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:
Terence Trent D'Arby went down the rock music route in the 90s and my memory of this is it being rock sounding too. It isn't though, it's a piano ballad. The singing is exactly how I remember it though. Amazing how much I can misremember things. I kind of wish it was more rock sounding though as this is pretty dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
We're now half way through the Top 40 career of Bad Boys Inc with this being the 3rd of 6 Top 40 hits for them. As a reminder this was a boy band put together by Ian Levine which I refer to as the Virgin Cola of the early 90s boy band world. This one was penned by Ian Levine himself and it sounds like a cheap imitation of Motown.
Verdict - Rubbish
The follow up to chart topper "Mr. Vain" which came at the same time Culture Beat member Torsten Fenslau sadly died in a car crash. It's very predictable, the typical eurodance style backing track with rapped verses and a sung chorus. Very tedious.
Verdict - Rubbish
This is one of those records where the lyrics make me want to listen to it rather than the music. I particularly like the line "Question, why is it that every time I turn on the radio I hear the same 5 songs, 15 times a day for 3 months, man funk dat......get a new DJ". The only difference these days you hear the same songs on the radio indefinitely rather than for 3 month. Unfortunately it's not very good musically so I can't give it full marks.
Verdict - OK
26. Gabrielle - I Wish (New)
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Gabrielle which follows a familiar pattern of hugely successful debut, a moderately successful follow up and then a 3rd single that few people noticed. In this case it's reflected in the music itself, I could easily recite her first 2 hits but this sounds very much album filler.
Verdict - Rubbish
The follow up to "The Key The Secret". Like it's predecessor, it treads that fine line between proper dance music and cheesy commercial nonsense and they managed to pull it off again. I've not heard this in a long time, whilst I very much remember it I wasn't sure how good it would sound after all these years. Once the main hook kicked in I thought yes still sounds good.
Verdict - Good
24. UB40 - Bring Me Your Cup (New)
The 1993 charts for UB40 followed a similar pattern to Gabrielle, a chart topper followed by a Top 10 followed by a record that gets no higher than the lower reaches. You know what you're getting with UB40 though, a pleasant bit of pop reggae.
Verdict - Good
Lesley Garrett is a pretty well known soprano singer though this is her only Top 40 hit to date. Amanda Thompson was a child with a serious illness and this record was a charity single to raise money. I suspect most people bought it for the cause rather than the music though.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Snoop Doggy Dogg. It's the only single from his debut album "Doggystyle" that made the Top 30 therefore my only opportunity to say how great that album is, one of my all time favourites.
Verdict - Good
The 4th Top 40 hit for Bjork and 3rd to reach the Top 30. So far we've had one I liked and one I didn't like, so what about this one? Well I actually like this one, helped by the dance beat it has. That's 2 out of 3 for Bjork so far which is something I never expected. I can pretty much guarantee that by the end of the decade there will be more Bjork records I don't like than like.
Verdict - Good
If you asked someone to name a K-Klass record that isn't "Rhythm Is A Mystery" than this would be the most likely record they'd name. It's also their 2nd biggest hit. Even though it had been 2 years since their debut, all their Top 40 hits appeared on the same album which was yet to be released at this point. This does feel more 1991 than 1993, but these reviews show how much better the charts were in 1991.
Verdict - Good
It was 2nd time lucky for this record after charting in the lower reaches of the Top 40 a few months prior. It was the debut hit and biggest hit for Soul Asylum, a band who weren't grunge as such but benefited from the rise of grunge. I prefer their lesser hits, but this is still decent.
Verdict - Good
After coming back with a surprisingly uplifting record a few months prior, Mariah Carey follows up with something extra dreary even by Mariah Carey standards. I try to listen to every song the whole way through even if it's something I've heard many times and know I hate, but I had to stop this one less than a minute in as I couldn't bear to hear any more.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. Blind Melon - No Rain (New)
The Top 40 debut for Blind Melon, though singer Shannon Hoon previously appeared as backing vocalist on "Don't Cry" by Guns N Roses. This is the best known Blind Melon record and perhaps the only Blind Melon record many know. I guess it gives the meaning to the word alternative in alternative rock, it's a pretty unique sound that's hard to place into anything too specific.
Verdict - Good
Regular readers of this blog will know that it's highly unlikely I'd rate any Pet Shop Boys record anything other than good. This is no exception, a solid Pet Shop Boys record. This was playing on my car radio several years ago when I was driving past the site of where Dreamscape 20 was held so it's in good company.
