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:
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
The final Top 40 hit for Livin Joy who were past their commercial peak by this point. They did change their sound slightly on this one presumably in an attempt to become relevant again, but it doesn't really work and still bears a resemblance to their older material but not as good.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
Back when N-Trance did "Set You Free" it was a turning point in my life. It played a massive part in me converting from a grunger to a raver. Unfortunately the N-Trance records the followed immediately afterwards were a bit crap. With this record though they were back doing decent music again
Verdict - Good
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
The 3rd and final Top 40 hit to date for Symposium which peaked at the same position as their debut hit. They were the nearest the UK had to Green Day and The Offspring from a Top 40 perspective. It's not a bad record really, but perhaps a little polished.
Verdict - OK
24. Aaliyah - 4 Page Letter (New)
Another Top 40 hit for Aaliyah that was written by Timbaland and Missy Elliott. This ones a slower number but the weird sort of production that Timbaland does makes the record more interesting which in turn makes the record work.
Verdict - Good
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
The Sneaker Pimps has already had their big 2 hits in "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". I would say the following YouTube comment sums this up nicely "I was so glad when Chris took over vocals. Kelli Ali's always sounded like she was singing something she didn't write or believe in".
Verdict - Rubbish
After reaching number 12 with a cover and then failing to reach the Top 20 with an original composition, OTT went back to doing a cover version for their 3rd Top 40 hit. Much like the Boyzone covers they've completely ruined it, but it did give them their joint highest charting Top 40 hit.
Verdict - Rubbish
This was the final Top 40 hit for the 90s for Wet Wet Wet before they split up and is a cover of The Beatles record. It meant they now had 3 Top 40 hits to their name that were Beatles covers. It just sounds lazy really, like they just did any old thing as they were on their way out anyway.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
18. Foo Fighters - Everlong (New)
This Top 40 hit for the Foo Fighters meant that their Top 40 career was now equal in length to Nirvana's but was one record behind Nirvana in terms of number of hits. They did have some memorable records around this point of their career I'll give them that, but that doesn't make it good.
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
Missy Elliott had been around for a few years and had already had Top 40 hits as a songwriter, but this was her first Top 40 hit as an artist. She is joined by her partner in crime Timbaland on songwriting duties for the this one. Not to my liking though.
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
14. UB40 - Tell Me Is It True (New)
This was the 34th of 40 Top 40 hits to date for UB40, but it would be their final hit to date that wasn't a cover. It's the usual UB40 that they'd been doing for nearly 2 decades by this point and it had worked well for them so why change it.
Verdict - Good
This was the 13th Top 40 hit for Mary J Blige but just her 2nd to make the Top 10 and was her highest charting hit to this point. It's another Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis composition which sampled "You Are Everything" and interpolates "Sukiyaki". That's a good thing in a way as I don't think a straight cover of either would have worked.
Verdict - Good
This was the Top 40 debut for Conner Reeves which confused me somewhat because I was certain he'd featured in these posts before. Then I realised I was thinking about Brian Kennedy. Anyway its the same sort of bland forgettable nonsense that probably inspired Ed Sheeran and his clones in the modern era.
Verdict - Rubbish
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
Jon Bon Jovi had been singing about Chelsea on his previous Top 40 hit. This time he's singing about New Orleans. Once again he's teamed up with Dave Stewart but this time we have a record that's more lively and as a result more listenable.
Verdict - OK
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
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
This started off as and R&B record in 1995, but it was a Tuff Jam garage remix that got it into the UK Top 40. Now considered to be one of the garage classics and rightfully so. It may have inspired some other big garage remixes of R&B records.
Verdict - Good
Dannii Minogue had last been in the Top 40 in 1994. In the time in between she was presenting The Bigger Breakfast which was an extension of The Big Breakfast in the school holidays. That made me think she'd given up her singing career, but then came this which was her biggest Top 40 hit to date. I would call this an example of how sex sells.
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
This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Shola Ama and her highest charting single to date. I thought that when S Club 7 did "Natural" it was a blatant rip off of this. Don't let that put you off though, the S club 7 record is just a really poor imitation of a decent record.
Verdict - Good
Chumbawamba first formed back in 1982 but this was the first time they hit the Top 40. It sounds like the sort of record that would make the charts because of a major football tournament happening, but there wasn't. Maybe it was just compensating for the lack of major football tournament.
Verdict - Rubbish
With Will Smith an established actor by this point and Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince now split up you would think Will Smith would have given up on the rapping. Unfortunately he was only just getting started as a solo artist with this being his Top 40 debut.
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 9.5/30, or 32%. Same as last week.
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