Poptones Goes Bust: Your Views Please - Here's My Considered Analysis

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i think to be honest Marcello, you are being unreasonable, i think a fairer argument would be HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

― british boy who is jealous of success, and that, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why the glee?

― stevo, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think that's just made my day.

― RickyT, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Are there any links about it?

Who will write the Book this time?

― Andy, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Although it was to be expected, I don't really think it's haha-funny.

― helen fordsdale, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

): POPTONES IS DEAD? - NME report

― stevo, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Queen will be gutted.

― Billy Dods, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, I don't think it's a laughing matter at all. I mean who am I going to hate now?

― Norman Phay, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hate Uncut. I hate its ethos more with every issue I see.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it's true that I am getting very tired of "Americana", and would like to see more variety in said magazine. More seriously on poptones, I wonder if they'd not released silly noveties like el vez and the ping pong bitches, and tried for a more diverse roster (like elektra, one of AM's influences I believe) perhaps then they'd have stood a better chance of growing/surviving? From the link above, it appears that they're slimming down, rather than closing. Whatever, anyway.

― Norman Phay, Friday, 23 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

So Poptones = dead therefore means...no, I can't say it, that would be too obvious. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What do you think Uncut's ethos is, Robin?

― Dr. C, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Dr C: a certain dodgy sentimentalisation of the era of more centralised media, with a less pop-oriented ethos controlling it, and fewer opportunities to hear new music generally. This issue it turns up in the Mick Jagger interview (OK, maybe we can forget that, and it invokes Starsailor Bloke as an adherent to this worldview - again, no surprise), and the piece at the end of the Soft Cell interview about why 1981 chartpop was so great (indeed a lot of it was, but they've conveniently forgotten "Japanese Boy", "The Birdie Song" et al - Freaky Trigger itself proved as much early this year - and more-or- less say that current pop *could* be as good if only that pesky "MTV" thing didn't exist).

Even Simon Reynolds alludes to a staider, more tightly-regulated media in his postpunk piece, admittedly more in a descriptive / scene- setting way than a nostalgic one, but even he shows signs of yearning for a time when We All Knew What Was Going On and We All Knew Who To Turn To To Find Out About It. In short, the "ethos" I had in mind is a level of fogeyism against "MTV culture" (which I care little about *either way*) comparable to that which no doubt permeates The Spectator.

Still, David Stubbs on Scritti's "Songs To Remember" is good - he's regurgitating a lot of his old ideas, but he's such a natural writer that it still reads better than almost anything else in there.

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

At least someone bothered to give us the Hives...

― Sonicred, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Who they?

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you don't want to know Robin - another useless basic straightahead garage rock band - The White Stripes fans will lap em up [Everyone else will yawn through their retro rock tedium !] - The Hives are from Sweden.

[Doomie the 60s retro rock freak is fan of The Hives !]

― DJ Martian, Saturday, 24 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The thing that boggles my mind - Creation got into trouble releasing upmteen records a year, just throwing more product into the abyss to keep money coming into the label to throw out more product. This caused Creation to flounder a bit, causing them to seek help from various corporate sources (bwah hah hah) before the Britpop boom. Knowing this sort of thing happened before, why the hell did McGee do the EXACT SAME THING, flooding the market with a bazillion Poptones records (of varying quality) that sold pissall?

Of course, this begs the question - why aren't independent music moguls more fiscally sound?

― David Raposa, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

because his A&R staff are stoopid!

― DJ Martian, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Also - how can a label release that much music and really do it justice, in terms of promotions? Or am I asking silly questions.

(And the A&R peeps can only be blamed for so much - Alan still signs the cheques.)

― David Raposa, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ans = AM is above all a fan and an idealist: such foax always fuck things up for the rest of us

it has been proved by science (and inadevertently by fred dannen) that the best labels evah were run by cynical crooXoR who wished
1. to shag the talent
2. to snort the profits

Objectively as a result they delivered more of both hurrah.

ps martian did you see the GRATE sun headline on thursday: "EVIL LUST OF POP BEAST KING" — Nick Cave will be SO jealous of that accolade.

― mark s, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I shan't weep, anyone who released a Cosmic Rough Riders album should be garroted anyway.

― DG, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Once again DG is on the money - what a hideous band CRR are - i remember seeing a range of critic quotes in an advert to entice people to buy the album - pass the bucket please. CRR ghastly retro rock with horrid 60s style vocals.

