Christmas Charts Rated: 1992

Top 40

Best Song: The Prodigy - Ruff In The Jungle Bizness

Probably one of the most obscure Top 40 hits from The Prodigy, partly because of the much better known "Out Of Space" being the other side of the double a-side. It's one of the best tracks on "The Experience" album and is the sort of direction jungle music was taking before it became too dark.

Worst Song: Rod Stewart - Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)

I remember singing "Waltzing Matilda" at primary school so it was already uncool because of that association. Then Rod Stewart did a version and I remember thinking what's this old duffer doing still having Top 40 hits.

Top 40 Review

Around Christmas 1992 I was into modern music in a big way, so the question is was the Top 40 as good as I thought it was?

Let's begin with the Christmas number one which was "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston which stayed there well into 1993. At the time I would single this out as being one of the crap records of the modern era.

I did like the Christmas number two "Heal The World" by Michael Jackson at the time, but as time has gone on I have little time for soppy rubbish like this.

The record at number three on the other hand "Would I Lie To You" by Charles & Eddie was pretty much my favourite record at the time and I still think it's decent now. I like the record at number four too, "Could It Be Magic" by Take That which is about the only record of theirs I do like from this era.

Lower down in the charts we have a bit of a transition from my perspective. There's "In My Defence" from Freddie Mercury, a decent record but came at a time I was going off Queen for being too old. At the same time there was "Mrs Robinson" by The Lemonheads which to me was making an old song modern style the way it should be and a bit of a fuck you to older music.

Another highlight was the Brother in Rhythm remix of "Temptation" by Heaven 17 which I'll always remember as being the first song to be played at the first school disco I went to.

We were nearing the end of the rave era in the Top 40. In addition to The Prodigy we had "Way In My Brain/Drumbeats" by SL2 which is also decent. At the same time though we had the god awful "We Are Raving - The Anthem" by Slipstreem.

Overall it wasn't a bad Top 40 but far from the best.

Score: 17.5

Table

The charts certainly took a dip at the end of 1992:

Top 30 in 1995 Reviewed: Week 47

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 28 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Wednesday.

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 1995 with my verdict on each record:

30. E'Voke - Runaway (New)

At the start of the year we had "Set You Free" by N-Trance, towards the end of the year we had this soundalike record. There's a reason for that, both records were remixed by TTF. There was also a hardcore version of this by Jimmy J & Cru-L-T around the same time which was one of my favourite hardcore records at the time.

Verdict - Good

29. Shaggy - Boombastic

After this record appeared on the Levi's advert it became Shaggy's second number one out of his first three Top 40 hits. It's a silly record really but great fun to listen to.

Verdict - Good

28. Roxette - The Look '95 (New)

This was a remix of the debut Top 40 hit for Roxette. It came at a time when Roxette were releasing a greatest hits album and they'd only have one more original Top 40 hit to come which was 4 years later. It doesn't sound all that different to the original which is obviously no bad thing.

Verdict - Good

27. Sean Maguire - You To Me Are Everything

This is a cover of the Real Thing record. Sonia did the same thing 4 years earlier which was just a poor karaoke version. I would say the same for this Sean Maguire version, I guess it was to be expected.

Verdict - Rubbish

26. Jam And Spoon ft Plavka - Angel (Ladadi O-Heyo) (New)

I would say that this record is peak Jam & Spoon. Ignoring the technicality that this tune comes from their 1993 album, it really makes me nostalgic about 1995. The next time we'd see Jam & Spoon in the Top 40 would be in 2002.

Verdict - Good

25. Smokie ft Roy 'Chubby' Brown - Living Next Door To Alice (Who The Fuck Is Alice)

This was originally a Top 40 hit for Smokie back in 1976. Then there was a cover by Gompie that was big in Europe where the audience would reply "Alice, who the fuck is Alice". Smokie therefore decided to revive this song and get comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown to add the "Alice, who the fuck is Alice" bit. I think it's great.

