Here is the Top 40 in full.
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 1990 with my verdict on each record:
30. Wreckx-N-Effect - Juicy
Long before Notorious BIG sampled "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume, Wreckx-N-Effect did the same. This was the debut Top 40 single for the group and the only one to feature member Brandon Mitchell who was shot dead later on in the year. They are best known for "Rump Shaker" which is a great tune, but I think this ones better. I absolutely love the sample.
Verdict - Good
29. Eurythmics - The King and Queen Of America (New)
Eurythmics lasted into the 90s, just. This was their penultimate Top 40 single before they split. This is perhaps more guitar driven than your average Eurythmics record. The best thing about it though is the lyrics, basically having a dig at people who become successful for doing nothing. It may have been seen as an American thing at the time, but sadly the rest of the world has since caught up.
Verdict - Good
28. Rob 'N' Raz ft Leila K - Got To Get
How many of you thought this was by Neneh Cherry? I don't think I ever did, but I can see a lot of similarities and they are also both Swedish. I'm not that keen on the rapping to be honest, but I like the backing track enough to like the tune.
Verdict - Good
27. Janet Jackson - Come Back To Me (New)
A bit like her brother Michael, Janet Jackson used to release many singles from the same album. This was the 3rd single from her "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" and like the previous 2, was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Janet Jackson has always been one of those singers I'd love to hate, guess it's because she's there thanks to her siblings rather than her own merit. That said, it allowed her to work with some great songwriters and end up with some pretty good tunes.
Verdict - Good
26. Quincy Jones ft Ray Charles And Chaka Khan - I'll Be Good To You
Whilst I appreciate Ray Charles as a musician, his music has never done anything for me. Except for this song that is, which was his first hit in 22 years and would be his last. This was original a Brothers Johnson song that was produced by Quincy Jones, who revived this with new vocalists.
Verdict - Good
25. Martika - More Than You Know
Martika is best known for doing "Toy Soldiers", but she had 5 Top 40 hits in total and this was the 3rd. It's surprisingly uplifting given how dark "Toy Soldiers" is, being more of a freestyle sounding record. As a result though it sounds a bit too generic.
Verdict - OK
24. The Beloved - Hello (New)
The 2nd Top 40 hit for The Beloved, following "The Sun Rising". This is quite similar in style to the Madchester music happening at the time, i.e. a dance/rock crossover. Perhaps not as good as it's predecessor but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
23. D:Mob - Put Your Hands Together
D:Mob were of course best remembered for "We Call It Acieed" which you're pretty much guaranteed to hear in any documentary that features Acid House. However, that wasn't his only hit, this was in fact his 4th hit and he'd have one further hit in 1994. It's not a bad record, but there's nothing about it that makes me think it's a good record.
Verdict - OK
22. Adamski - N-R-G
The funny think about people incorrectly thinking Seal was Adamski when "Killer" came out was that Adamski had already charted previously with this record. I do remember this record, but would have thought it came out after "Killer", though maybe I didn't hear it until afterwards. Top 40 singles wise (and he only had 3) I'd say this was the best one.
Verdict - Good
21. FPI Project - Going Back To My Roots/Rich In Paradise
I'm treating this as one entity as "Going Back To My Roots" is basically a vocal version of "Rich In Paradise". This was the first version of "Going Back To My Roots" I heard, but years later heard the Odyssey version which I assumed to be the original, but it's actually originally by Lamont Dozier. A nice bit of Italo House that manages to avoid sounding cheesy like some of the other records from that genre at the time.
Verdict - Good
20. House Of Love - Shine On
I have absolutely no recollection of this song existing at the time, but reading such a song existed in the years that followed I had always assumed this to be the one with the same title that's actually by Degrees of Motion. It's however nothing like Degrees of Motion, not even a dance record, but one by a band that's inspired by Jesus & Mary Chain, so is therefore instantly forgettable.
Verdict - Rubbish
19. Lisa Stansfield - Live Together (New)
This was the follow up to the number one hit "All Around the World". It seems a bit of a nothing song if I'm honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
18. Cher - Just Like Jesse James
Cher at the start of the 90s was very different from Cher at the end of the 90s and there's a simple explanation for that, different songwriters. This was written by Desmond Child and Diane Warren, who both wrote other Cher hits from around this period. Cher is known to hate this song, but it's quite possibly the only Cher song I actually like.
Verdict - Good
17. Gino Latino - Welcome
This was actually from 1988 but didn't chart until 1990, presumably due to the recent success of fellow Italo acts such as Black Box. One notable difference though is the lack of piano, but in a way that's a good thing as I'd imagine it to sound more cheesy if it did have the pianos. It's good in parts, but I don't think I quite like it enough to consider it to be good.
Verdict - OK
16. Jimmy Somerville - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
This was the first version of this record that I heard, though I don't think it sounds that different to the original. It was also the 2nd solo hit for Jimmy Somerville who I assumed to be foreign after his first solo hit "Comment te dire adieu" and I was kind of disappointed this was being sung in English. I guess it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
15. Beats International ft Lindy Layton - Dub Be Good To Me (New)
When "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim made number one at the end of the 90s, it pretty much set Norman Cook up for life. However, this record, his first number one of the decade had the opposite effect. It's essentially a mash up of "Just Be Good To Me" by SOS Band and "Guns of Brixton", which he got sued for and started to lose money on every record sale and he ended up bankrupt. It's a great record, I loved it back then and still do. I also highly recommend the "Let Them Eat Bingo" album.