[Another new band that piss me off ..The Electric Softparade one of NMEs new "top 10" British guitar bands - total crap - the vocalist sounds like a whiney cat being stepped on and the music is generic guitar toss. ]

― DJ Martian, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You needn't worry, Martian, I asked about The Hives with my tongue solidly in cheek, taking the piss out of the fact that anyone could care.

I like DG's last line.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

At this point McGee sinks nicely into career as new Mclaren, becoming rent-a-pundit to pay the bills.

― Bill, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

His every quote: Punk rock! Just like the MC5, man! Testify! er...

― Bill, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

poptones is dead long live popstars!!

― kym marsh is my all, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's a band called The Electric Softparade??? SWEET MERCY!

The more enthusiastic record labels there are, the better - I won't cheer when one fails. But I'm not surprised - there simply is not the broad constituency any more for what McGee thinks rock is, and he was acting with Poptones as if there was - had he kept it to Elephant 6 or Siesta scale it would have done better than fine, but he couldn't do that as it would have meant admitting this particular brand of change-the-culture rock is now a crafts industry.

― Tom, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It is a shame. Last year's Montgolfier Brother's album "17 Stars" was one of my favourites in 2000. Don't know about any other Poptones stuff but that was a revelation. Intense slightly melancholic indiepop with great tunes and lyrics.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think you all in the UK are a bit harsh on poptones. Obviously there is/was a lot of quantity over quality going on. I thought there were a few decent things (January, Montgolfier Bros.) but nothing that blew me away, except a lot of the packaging/design, who did that, mike alway or something? "El Graphique"? I didn;t mind all the millenium-related reissue stuff either...

― g, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, el Graphic was indeed Mike Alway. When I said once before on this board that the sleeves were the best thing about Poptones I got a stung note from McGee wondering why I wouldn't give his new label a chance. It wasn't just me, it seems. But this is one label that no- one can say was cash-starved; they had £18m of City money, and if they go out of business now Her Majesty the Queen, one expectant investor amongst many, will be displeased. Alan McGee, then -- from 'God Save The Queen' to, er, 'God Save The Queen'. There goes the knighthood.

― Momus, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm sorry but does it not take awhile for a label to "take off". Is this not what this thread is all about if you exclude the european neurotic crap about class and success? It's a record label that is struggling to find its footing.

― micheal reed, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

well, the El Graphic sleeves are the best thing about poptones really (and I have given them a chance) - mostly it seems like the label isn't focused enough. Maybe would have been better to let Mike Alway do the A&R as well (as long as he didn't just want to release more compilations of the same old El material...)

― g, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

" the european neurotic crap about class and success?"
What has this to do with the fact that Poptones simply released BAD records (with nice packaging, I'll concede that)?

― DG, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What has this to do with the fact that Poptones simply released BAD records

Shh, DG, you'll give it all away!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hardly. And I was being kind when I said European. I should have really stated 'english obsession/neuroticism with class and success'.

― micheal reed, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think the glee and spite you're seeing isn't anything to do with national stereotypes, it's to do more with this forum's brushes with very vocal Poptones fans (and staff members!) in the past. (Though maybe you knew that...)

Like I say, the failure of any label is nothing to crow about - if Poptones does retrench and find its feet I'd say great, though I still probably won't like any of the product. But it is significant that McGee's rockandroll dream can't shift units the way it once did: the shelves of our HMV are crammed with unsellable Cosmic Rough Riders singles.

(Actually I'm being unfair because this kind of thing - eg Superstar - never sold that much even for Creation.)

― Tom, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

CROW CROW CROW CROW CROW CROW CRAW CRAH RAH AHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!

― The Craw for legal reasons as is probably now copyrighted, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Your answers are underlining my correct response. I am tired of this now. Can we move onto something else.

― micheal reed, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That's a shame because the new JASMINE MINKS album POPARTGLORY is incredible!!!!

― Todd, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Bloody hell, are the Jasmine Minks still going?

And to News of the World man, I started this thread and will keep it going for as long as I wwjtiojew pjr v-[i boseg[pik opjse fijwek tergn grrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

also i bet yor not relly nus o werld

no like go start own alan mcgee god thread

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Craw all you want, Marcello. With every post you underline my own thesis. So craw away. It amuses me.

― micheal reed, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If D**m*ntr*ll was cleverer and more smugly superior, rather than just a pathetic fool, he might have been Michael Reed ...

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Doompatrol is Micheal Reed, surely. That line on the Leroy thread about "transexual idiot savant" was 24-carat DP - nobody else I've encountered online writes quite like him.

― Tom, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The word that sent the familiar fury-thrill thru me was "Hardly"... But I think MR's half right on this thread, which *is* a bit mean- spirited: it is about attitudes to success (tho not class). I liked poking fun at (nay libelling) AM when he was up and (apparently) powerful, but I can't get with after-the-fact triumphalism much.

I *was* going to post my Big Theory of what went wrong, tho: only it's long and involved and I've been "busy" haha with other things. It will involve Felt and the Merovingian Dynasty, you'll be enthralled to learn, and McGee will be compared to William Morris. I might not persuade Doomie, but I'll certainly annoy Robin!

― mark s, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Really? Who is the pathetic fool, now, Robin? Nevermind, I am not up for a 1000 word "piece" about Experimental Audio Research and the effects it had on communism. Back to the bedsit young man until you have come out more Kant wordy. (Not that the world is listening, anyways).

― Micheal Reed, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hi, Doomie! How's it going? You really should post more.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Not that the world is listening, anyways" is presumably the epitaph for Poptones, also. How's the book going?

― mark s, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Just one second: why all the wuv for the sleeve art of Poptones? Sure it served a purpose in defining the brand boooooooooring but it was all headache lime greens and swirly retro lines and boring fat curvy fonts, dull boring crap! Okay perhaps this is me being modernishhht but I couldn't stand it and and thort it WUZ A BAD THING. I dislike faux-retro packaging, I'm sure a lot of thinks go into the design but it's LAZY, LAZY PIFFLE! Hmph self righteous RAGE.

― Sarah, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sarah has a point. That said it completely suited the music - from a 'fittingness' p.o.v. it was good design, no question. I don't like El or Siesta design either though.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Skipping 120 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

hee hee! the funniest thing is, i'm pleased too! it means a new montgolfier brothers record maybe.

― gareth, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh! I never reported back on my buy-a-Poptones-record-for-Doomie project.

I bought the Montgolfier Brothers and I like it: it reminds me of Trembling Blue Stars, very considered and delicate, but it also suggests what TBS would be like if I didn't have the unsettling feeling Bob Wratten is a mentalist. The instrumentals I like a lot - of the vocal tracks the standout is the horribly clammy one where he's trying to get a conversation with his gf round to the point where he can break up with her but he can't do it (at least I think thats what's happening).

I can't see myself listening to it more than once every three or four months, but that's OK: still money well spent.

― Tom, Tuesday, 5 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

AHHAAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

TOP FUCKING TEN YOU STUPUID FUCKERS!

IN YER FACE!

*calming down*

but still..

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

― hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahhahahahahaa, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh yeah, gareth, see, ive had that record for awhile now.

english, don't you love them, hypocrites, the lot of ya!

― tremaineinyerface, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Let's give them till the end of the year, shall we?

― DG, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

hahahahhHAHAHHAHAHAHhahahahahhahh.....................................

Another year to put the bellrays in the english top ten? sure...

HAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHA

I was right and I DO believe you were wrong.

HAAHAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHAH

― brother paul, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think that I already said I was wrong to begin with, Mr Brownell. That was the point of restarting this thread. To admit that I was wrong. So that no one else has to. Comprendez?

And if you haven't worked out who "Terry Shannon" is by now, you're even stupider than I originally thought.

― Terry Shannon, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

whats the new montgolfier brothers album like paul? is it as good as seventeen stars? that legrand/durutti vibe seem unplundered

and i am slightly confused about this right/wrong thing, could you explain? i have never been right about music. i have never been wrong about music.

― gareth, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well I WAS wrong. Look I STARTED this fucking thread and I'm saying that I MADE A MISTAKE. RIGHT????

Jesus Christ. That's where apologising gets you on this board.

― Terry Shannon, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i was replying to p, not you terry. i was curios about this 'winning'/i'm right thing!

― gareth, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sorry Gareth I wasn't having a go at you. I suppose it was just too much for PB to admit/acknowledge with good grace that someone else has admitted to being wrong rather than just go down the usual mine's- bigger-than-yours route which he would have taken anyway even if I hadn't reactivated this thread.

Well, whatever. I'll bow out of this thread now - whatever he says, he says; I can't be bothered with it/him.

― Terry Shannon, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think the Hives going top ten changes shit, to be honest. It means Poptones survives (good thing - like I said upthread small labels are important), but it doesn't change my mind about McGee's idea of 'rock'.

