Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 27 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Friday.
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 1996 with my verdict on each record:
It's quite a simple concept, take a sample of "Better Days" by Jimi Polo like several other dance records have done, and mix it in with a vocal sample of "Girls & Boys" by Blur. It worked though, this was one of my favourite commercial dance records at the time. I kind of didn't want to like it but I couldn't help but enjoy it.
Verdict - Good
There really was a lot of football records in the charts in the summer of 1996 and here's another one. I guess you could call this the "Vindaloo" of Euro 96. Again it's an example of why football and music don't really mix.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the last Top 40 hit for Bon Jovi before they went on hiatus. A lot of songs from this era of Bon Jovi were either ballads or acoustic numbers, but this is very much a rock record. Not exactly a classic, but not bad either.
Verdict - OK
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Maxi Priest and final time he'll feature as his final hit didn't make the Top 30. It was also the penultimate Top 40 hit of the 90s for Shaggy. I recall it seeming odd but logical seeing Maxi Priest and Shaggy collaborate. It's a good record though.
Verdict - Good
I'll be the first to admit this record hasn't aged very well. At the time though it was a great record and the nostalgia element means I still like it now. For me it's all about the build up when the beat first comes in. Then there's the short breakdown later on before the tune kicks in again. It was irresistible at the time.
Verdict - Good
25. Shampoo - Girl Power (New)
The final Top 40 hit to date for Shampoo. Interesting how they have a hit called "Girl Power" and then the following week we have the Top 40 debut of the Spice Girls. Little did we know this week that the term "Girl Power" would be so prominent for the rest of the decade. The question is what is worse, this record or anything by the Spice Girls.
Verdict - Rubbish
The song most people remember from Euro 96 was "3 Lions", but it was this record which was the official song of the tournament. I also remember it being the first Simply Red record after Mick Hucknall had a haircut. I'm not surprised few people remember this song and that you never hear it anymore, it's boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Space. When it comes to bands who fell under the Britpop banner I would say Space were one of the better ones. It's a bit different, the verses stand out really well and builds into a strong chorus. Great tune.
Verdict - Good
22. Def Leppard - Work It Out (New)
This will be the last Def Leppard record to feature as they had one more hit in the 90s that didn't make the Top 40. It was the first Def Leppard record to be written by band member Vivian Campbell who didn't join the band until 1992. As a result it does sound a bit different to your average Def Leppard record. Still not my cup of tea though.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record is what it says on the tin but is basically a remix done by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen of U2. I will give them credit for the fact this sounds nothing like a U2 record. That doesn't mean it's any good though.
Verdict - Rubbish
The record Ocean Colour Scene are best known for was their debut "The Riverboat Song" but this was their joint highest charting hit. The verses to this gives the notion of riding along on a train I think and the chorus is simple but effective. An all round good record.
Verdict - Good
I keep mentioning the rock crowd I knew back in the day. Around the mid 90s some of us like myself moved onto different music and some stuck with it. This would be the sort of music those who stuck with it were listening to by 1996 which seemed a far cry from the heavier music they were listening to a couple of years earlier.
Verdict - Rubbish
What I remember about this record was it being in the charts around the same time as the Divine Comedy record of the same name. This seemed a more serious record, but as I got more familiar with the Super Furry Animals I gathered they're a band you're not supposed to take too seriously either. That gives me a more favourable view of them.
Verdict - Good
The way Everything But The Girl came out of the musical wilderness the previous year was via a Todd Terry remix. Here they are again with another Todd Terry remix. I was never a fan of said record and I'm not a fan of this one either. It's their last Top 10 single to date.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was a record I never liked at the time, partly because with a name like the Tony Rich Project I was expecting a dance record but it wasn't. Then when I was going through my R&B phase I started liking it. What do I think of it now though? Well first of all I could have sworn it was written by Babyface but it wasn't, though it did come out on his label and the songwriters have seemingly done nothing else so you never know. The fact it sounds like a record Babyface could have done himself though is a good thing.
