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:
That's right, K7 had another hit. It was his only other Top 40 hit which followed his big hit "Come Baby Come". It samples "Minnie the Moocher" which you may have guessed from the title. Can't say I'm really feeling this one, not a patch on his big hit
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
You would think with this title this would be an uplifting record, but it isn't, it's a ballad. Then you consider that Diana Ross had a hugely successful comeback with the ballad "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" so it seemed wise to stick to the ballads. Also one of the songwriters is Will Jennings who has "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion amongst other ballads to his name. It's a no from me.
Verdict - Rubbish
We're heading towards the mid-point of the 90s and Roxette are still going strong with at least one Top 40 hit every year of the decade so far. You sort of knew what you were getting with Roxette and this is a typical Roxette record and I do like a bit of Roxette.
Verdict - Good
26. Black Machine - How Gee (New)
This record was from 1991 but this was it's first time in the UK Top 40. It therefore sounds different to your typical eurodance music from around this time. That said, if you were to ask me to name a few crappy cheesy eurodance records from 1994 this would likely be on that list.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Toni Braxton and the 2nd to be written by Babyface who is joined by Daryl Simmons on songwriting duties. Despite the title, it's a lot more uplifting than it's predecessor "Breathe Again". Despite it being more uplifting though it's not as catchy. Once again it gets half marks.
Verdict - OK
James have released some really good record and some really questionable ones. Now we have a double a-side logic would suggest that one of the songs is good and the other is questionable. That is exactly what has happened. The questionable one is "Say Something" which just sounds really bland. The good one is "Jam J" which is much more interesting. There would be a bit of a gap after this record before we'd see James back in the Top 40.
Verdict - Rubbish / Good
The 6th and final Top 40 hit from the "Keep the Faith" album. The timing of this as a Top 40 hit does baffle me. I was into Bon Jovi in 1993 and loved the "Keep the Faith" album but by 1994 I started hating Bon Jovi for not being heavy enough. Logic would say I just remember enjoying this in 1993 when I listened to the album, but I recall liking it when it appeared on The Chart Show too. Anyway I do like it now.
Verdict - Good
The 3rd Top 40 hit for Worlds Apart and the 3rd which is a cover. It also became their highest charting hit to date. With competition from Bad Boys Inc. and EYC to be the 3rd biggest boy band the days seemed numbered for Worlds Apart. They would be back though.
Verdict - Rubbish
Roachford are best known for "Cuddly Toy" in 1989. Then a couple of minor hits followed in 1989 and 1991. Then in 1994 they were at their most prolific with 3 Top 40 hits, but they never got any higher than 21 and this will be the only one to feature as the other 2 failed to reach the Top 30. It's not bad but it's no "Cuddly Toy".
Verdict - OK
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
I remember when this appeared on Top of the Pops I initially saw guitars on the stage before they introduced this record and was expecting a rock song. Despite that brief moment of disappointment I couldn't help but like this record. It was his 4th Top 40 hit and the final one to make the Top 10.
Verdict - Good
Little Angels made their Top 40 debut in 1990 and had at least one Top 40 hit a year until this record which was their last Top 40 hit to date. They were a band I brought to the table with the rock crowd at school which if anything meant I genuinely liked it rather than following the crowd.
Verdict - Good
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
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
The Top 40 debut for JX and also the record he's most famous for. It did sound quite futuristic at the time and falls under the progressive house banner. It wasn't his highest charting hit though, that came 2 years later. One of the classics which does mean somewhat overplayed, but still decent enough.
Verdict - Good
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
In the days before YouTube I would look at the list of number ones in my British Hit Singles book, mostly in the 90s. I knew pretty much all of them but I did think what the fuck is this record. I can't remember when I finally did put a song to the name, but it is one I've known all along. Pretty bland dance pop music that deserves to be long forgotten.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 4th Top 40 hit for Haddaway and the 4th time he made the Top 10, though he hasn't made the Top 10 since. I thing it's fair to say we go past the point of Haddaways career few people remember after this. In fact I would say this records placing in the Top 10 is a bit misleading as I'm not convinced many people remember this one. Its more of the usual rubbish.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Paul Weller - Hung Up (New)
Paul Wellers solo career was about to hit new heights. This became his highest charting solo hit to this point and just around the corner was his "Stanley Road" album. He was loved by the Britpop fans but to me this is just him doing his song again.
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 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 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 one is from the film "With Honors" which doesn't actually have Madonna in it for a change. Madonna has a lot of well remembered records but despite it's title this isn't one of them. I'd say people bought this became it was both Madonna and from a film, but quickly forgot it.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 2nd release of this record which failed to make the Top 40 when first released in 1992. It would take the 3rd release in 1994 to reach its peak. I'm not quite sure how well remembered this is now given their bigger hit, but it was certainly big back in the day. It is just another crappy dance pop record though.
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 is the first Top 40 hit for Prince after he became a symbol. It's also his only chart topping single to date. Due to the high pitched singing I did think this was the Bee Gees when I first heard it but soon found out who it really was. I was a big critic of this record at the time but I always secretly liked it.
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
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
I feel I knew this song long before it topped the charts. Probably because there was no avoiding Take That at the time and I probably heard someone playing it somewhere. Gary Barlow said their Ian Levine hit "I Found Heaven" was awful but I don't think this Gary Barlow penned record sounds too different and is equally as dreadful.
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%. Slight drop.
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