Verdict - Good

24. Def Leppard - When Love And Hate Collide

This single was from their greatest hits album "Vault". A relative who clearly knew nothing about my music tastes bought me that album as a Christmas present that year. At the time I was listening to nothing but rave, even when I was into guitar music I never really thought much of Def Leppard. The fact Joe Elliott had gone for the Kurt Cobain look in the video may have been misleading in that respect. That all said, this is the best song I've ever heard from Def Leppard and I did grow to like it. To this very day though I've never listened to the "Vault" album and its never really been in my possession. 

Verdict - Good

23. Ozzy Osbourne - Perry Mason (New)

This seems a bit of an odd time for Ozzy Osbourne to be having a Top 40 hit. It came at a time when the heavier side of rock music was out of favour and Britpop was in. This is the first time I've heard this record and I can't say I think much of it.

Verdict - Rubbish

22. Saint Etienne ft Etienne Daho - He's On The Phone

Saint Etienne made their Top 40 debut in 1991 and this was their 9th Top 40 hit. However it wasn't until this record that I became aware of Saint Etienne. I did however like it enough to explore their back catalogue and ended up buying all their albums.

Verdict - Good

21. The Beautiful South - Pretenders To The Throne

The one about the funny looking buses. I thought that The Beautiful South were finished when they released their greatest hits album the previous year but this record showed they weren't going anywhere. Not my cup of tea.

Verdict - Rubbish

20. Simply Red - Fairground

It had been 3 years since we'd last seen Simply Red in the Top 40 and this comeback single gave them their only number one record to date. The not very musical verses followed by a really catchy chorus works really well.

Verdict - Good

19. Tina Turner - Goldeneye

This record was from the James Bond film of the same name and was written by Bono and The Edge from U2. Not my cup of tea.

Verdict - Rubbish

18. Queen - Heaven For Everyone

This was the only Queen Top 40 hit that was a cover. I use the term 'cover' in a pretty loose sense though, it was written by Roger Taylor and was originally done by The Cross who were another band Roger Taylor was in. The original also featured Freddie Mercury on backing vocals. a great way to do a cover I suppose.

Verdict - Good

17. Meat Loaf - I'd Lie For You (And That's The Truth)

Meat Loaf had a hugely successful comeback in 1993 and here he is again in 1995 with another successful comeback. This time it's not his usual songwriter Jim Steinman writing this record, it's Diane Warren. Despite this it sounds like a typical Meat Loaf record, ridiculously long and over the top.

Verdict - Rubbish

16. Whitney Houston - Exhale (Shoop Shoop)

Yet another Whitney Houston song from a movie. The film in question is "Waiting To Exhale". It's a movie I've seen but remember nothing about so I guess you could say it was just as boring as this song.

Verdict - Rubbish

15. Whale - Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe (New)

I remember hearing this record quite a bit in the summer of 1995 but it took until November for it to make the Top 40. It's in fact a 1993 tune and is one of the weirdest tunes ever. Weird in a good way though, I loved it at the time.

Verdict - Good

14. Happy Clappers - I Believe

The Top 40 debut for Happy Clappers which is also the record they're best known for. It's members included Mark Topham who wrote several of Steps hits. I won't hold that against him though, this is very much a commercial record but an enjoyable one at the same time.

Verdict - Good

13. Ethics - To The Beat Of A Drum (La Luna) (New)

Ethics is an alias of Dutch producer Patrick Prins who had remixed "Don't You Want Me" that year. There's something about Dutch music generally in the 90s that just appeals to me to the point where part of me wanted to live in Holland to soak it all up.

Verdict - Good

12. East 17 - Thunder

The lead single from "Up All Night" which was the final studio album from East 17 as we knew them. I would also say that is the East 17 album I've listened to the most. This is one of my favourite East 17 singles too. I can't pin point one thing about it, the piano intro, the chorus, the verse, everything about this song is great.

Verdict - Good

11. M People - Itchycoo Park (New)

This was a cover of The Small Faces record done in typical M People style. The original version is a great record and the last thing it really needed was a lame generic dance version of it.

Verdict - Rubbish

10. Bon Jovi - Lie To Me (New)

It's speculated that Bon Jovi don't really do much songwriting even though Jon Bon Jovi is a credited songwriter on all their original hits. The first 2 hits from the "These Days" album were also written by Desmond Child and it's said that in reality Desmond Child is the only writer of these songs. This record however was simply Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. If Bon Jovi aren't really songwriters then I believe this to genuinely be written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora as it's not very good.

