Wednesday, 31 January 2024

25 Years Since....January 1999

Wow 25 years since the last year of the 20th century, these were the tunes I was enjoying then:

Alisha's Attic - Wish I Were You


I've fallen in and out of love with this record over the years. I was only just really getting into Alisha's Attic seriously yet this was really the last half decent single they released. Unless you count comeback single "Push It All Aside" which is another record I've fallen in and out of love with.

More generally this was the beginning of the end for them. They'd not had a Top 10 but were not too far off with their singles prior to this. Then this came out in January, a quiet month for singles, was heavily promoted and only made number 29. They never recovered.

Blockster - You Should Be…

What put me off house music at the time wasn't so much the music, more the stuck up twats who were into it. The whole dance music ethos had originally been people from all walks of life coming together. Some of the house music fans I knew in 1999 were the most judgmental wankers you'd ever meet. Then there were the clubs where you had to wear smart shirts, trousers and shoes and still may not get in because you weren't the right fit.

Enter Brandon Block, a house DJ I always had time for because he was a complete nutter. He assured me that house music could have a sense of humour. It's no coincidence that he'd get booked for a house room at a rave.

Babe Instinct - Disco Babes From Outer Space

It was the night before New Years Eve 1997 when I was listening to the Judge Jules show on Radio 1. There was a tune he played which instantly appealed to me, but then I didn't hear it again.

That was until 1999 when I could identify the tune as being "Disco Babes From Outer Space" after it made the Top 40.

Terrorvision - Tequila

At the start of 1994 Terrorvision were just about the only British band I liked, most of the other British rock bands were too soft for my liking. At the start of 1995 I was moving onto dance music.

Then at the start of 1999 Terrorvision were also moving onto dance music with this record. 


TQ - Westside

In the 90s rap and R&B were getting more closely aligned. Many rap records would have an R&B singer singing the chorus and many R&B records had a rapper do a rap. 

With this record, it's basically a rap record that's sung rather than rapped.
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Top 30 in 1998 Reviewed: Week 5

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 26 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Wednesday.

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 1998 with my verdict on each record:


The 6th Top 40 hit for the Spice Girls and their 6th number one. Even at the start of 1997 you would have put money on the Spice Girls getting the Christmas number one that year no matter what the record was.

Verdict - Rubbish


The whole rap/rock crossover concept had perhaps been done to death by this point so here was a new concept, rap and classical crossover. It's an odd concept I have to say because they're chalk and cheese really, but it does work pretty well once you get used to it. The penultimate Top 40 hit of the 90s for Warren G with his final one just around the corner.

Verdict - Good


You could be forgiven for thinking that ETA is one of the many aliases of Norman Cook. It does sound like it could be a Fatboy Slim record, but he had nothing to do with it. In fact whilst he was playing as Fatboy Slim by this point he was yet to breakthrough commercially. ETA were a Danish duo and this was their one and only Top 40 hit.

Verdict - Good


The previous record by Clock was a cover of "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate and the original version returned to the charts shortly afterwards. No such return for KC and the Sunshine Band after this record though. As usual it's cheesy commercial rubbish.

Verdict - Rubbish


When I went to Helter Skelter for the millennium, I was looking forward to the Vibes and Live Lee set which was the last of the night. It was a bit of an anti climax though when the first record he played was a happy hardcore version of "Baby Can I Hold You". "Shooting Star" is one I never knew until I started listening to Popmaster where they like asking questions about it.

Verdict - Rubbish


Lutricia McNeal is from America but she relocated to Sweden and launched her music career. Then the Swedish songwriters started taking over the pop world and this, her debut Top 40 hit became a worldwide success. It's always irritated me for some reason. 

Verdict - Rubbish


Space were back with a second album and this was the lead single from it which gave them their highest charting hit to this point. It's got that same quirkiness we'd become used to with Space records which makes for a decent tune.

