Once again there were lots of underground tunes I was enjoying in June 1997 but these are the ones from the charts I liked:
The Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground
I've just realised I featured this when we were turning the clock back to 1996 and it re-entered the Top 40 in 1997. Instead of picking another record though, lets just enjoy this again.
Chicane - Sunstroke
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Chicane and the follow up to "Offshore". I'm pretty sure I first heard this record on the ITV show "Club Nation". It seems the right sort of time for it.
Chicane were always one of those acts I always liked despite being commercial and making slower records than what I was typically listening to at the time.
Roni Size/Reprazent - Share The Fall
I definitely remember this one on "Club Nation" and seeing Roni Size and DJ Krust being interviewed. Both had been big names in the drum & bass scene for some time, but this was their Top 40 debut.
At the same time I was pissed off that they were taking drum & bass into the charts.
The Brand New Heavies - You Are The Universe
This record has had such an impact on me that whenever I come across the word "universe" this record comes into my head. It features Siedah Garrett on vocals and she's a far better singer than N'Dea Davenport in my opinion.
Like with all decent Brand New Heavies tunes though it's all about the groove.
ETA - Casual Sub (Burning Spear)
You could be forgiven for thinking that ETA is one of the many aliases of Norman Cook. It does sound like it could be a Fatboy Slim record, but he had nothing to do with it. In fact whilst he was playing as Fatboy Slim by this point he was yet to breakthrough commercially.
ETA were a Danish duo and this was their one and only Top 40 hit.
Surprise surprise Drake is now top of the leaderboard with 5 Top 40 hits to his name so far this year. This brings his overall total to 74 leaving just Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard for most hits overall.
The rap count is 51 out of the 108 hits so far this year or 47%.
We're half way through the year and making our 2nd visit to Slammin Vinyl at The Rhythm Station. It's actually the 4th Slammin Vinyl of the year but such was the choice of raves in 1995 we've had to skip a couple.
There's a first for the raving journey of 1995 so far, a Jimmy J tape. Jimmy J was my favourite DJ back in the day. I've not heard that many tapes of his compared to other DJs, but the ones I've heard have all been excellent and this one is no exception.
I mistakenly thought it was Jimmy J who ran Slammin Vinyl at the time. He ran the record shop of the same name but it's since become apparent the record shop was a different entity to the promoter.
What perhaps appealed to me about Jimmy J over other DJs is he was the one who kept the breakbeats going the longest. The first Jimmy J tape I owned was from Hysteria 9 later on in 1995 and that always stood out to be more breakbeat led than the other hardcore tapes. There are 4 tunes which appear on both tapes which are:
Richie Whizz - Song Of Angels
Evoke - Runaway
DJ Desire - Sumaki
Happy Tunes - Sanctuary Of Love
All 4 are new for 1995 as are the following tunes on this mix:
2 Xperience - Sweet Dreams
Luna C - 5.5, The Hurricane
Elsewhere it's all happy hardcore DJs, though DJ Unknown does include some drum & bass in his set including the ever familiar "The Lighter" by Sound of the Future and "Hearing Is Believing" by MA2 which you just couldn't escape in 1995.
Also worth noting is the Ramos set where 9 of the 11 tunes on the first side of the tape are new for 1995 tunes which are:
Semtex - Bounce Alert
Bertocucci Feranzano - E-Motion
DJ Norman - Get Up And Dance
G.B.T. - Betta Run
G.B.T. - Skyride
UFO - Abduction
Supernova - Partizan
Speedloader - Guilty As Hell
Sunset Regime - Tribal Chant
There's plenty more new for 1995 tunes which were:
DJ Hixxy & Lady Trixxy - World War 1
Discofrisco & DJ Inferno - Get Down Everybody
Casio Brothers - Last Anthem
DJ Pooch - Live For The Future
Eruption - Drop The Beat
DJ Pooch - Volume 10 Side A
DJ Skorp & DJ Pila - Oohh God Damned I'm Great
DJ Paul Elstak - Boom Boom
DJ Ham - Let Yourself Go!
Eko - Be On Your Way
DJ Fade - Music Is My Life
Midas - Magic Tears
Saturnalia featuring DJ Vinylgroover - License To Party
Midas - More Hits Please
DJ Demand - Let's Go!!!
DJ Ham & Poosie - Thinking About U
Jon Doe - On A Chill Tip
Mr Hyde - Release Me
There are 2 tunes which are the most played of the night appearing in 5 sets each. There's "Disco Hardcore" by Seduction which has been doing the rounds for some time now. The other is "Now is the Time" by Scott Brown which is a bit of a surprise given it was around when we kicked off on New Years Eve 6 months ago.
As we reach the half way point of the year its fair to say we've seen a lot in this short space of time. We've seen the end of Carl Cox and Top Buzz. We've seen the beginning of Essential Platinum and UK Dance which in turn has given us landmark record "Toy Town" and Force & the Evolution cut down to Force & Styles. We've also had Vibes & Live Lee on tape for the first time.
