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:
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
29. Marion - Time (New)
Marion were one of those Britpop bands I remember existing but not really remember much about their music. This was their 2nd of 3 Top 40 hits to date and I do remember it now I'm listening to it. Reading the blurb about them, they were described as the "Northern Suede" which doesn't put them in good light in my opinion. It's all about the music though, but unfortunately it does little for me to be convinced they were anything more than that.
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 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 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
This originally charted in 1989 when Bobby Brown was at his most prolific chart wise. By 1996 Bobby Browns Top 40 career was more or less finished but "Every Little Step" was given the remix treatment by C.J. Mackintosh in a similar style to his last big hit "Two Can Play That Game". I was a fan of the original and also have his remix album with it on, so I know a decent remix is possible. I would say this one is decent enough.
Verdict - Good
Lisa Moorish is best known these days for having a daughter with the then married Liam Gallagher. She also had a pop career though with this being the 2nd of 3 Top 40 hits to date. I'd also say this is the best known, though not sure how well remembered it was. I always thought it was a bit shit at the time and listening again I haven't changed my mind.
Verdict - Rubbish
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 Top 40 debut for Scottish bouncy techno act QFX. With the Top 40 career of fellow Scots TTF now finished it was QFX now flying the flag. It's a cover of the Moby record, and not the only cover happening around this time either. I liked pretty much all the versions of it I was hearing at the time including this one.
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 hardbag era was coming to an end by this point with this being one of the last hits from the genre. I did like hardbag music generally, but you could sense it was becoming a bit tired by this point. This record just sounds like jumping on the bandwagon and making any old crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
The Top 40 debut for Northern Uproar, another band from the Britpop scene who you never really hear about anymore. This does sound slightly harder than your average Britpop record, but not by much. As a result it's in no mans land, too hard for Britpop and too soft for rock. That said, music like this tended to have greater success a few years later. Not for me though.
Verdict - Rubbish / 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
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
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
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
In 1995 I was singing this all the time, and those not into rave had no idea what I was singing with some even thinking I was making it up. In 1996 here it was in the Top 40. Technohead were a British husband/wife duo who'd recorded under several aliases over the years. In the early 90s they relocated to Holland and topped the charts with this. By the time it charted over here though one of them had sadly passed away.
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 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
9. Dog Eat Dog - No Fronts (New)
I'd heard this record long before it hit the UK Top 40. I went from initially loving to hating it pretty quickly. Basically the only rap metal act I knew was Rage Against The Machine so when I heard this it sounded good to hearing someone else doing it. Then I started to think this was pretty poor in comparison. My view has mellowed since, but I still don't particularly like it.
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
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
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 final single from their "The Bends" album which became their highest charting single to that point. It was perhaps the success of this single which made them stick to making mellow depressing music as opposed to the grunge sound they started out with. It worked for them but not something I'd want to listen to.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
The 3rd Top 40 hit for The Bluetones which was really their breakthrough single. It was also their first Top 40 hit not to have blue in the title. It's catchy and still often gets played today. I could take it or leave it at the time, but can now see the appeal whilst being pretty sick of it at the same time.
Verdict - OK
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 11.5/30, or 38%. We've slipped even further, I feel this will very much be a year of ups and downs.
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