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"Break it Down Again" is not only my favorite Tears For Fears song, it's one of my favorite songs of the 1990s. Such great production, with little touches that continue to surprise me every time I hear it. Easily 10/10. I liked "Soul to Squeeze" a lot at the time, but these days it sounds like a precursor to some of their more boring Californication-era songs. Definitely a step down from the Blood Sugar Sex Magik singles. 6/10.
No offense taken, although now I'm imagining what a Mariah Carey cover of "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" would sound like.
And Now For Something Else Completely Different from August 1968: As much I love Brian Wilson's music, he wasn't the only sunshine pop genius around Southern California in the late 1960s. One such figure who deserves more recognition is Curt Boettcher, who made brilliant songs with his short-lived groups Sagittarius and the Millennium. One of my favorite Millennium songs is "It's You," a pretty perfect piece of raga-inflected harmony pop. https://youtu.be/y-fn4oztRwk
And Now For Something Completely Different from August 1968: The Rokes were a group of English expatriates living in Italy, and they were a much bigger deal in their adopted country than in their homeland. "Works of Bartholomew" is one of those off-kilter orchestral pop songs that you'd only find in the late 1960s. Former Mindbender Wayne Fontana released a competing cover version that summer, but it didn't become a hit either. https://youtu.be/VQJPm9_rjJ0
And Now For Something Completely Different from July 1968: It's remarkable how much pop music from 1968 took inspiration from children's literature and children's culture in general. Not only do we get countless bubblegum songs about candy, but in the same month we get "Gingerbread Man" by the Mirror, "Muffin Man" by the World of Oz, and "Jabberwock," by Boeing Duveen & the Beautiful Soup. It's the latter I want to consider today, a wonderful psychedelic adaptation of the Lewis Carroll poem produced by future Bowie and T. Rex collaborator Tony Visconti. https://youtu.be/2ylIEdzbmcE
"Christine" is one of my favorite tracks from the album as well, but I'm also partial to their bonkers rave version of "Agnus Dei": https://youtu.be/SU8c9qMH31g
That's the one Cruel Sea song I remember making it to American shores, albeit 18 months later.
Week 1: George Michael Week 2: Tag Team, reluctantly Week 3: Tony Toni Tone Week 4: Tina Turner Week 5: Shanice Week 6: Stereo MCs Week 7: PM Dawn (sorry, Radiohead!)
This was also the #1 when I turned 14, and given how bad most of the year's #1s were, I'm kind of okay with that. If you're in the mood for a pop-reggae cover of an Elvis song, you could do a lot worse than this. The problem is, I'm usually not in the mood for a pop-reggae cover of an Elvis song. 7/10.
And Now For Something Else Completely Different: When I was in college, the Ocean Blue’s video for “Sublime” inspired me to write this poem, which is probably the best piece of erotic poetry ever written about the Ocean Blue, because it’s also probably the ONLY piece of erotic poetry written about the Ocean Blue. So sublime that I Want one of those The arctic kind Of blueblood boy Clotting alone in the cold The pensive silence Says do not touch I caress Run as minutae all over him To sea-mist drizzle upon his hair Each strand astring with salt To grind sand grains upon his pores Weather the hull Capsize the frame Tumbling into taiga underbrush Pressed close My fingering the parka lining Grasping for warm flesh For the heat For the pulse of his voice As my breath Crystals on the nape of his neck This close Or transatlantic All equidistant On the space of his stare Mannequin savant Object d’art My frigid love Vacuous passion So sublime https://youtu.be/eeMbx2LzwFc
And Now For Something Else Completely Different: As we’ve suffered through 1993’s weak sauce ballads and skeevy sex jams, you’ve probably wondered, “What was going on in Argentina?” Well, one major thing was long-running band Soda Stereo releasing their groundbreaking 6th album Dynamo. My favorite track on it became the third single, “Ameba,” which is a total banger in any language. https://youtu.be/2tZ3lNKG18A
And Now For Something Completely Different: 1993’s best tribute to Barry White didn’t come from Silk, but from a rather unexpected source: OMD. The second single from their fantastic, underrated Liberator album, “Dream of Me” was based on “Love’s Theme,” the 1974 chart-topper White wrote for Love’s Unlimited Orchestra. The result is one of OMD’s most luxurious, purely beautiful songs. https://youtu.be/Vc-d3FGoxDI
Possibly not a coincidence, given who Catherine Wheel singer Rob Dickinson's older cousin is.
