Critics v Public

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Another NME qn. Best singles as voted for by the readership and then from '75 onwards the critics.

Cliff Richard - Living Doll
Shadows - Apache
Johnny Leyton - Johnny Remember Me
Frank Ifield - I Remember You
The Beatles - She Loves You
The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun
The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
Procul Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
The Beatles - Hey Jude
The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women
Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime
George Harrison - My Sweet Lord
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Bad Company - Can't Get Enough

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody / Bob Marley And The Wailers - No Woman No Cry
Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town / Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town
Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen / Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
The Clash - White Man (In Hammersmith Palais) / The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love
The Specials - Gangsters / The Jam - Eton Rifles
The Jam - Going Underground / Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Specials - Ghost Town / The Specials - Ghost Town
The Jam - A Town Called Malice / Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message
New Order - Blue Monday / Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax / Womack And Womack - Love Wars
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Never Understand / The Jesus And Mary Chain - Never Understand
The Smiths - Panic / Prince - Kiss
[no data] / Prince - Sign O The Times
The House Of Love - Destroy The Heart / Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat
The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold / The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums
The Charlatans - The Only One I Know / Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit / Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun
Suede - The Drowners / Suede - The Drowners
Radiohead - Creep / The Breeders - Cannonball
Oasis - Live Forever / Blur - Girls And Boys
Oasis - Wonderwall / Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape
Manic Street Preachers - A Design For Life / Underworld - Born Slippy (Nuxx)
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony / The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next / Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Blur - Tender / Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Coldplay - Yellow / Eminem - The Real Slim Shady
Ash - Burn Baby Burn / Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On
The Vines - Get Free / Doves - There Goes The Fear
[no data] / Beyonce - Crazy In Love

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Saturday, 10 January 2004 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

The public has its moments but based on that list the critics (who in the last 18 years appear to have picked only two outright bad songs) win hands down. Of course though NME readers != normal public.

― The Lex (The Lex), Saturday, 10 January 2004 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

readers 6 nme 15 (missed the vines/doves one out because havent heard either).

― gareth (gareth), Saturday, 10 January 2004 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Golden Earring seem to be showing up a lot on these archived-poll things! Haven't thought about them since hearing "Danger! High Voltage" and thinking it was the exact same song as GE's "Twilight Zone". Then again, "D!HV" was my favorite single of last year

― dave q, Saturday, 10 January 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Blur - Tender / Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Coldplay - Yellow / Eminem - The Real Slim Shady
Ash - Burn Baby Burn / Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On

These are pretty striking - was NME really this out of step with its readership for three years?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 10 January 2004 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, I'm surprised by how many of the NME picks I really like - the only ones I actively dislike are Eton Rifles, She Bangs The Drums, The Drowners and (possibly) Bittersweet Symphony and Intergalactic (although I liked both at the time and haven't listened to either in years). Most of the others are great singles and, like, how on earth the The Mercy Seat get in there?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 10 January 2004 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

danger! high voltage was my fave video. also one of my fave singles.

I think mid-to late 90s NME wasn't as bad (I don't remember it as being as bad as it seems to be today): they used to review quite a lot of electronic music, and it got me into a lot of it around 97/98 (I might have a look through sometime).

hmm...I don't think you could say much abt the gap between the critics and the public just by picking on the no1s.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 10 January 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

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