80s Cup R2M4 - Heifer 16-12 trans-chigley

[Penk!]

A

Pere Ubu - Love Love Love



B

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Nice Age

[Diamond Dog]

I know there is a Pere Ubu track I will like one day - because I surely haven't come across it yet.

B isn't any great shakes, but it wins here.

[Loki]

Sheise, I really like both of these. I guess I'll go with

[The Modernist]

I quite like the frenetic sound of A with its sequencers and nicked "I Can't Explain" riff. However Thomas' posturing vocal is a lot closer to the annoying quirkiness of that guy from B52s than their fans would want to admit. And ultimately it makes the record hard work.
B is so early 80s, especially with its Sylvian meets Numan vocal, it hurts. You can imagine the video with models with big hair and dramatic eye shadow strutting around in a room with open windows and the wind blowing in. I quite like it.

B

[T. Willy Rye]

A

[Deebank]

I prefer

A

[Polishgirl]

B is annoyingly catchy, but the frenetic pace of A has it

A

[Belle Lettre]

A

[C]

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a genius

-+B+-



.

[toomanyhatz]

I love Ubu's "sellout" period. Catchy and playful as hell, despite the fact that Thomas was about as resolutely anti-fashion as it was possible to be. A is a big hit in an alternate universe.

I like B fine, but it sounds 80s. Not a quality I generally approve of in my 80s music.

[The North Yorks Moors]

I was hoping A would be the Bobby Hebb song but I liked it anyway. A

[Dayodead]

Generally don't like 80's Ubu, but it's better than B...Vote A

[GoogaMooga]

Ubu continues to annoy, cup after cup. YMO are the Kraftwerk of Japan. B

[Darkness_Fish]

I really quite like the big and brash approach to 80s pop that Ubu take here. There's more than a hint of Talking Heads' poppier moments here, but I like the "kitchen sink" approach to the production, and David Thomas's vocals really work for me. He sings with a real sense of enthusiasm and unbridled excitement, fully in line with the exuberant nature of the song, but never trying to fall into line to make it properly acceptable to the public. His quirkiness doesn't come across as an affectation, and it brings a huge sense of life and joy to the track.

YMO don't seem to know whether they're trying to be Roxy Music, trying to annoy, or to write a genuine pop song. So they write a really catchy simplistic chorus, have a horrible prog verse, and please no-one. It's the kind of song you'd expect from Bowie when he'd really lost his way, feels like someone is advising them what is current and popular, rather than making something that bends the branch of popularism over to their direction.

A

[never/ever]

Surrounded by The Snakeman Show.... XOO Multiplies is one weird ass album. Reminiscent of Re-Flex....

B

[The Red Heifer]

Good tie, A is a firm favourite though.

[Samoan]

A

[Purgatory Brite]

A Pere Ubu who would've thought it! The Magic Band trying to make a hit song.

[Rayge]

a - I'm a confirmed fan of early Ubu, although my liking tailed off as the product accumulated, and I don't remember this song. My liking was generally despite, rather than because of, Thomas, though, and the band is in fine form here, with their usual mix of galloping rhythms and splashes of colour and sound.
b - YMO are basically synth prog shit. Not my 'thing'

A

[Penk!]

Hmmm, A has a lot to like with the puttering synths and propulsive rhythms although the vocal line and riff get a bit irritating after a while.
B though sounded a bit better to me today, with the synths glistening and the vocals just arch enough.