Verdict - Rubbish

9. Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet (New)

I don't think this was ever considered a true contender for Christmas number one but I guess it shouldn't have ever been ruled out considering how high it did chart. Bjork presented the Christmas Top of the Pops that year which obviously was recorded in advance of Christmas day when they wouldn't have known what was number one. Bjork announced Michael Jackson was Christmas number one, so presumably they recorded all possibilities of who could be Christmas number one and I do wonder whether they recorded Bjork saying she was Christmas number one herself. Anyway I didn't really like it at the time, but it's grown on me over the years. 

Verdict - Good

8. Boyzone - Father And Son (New)

To me this record illustrates all that was wrong with Boyzone's formula of doing lots of covers. The song is supposed to be a father singing to his son, but Ronan Keating was only 18 here and therefore more likely to be the age of the son being sang to. OK it's composer Cat Stevens was only a few years older when he wrote it, but I remember seeing Ronan Keating sing "look at me I am old" and thinking no you're not.

Verdict - Rubbish

7. Enya - Anywhere Is

I do recall at the time thinking who the fuck is buying Enya records? To me it was music for school teachers. What I really meant though was it sounded so out of place compared to the rest of the music us youngsters at the time were listening to, some of whom are now school teachers themselves. I now appreciate Enya's music for what it is and consider this to be good record.

Verdict - Good

6. Madonna - You'll See

I remember when this came out something that sprang to mind was that Madonna had previously made fun records like "Cherish" and "Dear Jessie" but was now making boring crap like this. Given she'd been around for over a decade and was a well established name, she could put any old crap out and people would buy it. This is what happened here.

Verdict - Rubbish

5. Blur - The Universal (New)

When Blur won the chart battle against Oasis with "Country House" I thought it was pretty much the worst song I'd heard Blur do. The other singles from their "The Great Escape" album were pretty solid though starting with this one.

Verdict - Good

4. Oasis - Wonderwall

There's a lot to say about this record, but what springs to mind personally was seeing people who once listened to rave now listening to Oasis. It was reflected on the TV on Byker Grove too. The music aspect had gone from Frew and Barney DJing to characters who's names I don't remember singing "Wonderwall". I was firmly in the rave camp by this point though and couldn't comprehend why people would listen to Oasis instead.

Verdict - Rubbish

3. Everything But The Girl - Missing

At the time I was a big fan of "Gangsta's Paradise" and was convinced it had been in the Top 40 longer than anything else once it had been there a while. Turns out this record entered the Top 40 the same week. As both records fell to the lower reaches, I bought the "Gangsta's Paradise" single to help give it at least another week in the Top 40. Unfortunately "Gangsta's Paradise" dropped out, but this stayed another week and I wasn't happy about that. It failed to reach the Top 40 when first released but a Todd Terry remix gave it a new lease of life. Never seen the appeal myself though.

Verdict - Rubbish

2. Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise

I can't remember if it was the first time I'd heard it, but I can picture myself listening to this on the radio at the time and thinking this is the record I've been waiting to hear all my life. I could even tell you the name of the street I was going down when I was thinking that. There hadn't really been much of the dark side of rap music in the charts prior to this, but that's what I really wanted to hear. I even bought the single for this too which was the only thing I bought around this time that wasn't rave.

Verdict - Good

1. Robson And Jerome - I Believe / Up On The Roof

When the Christmas Top of the Pops came on, the announcer summed up 1995 as the year Take That lost Robbie and Eternal lost Louise but we gained Robson & Jerome. I once got slated for describing Robson & Jerome as a novelty act, but they were actors who sang on Soldier Soldier once which made Simon Cowell think they could be the next Zig & Zag. If that isn't a novelty act I don't know what is.

Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish 

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 17/30, or 57%. The lowest we've been for some time but still a great score.

UK Number 40s: Money Mark - Hand In Your Head (1998)

 

The Beastie Boys officially were a trio of rappers for the majority of their existence. They did however have a number of long term touring musicians and one of those was Money Mark who joined them in 1992 and remained with them until they called it a day in 2012.