At the same time the spirit of 94 lives on evident by "Now is the Time" being played a lot, DJ Unknown mixing hardcore with drum & bass records from 94 and Jimmy J keeping the breakbeat alive.
There's no doubt more to come and I look forward to seeing what the rest of the year brings us.
There's very little I could find on the internet about this latest number 40. It was the summer of 1993 and this is possibly the first Top 40 hit that got it's influence from Right Said Fred. The trouble was Right Said Fred's days of chart glory were already behind them with their last major hit being the Comic Relief single "Stick It Out" earlier on in the year.
Stan consisted of Simon Andrew on vocals and Kevin Stagg on guitar. I'm unable to find anything about Simon Andrew but Kevin Stagg has be the owner of The Esselle Beat Company since 1982. This was the studio in Brighton where Freak Power recorded their debut album.
One therefore assumes this is a producer just messing around in his studio to make a novelty record.
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:
This was the lead single from "Build", the 2nd and last Innocence album and is their penultimate Top 40 hit to date. I mentioned when reviewing their 1990 records that they're a group nobody remembers but I would recommend them. I still stand by that statement for this record too.
The 3 men behind this record are Micky Finn, Aphrodite and Claudio Giussani. Micky Finn was already one of the big name DJs in the rave scene at this point and would become one of the biggest names in drum & bass. The beats in this are quite something and is amongst the better rave tunes of this era.
The 5th and final Top 40 hit from his "Diamonds and Pearls" album. It's been noted by a music critic that this is the sound the Backstreet Boys used for their tunes. It's not something I've thought about, but now I'm listening and can't help but think of the Backstreet Boys which isn't a good thing. Even before that though I thought it was average.
The B-52s are one of those groups that tread that fine line between being innovative and annoying. This record more or less sits on that line, I can appreciate it and it's not a bad one to listen to but at the same time it's a bit cheesy and irritating.
After having their biggest hit to date with "Weather With You", Crowded House follow up with another weather related song. It's a record I remember being much better than it actually is. Perhaps it just hasn't aged well, not a bad tune but at the same time I'm finding myself waiting for it to start.
This was originally a Top 40 hit in 1985. The original is a fantastic record, I have it on a mostly 90s R&B compilation and it doesn't sound out of place on it despite being older. This remix by Frankie Knuckles though ruins it.
I've changed my mind about this record. There is now an overlap between what's appearing in these Top 30s and the Top 40 I reviewed for my best year search series. In that I decided it was OK but now it's been upgraded to good. My issue with The Beautiful South is that whilst the lyrics are humorous the music's always sounded a bit old fashioned for my liking. This record repeatedly contains the line "This is the woman you laid" but for years I had no idea what the words she was singing was. That kind of made the humorous lyrics redundant . But importantly listening to it again I'm finding myself enjoying it and that's what's important.
When it comes to early 90s Manic Street Preachers this is probably their best record. It's easy to say the guitaring on this makes the record, but it's more than that. I'd say the rest of it is done so well that it allows the guitar to stand out on it.
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit to date for Oceanic. What becomes apparent by this point is that Oceanic have their own sound, you can tell it was the same people who did "Insanity" but at the same time the tunes aren't just clones of each other.
When I was doing my best year series of posts where I listened to the Top 40 for the first week of July in each year, I picked this as the best record from the 1992 Top 40 I listened to. This is one of the all time greats from the early 90s.
This was the first Top 40 hit of the 90s for Cyndi Lauper who surprisingly had more Top 40 hits in the 90s than the 80s. It's a cover of a song from a French musical but with English lyrics added to it by Tim Rice. The fact it's from a musical probably explains why it's rather boring.
I remember this one being much better than it actually is. It doesn't sound as lively as I remember it being so I'm struggling to really get into it. Maybe it needs a few more listens to get back into it, but at the moment it's simply ok.
This was the Top 40 debut for Ugly Kid Joe. They were a pretty cool band to like at the time as I recall, but very quickly they became uncool. I guess it's hard to tell if they're trying to carry on the legacy of hair metal or fit into the grunge movement. One record I do recall being out at a similar time is "Lithium" by Nirvana and without really knowing the ins and outs I considered them both similar in style. I did consider this to be the better record out of the two.
We're in an era where grunge had supposedly killed the rock music which existed before it. People are quick to point the finger at the ballads rock bands were making, but I would point my finger at records like this. It just sounds so bland. At least the ballads have a bit of character.
In an era where I have more music available to listen to on the internet but less time to listen to it, I find myself listening to the shortened version of songs most of the time. Not with this one though, I'm more inclined to listen to a longer live version. It's a pretty basic song really but Guns n Roses take it to another level.
