25 Years Since....July 1999

Wow 25 years since the last year of the 20th century, these were the tunes I was enjoying then:

Gouryella - Gouryella

The first thing that struck me about this record was its resemblance to "Out Of The Blue" by System F. It's understandable though when you consider that System F and Gouryella are both Ferry Corsten.

Whilst "Out Of The Blue" sounds like its trying to push boundaries, this is more of an authentic trance record and both serve their prupose.

Yomanda - Synth And Strings

It wasn't until later in life until I first heard "Dance Yourself Dizzy" by Liquid Gold, the cheesy disco record this samples. If you took away the sample it wouldn't be a very good record because it's when the sample kicks in that the record comes into life.

I taped this off the Mix Selector on Dave Pearce's Radio 1 show and as such when I hear it I think of "You choose them, we mix them, the mix selector, on Radio 1" being said over it.

DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone

A common misconception is that the person singing this is Alice Deejay. It's not, Alice Deejay isn't a person, it's the name for the people who make this record and the singer is Judith. 

I own the "Who Needs Guitars Anyway" album and its a fun album and I think it's a good name for an album. At the same time I think it's a shame this wasn't the only Alice Deejay record, it's one of the best dance records of 1999 and has a bit of credibility but the album as a whole is very much Euro cheese.

MAW Presents India - To Be In Love

I said the Alice Deejay record was one of the best records of 1999, but the best one is this record. To name the best record ever made is an impossible task, but this record is definitely one of the candidates.

It was the Top 40 debut for Masters At Work but they had previously had hits under the name Nuyorican Soul plus both members Kenny Dope and Louie Vega had previous hits individually. 

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In LA

Whatever happened to Rolling Rock beer?

Here we have advertising doing its job. This record appeared on the Rolling Rock advert which appeared on the ad breaks during the repeats of Ibiza Uncovered on Channel 4 late on a Friday night after getting home from the pub. By the time we got to the end of the series I was drinking Rolling Rock whilst watching it.

Top 30 in 1998 Reviewed: Week 31

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:

30. Leann Rimes - How Do I Live

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

29. Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid

I can't claim to have been a big fan of Garbage back in the 90s, I could take or leave their music. They are one of those bands who have got better with age though, or it just took me a while to realise how good their music was. Either way this is a good record.

Verdict - Good

28. Baddiel / Skinner / Lightning Seeds - Three Lions '98

After topping the charts with "3 Lions" during Euro 96, Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds were back for the World Cup in 1998 with a remixed version which was basically the same as the original but with different lyrics. I never liked the original.

Verdict - Rubbish

27. Sparkle ft R Kelly - Be Careful

This was the first R Kelly single not to appear on an R Kelly album and as a result the first R Kelly single that I don't own a recording of. I do remember acknowledging that fact in the pre-YouTube days because I would have quite liked to have it. I could have bought the Sparkle album though which was entirely written and produced by R Kelly but I didn't think of that.

Verdict - Good

26. Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer

This was originally the Top 40 debut for Don Henley back in 1985. I have no idea why it was rereleased in 1998, but when that happened it reached the same peak of number 12 that it did originally. One of those big 80s hits that's hard not to like.

Verdict - Good

25. The Supernaturals - I Wasn't Built To Get Up (New)

I loved the sentiment of this record at the time. I was at that sort of age where I thought nothing of sleeping in until lunch time and beyond. Even now when I hate wasting the day by sleeping in too late I do find it much easier to stay up late than get up early. Unfortunately this isn't very good musically. It was the final Top 40 hit to date for The Supernaturals. 

Verdict - Rubbish

24. Peter Andre - Kiss The Girl

The final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Peter Andre who would disappear for a few years after this. It's a Disney song so is slow and boring and a bit cringeworthy. I will however say it's nowhere near as bad as the cover of "A Whole New World" that he did with Katie Price when he reappeared.

Verdict - Rubbish

23. Ultra Nate - New Kind Of Medicine

The 3rd Top 40 hit for Ultra Nate and final one of the 90s. She'd previous sang that she'd found a cure and now she's singing that she needs a new kind of medicine. The album these came from was called "Situation: Critical". You sense a theme going on here. Once again I find this pretty average, but I would recommend checking out "Divine Love" from that album. 

