Sunday 5 May 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 19

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 30 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Sunday.

Here is the Top 40 in full.

Obviously some of the records will be the same as last week so therefore the review will be the same for these. I've indicated which ones are new so you can skip the others if you read last weeks post.

Once again my opinions are inevitably going to differ from other people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone something is good or rubbish, I'm simply giving my opinion.

So this is the top 30 from this week in 1994 with my verdict on each record:


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Toni Braxton and the 2nd to be written by Babyface who is joined by Daryl Simmons on songwriting duties. Despite the title, it's a lot more uplifting than it's predecessor "Breathe Again". Despite it being more uplifting though it's not as catchy. Once again it gets half marks.

Verdict - OK


The only thing worse than an almost 8 minute long Meat Loaf song is an almost 8 minute Meat Loaf song that never really gets started. I've said before that I'm not a fan of how over the top is records are but at least they generally burst into life at various points. You expect this one to do the same, but it never does.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was originally a Top 40 hit for Grace Jones back in 1985 which returned to the Top 40 in 1994 with a Love to Infinity remix. It's a pretty decent effort, it brings it into the 90s without ruining the original. At the same time though I'm not a big fan of the song, but it's not bad.

Verdict - OK


I had to look at the history books to check if this record had originally been released in 1992, but it hadn't. My memory is playing tricks on me again because I think of this as being a 1992 record. That said, I've always considered this to be a bit naff so maybe it is better suited to 1994.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was a remix of a track from the "Hard Or Smooth" album which "Rump Shaker" also appears on. It's the final Top 40 hit to date for Wreckx-N-Effect but Apache Indian would be back. I can't say I'm convinced by this remix if I'm honest, it's like it's trying to be 2 records at the same time and it's not really working.

Verdict - Rubbish


Part of the reason the pop music world seems like a bit of a closed shop is the sheer quantity of pop singers who went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Now here we have Sylvia Youngs daughter in the Top 40. It was the Eurovision entry that year and like most Eurovision songs it's crap.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 3rd and final Top 40 hit to date for Sonic Youth. It features Kim Gordon on vocals this time. What I liked about Sonic Youth at the time was their music was more experimental and more interesting. This record is a prime example of that, it's weird but great.

Verdict - Good


An Andrew Lloyd Webber penned song from a musical that's sung by Barbra Streisand. Sounds like my idea of hell. I really cannot stand this sort of music and sitting through a musical full of this rubbish sounds like torture.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Ace Of Base which many regard as their other hit. It didn't quite match the success of debut "All That She Wants" in the UK making number 2 but it did top the charts in America. Like "All That She Wants", "The Sign" was produced by Denniz Pop, the man who started the Swedish revolution in the songwriting world. A good bit of reggae pop.

Verdict - Good


The 4th Top 40 hit for Haddaway and the 4th time he made the Top 10, though he hasn't made the Top 10 since. I thing it's fair to say we go past the point of Haddaways career few people remember after this. In fact I would say this records placing in the Top 10 is a bit misleading as I'm not convinced many people remember this one. Its more of the usual rubbish.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the 4th and final Top 40 hit from the excellent "Black Sunday" album. It's fair to say that first first 3 singles follow a similar formula where B Real says a line in the chorus and Sen Dog says a similar line e.g. "Insane in the membrane" followed by "Insane in the brain". This one follows a different formula but is just as good.

Verdict - Good


This was the only Top 40 hit for T-Empo who were better known for their remixes. One thing I do struggle with is club music about going to the club. I'm not completely against it, but a lot of these records make me cringe and this is one of them.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Motiv 8 aka Steve Rodway and the only one to make the Top 30. He would have greater chart success as composer of "Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit" by Gina G a couple of years later. Here's proof I'm not completely anti-eurodance, it's a eurodance record I like.

Verdict - Good


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Judy Cheeks which was also her highest charting and perhaps the one she's most famous for. It's the sort of tune I'd enjoy hearing when out and about or a bit of background music, but it's nothing to get excited about.

