Popdose - Latest Comments in Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

katie_82 — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:32:49 -0000

Bananarama is indeed amazing...and most fun to say. Just saying their name makes me want to dance and wiggle my head like a Dwight Shrewt bobblehead.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

CC — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:48:25 -0000

Bananarama is one of my all time faves! Venus is one of the first songs I ever fell in love with.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

DP — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:05:09 -0000

What... no love for "No Way Out"? That's a great pop/rock song, IMHO. Seriously.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

matt — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:03:04 -0000

yea, it keeps timing out for me. oh well, thanks anyways!

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:36:06 -0000

I just checked the file and it streamed and downloaded fine for me. Bummer.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

matt — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:17:03 -0000

Anyone else having trouble with the files? I cant get Shake It Up to download :(.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Retro Remixes — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:09:16 -0000

Oh, how I love Ramabanana. Even though a lot of their songs were nonsense they also had some great tracks besides the obvious hits. "Preacher Man" is a fabulous slice of sexified pop.

Keren refers to Andrew as "the other one from Wham!". I love her !

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

scrumble — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:25:16 -0000

Not exactly, Bananarama were part of a crop of many (like, dozens and dozens of) U.K. acts in the first half of the '80s that broke in Canada well ahead of the U.S.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Breadalbane — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:17:43 -0000

Hmmm... "Shy Boy" was huge here in Canada. Top 10, according to my sources. In contrast to an earlier hypothesis concerning the chart placing of Mr. Balin's work, obviously the problem in the States with early Bananarama was not *enough* payola.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Old_Davy — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:22:51 -0000

I would have sworn those two songs by The Babys charted higher. They were played a lot on 1980's Kansas City rock stations.

I have always loved "Electricland" by Bad Company. The way the piano rolls with the rhythm section conjures images of the ocean. It's got a bit more blues than the average BC hit song, and I thought it was a gutsy decision to release it as a single. But when you listen to the rest of Rough Diamonds, it is easy to see why they released it. It's the best song by far on a very disappointing album that seemed to take FOREVER to be released.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:11:35 -0000

That's the only The only one of those last five from '86 on up not written by SAW - and such a different sound than the other 4. Not my favorite, but the best of those 5, no doubt.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:04:37 -0000

Hmmm...that's certainly a very plausible scenario.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:03:15 -0000

You are good, sir. I do have two Stars on 45-ish songs on the way.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

JonCummings — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:30:26 -0000

Also, "On the Rebound" is the first song you've posted that I had once loved, then completely forgotten about. So thanks for that.

I see from my weekly cursory glance at Top Pop Singles that you have not one, but two Stars On 45-clone medleys coming next week. Fantastic!

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

JonCummings — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:22:15 -0000

This is indeed an awesome post. Have to argue with your Babys preferences, though--I absolutely LOVE "Turn and Walk Away." The dramatic build-up! Those screaming high harmonies in the last choruses! The way the song ends on the downbeat "We're gonna turn our backs on love"! It's my fave Babys song--with one of the best dumb-ass lines in history ("Survivors always live").

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

No One You Know — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:54:59 -0000

Great post.

It's true that the Marty Balin track couldn't have got by on song quality. However, in positing that it must have gotten airplay due to Balin's reputation, you've overlooked a more likely scenario: payola.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Matt Wardlaw — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:42:00 -0000

Wait. So Andrew Ridgely isn't gay?

Shock.

As far as Bananarama - A Trick of the Night is just an awesome song...still.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

jeff — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:02:18 -0000

love the babys. love em'.
very nice post this week....

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:19:15 -0000

Dude - I listened to it three more times just to get the venom going, and I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit more each time.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

MatthewBolin — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:35:58 -0000

Oh man, I know what the Least Fav is from your website, and I can't wait to hear it for the first (and probably last) time! The description of it-hell the title alone-are near-jaw-dropping!

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:14:37 -0000

Ah - that would explain the line on the Bad Company website! Thanks for that insight scrumble.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:13:07 -0000

I do have to admit this is the best set of 20 since the first post.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:08:20 -0000

"Horrifying" is a pretty solid word for it.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

steed — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:07:40 -0000

No ampersand present.

Re: Bottom Feeders: The Ass End of the ’80s, Part 5

Eric S. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:45:57 -0000

As bottom feeders go, this is the strongest grouping so far:
- Two of my favorite songs from one of my favorite artists, The Babys
- These songs aren't the best of the "Bad" trio of artists, but their Top 40 work was what defined them
- I loved that first Balance album, but have to agree that "Falling In Love" was a weak spot
- Finally, I'm not sure any artist got less of the recognition they deserved than Russ Ballard. Along with the hits you listed, he wrote Santana's "Winning", Head East/Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone" and Roger Daltrey's "The Fire Still Burns". As for "On The Rebound", Uriah Heep did a more rock and roll version in 1982 that was also pretty good, but apparently it didn't chart at all