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:
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
Inner City first hit the Top 40 in 1988 and when it came to rave music in the charts few if any were as big as Inner City at the time. The rave scene changed so fast though that by 1992 the music was completely different. Fortunately Inner City moved with the times and have a record that very much sounds like a 90s record rather than an 80s one. The downside to this tune is that it's not as good as the excellent "Pennies From Heaven" which will be appearing in the not too distant future.
Verdict - Good
For some reason I associate Curtis Stigers with late 1992 instead of early 1992 which he had his two big hits, this being the second. It's not that it took me a while to discover him as I remember him appearing on Top of the Pops. The nostalgia factor means that I do quite like 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
I loved "I'm Doing Fine Now" when it came out, but have no recollection of The Pasadenas having any other hits after that. This was the next one which is a cover of the Bread song. It's definitely not as good as it's predecessor but I did quite enjoy listening to it just now.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Praga Khan and his best known hit. It's certainly one of the anthems but it's not quite been played to death like other tunes so it's still good to listen to now. Like with a lot of the Belgian rave tunes that hit the Top 40 it has a harder edge to it than your average rave hit.
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
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
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
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
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
I've not heard this one for a long time, possibly not since 1992. My memory of this record was that it was alright but it never had a huge impact on me. However listening to it now I'm thinking what a tune. A very smooth record that flows nicely.
Verdict - Good
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
I remember WASP in the late 80s but don't remember them having any hits in the 90s. I can't say I'm a big fan, they always struck me as a band who are more about their "shock rock" image than the music. I'm also not liking the fact this record is nearly 8 minutes long. It has it's moments, basically when the drums speed up but the length of the tune and most of it just sounds like noise I don't think I'll be listening to it again.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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 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
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
This was a comic relief single that was around the time of the 1992 election. It's basically Bruce Dickinson doing a cover of "Elected" by Alice Cooper with Mr Bean doing a bit of comedy over the top of it. A dreadful record, but then that's the point.
Verdict - Rubbish
I always imagined this record to be sung by someone who was old, but it was recorded in 1990 when Vanessa Williams would have been 26 or 27. Maybe I just thought it was music for old people, and it's inclusion on the Bisto adverts more or less confirmed that for me.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
9. Soul II Soul - Joy (New)
Although they still had several more Top 40 hits, this is the last Top 10 hit to date for Soul ii Soul. When they'd last been in the Top 40 in 1990 there seemed to be a lot of acts who adopted their sound. Things had since moved on and so had Soul ii Soul with this comeback record, though at the same time it still sounds like a Soul ii Soul record.
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 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
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
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
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
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
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 19.5/30, or 65%. Standards are slipping, but still a good score.
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