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:
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 would say the solo career of Louise after she left Eternal got off to a slow start, but this was the record where she turned the corner. It's probably the best remembered hit of hers, though one thing I will say is her Top 40 performance shows her music career to be bigger than I remember it being. Maybe I'd trained myself to ignore it because it's shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I bought the "Insomniac" album I didn't find it the most difficult Green Day album to get into. I remember this song in particular as one that never really got started. I also found it far too slow and was possibly the worst Green Day song I'd heard at the time, though these days no doubt some of their more modern stuff is worse.
Verdict - Rubbish
This record is what it says on the tin but is basically a remix done by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen of U2. I will give them credit for the fact this sounds nothing like a U2 record. That doesn't mean it's any good though.
Verdict - Rubbish
The lead vocals on this record are shared by Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May. The problem with these posthumous releases is that they're never quite the real thing, you can sort of tell it's been stitched together. That's why it gets just half a mark.
Verdict - OK
The TV series "Men Behaving Badly" was in the peak of its popularity at the time so Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash aka Dorothy and Deborah released this record. They were obviously going to release something cheesy and crap which is exactly what this is.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for The Divine Comedy. I remember this very well due to the lyrics about the woodshed and I'd just moved to a house with a woodshed. I loved the combination of old fashioned music with humorous lyrics and became a bit of a fan of The Divine Comedy.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Space. When it comes to bands who fell under the Britpop banner I would say Space were one of the better ones. It's a bit different, the verses stand out really well and builds into a strong chorus. Great tune.
Verdict - Good
It looked like Let Loose were pretty much finished at the end of 1995 when "Everybody Say Everybody Do" only made number 29. They weren't though, and they came back with this Bread cover which became their 2nd biggest hit. It would just be one further Top 40 hit for them before they really were finished fortunately.
Verdict - Rubbish
21. Bizarre Inc - Surprise (New)
Bizarre Inc made their Top 40 breakthrough back in 1991 coming out of the rave scene. This record, which is their final Top 40 hit to date is absolutely nothing like rave music. I guess you could say I was surprised to hear Bizarre Inc make a record like this. At the same time though I found myself liking it.
Verdict - Good
I'll be the first to admit this record hasn't aged very well. At the time though it was a great record and the nostalgia element means I still like it now. For me it's all about the build up when the beat first comes in. Then there's the short breakdown later on before the tune kicks in again. It was irresistible at the time.
Verdict - Good
It's quite a simple concept, take a sample of "Better Days" by Jimi Polo like several other dance records have done, and mix it in with a vocal sample of "Girls & Boys" by Blur. It worked though, this was one of my favourite commercial dance records at the time. I kind of didn't want to like it but I couldn't help but enjoy it.
Verdict - Good
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Maxi Priest and final time he'll feature as his final hit didn't make the Top 30. It was also the penultimate Top 40 hit of the 90s for Shaggy. I recall it seeming odd but logical seeing Maxi Priest and Shaggy collaborate. It's a good record though.
Verdict - Good
The song most people remember from Euro 96 was "3 Lions", but it was this record which was the official song of the tournament. I also remember it being the first Simply Red record after Mick Hucknall had a haircut. I'm not surprised few people remember this song and that you never hear it anymore, it's boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
The record Ocean Colour Scene are best known for was their debut "The Riverboat Song" but this was their joint highest charting hit. The verses to this gives the notion of riding along on a train I think and the chorus is simple but effective. An all round good record.
Verdict - Good
This was a record I never liked at the time, partly because with a name like the Tony Rich Project I was expecting a dance record but it wasn't. Then when I was going through my R&B phase I started liking it. What do I think of it now though? Well first of all I could have sworn it was written by Babyface but it wasn't, though it did come out on his label and the songwriters have seemingly done nothing else so you never know. The fact it sounds like a record Babyface could have done himself though is a good thing.
Verdict - Good
With New Order now on hiatus, Bernard Sumner was back with Electronic with their first Top 40 hit in 4 years. Joining Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr on songwriting duties is Karl Bartos from Kraftwerk. It's not really that electronic sounding, but is a decent enough record.
Verdict - Good
13. Bon Jovi - Hey God (New)
This was the last Top 40 hit for Bon Jovi before they went on hiatus. A lot of songs from this era of Bon Jovi were either ballads or acoustic numbers, but this is very much a rock record. Not exactly a classic, but not bad either.
Verdict - OK
The way Everything But The Girl came out of the musical wilderness the previous year was via a Todd Terry remix. Here they are again with another Todd Terry remix. I was never a fan of said record and I'm not a fan of this one either. It's their last Top 10 single to date.
Verdict - Rubbish
There really was a lot of football records in the charts in the summer of 1996 and here's another one. I guess you could call this the "Vindaloo" of Euro 96. Again it's an example of why football and music don't really mix.
Verdict - Rubbish
In the 21st century Mariah Carey had more of an R&B element in her music thanks in part to having Jermaine Dupri write and produce some of her records. This is where it began though with this record being written and produced by Jermanine Dupri. It's still shit though.
Verdict - Rubbish
9. Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives (Come On In)
The Top 40 debut for Alison Limerick. I always thought she was American but it turns out she's English. The involvement of America DJs David Morales and Frankie Knuckles is probably why I thought that. I've heard this far too many times in my life now, but I still like it.
Verdict - Good
After eventually topping the charts with their Top 40 debut "Dreamer" the previous year, this was their follow up. It was with a different singer this time. It's not hugely different to it's predecessor though and not a good, but not bad either.
Verdict - OK
7. Reel 2 Real - Jazz It Up (New)
Erick Morillo was a respected DJ in the dance music scene, but Reel 2 Real was very much his cheesy commercial dance project. This was the penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Reel 2 Real and is a cheesy commercial dance record, but it isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
6. Ash - Oh Yeah (New)
I keep mentioning the rock crowd I knew back in the day. Around the mid 90s some of us like myself moved onto different music and some stuck with it. This would be the sort of music those who stuck with it were listening to by 1996 which seemed a far cry from the heavier music they were listening to a couple of years earlier.
Verdict - Rubbish
Celine Dion was pretty well established as a chart act by this point and was mainly known for doing ballads. It therefore seemed almost inevitable really that she'd end up with a single written by Diane Warren and here it is.
Verdict - Rubbish
4. Kula Shaker - Tattva (New)
I never really liked Kula Shaker at the time. This was their breakthrough record that I remember most for its incomprehensible lyrics. Then in more recent times I'm finding that I really like this record. Probably helps that the only times I listen to it these days is of my own accord.
Verdict - Good
The record that Peter Andre was best known for. It's a reggae style pop record that sounds a bit like its ripping off "Sweat" by Inner Circle. I remember this being in the charts when Peter Andre was presenting Top of the Pops and during the chart countdown he said it was "by Bubbler Ranx and me". It's not the worst record in the world, but I'm sick to death of it now and would happily never hear it again.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember this going straight into number one on the Top 40 countdown which was the first time I heard it. Initially from the intro I thought it was going to be a depressing song, but then the beats kicked in and I though hang on a minute this is actually quite good.
Verdict - Good
As a general rule music and football do not mix. New Order however showed it is possible to make a decent football record. In theory there was no reason why the Lightning Seeds couldn't have done the same and it is liked by many, but not by me.
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 15/30, or 50%. I knew this would be the score after reviewing this particular Top 40 for my best year search.
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