Megadeth were one of those bands I was supposed to like as a rock fan in the early 90s, but never really did. Before I'd knowingly heard a Megadeth record I heard about how heavy they were supposed to be. I can't remember whether it was this record I heard first, but it's not really heavy at all in my opinion and a bit boring.
I'm a big fan of Motown in the 60s and 70s, but not so much Motown in the 90s. The problem with this record is that technology has allowed this record to be produced much better than it would have in the 60s. In doing that though it loses it's charm. If this was made in the 60s I'd probably have liked it, but as it wasn't it doesn't quite get there.
This was the Top 40 debut for TLC and only Top 40 hit from their "Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip" album. It's one of those records I'd be happy to hear if I heard it out and about, but not one I'd really want to sit down and listen to.
This was the 4th Top 40 hit from their "Achtung Baby" album which had now been out for over 6 months. The one word that springs to mind with this record is average. It's alright to listen to but I'm not going to seek it out to listen to.
When I was doing my best year series of posts where I listened to the Top 40 for the first week of July in each year, I picked this as the worst record from the 1992 Top 40 I listened to. I remember watching it on Top of the Pops and wanting to throw the TV out the window.
This was the first single to be taken from the album of the same name. Even though it sounds like a typical Elton John record, it somehow sounds catchier than most. Maybe I've just heard it too many times in my life. It's a decent enough record but hasn't quite got enough about it for me to truly like it.
I remember how I find out who made this record. Somebody told me they'd just bought the Kris Kross record and I thought they were talking about Christopher Cross of "Arthurs Theme" fame. Then they played it and I realised it was a completely different act. In theory 2 squeaky voiced kids rapping should be terrible, but this one isn't. The actual tune helps a lot, but they rap it well too.
The Top 40 debut for The Orb which stands at just under 40 minutes long. There is a much shorter radio edit though and the album version stands at just 17 minutes 34 seconds long. I own the "UFOrb" album so no surprise that I like this record.
Although this wasn't their debut hit, this was really the beginning of Take That becoming more or less the biggest pop act of the early 90s. Their debut "Do What You Like" never charted at all, then "Promises" only made 38, the next single "Once You've Tasted Love" didn't make the Top 40 and then came this. This was also their first single not to be written by Gary Barlow as it was a cover of the Tavares record.
This was George Michael's last hit before his legal battle with Sony. I can't remember what I thought about this record at the time, I just remember it existing. Given the circumstances around this single being released though it does sound a bit like he's put out any old crap.
This was the first version of "Please Don't Go" that I heard. The original is by KC & the Sunshine Band, but it's basically a clone of a cover done the same year by Italian act Double You. I do like it, but the other tune "Game Boy" is better. Whilst "Please Don't Go" is a commercial dance record, "Game Boy" is very much a rave record.
I remember this on Top of the Pops with the chanting of "Utah Saints". It was their 2nd Top 40 hit and highest charting single to date. When the awful 2008 version was released I was quick to point towards this, the much better version.
My memory of this record is going on holiday around this time to the same place I went when the other big Richard Marx hit "Right Here Waiting" was in the charts. I like the record at the time without paying too much attention to the lyrics. Aside from the mystery behind the story I think it also highlights how judgmental some rural communities can be.
I did like this record at the time. It was the theme music to the TV series of the same name which starred Nick Berry which had just began at a similar time on a Friday night. Unfortunately from the 2nd series it was on a Sunday night and has therefore since reminded me that I have school in the morning. If I'd carried on watching it once I joined the world of work then it would probably remind me of that similar dread of having work in the morning too.
Erasure had 16 Top 40 hits to their name prior to this record. I like all 16 of those records, but then came this. It's an EP full of Abba covers with the main track being "Take A Chance On Me" that features a rap from MC Kinky. I don't like any of them.
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 17/30, or 57%. Half way through the year and we're above 50% every week so far.
Dance Planet previously featured in March down in Cornwall. This time we see Dance Planet return to where it all began for them in Birmingham.
Given the location perhaps it's no surprise to see this event was predominantly drum & bass in the main arena and on the tape pack too. Admittedly I would have probably avoided a predominantly drum & bass event in Birmingham at the time given the violence you'd get at such events, but let's not let that get in the way of this make believe 1995 raving journey.
We don't quite have as many new for 1995 drum & bass tunes as the March event, but still a decent amount:
Special K & Ruff Kut - Chopsticks
Firefox - Bonanza Kid
DJ Rap Feat. MC Hooligan - Hooligan
Cutty Ranks - Limb By Limb
L Double - Mad Funk
The Specialist - Garbage DJ
Dream Team - The Ride
Jazz Vibes - Lucky
Dillinja - Hoes & Tricks
The Specialist - Twisted Amen
Beenie Man- Gimmie Di Gal
Tarzan - Informer
S.O.S. - Space Funk
Alex Reece - Pulp Fiction
Q Project & Spinback - Rikers Island
Krust - Maintain
H.M.P - Runnin's
DJ Fallout - Major Respect
The Spice - Dimension
DJ SS - Niceness
Noise Gate - Noise Gate
Danny Breaks - Rollin
Shy Fx - Who Runs Tings
DJ Hype - On That Dust
Just Jungle - Very Last Drop
The most notable of these was "Pulp Fiction" by Alex Reece which would be a pretty big record of its time. The most played drum & bass tunes were "The Lighter" by Sound of the Future and "Hearing Is Believing" by MA2 which both appear 6 times. Not the first time either have been the most played and unlikely to be the last.