Verdict - OK

22. Des'ree - Life

The highest charting Top 40 hit for Des'ree which was her penultimate Top 40 hit to date. It had also been 4 years since she'd last been in the Top 40. This record has been widely ridiculed for it's stupid lyrics and I'm inclined to agree.

Verdict - Rubbish

21. Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar 98

There have been numerous mixes of "Cafe Del Mar" over the years. The original came out in 1993 and this was the first version to make the Top 40. It's a German trance record that's named after the famous bar of the same name in Ibiza. It's a good advert for a holiday to Ibiza I have to say.

Verdict - Good

20. Karen Ramirez - Looking For Love

This was a cover of an Everything but the Girl record and knowing that fact I can tell that it is. I always thought of this record as being Billie Ray Martin mark 2. You may recall from my Billie Ray Martin reviews that I wasn't a fan and I'd say this was worse if anything.

Verdict - Rubbish

19. Echobeatz - Mas Que Nada

Another record that's sort of related to the World Cup. "Mas Que Nada" appeared in the Nike advert which featured the Brazil football team. This was a dance version of the record. It's a good summer anthem.

Verdict - Good

18. Five - Got The Feelin'

I remember watching the video to this and thinking what the fuck? It's a boy band trying to be gangsta rappers and is absolutely ridiculous. I stand by that, but at the same time I couldn't help but like it. I would say this is one of my guilty pleasures.

Verdict - Good

17. Mousse T Vs Hot 'N' Juicy - Horny

This brings back memories of the god awful TV show "Man O Man" that was hosted by Chris Tarrant. This was the theme music to that as I recall. The TV show and record suited each other though given how dreadful they both were.

Verdict - Rubbish

16. John Travolta And Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want

It had been 20 years since Grease and this record was rereleased to mark the occasion. Given how it was one of those films that seemed impossible to have not seen multiple times together with how the videos and soundtrack albums had been available for some time I'm wondering who felt the need to buy this single. Clearly people did.

Verdict - Rubbish

15. Celine Dion With The Bee Gees - Immortality

This was the 30th Top 40 hit for The Bee Gees which was their penultimate Top 40 hit to date and final one of the 90s. It was also Top 40 hit number 15 for Celine Dion. It was originally written for the Saturday Night Fever musical. Seems a bit of an odd one for it to be honest, it sounds too Celine Dion for it really.

Verdict - Rubbish

14. Lovestation - Teardrops (New)

The Top 40 debut for Lovestation who had been going since 1992. It's a cover of the Womack & Womack record done garage style. I recently said that I can't think of a bad garage record that had made the Top 40 at that point in time and that continues to be true with this record.

Verdict - Good

13. Brandy And Monica - The Boy Is Mine

One of the big songwriting teams in the R&B world is Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels. This was their first Top 40 hit as songwriters. Both Brandy and Monica had only been in the lower reaches of the Top 40 prior to this. I remember hearing how great Brandy's "Never Say Never" album was supposed to be and given I liked this song I decided to buy it. This song aside it really wasn't that great and I ended up selling it.

Verdict - Good

12. Charli Baltimore - Money (New)

Charli Baltimore was the ex girlfriend of The Notorious BIG and this was her Top 40 debut. She would go onto join Murder Inc records but never really got going the truth be told. Based on this record though I can understand why, it's not very good.

Verdict - Rubbish

11. Catatonia - Strange Glue (New)

From a singles perspective the main songwriters in Catatonia were Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts. This record however was written by Owen Powell. I guess it adds another dimension to their music and whilst not as good as their big hits it's still decent enough.

Verdict - Good

10. Billie Piper - Because We Want To

Billie Piper became the youngest person to debut at the top of the charts at just 15 when this record came out. It raises the question how does one manage to top the charts at such a young age. The answer is go to the Sylvia Young Theatre school like pretty much every other British pop singer seemed to do.

