La musica si muove appena: The ILM ITALO Poll (Results Thread)

Woah I was sure Pineapples would be much higher! What is left for the top 10???

Is there some weirdly orthogonal Italo canon that I've never heard of?

Moka the amazing thing is gr80 hasn't done any retouching to the images, the palette is accurate to the original work!

this is not 100% true

i'll link to some truly sublime collections i stole from after we wrap up tomorrow i promise

http://i.imgur.com/dOUgj5S.jpg

13 DOCTOR'S CAT "Feel The Drive" [226 points, 7 votes]
http://youtu.be/dCsM1Am7xOM

Still keeping my hopes up for "Hills of Katmandu"... And "Self Control" is a lock for top 5, surely? "Tarzan Boy" and "San Salvador" might also still place, I guess?

(xpost to Seandalai)

feel like anyone over 30 would get a proustian rush from the opening synth on this track wether they knew what italo was or not

also on my ballot - great workout song

Great jam. Agreed about the muscle of the opening synth line - amazing! Some may recognize parts of the vocal from LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous.

I must have listened to "Vamos A La Playa" about 10 times today thanks to this thread. Its about a nuclear bomb! Love ILM polls like this introducing me to genres Im not familiar with. Also those images are incredible, well done.

― tayto fan (Michael B)

You should listen to 'No tengo dinero' by them (Righeira). It was my ringtone for a while and it made everyone chuckle (chorus translates as 'I have no money'). Not as popular as Vamos a la Playa but it's also sublime.

I have the feeling Bagarre's Lemon Sweet wont make it. The whole Circus album is excellent, if it doesn't place and you guys haven't heard it please do. Dirty Love and Lemon Sweet are so good.

Bagarre are cool but not Italo imo.

xpost im familiar with that song, moka! its great indeed. If Righeira are two guys from Turin, why are they singing in Spanish though?

Italians generally love the Spanish, from what I've gathered... Like they're some lovable country cousins or something.

this is not 100% true

My bad! I recognize a lot of the images and they didn't look altered. Can't wait to see further archives from where you're pulling this stuff, it's all fantastic. Kind of need to know what font that is too, the serifs on the 7s make my toes curl.

What would you class Bagarre as if not Italo, seandalai? I mean, I excised things for not being Italo enough, but I don't know what else Bagarre would be...

I've seen Bagarre catalogued as italo-disco everywhere but no idea.

yessss Feel the Drive

My bad! I recognize a lot of the images and they didn't look altered. Can't wait to see further archives from where you're pulling this stuff, it's all fantastic. Kind of need to know what font that is too, the serifs on the 7s make my toes curl.

it's mostly true! i just did some gradient overlays here and there so the white text could pop

i can't look atm but i'm 99% sure it's a font called "Lemon Milk". i'm a little disappointed that i didn't notice the obnoxious way that V's and W's don't snuggle up nice and close with A's until i was almost done with all the images. (is there a term for that?)

Bagarre is more of a beardo/proto-Balearic sound iirc? Not robotic enough for me...

Just had a look back at my ballot and there are 10 songs where I'll be surprised if they don't make it.

http://i.imgur.com/P6Swk6t.jpg

12 EASY GOING "Fear" [226 points, 7 votes, 2 first place votes]
http://youtu.be/Iq5F1sQkImM

9 actually, the 10th I really really want to make it but suspect it isn't as popular as another by the same artist Xp

This one I'm not crazy about tbh.

i'm a little disappointed that i didn't notice the obnoxious way that V's and W's don't snuggle up nice and close with A's until i was almost done with all the images. (is there a term for that?)

I believe that term is 'Kerning' – unless you are referring to your dismay, in which case the term is 'Designer OCD'. :D

lol thank u

xpost im familiar with that song, moka! its great indeed. If Righeira are two guys from Turin, why are they singing in Spanish though?

― tayto fan (Michael B)

The lyrics were actually written by La Bionda and Carmelo not by Righeira, but they're also Italian so no idea why the Spanish. The thing I love about those two lyrics is how fun and dumb they appear at first listen but Vamos A La Playa is actually about nuclear destruction and No Tengo Dinero is about post-war class struggle in Italy. The chorus become some sort of ironic joke when you read the verses.

Here's my translation of both:

VAMOS A LA PLAYA

(CHORUS:)
Let's go to the beach oh o-o-o-oh (x6)

The bomb has exploded
Radiation is roasting
and painting everything blue

Let's go to the beach

Everyone with hats on
the radioactive winds
were messing up our hair

Let's go to the beach
the sea is clean at last
no more rotten fish
but the water is still fluorescent

Let's go to the beach

NO TENGO DINERO

I have no money oh
I have no money no no no no

The modern rich are living in here
in the highest place in my city
Nurturing themselves with images and relax
I wish I was there

I have no money oh

The new italians are creating in here
fearless enthusiasts of ferocious speed
Neo-psychic is the syntactic eden
I'd rather be somewhere else

I have no money

(the final part is sort of broken spanish and all the lyrics I've seen make no sense but here's what I think they meant:)

Neo-psychic
Kissed by goddess you are
Homeland of those who believe

Neo-psychic

Simonetti has a great discography between his various disco projects and Goblin. My vote was for Crazy Gang - Every Sunday... which might still have a chance? Also check out Easy Going - Gay Time Latin Lover for a laugh!

Amazing song. So happy it made it.

xpost Righeira = the Scritti Politti of Italo!

Oh, thank fuck! My #1.

the Fear album cover is one of my favorites ever

Also, WTF, I had no idea about the nuclear aspect of 'Vamos a la Playa'! Going on my nuclear playlist ASAP.

the /Fear/ album cover is one of my favorites ever

OTM

There are quite a few other examples of Italo in Spanish, or at least with some bits in Spanish. Some of them by French acts as well like Magazine 60 and Bandolero.

My own theory is that Spanish as a language was considered 'cool' in '80s Europe. But I really have nothing to back that up.

I like how a track called "Dirty Talk" has no talking in it.

There was a vocal version on the A-side of the UK release. This version doesn't have the introductory giggle, but it's close enough: http://youtu.be/b8crkDgEwGE

had no idea about the lyrics for Vamos a la Playa! I should have voted it higher...

last one for today:

http://i.imgur.com/ObsVpt4.jpg

11 LAURA BRANIGAN "Self Control" [229 points, 7 votes]
http://youtu.be/p8-pP4VboBk

TOO LOW

I wonder what the vote-splitting impact was? (And if Raf is still to come - I doubt it, but you never know)

TOO LOW seconded!

RAF campioni

Thanks for taking over, gr8080.

oh-oh-OH

DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

oh-OH-oh

DURRRRNNNNNNNNNNNN

TOP 10 TOMORROW!

Yeah, I voted RAF on this occasion.

But in mid-84, the Laura B version WAS MY LIFE.

i like the rapping bit on the RAF version but i first heard and loved LB's