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:
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
The Top 40 debut for Italian house group Alex Party. The vocals are minimal on this, the way I like it. Whilst I'm not going to pretend their music was anything but commercial, they did bring something different to the table and I like it.
Verdict - Good
This was the 4th of 5 Top 40 hits to date for Bruce Dickinson and the first since he left Iron Maiden. As this isn't Iron Maiden it's not a question of how fast it is which is just as well because this ones pretty slow. It drags on a bit and doesn't really do much for me, but it isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
It had been around 2 years since Erasure topped the charts with the "Abba-Esque EP" which I was never a fan of. In the time since the only hit they'd had was a re-issue of "Who Needs Love Like That". Their first new single since was this and it was good to see them back on form. I love the way the chorus comes into this.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd solo Top 40 hit for Carleen Anderson which went one place higher than her first. I would say this one sounds more pop than its predecessor. As a result it lacks the same sort of appeal, but still not a bad record.
Verdict - OK
The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for The Time Frequency and the last time they'll feature as their final Top 40 hit never made the Top 30. It's a shame really because their Top 40 career seemed so brief and I was enjoying hearing these tunes again. Fortunately they weren't quite finished behind the scenes from a Top 40 perspective.
Verdict - Good
The final Top 40 hit to date for K-Klass. They did good to last until 1994 when many other dances acts never made it beyond 1991, but I have to say this record implies they were past their best by this point. It's a completely different record to the track with the same title on their album.
Verdict - Rubbish
I feel like I've known this song all my life but I clearly haven't as it didn't come out until 1994. I can't remember this actually being in the Top 40 but when I discovered it was a 1994 hit I was shocked it wasn't a lot earlier. It manages to be both boring and cringeworthy at the same time.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 11th and penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Alice Cooper and the last time he'll feature as his final Top 40 hit never made the Top 30. I like the sentiment of this song, particularly the opening lines of "I can't get a job because I don't have a car, I don't have a car because I don't have a job". Unfortunately it's a pretty weak song musically which is a shame really as those lyrics had a lot of potential.
Verdict - Rubbish
After Michael Bolton had a couple of original hits he's back to doing the covers again with this record which is a cover of the Bill Withers song. All I can say is listen to the Bill Withers song instead, it's much better.
Verdict - Rubbish
20. Deacon Blue - Dignity (New)
Deacon Blue were about to call it a day, but before that they re-released this record which was their Top 40 debut. It charted higher this time round than it did the first time. Their best known tune is "Real Gone Kid" but this one would be second in line in terms of popularity. A great record.
Verdict - Good
This record is most famous for being the one that Boyzone danced to on "The Late Late Show" before they were famous. This was before they were famous in the UK at least. I don't know whether it's a consequence of that, but this record has always irritated me.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 9th Top 40 hit for Salt-N-Pepa and they were the first rap act to reach this number. It was also the first Salt-N-Pepa hit that was actually written by Salt-N-Pepa, though Salt did write one of their previous hits by herself. It's a change in direction and they've definitely moved into the 90s with this one, but it's still cheesy commercial rap that isn't very good.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
16. Pearl Jam - Dissident (New)
With Nirvana now finished it's probably fair to say Pearl Jam were now the biggest active Seattle grunge band at the time. This became their highest charting single to this point. It has a strong intro and I like the way the chorus comes in but at the same time I feel there's too much filler in there for me to truly like it.
Verdict - OK
15. Galliano - Long Time Gone (New)
The Top 40 debut for Galliano and the only one to make the Top 30. It's a cover of a Crosby Stills & Nash record and was part of the acid jazz scene. Like with a lot of acid records it's got a good groove to it, the drums and the bass really carries it but unfortunately the rest of it is questionable.
