Wednesday 6 November 2024

Top 30 in 1998 Reviewed: Week 45

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 26 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 1998 with my verdict on each record:


The only Top 40 hit for Germany based American R&B group 4 The Cause who were all teenagers at the time. Best known for their association with R Kelly these days but I'll say no more on that. It's a cover of the Ben E King record and is fuckin terrible.

Verdict - Rubbish


In 1998 I was a big fan of formula one to the extent that I'd get up at stupid hours to watch the grand prix live. The final grand prix of that season was the Japanese Grand Prix and at the end of the coverage they had a montage of the seasons highlights with this song playing over the top. It worked really well and probably helped me to like this record. Also as a result this record reminds me of Martin Brundle.

Verdict - Good


I do wonder how much awareness there was of how big a part Sweden played in the pop world in the late 90s. In the case of this record, how many people were aware that Meja is Swedish. I wasn't aware myself, I never gave it much thought really. It's an honest way of saying what the Swedish songwriting model is all about.

Verdict - Rubbish


Given the name of this record you won't be surprised to hear this was the 10th Top 40 hit for Mansun. What is perhaps more surprising is that they made it into double figures particularly as like I said before I only remember one record of theirs. The lead track on this is "Negative" and that's how I feel about this record.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was Top 40 hit number 22 for Phil Collins and was released to promote his greatest hits album I bought it a few years later but had no recollection of this Cyndi Lauper cover. After a couple of listens I started to skip this track when listening to the album. It just doesn't work in my opinion.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the Top 40 debut for Kelly Price but the main point of interest is the continuation of the Mr Biggs aka Ronald Isley and R Kelly saga that started on "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)" and would continue afterwards. I'm a big fan of that.

Verdict - Good


Former Coronation Street actor Matthew Marsden returned for a 2nd Top 40 hit which was his final one to date. It featured Destiny's Child on backing vocals. He did go on to crack America after this, but fortunately it was as an actor rather than a musician.

Verdict - Rubbish


Few would argue that this was the biggest dance record of 1998. It was everywhere at the time. It was a one off side project by Daft Punks Thomas Bangalter along with Alan Braxe. I wasn't impressed when I first heard it, I thought it was too repetitive. It did manage to grow on me eventually though after hearing it for maybe the 100th time.

Verdict - Good


Dru Hill were back with a 2nd album and this was the lead single. It was also from the movie "Rush Hour" and gave them their first Top 10 hit, something they'd achieve with the remainder of their Top 40 hits to date. Nothing to do with the Bee Gees song of the same name, it's original and a good record in it's own right.

Verdict - Good


T-Spoon had previous had a Top 40 hit with "Coco Jamboo"....oh wait that wasn't T-Spoon. It was by German group Mr. President and T-Spoon were basically a Dutch version i.e. one male and two females with a very cheesy record. The lyrical content upset a few people which helped it to sell records. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Five appeared to be winning the battle of the boy bands against 911 so 911 had to come up with a plan. They did something that worked well for their Irish counterparts Boyzone, the cover version. This was original a hit for the Tavares in the 70s. It worked as it gave them their first number 2. An inferior cover in every way.

Verdict - Rubbish


The final Top 40 hit to date for Des'ree which was the follow up to her highest charting single "Life". That record was ridiculed for it's silly lyrics, but this time she's singing about astrology. Not sure what is worse.

Verdict - Rubbish


Whilst "Praise You" is credited with making Fatboy Slim a household name, he was definitely someone people were talking about by the time this record came out. I was loving this record at the time and it's quite possibly my favourite of the Fatboy Slim hits. It also appears on "Kiss Anthems 98" prior to the Norman Cook remix of "Brimful Of Asha" so I find myself drawn to that once it ends. 

Verdict - Good


The 2nd Top 40 hit and 2nd chart topper for B*Witched. On thing they had over their girl group rivals the Spice Girls was they went straight into number one with their first 2 hits whereas the Spice Girls climbed to number one with their first. To rub it in further, they knocked Spice Girl Mel B off the top. Musically though they were still just as bad as each other. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Dance music is often used for workouts so it sort of made sense to make a dance record with an instructor talking on it. I remember the confusion of having both Spacedust and Stardust in the charts at the same time. To add further confusion, this was based on a Bob Sinclar record that was co-produced by Thomas Bangalter who was part of Stardust. It's cheesy as fuck but I like it.

