Sunday 21 January 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 4

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 the 2nd solo Top 40 hit for Daryl Hall which came 8 years after his first. He was of course better known for being the Hall in Hall & Oates. On paper it looks like his solo career was a bit of a non-entity, but then he sang the official World Cup song later that year. This one sounds too namby pamby for my liking.

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


This started life as an R&B record, but a K-Klass mix turned it into a garage house record and took it into the Top 40. It was the 2nd and final Top 40 hit for Loni Clark, K-Klass had one Top 40 hit left as an artist. With just 3k views on YouTube in 12 years I would call this a forgotten gem.

Verdict - Good


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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 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


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


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


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


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


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 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


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


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


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


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


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


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 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 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 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 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 12.5/30, or 42%. A much improved score.
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