Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed - Week 28

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. INXS - Bitter Tears (New)

I'm surprised this one only made number 30. It was the final Top 40 hit from their "X" album, the fact the album had been out a while by this point probably explains it's lack of chart success. A good record nonetheless.

Verdict - Good

29. Whitney Houston - My Name Is Not Susan (New)

I've got no recollection of this record existing. It's the final Top 40 hit from her "I'm You Baby Tonight" album and is an LA Reid/Babyface produced new jack swing record. It sounds very watered down to me, like someone jumping on the new jack swing bandwagon because that's what's in without it sounding very convincing as a new jack swing record.

Verdict - Rubbish

28. DJH ft Stefy - I Like It (New)

The second and final UK Top 40 hit for DJH ft Stefy. It doesn't sound that different to their first, the main riff is basically the same but on a different instrument. The samples are different too, "Cloud 9" by The Temptations is one that stands out. I liked the first hit and given its similarities without sounding like an exact clone, I like this one too.

Verdict - Good

27. Billy Bragg - Sexuality (New)

For some reason I remember this record being out around the same time as "Room at the Top" by Adam Ant, but this came nearly 18 months later. He's joined by Kirsty MacColl and Johnny Marr on this record. It's not a bad record, nothing I'd go out my way to listen to though.

Verdict - OK

26. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Pandora's Box (New)

Another Top 10 hit for OMD with just Andy McCluskey in the group. The lyrics are described as dealing with the less glamourous side of celebrity which is quite ironic from the man who introduced the world to Kerry Katona. I won't let that fact cloud my judgement of this record though.

Verdict - Good

25. Kim Appleby - Mama (New)

The final Top 40 hit to date from Kim Appleby which once again is co-written by former Bros bassist Craig Logan. Whilst her first 2 hits were dance orientated, this ones a slower number. I vaguely remember it and actually sounds better than I remember it, but still lacking a little something.

Verdict - OK

24. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Sheriff Fatman

With both Color Me Badd and Latour having hits with the word sex in the title, here's a band with the word sex in the name. What a name for a band and what a name for a song for that matter. On the music front it's pretty good too.

Verdict - Good

23. Driza Bone - Real Love

I do remember this being in the charts at the same time as the Omar record. The fact they were both British soul records perhaps had something to do with it. This is definitely the better of the two, it's a lot more uplifting.

Verdict - Good

22. 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

21. Cubic 22 - Night In Motion

The only Top 40 hit for Belgians Cubic 22. I feel this record made way for several Happy Hardcore records, you have "Take Control" by DJ Pooch. It was also sampled for "U Sure Do" by Strike, which itself was sampled in "Kick Your Legs In The Air" by Illogik & DNA. Then you had "Party Time" by Dougal & Eruption which used the same sample. I like all records mentioned as well as this one.

Verdict - Good

20. Natalie Cole - Unforgettable

This is actually a collaboration with her father Nat 'King' Cole. Or more accurately, a Nat 'King' Cole recording that Natalie Cole added some vocals to, given Nat 'King' Cole died in 1965. It would be the last time we'd see Natalie in the Top 40. I find it rather boring.

Verdict - Rubbish

19. Bette Midler - From A Distance

It had been less than a year since Cliff Richard was torturing us with this record. Now here's Bette Midler back to do the same.

Verdict - Rubbish

18. C&C Music Factory ft Freedom Williams - Things That Make You Go Hmmm... (New)

There are some records that I really cannot stand, ones that just irritate me and make me angry. This is one of those records. I don't know what it is, maybe the stupid lyrics has something to do with it.

Verdict - Rubbish

17. Rod Stewart - Motown Song

Oh dear, this is dreadful. After doing a poor cover of a Motown record with "It Takes Two" in 1990, Rod Stewart is back with a song about that very label. It's actually from the same album though. Unsurprisingly given it's Rod Stewart, this is a cover. The original was by Larry John McNally.

