Cinerama Cup: Group E

        

A reminder of how the point-scoring works:

• The panel must award a total of 36 points
• No song may receive more than 12 points
• At least one point must be given to 5 songs (i.e. no more than three zeros) 

Group E

• Kerry Kerry
• Starry Eyed
• Barefoot in the Park
• See Thru
• Swim
• Estrella
• Sparkle Lipstick
• Reel 2, Dialogue 2

As I've mentioned before, I ranked these groups in terms of their average scores on my blog, and this one came out mid-table. Several of the judges agreed: Gav F, for example, called it 'largely unremarkable.'

The Results

'Health & Efficiency' b-side 'Swim' was generally overlooked by the panel, receiving seven zeros and nothing higher than a six. 'A bit too sleazy,' thought James; 'the lyrics really let the side down on this one' was Derek's view. Marc, on the other hand, enjoyed its 'very catchy chorus.'

Another b-side, 'Sparkle Lipstick', did much better overall, but only Gav F ('soars magnificently, a real hidden gem'), Marc ('builds nicely - lovely key changes') and Bob rated it particularly highly. 

At the other end of the table, there was a tight race for the top spot between 'Kerry Kerry' and 'Starry Eyed'. Many had fond memories of the emergence of the former as the first Cinerama release. Kirk, for example, remembered it as 'a great start for what was to follow'; Ian described it as 'the epitome of the kind of song that I thought Cinerama would be all about.' It was less favourably regarded those who prefer the more TWP-esque end of the back catalogue, such as Marc: 'What I dislike in Cinerama in a song. Far too fey for me.' 

It was also neck-and-neck for third/fourth place with both 'Barefoot in the Park' and 'Estrella' receiving several high scores mixed with the odd one or zero. The former was highly rated by Johnny ('Beautiful... give yourself up to it, let it wash over you, succumb… it’s what you need'), although Dave disliked the 'awful' lyrics. Dave was also unimpressed by 'Estrella': 'seems like DLG is just going through the motions.' Gav M was a big fan though, not for the first time in this (or the TWP) competition, relating it to events from his personal life:

'Difficult, but important for me to write about this song as a form of catharsis. The Cinerama years perfectly reflected the more, shall we say, "eventful" years of my personal life, and none more so than this song... Every single word completely resonates with one significant moment, and the ending of a relationship.'

'Reel 2, Dialogue 2' achieved a fairly respectable score, but was still 21 points short of qualifying. Johnny was particularly enthusiastic: 'A gut wrencher, a heart breaker, a groin grumbler, a loin lacerator…a dream destroyer, a hopes hitter, a tenderness trampler.' Kirk described it as 'probably the most underrated duet in the back catalogue.' Ian, however, disapproved of the 'low level misogyny in the lyrics.'

Having ranked it at number 21 on my blog ('A fabulous combination of uplifting melody, energetic guitar and darkly sordid words'), I was rather gutted to find 'See Thru' failing to progress. Gav M found it 'reassuringly sleazy'; Johnny, 'simply brilliant and sexy as hell.' Once again, however, Ian cast a disapproving eye over the lyric: 'the bed linen fetish hits home once again... all a bit sad really, and not a little worrying.' 

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