Verdict - Good


Fatboy Slim strikes again as it was his remix of this record which got it into the Top 40. As a result it's something that you wouldn't really expect from the Beastie Boys but does sound typical of a Fatboy Slim remix. Takes a bit of getting used to, but once that break through is made it's good.

Verdict - Good


When the Beautiful South revival happened in 1996 they had 2 hits where Jacqui Abbot did the entire lead vocals and 1 where Paul Heaton did. Around 18 months after that last hit they were back with a record where both singers shared lead vocals. On a personal note I remember walking one wet Sunday afternoon with this record going round my head. It was in a good way though.

Verdict - Good


Oh dear, after a promising start I'm greeted with this rubbish. A children's song given a cheesy Irish Folk meets Euro Dance make over. I found this really irritating at the time and remember hearing it down the pub a lot but now this weird combination of music styles is reminding me of Ed Sheeran.

Verdict - Rubbish


The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for M People. I sense a bit of influence of "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz in there. That's quite funny in a way because it was around this time that Lenny Kravitz was appearing in a Peugeot advert and M People had done the same a few years earlier. It's still a pretty weak record though. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The first of two hits from Kele Le Roc, both of which reached number 8. Admittedly I don't think I've listened to this song since 1998 but I did like it at the time but did prefer her follow up "My Love" which I have listened to since. Seems strange that all she's seemed to do since then is be a featured artist on other peoples tracks given her chart performance was pretty good, but I guess back then your chart career would most likely be brief if you were an R&B act not from America.

Verdict - Good


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Billie Piper and her 2nd chart topper, though this would be her last. I do remember making a point at the time that her music was always going to have limitations given she was only 15 but then someone pointed out that she'd just turned 16. It's very much music for kids though.

Verdict - Rubbish


It had now been over two years since the excellent "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette which is by far her best hit. This didn't have the same impact though, it's not a bad record but not one I'd go out and buy like I did her previous hit.

Verdict - OK


Imagine that you are a songwriter in a band with varying degrees of success over the years but still await you first US Number 1 or your first UK Top 10. Then 28 years later you finally achieve both with a song written by somebody else, not just anybody else, but Diane Warren who's written shit loads of hits for other people. That's exactly what happened to Steve Tyler. Aerosmith were described as a blues-based hard rock band when they formed in 1970 but by the 90s their style was more Rock Music for people who aren't into Rock Music. The guitars are so discrete in this song you would question whether this is even Rock Music at all even if Wikipedia describes it as being "Hard Rock". I'm not one to shy away from ballads by Rock bands but this seems a step too far. Despite this though, I can't help but like it.

Verdict - Good


I don't remember Culture Club the first time round but I do remember the solo career of Boy George and had assumed the likes of "Karma Chameleon" were by him rather than Culture Club. In the 90s he became a House DJ which brought him a new set of fans, myself included, so I questioned why after becoming an established House DJ would he want to bring back Culture Club. That said this song isn't bad.

Verdict - OK


This was the second hit for Fugees member Pras after "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" which I liked. This follow up is a rework of "Grease" by Frankie Valli, doesn't quite have the same impact but it's ok.

Verdict - OK


I remember this being more upbeat than it is. This was the follow up to their number one cover of "Freak Me" and was the last hit before they started featuring American rappers on their songs. I like a couple of Another Level songs but this isn't their best, but I guess it's not too bad.

Verdict - OK


I didn't realise this at the time, but this song was originally the b-side to "Where the Streets Have No Name" in 1987, so was already 11 years old. Still, what a tune, I particularly like the bit where he sings "Baby's got blue skies up ahead". To be honest I don't like too many U2 songs I've heard but the ones I do like I really like and this is one of them.

Verdict - Good


This was massive at the time but I don't think I've actually heard it since 1998. I remember this being around the same time as "Up and Down" by the Vengaboys which indeed come out a couple of weeks later. Both were overplayed, but I wasn't really keen on this in the first place and hearing it all the time made it annoying. It's less annoying 20 years later but I still don't like it.

Verdict - Rubbish


I can't say I was particularly keen on this song at the time. Listening to it now though it actually sounds better than I remembered it being. It's no "Careless Whisper" though.

Verdict - OK


This was number one for an eternity and I knew quite a few people who liked this. I however thought it was rubbish and still do. It set the scene for the music we'd come to expect from Cher for the forseeable future following the success of this.

