Tuesday, 31 January 2023

25 Years Since....January 1998

Time to turn the clock back to 1998 for the first time:

Lighthouse Family - High

The Lighthouse Family were never a cool band to like and that coupled with the fact I was still a raver had made me resist their records. That was until this record came out.

I couldn't help but like it, I thought it was a very soothing record. I also managed to own said song as part of a compilation I bought a couple of years later.

David Holmes - Don't Die Just Yet

Around this time the rave music I was listening to was getting harder and faster. Not just the music direction, but I was also finding myself more drawn towards the gabber side of things. I learned that what I also needed was some chill out music to counter that.

This record fitted that bill. The fact it was by David Holmes who also made more banging music would have no doubt helped.

Industry Standard - Industry Standard Volume 1 (What You Want What You Need)

One thing to remember about rave is that it doesn't refer to one specific genre. Hardcore is the obvious music that fits under the term rave, but I also considered garage to fit under it too, least of all because it wasn't unusual to find a garage room at a rave.

This was one of the garage records that made it into the mainstream. Pretty much all the garage records that broke through in those days was decent.

Somore - I Refuse (What You Want) ft Damon Trueitt

This was basically the same record as the Industry Standard one.


The Heartists - Belo Horizonti



One of the records from 1997 that I featured was "Samba De Janeiro" by Bellini. This is basically the same record except this was the original that just charted later.
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UK Number 40s: Joanne Farrell - All I Wanna Do (1995)

 


Not only do we have an artist here who's too obscure for Wikipedia, we have one that's also too obscure for Discogs. If you go to the Discogs entry for this record and click the artist it will tell you that Joanne Farrell is a British actress.

Except it's not that Joanne Farrell who made this record. It's a singer from Philadelphia who had previous been in a covers band called Lovestone. More recently she has been playing with Midnight Hour.

It's a dance cover of the Sheryl Crow record which had still been in the Top 40 at the beginning of 1995. That record was still pretty popular by the time this cover came out and I guess the record buying public weren't interested in a dance cover.

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Monday, 30 January 2023

The Top 40 Leaderboard: 2022

Better late than never, we have the final leaderboard of 2022. No surprise to see it was won by Drake with a total of 10 Top 40 hits and with 79 Top 40 hits overall to his name. If he keeps up that momentum for the next 5 years which he probably will, then he'll overtake Elvis and Cliff.

Central Cee was a close second having been an earlier leader of the board. His number of Top 40 hits overall went from 8 to 16. That's in a Top 40 career of just 2 years and 2 months. 

D-Block Europe brought their total to 27 Top 40 hits in 4 years whilst Aitch is on 18 in 3.5 years. Ed Sheeran ended the year with 57 Top 40 hits to his name, equal with Status Quo and one behind David Bowie and Justin Bieber. I expected the latter to be up there, but he ended up having no Top 40 hits in 2022.

The number of rap Top 40 hits in 2022 fell just short of 100, reaching 98 of the 220 records or 45%.



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Sunday, 29 January 2023

Top 30 in 1993 Reviewed: Week 5

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 1993 with my verdict on each record:


The first of 2 Top 40 hits for Sugar who were an American alternative rock band who possibly benefited from grunge becoming mainstream. Despite this and lots of people I knew now being into grunge, I don't ever recall anybody mentioning Sugar and I have no recollection myself of them existing. To be fair though it's a pretty forgettable song.

Verdict - Rubbish


The first new Top 30 hit of 1993 is the solo debut for Apache Indian. It's basically Asian influence reggae music which makes it interesting. That said, it doesn't make me think wow what a tune. Despite being a bit different it does sound a bit generic. 

Verdict - OK


I did like this record at the time. So much so that when we voted for what charity to support at school I picked "Heal The World" on the basis of this song. These days though I can't tolerate songs like this. 

Verdict - Rubbish


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



What makes no sense to me is Alexander O'Neal still having hits in 1993. To me he's one of those R&B singers who's popularity faded with the emergence of new jack swing. He started doing new jack swing himself though which worked on his previous hit "All True Man". It doesn't work on this one though I'm afraid.

Verdict - Rubbish


SOUL SYSTEM was another alias of Robert Clivilles and David Cole. The chorus is from "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers and the verses have some pretty dreadful rapping on them. An absolutely terrible record.

Verdict - Rubbish


Rapination were The Rapino Brothers who were enjoying success as producers of "Could It Be Magic" by Take That. I associate this record with school discos and being an example of why modern music as it was at the time was the best.

Verdict - Good 


Leila K had made her Top 40 debut in 1989 on "Got To Get" with Rob n Raz. This was her 2nd and final Top 40 hit to date. It was also the 2nd Top 40 hit to be written by Denniz Pop, the man who got the ball rolling for the Swedes taking over the songwriting world. I find this one rather irritating.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Naughty By Nature, who's debut "OPP" is their best known record but only made number 35. Like it's predecessor it has a catchy sing along chorus. Take that out of the equation though and you still have a decent hip hop record.

