Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 30 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Sunday.
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 1993 with my verdict on each record:
The 4th and penultimate Top 40 hit for Jon Secada and the last time he'll feature as his final hit never made the Top 30. I was somewhat taken aback by it being a dance record, that's not how I remembered it. Then I realised I was thinking of his 2nd Top 40 hit "Do You Believe In Us" which incidentally also peaked at number 30. It's not bad, but I'm sure I'll have forgot how it goes by the time you read this.
Verdict - OK
This was the 4th and final Top 40 hit to date for The Waterboys. Apparently it was written about the town of Glastonbury as opposed to the festival. It's pleasant enough, but I won't be in a hurry to listen to it again.
Verdict - OK
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Jade, but not as well remembered as it's predecessor. It's not a bad record but it's missing that something that makes me truly like it. Just a stereotypical early 90s R&B record.
Verdict - OK
27. REM - Nightswimming (New)
The final Top 40 hit from the "Automatic for the People" album and I dare say the least remembered. If you are going to do what is basically an acoustic ballad you have to do it well. I think they've achieved that here.
Verdict - Good
Joey Lawrence was an actor in the American TV series "Blossom" at the time and this is him branching out into music. It sounds like he's 4 years too late though because it's basically poundland Bobby Brown from 1989.
Verdict - Rubbish
When it comes to big beat music, the likes of The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim are often credited as being pioneers. I think some credit needs to go to Utah Saints though. I don't think the term "big beat" had been used yet in 1993, but I would class this as a big beat record.
Verdict - Good
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for OMD. Whilst their previous hit "Stand Above Me" implied they were past it, this record does the opposite. It's sticking to their electronic roots without standing stuck in the 80s. You could almost imaging someone like Enigma making a record like this.
Verdict - Good
After making her name as singer on some Massive Attack records, this was the Top 40 debut of Shara Nelson as a solo artist. I can't say this record does anything for me, I find it rather boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
We're now into the era of Kenny Thomas that nobody remembers. Keeping with the tradition of all his hits to this point bar "Thinking About Your Love" it's a cover. The word that springs to mind with this record is "beige". The 1991 Kenny Thomas has a certain 90s nostalgia factor, the 1993 Kenny Thomas is just getting tedious.
Verdict - Rubbish
It's a bad sign when you release a new record and it enters the charts lower than your previous record. That's what's happened here with the "Five Live EP" at number 6 when this entered the charts. That said it did come pretty soon after and it would become the 4th highest charting record for Lisa Stansfield. The record itself though is a boring ballad.
Verdict - Rubbish
If memory serves me correctly (and it does tend to mislead me) this was the last dance record I truly got into before I became strictly rock and anti-pop. It treads that fine line where it's clearly a commercial dance record but is credible at the same time.
Verdict - Good
It always seemed a bit odd that Paul Weller was part of the whole Britpop movement because this was supposed to be something new and he seemed so old. He was only 35 at the time though. I did find a lot of the Paul Weller songs to sound the same.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember hearing this for the first time on the Big Breakfast and then hearing other singing it later on that day. It's a pretty catchy record and now I know it was produced by Denniz Pop that was clearly the point. I loved this record at the time and still like it even though I've perhaps heard it too many times.
Verdict - Good
This was the biggest hit for Oui 3. They were very flash in the pan, but years later I came across their album at HMV in Oxford St and bought it after remembering I quite liked them. They were also a big influence on Faithless.
Verdict - Good
There was a period of time in 1993 when The Spin Doctors were my 10th favourite band and it was because of this record alone. The rest of my Top 10 was always changing and they dropped out when I could easily name 10 bands who were better. I would say their placing at number 10 was more symbolic of me thinking this is a solid decent record but only a nitwit would think it's the best song ever.
Verdict - Good
When searching for the best year for the singles chart I decided this was the worst record in the Top 40 I sampled. Taylor Dayne is a singer I've always found irritating and here she is doing a piss poor cover of the Barry White record. Hopefully this is the last time I'll ever have to hear it.
Verdict - Rubbish
This would be the last time we'd see both Craig McLachlan and Debbie Gibson in the Top 40. It's a cover of the Grease record and they were both in a London stage show version at the time. It was crap the first time round, this cover is even worse.
Verdict - Rubbish
Yet another cover by Rod Stewart. This was originally by Van Morrison and is pretty well known but never made the Top 40. I like the original version, but this karaoke effort from Rod Stewart is shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
My memory of Kim Wilde in the 90s is that Chris Evans was a fan and she appeared on "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush". Looking at the timings though, this would have been before that. This is however her last Top 40 hit to date. It's a pointless cover.
Verdict - Rubbish
Even though this wasn't the biggest hit for Dannii Minogue I would say this one is the best known. It came at a time when Kylie Minogue had left Stock Aitken & Waterman and was yet to launch her post-Stock Aitken & Waterman career. It's a pointless cover.
Verdict - Rubbish
At the time I recall someone accusing me of only liking this record because it was at number one. If anything that would have been a reason for me to not like it. UB40 do divide opinion, some say how can you take a reggae band from Birmingham who do lots of covers seriously whereas others say doesn't it really matter it's good to listen to. I fit the latter category.
Verdict - Good
Much like "Heal the World", I thought this record was acceptable at the time but as I've gotten older and more bitter I have little tolerance for soppy music like this anymore. It's the 8th Top 40 hit from his "Dangerous" album and wasn't his last.
Verdict - Rubbish
After Sister Sledge returned to the Top 40 in 1993 with remixes of their old records it was now the turn of Gloria Gaynor. The original of this is a record I've always hated and is a perfect example of why disco was seen as a bit of a joke in the end. The remix doesn't improve it at all.
Verdict - Rubbish
7. Roxette - Almost Unreal (New)
This is the last Top 10 hit to date for Roxette. It was made for the Super Mario Bros film and has Tony from Hollyoaks in the video before he was Tony from Hollyoaks. It's since been disowned by Roxette themselves. I think they have a point.
Verdict - Rubbish
The melody to this record was basically taken from "Highwire" by Linda Carr. Given that M People called their debut album "Northern Soul" I would say that was deliberate too. Aside from that it's that generic dance sound that's a bit rubbish.
Verdict - Rubbish
This is an iconic 90s record that everybody remembers. My memory of this record was having a teacher called Mrs Hathaway who we started calling Mrs Haddaway which led to people randomly singing it in her lessons. That said, I've always considered it to be a bit crap and still think the same.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Chaka Demus & Pliers. This was one of many more radio friendly reggae records that charted in 1993. It's almost the blueprint on how to make a record reggae style.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Gabrielle and perhaps her best known hit. I remember being in 2 minds about this record at the time. It didn't make a good impression on me initially but it grew on me. Neither a good or bad record really.
Verdict - OK
I remember someone at school at the time listing 4 Non Blondes in their Top 10 bands and we all reacted by saying what the fuck? None of us liked it, even it's composer Linda Perry doesn't like it.
Verdict - Rubbish
Take That were undoubtedly the most popular group amongst females at school in early 1993, but one thing I could smile and say was they were yet to have a number one. Then the inevitable happened with this going straight in at number one. It's a terrible record.
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 11/30, or 37%. Just one decent new entry means we're dropping.
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