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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 25, 2017 16:43:39 GMT 1
...so 25 acts remain, and looking down the list I still don't know who is going to be #1... although there are 6 that stand a good chance. There are a few acts who I thought would be out by now who are still going strong... and I've lost a few who I thought would still be in.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 25, 2017 18:06:09 GMT 1
25. THE JACKSON 5/THE JACKSONS
Out with: The Life Of The Party
My Top Ten: 1. I Want You Back 2. I'll Be There 3. Who's Lovin' You 4. ABC 5. Blame It On The Boogie 6. Never Can Say Goodbye 7. Maybe Tomorrow 8. Show You The Way To Go 9. Heartbreak Hotel (AKA 'This Place Hotel') 10. Can You Feel It
Year of debut: 1968
Essential Album: Destiny
Ahhh my Haven Factor act... I must admit I was quite disappointed with how they did in that particular contest, but I blame it on my choosing the wrong songs (rather than the boogie...) They've survived 75 rounds here, but one of the members of the group (I wonder which one that could be!!) is still a strong contender....
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 25, 2017 19:13:24 GMT 1
24. THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
Out with: The Cat Loves The Mouse
My Top Ten: 1. Everybody's Talkin' 2. A Little Time 3. Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) 4. Don't Marry Her 5. You Keep It All In 6. Song For Whoever 7. Prettiest Eyes 8. Dream A Little Dream 9. I'll Sail This Ship Alone 10. Bell Bottomed Tear
Year of debut: 1989
Essential album: Welcome To The Beautiful South
Paul Heaton is a musical genius! The Housemartins finished at #67 after nearly exhausting their entire output, and now his second band comes in at #24 due to being consistently on top for pretty much the entire nineties. The 2 albums he has produced with Jacqui Abbott (who was the female vocalist of the Beautiful South from 1994-2000) are also lyrically and musically astounding.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 9:17:09 GMT 1
23. GLORIA ESTEFAN/MIAMI SOUND MACHINE
Out with: Think About You Now
My Top Ten: 1. Dr. Beat 2. Can't Stay Away From You 3. Bad Boy 4. Anything For You 5. 1,2,3 6. Don't Wanna Lose You 7. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me 8. Everlasting Love 9. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You 10. Here We Are
Year of Debut: 1977
Essential album: Gloria!
Since the line is a bit hazy as to when Gloria's solo career would begin and the Miami Sound Machine's end, then I've amalgamated them as one... and the band have continued to appear on her recordings anyway, it's just the name that was dropped as her popularity exceeded that of the band.... Even I didn't know they had been releasing albums since 1977 though - I thought their first single was 1984's 'Dr. Beat'!!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 10:39:05 GMT 1
22. BON JOVI
Out with: My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms
My Top Ten: 1. Livin' On A Prayer 2. You Give Love A Bad Name 3. Always 4. In These Arms 5. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night 6. Bed Of Roses 7. It's My Life 8. Born To Be My Baby 9. Wanted Dead Or Alive 10. These Days
Year of debut: 1984
Essential album: Slippery When Wet
Probably the most uncool, yet one of the most successful, rock bands of all-time. Bon Jovi may have peaked early with 1986's phenomenal 'Slippery When Wet' album (featuring the now annoyingly overplayed but still their most popular song 'Livin' On A Prayer'), but they continued to produce consistently great albums (including 2 solo Jon Bon albums which I've also allowed) right up to and including 2000's fantastic 'Crush'... Since then the material has been a bit hit and miss, but they're still one of my favourite bands ever.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 12:31:45 GMT 1
21. QUEEN
Out with: Ride The Wild Wind
My Top Ten: 1. Bohemian Rhapsody 2. You're My Best Friend 3. Don't Stop Me Now 4. We Are The Champions 5. Somebody To Love 6. I Want To Break Free 7. These Are The Days Of Our Lives 8. Killer Queen 9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 10. It's A Hard Life
Year of Debut: 1973
Essential Album: A Night At The Opera
It's hard to believe Freddie Mercury has been dead now for over a quarter of a century.... and even harder to believe that Queen have been a band for a lot longer without him as the frontman than they had him for.... yet he still is the band for most people, I would strongly suspect, and his music continues to reach new generations.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 15:27:14 GMT 1
