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:
Yes that's right, Jon Secada had another Top 40 hit. In fact he had 5 UK Top 40 hits in total with this being his 2nd. Like it's predecessor he changes the tone of the record as soon as he starts singing which makes it interesting. It also benefits from the fact nobody remembers it therefore it doesn't get played to death like it's predecessor.
Verdict - Good
The Farm are best known for "Groovy Train" and "All Together Now" and many would struggle to name a 3rd record of theirs. Chart wise this was the 3rd most successful and yes it's a cover of the Human League record. On paper this should be awful and listening to it I can confirm it is awful.
Verdict - Rubbish
With a title like that and the fact it's by Chippendales you just know it's going to be shit. It doesn't fail to disappoint in that respect. It's a cheesy dance record and probably inspired the current crop of EDM DJs like David Guetta who are more famous for going to the gym than making music.
Verdict - Rubbish
When Elton John rereleased "Sacrifice" and "Healing Hands" as a double a-side charity record he scored his first solo number one. He was unable to repeat that success with this record though which was for his AIDS foundation. It was a Freddie Mercury tribute song so it's quite surprising it wasn't more successful. It does take a few listens to get into though. I thought it was pretty non descript when I first heard it but now I've heard it a few times it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
This is 3 groups doing covers of the first 3 Right Said Fred singles. All were on independent record label Heavenly records. On the face of it you may ask why would they do that? but Right Said Fred were on an independent record label themselves which technically makes them an indie band. Anyone I'm sure these covers are shit on purpose, and they are shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
It had been over a year since their self titled album aka the black album and been released, but the singles kept coming with this being the 4th. This one upset the purists with it's use of Asian instruments but like with the orchestra on "Nothing Else Matters" it's not that obvious they are there with the guitars dominating again.
Verdict - Good
I'm surprised this record only got to number 16. It's hard to pin point one record as being the one En Vogue are best know for but "Free Your Mind" is definitely a candidate. Both tunes are from the "Funky Divas" album and influenced my decision to buy that album.
Verdict - Good / Good
This is the last Top 40 hit to date for Shakespear's Sister as a duo, with Marcella Detroit leaving the following year. She sings so little in this record though that it may as well have been Siobhan Fahey on her own. The thing is though, Marcella Detroit can sing and Siobhan Fahey can't.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 7th Top 40 hits for Little Angels who hadn't been higher than number 21 prior to this. It was the lead single from their yet to be released chart topping "Jam" album. They also had Bryan Adams doing backing vocals. On paper you'd think this would give them a bigger hit, but it got no higher than 22. The better records are often found in the lower reaches of the Top 40 though.
Verdict - Good
This was the beginning of Sweden taking over the music world. Dr Alban was a Nigerian based in Sweden and wrote this with Denniz Pop who founded Cherion Studios. There were a number of songwriters who have since been very prolific with their songwriting including Max Martin who at the time of writing only has Paul McCartney ahead of him in terms of most Top 40 hits as songwriter. Given how much dreadful music has been created as a result of this I should hate it. However it probably would have still happened with or without this record and I do like it in a 90s nostalgia sort of way.
Verdict - Good
Levi's weren't the only jeans company who's adverts were giving old songs a new lease of life. This was originally recorded in 1961 but charted for the first time after appearing on the Lee advert giving John Lee Hooker his first Top 40 hit in 28 years.
Verdict - Good
This is a song my memory places in 1993 for some reason. Quite strange seeing how this is an 80s band doing a song that sounds like it belongs in the 80s. Go West are one of those bands who have always irritated me and this record is no exception.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for both artists and perhaps an unlikely Top 40 hit too. I can only imagine this was riding on the success of the opera influenced Olympic records which had recently charted. Not the sort of thing I would normally listen to, but I quite like it.
Verdict - Good
This was the 3rd version of this record to reach the Top 40. The original by the Bee Gees wasn't one of them though. It came 2 years after Jimmy Somerville's cover. It's done in a typical Michael Bolton ballad type way therefore it's shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
The era of toytown techno in the Top 40 was now over and rave was giving way to eurodance. The theme for the novelty side of eurodance was versions of computer game music with this being the first. Quite surprisingly the man behind this record was Andrew Lloyd Webber. I prefer this to pretty much everything else he's done but that's because I really don't like his music.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Felix which isn't as well remembered as his first. It has more of a eurodance feel to it than its predecessor which may explain why it enjoyed more success on the continent. Fortunately it doesn't cross the line into annoying cheesy territory that many eurodance records do.