Verdict - Good
15. Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives (Come On In)
The Top 40 debut for Alison Limerick. I always thought she was American but it turns out she's English. The involvement of America DJs David Morales and Frankie Knuckles is probably why I thought that. I've heard this far too many times in my life now, but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
This was the highest charting Top 40 hit for The Saw Doctors and their last Top 40 hit of the 90s. What I will say in it's favour is that it's something different and I do like the fact the Top 40 had a wide range of music back then. Not really my cup of tea though.
Verdict - Rubbish
In the 21st century Mariah Carey had more of an R&B element in her music thanks in part to having Jermaine Dupri write and produce some of her records. This is where it began though with this record being written and produced by Jermanine Dupri. It's still shit though.
Verdict - Rubbish
Erick Morillo was a respected DJ in the dance music scene, but Reel 2 Real was very much his cheesy commercial dance project. This was the penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Reel 2 Real and is a cheesy commercial dance record, but it isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
I never really liked Kula Shaker at the time. This was their breakthrough record that I remember most for its incomprehensible lyrics. Then in more recent times I'm finding that I really like this record. Probably helps that the only times I listen to it these days is of my own accord.
Verdict - Good
10. Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie (New)
It was around this time I knew someone who would often ask people do you like Sleeper? do you think the singers a bit of totty? I was asked that question more than once, the answer to the first question was always no I can't say I do like Sleeper. The answer to the second question is irrelevant.
Verdict - Rubbish
After eventually topping the charts with their Top 40 debut "Dreamer" the previous year, this was their follow up. It was with a different singer this time. It's not hugely different to it's predecessor though and not a good, but not bad either.
Verdict - OK
After the Lisa Marie Experience charted with their version of "Keep On Jumpin" here's Todd Terry with his version. The whole vocals are included in this one. I have to say I prefer the Lisa Marie Experience version, but this has it's place too.
Verdict - Good
This was the 5th Top 40 hit for Toni Braxton and the 5th to be written by Babyface. A general rule I am finding with Babyface compositions is that he uses his signature sound for more credible artists and writes crap for those who aren't credible. Yet this isn't really his signature sound and I would say Toni Braxton is credible enough. I guess that just showcases the songwriting talents of Babyface.
Verdict - Good
We're into the home straight when it comes to the Top 40 career of Belinda Carlisle. It's a cover of a record by Jenny Morris but was written by Rick Nowels who wrote the bulk of Belinda Carlisle hits. The mentions of highways makes me liken it to "Rush Hour" by her Go-Go's bandmate Jane Wiedlin, not to say it sounds the same because it doesn't. I just like the concept really.
Verdict - Good
Celine Dion was pretty well established as a chart act by this point and was mainly known for doing ballads. It therefore seemed almost inevitable really that she'd end up with a single written by Diane Warren and here it is.
Verdict - Rubbish
The record that Peter Andre was best known for. It's a reggae style pop record that sounds a bit like its ripping off "Sweat" by Inner Circle. I remember this being in the charts when Peter Andre was presenting Top of the Pops and during the chart countdown he said it was "by Bubbler Ranx and me". It's not the worst record in the world, but I'm sick to death of it now and would happily never hear it again.
Verdict - Rubbish
As a general rule music and football do not mix. New Order however showed it is possible to make a decent football record. In theory there was no reason why the Lightning Seeds couldn't have done the same and it is liked by many, but not by me.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Underworld - Born Slippy (New)
What can I say about this record to do it justice? Underworld are one of my favourite acts ever and this was their biggest hit and what got me into them in the first place. At a time when commercially successful music was getting more and more mellow it was refreshing to see a banging techno record giving a big fuck you to all of that.
Verdict - Good
I remember this going straight into number one on the Top 40 countdown which was the first time I heard it. Initially from the intro I thought it was going to be a depressing song, but then the beats kicked in and I though hang on a minute this is actually quite good.
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 15.5/30, or 52%. It's becoming apparent that 1996 hits were very 50/50.
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