Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site harvard.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!lo
From: lo@harvard.ARPA (Bert S.F. Lo)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Bushmania (to Rich Rosen mostly)
Message-ID: <445@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 22-Oct-85 02:30:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: harvard.445
Posted: Tue Oct 22 02:30:25 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Oct-85 08:05:35 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Harvard University
Lines: 70

> > Over the last 3 years, there have an uncountable number of 1.5 hit
> > wonders that were hyped beyond belief and then disappeared (Dead Or
> > Alive, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Depeche Mode, Animotion, Berlin,
> > Re-Flex, Real Life, Toto Coelo, General Public, Bananarama, ...). [Bert Lo]
> 
> I think this bespeaks such a lack of knowledge of the history of some of these
> groups as to render such an opinion empty of content.  Depeche Mode have
> been around for a number of years, as has Bananarama.  General Public's
> nucleus was once a part of the Beat (alias the English Beat) which was a major
> force in the British ska revival for many years.  Next thing, this person
> will be calling UB40, or Elvis Costello, or Joe Jackson, or Simple Minds
> "one hit wonders", too.  ("Hey, uh, Simple Minds suddenly released this one
> song from the Breakfast Club movie out of nowhere, right?")
> -- 
> Anything's possible, but only a few things actually happen.
>                   Rich Rosen    pyuxd!rlr

Depeche Mode - Dreaming Of Me / Ice Machine
               New Life / Shout!
               Just Can't Get Enough / Any Second Now
               See You / Now, This Is Fun
               The Meaning Of Love / Oberkorn (It's A Small Town)
               Leave In Silence / Further Excerpts from My Secret Garden
               Get The Balance Right / The Great Outdoors
               Everything Counts / Work Hard
               Love In Itself / Fools
               People Are People / In Your Memory
               Master And Servant / (Set Me Free) Remotivate Me
               Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody
               Shake The Disease / Flexible
               It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen

               Speak 'n' Spell
               A Broken Frame
               Construction Time Again
               People Are People
               Some Great Reward
               The Singles Collection (1980-1985)

Bananarama (offshoot from Fun Boy Three & Bananarama)
           - Shy Boy (Don't It Make You Feel Good)
             Cheers Then
             He Was Really Sayin' Something
             Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
             Cruel Summer
             Robert DeNiro's Waiting
             Rough Justice
             The Wild Life
             Do Not Disturb

             Deep Sea Skiving
             Bananarama

Had enough ?

Try rereading the line in context, Rich. All comments were made with respect to
the success of the artists in the US. The artists I've listed were all 1.5 hit
wonders in the US, regardless of whether they were (1) well established in the
UK (Depeche Mode, Bananarama) (2) offshoots of bands well established in the UK
(General Public, Bananarama (sort of)) (3) recently humungously successful in
the UK (Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Dead Or Alive) (4) dead in the UK (Re-Flex,
Real Life, Toto Coelo) or even (5) American (Animotion, Berlin).

I am well aware that some of the artists I listed and the ones you added are
major forces in the UK music scene. That isn't the point. The point is that in
this country (the United States of America (I hope I'm stressing this enough
for you, Rich)), not one could be considered a big hit. In fact, not one of
them could be considered any bigger than, say, Sheila E.

_________________________Bert S.F. Lo (lo@harvard.ARPA)_________________________