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 1993 with my verdict on each record:
REM were I band I paid attention to in late 1992/early 1993. I remember "Drive", "Man on the Moon" and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" being released very well. Yet this record came next and made the Top 10 unlike those mentioned and it completely passed me by. I'd heard it by the summer and was somewhat baffled why I missed it the first time round. Looking at the history books (aka the internet) though I now know I would have been on holiday when this appeared on Top of the Pops. I don't mind it, but I've heard much better from them.
Verdict - OK
The lead track from this EP was "Turn". The lyrics to the chorus are "You turn and face the strange" so that means it's easy to think of the song as being called "Face the Strange" rather than "Turn". It's from what was the yet to be released "Troublegum" album. I do wonder whether this would have been a single had the "Troublegum" album been complete at the time because it seems an odd choice for a single compared to other tracks. I love that whole album though.
Verdict - Good
Although Thunders heyday was in the 90s and they didn't form until 1989 I've always regarded them as an 80s band. Maybe it's because grunge was supposed to kill off that sort of rock music in the 90s. They certainly weren't a band any of the rock crowd at school were into, but I can appreciate them a lot more now.
Verdict - Good
This was the Eurovision winner of 1993 and the first of the 90s to make the UK Top 40. I think 1993 was the first Eurovision Song Contest I watched and my main memory of it was thinking every song was crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
On Popmaster they like asking questions about A-ha records which came after their 90s heyday. This is one of those records and one could be forgiven for having no recollection of it. I think they had reached the point where they could put out any old crap and they had enough fans to buy it.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the lead single from the "Gold Against the Soul" album which the band themselves appear to not think much of. It's a bit namby pamby for my liking and got me questioning why the Manic Street Preachers came under the metal section in my Encyclopedia of Rock.
Verdict - Rubbish
The hits just kept coming for Cliff Richard and this is another one I have absolutely no recollection of and will have probably forgotten by the time you're reading this.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the biggest Janet Jackson solo hit and arguably her best known record. Once again Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are on songwriting duties. I've never understood the hype about this record though, it's pretty poor in my opinion. Sounds very much like background music.
Verdict - Rubbish
When this topped the charts several people pointed this out to me thinking I was still a Queen fan. I'd reply I don't care, I'm a Guns n Roses fan now. I also recall a school assembly where the headmaster asked one of the younger teachers who was at number one in the charts and she said The Bluebells which prompted most of the kids to say no it isn't, it's Queen. It also appeared as a question on a quiz at youth club, if we answered George Michael and Queen or just George Michael we got the points, if we just answered Queen we didn't. Anyway I may have tried avoiding it at the time but it's a pretty decent cover.
Verdict - Good
"Jump Around" is of course the best known House of Pain record and was enjoying greater success the second time round having originally charted at 32 the previous year. I still like it, but it has been overplayed over the years. I recall this being played on a Saturday night out and my mate saying wow tune. I on the other hand couldn't get excited about hearing a tune I was hearing every Saturday night being played on a Saturday night. I would say "Top O' The Morning To Ya" is less radio friendly, but that's a good thing.
Verdict - Good / Good
The 2nd Top 40 hit for The Time Frequency and first to make the Top 30. They're a Scottish techno act led by Jon Campbell. The Scottish scene had it's own sound which was more bouncy. "The Power Zone" is an instrumental which is a good thing in my book.
Verdict - Good
After going in the rock direction with his previous effort Terence Trent D'Arby has more or less gone in the opposite direction here with a ballad. I remember it at the time and always thought it was a load of crap. I've not changed my mind.
Verdict - Rubbish
In the early part of the 21st century there were lots of cheesy eurodance records that came under the trance banner. This is possibly where all that started as this is essentially trance music of the cheesy eurodance variety. To be fair it's better than many of those 21st century records but it's still crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
Here we have yet another remix of a Sister Sledge record in 1993. This one works better as a remix though which is probably why it's been sampled in a number of dance record. It probably helps that the original is decent too.
