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 Top 40 debut for Sasha. He had already been a big name DJ for some time by this point and was credited alongside John Digweed as being a pioneer of progressive house. Quite what qualifies a record as progressive house I don't know, but this is a good record whatever you call it.
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
The 4th Top 40 hit for Gabrielle which was the last one from her debut album. I'd say we're very much into album filler territory. It's following the same formula as her previous hits but just less catchy and not really having much to it.
Verdict - Rubbish
This is one of my all time favourites. I'll always remember the moment Carl Cox dropped this in one of his sets which if anything showed me how much I love this record. It was the Top 40 debut for Atlantic Ocean who hail from Holland, a country where loads of great music has come from.
Verdict - Good
The Top 40 debut for Deep Forest and their highest charting hit. I always liked this tune but had no idea what it was for years. Once I did find out what it was it didn't take long for me to go out and buy the album, though the strength of other records of theirs also contributed to that decision.
Verdict - Good
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Urban Cookie Collective and the last time they'll feature as their 4th and final Top 40 hit of the 90s didn't reach the Top 30. For their first 2 hits I praised them making commercial records with a bit of credibility. I do feel the wheels have come off somewhat with this one, but it isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
The Proclaimers in 1994? This was the first time The Proclaimers has been in the Top 40 since 1990 and was just their 4th Top 40 hit. They had one further Top 40 hit in the 90s that didn't reach the Top 40. Had they stopped in 1990 they could have said all their Top 40 hits are well remembered, but with this record they can no longer claim that. It's not very good either.
Verdict - Rubbish
You won't be surprised to hear that the highest charting Crowded House record is "Weather With You", but what about the 2nd highest? It's jointly this record along with "Instinct". I would say this is my favourite Crowded House hit. I loved it at the time and haven't changed my mind.
Verdict - Good
22. Level 42 - Forever Now (New)
Level 42 in 1994? That's right and this wasn't their last Top 40 hit either. This record was co-written by Richard Darbyshire of Living In A Box so is very much 80s in the 90s. It's fair to say Level 42 were past their commercial peak by this point and it sounds like they're past their best too.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the debut Top 40 hit for Cypress Hill in 1993 but only made number 32. It fared better when re-issued in 1994. It's their best known single but it's also the lowest charting single from their "Black Sunday" album surprisingly. It's a classic.
Verdict - Good
20. Soundgarden - Spoonman (New)
Soundgarden were considered to be one of the big four grunge bands along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. They were yet to have much impact on the UK Top 40 until 1994 having just a solitary number 30 hit to their name prior to that. This came at a time when Nirvana were finished from a Top 40 perspective. Not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
19. SWV - Downtown (New)
The 4th Top 40 hit for SWV and first not to be written by Brian Alexander Morgan. I have a version of this on an R&B compilation that I think's particularly good and was in the part of the compilation I'd listen to if I didn't have time to listen to the whole CD. The single mix is decent enough too.
Verdict - Good
This had been a Top 40 hit for Clivilles & Cole a couple of years earlier and they produced this Aretha Franklin cover. So what we basically have is Clivilles & Cole redoing their record but having Aretha Franklin sing on it instead. Can't go wrong with that.
Verdict - Good
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
After re-issuing "Relax", "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" and "The Power Of Love" in 1993, Frankie Goes To Hollywood went the whole hog by re-issuing "Two Tribes" in 1994. The remix was done by Fluke who were yet to have a Top 40 hit of their own at this point. It has their sound to it and isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
The Top 40 debut for The Cranberries and their joint highest charting single. It also gave them their only American Top 10, something they never managed to achieve in the UK. I guess its a catchy enough record but I can't say I've ever liked it. The singing in particular is not to my taste
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Wendy Moten and the only one to reach the Top 30. It was taken from her self titled debut album which had come out 2 years earlier. I feel like this record should be from a movie but it appears not to be. It's a slow R&B ballad, records like this do have their place and probably worked best in the 90s but it's just not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
Elton John collaborating with other artists to do crappy EDM remakes of his older hits is nothing new. He was doing a similar thing in 1994 with this record which had originally been a chart topper for him and Kiki Dee in 1976. This is truly awful.
Verdict - Rubbish
I always thought this record was shit at the time. Then I heard it again a couple of years later and it sounded even worse as it was slower than I remembered. Then I discovered the man behind Reel 2 Real was Erick Morillo, a credible DJ and thought maybe this is credible music. Who was I trying to kid, it was cheesy commercial rubbish that was made to sell by the bucket loads.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was when we realised that the comeback of Meat Loaf wasn't a one off and that he was here to stay. One thing I remember about this record was thinking how soft it sounded. I have to say the backing vocals are fun to sing along to and on that basis I'll give this record half a mark.
Verdict - OK
In 1993 and 1994 all of Cappellas Top 40 hits had either "U" or "Move" in the title. This was the first of the "Move" hits. I have to say I'm find all of these eurodance records very tedious already whoever it's by.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
This was the 5th and final Top 40 hit from their "No Limits" album which came around a year after they topped the charts with the first. I can't say I like any of those records, but this one isn't even catchy and is very much going into album filler territory.
Verdict - Rubbish
7. Ace Of Base - The Sign (New)
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Ace Of Base which many regard as their other hit. It didn't quite match the success of debut "All That She Wants" in the UK making number 2 but it did top the charts in America. Like "All That She Wants", "The Sign" was produced by Denniz Pop, the man who started the Swedish revolution in the songwriting world. A good bit of reggae pop.
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
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
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
3. Suede - Stay Together (New)
Believe it or not, this is the joint highest charting Suede single. It's by no means their best know, though the fact it didn't appear on an album may have helped it. It's since been disowned by the band and I'm inclined to agree with them.
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
This was originally a Badfinger song that was made famous and taken to the top of the charts by Nilsson. Shortly before this Mariah Carey version topped the charts Harry Nilsson sadly passed away. This is by far the worst version of the song, done in a typically bland Mariah Carey style.
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%. An improvement, but still not great.
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