Sunday, 8 October 2023

Top 30 in 1993 Reviewed: Week 41

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:


This was an EP of the debut hits of the bands who contributed to it i.e. "Gangsters", "The Prince", "On the Radio" and "Tears of a Clown". It was released to promote a best of 2 Tone album. All decent records in my opinion.

Verdict - Good


This was the 9th Top 40 hit for Salt-N-Pepa and they were the first rap act to reach this number. It was also the first Salt-N-Pepa hit that was actually written by Salt-N-Pepa, though Salt did write one of their previous hits by herself. It's a change in direction and they've definitely moved into the 90s with this one, but it's still cheesy commercial rap that isn't very good.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit from Worlds Apart, a boy band few people remember. Like their debut singles, this is a cover. It's also the 4th version of this song to make the Top 40 and it wasn't the last. It's predictably crap.

Verdict - Rubbish


Staxx were Simon Thorne and Tom Jones, not that Tom Jones though it's something who's genuinely called that as far as I'm aware. I can't say I think too much of this record, it treads that line between house and eurodance but ends up being the worst of both worlds.

Verdict - Rubbish


I've mentioned previously that I'm not a fan of D:Reams bland style of dance pop music, but for their 4th hit they've got a ballad with "Star" which is every bit as bad as it sounds on paper. With "I Like It" it's the usual bland style of dance pop music which I'm not a fan of.

Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish


I'm pretty sure this has been used in an advert. If it hasn't then it would probably work well on an advert. That's perhaps where this record falls down, it's pleasant enough but I can't help but think of it as an advertising jingle rather than a full song.

Verdict - OK


When this record first came out, not only did I think this was a great song, I also thought Bitty McLean was a great name. This led me incorporate his name into the lyrics when I sang along just so I could acknowledge what a great name it is.

Verdict - Good


When I first heard this song a few times I asked someone what it was and they said "Creep" by Motorhead. All I really knew about Motorhead at the time was that they were a notoriously heavy band, so I thought this had to be one of their softer records. It wouldn't be long before I'd discover it was Radiohead not Motorhead, and some of the music Radiohead would go on to make is almost the opposite extreme of Motorhead. Anyway this is possibly the only Radiohead song I like.

Verdict - Good


One thing I remember when this record was out was that I'd learned the rules that if you were a rock and metal fan you weren't supposed to like anything that wasn't rock and metal. I remember that because I couldn't help but like this record despite those rules. I like the way the pause in the record gets longer each time.

Verdict - Good


At the time I argued quite extensively about what this record was called. I said it was "When The Shit Goes Down" and they said it was "When The Ship Goes Down". Turns out we were both right with the latter being the name of the radio edit. Anyway it's classic Cypress Hill from the excellent "Black Sunday" album, what's not to like.

Verdict - Good

20. Diana Ross - Chain Reaction (New)

For the first time in almost 4 years I cannot find a song on YouTube or anywhere on the internet to review. I can find the original version, but not the 1993 remix which Wikipedia describes as being largely instrumental. I have no memory of the remix existing either so I can't say whether I like it or not.

Verdict - Unknown


Crowded House revert to the weather theme in their song titles with this lead single from their "Together Alone" album. It worked well for them previously, so why not I guess. I'm finding myself still singing it once I've finished listening to it, a sign that I like it.

Verdict - Good


This is the opening track to the "Keep the Faith" album which I'd listened to a lot over the summer. By this point though I can't remember whether I'd gone off Bon Jovi or not. That doesn't really matter though because it's what I think of it now that counts and I like it.

Verdict - Good


I keep mentioning those unwritten rules at the time where if you were a rock music fan then bar a small number of exceptions you shouldn't like pop music. This was the one pop song the person who told me of said rules liked, though I would say it's more soft rock than pop. Either way I could enjoy this record knowing it was acceptable to like. 

Verdict - Good


It's a cover of the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles song. When it comes to covers that completely ruins a song this has to be up there. All the good bits have been taken away and replaced by an acoustic guitar. Fortunately this was the last Top 40 hit to date for Go West.

