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:
This is technically a cover, even though Paul McCartney wrote it himself. It was originally a Beatles song and this is a live version done by Paul McCartney as a solo artist. Nothing wrong with that, solo artists perform songs of their former bands all the time. I think there are much better Beatles songs he could have done instead, but this one isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
This was never a Top 40 hit back in 1973 when it was an American number one. Thanks to it's appearance in a Levi's advert it became a UK number one in 1990. This is best remembered for its wolf whistle on the guitar, but on a personal level I remember annoying my teacher by singing it in class at school.
Verdict - Good
This is the 5th and final Top 40 hit from her "Foreign Affair" album. It was written by one of the writers of the first hit (Holly Knight who co-wrote "The Best") and one of the writers the second hit (Albert Hammond who co-wrote "I Don't Wanna Lose You"). It's a ballad not bad but nothing special.
Verdict - OK
Originally a number one in 1986, this charted again in 1990 thanks to it featuring on the Peugeot advert. For obvious reasons I keep thinking of Berlin as being a German band, but they're not, they're American. This song basically launched and killed their career at the same time. It was the only song of theirs people wanted to hear but it was also the only song of theirs they didn't write, that honour going to Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock. Never been a fan of this song myself.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 5th single from the "Runaway Horses" album. The 1st, "Leave A Light On" peaked at 4, but the next 3 failed to reach the Top 30. This one fared better than the previous 3. I remember my young self wondering how does one dream the same dream as somebody else? I don't mind this record, but it's not one I particularly like either.
Verdict - OK
This failed to reach the Top 40 when first released in 1989 but after the success of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" this was re-released and made the Top 40 this time. It's not a bad record, but doesn't have that wow factor to make it a good record. It would be the last we'd see Chimes in the Top 40 but singer Pauline Henry would return as a solo artist.
Verdict - OK
This song was a decade or so old by the time it charted. It's the unofficial miners anthem, and I assumed it charted thanks to the end of Margaret Thatcher's reign as Prime Minister, but this was actually a month or so before that happened, so I have no idea why it charted at this particular time. Lyrically it's good, but musically it's just not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I first heard that this song existed, I wondered if it was the theme music to the breakfast TV show on ITV. I was quite disappointed when I heard it wasn't as I quite liked that theme tune. However that disappointment was short lived when I heard this song. It's quite funny how it has the line "10 long years and we've still got her" in reference to Margaret Thatcher, then a month or so later she resigned.
Verdict - Good
The 4th and final single from the "Violator" album. This is band member Andy Fletcher's favourite. It's not my favourite, but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
Ever wondered what Suggs did between Madness and his solo career, well here's your answer. This was produced by Suggs along with Terry Farley. The Farm are probably best remembered for being the Madchester band from Liverpool. This was their debut Top 40 hit and was also on the first episode of "The Word". The early 90s have truly arrived now.
Verdict - Good
Like their previous single "Step On", this was produced by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne. It also peaked at number 5. Again it's a good dance/rock crossover record.
Verdict - Good
A-ha have had quite an odd career in a way. To some their only song is "Take On Me", even though their singles discography also includes a number one and a James Bond song. Regular listeners of Popmaster will also know their chart career went beyond the 80s, with questions about their 90s/00s hits being asked more regularly than one would expect. This is the first of those 90s hits, a cover of the Everly Brothers song. Recently I did ask myself whether I like any A-ha song apart from "Take On Me", the answer is no.
Verdict - Rubbish
With Morrissey being from Manchester, I had always assumed this to be referring to Manchester Piccadilly, but it's actually referring to Piccadilly in London. It features backing vocals from Suggs, and you do sense some Madness influence in the song. Still pretty dull though.
Verdict - Rubbish
The best known of this double a-side is of course "Groove Is In The Heart" which I've probably heard everyday since 1990, or at least that's how it feels. Despite it being played to death though and me being pretty sick of it by now, I still regard it as a good tune. The other side, "What Is Love", is one I never heard until one day I wondered how the other side of "Groove Is In The Heart" sounds like and found out. Perhaps because I've only ever listened to it of my own accord, I actually prefer this tune.
Verdict - Good / Good
This song had an American version and a European version. As this is the UK charts I'm going to be reviewing the European version. It was written by L.A. Reid and Babyface and remixed by Yvonne Turner. It's more dancey than the American version, presumably because that's what was more popular in Europe at the time. Doesn't really work for me though.
