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 1990 with my verdict on each record:
30. David A Stewart ft Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here
This was the record that taught me that the one in Eurythmics who doesn't sing is Dave Stewart. Seeing his collaborator Candy Dulfer with a saxophone, I though surely he's going to be the one singing on this. No such luck, it's an instrumental. It did make me wonder if I ever would see him sing though. The tune is pretty average, it's probably the last time I've been disappointed by a record not having vocals, been plenty where the opposite is true.
Verdict - OK
29. Kid Creole And The Coconuts - The Sex Of It (New)
Kid Creole And The Coconuts were one of those early 80s groups I learned about later on in life, but I didn't realise they had a Top 40 hit in 1990. It came 7 years after their last Top 40 hit and would be there last. It was written by Prince, and you can tell. The problem is that is sounds like a Prince song, except Prince isn't singing it, Kid Creole is. On that basis it doesn't really work for me.
Verdict - Rubbish
28. BBG - Snappiness (New)
The only Top 40 hit for BBG, a nice bit of ambient dance music. You could say it's a shame they didn't go on to have more hits, but then singer Dinah Taylor was one of the co-writers on "Fridays Child" by Will Young, so maybe it was for the best that they only had 1 hit.
Verdict - Good
27. Janet Jackson - Escapade
The 4th single from the "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" album which like the previous 3 was written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. I love the intro to this song, definitely the best part of it. Whilst the rest of the song doesn't quite live up to the intro, I still like it.
Verdict - Good
26. Sinitta - Hitchin' A Ride (New)
The penultimate Top 40 hit for Sinitta which is a cover of the Vanity Fare song. Much like all her other songs, this is dreadful.
Verdict - Rubbish
25. Technotronic ft MC Eric - This Beat is Technotronic
It's quite common, often in dance music, for one to have a big hit and then following up by a record that's basically an inferior version of their big hit. In the case of Technotronic, they actually waited until their 3rd hit to release an inferior version of their 1st.
Verdict - Rubbish
24. Jason Donovan - Hang On To Your Love
The 2nd single from Jason Donovan's 2nd album and the first of his singles not to make the Top 5. It's your usual generic Stock Aitken & Waterman pap, just an inferior version of "Too Many Broken Hearts" really.
Verdict - Rubbish
23. Faith No More - From Out Of Nowhere
Believe it or not, this record actually charted higher than "Epic" which is arguably their most famous record. It came from the same album "The Real Thing", which was their first with lead singer Mike Patton. Faith No More were one of the bands I was into in the early 90s so always liked this song.
Verdict - Good
22. Pat and Mick - Use It Up And Wear It Out
My memories of Pat and Mick are of them doing "I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" in 1989. Even my young self could tell you how dreadful it was. Next thing, Pat Sharp was presenting "Fun House" and one thing I feared whilst watching it in the early days was that Mick would come on and they would start singing. Fortunately that never happened, but what I didn't realise was that they released another equally dreadful record in 1990. All their records were released for charity though so the quality of the music really didn't matter.
Verdict - Rubbish
21. The B-52s - Love Shack
I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking what an odd song. I didn't mind it though, I quite liked the way Fred Schneider was more shouting in a funny voice rather than singing it, but the females were singing more melodically. However, it's tendency to be overplayed in the pubs and clubs I went to when I was younger means I can't stand it now.
Verdict - Rubbish
20. Tongue 'N' Cheek - Tomorrow
The debut Top 40 hit for Tongue 'N' Cheek and their highest charting. This is a Frankie Knuckles remix that charted. It's a blatant rip off of "Silver Shadow" by Atlantic Starr, but I guess you could call it a 90s makeover which is no bad thing.
Verdict - Good
19. Jesus Jones - Real Real Real
This was the debut Top 40 hit for Jesus Jones. I remember at the time I already knew of Jesus & Mary Chain who's music I found incredibly boring. Given Jesus Jones had a similar name, well also has Jesus in it's name, I expected their music to be boring too. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't. It's basically Wiltshire's equivalent of Madchester, mixing dance and rock music together.
Verdict - Good
18. Bruce Dickinson - Tattooed Millionaire (New)
I don't know whether many people remember Bruce Dickinson's solo career, I certainly don't. There is no evidence of it existing on everyhit.com either, look up Bruce Dickinson and you get no results. He actually had 4 solo Top 40 hits beginning with this, which was before he left Iron Maiden. It's not as heavy as your average Iron Maiden record, and that's the problem. The best thing about Iron Maiden songs in my opinion is the fast drumming, take that away it's just not very good. Obviously making an Iron Maiden sounding song would defeat the point of a solo record, so understand why he did it, just not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. Sonia - Counting Every Minute
Another hit from Sonia, this was her 4th. One thing you could say about a lot of Stock Aitken & Waterman records, like them or not, is that they are catchy. This one isn't though, very much of the album filler variety.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. Natalie Cole - Wild Women Do
Natalie Cole has had quite an interesting Top 40 career. It began with a minor hit in 1975, then nothing for 13 years until she reached 5 with "Pink Cadillac", then 3 minor hits followed before she reached 2 with "Miss You Like Crazy" in 1989. Her following 2 singles failed to make the Top 40, but then came this, her penultimate hit which extended her Top 40 career to 15 years across 3 different decades. It's a bit crap though to tell you the truth.
