Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

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domino
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Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#1 Post by domino »

Today, 28 years ago, was the charity performance in the Heaven Nightclub with supporting act Cicero.

Setlist:
Music for boys
Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you)
Domino Dancing
DJ culture
So hard
Was it worth it?
It's alright
Being Boring

This evening was also the live debut for "DJ Culture", "Was it worth it?" and "Music for boys". In my opinion a pretty good single and a bloody awesome b-side, but it was, until "Numb", the only single that struggled to reach the top 20. But why? What are your thoughts about these tracks or the performance in general?

The hole concert can be heared at mixcloud.
Last edited by domino on Wed 16 Oct 2019, 6:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
A blues would be in B flat, pain defining wisdom,
but the soul is in the high hat, programmed in the system.

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tottenhammattspurs
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#2 Post by tottenhammattspurs »

Isn’t it also the only time DJ Culture was performed live?
is is and isnt isnt

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greenmile
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#3 Post by greenmile »

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a listing in the back of an old Record Collector magazine listing a pro-shot video of this show for sale. Think it mentioned it was filmed by Channel 4. Wonder does anyone here have it?

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#4 Post by Nicholas »

My facts could be skewed because I was 10 at the time and not particularly closely following their career then but didn’t Was it worth it?? at least partly suffer from being in the highly competitive Christmas chart (or a week or two prior) and also from being a new single on a [by then] already-released compilation which literally everyone was already getting for Christmas that year anyway?

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#5 Post by domino »

greenmile wrote: Tue 15 Oct 2019, 1:51 pm I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a listing in the back of an old Record Collector magazine listing a pro-shot video of this show for sale. Think it mentioned it was filmed by Channel 4. Wonder does anyone here have it?
I know that parts of the concert were filmed and used for the music video of Was it worth it. For example the snippet of Music for boys.
A blues would be in B flat, pain defining wisdom,
but the soul is in the high hat, programmed in the system.

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Pod
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#6 Post by Pod »

I was there! Still got my ticket somewhere.
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ArtHist
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#7 Post by ArtHist »

The b-side would have been way better as the A-side.

The singles charts looks absolutely risible that week. I count 8 covers/re-releases in the top 22. What a dump.

1. Queen- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES
2. GEORGE MICHAEL AND ELTON JOHN- DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME
3. KLF FEATURING TAMMY WYNETTE- JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT
4. DIANA ROSS- WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME
5. GUNS N' ROSES- LIVE AND LET DIE
6. BRIAN MAY- DRIVEN BY YOU
7. KYM SIMS- TOO BLIND TO SEE IT
8. MICHAEL JACKSON- BLACK OR WHITE
9. RIGHT SAID FRED- DON'T TALK JUST KISS
10. CLIFF RICHARD- WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER
11. SIMPLY RED- STARS
12. EAST SIDE BEAT-RIDE LIKE THE WIND
13. SHAFT- ROOBARB AND CUSTARD
14. UK MIXMASTERS- THE BARE NECESSITIES MEGAMIX
15. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK- IF YOU GO AWAY
16. MC HAMMER- ADDAMS GROOVE
17. SALT-N-PEPA- YOU SHOWED ME
18. KATE BUSH- ROCKET MAN
19. MARTIKA- MARTIKA'S KITCHEN
20. JASON DONOVAN- THE JOSEPH MEGA-REMIX
21. U2- MYSTERIOUS WAYS
22. VIC REEVES AND THE WONDER STUFF- DIZZY
23. ALTERN 8- ACTIV 8 (COME WITH ME)
24. PET SHOP BOYS- WAS IT WORTH IT?
25. NIRVANA- SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
26. HUMAN RESOURCE- THE COMPLETE DOMINATOR
27. DIGITAL ORGASM- RUNNING OUT OF TIME
28. JAMES- SOUND
29. QUEEN- THE SHOW MUST GO ON
30. CATHY DENNIS- EVERYBODY MOVE

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#8 Post by Nicholas »

KLF! New Kids on the Block! Martika! Jason Donovan! Cathy Dennis! This is the music of my childhood.

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jamie1978
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#9 Post by jamie1978 »

Nicholas wrote: Tue 15 Oct 2019, 1:55 pm My facts could be skewed because I was 10 at the time and not particularly closely following their career then but didn’t Was it worth it?? at least partly suffer from being in the highly competitive Christmas chart (or a week or two prior) and also from being a new single on a [by then] already-released compilation which literally everyone was already getting for Christmas that year anyway?
Was it worth it suffered in the charts because it was quite a bad, borderline cringe, song from a group that needed to try harder (and did - with Very)

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#10 Post by alig »

GEORGE MICHAEL AND ELTON JOHN- DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME

Yea, cause it would hurt.
"John 3:16."

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ArtHist
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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#11 Post by ArtHist »

alig wrote: Wed 16 Oct 2019, 5:24 am GEORGE MICHAEL AND ELTON JOHN- DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME

Yea, cause it would hurt.
Round our way it was rephrased as 'don't let your son go down on me'. This was aimed more at Elton though quite prescient considering George's later outing. Cause we didn't know before then. :wink:


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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#13 Post by Drico One »

Was it worth it? was, I think, their first attempt at busting out of the closet. It’s very I am what I am. It’s a little lightweight, but has moments of genius - the call and response, the middle eight, the fake finish - but it suffered mainly because anyone who really wanted it already had it on Discography.

Every post-album single since Suburbia had been remixed in some way, but this was released as was. It wasn’t “new” in any meaningful way. This, along with a sense that their time was up (which greatest hits records almost always engendered back then) was possibly the difference between going top 20 and not.

The video was their gayest statement yet. That probably upset the usual suspects. The sleeve was lovely, though, and Miserablism was an appropriately intimate final vignette with which to close the troubled and thought-provoking Behaviour era.

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#14 Post by nervousboy »

No 12" 'remix'
Limited airplay
Busy pre Christmas selling time
Only major 'fans' would buy it if they already had the GH album
Very PWL/SAW which was then going out of fashion
Boys pictured not on the sleeve as such.
Video not shown much
Publicity minimal.

But I love the song. The 12" intro and slowing down and coming up again with 'Well I don't know why...' They should, but probbaly won't, do a mega version for the GH tour. I was there at Heaven for this gig and Was it worth it? sounded fantastic live as did DJ Culture and booming!

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Re: Heaven 1991: Was it worth it?

#15 Post by Undertaker »

That top 30 is pretty bad. I remember The KLF song hanging around for ages. Was It Worth It? imo, is still their worst single ever. Cant stand it.

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