Still, no matter I’ll listen via ‘phone and enjoy it that way. Several days in and I’m hearing many of the ‘big’ ’80s hits, a few songs that I couldn’t quite place which was fun and the odd one which was quite obscure and probably a minor hit for a one-hit-wonder type band. A few weeks in and I’m hearing the same selection of big ’80s hits. Then other big hits by those same artists. I’m beginning to think that Absolute ’80s only plays the same 20 records pretty much in constant rotation with the occasional obscure one thrown in just to make it seem like they’re covering the whole of the ’80s. Which they’re not. There are plenty of massive ’80s songs which I’ve never heard nor even other ’80s songs by those same artists.
Back in the ’80s there was a practice called “hyping” which was exposed and frowned upon at the time. It worked like this. In any given week, 100s of new singles would be released by artists big and small, on record labels ranging from the big boys (EMI, MCA, CBS, Polydor, Warner, etc) to the small independents like Rough Trade, Beggars Banquet, 4AD, etc. The big labels employed cunts with expense accounts who would schmooze radio show producers with expensive meals, vacations, expensive gifts, even money in return for them programming their label’s artists’ singles into their radio shows. I clearly remember a Radio 1 DJ announcing they were playing Madonna’s True Blue single FOUR weeks before it was even released! Surprise surprise – huge hit when it finally hit the charts!
I suspect the labels of the big ’80s hits are at it again and greasing the wheels so cunts like Absolute ’80s play their stuff over and over again. Given the sheer volume of music which was released in that decade by such a diverse range of artists, it cannot be coincidence I keep hearing the same fucking songs by Lionel Richie, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, The Police and Culture Club. All cunts.
Nominated by: Imitation Yank