20. CYNDI LAUPER
Out with: Like A Cat
My Top Ten: 1. Time After Time 2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun 3. True Colors 4. I Drove All Night 5. Who Let In The Rain 6. What's Going On 7. That's What I Think 8. All Through The Night 9. I'm Gonna Be Strong 10. The World Is Stone
Year of Debut: 1983
Essential Album: True Colors
I'm thrilled that our Cynd made it into my top 20, as I wasn't expecting her to... The week was the one starting the 8th of January 1984. A catchy pop tune called 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun', by an unknown singer called Cyndi Lauper, entered the chart at a modest #50.... 3 places lower, an equally catchy pop tune called 'Holiday', by some young new singer called Madonna, also entered the chart... By the end of 1984 I would have put money on Cyndi Lauper going on to be the Queen of pop, especially after the magnificent follow-up single 'Time After Time' - which I still like better than any Madonna song!!... I think it's safe to assume that Madonna has finished higher though!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 16:44:54 GMT 1
19. ROD STEWART
Out with: Rebel Heart
My Top Ten: 1. Sailing 2. Maggie May 3. The Killing Of Georgie 4. I Don't Want To Talk About It 5. Every Beat Of My Heart 6. You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) 7. Reason To Believe 8. Have I Told You Lately 9. The First Cut Is The Deepest 10. Young Turks
Year of Debut: 1964
Essential album: Vagabond Heart
I love the 'Vagabond Heart' album which features the track he went out with, but it was a tough round this one... It's true that many of the tracks he's sailed through with up 'til now have been cover versions, but I've always been a fan of Rod the Bod... except when he went through his Great American Songbook phase that is!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 26, 2017 18:50:57 GMT 1
18. STEVIE NICKS
Out with: Kind Of Woman
My Top Ten: 1. Rooms On Fire 2. Edge Of Seventeen 3. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around 4. Sometimes It's A Bitch 5. I Can't Wait 6. Stand Back 7. Talk To Me 8. Reconsider Me 9. Leather And Lace 10. If Anyone Falls
Year of debut: 1981
Essential Album: The Other Side Of The Mirror
One of my biggest idols here, Stevie Nicks has done some brilliant solo work... but it's nothing when compared to what she's done in Fleetwood Mac, which makes her position here all the more outstanding.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 19:31:46 GMT 1
Sometimes It's A Bitch was a hit in my retrochart.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 27, 2017 18:12:35 GMT 1
Sometimes It's A Bitch was a hit in my retrochart. I absolutely love that song... It was written by Jon Bon Jovi and apparently she didn't even want to record it. Her record company wanted her to sing it so there was new material on her Greatest hits album 'Timespace'.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 27, 2017 20:13:48 GMT 1
17. KATE BUSH
Out with: Snowflake
My Top Ten: 1. Wuthering Heights 2. Running Up That Hill 3. Babooshka 4. Cloudbusting 5. Don't Give Up 6. Hounds Of Love 7. Sat In Your Lap 8. Army Dreamers 9. This Woman's Work 10. Rocket Man
Year of Debut: 1978
Essential Album: Hounds Of Love
A respectable position for the original banshee. I live in hope that she decides to tour again one day... despite only doing 2 in nearly 40 years! And it certainly wasn't for lack of trying that I didn't see her the last time she did it. I've picked 'Hounds Of Love' as my favourite album of hers, although I have got a massive soft spot for 'Aerial' too... even the bit with Rolf Harris!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 28, 2017 7:59:28 GMT 1
16. KIRSTY MACCOLL
Out with: The Real Ripper
My Top Ten: 1. Fairytale Of New York 2. A New England 3. They Don't Know 4. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis 5. Days 6. Walking Down Madison 7. Miss Otis Regrets 8. Free World 9. Perfect Day 10. He's On The Beach
Year of Debut: 1979
Essential Album: Electric Landlady
One of the wittiest songwriters of the eighties and nineties, Kirsty MacColl actually had very few hits during her career - and most of her biggest were with other people's songs. However, she is well respected in the music world, and her horrific death in 2000 is perhaps the one that shocked and affected me the most.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2017 8:05:19 GMT 1
Kate Bush is the one from my 5 least favourite acts.