Verdict - Good 


This was the 40th Top 40 hit for Paul McCartney. Generally speaking when someone is this far into their career and they have a song where they play the acoustic guitar it's a complete bore fest. I can't say that for this record though. Despite the acoustic guitar its quite uplifting. Doesn't have enough about it for me to truly like it though.

Verdict - OK


The Top 40 debut for Dinosaur Jr who formed in 1984 and were onto their 5th album by this point. I remember somebody introducing me to the band around this time. I thought the music was a bit different, but in a good way. 

Verdict - Good 


Grunge was supposed to have killed off music like this, but here is further proof that it didn't. That said Def Leppard were never a cool band to like amongst my peers. The main reason I never really like Def Leppard though were generic songs like this.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Shamen could do no wrong in 1992 it would seem. I would say this is the best of their 1992 hits, possibly helped by the fact it hasn't fallen victim to anthem bashing. At the time I misheard the lyrics to the chorus as being "we are the burger people". 

Verdict - Good


We were now in the 4th year of the 90s, yet Go West were still managing to have hits. This was a cover of a Bobby Caldwell song which is being done 80s style in the 90s. There's nothing wrong with 80s music, but there are some 80s acts who have always irritated me and Go West is one of those.

Verdict - Rubbish


Despite the fact this record came out at a time when I was very much following the charts and "Sledgehammer" came out just before my music memories begin I still find myself getting the 2 records mixed up. According to one of the video comments Peter Gabriel wrote this as a reaction to the critics saying all his songs sound the same. It's not a bad sound for all your songs though.

Verdict - OK


The Cult were finished in terms of new Top 40 hits by this point, but they were in the Top 40 once again with a remix of their debut hit "She Sells Sanctuary". They were one of the 80s bands seen as acceptable by the grunge community and the remix was done by Nirvana producer Butch Vig you'd expect it to have more of a grunge sound. It has more of a dance sound though and doesn't really work.

Verdict - Rubbish


When Lulu collaborated with Take That later on in the year my perception was that it was the first time she'd been in the charts since the 60s. Turns out her comeback came at the beginning of the year with this record which passed me by. If you didn't know this was Lulu then you wouldn't know it's by a 60s singer, it sounds very much like a 90s record. Nothing special but it's alright.

Verdict - OK


One thing I remember about this record at the time was some people thinking this was Guns N Roses. I sort of get why having the word "roses" in the title may cause this confusion, but it really sounds nothing like Guns N Roses. I think Bon Jovi were my 3rd favourite band at the time, behind Guns N Roses funnily enough and INXS. It's a ballad, but one you can scream your lungs out to which is a good thing in my book. 

Verdict - Good 


It had already been established that boys weren't supposed to like Take That, but nobody had said anything about East 17 yet. Therefore I would make no secret at the time that I liked this record. It was their first Top 5 hit.

Verdict - Good 


If ever there was proof that everyone's got one good song in them, then this is it. I'm not a fan of Duran Duran, I've always found their music irritating generally speaking. But this record is excellent. It's easy to point the finger at the guitaring for making this record so good and it certainly contributes to that, but everything about it is good.

Verdict - Good 


It was around the time this record came out that it was established that if you were a boy you weren't supposed to like Take That. At the same time, this was the first Take That record I actually liked. I wouldn't admit it at the time but I admit it now.

Verdict - Good


I would say "Mr. Wendal" is one of those records that's got better with age. I liked it at the time, but later on in life I'm realising what a strange record it is, but in a good way. "Revolution" was one I don't ever remember hearing at the time, but I do know it now. It was looking like it wasn't on YouTube when I searched for it, so I went to Google to search and a YouTube video was the first result. Again a decent record.

Verdict - Good / Good


This record is best remembered for it's video full of naked people rather than the actual tune. Reading through the video comments I came across one that sums it up perfectly for me "It sounds great and the message is still something to aspire to. It's a shame the years have made me cynical.". 

Verdict - Good 


This one reminds me of school discos where someone was getting pissed off with me copying their dance moves. I wasn't aware of the Simple Minds tune this sampled at the time, but now I'm very familiar with it I realise there's not really that much difference between the two records.

Verdict - Good 


The highest charting Top 40 hit for Faith No More which is a cover of the Commodores record. It did find it somewhat questionable initially but hearing the guitar solo in it convinced me. "Be Aggressive" has aggressive vocals but the music not so much, but decent tune nonetheless. 

Verdict - Good / Good


This was 3rd time this record made the Top 40 having previously charted in 1979 and 1984. It was also the highest charting release. I gather this was released this time due to being featured in the TV show "The Gladiators" at the time. I got into an argument with someone else about what the best song from the show was, they liked this and I liked "The Boys Are Back In Town".

Verdict - Rubbish


The tune which knocked Whitney Houston off number one which everybody sang "there's no lyrics" to. I'm terrible at making out lyrics in songs and I remember being criticised for not knowing the words to the other bit she sings and remember other people telling me what the words were. My thoughts were they would have been better of genuinely having no lyrics.

