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:
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
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit from the "Protection" album. It featured Tricky who had already started his solo career by this point and had his own version called "Overcome" which was his Top 40 debut earlier on in the year. Both great records.
Verdict - Good
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
I would put Reel 2 Real in the category of more Top 40 hits than you'd think. This was number 5 for them and they weren't done yet. It's much the same formula as the previous 4 hits except not as catchy. Erick Morillo the DJ was miles better.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
Shut Up and Dance had one of the biggest rave hits of 1992 with "Raving I'm Raving". This was their only other Top 40 hit which came at a time when the rave scene had split into happy hardcore and jungle. This isn't really either, though they had gone down the jungle route with other records. It's different, but in a good way.
Verdict - Good
When I think Ultimate Kaos I think "Some Girls" and "Casanova" which are both guilty pleasures of mine. I have no recollection of this record though which was their 3rd and lowest charting Top 40 hit. In listening to it though I think I've found another guilty pleasure.
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 Top 40 debut for Brownstone and the record they are best known for. It reached number 8 in both the UK and America. I would also say this is their best Top 40 hit and was very much of it's time, that's a better time.
Verdict - Good
This was the last original Top 40 hit to date for Snap!. They were very much on the commercial side of dance music but purely from an enjoyment perspective I would say their latter hits are the best ones. The way dance music in general had evolved by this point suits this kind of record.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for The New Power Generation on their own from a credits perspective at least. Prince was still very much there and was a symbol during this period. It's a funk record and whilst far from the best Prince material it's still decent.
Verdict - Good
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
17. JX - You Belong To Me (New)
It had been a year since JX made his Top 40 debut with "Son of a Gun". This was his follow up Top 40 hit and sounds like your typical hardbag record. I do like a lot of the hardbag records from this era and this record is no exception.
Verdict - Good
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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 was the start of The Beatles mini Top 40 comeback in the mid-90s. It appeared on their debut album "Please Please Me" and was originally done by The Shirelles. I didn't think much to The Beatles in 1995 but have grown to appreciate them a lot more as I've got older and as a result I like this record.
Verdict - Good
6. Strike - U Sure Do (New)
The Top 40 debut for Strike which originally charted in 1994 but fared better when it returned to the charts in 1995. Its the record Strike were best known for. It's definitely one of those records that makes me nostalgic about the 90s.
Verdict - Good
This originally made number 38 in 1994 but did better when it returned to the charts in 1995 and gave Bobby Brown his highest charting Top 40 hit to date. It was also the last of his big hits. The single version was a K-Klass remix and is a dance record. A great uplifting record.
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
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
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
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
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 21.5/30, or 72%. The great scores keep coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment