If Music Could Talk

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:37pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:32pm

Just me and Jen on our own.

With no one in a Rush to join you. Welcome to the lonely world of polls.

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:46pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:37pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:32pm

Just me and Jen on our own.

With no one in a Rush to join you. Welcome to the lonely world of polls.

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

Even I never stooped to the depths of proclaiming love for the type of hideous power ballad that you have voted for. Even at my lowest point (probably KISS vs the Dolls) I had at least one person on my side.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:03pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:46pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:37pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:32pm

Just me and Jen on our own.

With no one in a Rush to join you. Welcome to the lonely world of polls.

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

Even I never stooped to the depths of proclaiming love for the type of hideous power ballad that you have voted for. Even at my lowest point (probably KISS vs the Dolls) I had at least one person on my side.

That was a Russian bot.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:03pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:46pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:37pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:32pm

Just me and Jen on our own.

With no one in a Rush to join you. Welcome to the lonely world of polls.

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

Even I never stooped to the depths of proclaiming love for the type of hideous power ballad that you have voted for. Even at my lowest point (probably KISS vs the Dolls) I had at least one person on my side.

IMCT has taught me to keep musical opinions to myself in my new job.

JennyB wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:07pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:03pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:46pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:37pm

With no one in a Rush to join you. Welcome to the lonely world of polls.

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

Even I never stooped to the depths of proclaiming love for the type of hideous power ballad that you have voted for. Even at my lowest point (probably KISS vs the Dolls) I had at least one person on my side.

That was a Russian bot.

Matedog is human.

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:08pm

IMCT has taught me to keep musical opinions to myself in my new job.

You do seem to have some strange taste in music, and believe me, that's probably not a compliment coming from me.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:09pm

JennyB wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:07pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:03pm

BitterTom wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:46pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 3:38pm

Tom is indeed your apprentice.

I'd be kicked off the scheme!

Even I never stooped to the depths of proclaiming love for the type of hideous power ballad that you have voted for. Even at my lowest point (probably KISS vs the Dolls) I had at least one person on my side.

That was a Russian bot.

Matedog is human.

Technically.

Huey. The other two make my teeth hurt.

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:34pm

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Read Fredric Dannen's Hit Men, about how payola worked in the 70s and 80s. It's possible that here record company just didn't apply the cash to the right people in the right places.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:37pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:34pm

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Read Fredric Dannen's Hit Men, about how payola worked in the 70s and 80s. It's possible that here record company just didn't apply the cash to the right people in the right places.

Sometimes I don't want to see behind the Wizard of Oz's curtain, I want to believe what was presented to me back then. That every song got to where it got to on merit. Does sound an interesting book though.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:50pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:37pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:34pm

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Read Fredric Dannen's Hit Men, about how payola worked in the 70s and 80s. It's possible that here record company just didn't apply the cash to the right people in the right places.

Sometimes I don't want to see behind the Wizard of Oz's curtain, I want to believe what was presented to me back then. That every song got to where it got to on merit. Does sound an interesting book though.

It's not a completely rigged game. People still buy records of their own free will. Even a heavily hyped song can bomb. But at the same time, if a record company doesn't grease the right palms because they believe it can be a hit, it stands little chance of getting airplay.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:54pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:50pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:37pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:34pm

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Read Fredric Dannen's Hit Men, about how payola worked in the 70s and 80s. It's possible that here record company just didn't apply the cash to the right people in the right places.

Sometimes I don't want to see behind the Wizard of Oz's curtain, I want to believe what was presented to me back then. That every song got to where it got to on merit. Does sound an interesting book though.

It's not a completely rigged game. People still buy records of their own free will. Even a heavily hyped song can bomb. But at the same time, if a record company doesn't grease the right palms because they believe it can be a hit, it stands little chance of getting airplay.

I keep banging on about it but "Kissin' In the Back Row of the Movies" by the Drifters is always the one that puzzles me. That could have sold millions in America if all it took was a few palms to be greased. I'm still incredulous that it wasn't a hit over there, someone missed out on some big money.

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 5:21pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:54pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:50pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:37pm

Heston wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 4:34pm

It's weird that Jennifer Rush's song was the biggest selling single of the year in the UK in 1985 but hardly made an impression in the States. Especially when it fits almost every demographic for a huge US hit, and went to number one in almost every other country in the world. American singer, huge hair, massive AOR production, absolutely shit, all boxes ticked. These things always puzzle me. I know Celine Dion eventually had a hit in America with it but that was a few years later.

Read Fredric Dannen's Hit Men, about how payola worked in the 70s and 80s. It's possible that here record company just didn't apply the cash to the right people in the right places.

Sometimes I don't want to see behind the Wizard of Oz's curtain, I want to believe what was presented to me back then. That every song got to where it got to on merit. Does sound an interesting book though.

It's not a completely rigged game. People still buy records of their own free will. Even a heavily hyped song can bomb. But at the same time, if a record company doesn't grease the right palms because they believe it can be a hit, it stands little chance of getting airplay.

I keep banging on about it but "Kissin' In the Back Row of the Movies" by the Drifters is always the one that puzzles me. That could have sold millions in America if all it took was a few palms to be greased. I'm still incredulous that it wasn't a hit over there, someone missed out on some big money.

On the other side of things, Dannen relates how the majors boycotted the pluggers—the middle men used to distribute payola—in the middle of the 80s because of costs and trying to assert control of the process. So the pluggers went to smaller, mostly UK labels. And the result was a summer of hits by unknowns like Johnny Hates Jazz, T'Pau, and Cutting Crew. Because they're labels took advantage of the situation. Even shitty songs can become a hit if that's all that's being promoted. And once the majors caved, we never heard from those bands again.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

27 Aug 2019, 5:32pm

And the result was a summer of hits by unknowns like Johnny Hates Jazz, T'Pau, and Cutting Crew. Even shitty songs can become a hit if that's all that's being promoted

Hey, don't knock Cutting Crew. Me and Tom love (I just Died) In Your Arms Tonight.