Is King's "Love & Pride" THE stupidest, most stereotypically 80's piece of fluff ever known to humankind?

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Time has NOT been good to it, I'll say that.

― Hydrochloric Shaved Weirds (Bimble...), Sunday, 10 July 2005 02:43 (twenty years ago)

It's what my heart yearns for now!

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Sunday, 10 July 2005 04:17 (twenty years ago)

now woah woah woah woah woah woah woah woah....

say woah woah woah woah woah woah woah woah woah woah...

― donut e- (donut), Sunday, 10 July 2005 05:11 (twenty years ago)

this song was kinda stupid and stereotypically 80s the second it was released in 1985. it's far from the worst thing from that decade.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 10 July 2005 05:18 (twenty years ago)

Not as long as Curiosity's "Down to Earth" exists.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Sunday, 10 July 2005 06:54 (twenty years ago)

I loved this song at the time, but haven't heard it in forever!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Sunday, 10 July 2005 08:19 (twenty years ago)

I think it's pretty good.

GET YOUR BOOTS ON!

― Tom (Groke), Sunday, 10 July 2005 08:45 (twenty years ago)

It's kind of the last ever New Pop record, isn't it? I think the story was that King were a huge huge pop hype and then they took forever to get the single out and by then what 'people' 'wanted' was towering U2-style serio-rock, not some goon in tartan boots saying "Take your hairdryer, blow them all away". Still did OK though.

― Tom (Groke), Sunday, 10 July 2005 08:47 (twenty years ago)

"Won't You Hold My Hand Now" was also pretty great. I remember watching the videos and wanting to get a green suit!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Sunday, 10 July 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

I like how, everytime there's some kind of documentary or news item on Doc Martens, the three things they always mention are Pope John Paul II, racist skinheads, and King.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 10 July 2005 11:29 (twenty years ago)

Tom is absolutely OTM, that's what happened here in the states as well. Epic Records gave King "the big push" figuring him as the new Boy George and the tartan-booted goon...fell right off the cliff.

Trying to remember this song I keep hearing Pete Burns in my head instead. ARRGH!

der kids in America ignored King in preparation for the coming coronation of Bon Jovi. We've got our own goons, thanx anyway!

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 10 July 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

COVENTRY MASSIVE!

― Lee F# (fsharp), Sunday, 10 July 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

http://www.paulking.it/KING/fotoeffect/mimetico.jpg

I liked it. I probably still do, but I haven't actually any desire to hear it again and find out. The followup singles were all rubbish, and Paul King used to really annoy me on MTV.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 10 July 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

Hey, for about five minutes I wanted some spray painted Docs 'cause of King.

fwiw, Canada had one of these too, but his big red "G" earring wasn't quite as successful a trend.
ihttp://lockgen.com/mystyx/captures/gowan/A%20Criminal%20Mind/pages/criminalmind04.html
ihttp://lockgen.com/mystyx/captures/gowan/A%20Criminal%20Mind/pages/criminalmind07.html

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

whoops - make that
http://lockgen.com/mystyx/captures/gowan/A%20Criminal%20Mind/images/criminalmind04.jpg
http://lockgen.com/mystyx/captures/gowan/A%20Criminal%20Mind/images/criminalmind07.jpg

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:46 (twenty years ago)

http://lockgen.com/mystyx/captures/gowan/A%20Criminal%20Mind/images/criminalmind07.jpg

― Ok I officially suck without coffee (Kim), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

I *had* spray painted docs. It wasn't because of King though. It was because I thought I was better than plain docs. They were ace actually - purple and silver.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 10 July 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

spray-painted docs were a fad in the UK? gosh.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 10 July 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)

I know someone who spray-painted their docs. It made them less good at dealing with perspiration.

I like the record in question, partcularly in its 12" form.

I had a subsequent 7", title unknown, it came with a poster.

I once saw Paul King out of King in "real life". It was at the Cirque du Soleil, he was walking ahead of his media companions and kind of hanging around for them to catch up. Come to think of it, I was with the person who had spray-painted docs. Mr King was kind of aware of a bench full of people trying not to giggle like schoolgirls. I suppose I mean old school schoolgirls.

I used to like how he would pretend top think on MTV, like pretend he was trying to remember what was coming up next when in fact he had it on autocue.

― Peter Stringbender (PJ Miller), Monday, 11 July 2005 06:52 (twenty years ago)

I saw King around the time this came out. Main memory is of some of the most fanciable women I knew signalling their, er, romantic interest in Paul King in a very competitive and unsubtle way. I was pretty surprised, even slightly shocked by this. These were pretty (in some cases beautiful), well-educated, arty, not brash and not promiscuous women - not the sort I thought would be in a one-night-stand with a minor pop star. But they were falling over themselves. I never found out if there was a "winner". Needless to say I was desperately envious.

