Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed: Week 44

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. Ce Ce Peniston - Finally

When Club@Vision had their Ibiza special in 1999, they played an anthem from each year from 1989 onwards. Out of all the great tunes they could have picked for 1991, they picked this. I've always found this tune annoying, it's probably the over the top vocals that does it. This was the Top 40 debut for Ce Ce Peniston and she had more hits that you'd think. 

Verdict - Rubbish

29. Erasure - Love To Hate You

I remember Simon Mayo playing this pretty much every day on the breakfast show when on my way to school but I never got bored of it. 

Verdict - Good

28. INXS - Shining Star (New)

Aside from their cover of "Good Times", this was the first Top 40 hit for INXS that wasn't written at all by Michael Hutchence. It was written solely by Andrew Farriss who did wrote most of their hits and therefore it's another solid effort. 

Verdict - Good

27. Cathy Dennis - Too Many Walls

For years I had no idea who this record was by and really wanted to know. What didn't help was that I misheard the lyrics as "too many roads and bridges between us". I can't actually remember how I found out. This is my favourite Cathy Dennis record.

Verdict - Good

26. Congress - 40 Miles

This was the only Top 40 hit for Congress, but the same people would return to the charts in 1995 as Nush with "U Girls (Look So Sexy)" which was my record of the year for that year. This record uses the same sample as SMD 1 which kick started happy hardcore. Needless to say I think this record is good.

Verdict - Good

25. Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)

This is one of several records I associate with starting a new year at school. It was the Top 40 debut for Rozalla and by far the best known. It's been played to death over the years but I've never stopped liking it.

Verdict - Good

24. SL2 - DJ's Take Control / Way In My Brain (New)

The Top 40 debut for SL2 aka Slipmatt and Lime. At a time before the rave scene split into happy hardcore and jungle, you'd think based on these tunes they would end up going down the jungle route. However, Slipmatt has often been crediting for starting happy hardcore with his SMD series. These are both great tunes and show there's more to SL2 than just "On A Ragga Tip".

Verdict - Good

23. Slade - Radio Wall Of Sound

I very much remember this record at the time and could never quite work out what it was 24 hours of in the lyrics. More significantly though I had no idea this was by Slade. The fact it was Jim Lea who took the lead vocals rather than Noddy Holder may have something to do with it. In a year where grunge music supposedly killed off 80s glam metal it's quite impressive to see a 70s glam rock band have a hit. 

Verdict - Good

22. Pet Shop Boys - DJ Culture

Probably one of the lesser know Pet Shop Boys hits and probably one of their less radio friendly records, which is no bad thing. That said, this was the lead single from their first greatest hits album. 

Verdict - Good

21. Dannii Minogue - Baby Love

It was around this time that I heard "Baby Love" by The Supremes for the first time. This isn't a cover of that record though, it's a cover of a record by Regina. Needless to say the Supremes record with the same title is far far better.

Verdict - Rubbish

20. Paul Young - Don't Dream (It's Over) (New)

Many will have probably forgotten this Paul Young cover of the Crowded House record. This came before Crowded House had the bulk of their hits with this being their only Top 40 hit to their name at the time which made just number 25 in 1987. It was the 12th Top 40 hit for Paul Young and his 10th cover, which is just ridiculous in my opinion.

Verdict - Rubbish

19. Kylie Minogue And Keith Washington - If You Were With Me Now (New)

Despite the fact that Kylie Minogue was still with Stock Aitken & Waterman (who were just Stock & Waterman by this point) it does sound different to her earlier hits. What we have instead is a song that sounds like it should be from a Disney movie

Verdict - Rubbish

18. Mariah Carey - Emotions

The lead single from her album of the same name, Robert Clivilles and David Cole penned this record which is surprisingly uplifting for a Mariah Carey record. That doesn't mean it's any good though. She may have a vocal range few can claim to have, but all that screeching just gets on my nerves.

Verdict - Rubbish

17. Don McLean - American Pie

A record I didn't realise was an old record charting for the second time at the time. It's Don McLean's best known song but not one of his two UK number ones. I tried to find out why this was given a new lease of life in 1991 but couldn't find anything. I liked this at the time and remember me and a mate singing it at school. My view hasn't really changed.

Verdict - Good

16. Queen - The Show Must Go On

This was the final Top 40 hit for Queen during Freddie Mercury's lifetime. Interestingly Leo Sayer, who's vocals have previously been mistaken for being Freddie Mercury, made his Top 40 debut with a different record called "The Show Must Go On". Furthermore the final week "The Show Must Go On" by Leo Sayer was in the charts, Queen were making their chart debut with "Seven Seas Of Rhye". Anyway what do I think of this record? I like it, one of the better Queen singles in my opinion

Verdict - Good

15. Julian Lennon - Saltwater

The 3rd and final Top 40 hit for Julian Lennon which came 6 years after his previous effort. People give Julian Lennon stick for not being John, but with records like this does it really matter? I loved this record at the time and it still sounds great 30 years later. 

