Sunday, 14 January 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 3

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 2nd and final Top 40 hit to date for One Dove. They made a really strong debut with "Breakdown" which was always going to be difficult to live up to. It takes a while for this one to get going but develops into a record that isn't as good as its predecessor but a decent record nonetheless. 

Verdict - Good


This was the Top 40 debut for Terrorvision. It's from their debut album "Formaldehyde" which I didn't even know existed until just now as 1994 was all about their "How to Make Friends and Influence People" album. This record doesn't do anything for me to be honest.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


The lead track on this EP was "That Was The Day". It was the highest charting hit for The The and their penultimate Top 40 hit to date and the last time they'll feature as their last didn't make the Top 30. When I hear the intro to this I just think Casio. I do find myself losing interest as we get further into it though, but it's not bad.

Verdict - OK


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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 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


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


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 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


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


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


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 8/30, or 27%. The influx of new entries this week has given us the lowest score of the 90s so far.
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