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Conference marvin::uk_music

Title:The UK Music Conference
Notice:Welcome (back) to UK_MUSIC on node MARVIN.
Moderator:RDGENG::CROOK
Created:Mon Mar 28 1988
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1381
Total number of notes:39269

1244.0. "Mercury Award 1994" by AYOV20::MRENNISON (Modern Life Is Rubbish) Wed Sep 21 1994 19:09

    
    This year, the Mercury Award went to (the rather average IMO) Elegant
    Slumming by M-People.     
    
    I find this quite disappointing.  Whilst Elegant Slumming is quite
    good, it is by no means ground breaking and is no better than M
    People's previous offering, Northern Soul.
    
    I also find it incredible that Parklife was overlooked.  In my opinion,
    Blur's latest is perhaps the best album I have ever heard (and that is
    after 3 months intense listening).  Parklife is original, varied and,
    unlike Northern Soul, will still be played regularly in five years
    time.
    
    On the plus side, Take That didn't win.  This, to me, signifies tha the
    Mercury Award is at least taken seriously and is given for good music, as
    opposed to good PR (like the BRIT awards).
    
    
    Mark
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1244.1Conspiracy theory, M People were on the grassy knollMOVIES::VERBISTWed Sep 21 1994 19:2017
I believe the Prodigy's "Music For The Jilted Generation" was also
nominated, but didn't get anywhere.  If you've taken sufficient drugs
to be able to dance to something going at ~200 bpm, it's quite good
really.

Just thinking about it, it sounds like they (whoever is responsible for
this particular conspiracy) nominated a band from each pigeon hole:

	o M people, soul
	o Blur, chirpy cockney guitar pop band, Faces rip-off (sorry Mark)
	o Prodigy, techno
	o Take That, pre-pubescent teen appeal

Anybody know who the 'eavy metal entry was? (to bolster up my theory)

Guy
1244.2FERNEY::MACFADYENyou've got to workWed Sep 21 1994 19:313
> Anybody know who the 'eavy metal entry was? (to bolster up my theory)

Therapy? The theory survives...
1244.3AYOV20::MRENNISONModern Life Is RubbishWed Sep 21 1994 19:3813
    
    The theory sounds good.  And since I'm too young to remember the Faces,
    I still say that Blur were conned.
    
    I remember when Screamadelica was awarded the prize first time round
    and thinking "Oh goody, a serious award for quality contemporary music"
    or words to that effect.
    
    
    Mark
    
    P.S  Despite the p-n, I'm not a big Blur fan.  I've found their other
    albums a trifle naff.    
1244.4CHEFS::GEORGEMPaddy HashdownWed Sep 21 1994 20:2514
According to the music press in the week before the winner was announced, the 
judges of the awards were under severe pressure to select a band who weren't in 
the indie/guitar category, in order to lend some credability to the whole 
caffuffle.  Clearly it didn't work, because noone can believe that M-People won 
it!

I forget who else has won it....isn't it Suede and Primal Scream (was there 
another one?)

Apparently, they didn't want to alienate any music fans (hence the "band from 
every genre" tactic), and saw giving M-People the award as a statement that they 
were totally objective and un-biased.

Tripe!  That's what I say....give it to Blur.
1244.5SUBURB::ODONNELLJJulie O'DonnellThu Sep 22 1994 00:541
    I can't believe that M People won either.
1244.6Off with her mincey meat she went.BHAJI::GBRUCEThu Sep 22 1994 06:037
    I think the reference to 'The Faces' should read 'Small Faces'as I
    think Damon Alburn is not at all like Rod the mod,but quite like the
    late Steve Marriot.
    The 'Small Faces' were in fact cockernee geezeers who had hits with
    Lazy Sunday,Itchycoo Park and the Ogden's nut-gone flake album,which
    featured Stanley Unwin doing a bit of narrating on your tumload what
    deep joy oh yes about threw to few years back.
1244.7Wibble WibblePAKORA::SWRIGHTUno CoCa Cola PorfavorThu Sep 22 1994 10:198
    Gordon...
    
    
    You've been staring at that Comets screen too long....!!!
    
    
    
    *:@))
1244.8FERNEY::MACFADYENyou've got to workThu Sep 22 1994 12:196
>    featured Stanley Unwin
I just saw a thing about him in NME, that he's done vocals for
some techno/ambient outfit... he's ancient now, 81.


Rod
1244.9more conspiracy theoryMOVIES::VERBISTThu Sep 22 1994 13:1311
a friend (yes, I have one) told me last night that other nominees were:

	- Michael Nyman (classical)
	- Paul Weller (AOR)

re Faces/Small Faces, that's what I meant, only I left my brain in
San Francisco.


Guy
1244.10AYOV11::SROBERTSONThu Sep 22 1994 19:445
     
    	re -  a few back
    
    That brings back memories and a laugh - Unwin is realy funny - ONGF is 
    crazy to  listen to - the guys sounds as if he's on another planet.
1244.11Blur is best!SUBURB::JOURNALSFri Sep 23 1994 17:1610
    I can't believe that no one has even considered Pulp. They were also
    nominated for an award and their narative lyrics have to be heard to be
    believed. However, I have to agree that Park Life was by far the best
    nomination. 
    
    My own opinion is that the award was given to M People to counteract all
    the hype that Blur had already received once the nominations had been
    declared. 
    
    Mike  
1244.12CHEFS::GEORGEMI've passed my JSP/COBOL exam! Hoorah!Fri Sep 23 1994 17:465
There was an article in the Sun (i think), yesterday, saying that Blur were 
condemning the awards, saying they were a joke, because they didn't win (which 
is fair enough really).  They also said that it didn't matter anyway, because 
they would sell twice as many albums as M-people by the end of the year.  An 
interesting prediction - one which will more than likely come true, IMO.
1244.13FORTY2::BOYESMy karma ran over my dogmaWed Sep 13 1995 13:559
Best part of Collins and The Other One commentary on the Mercury Awards
last night...


Not to say Leftfield are faceless, but people point at them in the
street and say "Who are those guys standing next to the Chemical Brothers?".


+Mark+
1244.14who won it?CHEFS::STRATFORDSSteer clear of the Zebra BrosWed Sep 13 1995 14:131
    
1244.16Notes collisionFORTY2::BOYESMy karma ran over my dogmaWed Sep 13 1995 15:027
Portishead won it.

Nominees were them, Oasis, Tricky, Token Jazz, Token Classical, Token Van
Morrison ("He was crap when he was in The Doors but now he's good" said the
commentator) Leftfield and Elastica.

+Mark+
1244.17And........CHEFS::RUTHERFORDIA)bort R)etry F)*** It !!Wed Sep 13 1995 15:204
    If I remember rightly Supergrass and PJ Harvey were also nominated.
    
    
    Ian.
1244.18FORTY2::BOYESMy karma ran over my dogmaWed Sep 13 1995 16:467
> If I remember rightly Supergrass and PJ Harvey were also nominated

How could I forget PJ "Mummy, make the scary woman go away!" Harvey in her
guise of Attack of the Fifty Foot Prostitute and her album of demos curiously
more polished than the album they were demos of, and Supergrass.

+Mark+