Verdict - OK


Crystal Waters had her big hit "Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee)" in 1991 which was then followed by "Makin' Happy" and a megamix. Then nothing until this comeback record. There does seem to be a trend for female house vocalists from 91/92 returning in 1994. It's the last time Crystal Waters will feature as her remaining hits either didn't reach the Top 30 or were in the 21st century. This ones alright but nothing special.

Verdict - OK


I feel I knew this song long before it topped the charts. Probably because there was no avoiding Take That at the time and I probably heard someone playing it somewhere. Gary Barlow said their Ian Levine hit "I Found Heaven" was awful but I don't think this Gary Barlow penned record sounds too different and is equally as dreadful.

Verdict - Rubbish


Bruce Springsteen is one of those legendary artists I've never really got what the hype was about. This record did little to convince me otherwise. It's his highest charting single to date and was taken from the film "Philadelphia". I just find it really dull.

Verdict - Rubbish


This is one of those records I've continuously liked since I first heard it. At the time I wasn't devoted to any particular scene, then when it got re-released the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a cool band to like and the "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" album was one I carried on listening to once I got into rave initially. Then in the late 90s when the All Saints covered it both versions were played one after the other on the radio and I remember thinking this sounds so much better.  

Verdict - Good


I feel like I've known this song all my life but I clearly haven't as it didn't come out until 1994. I can't remember this actually being in the Top 40 but when I discovered it was a 1994 hit I was shocked it wasn't a lot earlier. It manages to be both boring and cringeworthy at the same time.

Verdict - Rubbish


I would call this a prime example of pop music disguising itself as R&B. It's written by the same people who wrote "Rewind" for Precious a few years later and one of the writers also wrote for S Club 7. The singings too over the top for me and I just find it irritating.

Verdict - Rubbish


I always thought this record was shit at the time. Then I heard it again a couple of years later and it sounded even worse as it was slower than I remembered. Then I discovered the man behind Reel 2 Real was Erick Morillo, a credible DJ and thought maybe this is credible music. Who was I trying to kid, it was cheesy commercial rubbish that was made to sell by the bucket loads. 

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember when this appeared on Top of the Pops I initially saw guitars on the stage before they introduced this record and was expecting a rock song. Despite that brief moment of disappointment I couldn't help but like this record. It was his 4th Top 40 hit and the final one to make the Top 10.

Verdict - Good


Football songs are generally shit, especially ones by actual football teams. I don't think people really buy football songs for the actual music, but I'm surprised this got to number one because surely only Man Utd fans would have bought it. Maybe it shows just how many Man Utd fans there are. 

Verdict - Rubbish


This record is most famous for being the one that Boyzone danced to on "The Late Late Show" before they were famous. This was before they were famous in the UK at least. I don't know whether it's a consequence of that, but this record has always irritated me.

Verdict - Rubbish


It had been around 2 years since Erasure topped the charts with the "Abba-Esque EP" which I was never a fan of. In the time since the only hit they'd had was a re-issue of "Who Needs Love Like That". Their first new single since was this and it was good to see them back on form. I love the way the chorus comes into this.

Verdict - Good


Another chart topper thanks to it's inclusion on the Levi's advert. This one was specifically written for the advert though by Pete Lawlor and then Stiltskin were formed off the back of it. Inevitably comparisons were drawn between it and Nirvana, particularly as Kurt Cobain had only died quite recently. In all honesty though I think it's better than anything Nirvana ever did.

Verdict - Good


I thought this was a really odd one when I first heard it. My first thought when this was introduced on Top of the Pops was that the singer looked like Neil from the Young Ones. Then he started singing in a loud deep voice, I thought what the fuck is this. However, I started to like it after a few listens. Of course a song sung by a Neil from the Young Ones lookalike with a funny voice and a chorus that is simply "mmm" repeated several times is hard to take seriously. If you listen to the rest of the lyrics though they're actually quite meaningful.

Verdict - Good


This was originally by the Drifters and taken to the top of the charts by the Searchers in 1963. This CJ Lewis version is pretty cheesy, it is the sort of record you'd expect Andi Peters to like. At the same time though it's great fun to listen to and pure 90s nostalgia.

Verdict - Good


This is the first Top 40 hit for Prince after he became a symbol. It's also his only chart topping single to date. Due to the high pitched singing I did think this was the Bee Gees when I first heard it but soon found out who it really was. I was a big critic of this record at the time but I always secretly liked it.

Verdict - Good


In the days before YouTube I would look at the list of number ones in my British Hit Singles book, mostly in the 90s. I knew pretty much all of them but I did think what the fuck is this record. I can't remember when I finally did put a song to the name, but it is one I've known all along. Pretty bland dance pop music that deserves to be long forgotten.

Verdict - Rubbish

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 13/30, or 43%. Edging closer to 50%.
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Friday 3 May 2024

Top 30 in 1997 Reviewed: Week 18

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 27 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Friday.

Here is the Top 40 in full.

Obviously some of the records will be the same as last week so therefore the review will be the same for these. I've indicated which ones are new so you can skip the others if you read last weeks post.

Once again my opinions are inevitably going to differ from other people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone something is good or rubbish, I'm simply giving my opinion.

So this is the top 30 from this week in 1997 with my verdict on each record:


Keith Sweat is another example of a big name who hasn't really had much of a UK Top 40 career. This was his 4th and final Top 40 hit to date and his 2nd highest charting at number 30. This ones a bit slow for my liking, but it isn't bad.

Verdict - OK


When I reviewed "Tricky Kid" I mentioned it being from a difficult second album that was always going to struggle to live up to his debut. This record however is Tricky back to his best in my opinion. It wouldn't sound out of place on his debut album.

Verdict - Good


The final Top 40 hit to date for Michelle Gayle and this record meant her pop career went on for longer than fellow Eastender Sean Maguire, just. At least she wasn't trying to make an Oasis record like Sean Maguire or many others for that matter. Still don't like the tune though.

Verdict - Rubbish


The band that Lauren Laverne was in before anyone had heard of her were no one hit wonders. Here's their 2nd Top 40 hit which is just as bad as their first, but just not as remembered. Fortunately their remaining hits never made the Top 30 so this is the last time they'll feature.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember Faithless in their own words said they were an experimental group. The first records I heard of theirs, "Insomnia" and "Salva Mea" were pretty similar to each other but different to anything else. This record though was a complete change in comparison and do recall being somewhat disappointed when I first heard it. It's not a bad record, but the problem with being experimental is that you can't get it right all the time.

Verdict - OK


The 4th Top 40 hit for the Spice Girls and their 4th number one and last single from their debut album. "Mama" is marketing in a way for ones mother to approve of their child listening to the Spice Girls and "Who Do You Think You Are" was the comic relief single. It was a win win situation for them, but musically it was still shit.

Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish


This record caught my attention at the time because their was a happy hardcore DJ at the time called Supreme so I wondered if it was his record in the Top 40. Then I heard it and thought what the fuck is this. I then found out it was a different DJ Supreme. 

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the 2nd single to be take from their self titled album which was 2 minutes long and reached number 2 in the charts. It would have no doubt topped the charts if it was the first single to be released from the album as Blur achieved that anyway with a record that's not as well remembered. Like Supergrass were doing, they are going for a harder sound here but like Supergrass it really isn't hard enough to be effective in my opinion. 

Verdict - Rubbish


After hitting the Top 10 for the first time earlier on in the year with a live version of "Satan" making number 3, Orbital followed up with another number 3 record called "The Saint". It was taken from the film of the same name which would have helped. However Orbital were possibly the best at making big beat versions of older tunes.

Verdict - Good


When this follow up to "Say What You Want" hit the Top 10 it was a sign the comeback for Texas wasn't a one off and they were here to stay. In fact they'd only fail to reach the Top 10 once for the remainder of the decade. It's an improvement over it's predecessor, but still not to my liking.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Sash! and the record he's best known for. I have mixed feelings about this record. At first I wrote it off as being cheesy commercial crap, but it did start to grow on me after a while. When you consider some of the dreadful music this no doubt inspired though it's hard to truly like it.

Verdict - OK


If I was to pick the most bland and generic dance record of the 90s then this would be a strong candidate. It was the Top 40 debut for D:Ream and their biggest hit and possibly the only hit many people remembered. They had a few more equally bland hits though.

