Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed - Week 21

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. Wilson Phillips - You're In Love

In the UK most people forgot about Wilson Phillips after their debut "Hold On". Their second single didn't make the Top 30 and the third didn't make the Top 40. This is their fourth which was also their third number one in America. It was after this record where people started to forget them over there. 

Verdict - Rubbish

29. Simple Minds - See The Lights (New)

You may recall me being pleasantly surprised by the first Simple Minds hit of 1991 that I remember existing without remembering how it goes. No such luck with this one, though it does get more interesting towards the end so I'm giving this one an ok.

Verdict - OK

28. Queen - Headlong (New)

The penultimate Queen hit before the death of Freddie Mercury later on in the year. It just seems a bit of a nothing song to me.

Verdict - Rubbish

27. De La Soul - Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)

This sample made such an impact that few seem to remember it was originally sung by Curiosity Killed the Cat around 18 months earlier. It would be the last Top 10 hit for De La Soul, but that doesn't really surprise me as I know De La Soul more for their albums than singles. 

Verdict - Good

26. Michael Bolton - Love Is A Wonderful Thing

If you read the Wikipedia page for this record the bulk of it is about how Michael Bolton was successfully sued by the Isley Brothers for ripping off their song of the same title. I've heard the Isley Brothers song, the way the title is sung is quite similar but other than that they sound nothing like each other. Although Michael Bolton is a perfectly good singer, it does sound a bit like a karaoke version of a Motown record.

Verdict - Rubbish

25. Chesney Hawkes - The One And Only 

Believe it or not, I've actually seen Chesney Hawkes in concert. He played at the students union at university one Saturday night. The set consisted of a bunch of covers, then he announced he was going to play his last single, not this one though, one that never made the charts. After a few more covers he played this at the end of the set to a massive cheer. It is a bit crap though, but it found it's place at many cheese nights. 

Verdict - Rubbish

24. Frances Nero - Footsteps Following Me

This is the only Top 40 hit from Ian Levine's Motorcity records. The label had a number of former Motown artists signed to it. Frances Nero was one of these, but she never had a hit when she was on Motown. It's a fantastic record, one of my favourites of the year.

Verdict - Good

23. Deacon Blue - Your Swaying Arms (New)

The first person I really noticed having the curtains haircut in the 80s was Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue. Now here we are in the 90s, the decade of the curtains and his curtains have gone. Fortunately he never lost his power when losing his curtains.

Verdict - Good

22. Electronic - Get The Message

This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Electronic and their first Top 10. I find it ironic that Bernard Sumner would call his side project Electronic when this song seems much less electronic than your average New Order song. But its good to hear something a bit different rather than a New Order mark 2.

Verdict - Good

21. Nomad - Just A Groove

The 2nd and final Top 40 hit for Nomad which isn't anywhere near as well known as the first. That does mean it hasn't been played to death in the last 30 years. Although still a dance record it does sound different to it's predecessor which bucks the trend of having a follow up that sounds the same as the debut. 

Verdict - Good

20. T'Pau - Whenever You Need Me (New)

Much like Transvision Vamp a few weeks ago, I have no recollection of T'Pau still existing in the 90s but here they are with their last Top 40 hit. Unlike Transvision Vamp though, I actually quite liked T'Pau in the 80s. It definitely sounds more 80s than 90s, not necessarily a bad thing. Not really got enough to it to like it though. 

Verdict - OK

19. Seal - Future Love (EP)

The lead song from this ep is "Future Love Paradise". It partly reminds me of 1991 and partly reminds me of driving along the M3 which I did whilst listening to Seals album a few years ago. As you've probably gathered, I like it.

Verdict - Good

18. The Wonder Stuff - Caught In My Shadow (New)

This is definitely their least known Top 40 hit from 1991, but then their other 2 hits of the year are arguably their 2 best known altogether. A solid effort nonetheless. 

Verdict - Good

17. Jason Donovan - RSVP

I think we've reached the point here where Jason Donovan had released basically the same song multiple times. I would be his penultimate Stock Aitken & Waterman hit and his final one to be written by them.

Verdict - Rubbish

16. Blur - There's No Other Way

The Top 40 debut for Blur. I think this was one of those songs I knew without knowing who it was, I certainly never made the connection when I first came across them as a band a couple of years later. It very much sounds like a Madchester song by someone that doesn't come from Manchester, just doesn't quite live up to it in my opinion.

Verdict - OK

15. T-99 - Anasthasia

I don't know whether it's intentional or not but the intro to this reminds me of "3 Blind Mice". Then it just goes crazy. It perhaps doesn't sound that hardcore now but in 1991 it definitely did. It was the first of 2 Top 40 hits for Belgian T-99 but will be the only one to feature as the follow up "Nocturne" only made 33. Both great records.

