprise to find it wasn't. Doesn't stop it from being any less gorgeous though. Maybe 5 years ago I would have hoped that they could have snuck higher, but it seems most unlikely that they will do so; people who like music will buy their albums, rather than just the one track. I suppose it's a tribute that they can come up with an entire album's worth of material that people would like. Still waiting for Sam & The Womp to do so. I was surprised how many acts peaked at 40. Having got that far, you'd've thought that there would have been enough of a sales boost from a first on the radio charts to scamble a follow-up higher. But no. New Young Pony Club was an act I thought would have made a LOT higher, especially after " Ice Cream" was used on an advert, but it was at that cusp when downloading was not quite taking over the charts, and nobody thought to promote a hard copy. Also worth of consideration were Kirk Brandon's spiky new wavers Theatre Of Hate, one of the best band names I can recall. A few indie-hyped bands, Sons & Daughters, Lodger, Lowgold and Urusei Yatsura, got this far and no further, the first being the best of them. Also a couple of odd one-hit wonders; Peter Straker & The Hands of Dr Teleny, and Stan, who tried a Right Said Fred vibe on "Suntan", but that bus had long gone. (Cripes, 10 years since Sons & Daughters' biggest hit. Tempus fugit.) Two other one-hit wonders of note. Grand Funk Railroad, who were gigantic in the States, with a couple of number 1 hits (and a bigger hit with "Locomotion" there than the estimable Minogue Sr). One of Homer Simpson's favourite bands. And Frank, who had a huge push from Channel 4 via having an entire series about their (fictional) adventures. And there was Tommy Cooper. On a sort of cheerleader scale, based vaguely around how many albums I have from artists at this position, I give it a . Not bad.
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Post by Earl Purple on Jan 6, 2015 21:50:10 GMT 1
Hope Sandoval actually had a higher peaking single when she featured on the Jesus & Mary Chain single "Sometimes Always". Reached #22 in the UK chart. Was their biggest hit in my chart - peaked at #2.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 6, 2015 22:23:26 GMT 1
I saw Brakes perform it with Rose and Becki Pipette in Brighton in 2007. One of those magical moments. 40. The television (not Television) number
The RutlesSurely the Pre-Fab Four need no introduction. Ron, Stig, Dirk and Barry, who swept the industry in the sixties, with their epochal releases ("Back In '64", "Blue Suede Schubert", "Can't Buy Me Lunch"), films (Ouch, Tragical History Tour) and controversy (bigger than Rod). Seems rather surprising that their only top 40 was off the back of a documentary that was released in the late 70s. John Lennon once said that the only people who got the Beatles were Monty Python. George Harrison and Eric Idle became fast friends (Harrison set up Handmade Films to finance Life Of Brian, apparently on the simple pretext that he was dying to see it), and Idle, with Neil Innes (an occasional Python collaborator and strongly featured on their albums), wrote an affectionate tribute for the series Rutland Weekend Television, a sketch show based around the premise that the tiny Rutlandshire had its own ITV franchise. It spun off into a film, with Innes doing much of the writing and performing, and did produce this one hit single. Beatle reactions were mixed, Harrison actually appearing in it, Lennon loving it, Starr mostly liking it and McCartney not at all. Until Linda persuaded him otherwise, a rare example of her taste being better than his. The thing is, Innes is a really talented songwriter (showcased in his own series, The Innes Book of Records), and was made a millionaire thanks to Oasis ripping him off for "Whatever". And the Rutle songs were often gorgeous; sometimes a little too close to their inspiration, but just as complex, convoluted and referential. If someone scrubbed The Beatles out of history, The Rutles would still stand as a brilliant group on their own. They were not the only television-based act to hit no. 39. Albeit the others were some way off Rutlemania quality. John Inman, for instance, with an even more innuendo-laden " Are You Being Served" than the series. Paul Henry, aka the gormless Benny from Crossroads. And, oh God, The Minipops, who must all be being questioned regarding Yewtree right now. On a more seriously musical vein, you have Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, the inspiration for Dexy's better no. 1. Also punk poet John Cooper Clarke, although oddly not with the transcendent " Beasley Street"; there's a sort of television link as he became the unlikeliest stooge of the Honey Monster. And finally Brazilian band CSS, robbed of the chance to make it big when their manager disappeared with the money - not helped by him being (soon to be ex-)boyfriend of guitarist Ira Trevisan...