Verdict - Rubbish


One thing that's actually quite unusual from the world of rap is a cover, but this is one of them. It was originally by Biz Markie, though there are some tweaks to the lyrics in there. I own all of Snoop Dogg's earlier albums and like most of what I've heard of his, but I find this one pretty average if I'm honest.

Verdict - OK


U2 topped the charts earlier on in the year with "Discotheque" and then their "Pop" album came out. Many consider this the dodgy period for U2, but this never stopped people buying their records with this making number 3 despite the album already being out. This record does sound a bit more like U2 of old though so maybe those who bought it were those who wanted that and not their new experimental album. Still not to my liking though.

Verdict - Rubbish


No Doubt seemed to just come out of nowhere with this record. I remember thinking who the fuck are No Doubt and suddenly they were number one. Turns out they'd had a number 38 prior to this. I think they did their best stuff later on in their career, but this ones not bad.

Verdict - OK


It hadn't even been a year since the Fugees took this record to the top of the charts but here we are with a dance cover in the charts. To be fair there were already hardcore and drum & bass versions being played at raves before this. Which leads to the problem, this one isn't as good. Plus what was the point in getting someone else to sing it.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was always the big Daft Punk record before they did "One More Time" which left this in the shadows. As a result though at hasn't suffered from being overplayed as much. It's such a simple tune but very effective.

Verdict - Good


The Lightning Seeds have a bit of a strange Top 40 record. They have a few well known hits but their only Top 10 hit that wasn't "3 Lions" was this which I would call one of their best known ones. It's also their only Top 40 that was a cover, originally being by The Byrds. It's not great if I'm honest.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record was written by the band together with Brian Eno. On that basis I feel like there should be another dimension added to this record, but I'm struggling to find it. To me it just sounds a generic James song with nothing really standing out in it.

Verdict - Rubbish


I first heard this record on the radio on one of the daytime shows and to be honest I was quite surprised to be hearing it. It really wasn't the sort of record I'd expect to be charting, it just sounded so different to anything else I'd heard before. It then started getting a bit overplayed but listening now it sounds as good as it did back then.

Verdict - Good


It had been a couple of months since The Notorious BIG had been shot dead and this was his first posthumous release. Prior to this he'd had just a solitary number 34 to his name from a Top 40 perspective, but this was no reflection on how popular he was. Personally I can't say I'm a fan of this record. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Blackstreet may be best known for "No Diggity" but this was their highest charting Top 40 hit. It uses the same samples as "I Ain't Mad At Cha" by 2Pac. Both records are good in their own way and I own both albums each record appears on.

Verdict - Good


It had been a year since Oasis were last in the charts with the chart topper "Don't Look Back In Anger" but now they were back....oh hang on this isn't Oasis, it's Robbie Williams. I do remember the first time I heard it was mid song on the radio and I genuinely thought it was an Oasis song. I guess its the most convincing Oasis impersonation then, but that's not a good thing.

Verdict - Rubbish


The other Top 40 hit for Republica, though they did have one further Top 40 hit after this and this was also a higher charting hit than "Ready To Go". It follows the same sort of formula as it's predecessor but by no means sounds like an exact replica, so that's a good thing.

Verdict - Good


As the story goes, Shola Ama was singing on the tube one day and was heard by someone in the business which eventually led to this her Top 40 debut. It's a cover of a Turley Richards record made famous by Randy Crawford. I do quite like this record.

Verdict - Good


I had a friend who was also a raver who I used to think just made up things about the rave scene safe in the knowledge nobody had anyway of proving otherwise. One day he had written quite a sizeable list of DJ names, some were ones I was very familiar with and others I thought he'd just made up. One such DJ was DJ Quicksilver. I questioned whether a DJ would really name himself after a brand of clothing. Then it turned out there was such a DJ. When I first heard this record it wasn't what I was expecting. I expected something of the hardcore or drum & bass variety, but this was club music. I still liked it though.

Verdict - Good


When it came to the soundtrack for "Romeo + Juliet" this was seen as the big record from it as opposed to the much better "You and Me Song" by The Wannadies. A very poor choice of record in my opinion, there's nothing to like about this record, it's irritating.