Verdict - Rubbish


We're into the final year of Stock and Waterman having hits which begins with this. It sounds like Stock and Waterman had little to do with it though, it's a cover and production was done by West End aka Eddie Gordon amongst others who were uncredited. That would explain why this record is actually quite good.

Verdict - Good


I did like this record at the time but haven't heard it since. I was expecting not to like it now though as I've become much less tolerant of eurodance in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I still like it. The fact it's breakbeat rather than the kick drum probably helps, but it sounds like a proper dance record.

Verdict - Good


You couldn't escape this record at the time, it was everywhere. I recall "The Bodyguard" film which this was taken from being massive as well. Let's just say the film was much better than the song.

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%. Quite a drop from last week, but still above 50%.
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Friday, 27 January 2023

Top 30 in 1996 Reviewed: Week 4

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 27 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Friday.

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 1996 with my verdict on each record:


LL Cool J had been around for over a decade by this point, but this was just his 5th Top 40 hit and only the 2nd to make the Top 20. This was on a compilation I owned and remember finding this quite soothing. Another thing that stood out to me was the line about waiting at the bus stop, no idea why.

Verdict - Good


I don't think this was ever considered a true contender for Christmas number one but I guess it shouldn't have ever been ruled out considering how high it did chart. Bjork presented the Christmas Top of the Pops that year which obviously was recorded in advance of Christmas day when they wouldn't have known what was number one. Bjork announced Michael Jackson was Christmas number one, so presumably they recorded all possibilities of who could be Christmas number one and I do wonder whether they recorded Bjork saying she was Christmas number one herself. Anyway I didn't really like it at the time, but it's grown on me over the years. 

Verdict - Good


Dreadzone have been around for years and are still going strong today, but this was their only Top 40 hit. This is their best known record and I recall it being different to anything else I'd heard before at the time. I liked it enough to buy the album and indeed other Dreadzone albums as well as going to see them in concert.

Verdict - Good


The lesser known follow up record to "The Bomb" which became the 2nd and final Top 40 hit to date by Kenny 'Dope' Presents The Bucketheads. It follows a similar formula to its predecessor, disco house with 70s disco samples and they have the same character in the video. It's what you'd expect though given that Kenny Dope uses different names for different projects.

Verdict - Good


This was pretty much the end of the road for The Outhere Brothers after being pretty much the biggest chart act of 1995. I would call this the forgotten gem of their admittedly small back catalogue. They did have one more Top 40 hit, but they're very much a 1995 act and should remain that way.

Verdict - Good


The 4th top 40 hit for Shaggy and the first not to reach the Top 10. It's proof that he did have hits in between "Boombastic" and "It Wasn't Me" which is what people were saying he didn't have when the latter was released. I like pretty much all of the Shaggy hits of the 90s.

Verdict - Good


The only Nightcrawlers album is called "Let's Push It" which you may think is a reference to lead single "Push the Feeling On" but it's actually the name of one of the tracks. It wouldn't be the last time The Nightcrawlers had push in a song title either. It sounds different to their previous 3 hits which followed a similar formula, presumably because this was the first single not to have any involvement from MK. It's a bit cheesy, but not too bad.

Verdict - OK


The 90s comeback of Meat Loaf continued with this being his 5th top 40 hit of the 90s ensuring he had more Top 40 hits in the 90s than any other decade. I think the title sounds better if said in a Scottish accent. That's about as exciting as this record gets. It's not as over the top as some of his other records but that just makes it a bit bland.

Verdict - Rubbish


In the post Louise era of Eternal they came back with perhaps the most uplifting record they'd released to date in "Power of a Woman". They followed it up with this, which is perhaps their most dreary. It was composed by the writer of "Nothin At All" by Heart and the write of "In the Ones You Love" by Diana Ross. 

Verdict - Rubbish


There was a time when you knew what you were getting with an Ace of Base record i.e. a nice bit of reggae pop. Then came this, a dance record. It's the same idea though, written for the pop charts and a joy to listen to. 

Verdict - Good


This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Skunk Anansie and probably their best known. At a time when mainstream guitar music was getting softer it's good to hear something with a harder edge like this. I was too much into rave at the time to truly appreciate it, but looking back this is actually a decent tune.

Verdict - Good


The follow up to "Gangstas Paradise" which fell out of the Top 40 before its predecessor did. It samples the Kool & the Gang record of the same name. In January though it was anything but too hot. It's a solid follow up record.

Verdict - Good


The 2nd Top 40 hit for TLC which came nearly 3 years after their first. It was the lead single from their "CrazySexyCool" album. Like their first hit, this was composed by Dallas Austin. Hearing the intro to this tells me its going to be a good tune, and the rest of the tune doesn't disappoint. 

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for The Presidents Of The United States Of America. Looking back I can see this may have inspired 21st century bands like The Strokes and The Hives, but don't let that put you off. I'm talking the punk influenced sound performed by men in suits. Always found this a good one to bop along to and nice and snappy too.

