Acclaimed Music Forums

Welcome to the March 2019 edition of Biggest Fan. Let me explain for those who only join now. It's about those songs that only got one vote in our recent All-Time Best Song Poll. There were 13051 of them! That's too much to get collectively into, but through this series we are going to introduce you to one of them every day. A randomly selected song, so you never know what you're gonna get.

There is also a game element, to make things more interactive. You can give a grade to each song, from 1 (for the worst of them) to 10 (the masterpieces). A 0 will be counted as a 1. Every 100 days I will calculate the average grades and post the current top 100. At the end of each year I'll post the whole list as is.

Some points of note:
- A topic for each song would be a little much, but all songs in one topic too. That's why I make monthly new topics for the entries of that month.
- There will be links to old topics in each new one, so you can easily go back. Once we have collected a decent amount of songs, I will also post a topic with all the songs listed and a link to their initial appearance.
- There is gonna be a Spotify playlist (see below). Each new song will be put atop of the playlist! If songs aren't on Spotify there will be a link to YouTube or any platform it's available on. I will contact the biggest fan through a message if I can't find the song anywhere.
- You can always still vote for each song, even months later. Just go to the right topic.
- You can always change your grade. Again, place it in the right topic.
- You don't have to vote for each song if you don't want to.
- I think this goes without saying but still: always name the artist and title of the song you vote for. I'm not going to guess for which song you vote.
- Comments on the song are more than welcome. Nobody is probably going to review them all, but if you have something to say, please do.
- I know some wanted to go faster. Two songs a day, 10 songs a week, something like that. I'm decided against this, because I wanted to keep it small. We can't deal with 13051 songs, so I'm not trying. I just want to give you all one small discovery (or re-discovery) for the day. We'll never get all these songs done before the next All Time Song poll rolls along, but we can have fun getting there.
- I'll try to get each new song up soon after awakening, so in most cases it should be here relatively early.
- Feel free to ask questions or make general comments about this poll if you think it could be better.

You can still vote for the songs of earlier months, but please so do that in it's own topic.

January
February

The playlist:

59. The Fixx – Red Skies
Year: 1982
Album: Shuttered Room
Biggest Fan: fasbjd (#446)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

I will be going through the full list at some time, but for now I'll give KT and Fixx both a big fat 10/10

The Fixx – Red Skies: 4

BobPatience wrote:I will be going through the full list at some time, but for now I'll give KT and Fixx both a big fat 10/10

Just to be sure, KT is KT Tunstall?

Rob wrote:

BobPatience wrote:I will be going through the full list at some time, but for now I'll give KT and Fixx both a big fat 10/10

Just to be sure, KT is KT Tunstall?

Yes, sorry

Rob wrote:59. The Fixx – Red Skies

7

This is my selection so clearly I'm a fan. The best new wave song about a nuclear holocaust that I know (sorry 99 Luftballoons)! 9

fasbjd wrote:This is my selection so clearly I'm a fan. The best new wave song about a nuclear holocaust that I know! 9

A big claim considering the existence of “I Melt with You”, “99 Luftballons”, and “Two Tribes”!

Nick wrote:

fasbjd wrote:This is my selection so clearly I'm a fan. The best new wave song about a nuclear holocaust that I know! 9

A big claim considering the existence of “I Melt with You”, “99 Luftballons”, and “Two Tribes”!

Ha, you got me! I have I Melt With You at #185 on my list

The Fixx – Red Skies: 5

Not bad, but I'm just a little indifferent to it. Also, the best nuclear holocaust song of the eighties is of course Forever Young by Alphaville. Enola Gay also gets bonus points for being about an actual nuclear disaster.

Rob wrote:The Fixx – Red Skies: 5

Not bad, but I'm just a little indifferent to it. Also, the best nuclear holocaust song of the eighties is of course Forever Young by Alphaville. Enola Gay also gets bonus points for being about an actual nuclear disaster.

Sounds like we have a new poll idea!

Is Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” a nuclear holocaust new wave song? Because if so that’s be my favorite.

Prince’s “1999” would be a close second, but that’s not new wave.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up this great article...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.stereo ... st%3famp=1

Nick wrote:Is Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” a nuclear holocaust new wave song? Because if so that’s be my favorite.

Prince’s “1999” would be a close second, but that’s not new wave.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up this great article...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.stereo ... st%3famp=1

Damn, I never consciously noticed how many famous songs from the 80's were about the nuclear bomb. Dutch song De Bom by Doe Maar is another one.

