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:
Just in case you weren't aware that 3T were Michael Jacksons nephews, here's Michael Jackson himself on the record just to remind you. It's a Babyface composition which shows that not everything he writes is good.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Brian Kennedy and his biggest one of the 90s. I do remember Brian Kennedy in the 90s but if you asked me which songs of his I remember from the 90s I'd say the boring one. Whether it's this one or his debut or both I have no idea.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the Top 40 debut for both Case and Foxy Brown. The only other Top 40 hit to date for Case was as featured artists on a Ja Rule record in 2001 but Foxy Brown had a few more. It's a shame it wasn't the other way round really because the rapping from Foxy Brown is the only bad thing about this otherwise decent record.
Verdict - Good
I picked this record as my record of the year for 1996. It's the only Way Out West single to make the Top 30. I just find the euphoric trance sound together with the breakbeats irresistible. I absolutely loved this record at the time, still do.
Verdict - Good
I'm assuming they thought it would be funny to sample "Tequila" in a record called "No More Alcohol" and I guess it is funny. I can't claim to be a big Madness fan but would assume the average Madness fan was hearing this and thinking what the fuck is this, please reunite with Madness and make some proper music again. Which he basically did.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I started buying rap albums I was inclined to buy artists either associated with Dr Dre or from the west coast or both. Busta Rhymes was the first rapper I bought an album by who didn't fit these categories and the album was "The Coming" on which this appears and is an all round good album. Funnily enough Busta Rhymes did sign with Dr Dre's label a few years later.
Verdict - Good
This feels like a comeback single for The Charlatans, but in reality they never really went away they were just a bit low key since their initial success in the early 90s. It became their biggest hit to date. I always found their music from this period at least rather dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
21. The Cardigans - Lovefool (New)
When it came to the soundtrack for "Romeo + Juliet" this was seen as the big record from it as opposed to the much better "You and Me Song" by The Wannadies. A very poor choice of record in my opinion, there's nothing to like about this record, it's irritating.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Space and their best in my opinion. It's also one you don't really hear anymore which helps my preserve that opinion. It's a funny story but even without the humour it's a great record musically.
Verdict - Good
The one thing I remember about Mansun from the 90s was that their Top 40 hits were numbered EPs in chronological order. I only actually remember one song from them, and this wasn't the one. Maybe it has a memorable title but the song itself isn't.
Verdict - Rubbish
I wasn't sure whether this record was a piss take or not. It was the only Top 40 hit for Rocket From The Crypt who were a punk band. Not all punk has to be serious though and music doesn't have to be serious to be liked. Never been able to like this record though, I remember the Top of the Pops performance and thinking this is shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
Here's yet another record that reminds me of "The Noise" with Andi Peters. That show must have had a bigger effect on me than I realised. As I recall though I believe Louise sang a line from it as part of a competition to guess what it was she was singing. This time George Michael failed to top the charts and I'd say this is actually better than his 2 chart toppers of 1996, but that's not saying much.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. Iron Maiden - Virus (New)
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit of the Blaze Bayley era of Iron Maiden. As mentioned before the measurement of how much I like and Iron Maiden is how fast it is. This gets off to a slow start but you feel it will pick up at some point. It does, but not to the extent it should do.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I was listening to "Tattva" for the first time in years I was surprised at how much I was enjoying it. No such luck with this follow up, this more or less sums up why my memories of Kula Shaker aren't great. Not the worst song I've ever heard by any means, but there's not really anything to like about it.
Verdict - Rubbish
Joining the Lighthouse Family on songwriting duties on this record is former Simply Red member Tim Kellett. Quite what he contributed I don't know as this very much is following the Lighthouse Family formula. It's soothing once again but the problem this time is it's not as good as its predecessors.
Verdict - OK
This is a cover of the Four Seasons record which is a record which has always irritated me. Quite frankly I don't think any cover of this is going to change that fact. A cheesy commercial eurodance cover certainly isn't.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
As someone who listened to the radio back in the 90s there were lots of records I'd hear that I didn't like. Generally I'd just put up with them, but there were some records that I hated so much I would have to turn off the radio. This was one of those records. I can also tell you that we'll be getting "Breakfast At Tiffany's" in the charts soon because that was another that made me turn off the radio at the time. Why break the habit of a lifetime, I'm stopping this before the end of the video.
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
After Sheryl Crow had a big debut in "All I Wanna Do" her follow ups were much more minor hits until she charted with this record. To be fair her music was the sort you'd expect to do well in America but not so well in the UK. Or maybe I'm just unlikely to buy it.
Verdict - Rubbish
We're now in the wilderness years for Roxette from a UK Top 40 perspective, but Per Gessle was back in the charts as a songwriter with this record. It's the last Top 10 hit to date for Belinda Carlisle but not her last Top 40. I do like a bit of Roxette and I could see this working as a Roxette record too, but Belinda Carlisle does a decent enough job of it.
Verdict - Good
The 9th Top 40 hit for Jamiroquai which became their highest charting to that point. I remember being quite surprised by this record because I saw Jamiroquai as being a futuristic band but here they are singing about "useless twisting our new technology". Maybe Jay Kay knew we'd have a lot more of that in the future which we do. One benefit of the modern era that didn't exist back then was the ability to go to YouTube and play music from the good old days.
Verdict - Good
What a name, well the presents Maddog bit anyway. It heavily samples "Boogie Wonderland" and has a rap over the top of it, but nothing too over the top. It did like it at the time but not sure whether I'd like it if I was hearing it for the first time now. The nostalgia means I still do like it though.
Verdict - Good
After 18 years away from the Top 40 The Smurfs are back with this novelty take on "I Wanna Be A Hippy". It's music that's intentionally crap, I remember the adverts for the album with clips of several tracks. One more would make the Top 40.
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
After reviewing "I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis I knew this record was just round the corner because it was another record that I hated so much I had to turn the radio off whenever it came on. Now I'm going to end the YouTube video before it finishes.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record finally ended the Spice Girls time at the top of the charts. Peter Andre made a name for himself earlier on in the summer with "Mysterious Girl" which sounded like it was ripping off "Sweat" by Inner Circle. This time he's ripping off "Hoochie Booty" by Ultimate Kaos. The only thing I like about this record is that when you ask the question what was Peter Andre's first number one they normally get it wrong.
Verdict - Rubbish
In 1996 you were more likely to find me listening to the drum & bass rip off of this rather than the Fugees record. In a way though I saw it as a good compromise between listening to this and staying true to the rave scene. It's a great record though, pretty dark but has a sung chorus to keep it radio friendly. There was no stopping the Fugees in 1996.
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 11.5/30, or 38%. We're down, but will we get up again?
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