Verdict - Good


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Cast and first to make the Top 10. I don't think I've heard this since the 90s and I have to say it hasn't aged very well. I never liked it at the time if I'm honest, always thought the lyrics were silly but I thought it was quite distinctive at least. Sounds very generic now though.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd of 4 Top 40 hits to date for The Saw Doctors which were spread across 8 years. In some ways it sounds a bit out of place in the Top 40 but at the same time it's not a million miles away from Britpop in general and may have even been described as Britpop if they weren't Irish. It's not my cup of tea though.

Verdict - Rubbish


I could have sworn that "Going For Gold" came out before this, but it didn't. Perhaps the popularity of "Going For Gold" led to this record getting more airplay. Shed Seven made their Top 40 debut in 1994, but it was 1996 when they really became household names. I was never keen on them myself though.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record was in the charts for just 1 week. It was the 3rd Top 40 hit for The Chemical Brothers and their highest charting to this point. It came at a time when I could still say The Chemical Brothers was my sort of music without considering them to be too commercial when they topped the charts later on in the year.

Verdict - Good


Upside Down were a boy band formed by Ian Levine and put together on the TV. This was their Top 40 debut which was originally intended for Bad Boys Inc, a previous Ian Levine boy band who had now split up. It's a blatant rip off of "Careless Whisper".

Verdict - Rubbish


I can't remember if it was the first time I'd heard it, but I can picture myself listening to this on the radio at the time and thinking this is the record I've been waiting to hear all my life. I could even tell you the name of the street I was going down when I was thinking that. There hadn't really been much of the dark side of rap music in the charts prior to this, but that's what I really wanted to hear. I even bought the single for this too which was the only thing I bought around this time that wasn't rave.

Verdict - Good


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Baby D and the best one in my opinion. It came at a time when in the rave scene happy hardcore and drum & bass had become separated, but this record is more reflective of the time before the scene split. 

Verdict - Good


There's a lot to say about this record, but what springs to mind personally was seeing people who once listened to rave now listening to Oasis. It was reflected on the TV on Byker Grove too. The music aspect had gone from Frew and Barney DJing to characters who's names I don't remember singing "Wonderwall". I was firmly in the rave camp by this point though and couldn't comprehend why people would listen to Oasis instead.

Verdict - Rubbish


At the time I was a big fan of "Gangsta's Paradise" and was convinced it had been in the Top 40 longer than anything else once it had been there a while. Turns out this record entered the Top 40 the same week. As both records fell to the lower reaches, I bought the "Gangsta's Paradise" single to help give it at least another week in the Top 40. Unfortunately "Gangsta's Paradise" dropped out, but this stayed another week and I wasn't happy about that. It failed to reach the Top 40 when first released but a Todd Terry remix gave it a new lease of life. Never seen the appeal myself though.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the 7th Top 40 hit in a row by Cher that was a cover and this wouldn't be the end of the streak either. It was originally by The Real People. It's a song I remember getting annoyed at hearing all the time on Now 33. I've not heard it since and hopefully won't hear it again.

Verdict - Rubbish


To me this record illustrates all that was wrong with Boyzone's formula of doing lots of covers. The song is supposed to be a father singing to his son, but Ronan Keating was only 18 here and therefore more likely to be the age of the son being sang to. OK it's composer Cat Stevens was only a few years older when he wrote it, but I remember seeing Ronan Keating sing "look at me I am old" and thinking no you're not.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember the race for Christmas number one and not liking the fact this record won the race instead of Mike Flowers Pops. It seems to me that the only reason this topped the charts was because it was Michael Jackson. It's hard to take the lyrical content seriously when it's being sung by a man who had a funfair in his own back garden.

Verdict - Rubbish


You have to feel sorry for Tito Jackson really, a musician in his own right yet 3T were best known as Michael Jacksons nephews as opposed to Tito Jacksons sons. What I remember about this at the time was one of them having a backpack on that he'd throw to the ground part way through the song. No idea why he did that, maybe a distraction from the fact it's not a very good song.

Verdict - Rubbish


A big beat cover of the Led Zeppelin song. I've never been that keen on the Led Zeppelin original but love this cover. Nothing unusual there really, there are several dance records that I like but don't like the original.

Verdict - Good


This was the first Top 40 for George Michael since he topped the charts with the "Five Live EP" nearly 3 years prior. He managed to top the charts again with this. I remember the Top of the Pops exclusive of this record and thinking how boring. I still do think it's boring.

Verdict - Rubbish


One of the biggest disappointments of the 90s was hearing "Spaceman" in its entirety. When it appeared on the Levi's advert it sounded great. Then it appeared on Top of the Pops and I was looking forward to it. Once the intro, which appeared on the advert, was over it slowed down into a rather dreary song.

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 15.5/30, or 52%. We've slipped, but remain above 50%.
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Thursday, 26 January 2023

Christmas Charts Rated: 2008

 Top 40

Best Song: ?????????????

You can probably tell where this is going, but it was impossible for me to single one record out as being the best so I've ended up deciding not to pick one.