Verdict - Good
I heard someone at this school rapping this record several times before I actually heard it. I remember where I was when I first heard it too, someone put the "Black Sunday" album on in his dads car in the car park of some woods near where I grew up whilst we were waiting for him. I've since purchased the "Black Sunday" album myself.
Verdict - Good
I guess 1993 was the perfect year from the perspective of Dina Carroll. This was when she had her biggest hit with "Don't Be A Stranger" which felt like it was around for the whole of 1993 and was still in the charts when this record entered. Not my cup of tea and this follow up isn't any better.
Verdict - Rubbish
There were lots of old records re-entering the charts in 1993 and here's another one. I don't know why it was re-released, I do recall seeing this on The Chart Show and question why it was there. One of those records I've never liked and have heard too many times in my life.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was a remix of a 20 year old record that never charted in the UK originally. I like the original of this but the question is does the remix do it justice? Well actually yes it does, it works well as a dance record and doesn't ruin the original.
Verdict - Good
M People turn down the tempo on this record which is a cover of the Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garret record. It features male singer Mark Bell, but the male/female parts have been switched around compared to the original. I remember hating this record at the time and then later on in life heard the original after looking up records that 2Pac sampled. I like the original and in a way that has made this record more tolerable listening to it again after many years, but still not a patch on the original,
Verdict - Rubbish
I really don't want to like this song and on paper I shouldn't. I'm not really a fan of Janet Jackson and this is a slow ballad. I can't help but like it though and the most logical reason for that is it's inclusion in the film "Poetic Justice" which has Janet Jackson in it alongside 2Pac.
Verdict - Good
This was the 6th and final single from East 17's debut album "Walthamstow". It could be argued that being the final single from an album that was nearly a year old was what stopped it from getting the Christmas number one, but we all know they achieved that the following year. Like with most East 17 record, this one gets the thumbs up from me.
Verdict - Good
One of the things that's surprised me when doing these posts was how many Top 40 hits Dina Carroll had before "Don't Be A Stranger". This was her 8th of 14 Top 40 hits. It's no doubt her signature song, something she probably won't be happy about because it's one she didn't write. I wonder whether the success of this song dictated that she wouldn't write any of her remaining Top 40 hits after this. Anyway I couldn't stand this record at the time, too slow and boring. I can't say I've really changed my mind to be honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
After what seemed an endless run of hits from his "Waking Up the Neighbours" album, here's Bryan Adams back with a brand new song. I do find it more memorable than some of his previous efforts despite it being a ballad, but not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Bee Gees are best known for their disco era, which I think is a shame because they made some really good music outside of this such as this record. In fact I would say this is the best record The Bee Gees have ever made. The moment where Robin starts singing the chorus is second to none.
Verdict - Good
5. Prince - Controversy (New)
This was the final Prince single before he became a symbol. It was a 22 year old song at the time though charting for the first time. In 1981 when this was first made Prince was yet to have a UK Top 40 hit but he was already on his 4th album.
Verdict - Good
One thing I remember in 1993 was U2 appearing in peoples Top 10 bands early on in the year but tended not to appear in peoples Top 10s by the time this record came out. I don't ever recall U2 being in my Top 10 though, I thought they were decent but not that good. Ironically I considered "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" to be one of their best records at the time. The other side was Frank Sinatra's only hit of the 90s and the first time he actually charted with this song. Not my thing though.
Verdict - Good / Rubbish
After their collaboration in 1976 gave both artists their first number one, Elton John and Kiki Dee reunite 17 years later but fall short of topping the charts this time round. The world had moved on and I remember this sounding very dated at the time. Little did I know he'd still be charting with duets 3 decades later that would actually sound modern in a bad way.
Verdict - Rubbish
Meat Loaf had been in the wilderness for several years before this and his previous big hits were before my music memories so I wasn't familiar with his music at the time, I'd just heard the name. At the same time someone at school was a Meat Loaf fan and would say he was heavy metal. I was therefore excited to finally hear a Meat Loaf song, but heavy metal it's certainly not. That disappointment along with the fact it goes on forever and is just ridiculously over the top means I've never liked it.
Verdict - Rubbish
Mr Blobby started out as a pretend kids TV show on the Gotcha segment of Noels House Party. I remember hearing the theme music for that segment was being released as a single. That didn't sound like the worst thing in the world, but when I heard this record and the kids started singing it did sound like the worst thing it the world. I also recall a school disco at the time where they had a dancing competition and the winner won this single. Needless to say I didn't miss out on much by not taking part.
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 15.5/30, or 52%. Now over 50%, not expected this time of year.
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