Verdict - Good
16. Sting - Fields Of Gold (New)
This is one of the better known Sting solo hits though it only made number 16. The way I read that is that just because people knew it didn't mean that they liked it. I find it a very boring record and I would put in the category of making any old crap now you've made a name for yourself.
Verdict - Rubbish
At this point Lulu had a Top 40 career spanning 29 years and 14 hits, but she had no hits as songwriter until this record. It sounds nothing like a Lulu record, but as she hadn't written any of her hits to this point I guess you couldn't really determine what she'd be like as a songwriter. Anyway, not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
There seemed to be a lot of 80s acts making a brief comeback in 1992. We can add Sade to that list, though this was the penultimate Sade Top 40 hit to date. It's also the 2nd highest charting. Doesn't really have enough about it for me to truly like it, but it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Jamiroquai. I'd forgotten how good the bass was on this record. The blend of a record being quite laid back with a funky bassline works really well.
Verdict - Good
This was the Top 40 debut for Louchie Lou & Michie One which is basically a cover of the Isley Brothers record done ragga style. I think all that achieved was to remind people that the original was much better.
Verdict - Rubbish
With eurodance music increasing in popularity in 1993 Snap! appear to be right in their element here. By the mid to late 90s I saw this as being the ultimate eurodance record that hadn't aged well at all. Now we're 30 years down the line and it still hasn't aged well.
Verdict - Rubbish
It's a bad sign when you release a new record and it enters the charts lower than your previous record. That's what's happened here with the "Five Live EP" at number 6 when this entered the charts. That said it did come pretty soon after and it would become the 4th highest charting record for Lisa Stansfield. The record itself though is a boring ballad.
Verdict - Rubbish
You can't knock this record for originality. The story of the three little pigs with a modern twist and done rock style. It's a dreadful record, but that's the point. They even acknowledge that fact at the end of the record.
Verdict - Rubbish
This one reminds me of school discos. Everyone would sing along to this and I don't think too many of us really knew what it was about. Another thing I didn't know at the time was that Inner Circle formed in 1968 and had previous been in the Top 40 in 1979. Despite that, this tune has early 90s written all over it.
Verdict - Good
I can't help but think of "Go West" as being the lead single from the "Very" album but the lead single was this. It's a similar story for the "Bilingual" and "Nightlife" albums but more on that when I get to them.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Chaka Demus & Pliers. This was one of many more radio friendly reggae records that charted in 1993. It's almost the blueprint on how to make a record reggae style.
Verdict - Good
There was a period of time in 1993 when The Spin Doctors were my 10th favourite band and it was because of this record alone. The rest of my Top 10 was always changing and they dropped out when I could easily name 10 bands who were better. I would say their placing at number 10 was more symbolic of me thinking this is a solid decent record but only a nitwit would think it's the best song ever.
Verdict - Good
I remember hearing this for the first time on the Big Breakfast and then hearing other singing it later on that day. It's a pretty catchy record and now I know it was produced by Denniz Pop that was clearly the point. I loved this record at the time and still like it even though I've perhaps heard it too many times.
Verdict - Good
This is an iconic 90s record that everybody remembers. My memory of this record was having a teacher called Mrs Hathaway who we started calling Mrs Haddaway which led to people randomly singing it in her lessons. That said, I've always considered it to be a bit crap and still think the same.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Gabrielle - Dreams (New)
The Top 40 debut for Gabrielle and perhaps her best known hit. I remember being in 2 minds about this record at the time. It didn't make a good impression on me initially but it grew on me. Neither a good or bad record really.
Verdict - OK
At the time I recall someone accusing me of only liking this record because it was at number one. If anything that would have been a reason for me to not like it. UB40 do divide opinion, some say how can you take a reggae band from Birmingham who do lots of covers seriously whereas others say doesn't it really matter it's good to listen to. I fit the latter category.
Verdict - Good
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 14.5/30, or 48%. Just half a mark below last week but I know lower scores are on the way.
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