Verdict - Rubbish


With East 17 now out of the picture, 911 were the biggest active UK boy band at this point. They were perhaps overshadowed by Irelands Boyzone and Americas Backstreet Boys though. The solution for taking on the latter was to basically make a Backstreet Boys record. It worked though as this is the record they're best known for. It's shit though.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the main song from Space Jam and I asked the question why do they always have ballads for cartoon films. That said, I did think this ballad was much better than your average ballad so not a bad choice really. 

Verdict - Good


This was the 7th and final number one to date for Michael Jackson. Naming all 7 of his number ones would be pretty difficult to do, whilst many would guess "Billie Jean" how many would guess "One Day In Your Life"? More to the point who would name this record? No doubt this is the most obscure number one of his but it was a time where it seemed the artist was more important than the record when it came to succeeding in the charts. He's teamed back up with Teddy Riley here, but it's a pretty poor record.

Verdict - Rubbish

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 11.5/30, or 38%. The inevitable drop after going above 50% last week.
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Thursday 2 May 2024

2006: The End? - June

In June 2006 we had the World Cup and as a result there were several football records in the charts. As I've said many times, music and football don't mix so it's a collective zero for those records.

Indie/garage rock was still the most dominant genre though and once again I don't remember the bulk of those records. I've also forgotten several of them already after listening to them and none of them get any points.

I would question whether my music taste of dance, rap and R&B was really a thing by this point although this is the source of most of the points for this month.

Dance wise we have the best record which is "Fade" by Solu Music. This very much reminds me of the Galaxy Chart days on MTV Dance. We also have "Faster Kill Pussycat" by Paul Oakenfold which is OK. The only other dance record this month is "Love Sensation '06" by Loleatta Holloway, something that had been done to death by then and gets no points.

Rap wise there is half a point for Streets with "Never Went To Church", a pleasant enough listen but not enough about it to get full marks. No points for Black Eyed Peas or TI.

The R&B point comes from Nelly Furtado with "Maneater". I remember at the time thinking this was the only decent R&B record of the moment and from a chart perspective at least it was. The other R&B records were "Say Something" by Mariah Carey which couldn't be saved by the appearance of Snoop Dogg or a Neptunes production, and "Trouble Sleeping" by Corinne Bailey Rae which is more likely to help me to sleep.

The one remaining point goes to Depeche Mode with the double a-side "John The Revelator / Lilian" which showed they still knew how to make a good tune all those years later.

Onto the worst record then which goes to Leann Rimes with "And It Feels Like". I didn't realise she was still having hits as late as 2006, though this was her final Top 40 hit to date. I find a lot of country music cringeworthy, but the watered down country pop music she does takes this to another level.

Here's a list of the records with the best on top, worst at the bottom and the good ones in green, OK ones in amber and rubbish ones in red (and in no particular order):






























Score: 10%

Here's a look at the chart:


Worse than May and worse than any month in 2005. There's still a chance we'll improve in the 2nd half of the year but from what I remember I doubt it.

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Digitalism - JPEG (2019)


With an electronic duo called Digitalism it makes a lot of sense for them to release an album with lots of digital reference on it. The album title is one, and it includes tracks called "Chrome.exe", "No Data" and "Data Gardens".

When you start listen to the album it sounds like something from the future with the title track. When we get to the second track on the album "Panavision" you know this is definitely Digitalism with their distinct sound.

It does however sound a bit more experimental than their previous efforts. The tempo changes all the time with some of the tracks being more ambient.

Another way they've moved with the times here is acknowledging the short attention span people have these days. Just 12 tracks on the album, and just 4 of these are more than 4 minutes long which is unusual in dance music. The penultimate track is barely of 90 seconds long. It makes for a pretty quick album.

One thing they haven't done to move with the times though is incorporate any influences from the awful world of EDM you have these days which is a good thing.

Acknowledging peoples short attention span these days though I think I should stop this review now.

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Wednesday 1 May 2024

Top 30 in 1998 Reviewed: Week 18

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 26 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Wednesday.