― Tom, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was in Tower Recds this week and there were Poptones recds in Rock/Pop, 60's and Dance (Montgolfier Bros, I think or was it Gnac?) sections. Whilst classification is fairly meaningless, the Poptones catalogue has some variation. Whether it's any good is another question..

― Dr. C, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

To Terry Shannon - do I really care? Nah. Think me stupuid. Just goes to show yer own self importance.

To Gareth - man o man, you will love the new montgolfiers. Better than seventeen stars? Yes. Musically it's deep material, not deep, but more as the touches are very ummm....what's the word? It's more involved musically but I think it's cause the partership has been going for quite some time now. There are now gnac musical interludes, though. Roger sings on all of the tracks....but he is a fantastic story teller so you cannot blame him.

It's called 'The Word is Flat'. Roger's voice is throatier though than on seventeen stars. You just have to hear it, Gareth. It is a strange combination between gilberto/smiths/tyde/felt I dunno every good band out there but uniquely montgolfiers.

― dp, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gareth - right/wrong was just me having a bit o' fun. Cool?

I really do not take myself very seriously on this board. 'Cept to say that the Montgolfier's album - dunno - it's a classic. and definitely is coming out. I'll ask when and tell you later.

― dp, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

THE HIVES!!!!!!!!!It just went platinium 300,000 copies marcello/terry shannon.For all the people who gloated get it right right up you.... every single last one of you.Your disgusting mean spiritedness on this thread about the Poptones unemployed people for us all at Poptones summed the lot of you on this board up.Creepy little losers and backbiters.You and your kind[journalists though few of you on here can even get a paying gig] mean nothing when it comes to what actually sells anymore in England.We won.You didn't hahahahahahahahahahahahahah fucking ha!!!

― a shareholder, Sunday, 10 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Heavily discounted album sells quite well exclusive! Paranoid label staff obsessively read tiny music board shocker! Hip hip hooray for the Swedish Showaddywaddy!

― Sign Up Darts Next!, Sunday, 10 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Creepy little losers and backbiters.

hee hee! you know me rather well it would seem, but i think you forgot to mention that i'm a stupid fucker and a hypocrite too! but not a journalist i'm afraid, i'm a cisco engineer (close i guess!). and all for disliking certain records and liking other ones! its a strange world out there when not liking a particular record or label means people call you a stupid fucker!

but yes, you have won, this is good. but i haven't lost, or, if i have, i'm not entirely sure what i have lost, it doesn't really feel like i've lost anything (my only interest in music is aesthetic or personal to be honest, i don't really think that much about sales figures and stuff - much of the best stuff never sells i suppose). anyway, i hope i haven't offended you, i apologise for being a loser, and i am certainly looking forward to your new Montgolfier Brothers release (i hope you don't mind any of your records being sold to a person a stupid fucker and a hypocrite like me!!)

oh, and whatever happened with beardy hindle anyway? did you sign him in the end, or did you kick him back up to leeds?

― gareth, Sunday, 10 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

poptones have announced that it has signed a Letter of intent with Telstar. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Telstar will provide financial, marketing and administrative support for a number of artists contracted to the Poptones label, including The Hives. what next craig david and el vez doing a duet!! however it would seem that rumours of their death have been grossly exaggerated.....

― primo, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shame.

― DG, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

five months pass...

Montgolfiers lp out in 2 weeks and Hives goes double platinium in England and gold most everywhere else looks like that label isn't going away

― gnac lover, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Pity.

― Julio "I am a robot not human'' Desouza, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

For all the bullshit above, this really was a great thread, y'know. If you had to sum up ILM in one thread this would be quite a good start - or maybe the "I Miss Lee Mavers" one.

Gareth - long time no see! Hope you are well. You seem to have been getting about a bit which is nice.

Paul - you still have my World of Twist album you bastard!! just kidding, I'm sure I'll get it off you at some point.

Poptones seems to me to be slowly coming to a halt - but I could be wrong. Joe F is doing all his Revola stuff through Cherry Red, Ian & Alan are enjoying the millionaire lifestyle of Must Destroy movers and shakers, the Hives are signed to Universal (right?)... all of which doesn't leave much for Poptones itself. But you never know...

