Feature Response: Focus Group V

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It's here! Thanks to Mike for all his (very) hard work. Over to you for feedback!

― Tom, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think we're going to have to simplify things for the sixth one, or make it yearly.

― Tom, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know, that guitar in the Janet Jackson song, I think, is from America.

― David Raposa, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It is. The one thing I'm thinking after reading the results is DAMMIT I should have sent in a ballot!!!!!!!!! Some songs needed to patented DJP boost ("Fallin'", "Someone To Call My Lover", "It's Been Awhile").

― Dan Perry, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Good readin'--I'm gonna save it for work and devour at my leisure. Kudos M. Daddino, Tom et al.

― adam, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mike and Tom ist rad. If you will.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I expected a better fate for Blu. Does 6.66 mean Jay-Z is one smooth Lucifer? The top three are all robot pop.

― bnw, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'll note here what I noted over on ILE: (a) the front-page link has a typo in it (can Tom fix it? yes he ...), and (b) excellent editing on Michael's part.

― Nitsuh, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My Streets review was posted as the Strokes review but it makes more sense this way!

― Ian, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm happy 'Romeo' (won).

― tyler, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm very surprised at how low "We Need A Resolution is. I know it's not low, but...

I guess that's what people are always complaining about with "lists".
(Not that anyone's complaing, as it's wonderful.)

― Keiko, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My Streets review was posted as the Strokes review but it makes more sense this way!

Unfortunately, there's also a comment about MJ's "You Rock My World" in the middle of the "Area Codes" page, and it makes not sense whatsoever. Sigh.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blink should have been higher. The Daft Punk is better than The Basement Jaxx.

― JM, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Don't anyone thank me - I wasnt involved except in a vague editorial way. Steve Hewitt and Fred Solinger picked the tracks with the help of ILx, Emma and Pete hosted the London group, and Mike did the absolute lion's share of the work of organising and editing the comments.

― Tom, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I know this easily complicates matters some, but you know what I'd like to see? Some kind of Freaky Trigger Forward Into The Past Focus Group, where 40 singles from some long-past year or Jan-Jun/Jul-Dec interval could be rated and critiqued. Can our respondents say anything interesting about ol chestnuts like "Respect" or "Holidays in the Sun" or "When Doves Cry" ? I think it's worth investigating.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, and I don't think I'd mind (much) another round of the Focus group in a few months. Just as long as nobody expects me to redesign the site. And I want MORE people to participate and MORE people to include write-ins -- they were distressingly scant this time.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i worked my ass off and alot of my wisdom is on the cutting room floor.

― anthony, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wouldn't mind seeing it more often!

And I love the grafix, Mike.

― JM, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know, that guitar in the Janet Jackson song, I think, is from America.

It's from 'Ventura Highway'

― JM, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think it's worth investigating.

I was thinking about this very thing, actually. It'd be fun!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, another glitch -- Tom's "Romeo" review is in the "Digital Love" section.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tom's just been sent some replacement files. I'm keeping the Streets/Strokes mix-up, though -- very serendipitous. Do inform me of some others.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Excellent job, Mike & Others Involved. I shouldn't be surprised that most of the comments printed were of the snarky variety (though I am a bit sad that I AM as sarcastic & bitter as folks say I am).

But, yeah, count me in for more Focus Groop shenanigans!

― Daver, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that made me sound lioke a copy grubber, forgive me . good job et. al

― anthony, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm sorry for not participating, Michael. I really have no excuse other than laziness.

― Andy K, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If we do a Flashback Focus Group (is there a better term ?), we should tackle a period/year with relatively few classik vibes and a lot of redeemable trash. 1979 immediately comes to mind. Check this out, too.

Sorry about the use of your comments, ae. I was picking them out on a perfectly impulsive basis, not really trying to think in terms of equal representation. Actually, I thought people might've complained that I normalized punctuation and added a dropped word or two. (I drop words ALL THE TIME in my writing.) Hopefully it's not unrecognizable. I do believe ae's got two lead quotes.

― Michael Daddino, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

you should do 97, that was a great fucking year.

― ethan, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Relatively few classik vibes" eh? If we do 1979's top singles I see ten or more singles that I'm giving a 10 to. (This is a great idea, by the way.)

― Ian, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can't quite figure out why my name links to Pitchforkmedia on the contributors page. I don't write for them. I'd prefer that it link to my blog, quicksilver shapeshifter.

― Melissa W, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm rather pleased that I gave the winning song, the lowest mark. Rogue Agent!

But, I must go and read it all properly now!

Another focus group in a couple of months would be great!

― jel --, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well here's an idea - do both. I can edit the sixth focus group proper at the usual time (I selfishly want to edit one again ;)) and then Mike can do a 1979 (or whichever year) Summer special in focus group format...?

― Tom, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Finally found my frikking notes. Controversy figures on Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, and Afroman would have gone WAY up.

― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Secrets of the Focus Group: Blu Cantrell's score suffered from being directly after Basement Jaxx in the live London focus group, so everyone had got all excited and doled out tens and then Blu was a bit of a comedown.

Focus Group Fact: Basement Jaxx is the first British single to top a focus group, and the first non hip-hop/R&B. (Previous Winners - "My Name Is", "The Thong Song", "B.O.B", "Get Ur Freak On"). This focus group is pretty astonishing because the top five singles were ALL European! (I am amazed Pulp did so well).

― Tom, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

WHATS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT ROOTY?

― anthony, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

When did the live London focus group take place?

More importantly, why are O-Town ranked so poorly?

― jel --, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sometime in November. The live Focus Group is the purest form of focus grouping and next time I can burn the songs onto a CD and other londoners can host their own!

― Tom, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i missed out on the live focus group, but i'm crap at staying my ground in a social situation like that where people are being vociferous. When I see the gems written by contributors, it makes me feel a wee bit guilty cos I didn't put a great deal of effort into my comments. it was a bit last minute, and there were too few songs that i really liked. The songs I got enthusiastic about in that period just weren't in there. (I want my Supermen Lovers!!!)

― Alan T, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hey, my comment on 'Digital Love' is on top. I can now die a happy man. :)

― Omar, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I found the fact that both Tom and Ned posted all caps HA HA HAs in their O-Town reviews slightly sinister and unnerving.

Otherwise it was very enjoyable and fun, and made me wish I had had the time to contribute.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I didnt review O-Town!

Which leads me to secrets of the focus group ii: The live focus group didn't bother with 6 or 7 of the tracks because they were too boring and had only been hits in America. This included Blink 182, a bit of a shame since it is a good song and should have been higher. It also included O-Town, a good thing since it's drab.

― Tom, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oops, sorry it was N'Sync. To confuse the two is a gross insult to O- town.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

made me wish I had had the time to contribute

Huh? *checks contributors list* D'oh! I thought *you* were NW! And oddly enough, I thought most of Nanette's answers could easily have been yours down to getting revenge on a useless ex.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That was the sad thing, Ned. On one of the first song reviews by Nanette I thought "I don't remember contributing!" because of the initials and because what Nanette had to say about the song was pretty close to what I thought about it.

Proof positive that too much stress makes you a Memento-style memory- addled airhead.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mike: you dropped my write in (Maxwell's "Lifetime").

Anyway, excellent work allround and I am indeed shocked by the aaliyah/blink shockah!

The redesign is suweeet too.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You had a really excellent quote for the Eve single, Sterl.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Proof positive that too much stress makes you a Memento-style memory- addled airhead.

Ah, nonsense. Merely that you had a cosmic twin of your own keeping up the side. Dan wants to say that about me, except he actually likes that Staind song, the poor lad.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

look how much we hated Gwen before she released that song about anal sex!

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i still think she needs to pull her damn pants up.

― jess, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blu Cantrell's mediocre score is a travesty. I am resigning from ILM in protest.

― N., Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Digital Love - "Not their best. 10 (PB)"

One day all reviews will be written this way.

― Mike Ratford, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blu Cantrell's mediocre score is a travesty.

Needs editing.

"Blu Cantrell is a mediocre travesty."

Success!

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Damn! Three pull quotes! I guess my bribe worked!

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 6 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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