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:
Yet another Top 40 hit for the most prolific 3rd rate Britpop band with this being Top 40 hit number 8. It's not them doing their song again though, this one is a ballad. This means it's even more dreary than their other records.
Verdict - Rubbish
The 3rd single from the "Pop" album which is considered the dodgy period for U2 by some. My interpretation of this is based on the album title and the fact lead single "Discotheque" was a dance record. However this is probably the heaviest U2 record I've ever heard.
Verdict - OK
Yet another late 90s Michael Jackson record that charted pretty high despite having little impact in the grand scheme of things. It would however be his last Top 40 hit of the 90s. He's teamed up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the usual writers for his sister Janet on "History" and with Teddy Riley on "Ghosts". Both are instantly forgettable though.
Verdict - Rubbish / Rubbish
27. Airscape - Pacific Melody (New)
In the 21st century there was some pretty dreadful trance music coming out of Belgium from the likes of Lasgo. It wasn't always like that though. This was one of the first Top 40 trance records from Belgium. I love the way it breaks down and then the piano comes in.
Verdict - Good
This was the first of 2 Top 40 hits for Changing Faces and the only time they'll feature as their other hit never made the Top 30. It was written and produced by R Kelly and I think you can tell. He sure knew how to write a good record.
Verdict - Good
This appears to be the only think Italian dance act Snakebite did, though the 3 members have done other things going back to the 80s. This record interpolates "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny & Cher. I can't look beyond the fact All Seeing I did a much better take on it the following year, but I guess this isn't bad.
Verdict - OK
The 2nd Top 40 hit for a band who completely passed me by at the time. The guitar riff that takes you from the intro to the verse is actually quite good. I can't say the same for the rest of the song. It sounds like the riff is taking you into something exciting, but it isn't.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the final Top 40 hit of the 90s for Shaggy before his wilderness years which even brought about rumours he had died as I recall. It's a cover of the Erma Franklin record with Shaggy adding a few more bits to it. It bit cheesy but decent nonetheless.
Verdict - Good
It had been nearly 4 years since Eternal had made their Top 40 debut but it took until this, their 13th Top 40 hit to top the charts. It did sound like they'd finally cheered up in this record have had a string of rather miserable hits. All was not well behind the scenes though as this would be the penultimate Top 40 hit with Kelle Bryan in the group. Still a rubbish song though.
Verdict - Rubbish
After scoring his first number one with a hit from a movie, R Kelly was back in the Top 10 again with a hit from another movie which this time is "Batman & Robin". That fact it's a song about a fictional city from Batman makes it a bit difficult to take seriously, but R Kelly pulls this off really well to the point you can easily forget that fact.
Verdict - Good
This was the 3rd Top 40 hit for Todd Terry under his own name and the first one that's not a cover. It's also the highest charting Top 40 hit to date for Todd Terry. It's the same sort of soulful house music as it's predecessor but clearly a different record.
Verdict - Good
The Verve had been around since 1990, released their first album in 1993 and first hit the Top 40 in 1995. This record though was the beginning of their commercial peak. It's got a famous video of Richard Ashcroft walking down the street barging into everybody. That's about as exciting as this record gets.
Verdict - Rubbish
TV boy band North & South were back with a second single, but the fact it was 1997 when literally anything seemed to be able to make the Top 10 and this didn't implied that people were already losing interest in them. I didn't have any interest in them to begin with.
Verdict - Rubbish
It had been nearly a year since they charted with "I'm Alive" which was massive at the time. This was the follow up and final Top 40 single to date for them but didn't have the same sort of impact on the charts. This time they're sampling "Jump Around" by House of Pain, but using the samples well in my opinion.
Verdict - Good
The 2nd Top 40 hit for Sash! and the 2nd to make number 2. Whilst it's predecessor was in French, this one was in Spanish. I always found this one a bit annoying, the shouting of the word "Ecuador" in particular.
