Jaz13music

What a strange little group this time! Quite a few really bad or at least boring songs. I’ll concentrate on those I like. Cacharpaya is great and very unusual especially for the era. I have a real soft spot for A Winters Tale, a gorgeous hug of a song. Heartache Avenue I really enjoy, a lovely Motown throwback as you say. The ET theme instantly evokes memory of the film, one of my all time favourites. The I Feel Love remix is good, it’s hard to ruin that fantastic song. Under Attack is okay but pales in comparison with all the ABBA greats.

Break Your Heart is another okay song, I’m always amazed it reached US #1 when you consider all the brilliant Brit artists and songs that never did! I agree Empire State is fantastic, one of the songs of the year.

I love La Isla Bonita, gorgeous song and another 8!

I like Holiday, but perhaps the least of that triad of #1s, maybe the pivot in style was starting to wear a bit thin by then. I too loved early Dizzee, especially Boy In Da Corner, I Luv U is my favourite.

Couldn’t agree more with your assessment of I Knew You Were Waiting, a great duet, complimenting vocals of two fantastic singers both sorely missed. I’d give 8/10

I’m all for Big Thief and Geese getting some airplay (I absolutely love those bands) but both those songs are over 6 months old, talk about late to the party. Surely there’s some new music Radio 1 could support.

This is a really great batch of songs. I couldn’t recall Night Porter before re listening but it is gorgeous, so thanks for highlighting that one. Buffalo Gals was groundbreaking for hip hop especially in the UK, a breath of fresh air at the time. I do like Our House, but probably wouldn’t put it at the absolute peak of Madness’s songs. Both sides of the Dexys double A side are great and Where The Heart Is is a bit of a lost Soft Cell gem, I agree. You Can’t Hurry Love is fine but doesn’t really offer anything different to the original. My other favourite would be Beat Surrender, a great signing off from a fantastic band, talk about going out on top. Though I do also think Time is lovely

The first number one from this year that I had absolutely no recollection of, and after listening again just now, I can see why. Nothing of interest for me, it commits what I think is the biggest sin in music or arts in general, being boring/safe. One of those songs that seemingly leaves no footprint once leaving the charts.

As mentioned earlier, I think Alexandra had a great voice, but I can’t like this cover version. For a song that’s subtle, understated, sad, haunting and beautiful, this version blasts all that away with typical X Factor bombast (key change, gospel choir, Christmas Bells etc etc). I once read somewhere that Leonard Cohen actually wrote something like 80 draft verses in total and kept chopping and changing them aiming for perfection. I do like all sorts of versions of the brilliant song though (Rufus Wainwright’s from the Shrek soundtrack is fantastic), but Jeff Buckley’s is the one for me. One of my all time favourite cover versions. What a great number one it could have been.

I’ve always had a soft spot for China In Your Hand. I think, as you said, it’s the plucked strings and the over the top power ballad bombast, I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. Very 80s. I agree with your 8/10

Debut album from former Black Midi band member. It’s an ambitious sprawling indie prog folk masterpiece. Out now

Mandy Indiana, Muse and Sombr for me, but loads of great songs there!

I agree, Right Round isn’t the best of Flo Rida, a bit rap by numbers for me and relying too heavily on ‘You Spin me …’ for melody.

Not a great fan of Bad Boys, it’s okay really, not exactly groundbreaking or memorable. Alexandra could certainly sing though.

Another great song group. Love the emotive Hymn and Harry’s Game is gorgeous, I remember the great TV show well too. Wishing is probably my favourite, it’s a great and unusual synth pop which stands out from the crowd. Rio and Mirror Man are both great fun. I do love the earlier Simple Minds singles. Talk Talk is great but they later blossomed into a wonderful band on their last 3 albums, some of my favourites of the whole decade and early 90s. Great to see the arrival of Wham!, I especially like the energy of their early singles. George really was fantastic wasn’t he, such variety in song writing across his whole career. One of the best of all time, I am ashamed I have sometimes taken it for granted a bit in the past. And Save Your Love, well …….. just why?In the middle of all the musical revolutions in the 80s?