Verdict - Good

14. Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex

This record really irritated me at the time. My view hasn't really changed, it's a truly awful record. It was one that Bryan Adams kept off number one.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. Enya - Caribbean Blue

This is one of those records I'm not sure I remember being in the charts at the time but it's one I've probably known since. Enya's music was always a little too different for my liking and almost seemed like music the sort of music they'd want you to learn at school which was never good. However over the years I've got to appreciate her music a lot more and quite like this record now.

Verdict - Good

12. Lisa Stansfield - Change

I've not heard this record in a long time and it's one of those records that's hard to place as being at any particular time. However listening to it did bring back memories of the period it's from. Not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish

11. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - After The Watershed

An upbeat record with a dark subject matter and some pretty angry vocals. Get this combination right and you have a great record. That's exactly what this is and definitely my favourite Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine tune.

Verdict - Good

10. Moby - Go

The debut hit for Moby. I forgot his name pretty much straight away, I remember at the time talking about a record called "Go" without knowing who it was by. A few years later I found out who it was and was also surprised to find out he was American given this fits right in with the rave music British acts were making at the time.

Verdict - Good

9. Genesis - No Son Of Mine (New)

My take on Genesis at the time were they were basically Phil Collins with a band. I had no idea about their history. It does seem quite odd in a way that a band who didn't really do singles in the beginning are having Top 10 hits 20 years after their 70s heyday. I do still think their later stuff could just as easily be Phil Collins solo material though and I happen to like Phil Collins as a solo artist.

Verdict - Good

8. Oceanic - Insanity

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

7. Monty Python's Flying Circus - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

This failed to chart when first released 12 years earlier, but thanks to Simon Mayo and his revival of old novelty records this was re-released. I did quite like it at the time admittedly, but its one of those songs that's supposed to be shit. Therefore a verdict of OK seems appropriate.

Verdict - OK

6. The Scorpions - Wind Of Change

The biggest hit to date for The Scorpions who had last been in the Top 40 in 1979 with their debut. My memories of this record at the time was that whenever it got played it never seemed to get played till the end and I was always intrigued as to how it ended. 

Verdict - Good

5. Kiri Te Kanawa - World In Union

At the time I thought how the fuck did a record like this get into the Top 40. An opera song sung by someone I'd never heard of who wasn't exactly young. Many years later I discovered it was the song for the Rugby World Cup, I never knew there was such a thing until England won it.

Verdict - Rubbish

4. 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

3. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This

The Top 40 debut for 2 Unlimited, though they had a Top 40 hit the previous year as Bizz Nizz. I did like this at the time, but my memory has been somewhat tainted by the crap they released after this. I also remember hearing it a few years later for the first time in a while and it sounded much slower than I remembered. 

Verdict - OK

2. Vic Reeves And The Wonder Stuff - Dizzy

It amazes me how many people I've met who don't remember The Wonder Stuff, particularly given they had a number one with this. They did alienate some of their fans by collaborating with Vic Reeves, but I do wonder if they'd think the same had Vic Reeves not been a famous comedian. To me there is absolutely nothing wrong with this song, I've always liked it.

Verdict - Good

1. U2 - The Fly (New)

Despite the fact this topped the charts a knocked the longest running number one off the top, this may struggle to even get into the Top 10 when it comes to best known U2 songs. The fact it was a limited edition probably helped it to top the charts but also made it a blink and you miss it sort of song. The fact you don't hear it much these days though means it still sounds good.

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%. We've improved again.

25 Years Since....October 1996

It was October 1996 when I discovered The Spice Girls weren't going to be a one hit wonder. Fortunately there was plenty of good music about:

BBE - Seven Days And One Week

It's a very simple tune, but very effective. It was the Top 40 debut for BBE, they did have more hits but this is the one everyone remembers.

One thing that does annoy me though is when people say this was the beginning of trance music. Trance existed long before this and we'd already had trance records in the Top 40 from the likes of Paul Oakenfold and BT.

The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun

I've made no secret of the fact I never liked Oasis. Therefore I didn't really want to like this tune because of it's inclusion of Noel Gallagher. But I couldn't help but like it.

The Chemical Brothers were already pretty established by this point, but this record was the one that made them a household name. 

Scooter - I'm Raving

Shut Up & Dance had done the same thing 4 years earlier, rewrite the lyrics to "Walking In Memphis" and make a rave version. But the trick with Scooter is to just enjoy it and don't take it too seriously.

This was the last Top 40 hit from what I guess is the forgotten era of Scooter. When they returned to the Top 40 in 2002 with "The Logical Song" pretty much everyone who wasn't a dance music fan thought they were a new act.

Faithless - Insomnia

I've now heard this record more times in my life than I care to remember. It's one of those records that's universally loved, even by people who generally don't like dance music. But I'll brush all that to one side to reflect on when I first heard this.

Basically I'd heard nothing like it before. You can tell its going to be a dance record from the intro, but it doesn't quite go the way you expect it to. In comes the rap of Maxi Jazz in his own unique style, something I'd never heard before. Then the beat kicks in but in a pretty chilled way, but still cool. Then Maxi Jazz raps again and it gradually slows down. Then at the end of the rap in comes that riff.

I liked this so much I bought the single and I've never bought that many singles really.

The Future Sound Of London - My Kingdom

They're called Future Sound Of London and the video is shot in London, but this tune reminds me of Plymouth. I know I went there in October 1996, but I'm not really sure why I have this association. It may have been going through my head whilst walking around, I may have heard in on the radio or may have been a completely different reason.

