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:
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
The Top 40 debut for the Deftones which was the first of just 2 Top 40 hits for them. They were a regular on the more alternative music channels back in the day but I don't recall this being played much. I can't say I was ever a fan of their music generally speaking and this does nothing to change my mind on that.
Verdict - Rubbish
The comeback single for Shed Seven. On listening to the intro to this you could be forgiven for thinking Elastica were back. Once it gets going though it's undoubtedly a Shed Seven record. An Elastica style intro that turns into a Shed Seven song is never a good thing.
Verdict - Rubbish
27. Essence - The Promise (New)
Rick Simmonds and Stephen Jones were the men behind the Essence alias. They're perhaps best known as The Space Brothers and this record could have easily been a Space Brothers record, it's that same trance formula. It's not bad but I can't help but think it would sound much better without vocals.
Verdict - OK
Steve 'Silk' Hurley topped the charts with "Jack Your Body" at the start of 1987 and never made the Top 40 again. He did however hit the charts again under the name Voices of Life an this was his only Top 40 hit under that name. It sounds like the sort of record that would have started drawing me more towards house music in 1998.
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
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Robyn which like her debut was written by Max Martin. I can't help but think he purposely wrote a song called "Show Me Love" given that there's a different song with the same title from Robin S that was continuingly being remixed and rereleased. The idea therefore being people would be expecting the Robin S song. It's not a bad record though.
Verdict - OK
Damage had a pretty successful 1996 and first half of 1997, but the wheels fell off in the second half of 1997 with a number 33 single. The start of 1998 was therefore a good time for Another Level to make their move with this their debut Top 40 hit. It's writers included Andrea Martin and Ivan Matias who wrote "Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue so they really meant business. It's actually not bad.
Verdict - OK
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
20. Bryan Adams - I'm Ready (New)
Although this was written by Bryan Adams it was originally recorded by Ian Lloyd back in 1979. Bryan Adams recorded his own version in 1983 and it became a hit following his unplugged concert. I've never heard the actual version, but this unplugged version is dull.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the Top 40 debut for Shania Twain which she wrote with her than husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the man who cowrote a number of Bryan Adams records. I hated this at the time, too much of a soppy ballad for my liking. However it appears on a compilation album I bought a couple of years later and I grew to like it.
Verdict - Good
The final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Iron Maiden and last to feature Blaze Bayley as lead singer. This era of Iron Maiden was a sign that the return of Bruce Dickinson was needed to burst them into life again. Except it's not the vocals of Bruce Dickinson that this misses, it's too slow and doesn't have much life to it.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. James - Destiny Calling (New)
James made their Top 40 debut back in 1990 and had been around much longer than that. Now was the time for the greatest hits which is what this single was written for. It's the "so we may be gorgeous" song as I remember it, not bad but nothing to write home about.
Verdict - OK
We've had pretty much every other soap have cast members in the Top 40 so this was the time for Casualty. I don't think I've ever sat down to watch an episode of Casualty before so I have no idea who the cast are. When I was younger I refused to watch it on the basis it was for people too sad to go out on a Saturday night. Now I'm happy to stay in on a Saturday night but can find much better things to do than watch Casualty. Anyway, this was the 6th different version of "Everlasting Love" to make the Top 40 and is predictably crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
14. Kylie Minogue - Breathe (New)
The final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Kylie Minogue. She'd moved away from "Indie Kylie" on this record, going for a more electronic sound and this was written by Dave Ball from Soft Cell and Grid. Her career looked dead and buried by this point, but as we now know she had a hugely successful comeback in the 21st century.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was originally a Top 40 hit for the Wombles back in 1974. It was rereleased to promote their greatest hits album. No idea why people would have wanted to start listening to the Wombles again all of a sudden.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Top 40 debut for Leann Rimes. I once took part in a quiz where a question was who charted in 1997 with "How Do I Live" to which I confidently answered Leann Rimes. The answer was Trisha Yearwood who reached number 66 with it. Leann Rimes was in 1998 and is the better known version. Although not the first person younger than me to chart, I do recall a younger Leann Rimes charting making me start to think have I missed the boat already in my music career.
Verdict - Rubbish
One of the great things about Space was the humour in their records. All their hits to prior to this had their funny moments but this one is absolutely hilarious. In the song, Tommy Scott from Space and Cerys Matthews are a couple who want to kill each other, but then they hear Tom Jones sing and all is good. Fantastic tune.
Verdict - Good
10. Alexia - Uh La La La (New)
I was a bit confused when I started playing this record. I remember this being a cheesy dance record but that wasn't what I was hearing. Turns out I needed the Almighty Single Edit. That meant double the torture for me, it's like Italy's answer to Aqua.
Verdict - Rubbish
At the time I remember this being this opening song of Top of the Pops for a few weeks in a row. At least that's what it felt. There also seemed to be a lot of people on the stage so I assumed they were a band with many members, but it turned out there were only 2 of them in Savage Garden. Never before have I seen a song contradict a band name so much. I do like some of their music, but not the soppy ballads.
Verdict - Rubbish
When I first heard this I was amazed that a rock band could make such a record. Then I recall them playing the original version of TFI Friday which was miserable. It then became clear when I discovered than the version we all know and love was the Norman Cook remix.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Five and they reached the Top 5 for the first time. No Swedish songwriters this time, instead it's Eliot Kennedy along with Tim Lever and Mike Percy from Dead or Alive. I recall this being heavily promoted on The Big Breakfast at the time with the band appearing all week.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Natalie Imbruglia and her 2nd number two. I get the impression she was trying to be portrayed as a more serious musician than the other soap singers. The reality was this was the same direction Kylie Minogue was taking at the time, the difference was Natalie Imbruglia had no back catalogue to get in the way like Kylie Minogue had. It also sounds a bit poundland Alanis Morrissette.
Verdict - Rubbish
It had been a year since Madonna had been in the Top 40. The last time she'd been in the Top 40 was with those god awful Evita songs. In a way this record was quite refreshing in comparison. She was being more experimental again, but I have to say this records not for me.
Verdict - Rubbish
The Wu Tang Clan were already well established and well respected in the rap world. It's therefore a bit of a shame that when they finally did make their UK Top 40 debut it was with this nonsense. I do remember thinking what the fuck at the time. I guess this was needed from Texas in order to carry the incredibly dull "Insane".
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
The 2nd and final chart topper to date for Celine Dion which was take from "The Titanic" movie. I remember how big that film was so it was almost inevitable that this would get to number one. It's also a depressing film given that people die at the end so I guess it's appropriate to have a depressing song for it. Musically though its just another Celine Dion record.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Spice Girls - Stop (New)
This was the first Spice Girls hit not to top the charts. Geri Halliwell was so pissed off she decided to leave the group. OK not strictly true, but this was the last Spice Girls hit before she did leave. It's their attempt at making a Motown record, something Emma Bunton also did badly in her solo career.
Verdict - Rubbish
It had been 10 years since Run DMC had last been in the Top 40. This Jason Nevins remix of their 1983 record took them to the top of the charts and ended the Spice Girls run of number ones. It also made its way onto several dance compilations which validated me liking this record.
Verdict - Good
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 10/30, or 33%. No signs of getting back above 50%.
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