Here's my first 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.
As we're starting again from scratch we can consider all these records to be new entries this week.
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 1990 with my verdict on each record:
A great start to the decade, and most likely released when it was because of the song title. Also quite fitting that we kick of with Deacon Blue given singer Ricky Ross is the first person I remember seeing with the curtains haircut, a hairstyle I'd have of varying lengths for the bulk of the decade. A few years ago, may have been the queens jubilee, we had a party of that theme at work and could nominate royal related songs for the playlist and I nominated this. Many people I spoke to had never heard it before, or even heard of Deacon Blue for that matter. Hopefully this was good education for them.
Verdict - Good
I, and maybe others, remember Wet Wet Wet being big at the end of the 80s and then disappeared at the start of the 90s, long enough for Marti Pellow to grow a pony tail, before making a comeback. It wasn't quite like that though, during the time they disappeared they had a number of lower charting singles that nobody remembers starting with this. Marti Pellow still had his 80s haricut, but Graeme Clark, Neil Mitchell and unofficial member Graeme Duffin have long hair already. Hair aside, what about the song? Well I know why I don't remember it, I find it rather boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
I've often, maybe harshly, criticised people for only remembering 1 hit from a particular act when they've had several. However I've been guilty of this myself, the only Christians record I actually remember at the time is "Harvest for the World". I heard this particular record for the first time around 10 years ago and it made me realise I'd been missing out. It is a fantastic record, the best one they've done in my opinion (yes there are other hits of theirs I've since heard).
Verdict - Good
The first of what I'd assume to be many megamixes of 1990. In a way, the megamix is a lazy way to make more money off your music, but then I guess it caters for those who don't want to buy each single individually. The problem with a megamix is for it to be truly good you really need to like every tune to feature in it. With this one, I think Alexander O'Neal is ok, nothing outstanding, so it's an easy verdict.
Verdict - OK
I'll begin with a story. Several years ago I went to a quiz where there was an opportunity for a team to get bonus points by writing down 10 music acts related to water. We were the first to do this and hand the list to the quizmaster, but he didn't give us the points because he'd never heard of Fish and that meant we didn't win the quiz overall which we should have. This is what has come to mind whenever Fish is heard or mentioned since. Despite that, I quite like this record.
Verdict - Good
I'm treating this as one entity as "Going Back To My Roots" is basically a vocal version of "Rich In Paradise". This was the first version of "Going Back To My Roots" I heard, but years later heard the Odyssey version which I assumed to be the original, but it's actually originally by Lamont Dozier. A nice bit of Italo House that manages to avoid sounding cheesy like some of the other records from that genre at the time.
Verdict - Good
This was the first song of the 90s to be played on Top of the Pops but sounds more like the decade just left behind than the decade to come. I do remember loving this record at the time, but I don't think I've heard it since. I'd completely forgotten the verses so it took till the chorus for it to ring any bells. I wouldn't say I love it anymore, but it's still a decent song.
Verdict - Good
An Italo House record that samples "Rock-A-Lot" by Aretha Franklin and the Alisha Warren record of the same name. It's one of those records that's appeared on loads of old skool rave compilations and I've probably heard it too many times in my life, but it's still a good record.
Verdict - Good
I was ready to declare this song rubbish. Being one of those male/female duet ballads that more often than not irritate me and has been played to death, there was only one outcome. However as I played it I wondered whether it had been played to death or I'm just imagining it. I honestly can't remember the last time I heard it, and maybe as many other male/female duet ballads from that era do get played to death I just assumed this would be one. More importantly though, on listening to it I thought actually it isn't too bad.
Verdict - OK
Not really your typical Erasure record but still very much sounds like them. Then main difference I think with this one is that there's more emphasis on the vocals, you can't fail to notice the change from deep singing to high pitched singing. Guess that's what makes the song really.
Verdict - Good
Not only did Sonia have other hits that weren't "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" but she also managed 2 more Top 10 hits, this being the first of them. I was well aware that she wasn't a one hit wonder, but most of her other hits to me were just generic Stock Aitken & Waterman pap that's just formulaic and not very memorable and this is one of them.
Verdict - Rubbish
For obvious reasons, I've always thought of Sydney Youngblood as being Australian, but he isn't. This was his other hit which I think I prefer to the one he's most famous for.
Verdict - Good
"Ahead of it's time" is an expression that's used too often in my opinion, but with this record I genuinely think it was. It doesn't really sound that different to the UK Garage music coming out a decade later. Ok this does sound a bit older, but not 10 years.
Verdict - Good
A 70s record given a 90s makeover. I had no idea the 70s record existed at the time so this just sounded normal to me. It's still the version I think of when it comes to this tune.
Verdict - Good
As a young boy in 1990, my understanding of singers in the pop charts was that they were all young adults except Cliff Richard. What I didn't realise was that Tina Turner was older, she was 50 at the time. I thought this song was alright at the time, but years later it was on a compilation I owned and I started to appreciate it a lot more. The best thing about it in my opinion is that way it sounds like its become a completely different song once the vocals begin after the intro.