Verdict - Good
14. New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough
Entering the charts at number 9 when "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" was at number 10, showing that multiple Top 10s by the same act was already happening before Ed Sheeran was even born. Whilst I liked "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" at the time, I always found this one a bit crap. To me it was like they were doing a poor job of trying to be a rock band but seeming a bit wimpy in doing so. My opinion hasn't really changed since then.
Verdict - Rubbish
13. And Why Not? - The Face
This was the 2nd of 3 hits for And Why Not? and was also their biggest. All their Wikipedia page says is they were round for a year and supported UB40. They don't have the most Google friendly name so hard to find out anything else about them, but this song is actually quite good.
Verdict - Good
12. Skid Row - 18 And Life
This was the debut hit for Skid Row. It's about an 18 year old called Ricky who got life imprisonment for shooting dead his friend with a gun he didn't think was loaded, and was actually based on a true story. I love the way this begins quite mellow and then suddenly the heavy guitar and screaming comes in. I've always wanted to sing this at karaoke because of the screaming bits, but I never found it on a karaoke playlist until last year when I went to a Korean restaurant in London, so I finally got to sing it.
Verdict - Good
11. Del Amitri - Nothing Ever Happens
Believe it or not, "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" by Del Amitri never made the UK Top 40 so this was their debut Top 40 hit. It was also their highest charting hit, peaking at number 11. I find a lot of their music quite boring to be honest, but this ones alright.
Verdict - OK
10. Yell! - Instant Replay
I remember hearing this for the first time, I heard the opening line "You set my lips on fire" and I though ouch, I was too young to realise he didn't mean someone had literally set his lips of fire. This was the only hit for Yell! who were signed to Simon Cowells record label. It's a cover of the Dan Hartman song. Their time was up when it was revealed member Daniel James was the grand old age of 32. Unless you somehow remember life as a baby, if you remember 1990 you'll be older than that now. The music was crap though.
Verdict - Rubbish
9. Sybil - Walk On By
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Sybil, and 2nd Dionne Warwick cover with her previous hit being "Don't Make Me Over". This has been given a New Jack Swing makeover and it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
8. Halo James - Could Have Told You So
In 1991, when "Sit Down" by James was a big hit, I thought that James were originally called Hello James, but had dropped the "Hello" part of their name, a bit like MC Hammer dropping the "MC" part to be simply called Hammer. As James made a name for themselves in the 90s, I found nothing to suggest they were previously called Hello James, nor did I encounter any other bands of that name. However, when trawling through the Top 40 archives on the internet years later I discovered I was actually thinking of Halo James, who were a completely different band. Having got to know the distinctive voice of Tim Booth and given the Halo James singer sounds nothing like him its pretty obvious now that they are different bands, though I do think the music style is quite similar. This was the only Top 40 hit for Halo James, I'd say it's pretty average.
Verdict - OK
7. Phil Collins - I Wish It Would Rain Down
When you hear the intro to this song, it sounds like it could be an Eric Clapton song. That's because Eric Clapton does play the guitar on this. Phil Collins has been ridiculed by many over the years for being a bit cheesy, but the reality is that a lot of his songs are actually pretty dark and not cheesy at all. This is a great example of these songs. Once I started to notice that myself I realised I actually quite like Phil Collins and bought his greatest hits.
Verdict - Good
6. 49ers - Touch Me
An Italo House record that samples "Rock-A-Lot" by Aretha Franklin and the Alisha Warren record of the same name. It's one of those records that's appeared on loads of old skool rave compilations and I've probably heard it too many times in my life, but it's still a good record.
Verdict - Good
5. Mantronix ft Wondress - Got To Have Your Love
This is the record Mantronix are most famous for, but it's not their first. They first hit the charts in 1986 with "Bassline" and then in 1987 with "Who Is It" which were both Hip Hop records. This was a change in direction and member Kurtis Mantronik said he wrote this because he wanted a song played on the radio. I could imagine people who liked the Hip Hop records by Mantronix would have hated this, but this was the first Mantronix record I heard and I liked it.
Verdict - Good
4. Lonnie Gordon - Happenin' All Over Again
The chart debut for Lonnie Gordon, yet another artist from the Stock Aitken & Waterman camp. This was originally intended to be a Donna Summer song. Pete Waterman will be the first to admit that their music was just one big marketing campaign to make them a lot of money, but there was the odd good song in there and this is one of them.
Verdict - Good
3. Kylie Minogue - Tears On My Pillow
The final number one for Stock Aitken & Waterman, but not the last for Kylie Minogue. This was originally by Little Anthony & the Imperials but it was never a UK Top 40 hit. It sounds a bit different to the previous Kylie Minogue, or indeed Stock Aitken & Waterman songs, but that doesn't make it good.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Technotronic ft Ya Kid K - Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)
Technotronic are of course best remembered for their debut hit "Pump Up The Jam", but this follow up was just a successful in the charts. I don't know how well remembered this is, but I certainly remember it. I liked it at the time, it's not a clone of it's predecessor and it's not been played to death like it's predecessor, but I cant quite bring myself to call this record good.
Verdict - OK
1. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
It's the record Sinead O'Connor is most famous for that was famously written by Prince. I don't think I particularly liked it at the time, I recall finding it boring except for the line about eating dinner in a fancy restaurant. However I did start to like it at some point and it is a good song. Years ago I mentioned to my housemate at the time that I liked this song and he asked whether I owned any Sinead O'Connor albums to which I said know. He owned "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" which featured this song and I took a listen, I didn't like any of it apart from this song. In fact I don't like any other Sinead O'Connor songs I've ever heard, this is the only good one. But as mentioned, it was written by Prince.
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 21/30, or 70%. The joint best week so far along with last week.
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