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.
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 1990 with my verdict on each record:
It's the record Sinead O'Connor is most famous for that was famously written by Prince. I don't think I particularly liked it at the time, I recall finding it boring except for the line about eating dinner in a fancy restaurant. However I did start to like it at some point and it is a good song. Years ago I mentioned to my housemate at the time that I liked this song and he asked whether I owned any Sinead O'Connor albums to which I said know. He owned "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" which featured this song and I took a listen, I didn't like any of it apart from this song. In fact I don't like any other Sinead O'Connor songs I've ever heard, this is the only good one. But as mentioned, it was written by Prince.
Verdict - Good
I didn't realise at the time that Dusty Springfield was a 60s singer who was having a bit of a revival, thanks in part to the Pet Shop Boys. To me she was a featured artist on a Pet Shop Boys record who's subsequent records were produced by the Pet Shop Boys, this being the second of them. It doesn't really seem to have much substance though, listening to it now I can hear some kind of 60s influence in a synth pop style and it doesn't really work for me, but its not bad.
Verdict - OK
This was actually from 1988 but didn't chart until 1990, presumably due to the recent success of fellow Italo acts such as Black Box. One notable difference though is the lack of piano, but in a way that's a good thing as I'd imagine it to sound more cheesy if it did have the pianos. It's good in parts, but I don't think I quite like it enough to consider it to be good.
Verdict - OK
The funny think about people incorrectly thinking Seal was Adamski when "Killer" came out was that Adamski had already charted previously with this record. I do remember this record, but would have thought it came out after "Killer", though maybe I didn't hear it until afterwards. Top 40 singles wise (and he only had 3) I'd say this was the best one.
Verdict - Good
The second and final Top 40 hit from the "Fear of a Black Planet" album which I own. Believe it or not, this actually charted higher than lead single "Fight the Power" which only made number 29. You can't go wrong with a bit of Public Enemy, proper Hip Hop music in my opinion.
Verdict - Good
When doing my Top 20 reviews in 1999, I hit a bit of a snag when I came across the first double a-side to review. But now for the first time, I've hit a bigger snag, the EP. However, the hope is that each EP I encounter will have what's considered to be the lead song and simply review that. In the case of this one, it's "Hallelujah". This was the Top 40 debut for the Happy Mondays and my memories of it were of the actual song rather than the band, later realising it was the Happy Mondays after they'd become a household name.
Verdict - Good
A great start to the decade, and most likely released when it was because of the song title. Also quite fitting that we kick of with Deacon Blue given singer Ricky Ross is the first person I remember seeing with the curtains haircut, a hairstyle I'd have of varying lengths for the bulk of the decade. A few years ago, may have been the queens jubilee, we had a party of that theme at work and could nominate royal related songs for the playlist and I nominated this. Many people I spoke to had never heard it before, or even heard of Deacon Blue for that matter. Hopefully this was good education for them.
Verdict - Good
Martika is best known for doing "Toy Soldiers", but she had 5 Top 40 hits in total and this was the 3rd. It's surprisingly uplifting given how dark "Toy Soldiers" is, being more of a freestyle sounding record. As a result though it sounds a bit too generic.
Verdict - OK
The start of this sounds very much like "Pump up the Jam" by Technotronic, basically because it is. This is a megamix of various rave tunes and begins with this. Generally the tunes in this megamix a pretty good, but the problem is cramming so many tunes in just under 4 minutes means you don't hear enough of many of them to feel the benefit.
Verdict - OK
The debut Top 40 hit for Electronic, the side project of Bernard Sumner from New Order and Johnny Marr from The Smiths. What else can I say other than this is an absolute classic.
Verdict - Good
Lil Louis is most famous for "French Kiss" which always gets a mentioned when it comes to the rave scene in 1989. This was his follow up which is strange to say the least. Tune wise it's quite good, but those vocals make it very cringe worthy. On that basis it doesn't quite make the grade.
Verdict - OK
This was the first song of the 90s to be played on Top of the Pops but sounds more like the decade just left behind than the decade to come. I do remember loving this record at the time, but I don't think I've heard it since. I'd completely forgotten the verses so it took till the chorus for it to ring any bells. I wouldn't say I love it anymore, but it's still a decent song.
Verdict - Good
This was the debut Top 40 hit for Megadeth. It's a cover of the Alice Cooper song, but as you'd imagine it's a bit heavier than the original. But it's actually quite soft for a Thrash Metal band like Megadeth, but that's probably why it made the Top 40 and their previous singles didn't. It also makes it sound more like a song than a building site.
Verdict - OK
"Ahead of it's time" is an expression that's used too often in my opinion, but with this record I genuinely think it was. It doesn't really sound that different to the UK Garage music coming out a decade later. Ok this does sound a bit older, but not 10 years.
Verdict - Good
A lot of Madonna's hits from the 80s have been played to death since then, but not this one (it entered the charts in 1989). That's probably a good thing as this was a record I loved at the time, and by only listening to this at my own leisure since, it's legacy hasn't been ruined.
Verdict - Good
A Brazilian song by a French group which is a blatant rip off of "Llorando se fue" by Los Kjarkas, a group from Bolivia who successfully sued Kaoma when this was released. My memory of this song as a kid was being fascinated by a song being sung in a foreign language and was the 3rd one I remembered hearing after "La Bamba" by Los Lobos and "Comment te dire adieu" by Jimmy Somerville. I've listened to the original and to be honest I think this version is a big improvement. I always found it a fun song and still like to listen to it every now and then, usually before or after listening to "La Bamba".
Verdict - Good
Not only did Sonia have other hits that weren't "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" but she also managed 2 more Top 10 hits, this being the first of them. I was well aware that she wasn't a one hit wonder, but most of her other hits to me were just generic Stock Aitken & Waterman pap that's just formulaic and not very memorable and this is one of them.
Verdict - Rubbish
In 1991, when "Sit Down" by James was a big hit, I thought that James were originally called Hello James, but had dropped the "Hello" part of their name, a bit like MC Hammer dropping the "MC" part to be simply called Hammer. As James made a name for themselves in the 90s, I found nothing to suggest they were previously called Hello James, nor did I encounter any other bands of that name. However, when trawling through the Top 40 archives on the internet years later I discovered I was actually thinking of Halo James, who were a completely different band. Having got to know the distinctive voice of Tim Booth and given the Halo James singer sounds nothing like him its pretty obvious now that they are different bands, though I do think the music style is quite similar. This was the only Top 40 hit for Halo James, I'd say it's pretty average.
Verdict - OK
This is one of those songs you think will never get properly started, then after around 3 minutes it suddenly bursts into life. However it doesn't really get much better, but even if it did you'd still have 3 boring minutes in a 5 minute song.
Verdict - Rubbish
It didn't take long for the first double a-side to come along. The one I remember from the time is "The Magic Number", some may criticise it for being a bit childish, but I was a child at the time and liked it. I first came across "Buddy" when I bought the "3 Feet High and Rising" album and like that one too.
Verdict - Good / Good
I'm treating this as one entity as "Going Back To My Roots" is basically a vocal version of "Rich In Paradise". This was the first version of "Going Back To My Roots" I heard, but years later heard the Odyssey version which I assumed to be the original, but it's actually originally by Lamont Dozier. A nice bit of Italo House that manages to avoid sounding cheesy like some of the other records from that genre at the time.
Verdict - Good
Up to this point, Jason Donovan's chart record was very good. This was single number 6 and he'd had 3 number ones, 2 number twos and a number five. It was after this, the lead single from his 2nd album, that his music career would start to slide, having made the Top 5 with all singles to date he'd only make the Top 5 once more following this. It was also his final Top 40 hit in his native Australia making number 40. You can understand why this became a turning point, whether you like his first album or not, what we have here is more of the same, so no real point in buying it.
Verdict - Rubbish
How many of you thought this was by Neneh Cherry? I don't think I ever did, but I can see a lot of similarities and they are also both Swedish. I'm not that keen on the rapping to be honest, but I like the backing track enough to like the tune.
Verdict - Good
D:Mob were of course best remembered for "We Call It Acieed" which you're pretty much guaranteed to hear in any documentary that features Acid House. However, that wasn't his only hit, this was in fact his 4th hit and he'd have one further hit in 1994. It's not a bad record, but there's nothing about it that makes me think it's a good record.
Verdict - OK
This was the second highest charting single for Soul II Soul after the number one single "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". This one seemed darker than the previous singles and I remember finding it quite odd seeing Jazzie B rapping and seeing a singer that wasn't Caron Wheeler. I'd say this is probably my favourite Soul II Soul hit, helped by the fact it's not that's been played to death since like "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" and "Keep on Movin" have
Verdict - Good
This was the first version of this record that I heard, though I don't think it sounds that different to the original. It was also the 2nd solo hit for Jimmy Somerville who I assumed to be foreign after his first solo hit "Comment te dire adieu" and I was kind of disappointed this was being sung in English. I guess it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
This is the record Mantronix are most famous for, but it's not their first. They first hit the charts in 1986 with "Bassline" and then in 1987 with "Who Is It" which were both Hip Hop records. This was a change in direction and member Kurtis Mantronik said he wrote this because he wanted a song played on the radio. I could imagine people who liked the Hip Hop records by Mantronix would have hated this, but this was the first Mantronix record I heard and I liked it.
Verdict - Good
An Italo House record that samples "Rock-A-Lot" by Aretha Franklin and the Alisha Warren record of the same name. It's one of those records that's appeared on loads of old skool rave compilations and I've probably heard it too many times in my life, but it's still a good record.
Verdict - Good
The final number one for Stock Aitken & Waterman, but not the last for Kylie Minogue. This was originally by Little Anthony & the Imperials but it was never a UK Top 40 hit. It sounds a bit different to the previous Kylie Minogue, or indeed Stock Aitken & Waterman songs, but that doesn't make it good.
Verdict - Rubbish
Entering the charts at number 9 when "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" was at number 10, showing that multiple Top 10s by the same act was already happening before Ed Sheeran was even born. Whilst I liked "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" at the time, I always found this one a bit crap. To me it was like they were doing a poor job of trying to be a rock band but seeming a bit wimpy in doing so. My opinion hasn't really changed since then.
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 20.5/30, or 68%. It keeps getting better.