Verdict - Good
A question I've asked people many times in my adult life is "Do you remember the cover of Blame it on the Boogie in 1989 by Big Fun?" to which more often than not the answer has been no. Little did I know that wasn't their only Top 40 hit, it wasn't even their only Top 10 hit with this being their other one. I don't remember this one, but maybe because it's just your usual Stock Aitken & Waterman generic pap. But surely the fact I remember Big Fun at all has to count for something.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the last Top 10 hit for Bros, and it only just scraped into the Top 10. They were a duo by now, the question I've always asked regarding that is how can you have a band that consists of just a singer and a drummer? To the song itself though, it's a bit boring, the most interesting thing about it is that it's a band who's name means brothers having a song called sister.
Verdict - Rubbish
The debut Top 40 hit for Electronic, the side project of Bernard Sumner from New Order and Johnny Marr from The Smiths. What else can I say other than this is an absolute classic.
Verdict - Good
The start of this sounds very much like "Pump up the Jam" by Technotronic, basically because it is. This is a megamix of various rave tunes and begins with this. Generally the tunes in this megamix a pretty good, but the problem is cramming so many tunes in just under 4 minutes means you don't hear enough of many of them to feel the benefit.
Verdict - OK
How many of you thought this was by Neneh Cherry? I don't think I ever did, but I can see a lot of similarities and they are also both Swedish. I'm not that keen on the rapping to be honest, but I like the backing track enough to like the tune.
Verdict - Good
At the start of 1990 I was still at primary school, so I was probably too young to realise that New Kids On The Block were a boy band that only girls were supposed to listen to. Therefore I had no shame whatsoever singing this in the playground at school, even making up my own lyrics to fit "First time was.....", "Second time was..." etc. There did come a time when I learned the concept of a boy band and therefore hated everything New Kids On The Block ever did, but actually I think this is alright, maybe for sentimental reasons if anything else.
Verdict - OK
Entering the charts at number 9 when "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" was at number 10, showing that multiple Top 10s by the same act was already happening before Ed Sheeran was even born. Whilst I liked "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" at the time, I always found this one a bit crap. To me it was like they were doing a poor job of trying to be a rock band but seeming a bit wimpy in doing so. My opinion hasn't really changed since then.
Verdict - Rubbish
It didn't take long for the first double a-side to come along. The one I remember from the time is "The Magic Number", some may criticise it for being a bit childish, but I was a child at the time and liked it. I first came across "Buddy" when I bought the "3 Feet High and Rising" album and like that one too.
Verdict - Good / Good
A Brazilian song by a French group which is a blatant rip off of "Llorando se fue" by Los Kjarkas, a group from Bolivia who successfully sued Kaoma when this was released. My memory of this song as a kid was being fascinated by a song being sung in a foreign language and was the 3rd one I remembered hearing after "La Bamba" by Los Lobos and "Comment te dire adieu" by Jimmy Somerville. I've listened to the original and to be honest I think this version is a big improvement. I always found it a fun song and still like to listen to it every now and then, usually before or after listening to "La Bamba".
Verdict - Good
A novelty hit from 1960 which was re-released in 1989 thanks to Simon Mayo playing it on Radio One. What annoyed me at the time was the word "Troosers" being used instead of "Trousers", it doesn't bother me now but I still don't like the song.
Verdict - Rubbish
A lot of Madonna's hits from the 80s have been played to death since then, but not this one (it entered the charts in 1989). That's probably a good thing as this was a record I loved at the time, and by only listening to this at my own leisure since, it's legacy hasn't been ruined.
Verdict - Good
I quite liked the concept of Jive Bunny, their first 2 hits were a good way of introducing kids like me to a variety of music from the olden days in 5 minutes. With this one though it didn't work, it was just a mix of 3 Christmas songs I'd hear every Christmas in living memory.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the second highest charting single for Soul II Soul after the number one single "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)". This one seemed darker than the previous singles and I remember finding it quite odd seeing Jazzie B rapping and seeing a singer that wasn't Caron Wheeler. I'd say this is probably my favourite Soul II Soul hit, helped by the fact it's not that's been played to death since like "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" and "Keep on Movin" have.
Verdict - Good
Up to this point, Jason Donovan's chart record was very good. This was single number 6 and he'd had 3 number ones, 2 number twos and a number five. It was after this, the lead single from his 2nd album, that his music career would start to slide, having made the Top 5 with all singles to date he'd only make the Top 5 once more following this. It was also his final Top 40 hit in his native Australia making number 40. You can understand why this became a turning point, whether you like his first album or not, what we have here is more of the same, so no real point in buying it.
Verdict - Rubbish
Oh dear, I don't think I've heard this for 30 years and I forgot just how dreadful it was. I always thought of this as being the Bros version, Matt Goss does sing a lot on this version and Luke Goss plays the drums. I'm no fan of the original so they've done a great job of making a crap song sound even worse.
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 19/30, or 63%. A solid start.
