Mixed Pop Groups & Duos Rate • WINNER ANNOUNCED

[Lost In Japan.]

Oh come on now, ‘Half a Heart’ is better than DJ’! I ended up bumping my score up while I was voting because I had forgotten how much of a bop it was. The chorus and the layered vocals on “torn between what I want and WHAT! I! NEED!”, and Claire’s belting at the end of the middle 8, iconic stuff. It is a bit of a weird one though as it’s so far removed from the singles before and after, and there’s nothing like it on the album either. I know they went back to the drawing board after it flopped, but I’m surprised they didn’t have anything else like it they could have rolled out if it was a smash. Or maybe there was, and it just went unheard.

 

[Doodvid]

So there’s…



…as we reach our:

Top 30!

allSTARS* - Things That Go Bump In The Night
Aqua - Barbie Girl
Aqua - Doctor Jones
Aqua - Turn Back Time
Army Of Lovers - Crucified
ATC - Around The World (La La La La La)
Deuce - Call It Love
Deuce - I Need You
Deuce - On The Bible
H & Claire - All Out Of Love
H & Claire - DJ
Hear'Say - The Way To Your Love
Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
Liberty X - Just A Little
Liberty X - Thinking It Over
Liberty X vs. Richard X - Being Nobody
Pop! - Can't Say Goodbye
Pop! - Heaven And Earth
Pop! - Serious
S Club 8 - Fool No More
S Club 8 - Sundown
S Club Juniors - New Direction
S Club Juniors - One Step Closer
Same Difference - Souled Out
Same Difference - We R One
Same Difference feat. Alcazar - Karma Karma
Scooch - More Than I Needed To Know
Scooch - The Best Is Yet To Come
Vengaboys - Boom Boom Boom Boom
Vengaboys - We're Going To Ibiza

Any predictions? Any goops or gags?

I can guarantee there will definitely be tears before we hit the Top 20. I’ll say no more.

Stick around to find out…



Apologies for the dodgy syntax in that pitiful last attempt to crowbar in a relevant song!

 

[Doodvid]

Oh and we’ll be interspersing the final Top 30 countdown (sob) with the results of the LEGENDS RANKING (just @Remorque to get their order in!) and tenth place of those songs will be coming soon.

A reminder of the contenders:

A*Teens - Upside Down
ABBA - The Winner Takes It All
Ace Of Base - The Sign
Alcazar - Crying At The Discoteque
Buck's Fizz - My Camera Never Lies
Dollar - Mirror Mirror
Five Star - The Slightest Touch
S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
Steps - It's The Way You Make Me Feel
Steps - Scared Of The Dark

Not long now until we find out which of our discography rate icons have snatched:

 

[berserkboi]

Oh and we’ll be interspersing the final Top 30 countdown (sob) with the results of the LEGENDS RANKING (just @Remorque to get their order in!) and tenth place of those songs will be coming soon.

A reminder of the contenders:

A*Teens - Upside Down
ABBA - The Winner Takes It All
Ace Of Base - The Sign
Alcazar - Crying At The Discoteque
Buck's Fizz - My Camera Never LIes
Dollar - Mirror Mirror
Five Star - The Slightest Touch
S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
Steps - It's The Way You Make Me Feel
Steps - Scared Of The Dark

Not long now until we find out which of our discography rate icons have snatched:

Let's see if @Maki can get a ballot in for this portion for you too!! They have done Xtra early after all!

 

[idratherjack]

I fear we are about to have a Same Difference massacre.

 

[Lost In Japan.]

Aqua - Barbie Girl
Army Of Lovers - Crucified
ATC - Around The World (La La La La La)
Deuce - I Need You
Deuce - On The Bible
H & Claire - DJ
Infernal - From Paris To Berlin
Pop! - Serious
Scooch - More Than I Needed To Know
Scooch - The Best Is Yet To Come
Vengaboys - We're Going To Ibiza

Any of these could leave next and I wouldn’t be mad.

 

[MilesAngel]

I think Aqua, Deuce, and Scooch will get their remaining songs into the Top 20.

Love it but 'Crucified' will go soon.

Pop! could stand to lose two before Top 20.

'One Step Closer' and 'We R One' can go soon.

There's one particular song that should have been BUMPED out already.

 

[Hudvar]

Crucified was partially damaged for me when a friend randomly told me he thought they were singing 'I'm pussy face' in affected accents ('poosie fice'). It was funny as hell at the time but I always think of it when it comes on.

 

[MilesAngel]

Oh and we’ll be interspersing the final Top 30 countdown (sob) with the results of the LEGENDS RANKING (just @Remorque to get their order in!) and tenth place of those songs will be coming soon.

A reminder of the contenders:

A*Teens - Upside Down
ABBA - The Winner Takes It All
Ace Of Base - The Sign
Alcazar - Crying At The Discoteque
Buck's Fizz - My Camera Never LIes
Dollar - Mirror Mirror
Five Star - The Slightest Touch
S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
Steps - It's The Way You Make Me Feel
Steps - Scared Of The Dark

Not long now until we find out which of our discography rate icons have snatched:

Looking forward to the start of these results. Did I tank the Steps tracks on purpose to try and get my favourite to the top spot? No comment!

