Rick Astley

Bet he had a nice fuckable little ass back then. I'd have been afraid to touch his hair, though, given how much product was likely there.

I met Rick in 1988 when I worked for a radio station. He came in for an interview and he was really nice.

When he was a big deal, I liked the music but not his looks. Now? I’d fuck him.

Do you think he had product in his pubic hair R1?

Looks like a guy I used to date. So yeah id fuck him too

He was adorable back then. He's aged pretty nicely too.

I had him. After we were through he kept trying to keep me erect. It was so annoying.

Did he have gingercrotch smell R7?

I think he's a cute redhead with an cherubic yet stoic face. He was a manufactured teen idol targeted to teen girls, so yeah I believe he was considered attractive. But the catch was he actually could sing. I thought he was a black man when the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" played on the radio. Anyway, the SAW cookie-cutter overproduction and goofy lyrics made it hard for him to be taken seriously. He released much better work after his peak in the late 80s but it never was popular. He still looks great for his age and dyes his hair black now. Here's a picture of him during his commercial peak

Yes, he's a handsome daddy now.

[quote] Did he have gingercrotch smell [R7]?

He smelled like fresh-baked rolls, which is kind of funny if you think about it.

Rick? Ghastly.

There’s a Rick Astley dance on Fortnite!

I remember being at a small gathering with a handful of other gay guys just as "Never Gonna Give You Up" was starting to take off, and they were all talking about him like he was the world's biggest dreamboat.

For me, he was kinda cute but not my type at all. But the voice was nice, so maybe if he sang to me...

He sings from the back of his throat. Is there a term for that kind of voice?

Guttural.

He was a twink.

Out and gay?

I was much hotter that year (1988).

Cher also sings from the back of her throat. Amy Winehouse too. It's not improper placement, but it's not how your supposed to sing every fucking note. There voices become tiring to listen to after just a few songs.

Stiff upper lip

*You're and their. Jeesus.

He improved with age

[quote] He sings from the back of his throat. Is there a term for that kind of voice?

In his case it’s called “ginger root”.

I like this song

He looks like Pete Buttigieger's gayer grandpa. Not good looking. At all.

I wanted to go on a romantic date with him but when I found out he taking too big a profit on his used textbooks I ratted him out to his buyers and now Rick Astley won't even look at me!

Where would you go on a first date with Rick Astley?

I like his attempt at quiet storm/R&B

Interview from 1987

He used to post on here

R30, really?

He's been married forever and has an adult daughter.

I thought his dance moves were sexy.

Just saw an interview he did in Chicago in 2017. He seemed pretty grounded said he had a 26 year old daughter and a wife.

Never thought that he was hot but would totally have fucked him - I was a right little star fucker at the time.

Love the video! That was the year when I came out (87?) and that was my uniform - white Hanes t shirt with Levi’s 501s, with a quiff, and my dance steps. Thanks OP you put a smile on my Covid dial today.

Sounds like he has some low hanging bull balls.

Little guys with low voices are insanely sexy.

He's adorable and quite charming, I would take him back then and I will take him now. And an intact dong is a plus!

He and Eric Stoltz were two hot redhead twinks in the 80s.

R38, every word you type is true. I remember first watching the video for "Never Gonna Give Me You Up," and thought, "this guy is fucking adorable." Still do. Thanks for the recent pic, R23.

He was not considered hot. His music was played often at gay afterwork bars such as Uncle Charlies. Nobody considered him hot. Everyone thought the music was well done - great SAW production and great voice, despite how silly and pop it was.

I would fuck the shit out of him.

Rick with Melissa McCarthy, Emma Stone, and Eddie Redmayne.

... and Jude Law.

i remember him on my head phones walking around Bangkok in 1991-ish on a trip over there.

He wasn't ugly by any means, but his voices was hotter than his body.

[quote] Cher also sings from the back of her throat. Amy Winehouse too

Well technically Amy sings from the back of her coffin.

