Also agree that "Get Closer" placed too low. The delay on that synth is classic.
― daavid, Monday, 9 February 2015 22:56 (nine years ago) link
I like how "Get Closer" is pretty much the same song as "The Night" but just as awesome.
I think someone nominating the entire Valerie Dore Lancelot album was amusing. Love the title track from that though.
― Michael F Gill, Monday, 9 February 2015 22:58 (nine years ago) link
Yes, they just shifted the chords and tweaked the melody a bit… but the instrumentation is identical.
― daavid, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:01 (nine years ago) link
who was the audience for non-crossover Italo releases? Was it mostly nightclubs? How many young people in Italy (or France or Spain) in the 80s have heard e.g. "When I Let You Down" or "Hey Hey Guy"? Were there clubs in the UK playing this? (I guess mike t-diva addressed that one a bit)
I was living in West Berlin in 1983/84, and heard Italo in gay and mixed-gay clubs alongside hi-NRG, as well as on the radio. I doubt it had much traction outside gay cubs in the UK, give or take the odd Ryan Paris crossover hit.
― mike t-diva, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:02 (nine years ago) link
Get Closer is a good example of a particular type of pop alchemy then, it does something much more with those parts than The Night imo.
― ewar woowar (or something), Monday, 9 February 2015 23:17 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/tHniMTb.jpg
37 FANCY "Slice Me Nice" [129 points, 4 votes]http://youtu.be/Nlnoa67MUJU
― daavid, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:21 (nine years ago) link
Maximum dodgy accent points.
― Siegbran, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:22 (nine years ago) link
Slice Me Nice is a total classic. The video is properly creepy.
― Rainbow DAESH (ShariVari), Monday, 9 February 2015 23:26 (nine years ago) link
"Slice Me Nice" was 84, not 85. Another one I used to dance to in public...
― mike t-diva, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:31 (nine years ago) link
It has been removed from his wiki page but it used to be claimed that Bolero was the longest reigning No.1 single in the history of the Spanish charts. There are lots of videos of the latter day Fancy, looking like Kim Jong Il, turning up at tiny conventions of about a dozen awestruck fans. He still plays big nostalgia events in Russia and Germany.
― Rainbow DAESH (ShariVari), Monday, 9 February 2015 23:32 (nine years ago) link
He looks like an even creepier version of Barry Manilow.
― Siegbran, Monday, 9 February 2015 23:33 (nine years ago) link
"bow and arrow" is the other valerie dore song i really like
― brimstead, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:02 (nine years ago) link
Xps, I'd always had the impression that Hey Hey Guy was a fairly canonical Italo hit but I think my perception of a lot of this is skewed by my window on the genre being primarily Eastern European. About 75% of the comments on the YouTube videos of Laszlo's songs are from people with Russian, Polish, etc names. I heard it played over the store radio in a supermarket in Armenia last year and didn't find that surprising. I love the fact that there seems to be an overlapping, but not entirely overlapping, Italo / Eurodance canon between Western and Eastern Europe. The Dutch group Digital Emotion was another that was huge in Russia, having been featured extensively in an episode of the Soviet rip off of Tom and Jerry, but are largely unknown here.
― Rainbow DAESH (ShariVari), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:07 (nine years ago) link
Last one for the day...
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:10 (nine years ago) link
Fancy: "I'm like a cake that wants to be baked"
So classic
― spacemindy, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:10 (nine years ago) link
Well I guess the Italians managed to bundle their vast riches of cheesy dance songs along with the cutting edge automotive technology they sold to the USSR.
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:11 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/lg2ZQu1.jpg
36 KATY GRAY "Hold Me Tight" [131 points, 4 votes]http://youtu.be/O0v_jTHHFKU
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:11 (nine years ago) link
Recap:
50 DHUO "Walkin'" [96 points, 3 votes]49 INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SYSTEM "Dancing Therapy" [97 points, 3 votes]47 (TIE) GAZEBO "I Like Chopin" [98 points, 3 votes]47 (TIE) CLIO "Eyes" [98 points, 3 votes]46 KEN LASZLO "Hey Hey Guy" [101 points, 3 votes]45 DOCTOR'S CAT "Watch Out" [105 points, 3 votes]43 (TIE) RAGGIO DI LUNA "Comanchero" [105 points, 4 votes]43 (TIE) TRANS-X "Living On Video" [105 points, 4 votes]41 (TIE) MODERN TALKING "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" [108 points, 4 votes]41 (TIE) M&G "When I Let You Down" [108 points, 4 votes]40 IVAN "Fotonovela" [117 points, 4 votes]39 LOUI$ "Pink Footpath" [122 points, 4 votes, 1 first place vote]38 VALERIE DORE "Get Closer" [123 points, 4 votes]37 FANCY "Slice Me Nice" [129 points, 4 votes]36 KATY GRAY "Hold Me Tight" [131 points, 4 votes]
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:12 (nine years ago) link
… 15 more tomorrow
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:13 (nine years ago) link
I would probably like "Slice Me Nice" more if I hadn't heard "Passion" by The Flirts first, as well as other Bobby O productions. It's alright, but it makes me want to hear "Passion" instead.
