Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Top 30 in 1998 Reviewed: Week 47

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 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


This was the final Top 40 hit from the excellent "Moon Safari" album. All 3 singles from that album were different to each other and good in their own way. This one is quite similar in style to Zero 7 who are someone else that I'm a big fan of.

Verdict - Good


With a name like Marc Et Claude you may expect them to be French. With a title like "LA" you may expect them to be America. They were actually German though and this was their Top 40 debut. I feel like this is one of the records setting the scene for 1999 and the trance explosion that happened.

Verdict - Good


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 - Rubbish


To be honest I don't ever remember this being a single. This was the fourth single to be released from his "R" album which came out in the UK a week later. A week after that he released the fifth single from the album "I'm Your Angel" which I do very much remember and may explain why this one passed me by. I did go on to buy the album and this is the first track of it, listening to it now reminds me of the start of a car journey from where I lived at the time as this would be playing when I'd set off.

Verdict - Good


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


Karen Ramirez is known for just the one record "Looking For Love" but like with a lot of music acts known for one record around this period, she had another Top 40 hit that nobody remembers. Listening to it though I understand why this ones long forgotten.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


Tina Cousins made her Top 40 hit earlier on in 1998 as vocalist on the Sash! record "Mysterious Times". This was the start of her solo career and this record was written by Mark Topham and Karl Twigg who composed several of Steps hits. I could almost imagine Steps doing this record.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


I was a fan of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" back in the day but always thought the Fresh Prince himself aka Will Smith was terrible as a rapper and got even worse when he parted company with Jazzy Jeff. Needless to say when I heard the actress who played Ashley had started making music I expected it to also be rubbish. I was right, it was rubbish but this isn't as bad as her next single "Boy You Knock Me Out" which features Will Smith himself.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


There is no doubt Country Music is hugely popular in America but us Brits have generally written it off as a load of American rubbish. The solution to crack the British market therefore is to give us a watered down version of Country Music like this. Can't say I'm a fan.

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 Top 40 hit number 3 for Marilyn Manson. Musically it wasn't very heavy at all and that was intentional in order to prove Marilyn Manson wasn't a one trick pony. The lyrical content is about drugs though just to maintain the "Shock Rock" element. It's pretty boring though.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


The record which put Hip Hop on the world stage, "Rappers Delight" famously sampled "Good Times" by Chic. The bassline to "Another One Bites the Dust" is basically the same and nearly 2 decades later it gets sampled on a Hip Hop track. Except this is more "Another One Bites the Dust" with a bit of rapping in-between. It's not bad, but the original Queen song is much better.

Verdict - OK


Neneh's brother with a song that isn't "Save Tonight" that surprisingly made the top ten. To me it just sounds like a watered down version of "Save Tonight", not for me.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


This was the biggest Top 40 hit for James which originally made the Top 40 back in 1991. It was back in the Top 40 in 1998 with this remix from Apollo 440. I will concede it does liven up the record somewhat, but I've never thought much of the original and it was always going to be a difficult task to make it sound any good.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


We all remember Brian Harvey making his comments on Ecstasy at the start of 1997. He was sacked from the band but then was let back in and Tony Mortimer quit. They changed their name to E17, maybe Brian's discrete way of standing by the comments on ecstasy he made, and became an R&B group. The result is this song which is pretty good.

Verdict - Good


The Tamperer ft Maya had scored a number one back in the summer by having the hook of an 80s song as the chorus. Follow that success they released a follow up which had the hook of an 80s song as the chorus, making number 3 this time. This wasn't as overplayed as its predecessor "Feel It" so I could tolerate it more.

Verdict - OK


This was the first Top 10 hit for Stereophonics and was also the first single that I identified as being a Stereophonics record. They had truly arrived then, and I remember a number of people loving them. Really did get what the fuss was myself.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the first chart topper for Steps and it's the Bee Gees cover that is arguably their best known song. "Heartbeat" was apparently sitting in the drawer for years before it was given to Steps. Both are terrible as usual.

Verdict - Rubbish


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 11.5/30, or 38%. Will we climb again this year?
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Tuesday, 19 November 2024

UK Number 40s: Ocean Colour Scene - Golden Gate Bridge (2004)

 


In 1996/1997 Ocean Colour Scene had a string of 6 hits in a row that made the Top 10. They were one of the most successful Britpop bands from a chart perspective during this period.