Worst Song: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Again so many worthy choices for worst song, but I've gone for this Beyonce record. She had 3 records in this Top 40 which were all contenders, but this one has edged it. The main reason takes me back to going on holiday a few years ago when one afternoon I decided to chill out at the hotel. My room was next to the pool and bar and the hotel manager thought it would be a good idea to play this record on repeat. I had to change my plans and go out and about after a few too many listens.

Top 40 Review

There were less Christmas songs in the 2008 Top 40 vs 2007. There were the usual suspects of Wham, Mariah Carey, Pogues and Wizzard. There was also Peter Kay as Geraldine with "Once Upon A Christmas Song" and Bandaged with "Little Drummer Boy" and Basshunter with his cheesy eurodance version of "Jingle Bells". Again all zeroes.

Basshunter had another hit in the charts with "I Miss You" too whilst there were also multiple hits from Rihanna, Girls Aloud and Kings of Leon. All zeroes again.

Alexandra Burke won the X Factor that year and score the Christmas number one with "Hallelujah". As a result both the Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley versions also entered the charts. I can't say I like that song in any form though.

Another record in the Top 40 was the god awful remake of "Infinity" with vocals that was credited to The Guru Josh Project.

Take That had gone shit again with "Greatest Day" whilst there was another man band in there in Boyzone with the record "Better" which isn't any better than the music from their boy band days.

I should also be talking about the positives of this Top 40, but the reason I couldn't pick a best song is because there is absolutely nothing I like about this Top 40 so it gets a big fat zero.

Score: 0

Table

2008 is joint bottom of the table and is obviously worst than the best year score:



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Wednesday, 25 January 2023

Top 30 in 1995 Reviewed: Week 4

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 28 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Wednesday.

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 1995 with my verdict on each record:


I remember this record very well for all the wrong reasons. After it appeared on Top of the Pops I remember people from the rock crowd talking about how great this record was. It seemed a far cry from the heavier music they were bigging up a year or so prior and I thought if this is the future of rock then I'm definitely better off transitioning to rave. It was the Top 40 debut for Sleeper.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit for TLC which came nearly 3 years after their first. It was the lead single from their "CrazySexyCool" album. Like their first hit, this was composed by Dallas Austin. Hearing the intro to this tells me its going to be a good tune, and the rest of the tune doesn't disappoint. 

Verdict - Good


The 5th Top 40 hit for Jimmy Somerville but just the 2nd which wasn't a cover. He wrote this along with Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, the composers of many of the Spice Girls hits. Don't let that put you off though, it isn't that bad. Not the sort of record I'd go out of my way to listen to, but not a bad tune at the same time.

Verdict - OK


This was the start of Barry White's 90s revival. I don't ever recall hearing Barry White prior to this having not been born during his 70s heyday. I remember him announcing at the start of Top of the Pops that he was going to be singing his new song on that show and I was amazed by how a singer could have such a deep voice. I think the squeaky voiced male singers of the modern era need to take note, this sort of singing is miles better than the namby pamby singing they do.

Verdict - Good / Good


I don't remember anyone still listening to Guns N' Roses in 1995. The fact this went straight into the Top 10 though implies plenty of people still were. It was however the final Guns N' Roses hit before the wilderness years. It's a cover of the Rolling Stones record and to be honest it isn't great. You could tell that they were pretty much finished as a band by this point. 

Verdict - Rubbish


When I first heard this on Top of the Pops I wasn't sure whether I'd heard it before or not. When the first verse was being sung, in my mind I'd never heard it before. Then the chorus came in and it sounded familiar. What I don't know is if I'd genuinely heard the chorus before, or its one of those things I feel I've heard before but hadn't. The verses and chorus bear no resemblance to each other and I like that about the song. 

Verdict - Good


This was the follow up to the biggest Soundgarden hit "Black Hole Sun" and came from the same album. This record illustrates what I don't like about grunge. Yes the distorted guitars are there and yes it does sound raw to an extent, but there's no real energy to it and very little aggression too. A question I asked myself at the time was what would I rather do, go out and about dancing in random places and having fun or sulking in the corner of a darkened room? I think you know the answer. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Another Morrissey record I have no memory of and will have probably forgotten about by the time you're reading this. It honestly sounds like he's just putting out any old rubbish in the knowledge he has enough fans to buy it. A complete non-entity of a song.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Lightning Seeds made their Top 40 debut back in 1989, but this was just their 4th Top 40 hit. They would become chart regulars from this point for a period of time. It was the first single from the "Jollification" album to make the Top 40 and would be their highest charting single until "3 Lions". Not a record I've really given much thought to if I'm honest, but found myself enjoying it just now.

Verdict - Good


New Order were on hiatus at this point. This was originally the b-side to "True Faith" in 1987 but was remixed and released as a single. As a result this sounds like New Order of the 80s because it is New Order of the 80s. This is a good thing, but at the same time this doesn't really sound out of place in the 90s either.

Verdict - Good


The 2nd and final Top 40 hit from the "Diary of a Mad Band" album which I own. It's quite strange seeing that this charted in 1995 when the album came out in 1993 and their next album was just around the corner. 

