Are you still here?

[Ciarán2]

Bryan Adams, Jean Michel Jarre and Status Quo are all riding high in the Top 20 album chart. So is Alison Moyet. And "Thriller" is at #36 and Alexander O'Neal - ALEXANDER O'FUCKING NEAL - is at #38.

Seems we've entered some kind of crap timewarp. Who buys these records?? Why are these people STILL in the charts? It's 2004 for flip's sake. It's just like punk never happened, tsk.

Oh, and Embrace at number 3? Who likes bleeding Embrace?

[Neil]

I caught a bit of some TOTP rip-off on Channel 4 in the early hours this morning and couldn't quite believe that Embrace were at number 2/3, what the fuck?  Anyway ta for the Quo reminder, time to stick on Pictures Of Matchstick Men" I think.

[morgs]

Oh yeah! Followed by Like Ice in the Sun....  Marvellous!

[chand]

Hehe, well the Embrace single that's flogging the album could have been on any of their albums since 1997, Green Day have the number 1 album and their single could have come out at any point in their lengthy career. I quite like the idea that Embrace will be quietly seething when someone makes a Coldplay comparison, imagining that Embrace are some hot new band like Keane.

Other oldie artists in the album charts include Paul Weller's covers record and Ian Brown, a John Denver best of, and Ray Charles.

Fucking hell, that Stereophonics album is still clinging on in the top 40 as well. It's getting towards the big Christmas run-up now when pretty much the whole Top 20 will be Best Ofs, and your granny will be wandering into HMV and asking for assistance locating that Marilyn Manson greatest hits on your mum's instructions.

Jean Michel Jarre's album is in 5.1 surround sound, dontcha know! He's like the new Super Furry Animals. There's an advert on TV and it's some kind of remixed or remastered Best Of with THAT FUCKING SONG on.

"Also included on the DVD is a visual track. A close-up of the actress Anne Parillaud's (Nikita) eyes while she listens to the music for the full 73 minutes in one take is typical of Jarre's subtle, minimalist and "non-MTV" visual style."

[BetaKarraTene]

Seems we've entered some kind of crap timewarp. Who buys these records?? Why are these people STILL in the charts? It's 2004 for flip's sake. It's just like punk never happened, tsk.

So are you saying that older artists have no merit? What about REM, Blue Nile, Morrissey etc... shouldn't they make music even though they are clearly capable?  Why should it matter how long they've been going as long as they're still coming up with the goods? Yes, I would always encourage musicians to do something new, but does it really mater what they do as long as long as the tunes still pack a punch? Why concern yourself with what everyone else is buying when (arguably) it's easier than ever to get to listen to what you want?

Oh, and Embrace at number 3? Who likes bleeding Embrace?

**Cough**

[Fuckwittio]

Donnie Osmond is in the Top 10 with a song written by Gary Barlow. I think this may have been foretold in Revelations as a sign of impending apocalypse.

To paraphrase The Fiery Furnaces:

"Reading my book on Sunday afternoon,
So it's easy to think the end's coming soon,
But though sometimes the signs from heaven are vague,
Early October we got back the plague."

[mayer]

re actual old albums, CD-Reissues, and more importantly the HMV sale which started on monday often bounce years-old LPs back into the chart. didn't The Stone Roses go top-20 or something silly like that off the back of the DVD-ads/price-cut?


like Punk never happened? Bowie released his best work in the midst of Punk and that was his 9th/10th album, and more interesting than any of the other music out there. The Cure, out this year, was  pretty nifty. there's life in some of these old dogs yet.


oh, and the Manson Best-of is poorly selected (i'd have "Coma White" and a live "I Don't Like The Drugs" on it for sure myself), but with a 21-track DVD of all the videos, i'll almost certainly buy it.

[BetaKarraTene]

didn't The Stone Roses go top-20 or something silly like that off the back of the DVD-ads/price-cut?

