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. Mr Vegas - Heads High
This sounds a bit out of place in 1999, probably because from memory this is the first Dancehall record to feature since I started this series of posts. I also own a compilation with this on which I bought around 2003 so I associate it more with that time. Given I didn't press the skip button when listening to said compilation I would say I like it.
Verdict - Good
19. Savage Garden - I Knew I Loved You
Apparently their record label challenged them to produce the next "Truly Madly Deeply" and this was the result. I would argue this is a better song, it's not as soppy and is more uplifting and therefore I can listen to it without cringing. I also have this on a compilation and don't press the skip button.
Verdict - Good
18. Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
This had already been played to death by the time it charted. I remember listening to the Top 40 the week it topped the charts but turned the radio off once the number one record was announced. It's absolutely terrible.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. Ann Lee - 2 Times
This is very cheesy. It was the debut hit for Ann Lee who had previously had some success as a songwriter. I always imagined this to be sung by a teenager but turns out Ann Lee was 31 when this was released. Obviously she had learned the formula for selling records. I don't mind this record though.
Verdict - OK
16. Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle
The debut hit for Christina Aguilera. Like with many pop songs by young American artists at the time, this is very American high school sounding, but based on what we've learned about many of these songs, you'd expect it to be written by a Swedish bloke. But not this one, 2 of it's 3 writers are actually American, the other coming from New Zealand. Still, not a record I can say I like.
Verdict - Rubbish
15. Westlife - Flying Without Wings
This is probably the best known Westlife song. It was written by the same people who wrote their first number one "Swear It Again". The funny thing was that it wasn't originally going to be a Westlife song, it was going to be the debut solo record for Boyzone member Stephen Gately. Given most people don't remember Stephen Gately even having a solo career, I wonder if he'd have been more successful if this song was given to him instead as originally intended. As far as Westlife songs go, this is probably one of the better ones but it's still shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
14. Another Level - Bomb Diggy
I was at a karaoke night in maybe 2002 and somebody suggested I got up and sung this. There was one slight problem with that though, I didn't actually know it. Of course once YouTube arrived I had to listen to it after remembering that karaoke night and it did ring a vague bell. Quite why this person thought I should sing it at karaoke though remains a mystery.
Verdict - OK
13. Paul Van Dyk - Another Way / Avenue (New)
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Paul Van Dyk which was a double a-side. The better known of the 2 would be "Another Way", even if you think you don't know it there's a good chance you'll recognise it when you hear it. "Avenue" perhaps isn't as radio friendly, but that's no bad thing in my book.
Verdict - Good / Good
12. Ricky Martin - Shake Your Bon-Bon (New)
After his big number one in the summer, Ricky Martin failed to reach the Top 10 with this follow up. It sounds less crappy Spanish holiday song than it's predecessor but that doesn't make it any less irritating.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Stereophonics - Hurry Up And Wait (New)
Another Stereophonics hit I have no recollection of because I had learned to ignore them, or erase what I'd heard from my memory immediately by this point. That said, I do recall a song with this title existing at the time. Listening to it now though I can say I probably didn't remember it simply because it was so boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
10. Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight
The problem I have with this record now is that it sounds like it set the scene for all that cringe worthy crap she did with the likes of Pitbull later on in her career. At the time though I thought it was alright. I guess the fact you don't have anyone shouting "Mr Worldwide" in it means it still is alright.
Verdict - OK
9. Tin Tin Out ft Emma Bunton - What I Am
It's the solo debut of Baby Spice, well her first non Spice Girls hit anyway. It ended up being the final Top 40 hit for Tin Tin Out and also their most successful. It's a cover of the Edie Brickell record, I'm not keen on the original and this cover does nothing to improve it.
Verdict - Rubbish
8. Travis - Turn (New)
This was the biggest hit to date for Travis but just as boring as their previous hits. Maybe a little more catchy thanks to the chorus more or less being a repetition of the same word, that's as exciting as it gets.
Verdict - Rubbish
7. Macy Gray - I Try
When I first heard this I imagined the singer to be in her 50s. She actually is now, but at the time she was only 32. I thought it was alright initially but then it quickly got irritating. On paper it shouldn't be a bad song, it's original, it's soulful and it certainly isn't boring but for some reason it just bugs me.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. Five - Keep On Movin'
On hearing this record for the first time I was expecting it to open with a rap from J. Instead it opens with singing from someone I'd never noticed being in the group before. It was band member Sean who'd pretty much been in the background up until now. J does still get the lions share of the vocals though, with his vocals being somewhere in between singing and rapping in this tune. It was the first Five record to get to number one and I've got to say I like it.
Verdict - Good
5. R Kelly - If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time
The 7th Top 40 single from his "R" album, and still not the last. This is one of those records that charted much later than I remember it charting, but given it's on an album that I own and the first single from that album came out in early 1997 it's not that surprising. Good tune though.
Verdict - Good
4. Geri Halliwell - Lift Me Up
The 3rd solo hit and 2nd number one for Geri Halliwell. Despite leaving the Spice Girls due to musical differences, all 3 of her solo hits to date had been written by Absolute, the producers who discovered the Spice Girls and produced half the tracks on their first 2 albums. In fact all the songs on Geri's debut album were written by them and predictably it's still crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
3. A1 - Everytime / Ready Or Not (New)
The 3rd hit for boy band A1 which reached number 3 and was a double a-side. "Everytime" is the better known one and is a ballad. Sounds like it could just as easily be a Westlife song, but it's written by A1 themselves. "Ready or Not" isn't a cover of the Fugees but it does sound a bit like a rip off of "Stop" by the Spice Girls.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
2. Will Smith - Will 2K (New)
This was the 8th Top 40 hit for Will Smith (excluding his Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince hits) and his chart career to date was quite remarkable, 7 of his 8 hits had made the Top 3. This one heavily sampled "Rock the Casbah" and featured vocals from K-Ci of Jodeci but despite this it was still the usual crap you got from Will Smith.
Verdict - Rubbish
1. Robbie Williams - She's The One / It's Only Us (New)
"She's the One" is one of the best known Robbie Williams songs, but what isn't that well known is that this is a cover. The original was by World Party the 2 versions aren't very different at all. "It's Only Us" was written by Robbie Williams himself and I don't think is anywhere near as well known. I quite like both songs.
Verdict - Good / Good
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 7.5/20, or 37.5%. Now we're sliding.
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