Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed - Week 10

 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 1991 with my verdict on each record:

30. Thunder - Love Walked In 

The 5th Top 40 hit for Thunder and 5th to come from their "Backstreet Symphony" album. Despite this, it was their highest charting single to date at the time. The fact it's more of a ballad probably helped, but I'd actually say this is my favourite of the 5. It's just the 2nd Thunder record I've reviewed though as the other 3 failed to make the Top 30.

Verdict - Good

29. DJ H ft Stefy - Think About... 

DJ H ft Stefy is confusingly 3 people rather than 2, Enrico Acerbi, Marco Bongiovanni and Stefania Bacchelli. Enrico Acerbi is also known as DJ Herbie which would explain the DJ H and Stefania Bacchelli is Stefy, but this was composed by Marco Bongiovanni and the vocals were Aretha Franklin samples. Great record though, got a very catchy intro.

Verdict - Good

28. 2 In A Room - Wiggle It

This was my favourite song for about a week, quite possibly the week you're reading about now. 2 in a Room were on of the acts to play at the first ever Helter Skelter rave in 1989, with their big underground record at the time being "Somebody In the House Say Yeah!".

Verdict - Good

27. Kylie Minogue - What Do I Have To Do

We are nearing the end of the Stock Aitken & Waterman era, but we're not quite done yet. Most Stock Aitken & Waterman compositions get rated as rubbish by me, and rightfully so. This one isn't bad though.

Verdict - OK

26. REM - Losing My Religion (New)

REM were more than a decade into their existence by this point, but their only UK Top 40 hit to date had been "Orange Crush" which was a minor hit 2 years earlier. They would have 6 Top 40 hits in 1991 though, some old and some new. This was the first of these which was a new one. I don't mind this record but its not one to get excited about. 

Verdict - OK

25. Chris Rea - Auberge 

I'm quite surprised that over a year had passed between "Road To Hell" and this record coming out, particularly as we were only 4 years into my living memory when it came to chart music. I did like this record at the time and having listened to it for the first time in many years I'd still say it's pretty good.

Verdict - Good

24. Jesus Jones - Who? Where? Why? (New)

This was the final Top 40 hit from their "Doubt" album. I would say this is much more leaning towards dance music than their previous singles, which is no bad thing. It's a bit more reflective of their future singles which I actually prefer to their earlier ones.

Verdict - Good

23. N-Joi - Adrenalin (EP) (New)

The first Top 40 hit for N-Joi which contained a track of the same name which is the one being reviewed. This perhaps isn't as radio friendly as the well known "Anthem", but if you like a bit of no nonsense early 90s techno music then I recommend this.

Verdict - Good

22. Mantronix - Don't Go Messin' With My Heart (New)

The final Top 40 hit to date for Mantronix. Oddly this wasn't written by Kurtis Mantronik, it was written by David Bright and Angie Stone which raises the question of how is this exactly a Mantronix tune. The lack of success of this record and the album brought Mantronix to an end. I do quite like it though.

Verdict - Good

21. Quartz ft Dina Carroll - It's Too Late (New)

A cover of the Carole King song and the first version that I heard. On that basis this one seems more like the original to me. I've not heard it many years and remember it being a lot more uplifting than it actually is, but I still like it.

Verdict - Good

20. Joey B Ellis And Tynetta Hare - Go For It! (Heart And Fire)

This is the Rocky song nobody remembers. The previous Rocky songs were all quite catchy, but this one isn't at all. That's probably a bad thing for a movie song, but in terms of music some really good tunes take a few listens before you can get into them. Unfortunately I've not been able to get into this after 30 years, so I probably never will.

Verdict - Rubbish

19. MC Hammer - Here Comes The Hammer

The 4th Top 40 hit for MC Hammer and it sounds like he's running out of ideas by this point. OK it appears on the same album as the other 3, but it's almost like he knew how big he'd become and planned to have this as his 4th single to big himself up. 

Verdict - Rubbish

18. Roxette - Joyride (New)

The lead single from their album of the same name. One thing that stood out to me from this video was Marie Frederiksson playing the guitar. I did wonder whether she was really playing the guitar so looked this up and it doesn't look like she did. It also looks like Per Gessle didn't play guitar on the song either, it was Jonas Isacsson playing it. I don't think I really liked this at the time, but like most Roxette songs I got to like it with age.

Verdict - Good

17. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (New)

The Top 40 debut for Massive Attack, though at this moment in time they were just known as Massive because of the gulf war. A lot of so called anthems in my opinion are overhyped to be something they're not, but not this one. It is an absolutely unbelievably good tune, one of my all time favourites.

Verdict - Good

16. Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Happy (New)

The Top 40 debut for Ned's Atomic Dustbin. What had the biggest impact on me at the time was simply the name of the band along with Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine who debuted a bit later on in the year. It sounds like Blink 182 got some of their ideas from this song, with the varying speeds from slow to fast in particular. I like that concept.

Verdict - Good

15. The Charlatans - Over Rising (New)

My memories of The Charlatans are they were around in 1990 as part of the baggy movement and then disappeared for several years before returning as a brit pop band. They did a lot of instantly forgettable songs in between though beginning with this.

Verdict - Rubbish

14. Living Colour - Love Rears Its Ugly Head

The debut Top 40 hit for Living Colour and the only one that will appear in these reviews as the other 2 fell short of the Top 30. It's a shame because I really like the follow up to this, "Solace Of You". But this is a decent record too, a nice blend of funk and rock.

Verdict - Good

13. Kenny Thomas - Outstanding

The debut from Kenny Thomas, who's had more Top 40 hits than you'd think and had a chart career beyond 1991. It's a cover of the Gap Band record and sounds inferior to the original in every way, like most British covers of American Soul & Funk records. That said, I don't mind it.

Verdict - OK

12. 808 State - In Yer Face 

Inevitably this record will be rated as good, I'm just trying to think of a complement I can pay it. All I can really say is give it a listen, it really is a great tune.

Verdict - Good

11. KLF ft The Children Of The Revolution - 3AM Eternal

In 2003 I was in a pub on a visit to my home town and a bloke came up to me and said "you're the one who used to sing KLF and Queen at school aren't you?. Indeed I was, and this would have been the time I'd be singing it, some 12 years prior to that visit to the pub, it obviously had a lasting effect on some people. I think you know what my verdict on this tune will be.

Verdict - Good

10. Hale And Pace And The Stonkers - The Stonk (New) 

A novelty record made for Comic Relief which is predictably crap. As it's for charity though it can be any old rubbish and people will buy it.

Verdict - Rubbish

9. Oleta Adams - Get Here

To me it's more of a pop record than anything innovative. After featuring on "Woman In Chains" by Tears for Fears, this was the first solo Top 40 hit for Oleta Adams, a cover of a Brenda Russell song. It's surprisingly catchy for a slow number, but it's lacking in that something that's needed for it to be a good song.

Verdict - OK

8. Free - All Right Now

For people of a certain age, this will bring back memories of the Isle of Wight festival amongst other things. For people of my age, it brings back memories of the Wrigley's advert which is why it ended up in the charts again in 1991. Prior to hearing this in full on the chart show though, I do remember watching the advert and thinking good song.

Verdict - Good

7. Xpansions - Move Your Body (Elevation)

The short lived 1990 girl group Faith Hope & Charity is a name known to people as what TV presenter Dani Behr did before The Word. What perhaps isn't as well known was that fellow group member Sally Ann Marsh provided vocals for this record. It's one of those dance anthems I've probably heard too many times to get excited about, but it's still a decent record.

Verdict - Good

6. Stevie B - Because I Love You (The Postman Song)

Freestyle music was massive in America in the late 80s/early 90s, but barely got a look in over here. One of the key figures in the freestyle scene, Stevie B, did manage a solitary Top 40 hit over here though with a ballad that isn't really freestyle at all. This is one of those records I loved at the time and still like it today for that very reason.

Verdict - Good

5. Nomad ft MC Mikee Freedom - (I Wanna Give You) Devotion

Here we have the first Top 40 composition for arguably the most successful British songwriter of the modern era, Steve Mac. These days he's co-writer on Ed Sheeran records amongst others. I don't blame him, he's presumably made a lot more money writing rubbish than he would have done making decent music like this. Ironically, this record reached it's peak the day Ed Sheeran was born

Verdict - Good

4. The Source - You Got The Love

There's been lots of versions of this record over the years. This isn't the original, but was the first version to make the Top 40. My personal favourite is the 1997 version, but this ones good too.

Verdict - Good

3. Simpsons - Do The Bartman

This was my first introduction to The Simpsons, but I had no idea what it was all about. In those day's you could only get The Simpsons on Sky One, and I never had Sky at the time, neither did a lot of people. It wasn't until I went on holiday later on that year where Sky One was the only English channel in the hotel room, that I discovered The Simpsons was a TV show. It's a novelty song, which basically means crap, but intended to be crap. Its still crap though.

Verdict - Rubbish

2. Madonna - Crazy For You

Up against The Clash in the battle of re-released in old singles which it looked like it won when it made number two, but then The Clash topped the charts. This was re-released because it didn't appear on any album, just the soundtrack to "Vision Quest", so this gave fans the opportunity to own the song without having to buy a movie soundtrack. Not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish

1. The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go

The Clash had never had a Top 10 hit prior to this, but then thanks to the Levi's advert they managed to score a number one. It was also up against Madonna in the battle of re-released old singles which it would eventually win. It's definitely the better out of the two in my opinion.

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 22/30, or 73%. That's quite some improvement on last week.