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:
This was a remix of a 20 year old record that never charted in the UK originally. I like the original of this but the question is does the remix do it justice? Well actually yes it does, it works well as a dance record and doesn't ruin the original.
Verdict - Good
I'm in 2 minds about this record to be honest. On one hand I'm thinking not another slow one from Diana Ross in the 90s and on the other I'm thinking this isn't bad. She had the Christmas number 2 with her comeback ballad "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and was probably trying to do the same again but it didn't work this time.
Verdict - OK
One thing I remember in 1993 was U2 appearing in peoples Top 10 bands early on in the year but tended not to appear in peoples Top 10s by the time this record came out. I don't ever recall U2 being in my Top 10 though, I thought they were decent but not that good. Ironically I considered "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" to be one of their best records at the time. The other side was Frank Sinatra's only hit of the 90s and the first time he actually charted with this song. Not my thing though.
Verdict - Good / Rubbish
Ice-T had been around since the early 80s with his debut album coming out in 1987. By 1993 he was onto album number 5 of which this was taken. Yet surprisingly this was his first UK Top 40 hit. A solid effort.
Verdict - Good
Regular readers of this blog will know that it's highly unlikely I'd rate any Pet Shop Boys record anything other than good. This is no exception, a solid Pet Shop Boys record. This was playing on my car radio several years ago when I was driving past the site of where Dreamscape 20 was held so it's in good company.
Verdict - Good
The year started with WWF wrestlers having a couple of novelty hits and ends with a WWF wrestler team up with novelty rockers with this Gary Glitter cover. It's predictably crap, but that's the point. That said I'd rather listen to this than the crap his daughter was singing on "Hogan Knows Best".
Verdict - Rubbish
We're now half way through the Top 40 career of Bad Boys Inc with this being the 3rd of 6 Top 40 hits for them. As a reminder this was a boy band put together by Ian Levine which I refer to as the Virgin Cola of the early 90s boy band world. This one was penned by Ian Levine himself and it sounds like a cheap imitation of Motown.
Verdict - Rubbish
Wet Wet Wet must have looked finished by this point. Just one Top 10 hit (albeit a number 1) from their previous 10 Top 40 hits and a greatest hits album that had just come out. Turns out this was the last Top 40 hit from their time in the wilderness before they'd hit the big time again. This was produced by Nile Rodgers, but I have to say it's pretty bland.
Verdict - Rubbish
If you've ever listened to a tape from a rave you will have almost inevitable heard the MC telling the ravers to blow their whistles and horns. I always thought it sounded great on the tape but annoying at a rave because you could barely hear the music sometimes. This was no doubt the influence for this Top 40 debut for DJ Duke. Fortunately the whistles are discrete enough to make this a decent record.
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
After the success they had with the re-issue of "Relax" a few months prior, here's Frankie Goes To Hollywood doing the same again by re-issuing "The Power Of Love". It's one of those records you always hear at Christmas without it actually being a Christmas record. This may be why I've never liked this record.
Verdict - Rubbish
Pearl Jam had no top 40 hits in 1993 but were back in 1994 with this record which was the lead single from their 2nd album "Vs". We're at a point where Nirvana were finished from a Top 40 perspective and almost finished as a band with grunge as a genre starting to die out shortly afterwards. However, Pearl Jam appeared to be moving away from that sound already with this being more alternative rock with some country influence. Not a good combination in my opinion.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Shabba Ranks which is a cover of the Sly & the Family Stone record. As mentioned several times I do like the reggae pop music of 1993 generally speaking, but I'm getting the feeling they were running out of ideas by the end of the year.
Verdict - Rubbish
M People turn down the tempo on this record which is a cover of the Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garret record. It features male singer Mark Bell, but the male/female parts have been switched around compared to the original. I remember hating this record at the time and then later on in life heard the original after looking up records that 2Pac sampled. I like the original and in a way that has made this record more tolerable listening to it again after many years, but still not a patch on the original,
Verdict - Rubbish
I remember first coming across EYC at the Smash Hit Poll Winners Party which would have happened shortly before this single came out. They were another boy band, but this time an American one who'd failed to crack America. If East 17/Take That were the Coca Cola/Pepsi of the early 90s boy bands and Bad Boys Inc were the Virgin Cola, EYC were the Tesco Value Cola. There was one EYC fan at school which is actually one more than Bad Boys Inc so maybe I'm being harsh. It's a crap record though.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
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
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 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
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
With looking at the numbers I'm sure 1993 saw more re-issues than any other year and here's another. After Meat Loaf topped the charts with "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" I told the Meat Loaf fan at school that Meat Loaf is definitely not heavy metal. He conceded that particular record wasn't but I should check out his older stuff. This re-issue allowed me to do that and this still re-iterated my point he wasn't heavy metal. Again I'm not a fan of how ridiculously long and over the top Meat Loaf songs tend to be.
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 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
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
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
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
Mr Blobby started out as a pretend kids TV show on the Gotcha segment of Noels House Party. I remember hearing the theme music for that segment was being released as a single. That didn't sound like the worst thing in the world, but when I heard this record and the kids started singing it did sound like the worst thing it the world. I also recall a school disco at the time where they had a dancing competition and the winner won this single. Needless to say I didn't miss out on much by not taking part.
Verdict - Rubbish
I guess we have Mr. Blobby to thank for the fact we don't hear this at Christmas every year after being denied the Christmas number one spot. It was the first Take That hit where Mark Owen takes the lead vocals, though really anyone could have sung it and it would have still been crap.
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
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 9.5/30, or 32%. Same again though new entries are still lacking.
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