This 2-CD set from 1992 includes just 14 songs. Perhaps you remember MTV, the cable channel that changed the record industry by elevating the importance of music videos to promote artists and groups. And, when you have music videos, you must have MTV Video Music Awards. These songs won the Award, but some of these songs have faded into the mists of the Past. How many of you remember LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”?
You would think SONY could have fit all of these songs on one CD, but 2-CD sets were popular in the 1990s so it might just be a marketing strategy. Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST:
| 1-1 | a-ha– | Take On Me |
| 1-2 | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince– | Parents Just Don’t Understand |
| 1-3 | C + C Music Factory– | Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) |
| 1-4 | ‘Til Tuesday– | Voices Carry |
| 1-5 | Tina Turner– | What’s Love Got To Do With It |
| 1-6 | Crowded House– | Don’t Dream It’s Over |
| 1-7 | MC Hammer– | U Can’t Touch This |
| 2-1 | Whitney Houston– | How Will I Know |
| 2-2 | LL Cool J– | Mama Said Knock You Out |
| 2-3 | Robbie Nevil– | C’est La Vie |
| 2-4 | ‘Til Tuesday– | What About Love |
| 2-5 | Herbie Hancock– | Rockit |
| 2-6 | Cyndi Lauper– | True Colors |
| 2-7 | Crowded House– | Now We’re Getting Somewhere |
Even during the years of MTV’s peak popularity and influence, which would be from the beginning in the early 80s until sometime in the 90s, I never much cared for it. The only song here I really like a lot is DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER, although I remember the ones by Tina Turner and MC Hammer.
Michael, the novelty of music videos faded in the 1990s and MTV had to scramble to develop other content to hold its audience and attract new viewers.
I know them all. I like Crowded House and Til Tuesday (Aimee Mann). I ,dislike Whitney Houston and the Herbie Hancock.
Steve, I had forgotten that Herbie Hancock was an MTV favorite.
His pop instrumentals…
To paraphrase a comment my mother-in-law once made when she purchased a two-CD set that also featured a limited number of songs: “They can fit the entire encyclopedia on one CD, but it takes two CDs for 14 songs?”
I know all of the songs on this collection. I like most of them, but agree with Michael that “ Don’t Dream It’s Over” is my favorite here.
Deb, I’m with your mother-in-law on wasting 2 CDs for 14 songs. Like you and Michael, I consider “Don’t Dream It’s Over” the pick of the litter.
We never watched MTV in Europe – but of course I remember the great Tina, the others?
Wolf, MTV was hugely popular…until it wasn’t.
Because my kids were around the listening to these and MTV a lot, I know most of them. I’ll pick Tina Turner.
Patti, you can go wrong with Tina!
George, really?
Or did you forget the “not”?
I’ve probably already written about this:
We were at her concert in Frankfurt in the mid 80s (private dancer tour) and she started to sing “Tonight” – and suddenly a guy appeared on the stage to sing with her. You surely know who?
The crowd went crazy!
Fond memories!
Wolf, I’m sure the crowd went crazy!
What an odd collection. The one I still hear now, surprisingly – other than Tina – is C + C Music Factory. I prefer “Don’t Dream It’s Over” too.
Jeff, C + C Music Factory was in Heavy Rotation on MTV back in those days.
I remember most of these from air play on the car radio, going to and from work every day. I saw MC Hammer in concert with my then-11-year-old daughter. Speaking of MTV’s next step after interest in music videos waned, “The Real World” may not be completely to blame for today’s plague of “reality” shows and internet platforms about self-centered creeps and idiots, but it was one of the seeds.
Fred, MC Hammer made millions…and lost it all. He wasn’t the only star to go bankrupt, but his fall was spectacular!
Of course, his biggest hit totally ripped off Rick James.
Jeff, Rick James–from Buffalo–also had a spectacular fall fueled by drugs.
Chintzy package, indeed. I remember “Mama Said” but couldn’t sing/rap it on a bet.
“Voices Carry” is my favorite single song here, but I’m a long-term Aimee Mann fan.These are not Whitney Houston nor Tina Turner’s best recordings from those years, but they are I suspect their most popular.
Professionally, from the late ’90s to the mid 2010s, MTV was a nightmare to work with in trying to provide schedule information, more so than any other “major” cable channel…and not because they didn’t want attention for their series, but simply since they couldn’t be bothered. I was mildly amused when they abruptly canceled a cartoon series called DOWNTOWN when I floated a query about how similar one of the episodes was to my published short story “Bedtime”…probably coincidental, but he timing was right.
https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/aimee-mann-on-the-music-that-made-her/
Well, maybe Houston’s Parton cover is still her most popular.