Nominations For Focus Group IV

Missy Elliot - Get Your Freak On
Emma Bunton - What Took You So Long?
Ludacris - Southern Hospitality
Outkast - Ms. Jackson
Crazy Town - Butterfly
Shaggy - It Wasn't Me
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Olivia - Bizounce
Atomic Kitten - Whole Again
Christina, Mya, Pink, Kim - Lady Marmalade
Backstreet Boys - The Call
Destiny's Child - Survivor
Dido - Thank You
Joe featuring Mystikal - Stutter
Mystikal - Danger
Eden's Crush - Get Over Yourself
Hear'Say - Pure And Simple
Aerosmith - Jaded
Madonna - What It Feels Like For A Girl
Janet Jackson - All For You
The Offspring - Want You Bad
Tweenies - Best Friends Forever
Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird
Westlife - Uptown Girl
City High - What Would You Do?

That ought to do for a start...

pretty thorough, dan. i'll also add daft punk's "aerodynamic," the manics' "so why so sad/found that soul," basement jaxx's "romeo," stereophonics' "mr. writer," and possibly air's "radio #1."

Okay, Aerosmith's Jaded is a complete and utter no - I mean, Tom did say "critical/commercial/aesthetic impact" - which of those does it fall under, Dan? :) Otherwise, good list. And if Tom doesn't put in So Why So Sad/Found That Soul so I can have a brain hemmorage destroying one while propping the other, I will force him to wear kitty cat ears when I meet him, and take pictures.

Other songs to consider: Nelly's Ride Wit Me (BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN IN MY HEAD FOR TWO WEEK'S STRAIGHT), Britney Spears's Stronger (which doesn't appear to be in the other focus groups, apologies if I missed it), KCi & JoJo's Crazy, Play or Love Don't Cost a Thing by Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz's Again, Moby & Gwen Stefani's South Side.

The big question if we put "Jaded" by Aerosmith and "Again" by Kravitz in is how many really grindingly obvious jokes each would inspire (see new thread).

The Air and Basement Jaxx singles don't fit the criteria I think.

Absolute veto to *both* MSP tracks. "So Why So Sad" is enough surely.

The only ones I can think to add right now are:

Eve - Who's That Girl Ja Rule - Put It On Me (expressly for Tom) Orbital - Funny Break

well, they both have two weeks to fit the criteria. unless the criteria is: tom: "i haven't heard it so it's not going in, nyeah!" ;)

madonna: "don't tell me" or "what it feels like for a girl"? the first was the bigger hit, but the latter had the controversy! but are videos meant to be considered more than the actual song in the focus group?

s club 7: was "never had a dream come true" as big in the uk as it is currently here? i'd guess yes.

i'd include both manics singles, not as separate entities though. i mean, wasn't that the whole point of the release? if you're not going to have both, you might as well not include either of them.

and will britney suffer for having been in, i think, every focus group to date?

oh, and i hasten to throw in: o-town, "liquid dreams." YES.

After all the complaints we got for S Club last time!

AFAIK neither the Air or the BJ single are released in the next two weeks. Might be wrong though.

It's not me organising the group this time anyway so both manics singles could come in if Mystery Organiser X wants them. The thought of making people sit through "Found That Soul" is too horrible for me to contemplate though.

Re: Aerosmith - "Jaded"

You really don't think that Aerosmith making a record which is a bizzare fusion of Siouxsie B-side goth and straight-forward bluesy rock and having it hit the top 10 isn't an aesthetic impact? Plus, I'd love to see it talked about by the usual bunch of drunks.

Also, I meant to list Nelly's "Ride Wit Me". I don't know what happened to it.

oh, hey, "stan." tom didn't want to put it in the last focus group because it wasn't officially released at the time. so has it run its course, as i'd predicted way back when, or should it still be included in the focus group?

didn't "he loves u not" come out in the time period?

dan: siouxsie b-side goth? "jaded?"

Disconnect from the singing for a second and listen to the drums and bass. It has a very similar sonic quality to "Mitageisen" or The Cure's "The Figurehead".

J. Lo -- Play (this must be in) Josie and the Pussycats -- three small words 3LW -- No More (I will cry if this doesn't go in) Jay-Z -- I Just Wanna Love U Pink -- You Make Me Sick Eminem -- one single. Any single.

JOSIE JOSIE JOSIE JOSIE!

Anyhow, Mr. Ewing, what was said earlier: not putting it as So Why So Sad/Found That Soul is asinine. See: your own top 150, Revol/PCP.

So there :P

Total definite must-haves: Outkast - Ms Jackson
Crazy Town - Butterfly
Shaggy - It Wasn't Me
Destiny's Child - Survivor
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
Daft Punk - One More Time
Eminem - Stan
Hear'Say - Pure And Simple
Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It
Stuff I'd like to see: Atomic Kitten, Dream, Missy Elliot, Avalanches, a Manics single, Dido, Lil Bow Wow. Some token dance records. I think we've had enough Britney and Madonna, particularly with 2nd/3rd singles off albums.

2 tracks to add

Skint records The next single from Xpress 2, MuzikizuM, will be released on the 16th April. It's the follow-up to the huge "AC/DC" single which was one of the biggest selling vinyl only releases in 2000. The boys are also currently in the studio working on their debut album

Xpress 2 - MuzikizuM - best dance single of 2001

Have you heard it yet?

energy, intoxication, tribal rhythms, piano riffs, techno synths snippets, basslines, breakbeats.

Fatboy Slim is back with the third single from 'Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars.' Released on April 23rd 'Star 69' features Roland Clarke on vocals and lots of expletives

Oh, and while we're here we might as well mention that Radio 1 championed 'MuzikizuM' and 'Star 69' as THE tunes of the Miami Music Conference. Not that we're showing off or anything.