Verdict - Rubbish

9. B*Witched - C'est La Vie

On May 31st 1998 we had the news that Geri Halliwell had left the Spice Girls. The same day B*witched topped the charts with this their debut single. They really couldn't have timed it any better. I immediately thought come back the Spice Girls all is forgiven. Actually I didn't because the Spice Girls weren't finished yet, but this is every bit as bad as your average Spice Girls record.

Verdict - Rubbish

8. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

When I was reviewing the Finley Quaye hits coming into the Top 40 I thought Eagle-Eye Cherry would be just around the corner. Here he is with his Top 40 debut and best known hit. He's the brother of Neneh Cherry and his real name is Eagle-Eye believe it or not. The only positive thing I can say about this record is that's he's better than his sister, but that's not saying much.

Verdict - Rubbish

7. Ace Of Base - Life Is A Flower

It had been 2.5 years since Ace Of Base had been in the Top 40. Their previous hit was the dance record "Beautiful Life". This comeback single could simply be described as a pop single. It made sense given the music scene at the time and proof that it is possible to make a good pop song.

Verdict - Good

6. Aqua - My Oh My (New)

Aqua managed to top the charts with their first 3 Top 40 singles but they were unable to add a fourth. After their previous hit "Turn Back Time" was actually quite good, it's back to the usual cheesy shit we'd expect from them.

Verdict - Rubbish

5. Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground

Jamiroquai had several well known hits but this was their only chart topper. Perhaps not the one you would guess, but the fact it was from a film and didn't appear on an album would have no doubt helped it. It's not your typical Jamiroquai record, but the funk is still there and that's what makes the record.

Verdict - Good

4. Another Level - Freak Me

Confession time. When I first came across this record my initial thought was questioning whether it was a cover of "Freek 'N You" by Jodeci having not heard that record for years. I soon realised that it was a completely different record but took a few years for me to find out this was a cover of a Silk record that topped the charts in America in 1993. Obviously the original is better, but having been familiar with this cover for a long time before I heard the original I do like it.

Verdict - Good

3. Pras Michel ft ODB And Mya - Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)

The fist time I heard this record was on the radio one morning when I was half asleep and I remember later on that day thinking what was that good tune I heard on the radio earlier. I soon found out what it was. It was the solo Top 40 debut for Fugees member Pras so should really come as no surprise I'd like it given how good the Fugees were. 

Verdict - Good

2. Will Smith - Just The Two Of Us (New)

Here was an early sign about how in your face Will Smith and his family would be in years to come with this being written about his son. It's obviously a shit record, but it led to Eminem doing a bit of a pisstake on "97 Bonnie & Clyde" and the Dr Evil version in Austin Powers. 

Verdict - Rubbish

1. Spice Girls - Viva Forever (New)

Geri Halliwell had left the Spice Girls but this record had already been recorded and therefore featured her. The video was an animated one that also included Geri Halliwell. It was said to be delayed and poorly promoted but still topped the charts because of the brand. People also knew this would be the last Spice Girls single to feature Geri.

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 13.5/30, or 45%. No we can't stay above 50%.

UK Number 40s: Nukleuz DJs - DJ Nation (2002)

 

It's often quite difficult to speculate whether a record making number 40 was considered a flop for not getting any higher or a success due to the fact it made the Top 40 at all. With this record there's little doubt that it was the latter.

Nukleuz is one of the big record labels for hard house music that was founded by Peter Pritchard, the person who formed Clock with Stu Allan. 

These releases were megamixes and were released on vinyl only. This was a time when it was only really DJs buying vinyl so it did well to make the Top 40 given this limitation. A follow up record did even better the following year making number 33.

As far as the Top 40 went though hard house was pretty much finished as a genre following this.

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 31

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:

30. Crash Test Dummies - Afternoons And Coffeespoons

The not so well remembered follow up to the well remembered "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm". It's a great follow up though and is a fans favourite. I remember being at a karaoke night singing lots of songs that hammered my voice, but I was able to do this one without straining my voice again.

Verdict - Good

29. Clubhouse ft Carl - Living In The Sunshine

One thing I failed to mention when I reviewed their previous hit "Light My Fire" was that Gianfranco Bortolotti was involved. Also involved was Mauro Picotto who had some decent records years later. You have to start somewhere though.