Verdict - OK
It had been just over a couple of years since Seal had last been in the Top 40 but he was back with this which was the lead single from his 2nd album which was also self titled like his first. It's a change in direction for him with a haircut to match. As a result it's not as good as his early stuff, but it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
When I was reviewing "I Lift My Cup" which was the Top 40 debut for Gloworm I recall saying that my only complaint about it was it wasn't "Carry Me Home". Well here is the far better "Carry Me Home" which is such a good tune. All I can say really is give it a listen and you'll know what I mean.
Verdict - Good
I thought this was a really odd one when I first heard it. My first thought when this was introduced on Top of the Pops was that the singer looked like Neil from the Young Ones. Then he started singing in a loud deep voice, I thought what the fuck is this. However, I started to like it after a few listens. Of course a song sung by a Neil from the Young Ones lookalike with a funny voice and a chorus that is simply "mmm" repeated several times is hard to take seriously. If you listen to the rest of the lyrics though they're actually quite meaningful.
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
I would call this a prime example of pop music disguising itself as R&B. It's written by the same people who wrote "Rewind" for Precious a few years later and one of the writers also wrote for S Club 7. The singings too over the top for me and I just find it irritating.
Verdict - Rubbish
We have a record here that I would consider a life changing moment. I was a grunger and rave was the enemy. Given that rave from a Top 40 perspective was basically dead I wasn't hearing anything in the charts that would tell me otherwise about rave. Then came this record which I thought was amazing. It wouldn't be too long before I bought the "Music For The Jilted Generation" album which took me over into rave territory.
Verdict - Good
It's fair to say Bad Boys Inc. failed to make much of an impact with their first 3 Top 40 hits in 1993. In 1994 though they go straight into the Top 10 with this which is their only Top 10 hit to date. They stuck with this songwriting team for the remainder of their hits, but don't think for a minute that the music improved at all.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was originally by the Drifters and taken to the top of the charts by the Searchers in 1963. This CJ Lewis version is pretty cheesy, it is the sort of record you'd expect Andi Peters to like. At the same time though it's great fun to listen to and pure 90s nostalgia.
Verdict - Good
With eurodance being big around this time it seemed inevitable that a 2 Unlimited record would pop up soon. Here it is, but it's the last time they made the Top 10. I guess with so much choice they were just one of many by now. The usual crap from them except a bit faster.
Verdict - Rubbish
The eurodance records are coming thick and fast now with this being the Top 40 debut from Germanys Maxx. It's the usual male rapping female singing combination that could really be by any eurodance act. Mass production is something that springs to mind with all these records.
Verdict - Rubbish
Another chart topper thanks to it's inclusion on the Levi's advert. This one was specifically written for the advert though by Pete Lawlor and then Stiltskin were formed off the back of it. Inevitably comparisons were drawn between it and Nirvana, particularly as Kurt Cobain had only died quite recently. In all honesty though I think it's better than anything Nirvana ever did.
Verdict - Good
It had only been a few months since East 17 had last been in the Top 40 but here they are with the lead single from the "Steam" album. In the lyrics they sing "there's no place like home" and having seen Tony Mortimer's home on the East 17 reunion documentary I'm inclined to agree with him. As regular readers will know, I love a bit of East 17.
Verdict - Good
Aside from a chart topper in 1992, the 90s hadn't been a great decade to this point for Wet Wet Wet from a Top 40 perspective with the rest of their singles of the decade so far failing to reach the Top 10. This was all about to change with this record after it spent 15 weeks at number one and could have beaten Bryan Adams record had they not pulled it from sale. Obviously this topped the charts due to it being from "Four Weddings and a Funeral" but it's also a decent song and definitely revitalised them after some pretty poor singles.
Verdict - Good
Football songs are generally shit, especially ones by actual football teams. I don't think people really buy football songs for the actual music, but I'm surprised this got to number one because surely only Man Utd fans would have bought it. Maybe it shows just how many Man Utd fans there are.
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 14.5/30, or 48%. That's the 3rd week in a row, surely we'll reach 50% next week.
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