He was the keyboard player and in 1995 he released a solo album called "Mark's Keyboard Repair". He followed up in 1998 with the album "Push the Button" on which this appeared.

It was his only Top 40 hit, but looking at his discography it would appear he's not much of a singles person and has actually released more albums.

Top 30 in 1993 Reviewed: Week 47

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:

30. Wet Wet Wet - Shed A Tear

Aside from a brief period in 1992, the early 90s were really the wilderness years for Wet Wet Wet prior to "Love Is All Around". I have no recollection of this record and it's ringing no bells as I listen to it. There's nothing memorable about it though, it's very non-descript.

Verdict - Rubbish

29. House Of Virginism - I'll Be There For You (Dooya Doodoo Doya) (New)

Back when I was reviewing the Top 20s of 1999 we had a record by Charlotte Nilsson who is the aunty of Sebastian Ingrosso of the Swedish House Mafia. Go back to 1993 and you have Sebastian's father Vito Ingrosso who is one of the writers of this record. Like the Swedish House Mafia, this is clearly a commercial dance record, but commercial dance generally speaking was much more tolerable in the 90s.

Verdict - OK

28. Aerosmith - Cryin'

Is this a guilty pleasure or just good music? We're very much into the commercial era of Aerosmith which they've been highly criticised for. Ironically this came at a time when grunge was supposed to have killed off this kind of music. They headlined "Monsters of Rock" festival the following year so they must have been doing something right.

Verdict - Good

27. Crowded House - Nails In My Feet (New)

I wasn't sure how this record went before I played it. As I play it I'm thinking oh yes I know this record, then I'm thinking do I? It sounds like a Crowded House record basically, if one was to ask what Crowded House sounded like I would play them this record to illustrate how they sound. At the same time it means there's nothing distinctive about this record other than it sounding like Crowded House.

Verdict - OK

26. Heart - Will You Be There (In The Morning) (New)

This is the 2nd Top 40 hit of the 90s for Heart and their final Top 40 hit to date. Their first "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" is a record written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange that Heart hate themselves. It seems they never learned though as this too was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. He was also writing for Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton around this time and I see the similarities with this.

Verdict - Rubbish

25. James - Laid

The thing I remember most about this song is the drum rolls. I can picture myself on the school bus doing the drum rolls myself on the seat in front and annoying the person sat in it. After hearing the full song I find myself still wanting to hear another drum roll.

Verdict - Good

24. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - I'm Looking For The One To Be With Me (New)

It's quite possible that this record led to Will Smith having a solo career. Whilst a Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince record, the writer of this record alongside Will Smith was Teddy Riley who also produced it. Quite what Jazzy Jeff did on this record I don't know. Even the Teddy Riley productions though can't disguise the fact Will Smith is a terrible rapper.

Verdict - Rubbish

23. Captain Hollywood Project - More And More (New)

Captain Hollywood made his Top 40 debut in 1990 as part of Twenty 4 Seven featuring Captain Hollywood. Now 3 years later he's back without Twenty 4 Seven. Given the rise of eurodance since he'd last been in the charts, this was a good time for him to make a comeback. Not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish

22. Terence Trent D'Arby - Let Her Down Easy (New)

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

21. Sting - Demolition Man (New)

In late 1993 the rules amongst my peers was if you were a true rock fan you'd listen only to rock music. I do recall someone asking the question of whether Sting was acceptable to listen to, clearly he was nothing like the cool bands at the time but this was guitar music. For me though it didn't really matter as I just thought he was rubbish.

Verdict - Rubbish

20. Lesley Garrett And Amanda Thompson - Ave Maria (New)

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

19. Leftfield Lydon - Open Up

I never really gave this record much notice at the time. Then 6 years later I was watching the Club@Vision Ibiza special. Part of the show was playing an Ibiza anthem for each year and this was the one they played. I then realised what a good record this was. It was the Top 40 debut for Leftfield.