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 6, 2015 23:05:40 GMT 1
The Rutles = the legends in their own lunchtimes. As a bit of a Beatles anorak, a couple of factoids: When Michael Jackson got his one white sparkly diamond encrusted glove on Lennon & McCartney's songbook (Northern Songs) in 1985 he did something Bad which previously the Beatles affiliation had stopped occurring namely he successfully sued and won The Rutles (Neil Innes' PreFab four) related publishing in 1986. (A few years later he helped his sister Janet out when the title track of her 1989 album www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAwaNWGLM0c was rather too close to comfort to this 1970 USA #1 hit www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOa5UOHdwnc so he bought Sly Stone's publishing and saved his sister & producers Jam & Lewis millions). Hence there was some what poetic justice when Noel Gallagher's songwriting abilities saw him plagiarise Neil Innes debut single from 1973 www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9EWcaS7II which was of course pre the Rutles so had not fallen foul of Wacko Jacko's highly active lawyers. The reason Paul McCartney was not so thrilled about The Rutles was because his American musician friend multi-instrumentalist Todd Rundgren had had such a blast producing Meat Loaf's Wagner meets Born To Run meets post Elvis/pre-Beatles nostalgia "Bat Out Of Hell" album he had separately come up with the idea of doing a Beatles pastiche album and had even talked to TV & film writers/directors into doing a spoof rockumentary so he recorded an album in 1977 .... and then The Rutles blew up so he mothballed the project only to retrospectively release the album "Deface The Music" quietly late in 1980: With the only promo shot being:
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 6, 2015 23:28:57 GMT 1
Never knew that about Todd Rundgren getting McCartney's permission for a parody. I wonder if that's also partly behind Paul dressing up as Beatle Paul for the "Coming Up" video. The sacred cow had been slain. 38. TindersticksThis is a more of a singles number for me than albums. Lots of good individual 45s by acts peaking here, including two acts from the Happy Daze cassette - The Milltown Brothers and The Real People. Plus, of course, the classical muddley from Portsmouth Sinfonia. Produced by Brian Eno. #vasfact Which meant there was not much under consideration; Mogwai I think sometimes tend to veer into the self-indulgent, and Renegade Soundwave wore thin too quickly. Love/Hate were surprisingly decent for a rawk band, there was a lot more depth to them than most of the other hair acts. But they all fall well short of Nottingham's lugubrious 3am casino serenaders. Another one of those groups whose biggest hit was not their best single. That honour falls to " Travelling Light" - how this kitchen sink drama of a single never became bigger than the biggest thing ever and then some is an enduring mystery. (Plus it's one of the few songs I can do on karaoke. All I need is a karaoke bar that has this rather than the Richard effort...) Only gets one , it's not a great number.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 7, 2015 23:16:57 GMT 1
37. Honey BaneSlightly tricky number, this, as there are a lot of acts here who had a short, yet stellar, career. So after a lot of deliberation I have gone for Honey Bane, who had one of the oddest. Starting off as a delinquent 14 year old with punk band Fatal Microbes, she then fell in with hardcore anarchists Crass, she recorded a few tracks for an EP on their label. Then Jimmy Pursey whisked her off to a major and produced her debut single, which unfortunately-timed as she looked and sounded like Toyah, who was just on the cusp of breaking through; after a flop follow-up she moved into glamour modelling. Kind of Samantha Fox in reverse. Then there was Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, who had the best no. 37 single with " The Rattler", and also had a sort of link with Honey Bane, indirectly, as Big John Watson of GMM had been in The Exploited, fellow-travellers with Crass. Emerging out of the other end of course was Garbage (rather than garbage). Others include Thousand Yard Stare (I worked at the same place as one of TYS for a while, I did some gig reviews for the in-house magazine and he sent me a complimentary email, so bonus points), and their best track "Happenstance" made it onto the fabled Happy Daze tape. And a couple of US no. 1 hits peaked at 37 here; Mark Dinning's death disc " Teen Angel" and ? & The Mysterians' " 96 Tears". The main competitor with Honey Bane - and I originally wrote them up as the main entrant, it was a last-second change - was the Irish answer to Pulp, A House. Obviously " Endless Art" ought to have been massive, but then again so ought their biggest, more overlooked, hit " Here Come The Good Times". The problem they had with RA was that they were on too small a label to cope with the demand, and by the time the required copies had been pressed up, the chance had gone. Q.v. Kirsty MacColl and Driver 67.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Jan 8, 2015 8:00:57 GMT 1
'Here come the good times' had a big push it was a 99p cd single but the trend was once those 99p labelled ones disappeared singles dropped out of the chart
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Post by Earl Purple on Jan 8, 2015 12:21:41 GMT 1
The best #37 single ever was "Monday Morning 5:19" by Rialto. But they had a higher peaking single with "Untouchable" so they're not eligible for that position in your topic.
Tindersticks had a #1 in my chart in 2003 with "Sometimes It Hurts"
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Jan 8, 2015 12:37:38 GMT 1
The best #37 single ever was "Monday Morning 5:19" by Rialto. But they had a higher peaking single with "Untouchable" so they're not eligible for that position in your topic. Tindersticks had a #1 in my chart in 2003 with "Sometimes It Hurts" Great song but I'm afraid' The Rattler' is just on a different level , not just the best #37 ever but one of the best songs ever. Never been able to get into Tindersticks, I struggle with miserable suit bands I think see also Nick Cave.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 8, 2015 19:15:51 GMT 1
The best #37 single ever was "Monday Morning 5:19" by Rialto. But they had a higher peaking single with "Untouchable" so they're not eligible for that position in your topic. Tindersticks had a #1 in my chart in 2003 with "Sometimes It Hurts" Great song but I'm afraid' The Rattler' is just on a different level , not just the best #37 ever but one of the best songs ever. Two great tracks. However, I rate the best UK #37 ever as Led Zeppelin "Stairway To Heaven" in 2007 thanks to their back catalogue being put onto iTunes. (Their chart peak was the very belated UK debut single release of "Whole Lotta Love" UK #21 in 1997).