I've posted the only happy hardcore set to be both in the main arena and on the tapes which is Dougal & Vibes. The notable thing about it is that it's the first recording to my knowledge to feature MC Live Lee. The DJ/MC combination of Vibes and Live Lee became quite legendary in the late 90s and this is where it seemingly all began.
Amongst the hardcore DJs is Mastervibe who was also a drum & bass DJ. I read in an interview that he only played hardcore to bulk up the bookings and would have played drum & bass all the time if he got enough bookings for it. There is also DJ Bunjy who would be better known as a drum & bass DJ in later years.
Scorpio and Producer played a back to back set which really shows an ever widening gap between hardcore and gabber. I can't find a tracklisiting for the set. Likewise the Clarkee set shows a widening gap and tracklist has many gaps though does include "Love U More" by Paul Elstak so not completely separate yet.
Unsurprisingly the new for 95 hardcore tunes are much thinner on the ground, but there were a few:
Sensi Tize - The Anthem
Sub State - Take Me Up
Happy Tunes & Hixxy - Feels So Good
Knightvision - The Realm
El Bruto - Hypnotizing
Smile - Cut The Midrange
Lockjaw - In My Brain
Helix - N.D.E
Justin Time - Lose Control
Alchemist & Fade - Kick Your Legs
DJ Bass D & DJ King Matthew - Damn The Deejay
There is no tune that's played more than twice, no surprise given the mixture of DJs pulling off in different directions that we have.
The fact we could still have this variety in Birmingham of all places is one of the big reasons I look back on 1995 so fondly. OK for all I know the main arena could have completely cleared out when Vibes & Dougal came on, but if we let the tapes do the talking which is all we can really do then that's how it was.
In the modern era it's almost an expectation that a mainstream rapper is going to collaborate with a pop singer at some point. Back in 1993 though I hadn't been done on a Top 40 hit until this record came out.
That said, whilst PM Dawn are known to be a rap act there isn't actually any rapping on this record. Prince Be, the rapper from PM Dawn sings the tune as does Boy George.
It had been 2 years since PM Dawn made their Top 40 debut with "A Watcher's Point Of View" which was a minor hit making number 36. A couple of months later came their biggest hit "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" which is the only one they're really known for in this country. The only other Top 40 hit that wasn't in the lower reaches of the Top 40 was the predecessor to this "Looking Through Patient Eyes" which made number 11.
Boy George began his solo career in 1987 with chart topper "Everything I Own" but the best he managed as a solo artist after this was "To Be Reborn" which made number 13 later that year.
This was the 6th and final Top 40 hit to date for both acts. I've mentioned this isn't really a rap record but it could also be argued that Boy George was no longer a pop singer as in the 90s he established himself as a DJ.
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 Sisters Of Mercy who are the former band of 2 of The Missions members had just enjoyed their biggest hit to date with "Temple Of Love" making number 3. The Mission on the other hand were now seeing their popularity decline with this being their final original Top 40 hit to date. It's the first time I've heard this record and it's a bit of an odd one. It doesn't sound particularly rocky, I'm not really sure what sound they're going for. Now the song is over and I'm writing this I'm trying to remember how the song went, but I can't.
I loved this record at the time and still do now. The odd thing is that this was before the scene split into happy hardcore and jungle and this sounds like it's gearing towards what would become jungle yet Slipmatt of SL2 would become one of the pioneers of happy hardcore. The only downside is that after "On A Ragga Tip 97" came out which was faster, it makes this record sound a bit slow.
I'm not much of a film person. The number of films I have on DVD is a single figure number. One movie I do own is Wayne's World and I previously owned it on VHS which basically shows how much I like it. On that basis I like this record.
My memory of Annie Lennon in 1992/93 was "Why" followed by "Walking On Broken Glass" followed by "Little Bird". But she also had a couple of Top 40 hits that completely passed me by, the first of which was this record. I think it's a combination of the fact it only reached 23 and that it's not very memorable.
This was the lead single from "Build", the 2nd and last Innocence album and is their penultimate Top 40 hit to date. I mentioned when reviewing their 1990 records that they're a group nobody remembers but I would recommend them. I still stand by that statement for this record too.