With all this talk about atomic threats we need an apostle. Luckily, today's song provides one:

60. Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I)
Year: 2006
Album: The Life Pursuit
Biggest Fan: Romain (#402)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Wikipedia has an even longer list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_about_nuclear_war
N.B. It's not exhaustive (E.g. it's missing Red Skies and Heaven a.o.) and also had non 80s song.

But let's talk 'Belle and Sebastian - The Act of the Apostle (I)'
I'm not a big fan. I don't like the way that the lyrics 'flow'. I don't like the harmony vocals and the weird echo that the solo vocals seem to have. And on the whole it sounds unconvincingly poppy. As if they tried to find a middle ground between full on pop melodies, while still keeping some 'grand' chamber pop sounds. Lastly, the video seem to make me want to believe that Ringo Starr is their drummer.

Listening to some more of their work, as I'd never heard of them before, it seems that indeed have a chamber pop 'background, albeit a little more on the poppy side. Their singles from the same album as Act of the Apostle do the same thing as this song, albeit more polished, making it clear why this is just an album track.

Their big redeeming factor are those great basslines, which I'm a sucker for.
For now I'll go with 6.5/10

Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I): 6

59. The Fixx – Red Skies - 5
Verses are pretty good, but a bland chorus and it doesn't come together in a way that interested me

60. Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I) - 6
Always been a middle ground band for me, never giving me a song I'm really into, and I don't hate any of it either. That continues today with a nice song that I like, but no more than that.

Rob wrote:60. Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I)

4

The Fixx Red Skies 4
Belle and Sebastian The Act of the Apostle (I) 8

Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I): 6.5

There isn't too much information to be found on today's song, so I hope the facts below are correct and that I added the right version to the playlist.

61. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time
Year: 1956
Album: Back Country Blues
Biggest Fan: Hymie (#331)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Discogs has it as a 1958 release. https://www.discogs.com/master/view/409615

About the song. I like it. The recording does have a 'glitch' 14 seconds in, which is a little weird.
It's got a bit of lightheartedness to it, some nice guitar parts, a bit of a folk-y feel. Lastly, for such a short song it does leave quite some time for a Terry harmonica solo, which is nice.

I score it 7.5/10

Also, the version in this youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QjXkEhM3JM seems to have way higher quality than either the official youtube video or the Spotify stream.

Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time: 5

Is there actually some kind of 'key' to scoring?

Rob wrote:There isn't too much information to be found on today's song, so I hope the facts below are correct and that I added the right version to the playlist.

61. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time

It's from 1956 when the single was released.

10

BobPatience wrote:Discogs has it as a 1958 release. https://www.discogs.com/master/view/409615

1958 is correct for the album, but the single was released in 1956. The album is mainly a collection of older singles.

I fixed the date for When It's Love Time to 1956.

BobPatience wrote:Is there actually some kind of 'key' to scoring?

Do you mean like a fixed worth to each rating? Not too much, but 1 is the lowest rating (a 0 will be counted as a 1 by me) and a 10 the highest. The first page of the January topic has a discussion about it that you might want to look into.

Belle and Sebastian - Act of the Apostle: 7
An amazing album, of which this is hardly the best track, but it is still a very good one. Like the best Belle and Sebastian it has a light touch, but also some heft to it (in this case that bass is indeed the main weapon). It just flows nicely.

Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time: 7
These guys may have the blues, but despite the lyrics this can't help but sound like a good time. It's pretty traditional stuff, but it makes for pretty great listening and the harmonica is a small delight.

Hymie wrote:

BobPatience wrote:Discogs has it as a 1958 release. https://www.discogs.com/master/view/409615

1958 is correct for the album, but the single was released in 1956. The album is mainly a collection of older singles.

Yes, that's what I thought too, I just couldn't find it. I found it now though, thanks for the info.

Rob wrote: Do you mean like a fixed worth to each rating? Not too much, but 1 is the lowest rating (a 0 will be counted as a 1 by me) and a 10 the highest. The first page of the January topic has a discussion about it that you might want to look into.

Using the Hymie scale that'd be:
60. Belle and Sebastian - The Act of the Apostle (I) - 6.5 becomes a 5
61. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time - 7.5 becomes a 6

62. Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour
Year: 2017
Album: L’un de nous
Biggest Fan: Nicolas (#643)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

62. Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour - 4

Not a fan. I find the vocals very boring. The guitar already got on my nerves before the percussion started, 24 seconds in. The songs picks up a bit after 50 seconds with the entrance of a string section. It then lingers on for over a minute. I was about to turn it off at the 2 minute mark, just as the vocals made place for some more prominent strings, which made me reconsider. After the last vocals there's a minute of instrumental music left, which was actually quite a pleasant listening experience.

