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 20 from this week in 1999 with my verdict on each record:
20. Five - If Ya Gettin' Down
I remember this as being the song where Five are trying to sound like the Backstreet Boys. I was therefore surprised to learn it wasn't written by anyone in the Swedish songwriting team responsible for many of the Backstreet Boys hits and some of Fives early hits too. That said now I'm listening to it for probably the first time in 20 years I'm finding it doesn't sound as much like the Backstreet Boys as I remember. It is rather irritating though.
Verdict - Rubbish
19. Binary Finary - 1999
This is a remix of "1998" by Binary Finary and was more successful in the charts than it's predecessor. I love the build up on this one and I remember Dave Pearce playing this a lot on his show. I also recall this being a great exercise tune, it was a time of my life I realised how unhealthy I'd become since my school days when I had PE lessons so tried to do something about it and I'd associate this tune with that period of my life above others.
Verdict - Good
18. Apollo 440 - Stop The Rock
Apparently this tune was inspired by Status Quo. I'd never made the association before, but on knowing that I can kind of understand how. Is this a good or a bad thing? Well having heard over 50 Status Quo songs, I can't say I particularly like any of them. I can't say I particularly dislike any of them either and I guess I could say the same about this tune.
Verdict - OK
17. Will Smith ft Dru Hill - Wild Wild West
I like Dru Hill, I've seen them in concert. I therefore find it a bit of a shame that their biggest UK hit was a collaboration with Will Smith. This was taken from a film of the same name that Will Smith was in. I once read an article about rappers who went on to act in films. On Will Smith, they said "he became so successful at acting in films that he stopped rapping, at least that's what we wish he did". That pretty much sums this up.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. The Cartoons - Aisy Waisy (New)
How the hell did The Cartoons have 3 singles? This was the final one and only one that failed to reach the Top 10. Quite predictably it's very cheesy.
Verdict - Rubbish
15. Texas - Summer Son
For some reason, I'd sing along to the chimes in this song in my head with "1,2 sound of the Slipmatt" and still do now. Despite the random association with Slipmatt created by me, I can't think of anything good about this tune.
Verdict - Rubbish
14. Ronan Keating - When You Say Nothing At All
Boyzone weren't quite finished yet, but this was the start of Ronan Keating's solo career. It could just as easily have been a Boyzone song as it followed the same formula of being a poor cover of an older song.
Verdict - Rubbish
13. Ocean Colour Scene - Profit In Peace (New)
I guess it's not that strange to see Ocean Colour Scene were still having hits in 1999 given that TFI Friday was still going too. What I do find strange is that their Top 40 career lasted until 2007, some 10 years after their peak. I do vaguely remember this one but it's not the most memorable of songs.
Verdict - Rubbish
12. A*Teens - Mamma Mia (New)
The debut hit from Abba tribute act A*Teens which incidentally is an Abba cover. It's not made to sound exactly like the original, instead it's been given a Eurodance makeover. As Abba were no more but they were a band still in demand I understand why forming an Abba tribute act would be a good idea. But doing crappy Eurodance covers and not even attempting to look like Abba I don't see the point in this.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Stereophonics - I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio (New)
I think by this point in my life I'd learned to ignore anything by the Stereophonics. Don't get me wrong, I very much remember them being around and the song title rings a bell but I have no recollection of the song itself. It's an incredibly dull song that's crying out for an Ali G makeover.
Verdict - Rubbish
10. Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca
This wasn't the debut hit for Ricky Martin, but I'd say it's the song that made a name for himself. His previous 2 singles were basically that crappy Spanish song you hear on holiday in Spain that makes it's way into the UK Top 40. This ones no different in that respect, except you know it's Ricky Martin from America.
Verdict - Rubbish
9. TLC - Unpretty
I first heard this in the most unlikely place, the Pete Tong show. Yes that's right, it wasn't just Dance Music he'd play on his show at the time. Anyway, I absolutely love this tune, hands down the best TLC tune I've ever heard. It's written by Dallas Austin, the man responsible for transforming Pink from R&B inspired Pop to Rock inspired Pop. The guitar in this suggests he is warming up for that moment. I think when done really well, incorporating Rock elements into non-Rock music can sound second to none and this is a good example of that.
Verdict - Good
8. Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In LA
This brings back memories of coming back from the pub on a Friday night and watching "Ibiza Uncovered" and pretty much every advert break had the Rolling Rock advert in it which featured this tune. It had actually been a minor hit before but the advert gave it a new lease of life. Despite hearing it multiple times every Friday for a period of time I still have fond memories of this tune.
Verdict - Good
7. Another Level ft TQ - Summertime (New)
The Honeyz have a track on their "Wonder No.8" album also called "Summertime" and the chorus is the same, but this isn't officially a cover of the Honeyz song. I like the Honeyz song but can't bring myself to like this, it just sounds like a blatant rip off but nowhere near as good.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. Westlife - If I Let You Go
The second hit and second number one for Westlife. This was written by the Swedish team of songwriters responsible for many Backstreet Boys hits amongst others. It does sound a bit like Boyzone do the Backstreet Boys (yes I do mean Boyzone, Westlife were still just getting started).
Verdict - Rubbish
5. DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone
I can still picture where I was when I first heard this, I was sat in a car waiting for somebody whilst listening to the Pete Tong show. What a tune, I thought. A common misconception is that Alice Deejay is the female singer, but it's actually a group of Dutch producers with the singer and 2 dancers fronting it.
Verdict - Good
4. Moloko - Sing It Back (New)
This failed to reach the Top 40 when it was originally released the previous year, but found chart success when remixed by Boris Dlugosch. Like many people, this was the first version I heard but I have since heard the original and it's completely different, only the vocals are the same really. I do prefer this version though. I guess the fact I still like it despite it being played to death over the years shows that it is a great tune.
Verdict - Good
3. Geri Halliwell - Mi Chico Latino
Back in 1996 I knew of someone who bought the "2 Become 1" single by the Spice Girls for the simple fact it had Geri's legs on the cover. He surely bought this single then because it has Geri in a bikini on the cover. In fact a lot of people must have bought it for that simple fact, hence it got to number one.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Shaft - (Mucho Mambo) Sway (New)
The opening track on "Kiss Ibiza 99", it's a house version of "Sway". I was a little sceptical of this when I first heard it but it started to grow on me after a few listens of "Kiss Ibiza 99". It actually reminds me of beginning my drive home from college, I guess that shows how much I was listening to that compilation at the time.
Verdict - Good
1. Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of...) (New)
Lou Bega is one half of Masters at Work alongside Kenny Dope...oh hang on, this is Lou Bega not Louie Vega. That's right, when I first heard this I thought how could Louie Vega release such crap until I realised it was Bega not Vega. This was so popular that it managed to peak at 31 the week before on import sales alone so it was inevitably getting to number one when it officially got released. It's bloody awful though.
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 6.5/20, or 32.5%. That's pretty poor.
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