Sunday 27 March 2022

Top 30 in 1992 Reviewed: Week 13

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:


Shawn Christopher was the vocalist on "French Kiss" by Lil Louis and this was her only solo Top 40 hit. When singers on dance records go solo the results have been quite mixed over the years. Fortunately this is one of those ones which turned out well.

Verdict - Good


This was her follow up to her big hit "Too Blind To See It". Like with many second hits in the 90s this sounds very similar to the first. They were also both written by Steve "Silk" Hurley. Normally the second hit sounds like an inferior version of the first, but I don't think that's the case here. I like both records and it's hard to say which one I prefer.

Verdict - Good


I first became familiar with The Lightning Seeds in the mid-90s. I then discovered on a TV show that they had a hit in 1989 with "Pure" and played a clip and it sounded familiar. What I saw in my "British Hit Singles" book some time later was that they had 2 Top 40 hits in-between 1989 and 1995. Once YouTube came around I gave them a listen and discovered that I already knew this record thanks to "Match Of The Day".  

Verdict - Good


I had the feeling New Atlantic were from the North West somewhere and I was right, they hail from Southport. I therefore wondered if this came out on All Around the World records. Turns out it didn't, but the version we all know is the Love Decade remix and Love Decade were on All Around the World. It's therefore a bit cheesy and commercial sounding, but I still like it.

Verdict - Good


This was the final Top 40 hit from their "Joyride" album. Whilst it undeniably sounds like a Roxette record there's a bit of Bob Dylan influence in there too with the presence of a harmonica. I'd say it's the harmonica that gives the record character instead of sounding like just another Roxette song.

Verdict - Good


Before I looked at this particular Top 40, if you'd asked me what the Top 40 debut for Tori Amos was I would have said "Crucify". I would have been wrong as this was her Top 40 debut. I therefore have no recollection of this song whatsoever. I'm not overly impressed with it, but I can also see it as a song I could like after a few listens.

Verdict - OK


When it comes to 90s U2 records this one is probably the best known. I have a music quiz question where I ask what song title is shared by U2, Metallica and Bee Gees of which the answer of course is "One". It is however also designed to throw people because Metallica and Bee Gees also have songs called "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and people have put that as the answer. Onto the song itself, I'm not a huge fan but it's alright.

Verdict - OK


This made number 40 when it first charted in 1990 but fared better when re-released in 1992. This was their first Top 40 hit that wasn't written by other people, it was written by Cheryl James aka Salt. It's been sampled in loads of dance records and I find it irritating. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The vocalist on this record is Kirsty Hawkshaw. She stated in an interview that she left the group because she thought they were too commercial. Then she went and sang for Tiesto, go figure. Anyway this is miles better than your average Tiesto record. 

Verdict - Good


This started life as the b-side to their other hit "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" but this proved to be the more popular track. I'm inclined to agree. I've only just discovered it's the word "pride" that's sang before "a deeper love". I've always thought it was "why" and that's what I'd sing at the time. The fact they couldn't write decent records like this makes me convinced they made their C&C Music Factory records crap on purpose.

Verdict - Good


The band have described this record as "the Stones playing metal". It doesn't sound anything like the Rolling Stones to me and it doesn't sound particularly metal either. It's like they're trying too hard to make it sound like metal and not really succeeding. 

Verdict - Rubbish


After topping the charts at the start of the year they barely make the Top 20 with the follow up single. However the album "High on the Happy Side" had now been released and topped the charts. This one takes a while to get going but it's pretty decent once the chorus kicks in.

Verdict - Good


Moby wasn't the only American making rave music at the time, there was also these guys Toxic Two. It's basically the same record as "Pure Pleasure" by Digital Excitation who are Belgian. No idea which came first because they were both out around the same time. A good tune regardless.

Verdict - Good


I remember this song and could clearly hear it in my head before playing it. But actually hearing it for the first time in 30 years it sounds a lot better than I remember it. It really couldn't sound any more early 90s which is probably why I find myself liking it.

Verdict - Good


This is the final Top 40 hit to date from Hammer/MC Hammer. It was after this when he went down the gangsta rap route but no Top 40 hits came from it. This record is a gospel rap record which on paper sounds awful but it actually isn't bad.

Verdict - OK


I remember hearing this for the first time in Our Price. Given the amount of time I used to spend in Our Price back in the 90s and the amount of music I heard, the fact this stands out shows what an impact it had on me. 

Verdict - Good


The famous KLF Brit Awards performance had just happened where they announced their retirement from the music industry, but they had one final Top 40 hit to come which was a remix of their first. It meant that as the KLF they had 5 Top 40 hits which all made the Top 5. Only S Club 7 and Busted have had more hits and made the Top 5 every time.

Verdict - Good


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


This was the final Top 40 hit from their "Chorus" album and their last before they did the Abba covers. At the time I would have probably put Erasure in my Top 5 music acts which would have been thanks in part to this record.

Verdict - Good


I was trying to remember how this song went but couldn't get "Human Touch" by Rick Springfield out of my head. After giving it a listen I do remember it and given it's Bruce Springsteen I've probably heard it in the last 30 years too. It had been 4 years since Bruce Springsteen had been in the Top 40.It basically sounds like a Bruce Springsteen record and could have easily been from the 80s. 

Verdict - OK


Crowded House had several Top 40 hits but this was the only one to make the Top 10. It's quite a simple record, not trying to be anything out of the ordinary but catchy at the same time. It makes for a good record to have a singalong to round the camp fire to.

Verdict - Good 


In 1992 I was liking pretty much everything that got into the charts which explains why we've had decent scores week after week. I do however remember not liking this song. 30 years later I still haven't changed my mind.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record gets off to quite a promising start with the intro. Once you get into it though it doesn't really deliver. It's not a bad record, but it's just not as good as the intro implies it should be.

Verdict - OK


When it comes to 90s nostalgia you can't go wrong with this record. The wordless chorus gets you hooked but then you realise there's much more to it than that. Normally once I've listened to a tune I want to wait a while until I listen to it again, but with this one I'd happily give it another listen. In fact I might just do that.

Verdict - Good


I've never been much of a Def Leppard fan. Even as a rocker in the early 90s they always seemed a bit wet. I did however think this record was a bit more interesting with the verses being a bit different. In fact I do remember randomly singing the verse but never the chorus. Despite the chorus being a bit crap though, the nostalgia factor makes me still quite like it.

Verdict - Good


I remember hearing this for the first time on the Top of the Pops breakers. I wasn't impressed, it sounded a bit slow and boring. However it did grow on me as I heard it more. I remember getting told off by someone when this was on the radio and I didn't listen to a word they said because I was listening to the song.

Verdict - Good


I remember getting really annoyed that this record made number one and Mr Big hadn't. I absolutely hated this record as a result of that. However I've not really cared how the records I like do in the charts for the bulk of the last 30 years and I still think this record is crap and would have still thought that if Mr Big got to number one instead.

Verdict - Rubbish


This reminds me of a time when I really cared about how the records I liked were doing in the charts. I loved this record at the time and it was probably my favourite song at that point in time. After it had spent 3 weeks at number 3 and hearing that Shakespear's Sister were no longer at number one I thought surely this was the record that had replaced it. I was therefore rather annoyed that it was Right Said Fred who topped the charts instead whilst this had fallen to number 4.

Verdict - Good


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


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

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 21.5/30, or 73%. Slightly lower than the joint best weeks of the year.
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