The Top 40 Leaderboard: October 2021

What's this all about?

October has been a very quiet month for the Top 40. There have been 5 Fridays but it's resulted in just 12 new entries. The only difference on the leaderboard is that Weeknd joins it and Digga D has clocked up a further hit.

It's also been a quiet month for rap with 4 added to the total for the year which is now 88/203 or 43%. 

Bonkers Part 13

 

After the disappointment of Bonkers 12 there were 2 things that gave me a bit more confidence in Bonkers 13 before I'd even listened to it. First of all the Hixxy mix was an old skool mix where I knew almost all of the tracks. Secondly there was no Breeze & Styles this time, instead it was a return to Bonkers for the first time this century for Dougal.

The Hixxy mix was basically a journey through the years beginning in 1994. Overall it's an enjoyable set and in a way proof that the music was a lot better in the 90s. It was quite refreshing for example to hear "Hardcore Fever" by DJ Energy before he became Kevin Energy and became one of the key figures in freeform.

The end of the Hixxy mix brought the realisation that the years were now flying by with a couple of 21st century records which were still modern in my book. But I guess in 1994 a record from 1990 would have very much been old skool.

Onto the Sharkey mix, and one thing that seemed to be getting more apparent was that the difference between freeform and what was known as UK hardcore was becoming less obvious. 

As previously mentioned the Sharkey mixes have never had many listens from my so I'm basically educating myself by listening to it now. I ended up skipping track 4 though which is a hardcore mix of "Adagio For Strings" which I remember annoying me at the time.

It's generally not a bad mix without being spectacular but then a tune appears that does stand out as being good. I look at which one it is and surprise surprise it's a Next Generation record in "Jump 2 Da Groove" by Ham. 

The Scott Brown mix is your usual 2/3 hardcore followed by 1/3 gabber that consists most of his own records from Evolution. It's an improvement on his Bonkers 12 mix no doubt, but in some ways it's starting to get a bit predictable. 

Going back to the "Big 6" record labels that were around though, it made perfect sense for Scott Brown to basically represent Evolution. We have Hixxy on Raverbaby, Sharkey on Nu Energy and Dougal on Essential Platinum plus Next Generation had their own compilation out. There was still Quosh plus the smaller record labels but I'm honestly struggling to think of tunes from around the time on those labels I would have preferred.

Finally we have the Dougal mix which I can say straight away was a big improvement over the Breeze & Styles mix on Bonkers 12. As expected it's heavy on the Essential Platinum records, the most we'd had on a Bonkers album in the 21st century having been the dominant label on the compilations in the 90s. The fact that this was Dougals first 21st century Bonkers and Hixxy no longer being on the label would have had something to do with that.

What seems apparent about Essential Platinum of this era is it's definitely on the cheesier side of things but not to the extent of Raverbaby. With Hixxy on old skool duty though, it's up to Dougal to include a few Raverbaby records.

We've now reached the point where my knowledge of modern hardcore ends. This was the last upfront hardcore compilation I bought and the last time I went to an upfront hardcore rave was either in 2004 or early 2005.

However I feel that as we're covering the history of Bonkers I shouldn't stop just here. Therefore I've decided to listen to the newer Bonkers albums for the first time, beginning with Bonkers 14 next week. 

UK Charts Best Year Search: 2001

What's this all about?

Top 40

Best Song: Daft Punk - Digital Love

This was their follow up to "One More Time". I owned the "Discovery" album by the time this single came out and feared it would get played to death like "One More Time" as its a much better tune in my option. Fortunately that proved not to be the case meaning I'm still fond of this record to this very day.

Worst Song: Allstars - Best Friend

I remember seeing this on the music channels at the time and finding it amusing to see Darren Osbourne from Hollyoaks singing on it. In an era of S Club 7, Steps etc I was used to ridiculously cheesy pop music but this really took it to another level. I've since found out the group were part of a kids TV show which kind of explains it, but deary me.

Top 40 Review

In early 2001 Ash made a comeback and predicted that 2001 will be the year of rock music. Taking the definition of rock to be guitar based music, they kind of had a point.

We were seeing Nu Metal in the charts via Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park and Garage Rock via The Strokes. Travis and Stereophonics continued to have hits and James had their final Top 40 hit to date. We also had The Offspring chart with "A Million Miles" away, but this was the only record out of that lot which I like.

Dance music wise the highlights were "Do You Really Like It" by DJ Pied Piper, a record I'd heard on a garage tape long before this point and "All I Want" by Mis-teeq, a record I felt I shouldn't like but ended up buying their album. There was also "Happy People" by Static Revenger which is decent.

I was getting more into rap music by this point though and both rap records get the thumbs up which are "Until The End Of Time" by 2Pac and "Ride Wit Me" by Nelly ft City Spud.

It was also the year I started to get into R&B music, but unfortunately all the R&B records in this particular Top 40 are crap. 

There's the excellent "Daydream In Blue" by I Monster, a record I never knew the name of at the time and it took me years of searching the internet to finally find out what it was.