Verdict - Rubbish

16. Divinyls - I Touch Myself

Every Wednesday at the students union when I first started university was a 70s and 80s night and almost every week this record would get played. Being the music snob I am this used to annoy me because I knew this was from 1991 not the 80s. I was much more appreciative when it got played at cheese night on a Saturday.

Verdict - Good

15. Omar - There's Nothing Like This

The Top 40 debut for Omar. It would be another 6 years before we'd see him in the Top 40 again. I kept changing my mind throughout listening to it. On one hand its got a good bassline and sounds a decent soul ballad, but at the same time it was a bit boring.

Verdict - OK

14. Anthrax ft Chuck D - Bring The Noise

A rap/metal crossover record that's a cover of a Public Enemy record and featuring Public Enemy themselves. This was the biggest hit for Anthrax and charted higher than any Public Enemy record at the time. I like it.

Verdict - Good

13. Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Although not his debut, this was the breakthrough hit for Lenny Kravitz in the UK. This is one I didn't really appreciate until later, I hated it at the time. When Lenny Kravitz returned to Top 40 a couple of years later with "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" I couldn't believe it was the same person who did this. Then came the day when I realised that it's possible to like both songs despite them being completely different to each other.

Verdict - Good

12. Bros - Are You Mine? (New)

I remember this first time I encountered this record. I was at a family barbeque and the Top 40 countdown was on the radio. A few seconds into the song, my uncle turned the radio off because it was Bros. I think he did us a favour there.

Verdict - Rubbish

11. Salt-N-Pepa - Do You Want Me

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

10. 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

9. Heavy D And The Boyz - Now That We've Found Love

This is one of a number of records Bryan Adams stopped from topping the charts. It's American rap music, but it doesn't sound out of place amongst the British dance records that were coming out at the time. 

Verdict - Good

8. Cola Boy - 7 Ways To Love

This is Saint Etienne under a different name. It was before Saint Etienne had a Top 40 hit, but they decided it wasn't appropriate to release this style of record under the Saint Etienne name. It's perhaps a bit on the cheesy side, but still a decent enough record.

Verdict - Good

7. Paula Abdul - Rush Rush

I remember the video for this appearing on Top of the Pops and the presenter saying that Ian Rush would be in the video, but he wasn't. This was 30 years ago say I may have misremembered or misunderstood what was said. It's not a bad record.

Verdict - OK

6. Incognito ft Jocelyn Brown - Always There

The Top 40 debut for Incognito who formed in 1979. When I saw Incognito at their 35th anniversary concert their main man Bluey said that this record allowed them to make a living from the band. I've only recently discovered this is a cover, it was originally by Side Effect in 1976. 

Verdict - Good

5. Kenny Thomas - Thinking About Your Love

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

4. Erasure - Chorus

Not sure I learned the title of this until later on in life. I didn't think the word chorus appeared in the song but it does once. I always remembered this one as the fishes in the sea song. Like with most Erasure records, this ones pretty good.

Verdict - Good

3. Guns N' Roses - You Could Be Mine (New)

The first Top 40 hit from the "Use Your Illusion" albums, this one coming from the second one. If you love screaming your head off at karaoke like I do then this is a great one to sing. The bit at 4 minutes 15 seconds into the song is particularly good to sing.

Verdict - Good

2. Jason Donovan - Any Dream Will Do

The final number one for Jason Donovan. It was taken from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" which he was starring in at the time. By the time I saw it a couple of years later he'd been replaced by Phil Schofield. Anyway, like pretty much every other song from a musical it's shit.

Verdict - Rubbish

1. Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 

Summer holidays are on the way, this so reminds me of the summer holidays of 1991 where it was number one the whole time and beyond. Quite remarkable for a 31 year old 80s singer who'd failed to even make the Top 40 with most of his prior singles. I got pretty sick of this at the time like most people, but I actually quite like it.

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 19/30, or 63%. New entries were a mixed bag, but a slightly improved score from last week.