Verdict - Good


Steps have often been referred to as poundland Abba for the 90s which I don't disagree with at all. I would however say a more accurate description of them would be the Deuce of the late 90s. This was the Top 40 debut for Deuce and what I remembered most about it aside from how cheesy it was is the rhyming of face and disgrace. 

Verdict - Rubbish



I once sang this at karaoke one summer and the DJ questioned why I was singing a Christmas song at that time of the year. The answer is simple, it's not a Christmas song. Yes it was Christmas number one and year the bells at the end may give a hint of Christmas, but the song was about Tony Mortimer's brother after he'd taken his own life. Anyway like with pretty much all the East 17 hits, I like it and it's one of my favourite ever Christmas number ones.

Verdict - Good


Peter Andre once said that his songwriting process begins with him waking up with a melody in his head. When he wrote "Flava" I can only assume he'd been listening to "Hoochie Booty" by Ultimate Kaos the night before. This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Ultimate Kaos who were a Simon Cowell created boy band. It's therefore cheesy, but lacks the charm of its predecessor "Some Girls". 

Verdict - Rubbish


The title track from their 2nd album. The first Massive Attack album "Blue Lines" is one of my all time favourites so was always a lot to live up to. It features Tracey Thorn from Everything But The Girl on vocals and this is where I struggle somewhat with this record. I've always found her singing rather irritating. Fortunately her singing is low key enough to not ruin the record which is great in every other respect.

Verdict - Good


This was the final single to be released from the excellent "Dummy" album which came out in 1994, but was the first to make the Top 40. It's also the final track on the album, which is one of my favourite albums of all time. I don't know what else to say really, just give it a listen and let the music do the talking.

Verdict - Good


This was the 5th Top 40 hit for Oasis and biggest hit to date, possibly helped by the fact every man and his dog had the "Definitely Maybe" album but this never appeared on an album. Although it's clearly a different song, I can't help but think of it as a blatant rip off of "I'm Free" by the Rolling Stones and it's almost surprising Jagger and Richards didn't take legal action given it doesn't take much for them to do that. Instead it was Neil Innes who took legal action for it's resemblance to one of his songs. I never got Oasis though, doesn't appeal to me at all.

Verdict - Rubbish


Let Loose were a boy band with guitars and this was their 3rd Top 40 hit. I think I'd learned to ignore them by this point because the only bells this is ringing is it being how I remember Let Loose sounding, i.e. shit.

Verdict - Rubbish


There was a brief period of time when the Riverdance was big. Never been a fan of dancing myself so I ignored it the best I could. But given it's popularity they couldn't resist releasing a single from it. The fact it's all about watching the dancing rather than listening to the music though suggests the music isn't really up to much, which it isn't.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the 2nd UK Top 40 hit for German eurodance act (MC Sar And) The Real McCoy and the follow up to their biggest hit "Another Night". Unlike many other eurodance acts, they also were successful in America. Also unlike many other eurodance acts, I liked them enough to buy the album though admittedly this was years later and bought from poundland.

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for Boyzone, the Irish version of Take That. After they had a few hits it became apparent that Ronan Keating has quite a deep singing voice but he's pretty high pitched here and you can kind of sense he's struggling to sing like that. Like many Boyzone hits it's a cover that just sounds like a karaoke version of the original.

Verdict - Rubbish


Yes that's right, Simple Minds were still having hits in 1995. I do remember this being in the charts at the time though so not that much of a surprise. It's far better than their 1991 efforts that suggested they were past their best. I'm not going to suggest this is up to the standards of "Theme For Great Cities" because it isn't, but it's still a decent effort.

Verdict - Good


There was once a pub in Newcastle called "Tut 'N' Shive" and whenever I'd walk past it I'd sing this in my head but changing the words to "I don't see nothing wrong with a little Tut 'N' Shive". Then it changed it's name to "Dog & Parrott" and "I don't see nothing wrong with a little Dog & Parrott" doesn't really work. Anyway I love this record, it's the opening track to a "Pure Swing" compilation I own and also appears on his "12 Play" album which I also own.

Verdict - Good


If grunge killed off hair metal then punk killed off grunge. Had I not got into rave then this would have probably been the direction I would have taken music wise. I sort of was gearing towards this at the time and in a roundabout way got there eventually by owning all the Green Day albums and forming a punk band years later. I love the drums in this record, something about the moment where they kick in.

Verdict - Good


We had reached the mid-point of the 90s and the 80s was very much a distant memory. Or so it seemed until The Human League made a comeback. I remember how out of place this record sounded at the time and in my mind there was no room for 80s music in the 90s. I do like 80s synth pop music these days including some Human League records, but not this one.

Verdict - Rubbish


I was getting a bit confused when listening to this just now. My memory of it is that it was a dance cover of the Bonnie Tyler record, but I start listening and finding this too is a ballad. That is until around a minute and a half in when it turns into a dance record. It's a very poor transition though and a poor record all together. It's the only time Nicki French will feature, but she did have one further Top 40 hit in 2000 with the Eurovision entry which makes sense.

