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:
The follow up to "Where Love Lives" which had charted almost a year prior to this. It was the only Top 40 hit for Alison Limerick that she wrote herself and it was co-written by Steve Anderson from Brothers In Rhythm. I remember this being more dancey but I may have only heard a remix before. It's decent though and doesn't suffer from being overplayed.
Verdict - Good
29. Total - Kissin' You (New)
I've mentioned several time that what gave Britpop a bad name was too much throwaway rubbish from obscure bands. The same can be said for American R&B in the 90s with this being an example. It was their only Top 40 hit on their own and the main man behind the song was Raphael Saadiq who I rate. The group though is poundland TLC.
Verdict - Rubbish
"Stomp" was a hit for Brothers Johnson back in the 70s and this is Quincy Jones and a bunch of rappers bringing it into the 90s. As the original was very much a record for the dance floor in the first place it lends itself too decent remix potential. It lives up to that and I don't think you'd hear too many complaints if you heard this on the dancefloor instead of the original.
Verdict - Good
This was the 18th Top 40 hit for REM and their highest charting single to that point. One of many examples of a well established band having their biggest hit around this time with said hit being nowhere near one of their best known. It was the lead single off their "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" album. My memory of this record is it being the one about hash bars, but not much else going on in it.
Verdict - Rubbish
The biggest hit for Dodgy and the one they're best known for. What I can tell you from this record is that it was around the same time "The Noise", a short lived music TV show presented by Andi Peters, was on. It's a decent enough record.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Alisha's Attic. The first thing I thought when I heard this record was that it sounded a bit like "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette. But I thought both records were good in their own way. One memory I do have of this record is it appearing on the radio one morning when I was about to switch it off and go out, but instead I stayed and listened to it.
Verdict - Good
The Pet Shop Boys have made lots of good records over the years and I'd say this one is up there amongst the best of them. It takes me back to a time when I had a more idealistic view of the world. It's also quite different to anything they'd done before.
Verdict - Good
I mentioned when reviewing the previous Bryan Adams hit that he was doing something uplifting as opposed to the ballads we'd become used to. With this record though he's back to doing the ballads again.
Verdict - Rubbish
I have to admit I did not like this record when I first heard it. I remember them being introduced as gangsta rappers but didn't like the singing element to their rapping. However after getting over that hurdle I can honestly say this is one of my all time favourites. I love how dark it is and how dark a lot of their music is for that matter.
Verdict - Good
Just in case you weren't aware that 3T were Michael Jacksons nephews, here's Michael Jackson himself on the record just to remind you. It's a Babyface composition which shows that not everything he writes is good.
Verdict - Rubbish
As someone who listened to the radio back in the 90s there were lots of records I'd hear that I didn't like. Generally I'd just put up with them, but there were some records that I hated so much I would have to turn off the radio. This was one of those records. I can also tell you that we'll be getting "Breakfast At Tiffany's" in the charts soon because that was another that made me turn off the radio at the time. Why break the habit of a lifetime, I'm stopping this before the end of the video.
Verdict - Rubbish
This isn't H2O the 80s act and it isn't Billie Piper either. It's a house record that sounds like it was influenced by Masters at Work. I don't mean that in a bad way, they no doubt influenced lots of producers and it's good to hear someone else making this sort of music.
Verdict - Good
What can I say about this record to do it justice? Underworld are one of my favourite acts ever and this was their biggest hit and what got me into them in the first place. At a time when commercially successful music was getting more and more mellow it was refreshing to see a banging techno record giving a big fuck you to all of that.
Verdict - Good
Max Martin is one of the most prolific songwriters ever. At the time of writing only Paul McCartney has had more Top 40 hits as a songwriter. This was his first Top 40 hit as a songwriter, which failed to reach the Top 40 when first released the previous year. It's basically the signature sound of the Backstreet Boys.
Verdict - Rubbish
Another record that reminds me of "The Noise" with Andi Peters. I also remember how the song completely changes after the short intro. It was written by the same songwriting team as "Tuff Act To Follow" by MN8 which entered the Top 40 the same week and includes Simon Climie of Climie Fisher fame. I can hear a bit of "Love Changes Everything" in there, of the cheap imitation variety.