Verdict - Good


Yes that's right, Peter Andre and Warren G collaborated with each other. An even odder collaboration than the one Warren G did with Sissel. It was also the final Top 40 hit to date for Warren G, maybe the record buying public couldn't take him seriously after this. That said I actually quite like this record, I do remember at the time thinking how wrong it seemed for me to be enjoying a Peter Andre record.

Verdict - Good


This was the final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Radiohead and final hit from their "OK Computer" album. I remember at the time someone asking me how I could not like "No Surprises". Quite easily really, I will concede the glockenspiel does make it more interesting, but it's still boring.

Verdict - Rubbish


This record making the Top 40 meant the Foo Fighters now had an equal number of Top 40 hits as Nirvana. I like the sentiment of the song. The word hero is easily used to describe musicians, sports stars etc. but at the end of the day they're just entertainers. 

Verdict - Good


This was the final Top 40 hit to date for poundland Boyzone. I seem to recall there being a boy band from Bedford around this time whose name escapes me and they never got anywhere, but I always thought they were the ones that did it. Boy Meets Girl aka George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam wrote it.

Verdict - Rubbish


I was watching Live & Kicking in 1994 and Natalie Imbruglia was a guest on the show having just left Neighbours. She was asked if she was planning to launch a music career to which she said no which shocked Andi Peters. 3 years later here she is launching a music career and I was shocked. I wasn't shocked to find it was shit though.

Verdict - Rubbish


First there was N-Tyce, then All Saints and then Vanilla all trying to follow the success of the Spice Girls in the girl group world. Now it was the turn of Solid Harmonie with this being their debut Top 40 hit. They had Swedish songwriters Max Martin and Kristian Lundin behind this and were portrayed as a female Backstreet Boys.

Verdict - Rubbish


I remember this record being played for what I think was the first time on Children in Need. It's a novelty line dancing mixed with eurodance record. Of course this turned out to be many hits for Steps. It goes without saying this song is shit. As a side note I have no problem with the cheesy holiday rep type image they're portraying here, it serves a purpose I suppose. The issue is them now being stuck up celebrities complaining about it but are happy to still milk it with their nostalgia tours.

Verdict - Rubbish


After the Stone Roses split we had the brief Top 40 career of John Squires band The Seahorses in 1997. Now in 1998 we have the beginning of the solo career of Ian Brown whose Top 40 career would last over a decade. I think its the name making it chart this high rather than the music.

Verdict - Rubbish


It had been nearly 4 years since Juliet Roberts had her last original hit in the Top 40. "So Good" was written by Danny Poku aka D Mob and "Free Love 98" was a remix of her 1993 hit. The former is what you would expect Juliet Roberts to sound like in 1998. The latter made a lot of sense as she was a US garage artist in the early 90s and this was a speed garage remix.

Verdict - Good / Good


If you were watching the BBC in late 1997 then you would have heard this record many times. It seemed to be on between every TV show. It's a long list of singers who would sing a line each and I got absolutely sick of it.

Verdict - Rubbish


MC Live Lee used to say "20 years ago they called it disco, 20 years later now it's hardcore techno" but it would have been more accurate to use on records like this and replacing "hardcore techno" with "house". This was a cover of the Sylvester record and the biggest solo hit for Ten City singer Byron Stingily. I do like a lot of these house makeovers of old disco records.

Verdict - Good


The big four of Seattle grunge bands Top 40 careers had started and finished by this point except for Pearl Jam who still had a long way to go. It sounds quite promising from the intro but never quite gets to the heights you'd expect, but it's not bad.

Verdict - OK


I remember Billie Joe Armstrong playing this on Top of the Pops and thinking Green Day, there's a blast from the past, didn't think they were still going. It gave them their biggest hit since "Basket Case". It's an acoustic record so different to what we were used to by Green Day and is loved by many. I've never liked it though, don't get me wrong it's better than a lot of acoustic guitar and vocals songs but I think it needs the electric guitar and drums to come in like "FOD".