A lot of the charts are taken up by boy bands, girl groups, mixed gender pop groups and former pop group members solo careers, all of which are crap.

The strange thing about 2001 is that I watched the music channels a lot at the time and there was a lot of mainstream music I was enjoying. The eye opener is how much of it didn't get into the Top 40. This results in a poor score.

Score: 9.5

Table

I never expected 2001 to be that low when I first started this, but at the same time having the same score as 1998 does seem appropriate:

UK Number 40s: St John's College & The Band of Grenadier Guards - The Queen's Birthday Song (1986)

 

The first thing I remember about this record was it was the only 80s one hit wonder nobody had answered correctly on a Sporcle quiz. I then tried to listen to it on YouTube, but it wasn't there. Fortunately it is now there.

St Johns College is a school in Cambridge who's choir provided the vocals and The Band of Grenadier Guards is a band from the British Army. It was a charity single raising money for national children's charities, but this seemingly didn't help boost sales.

It was written by Tony Macaulay and Christopher Logue. Although it was the only Christopher Logue penned record to reach the Top 40, Tony Macaulay was no stranger to the charts as a songwriter.

To date he has 34 Top 40 hits as songwriter to his name including 6 number ones including his first two which are "Baby Now That I've Found You" by The Foundations and "Let The Heartaches Begin" by Long John Baldry.

By the time of this record he'd not had a Top 40 single as songwriter since 1978 which was "It Sure Brings Out The Love In Your Eyes" by David Soul. This would be his final original Top 40 hit as songwriter with just a cover of "Baby Now That I've Found You" by Lauren Waterworth to come after this.

Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed: Week 43

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. DJ Carl Cox - I Want You (Forever)

The Top 40 debut for Carl Cox. He was probably the biggest rave DJ at the time and this is his highest charting single to date. As someone who's enjoyed many Carl Cox set, my verdict on this record is almost inevitable.

Verdict - Good

29. Ce Ce Peniston - Finally (New)

When Club@Vision had their Ibiza special in 1999, they played an anthem from each year from 1989 onwards. Out of all the great tunes they could have picked for 1991, they picked this. I've always found this tune annoying, it's probably the over the top vocals that does it. This was the Top 40 debut for Ce Ce Peniston and she had more hits that you'd think. 

Verdict - Rubbish

28. Don McLean - American Pie (New)

A record I didn't realise was an old record charting for the second time at the time. It's Don McLean's best known song but not one of his two UK number ones. I tried to find out why this was given a new lease of life in 1991 but couldn't find anything. I liked this at the time and remember me and a mate singing it at school. My view hasn't really changed.

Verdict - Good

27. Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis

Years ago I was watching some music channel doing some sort of countdown of big hits of 1991 and I was amazed to find this top. I don't even remember it at the time, I'm pretty sure I'd heard "Raving I'm Raving" by Shut Up and Dance and maybe even the Cher cover before I'd heard this. Still at least it wasn't a predictable countdown, and it's not a bad record.

Verdict - OK

26. Congress - 40 Miles (New)

This was the only Top 40 hit for Congress, but the same people would return to the charts in 1995 as Nush with "U Girls (Look So Sexy)" which was my record of the year for that year. This record uses the same sample as SMD 1 which kick started happy hardcore. Needless to say I think this record is good.

Verdict - Good

25. Bizarre Inc - Such A Feeling

The Top 40 debut for Bizarre Inc and not to be confused with the Brother In Rhythm record with a similar name that entered the Top 40 the same week. This is the Bizarre Inc hit I've most likely heard the least for the simple fact its not on any of their albums, the rest are either on "Energique" or "Surprise", both of which I own. It's a shame it's not on "Energique" really.

Verdict - Good

24. Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

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

23. Mariah Carey - Emotions

The lead single from her album of the same name, Robert Clivilles and David Cole penned this record which is surprisingly uplifting for a Mariah Carey record. That doesn't mean it's any good though. She may have a vocal range few can claim to have, but all that screeching just gets on my nerves.

Verdict - Rubbish

22. Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free

The lead single from the album of the same name. This record reminds me of The Chart Show, I'm therefore guessing that's where I first heard it. It's one of those records that's not as good as I remember it being.

Verdict - OK

21. Slade - Radio Wall Of Sound (New)

I very much remember this record at the time and could never quite work out what it was 24 hours of in the lyrics. More significantly though I had no idea this was by Slade. The fact it was Jim Lea who took the lead vocals rather than Noddy Holder may have something to do with it. In a year where grunge music supposedly killed off 80s glam metal it's quite impressive to see a 70s glam rock band have a hit. 

Verdict - Good

20. Kenny Thomas - Best Of You

The 3rd Top 40 hit for Kenny Thomas which was a cover of a Booker T Jones record. To be fair it sounds quite different to the original, but it's in a generic watered down sort of way. 

Verdict - Rubbish

19. Queen - The Show Must Go On (New)

This was the final Top 40 hit for Queen during Freddie Mercury's lifetime. Interestingly Leo Sayer, who's vocals have previously been mistaken for being Freddie Mercury, made his Top 40 debut with a different record called "The Show Must Go On". Furthermore the final week "The Show Must Go On" by Leo Sayer was in the charts, Queen were making their chart debut with "Seven Seas Of Rhye". Anyway what do I think of this record? I like it, one of the better Queen singles in my opinion

Verdict - Good

18. Cathy Dennis - Too Many Walls

For years I had no idea who this record was by and really wanted to know. What didn't help was that I misheard the lyrics as "too many roads and bridges between us". I can't actually remember how I found out. This is my favourite Cathy Dennis record.

