Old folk shake fists at the pop charts

[Rebelda]

I'm going to petition the BBC to bring back Top of the Pops just so I can see a geriatric Pans People dancing to that in a flared trouser suit and flowing chiffon scarf

They brought it back not that long ago (probably years but yunno, in the last 5 rather than 20) with a different name. It was great, I got to heckle and my kid got to be defensive <3 I dunno what happened, I started working until 8 on a Friday and no other fucker watched it I guess

 

[Knotted]

This has me a bit upset. OK sampling the Fugees - fine. OK you haven't changed much - fine. But why has so little changed in nearly 30 years? It's like if Yazoo sounded like Elvis.



And while we're on about sounding like it's the 90's. Why is this?

 

[Knotted]

At least Harry Styles sounds like he's from the early 2000's.

 

[ska invita]

pitty the poor radio workers who have to play this 16 times a day

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Tut tut. Shakes fist despondently.

 

[Knotted]

Lewis Capaldi sounds like he's going for Brian Adam's Everything I do...

Not my thing, but fine. But again a 90's sound!

 

[Knotted]

I mean you wouldn't expect Oasis to sound like the Beatles.

Oh hang on....

 

[ska invita]

Not my thing, but fine.

not fine: pop charts are either annoying melodrama non-goth moping or some kind of coke-porn nonsense, sometimes both in the same song
pop charts need therapy

 

[Knotted]

not fine: pop charts are either annoying melodrama non-goth moping or some kind of coke-porn nonsense, sometimes both in the same song
pop charts need therapy

Well I've gone through the charts today, and I will say that Raye/070 Shake's Escapism and LF System's Afraid to Feel are both excellent. The latter of which is sort of wow.

Inside Track: LF System ‘Afraid To Feel’

The ear‑catching tempo changes of LF System’s hit ‘Afraid To Feel’ provided a unique challenge for mix engineer Scott Rosser.

www.soundonsound.com

edit: The Shakira song is good as well

 

[farmerbarleymow]

The benefit of never listening to the radio or whatever is that I'm completely ignorant of modern so-called music.

 

[ska invita]

Inside Track: LF System ‘Afraid To Feel’

The ear‑catching tempo changes of LF System’s hit ‘Afraid To Feel’ provided a unique challenge for mix engineer Scott Rosser.

www.soundonsound.com

very post-modern, like a montage of older music at different tempos though IMO - clever and well pulled off for sure

 

[ska invita]

Raye/070 Shake's Escapism

i disapprove of the cocaine taking + bling living lyrics
shakes fist at it all

 

[Knotted]

The benefit of never listening to the radio or whatever is that I'm completely ignorant of modern so-called music.

Hey don't worry it's all here!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Hey don't worry it's all here!

I think I'll give that a miss and listen to some proper music from when I was young.

 

[petee]

some nice, tuneful stuff from my early 20s

 

[Idris2002]

Listening to Jussi Bjorling sing some arias from La Boheme here. Cope and seethe, popcels.

 

[skyscraper101]

So much crap out there.

I'm so glad I no longer work in the music biz and have to pretend I'm even vaguely interested in any of it.

 

[Knotted]

There's some pretty poor songs in the charts atm, but Eminem's Mockingbird and The Killers Mr. Brightside that are inexplicably in the charts are as bad as most of it. Those Arctic Monkey songs aren't much better.

 

[skyscraper101]

There's some pretty poor songs in the charts atm, but Eminem's Mockingbird and The Killers Mr. Brightside that are inexplicably in the charts are as bad as most of it. Those Arctic Monkey songs aren't much better.

I couldn't agree more. It's like everything in the last 20 years has been some unoriginal rehash of something that's already been done, but only worse.

 

[Fez909]

has there even been so few songs with guitars as right now?

seems like rock, indie etc is almost completely absent from popular music

 

[skyscraper101]

has there even been so few songs with guitars as right now?

seems like rock, indie etc is almost completely absent from popular music

I had the same moan almost a year to the day ago. I think the only songs with a hint of guitar in them was Sam Fender or The Weeknd in the whole Top 20.

I regularly watch the old top of the pops from the 90s and though you get your fair share of crap boybands and cod reggae, you cannot deny that the charts were more diverse and offered something for most tastes. There was always at least one indie band, one r&b number, one dance tune etc. Feels like its all very boring and samey now.

 

[ska invita]

some nice, tuneful stuff from my early 20s

1920s? sounds like an old scratchy shellac

 

[Knotted]

I stopped paying attention to the charts in 1987 when it all went a bit rubbish. But chart music being rubbish is just the way of the world, it's only very peculiar periods such as the early 80's or the late 60's when it's any good. 70's chart music was an absolute car crash for the most part. But whatever. It's an odd thing to care about really.

edit: actually I might be wrong about 70's chart music, just 70's Top of the Pops seemed to select the worst of it.

 

[danny la rouge]

I stopped paying attention to the charts in 1987 when it all went a bit rubbish. But chart music being rubbish is just the way of the world, it's only very peculiar periods such as the early 80's or the late 60's when it's any good. 70's chart music was an absolute car crash for the most part. But whatever. It's an odd thing to care about really.

Even when I paid attention to the charts (late 70s /early 80s), it was with disdain. I was interested only in the Indie Charts. And even then, not the most popular version. That was for poseurs.

I listened to Peel until his death, but after about 83/4, all charts were dead to me, and certainly day time radio was for incurable losers and probably yuppies (who liked Duran Duran).

 

[danski]

I think I'll give that a miss and listen to some proper music from when I was young.

The Wombles and the Buddy Song?

 

[ska invita]

It's an odd thing to care about really.

shakes fist at knotted

 

[Knotted]

Nowadays when music is so easily accessible, that the charts are quite (honestly they aren't terrible!) bad is a welcome push to find the good stuff. I've had the working assumption that popular =bad for over three decades and although I'm definitely wrong about this, it's a productive approach.

 

[MickiQ]

The benefit of never listening to the radio or whatever is that I'm completely ignorant of modern so-called music.

That's why God gave us Smooth Radio

 

[farmerbarleymow]

That's why God gave us Smooth Radio

I've not listened to the radio for probably about ten years or more - I live in silence like a monk*. Rarely listen to music too (proper music of course) - I just prefer silence.

* I'm wearing a hoody which is quite apt

 

[Fez909]

I had the same moan almost a year to the day ago. I think the only songs with a hint of guitar in them was Sam Fender or The Weeknd in the whole Top 20.

I regularly watch the old top of the pops from the 90s and though you get your fair share of crap boybands and cod reggae, you cannot deny that the charts were more diverse and offered something for most tastes. There was always at least one indie band, one r&b number, one dance tune etc. Feels like its all very boring and samey now.

I don't mind their being no popular guitar music, tbh. I'm not a fan of rock or indie. I just wish the electronic stuff was better.