Music World Cup

Oh, and Brazilian music tends to be under-appreciated in the insular English speaking world. It's far more significant and influencial in France, Germany, Japan etc.

England would win the Music World Cup. It wouldn't even be close.

England wouldn't be as much of a walkover on the US as you'd think, I bet.

Hey! Who says it's gonna be a UK / US final?

Let's make things more interesting. England / Scotland / Wales are all separate teams.

this is going to be one of the best threads ever! We should do historical ones too! USA or UK in '78? hmmm?

I'm going to start a band called Disco Goalie

Ah, is it judged on the best music from that country, or the overall musical quality? Because the latter would definitely see England out in the second stage.

Great thing about this thread: Wales go out in the qualifiers.

I know one thing, Germany wouldn't get to the final.

Oh shit! forgot, Boney M.(and the whole of the Frank farian Canon) Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, Amon Duul, Faust and others.

I wanna take part in this world cup cos I think it could be a brilliant thread but how are we gonna agree?

We should agree on a final 16 countries and take it from there.

Any suggestions? I would say that definites are: England, U.S.A. Jamaica, Germany (I eat my words) Italy, Scotland, France, Brazil, Australia, Wales (but only because I know in advance that I will be shouted down)and Sweden (even though their striker is their only world class player)

Someone should just arbitrarily pick a time frame or at least a starting year. I mean, if you take things before 1900 into account Germany and Italy would get giant bumps up, but then that's only because no one was making much of a historical record of what was happened outside of the western world. I'd suggest either 1900- present, 1955-present, or 1980-present. Also I'd suggest specifying "pop music," meaning not necessarily "pop" but things in the really broad-sense "popular song" form.

Don't forget India or South Africa. (Or Ethiopia, though I'm biased here.)

Kenya, South Africa and Brazil are all at least as strong as the US and England for many years. So--are we going to do a song per country per year for the last X amount of years? [rubbing hands together greedily] lists! lists! Michael gets to make more lists!

ack. should've read Nabisco more closely. Yeah, I think that year- division should work OK. Anyone else?

My impression is that Brazil feels somewhat isolated in South America. Because of the language barrier between it and its closest neighbors, it is sometimes left out of (Spanish speaking) South America's image of South America. I'm not sure Brazil is really so visible in the Western hemisphere, musically, that it looms over the rest of South America.

I kind of think one reason for Brazil's popularity among American and European musical gourmets (I don't mean this to sound too cynical, since I fit that description myself sometimes) is that many of its artists have self-consciously embraced international avant-garde movements and perspectives.

Does France really deserve to be on this list?

My nominees: definitely Egypt, though not based on the current scene; probably Lebanon; Cuba (I'm not that big a fan of Cuban music, but it's been very fruitful and diverse, and laying the basis for much that spread across the Spanish speaking New World); Puerto Rico (hasta la muerte); Indonesia, certainly; Morocco; Algeria.

I am pretty ignorant of large chunks of the world: China, most of Africa, Scandinavia, Australia. . .

I listen to Colombian music more than I listen to Brazilian music, but I guess I have to agree that Brazil's achievement is more impressive. I guess.

It's pretty problematic, though, as someone else pointed out, without defining how we are supposed to be judging the countries.

If the two Cumbia Cumbia compilations I've heard are any indication, then YES Colombia is every bit as worthy as any of its neighbors. Good call

Oh, now we get ground rules, after I've already spent time (between work) writing my contribution. How could I have forgotten India?

I like 1900 as a starting date, but limiting it to song oriented music makes me less certain about, say, Indonesia (though it will work just fine for any Arabic nominees).

Actually I wasn't going to recommend Colombia. On the other hand, the absence of Colombian salsa dura industry would be a real loss for salsa clubs. I often don't know the names of the bands involved but much of the most driving salsa I hear when I am out dancing sounds Colombian. (I like the smooth PR stuff too though, maybe more when it's at it's best.) If you like cumbia, check out Carlos Vives' vallenato recordings (the song "Fruta Fresca" for example).

M. Matos, also, if you think you like Colombian music, check out Joe Arroyo for his salsa and other conconctions. (He seems to like to invent new categories.) One of my favorite salsa singers, backed up by a very tight band. His "Grandes Exitos v.1" is a good collection.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002R13S/qid=1025047990/sr=2- 3/ref=sr_2_3/103-6997246-9528638

Did I kill the thread?

I need to say. for like the whole 90s. Argentina and Mexico kicked Brasilian's asses really hard. Of course it need to be specified if classical music gets in because then the UK wouldnt satnd a fucking chance (Purcell and...) to Germany.

I know one thing: Canada would be fucking destroyed in the first round. Yes they have Neil Young and Kid Koala. They also have Loverboy and Rush and Nickelback and Barenaked Ladies and STOP THE HURTING.

What kind of music is being made in Argentina, outside of tango, these days? I know nothing about it, I'm afraid. (Mexico is kind of a blank for me too, but there simply has to be a fair amount of good music being made there consider the size of the population and the energy of the place.)

lots of techno, lots of fusion ie illya kuriaki & the valderramas, interesting mixtures of trad arg country folk with punk ie los piojos, + the always intriguing charly garcia and fito paez are still flittering around with mercedes sosa

Typically, the African nations are being seriously underrated here. South Africa, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Zaire and Mali are all strong. A couple of quarter finalists, I would think. Australia would have the occasional good run. India makes huge amounts of music, even if it is largely ignored elsewhere. China has a long and strong tradition, even if etc.

Geoff, i was always intigued by other latin countires dance scene, it was like not even there. Expleain pleez.

Los Piojos and Charly Garcia suck very very hard

Not being up with techno/dance I can't say huge htings - I juest remeber lots of remixes, lots of B As DJ's pumping out the weirdest shit that would mix the chorus of a chacarera into a huge thumping house beat...

And the fucking cumbia...long haired asswanks with a casio

lots of fusion ie illya kuriaki & the valderramas, interesting mixtures of trad arg country folk with punk ie los piojos, + the always intriguing charly garcia and fito paez are still flittering around with mercedes sosa
No, you're wrong. Bad rapping, yob-rock and ultra-conservative- wankers are not interesting, not even intriguing.

And the fucking cumbia...long haired asswanks with a casio
Now you're right
lots of remixes, lots of B As DJ's pumping out the weirdest shit that would mix the chorus of a chacarera into a huge thumping house beat
that must be dr. trincado. nice bloke.