Verdict - Good

17. Erasure - Love To Hate You

I remember Simon Mayo playing this pretty much every day on the breakfast show when on my way to school but I never got bored of it. 

Verdict - Good

16. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - After The Watershed (New)

An upbeat record with a dark subject matter and some pretty angry vocals. Get this combination right and you have a great record. That's exactly what this is and definitely my favourite Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine tune.

Verdict - Good

15. Enya - Caribbean Blue

This is one of those records I'm not sure I remember being in the charts at the time but it's one I've probably known since. Enya's music was always a little too different for my liking and almost seemed like music the sort of music they'd want you to learn at school which was never good. However over the years I've got to appreciate her music a lot more and quite like this record now.

Verdict - Good

14. Dannii Minogue - Baby Love

It was around this time that I heard "Baby Love" by The Supremes for the first time. This isn't a cover of that record though, it's a cover of a record by Regina. Needless to say the Supremes record with the same title is far far better.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. Pet Shop Boys - DJ Culture (New)

Probably one of the lesser know Pet Shop Boys hits and probably one of their less radio friendly records, which is no bad thing. That said, this was the lead single from their first greatest hits album. 

Verdict - Good

12. Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)

This is one of several records I associate with starting a new year at school. It was the Top 40 debut for Rozalla and by far the best known. It's been played to death over the years but I've never stopped liking it.

Verdict - Good

11. Moby - Go

The debut hit for Moby. I forgot his name pretty much straight away, I remember at the time talking about a record called "Go" without knowing who it was by. A few years later I found out who it was and was also surprised to find out he was American given this fits right in with the rave music British acts were making at the time.

Verdict - Good

10. Lisa Stansfield - Change

I've not heard this record in a long time and it's one of those records that's hard to place as being at any particular time. However listening to it did bring back memories of the period it's from. Not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish

9. Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex

This record really irritated me at the time. My view hasn't really changed, it's a truly awful record. It was one that Bryan Adams kept off number one.

Verdict - Rubbish

8. Julian Lennon - Saltwater

The 3rd and final Top 40 hit for Julian Lennon which came 6 years after his previous effort. People give Julian Lennon stick for not being John, but with records like this does it really matter? I loved this record at the time and it still sounds great 30 years later. 

Verdict - Good

7. Oceanic - Insanity

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

6. Vic Reeves And The Wonder Stuff - Dizzy (New)

It amazes me how many people I've met who don't remember The Wonder Stuff, particularly given they had a number one with this. They did alienate some of their fans by collaborating with Vic Reeves, but I do wonder if they'd think the same had Vic Reeves not been a famous comedian. To me there is absolutely nothing wrong with this song, I've always liked it.

Verdict - Good

5. Monty Python's Flying Circus - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

This failed to chart when first released 12 years earlier, but thanks to Simon Mayo and his revival of old novelty records this was re-released. I did quite like it at the time admittedly, but its one of those songs that's supposed to be shit. Therefore a verdict of OK seems appropriate.

Verdict - OK

4. Kiri Te Kanawa - World In Union

At the time I thought how the fuck did a record like this get into the Top 40. An opera song sung by someone I'd never heard of who wasn't exactly young. Many years later I discovered it was the song for the Rugby World Cup, I never knew there was such a thing until England won it.

Verdict - Rubbish

3. The Scorpions - Wind Of Change

The biggest hit to date for The Scorpions who had last been in the Top 40 in 1979 with their debut. My memories of this record at the time was that whenever it got played it never seemed to get played till the end and I was always intrigued as to how it ended. 

Verdict - Good

2. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This

The Top 40 debut for 2 Unlimited, though they had a Top 40 hit the previous year as Bizz Nizz. I did like this at the time, but my memory has been somewhat tainted by the crap they released after this. I also remember hearing it a few years later for the first time in a while and it sounded much slower than I remembered. 

Verdict - OK

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 20/30, or 67%. An improvement on last week but not to the extent I expected given I liked most new entries.

Bonkers Part 12

 

I bought Bonkers 12 when it was the newest Bonkers album so there shouldn't be any going back and forth with dates this time.

At the time of release we had just had the Hixxy & Sharkey show on Radio 1 and Hixxy was about to launch the event Hardcore Till I Die. Hixxy had also done a mix for the John Peel show which John Peel said was the best thing on the show in a long time. All tunes in said mix appeared on this Bonkers album.

Furthermore for the first time we had a fourth CD on a Bonkers album which was mixed by Breeze & Styles who were about to hit the Top 40 for the first time with a commercial dance version of their record "You're Shining". The scene was in a healthy state it seemed.

At the same time we were starting to see some of the things that started to drive people away again. With 2 CDs mixed by Raverbaby artists it should in theory give room for smaller labels to get a look in. However 10 of the 14 tracks on the Hixxy mix were on Raverbaby. Just one of these tunes actually got a Raverbaby release, something that would become a familiar theme.