I didn't totally mean it as a slam on Slamm, because I do actually like Phixx's singles, even if their videos look like they came from some Logo series about homoerotic vampires. But they're both short-lived, often-shirtless British boybands with ridiculously spelled names.
Really? Those three bands all sound the same to you? I'd give good money to hear Perry Farrell sing the Gin Blossoms' greatest hits.
I've got such a soft spot for Slamm. Truly the Phixx of their day.
As someone who's been rating most of these R&B chart-toppers extremely low, I will say that the acts who made them often had much better songs, beat-driven, bass-heavy, jeep-rocking tracks that hold up pretty well but scared off some white radio programmers at the time. So their biggest crossover hits were often watered-down ballads like "Weak."
Self-titled and, more impressively, self-produced.
And Now For Something Completely Different from July 1968: Let's head over to Sweden for a song by the wonderfully-named Ola & the Janglers, who take Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" as the template for a song that, in my opinion, is less pretentious and more purely pleasurable, "What a Way to Die." Makes me nostalgic for the days when bands could afford a whole orchestra to accompany them. https://youtu.be/1GFLKP2JQ4E
And now for something completely different from July 1968: A strong contender for the title of "Best Song from a Band Named Nirvana," Nirvana's "Rainbow Chaser" is one of the best examples of the era's psych-pop. Those horns! That whooshing sound during the "rainbow chaserrr" chorus! So many great sonic moments. https://youtu.be/dcf19K5QFqQ
Speaking of Guy Chambers, his band the Lemon Trees were in the UK charts in July 1993 with one of their best songs, "I Can't Face the World Today." With a few tweaks, this could be one of the midtempo songs Robbie released in the early 2000s. https://youtu.be/VPRrs136Lto
I made a very snarky comment about "Weak," but I agree with you that "I'm So Into You" and "Right Here (Human Nature)" are very well-done songs. Xscape's "Just Kickin It" isn't quite as good as either of those, but it's a hell of a lot better than "Weak."
Accurately named. 3/10.
And Now For Something Else Completely Different: When it comes to Utah Saints, on the other hand, the busier the better. “Believe in Me” is an extremely fast-paced song that throws so much into the mix, most prominently a sample from the Human League’s “Love Action,” but also samples from Sylvester and the Crown Heights Affair. The effect is somewhat akin to going on a sonic thrill ride, and the song deservedly became a UK Top 10 hit. https://youtu.be/TF367jjh8hk
And Now For Something Completely Different: It probably goes without saying that Morten Harket has a gorgeous voice. But on early a-ha songs, there was always a lot going on, so his vocal gymnastics were just one instrument in a very busy mix. On the other hand, 1993’s “Dark is the Night for All” saw a-ha going for a warmer, more stripped-down sound that puts Harket’s vocals front and center. I’ll admit I think this approach often got overused in 1990s pop (especially diva pop), but here it works beautifully (almost as beautiful as Morten’s toned torso in the video). https://youtu.be/G1ZgER4uf3A
Thanks for featuring this! Wings of Desire are one of my favorite new bands, and all their singles so far have been very strong.
They would be like, "This is NOT what we meant by Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Serge." https://youtu.be/OzYnJO6RAnA
Oh man, just hearing the name Meja brings back bad memories of "All About the Money," one of the dumbest of several very dumb Europop songs I heard all the time when I lived in the Czech Republic from 1998-99. It might be even worse than that Des'ree song that goes, "I don't want to see a ghost/ It's a sight that I fear most/ I'd rather have a piece of toast/ And watch the evening news."
I guess I can see why Rachel is confused, if she grew up in the early 2000s when the Active Rock and Alternative formats had a lot of overlap. They barely have any songs in common these days, although there is quite a bit of overlap between Alternative and AAA (which makes sense to me, as both formats are chasing after a college-educated or soon-to-be-college-educated demographic, except AAA skews about 10 years older). As YBB said below, Active Rock targets a more "downwardly mobile" male demographic, and all that post-grunge moaning and yowling is a perfect fit for them. Also, Active/Mainstream Rock has always been where heritage rock acts go to die. It's just that now bands like Shinedown are considered "classic rock" to a certain generation.