When it comes to Inner City it's all about "Good Life" and to a lesser extent "Big Fun". Both decent records but for me it's all about this record. In the 80s the technology was new and producers were experimenting with their sounds, by the 90s the technology had improved and the producers got better. That's reflected in this record.
This was the first Top 40 hit from the "Funky Divas" album which I own. It was their 2nd Top 40 hit overall with their debut "Hold On" coming 2 years prior. My memory of this record at the time is that it was out a similar time to "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" by Incognito. When I first properly got into R&B, En Vogue were one of the first groups I bought albums of
It seems a bit odd seeing Prefab Sprout had hits in the 90s, but they actually had more Top 40 hits in the 90s than the 80s. This was the highest charting of those 90s records which made number 23. It's no "The King Of Rock 'N' Roll" but it's not bad.
Summer has arrived. This takes me back to a UK holiday I went on in 1992. When I saw the video it looked like it could almost be the coastal town I went to but I later discovered it was Camden, a place I've since been to many times. I also heard this before I heard the Stevie Wonder original. As far as Incognito hits go I'd say this ones the best.
When I was doing my best year series of posts where I listened to the Top 40 for the first week of July in each year, I picked this as the best record from the 1992 Top 40 I listened to. This is one of the all time greats from the early 90s.
I'm a big fan of Motown in the 60s and 70s, but not so much Motown in the 90s. The problem with this record is that technology has allowed this record to be produced much better than it would have in the 60s. In doing that though it loses it's charm. If this was made in the 60s I'd probably have liked it, but as it wasn't it doesn't quite get there.
I always feel this record should have been earlier than 1992 for some reason. When I think what else was going on around the time of this record though it makes perfect sense for it to be 1992. It's always been on of those records I've found to be ok but nothing more.
This was the Top 40 debut for TLC and only Top 40 hit from their "Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip" album. It's one of those records I'd be happy to hear if I heard it out and about, but not one I'd really want to sit down and listen to.
When it comes to early 90s Manic Street Preachers this is probably their best record. It's easy to say the guitaring on this makes the record, but it's more than that. I'd say the rest of it is done so well that it allows the guitar to stand out on it.
I've changed my mind about this record. There is now an overlap between what's appearing in these Top 30s and the Top 40 I reviewed for my best year search series. In that I decided it was OK but now it's been upgraded to good. My issue with The Beautiful South is that whilst the lyrics are humorous the music's always sounded a bit old fashioned for my liking. This record repeatedly contains the line "This is the woman you laid" but for years I had no idea what the words she was singing was. That kind of made the humorous lyrics redundant . But importantly listening to it again I'm finding myself enjoying it and that's what's important.
This was the first Top 40 hit of the 90s for Cyndi Lauper who surprisingly had more Top 40 hits in the 90s than the 80s. It's a cover of a song from a French musical but with English lyrics added to it by Tim Rice. The fact it's from a musical probably explains why it's rather boring.
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit to date for Oceanic. What becomes apparent by this point is that Oceanic have their own sound, you can tell it was the same people who did "Insanity" but at the same time the tunes aren't just clones of each other.
This was the 4th Top 40 hit from their "Achtung Baby" album which had now been out for over 6 months. The one word that springs to mind with this record is average. It's alright to listen to but I'm not going to seek it out to listen to.
The Top 40 debut for The Orb which stands at just under 40 minutes long. There is a much shorter radio edit though and the album version stands at just 17 minutes 34 seconds long. I own the "UFOrb" album so no surprise that I like this record.
In an era where I have more music available to listen to on the internet but less time to listen to it, I find myself listening to the shortened version of songs most of the time. Not with this one though, I'm more inclined to listen to a longer live version. It's a pretty basic song really but Guns n Roses take it to another level.
This was the first single to be taken from the album of the same name. Even though it sounds like a typical Elton John record, it somehow sounds catchier than most. Maybe I've just heard it too many times in my life. It's a decent enough record but hasn't quite got enough about it for me to truly like it.
This was the Top 40 debut for Ugly Kid Joe. They were a pretty cool band to like at the time as I recall, but very quickly they became uncool. I guess it's hard to tell if they're trying to carry on the legacy of hair metal or fit into the grunge movement. One record I do recall being out at a similar time is "Lithium" by Nirvana and without really knowing the ins and outs I considered them both similar in style. I did consider this to be the better record out of the two.
Although this wasn't their debut hit, this was really the beginning of Take That becoming more or less the biggest pop act of the early 90s. Their debut "Do What You Like" never charted at all, then "Promises" only made 38, the next single "Once You've Tasted Love" didn't make the Top 40 and then came this. This was also their first single not to be written by Gary Barlow as it was a cover of the Tavares record.
I remember how I find out who made this record. Somebody told me they'd just bought the Kris Kross record and I thought they were talking about Christopher Cross of "Arthurs Theme" fame. Then they played it and I realised it was a completely different act. In theory 2 squeaky voiced kids rapping should be terrible, but this one isn't. The actual tune helps a lot, but they rap it well too.