Verdict - Rubbish

18. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome (New)

We've already has the reissue of "Relax" in 1993, now we have the remix of "Welcome To The Pleasuredome". I've never understood the appeal of this record, their first 3 records were at least distinctive but this just seems to have nothing to it.

Verdict - Rubbish

17. 2 Unlimited - Maximum Overdrive (New)

Another record that was released at a different time to what I remember. I associate this record with being in the year below the year I would have been in at school at the time. The lyrics to this contradict the tune in a way, not much overdrive at all and they sing "speed up the music" but this seems slower than their previous efforts.

Verdict - Rubbish

16. Michael Bolton - Said I Loved You But I Lied

I remember this record existing at the time and remember it being a slow ballad like many Michael Bolton records. I couldn't sing it in my head though, and after listening I still can't. As I never intend on listening to this again, I never will be able to sing it in my head.

Verdict - Rubbish

15. Pauline Henry - Feel Like Making Love

I feel like I used to hear this song a lot retrospectively but haven't heard it in a long time. As I started listening to it was was thinking it wasn't as good as I remember it, but once the guitars come in to it in the chorus I'm thinking actually yes it is as good as I remember.

Verdict - Good

14. The Time Frequency - Real Love '93

It feels like we're back in 1992 with this record, partly because the original version of this did come out in 1992. I'd say this is a good illustration of how the rave sound of 1992 was miles better than the eurodance sound of 1993 that had replaced it in the charts.

Verdict - Good

13. The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds

This record was first released in 1990 but this was the first time it made the Top 40. I would say this is the signature tune of The Orb and one of their best in my opinion. It came just after Jimmy Cauty left The Orb and was co-written by Youth.

Verdict - Good

12. Janet Jackson - Again (New)

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

11. Mariah Carey - Hero

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

10. Goodmen - Give It Up

This was the only Top 40 hit for Goodmen, but they would return to the charts as Chocolate Puma, Rhythm Killaz and Riva. It's not very tuneful, but that's all part of it's appeal. 

Verdict - Good

9. Guns N' Roses - Ain't It Fun (New)

I remember the excitement at the time around the new Guns N' Roses album of which this was the lead single. The album turned out to be a disappointment being an album full of covers and by 1994 nobody was listening to Guns N' Roses anymore. The moment in 1993 when this single came out was good though.

Verdict - Good

8. Elton John And Kiki Dee - True Love (New)

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

7. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train

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

6. Cappella - U Got 2 Let The Music

I absolutely hated this record at the time. Along with "Mr. Vain" by Culturebeat I had it down as the ultimate shit record. I've heard worse, but it's exactly the sort of eurodance music that I consider to be a bit crap.

Verdict - Rubbish

5. Urban Cookie Collective - Feels Like Heaven

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

4. Culture Beat - Got To Get It

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

3. Dina Carroll - Don't Be A Stranger

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

2. Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me

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

1. Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

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

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 11/30, or 37%. Some abysmal new entries this week but only a slight drop in score.

Top 30 in 1996 Reviewed: Week 46

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:

30. Jimmy Nail - Country Boy (New)

The final Top 40 hit to date for Jimmy Nail with the only Top 40 hit from his "Crocodile Shoes II" album. I didn't mind the music he initially did for the series, but it was getting pretty tired by this point.

Verdict - Rubbish

29. Blackstreet ft Dr Dre - No Diggity

Although this wasn't the highest charting single for Blackstreet, this is the record they're best known for. With Dr Dre rapping the intro one could think it was him who produced it, but then Blackstreet already had their own big name producer in Teddy Riley and of course it was him who produced it. I love the sampling in this record, that's what makes it really stand out. 

Verdict - Good

28. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - 1st Of Tha Month

This was the Top 40 debut for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in 1995 where it made number 32, but fared better when it was re-issued off the back of the success of "Tha Crossroads". I do remember it being out at the time, but it was one you didn't really hear anymore follow this period. When I bought their "E. 1999 Eternal" album and heard it for the first time in years I thought wow this is much better than I remembered, what a tune.