― reclusive hero (reclusive hero), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Beachbuggy are pretty fine too. Best Pixies + Wedding Present I've heard recently. Wonder how their newest album is.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 13 August 2003 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

the new Beachbuggy is rather good!

what does Alan do at Must Destroy? he seems to get around a fair bit, what with his A&Ring at Telstar as well..

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 13 August 2003 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry man, I didn't make that very clear - it's a different Alan who does Must Destroy, McGee is still doing the Poptones thing at Telstar as far as I know - all I've heard so far was the Kill City stuff (okay) and the Droyds single (awful).

― reclusive hero (reclusive hero), Thursday, 14 August 2003 09:13 (twenty-one years ago)

shouldnt that be kill city (shrugs) and the droyds (cool). there is some activity with poptones and seems to be some rather strange things art-fuck happenings at the moment. seen to be believed. if last night's poptones night is anything to go by.

― st cool kids of death, Thursday, 14 August 2003 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

killcity are great! droyds are ok but maybe they could write a song of their own, just once?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 14 August 2003 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

As someone who appreciates the Millennium-related reissues, the severity of the views expressed on this thread is rather startling.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 19 January 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

"ILM the good old days".

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 19 January 2006 17:54 (nineteen years ago)

While we're at it, how did Poptones survive (or revive) anyway? Did McGee stumble upon a barrel of unused Halliburton cash or something?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 19 January 2006 18:51 (nineteen years ago)

no, he started releasing poor quality photocopies of the libertines

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Thursday, 19 January 2006 22:11 (nineteen years ago)

eight months pass...

I know reviving this is a risky proposition, but is Poptones still an independent label? Do they release their own material or license it to other outlets? Have they recently released anything worthwhile?

Finally, is Alan McGee and the retro-rock ethos he espouses responsible for the mediocrity of NME sanctioned rock?

Loaded questions all!!!

― Ice Cream Electric (Ice Cream Electric), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 21:52 (eighteen years ago)

how did it bust? seems ok to me...

http://poptones.co.uk/

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 23:07 (eighteen years ago)

the last worthwhile thing poptones released was the second montgolfiers album. in 2003 or thereabouts. 98% of what they released 2004-now is just horrible. horrible. surely bands like special needs and the paddingtons and the others were just mcgee having a laugh at everyone else's expense?

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:14 (eighteen years ago)

i wonder if doomie still does their website screeds

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:15 (eighteen years ago)

ok i'll admit that the boxer rebellion and pure reason revolution records were pretty good too

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 00:16 (eighteen years ago)

I was just curious since it seems like their roster keeps getting smaller and smaller. I really haven't paid any attention to them for years. Last thing I got of theirs was the Montegolfier Brothers. I avoided the Others, Paddingtons, and similar bands like the plague.

I wonder how they survive since they are so low profile now. I'm sure that Others CD sold next to nothing.

― Ice Cream Electric (Ice Cream Electric), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 01:13 (eighteen years ago)

I must admit I'd totally forgotten about Poptones and am a little surprised to see it's still going. Is the new stuff any good and is any of the old stuff worth searching out?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:50 (eighteen years ago)

I'd guess it's a no in both cases but I'm open to persuasion.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:53 (eighteen years ago)

I really should not have started this thread.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:58 (eighteen years ago)

Regrette, umm, the french for "something"?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 09:03 (eighteen years ago)

poptones will sound be releasing the Souls She Said album over here soon (it came out on Dim Mak at the start of the year) and it is very very fab indeed.

― i am not a nugget (stevie), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 09:08 (eighteen years ago)

four months pass...

Well, I don't think it's a laughing matter at all. I mean who am I going to hate now?

-- Norman Phay (k-ra...), November 23rd, 2001.

Hate Uncut. I hate its ethos more with every issue I see.

-- Robin Carmody (robi...), November 23rd, 2001.

This is my favourite part of the thread.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:57 (eighteen years ago)

There's nothing wrong about being retro. In fact, it's the only right thing to do now that anything modern is rubbish.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:16 (eighteen years ago)

i bought a singleman affair 45. it was okay.

― jimbo (electricsound), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:30 (eighteen years ago)

I liked that dub album.

The problem was, their promos were easier to find/purchase than their actual albums.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 09:44 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

OH GOD CARMODY

― Scik Mouthy, Friday, 15 August 2008 15:37 (sixteen years ago)

Some threads are just not worth reviving.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 15 August 2008 15:38 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

And some threads should be seen and not heard.

― Mark G, Thursday, 29 March 2012 12:03 (thirteen years ago)

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