I remember this on Top of the Pops with the chanting of "Utah Saints". It was their 2nd Top 40 hit and highest charting single to date. When the awful 2008 version was released I was quick to point towards this, the much better version.
This was George Michael's last hit before his legal battle with Sony. I can't remember what I thought about this record at the time, I just remember it existing. Given the circumstances around this single being released though it does sound a bit like he's put out any old crap.
My memory of this record is going on holiday around this time to the same place I went when the other big Richard Marx hit "Right Here Waiting" was in the charts. I like the record at the time without paying too much attention to the lyrics. Aside from the mystery behind the story I think it also highlights how judgmental some rural communities can be.
This was the first version of "Please Don't Go" that I heard. The original is by KC & the Sunshine Band, but it's basically a clone of a cover done the same year by Italian act Double You. I do like it, but the other tune "Game Boy" is better. Whilst "Please Don't Go" is a commercial dance record, "Game Boy" is very much a rave record.
I did like this record at the time. It was the theme music to the TV series of the same name which starred Nick Berry which had just began at a similar time on a Friday night. Unfortunately from the 2nd series it was on a Sunday night and has therefore since reminded me that I have school in the morning. If I'd carried on watching it once I joined the world of work then it would probably remind me of that similar dread of having work in the morning too.
Erasure had 16 Top 40 hits to their name prior to this record. I like all 16 of those records, but then came this. It's an EP full of Abba covers with the main track being "Take A Chance On Me" that features a rap from MC Kinky. I don't like any of them.
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 20/30, or 67%. All decent scores so far this year as we approach the half way stage.
For the 2nd time in 1995 we are at United Dance at the Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre. This time we're here for the launch of the first in the United Dance compilation series which was released the following Monday.
These compilations were happy hardcore ones and were pretty big in the rave scene at the time. They were even big enough to get advertised on the TV.
The series went up to number 6 in 1997, but by the end of that year Eruption who ran United Dance was clearly losing interest in happy hardcore and started including house DJs like Brandon Block and Alex P on the line up as well as forming Ruff Driverz with Bradley Carter.
Slipmatt would mix a couple of anthems compilations covering 88-92 and 92-97 before United Dance got sold to Slammin Vinyl and become more of a drum & bass and UK garage specialist which included them releasing a UK garage compilation in 2000.
All 5 DJs, Slipmatt, DJ SY, Seduction, Dougal and Vibes who mixed the first compilation appeared on this night. Interestingly though the sets for all these DJs differ a fair bit tune wise to the compilation. The DJ SY set has the biggest overlap of 4 tunes, Seduction has 2, Dougal and Vibes have 1 each and Slipmatt doesn't have any.
There was drum & bass at this night too albeit with few DJs than happy hardcore. The set I have posted is the Swanne set because this has both drum & bass and happy hardcore in it.
The drum & bass tune that appears the most is "The Lighter" by Sound of the Future which appears in every drum & bass set. These are the new for 1995 drum & bass tunes:
Dillinger - Believe The Bass
Lemon D - Jah Love
Xcelle - Why
Solution - What Can I Do?
L Double - All Lighter Massive
Raggadeath - Why Ask Why
Dr Wootang - Original Wootang
The happy hardcore tune which appear the most is "Toy Town" by Hixxy & Sharkey, no doubt I'll be saying this frequently for the rest of the year. These are the new for 1995 tunes:
Alchemist & Fade - Awakening
New Motion - Looking 4 Love
D-Zyne & DJ Fury - The Horny Raver
DJ Supreme & Sunset Regime - Flying With The Rhythm
DJ Supreme & Sunset Regime - Sky
Force & Styles - All Over
Hardheads - I'm A Gabber Baby
The Director - Digital Revolution
Scott Brown - Turn This Mother Out
Cheddar - Cheddar III
New Motion - Break Release
Vibes & Wishdokta - Motorway Madness
Seduction & Eruption - Bust The New Jam
Seduction & Eruption - Break It Down
Brothers In Crime - How Deep Is Your Love
M-Jay & Dan-Vee - The Sun Always Shines
DJ Isaac - Happy Hardcore Freak
The Director - Pump Up The Bass
Scott Brown - Systematic
Future Primitive - Ban This
Undercover Elephant - Short Fuser
Bass D & King Matthew - You Are My Destiny
Notable tunes on that list include the New Motion ones. They were the members of Force & the Evolution who weren't Force & Styles and this was the first release on UK Dance record which was owned by Force & Styles. The Force & Styles tune was the 2nd release.
Another one of note is "Motorway Madness" by Vibes & Wishdokta which I believe is the final yet to be heard Wishdokta tune before he went on to pioneer UK garage under his real name Grant Nelson.
