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 1992 with my verdict on each record:
Gospel music in the UK Top 40 has been few and far between over the years. In the 90s though we had a few from The Sounds Of Blackness who mixed gospel with R&B. This was the first of these hits and was penned by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis along with Gary Hines. I do remember it at the time and didn't even realise it was a gospel record until later on. That's probably what helped it appeal to the mainstream.
Verdict - Good
29. Tina Turner - Love Thing (New)
I could have sworn this was on a car advert back in the day but I can't find anything on the internet that says it was. Maybe it just sounds like it should be on a car advert, it does sound a bit like a driving record.
Verdict - Good
28. Europe - I'll Cry For You (New)
In 1991 Nirvana came along with their grunge sound and killed off 80s hair metal in the process. Someone forgot to tell Europe though as here they are in the Top 40 in 1992. To be fair I don't think too many people remember this record, I certainly don't. However this is actually better than the other records I've heard of theirs and yes I have heard other Europe records that aren't "The Final Countdown".
Verdict - Good
Diana Ross was someone who was frequently played in my household around this time and therefore I associate most of her back catalogue with this period. Yet I have no recollection of this record. It was written by Stevie Wonder and you can tell. Fortunately it sounds more like his 70s funk records than his cheesy 80s ones.
Verdict - Good
They started their Top 40 career by reviving "Toms Diner" by Suzanne Vega and they ended it by reviving another 80s tune, this time being "Can You Handle It?" by Sharon Redd. It's quite different from their other hits, this being more of an upbeat house record. I can date this song by the class I was in at school at the time so it must have had an impact. Sadly the comeback of Sharon Redd didn't last long as she died just 3 months later.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for The Brand New Heavies which failed to chart when originally released in 1990. I love the funky guitar on this one, it's a great uplifting record. I can't help but think it would have been better as an instrumental, but you can't have everything.
Verdict - Good
24. Orbital - Mutations (EP) (New)
The lead track from this EP is "Chime Crime" which is a remix of their debut hit "Chime". If anything I'd say this tune illustrates how much the music had changed since the original came out so this gives them something that fits in more with the 1992 sound.
Verdict - Good
There had been quite a few rave records that had hit the Top 40 by this point so the rave sound was nothing new anymore. However, I do remember thinking this record was quite groundbreaking at the time. It was the 2nd Top 40 hit for The Prodigy and the follow up to "Charly" and it no doubt went a long way in showing people that they weren't a novelty "toytown techno" act.
Verdict - Good
The second and final Top 40 hit for Julia Fordham which came 4 years after her first. This sounds like it should be a theme to a TV show. I'm not too far off with that, it's from the film "The Butchers Wife" and was written by Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow, the same people who composed "Let's Hear It For The Boy" by Deniece Williams which also came from a film, "Footloose". I guess the main reason it sounds like it should be a TV theme is because it's a bit bland.
Verdict - Rubbish
With Curtis Stigers now in the charts Michael Bolton had to remind the world he still existed so here he is with his 6th Top 40 hit. It does sound like a typical Michael Bolton record, but what's surprising is that his co-writer on this record is none other than Bob Dylan.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd of 12 Top 40 hits for The Wedding Present in 1992. This ones definitely a lot catchier than it's predecessor which is helped by the drumming on it. Still not good enough to get full marks though.
Verdict - OK
In 1991 the Pet Shop Boys started a record label called "Spaghetti Records". The only Top 40 hit to come from that label was this. The dodgy Scottish rapping in the verses reminds me a bit of Bill Drummond rapping on "Kylie Said To Jason" by KLF which may explain why I'm finding myself liking the tune.
Verdict - Good
James will probably always be remembered for "Sit Down" which is a bit of a shame really. Particularly when just under a year later they released this record which is the best record I've heard from them.
Verdict - Good
17. Pearl Jam - Alive (New)
Now that Nirvana have made their Top 40 debut it was only a matter of time before fellow Seattle grunge band would make their debut, and here it is. I don't remember it being this soon after though obviously it never occurred to me when I first heard Nirvana that there would be another grunge band from Seattle called Pearl Jam coming soon. I did like this record at the time or later in 1992 if that was in fact when I first heard it. Doesn't have the same appeal now though.
Verdict - OK
Following the death of Freddie Mercury "Bohemian Rhapsody" returned to top the charts and became the first record to be Christmas number one twice. I've mentioned before on this blog that I don't consider it the masterpiece it's made out to be and I've heard it far too many times in my life, but it's not a bad record. The other side of this double a-side "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" was a new song and would have probably topped the charts without being aided by "Bohemian Rhapsody" given the circumstances. It's definitely the better of the two in my opinion.
