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 1990 with my verdict on each record:
Another hit from Sonia, this was her 4th. One thing you could say about a lot of Stock Aitken & Waterman records, like them or not, is that they are catchy. This one isn't though, very much of the album filler variety.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember this record at the time without really knowing what it was. However I found out when an excellent remix in 1994 appeared on a techno compilation I bought. I do prefer that remix, but the original version is still an excellent tune. The less said about that awful 2008 version the better.
Verdict - Good
My earliest memories of following the music world happened to come at the same time the hits dried up for David Bowie after many years of many hits. As a result I'd never heard of David Bowie until I heard "Under Pressure" and even then he was simply a Queen collaborator to me, I didn't realise that he was arguably the bigger artist on that record. There was this remix of "Fame" that charted in 1990 though which I have no recollection of at all. I am of course familiar with the original, but I'm just not much of a Bowie fan.
Verdict - Rubbish
Boy George and Jeremy Healy were both in pop groups in the 80s in Culture Club and Haysi Fantayzee respectively, and both DJs in the 90s. Boy George is better known as a pop singer and Jeremy Healy is better known as a DJ though. This was the 2 of them collaborating, presumably at the time they were making that transition, along with MC Kinky. This has often been highly praised in the dance music world, but to be honest I hate it. The main reason is the vocals, I just find it irritating. I also remember hearing MC Kinky appearing on live essential mixes in the 90s and finding her irritating.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 3rd Top 40 hit for the Quireboys which is a ballad. It takes a while to get going, but when it does it's actually quite good.
Verdict - Good
The debut Top 40 hit for Inspiral Carpets. My memories were thinking what a funny name for a band, and also remember the miserable looking singer stood there with his hands in his pockets. I was too young to really know what this song was about, either that or I just didn't pay attention to the lyrics. But lets just say the lyrical content isn't exactly jolly either. Still, it's a good song.
Verdict - Good
The first time I'd heard of The Cure they were a band in my Smash Hits sticker album. I can't remember whether I ever got the sticker for The Cure or not, but after seeing Robert Smith for the first time it was a sticker I could have probably done without. Despite his scary looks though, I thought some of their music was good. Not this one though, it's a bit boring if I'm honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the debut Top 40 hit for Jesus Jones. I remember at the time I already knew of Jesus & Mary Chain who's music I found incredibly boring. Given Jesus Jones had a similar name, well also has Jesus in it's name, I expected their music to be boring too. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't. It's basically Wiltshire's equivalent of Madchester, mixing dance and rock music together.
Verdict - Good
I've not tested this theory, but it seems common for a pop group to have a ballad as their 3rd single. This was the case with New Kids On The Block. Even in their native America, this came out in 1989 before "Hangin Tough" but their first single over there was "Please Don't Go Girl" didn't chart here, and therefore made this their 3rd hit over there too. It's a bit too namby-pamby for my liking.
Verdict - Rubbish
First we had Double Trouble and the Rebel MC, then we had Rebel MC and Double Trouble, now here we have Rebel MC on his own. Allegedly Rebel MC was getting a lot of stick at the time for the music he was making, but I like it.
Verdict - Good
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
A cover of the Phil Collins record from German act Jam Tronik. Retrospectively it seems like an 80s hit getting a 90s makeover, but whilst they are 80s and 90s hits respectively, the Phil Collins version only came out in November 1989 and remained in the Top 40 until the final week of 1989, so just 3 months before this came out. I like both versions myself. Although the only Top 40 hit for Jam Tronik, they would continue to release records, many of which were covers of recent hits at the time with their final one being of "Forever Love" by Gary Barlow in 1996.
Verdict - Good
The 4th single from the "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" album which like the previous 3 was written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. I love the intro to this song, definitely the best part of it. Whilst the rest of the song doesn't quite live up to the intro, I still like it.
Verdict - Good
When it comes to female pop singers from America who emerged in the late 80s, such as Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne, the word dreadful springs to mind. Paula Abdul though was actually alright. This was her biggest Top 40 hit in the UK and is best remembered for the video of here dancing with a cartoon character. The songs not bad.
Verdict - OK
I first saw this record written down before I actually heard it. What I didn't notice was the lack of comma between Queen and Latifah. Therefore I thought it was going to be Queen collaborating with someone called Latifah and De La Soul. Seemed a bit of an odd collaboration, but then they did collaborate with the likes of Wyclef Jean and 5ive in later years. Anyway, I finally heard this and realised it had nothing to do with Queen. I like De La Soul, but like with many acts I like, they can't get it right all the time and this is one of those times. I can't say I'm a fan of Queen Latifah though, which could be a factor in why I don't like this.
Verdict - Rubbish
It's quite common, often in dance music, for one to have a big hit and then following up by a record that's basically an inferior version of their big hit. In the case of Technotronic, they actually waited until their 3rd hit to release an inferior version of their 1st.