From my perspective though, the Hixxy mix was probably the worst Bonkers mix I'd heard from him so far. I've owned this for 17 years and listened to it earlier today and I'm still struggling to think of any stand out tracks on it.

The Sharkey mix has one stand out track on there with "Hugger Mugger" by VAGABOND which is on Next Generation records. The final track is yet another hardcore version of "Punk" by Ferry Corsten.

The Scott Brown mix as always is better but I would say not as good as his 9,10 or 11 mixes. Once again it's a Next Generation record that's the stand out tune in "Crazy Love" by Brisk & Ham. What was becoming more apparent is that Next Generation and to a lesser extent Evolution were the labels with the decent tunes. The tunes to my liking on the other labels seemed few and far between.

Unfortunately the Breeze & Styles mix was the worst of the lot. It was mostly their own tunes or their remixes of vocal trance records. Even their remix of "Before Tomorrow" by Eclipse just sounded in every way inferior to the original.

This was definitely the worst Bonkers to this point in my opinion. I did however own other hardcore compilations from around this time such as the Next Generation one which was excellent. Therefore I wasn't giving up on modern hardcore just yet. Later on that year Bonkers 13 came out and I bought it.

UK Charts Best Year Search: 2000

What's this all about?

Top 40

Best Song: Moby - Porcelain

It had been nearly a decade since Moby first hit the charts with "Go" but despite the fact he had several hits that followed through the rest of the decade he was perhaps forgotten by all except the ravers until his "Play" album came out which itself took almost a year until it topped the charts. From that album came this, his highest charting record to date. I believe it was this tune that prompted me to buy them album myself.

Worst Song: S Club 7 - Reach

As a kid I looked forward to being old enough to start clubbing. As dance music was also known as club music I naively thought that's the music you'd hear in every nightclub. When I reached that age and went to the local club nobody likes but everybody goes to I found they were playing shit like this. 

Top 40 Review

Many people had their own idea about how the world would change in the year 2000, but even as late as 1999 I'm sure few would have predicted Kylie Minogue would have been back on top of the charts. But there she was with "Spinning Around". It's a big improvement on the Stock Aitken & Waterman crap she began her career with and this was arguably the point where people would start to take her more seriously as a musician. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I like that record.

Simon Cowell had plans to give us the next big thing in the pop world, but not what you think. It was the girl group Girl Thing who had a lot of hype about them but failed to top the charts with "Last Ones Standing" which passed a lot of people by but unfortunately not me.

Dance music was still big and was a mixed bag in this Top 40. There were decent tunes in "Overdrive" by DJ Sandy vs Housetrap, "Its My Turn" by Angelic and "On The Beach" by York. 

But re-entering the charts were "Don't Call Me Baby" by Madison Avenue and "It Feels So Good" by Sonique whilst a mash up of previous hits "Toca Me" by Fragma and "I Need A Miracle" by Coco called "Toca's Miracle" also charted. They all topped the charts and were all crap. Another crap chart topper in there was "You See The Trouble With Me" by Black Legend. We also had "Sandstorm" by Darude which is a great example of where commercial trance went wrong.

UK Garage was big in 2000 but there was only one garage record in this Top 40 in "Girls Like Us" by B-15 Project ft Chrissy D which is a decent record. There were also 2 records which I initially got to like via the garage versions which were "Forgot About Dre" by Dr Dre ft Eminem and "Thong Song" by Sisqo.

By this point people were more likely to want to DJ than play the guitar and there is a lack of guitar music in this Top 40. The guitar music that is there is a bit namby pamby, evident by the fact the hardest of these records is probably "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi which I think is ok but a bit namby pamby.

The best way to sum up this Top 40 is predominantly crap with some genuinely decent records in there.

Score: 12

Table

In the year 2000 I wouldn't have thought I'd find the whole of the 70s and 80s better, but it appears I do:

UK Number 40s: Keith Harris & Orville - White Christmas (1985)

 

Keith Harris & Orville needs no introduction and the song "White Christmas" needs no introduction either. This record in particular perhaps does.

They were well known on the TV and in 1982 capitalised on their success by releasing a novelty record called "Orvilles Song" at Christmas time which made number 6.

The following year they did the same again with "Come To My Party" but missed the Top 40. They sat out 1984 but in 1985 had one last crack with this record.

It was the 4th version to make the Top 40, the other 3 came from Mantovani, Pat Boone and Bing Crosby. It reached its number 40 peak the week after Christmas and then afterwards they stuck with the TV.

Top 30 in 1991 Reviewed: Week 42

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. Public Enemy - Can't Truss It

Believe it or not, this was the first Public Enemy single to make the Billboard 100 reaching number 50. It's the lead single from "Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black". You can't go wrong with a bit of Public Enemy.

Verdict - Good

29. Utah Saints - What Can You Do For Me

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

28. Voice Of The Beehive - I Think I Love You

The penultimate Top 40 hit for Voice Of The Beehive which is a cover of the Partridge Family song. I think "Monsters & Angels" which came before this and "Perfect Place" which came after are great pop records, but this just doesn't do it for me.

