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:
The lead single and opening track on their self titled album also known as "The Black Album". This was when Metallica alienated the purists by making music that was softer and more commercial. Granted it's not as heavy as their earlier stuff, but it's hardly namby pamby either. In fact when I first heard it I remember thinking how aggressive James Hetfield sounded when he started singing. Anyway their quest to make something that appeals to the non-metal purists like myself worked because I like it.
Verdict - Good
One of the more obscure REM hits from this era, which is a good thing in that it doesn't get played to death. Not enough to it for my to like it though.
Verdict - OK
The second and final Top 40 hit from the "De La Soul Is Dead" is album. Loads of samples in this one which makes the tune. De La Soul only had one further Top 40 hit in the 90s which only made 39 so that won't feature.
Verdict - Good
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 By the time I saw it a couple of years later he'd been replaced by Phil Schofield.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
The Top 40 debut for Utah Saints, the so called "Stadium House" act. It samples "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" by Eurythmics and "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent" by Gwen Guthrie. A common criticism of samples in dance music is they sometimes sound nothing more than the original song with a dance beat on it. This though is a prime example of how sampling should be done in dance music.
Verdict - Good
The less known follow up to "Baby Baby" in this country at least, it fared much better in America reaching number 2. This is how a pop record should be, a good sounding catchy song. Admittedly I do prefer "Baby Baby" and haven't listened to this in a long time, maybe I should listen to it more.
Verdict - Good
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
The final Top 40 hit for Karyn White which was also an American number one. You could almost imagine Janet Jackson singing on a track like this, partly because it was composed by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis who penned a number of Janet Jackson records. Those are the ones I tend to like.
Verdict - Good
22. Oceanic - Insanity (New)
There was a happy hardcore version of this in the mid-90s by DNA, Breeze & Munchie which I listened to quite a bit. When I heard this for the first time in years it seemed so slow given I'd got used to the happy hardcore version. That was a long time ago though, nowadays I can take the relative slowness.
Verdict - Good
Another soap star launching a pop career. This time it's Sophie Lawrence from Eastenders with this Donna Summer cover, produced by Simon Cowell. Quite predictably it's crap. She would follow up with a Kylie Minogue cover that never got released and that was the end of her pop career.
Verdict - Rubbish
Level 42 in 1991? Yes, and this wouldn't be the last we'd see of them in the charts. I have a memory of seeing Level 42 on Pebble Mill some time in the 90s, can't remember what song it was though but as we were in the school holidays it would make sense for it to be this. It's a pretty forgettable song to be fair.
Verdict - Rubbish
The final original Top 40 hit to date from Midge Ure including the various groups he had chart success with. It had also been nearly 5 years since he was last in the Top 40 which was with Ultravox. He has moved with the times with this record, but the result is a pretty average record.
Verdict - OK
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
The 3rd of 5 Top 40 hits for Voice Of The Beehive and the 2nd best in my opinion. It was the lead single from their "Honey Lingers" album. My personal favourite was their final hit "Perfect Place" but that never made the Top 30.
Verdict - Good
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
The only Top 40 hit for Young Disciples, though lead singer Carleen Anderson would have a few solo hits in the 90s and also provided vocals for the Brand New Heavies cover of this which charted in 2000. This is one of those tunes that I like but not listened to of my own accord. I think I've mostly heard clips of the chorus because the rest of it doesn't sound that familiar.
Verdict - Good
At the time I thought of this as being a poor mans "Hippy Chick" but there isn't much resemblance really. Years later there was a happy hardcore version by Slipmatt & Eruption which all the DJs seemed to play but I couldn't stand it. You may have gather I don't think much of this.
Verdict - Rubbish
The lead single from the "Martika's Kitchen" album which was co-written and produced by Prince. This apparently introduced a more mature sounding Martika but I think that does her previous hits a disservice.
Verdict - Good
The final Top 40 hit for Jason Donovan from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman era, though by this point it was just Stock & Waterman. A cover of the Turtles record and predicitably crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
This isn't a cover of the Isley Brothers record, it's a Ricky Ross composition. I'd forgotten what this was called, something that irritated me when I heard it for the first time in years in 2004. Its a great record, one of the better Deacon Blue ones.
Verdict - Good
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
9. The Prodigy - Charly (New)
The Top 40 debut for The Prodigy. This has been ridiculed over the years along with other "Toytown Techno" records because of the samples. I will concede that whenever I listen to this tune I listen to the album version where the sample doesn't go beyond "Charly says". But I'm sure if the album version didn't exist I'd listen to this, it really isn't as bad as it's made out to be.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd Top 40 hit from DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince which came around 5 years after their first. It's not as bad as your average Will Smith record, but whilst Jazzy Jeff is a decent enough DJ, Will Smith is a terrible rapper. It has potential, put a decent rapper on their we could have a decent tune. But it has Will Smith on it, therefore it's crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was my record of the year for 1991. It's such a great record all I can say is give it a listen if you haven't already.
Verdict - Good
I've always know this record to be by The Shamen but don't remember hearing of them until "Ebeneezer Goode" which was just over a year later. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me. It was after the shooting of this video that member Will Sinnott died.
Verdict - Good
We're definitely in the summer holidays now, this so reminds me of that summer. It topped the charts in America and did quite well here, but in this country at least it will always be their other hit. I loved this record though at the time and was one I started listening to again in the early days of YouTube, except I'd listen to it on Google Videos because it wasn't on YouTube.
Verdict - Good
The song everyone knows Extreme for, so much so that people don't realise they're a rock band. This didn't go down well with the purists, ballads were very much frowned upon but an acoustic ballad was viewed as criminal. I'm not a purist though, I do think Extreme have better songs but I've always quite liked this one even if I haven't always admitted it.
Verdict - Good
A sign the summer holidays will soon be coming to an end, this reminds me of the journey to school but the weather still being warm. I should hate it given that association, but I actually quite like it. Samples "True" by Spandau Ballet and a great use of the sample in my opinion.
Verdict - Good
I remember being at some kids club on holiday at the time and we had to dance along to this multiple times. I thought why, this song is fuckin shit. My opinion still hasn't changed.
Verdict - Rubbish
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 21/30, or 70%. Big improvement on last week and amongst the highest scores we've had.
No comments:
Post a Comment