Sunday 4 September 2022

Top 30 in 1992 Reviewed: Week 36

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 1992 with my verdict on each record:


Sting and Eric Clapton are both known to many and have had long careers, but this collaboration only made number 30. With just 3 Top 10 singles each though it's fair to say neither has a great singles record. The fact they were both over 40 by this point meant it was unlikely to appeal to the kids, but all that aside it's a bit of a nothing record.

Verdict - Rubbish


Following the success of their "Pornograffitti" album and in particular the single "More Than Words" here's the lead single from follow up album "III Sides to Every Story". To this day I still meet people who aren't aware that Extreme were a rock band because they only know "More Than Words". I use this record as a suggestion to listen to for them to get an idea of what Extreme generally sound like.

Verdict - Good


This is the beginning of the post "The Immaculate Collection" era of Madonna. This has a more mature sound than her previous efforts but that means this is basically granny music. It's from the film "A League Of Their Own" which was set in World War II so it was perhaps the intention to make a tune that sounds old fashioned. The song is rubbish though and so is the film.

Verdict - Rubbish


I have a vague recollection of someone who wasn't Elvis Presley singing "All Shook Up" around this time. Here it is. That said he does his best to sound like Elvis which basically means you may as well just listen to the Elvis version if you want to listen to it.

Verdict - Rubbish


This is where it all began for East 17s Top 40 career. I could openly admit to liking this record at the time as this was before the unwritten rule amongst my peers that you're not supposed to like boy bands. I openly admit to still liking it today.

Verdict - Good


This was the only Top 40 hit in the UK for Das Boot, though they had several more hits across Europe. It was also a number one in their native Germany. It was the first German techno record to make the UK Top 40. As someone who likes a bit of German techno it gets the thumbs up from me.

Verdict - Good


Bananarama had now become a duo after Jacquie O'Sullivan had left the group. I don't think too many people noticed though, I certainly have no recollection of Bananarama as late as 1992. It's also their last Top 40 hit to date written by Stock & Waterman. It basically sounds like poundland Abba and I'm not a big fan of Abba.

Verdict - Rubbish


We're nearing the end of the Stock Aitken & Waterman era for Kylie Minogue with this being the penultimate Top 40 hit and final one to actually be written by them. Sounds just like all the other ones.

Verdict - Rubbish


This double a-side is a re-issue of their debut single "Youth Gone Wild" which failed to make the Top 40 when first released and a cover of "Delivering The Goods" by Judas Priest. "Youth Gone Wild" is arguably their signature song but is far from my favourite. "Delivering The Goods" features Rob Halford from Judas Priest on vocals and sounds much more like it.

Verdict - OK / Good


Abba in 1992? after Erasure did their Abba covers there was a so called Abba revival. As they'd sailed of into the sunset years prior to this the only way to capitalise was to re-issue their biggest hit. I've heard this so many times in my life and I've never liked it so decided not to listen. What's also symbolic about this entering the charts at this point in time is that the Swedes were about to take over the music world (see Dr Alban).

Verdict - Rubbish


Throughout 1989 and into early 1990 Bobby Brown had a new single every 5 minutes it seemed. Then there was nothing until this record. It continues the new jack swing sound of its predecessors with Babyface, LA Reid and Daryl Simmons on songwriting duties again. It has a more aggressive sound than previous efforts which I guess went with Bobby Browns bad boy persona. 

Verdict - Good


A long forgotten Take That single which is the only non-cover not to be written by any of Take That's members. It was written by Ian Levine and Billy Griffin and has since been disowned by the group with Gary Barlow stating that they all hate it. I guess Gary Barlow won't be making any royalties from it, but to be fair it is pretty awful.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the beginning of Sweden taking over the music world. Dr Alban was a Nigerian based in Sweden and wrote this with Denniz Pop who founded Cherion Studios. There were a number of songwriters who have since been very prolific with their songwriting including Max Martin who at the time of writing only has Paul McCartney ahead of him in terms of most Top 40 hits as songwriter. Given how much dreadful music has been created as a result of this I should hate it. However it probably would have still happened with or without this record and I do like it in a 90s nostalgia sort of way.

Verdict - Good


This started off as a solo Roy Orbison record in the early 60s. This duet version was done in 1987 but not released in the UK until 1992. The previous year a comedy duet version appeared in "Only Fools And Horses" sung by 2 of the characters which may have inspired the decision to release this as a single. I don't mind it, but if I was to listen to it I'd be more inclined to listen to the comedy version.