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 13.5/30, or 45%. Now we slide.

Tuesday 5 November 2024

UK Number 40s: Mary J Blige featuring Eve - Not Today (2003)

 


It had been just over a decade since Mary J Blige had made her Top 40 debut. In the period from then up to this record charting she'd clocked up 25 Top 40 hits. Only Madonna and R Kelly had more Top 40 hits during the same period.

Many of her earlier hits only made the lower reaches of the Top 40 but she had made the Top 20 with all her 21st century hits prior to this record. 

It was Top 40 hit number 7 out of 10 for Eve having made her Top 40 debut in 2001. The majority of her Top 40 hits came in collaboration with other artists.

Dr Dre was behind hits for both Mary J Blige and Eve earlier on in the 21st century and he was behind this record too. It was taken from the film "Barbershop 2: Back In Business" which had Eve in it.

This record certainly seemed more popular at the time than its number 40 position would have suggested.

Sunday 3 November 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 45

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 1994 with my verdict on each record:


After releasing one of the best albums of all time with "Blue Lines", Massive Attack were back with a 2nd album of which this was the lead single. It clearly was unlikely to be as good as it's predecessor, but was it any good. Well yes it was.

Verdict - Good


The good thing about acid jazz music is that more often than not it has a good groove that instantly gets you hooked. The rest of the music could literally be anything, but the groove keeps it going. I got that instant hook I described as soon as I started playing this.

Verdict - Good


This was the penultimate original Top 40 hit to date for INXS which came 3 years before their final one. It was released to promote their greatest hits album. Their greatest hits in a literal sense though are generally far better than this pretty poor effort from them.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Eastenders actor Sean Maguire. It's a reggae style record and I wonder whether this became the inspiration for the pop career of John Alford who was another singing actor. Anyway this record is predictably awful.

Verdict - Rubbish


I've sang pretty much every East 17 hit at karaoke at some point, but this ones my favourite to sing. I'd also say this is probably my favourite East 17 hit. As I transitioned to a raver this record made me think that maybe I could now get away with admitting to liking East 17. I did hold off a few years until I did that though.

Verdict - Good


PJ & Duncan had now left Byker Grove and had made their name as pop stars following the success of "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble". I remember this being played a lot by the same people who'd been listening to "Baby I Love Your Way" and "I Swear". That tells you about who this was aimed at, not me.

Verdict - Rubbish


When this record came out I was very much on my own when it came to liking Terrorvision as I remember people commenting on how shit they found it. They had a point now, I'm listening to this again for the first time in years and it's not very good.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was released to promote the greatest hits album "Big Ones". The video for "Crazy" is probably more famous than the song itself, least of all because it features Steven Tylers daughter Liv Tyler. I do believe I heard the song before I saw the video and always liked it. "Blind Man" is the lesser known of the 2 but again I can't fault it.

Verdict - Good Good


Tom Jones to me was the 60s singer who never went away when I was younger. I was therefore surprised to learn this was just his 2nd Top 40 hit of the 90s and it would be another 5 years until he'd have his next Top 40 hit. I do remember this one and my initial thought was old duffer trying to be down with the kids. Maybe a bit harsh, but I still maintain it's not a very good record.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Corona. What I remember about this record what it came about was there was lots of eurodance about and I thought oh no not another sodding eurodance record. It summed up everything I was hating in music at the time. Listening now I have to say it's not aged very well.

Verdict - Rubbish


Paul Weller had 14 Top 30 hits in the 90s and I anticipated them all being along the lines of here's Paul Weller doing his song again and many of them will be. This one however sounds a bit more distinctive, it starts with a decent riff and the chorus build up is good too. I did always consider this to be one of his better ones but am surprising myself by actually liking it.

Verdict - Good


I remember a Champions League question on Popmaster one year was to name a China Black Top 40 hit that wasn't "Searchin". I think I could name all 3 of them. This was their 2nd Top 40 hit and doesn't hold the same nostalgia factor as it's predecessor. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Rozalla which has Lamont Dozier and Rick Nowels amongst it's songwriters which implies it's across between the Four Tops and Belinda Carlisle. It isn't though, it's actually a great bit of dance music.

Verdict - Good


The majority of eurodance music that I've heard is shit. That's not to say I'm anti-eurodance, if a eurodance record is made well then it can be a really good record. This is an example of one of those records. No idea what exactly makes this so much better than your average eurodance record. I own the album and I remember it helping me through a stressful journey down the A1 one time.