He's aging fine, and seems like a nice person

His schtick was that he was the tiny, pasty white guy with the big black-guy voice. When people got bored of the novelty, he disappeared. He has a very "Brit" look so if you're into guys who have faces that resemble potatoes, he's your dream guy.

i had cognitive dissonance when i firsts heard his songs and then saw his picture

With Kylie M. He comes in around the 2 minute mark. I think it looks great!

Wow he got more attractive.

[quote] i remember him on my head phones walking around Bangkok in 1991-ish on a trip over there.

You were playing the wrong song, baby.

[quote] Well technically Amy sings from the back of her coffin.

Not anymore.

R49, the Irish have faces like potatoes, the English have faces like jellied eels.

He wasn’t a sex symbol like Tom Cruise, but I found him very hot and still do.

Then: no, Now: yes.

Astley is one of the most boring people in pop music, and it's served him very well over the years. No drugs, no sex scandals, nothing. He's just a well adjusted and pleasant person.

He still holds the record on the UK charts due to his first 8 singles all making the top 10.

The only negative media coverage he's received was when he pulled out of a reality tv show show, where celebrities duet with an established singer. He withdrew on the first day of filming, citing his wife's Oscar nomination as the reason.

Cry For Help is gorgeous.

When I finally saw his face, biggest surprise case of "that's who sings that song" until I saw the lead singer of that House of the Rising Sun song.

Rick's career probably dwindled because he is an introvert and didn't want to self-promote. He couldn't find new producers either to make him hits after the SAW production was outdated. But he has written his own material and is heavily involved in his own production after he left the SAW house. He wanted to make music with deeper meaning and symbolism. It seems that ambitious, attention-craving and fame-driven people succeed in the music industry not people with raw singing talent like Rick Astley.

He was a little cutie pie.

Rick Astley and Kylie Minogue would have been a pop super couple. Both their early music sounds exactly the same due to the SAW production. It's kinda like how early Britney and Backstreet Boys songs sound the same because of Max Martin.

Rick Astley, Boy George and George Michael all have very soulful voices for white English guys.

The Late 80s pop sound is so overproduced but extremely catchy. Lik Banarama, Kylie, Rick, Whitney, NKOTB, Bobby Brown, Paula, Pebbles and Janet

More late 80s pop

Pebbles had some good dance pop tracks

Whaddabout Rick's late '80s rival Terrence Trent d'Arby? Sign Your Name was my 1988 jam!

I can see why Nirvana and the like were so refreshing in the late 80s. The dance-club sound got oversaturated

TTD peaked so soon. He was a serious rival for Prince, Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, George Michael and Rick Astley

Of course, New Edition was the blueprint for every boy band after them. 5 members with distinct personalities. New Kids were a white copy of them, right down from having the same manager and being from the hood from Boston.

I know people love to mock Janet but she was huge in her heyday and a big icon among the youth. She sung about social issues like Madonna but from a black girl perspective.

What does being part of a "rhythm nation" mean anyway?

I can't not mention Kylie too. She is impressive for reinventing herself so many times and keeping herself in the public eye for so long. Starting out with teen bubblegum but transitioned to a more adult dance-pop/postdisco sound. It's crazy how she never managed to build a success in the US except for her gay fanbase but she is known worldwide.

Bobby had a lot of catchy songs. In a lot of ways he influenced Usher.

From the late 80s/early 90s era

Paula was also a big pop star in the late 80s, she was on par with Madonna and Janet in popularity. Keanu is in this video

Nia Peeples also

George

Rick live at Club MTV

He's so shy

Rick Astley's post-SAW music was very good, but unfortunately he was tainted by the SAW association after that style of music fell out of fashion, which is too bad. He should've been more successful in the 90s.

Kylie Minogue was the only SAW artist who managed to have continued success, but even she never hit it big in the US.