Verdict - Rubbish


This originally charted in 1990 and was on the soundtrack to the film "Pretty Woman". It entered the charts again in 1993 because of the TV premiere of the film. I find it somewhat baffling that a 3 year old film making it's TV debut was such a big thing, particularly as the film was shit. I like the song though.

Verdict - Good


As far as I'm aware this song isn't a cover. It was Paul Youngs 13th Top 40 hit but just his 3rd that wasn't a cover. It sounds like the sort of thing Kenny Thomas would sing which is never a good thing.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember this one very well. The first thing that springs to mind is poundland Stereo MC's. Then I read up about Stakka Bo and this song and the comparisons with Stereo MC's are being made. Stakka Bo is Swedish so I assumed this was one from the Denniz Pop production line, but it isn't. Might as well be though.

Verdict - Rubbish


A few years after this came out I was flicking through the music channels and saw this video playing and it brought back memories of how I liked this record, but I couldn't remember what it was. It was being played on "The Lick" so didn't say what it was at the end of the video, but I eventually found out. The chants of "SWV" should have given it away, which was being done by a then unknown Pharrell Williams. 

Verdict - Good


This is one of those records which was pretty big at the time but never gets played anymore. I don't think I've heard this since 1993. It bears a vague similarity to "Baby Baby" by Amy Grant which means I can't help but think this isn't as good. Not a bad record though.

Verdict - OK


The Top 40 debut for Eternal. I remember when this came out my assessment of it was poundland SWV. I don't think I knew at the time that SWV were American and Eternal were British, but on reflection this is a prime example of how British acts don't do R&B as well as their American counterparts.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember when this record came out it created a divide at school between the rock crowd and everyone else. It was singled out as an example of a crappy pop record by the rock crowd but everybody else seemingly loved it. Putting all that aside, my first thought when hearing this was have Snap changed their name to Culture Beat. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Meat Loaf had been in the wilderness for several years before this and his previous big hits were before my music memories so I wasn't familiar with his music at the time, I'd just heard the name. At the same time someone at school was a Meat Loaf fan and would say he was heavy metal. I was therefore excited to finally hear a Meat Loaf song, but heavy metal it's certainly not. That disappointment along with the fact it goes on forever and is just ridiculously over the top means I've never liked it. 

Verdict - Rubbish


I think this was the last Pet Shop Boys record I admitted to liking at the time. I remember the rules that the rock crowd weren't supposed to like pop music but a small number of exceptions were allowed and this was one of those for me. It wouldn't be long before even a small number of exceptions wasn't acceptable.

Verdict - Good


I just assumed most people only remember Haddaway for "What Is Love" but 16 million views of this follow up hit on YouTube suggests otherwise. I'm not completely anti-Eurodance, there are a handful of records I like but most of it is dreadful and this is one of those.

Verdict - Rubbish


After this topped the charts in 1984 and spent nearly the entire year in the charts you would have thought anyone who wanted this record would have already bought it. Seemingly not as this re-issue made the Top 10. I've heard it far too much in my life to truly like it, but I don't dislike it at the same time.

Verdict - OK


I remember this record being on the list of non-rock music records I secretly liked at the time. As I'm going through the weeks I'm finding I like a lot of the reggae pop records that were coming out in 1993. 

Verdict - Good


The biggest hit for M People which also made the charts in America. I would also say this is the most pop record they'd made to this point as well. They knew what they were doing making records like this, but it's not for me.

Verdict - Rubbish


I couldn't stand this record at the time, it's always irritated me. Then when I started going out on a Saturday night I'd hear this every week which made me hate it even more. My drunken self down the students union would dance to all sorts of rubbish, but I'd always leave the dancefloor when this came on.

Verdict - Rubbish


There was no avoiding Take That when this came out. They could release any old rubbish safe in the knowledge it would probably go to number one and they achieved that with this one. 

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 13.5/29, or 47% (Diana Ross has been excluded). An improvement over last week despite the mostly rubbish new entries.
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