"Hold Me Tight" is superb. Amazing production and basically the blueprint you hear on every Sally Shapiro record.
― Michael F Gill, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:19 (nine years ago) link
"hold me tight" is spectacular, i think i ranked it pretty high
― brimstead, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:25 (nine years ago) link
"How many young people in Italy (or France or Spain) in the 80s have heard e.g. "When I Let You Down" or "Hey Hey Guy"?"
I have been harangued before by Italians before while playing at an Italo night, "Just play one Italian track".
― Chewshabadoo, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 07:06 (nine years ago) link
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a280/HansHolbein/moderntalking_zps5c488a56.jpg
― Hans Holbein (Chinchilla Volapük), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 08:39 (nine years ago) link
I've know so little in this poll so far, but quite a lot of it sounds vaguely familiar. Great stuff so far though. I especially like the Clio track.
― oi listen mate, shut up (dog latin), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 09:12 (nine years ago) link
Today we begin with...
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:34 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/1191Ckd.jpg
35 SABRINA "Boys (Summertime Love)" [134 points, 5 votes]http://youtu.be/JgBu54wvm1Y
lol! I have mixed feelings about this one.
― example (crüt), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:39 (nine years ago) link
Don't wanna come over all italo rockstars but this beating Get Closer and Pink Footpath is a bit o_O
― ewar woowar (or something), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:41 (nine years ago) link
*Italo rockist obv.
― ewar woowar (or something), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:42 (nine years ago) link
video for this is one of the strangest in pop music history
― gr8080, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:53 (nine years ago) link
also there are two new-ish covers by euro pop stars, one which filmed a more sfw video in what appears to be the same pool as the original
― gr8080, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 15:54 (nine years ago) link
xxpost I agree, this type of stuff is usually right up my alley. But "Boys" sounds like a second rate Bananarama track.
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:04 (nine years ago) link
The extended version is great. The single version is a little slight.
― Rainbow DAESH (ShariVari), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:07 (nine years ago) link
Too low!!! Just kidding! But this is an alltime great dancefloor banger. Extended version is where it's at, rap and all. Check out Via Verdi - Diamond for another thumper from the same producer.
― spacemindy, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:23 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/vVg4cfb.jpg
34 VALERIE DORE "The Night" [137 points, 5 votes]http://youtu.be/80ssUKt76-c
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:47 (nine years ago) link
Step this way for the extended version of "Boys": http://youtu.be/AiZUdYan430
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:50 (nine years ago) link
another notable distinction between "The Night" and "Get Closer" is that they have different vocalists (Dora Carofiglio and Monica Stucchi, respectively)
― example (crüt), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:55 (nine years ago) link
wow, thanks for pointing that out.
― skip, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:05 (nine years ago) link
I can't tell the difference.
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:07 (nine years ago) link
Thought "The Night" would be higher given its place in the canon.
― ⊤ℝolliℵg M∃th H∑a∂ (seandalai), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:09 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/IZVO94T.jpg
33 CYBER PEOPLE "Void Vision" [139 points, 5 votes]http://youtu.be/cKjsTlxf80k
― daavid, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:18 (nine years ago) link
???
― ⊤ℝolliℵg M∃th H∑a∂ (seandalai), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:19 (nine years ago) link
oh I have heard this somewhere - it's fine but I don't really see the attraction of instrumental Italo
― ⊤ℝolliℵg M∃th H∑a∂ (seandalai), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:22 (nine years ago) link
whoa this poll rules
― ciderpress, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:25 (nine years ago) link
'walkin' is my favorite so far of the ones i hadnt heard before
Awesome videogamey banger (re: Cyber People) Very memorable riffage! Great sleeve too.
― spacemindy, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:27 (nine years ago) link
https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000013057139-7hudgd-t500x500.jpg
― spacemindy, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:30 (nine years ago) link
This one's new on me, too. HELL yeah! Every button pressed!
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:33 (nine years ago) link
I like how this poll covers all strands of Italo.
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:36 (nine years ago) link
Me too! The Cyber People tune "Doctor Faustu's" is pretty good too.
― spacemindy, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:38 (nine years ago) link