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:
It had been 29 years since Nat King Cole had passed away. He was back in the Top 40 one last time thanks to this songs inclusion in the "Allied Dunbar" advert. It was the first time he was in the Top 40 with this record. Not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
I liked her previous hit "Again", but can't say the same for this one. It's written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis who wrote the bulk of Janet Jackson hits. When you're as prolific as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis though some of your records will turn out to be generic crap and this is one of them.
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
This is the last Top 40 hit to date for Alison Moyet which came a decade after her first. I do recall thinking Alison Moyet sounded a bit out of place in the 90s. I could never really take to her music including this record.
Verdict - Rubbish
This Johnny Nash cover was done for the film "Cool Runnings" and gave Jimmy Cliff his first Top 40 hit for 24 years and his final Top 40 hit to date. I remember their being a joke story around this time which ended in the line "I can see Deirdre now Lorraine Has John" which I found quite amusing. Interestingly this peaked at the same position as the Hothouse Flowers cover and a Deborah Harry song called "I Can See Clearly". I've probably heard it too many times now, but it's a decent tune.
Verdict - Good
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
They had their best days behind them by this point, but they still kept on having hits in the lower reaches of the charts. They're one of those band who's best material I've heard is the most commercially successful ones. Not liking this one at all.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the first Top 40 hit by The Beautiful South with Jacqui Abbott in the group. I do feel this record should have been called "Carry On Regardless" as that's what they sing the most. It's not my cup of tea.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Beck which was different to anything else at the time. I have to say I find a lot of Becks music questionable but I do like this one. It's the one we all know, it's catchy enough and proves the theory that most people have one good song in them.
Verdict - Good
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
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
19. Pantera - I'm Broken (New)
Pantera were a band I used to listen to back in the day and I had the "Far Beyond Driven" album this was on. I remember someone else having the same album and used to sing along to it word for word, no idea how he managed to figure out the lyrics. Anyway the real reason I used to listen to Pantera was being more extreme in how heavy the music I listened to was. It's too much though if I'm honest.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
Primal Scream liked to change their sound. As a result it's unlikely that I would like every record they make and this is what happens with "Rocks". It became their first Top 10 hit but it's one I've never really liked. The lesser known "Funky Jam" though is much better and does what it says on the tin i.e. it's funky.
Verdict - Rubbish / Good
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for boy band EYC. They've calmed down somewhat from the racket that was their debut Top 40 hit. That doesn't mean this records any good though. It's still sounds namby pamby whilst trying to have a hard edge at the same time.
Verdict - Rubbish
I bought En Vogues greatest hits album many years ago mainly because I realised I like all the hits I'd heard from them. After purchasing though I was reminded of this hit which wasn't so good. The chorus isn't bad but the Salt-N-Pepa rapping is terrible as always.
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
13. Bjork - Violently Happy (New)
This was the 5th Top 40 hit for Bjork and final hit from her debut album called "Debut". It's a dance record like its predecessor "Big Time Sensuality" but this time it's too boring for my liking. I think we've reached album filler material here.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the solo Top 40 debut for Marcella Detroit after she'd left Shakespear's Sister. As she was the one who could sing in the group she should in theory work better as a solo artist and not have the horrid singing from Siobhan Fahey on the record. It is an improvement and it's not bad, but it's not the best either.
Verdict - OK
Sometimes I come across a record that charted at a different time to when I thought it did. This is one of those records I would have down as 1992 rather than 1994. There's a good reason for that though, it was originally released in 1992 but failed to make the Top 40 at the time. The fact it sounds very 1992 though along with the fact its a dance record can only be a good thing.
Verdict - Good
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
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
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
Based on the year to date, 1994 has easily been the worst year of the 90s so far. It's therefore quite funny that Tori Amos would release a single called "Pretty Good Year". It's because of records like this that it's been such a bad year though. It's just boring.
Verdict - Rubbish
Given Mike Pickering was best known as a resident DJ at The Hacienda prior to M People I did wondering whether this record has anything to do with the Renaissance the club. It doesn't appear to. Again it's a typical M People record, a very commercial sounding dance record that's not to my liking.
Verdict - Rubbish
5. Blur - Girls And Boys (New)
After scoring a Top 10 hit with their debut "There's No Other Way" Blur weren't having much success in the Top 40 with none of their next few releases making the Top 20. This was all about to change with this record which led to Blur being pretty much the biggest band in the country at the time. I get the mass appeal of this record and it appeals to me too.
Verdict - Good
Bruce Springsteen is one of those legendary artists I've never really got what the hype was about. This record did little to convince me otherwise. It's his highest charting single to date and was taken from the film "Philadelphia". I just find it really dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
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
I've often been full of praise for the music coming out of Holland in the 90s, but it can't always be good. That was the case with this record which is far too cheesy for my liking. I remember pretty much everyone I knew hated this at the time, but then it topped the charts.
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 28%. Still not good.
No comments:
Post a Comment