Verdict - Good

14. Roxette - Fading Like A Flower

I'd forgot about this one until the Dancing DJs did a version back in 2005. I liked that version but it also made me grow fond of the original. In fact if I had to pick my favourite Roxette hit then this would certainly be a contender.

Verdict - Good

13. REM - Shiny Happy People (New)

The band themselves hate this record and pretty much disowned it, but I actually like it. Yes it is a bit cheesy and completely not what you'd expect from REM, but the guitar riff, the breakdown going into the guitar riff and to an extent the backing vocals from Kate Pierson really make this record for me.

Verdict - Good

12. New Kids On The Block - Call It What You Want

Here's New Kids On The Block going down the dance music route with this C&C Music Factory produced effort. Once again it fails to make the Top 10 over here and fails to chart at all in America.

Verdict - Rubbish

11. Dannii Minogue - Success

It seems a bit premature to called your 2nd single "Success". But then I suppose she had already had success as an actress on Home & Away and was confident of following in the footsteps of other Australian soap stars. It didn't successfully make it into the Top 10 though.

Verdict - Rubbish

10. Zucchero ft Paul Young - Senza Una Donna (Without A Woman)

I originally thought they were singing "sense of Madonna". It was the Top 40 debut for Zucchero and the final Top 10 hit for Paul Young. This was originally by Zucchero on his own and all in Italian. I regarded this as music for old people at the time, but now I'm probably as old as these old people were back then so I have no shame in liking it.

Verdict - Good

9. Amy Grant - Baby Baby

This was another song I played a lot when I started using YouTube. I loved this record at the time and I loved Amy Grant too. I had no idea she was a Christian singer who was controversially crossing over to pop music. It seemed such an innocent song.

Verdict - Good

8. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Sailing On The Seven Seas

This was the first OMD record to hit the Top 40 for 5 years. By now it was just Andy McCluskey on his own. On paper this should be 80s band trying to squeeze the last bit of life out of them in the 90s, but this was actually their joint highest charting hit. At the same time, because their last hit prior this came before my music memories began, I had no idea they were even around in the 80s at the time. 

Verdict - Good

7. Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up

Like many kids my age, I found it hilarious at the time that there was a song with the word sex in the title. It wasn't the first Top 40 hit to have this, but I guess the way it was used played a part too. I did like it at the time but when I heard it on the music channels for the first time in years I realised it's actually a pretty poor record.

Verdict - Rubbish

6. Cathy Dennis - Touch Me (All Night Long)

The first solo Top 40 hit for Cathy Dennis. Maybe its my age, but to me there's something a lot more acceptable about pop music from this era than there was at the end of the decade. Cathy Dennis is a prime example of this even though by the end of the decade she was writing songs for the likes of S Club 7. The ironic thing of Cathy Dennis going on to become a successful songwriter for others is that her solo debut was a cover.

Verdict - Good

5. Soft Cell ft Marc Almond - Tainted Love

Nearly a decade after topping the charts, "Tainted Love" was remixed and re-entered the charts in 1991. It's also now credited to Soft Cell ft Marc Almond, presumably to illustrate that Marc Almond was no longer part of Soft Cell. It doesn't sound very different from the version that was originally released, but its not a bad record I guess.

Verdict - OK

4. KLF ft The Children Of The Revolution - Last Train To Trancentral

One thing I've realised whilst doing these reviews is that I lot of the music I listened to on YouTube when I first discovered it was from 1991. This was one of those tunes I'd regularly listen to. I've always liked it, but when I was listening on YouTube all those years later I realised just how good this tune really is. If I had to pick my favourite KLF single then this would probably be it.

Verdict - Good

3. Beverley Craven - Promise Me

This was the Top 40 debut for Beverley Craven. One thing I am thankful to this song for was providing the sample to the rave classic "4am" by Orca. Unfortunately that's the only positive thing I can say about this record.

Verdict - Rubbish

2. Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee)

I think I know why I've always though Alison Limerick is American now. It's because I heavily associate "Where Love Lives" with this record, and Crystal Waters is American. Much like the Alison Limerick record, this has fallen victim to being overplayed but still a decent record.

Verdict - Good

1. Cher - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)

The most recent Top 40 hit for Cher prior to this was "Just Like Jesse James", a song I liked. Therefore my impression of Cher at the time was quite positive. Then this came out and I thought what the fuck is this. It's a cover and I'm not overly keen on the original but it's tolerable. This version just makes me angry though, absolutely awful.

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 18/30, or 60%. Bit of an 80s in the 90s week this week, but that's improved the score.