Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed - Week 23

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. Kirsty MacColl - Walking Down Madison (New)

Having previously collaborated with the Happy Mondays, here's Kirsty MacColl adopting the Madchester sound for her own material. It was co-written by Johnny Marr and features mancunian rapper Aniff Cousins. It's not a bad record but does seem to lack something.

Verdict - OK

29. 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

28. 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

27. Pixies - Planet Of Sound (New)

We're not too far away from grunge music entering the Top 40 for the first time, but here is an example of what influenced the genre. It was the 2nd Top 40 hit for the band and by the next time we'd see them in the Top 40 grunge had come and gone. Its not something I'd go out my way to listen to but I don't mind it.

Verdict - OK

26. 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

25. Salt-N-Pepa - Do You Want Me (New)

I'm just remembering watching a Channel 4 programme where they had a count down of the 10 best rap acts of all time and in 2nd place was Salt-N-Pepa. I thought how? but then number one was Will Smith. I think they were taking the piss.

Verdict - Rubbish

24. Queen - Headlong

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

23. Pop Will Eat Itself - 92 Degrees

I don't specifically remember this record, but years later I wrote a song where the melody of the verse was quite similar to this. No idea whether we'd had the same idea or I'd heard this in 1991 and only remembered that particular melody. Shows its a good tune anyway. For the record I never made a penny out of that song and probably never will.

Verdict - Good

22. Kenny Thomas - Thinking About Your Love (New)

The second Top 40 hit for Kenny Thomas and his only Top 10. This is the song he's best known for. I must have seen this on The Chart Show at some point because it's making me want to watch an episode. I'd also say the fact this reminds me of the good old days of 1991 and watching The Chart Show means I quite like it.

Verdict - Good

21. T'Pau - Whenever You Need Me

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

20. Kraftwerk - The Robots

This was the only Top 40 hit for Kraftwerk in the 90s and was their first since 1983. It was actually originally released in 1978 but was taken of their remix album from 1991. Perhaps doesn't quite fit in with the other dance music that was happening at the time, but then it's thanks in part to records like this that 90s dance music existed in the first place.

Verdict - Good

19. 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

18. 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

17. Pet Shop Boys - Jealousy (New)

This was the final single to be taken off the "Behaviour" album. It was originally written in 1982 and was the first Pet Shop Boys composition. It's quite surprising that the first thing they'd write would be a ballad. They do it well though.

Verdict - Good

16. MC Hammer - Yo!! Sweetness

The 5th and final Top 40 hit from his "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em" album. Sounds very much like an album filler to me. 

Verdict - Rubbish

15. Sonia - Only Fools (Never Fall In Love)

The fist Top 40 hit for Sonia after leaving Stock Aitken & Waterman. Unfortunately this never improved the quality of her music. It sounds like it should be a karaoke version of an older record but it isn't.

Verdict - Rubbish

14. Technotronic - Move That Body

The penultimate original Top 40 hit for Technotronic. It was also the first hit from their 2nd album "Body to Body". Ya Kid K was gone and in came Reggie. It could just as easily have been the same person though. Can't say I'm too keen on this one.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. 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

12. Madonna - Holiday (New)

The 3rd time this song entered the Top 40. It was the debut Top 40 hit for Madonna and was rereleased to promote "The Immaculate Collection", her greatest hits album. It's shit.

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. The Doors - Light My Fire

This failed to make the Top 40 when it was first released back in 1967. Thanks to a film about The Doors being around at the same time, it finally made the Top 40 in 1991. I actually had no idea this was an old record at the time, I guess the Inspiral Carpets using the organ around the same time may have had something to do with it. By the end of the decade I'd gained a lot more knowledge of The Doors and owned all their albums.

Verdict - Good

9. 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

8. REM - Shiny Happy People

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

7. 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

6. Kylie Minogue - Shocked

This was the last original Stock Aitken & Waterman penned Top 40 hit before Matt Aitken sailed off into the sunset. It also denied Kylies sister Dannii a Top 10 hit with "Success". I do prefer this to the Dannii Minogue record, but that doesn't mean I like it.

Verdict - Rubbish

5. 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

4. 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

3. 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

2. 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

1. 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

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 15/30, or 50%. Sliding but still respectable.