More than that. After the no 1 in The Observer 100 British albums, it got put into the sales for £3 and hit the top ten for the first time ever in June.

And on that note, this week's album chart is the first since the sales started on Tuesday, and so we have the folloing re-entires:

35. Morrissey - Best Of (£2.99)
33. Keils - Tasty (£5.99)
24. John Lennon - Legend (£5.99)
19. Blur - Best Of (£3.99)
and 17. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (£2.99)

[Ciarán2]

Seems we've entered some kind of crap timewarp. Who buys these records?? Why are these people STILL in the charts? It's 2004 for flip's sake. It's just like punk never happened, tsk.

So are you saying that older artists have no merit? What about REM, Blue Nile, Morrissey etc... shouldn't they make music even though they are clearly capable?  Why should it matter how long they've been going as long as they're still coming up with the goods? Yes, I would always encourage musicians to do something new, but does it really mater what they do as long as long as the tunes still pack a punch? Why concern yourself with what everyone else is buying when (arguably) it's easier than ever to get to listen to what you want?

Oh, and Embrace at number 3? Who likes bleeding Embrace?

**Cough**

No no it's not that at all, that's not what I was getting at. It's mainly THOSE people; Bryan Adams, Alexander O'Neal, Mark Bastard Knopfler - all crap now as they were in 1991 and 1981. We need a new punk, sharpish. And people (ok, the NME) complain that bands like Pulp or Supergrass aren't relevant!

Mark bleeding Knopfler!

[chand]

like Punk never happened? Bowie released his best work in the midst of Punk and that was his 9th/10th album, and more interesting than any of the other music out there. The Cure, out this year, was  pretty nifty. there's life in some of these old dogs yet.

I think the problem mentioned in the first post wasn't about old artists like Bowie and The Cure, rather old artists like these:

Bryan Adams, Jean Michel Jarre and Status Quo

[mayer]

Pop Music is in its middle age, and so are lots of pop fans, so it doesn't surprise me in the least.

but it doesn't particularly bother me either.

[Almost Yearly]

I quite like the idea that Embrace will be quietly seething when someone makes a Coldplay comparison...

Shouldn't think so - the single was written by Chris Martin wasn't it? Or am I missing your point? Hang on - what do I care about such tedious shite? As you were. ;-)

[rjd2]

am i the only person who likes that natasha bedingfield song? i hated it at first but ive heard it so much it stuck in my head....

[chand]

I quite like the idea that Embrace will be quietly seething when someone makes a Coldplay comparison...

Shouldn't think so - the single was written by Chris Martin wasn't it? Or am I missing your point? Hang on - what do I care about such tedious shite? As you were. ;-)

I didn't even know it was written by Chris Martin! But it was, apparently.

My 'point' was that people might hear Embrace now and think they're ripping off Coldplay, even though Embrace have been knocking out these same ballads for years independently of Coldplay, this song could easily have been on 'The Good Will Out'. But that revelation has somewhat scuppered me.

[bomb_dog]

am i the only person who likes that natasha bedingfield song? i hated it at first but ive heard it so much it stuck in my head....

you are allowed to hate it and have it stuck in your head simultaneously. at least thats what 74% of my mind is telling me.  I put it down to repeated indoctrunation.

"I-luv-u-i-luv-u-I-luv-youuuuuuuuu........". grrrr!!

the whole song sounds so very, very smug though.

[rjd2]

i know but that bloody chorus

i love you... i love you.. these words etc... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[dan p]

I caught a bit of some TOTP rip-off on Channel 4 in the early hours this morning

Do you mean Popworld?
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/t4/microsites/P/popworld/
That's required viewing that is.

It doesn't surprise me. You only have to sale about five cds to get in the charts these days.

[BetaKarraTene]

No, not Poworld. It's this music video programme on weekday mornings at 7 that I have the misfortune to hear whilst reading Teletext. It's Hit40UK or something like that. The songs they play all sound the same and are instantly forgotten when I leave the house.