#soon! Part Un - The 60s-00s Girl Band Debut Breakthrough Rate

He/Him
I think it's time for a.......


TOP 15 Recap!!!

60s
The Shirelles – Will You Love Me Tomorrow
The Ronettes - Be My Baby
Martha & The Vandellas - Heatwave


'70s
The Nolans – I’m In The Mood For Dancing
Baccara - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie
The Emotions – Best Of My Love


'80s
The Bangles - Manic Monday
Salt-N-Pepa - Push It


'90s
Wilson Phillips - Hold On
Spice Girls - Wannabe
All Saints - I Know Where It's At


'00s
Sugababes - Overload
Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground
t.A.T.u. - All The Things She Said
The Saturdays - If This Is Love


I certainly have a top 10 in mind with the tracks left but do you?

Tell us your dream list before the next elimination!

What do you also expect are the next 5 casualties before we get to the top 10?

Who do you think will win ??

I will try and have the normal amount of eliminations this weekend but if you have been following PJ00s, this is due to be a busy weekend so apologies in advance if they are outside the normal time-frames!!

We are getting down to the wire, everyone - the winner will be announced

#soon!

And it's not even an exaggeration!

 
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Hold On better not hold on until top 10 because it should have been out half-way through the rate.
Baccara and The Nolans benefited from not being in the best decade so they should go.
I Won't Love You Tomorrow because I can't remember how it goes.
And it's a no to The Spice Girls.

So by process if elimination, what's left is our top 10.
 
D

Deleted member 26234

These songs should be in the top 10
Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Be My Baby
Heatwave
I'm In the Mood For Dancing
Yes Sir, I Can Boogie
Manic Monday
Hold On
Overload

The rest can go now: The Saturdays, Girls Aloud and All Saints preferably first.
 
He/Him
I have to get to the airport soon so you get this dreadful elimination early!


























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#15

(60s Bronze Medallist)
Martha & The Vandellas – Heatwave
Average Score: 7.812
Highest Score: 10 x 7 (@Remorque, @ohnostalgia, @SuperNerd, @Baby Clyde, @Filippa, @kermit_the_frog, @berserkboi)
Dying From Lack Of Taste: 4.3 x 1 (@saviodxl)

There is no other way to say it – how the f*** did this happen, PopJustice?? How, WHY are Martha & The Vandellas not in the top 3 or the winner here?? There is no reasoning or logical explanation for this! This song is EVERYTHING! How can it not have an average score over 8?? What exactly were you listening to when you scored this?? I am sitting here regretting not giving Heatwave my 11 and although my attachment to my 11 is stronger, I cannot say it is better than Heatwave, just that REDACTED means more to me! This cut is so wrong and unjust – it angers me more than Overload being deemed only 9th best song of the Sugababes’ discography!

Where do you even begin describing how amazing Heatwave is? The voices are admittedly spectacular, sucking you in with Martha’s longing intonation and desperation. The instrumental runs laps around most songs that have been released since with the doo wop call back and forth built on that ‘big band’ orchestration with the jazzy gospel flavours. They don’t make them like this anymore! Heatwave is a moment where everyone involved in a record has hit the jackpot and brought forward their very best work, making the track a timeless classic! Unfortunately in PopJustice – this equals a #15 finish below far weaker numbers! I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since good ol’ Johnny Cash couldn’t even crack the top 30 of the Favourites Rates with Hurt – sometimes my taste just doesn’t align with PopJustice. Eventually (hopefully) I will get over this injustice but for now, let’s look at this flawless record more closely!

Heatwave was written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland group that we all would be familiar with by now since they brought us some other tracks we already eliminated (The Supremes’ one for instance). Heatwave was the second track they collaborated with Martha & The Vandellas for and exemplifies the Motown sound to a fault with the aforementioned instrumentation. Originally called (Love Is Like A) Heatwave, the title was simplified closer to release. Depicting the narrator’s reactions and sentiments towards a love interest, it is such a beautiful and innocent example of how it feels when you first fall in love or have a crush! And the delivery – so heartfelt, true (and relatable)!

Heatwave peaked at #4 in the US charts and I cannot find charting information for it in either tasteless UK or Australia at this time. Heatwave led Martha & The Vandellas to receive their only (wtf??) Grammy Award nomination, making them the first Motown group to receive one and really putting Motown Records on the map. BILLBOARD ranks it #12 of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs Of All Time.

Martha & The Vandellas started out without Martha surprisingly enough! The band that would come to be known as such started out as The Del-Phis with friends Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams performing in local clubs til Martha Reeves joined and eventually moved to lead vocalist duties when Gloria Williams departed in 1962. The band then decided to rename themselves The Vandellas, after a couple of stop-start moments until they were eventually signed to Motown (read up their Wikipedia page for the amazing story!).

The name Martha & The Vandellas came a bit later as Martha was handling most of the lead vocals duties and at the time, the label could charge more for having 'two' acts perform instead of one as the name would imply (we saw this used earlier with Labelle also). After Heatwave’s success, the girls continued to score hit after hit for the label for a few years. Eventually though, infighting (sometimes on stage) and more replacements, with diminishing returns on the band’s sales by the time the 70s rolled in, and their sound becoming out of fashion led to the girls calling it quits in the early 70s, but we will explore more of that in part 2!

Let’s begrudgingly give PopJustice the floor after this horrible cut!

DJHazey (8) mostly has the right idea and score so I won’t come for him yet! - Come on, who isn't getting hooked by the big "HEAT WAVE!" and general boppiness to this one? Unnameable (8) gives credit where it’s due – strong vocals from all of them. DominoDancing (8) also sees the genuine quality (but you three should really have upped your scores!) - Great energy, good groove, cute lyrics.

UntouchableAce (8.9) calls it the right thing but makes me a little sad with not throwing this a 9 or more – Amazing! Speaking of Sister act, this is obviously the best song in this rate from that movie as it is amazing. Empty Shoebox (8) is not such a villain and is charmed just as much as all of us should be for this one - Having whined repeatedly about doo wop style songs, here I am giving one a high mark. Yes, I am a mess, but this song is okay. The lyrics are not terrible, there's a decent simile here. The arrangement's not bad, so yeah, I'll give it this eight. And I won't mention Phil Collins' version. Whoops.

Filippa (10) is the villain of my heart!! <3 <3 <3 - Sisteract! But I like the version of Martha & the Vandellas better. Spillett (8) just has one thing to shout - (Sister Act!). Saviodxl (4.3) gives us a score and commentary that is a crime against humanity, quite frankly! (I will admit your what if situation is interesting)! - After a while, they all start looking and sounding the same. I wonder if people in 2038 will think the same of the girlgroups of the 90s. ComeOnGloria (7) is another to sing the praises of Queen Whoopi! - Another Sister Act Association - this time the first film.

Riiiiiiiii (8.5) has met God!! And yet, not even a 9? Mess! - Last year we had Martha at our hotel and she was this amazing diva. The nice kind of diva though. And ever since Heat Wave is part of our playlist here during the breakfast. Kermit_The_Frog (10) should just be renamed TASTE! - One of the greatest recordings ever made on the Motown label (high praise indeed). Has anybody EVER listened to this song and not wanted to dance? Is that even possible? Just promise never to check out Martha’s Hootenanny rendition on Jools Holland - it will make you feel equal parts sad and awkward… Further Listening: Dancing In The Street. Zar-Unity (6) gives such a punk score for really lovely commentary - Well crafted and well written lyrics. Tech: 4 Taste: 2 = 6 points​






 
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