Verdict - Rubbish


You probably forgot that Chumbawamba had another hit. This hit the Top 40 shortly before the incident with John Prescott at the Brit Awards. The title is an appropriate one because it is a pretty forgettable record.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was originally a Top 40 hit in 1995 twice, first under it's original title "Legends Of The Dark Black Part 2" and then as "Renegade Master". Wildchild sadly passed away the same year. In 1998 Fatboy Slim did a remix and made it bigger than ever. It's a great remix, possibly even better than the original.

Verdict - Good


When this record came out I was shocked. It was a Janet Jackson song that I actually liked. Remember I was listening to nothing but rave at the time so I really didn't want to like this record even though it is a dance record. Then a friend of mine who was into rap and drum & bass bought this single which made me feel a bit better about liking it.

Verdict - Good


This was the turn around point of Robbie Williams solo career which went from strength to strength after this. I was dismissive of him as a solo artist least of all because I didn't like Oasis who he was trying to imitate. This record though is completely different and I had to concede it's actually quite good.

Verdict - Good


Clock weren't the only ones doing covers of KC and the Sunshine Band records. Andrew Livingstone aka Bamboo was also charting with this take on "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band. This time though it was a decent record.

Verdict - Good


The final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Oasis which was actually written before Oasis had their first Top 40 hit. As such it doesn't fit the throwaway rubbish category that their other two comeback hits fit, but at the same time the so called classic Oasis isn't to my liking either.

Verdict - Rubbish


When it comes to Lighthouse Family singles they don't get any better than this. I always found it a really soothing record. I once worked somewhere that had music playing that didn't have the original singers on the tracks. This was one of those tracks on there and the different singer made it not as good. Then I bought a compilation that had this on it and was such a relief to hear it with the proper singer again.

Verdict - Good


Catatonia made their Top 40 debut in 1996, but it was this their 3rd Top 40 hit that made them a household name. The X Files references may have helped boost sales of this record, but that factor put me off if anything. It's a good record overall but I like the quick guitar intro going straight into the song.

Verdict - Good


When the All Saints first came about I was amazed to find that I liked their debut Top 40 hit. I was even more amazed to find I also liked this, their follow up. It's one of those records I'd felt I'd heard before but hadn't. As a result of me liking these first 2 singles I went on to do something I'd not done in a long time, bought an album that wasn't rave which was their debut album.

Verdict - Good


With teenage female R&B singers like Aaliyah, Brandy and Monica all established, Jermaine Dupri decided to give the world a teenage male R&B singer in Usher. Jermanie Dupri was the man who brought the world Kris Kross when he was still a teenager himself. It worked, but that doesn't mean that I like 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 14.5/30, or 48%. Getting closer to 50%.
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Tuesday, 30 January 2024

UK Number 40s: Big Room Girl featuring Darryl Pandy - Raise Your Hands (1999)

 


Despite the name implying Big Room Girl is a female it's actually the alias of a male called Robert Chetcuti. This was the only record he released under that alias but he'd previously been in the Top 40 as a member of Third Dimension with the single "Don't Go".

Darryl Pandy had also previously been in the Top 40 as the vocalist on "Love Can't Turn Around" by Farley Jackmaster Funk, the first house record to reach the UK Top 40 back in 1986. He was officially credited on that record when it returned to the charts in 1996 when incidentally it made number 40.

Dance music was massive in 1999 and there were lots of dance records in the Top 40. At the same time though only 40 places were up for grabs, so it was almost inevitable that we'd have dance records reaching number 40. 

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Sunday, 28 January 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 5

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 1994 with my verdict on each record:


The 3rd of 5 solo Top 40 hits to date for Pauline Henry. Just 2 reached the Top 30 and this was the 2nd of them following her bigger hit "Feel Like Makin Love". It's the same idea as it's predecessor and was written by Terry Britten who wrote several Tina Turner songs. I could imagine Tina Turner singing this but I doubt it would be any improvement on a pretty dull record.

Verdict - Rubbish


Ce Ce Peniston is known by many for her debut hit "Finally" when she reached single number 3 she'd left the dance music behind and made an R&B record. Then after a bit of time away she was back with this R&B record. Once again it's shit.