I think I’m happy with my year, have got a few ideas so far but I’ve not settled on choosing one yet!

Brill thanks! I’ll go for #31 then please. You mention avoiding entries used in a previous song contest, have you got a list of songs to avoid, there must be quite a few?!

Have you got room for a newbie guys? I’ve enjoyed reading your previous contests and fancy a go. If there’s no space, don’t worry, I can still contribute with comments and maybe voting? Love the idea for the theme too!

Everybody In Love is pleasant enough, I certainly preferred JLS over many of the X Factor output in the ‘real’ world (outside the show), they just never really excited me.

I’m very late to this party, sorry Julian! I hope it’s okay just jumping in by commenting about your last group, though I promise I’ve been back to read through the whole thread and it’s great! Overall a great set of songs, I think I generally agree with your top choices. The Day Before You Came is indeed fantastic, almost a ‘lost’ ABBA song (with its chart position) if there can be such a thing?! I also love Living On The Ceiling, a really quirky 80s classic. Maneater is up there as one of my favourite Hall & Oates singles. I admit I couldn’t remember Cry Boy Cry from its title but I really enjoyed hearing it again when I played it through. Heartbreaker is a great Bee Gees written song and Dionne sells it really well. I suppose the one song I would place higher is Sexual Healing which has a fantastically smooth slinky groove and brilliant vocals. A real highlight of the year that felt out of time when it was released, like a throwback to the soulful 70s but with an 80s flavour. Of the others I do enjoy I Don’t Wanna Dance too, but I still wonder what on earth MJ and McCartney were doing on The Girl Is Mine!? The worst song by far on Thriller and it was lucky this first single didn’t sink the album momentum before it even got going. I suppose the star names alone saved it.

I love Stand By Me and was very pleased at it finally reaching a deserved #1 in ‘87. As you say a very simple arrangement allowing Ben’s vocals to shine, but I think it’s the gorgeous strings that seal it for me! I’d give an 8. I’m very interested to see what order you put that top 10 in. I like all of them but think I’d try to find space for MARRS, Steve Silk Hurley and Ben E King. Starship and MJ would probably have to go

Just catching up a bit. The first three assorted charity/XFactor songs are awful in many ways so I certainly won’t argue with them being at the bottom. Joe was at least involved in a great Christmas #1 battle. I don’t even like the originals of The Climb or ‘..Not Alone so not much going for them, but I do love Kenny and Dolly’s Islands In The Stream. I too have managed to avoid seeing Gavin & Stacey, so the ‘humour’ is lost on me. I have to admit I didn’t recall the next two songs initially but on listening back remembered they were okay, I think both Tinchy and Pixie have had better singles. I’m resisting checking the rest of the number ones so not sure yet where I would place them in the order of the other number ones at present. Great thread so far though, really enjoying it. 33 number ones though, and almost all new songs… those were the days!

Just as an aside, I was thinking how hard it was for me to choose only 30 nominations for number 8s (and 7s last year) so I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you guys who were involved in choosing the best #1s and 2s! Props for managing that, I think I’d be agonising over those choices forever!😊 Great fun all round though, I enjoyed reading everyone’s voting lists and comments!

I’ve not got a lot to say about ‘Never Gonna…’ that hasn’t already been said. It was inescapable in ‘87 and amazingly, for a very average SAW song, is still popular now! Rick himself has always seemed a genuinely nice guy (and he’s from my hometown) so it’s hard to hate on this. I’d probably go for 5/10. After all it’s not his fault he stopped the greatest ever pop song from reaching number one!

Yes I’m sure you’re right, especially in the context of the album. To be honest, I’m always a bit uncertain which genre ‘box’ to put things in. Please do move the thread to ‘alternative’ if that’s more appropriate! 😊