I feel like "Justify My Love" is a lot kinkier and trying a lot harder to perform a sexy role. "That's the Way Love Goes" feels more relaxed, like a languid lovemaking session with a significant other you're already comfortable with.
Hey, it's sort of a spoken word rap song--those were big in 1993! I think "The Fly" might have been even a riskier first single choice, which might be why they rush-released the surefire hit "Mysterious Ways" about 6 weeks later.
And Now For Something Else Completely Different from June 1968: Paul McCartney wrote "Step Inside Love" for Cilla Black, and I think it's easily the best Beatles or Beatles-related single of 1968. Cilla really knows how to work the quiet-loud-quiet dynamics here, sounding tender at first and then like she could devour you alive when the chorus hits. (After all, isn't "step inside love, I want you to stay" what the spider said to the fly?) https://youtu.be/kGddBXNR3s8
And Now For Something Completely Different from June 1968: I've heard Fire's "Father's Name Is Dad" described as a psych-rock song, but I think it would be better categorized as a late mod song, along the lines of the kind of singles The Who were putting out 2 or 3 years earlier. Musical tastes changed so quickly in the late 1960s that the song probably sounded passe by 1968, but 54 years later, it sounds great, with a slight punkish snarl on the opening verses. https://youtu.be/3helJXwGBSI
And Now For Something Completely Different from May 1968: The movie Bonnie and Clyde wasn't just a critical and commercial hit, it was an international pop culture phenomenon, influencing fashion and the pop charts. While Georgie Fame had a big UK hit with "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde," the song that really does justice to the criminal duo is Serge Gainsbourg's duet with actress Brigette Bardot, "Bonnie and Clyde." Effortlessly cool in a way that only French people can pull off, it comes complete with a fantastic looped backing track that gets sampled for another song I'll feature when we hit Virtual 1994. https://youtu.be/Wa7wjr1NwhA
I'd agree that "Walking in My Shoes" is probably a 7, which bums me out a bit because I'm so used to giving Depeche Mode songs 10/10. It's just a little too draggy for my tastes, and I wish they'd released some of the album's other songs (like "Mercy in You" or "Higher Love") as singles instead. And here's my unpopular Perry Farrell opinion: I actually prefer Porno for Pyros over Jane's Addiction (probably because I was never a big fan of Led Zep or the other classic rockers that influenced Jane's Addiction). But I actually think P4P peaks with their second album; "Pets" has some great instrumental moments, but it ends up repeating that chorus about ten too many times. Still, a strong 8/10 from me. https://youtu.be/igUNDu8DNbI
"Numb" and "Stay" both got enough pop airplay to make Casey's Top 40, and "Numb" would have charted on the Hot 100 had it been released as a commercial single. I think if they'd gone with "Stay" as the first single, it would have been a moderate hit, maybe just scraping the Top 40 like "Who's Gonna Wild Your Wild Horses" did. But I think that by 1993, we were starting to see a shift away from innovative dance-rock and towards a more rootsy sound (Counting Crows and Sheryl Crow, here we come!)
True, though even on R&R (where the methodology didn't change), this is Janet's longest-running #1 hit, staying at the top for 6 weeks.
Have you ever thought about what a Janet Jackson/Kylie Minogue collaboration would sound like? Well, the wonderful Welsh synthpop artist Bright Light Bright Light has, and he just released a mash-up he calls "That's the Way Love Slows": https://youtu.be/9ZH43qK3OFU
You went to school with Cher Lloyd?! That's [makes "Want U Back"-style grunting noise] UHHH really cool!
I wonder if LL Cool J's album would have done better if he'd gone with the far superior, mellower "Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag" as the first single. I think that by 1993, a lot of older rappers were using their first singles to emphasize how "hard" they were and play catch-up with newer acts; see MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice's disastrous 1994 attempts to rebrand themselves as "horny Onyx" and "white Cypress Hill," respectively. https://youtu.be/8arEbwctrh0