Verdict - OK / Good
I remember this record being out around the same time as "Fun Day" by Stevie Wonder. The history books tell my I'm not far off, the Stevie Wonder record came out in October 1991 but never made the Top 40. I liked it at the time and I guess I still do now even though it's a bit cheesy.
Verdict - Good
As a kid I loved "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey", the film in which this record appears. However, I watched it again a couple of years ago and found it was nowhere near as good as I remember it. Fortunately this record hasn't suffered the same fate, still sounds decent now.
Verdict - Good
13. The Temptations - My Girl (New)
When this was first released in 1965 it failed to reach the Top 40. It finally made it in 1992 thanks to its inclusion in the film of the same name. I had no idea this was an old record at the time, I just assumed it was made for the film. I love a bit of 60s soul music and this was probably the record that got my into it in the first place.
Verdict - Good
When Simply Red returned with the "Stars" album, Mick Hucknall's hair had got noticeably longer. It was around the time of this record that I found out Mick Hucknall's dad was a hairdresser. To the song, and it's not to the same level as "Something Got Me Started" or "Stars" but still pretty decent.
Verdict - Good
The lead track off this EP is "Movin' on Up". It was the final single from the "Screamadalica" album and the only one to be released after the album. Despite this it was the highest charting. It's perhaps a bit overplayed now, I'm pretty sure it was on an advert in recent times. I've always liked it though.
Verdict - Good
The Jesus And Mary Chain are one of those bands who I remember existing without really knowing any of their songs. I do know this song now but don't remember it at the time despite it making the Top 10. Turns out it was banned by the BBC which explains both why it made the Top 10 and why I don't remember it. Pretty dull record.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record did appeal to me at the time but I now I really can't figure out why. Maybe it was the guitars. I thought maybe by listening to it I may rediscover the magic, but no it just sounds dreary.
Verdict - Rubbish
One thing I do miss about listening to rave music in the 90s is knowing absolutely nothing about the people who made the records. Kicks Like A Mule was one of these, but I now know they were a duo of one of the founders of XL Records and the person who now runs the label. This means that the latter person is responsible for introducing the world to Adele. I can't let that fact get in the way of this being a good tune though.
Verdict - Good
This was the last Top 10 Kylie Minogue hit from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman era. It's a cover and quite predictably it sounds like a karaoke version.
Verdict - Rubbish
Some will say Michael Jackson was a genius because of the way he could seamlessly transition from the rock sound of "Black Or White" to the new jack swing sound of this record. I would say the fact he had Mr New Jack Swing himself Teddy Riley co-write and produce this track had something to do with it. Maybe that was his genius, that he knew how to pick the right people.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut from Curtis Stigers who was a sort of Michael Bolton and Kenny G all in one i.e. a singer and saxophonist with long hair. I've since read that Curtis Stigers hair had only just grown when he broke through and then he cut it short straight after he toured his first album, but that's what he'll forever be remembered for. I have to admit though, I do quite like this song.
Verdict - Good
Ordinarily a British R&B group doing a pointless cover isn't a good thing. But I never knew that fact at the time, as far as I was concerned this was a Pasadenas tune and I loved it. Even when I started listening to this in the early days of YouTube I still didn't know it was a cover. A lot has to be said for hearing the cover before the original, it really does.
Verdict - Good
My dance music knowledge was virtually non-existent at the time. I do remember this being out around the same time as "Everybody In The Place" by The Prodigy and thinking of this record as being a poor mans Prodigy.
Verdict - Rubbish
When Siobhan left Bananarama and formed Shakespear's Sister they had a Top 10 hit with "You're History" in 1989. By the end of 1991 it looked like they were history have failed to reach the Top 40 with any of their other singles. Then came this, which topped the charts and stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. I do think that the contrast between the vocals of Marcella and Siobhan is a good concept, but I've never been able to bring myself to like this record.
Verdict - Rubbish
Wet Wet Wet hadn't really been away, but this was their first Top 10 hit since 1989. Marti Pellow's hair had grown quite considerably in that time. Despite this being a chart topper I remember everyone hating this record at the time. I on the other hand liked it. This wasn't their big comeback though as they never made the Top 10 again until "Love Is All Around" in 1994.
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 22/30, or 73%. The joint best week of the year so far.
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