Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 28 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Wednesday.
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 1995 with my verdict on each record:
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Brownstone and the follow up to their big hit "If You Love Me". I do think that their big hit was easily their best one, but this one is still decent enough.
Verdict - Good
29. PJ Harvey - C'mon Billy (New)
I remember having this record down as jumping on the "Billy" bandwagon after Sheryl Crow had sang about someone who "said his name was Billy". Whether PJ Harvey took inspiration from Sheryl Crow I don't know, but this is amongst the better records I've heard from her.
Verdict - Good
28. Isha-D - Stay (Tonight) (New)
A dance record which has a pop version and the pop version is how to make a pop record. They don't make them like this anymore, but these were better times that this record makes me nostalgic for.
Verdict - Good
"Sweet Harmony" first made the Top 40 in 1992. This is a remix, there were plenty of remixes or records using the same samples over the years. "One Love Family" was in the Top 40 for the first time. I bought this single so that should tell you what I think of it.
Verdict - Good / Good
The Lightning Seeds are one of those bands who have quite a few records that are still played regularly today. However this record isn't one of those and I don't think I've heard it since 1995. I have it down as the one about waving at the taxi's passing by. Always thought it was pretty decent.
Verdict - Good
It had only been a few months since the original version of this by The Cranberries had been in the Top 40. This eurodance cover is just about as bad as it gets, a truly awful record.
Verdict - Rubbish
Just when you thought that D:Ream were finished they were back with a new single and album. This would however be the final original Top 10 single for the band who would only just be scraping into the Top 40 by the end of the year.
Verdict - Rubbish
Pulp formed in the 70s but it took until 1994 for them to get their first Top 40 hit. It was this record though that made them a household name. I wasn't keen on this record at first, then it grew on me a bit but it's taken quite a few years for me to concede that I do quite like it.
Verdict - Good
Whigfield is best known for her chart topping debut "Saturday Night" which is an irritating record. Then came "Another Day" which is basically the same tune with different lyrics. Then came this which made me think what the fuck, I like this Whigfield record. It's still cheesy don't get me wrong, but in a good way. Those who remember it are likely to remember it for the line "I need you inside me tonight".
Verdict - Good
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
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit for Amy Grant who had last been in the Top 40 in 1991. It's a cover of the Joni Mitchell record and I believe this was the first version of this record that I heard. I remember thinking it was good to see the singer of "Baby Baby" back in the charts.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Cast who were fronted by John Power who had previously been a member of The La's. The intro to this record sounds the same as the intro to "Paradise City" by Guns n Roses. It does take on its own identity once we get further into it.
Verdict - Good
18. Gene - Olympian (New)
Gene are a band I remember existing but don't remember their songs too well other than the fact they're a bit boring. As I heard the intro I thought is 1995 going to give me a Gene record that I actually like. It was a false start though as it quickly turned into a complete non-entity.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 3rd Top 40 hit for MN8 and the 3rd to make the Top 40 which I find quite surprising. I'm not surprised to find that they never made the Top 10 again after this. It's a cover of a record by American R&B group Surface. I guess the 1995 I get from it makes me like it.
Verdict - Good
We're now into the wilderness years for Kylie Minogue. You could say this is her attempt at making a house record with Brothers in Rhythm behind it. The result is that I don't think it can decide whether it wants to be a pop record or a house record so we end up with either a pop record that's no very catchy or a house record that's a bit cheesy.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record originally came out in 1991 but was remixed and made the Top 40 for the first time in 1995. I remember going to a disco at the time and the person putting it on assured me there would be plenty of rave/dance music. This was playing as I walked in and I thought it was a good start. I can't remember much else about the disco if I'm honest.
Verdict - Good
14. Corona - Try Me Out (New)
One thing that makes Corona different to your usual eurodance acts is that they have 3 big hits that could all claim to be their big hit. Not only that but each of those 3 are quite distinctive and not just soundalikes of what they've done before.
Verdict - Good
This was the highest charting Top 40 hit for Clock. It's a eurodance cover of the Tag Team record. I do remember this being pretty big at the time but it's never worked in my opinion. The again very generic eurodance music sold records.
Verdict - Rubbish
12. Soul II Soul - Love Enuff (New)
We were into the latter stages of the Top 40 career of Soul II Soul by this point. They no longer had the same influence they had when they first broke though at the end of the 80s. That was more to do with how music in general had progressed, there was still room for Soul II Soul in 1995.
Verdict - Good
EMF had a total of 3 Top 10 hits, "Unbelievable", "I Believe" and "I'm A Believer". A bit of a theme going on with that. This would be their final Top 40 hit to date and teaming up with comedians Reeves and Mortimer probably didn't do much for their music credibility. It's crap but that's probably the point.
Verdict - Rubbish
I have a memory of listening to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show one day on Radio 1 at the time and liking everything he was playing on it. I remember this record being one of those that he played. It was the Top 40 debut for Dana Dawson and was her biggest hit.
Verdict - Good
When I first heard this record I was quite surprised that it was a new record. I thought it sounded like it should be an older record. I still think it wouldn't have sounded out of place long before it was written, but does very much remind me of 1995 these days. It's one of those rare Paul Weller records that I actually like.
Verdict - Good
"Kiss From A Rose" was originally a Top 40 hit in 1994 but was given a new lease of life when it featured in the "Batman Forever" soundtrack. I'd never heard "I'm Alive" until I bought the CD single of this.
Verdict - Good / Good
Whilst I generally have a favourable opinion of music from 1995 I'm also conscious that there was also rubbish in the charts that year with Robson & Jerome in particular that springs to mind. This was their Top 40 debut which came about after their Soldier Soldier characters sang it on the show.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
This record was famously featured on the soundtrack to "Batman Forever". It's a crap film like all the Batman films are but the music is good. I love the intro/outro riff to this.
Verdict - Good
It had been over 2 years since Shaggy topped the charts with "Oh Carolina" but took until this record for him to score his 2nd Top 40 hit. It's based on the Mungo Jerry record of the same name and features extensive vocals from Rayvon, the first act from Barbados to have a Top 40 hit. A fun record.
Verdict - Good
The solo Top 40 debut for Edwyn Collins who had previous been in the Top 40 as part of Orange Juice. This record is all about the guitar, I love the way it basically repeats the lines that he sings. The rest of the guitaring is great as well.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Diana King and the record she is best known for. It was from the soundtrack to "Bad Boys", a film that has Will Smith in it. The fact it wasn't Will Smith making the record for the film might have indicated that he'd given up on music. Maybe that's why I like this.
Verdict - Good
The biggest hit for Supergrass and the one they're best known for. I was already familiar with Supergrass courtesy of their previous hits and had them down as a bit of a moody band. I was therefore surprised at how uplifting "Alright" was. They're back to their moody selves on "Time" but are sounding a bit poundland Rolling Stones for my liking.
Verdict - Good / Rubbish
If I had to pick a record to sum up the summer of 1995 then this would probably be it. This was also my favourite of The Outhere Brothers hits.
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 23/30, or 77%. The good scores keep coming.
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