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:
I don't think I've ever heard the original of "Professional Widow" before. I was aware that it sounded nothing like the Armand Van Helden remix that topped the charts and it doesn't. It goes without saying that the remix is miles better, not liking the original at all. Same with "Hey Jupiter", it's just terribly boring.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
This was the music that the BBC used for their coverage of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As I mentioned when reviewing "Reach" by Gloria Estefan I didn't watch much of this Olympics but do remember Steve Ryder and Sue Barker in the studio presenting it. This is a dance makeover of a classical piece. Not bad but nothing special.
Verdict - OK
28. Babybird - Goodnight (New)
The Top 40 debut for Babybird which came before his big hit. I can understand why that had more of an impact as it's much more catchy than this record. What I recall about Babybird at the time was that he was a very prolific songwriter which means he inevitably churned out a lot of crap including this.
Verdict - Rubbish
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for singing actor Sean Maguire which is a cover of a record by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. Who was buying this rubbish? surely the novelty of Sean Maguire making music must have worn off by now.
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
It had been over 2 years since Cathy Dennis had last been in the Top 40. She had some great pop records early on in her career but those sort of songs wouldn't have really worked in 1996. Therefore this sounds different, but I can't say I really like it.
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
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
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
21. 911 - Love Sensation (New)
The 2nd Top 40 hit for 911 who got off to a pretty low key start to their Top 40 career but seemed to get more popular towards the end. This sounds like it could just as easily have been by Bad Boys Inc. or Worlds Apart a couple of years earlier. Therefore it's crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
20. New Edition - Hit Me Off (New)
It had been 11 years since New Edition were last in the Top 40 when they were still kids. After going on hiatus they reunited as a 6 piece for the first time with both Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill in the group after Johnny Gill had been Bobby Browns replacement the first time round. I remember seeing "Candy Girl" on Top of the Pops 2 around this time where it was mentioned they were back with this record which I recall being quite surprised by. Anyway the only New Edition album I own is the comeback one, so that tells you what I think of this record.
Verdict - Good
This was the Top 40 debut for Mark Morrison in 1995, but following the success of "Return of the Mack" this was remixed and charted higher than it did the first time around. I'd say this is an illustration of how British R&B is often inferior to it's American counterpart.
Verdict - Rubbish
Taken from the album of the same name, this record is apparently a message to the fans about how their music style had changed since the disappearance of Richey Edwards. They did have some decent record in the post-Richey Edwards era but this wasn't one of them.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. East 17 - Someone To Love (New)
The main difference between the "Up All Night" album and the other East 17 albums to this point was that all members of the band wrote songs on it whereas the others were Tony Mortimer songs. It was however the Tony Mortimer songs that got released as singles with this being the last one. Interestingly though it had no Tony Mortimer rapping on it. The album version is much better than the single version but this still gets the thumbs up.
Verdict - Good
The 5th and final Top 40 hit from the "Jagged Little Pill" album and the first to make the Top 10. I wouldn't definitely say this is the best Alanis Morissette single and I liked it enough to buy it, albeit second hand at Cash Converters a few years later.
Verdict - Good
When Take That split up earlier on in the year I was happy. What I didn't anticipate though was the solo careers that would follow which began with this Gary Barlow record. It clearly topped the charts because it was Gary Barlow because musically it's terrible.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Alisha's Attic. The first thing I thought when I heard this record was that it sounded a bit like "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette. But I thought both records were good in their own way. One memory I do have of this record is it appearing on the radio one morning when I was about to switch it off and go out, but instead I stayed and listened to it.
Verdict - Good
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
The 10th Top 40 hit for Neneh Cherry and last to make the Top 10. It's a take on "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown. Needless to say the James Brown record is far superior. This is an absolutely terrible record.
Verdict - Rubbish
Here's proof that there were charting musicians from New Zealand that had nothing to do with the Finn brothers. There had been John Rowles and Kiri Te Kanawa previously. It was the only Top 40 hit for OMC and the title more or less describes the tune. I like it though. I also know that we'll soon be getting OMD in the charts too just to confuse things.
Verdict - Good
This record original charted in 1995 but then went one place better when it was remixed in 1996. It certainly felt a much bigger record this time round as I recall. I particularly liked the build up towards the end where it gets pitched up.
Verdict - Good
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 have to admit I did not like this record when I first heard it. I remember them being introduced as gangsta rappers but didn't like the singing element to their rapping. However after getting over that hurdle I can honestly say this is one of my all time favourites. I love how dark it is and how dark a lot of their music is for that matter.
Verdict - Good
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
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
This was the big holiday song of 1996 and I can remember hearing it all the time when I went on holiday in 1996 myself. When this made the charts I wasn't expecting the 2 men who sing it to be so old, they were almost 50 by this point which actually doesn't seem that old these days. Anyway it's cheesy and terrible and everything you expect from a big holiday song.
Verdict - Rubbish
4. Dodgy - Good Enough (New)
The biggest hit for Dodgy and the one they're best known for. What I can tell you from this record is that it was around the same time "The Noise", a short lived music TV show presented by Andi Peters, was on. It's a decent enough record.
Verdict - Good
3. Suede - Trash (New)
It had been a couple of years since Bernard Butler had left Suede, but this was their first Top 40 hit to have no involvement from him. I don't think it's any better or worse than previous Suede hits generally speaking, but I'm not a fan either way.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Robbie Williams - Freedom (New)
It had been over a year since Robbie Williams had left Take That. In that time Take That had broken up and Gary Barlow had started his solo career. I remember in the summer of 1995 Robbie Williams was stating his intention of starting his solo career when he was on The Big Breakfast. He also implied he was going to make more credible music. After the long wait he finally launched his solo career with a George Michael cover. Not what I was expecting, and he has since admitted it wasn't the best way to start his solo career.
Verdict - Rubbish
There was no escaping this song in the summer of 1996. It was the Top 40 debut for the Spice Girls and I thought it had one hit wonder written all over it at the time. Unfortunately it wasn't and there was no escaping them for the next 2.5 years which felt a lot longer.
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 12/30, or 40%. Slight drop on last week.
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