The same could perhaps be said of them as a chart act during the post-Britpop period. Despite not reaching the Top 10 following that streak, they were having Top 40 hits right up to 2007, 11 years after they made their Top 40 debut and clocked up 17 Top 40 hits in total.

This was Top 40 hit number 15 for them. It was taken from the album "Luxembourg" and was the last to feature Damon Minchella in the band. Critics at the time were basically saying that Ocean Colour Scene belonged in the mid-90s and there was no room for them in 2004. They still had enough of a following to still be making the Top 40 though.

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Sunday, 17 November 2024

Top 30 in 1994 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 1994 with my verdict on each record:


This will be the final time Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine will feature as their final 2 Top 40 hits failed to make the Top 30. This one only just about did. It feels a while ago that I was saying they're past their best and this record does nothing to change that opinion.

Verdict - Rubbish


I think the best way to describe this record is "Losing My Religion" part 2. It does change in the chorus but that can't really disguise the fact this sounds an inferior version of "Losing My Religion". Seems like they were out of ideas by this point.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember going on holiday in 1995 and going to a restaurant the first night which was almost empty. As I dined it became apparent why nobody went there. The restaurant manager seemed to love this song, playing it multiple times that evening and encouraging diners to get up and dance to it with him. Needless to say I never went back. A boring depressing record.

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 the final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Kate Bush. I'm not a fan of her 90s music generally speaking and think she was past her best. The chart positions of her later hits indicate I wasn't the only one to think that. This ones more of the same.

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


Salt-N-Pepa were still the only rap act who's number of Top 40 hits had hit double figures by this point with this being hit number 11. All 11 have been shit but this has to be the worst one of them all. I'm just thinking shut the fuck up.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


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


I thought The Beautiful South were about to call it a day when this record came out. It's from their greatest hits album and the title implies this will be their last song. It wasn't though, they were far from finished. What I do remember about this record was you were more likely to hear it on Radio 2 than Radio 1 at the time. That wasn't cool back then.

Verdict - Rubbish


At the time I remember somebody asking me whether I liked the "ants in the carpet" song. Being crap at knowing lyrics I had no idea what he was talking about. Then the next time I heard this I heard the opening lyrics and it became clearer. It was the final single from the "Parklife" album and to me it has a double meaning. First of all, after the end of the century the general quality of music went downhill. At the same time, after this single the general quality of Blurs music also went downhill.

Verdict - Good


When it comes to the so called big four of Britpop I remember Blur and Oasis very well in 1994 and Pulp were really yet to reach their commercial peak. With Suede on the other hand I remember more about Bernard Butler leaving the band than the actual music. With records like this though it's no wonder.

Verdict - Rubbish


Jamiroquai go a bit more downtempo on this record. I guess that was quite a risky move given that they'd made a name for themselves by making pretty uplifting records. That said though, the funk is still there and this shows they weren't a one trick pony.

Verdict - Good


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 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


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Warren G. It's easy to forget that despite Warren G being the half brother of Dr Dre, he was doing his own productions instead of rapping over those of Dr Dre. I get the impression this is the point he's making on this record. 

Verdict - 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


This failed to reach the Top 40 when first released in 1969, but it succeeded the second time around thanks to it featuring on the Guinness advert. It gave Louis Armstrong his first Top 40 hit since 1968 and had he still been alive he would have been 93. It meant at this point in time he had the longest UK Top 40 career having first charted in its first year in 1952. It was just about the only record that regularly appeared on Radio 2 at the time that I actually liked.

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


New Order were on hiatus in 1994 but they brought out a remix of their 1987 hit "True Faith". I'm actually struggling to figure out what exactly the difference is between the original and this remix as it sounds exactly the same to me. Fortunately I'm a big fan of the original therefore I like this identical remix too.

Verdict - Good


M People were back with a new album called "Bizarre Fruit" which this was the lead single from. There's nothing bizarre about this record though, just sticking to the tried and tested dance pop formula that proved to be successful for them. Not for me though.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


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


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


When I first became a raver I had to educate myself about it. Most of that in the early days came from a friend who was into it and remember him telling me it was a proper rave tune. It originally came out in 1992 but didn't enjoy commercial success until 1994. I liked it at the time, but I truly appreciated how good it was when I heard it for the first time in a while on Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems around 98/99 time.

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


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%. Can we go above 50% again before the year is out?
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