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:
This was the final single from their only album to date. They are best known of course for "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" which originally came out in 1992 but wasn't a hit till it was re-released in 1994. The follow up singles including this one were similar in style and given how quickly dance music was developing at the time, this did sound a bit dated by 1996. However I am a big fan of that old skool breakbeat sound and whilst not quite as good as its predecessors I still like it.
Verdict - Good
29. Shane MacGowan - My Way (New)
The final solo Top 40 hit for Shane MacGowan which is a punk cover of "My Way". The problem with this record is that it's all been done before by the Sex Pistols. You therefore can't help but draw comparisons. In terms of singing ability I would say Sid Vicious and Shane MacGowan are on a par with each other. The Sex Pistols version wins hands down because it's more snappy and they changed the lyrics. It raise the question why would you listen to this when you can listen to the Sex Pistols?
Verdict - Rubbish
28. Nearly God - Poems (New)
Nearly God was an alias of Tricky and this was his only Top 40 hit under that name. I think its fair to say that Trickys music takes a bit of getting used to and this ones no different. It's an experimental chill out record that I didn't really get at first but could get into it eventually.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Luniz and the only record many people know them for. It's an anthem no doubt which is possibly both a blessing and a curse for them. A blessing that they have such an iconic record but a curse that people only talk about the record and not Luniz as an act.
Verdict - Good
If you listened to the Essential Mix or Pete Tongs Essential Selection on Radio 1 in 1995 then you would have heard "Nakasaki" multiple times. For the chart release they added vocals to it, hence the "(I Need a Lover Tonight)". Often when vocals are added to a very good dance record it completely ruins it (Groovejet springs to mind). However, this is still an excellent track with the vocals and one I've listened to many times in the last 20 years.
Verdict - Good
Rage Against The Machine were a band I listened to in the early 90s and I would listen to their debut album all the time. This was their comeback single which came 3 years after the album. In that time I'd become a raver so when this gave them their first Top 10 single I remember it happening but was no longer interested. Listening to it retrospectively, their debut album was going to be hard to top but they stuck to the tried and tested formula. Not a criticism.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd of 3 Top 40 hit for Northern Uproar and final to reach the Top 30. Like it's predecessor it perhaps has a harder edge to it that your average Britpop record but too weak to really be considered a proper rock record. Also sounds pretty generic.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the fourth hit single for Cast. Their first three hits were quite uplifting ones, although not really my cup of tea. Then this song came along which followed the same formula of several other dreary hits from the Brit Pop era. To be fair to them though, they did revert back to the more uplifting style for the rest of the decade.
Verdict - Rubbish
This had already been a hit in other European countries in 1995 but didn't chart in the UK until 1996. It's one of many tunes which sample James Brown. It only reached number 14 which is quite surprising given its popularity at the time. It's not a bad tune, but I did get a bit sick of hearing it at the time.
Verdict - OK
Black Box in 1996? I honestly don't remember them still being around then, but I had learned about how what they were doing in 1989 was essentially part of the acid house movement and I also knew of member Daniele Davoli as a DJ. These are 2 different mixes of the same tune so I'm going to treat it as a single entity. The fact of the matter was Black Box had their place in 1989, but in 1996 it sounds like they're trying to put the Black Box stamp on more up to date sounding music which doesn't really work in my opinion.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Upside Down which has just 254 views on YouTube at the time of writing, though it's been up for less than a year. Just the one comment on there which reads "These guys never got anywhere cause they were fed crap songs". That sums it up perfectly I think.
Verdict - Rubbish
I have happy memories of this record coming out as we knew (or should I say thought) this was the end of the band. To me, doing a cover as your final song is quite a pathetic way to go out. Saying that, they could have done "Twinkle Twinkle" and it would have probably still got to number one and give them that final pay cheque they were looking for.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for The Wannadies which is the only record many remember them for. Always thought this was a decent record if I'm honest, but what really confirmed how much I liked it was when I couldn't help but drum along when it appeared on "Romeo + Juliet".
Verdict - Good
I always like the darkness of "Gangstas Paradise" and always found the more uplifting follow ups from Coolio a bit hard to take. They have grown on me over time though, I own his "Gangstas Paradise" album so that's allowed me to get to like this.
Verdict - Good
I find interviews with Noel Gallagher nowadays very entertaining and do find myself agreeing with a lot of what he says about music that I don't like. I can't say the same about his music though. I never understood why Oasis were so popular, their music was just so dull in my opinion. Not only is this tune dull though, it's rather annoying too.
Verdict - Rubbish
A "Dream House" version of the theme music to the TV series. In theory it should be rubbish, but once the beat kicks in you find there's more to it that simply putting a beat over the TV theme tune. the piano takes over and the samples of the theme music only really appear in the background.
Verdict - Good
The Wildhearts are one of those bands I'm very much familiar with, but if you were to ask me what is their signature song I wouldn't have a clue. Truth be told nothing really stands out, but from a Top 40 perspective this was their biggest hit. Again doesn't really stand out, but not a bad record.
Verdict - OK
Believe it or not, this was the joint highest charting single for The Cranberries and charted higher than any of the obvious ones like "Zombie". What I'm quickly learning was the likes of "Zombie" increased the fan base for The Cranberries which meant that when they released the next album, of which this is the lead single, they stood a better chance of charting higher in the Top 40. I dare say many would then question why the fuck they bought this crap and listened to "Zombie" instead.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for 2Pac and proof that he did have hits in the UK before he died. To give you an idea of how little I knew about rap at the time, following "Gangstas Paradise" by Coolio & LV where Coolio rapped the verse and LV sang the chorus I just assumed this was similar in that 2Pac rapped the verse and Dr Dre sang the chorus. That's laughable now. Anyway, a few years ago I did this at karaoke but no lyrics came up on the screen but I still managed to recite most of the lyrics which tells you how much I've listened to this record.
Verdict - Good
Musically I cannot fault this record, it has the sort of formula that should equate to a record I would like. It's also very 90s which again is a good thing. Yet I find myself getting really irritated when I hear it. I want to smash up the radio. No idea why, but I can't exactly like a record when it makes me feel like that.
Verdict - Rubbish
Despite being a brand new record in 1996, this sounds like it could have easily come out in 1966. That's not a bad thing though. I do remember hearing this a lot at the time so I did get a bit sick of it, but still not a bad tune.
Verdict - OK
This Simon & Garfunkel cover was the biggest solo Top 40 hit for Suggs. It was also the biggest Top 40 hit for Louchie Lou and Michie One. To be honest I was never sure whether a record was a Suggs solo or a Madness record in the 90s, but on reflection there's a clear distinction in that Suggs solo records sound a bit of a joke.
Verdict - Rubbish
When The Presidents Of The United States Of America made their Top 40 debut earlier in the year with "Lump" I thought it was a bit of a strange record even though I liked it. Then they followed up with this record which took strangeness to another level. Never thought I'd hear a record about peaches and how they come in a can and were put there by a man. What a tune though, I love it.
Verdict - Good
A record you definitely couldn't avoid hearing in 1996, but what a tune. Like many dance records at the time, this was already over a year old by the time it was released. It's one of those tunes you can sit back and relax to but also get up and dance to, and I've done both.
Verdict - Good
After a Todd Terry remix brought Everything But The Girls out of the music wilderness, they turned to Spring Heel Jack to come up with a drum & bass record. It became the first drum & bass record to reach the Top 10 which is something I find pretty tragic given the number of decent drum & bass records about at the time.
Verdict - Rubbish
Mark Snow composed the actual them music to the X Files and here it is at number two in the charts. I can't say I'm a big fan of the theme music, or the programme itself for that matter. I can't say I particularly dislike it either though.
Verdict - OK
I remember where I was when I first heard this record. I was in a restaurant with a group of people and a music channel was on. The general consensus around the table was how shit is this record? It just sounded a noise and an example of how Michael Jackson could make any old crap and people would buy it. My opinion hasn't really changed.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the record which ensured the Prodigy would never have to go back to the day job. At the time I loved the Prodigy and owned the first two albums. I remember listening to the Evening Session on Radio One where they said they were going to play the new Prodigy tune for the first time and I was excited about hearing it. However, when they played it I was very disappointed. I think the main reason was because when I started listening to the Prodigy, I was moving away from rock music to listen to rave, but this tune seemed to be going back towards rock music. Since then I've grown to like the rockier tunes from the Prodigy more than I used to, but I just can't bring myself to like this tune.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember watching "A Song for Europe" where a number of songs went to the public vote to decide which one should represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest. Of all the songs on the show, this was my favourite and the voting public agreed. Admittedly it is a bit cheesy and did get played to death at the time. As far as Eurovision songs go though, I cannot think of a single one that I think is better than this. No doubt there will be Brit Pop fans reading this thinking I've now lost what little credibility I did have. But I listen to music for enjoyment, not credibility.
Verdict - Good
I remember when this first entered the charts it was at number six for three weeks in a row. It would eventually climb to number one, the first time a record climbed to number one rather than go straight in at number one for a while. I always found Mark Morrison quite hard to take seriously with the way he sang. Still not a bad record though.
Verdict - OK
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 14.5/30, or 48%. Back below 50% again, but not a bad score given the crap that's entered this week.
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