Here is the Top 40 in full.

Obviously some of the records will be the same as last week so therefore the review will be the same for these. I've indicated which ones are new so you can skip the others if you read last weeks post.

Once again my opinions are inevitably going to differ from other people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone something is good or rubbish, I'm simply giving my opinion.

So this is the top 30 from this week in 1998 with my verdict on each record:


The Top 40 debut for Lo Fidelity Allstars. They were a Brighton based big beat act with quite a few members. On that basis this is leaning more towards the rock and dance crossover territory. Not a bad record but I'm not blown away by it.

Verdict - OK


This was the first Spice Girls hit not to top the charts. Geri Halliwell was so pissed off she decided to leave the group. OK not strictly true, but this was the last Spice Girls hit before she did leave. It's their attempt at making a Motown record, something Emma Bunton also did badly in her solo career.

Verdict - Rubbish


"Here's Where The Story Ends" is perhaps the best known record by The Sundays, but this cover by Tin Tin Out was the only version which made the Top 40. It was the 6th Top 40 hit for Tin Tin Out but just the 2nd to make the Top 30 and their first Top 10. They were making dance music prior to this, but this is a change in direction and the reason why I'd start getting Tin Tin Out and Sixpence None The Richer mixed up. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Saint Etienne. Once again I don't remember this at the time but own the "Good Humor" album. This holds very good memories for me though as many years I ago I remember listening to this in my car just after I'd handed my notice in for the job I was doing at the time.

Verdict - Good


Robbie Williams solo career had been given a boost following the release of "Angels" and this was the follow up single. One thing I never really appreciated until I saw a live band play this record was just how good the bass line is to this. He was now finding his own identity as a pop singer.

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 career of North and South had just ended which left a gap for another 3rd rate boy band to fill. Welcome to the Top 40 Ultra. This was no ordinary boy band though, they were a boy band who played instruments. All been done before though. Remember Let Loose?

Verdict - Rubbish


The song title for this record is almost descriptive of the record. The "Slow" bit is at least, but not so much the "Nice". It was the follow up to Ushers chart topper and his final Top 40 hit of the 90s. Amongst its songwriters was Brian Casey of Jagged Edge.

Verdict - Rubbish


Ska punk had a big following but I don't think there were any ska punk Top 40 hits prior to this record. It was the only Top 40 hit for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and it is a record that I can really appreciate and quite enjoy too. It just falls short of being worthy of full marks though.

Verdict - OK


The 2nd Top 40 hit for 187 Lockdown which was also their highest charting. It was the first speed garage record to make the Top 10 that wasn't a remix of a non-garage record. Once again it brings back memories of that summer.

Verdict - Good


Long before Shakira famously sampled "Amores Como el Nuestro" on "Hips Don't Lie", Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz did the same on this record. This is a much better record in my opinion. It's a rap record and was their only Top 40 hit.

Verdict - Good


The only Top 40 hit for Drugstore which features Thom Yorke from Radiohead. As a result one could be forgiven for thinking this is a Radiohead record. It's certainly boring enough to be a Radiohead record.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record tells me that summer is just around the corner. My mate had just bought his first car and was driving around a lot and it seemed more often that not he'd have this record blasting out. It also brings back memories of what a terrible driver he was. 

Verdict - Good


The 4th Top 40 hit for Sash! and the first not to reach number 2. It sounds like they're trying to do "Chariots of Fire" eurodance style. Very cheesy and predictable, but they were onto a winning formula so why not.

Verdict - Rubbish


It had been almost a year since Ultra Nate charted with "Free". That record was around for such a long time though that it didn't feel like it had been that long. It's not a record you really hear anymore and I have to say it hasn't aged well. Not bad though.

Verdict - OK


The last time we'd seen Tori Amos in the Top 40 was at the start of the previous year when she topped the charts with the Armand Van Helden remix of "Professional Widow". She obviously had little to do with the actual remix so it was back to the old formula for her and this was her final Top 40 hit to date.

Verdict - Rubbish


The biggest hit for K-Ci and JoJo. I was still purely listening to rave at the time but did find myself drawn towards this for some reason. I did eventually get into K-Ci And JoJo via the garage scene which then lead to me buying all their albums. The "Love Always" album is one of my all time favourites.