Both of these Skint singles should be included.

tribal rhythms, eh? sounds like killing joke.

Wheatus: Teenage Dirtbag

Which I burst into tears in the middle of, during the UK Top 40 Countdown two weeks back: Aesthetic Impact, or mere early warning of major psychotic episode? Perhaps maybe this story deserves its own thread, tho...

"Teenage Dirtbag" was in last time and the mauling it got is one of the things I regret about the last f.group. Mea culpa, partially. Ah well.

How about some token rock records? Lessee, Buckcherry - "Ridin", The Gossip - "Dressed In Black", Mudvayne - "Dig", The White Stripes - "Jolene", Carnival in Coal - "Baker Street", Godsmack - "Awake"...you'd better put that Nelly song in there cause I want to give something a 10.

Howabout some 2-step? Piano Loco by Luck & Neat, or Why, by Misteeq, or... back to rap. OOCHIE WALLY by QB's Finest. We Don't Talk, by Jon B. Also, for sure, I'll Fly With You by Gi Gi D'Agostino, which should really represent for house.

Limp Bizkit: My Way

Fatboy Slim: That song where Chris Walken dances.

Second the motion for the Gwen vers. of South Side

De La Soul: It Ain't All Good.

"The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich"

If the D-Plan get in, at least then we'll all have a shot at out- curmudgeoning Josh.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Beenie Man & Mya - "Girls Dem Sugar", Memphis Bleek - "Is That Your Bitch", and Weezer - "Hash Pipe". I think it's a shame that as far as I can remember no nu-country has gotten in the Focus Groups, especially considering how pop it all is. My obvious nomination would be SheDaisy - "Lucky 4 You". I'd also like to see some token rock - "Bartender" by Hed Planet Earth would be good.

Jon B., "Don't Talk"; Spoon, "Everything Hits At Once"(Yeah, I know, 'indie'... great song though.) And there's no doubt about 3LW, man. That's a gimme.

"...Gets Rich" was released as a single a while back, wasn't it? Does being re-released on the EP qualify?

Whatever, Otis. You're the one that was so big on Wheatus last time around, right?

Touche, I guess, though at least I listened all the way through your Dismemberment Plan track. But I'm just saying that even though I almost like (!) "The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich," it would still get trashed in the Focus Group because it sounds almost as retarded as a Wheatus song (props for the referee whistle and "oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus).

Another vote to Beenie Man. I'd say no to Moby and Gwen only because I've been spared it so far.

My guess is that the D-Plan don't qualify.

Yes to token rock and garage records. Are Buckcherry big there?

Ricky And Christina? It's shit, but it's a hit.

Can I add my vote for Misteeq's "Why"? And Joy Enriquez's "Tell Me How You Feel" as well.

Lloyd Cole's 'That Boy' came out as a 45 in 1998. At least, that was what we were told. But no-one ever saw a copy. Then (having appeared on The Collection) it came out on his last LP around Xmas. It is possibly my favourite 45 of the last 3 years, though I may be forgetting something. I reckon that it should be allowed in to the discussion as an honorary 45, having not made it as a 45 first time round.

Failing that (and that will fail), I will be holding a Focus Group on Lloyd Cole's 'That Boy' on the 3rd of May this year. The usual location. Alcohol, coffee or whatever may be involved. We may have to listen to the song a few times in a row to get into it properly, and remind ourselves of the nuances.

In the event of non-attendance by other ILM members, I shall conduct the Focus Group alone by discussing the track with myself for 3 hours, probably while drinking the aforementioned alcohol.

Provided Missy Elliott's getting her freak on I don't mind what else is there...

'overload' sugababes, 'the way you make me feel' steps, 'spaced invader' hatiras, 'gravel pit' wu-tang clan, 'oh no' so solid crew.

Oh my God yes! Sugababes!!

Wu-Tang too, how could I forget? "I Can't Go To Sleep" isn't out here yet is it.

Again throwing my weight behind previous nominations: Sugababes, De La Soul ("All Good?" is a MUST!), So Solid Crew. And please please please *please* let's have Sticky featuring Lady Dynamite - Boo!

Yes to the S-Babes - but Overload doesn't qualify - wrong time period. Yes to 2-Step - Piano Loco merely to see if the rest of the world finds it as dull as I do. Mis-teeq Why definately. Jaded - songs to be rude about. Though I guess that's whay the Gorillaz record will be for. As long as I get to do the Rollin' dance that we learnt off of CD-UK I don't care.

And am I the only one to notice that Tom thinks April has 31 days?

u2 -- "beautiful day"

How do you know he didn't start at 2, Pete?

Hash Pipe. You must.

a touch of class -- "around the world"

ATC's single has been, as far as I know, all over the euro-pop charts for over a year. But it sure belongs on a focus group.

Belated mention, but it is *essential*:

Ludacris - Southern Hospitality

That is all.

"Oh No" by Mos Def, Nate Dog, and PhaROH. Also essential.

Seconded for the above two.

The list's been finished, I believe. You'll all have to wait and see (not least wait and see if you get a ballot, though I'm sure you will if you ask!)

since i've wondered this very thing -- "is tom taking names? how will i get a ballot? will i just get one because i'm ME? do i have to ask? TELL ME!" -- i'm asking for a ballot, tom. ;)

Not up to me, Fred ;) AS WELL YOU KNOW.

Is Ned editing it this time?

Needless to say I'm enthusiastic to take part, as ever.

Tim, glance at the third song on my list, WAAAAAAY up at the top of this topic. :)