Liked his voice but got oh so tired of that song ! They played it 11 million times a day . I agree with the poster who said I didnt want to fuck him then but sure would now. He looks way better with age.

It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man was an awesome single. Top 10 in the U.S.

This was my favorite of his.

So was the rumor that Kylie Minogue was Rick Astley at a higher speed or Rick Astley was Kylie Minogue slowed down?

Thanks, R43, damn cute. Made me laugh and choke on the wildfire smoke in my house.

[quote]It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man was an awesome single. Top 10 in the U.S.

And that was never released as a single in the UK!

Brother Beyond's The Harder I Try was one of Stock Aitken Waterman's more soulful songs and would have suited Astley's vocal - the song is built on the riff from This Old Heart Of Mine. Their follow up He Ain't No Competition was also Astleyesque.

BB's lead singer Nathan Moore was the complete opposite to Astley - a high profile romance with Amanda de Cadenet, tried his had as a manager to other pop stars and did a bit of reality tv, notably Lisa Scott Lee's manager on Totally Scott Lee. He was arrested when he was out on his moped (!) and asked an undercover policewoman posting as a prostitute (!!) for "a little suck"(!!!) and then denied it all because he was in a gay relationship for over a decade (!!!!). He then joined boyband Worlds Apart and is now married to a woman (!!!!!) and has a kid (!!!!!!).

[quote]She sung about social issues

Oh, dear.

Fucking oh dear yourself cunt.

Isn't Rick Astley afraid of flying? It was why he didn't tour. It was either Rick Astley or Russell Watson, the steel worker turned opera singer (he's a tenor). He was handsome and built.

Not flying really hurts a performer's career. Kate Bush never toured the US because she wouldn't get on a plane, and her career would've been much bigger here if she had.

I've heard repeatedly from people who work in music he's incredibly nice. He's mostly been involved in songwriting and in production for years, but he had an astonishing voice. I think he was really hurt by that video of him awkwardly dancing to "Never Gonna Give You Up"--he looked like a stiff wind could bowl him over.

I blew a guy who looked a lot like Astley so I transported that memory over to him. Every time I heard an Astley song, I felt like I had a few pubes between my teeth. With Astley, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

Wow. That's a sexy story R92.

Dude. Do better.

I liked that he could sing live. He and Whitney sound better live than on recordings.

It's impressive how an internet meme can revive someone's dead career. Rick is an icon to millennials and Gen Z. He did a Reddit AMA for his 2016 album and it was popular. He's still a meme today.

I've really never heard of him, but he's cheesy as fuck. And his intonation is not great at all. He's singing flat in that performance R94.

Made my virginal gayling balls ache .

To be fair, most 80s pop music was embarassingly cheesy. It made the late 90s pop era look like Shakespeare.

Someone upthread opined that Paula Abdul was on a success par with Madonna and Janet in that era? LOLOLOLOLOL.

R99

Her debut studio album Forever Your Girl (1988) became one of the most successful debut albums at that time, selling 7 million copies in the United States and setting a record for the most number-one singles from a debut album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female solo performers who have topped the chart.

R99 Also, Bobby Brown also had success on par with Michael Jackson too with his second album "Don't Be Cruel". Bobby and Paula fizzled out quickly but at the time they were on par with the big 80s pop stars like MJ, Prince, Janet and Whitney even if it was brief and they were very seen as serious competition.

From Wikipedia:

The producers helped to compose what became Brown's most successful solo album of his career, Don't Be Cruel. Released in 1988, the album launched five top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] including the number-one single, the self-penned "My Prerogative", which became, along with "Every Little Step" and the title track, signature hits for the performer. After topping both the pop and R&B charts, album sales would eventually reach twelve million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of 1989. In February 1990 he won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the album's fourth single "Every Little Step."[15] Don't Be Cruel also garnered Brown two American Music Awards, a Soul Train Music Award and a People's Choice Award.

Paula Abdul only lasted for a couple of years. She was totally forgotten until American Idol many years later.

