And Bimble's right -- Madonna was magnificent. I remember that being true at the time and I wasn't disappointed when I saw it again for the first time this weekend. Originally, I watched it with people who were ridiculing her -- "what were they thinking of, allowing teen dance music onstage at such an important event?" -- and I was the lone voice in the room defending her at the time. She fucking knew this would launch her skywards: "People of the world, now I know you're mine"! Awesome.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Sting, Branford Marsalis and Phil Collins were surprisingly good.
Oh, but worst moment: I'll agree with that Thompson Twins abomination. And Elton was pretty lost and coked up, doing his strange old befuddled uncle impersonation.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:06 (sixteen years ago) link
Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" was a new record in 1985.
I remember being disappointed, though not surprised I guess, that they did their "American hit"; I was really hoping for something like "Someone Somewhere in Summertime". But yeah, how did Simple Minds avoid U2's fate -- they seemed destined to be massive at the time? In some ways, they really dodged a bullet there.
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:10 (sixteen years ago) link
Victim of timing, I think. Remember, Once Upon a Time came out in either late 1985 or early 1986, I forget which, and "Alive and Kicking" was huge and all, as were some follow-up singles. But U2 were kinda perfectly positioned in 1987 to conquer the world PRwise (and did), and more than that had a further follow-up album and film next year. Constant MTV rotation didn't hurt, and by the time Simple Minds came back, they did so with Street Fighting Years. Death knell right there!
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:21 (sixteen years ago) link
I've rented the Breakfast Club. It's all over.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 03:58 (sixteen years ago) link
I WANNA
BE AN AIR FORCE MAJOR
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 04:23 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm going to try Once Upon a Time for the first time...
"Are we going to be like our parents?"
"no...it just happens, your heart dies"
"no one cares"
"I CARE"
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 04:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay, telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, princess, and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7 o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:11 (sixteen years ago) link
OK dude can you srsly not recite the entire breakfast club script on here? Come on man.
― Trayce, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:11 (sixteen years ago) link
Wasn't he interesting. --Og re: Napoleon.
― Lie Bot, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Ned is wise. But I still don't think -- necessarily -- that it was a bad thing for Simple Minds to avoid their "destiny". I mean, we'll still have New Gold Dream.
(</ Bogart >)
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 05:57 (sixteen years ago) link
I was thinking about the artists who weren't featured and why. Michael Jackson, Prince, hell, even Boy George. Anyone know why they weren't there?
― Lostandfound, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 06:11 (sixteen years ago) link
prince said he didn't want to be on the USA for AFRICA single. so he wasn't invited for this.
also Depeche Mode offered their sercvices only to be told to stick it.
― pisces, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 09:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah, Simple Minds just jumped the shark on their own. They didn't need anyone's help.
― Bimble, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 11:03 (sixteen years ago) link
IIRC Bruce Springsteen had just gotten married and was on his honeymoon, and Michael Jackson was on tour with the Jacksons.
― 2for25, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 11:35 (sixteen years ago) link
ALL of this stuff is now on you tube. so many lols.
― piscesx, Saturday, 16 August 2008 01:25 (fifteen years ago) link
Bryan Ferry = still the best dressed and moussed.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 16 August 2008 01:33 (fifteen years ago) link
I vaguely remember Bryan Adams being pretty awful
― J0hn D., Saturday, 16 August 2008 02:28 (fifteen years ago) link
In 1985, Michael Jackson was probably sitting in his oxygene tent, playing with his monkeys and snakes and wondering about how to be able to buy the remains of the Elephant Man. I was pretty much surprised when he made "Bad" and it appeared the guy was able to make music at all. For a while, he acted like Syd Barrett there.
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 16 August 2008 08:59 (fifteen years ago) link
Bahahaha. Damnit I could swear I heard the reason about Prince once but I can't remember what it was now. Is it just in this thread already and I'm too lazy to search for it?
Hell, I don't care either. I could talk about Live Aid all day. I could watch my favourite parts of Live Aid a good 300 more times before I could possibly get tired of them, if I even would at that many. I had just scored the job I'd long dreamt of when I last posted a zillion messages to this thread at once last year. I had a perfectly good reason to go nuts at the time, you see. I was very happy and very, very scared.
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Saturday, 16 August 2008 09:09 (fifteen years ago) link
35 years ago today. It probably isn't fair to single out Elton but the first couple of minutes plus of his performance are hilarious.
0.56 incoherent slurring1:01 nose pinch!1:04 incredible 'shreds' video style guitar howl2:04 appalling whining for a few seconds
He gives it his best go but as the comments underneath attest it sounds mostly bloody awful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy371rkUCr4
― piscesx, Monday, 13 July 2020 12:46 (three years ago) link
Cat Stevens turning up with his guitar to resume being Cat Stevens after years of reclusivity.
He made it to the forward running order. But not to the actual show.
He went back to "not being cat stevens" for another 20 years or so.
― Mark G, Monday, 13 July 2020 13:39 (three years ago) link
All I remember is Simon Le Bon way flubbing a high note in that James Bond song, and the control-room guy quickly cutting to a shot of the bass player wincing. I rewound that part a few times.
― Lie Bot, Saturday, June 9, 2007 3:37 AM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K0jE-Nr5Io
― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 13 July 2020 13:41 (three years ago) link