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:
30. Hyper Go-Go - High (New)
A lot is made about the fact hardcore and jungle could co-exist in the same arena in the early days before they became different. This though is an example of when hardcore rave and house could co-exist before they became too different. Whilst very much a house record there are rave elements to it and Hyper Go-Go would play at places like Raindance.
Verdict - Good
I should hate this song really after Popmaster Live when we incorrectly thought this was on their "Joyride" album as opposed to "Tourism" and therefore dropping a point. It's very difficult to age their music though, in my mind all their records came out in 1989. I can't help but like it though.
Verdict - Good
28. Ugly Kid Joe - Neighbor (New)
The lesser known follow up to "Everything About You". Again it treads the line between the sound grunge brought to the mainstream and what grunge allegedly killed off. I guess I can hear a bit of Nirvana or Sonic Youth in distorted guitars but can hear a bit of Def Leppard in the singing. It just isn't as catchy as its predecessor and it helps me understand why everyone hated Ugly Kid Joe by late 1993.
Verdict - Rubbish
27. Bananarama - Movin' On (New)
Bananarama had now become a duo after Jacquie O'Sullivan had left the group. I don't think too many people noticed though, I certainly have no recollection of Bananarama as late as 1992. It's also their last Top 40 hit to date written by Stock & Waterman. It basically sounds like poundland Abba and I'm not a big fan of Abba.
Verdict - Rubbish
I'm very much aware of this records existence. In fact if Tori Amos was the 3 in 10 on Popmaster then this may feature in my answer. Yet here I am trying to remember how the song actually goes. For the first 2 minutes it's not ringing any bells but then suddenly I hear the bit I remember. It then drifts off to be much the same as the first 2 minutes.
Verdict - Rubbish
This double a-side is a re-issue of their debut single "Youth Gone Wild" which failed to make the Top 40 when first released and a cover of "Delivering The Goods" by Judas Priest. "Youth Gone Wild" is arguably their signature song but is far from my favourite. "Delivering The Goods" features Rob Halford from Judas Priest on vocals and sounds much more like it.
Verdict - OK / Good
Pop Will Eat Itself collaborated with The Prodigy on "Their Law" in 1994 on their "Music For The Jilted Generation" album. It seems like that collaboration was inspired by this record. Not that they sound the same, more that Liam Howlett possible heard this dance/industrial crossover record and thought about putting his beats on something in that style.
Verdict - Good
Although this is the best known record by The Smiths, it only charted at number 25 when first released in 1983. It was re-issued by the label to promote a greatest hits compilation and became their highest charting single by doing so. Before I'd heard any of The Smiths records I knew them to be my guitar teachers favourite band so expected them to be more of a heavy rock band so it was ultimately a disappointment. There did come a point where I grew to like this record though.
Verdict - Good
The lesser known follow up to "Hazard", though it is his joint 3rd highest charting Top 40 hit. It sounds like a very stereotypical soft rock record but is also catchy so onto a winning formula.
Verdict - Good
Depending on what definition you want to use, this is the beginning of Paul Wellers solo career if you consider The Paul Weller Movement to be a band. It basically sounds like a Paul Weller record, he had quite a few songs which sound like this. Not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember getting somewhat confused by this record at the time. To my knowledge Was (Not Was) were a male group but here was a female I'd never seen before singing it. The female in question is Kim Basinger who simply provided vocals and wasn't a member of the group. It was originally recorded in 1983 with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals and his vocals appear on this version too. This remix was done by Steve "Silk" Hurley. It took a while for me to get into this but it grew on me eventually.
Verdict - Good
Throughout 1989 and into early 1990 Bobby Brown had a new single every 5 minutes it seemed. Then there was nothing until this record. It continues the new jack swing sound of its predecessors with Babyface, LA Reid and Daryl Simmons on songwriting duties again. It has a more aggressive sound than previous efforts which I guess went with Bobby Browns bad boy persona.
Verdict - Good
This is the beginning of the post "The Immaculate Collection" era of Madonna. This has a more mature sound than her previous efforts but that means this is basically granny music. It's from the film "A League Of Their Own" which was set in World War II so it was perhaps the intention to make a tune that sounds old fashioned. The song is rubbish though and so is the film.
Verdict - Rubbish
We've now reached the time of the Olympics in Barcelona. I'm not really an Olympics fan truth be told, even when it was in London I only watched dribs and drabs. I was into the Barcelona Olympics though, I guess being school holidays and the right time zone helped. As a result this record has a bit of sentimental value to it.