Yeah I agree. Most young people at the time of American Idol's popularity didn't even know Paula was a singer when she judged on it unless someone made a joke about her dead career. It's still impressive how Paula managed to get so many hits in such a short amount of time and seemed to be in competition for Whitney, Janet and Madonna. Also Jody, Karyn and Pebbles all hits at the same time but are forgotten while Vanessa Williams just focused on acting and theatre and because of her talent kept herself still semi-famous. But ut's crazy how in the past, it was just easier to forgot about pop stars as most only lasted 2 to 3 years at max but now thanks to social media, many are still in public consciousness way past their sellby date .

Rick falls into this because that meme is what made him famous again and he would have ended up forgotten like every other 80s teen pop star.

Paula Abdul is freaking adorable. I don't know her music very well, but she's knowable and very likable as a performer. So pretty, cute, nice, high maintenance and stoned. I can't go for a singer who can't sing, but Paula seems a bit tongue in cheek about it all. She was F U N. Katy Perry acts fun, but she's talentless and always looks crazy.

[quote]But ut's crazy how in the past, it was just easier to forgot about pop stars as most only lasted 2 to 3 years at max but now thanks to social media, many are still in public consciousness way past their sellby date .

So true. Singers and actors who had one or two flops disappeared and you never really heard from them again but social media changed all that. NOBODY ever goes away anymore. Nobody. We can all name many singers or actors who haven't had a hit in YEARS but they're still around because of social media.

Teen pop stars were super disposable in the past the more I think of it. Debbie Gibsons and Tiffany didn't have success for long either. The New Kids on the Block also fizzled out quick. There's tons in the 1970s, that didn't last long too like Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy. If one cannot mature their sound and reach a wider demographic, they will disappear but also entering the market as a teen-oriented pop star will hurt their reputation anyway. Social media today definitely helps as I still hear and see things about former teen stars like Cassie, Ciara, Ashanti, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Jesse McCartney, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan yet none are relevant to the music world anymore.

That said, I'm happy Rick Astley is at least getting recognition for being genuinely talented and having a voice even if the re-interest came from an internet meme.

R104 I think the fact that Paula is a choreographer and dancer also helps. She was cute and fashionable and her Syrian background made her racially ambiguous enough that girls of all colors could relate to her. Paula came out in an era where dance-pop and music videos were extremely important. So she fit right in. She couldn't sing but her voice was pleasant on the eras to be tolerable and her music was more about the beats and groove than the lyrics anyway. She was never going to last but she had a really huge peak that I just find incredibly impressive since she was on par with making hits that rivaled Whitney's.

[quote]Teen pop stars were super disposable in the past the more I think of it. Debbie Gibsons and Tiffany didn't have success for long either. The New Kids on the Block also fizzled out quick. There's tons in the 1970s, that didn't last long too like Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy.

And they all "stayed in their lane" so to speak. They weren't really big mainstream stars like Madonna or Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac etc. They weren't nominated for Grammys. There was a clear separation of teen pop from the rest of the music world. That's all changed now, teen pop stars since Britney and NSync have been at the top of the mainstream.

I think Britney, Christina, J. Lo and the late 90s pop groups like Hanson, Backstreet, NSYNC and Destiny's Child definitely helped bring that teen-oriented pop to mainstream. Also Brandy, TLC, Usher, Monica and Aaliyah who came out a bit earlier did too even though they were more R&B-oriented.

But what I also noticed is that before Miley Cyrus happened, nobody took Disney pop stars seriously at all and then Ariana Grande happened. Definitely because of social media because it is all about one's personality and being "relatable". It's not about the music anymore, it's about a brand.

Foo Fighters With Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up - London O2 Arena 19 September 2017

R102 Paula Abdul....humanitarian 🤫😂🤣

Paula sucks/sucked.

SAW had some stinkers, but they a lot of great songs from that era.