Verdict - Rubbish


Nirvana were now finished from a Top 40 perspective, but Def Leppard were still clocking up the hits after being one of the bands grunge was supposed to kill off. It's a cover of a record by The Sweet, the only Def Leppard hit which is a cover. Can't say I think much of it.

Verdict - Rubbish


Disney films are cartoons made for kids generally speaking. Cartoons are supposed to be fun for the children to watch. Therefore why does music from Disney films have to always be so depressing? The only positive thing I have to say about this record is at least it's not Peter Andre and Katie Price singing it.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was 3rd Top 40 hit for Soul Asylum and penultimate one to date. At the time I didn't even realise it was by Soul Asylum, not sure who I thought it was by. It caught my attention and was a record I liked, but was more difficult to identify tunes in those days.

Verdict - Good


Is it 1992 again? No, the Inspiral Carpets were still going in 1994 and they hadn't changed their sound at all. Just because that sound was no longer in fashion though doesn't mean everyone should stop doing it, there's no doubt there would have been people not liking new music and longing for music like this. 

Verdict - Good


I guess 1993 was the perfect year from the perspective of Dina Carroll. This was when she had her biggest hit with "Don't Be A Stranger" which felt like it was around for the whole of 1993 and was still in the charts when this record entered. Not my cup of tea and this follow up isn't any better.

Verdict - Rubbish


10 years after this record first made the Top 40 in 1984, this was remixed and made the Top 40 again. It made sense, Thomas Dolby made futuristic sounding music at the time so bringing one of his records into the 90s with a remix seemed a logical thing to do. Unfortunately this remix has made the song go backwards if anything, not a very good remix at all.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Joe. He's by no means the first artists to simply use his first name as his stage name, but I always thought Joe seemed too much of a common name to use as your artist name. This is probably my favourite Joe single, though I never bought the album it appears on for the simple fact I could get other Joe albums cheaper. I also have it on a "Pure Swing" compilation which gave me less of a need to buy the album.

Verdict - Good


I feel like I've known this record all my life but I clearly haven't because it never came out until 1994. It's a ballad that sounds quite representative of Phil Collins as a solo artist. Generally speaking I like Phil Collins as a solo artists, so that's a good thing.

Verdict - Good


This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Celine Dion and is a cover of the Jennifer Rush record. I almost feel like this record was made for Celine Dion to cover. It doesn't really sound any different to the original at all. I don't like the original, or any version I've heard for that matter.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Bee Gees are best known for their disco era, which I think is a shame because they made some really good music outside of this such as this record. In fact I would say this is the best record The Bee Gees have ever made. The moment where Robin starts singing the chorus is second to none.

Verdict - Good


This came out just before the "Troublegum" album was released. I love that album, it was one of the last rock albums I stopped listening to when I got into rave and one of the first albums I started to listen to again when I decided to open up my music tastes. It's hard to pick a favourite track on the album but this one is definitely a candidate.

Verdict - Good


The 6th of 8 Top 40 hits to date for Richard Marx and the last time he'll feature as his final 2 hits never made the Top 30. Richard Marx has the talent for making soft records very listenable which is evident in his 2 big hits. He couldn't sustain it with this record though, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Verdict - Rubbish


They were just about the most famous music couple at the time so it made perfect sense for them to do this collaboration. It was the only Whitney Houston hit in the mid-90s that wasn't taken from a film. It's songwriters include Teddy Riley and Mark Middleton of Blackstreet. Despite all this, the song itself really isn't that good.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the final original Top 40 hit to date for ZZ Top. They had been going for 25 years by this point though their most commercially successful period came in the 80s. I did like their cover of "Viva Las Vegas" in 1992, but is just a non-entity of a record that has nothing appealing about it.

Verdict - Rubbish


Throughout 1993 I found myself enjoying the reggae pop music in the charts and this is now continuing into 1994 with this record. One of those records you can just love straight away, very catchy and I could listen to it all day.

