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:
Aside from a brief period in 1992, the early 90s were really the wilderness years for Wet Wet Wet prior to "Love Is All Around". I have no recollection of this record and it's ringing no bells as I listen to it. There's nothing memorable about it though, it's very non-descript.
Verdict - Rubbish
Back when I was reviewing the Top 20s of 1999 we had a record by Charlotte Nilsson who is the aunty of Sebastian Ingrosso of the Swedish House Mafia. Go back to 1993 and you have Sebastian's father Vito Ingrosso who is one of the writers of this record. Like the Swedish House Mafia, this is clearly a commercial dance record, but commercial dance generally speaking was much more tolerable in the 90s.
Verdict - OK
Is this a guilty pleasure or just good music? We're very much into the commercial era of Aerosmith which they've been highly criticised for. Ironically this came at a time when grunge was supposed to have killed off this kind of music. They headlined "Monsters of Rock" festival the following year so they must have been doing something right.
Verdict - Good
I wasn't sure how this record went before I played it. As I play it I'm thinking oh yes I know this record, then I'm thinking do I? It sounds like a Crowded House record basically, if one was to ask what Crowded House sounded like I would play them this record to illustrate how they sound. At the same time it means there's nothing distinctive about this record other than it sounding like Crowded House.
Verdict - OK
This is the 2nd Top 40 hit of the 90s for Heart and their final Top 40 hit to date. Their first "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" is a record written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange that Heart hate themselves. It seems they never learned though as this too was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. He was also writing for Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton around this time and I see the similarities with this.
Verdict - Rubbish
The thing I remember most about this song is the drum rolls. I can picture myself on the school bus doing the drum rolls myself on the seat in front and annoying the person sat in it. After hearing the full song I find myself still wanting to hear another drum roll.
Verdict - Good
It's quite possible that this record led to Will Smith having a solo career. Whilst a Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince record, the writer of this record alongside Will Smith was Teddy Riley who also produced it. Quite what Jazzy Jeff did on this record I don't know. Even the Teddy Riley productions though can't disguise the fact Will Smith is a terrible rapper.
Verdict - Rubbish
Captain Hollywood made his Top 40 debut in 1990 as part of Twenty 4 Seven featuring Captain Hollywood. Now 3 years later he's back without Twenty 4 Seven. Given the rise of eurodance since he'd last been in the charts, this was a good time for him to make a comeback. Not my cup of tea though.
Verdict - Rubbish
Terence Trent D'Arby went down the rock music route in the 90s and my memory of this is it being rock sounding too. It isn't though, it's a piano ballad. The singing is exactly how I remember it though. Amazing how much I can misremember things. I kind of wish it was more rock sounding though as this is pretty dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
21. Sting - Demolition Man (New)
In late 1993 the rules amongst my peers was if you were a true rock fan you'd listen only to rock music. I do recall someone asking the question of whether Sting was acceptable to listen to, clearly he was nothing like the cool bands at the time but this was guitar music. For me though it didn't really matter as I just thought he was rubbish.
Verdict - Rubbish
Lesley Garrett is a pretty well known soprano singer though this is her only Top 40 hit to date. Amanda Thompson was a child with a serious illness and this record was a charity single to raise money. I suspect most people bought it for the cause rather than the music though.
Verdict - Rubbish
I never really gave this record much notice at the time. Then 6 years later I was watching the Club@Vision Ibiza special. Part of the show was playing an Ibiza anthem for each year and this was the one they played. I then realised what a good record this was. It was the Top 40 debut for Leftfield.
Verdict - Rubbish
We've already has the reissue of "Relax" in 1993, now we have the remix of "Welcome To The Pleasuredome". I've never understood the appeal of this record, their first 3 records were at least distinctive but this just seems to have nothing to it.
Verdict - Rubbish
Another record that was released at a different time to what I remember. I associate this record with being in the year below the year I would have been in at school at the time. The lyrics to this contradict the tune in a way, not much overdrive at all and they sing "speed up the music" but this seems slower than their previous efforts.