One of my favorite SAW songs, Better the Devil You Know.

Why did SAW break up?

R112/Jody Watley, you were anything but new and should've been ineligible for your work with Shalamar, just like Whitney was ineligible because of the duet she did with Jermaine Jackson before her debut.

Rick lost the 1988 Best New Artist Grammy to Tracy Chapman. Vanessa Williams was also nominated that year (as were Toni Childs and Take 6).

I have no memory of Toni Childs.

Yes, I bought all those pop albums, I bought new music every week back then, all kinds of music, including acts produced by SAW. Jason Donovan, brother beyond, Sinita, kylie rick astley etc

Did SAW produce Living in a Box, Breathe, When in Rome, Waterfront, Cutting Crew, Danny Wilson, and/or Johnny Hates Jazz?

Paula abdul is a cunt. I met someone who worked with her and she is addicted to pills and coke. " Check my gates," is what she'd tell this person to do, among other things.

R120, I don't know but still have all their CDs.

I still know all the lyrics to some of johnny hates jazz songs, bear he, when in rome, cutting crew too.

This thread is bringing back a lot of memories lol

R122, I still have/love/listen to those groups/CDs. "Mary's Prayer" by Danny Wilson is awesome. Watch the music video on YouTube. :)

[quote]Did SAW produce Living in a Box, Breathe, When in Rome, Waterfront, Cutting Crew, Danny Wilson, and/or Johnny Hates Jazz?

No, no, no, no, no, no and no. And Stock Aitken Waterman didn't produce Aztec Camera, Swing Out Sister, Steve Winwood or Simply Red either.

Incidentally most of the songs were higger hits in the US than the UK. Living In A Box and Mary's Prayer are the exception. Waterfront's Cry was released a few times and only became a moderate top 20 hit when it was marketed with a US TOP 10 HIT sticker.

A tea company has been using an acoustic version of Rick's superior song Together Forever for its advert.

It's as pleasant as the tea itself.

Yes, damn. I really have to go dig up my old CDs and rip them onto my MP3. Unfortunately I donated a lot of them when I went away to college. I had thousands of CD singles...now I'm buying many back at thrift shops etc.

Love most of the music groups mentioned in this thread.

A friend of mine went to see Rick Astley perform in NY, I think it was probably last year. I wanted to go but my partner hates pop music so I didn't go. I also missed Bananarama when they did a gig here in nyc.

[quote]Yes, damn. I really have to go dig up my old CDs and rip them onto my MP3. Unfortunately I donated a lot of them when I went away to college. I had thousands of CD singles...now I'm buying many back at thrift shops etc.

Fuck that shit! Download decent quality versions from YouTube or torrent them. No point spending money on them all over again.

Gen Y-Z Icon

Yeah, he was hot then, sure I'd have had sex with him.

And I would now too, he;s aged real well

R118, Toni Childs had one minor hit song called Don't Walk Away. She was the 4 Non Blondes chick of the 80s. Her voice was not for everyone, as demonstrated here from the 1989 Grammys, especially the barking at the beginning. There was another artist named Kathy Tricoli, who had a minor hit Everything Changes, whose voice was kind of a mix of Toni Childs and Taylor Dayne.

Rick with the Toronto group Choir! Choir! Choir! from 2018. This was the first time I had seen this group. There is a great video of them with Colin Hay performing "Overkill."

He has a huge uncut hog.

Rick won "Best Act Ever" at the MTV Europe Awards in 2008. He seems more beloved in Europe, Australia and East Asia like a lot of pop artists.

Big in Japan

The production on SAW songs do sound very J-pop to me.

Unlike a lot of PWL acts, Rick was the real deal in terms of a voice.

I think Rick suffered the same issues as Whitney Houston during her early career. Whitney had a powerhouse voice but a lot of her songs at that time were typical over-produced 1980s sugary pop and corny lyrics. I believe Whitney also had to tone her voice down on the records to not detract too much from the production. That's why she also sounded much better live when she could improvise and sing in her more natural tone. Rick also had a strong voice but the material he was working with was typical teenybopper fluff that didn't do him justice.