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 8, 2015 20:02:17 GMT 1
36. The sort of unconventionally shouty number with a side order of television
Be Your Own Pet
Not much choice here. There are three acts who are vaguely similar in their unconventional outlook, crossing genres in their music, namely BYOP, ¡Forward, Russia! and King Kurt, and of the three I would reckon BYOP to be a palpable cut above. Perhaps a shoutout to Peaches as well, more art than rap in her confrontations.
Another act which was unconventional in outlook, but fit firmly within their genre, was The Dead Kennedys, but I've never really been a fan of the US take on punk, at least post-Pistols. New York Dolls and Richard Hell had their place but never made the charts. By the time it got to DK and Black Flag, I thought it was very much second helpings. And by the time it degraded to Green Day, let alone the spirit-shredding crime against humanity that was Limp Bizkit, it was not fit to wipe one's aristotle with.
The television side was provided by three television themes; The Settlers, with the theme for Follyfoot (did anyone know that was a synonym for swastika?); Paul Shane & The Yellowcoats, who did the theme for The Life And Times Of Lloyd George Hi De Hi; and The Stutz Bearcats, who did the theme for some 1920s themed rubbish on ITV that I cannot be bothered to check.
Who else here? Weird Al Yankovic. Who has at least turned his parodies from the grossly unfunny ("Fat") to the finely-observed and is now reaping the success. Definite kick up in his output, but still not enough to get a bold.
No ::cheer:: for this one though.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 8, 2015 21:23:34 GMT 1
35. The novelty number
Beavis & Butthead
This is one of those very odd congregations. A whole set of acts who could loosely be termed as not-entirely-serious rocked up here. Most notable perhaps are the psychobilly act The Cramps, whose image is probably best put by the question posed by Nutty Cook at school when I told him I'd just seen the latest Cramps single - "did it have Poison Ivy cavorting in a bikini?" Funnily enough...Although for some reason I find Candy del Mar's bored teenager act on bass more attractive. And of course more recently The Notsensibles washed up here with a Sounds single of the week from 35 years before. Then there are a couple more tunes which are television-pushed. Sublime and ridiculous.; The sublime was Highly Likely's theme " Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads", which is perhaps the best television theme tune ever; a quite superb pop song, soaked in melancholia for the lower-middle-class conformism that had replaced the hopes of young Bob - and the working-class rejection that was going to lead Terry nowhere. Just glorious. I will have more to say on them on another topic... The ridiculous was the Coronation Street Cast. Moving on. Then you've got the two Spanish one-hit wonders who topped out here; Massiel, of "La La La" Eurovision infame, and The Pop-Tops; and a sleb playing at music, Juliette Lewis, who took The Licks here. When one gets to actual proper ordinary bands one runs rather short. There's the intense Catherine Wheel and joyous Airhead. At opposite ends of the pop spectrum. But just peaking all of these were two American comedies, unusual for me as usually I find US comedy about as amusing as self-immolation. Spinal Tap - I won't even try to do the umlaut on the n - had the definitive music film in the early eighties (sorry Bad News). Loosely based on the experience of NWOBHM act Saxon, but most bands seem to see themselves in there somewhere. Certainly Metallica at least appear to be trying to emulate them. In the end they were edged out by Beavis & Butthead, whose film is criminally underrated - they managed to extract "anus" from "entertain us", which, frankly, is genius - and whose television series provided hours of undistilled joy. Mike Judge moved on from them to King Of The Hill, but although that might be "better", B&B was light years funner. And he reverted to them, skewering reality TV rather than pop videos, as MTV has given up with music. I can however provide a bonus video for no. 35 - one entrant commenting on a near-miss...
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jan 9, 2015 20:03:53 GMT 1
34. M83
I'm still slightly surprised they made the chart, in this day and age they are surely designed for album success. Still, let's go with what works, and one of the newest entrants into the listing. Morcheeba were their main competitors, and I think there are similarities between them, they both work with the sort of spacey instrumentation with understated vocals. Mind you, Skye has had a number one hit... There was a third competitor, Horrors, an act which has reinvented itself in a similar vein to Bowie; they are getting better and better though so in an album or two time they might usurp the French electronicals. One other act that popped into mind were Aussie punks The Saints, whose first couple of singles were amongst the angriest 45s hitherto. Maybe they were a year ahead of their time. Tended to descend though into fairly anonymous AOR (Springsteen has covered them if that's any guide). There can't be many other Australians that have waited 9 years between their British top 40 debut and their Australian top 40 debut; if anything one would think it the other way around. Quick shoutout in passing to Scroobius Pip. A better British hip-hop sound than the usual rubbish.
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