Verdict - OK


I remember the chorus to this but not much else. It was the lead single off her 2nd album and her final Top 40 hit to date. As the record began my initial thought was this sounds more mature than her previous efforts, but then she starts rapping the verse which makes it sound as silly as her other records. I will however give this record half marks because I do like the backing track, it's just the vocals which lets it down.

Verdict - OK


When an actor, or someone famous for something other than music releases a record you generally expect it to be a novelty record. Jimmy Nail is an actor but whilst this record has a bit of humour to it, I wouldn't call it a novelty record. The fact I quite like it too may have something to do with that.

Verdict - Good


The 4th Top 40 hit for 2 Unlimited and first not to make the Top 10. I would describe this as being the ultimate generic eurodance record. It somehow manages to be very cheesy whilst being a bit boring at the same time.

Verdict - Rubbish


The lesser known follow up to "Hazard", though it is his joint 3rd highest charting Top 40 hit. It sounds like a very stereotypical soft rock record but is also catchy so onto a winning formula. 

Verdict - Good


This had previously been a Top 10 hit in 1987 but was re-released because of the Barcelona Olympics. I had the single and there was also a shorter version on there which was used for the TV coverage. As I had the single then clearly I liked it.

Verdict - Good


This record seems a bit out of place in 1992. It's one of those I feel I've always known but it's most likely that when I first heard it in 1992 I just assumed it was an old record. It was the 2nd single released for his greatest hits album, the first not making the Top 40 and prior to that he hadn't been in the Top 40 since 1986. Quite surprisingly he was still having Top 40 hits as late as 2004 but this is the last one I actually remember. It's your typical naff Lionel Richie record.

Verdict - Rubbish


After topping the charts with their Top 40 debut KWS followed up with another cover. In fact all their Top 40 hits were covers. This was also the opening track to a rave compilation I have from 1992.

Verdict - Good


Like many, I first heard this at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert. I thought the song itself was a tribute to Freddie Mercury but then 3 years later came a Queen version with Freddie Mercury actually singing it. I liked this along with "Driven By You" enough to get the "Back To The Light" album on which they appear.

Verdict - Good


There are some records where I can pin point exactly when they came out and this is one of them. I associate this with starting a new year at school. There is also no doubt that this is the best Annie Lennox solo record I've heard.

Verdict - Good


Hardbag has arrived with this being credited as the breakthrough record for that genre. Felix was the only one flying the flag for the genre commercially in the early days as it wasn't until 1994 when we started to get the flood of hardbag Top 40 hits. You could say this was ahead of its time then.

Verdict - Good


One memory I have of this record is that someone who I would regularly get lifts from would turn the radio off when this would come on. At the time I thought they simply could stand it but it's more likely they knew what the lyrics meant and didn't want kids listening to it. I still managed to hear it a lot though not knowing what the lyrics really were. I liked it because it's a good tune.

Verdict - Good


The debut for Jon Secada and the only hit of his that many people would remember. I love the contrast between the vocals and backing track in this. You hear the intro and it sounds quite happy and upbeat, then you hear the pain in his voice. 

Verdict - Good


Back in 1992 I just thought this record was a bit naff. By 1993 I thought we'd seen the last of Billy Ray Cyrus and for a while that seemed to be the case. Unfortunately we've since had to encounter a lot more from the Cyrus name than just a naff record. To be fair to Billy, it's more his daughter that irritates me than him. Still, if it wasn't for this record then nobody would have heard of his daughter which makes me hate it even more.

Verdict - Rubbish


Being a London resident, I pass though Baker Street a lot and still to this very day I get this record going through my head more often than not when I do so. It was the Top 40 debut for Undercover and their best known. I'd not heard the Gerry Rafferty original at the time so this is my default version. 

Verdict - Good


When I saw the video to this I thought Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson looked different to how I remember them. That is of course because it's not Luther Vandross or Janet Jackson in the video, it's Damon Wayans and Stacey Dash from the film "Mo Money" which this record is from. 

Verdict - Good


In my college days I bought an old rave compilation from Cash Converters and put it on in the common room. Several people in the common room weren't into rave and weren't familiar with most of the tunes. I was there saying they were missing out, this was good stuff. Then this tune came on which everyone did know, but I had to concede that this one was shit. Think that was the only one we all agreed on.

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 18/30, or 60%. Same as last week.
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