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:
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
The theme music to the comedy of the same name which lasted just one series and has never been repeated or released on video. I used to love that show and as a result this record brings back happy memories of the show.
Verdict - Good
My memory of this record is that Vanessa-Mae just seemed to come out of nowhere and we suddenly had this superstar violin player. She'd actually been around a few years but was now making a 'pop' album to appeal to a wider audience. This was her big hit and I actually quite like it.
Verdict - Good
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
26. Driza Bone - Real Love
I do remember this being in the charts at the same time as the Omar record. The fact they were both British soul records perhaps had something to do with it. This is definitely the better of the two, it's a lot more uplifting.
Verdict - Good
25. Mory Kante - Yeke Yeke (New)
This record originally made the Top 40 in 1988 but charted higher in 1995 when remixed by Hardfloor. I like this version of the record.
Verdict - Good
I would say that the hits of Sophie B Hawkins have got better with age. This was the final one of those hits and I'm actually surprised it only got to number 24. This one is my favourite of all her singles, this is how to make a pop song.
Verdict - Good
This was the final single to be released from their "Psyche" album. They'd been out of Byker Grove some time by this point. It was now all about Frew and Barney DJing, not to mention Byker Groove (Charlie, Leah and Angel) who failed to reach the Top 40 with their single at the end of 1994.
Verdict - Rubbish
I have no recollection of this Dodgy record. It's not as catchy as their bigger hits which may explain why. It was also pre "Good Enough" so I suppose there was less of a spotlight on them at the time. Not a bad record but not great either.
Verdict - OK
It was around the time of this record that I remember discussing with others that Madonna was old and it was maybe time she called it a day. She was 36 which doesn't seem old at all now. It's the same age Drake is now who is someone I regard as young and representative of modern music. Anyway the point really was that this record was shit.
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
I had to look at the history books to check if this record had originally been released in 1992, but it hadn't. My memory is playing tricks on me again because I think of this as being a 1992 record. That said, I've always considered this to be a bit naff so maybe it is better suited to 1994.
Verdict - Rubbish
One thing that strikes me about this record is that the concept of a Saturday night would be different for Bon Jovi than the average person. The appeal of the Saturday night is that it's the one night of the week you haven't been working during the day and you don't have work in the morning. Bon Jovi however would be more likely to be "working" on a Saturday night. It's not a bad record but it's nothing special.
Verdict - OK
17. Radiohead - High And Dry / Planet Telex (New)
Radiohead has left their grunge roots behind and started making the mellow and depressing music that they're best known for. Apparently the record label made them release this and Thom Yorke considers it a very bad record. I'm inclined to agree.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
Faith No More were back and sounded angrier than ever. I remember seeing this on Top of the Pops at the time and I loved how loud Mike Patton's vocals were. I would love to sing this at karaoke but am yet to find anywhere that has it on the list.
Verdict - Good
Following his hits from "The Lion King" and some covers, Elton John was reunited with Bernie Taupin on this his 51st Top 40 hit. Only Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard had reached that milestone by that point. It's a record that's not bad but lacking in excitement.
Verdict - OK
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
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
It had been 9 years since Mike and the Mechanics made their Top 40 debut but this was just their 4th Top 40 hit which came 4 years after their 3rd. I remember watching this on Top of the Pops and what stood out to me was the whistle solo. Also little did we know at the time that the school boy in the video would be joining a new TV show called Hollyoaks later that year and would still be in it 27 years later.
Verdict - Good
It's called "Ten Storey Love Song" but it just missed out on reaching number 10. I do wonder whether this record inspired "Shining Light" by Ash, it has it's similarities. Personally I find both records to be rather boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Stu Allan's commercial dance outfit Clock. This was the record that made them more of a household name. "Axel F" is a eurodance cover of the Harold Faltermeyer record and does exactly what it says on the tin. All I can say is at least it's better than the Crazy Frog version. I've not heard "Keep Pushin" before and it's actually not bad.
Verdict - Rubbish / OK
The Top 40 debut and biggest hit for The Boo Radleys. They had previously been a part of the shoegazing scene but this record couldn't be any more different. It's an uplifting number and good fun to listen to.
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
After deciding I wanted to go down the rave route, a question I asked myself was which records count as rave music. This was one that I did question and the answer is no not really. It was probably more to do with the fact I liked what I was hearing so if it did somehow qualify as rave then I'd be completely justified in liking it.
Verdict - Good
This was a record I remember a lot of people taking the piss out of at the time, myself included. We just all thought it sounded ridiculous. It's pretty dull and boring at the same time which just makes it worse.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the first and biggest Top 40 hit for Bucketheads which was a project of Kenny Dope from Masters At Work. It was the first time I'd come across Kenny Dope and initially I thought he was the bloke in the video. Despite the fact I know what he looks like now, it's still the bloke in the video I picture when I come across Kenny Dope. It's a great record too.
Verdict - Good
This was the Top 40 debut and biggest hit for MN8. I've often said that British R&B in the 90s often sounded like a cheap imitation of its American counterpart. This is no exception, but at the same time what a tune.
Verdict - Good
I remember watching this video. You had lots of strange looking people enter the photo booth, but then the last one to walk in was an ordinary looking bloke with long hair. Not only did I think the bloke with long hair was a bit out of place for looking normal, but I also thought long hair equaled rock music, and this was a dance record. I was therefore amazed to see the bloke with long hair was the bloke singing it, though in hindsight it makes a lot of sense. A bit overplayed now, but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
This was the big hit for Alex Party. It makes me think of the Smash Hits Poll Winners party but I can't find any evidence of this ever being on it. What it also reminds me of is that a few months prior I couldn't stand this sort of music but I was liking it by this point.
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
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 19/30, or 63%. We've slipped from last week, but that was a really good score.
No comments:
Post a Comment