Verdict - Rubbish
This failed to make the Top 40 when released at the beginning of the year. Presumably after the success of another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles record, "Turtle Power" by Partners In Kryme, they gave it another go. Hi-Tek 3 is Technotronic under another name. Although not so blatantly a Turtles song, it's still too cheesy for my liking.
Verdict - Rubbish
You hear quite often about bands who take a long time to release a new album such as Guns n Roses. One you don't really hear about is The Sisters Of Mercy who have now gone 30 years and counting since their last album. This is the first single from their last album. Not my kind of music if I'm honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
Long before William Orbit became a household name, he was charting with this. It was his only Top 40 hit as Bass-O-Matic, but probably the best Top 40 he's had under any name.
Verdict - Good
My memories of Monie Love was that I found her irritating. Listening to this record again confirms that. I also remember her doing this particular tune, but don't remember it being as poor as it is.
Verdict - Rubbish
Cliff Richard probably didn't realise it wasn't the 60s anymore, the days when an English act would cover an American song before it became well known over here. The American version was by Bette Midler which was released in America at the same time this version was released over here. It was originally by Nanci Griffith 3 years earlier though. The Bette Midler version would eventually chart in the UK the following year, and did better than this version. Both versions are crap though.
Verdict - Rubbish
I loved this as a kid, but at the time I'd never heard the original by the Chi-Lites which is far better. That's basically what's wrong with this record, when I hear it now I can only think about how much better the original is. Still gets an ok though thanks to the similarities it does have.
Verdict - OK
Regular readers of this blog know I like the Pet Shop Boys and its pretty much a given most of their hits will be rated good. I've been trying to think of what I can say about this tune other than the fact I like it, but there isn't really anything else worth saying.
Verdict - Good
The 6th New Kids On The Block single of 1990, which was a double a-side. Given "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" was still in the Top 40 at the beginning of 1990, that means I've had to listen to 8 New Kids On The Block songs in this series of posts so far. "Let's Try It Again" was the beginning of the end for them in America, failing to reach the Top 40 over there. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" is a cover of The Delfonics song which appeared on their debut album from 1986 when they really were kids. It's a poor cover version and I've only heard "Let's Try It Again" once and will happily never hear it again.
Verdict - Rubbish/ Rubbish
Captain Hollywood got his name after being based in Germany as a captain in the US Army. He formed Twenty4Seven with Dutch producer Ruud Van Rijen and this was their debut single. It's not a cheesy as your average euro dance tune.
Verdict - OK
Just in case we hadn't had enough of Technotronic in 1990, here they are with a megamix. It's just overkill, I feel just doing these reviews I've heard too much Technotronic.
Verdict - Rubbish
Take 3 soul singers in their 40s, put them together with a guitarist to make dance music. That was basically the formula of Londonbeat. Amongst it's singers was Jimmy Helms who had a hit in the 70s with "Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse". It wasn't the debut hit for Londonbeat, but it was their most successful and best known. I was reminded of this tune on the music channels about 15 years ago and then saw their greatest hits in the record shop on offer, and bought it.
Verdict - Good
This was the only number one hit for The Beautiful South, quite surprising really given they have better known songs. This song really irritated me at the time, I can tolerate it a bit more now but still don't like it. Despite it's success, The Beautiful South would have another Top 10 hit until 1996 after this.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit who's title is a colour followed by the word velvet and 2nd to making number two, following "Black Velvet" earlier on in the year. This song was written in 1950 and this version originally recorded in 1963, but it never made the UK Top 40. It's appearance in a Nivea advert prompted a re-release in 1990 and it finally charted. I'm not sure if I was aware it was an old song at the time, but I liked it.
Verdict - Good
The critics likened this to Jive Bunny. I guess it's the same idea, put a bunch of old songs into a megamix. Except Status Quo did it with instruments and made the songs sound like Status Quo. It would be their last Top 10 hit, but there had plenty more Top 40 hits to go.
Verdict - OK
Confession time. At the time I thought Maria McKee and Mariah Carey were the same person, either I thought this song was by Mariah Carey or I thought Maria McKee did "Vision Of Love". Both were ballads and their names are similar(ish) and both were not well known prior to these records. I do feel I was being a bit harsh on Maria McKee though, this is nowhere near as dreary as your average Mariah Carey record. I wasn't keen on it at the time, but have got to like it more thanks to the Happy Hardcore versions a few years later. I don't like it that much though.
Verdict - OK
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 14/30, or 47%. Equalling last weeks lowest score for 1990.