Verdict - Rubbish
At the time, the only Savannah I knew was the Renault 21 estate, so I thought that's what he was singing about. The fact he mentions an open highway and a hundred miles an hour in the lyrics also suggested to me that he was singing about the car. I wrote a music quiz a couple of years ago which included a picture round where the picture represents a song title. Truth be told, I only did that round so I could put a picture of a blue Renault Savanna (yes it's spelt differently) in it for this song. I absolutely love this song, it's got better with age in my opinion. One of the best Erasure songs.
Verdict - Good
The only UK Top 40 hit for Family Stand which was given the remix treatment by Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper of Soul II Soul. It does sound a cross between Soul II Soul and Massive Attack, which makes sense as Nellee Hooper was also a member of The Wild Bunch alongside members of Massive Attack. It's a great formula to have.
Verdict - Good
This was the record that taught me that the one in Eurythmics who doesn't sing is Dave Stewart. Seeing his collaborator Candy Dulfer with a saxophone, I though surely he's going to be the one singing on this. No such luck, it's an instrumental. It did make me wonder if I ever would see him sing though. The tune is pretty average, it's probably the last time I've been disappointed by a record not having vocals, been plenty where the opposite is true.
Verdict - OK
I always thought this record was older than it actually is, it definitely sounds like it belongs in the 80s. It was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and apparently Heart themselves don't like it and don't play it live. It would be their penultimate UK Top 40 hit with their final one 3 years later also being written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. I'm inclined to agree with Heart, I don't like it either.
Verdict - Rubbish
I have memories of hearing this in the car going down some country roads in the dark, and thinking what a strange song, but I liked it. I don't think I realised how American it was at the time, I seem to recall likening it to the Madchester sound at the time for some reason. Maybe because the band had a weird name, and maybe the weird song title helped too.
Verdict - Good
I remember watching this on Top of the Pops for the first time and thinking my mother seemed to know it very well for a song that's only just come out. What I didn't know at the time was it was a cover of a Beatles song. It was the only Top 40 hit for Candy Flip, and I've often listened to it since they featured in a music picture quiz I came across on the internet several years ago. Needless to say I like it.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd single from Jason Donovan's 2nd album and the first of his singles not to make the Top 5. It's your usual generic Stock Aitken & Waterman pap, just an inferior version of "Too Many Broken Hearts" really.
Verdict - Rubbish
Technotronic weren't the only Belgians having UK hits in 1990, we also had this, the only hit for Bizz Nizz. This sounds more like what you'd expect a dance record from Belgium in the early 90s to sound like, much better than Technotronic in my opinion. The story of Bizz Nizz doesn't end with this tune though, the following year they would return with 2 Dutch vocalists and become known as 2 Unlimited. Don't let that put you off though, this really is a good tune.
Verdict - Good
I remember hearing this for the first time and thinking what an odd song. I didn't mind it though, I quite liked the way Fred Schneider was more shouting in a funny voice rather than singing it, but the females were singing more melodically. However, it's tendency to be overplayed in the pubs and clubs I went to when I was younger means I can't stand it now.
Verdict - Rubbish
This is the record that the Happy Mondays are best known for, but what is perhaps not as well known is that this was a cover. It was originally by John Kongos and was titled "He's Gonna Step on You Again" and peaked at number 4 in 1971, one place higher than this managed. Production on this record was by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, the same team behind Grace in the mid to late 90s. Like many records from the Madchester scene at the time, it's one of those great dance/rock crossover records.
Verdict - Good
My understanding of reggae music at the time was that most of it came from Jamaica, but I was unsure whether UB40 came from Jamaica or not (as mentioned previously, I was still of primary school age in 1990). This song though suggested to me that they were as Kingston is the capital of Jamaica. I would eventually find out they came from Birmingham and this was a cover. However, Lord Creator, the songwriter and original artist, isn't from Jamaica himself, he's from Trinidad and Tobago. Do I like it though? Well yes, I like a bit of UB40, both covers and non-covers.
Verdict - Good
Interesting fact, there have been 2 Top 40 hit's who's titles have been a colour followed by "Velvet", both released in 1990 and both reached number 2. This is the first of these which was the only Top 40 hit for Alannah Myles. If you read her biography on Wikipedia it describes her as being a singer-songwriter, but despite this she didn't actually write this song, that duty went to Christopher Ward and David Tyson. It's one of these song's I've always found irritating truth be told.
Verdict - Rubbish
Everyone was singing this at the time, well the chorus anyway. It's hard to hear this now though without picturing Phil "The Power" Taylor doing his walk on in the darts. I don't think it's aged very well at all and apart from the hook it's a bit of a nothing tune, so I'm afraid this gets the thumbs down.
Verdict - Rubbish
Madonna had been on a bit of a roll in late 1989 with the singles "Cherish" and "Dear Jessie" which were both records I particularly liked at the time. I never liked this one 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 19.5/30, or 65%. A better score overall than last week, but the Top 10 wasn't as good.
