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:
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Weezer which is also their best known hit, thanks in part to it's "Happy Days" themed video. On a more personal level this came not long after I quit a band. I'd initially been singer and occasional guitarist but wanted to play guitar more. My band mate said OK he'll be lead guitarist and singer and I'll be rhythm guitarist. I said if I'm not singing then I want to be lead guitarist which led to me quitting. Just seconds into this record you can see the lead singer is also the lead guitarist and I felt the rhythm guitarists pain when I saw that. Didn't stop me liking it though.
Verdict - Good
This originally appeared on his "Soul Revolution" album back in 1971 but this was the first time it made the Top 40. It gave Bob Marley his 4th posthumous Top 40 hit. You can't go wrong with a bit of Bob Marley really.
Verdict - Good
This record confirmed that Boyzone weren't going to be one hit wonders. It was the first Top 40 hit to be written by Ray Hedges who penned several of their hits. It gave us a good idea about what to expect from Boyzone for the rest of the decade i.e. a dreary ballad.
Verdict - Rubbish
27. Faith No More - Ricochet (New)
After coming back with a bang with "Digging the Grave", this follow up seemed quite tame in comparison. That said it was definitely a lot heavier than much of the guitar music that was coming out at the time. I was however moving away from guitar music around this time, but on reflection I think it's a decent record.
Verdict - Good
Here's something unusual in the 90s, a Rod Stewart hit that's not a cover. This was the first solo non-cover Top 40 hit he had since 1988. He didn't write it though. It did very little to improve the quality of his musical output, it's dreary and boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
This originally made number 38 in 1994 but did better when it returned to the charts in 1995 and gave Bobby Brown his highest charting Top 40 hit to date.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
The 6th and final solo Top 40 hit for Jimmy Somerville which meant he had one more Top 40 hit as a solo artists than he did with Bronski Beat. It also meant that he'd had more covers than original Top 40 hits as a solo artist. This was the lowest charting of those covers. I quite like it.
Verdict - Good
23. Incognito - Everyday (New)
The back catalogue of Incognito is huge, they've had 18 albums at the time of writing. They've only had 5 Top 40 hits though and this was the 4th of those. It was also the highest charting one that wasn't a cover. It's a classic for sure.
Verdict - Good
The Future Sound Of London had a Top 40 hit every year between 1992 and 1997 but had just the one Top 40 hit each year. This was their 1995 effort and the lack of lyrics in the record was made up by the very lengthy song title. It's an odd record but a good one.
Verdict - Good
Guitar music was getting softer in the mid-90s but Radiohead really took it to the extreme with this record. It's a far cry from the heavy guitars of "Creep" but I guess that was the point. They were doing their own thing and I respect that, but I just find this unlistenable.
Verdict - Rubbish
One of the reasons I have 1995 down as being a good year for music is because I'd videotaped the Christmas edition of Top of the Pops and found myself liking many of the records they used to round up the year. There were however exceptions to that and this record stands out as one of those that wasn't so good.
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
I'm surprised this record got no higher than number 18 because this got played a lot at the time. I remember several young kids taking a liking to it at the time for some reason. My teenage self also thought it was decent if I'm honest. Definitely one of the better Elton John records.
Verdict - Good
This was the 6th Top 40 hit for Oasis and it gave them their first number one. I recall on The O-Zone after this topped the charts Liam Gallagher said he wasn't surprised this got to number one because it's a good record. I too wasn't surprised given how big Oasis were becoming, but I can't say I agree about the good record bit.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. Michelle Gayle - Freedom (New)
I've always seen Michelle Gayle as a prime example of British R&B being inferior to its American counterpart. I remember this record as was ready to say that, but instead I'm quite surprised to find myself enjoying it after all these years. With an American songwriter and a video where she's wearing a Michigan dress and it looks like it was recorded in America I guess it's more of an American record with a Brit providing vocals.
Verdict - Good
It's rumoured that this record was written about Sarah Jessica Parker who Joshua Kadison was said to be dating at the time. It's not unusual for a musician to be dating a film actress, but doing so before the musicians had his first hit seems pretty unusual. Anyway this was played at lot at the time and I quite liked it, still do.
Verdict - Good
At the time me and a couple of others were given lunchtime detention at school for a few days by the science teacher in the science lab. He would listen to his tape which began with this song. We would therefore laugh at this possibly 50 something bloke listening to Take That. I always hated Take That and still think most of their music is crap, but I have to concede that this one is actually quite good.
Verdict - Good
When this record first came out I thought that Montell Jordan may have been a basketball player who made a record. The fact he was so tall and had the surname Jordan would have been logical reasons why. That said, the fact is too good to be by a sportsman really.
Verdict - Good
The issue I used to have with the Eurovision Song Contest when I was younger was that it sounded like most of the music was stuck in the dark ages. Then in 1995 this record was selected to represent the UK and I thought wow a song that actually sounds modern at Eurovision. I also watched the Eurovision Song Contest that year and it really should have won as it was the best record by far.
Verdict - Good
Here's a turn up for the books, an Australian pop singer who wasn't on an Aussie soap. This was the Top 40 debut for Tina Arena and the record she's best known for. This is how you make a pop ballad, once it gets going it's quite something.
Verdict - Good
10. McAlmont And Butler - Yes (New)
Bernard Butler left Suede in 1994 and then formed a duo with David McAlmont. This was their Top 40 debut and the record they're best known for. Whilst this also falls under the britpop banner it's very different to Suede. That's a good thing.
Verdict - Good
Man Utd managed to top the charts the previous year, but no such luck this time around. This time the Man Utd players don't really make much contribution to the record, it's predominantly rapping from Stryker who is apparently an Arsenal supporter. It's predictably crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
After Celine Dion had been at the top of the charts for what seemed like an eternity with a dreary ballad, here she was back with another dreary ballad. My opinion of this song is therefore much the same as my opinion of its predecessor.
Verdict - Rubbish
After the eventual success of "Push The Feeling On" courtesy of a MK remix, The Nightcrawlers reunited with MK for this follow up which very much follows the same formula. The main difference is that it's nowhere near as catchy, but then that's what makes it good in its own way.
Verdict - Good
The solo Top 40 debut for Billie Ray Martin who had previously been in the Top 40 as the singer for Electribe 101. Initially reaction to hearing that there was a singer called Billie Ray Martin was not that achy breaky heart bloke again. It was a different Billie Ray though, a German female as opposed to an American male. It couldn't be any more different, but it's almost as annoying as "Achy Breaky Heart".
Verdict - Rubbish
The debut solo Top 40 hit for Ali Campbell which was also his biggest. It features uncredited vocals from Pamela Starks. The only resemblance it has to a UB40 record is Ali Campbell's singing, it's very much a pop record otherwise. It's also how a pop record should be done.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut and only chart topper for Livin Joy which is also the hit they're most famous for. It's a commercial dance record no doubt and I've perhaps heard this too many times in my life by now. It does however push the right buttons to make it great fun to listen to.
Verdict - Good
I don't think anyone saw this one coming. A eurodance record that's rapped by a 53 year old bloke with a stutter. This record is about as 1995 as they come even though it was originally recorded in 1994. What a tune though.
Verdict - Good
A record from 1958 that finally entered the charts after appearing on the Guinness advert. Perez 'Prez' Prado sadly didn't live to see this records success as he died in 1989. I'm not sure I was aware of just how old this record was at the time and when I hear it I very much think 1995.
Verdict - Good
Whilst I generally have a favourable opinion of music from 1995 I'm also conscious that there was also rubbish in the charts that year with Robson & Jerome in particular that springs to mind. This was their Top 40 debut which came about after their Soldier Soldier characters sang it on the show.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 21/30, or 70%. It's proving to be a good year.
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