Verdict - Rubbish

28. Dawn Penn - You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)

This was a remake of a record Dawn Penn had originally recorded back in 1967. This became her only UK Top 40 hit. It's quite an iconic record and is easy on the ears, but I'm not sure I like it enough to give it full marks.

Verdict - OK

27. Kate Bush And Larry Adler - The Man I Love (New)

This was a cover of a musical song from 1924 that was written by George Gershwin and featured on a tribute album to him. Larry Adler was 80 years old at this point so I would speculate he was the oldest living person to have a Top 40 hit at the time. This sort of music really isn't my thing.

Verdict - Rubbish

26. Seal - Kiss From A Rose (New)

I remember being shocked to find out this record was by Seal. I didn't find out until it was re-released in 1995 for the Batman movie. Once I'd got over the initial shock I realised that I liked it and ended up buying the single

Verdict - Good

25. Ace Of Base - Don't Turn Around

I did like this record at the time and included it in my "25 years since...." series of posts. However there is no getting around the fact this is nowhere near as good as the Aswad version. It therefore raises the question why bother listening to it. It's not a bad record though so it gets half marks.

Verdict - OK

24. Youssou N'Dour ft Neneh Cherry - 7 Seconds

Neneh Cherry has often been said to be edgy and cool and here she is collaborating with African singer Youssou N'Dour in an attempt to back up these credentials. To me though she's just a pop singer and the only positive thing I have to say about her is that she isn't as bad as her god awful daughter.  

Verdict - Rubbish

23. Reel 2 Real ft The Mad Stuntman - Go On Move

Another follow single that doesn't sound an awful lot different to work. Let's face it though, Erick Morillo made these records to sell in large quantities rather than for musical credibility. Therefore why not make a record like this, it would have been easy enough.

Verdict - Rubbish

22. The Jesus And Mary Chain - Sometimes Always (New)

This will be the last time The Jesus And Mary Chain will feature as their final Top 40 hits never made the Top 30. It was their only record to make the Billboard 100 which was probably helped by guest vocals by American singer Hope Sandoval. It's a bit more tolerable that their other records, but still not any good.

Verdict - Rubbish

21. Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti - Libiamo / La Donna E Mobile (New)

Lucian Pavarotti made the Top 40 back in 1990 thanks to the World Cup. Fast forward 4 years to the next world cup and he's back again for the same reason but he's brought his mates with him this time. Not my cup of tea.

Verdict - Rubbish

20. Bad Boys Inc - Take Me Away (I'll Follow You)

What I remember about this record was thinking how namby pamby it sounded compared to their boy band rivals EYC. Such a pathetically weak single and it somehow sounds worse now than it did back then.

Verdict - Rubbish

19. Elton John - Can You Feel The Love Tonight

After having 3 covers in a row in the Top 40 Elton John is back with an original composition. Bernie Taupin is nowhere to be seen though with lyrics coming from Tim Rice instead with this coming from "The Lion King" movie. Again I question why Disney music has to be so depressing, but I actually don't mind this record.

Verdict - OK

18. GUN - Word Up

Gun were a band that caught my attention quite early on due to the similarity with their name and Guns N' Roses. I also happened to find the music I heard of theirs quite good. I therefore find it a bit of a shame that their biggest hit was this, a cover of the Cameo record. It really doesn't do the band any justice.

Verdict - Rubbish

17. Red Dragon With Brian And Tony Gold - Compliments On Your Kiss (New)

One memory of this song that particularly stands out for some reason is it being on the car radio when it was my friends birthday in the middle of August. What does it for me with this song is what I assume to be the steel drums. I also like the 2 different styles of Brian and Tony Gold (not their real names).

Verdict - Good

16. Take That - Love Ain't Here Anymore

Take That's run of number ones ended with this record. With Wet Wet Wet occupying top spot it seemed unlikely they would top the charts with this but at the same time it didn't even make number 2. It may have been more appropriate for it to make number 3 though because it's shit.

Verdict - Rubbish

15. Big Mountain - Baby I Love Your Way

The only Top 40 hit for Big Mountain which is a cover of the Peter Frampton record. There was no avoiding this record at the time, I remember some people loving this. I do like a bit of reggae pop myself but have never liked this one.