I rate the song a (low) 4. Which is basically all due to me being a sucker for strings in pop music (and a bit for the donkey in the video).

59. The Fixx – Red Skies
I like the 80's, I like that characteristic sound. This song is divided into several parts that all go well with each other. 6.5/10

60. Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I)
Not necessarily a big fan of this band but I've always loved this song... by far my favorite. I like the kind of nostalgia that comes out of it. 9/10

61. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time
Nothing to say... as usual, well without being exceptional... and the harmonica is an instrument that has always irritated me a little bit! 4.5/10

62. Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour
I didn't know the song but I liked the artist. The lyrics are very beautiful and the melody subtle. Once again, the nostalgia for the whole thing moves me. 6.5/10

Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour: 4.5

Rob wrote:62. Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour

3

1. Alain Bashung | Madame rêve | 8
2. Albin de La Simone | Le grand amour | 7
3. Belle and Sebastian | Act of the Apostle | 7
4. Janet Jackson | If | 7
5. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry | When It's Love Time | 7
6. The Fixx | Red Skies | 5
7. My Chemical Romance | Famous Last Words | 4

Two French orchestral ballads were the best of the week for me.

Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour: 6

Fine, quiet, French ballad with some lovely strings.

63. The Replacements – Hold My Life
Year: 1985
Album: Tim
Biggest Fan: 9 (#813)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

63. The Replacements – Hold My Life - 6/10

Fine song, nothing too special. Although I prefer post-punk, I have no problems with a good '80s power pop song, I especially like the dynamic of the instruments going from the verse into the chorus with a lot of power and then 'losing it' literally to the 'Because I just might lose it' line in the second part of the chorus. The guitars parts on the whole are also pleasantly presenting themselves, while being not too intrusive.

The song does sound a bit like Big Star trying to make a punk record, and the influence is obviously there as Alex Chilton both got a guest appeance and a song named after him on the next Replacements album.

For now I'll rate this as a 6/10.

The Replacements - Hold My Life: 6

Rob wrote:63. The Replacements – Hold My Life

2 - I'm amazed at how many of these vocalists can't even carry a tune. It's painful.

The Replacements – Hold My Life: 5

The Replacements are one of those bands I really want to try more of, but this song isn't the most inviting to really give it a go. Just nothing special to my ears.

Alain Bashung | Madame rêve | 8
Albin de La Simone | Le grand amour | 7
Belle and Sebastian | Act of the Apostle | 7
The Replacements – Hold My Life | 6
My Chemical Romance | Famous Last Words | 5
Janet Jackson | If | 5
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry | When It's Love Time | 5
The Fixx | Red Skies | 3

59. The Fixx – Red Skies 5
60. Belle and Sebastian – The Act of the Apostle (I) 7.5
61. Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry – When It’s Love Time 7
62. Albin de La Simone – Le grand amour 7
63. The Replacements – Hold My Life 4

The Replacements - Hold My Life - 9

That mid-80s replacements sound is one of my absolute favourites

The Replacements – Hold My Life

Love the 'Mats - from their early punk days to their more polished / somber later stuff. This album falls in the middle of a fantastic trilogy of records (Let It Be, Tim, Pleased To Meet Me) that are among the bedrock of alternative rock. This particular song probably falls somewhere in the latter half of my top 20 Replacements songs, my third favorite on the album (behind Left Of The Dial and Bastards Of Young). 8

64. Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S.
Year: 2017
EP: Pool Party
Biggest Fan: Krurze (#940)

The song is not on Spotify (although a minute and a half long remix is, for some reason). Here it is on YouTube: Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S.: 5.5

I could've sworn I posted this one already

64. Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S. - 2

In short: I did not like it

Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S.

3

Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S.

Decent but forgettable house music. Its got a laid back groove with a nice G-funk synth. Good vocal sample choice. I think the sample, and at times the synth line, is pitched too high for my liking. The vocal sample fades aren't particularly well done - perhaps some panning got compressed when put onto YouTube. Not enough going on to sustain its over 6 minute running time but enough to keep you dancing. 4

Rob wrote:
The song is not on Spotify (although a minute and a half long remix is, for some reason).

I suspect it got taken off Spotify because he didn't have permission to use the sample...which is a little funny because when you hear the original song (Mad CJ Mac ft. Poppa LQ - Come And Take A Ride) you have wonder if Mad CJ Mac asked Dr. Dre for permission to release it!

Mall Grab – B.F.O.D.A.A.S.: 7

I like this more than others here it seems. It is nothing grand or anything, but somehow I find the laid-back feeling of this one very appealing.