I'm not a fan of "Fairytale of New York", but all other selected songs are very good (especially Perfect Day, New England and There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis). "Terry" is missed.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 28, 2017 19:19:21 GMT 1
Kate Bush is the one from my 5 least favourite acts. I'm not a fan of "Fairytale of New York", but all other selected songs are very good (especially Perfect Day, New England and There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis). "Terry" is missed. 'Terry' was #21 on my list.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 28, 2017 21:13:28 GMT 1
15. ERASURE
Out with: Stayed A Little Late Tonight
My Top Ten: 1. A Little Respect 2. Sometimes 3. Stop! 4. Lay All Your Love On Me 5. Love To Hate You 6. Drama! 7. Ship Of Fools 8. The Circus 9. Blue Savannah 10. Chorus
Year of debut: 1985
Essential album: The Innocents
Vince Clarke has already appeared on this countdown as half of Yazoo... Now here is his even more successful band, featuring the amazing talent of Andy Bell. It took them until their second album, 'The Circus' before anybody took any notice, but they then had an impressive run of 24 consecutive top 40 hits between 'Sometimes' (#2 in 1986) and 'Sunday Girl' (not the Blondie song! - #33 in 2007). Of course in these days of streaming they haven't got a hope of getting another hit single - but I still look forward to their new forthcoming album in May... which will be their 17th studio release.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 29, 2017 18:24:15 GMT 1
14. LISA STANSFIELD
Out with: Turn Me On
My Top Ten: 1. All Around The World 2. People Hold On 3. Change 4. This Is The Right Time 5. All Woman 6. Set Your Loving Free 7. In All The Right Places 8. Time To Make You Mine 9. Someday (I'm Coming Back) 10. I'm Leavin'
Year of Debut: 1981
Essential Album: Affection
All of her albums are pretty essential as far as I'm concerned... but 1989's 'Affection' was her breakthrough moment, and it just sounded so fresh and different. I'm trying to work out when it became uncool to like Lisa Stansfield... because in 1989 and 1990 she was one of the coolest kids on the block!!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 29, 2017 20:56:01 GMT 1
13. THE PET SHOP BOYS
Out with: Later Tonight
My Top Ten: 1. It's A Sin 2. What Have I Done To Deserve This 3. Heart 4. Always On My Mind 5. Rent 6. Suburbia 7. West End Girls 8. It's Alright 9. Where The Streets Have No Name-Can't Take My Eyes Off You 10. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
Year of debut: 1984
Essential album: Actually
I know they have their haters on these forums, but the Pet Shop Boys to my mind have produced some of the best pop songs of... well ever!! And they have been doing so for the past 33 years now!! Over the years they have experimented with different styles and sounds, but their distinct sound is always there... in fact I'd place the Pet Shop Boys in a genre all on its own!!
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Post by Whitneyfan on Mar 31, 2017 8:01:40 GMT 1
12. CELINE DION
Out with: If You Could See Me Now
My Top Ten: 1. My Heart Will Go On 2. Think Twice 3. Because You Loved Me 4. It's All Coming Back To Me Now 5. The Prayer 6. Tell Him 7. Where Does My Heart Beat Now 8. I'm Your Angel 9. Immortality 10. Be The Man
Year of Debut: 1981
Essential album: Let's Talk About Love
One of only 2 Eurovision winners on my countdown, and surely one of the most successful of all-time. Celine Dion has never been cool, but she certainly knows how to belt out a tune... which is why I love her!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2017 9:58:09 GMT 1
"That's The Way It Is" is my favourite song from Celine.
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