Verdict - Rubbish
15. Phil Collins - Something Happened On The Way To Heaven
My memory of this record is that I liked it when I first heard it. Then the person who used to give me a lift into school would play Now 18 every day which meant I heard this every day for a period of time and got pretty sick of it. Years later I'd forgot what this was called, but remembered it was a good song. I actually discovered what it was before the days of YouTube, I managed to find the video on the internet somewhere.
Verdict - Good
14. The Blues Brothers - Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
It had been 10 years since the film had come out. Such is the association this song has with the film, many people don't realise this is a cover of a 60s record by Solomon Burke. I've probably heard it too many times in my life to truly like it, but I guess it's alright.
Verdict - OK
13. Bizz Nizz - Don't Miss The Party Line
Technotronic weren't the only Belgians having UK hits in 1990, we also had this, the only hit for Bizz Nizz. This sounds more like what you'd expect a dance record from Belgium in the early 90s to sound like, much better than Technotronic in my opinion. The story of Bizz Nizz doesn't end with this tune though, the following year they would return with 2 Dutch vocalists and become known as 2 Unlimited. Don't let that put you off though, this really is a good tune.
Verdict - Good
12. Morrissey - November Spawned A Monster (New)
There are several music acts where you can say all their songs sound the same, and Morrissey is one of those in my book. He may be a talented poet, but musically his songs are just so boring. This one is no exception.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Happy Mondays - Step On
This is the record that the Happy Mondays are best known for, but what is perhaps not as well known is that this was a cover. It was originally by John Kongos and was titled "He's Gonna Step on You Again" and peaked at number 4 in 1971, one place higher than this managed. Production on this record was by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, the same team behind Grace in the mid to late 90s. Like many records from the Madchester scene at the time, it's one of those great dance/rock crossover records.
Verdict - Good
10. Family Stand - Ghetto Heaven
The only UK Top 40 hit for Family Stand which was given the remix treatment by Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper of Soul II Soul. It does sound a cross between Soul II Soul and Massive Attack, which makes sense as Nellee Hooper was also a member of The Wild Bunch alongside members of Massive Attack. It's a great formula to have.
Verdict - Good
9. Heart - All I Wanna Do is Make Love To You
I always thought this record was older than it actually is, it definitely sounds like it belongs in the 80s. It was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and apparently Heart themselves don't like it and don't play it live. It would be their penultimate UK Top 40 hit with their final one 3 years later also being written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. I'm inclined to agree with Heart, I don't like it either.
Verdict - Rubbish
8. Soul II Soul - A Dream's A Dream (New)
The 4th Top 40 hit for Soul II Soul, one I think of as being called "I Can See" rather than the actual title. It perhaps takes a bit more effort to get into than the previous 3 hits, but once you do it's great.
Verdict - Good
7. Snap! - The Power
Everyone was singing this at the time, well the chorus anyway. It's hard to hear this now though without picturing Phil "The Power" Taylor doing his walk on in the darts. I don't think it's aged very well at all and apart from the hook it's a bit of a nothing tune, so I'm afraid this gets the thumbs down.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. UB40 - Kingston Town
My understanding of reggae music at the time was that most of it came from Jamaica, but I was unsure whether UB40 came from Jamaica or not (as mentioned previously, I was still of primary school age in 1990). This song though suggested to me that they were as Kingston is the capital of Jamaica. I would eventually find out they came from Birmingham and this was a cover. However, Lord Creator, the songwriter and original artist, isn't from Jamaica himself, he's from Trinidad and Tobago. Do I like it though? Well yes, I like a bit of UB40, both covers and non-covers.
Verdict - Good
5. The Adventures Of Stevie V - Dirty Cash
I remember seeing this on Top of the Pops and there were 2 things that confused me. First I was expecting with a name like that it would be a man singing, not realising Stevie can also be a woman's name, but more to the point not realising the singer was Melody Washington and that Stevie V was in the background. The second thing was seeing just one singer, but hearing multiple voices on the track, but of course being Top of the Pops they were miming. I don't mind this record, but it's never been one I've been particularly fond of.
Verdict - OK
4. Adamski - Killer
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Adamski and the first for Seal, though he wasn't credited and many thought he was Adamski at the time. It's the tune Adamski is best known for, but he has done much better tunes in my opinion, but I do still like this one.
Verdict - Good
3. Alannah Myles - Black Velvet
Interesting fact, there have been 2 Top 40 hit's who's titles have been a colour followed by "Velvet", both released in 1990 and both reached number 2. This is the first of these which was the only Top 40 hit for Alannah Myles. If you read her biography on Wikipedia it describes her as being a singer-songwriter, but despite this she didn't actually write this song, that duty went to Christopher Ward and David Tyson. It's one of these song's I've always found irritating truth be told.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Paula Abdul With The Wild Pair - Opposites Attract
When it comes to female pop singers from America who emerged in the late 80s, such as Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne, the word dreadful springs to mind. Paula Abdul though was actually alright. This was her biggest Top 40 hit in the UK and is best remembered for the video of here dancing with a cartoon character. The songs not bad.
Verdict - OK
1. Madonna - Vogue
Madonna had been on a bit of a roll in late 1989 with the singles "Cherish" and "Dear Jessie" which were both records I particularly liked at the time. I never liked this one though.
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 14/30, or 47%. The poorest week of 1990 so, the first with a score of less than 50%.
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