As usual the Clarkee set was geared more towards the Dutch and Scottish records and there was still an overlap with what he was playing and what the happy hardcore DJs were playing. Brisk and Druid were very much happy hardcore but were very much geared towards the Dutch and Scottish records and the rest were more English tunes.
The next United Dance event would be in August ahead of the release of the 2nd compilation.
When it comes to reggae music there have been very few prolific acts in the UK Top 40. UB40 are miles ahead of any other reggae act in terms of most Top 40 hits, then you have Bob Marley and Shaggy in joint 2nd for actual reggae tunes, then it's Sean Paul who's had more hits as a featured collaborator than reggae hits of his own.
In 5th place we have Maxi Priest on 9 Top 40 hits along with Aswad and Judge Dread. He's best known for his American number one "Close To You" in 1990 and his biggest UK hit "Wild World" in 1988 and many won't know any of his other hits. His Top 40 career actually lasted 10 years from 1986 to 1996.
This was hit number 7 and was the 2nd and final hit from his "Fe Real" album. The lead single was the double a-side "Just Wanna Know / Fe' Real" with the latter featuring Apache Indian and made number 33. One of the composers of this record is Simon Law who was one time a member of Soul II Soul.
Behind the scenes though Maxi Priest was perhaps ready to step aside for his son Ryan Elliott to have his moment as member of Ultimate Kaos. They would make their Top 40 debut the following year and would have 4 of their 5 Top 40 hits before Maxi Priest returned in 1996.
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:
I've changed my mind about this record. There is now an overlap between what's appearing in these Top 30s and the Top 40 I reviewed for my best year search series. In that I decided it was OK but now it's been upgraded to good. My issue with The Beautiful South is that whilst the lyrics are humorous the music's always sounded a bit old fashioned for my liking. This record repeatedly contains the line "This is the woman you laid" but for years I had no idea what the words she was singing was. That kind of made the humorous lyrics redundant . But importantly listening to it again I'm finding myself enjoying it and that's what's important.
In 1990 Craig McLachlan was on Neighbours, Home & Away and singing at the same time on UK screens. By 1992 he was long gone from Neighbours and I'm sure he was gone from Home & Away too, but he was still singing just about. Not sure if many people noticed he was still singing though, I certainly didn't. Sounds like I wasn't missing out though.
After 3 years away from the Top 40, Curiosity Killed the Cat were back with a shortened name and their final Top 40 hit to date. It seems a few 80s acts were having low charting and long forgotten 90s hits around this time, but this one made number 3. It's not for me though.
Ce Ce Penitston is known for one song but despite this she managed to score 3 Top 10 hits. This is the 3rd of them and it's a move away from dance music. It was written by Steve "Silk" Hurley, but this just suggests to me he should stick to dance music as this is pretty bland.
I'm not much of a film person. The number of films I have on DVD is a single figure number. One movie I do own is Wayne's World and I previously owned it on VHS which basically shows how much I like it. On that basis I like this record.
In the early days of the internet a site about rave music was named after this tune. It would have clips of old rave tunes but they had the first few second of this tune on them first. When I think of old skool rave the year 1992 is the first that springs to mind so it's a bit odd having a tune from 1992 called "Back To The Old School". The rave scene had been going for a few years by this point though. What we have here is an at the time modern rave record with influences of 80s acid house in it and it works pretty well.
When it comes to Inner City it's all about "Good Life" and to a lesser extent "Big Fun". Both decent records but for me it's all about this record. In the 80s the technology was new and producers were experimenting with their sounds, by the 90s the technology had improved and the producers got better. That's reflected in this record.
My memory of Annie Lennon in 1992/93 was "Why" followed by "Walking On Broken Glass" followed by "Little Bird". But she also had a couple of Top 40 hits that completely passed me by, the first of which was this record. I think it's a combination of the fact it only reached 23 and that it's not very memorable.
This is a bit different to the rockier numbers she'd been doing prior to this. It has more of a Caribbean sound to it. My first thought is maybe the songwriters have changed but no it's Terry Britten, Graham Lyle who wrote several of her previous hits. It's not bad but does sound a little odd.
After they spent a long time at number one with "Stay" Shakespear's Sister followed up with this. I do remember this annoying me at the time, but as it's long forgotten I don't think I've heard it for 30 years. Listening to it now reminds me of how I found it irritating, here's hoping I won't hear it for another 30 years at least.
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit to date for Oceanic. What becomes apparent by this point is that Oceanic have their own sound, you can tell it was the same people who did "Insanity" but at the same time the tunes aren't just clones of each other.
Summer has arrived. This takes me back to a UK holiday I went on in 1992. When I saw the video it looked like it could almost be the coastal town I went to but I later discovered it was Camden, a place I've since been to many times. I also heard this before I heard the Stevie Wonder original. As far as Incognito hits go I'd say this ones the best.
This was the first Top 40 hit of the 90s for Cyndi Lauper who surprisingly had more Top 40 hits in the 90s than the 80s. It's a cover of a song from a French musical but with English lyrics added to it by Tim Rice. The fact it's from a musical probably explains why it's rather boring.