― frankiemachine, Monday, 11 July 2005 07:53 (twenty years ago)

This record, has not "not dated" as it was rub then and now.

Dud, if ony for singing "prr prr prr prr pride!"

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 11 July 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

"Torture" was alright, except for that "cover me in cheesecake mix, swallow me up whole" was more like a 14 year old girl's idea of sexy...

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 11 July 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

Listen to this again - it's an amazing record!

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:06 (nineteen years ago)

Amazingly bad, like zero-budget ABC.

It was actually released twice in 1984 before CBS took advantage of the traditional post-Christmas lull in singles sales.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

Certainly not the worst song of the 80s. I still like it now.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

Not as bad as "Tantalise (Wo-Wo-Ee-Yeh-Yeh)" by Jimmy the Hoover, that's for sure.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

i liked love & pride and the taste of your tears. but then i was a blue zoo fan. i had no shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDATrSbCPuw

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

Tantalise is a good record too! I actually have no judgement AT ALL about 84-85 records. China Crisis? Red Box? IM HAVIN IT.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:24 (nineteen years ago)

Anything by Level 42 is THE stupidest, most stereotypically 80's piece of fluff ever known to humankind surely?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

I h8-ed it at the time, find it somewhet more entertaining these days. The lyrics certainly are archetypal of a certain era of brit '80's chart pop. A far better example of wtf-were-they-thinking '80's chart pop is hayzee fantayzee "john wayne is big leggy", which still does yer head in when you hear it now.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

You're welcome to it pal (Tom xpost).

As does its belated sequel "Everything Starts With An E" (Norman xpost).

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, same here. it was all good. the only song that bugged me back then was vitamin z's burning flame. i have no idea what year that came out though.

x-post

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:27 (nineteen years ago)

Level 42 were one of the greatest bands of the '80s and if Sinker were still on ILM he'd back me up, Adorno-style.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:28 (nineteen years ago)

'What's the colour of money?' by Hollywood Beyond. I remember him being on the cover of Melody Maker. Quite terrible.

I was going to mention 'Imagination' by Belouis Some, but I suspect it might sound quite good now!

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

I kissed the spiky fridge, people!

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

I think I might even have a soft spot for "I want to be your property" by Blue Mercedes.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

I actually have the 45 of that buried in a drawer somewhere. I loved it in 7th grade. It's certainly not the worst song to emerge from that decade.

The most dated, cheesy 80s song I can think of is Big Money by Rush.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

Professing a fondness for Red Box is surely the Hipster Wind Up in excelsis Tom, you rascal.

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

Any love for the birdie song?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

hayzee fantayzee "john wayne is big leggy",

.. is the only record where you could swap the word "Trousers" in and not make it funnier.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:33 (nineteen years ago)

or Agadoo?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

xpost Weren't Red Box discovered by John Peel?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:34 (nineteen years ago)

Don't know about Peel but they were on Cherry Red early on.

― Venga (Venga), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:36 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah Level 42, that'll do me.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:37 (nineteen years ago)

THE stupidest, most stereotypically 80's piece of fluff ever known to humankind = Nick Begg's haircut, surely?

http://www.globalbass.com/archives/apr2001/nickface.jpg

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:37 (nineteen years ago)

Someone get a Limahl pic up please.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

Actually how about
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp100/p166/p16648sr1s8.jpg

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:39 (nineteen years ago)

No way - Nick had the mullet, the perm, the dreads, the beads, the lot. All at once.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

No wind-up! When Marcello did his assassination of 1985 his demolition of Red Box's "Lean On Me (Ah-Li-Yo)" (CALL IT BY ITS NAME) was the thing that hurt the most!

I have played them at Poptimism, mostly to growls and mutters.

I even hunted out the Cherry Red stuff on the interweb, it wasn't very good.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:40 (nineteen years ago)

'Love And Pride' is good fun. 'Alone Without You' is worse.

'Livin It Up' by L42 is brilliant. Is it this song that Dj Yoda samples on 'Wheels'? sounds so much like it. fantastic.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:41 (nineteen years ago)

Actually this deserves its own thread

The 1980s Pop worst hairstyles thread

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 12:41 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.swr3.de/__pix/cover/500x435/1469.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:03 (nineteen years ago)

I have played them at Poptimism, mostly to growls and mutters.
I even hunted out the Cherry Red stuff on the interweb, it wasn't very good.
-- Tom (freakytrigge...) (webmail), Today 1:40 PM. (later) (link)

Yeah, the cherry red thingy was the unsweetened muesli of their style. Add sugar, more berries, and hey presto.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't think it was too far away from much more 'credible' Tin Drum era Japan.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 5 September 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

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