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember this record existing at the time and remember it being a slow ballad like many Michael Bolton records. I couldn't sing it in my head though, and after listening I still can't. As I never intend on listening to this again, I never will be able to sing it in my head.
Verdict - Rubbish
I feel like I used to hear this song a lot retrospectively but haven't heard it in a long time. As I started listening to it was was thinking it wasn't as good as I remember it, but once the guitars come in to it in the chorus I'm thinking actually yes it is as good as I remember.
Verdict - Good
It feels like we're back in 1992 with this record, partly because the original version of this did come out in 1992. I'd say this is a good illustration of how the rave sound of 1992 was miles better than the eurodance sound of 1993 that had replaced it in the charts.
Verdict - Good
This record was first released in 1990 but this was the first time it made the Top 40. I would say this is the signature tune of The Orb and one of their best in my opinion. It came just after Jimmy Cauty left The Orb and was co-written by Youth.
Verdict - Good
12. Janet Jackson - Again (New)
I really don't want to like this song and on paper I shouldn't. I'm not really a fan of Janet Jackson and this is a slow ballad. I can't help but like it though and the most logical reason for that is it's inclusion in the film "Poetic Justice" which has Janet Jackson in it alongside 2Pac.
Verdict - Good
After coming back with a surprisingly uplifting record a few months prior, Mariah Carey follows up with something extra dreary even by Mariah Carey standards. I try to listen to every song the whole way through even if it's something I've heard many times and know I hate, but I had to stop this one less than a minute in as I couldn't bear to hear any more.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the only Top 40 hit for Goodmen, but they would return to the charts as Chocolate Puma, Rhythm Killaz and Riva. It's not very tuneful, but that's all part of it's appeal.
Verdict - Good
I remember the excitement at the time around the new Guns N' Roses album of which this was the lead single. The album turned out to be a disappointment being an album full of covers and by 1994 nobody was listening to Guns N' Roses anymore. The moment in 1993 when this single came out was good though.
Verdict - Good
After their collaboration in 1976 gave both artists their first number one, Elton John and Kiki Dee reunite 17 years later but fall short of topping the charts this time round. The world had moved on and I remember this sounding very dated at the time. Little did I know he'd still be charting with duets 3 decades later that would actually sound modern in a bad way.
Verdict - Rubbish
It was 2nd time lucky for this record after charting in the lower reaches of the Top 40 a few months prior. It was the debut hit and biggest hit for Soul Asylum, a band who weren't grunge as such but benefited from the rise of grunge. I prefer their lesser hits, but this is still decent.
Verdict - Good
I absolutely hated this record at the time. Along with "Mr. Vain" by Culturebeat I had it down as the ultimate shit record. I've heard worse, but it's exactly the sort of eurodance music that I consider to be a bit crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
The follow up to "The Key The Secret". Like it's predecessor, it treads that fine line between proper dance music and cheesy commercial nonsense and they managed to pull it off again. I've not heard this in a long time, whilst I very much remember it I wasn't sure how good it would sound after all these years. Once the main hook kicked in I thought yes still sounds good.
Verdict - Good
The follow up to chart topper "Mr. Vain" which came at the same time Culture Beat member Torsten Fenslau sadly died in a car crash. It's very predictable, the typical eurodance style backing track with rapped verses and a sung chorus. Very tedious.
Verdict - Rubbish
One of the things that's surprised me when doing these posts was how many Top 40 hits Dina Carroll had before "Don't Be A Stranger". This was her 8th of 14 Top 40 hits. It's no doubt her signature song, something she probably won't be happy about because it's one she didn't write. I wonder whether the success of this song dictated that she wouldn't write any of her remaining Top 40 hits after this. Anyway I couldn't stand this record at the time, too slow and boring. I can't say I've really changed my mind to be honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
After what seemed an endless run of hits from his "Waking Up the Neighbours" album, here's Bryan Adams back with a brand new song. I do find it more memorable than some of his previous efforts despite it being a ballad, but not my cup of tea.
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
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%. Some abysmal new entries this week but only a slight drop in score.
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