Verdict - Rubbish

14. Shampoo - Trouble (New)

The Top 40 debut for Shampoo and the record they're best known for and also their highest charting. I'm actually quite surprised to learn this got not higher than 11 given how big it seemed to be at the time. At the same time thought who would really want to buy this record? It's absolutely dreadful.

Verdict - Rubbish

13. EYC - Black Book (New)

EYC seem to have calmed down a lot on this record compared to their previous hits, something I remember thinking at the time. I also remember one of the members having an actual black book with him on stage when performing. Now sounding the usual boy band fodder.

Verdict - Rubbish

12. Two Cowboys - Everybody Gonfi-Gon

Oh dear! It's a eurodance record but without the usual male rapper female singer formula. In fact it's largely instrumental. That doesn't mean it's any good though. It's a country inspired eurodance record. That's right country mixed with eurodance, is there a worse combination? Probably, but lets not get away from the fact this is dreadful.

Verdict - Rubbish

11. PJ And Duncan - Let's Get Ready To Rhumble

When PJ & Duncan started their music career it was probably just the viewers of Byker Grove who noticed. When this record came out though everybody else did. I used to live in Newcastle and there was a 90s bar there where you were pretty much guaranteed to hear this record. It is shit though. 

Verdict - Rubbish

10. CJ Lewis - Everything Is Alright (Uptight)

CJ Lewis was able to pull off his 90s remake of "Sweets For My Sweet" but he should have really just left it at that. This is a very poor remake of the Stevie Wonder record and I can only imagine people bought this on the strength of his debut only to be disappointed. 

Verdict - Rubbish

9. Grid - Swamp Thing

The 3rd Top 40 hit for Grid and their highest charting hit that many people only know them for. It's a classic biggest hit is nowhere near their best music sort of situation. It has a catchy hook and isn't a bad record but it is a little irritating at the same time.

Verdict - OK

8. Aswad - Shine

After Aswad topped the charts with their Top 40 debut "Don't Turn Around" their following singles did chart so well until this record over 6 years later. The fact Ace of Base had their own version of "Don't Turn Around" out around this time would have reminded people of Aswad and that may have helped this single become a success. It's written by the band itself and it's a decent record that I liked at the time even it I wouldn't admit it.

Verdict - Good

7. China Black - Searching

The Top 40 debut and biggest hit for China Black. It was one of those records that I hated at the time but have grown to like via nostalgia for the 90s. I do remember at the time hearing someone singing that and saying what the fuck are you doing? to him. It's easy on the ears I guess.

Verdict - Good

6. Erasure - Run To The Sun (New)

We're reaching the end of Erasures commercial peak with this being their last Top 10 hit of the 90s though they would return to the Top 10 in the 21st century. This just sounds like a typical Erasure record which is a good thing.

Verdict - Good

5. Warren G And Nate Dogg - Regulate

There's a video I've seen of someone trying to listen to modern rap music but the facial expressions implies they find it all shit. They eventually resort to this record and breath a sigh of relief. That pretty much sums up how I feel.

Verdict - Good

4. Let Loose - Crazy For You

The Top 40 debut for Let Loose and the record they're best known for. I remember this being universally hated at the time and rightfully so because this is an absolutely dreadful record. It's annoying and cringeworthy and hopefully I'll never hear it again.

Verdict - Rubbish

3. The BC-52s - (Meet) The Flintstones

This is the B-52s under a different name with this cover of The Flintstones theme tune which was done for The Flintstones movie. They have some decent tunes to their name and it's a shame their biggest hits are the worst records I've heard them do.

Verdict - Rubbish

2. All-4-One - I Swear

When Big Mountain hit the charts I knew this record would be just around the corner because there was also no avoiding this record at the time and it used to annoy me in equal measure. It was originally a country song by John Michael Montgomery. It wasn't the only Top 40 hit for All-4-One though, they would return with another John Michael Montgomery cover but fortunately that never made the Top 30 so I won't have to listen to it.

Verdict - Rubbish

1. Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around

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

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 30%.  Now we've dropped.