Taking Sides - Athlete vs Busted?

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"Bands like Athlete are the best of British music and should be being championed ahead of dross like Busted!"

Thus quoth one of FiveLive's listeners who watched The Brits tonight. Now, as far as I'm concerned, Athlete and Busted are pretty fucking similar - guitar-based pop music - so why is this chap singling Athlete out as 'better'? Are they more 'authentic'? How has this perception arisen? Is it cos they played the toilet circuit rather than the school-assembly circuit? Did Busted even do that?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

One thing I'll say for Busted - their 'Teenage Kicks' cover was one fuck of a lot better than Athlete's could ever be.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard that Busted did actually do *proper* touring before the hits started rolling in. Not surprisingly really, if they weren't at #1, they'd be on the cover of Kerrang seven weeks in ten.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

It's weird, though, Busted themselves do seem to be quite uncomfortable with the fame they've got, and they switch from interview to interview of "No, it's an insult to call us a pop group, we play our own instruments" to "Yeah, pop's great, we're a part of it".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Could you put a rinky-dink pianah in "Teenage Kicks"?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

(sidequestion: has any band ever covered "Teenage Kicks" without speeding it up?)

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I assume it's down to obscurity (A: neglected, B: rich so why do they need the extra sales) and audience (A: intelligent people 5liveperson knows, B: kids) and attitude to craft (A: write sounds which sound well-crafted and talk about them in interviews, B: write sounds which sound easy and talk about snogging).

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:16 (twenty-two years ago)

They were street-team-schools-toured-premiered-on-CD:UK pretty damn heavily, if memory serves.

Nick - no, but you could really slow the drums down and sing like a wankrrr.

Weird thing - Athlete were featured on that 'The Brits Are Coming' programme.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I take issue with the "well-crafted" sounds thing, Tom.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:17 (twenty-two years ago)

even 'Sleeping With The Light On' is faster than any Athlete song

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Weird thing - Athlete were featured on that 'The Brits Are Coming' programme.

weren't they slagging off Busted as well? they were slagging off someone

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah maybe but I think there's an impression that quieter or gentler music is more 'crafted' than noisy jump-about stuff.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Do Busted get more slack than, say, 5ive did, though, because they actually at least hold a guitar?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Probably Pop Idol Stevem - what an absolute GIFT that show has been to any pop star who wants to sound controversial/individual/4real etc.

xpost Dom my impression is they get LESS!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Possibly. Or Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

5ive weren't that slagged, though. Till they did 'We Will Rock You' anyhow.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:20 (twenty-two years ago)

They deserved it for that, though.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

it's actually worth buying the DVD single of Athlete's 'You Got The Style' because the Shynola video is so fab. or you could just try downloading it sometimes, maybe

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

has any band ever covered "Teenage Kicks" without speeding it up?)

there's that instrumental lullaby version which is probably around the same speed...

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Taking sides: 5ive's "We Will Rock You" vs Beyonce, Britney and Pink's "We Will Rock You".

― Nick H (Nick H), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 10:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm going to side with Busted protoges McFly instead, whose single is brilliant. Not gently amusing brilliant but a proper good pop song with a winningly fey Green Day-esque chorus. In fact it reminds me of the Mr T Experience, which is really quite remarkable. I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping they can keep a clean record.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

a) I've said it once before but 'You've Got the Style' is a heinnous unacknowledged bit of plagiarism from the movie 'Bring it On'.

b) Busted > Undertones > Athlete

― ENRQ (Enrique), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I was under the impression that the "cold in here/atmosphere" thing was much older than Bring It On.. but can't seem to think where I'd heard it before.

Number of good sogns by Athlete: 0
Number of good songs by Busted: 1 (She Wants To Be Me is great)

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 10:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate the use of the word 'crafted' when talking about music. It makes pop sound like carpentry.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 11:07 (twenty-two years ago)

in 12 months time we will all be moaning about Keane getting awarded - this band were designed in a sterile test-tube to get played on Virgin/ Radio 2/ Radio 1/ and 6 Music.

More bland than Aqualung, Athlete and Travis combined.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Busted. They're fun, Athlete are dull.

― jellybean (jellybean), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

(Side answer to Dom's side question: I seem to recall the Dawn Chorus & the Blue Tits version being unspeeded-up but it's a long time since I played that record.)

― Tim (Tim), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

In the space of a heartbeat I choose Busted. Besides, they have a moonwalker.

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven months pass...

Athlete are going to have the number one album this week. Well done all involved.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 4 February 2005 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

(sidequestion: has any band ever covered "Teenage Kicks" without speeding it up?)

Nouvelle Vague

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 4 February 2005 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

are athlete and elbow different bands?

― Miles Finch, Friday, 4 February 2005 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

i can't tell my arse from either of them, certainly

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 4 February 2005 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

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