Verdict - Good


It's been said that Robbie Williams never really cracked America because his name was too similar to actor Robin Williams. You could also say that Garth Brooks never really cracked the UK because his name is too similar to footballer turned pundit Garth Crooks. This was the first of 3 Top 40 hits for him and his highest charting. I would say the reason his popularity in America was never replicated over here was because his music's too American.

Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish


When the Essential Mix first began in late 1993, the first mix was done by Pete Tong and the first tune he played was a dance version of this. It was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Eternal. Amongst it's songwriters is Eddie from Charles & Eddie. Despite being written by Americans though it still sounds inferior to American R&B.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the 6th and final single from East 17's debut album "Walthamstow". It could be argued that being the final single from an album that was nearly a year old was what stopped it from getting the Christmas number one, but we all know they achieved that the following year. Like with most East 17 record, this one gets the thumbs up from me.

Verdict - Good


I'm not a fan of the first two Haddaway hits but will concede they were fun records so could understand the appeal to others. I therefore found it baffling that his next hit would be this depressing number. It still managed to reach the Top 10 though. 

Verdict - Rubbish


It had been 3 years since Enigma topped the charts with "Sadeness (Part 2)" and this was their next Top 40 hit. I would say this is a more radio friendly record than it's predecessor, it has a pretty catchy hook and really easy on the ears.

Verdict - Good


This was the final Depeche Mode hit to feature Alan Wilder, the man who replaced Vince Clarke in the group. The single mix of this was done by Butch Vig of Garbage with additional guitars from Duke Erikson of Garbage. This was before Garbage had a Top 40 hit of their own. It's a dark record that gets darker and that's what makes it.

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for Toni Braxton and her joint highest charting single to date. It was written by Babyface who wrote the majority of her hits. It's not a bad record, just a bit slow and too much of a ballad for my liking. It has the proper 90s music factor to it though.

Verdict - OK


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Culture Beat and their final Top 10 to date. The success of this record is clearly off the back of the success of "Mr Vain" and is long forgotten now. It just sounds like hundreds of other throwaway eurodance records.

Verdict - Rubbish


I liked a lot of the reggae pop music of 1993 and particularly liked the first two Chaka Demus and Pliers hits. I draw the line at this record though. I hated it at the time, I remember someone asking a question about this record to a group of people and my response was I don't care about shitty pop music with my answer being seconded by someone else. My opinion on this record hasn't really changed.

Verdict - Rubbish


Sometimes songs can remind us of the most unlikely things, and in the case of this record it reminds me of Timmy Mallett. I should elaborate, back in the 90s I would go on Britannia flights where you could plug your headphones into the armrest and listen to the radio. The presenter was Timmy Mallett. I can't remember how long the show lasted, but it would keep on being repeated. One of the records played on there was this. I can't actually remember any other records played on the show though. I've not heard this for a while but I have to say it hasn't aged well. I did used to like it, but am finding it pretty average now.

Verdict - OK


I remember this being on my list of non-rock records I liked at the time. Its one of those records that has a great sing along chorus which pretty much makes the record. It's very much of its time too which is also a good thing given it was the 90s.

Verdict - Good


I found it quite odd to see these 3 artists collaborate on this record but at the same time it seemed a logical collaboration in part because all 3 artists have had their fair share of bland records. It should therefore be no surprise to find this is a bland record.

Verdict - Rubbish


If I was to pick the most bland and generic dance record of the 90s then this would be a strong candidate. It was the Top 40 debut for D:Ream and their biggest hit and possibly the only hit many people remembered. They had a few more equally bland hits though.

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 12/30, or 40%. I wonder if we'll ever get above 50% this year.
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Friday, 26 January 2024

Top 30 in 1997 Reviewed: Week 4

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 1997 with my verdict on each record:


The 3rd of 5 Top 40 hits to date for QFX and the last time they'll feature as their last 2 hits failed to make the Top 30. This is a remix of "Freedom" which is the record they're probably best known for. I do like a bit of QFX.

