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:
30. Ruff Driverz - Don't Stop (New)
In late 1997 the United Dance rave which was run by Eruption decided it was time for change and had the likes of Brandon Block and Alex P on the line up. In 1998 Eruption sold United Dance to Slammin Vinyl and teamed up with Bradley Carter to form Ruff Driverz and this garage record was their first Top 40 hit.
Verdict - Good
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
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Dubstar and their last one of the 90s. It was probably this record that made me decide against buying their 2nd album. This record can't really decide what it wants to be and sounds a mess as a result.
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
The 39th Top 40 hit for The Rolling Stones and their final one of the 90s. It has additional production from Don Was and the Dust Brothers. Not quite sure what this brings to the table exactly. It honestly sounds like they're just going through the motions.
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
It had been 3 years since we'd last seen Carleen Anderson in the Top 40 and here she is with her final Top 40 hit to date. It's a cover of a Paul McCartney record. She has made it her own instead of doing a karaoke version, but I can't really get into it.
Verdict - Rubbish
After having a run of hits as a member of Strike in the mid-90s, Matt Cantor was back with his new group the Freestylers. Tenor Fly had previous been in the Top 40 on "Tribal Base" by Rebel MC. It's almost a continuation of the direction Strike took at the end of their run except it's very much part of the big beat movement. Only good enough for half marks though.
Verdict - OK
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
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
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
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
It was more of a rarity to have everyone and everyone else on a record in the 90s so this is a trendsetter in a way. There were 9 people in "The Family" and 6 credited writers on the record. Yet when I start listening to the record it sounds like something I could have written in my sleep.
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
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
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
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
For many people, Ce Ce Peniston had a solitary hit in 1991 and that was it. She actually had 7 Top 40 hit and this was her 7th which came nearly 4 years after her 6th. It's a cover of the Jocelyn Brown record and all I can say is listen to the Jocelyn Brown record instead.
Verdict - Rubbish
12. Saint Etienne - Sylvie (New)
When I bought Saint Etienne's greatest hits album in the year 2000, I assumed that from the 90-95 date range on it that this was the period they were active for. I therefore have no recollection of this record charting. I am very familiar with it now though having owned the "Good Humor" album for years.
Verdict - Good
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
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
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
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
The 2nd Top 40 hit for the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys. I remember the adverts for his album, it would begin with his debut "Crush on You" and seamless went into this record to the point they could have easily been the same record.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
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
Rumor has it that this record was ghost written by Nas. It's something he denies and I can understand why. At the same time though I don't blame him for writing it at all. If I was asked to write a crappy record for Will Smith in the knowledge I could make a shit load of money from it then I would.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
1. Aqua - Doctor Jones (New)
Aqua topped the charts with their debut hit "Barbie Girl" and did the same again with this follow up record. Once again it's a novelty record and I'm pretty sure everyone with the surname Jones who held a PhD got some stick for this record.
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 10.5/30, or 35%. The inevitable drop has happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment