Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 27 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Friday.
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 1997 with my verdict on each record:
30. JT Playaz - Just Playin' (New)
After returning to the Top 40 earlier on in the year after 6 years away under the name Souvlaki, Mark Summers is back in the Top 40 as part of JT Playaz. It is a bit on the cheesy side, but then what else would you expect from a man who ripped off The Magic Roundabout. I still like it though.
Verdict - Good
The hits from Seals 2nd album were quite different to those on his first but I still liked "Kiss From A Rose" in particular. This however is a record where I would say Seal is now past his best. He sings a few words from "Crazy" in there, but it doesn't change anything.
Verdict - Rubbish
Eternal were proving once again that they didn't need Louise in the band in order to be successful with this record being their highest charting to this point so therefore charting higher than any Eternal record with Louise on it, or any Louise solo record to that point for that matter. It's such a miserable record though.
Verdict - Rubbish
My one reservation about this record was it being too slow. It wouldn't have really worked as a fast tune though. I remember this and "Your Woman" by White Town being out around the same sort of time. I guess there are similarities between the two.
Verdict - Good
After being given a new lease of life in the Top 40 after the remix of "People Hold On" earlier on in the year, Lisa Stansfield follows with this Top 10 hit was her last Top 10 hit to date. Unfortunately she's back to doing the same sort of bland music she was making in the early 90s.
Verdict - Rubbish
Tall Paul was one of the well known house DJs at the time. He also produced under different names such as Escrima, but this was his first Top 40 hit under his DJ name. The presence of other DJs in the video together with using his DJ name implies this was a record promoting these DJs. A decent enough record.
Verdict - Good
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit by Madonna from "Evita", quite possibly the most boring film I've ever seen which still haunts me to this very day. Hopefully his will be the last time I'll ever have to hear a song from that god awful film.
Verdict - Rubbish
I initially thought this was Kula Shaker doing a cover of a Deep Purple record. It turns out that the Deep Purple record was also a cover with the original being by Billy Joe Royal. It's not bad, but I much prefer the Deep Purple version and I've never heard the original.
Verdict - OK
What do you do when you're a British R&B group struggling to make music as good as your American counterparts? Call on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis of course. I'm not entirely sure that's what Damage did here, they're credited as songwriters but didn't produce so maybe it just samples a Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis composition. It's poor whatever it is.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 27th Top 40 hit for The Bee Gees and took their Top 40 career to 30 years long. This record came out around the same time as the infamous Clive Anderson interview where they walked off the show. Can't say I think much of this which may upset Barry Gibb in the unlikely event of him reading this.
Verdict - Rubbish
I seem to recall the blurb about this record on The Chart Show saying that No Mercy were waiters at a Gloria Estefan owned restaurant prior to becoming singers. Can't find any mention of that on the internet so The Chart Show were probably just taking the piss. It does make a convincing story though.
Verdict - Rubbish
Fugees had a pretty impressive Top 40 record. They only managed 21 with their debut "Fu-Gee-La" but then followed with 2 number ones, a number two and a number three, the latter being this record which is also their last Top 40 hit to date. This one is my personal favourite and reminds me of listening to Trevor Nelson on a Saturday afternoon. It's much darker than their other hits, but then it's the darker side of rap which attracted me to the genre in the first place.
Verdict - Good
BBE are of course best remembered for "7 Days and One Week" which has been anthem bashed ever since. This follow up is largely forgotten. I think this record is better than its predecessor, I always have done. It made number 5 in the charts though so it's by no means an obscure record. This was 1997 though when you could blink and miss a record completely.
Verdict - Good
Gina G may be remembered as a one hit wonder, but this was her 3rd Top 10 hit. I would say it's placing in the charts though is a reflection of how popular it was though because I remember hearing it on The O-Zone once and don't recall hearing it again. It's catchy, but also a bit rubbish.
Verdict - Rubbish
Back in 1994 boy band All-4-One had a number 2 record with "I Swear". It was originally by John Michael Montgomery and one of the songwriters was Gary Baker. Seeing the success of one of his songs covered by a boy band must have contributed to his decision to pen this for the Backstreet Boys. It's also a dreary ballad.