Verdict - Good
This record seems a bit out of place in 1992. It's one of those I feel I've always known but it's most likely that when I first heard it in 1992 I just assumed it was an old record. It was the 2nd single released for his greatest hits album, the first not making the Top 40 and prior to that he hadn't been in the Top 40 since 1986. Quite surprisingly he was still having Top 40 hits as late as 2004 but this is the last one I actually remember. It's your typical naff Lionel Richie record.
Verdict - Rubbish
A long forgotten Take That single which is the only non-cover not to be written by any of Take That's members. It was written by Ian Levine and Billy Griffin and has since been disowned by the group with Gary Barlow stating that they all hate it. I guess Gary Barlow won't be making any royalties from it, but to be fair it is pretty awful.
Verdict - Rubbish
We're nearing the end of the Stock Aitken & Waterman era for Kylie Minogue with this being the penultimate Top 40 hit and final one to actually be written by them. Sounds just like all the other ones.
Verdict - Rubbish
This started off as a solo Roy Orbison record in the early 60s. This duet version was done in 1987 but not released in the UK until 1992. The previous year a comedy duet version appeared in "Only Fools And Horses" sung by 2 of the characters which may have inspired the decision to release this as a single. I don't mind it, but if I was to listen to it I'd be more inclined to listen to the comedy version.
Verdict - OK
I remember the chorus to this but not much else. It was the lead single off her 2nd album and her final Top 40 hit to date. As the record began my initial thought was this sounds more mature than her previous efforts, but then she starts rapping the verse which makes it sound as silly as her other records. I will however give this record half marks because I do like the backing track, it's just the vocals which lets it down.
Verdict - OK
The 4th Top 40 hit for 2 Unlimited and first not to make the Top 10. I would describe this as being the ultimate generic eurodance record. It somehow manages to be very cheesy whilst being a bit boring at the same time.
Verdict - Rubbish
When an actor, or someone famous for something other than music releases a record you generally expect it to be a novelty record. Jimmy Nail is an actor but whilst this record has a bit of humour to it, I wouldn't call it a novelty record. The fact I quite like it too may have something to do with that.
Verdict - Good
There are some records where I can pin point exactly when they came out and this is one of them. I associate this with starting a new year at school. There is also no doubt that this is the best Annie Lennox solo record I've heard.
Verdict - Good
After topping the charts with their Top 40 debut KWS followed up with another cover. In fact all their Top 40 hits were covers. This was also the opening track to a rave compilation I have from 1992.
Verdict - Good
This had previously been a Top 10 hit in 1987 but was re-released because of the Barcelona Olympics. I had the single and there was also a shorter version on there which was used for the TV coverage. As I had the single then clearly I liked it.
Verdict - Good
Hardbag has arrived with this being credited as the breakthrough record for that genre. Felix was the only one flying the flag for the genre commercially in the early days as it wasn't until 1994 when we started to get the flood of hardbag Top 40 hits. You could say this was ahead of its time then.
Verdict - Good
The debut for Jon Secada and the only hit of his that many people would remember. I love the contrast between the vocals and backing track in this. You hear the intro and it sounds quite happy and upbeat, then you hear the pain in his voice.
Verdict - Good
Being a London resident, I pass though Baker Street a lot and still to this very day I get this record going through my head more often than not when I do so. It was the Top 40 debut for Undercover and their best known. I'd not heard the Gerry Rafferty original at the time so this is my default version.
Verdict - Good
Back in 1992 I just thought this record was a bit naff. By 1993 I thought we'd seen the last of Billy Ray Cyrus and for a while that seemed to be the case. Unfortunately we've since had to encounter a lot more from the Cyrus name than just a naff record. To be fair to Billy, it's more his daughter that irritates me than him. Still, if it wasn't for this record then nobody would have heard of his daughter which makes me hate it even more.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I saw the video to this I thought Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson looked different to how I remember them. That is of course because it's not Luther Vandross or Janet Jackson in the video, it's Damon Wayans and Stacey Dash from the film "Mo Money" which this record is from.
Verdict - Good
In my college days I bought an old rave compilation from Cash Converters and put it on in the common room. Several people in the common room weren't into rave and weren't familiar with most of the tunes. I was there saying they were missing out, this was good stuff. Then this tune came on which everyone did know, but I had to concede that this one was shit. Think that was the only one we all agreed on.
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 18/30, or 60%. Not great for new entries but still a decent score.
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