Verdict - Rubbish

27. Enya - Caribbean Blue (New)

This is one of those records I'm not sure I remember being in the charts at the time but it's one I've probably known since. Enya's music was always a little too different for my liking and almost seemed like music the sort of music they'd want you to learn at school which was never good. However over the years I've got to appreciate her music a lot more and quite like this record now.

Verdict - Good

26. Moby - Go (New)

The debut hit for Moby. I forgot his name pretty much straight away, I remember at the time talking about a record called "Go" without knowing who it was by. A few years later I found out who it was and was also surprised to find out he was American given this fits right in with the rave music British acts were making at the time.

Verdict - Good

25. Mariah Carey - Emotions (New)

The lead single from her album of the same name, Robert Clivilles and David Cole penned this record which is surprisingly uplifting for a Mariah Carey record. That doesn't mean it's any good though. She may have a vocal range few can claim to have, but all that screeching just gets on my nerves.

Verdict - Rubbish

24. Brothers In Rhythm - Such A Good Feeling

The only Top 40 hit for Brothers In Rhythm as artists, but they had other hits as producers and remixers. Member Dave Seaman (not the footballer) is also a big name house DJ who I've seen play before. 

Verdict - Good

23. DJ Carl Cox - I Want You (Forever)

The Top 40 debut for Carl Cox. He was probably the biggest rave DJ at the time and this is his highest charting single to date. As someone who's enjoyed many Carl Cox set, my verdict on this record is almost inevitable.

Verdict - Good

22. Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis (New)

Years ago I was watching some music channel doing some sort of countdown of big hits of 1991 and I was amazed to find this top. I don't even remember it at the time, I'm pretty sure I'd heard "Raving I'm Raving" by Shut Up and Dance and maybe even the Cher cover before I'd heard this. Still at least it wasn't a predictable countdown, and it's not a bad record.

Verdict - OK

21. Simply Red - Something Got Me Started

This was the first single from the hugely successful "Stars" album. My memories of hearing this for the first time was seeing Mick Hucknall's hair had got much longer and loving the bit that follows the chorus. The best single from that album in my opinion. In fact probably the best Simply Red single ever.

Verdict - Good

20. Zoe - Sunshine On A Rainy Day

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

19. Sabrina Johnston - Peace

This record reminds me of when me and a friend quite ambitiously decided to compile a Top 200 following the realisation that the charts went up to a Top 100. We didn't know who this was by at the time so simple listed it as "Peace". It's not one you really hear anymore but this was definitely as big as the Rozalla record at the time. The Top 200 never did get compiled in the end due to many disagreements between me and my friend regarding what songs should be in it.

Verdict - Good

18. Marc Almond - Jacky

I liked this one at the time, unaware it was a cover. I don't think much of the original though, it's one of those records that needs a dance beat to sound any good.

Verdict - Good

17. Cathy Dennis - Too Many Walls

For years I had no idea who this record was by and really wanted to know. What didn't help was that I misheard the lyrics as "too many roads and bridges between us". I can't actually remember how I found out. This is my favourite Cathy Dennis record.

Verdict - Good

16. Bizarre Inc - Such A Feeling

The Top 40 debut for Bizarre Inc and not to be confused with the Brother In Rhythm record with a similar name that entered the Top 40 the same week. This is the Bizarre Inc hit I've most likely heard the least for the simple fact its not on any of their albums, the rest are either on "Energique" or "Surprise", both of which I own. It's a shame it's not on "Energique" really.

Verdict - Good

15. Dannii Minogue - Baby Love (New)

It was around this time that I heard "Baby Love" by The Supremes for the first time. This isn't a cover of that record though, it's a cover of a record by Regina. Needless to say the Supremes record with the same title is far far better.

Verdict - Rubbish

14. Lisa Stansfield - Change (New)

I've not heard this record in a long time and it's one of those records that's hard to place as being at any particular time. However listening to it did bring back memories of the period it's from. Not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

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

12. Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free

The lead single from the album of the same name. This record reminds me of The Chart Show, I'm therefore guessing that's where I first heard it. It's one of those records that's not as good as I remember it being.

Verdict - OK

11. Kenny Thomas - Best Of You

The 3rd Top 40 hit for Kenny Thomas which was a cover of a Booker T Jones record. To be fair it sounds quite different to the original, but it's in a generic watered down sort of way. 

Verdict - Rubbish

10. Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)

This is one of several records I associate with starting a new year at school. It was the Top 40 debut for Rozalla and by far the best known. It's been played to death over the years but I've never stopped liking it.

Verdict - Good

9. Erasure - Love To Hate You

I remember Simon Mayo playing this pretty much every day on the breakfast show when on my way to school but I never got bored of it. 

Verdict - Good

8. Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex

This record really irritated me at the time. My view hasn't really changed, it's a truly awful record. It was one that Bryan Adams kept off number one.

Verdict - Rubbish

7. Julian Lennon - Saltwater

The 3rd and final Top 40 hit for Julian Lennon which came 6 years after his previous effort. People give Julian Lennon stick for not being John, but with records like this does it really matter? I loved this record at the time and it still sounds great 30 years later. 