Verdict - Good


I remember hearing this song and that it was by someone called Billie Myers, but then seeing it and discovering it was actually a woman singing it. I recall Chris Moyles acknowledging that fact by playing it on the radio and singing along by saying "I'm a bloke, I'm a bloke, I'm a bloke, I'm a bloke, no I'm not". I can't say I ever thought much to this.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit for The Dandy Warhols which was also their 2nd highest charting overall. It was also the penultimate Top 40 hit of the 90s and last one of the 90s to reach the Top 30. Lyrically this record stands out because of the title if anything, but musically it's a complete non-entity.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record was a mark of a time when I was becoming much more receptive to house music. I remember hearing this one Friday morning with the weekend just hours away and it was giving me the feel good weekend vibes. 

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for Leann Rimes. I once took part in a quiz where a question was who charted in 1997 with "How Do I Live" to which I confidently answered Leann Rimes. The answer was Trisha Yearwood who reached number 66 with it. Leann Rimes was in 1998 and is the better known version. Although not the first person younger than me to chart, I do recall a younger Leann Rimes charting making me start to think have I missed the boat already in my music career. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd and final chart topper to date for Celine Dion which was take from "The Titanic" movie. I remember how big that film was so it was almost inevitable that this would get to number one. It's also a depressing film given that people die at the end so I guess it's appropriate to have a depressing song for it. Musically though its just another Celine Dion record.

Verdict - Rubbish


There was a pub near where I grew up that had live music at the weekend. When I say live music I mean a singer, ocassionally one with a guitar and a karaoke machine. They'd sing the classics, but this song immediately slotted into the sets and I recall one particular night I swear the singer did this song around 5 or 6 times. Needless to say I got sick of it very quickly.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 7th Top 40 hit for Busta Rhymes which became his highest charting single to this point. It samples the Knight Rider theme which works really well. The verses are rapped quite calmly but then it gets more aggressive in the chorus. Absolutely love this record.

Verdict - Good


At the time I remember this being this opening song of Top of the Pops for a few weeks in a row. At least that's what it felt. There also seemed to be a lot of people on the stage so I assumed they were a band with many members, but it turned out there were only 2 of them in Savage Garden. Never before have I seen a song contradict a band name so much. I do like some of their music, but not the soppy ballads.

Verdict - Rubbish


In the early 90s Stock & Waterman tried transforming Bananarama into the new Abba with this being one of their records but it failed to reach the Top 40. Now Pete Waterman tried the same with Steps and was more successful in doing so. Each female was given a verse each whilst you wouldn't even know the males were on the record from listening to it. Unfortunately we'd get more of these over the next few years.

Verdict - Rubbish


We're now reaching the time when I started opening myself up to music that wasn't rave. There was always non-rave music that I liked, but when my friend who taught me all I needed to know about rave in the beginning played this song on the jukebox in the pub it started to seem more acceptable. I also realised that I liked this record whilst listening to it in the pub.

Verdict - Good


When I first heard this record with it's sample of "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons it caught my attention because I like what it is sampling. Then I listened to the record the whole way through and realised that was the only redeeming feature, the rest was cheesy nonsense.

Verdict - Rubbish


Another big mystery of the late 90s, how did this obscure Kula Shaker record make number 3? The logical explanation would be lead single from the album. It would become their final Top 10 hit. I actually quite like it, the Doors influence organs in the record make it sound quite good.

Verdict - Good


It had been 10 years since Run DMC had last been in the Top 40. This Jason Nevins remix of their 1983 record took them to the top of the charts and ended the Spice Girls run of number ones. It also made its way onto several dance compilations which validated me liking this record. 

Verdict - Good


The 11th Top 40 hit for Boyzone and their 3rd number one after scoring 3 number twos in a row. It was penned by the same songwriters who revived Donny Osmonds career in the 80s and who would pen the debut hit of Rihanna in years to come. I think that tells you all you need to know.

Verdict - Rubbish

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 12.5/30, or 42%. On the up again.
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