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 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
29. Warren G - Did You See (New)
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit from the "Regulate...G Funk Era" album. It samples "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume and "Mama Used To Say" by Junior. A great use of funky samples and bringing them into the 90s G Funk style.
Verdict - Good
28. Duran Duran - Perfect Day (New)
A couple of years before every man and his dog covered this Lou Reed record that appeared on the BBC all the time, Duran Duran did this cover. It's the lead single from their covers album and is a really poor effort when you consider how good the lead single from their previous album was.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
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
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
22. 2 Unlimited - Here I Go (New)
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for the Ray and Anita era of 2 Unlimited. It's fair to say they were past their commercial peak by this point. It was the tried and tested formula and whilst eurodance was still big the record buying public seemed to have got tired of the 2 Unlimited formula by this point.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
20. Sean Maguire - Suddenly (New)
The 3rd Top 40 hit for singing actor Sean Maguire. It was clear by this point that he wasn't going to really fill the void left by Jason Donovan in the male soap star turned singer world. It didn't stop him from trying though and there's more of him to come.
Verdict - Rubbish
The final Top 40 hit from their "Music for the Jilted Generation" album. This was the first rave album I bought and remember particularly liking this tune. A bit strange in hindsight because this is moving away from the rave sound we'd been used to from The Prodigy at that point. A great record nonetheless.
Verdict - Good
Leftfield made their Top 40 debut in 1993 with "Open Up" in collaboration with John Lydon. This was their following Top 40 hit which this time featured Toni Halliday from Curve. Whilst the addition of John Lydon to "Open Up" made it the record it was, this one could really do without the vocals. Still a decent record, but I'm certain it would work better as an instrumental.
Verdict - Good
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 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 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
Before Tin Tin Out had their big pop hits in the late 90s they were a dance act. This is the only one of those earlier dance hits that made the Top 30. It samples the 60s record of the same name with the vocals simply singing the title part. It treads the line between eurodance cheese and more credible trance music, but more crucially I like it.
Verdict - Good
The Human League 1995 comeback continued with this record. Unlike their other hits, this one has minimal vocals from Phil Oakey with Susan Ann Sulley taking the lead vocals instead. It still sounds out of place in 1995 though.
Verdict - Rubbish
You may be surprised to learn that Rednex had another hit. Now you've learned that fact you probably won't be surprised to learn it's basically the same as their big hit but with different lyrics. As I didn't like their big hit I'm not going to like this.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. East 17 - Let It Rain (New)
After topping the charts for the first and only time at the end of 1994, East 17 only just managed to squeeze into the Top 10 with their follow up record. It's back to the Tony rapping/Brian singing formula much like their debut hit "House of Love". It's a formula that works so why not.
Verdict - Good
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
After having 6 Top 40 hits from her self titled album already, Janet Jackson releases a double a-side of records both from that same album. There's something quite nostalgic about "Whoops Now", a 60s style record done 90s style if that makes sense. "What'll I Do" is a cover of a 60s soul record, but the original is far far better.
Verdict - Good / 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
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
6. Wet Wet Wet - Julia Says (New)
It had been getting on for a year since Wet Wet Wet first topped the charts with "Love Is All Around" until they released this, the follow up. It didn't feel like it though given how long "Love Is All Around" was in the charts for. I do feel like I shouldn't like this record, but I do.
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
This got no further than 29 on it's first release, but fared better when it was rereleased in 1995 after appearing on the Levi's advert. I do however remember hearing this on the radio in 1993 and liking it. The intro to it is very distinctive.
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
1995 was the year of The Outhere Brothers and this is where it all began. They were massive in 1995 and then afterwards they were nowhere to be seen really. I was a fan of their music, it was great fun to listen to.
Verdict - Good
The Comic Relief single for 1995. At the time I remember being part of a quiz team and getting the question of who did this record. My team mate correctly answered Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Neneh Cherry, then I added "and Eric Clapton on the guitar". To this very day I still cringe at that moment, maybe because I was trying to point out something positive about the song when even Eric Clapton couldn't stop this song from being dire.
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%. Slight drop but still a great score.
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