Verdict - Rubbish
Once again memories of The Girlie Show are coming back. I remember it was when this record was out that Boyzone were Wankers of the Week and it was the same week The Spice Girls were guests. They also kept this record off the top spot. Both as bad as each other.
Verdict - Rubbish
Wet Wet Wet were seemingly still feeling the benefits of topping the charts with "Love Is All Around" 3 years later with this lead single from their "10" album going straight in at number 3. This was also the year they split up with band member Tommy Cunningham saying the band had run its course. I'm inclined to agree.
Verdict - Rubbish
13. Reef - Consideration (New)
When Reef returned to the Top 40 with "Place Your Hands" it gave me some confidence that there music wasn't as namby pamby as I'd first though. This record though tells me the opposite, it's slow and boring and overall a bit shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
Livin Joy had already had their 3 bigger hits by this point and now we're into Livin Joy territory that few people remember. The formula was getting a bit tired by this point. It was always commercial but this ones commercial without excitement which is never good.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. N-Trance - DISCO (New)
I've mentioned before how hearing "Set You Free" by N-Trance was a life changing experience but then N-Trance came out with a load of crap afterwards. Here's an example of some of that crap they continued to churn out which is a rip off of the Ottawan record.
Verdict - Rubbish
It had been a little over a year since 3T made their Top 40 debut and now here they are with their final Top 40 hit to date. Herbie is Herbie Crichlow, a Sweden based English songwriter. This sounds a bit like the Backstreet Boys but this makes sense as Herbie Crichlow is joined by Max Martin and Denniz Pop on songwriting duties on this one. It's also shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was another record from the film "Space Jam" and the "Monstars' Anthem" refers to the song for the enemy team. That makes it quite difficult to take seriously as a record given it's from a cartoon, but it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
The Top 40 debut for Sash! and the record he's best known for. I have mixed feelings about this record. At first I wrote it off as being cheesy commercial crap, but it did start to grow on me after a while. When you consider some of the dreadful music this no doubt inspired though it's hard to truly like it.
Verdict - OK
7. Cast - Free Me (New)
The 6th Top 40 hit for Cast and the lead single from their 2nd album. It was also their first Top 40 hit not to have a one word title. I would say they had built a big enough of a fanbase to keep them ticking along at the top end of the charts as I don't think their chart positions reflect their popularity. Or maybe I learned to ignore them more.
Verdict - Rubbish
I had a friend who was also a raver who I used to think just made up things about the rave scene safe in the knowledge nobody had anyway of proving otherwise. One day he had written quite a sizeable list of DJ names, some were ones I was very familiar with and others I thought he'd just made up. One such DJ was DJ Quicksilver. I questioned whether a DJ would really name himself after a brand of clothing. Then it turned out there was such a DJ. When I first heard this record it wasn't what I was expecting. I expected something of the hardcore or drum & bass variety, but this was club music. I still liked it though.
Verdict - Good
This was the main song from Space Jam and I asked the question why do they always have ballads for cartoon films. That said, I did think this ballad was much better than your average ballad so not a bad choice really.
Verdict - Good
The Charlatans continued with their successful return to the charts scoring another Top 5 hit with this. Like with Cast though, I think they must have just had enough of a following for them to chart this high. I do remember this one more than the Cast record admittedly, but it really didn't seem that big.
Verdict - Rubbish
No Doubt seemed to just come out of nowhere with this record. I remember thinking who the fuck are No Doubt and suddenly they were number one. Turns out they'd had a number 38 prior to this. I think they did their best stuff later on in their career, but this ones not bad.
Verdict - OK
The 4th Top 40 hit for the Spice Girls and their 4th number one and last single from their debut album. "Mama" is marketing in a way for ones mother to approve of their child listening to the Spice Girls and "Who Do You Think You Are" was the comic relief single. It was a win win situation for them, but musically it was still shit.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
A year or so earlier The Chemical Brothers were an act I'd speak highly of. When they topped the charts with the aid of Noel Gallagher my underground self looked on them less favorably even though it was an undeniably good record. Then came this, another chart topper that I've never liked. My main complaint about it was it was too slow but to this very day I've just never got into it.
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 9/30, or 30%. Getting pretty bad now.
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