Verdict - Rubbish
15. Makaveli - Toss It Up (New)
This was the 2nd and final Top 40 hit for 2Pac under his Makaveli alias. It also features K-Ci and JoJo on the record. The last Top 40 hit by 2Pac to feature them "I Ain't Mad At Cha" used the same samples as "Don't Leave Me" by Blackstreet. This one is using the same samples as "No Diggity" by Blackstreet featuring Dr Dre and once again 2Pac is hitting out at Dr Dre.
Verdict - Good
14. Paul Weller - Brushed (New)
It had been a year since Paul Weller had last been in the Top 40, but here he is back with another record that sounds just like his other records.
Verdict - Rubbish
I would say this was the last Levellers hit that was widely remembered. It was the last time they made the Top 20 anyway and they never made the Top 10. I guess it's a catchy enough record and pleasant enough to listen to.
Verdict - Good
This was the Top 40 debut for The Mamas and the Papas back in 1966 but re-entered the charts and did better in 1997 after it appeared on a Carling advert. One of those classic 60s hits that makes me nostalgic about a decade I never lived in.
Verdict - Good
There was absolutely no avoiding this record at the time. I remember it appearing on Club Nation and then an advert for the single appeared in the advert break. It didn't take me too long to get absolutely sick of it. Not a bad record by any means but I thought this record was just alright in the first place and that's my view of it now.
Verdict - OK
It had been over a year since Oasis had last been in the Top 40. In that time we had an Oasis tribute band plus many other acts try to make their own Oasis songs. They were so big that the record shops would open at midnight to enable people to buy this single. The actual record though is just a noise, the worst thing I'd heard Oasis do and that's really saying something.
Verdict - Rubbish
I was such a rave purist in 1997 that I specifically remember pretending to people at the time that I didn't like this record because it wasn't rave. In reality I loved this record and ended up buying the single. I just gets better as it goes on, I love the final verse to it.
Verdict - Good
This was a record that made an impact from it's title alone. It had all been done several times before though, first by the Rolling Stones with a song of the same title back in 1971. It sounds like it could be an Alanis Morissette record.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 9th Top 40 hit for Boyzone and just the 2nd that wasn't a ballad. It was from the Mr Bean movie so it would have been odd for them to do a ballad for a movie like that. Whilst a relief from the usual dreary rubbish they'd usually come out with, it's still crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the 2nd posthumous Top 40 hit for The Notorious BIG and became his biggest hit to this point. It samples "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross and I love the way it has been sampled. You could have literally any rapper rapping on this and it would still be a decent record.
Verdict - Good
5. Texas - Black Eyed Boy (New)
The successful comeback for Texas continues in 1997 with this record. This is their attempt at making a Motown record. This is what I sense they are trying to do anyway, but the result is something that would no doubt get rejected on Motown.
Verdict - Rubbish
As the title might suggest, this was a comeback single for the Backstreet Boys even though it had been just 5 months since they'd last been in the Top 40. It was however the lead single from their 2nd album. I was written by Denniz Pop and Max Martin and the way the Backstreet Boys were marketing themselves in this record tells you what this was all about.
Verdict - Rubbish
3. Peter Andre - All About Us (New)
When Peter Andre came out of the wilderness in the 21st century a lot of people thought his only hit was "Mysterious Girl". I remembered him having other hits though and I'd point out he'd had 2 number ones and "Mysterious Girl" wasn't one of them. However even I don't remember this record and it reached number 3. 1997 continues to give us high charting hits nobody remembers.
Verdict - Rubbish
My biggest memory of this record was watching a TV show that I think was called "Holidays From Hell". It documented the holiday of 2 old ladies taking a holiday to Ibiza and their hotel was right in the middle of San Antonio amongst the Club 18-30 crowd and this was being blasted out repeatedly to the point that one of them was pointing out it was that song again. To be fair as a youngster at the time I would have hated hearing this all the time as well as I've never liked it.
Verdict - Rubbish
We've had the first posthumous hit for The Notorious BIG. Now we have the tribute record by his label boss and his widow. It interpolates "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. I would say this topped the charts because of what it was rather than how it sounds, it's a pretty poor record.
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%. Will we jump again next week and get over 50%?
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