Verdict - Good


The Top 40 debut for Puff Johnson and the record she is best known for. Amongst the songwriters on this is Narada Michael Walden who had been writing for Michelle Gayle prior to this which wasn't great. This is an improvement though, but still pretty average.

Verdict - OK


It would be another 10 years until Erasure had their final Top 40 hit to date. However it's fair to say we're now into the era of Erasure that few people remember. This record was also their final one to get into the Billboard 100. Not a bad record, but not exactly classic Erasure.

Verdict - OK


This will be the last time Thunder will feature as their remaining 90s Top 40 hits failed to reach the Top 30. They were a band who stuck to their guns with their music style sounding like they could just as easily be from the 80s. I was therefore not expecting this record to sound like it does, it's like they're trying to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers record from the intro but then turns into a whole lot of nothing.

Verdict - Rubbish


The final Top 40 hit to date for Enigma with their previous Top 40 hit coming in 1994. I would say this is probably the most radio friendly of all their hits with Michael Cretu singing on it. Not too much singing though and that doesn't make it lose and of its charm. 

Verdict - Good


I was listening to pretty much nothing but rave at the time and remember someone asking me whether I liked MC Lyte. My response was you mean that female rapper with that Diana Ross "Upside Down" sampled tune in the charts at the moment, it's shit. Not really changed my mind.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was one of those records that I didn't really want to like but I couldn't help but like it. Mark Morrison may only be remembered for one song now, but this was pretty big at the time. Another thing I remember around this time was Mark Morrison being the Wanker of the Week on The Girlie Show, the only feature worth watching on that show truth be told.

Verdict - Good


This was first released in 1991 and made number 31. This live version was then released and gave Orbital their biggest hit to that point and joint highest charting record to date. I've seen Orbital live and would definitely recommend it.

Verdict - Good


At the time I recall Ian Broudie being asked what sugar coated iceberg actually means and his response was whatever you wanted it to be. I would say this record was The Lightning Seeds getting back to their best after the not so good "3 Lions" and "What If...". Never really thought about what it means though.

Verdict - Good


After having 2 big hits that were both instrumentals, Robert Miles did the unthinkable and released a record with a vocalist. I remember at the time thinking what are you doing having a vocalist on your record. The vocals have always annoyed me so on that basis this gets half a mark.

Verdict - OK


When The Prodigy did "Firestarter" earlier on in the year after much excitement of a new Prodigy tune it was a big disappointment. However, despite follow up "Breathe" taking a similar direction I actually like this one and bought the single. It's the beats that really do it for me.

Verdict - Good


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Kavana and the first one that anyone really noticed. It's a cover of the Shalamar record which is his joint highest charting single and the one he's most famous for. He probably didn't like that fact given he writes songs as well. I always thought this was a bit naff and haven't changed my mind.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Outhere Brothers were everywhere in 1995 and then just disappeared off the face off the earth when we went into 1996. Then they made this brief comeback at the start of 1997 but I'm not sure too many people noticed. They were very much of their time in 1995, but in 1997 they sound like they're trying to bring their sound forward and it's not really working.

Verdict - Rubbish


Here's Whitney Houston with yet another song taken from a movie. This time it's "The Preachers Wife" which Whitney Houston was also in herself. It's a cover of an Annie Lennox record. There was also a happy hardcore version of this which I thought was dreadful, much like what I think of this.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Ginuwine and although not his highest charting I would say this is the record he's most famous for. It's produced by Timbaland and has this odd noise in the background which more or less makes the record. You could put literally anything over the top of it and I'd probably still like it, though what is over the top of it is decent too.

Verdict - Good


It was shortly after East 17 performed this on Top of the Pops that the Brian Harvey interview with his ecstasy comments and that was the end of East 17 as we knew them. This record however gave an insight as to what East 17 without Brian Harvey could be like as Tony Mortimer takes the lead and he's singing rather than rapping. If this was the future sound of East 17 though maybe it's just as well they finished as this is pretty poor if I'm honest.