I prefer my gingers to be able to sing well. I'd rather have Lamont Landers , he's a little dorky snack.

Baritones don't seem to do well in pop music nowadays. Every male singer must be a tenor with a pre-adolescent sounding voice.

Yeah, but what about Germany, R134?

I like CDs because they give you both a physical copy and a digital file. Also the quality on CDs tend to be good. Also CDs have liner notes and sometimes even booklets which have a lot of cool information in them. CDs also take up less space than Vinyls.

I personally have bought from CDs, cassettes and even 8-tracks in recent years from local music shops.

Also what's also interesting is cassettes have made a comeback and many artists are releasing albums via cassette tape. The theory seems to be to pander to nostalgia and provide some type of collectable as some are offering cassettes with a digital download.

I saw Rick in concert 2 years ago. Ho looked and sounded great. He is also very charming.

cassette tapes? I've seen them being sold in urban outfitters but I don't like them.

Vinyls are too expensive for me and they wear out so what is the point? I have a few but mostly collector's items. I never play them.

Kylie got much better songs from SAW than Rick did too. Look My Way should have gone to Rick since he had a real R&B voice. Though I love Kylie's version too.

Another great song that could have gone to Rick. I think SAW put more effort with Kylie because she was a pretty blond girl-next-door who had a big following in Australia and UK because of the soap opera she was on.

He has aged very well - I like what the years has done for him.

Hope he has a resurgence of some kind.

He was ranked number 2 of favorite male singers of 1988 in Smash Hits. He's still known in the UK and can survive off of nostalgia just like Robbie Williams.

I’ve never heard of “SAW” until this thread, though I’m familiar with all the associated artists.

[quote] [R118], Toni Childs had one minor hit song called Don't Walk Away. She was the 4 Non Blondes chick of the 80s

Who was the one who had the song “I Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” and had the nose piercing with the long chain hanging from her nostril to one of her ear lobes? I always think it was Toni Childs, but I guess not?

As for Rick Astley, if he’s married with a child, does that mean the early posts in this thread about his freshly baked dinner roll genitalia (I love when mine smells like that—and it does sometimes) were troll posts? I get the joke about trying to keep the DLer hard after he came, but I so wanted it to be true.

He does look like he’d have a big fat uncut hog, but can anyone confirm or elaborate?

This whole thread makes me feel insane. RICK ASTLEY? SEXY!?!?!? Mr. Milquetoast? What the fuck are you people even talking about????

I was there in the 80s, and....GROSS. Were you turned on by THE COWSILLS????!?!!?

[quote]Who was the one who had the song “I Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” and had the nose piercing with the long chain hanging from her nostril to one of her ear lobes?

That was Jane Child. I'm sure she was part of a Billboard record for the first time the top 3 positions were held by women - her, Sinead and Lisa Stansfield. And non American women too.

Surprisingly Jane Child was NOT a lesbian.

Thank you, R150. It’s odd how you hear Toni Childs referenced so much more often now, but I swear to god I never heard any of her songs.

[quote]Another great song that could have gone to Rick. I think SAW put more effort with Kylie because she was a pretty blond girl-next-door who had a big following in Australia and UK because of the soap opera she was on.

Are you deaf?

Rick's voice is far too deep for Wouldn't Change A Thing.

Stock Aitken Waterman get a lot of criticism for their songs sounding the same, but there was a clear difference between the more Motown classic Disco disco inspired songs that they produced for Rick, Mel & Kim, Princess, Brother Beyond, Donna Summer and Lonnie Gordon and the pure pop of Kylie, Sinitta, Sonia, lesbian hasbeen Hazell Dean etc.