Verdict - Good

6. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This

The Top 40 debut for 2 Unlimited, though they had a Top 40 hit the previous year as Bizz Nizz. I did like this at the time, but my memory has been somewhat tainted by the crap they released after this. I also remember hearing it a few years later for the first time in a while and it sounded much slower than I remembered. 

Verdict - OK

5. Oceanic - Insanity

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

4. Kiri Te Kanawa - World In Union

At the time I thought how the fuck did a record like this get into the Top 40. An opera song sung by someone I'd never heard of who wasn't exactly young. Many years later I discovered it was the song for the Rugby World Cup, I never knew there was such a thing until England won it.

Verdict - Rubbish

3. Monty Python's Flying Circus - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

This failed to chart when first released 12 years earlier, but thanks to Simon Mayo and his revival of old novelty records this was re-released. I did quite like it at the time admittedly, but its one of those songs that's supposed to be shit. Therefore a verdict of OK seems appropriate.

Verdict - OK

2. The Scorpions - Wind Of Change

The biggest hit to date for The Scorpions who had last been in the Top 40 in 1979 with their debut. My memories of this record at the time was that whenever it got played it never seemed to get played till the end and I was always intrigued as to how it ended. 

Verdict - Good

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%. Slight decrease on last week.

Bonkers Part 11

 

As I said in my previous Bonkers post, I don't remember if I bought Bonkers 10 or 11 first but I did buy them around the same time. Of the two, it was Bonkers 11 that got more listens.

With the first 3 Bonkers albums of the 21st century by this point I've not been overly keen on the Hixxy mixes, though they all get better towards the end of the mix. With Bonkers 11 though he finally has a mix that I can enjoy listening to from beginning to end.

I'm not going to pretend it's anything other than the cheese fest it is. The opening track "Heavens Above" is incredibly cheesy and at the start I'm thinking here we go again, but at the end I'm singing along. The best track though is the 2nd one "24-7" by Eclipse aka Ham. 

The next track is from Recon who was a member of Ultrabeat, one of the acts responsible for commercial dance versions of hardcore tunes. This is him doing a hardcore tune though. 

The inevitable blip in the set comes courtesy of Ultrabeat - Feelin Fine (Darren Styles Remix). Basically Styles makes a hardcore tune, Ultrabeat turn it into a commercial dance track then Styles remixes it back into a hardcore tune. I can understand why it got included though.

In the Sharkey mix a track of note is "John Peel Is Not Enough" by CLSM. The record is about how Radio 1 had plenty of dance music shows but the only DJ to play hardcore is John Peel and his show wasn't even a dance music show. This ultimately led to Hixxy doing a mix for the John Peel show followed by a one off hardcore show on Radio 1 presented by Hixxy and Sharkey.

The highlight of the Sharkey set though is "Sounds Legit" by Brisk & Ham. Aside from that it just sounds like a typical freeform set that doesn't really do it for me.

Onto Scott Brown who's set has now extended to 19 tracks with the first 13 being hardcore and the final 6 being gabber. The stand out track in the hardcore section is the last one "Fly With You" by Scott Brown. I remember thinking what a tune the first time I heard it.

Aside from this the stand out tunes in the hardcore section are the two Brisk & Ham ones, "Angel Eyes" and "Taste The Rainbow". On that basis I shouldn't be picking a DJ who has the best set, instead the glory should go to Ham for having stand out records in all 3 sets.

Whilst I don't remember when exactly I bought Bonkers 11 I do know that the newest Bonkers at the time was Bonkers 12. Again I don't remember if I bought Bonkers 11 or Bonkers 12 first, but more on Bonkers 12 next week.

UK Charts Best Year Search: 1999

What's this all about?

Top 40

Best Song: Chicane ft Maire Brennan - Saltwater

Probably the best Chicane single. It did remind me of "I Can't Help Myself" by Lucid when I first heard it, a record I also love. The sample comes from "Theme from Harry's Game" by Clannad, the group Maire Brennan is part of. As far as mainstream trance music goes, it really doesn't get any better than this.

Worst Song: Dixie Chicks - There's Your Trouble

The Dixie Chicks are one of those American country groups I'm aware of without knowing any of their music. I assumed they had no UK Top 40 hits, but they managed one. It's just as crap as I expected it to be, here's hoping I never hear another Dixie Chicks record again after successfully avoiding this for 22 years.

Top 40 Review

This was the year I did my Top 20 from 20 years ago reviews so the Top 20 reviews are here.

It was the year that their seemed to be so much good dance music in the mainstream that I thought it could never get any better. I don't think it ever did.

However, I do think I was very lenient with my scoring, who was I trying to kid by saying "Sweet Like Chocolate" was OK for example.

The big eye opener for me is that despite dance music being really big at the time, there are no house records in the chart. Even trance, the year 1999 is best remembered for in a dance music sense only has 3 records that fit into this genre. There are 5 big beat records though, a genre that's more associated with 1998.

Then again, a lot of dance records don't hit the charts until they've had their time in the clubs.

What pushes the score down at a time when commercial dance was at it's best was too much cheesy pop. The boy band/girl group/teen singer formula proved so successful that by this point that every man and his dog were manufacturing one.

Despite this, its a decent enough score.

Score: 16

Table

Now we've reached the end of the 20th century I sense it's all down hill from here, but you never know: