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:
30. Live - Selling The Drama (New)
The Top 40 debut for Live. It was the follow up to "I Alone" which failed to reach the Top 40 when released earlier on in the year. It was already over a year old by the time it was in the UK Top 40 so does perhaps sound a little out of place in 1995. A decent record nonetheless.
Verdict - Good
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 songwriter of this record was Glyn Poole which made me think oh that's what the "Milly Molly Mandy" singer did next. Turns out it was a different Glyn Poole. It was the 4th Top 40 hit for singing actor Sean Maguire and as usual it's a bit crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit for Amy Grant who had last been in the Top 40 in 1991. It's a cover of the Joni Mitchell record and I believe this was the first version of this record that I heard. I remember thinking it was good to see the singer of "Baby Baby" back in the charts.
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
I've never liked rugby as a sport and have never watched the rugby world cup in my life. The way to know it was happening was a version of this song being in the charts. It do find it somewhat baffling that rugby prides itself on being a hardcore sport yet it gets represented musically by such a namby pamby song.
Verdict - Rubbish
I was really critical of this song at the time. It's called "This Ain't A Love Song" but it clearly is one, something I'd shout when I'd hear it. I was still very much in my anti-Bon Jovi phase. In reality though this is one of my favourite Bon Jovi records and a good one to scream your lungs out to.
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
The final single to be take from the "Steam" album. It's predominantly Brian Harvey singing but does also feature a short Tony Mortimer rap and also has a rap from Terry Coldwell. We were used to Terry being in the background but he's actually a pretty decent rapper.
Verdict - Good
Yes that's right, Zig and Zag had another Top 40 hit. This time they appear to have been influenced by Rednex. It's obviously supposed to be crap, it's a novelty record by 2 puppets. It really is taking the cheesiness to the extreme though.
Verdict - Rubbish
The final Top 40 hit to date for House Of Pain, though Everlast would return as a solo artist and DJ Lethal would return as a member of Limp Bizkit. It's the ever familiar House Of Pain formula and you can't go too wrong with that.
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
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Ultimate Kaos who never really managed to live up to the success of their debut "Some Girls". With other Simon Cowell project Robson & Jerome sitting at the top of the charts it was clear that Ultimate Kaos were now yesterdays news.
Verdict - Rubbish
I love the original "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Grandmaster & Melle Mel and this cover completely ruins it. I can live with the rock element being added to it but the singing of the lines that were originally rapped is just terrible.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. ADAM ft Amy - Zombie (New)
It had only been a few months since the original version of this by The Cranberries had been in the Top 40. This eurodance cover is just about as bad as it gets, a truly awful record.
Verdict - Rubbish
Wet Wet Wet were enjoying a revival off the back of the success of "Love I All Around" with this being their 3rd Top 10 hit in a row, something they hadn't managed since their first 3 singles back in 1987. I do quite like it.
Verdict - Good
14. Menswear - Daydreamer (New)
The Top 40 debut for britpop band Menswear who were taking advantage of it's popularity by having lots of hype surrounding them before they'd even made a record. It's a pretty catchy number though and I have to concede that I quite like it.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Jam & Spoon which first charted in 1994. It's their highest charting hit and the one they're best known for. It's nowhere near as good as their less successful records from 1995 and it's difficult to not make the comparison. If I ask myself if it's better than "Don't Make Me Wait" by Loveland ft Rachel McFarlane though I'd say yes it probably is.
Verdict - Good
It's difficult to pin point a record that M People are best known for but I'd say this record is definitely a candidate. It's inclusion on the Peugeot advert would probably be a factor, that's what I think of when I hear this record. Not to my liking.
Verdict - Rubbish
Pulp formed in the 70s but it took until 1994 for them to get their first Top 40 hit. It was this record though that made them a household name. I wasn't keen on this record at first, then it grew on me a bit but it's taken quite a few years for me to concede that I do quite like it.
Verdict - Good
The solo Top 40 debut for Edwyn Collins who had previous been in the Top 40 as part of Orange Juice. This record is all about the guitar, I love the way it basically repeats the lines that he sings. The rest of the guitaring is great as well.
Verdict - Good
The 7th Top 40 hit for Jamiroquai which became their highest charting single to that point. I remember seeing this on Top of the Pops at the time and remember loving how smooth and funky it was. My opinion had pretty much stayed the same.
Verdict - Good
Michael Jackson first made a name for himself singing with his brothers. Now here he is singing with his sister. The issue I have with this record is it's over the top like a lot of his records are. If I put that to one side though and concentrate on the music alone then I like it if I'm in the right mood.
Verdict - Good
Whigfield is best known for her chart topping debut "Saturday Night" which is an irritating record. Then came "Another Day" which is basically the same tune with different lyrics. Then came this which made me think what the fuck, I like this Whigfield record. It's still cheesy don't get me wrong, but in a good way. Those who remember it are likely to remember it for the line "I need you inside me tonight".
Verdict - Good
The follow up to the chart topping "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" which is a rave version of the Korgis record. There were other rave versions of the same record also going round at the same time. It lends itself well to it though I have to say.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for the Foo Fighters. The fact that it was former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl's band and the fact it's not a grunge record more or less confirmed that grunge was pretty much finished. Although I had personally moved onto rave by this point, I always did consider this to be a solid debut.
Verdict - Good
This was the highest charting Top 40 hit for Clock. It's a eurodance cover of the Tag Team record. I do remember this being pretty big at the time but it's never worked in my opinion. The again very generic eurodance music sold records.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record was famously featured on the soundtrack to "Batman Forever". It's a crap film like all the Batman films are but the music is good. I love the intro/outro riff to this.
Verdict - Good
If I had to pick a record to sum up the summer of 1995 then this would probably be it. This was also my favourite of The Outhere Brothers hits.
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 20/30, or 67%. When we went above 50% in week 3 I asked will we stay there the rest of the year? now we're halfway the answer so far is yes.
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