La musica si muove appena: The ILM ITALO Poll (Results Thread)

I've seen Bagarre catalogued as italo-disco everywhere but no idea.

yessss Feel the Drive

My bad! I recognize a lot of the images and they didn't look altered. Can't wait to see further archives from where you're pulling this stuff, it's all fantastic. Kind of need to know what font that is too, the serifs on the 7s make my toes curl.

it's mostly true! i just did some gradient overlays here and there so the white text could pop

i can't look atm but i'm 99% sure it's a font called "Lemon Milk". i'm a little disappointed that i didn't notice the obnoxious way that V's and W's don't snuggle up nice and close with A's until i was almost done with all the images. (is there a term for that?)

Bagarre is more of a beardo/proto-Balearic sound iirc? Not robotic enough for me...

Just had a look back at my ballot and there are 10 songs where I'll be surprised if they don't make it.

http://i.imgur.com/P6Swk6t.jpg

12 EASY GOING "Fear" [226 points, 7 votes, 2 first place votes]
http://youtu.be/Iq5F1sQkImM

9 actually, the 10th I really really want to make it but suspect it isn't as popular as another by the same artist Xp

This one I'm not crazy about tbh.

i'm a little disappointed that i didn't notice the obnoxious way that V's and W's don't snuggle up nice and close with A's until i was almost done with all the images. (is there a term for that?)

I believe that term is 'Kerning' – unless you are referring to your dismay, in which case the term is 'Designer OCD'. :D

lol thank u

xpost im familiar with that song, moka! its great indeed. If Righeira are two guys from Turin, why are they singing in Spanish though?

― tayto fan (Michael B)

The lyrics were actually written by La Bionda and Carmelo not by Righeira, but they're also Italian so no idea why the Spanish. The thing I love about those two lyrics is how fun and dumb they appear at first listen but Vamos A La Playa is actually about nuclear destruction and No Tengo Dinero is about post-war class struggle in Italy. The chorus become some sort of ironic joke when you read the verses.

Here's my translation of both:

VAMOS A LA PLAYA

(CHORUS:)
Let's go to the beach oh o-o-o-oh (x6)

The bomb has exploded
Radiation is roasting
and painting everything blue

Let's go to the beach

Everyone with hats on
the radioactive winds
were messing up our hair

Let's go to the beach
the sea is clean at last
no more rotten fish
but the water is still fluorescent

Let's go to the beach

NO TENGO DINERO

I have no money oh
I have no money no no no no

The modern rich are living in here
in the highest place in my city
Nurturing themselves with images and relax
I wish I was there

I have no money oh

The new italians are creating in here
fearless enthusiasts of ferocious speed
Neo-psychic is the syntactic eden
I'd rather be somewhere else

I have no money

(the final part is sort of broken spanish and all the lyrics I've seen make no sense but here's what I think they meant:)

Neo-psychic
Kissed by goddess you are
Homeland of those who believe

Neo-psychic

Simonetti has a great discography between his various disco projects and Goblin. My vote was for Crazy Gang - Every Sunday... which might still have a chance? Also check out Easy Going - Gay Time Latin Lover for a laugh!

Amazing song. So happy it made it.

xpost Righeira = the Scritti Politti of Italo!

Oh, thank fuck! My #1.

the Fear album cover is one of my favorites ever

Also, WTF, I had no idea about the nuclear aspect of 'Vamos a la Playa'! Going on my nuclear playlist ASAP.

the /Fear/ album cover is one of my favorites ever

OTM

There are quite a few other examples of Italo in Spanish, or at least with some bits in Spanish. Some of them by French acts as well like Magazine 60 and Bandolero.

My own theory is that Spanish as a language was considered 'cool' in '80s Europe. But I really have nothing to back that up.

I like how a track called "Dirty Talk" has no talking in it.

There was a vocal version on the A-side of the UK release. This version doesn't have the introductory giggle, but it's close enough: http://youtu.be/b8crkDgEwGE

had no idea about the lyrics for Vamos a la Playa! I should have voted it higher...

last one for today:

http://i.imgur.com/ObsVpt4.jpg

11 LAURA BRANIGAN "Self Control" [229 points, 7 votes]
http://youtu.be/p8-pP4VboBk

TOO LOW

I wonder what the vote-splitting impact was? (And if Raf is still to come - I doubt it, but you never know)

TOO LOW seconded!

RAF campioni

Thanks for taking over, gr8080.

oh-oh-OH

DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

oh-OH-oh

DURRRRNNNNNNNNNNNN

TOP 10 TOMORROW!

Yeah, I voted RAF on this occasion.

But in mid-84, the Laura B version WAS MY LIFE.

i like the rapping bit on the RAF version but i first heard and loved LB's

Is Laura Branigan the first US artist from the list so far?

My band covered the song this Xmas. It was a bit more ramshackle than either of the other versions, but it was FUN.

There was a period where Laura B had the German #1 while RAF had the German #2. They loved that song in Germany.

i sang it the first time i karaoke'd with LA ILXors

ooooh... I voted for the Raf version. I heard Laura Branigan's first but everything about the Raf version is sonic catnip for me

(Same thing happened a few months earlier, with Nino De Angelo "Jenseits Von Eden" (#1) and its English-language counterpart, Masquerade "Guardian Angel" (#2). Nino De Angelo and Laura Branigan eventually became Germany's two best-selling singles of 1984.)

There was a period where Laura B had the German #1 while RAF had the German #2. They loved that song in Germany.

― mike t-diva, Wednesday, February 11, 2015 6:40 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dying @ this

wow, can't believe how low this is.

Only song left on my ballot that I'm confident will show up is Baltimora. As for the rest, è un mistero.

Feel like Mr Flagio's "Take A Chance" is a sure bet but who knows really

pumped that RAF will triumph!!!

p sure "problemes d'amour" will be in the top 10.

take a chance, spacer woman, tarzan boy and problemes seem like locks to me. less certain: happy station? take me to the top? challenger?

Minus Tarzan boy, that's pretty much my ballot!

happy station definitely

feel like anyone over 30 would get a proustian rush from the opening synth on this track wether they knew what italo was or not

― gr8080

This is OTM. The fade-up is essentially as close as it gets for me musically to the suggestion of synaesthesia, that synth tone emerges and it's like I can smell the neon tinted steam. Love this track so hard, and the b-side instrumental isn't just the backing track either, there's this new other texture that comes in during the last two minutes that sounds like helicopter rotor blades cutting through congealed soda pop. VWACKA VWACKA VWACKA VWACKA

Favorite new discovery is Ryan Paris, where has this track been my whole life? Gorgeous melody.

4/20 placed so far, sure to rack up another 3 tomorrow at least, more depending if you all dig the transcendentally silly Hypnotic Tango as much as I do.