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 20 from this week in 1999 with my verdict on each record:
20. Cher - All Or Nothing
After the huge success of "Believe" the previous year Cher has another hit with a tune that sounds pretty much the same as "Believe". I thought "Believe" was a load of crap so therefore I think this is too.
Verdict - Rubbish
19. Jason Nevins Vs Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain (New)
Jason Nevins followed up his chart topping remix of "It's Like That" by Run DMC with another remix of an older rap record. This time is was "Insane In The Brain" by Cypress Hill that got the remix treatment. It's not as good as his Run DMC remix and it's not as good as the original, but I still quite like it.
Verdict - Good
18. Chicane ft Maire Brennan - Saltwater
This was about halfway through the Trance CD on "Kiss in Ibiza 99". It also brings back memories of watching a "Club@Vision" Ibiza special where Chicane was doing a live p.a. at Privilege and me wishing I was there. Probably my favourite Chicane single.
Verdict - Good
17. Wiseguys - Ooh La La
This first came out in 1998 and sounds like it very much belongs in 1998, the year of Big Beat. However it failed to reach the Top 40, but charted in 1999 after featuring on the Budweiser advert. I hated it at the time but I'm more tolerant towards it these days.
Verdict - OK
16. Lit - My Own Worst Enemy (New)
The Blink 182 song that actually has nothing to do with Blink 182. Ok I never thought it was Blink 182, I'd not even heard of them at the time, but many do think it's them. It's the only Lit song most people know, though they did have another Top 40 hit the following year. I've heard quite a few of their songs thanks to a mate often playing it in his car, but I didn't like it enough to go out and buy it myself. That said, I was a poor student already spending more than I should have on music so buying every bit of music I liked was way out of my budget.
Verdict - Good
15. Another Level - From The Heart
A House version of this record appears on "Kiss in Ibiza 99". Normally this Dance versions of Pop songs are rubbish, but this was good. I think this helped me to like the original too.
Verdict - Good
14. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
The other week I was in the pub and this song came on. Someone asked me what year it was from and I said 1999, but they weren't convinced. Well here's confirmation, although it does appear on their self titled 1997 album. It's alright, nothing special.
Verdict - OK
13. Aerosmith - Pink (New)
This originally entered the Top 40 in 1997 reaching 38. After they scored their first Top 10 with "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" perhaps they thought a re-issue of this could do the same again. It did better than originally, but missed out on the Top 10. I remember this being on the music channels a lot but the song itself didn't really do much for me, but I guess it's ok.
Verdict - OK
12. Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
The only UK number one for American boy band Backstreet Boys, written by a couple of blokes from Sweden, one of whom was the writer of "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears. I guess it's not too bad.
Verdict - OK
11. The Cartoons - Doodah!
Here's the Cartoons with their cheesy Eurodance cover of the American folk song "Campdown Races". Again like with their previous record it's obvious they're a piss take but I can't rate this as anything other than rubbish.
Verdict - Rubbish
10. The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
What came first, the phrase "Superstar DJs" or this tune? Well the Fatboy Slim vs Armand Van Helden event had already happened so maybe that phrase was already in use. However, the line is sampled from "The Roof Is On Fire" which came out in 1984. The Chemical Brothers are a mixed bag really, they have some great tunes but some tunes that are completely crap too. This is one of their great tunes.
Verdict - Good
9. 'N Sync - Tearin' Up My Heart (New)
This was originally released in 1997 but only made number 40. The follow up "I Want You Back" didn't even make the Top 40. Then "I Want You Back" was re-issued in 1999 and made the Top 10, and then this was re-issued and also made the Top 10. On hearing both of these songs, I thought they were both by the Backstreet Boys. One day one of these songs came on and someone told me they're trying to sound like the Backstreet Boys, I asked who they were and that's how I first heard of N Sync. Perhaps the reason I thought it was the Backstreet Boys was because both songs were written by Max Martin, who also wrote "I Want I That Way" amongst other Backstreet Boys songs. It basically follows that American boy band formula, made in Sweden.
Verdict - OK
8. Shanks And Bigfoot - Sweet Like Chocolate
During the mid to late 90s it was all about House and Garage, but then in 1999 it was all about House and Trance. The "Kiss in Ibiza 99" compilation had a House CD and a Trance CD, the House CD contained the Garage tune "Straight From the Heart" by Doolally. That's despite the fact Doolally, who were now known as Shanks & Bigfoot, had a number one Garage record with "Sweet Like Chocolate". I like UK Garage and a like a lot of the commercial stuff, but this ones a bit too cheesy for my liking, but I guess it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
7. Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
What the fuck is this? Maybe it has meaningful lyrics but as a tune it's just ridiculous.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. Shania Twain - That Don't Impress Me Much
The song title pretty much sums up how I feel about this song. This was the fourth Top 40 hit from her Country/Pop crossover album "Come On Over". The first three singles didn't really sound Country at all to me, but this sums up everything bad about Country Pop.
Verdict - Rubbish
5. Adam Rickitt - I Breathe Again (New)
When a soap actor starts a music career you can pretty much guarantee the music will be dreadful. When Coronation Street actor Adam Rickitt released this his debut single it was as expected.
Verdict - Rubbish
4. Madonna - Beautiful Stranger
As mentioned previously, I went through a period of my life where I wouldn't listen to anything that wasn't Rave but by this period I'd opened myself up to all sorts of different styles of music. Despite this there were still certain artists I'd be reluctant to like songs of, and Madonna was one of those. But even at the time I had to admit this tune is brilliant. I guess the involvement of William Orbit helped a bit. The intro sounds vaguely similar to "Light My Fire" by the Doors, a band I really got into later on that year. Maybe this tune helped with that.
Verdict - Good
3. Britney Spears - Sometimes (New)
A teenage love ballad sung from a teenage girls perspective, written by a 36 year old bloke from Sweden.
Verdict - OK
2. S Club 7 - Bring It All Back
The debut hit for S Club 7 and the number one question I had was does there really need to be 7 people singing it? I thought that 4 or 5 "singers" in a pop group was a bit excessive, but 7? Predictably for a manufactured pop group who had their own kids TV show it was shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
1. Vengaboys - Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! (New)
The night before this charted at number one, I was in a bar where I heard this for the first time and someone informed me it was the new Vengaboys song. Given the history of cheesy euro acts releasing the record every knows them for, followed by a record that sounds the same, followed by fading into obscurity, I assumed the Vengaboys would do the same. Instead they had their first number one, I felt the same as I did when I realised the Spice Girls weren't going to be a one hit wonder.
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 9.5/20, or 47.5%. Too many OK records and not enough good..
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