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. 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
19. 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
18. Gomez - Rhythm And Blues Alibi (New)
This has a good first few seconds which make the song sound like it's going to be more exciting than it actually is. Then it gets a bit dreary, but actually it's not too bad. It sounds interesting in parts but it's just a bit too boring overall to like.
Verdict - OK
17. Agnelli And Nelson - Everyday (New)
We have yet another tune that appears on the "Kiss Ibiza 99" compilation, on the Trance CD. This one though reminds me more of watching the Club@Vision Ibiza Special which I recorded and watched several times. A clip of this would appear every so often including near the beginning of the show. They also had an Ibiza anthem for each year and the one they chose for 1999 was this. I wouldn't have picked this one myself, but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
16. 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
15. Another Level ft TQ - Summertime
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
14. 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
13. 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
12. 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
11. The Offspring - The Kids Aren't Alright (New)
Another American High School type offering from The Offspring. This one isn't too bad though, it doesn't irritate me like "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get A Job?" do and it has that Punk beat that I like. However it isn't quite good enough for me to think it's good.
Verdict - OK
10. 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
9. Moloko - Sing It Back
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
8. 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
7. 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
6. Martine McCutcheon - I've Got You (New)
Who knew Tiffany from Eastenders had more than one hit single? Well actually I did, I remember her having several and questioned why. It's not as dreary as "Perfect Moment" but it's still pretty dreary.
Verdict - Rubbish
5. A1 - Summertime Of Our Lives (New)
The second single from A1 who released this on the back of what probably was the summertime of their lives having hit the big time with their blatant rip off of "Cuddly Toy". I can't think of a record this sounds too similar to, maybe they realised they wouldn't get away with that again. What we have then is just some generic pap.
Verdict - Rubbish
4. Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos (New)
Here we have the beginning of the UK Chart career of Enrique Iglesias. It's another of those ones that sounds like the crappy Spanish song you hear on holiday in Spain that makes it's way into the UK charts. That's understandable given Enrique Iglesias is Spanish, but then this was written by the same British song writing team responsible for the songs Cher was putting out at the time (Believe etc). Who would have thought just over a decade later he would be singing his own composition "Tonight (I'm Fuckin You)".
Verdict - Rubbish
3. Shaft - (Mucho Mambo) Sway
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
2. DJ Jean - The Launch (New)
I like the riff in this one, which is just as well given it's repeated over and over again. However what makes this tune is the beats, in particular the bit just before the drop. There's no big breakdown in this, just several mini ones and I think there needs to be so you can hear more of that beat before the drop.
Verdict - Good
1. Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of...)
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 8/20, or 32.5%. That's better than I expected it to be given last week.
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