 

[berserkboi]

The winner of the side theme is obvious but I am obviously also rooting for #TeamSheilaBDevotion!

 

[idratherjack]

I can't call who will win the Legends section of the rate, I'm guessing either Steps or ABBA.

 

[Mvnl]

I find Cartoon Heroes such an odd one. Something about the chorus melody is just off for me, it really felt like a let down after all the perfect tunes of their previous era. The production's great though

 

[idratherjack]

I would much rather listen to Cartoon Heroes than Barbie Girl in 2021.

 

[Doodvid]

Scooch - 'When My Baby'

Moan 1
After not being available online for 23 years, the first ever TV performance of 'When My Baby' from the Saturday morning TV show 'Live & Kicking' was unexpectedly uploaded onto YouTube a few weeks ago! My heart indeed "skipped a beat" as I watched Scooch bouncing about frenctically in the studio, like they'd each downed 10 espressos before the track started. It was part of a 'Battle of the Bands' segment vs a group called Glitterbug (no footage of them sadly). They "won" which led to the release of the song.
The moan part is that just after I bookmarked the video for use in this write-up...the channel disappeared. Years worth of painstakingly uploaded very-rare TV pop performances gone in an instant.
@AcerBenII - I need you on the case STAT!

​

The rare early Scooch performance is viewable again!



This Youtube channel must be preserved at all costs…

 

[iheartpoptarts]

I would much rather listen to Cartoon Heroes than Barbie Girl in 2021.

I want them all!

(Except 'Turn Back Time', sorry.)

 

[idratherjack]

I want them all!

(Except 'Turn Back Time', sorry.)

This version only for me!

 

[iheartpoptarts]

This version only for me!

I love you.

 

[Doodvid]

Apologies for the delay. Busy end of the week plus I was emotionally preparing myself for some of the upcoming ejections. WHELP.

Here now though is the first of ten of our special side contest eliminations for the acts that have already had dedicated forum rates…








































“I’ve been looking at you
You’ve been looking at me
And I want you to know
That I like what I see”

LEGEND ELIMINATION!

#10

Dollar - ‘Mirror Mirror’

Dedicated rate:
Dollar UK Singles Rate 1978 - 1988
by @simes1970 (2021)

Our rankings:
#2 @unnameable
#6 @Untouchable Ace @idratherjack @Wezzo
#7 @MilesAngel
#8 @berserkboi @Sprockrooster @DJHazey
#9 @Conan @Hybridcookie
#10 @everyone_else

Notable achievements:
Reached #4 in the UK and #5 in Ireland in 1981
Produced by the legendary Trevor Horn (Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Seal, t.a.t.u, LeAnn Rimes)



The first legend song to be eliminated turned out to actually be the wrong one as anticipated by @Ezz and me! (the Dollar rate was underway as we published our final song-list and this track didn’t win it) Oops. Seems most voters here agree that ‘Mirror Mirror’ just couldn’t stand up to the competition with over 50% ranking it last place of our 10 songs - perhaps it would’ve been a different story had we ranked the actual rate winner, the immense:

Spoiler: Dollar Singles Rate Winner

Dollar - ‘Hand Held In Black & White’

Despite being a consistent presence on the UK charts at the end of the 70s and start of the 80s, Dollar’s output is sadly rather over-looked and under-appreciated nowadays and it’s difficult not to attribute this to the naughties antics of one half of the duo, David Van Day. Seemingly craving constant controversy/publicity, and pursuing a career as a somewhat laughable reality TV villain, Van Day (as mentioned earlier in this rate):​

• caused havoc in Buck’s Fizz
• apparently dumped his girlfriend on live TV
• turned viewers against him on ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!’
• encountered the cringeworthy Andrew Stone on ‘Pineapple Dance Studios’ and gave style advice
• managed to upset poor old PWL star Sonia in an iconic moment on the terrible/amazing 2003 ITV series ‘Reborn In The USA’

A real shame the legacy of Dollar has become slightly tainted since their heyday because co-star Thereza Bazar seems a total sweetheart and the group’s back catalogue holds plenty of hidden gems, especially their 1987/1988 output.



Voters say:

@Hudweiser
David Van Day eww

@Doodvid
Bit too high-pitched/cutesy for me

@berserkboi
The production has some beautiful quirks

Old Popjustice forum says:

​

 

[MilesAngel]

I thought that Dollar and 'Mirror Mirror' would be the first Legend to go. I gave it 11 in the Dollar rate (you were also allowed a 12). But it is the song in the Legends section I knew the least.

EDIT - I gave the Dollar rate winner a 9.

 

[berserkboi]

Also one of the ones I was least familiar with here, not too heartbroken we have lost Mirror Mirror first...