Verdict - Rubbish


Back in 1989 Ten City had their big hit with "That's The Way Love Is" followed up by the lesser known "Devotion". Then 8 years later Ten City singer Byron Stingily made his solo debut with this record. It retains that soulful house sound of Ten City but done 1997 style (well 1996 really as that's when it was made). 

Verdict - Good


After having all 5 of her previous Top 40 hits written by Babyface, Toni Braxton turned to prolific songwriter Diane Warren for her 6th. It worked as this became her joint highest charting Top 40 hit, but often in order to achieve popularity you have to compromise on quality and this is what's happened here in my opinion. 

Verdict - Rubbish


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Nas which peaked at the same position as his first making it his joint highest charting single to date. It interpolates "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Eurythmics. Taken from the "It Was Written" album which I own and therefore like.

Verdict - Good


What had become apparent by this point was that not only were the Spice Girls here to stay, but they were almost inevitably going to top the charts with everything they release. I knew someone who bought this single because you could see Geri's legs on the cover, that's how effective their marketing seemed to be. It even made its was onto the Christmas episode of "Only Fools And Horses". Musically though it's really poor. 

Verdict - Rubbish


"People Hold On" was the Top 40 debut for Lisa Stansfield back in 1989 and this remix took Lisa Stansfield back into the Top 40 for the first time in 3 years. The remix is done in the same style as the "Professional Widow" remix that was topping the charts. I have to say I consider this to be an improvement on the original.

Verdict - Good


It had been 3 years since En Vogue had last been in the Top 40 and they came back here with what I consider to be their best record. It was also the beginning of the end for En Vogue as we knew them with lead singer Dawn Robinson leaving the group shortly after. They still carry on today but nothing they've done since has been as good as this.

Verdict - Good


This was the follow up to their big hit "Place Your Hands" and was their only other Top 10 hit to date. I wouldn't agree that they've come back brighter. This lacks the charm of their big hit, the bad singing stops it from being boring but if you pay attention to the backing track it is boring.

Verdict - Rubbish


Another hit from the musical film "Evita" which is the most painfully boring film I've ever seen. Part of the painfully boring watching of the film was sitting through this painfully boring song. 

Verdict - Rubbish


With a name like "Saturday Night" you would expect a record you can get up and dance to at a club. Then again this is Suede, so maybe not. It's more Saturday night on the tube than Saturday night at the club. Very boring record.

Verdict - Rubbish


I seem to recall the blurb about this record on The Chart Show saying that No Mercy were waiters at a Gloria Estefan owned restaurant prior to becoming singers. Can't find any mention of that on the internet so The Chart Show were probably just taking the piss. It does make a convincing story though.

Verdict - Rubbish


The 4th Top 40 hit for the Backstreet Boys and 2nd penned by Max Martin and Herbie Crichlow, but no Denniz Pop with them this time. It became their highest charting hit to that point, a sign that American pop singers backed by Swedish songwriters were here to stay. Unfortunately it's mostly crap.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the big comeback single for Texas after being in the wilderness since 1989. They had a few hits in-between, but none that anyone remembers. Chris Evans was a big fan of this as I recall and helped put Texas back in the limelight. Judging by a lot of the music that appeared on TFI Friday though taught me that Chris Evans didn't have the best taste in music.

Verdict - Rubbish


My initial thought when first hearing this was wow Tori Amos has made a pretty decent record. In reality the original of this was abysmal and Armand Van Helden has done a remix which is basically a completely new record that samples vocals from the Tori Amos record. It gave Tori Amos her only number one and would be her penultimate Top 40 record to date.

Verdict - Good


Although there are many resources on the internet these days about White Town, at the time it was a bit of a mystery who White Town actually was. It was also an unlikely number one. It's an experimental tune made by someone who was anonymous but at the same time it was a tune that could be liked by fans of various genres.

Verdict - Good

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 14.5/30, or 48%. I feel like we get this score a lot.
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