Rick would have suited Brother Beyond's The Harder I Try and He Ain't No Competition and Jason Donovan's Every Day. Maybe even Big Fun's Can't Shake The Feeling. I'd hazard a guess Rick AND Jason turned down Cliff Richard's I Just Don't Have The Heart.

Yeah, I thought he was hot back in the day...would definitely have fucked him. He looks great now, also, but less sexually-appealing.

R152 SAW's production was way too distinctive and repetitive even for the 80s. I can see why they didn't last into the next decade. I couldn't even finish most those songs listed. I think Kylie got the best of their songs still and being cute-as-a-button helped a lot. Rick Astley need to call up Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis or Babyface if he even wanted his career to last in the 90s.

Rick's voice wouldn't have fit this song. Jason Donovan's voice makes my ears bleed.

He looks way hotter now. Come on.

Sam Smith is basically the new Rick Ashley

^Have another drink, Liza.

Wow, Jason Donovan, terrible! Really bad "music"!

The SAW team actually complimented the music of Bananarama and Dead or Alive.

But Dead or Alive only did two albums then went on their own with Nude. While with Bananarama, Siobhan left then Jackie left, and Bananarama became a duo.

I was a good thing because both of their music was getting homogenized, and it already began to sound dated at the end of the '80s / beginning of the '90s

Where is SAW now?

Chained to a pipe in a bathroom. They must pay for the terror they've inflicted with their shitty music production.

He released this. Sounds like he wants to have his own signature Christmas song that will get overplayed every holiday season.

I never saw the attraction to Rick Astley back then, but I was completely enamored of the blond guy in the "Never Gonna Give You Up" video.

I kind of like that song.

Who is the blond in Rick's video? Find out, do your research, and report back!

The SAW production sound is just so shrill to me. Its good club music but not something I could sit down and listen to without getting a headache.

I agree Bananarama, Rick and Kylie got the better material.

I think Rick's album from 2001, Keep it Turned Down is one of his best. The neo-soul sound suits him well and he should return to that sound. Neo-soul needs a revival.

I may be misremembering things, but solo male pop stars were mostly of the "cute" variety, with a shy charm. That was certainly Rick Astley. Men in music didn't start getting hot until Hammer and C+C Music Factory videos.

Bobby Brown may have been the first male pop star with a sexually aggressive demeanor who showed off his body.

Prince and Michael Jackson weren't really seen as threatening. George Michael was clearly gay. Rick was a boy next door.

C & C Music Factory guys were "hot"? LMAO!

Present-day me would absolutely fuck 1988/1989 Astley.

I would have let him fuck me

[quote] C & C Music Factory guys were "hot"?

Freedom Williams (the voice - pictured center) and Robert Clivilles (a producer and one of the “Cs” - on the left below) most certainly were hot.

I liked his long hair look. Good fuckin’ song too...

Totally agree r171. I would FHH so hard.

Meh. Rick ain't no Richard Marx!

Richard Marx had some embarrassing 80s hair.

OMG look at that fucking mullet!

As my best friend said back in the day, "He looks like his mother dresses him."

I thought he was cute but not particularly sexy.

But of course I would have had sex with him. I was young and the other guy being young and cute was more than enough to motivate me.

I’d eat his ass.

Never Gonna Give You Up was an enormous hit, it got tons of airplay for months. Everybody assumed the singer was black until they saw the video. They were shocked that he was a skinny, redheaded white boy from England.

I think a lot of people STILL didn't believe Astley was the true singer until sometime later, R181.

Of course, the Milli Vanilli & the C&C Music Factory scandals would follow soon after, which again cast doubt on the veracity of Astley's vocals, to a degree. At least to the point that people still joked about it.

"What does being part of a "rhythm nation" mean anyway?"

The only legal form of birth control is the rhythm method.

For many years, Argentina was a rhythm nation, then they had a Janet Jackson concert there and they saw the value of abortion.

A rhythm nation is a country where you are required to able to dance well to be a citizen.

I would still swallow his load.