Verdict - Rubbish


The only Top 40 hit for Ini Kamoze who had been around since the early 80s and was in his late 30s by this point. It has 90s nostalgia written all over it, but even in the late 90s I remember looking back on records like this and thinking they don't make them like that anymore.

Verdict - Good


This record changed my life. Prior to this I was part of the grunge crowd and rave was the enemy. I was becoming disillusioned with it all and felt I was listening to music I should be listening to rather than what I wanted to listen to. Then this came along which was precisely what I shouldn't have liked, but I thought it was pretty much the best record out at that moment. I concluded that rave was much more up my street and so my transition to a raver began. 

Verdict - Good


I remember going on holiday in 1995 and going to a restaurant the first night which was almost empty. As I dined it became apparent why nobody went there. The restaurant manager seemed to love this song, playing it multiple times that evening and encouraging diners to get up and dance to it with him. Needless to say I never went back. A boring depressing record.

Verdict - Rubbish


I used to regularly go to a pub quiz where the first round was always music clips where we had to give the artist title and year. There would be a common theme between the clips and one time it was number one hits of the 90s in which this appeared. Obviously the artist and title wasn't a problem, but the year wasn't so straightforward. On one hand it entered the charts in 1994 but it topped the charts in 1995, so which year was he wanting? I can't remember which one it was now, but it was different to the one I gave. That association makes me hate the song even more than I did previously. 

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 15.5/30, or 52%. Same as last week.
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Tuesday, 24 January 2023

UK Number 40s: Teenage Fanclub - Sparky's Dream (1995)

 


The history books will tell you 1995 was all about brit pop. There was the big four of Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Slade. Many other bands got a slice of the pie though such as Supergrass, Sleeper and Shed Seven amongst others. What about Teenage Fanclub though?

No doubt those into brit pop would know, but for the general public they weren't exactly a household name. Their Top 40 career consisted of 5 hits, 4 of which charted between 31 and 40.

This was Top 40 hit number 4 which was the 2nd Top 40 hit from their "Grand Prix" album. The first came earlier in the year with "Mellow Doubt" which made number 34.

From an album perspective though they'd scored their first Top 10 album. They also received praise from Liam Gallagher and were arguably at their commercial peak. 

Sometimes biggest chart success follows peak of popularity and this is what appeared to happen here. Their following album "Songs from Northern Britain" became their highest charting album and from it "Ain't That Enough" became their highest charting single. This was 1997 though when the popularity of brit pop was in decline. 

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Sunday, 22 January 2023

Top 30 in 1993 Reviewed: Week 4

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 1993 with my verdict on each record:


I would say "Out Of Space" is the record The Prodigy are best remembered for from this particular era. The beats in this tune are really something, which is easy to forget when you hear it so much. "Ruff In The Jungle Bizness" is one of those tunes that just goes to another level once the piano kicks in. 

Verdict - Good / Good


As well as listening to this record I've just listened to the Marianne Faithfull original for the first time to see how they compare. Both are pretty dark records and the vocals are similar on both versions. Sunscreem have made it their own with the rest of the music though. Some may argue that's what's ruined the record, but I like it.

Verdict - Good


One of the songs from "The Bodyguard" soundtrack which isn't by Whitney Houston. It's much better than Whitney's chart topper, but that's not saying much. It's uplifting, but there's no wow factor to it, just pretty average but pleasant enough. 

Verdict - OK


I know this song because it's on the "Funky Divas" album which I own, but I didn't realise it had been a single. I do recall being in the shop one day and this being played in there which somewhat surprised me, but as it was a single that made sense. 

Verdict - Good 


It seems pretty common for a rock bands biggest hit to be a ballad. This is true for Little Angels with this being their highest charting Top 40 hit and first to make the Top 20. Both this and their previous ballad "I Ain't Gonna Cry" were the only Little Angels Top 40 hits written solely by Toby Jepson so it would seem he's good at doing that.

Verdict - Good


The The are a band who I regard as being an 80s band but they had the bulk of their Top 40 hits in the 90s beginning with this. They're also a band I remember more for simply existing than for any of their music. This ones not bad, but I won't be in a hurry to listen to it again.

Verdict - OK


This was the only Pop Will Eat Itself hit that made the Top 10, but at the same time they were dropped by their record label. Like with other groups who blended rock with dance their sound was getting darker, but still sounding decent.

Verdict - Good


Jesus Jones were one of those groups who blended rock and dance music. This record leans more towards rock but was made using the sort of technology dance music was using which is something I like the idea of. 

Verdict - Good


One thing I remember about this record at the time was some people thinking this was Guns N Roses. I sort of get why having the word "roses" in the title may cause this confusion, but it really sounds nothing like Guns N Roses. I think Bon Jovi were my 3rd favourite band at the time, behind Guns N Roses funnily enough and INXS. It's a ballad, but one you can scream your lungs out to which is a good thing in my book. 

