Saturday, October 28, 2006

That uniform you're wearing, so hot I can't stop staring

(Picture credit to Back to Bournio; thanks!)

Boy, do I miss Busted today. I'd gotten some pop-punk recommendations (not a genre I'm really familiar with) and, though some of them might be almost decent, all they really made me think of was how much better practically any Busted song was. Maybe it's because Busted didn't really put such a strong emphasis on the "punk" part--they certainly had that slightly edgy attitude (really only enough to make kids feel slightly defiant by listening to them...they would never have been seen as "hardcore"), but that attitude was never scary or dreary and, more importantly, they devoted themselves to sheer fun and catchiness. Busted just had this knack for incredibly accessible, addictive, extremely fun and catchy songs, backed with guitar hooks to die for, that should have resulted in sweeping success in the U.S. Their songs would be great for air guitar, but they'd be equally as good for hairbrush singing or dancing/bouncing around the room. Where do you even begin to start in choosing their best songs? There's no way I can do that, so here's just a few of Busted's excellent tracks (nothing particularly rare here, but they're all must-hears). (All that said, some people can't stand them, so they don't have universal appeal; I, however, think they were great.)

Air Hostess--let's start with one of the best openings in music--the sound of an airplane, getting closer and closer, and then that guitar kicks in...and then James's shout of "Let's go!" If that doesn't get your adrenaline pumping, you must not be alive. As with just about any of Busted's songs, there's a case to be made that some of the lyrics are juvenile (traditionally, just one line), but when a song is this fun, who cares? Plus, it's even got a cute reference to how the boys, infatuated with a stewardess, can't do anything because "the paparazzi's lurking" and "one photo's worth a hundred grand" (followed by a shout of frustration). As those lyrics might imply, this was a single from their second album, when they were in the thick of their popularity (actually, from the release of their first single to the day they broke up, I don't think they were ever not popular).

Crashed The Wedding--another second album single, this one swaps the airplane effects for sirens and the stewardess for a former girlfriend who's about to marry someone else (so, of course, the boys must "crash the wedding" and steal her back). Yes, there are guitars, but this is so pop! On the one hand, it seems perfectly tailored for maximum fun and catchiness, but on the other hand, there's a sense of spontaneity and realness (not realness in the sense of "oh, this is real music" but that there's actually a perfect matchup of performers and song) about it that I think comes not just from the song itself, but also the Busted boys. These would probably be good songs in anyone's hands, but there's something about the particular combination of James, Matt, and Charlie that seems perfect.

You Said No--the pace isn't about to let up, oh no--Busted did do slower songs, some of them quite good (like "Who's David"), but we're going to go out today with another energy-filled romp. This song is sometimes also known as "Crash And Burn." More trouble with girls--this time, the boys are turned down by a girl they ask to dance. It's even got "nah-nah-na-na"'s that'll have you jumping around in circles and guitar parts that'll make you want to buy a guitar just so you can do those big sweeping strokes across the guitar strings along with them.

You absolutely must own Busted's albums. At the very least, buy their American album, Busted, which is basically a greatest hits or compilation of their two UK albums--it is honestly one of the best purchases you will ever make, especially considering you can usually find it for a couple of dollars. Get it here (physical) or buy their UK albums (which are worth buying for the songs not included on the US album) here (digital).

Next up: a Swedish singer, but the emphasis in his music isn't really "singing."

4 comments:

Paul said...

i am so over Busted/Son of Dork. i think i did like some of their tunes at the time (indeed see my 20 fave boybands post coming soon) but i have rewritten history to give them the blame for the failure of should've been huge V. boo you Charlie and your caterpillar eyebrows...

Poster Girl said...

That's not that big of a rewrite...there's probably a very good case to be made that it is their fault (although whether they caused a change in taste or took advantage of it, I'm not sure). I'm not sure why I (someone who adores boybands and lives for the day choreographed group dance routines make a comeback!) am not so upset with them--I think the fact that I didn't find out about Busted or V until after they were gone might mean that perceived link isn't quite as strong for me, so I don't hold it against them--I never knew the UK pop scene in anything other than its post-Busted state.

That said, from what I've heard, I am rather upset with Charlie--I understand wanting to make the type of music you love, but (and it could just be rumors) it sounds like he was pretty rude about Busted's fans and his pop past--if you hate that type of music so much, why did you audition for a band like that?

(Then again, if Charlie hadn't auditioned, Tom Fletcher might've filled in his place instead and we never would've gotten McFly...and the world would be a much sadder place ;) )

Anonymous said...

I'm not a Busted fan but I'll give those songs a listen :)

LOL @ the eyebrow comment

I'm glad Tom didn't get into Busted, I don't know what I'd do without McFly's music lol.

I quite like Matt Willis' solo stuff, I think he had the best voice in Busted. I haven't heard anything by Fightstar & I've only heard Eddie's Song from SOD. I like it but I love the version featuring McFly.

Poster Girl said...

If you're not really a Busted fan, these songs probably won't change your mind :) But McFly and Busted do have such different sounds that it is entirely possible to like one but not the other (which is one of the reasons that I'm so bothered when people brush them off together...though there are similarities, they are also pretty different!)

I've really liked Matt's solo stuff, too (although it doesn't seem as if the public does :( I'm still planning on getting his album, though!). I'm really surprised by how much Son of Dork's album has grown on me--I liked the singles, but I didn't think, months after I bought the CD, I would like more songs than I did when I first got it!

Oh, and about what you said about Danny over at the Zapping--I agree about his voice! I absolutely adore it in "Don't Stop Me Now" (especially the whole "about to oh-oh-oh-explode" part) ;)