Verdict - Good
Literally everyone I knew at the time loved this record. Some even went as far as saying Charles & Eddie were their favourite band based on this record alone. I was no exception, I loved this record too.
Verdict - Good
I'd pretty much forgot about this record until I watched a Classic Chart Show episode which this appeared on. I don't know if I ever know who did it at the time, but when I saw it was Vanessa Paradis I was quite surprised. I was also surprised to learn this was written by Lenny Kravitz. It certain has that 90s nostalgia to it.
Verdict - Good
A record from 1967 which was given a new lease of life in 1992 when it featured on the Levi's advert. Erma Franklin was the sister of Aretha and had more or less retired from the music business long before this. It's the only record of hers I've ever heard so my impression of her as a singer is a positive one.
Verdict - Good
This was the comeback single for Bon Jovi after 3 years away from the Top 40. The big news surrounded this at the time though was that Jon Bon Jovi had a haircut. Music wise I loved this record at the time and there came a point when Bon Jovi were my 2nd favourite band.
Verdict - Good
After doing their Abba covers, here is Erasure going back to their roots literally. This failed to make the Top 40 when first released in 1985 but succeeded when released in 1992. I remember hearing it at the time and thinking that's more like it.
Verdict - Good
Simon Harris was one of the first DJs to bring Hip House to the charts in the late 80s. It was more or less dead as a genre in the charts by 1992 and instead Simon Harris was doing this. Why you would turns computer game music into an actual tune I don't know, in the days when I played computer games I'd often turn the sound off because the music irritated me so much.
Verdict - Rubbish
I think we're reaching the point here where the rules were getting established in that if you were female you liked Take That and if you were male you didn't. I should point out I no longer subscribe to that way of thinking, I like what I like. What I will say about this song is that it showcases Gary Barlow's credentials as a songwriter. It's a proper song, nothing particularly cheesy about it unlike their previous efforts. That doesn't mean I like it though.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was single number 28 for Madonna which was the lead single off what was only her 5th album. It somehow manages to be both irritating and boring. It was controversial at the time and the video was banned on MTV, but it's really a nothing song.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. The Shamen - Boss Drum (New)
I mentioned in the "Ebeneezer Goode" review the the person who gave me a lift to school would always turn off the radio when that tune came on. When this one appeared on the radio that person said they actually liked this record. So did I.
Verdict - Good
This is a tune which reminds me of the beginning of a school year. I loved this tune at the time and still do. It was the 3rd Top 40 hit for Bizarre Inc but it was a change in direction compared to it's predecessors. The story is that the record label wanted them to make more of a pop record and this was the result.
Verdict - Good
I recall a few years ago watching a "Forgotten Gems of the 90s" show on one of the music channels. It was a welcome change to the usual anthem bashing you get on retro channels. If memory serves me correctly this was number one. My initial thought was is this really forgotten, but then I guess I've not heard it much since the 90s. That may be a reason why I still like it.
Verdict - Good
When I first heard people talking about Rage Against the Machine in 1993 I thought surely they can't be talking about the group who had a hit with "Run to You" not so long ago. They weren't as this group were simply called Rage. It's a eurodance cover of the Bryan Adams record which on paper should be dreadful. It's actually not bad though.
Verdict - OK
In 1992 there were just 2 rap records which made the Top 10, "Jump" by Kris Kross and this record. It was the Top 40 debut for Arrested Development. It was the weird noises that I always liked about this record at the time.
Verdict - Good
When it comes to Boyz II Men I can't look past the comparison that's often made between them and Jodeci which is basically Jodeci were the bad boys of R&B whereas Boyz II Men were the clean cut group. Behind the scenes though Babyface was one of the writers and he has also written for K-Ci & Jojo of Jodeci. That doesn't mean this song is good though.
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%. OK the predicted decline hasn't happened, we've improved over last week.
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