When it comes to early 90s Manic Street Preachers this is probably their best record. It's easy to say the guitaring on this makes the record, but it's more than that. I'd say the rest of it is done so well that it allows the guitar to stand out on it.
Our monthly record from The Wedding Present in 1992. I used to associate The Wedding Present with Madchester because of the name and the haircuts and that it all came under the indie music banner. This record is the nearest they got to a Madchester sounding record that I've heard. That doesn't mean it's any good though.
I loved this record at the time and still do now. The odd thing is that this was before the scene split into happy hardcore and jungle and this sounds like it's gearing towards what would become jungle yet Slipmatt of SL2 would become one of the pioneers of happy hardcore. The only downside is that after "On A Ragga Tip 97" came out which was faster, it makes this record sound a bit slow.
This was the first Top 40 hit from the "Funky Divas" album which I own. It was their 2nd Top 40 hit overall with their debut "Hold On" coming 2 years prior. My memory of this record at the time is that it was out a similar time to "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" by Incognito. When I first properly got into R&B, En Vogue were one of the first groups I bought albums of
Ask someone to name a Faith No More record and I doubt you'd have many people naming this record, but it was their 2nd highest charting hit. Mike Patton's singing style had changed compared to their previous 2 Top 40 hits to the point that it sounds like it's someone completely different singing. It's a more aggressive tone but this goes better with the music.
I always feel this record should have been earlier than 1992 for some reason. When I think what else was going on around the time of this record though it makes perfect sense for it to be 1992. It's always been on of those records I've found to be ok but nothing more.
This was the first single to be taken from the album of the same name. Even though it sounds like a typical Elton John record, it somehow sounds catchier than most. Maybe I've just heard it too many times in my life. It's a decent enough record but hasn't quite got enough about it for me to truly like it.
In an era where I have more music available to listen to on the internet but less time to listen to it, I find myself listening to the shortened version of songs most of the time. Not with this one though, I'm more inclined to listen to a longer live version. It's a pretty basic song really but Guns n Roses take it to another level.
Although this wasn't their debut hit, this was really the beginning of Take That becoming more or less the biggest pop act of the early 90s. Their debut "Do What You Like" never charted at all, then "Promises" only made 38, the next single "Once You've Tasted Love" didn't make the Top 40 and then came this. This was also their first single not to be written by Gary Barlow as it was a cover of the Tavares record.
This was the Top 40 debut for Ugly Kid Joe. They were a pretty cool band to like at the time as I recall, but very quickly they became uncool. I guess it's hard to tell if they're trying to carry on the legacy of hair metal or fit into the grunge movement. One record I do recall being out at a similar time is "Lithium" by Nirvana and without really knowing the ins and outs I considered them both similar in style. I did consider this to be the better record out of the two.
I did like this record at the time. It was the theme music to the TV series of the same name which starred Nick Berry which had just began at a similar time on a Friday night. Unfortunately from the 2nd series it was on a Sunday night and has therefore since reminded me that I have school in the morning. If I'd carried on watching it once I joined the world of work then it would probably remind me of that similar dread of having work in the morning too.
I remember this on Top of the Pops with the chanting of "Utah Saints". It was their 2nd Top 40 hit and highest charting single to date. When the awful 2008 version was released I was quick to point towards this, the much better version.
My memory of this record is going on holiday around this time to the same place I went when the other big Richard Marx hit "Right Here Waiting" was in the charts. I like the record at the time without paying too much attention to the lyrics. Aside from the mystery behind the story I think it also highlights how judgmental some rural communities can be.
This was George Michael's last hit before his legal battle with Sony. I can't remember what I thought about this record at the time, I just remember it existing. Given the circumstances around this single being released though it does sound a bit like he's put out any old crap.
I remember how I find out who made this record. Somebody told me they'd just bought the Kris Kross record and I thought they were talking about Christopher Cross of "Arthurs Theme" fame. Then they played it and I realised it was a completely different act. In theory 2 squeaky voiced kids rapping should be terrible, but this one isn't. The actual tune helps a lot, but they rap it well too.
This was the first version of "Please Don't Go" that I heard. The original is by KC & the Sunshine Band, but it's basically a clone of a cover done the same year by Italian act Double You. I do like it, but the other tune "Game Boy" is better. Whilst "Please Don't Go" is a commercial dance record, "Game Boy" is very much a rave record.
Erasure had 16 Top 40 hits to their name prior to this record. I like all 16 of those records, but then came this. It's an EP full of Abba covers with the main track being "Take A Chance On Me" that features a rap from MC Kinky. I don't like any of them.
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 17.5/30, or 58%. After last weeks Top 10 didn't have a bad record we have 3 rubbish new entries in there this week, but the overall score has only gone down 1 point.