Verdict - Rubbish
I picked this record as my record of the year for 1996. It's the only Way Out West single to make the Top 30. I just find the euphoric trance sound together with the breakbeats irresistible. I absolutely loved this record at the time, still do.
Verdict - Good
This is a cover of the Four Seasons record which is a record which has always irritated me. Quite frankly I don't think any cover of this is going to change that fact. A cheesy commercial eurodance cover certainly isn't.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Space and their best in my opinion. It's also one you don't really hear anymore which helps my preserve that opinion. It's a funny story but even without the humour it's a great record musically.
Verdict - Good
I wasn't sure whether this record was a piss take or not. It was the only Top 40 hit for Rocket From The Crypt who were a punk band. Not all punk has to be serious though and music doesn't have to be serious to be liked. Never been able to like this record though, I remember the Top of the Pops performance and thinking this is shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
Here's yet another record that reminds me of "The Noise" with Andi Peters. That show must have had a bigger effect on me than I realised. As I recall though I believe Louise sang a line from it as part of a competition to guess what it was she was singing. This time George Michael failed to top the charts and I'd say this is actually better than his 2 chart toppers of 1996, but that's not saying much.
Verdict - Rubbish
This feels like a comeback single for The Charlatans, but in reality they never really went away they were just a bit low key since their initial success in the early 90s. It became their biggest hit to date. I always found their music from this period at least rather dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the big holiday song of 1996 and I can remember hearing it all the time when I went on holiday in 1996 myself. When this made the charts I wasn't expecting the 2 men who sing it to be so old, they were almost 50 by this point which actually doesn't seem that old these days. Anyway it's cheesy and terrible and everything you expect from a big holiday song.
Verdict - Rubbish
Here's proof that there were charting musicians from New Zealand that had nothing to do with the Finn brothers. There had been John Rowles and Kiri Te Kanawa previously. It was the only Top 40 hit for OMC and the title more or less describes the tune. I like it though. I also know that we'll soon be getting OMD in the charts too just to confuse things.
Verdict - Good
When I was listening to "Tattva" for the first time in years I was surprised at how much I was enjoying it. No such luck with this follow up, this more or less sums up why my memories of Kula Shaker aren't great. Not the worst song I've ever heard by any means, but there's not really anything to like about it.
Verdict - Rubbish
What a name, well the presents Maddog bit anyway. It heavily samples "Boogie Wonderland" and has a rap over the top of it, but nothing too over the top. It did like it at the time but not sure whether I'd like it if I was hearing it for the first time now. The nostalgia means I still do like it though.
Verdict - Good
The 9th Top 40 hit for Jamiroquai which became their highest charting to that point. I remember being quite surprised by this record because I saw Jamiroquai as being a futuristic band but here they are singing about "useless twisting our new technology". Maybe Jay Kay knew we'd have a lot more of that in the future which we do. One benefit of the modern era that didn't exist back then was the ability to go to YouTube and play music from the good old days.
Verdict - Good
After 18 years away from the Top 40 The Smurfs are back with this novelty take on "I Wanna Be A Hippy". It's music that's intentionally crap, I remember the adverts for the album with clips of several tracks. One more would make the Top 40.
Verdict - Rubbish
There was no escaping this song in the summer of 1996. It was the Top 40 debut for the Spice Girls and I thought it had one hit wonder written all over it at the time. Unfortunately it wasn't and there was no escaping them for the next 2.5 years which felt a lot longer.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Fugees - Ready Or Not (New)
In 1996 you were more likely to find me listening to the drum & bass rip off of this rather than the Fugees record. In a way though I saw it as a good compromise between listening to this and staying true to the rave scene. It's a great record though, pretty dark but has a sung chorus to keep it radio friendly. There was no stopping the Fugees in 1996.
Verdict - Good
1. Peter Andre - Flava (New)
This record finally ended the Spice Girls time at the top of the charts. Peter Andre made a name for himself earlier on in the summer with "Mysterious Girl" which sounded like it was ripping off "Sweat" by Inner Circle. This time he's ripping off "Hoochie Booty" by Ultimate Kaos. The only thing I like about this record is that when you ask the question what was Peter Andre's first number one they normally get it wrong.
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 14/30, or 47%. Not much of a jump really.
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