Verdict - Good

27. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's

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

26. Fun Lovin' Criminals - The Fun Lovin' Criminal (New)

This was the first record I remember by the Fun Lovin' Criminals because I remember the title being pretty much the same as the band name. I'm surprised it didn't get any higher in the charts than this. I'm also surprised I'm not enjoying it as much as I expected to. Not heard it for years, I guess it hasn't aged well.

Verdict - OK

25. Livin' Joy - Follow The Rules

The 3rd Top 40 hit for Livin Joy and their last big one really. Their sticking to the same formula of commercial dance music. Not a bad record by any means, but with this formula it was always going to have it's limitations.

Verdict - OK

24. Alisha's Attic - Alisha Rules The World

Whilst I was disappointed to discover the Spice Girls weren't going to be one hit wonders, I was glad to see Alisha's Attic were back with a 2nd Top 40 hit. I was also glad to hear it was just as good as its predecessor.

Verdict - Good

23. Space - Neighbourhood

I grew up in the sticks and I guess this was an insight into living in the city. I knew pretty much everyone down my street but when I did move to a city I knew absolutely nobody on my street and they could have been the people described in this record for all I know. I've said before that Space were definitely one of the better Britpop bands which is helped by their humour.

Verdict - Good

22. Beck - Devil's Haircut (New)

What I remember most about this record was there was a remix by Noel Gallagher who had just collaborated with the Chemical Brothers and a remix by the Dust Brothers which was the original name of the Chemical Brothers who had to change their name as a result. It's one of those records I feel I should like, but never really been able to get into it.

Verdict - Rubbish

21. Babyface - This Is For The Lover In You (New)

Babyface had several Top 40 hits as writer or producer already in 1996, so it only seems fitting that he has a Top 40 hit of his own....with a cover of a Shalamar song. It was his 2nd Top 40 hit as an artist with his first being "When Can I See You" which reached number 35 in 1994. To give you an idea of how prolific he was as a songwriter, he had 34 Top 40 hits as one at this point. Onto this record, I liked it enough to be a factor in my decision to buy his greatest hits album.

Verdict - Good

20. Fluke - Atom Bomb (New)

Fluke had been around a number of years by this point and never stuck to one particular style of music. With this record they'd moved into big beat territory. I can't say this record is anything special, but not a bad record.

Verdict - OK

19. 911 - Don't Make Me Wait

The 3rd Top 40 hit for 911 and the first to make the Top 10. For some reason I thought they hailed from Leeds at the time, possibly because the lead singer was called Lee. They actually all come from the North West but formed in London. What used to trouble me about this record at the time was I quite liked it, but now I'll happily enjoy it.

Verdict - Good

18. Reef - Place Your Hands

One of my early memories of this record was it being on the Chris Evans breakfast who with wedding bells over it because I recall someone in his radio show crew was about to get married. It would of course end up being famous for the reworded "Its Your Letters" on TFI Friday. It's one of those records where the lead singing being a rubbish singer makes the record sound good.

Verdict - Good

17. Fine Young Cannibals - The Flame (New)

It had been 7 years since the Fine Young Cannibals had last been in the Top 40. Since then singer Roland Gift had made an appearance in the TV show "Heartbeat" which I found quite odd. Then came this, their first and only original Top 40 hit of the 90s. I remember this on The Chart Show and in the blurb it mentioned Roland Gift had just left the group. Again quite odd seeing as they'd seemingly done nothing for the previous 7 years. Anyway this was a pretty good comeback, maybe it's for the best they left it at that.

Verdict - Good

16. Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back To Me Now

This is basically Celine Dion does Meat Loaf. It was written by Jim Steinman who wrote the bulk of Meat Loafs hits including a Meat Loaf version of this 10 years later. Therefore it's long and over the top and not to my liking, but I will concede it's better than her usual dreary ballads. Still crap though.

Verdict - Rubbish

15. The Divine Comedy - The Frog Princess (New)

We're deep into the era where I was listening to nothing but rave, yet there was music which was as far away from rave as you can get that I found quite good. This is a prime example of this. I think my stance was that it's good but not something I'd go out and buy. Years later I did go out and buy it.