Verdict - Good 


This was one of my favourites at the time. I quite liked that strange combination of music that sounded quite soulful with a singing who's only really half singing. 

Verdict - Good


The guitars on this record sound rather heavy for Del Amitri. It's not a record that I'm overly familiar with though I do recognise it. I see potential and could see myself liking it with enough listens, but then I've had 30 years to get used to it and I'm not there yet.

Verdict - OK


Here's the final of the big four Seattle grunge bands making their Top 40 debut. This was also their biggest hit and only one to make the Top 20. I would say they were the 2nd most popular grunge band amongst my peers after Nirvana. Like Nirvana though I was never fully convinced about their music.

Verdict - OK


This was the 40th Top 40 hit for Paul McCartney. Generally speaking when someone is this far into their career and they have a song where they play the acoustic guitar it's a complete bore fest. I can't say that for this record though. Despite the acoustic guitar its quite uplifting. Doesn't have enough about it for me to truly like it though.

Verdict - OK


SOUL SYSTEM was another alias of Robert Clivilles and David Cole. The chorus is from "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers and the verses have some pretty dreadful rapping on them. An absolutely terrible record.

Verdict - Rubbish


The first new Top 30 hit of 1993 is the solo debut for Apache Indian. It's basically Asian influence reggae music which makes it interesting. That said, it doesn't make me think wow what a tune. Despite being a bit different it does sound a bit generic. 

Verdict - OK


We were now in the 4th year of the 90s, yet Go West were still managing to have hits. This was a cover of a Bobby Caldwell song which is being done 80s style in the 90s. There's nothing wrong with 80s music, but there are some 80s acts who have always irritated me and Go West is one of those.

Verdict - Rubbish


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 have no memory of this record or this band existing. They're an Irish indie band and this was their only Top 40 hit. It sounds pretty similar to "Sit Down" by James which is a record I don't like. It's a prime example of why indie music can be perceived as being boring.

Verdict - Rubbish


I did like this record at the time. So much so that when we voted for what charity to support at school I picked "Heal The World" on the basis of this song. These days though I can't tolerate songs like this. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The Shamen could do no wrong in 1992 it would seem. I would say this is the best of their 1992 hits, possibly helped by the fact it hasn't fallen victim to anthem bashing. At the time I misheard the lyrics to the chorus as being "we are the burger people". 

Verdict - Good


Despite the fact this record came out at a time when I was very much following the charts and "Sledgehammer" came out just before my music memories begin I still find myself getting the 2 records mixed up. According to one of the video comments Peter Gabriel wrote this as a reaction to the critics saying all his songs sound the same. It's not a bad sound for all your songs though.

Verdict - OK


This record is best remembered for it's video full of naked people rather than the actual tune. Reading through the video comments I came across one that sums it up perfectly for me "It sounds great and the message is still something to aspire to. It's a shame the years have made me cynical.". 

Verdict - Good 


This one reminds me of school discos where someone was getting pissed off with me copying their dance moves. I wasn't aware of the Simple Minds tune this sampled at the time, but now I'm very familiar with it I realise there's not really that much difference between the two records.

Verdict - Good 


This was 3rd time this record made the Top 40 having previously charted in 1979 and 1984. It was also the highest charting release. I gather this was released this time due to being featured in the TV show "The Gladiators" at the time. I got into an argument with someone else about what the best song from the show was, they liked this and I liked "The Boys Are Back In Town".

Verdict - Rubbish


I would say "Mr. Wendal" is one of those records that's got better with age. I liked it at the time, but later on in life I'm realising what a strange record it is, but in a good way. "Revolution" was one I don't ever remember hearing at the time, but I do know it now. It was looking like it wasn't on YouTube when I searched for it, so I went to Google to search and a YouTube video was the first result. Again a decent record.

Verdict - Good / Good


We're into the final year of Stock and Waterman having hits which begins with this. It sounds like Stock and Waterman had little to do with it though, it's a cover and production was done by West End aka Eddie Gordon amongst others who were uncredited. That would explain why this record is actually quite good.

Verdict - Good


It was around the time this record came out that it was established that if you were a boy you weren't supposed to like Take That. At the same time, this was the first Take That record I actually liked. I wouldn't admit it at the time but I admit it now.

Verdict - Good


The highest charting Top 40 hit for Faith No More which is a cover of the Commodores record. It did find it somewhat questionable initially but hearing the guitar solo in it convinced me. "Be Aggressive" has aggressive vocals but the music not so much, but decent tune nonetheless. 

Verdict - Good / Good


I did like this record at the time but haven't heard it since. I was expecting not to like it now though as I've become much less tolerant of eurodance in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I still like it. The fact it's breakbeat rather than the kick drum probably helps, but it sounds like a proper dance record.

Verdict - Good


You couldn't escape this record at the time, it was everywhere. I recall "The Bodyguard" film which this was taken from being massive as well. Let's just say the film was much better than the song.

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 20.5/30, or 68%. I was honestly expecting a slump in 1993 but that hasn't happened yet.
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