Verdict - Good


After being in the Top 40 for what seemed like an eternity with their Top 40 debut "Crazy For You", Let Loose follow up with this record which follows a similar formula. Fortunately this didn't hang around for nearly as long.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the lead single from the "Bedtime Stories" album where Madonna was jumping on the R&B bandwagon. The man behind this record was Dallas Austin. He's a credible producer but he's wrote a lot of crap too and this is an example of the crap he's written.

Verdict - Rubbish


I've said this before and I'll say it again, my view is that Sting was such a big name that he would release any old crap in the knowledge that people would buy it regardless. This bland record released to promote his greatest hits is a prime example of this.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was Elton John's other song from the "Lion King". It really just sounds like an inferior version of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight". As "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" only just scraped a half mark this record isn't going to get any.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Sheryl Crow which did have quite an impact, though some seemed to be more into Sheryl Crow herself rather than her music. When these conversations were going on I knew the song but didn't know what Sheryl Crow looked like. Not a bad record and certainly better than the shite she did in years to come.

Verdict - OK


The comeback single for Take That which was the lead single from what proved to be their final album before splitting. They came back with a new look to mark the new era, Robbie had shaved his head, Marks hair was considerably shorter, Jason's hair was considerably longer, Howard had dreads and Gary looked exactly the same. Brothers in Rhythm were the producers on this record but don't let that fool you into thinking it's any good because it isn't.

Verdict - Rubbish


The only Top 40 hit for Lisa Loeb and also the only record of hers that I've ever heard. I don't want to ruin my perception by hearing any of her other songs. A great bit of 90s pop and they don't make them like this anymore.

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for the Simon Cowell created boy band Ultimate Kaos who really were still boys when this came out. On paper this should be a really shit record and I'm not going to pretend for a minute that it has an ounce of credibility. At the same time though it's a guilty pleasure of mine.

Verdict - Good


In order to promote her greatest hits album, Cyndi Lauper returned with a reggae style remix of her debut hit. It samples "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone. It sounds very cheesy, even more so than the original which is really saying something.

Verdict - Rubbish


When I was a Honeyz fan I was asked by a few people whether I liked Eternal. I know where they were coming from with that question, but the answer was no. I've always lumped them in with the naff things of the 90s such as Andi Peters. I don't think I've heard this one since the 90s, but it's more boring than I remember it being. I guess it hasn't aged well.

Verdict - Rubbish


I knew this record would be appearing soon after "Yesterday When I Was Mad" by the Pet Shop Boys hit the charts. This record came on the radio all the time when it sounded like it could be the Pet Shop Boys for the first couple of seconds. I hate it as a result, but now I can listen at my leisure I'm actually quite liking this.

Verdict - Good


The 3rd Top 40 hit for R Kelly which was really his breakthrough record in the UK giving him his first Top 10. It was taken from his first album "Born into the 90s" which he did with Public Announcement which came out in 1991. A great record which was the only track I knew on said album prior to buying it.

Verdict - Good


I would call this a good representation of everything that was naff about the 90s. I think of it as the sort of record that Andi Peters would like. At the time I remember finding this record painfully slow and when I heard it years later I was reminded of what a poor record it was.

Verdict - Rubbish


I first came across this record via someone singing it at school. I heard her singing the "be my baby" part initially thinking she was trying to sing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", but it wasn't long before I was hearing this everywhere. Once the hype had died down I remember hearing it on holiday a couple of years later for the first time in while and was thinking how badly it had aged already, it was sounding far too slow.

Verdict - Rubbish


I hated this record at the time. Bon Jovi had become the rock band for people not into rock music and releasing this ballad which became their biggest hit didn't do them any favours in that respect. A few years later though I realised that I actually like this song. I knew someone who had their greatest hits and I borrowed it just to tape this song which then got regularly played in my car. 

Verdict - Good


I remember at the time learning that this was a cover of a 60s number one by The Equals. When I asked my mum if the original was a reggae tune she said no, there was no such thing back then. Well actually there was. I also remember people singing the "CD collection of Bob Marley" part thinking that was just a piss take not realising that was actually part of the lyrics. I think it's also worth pointing out that this also features Ali and Robin Campbell from UB40 who I think do more singing in it that Pato Banton. Anyway its a good bit of reggae pop.

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 13.5/30, or 45%. Getting closer to 50% again.