Verdict - Good

14. Boyzone - Words

It had been nearly 2 years since Boyzone made their Top 40 debut and I remember when Take That were still around some said they were losing their grip on the boy band world to Boyzone. Yet it took Boyzone until this record to score their first number one. Still, it was one hit sooner than Take That scored their first number one. A cover of the Bee Gees record which could be best described as the alternative lyrics of: shits only turds and turds are all I have to take your fart away.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. Simply Red - Angel

It would have been around this time that Mick Hucknall was named Wanker of the Week on the Girlie Show. I remember thinking they must have picked him because he'd done this Aretha Franklin cover. It features the Fugees which seemed an odd collaboration. That all said, it's actually pretty decent.

Verdict - Good

12. Faithless - Insomnia

I've now heard this record more times in my life than I care to remember. It's one of those records that's universally loved, even by people who generally don't like dance music. I liked this so much I bought the single and I've never bought that many singles really.

Verdict - Good

11. Dodgy - If You're Thinking Of Me (New)

This was Dodgy attempting to make their own "Ordinary World". There's at least some similarities between the 2 records whilst clearly not being the same. I've not heard this one for years so wasn't sure what I'd make of it after all this time, but I have to say I did enjoy that.

Verdict - Good

10. Gina G - I Belong To You

Gina G was someone who I thought would be a one hit wonder and she's thought of by many as being a one hit wonder, but she wasn't. I recall hearing this on Noels House Party and thinking that it would have been better if she'd remained a one hit wonder. 

Verdict - Rubbish

9. Babybird - You're Gorgeous

At the time I remember hearing that Babybird was a really prolific songwriter who'd written hundreds of songs. For many though, this is the only song of his they remember. It's a record I remember being out around the same time as "Breakfast At Tiffany's". It's not as crap, but is still crap.

Verdict - Rubbish

8. Backstreet Boys - I'll Never Break Your Heart (New)

The 3rd Top 40 hit for the Backstreet Boys which is a ballad, something that seemed almost inevitable. One of the writers of this was Eugene Wilde who had a couple of Top 40 hits in the 80s that he didn't write himself. I get the whole point of this song, but it's not something I'd want to listen to.

Verdict - Rubbish

7. The Woolpackers - Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll (New)

The Woolpackers were 3 actors from Emmerdale who were named after the pub that features in the soap. As you can probably predict then, this is cheesy and shit. It's a line dancing record, something myself and many others used to take the piss out of.

Verdict - Rubbish

6. Robert Miles ft Maria Nayler - One And One (New)

After having 2 big hits that were both instrumentals, Robert Miles did the unthinkable and released a record with a vocalist. I remember at the time thinking what are you doing having a vocalist on your record. The vocals have always annoyed me so on that basis this gets half a mark.

Verdict - OK

5. Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart

After having all 5 of her previous Top 40 hits written by Babyface, Toni Braxton turned to prolific songwriter Diane Warren for her 6th. It worked as this became her joint highest charting Top 40 hit, but often in order to achieve popularity you have to compromise on quality and this is what's happened here in my opinion. 

Verdict - Rubbish

4. Michael Jackson - Stranger In Moscow (New)

A year after Michael Jackson topped the charts with "Earth Song" he's attempting it again with another ballad but he falls short this time round. Like "Earth Song" he's trying to get a message across but musically it's not to my liking. I also got irritate about the way he pronounce Moscow.

Verdict - Rubbish

3. East 17 ft Gabrielle - If You Ever

This record was released to promote East 17s greatest hits album. To show they weren't planning on splitting up any time soon they put in the reference "The Journey So Far", but we all know what happened next. As with pretty much all the East 17 singles, I like it.

Verdict - Good

2. Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There

Once again I'm going to talk about "The Noise" with Andi Peters. This was when it became apparent that The Spice Girls weren't going to be one hit wonders. They exclusively showed the video to the new Spice Girls single. It's not as bad as their debut, that's the only positive thing I can say about it.

Verdict - Rubbish

1. Robson And Jerome - What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted

Robson & Jerome had a total of 3 Top 40 hits and they all reached number one. This was the final one of those hits. Like it's predecessors, it's a cover and it's rubbish. To be fair they knew there time was probably up after this so called it a day.

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 15/30, or 50%. Well we've got back to 50%.