Sunday 15 September 2024

Top 30 in 1994 Reviewed: Week 38

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 think the Roxette formula is getting a bit tired on this record. It sounds like a mixture of trying to replicate "Joyride" and "The Look" whilst throwing something completely different into the mix. It doesn't work for me and it's absence from greatest hits compilations implies it didn't work generally.

Verdict - Rubbish


The penultimate Top 40 hit to date for Robert Palmer and the last time he'll feature as his last hit never made the Top 30. It sounds a bit out of place in 1994 and sounds pretty bland if I'm honest. Not my cup of tea.

Verdict - Rubbish


Another sort of tribute to Kurt Cobain with a dance record that blatantly rip off "Smells Like Teen Spirit" without directly ripping it off. This was regularly played on the Essential Mix back in the day and even the Nirvana song itself would make it into the mixes too. I like it.

Verdict - Good


I knew this record would be appearing soon after "Yesterday When I Was Mad" by the Pet Shop Boys hit the charts. This record came on the radio all the time when it sounded like it could be the Pet Shop Boys for the first couple of seconds. I hate it as a result, but now I can listen at my leisure I'm actually quite liking this.

Verdict - Good


This was the final Top 40 hit to date for Bad Boys Inc. the Virgin Cola of the early 90s boy band world. Quite appropriate that they drop off the radar just before we reach the mid-point of the 90s. Unfortunately we've still got Upside Down to come.

Verdict - Rubbish


Something that is worst than D:Ream doing their usual bland dance pop music is D:Ream doing just a pop song. It's not quite a ballad but not a record you can really dance to either. It was the final Top 40 hit from their first album, but they'll be back with a second album.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut and only chart topper for Livin Joy which is also the hit they're most famous for. It's a commercial dance record no doubt and I've perhaps heard this too many times in my life by now. It does however push the right buttons to make it great fun to listen to.

Verdict - Good


This record means that I know "Welcome To Tomorrow" by Snap is just around the corner. That's because I remember it coming on the radio several times initially thinking it could be this one for the first couple of seconds. It was this tune that I wanted to hear.

Verdict - Good


This record topped the charts for Blondie back in 1980 but was back in the Top 40 in 1994 as a remix done by Diddy. How does this remix compare then? It's actually pretty good. It seems to lend itself well to a decent dance remix.

Verdict - Good


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


A lot is said about the Blur vs Oasis chart battle in 1995 but what you don't hear about is the time Blur knocked Oasis off number 10 with this record. This is a great sing along record and good fun to listen to. I would say this marks Blur at the height of their popularity.

Verdict - Good


After having their biggest hit with the rather commercial sounding "Swamp Thing", Grid follow up with something a bit more serious. This is much more like it, but because it didn't sound as commercial it was never going to reach the same heights.

Verdict - Good


The only Top 40 hit for Lisa Loeb and also the only record of hers that I've ever heard. I don't want to ruin my perception by hearing any of her other songs. A great bit of 90s pop and they don't make them like this anymore.

Verdict - Good


One of the worst records of 1993 was "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes. A year later we get this eurodance cover from DJ Miko which pretty much ensured we'd be hearing it on the dancefloor for years to come. Still a terrible record.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


This is a song that gets better with age. I do remember liking it at the time but a few years ago I heard it for the first time in years and realised just how good it was. It's 90s pop music at its finest and records like this which made the 90s great.

Verdict - Good


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


In order to promote her greatest hits album, Cyndi Lauper returned with a reggae style remix of her debut hit. It samples "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone. It sounds very cheesy, even more so than the original which is really saying something.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


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


Jungle had arrived in the Top 40. The rave music that was hitting the charts in 91/92 was reflective of the rave scene but once the rave hits dried up the music was changing in the underground branching off into jungle and happy hardcore. This evolution wasn't seen in the Top 40, just straight from the original rave sound to jungle with a gap in between. I was initially gearing towards jungle when I first got into rave.

Verdict - Good


This was the lead single from their "Monster" album and one of their best known hits. It's quite a catchy record, it's pleasant enough and by no means a bad record and it doesn't irritate me either. At the same time though I don't like it enough to give it full marks.

Verdict - OK


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


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


This was really "End Of The Road" part 2. Once again it's a Babyface penned ballad and know by many as their other hit. I guess it worked wonders for them the first time round so why not do the same again. It didn't quite hit the same heights as "End Of The Road" in the UK but it topped the charts in America.

Verdict - Rubbish


The Top 40 debut for Corona. What I remember about this record what it came about was there was lots of eurodance about and I thought oh no not another sodding eurodance record. It summed up everything I was hating in music at the time. Listening now I have to say it's not aged very well.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the comeback single for Kylie Minogue which was her first Top 40 after the Stock Aitken & Waterman era. Amongst the songwriters are Steve Anderson and Dave Seaman aka Brothers in Rhythm who had a lot more credibility. Despite this, I couldn't stand this record at the time and still don't think much to it now.

Verdict - Rubbish


Luther Vandross is one of the best singers of all time. At the same time though he put his voice to some pretty terrible records. To make thinks worse he duets with Mariah Carey on this Lionel Richie and Diana Ross cover. I absolutely hate this record whatever the version.

Verdict - Rubbish


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


I first came across this record via someone singing it at school. I heard her singing the "be my baby" part initially thinking she was trying to sing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", but it wasn't long before I was hearing this everywhere. Once the hype had died down I remember hearing it on holiday a couple of years later for the first time in while and was thinking how badly it had aged already, it was sounding far too slow.

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%. So close to 50% once again, next week maybe?
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Friday 13 September 2024

Top 30 in 1997 Reviewed: Week 37

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 I think of Echo & The Bunnymen I think of Chris Evans introducing them on TFI Friday. As they only had 3 Top 40 hits in the 90s of which this was the 2nd, I can only assume all 3 were performed on TFI Friday. Like I've said before, the music in general was the only thing I didn't like about the show.

Verdict - Rubbish


If Radiohead were yet to have a reputation for making depressing music then it would have certainly been this record that would have cemented that reputation. Some say it's a masterpiece and it probably is but for me personally I just find it boring an miserable.

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


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


When Club@Vision had their Ibiza special in 1999, they played an anthem from each year from 1989 onwards. Out of all the great tunes they could have picked for 1991, they picked this. I've always found this tune annoying, it's probably the over the top vocals that does it. This was the Top 40 debut for Ce Ce Peniston and she had more hits that you'd think. 

Verdict - Rubbish


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


The 3rd Top 40 hit for Ginuwine and once again it's a Timbaland production and have him his first Top 10 hit. It's a cover of the Prince record and is something you could imagine the right people to make a decent job of and no reason why Ginuwine and Timbaland can't be them. I have to say though they have completely ruined it.

Verdict - Rubbish


We were in an era where commercial dance music from Germany was impacting the UK charts in the form of Sash! and DJ Quiksilver. There was also more serious house music coming out of Germany though with this record. 

Verdict - Good


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


Led Zeppelin famously didn't release any singles during their heyday. Therefore this is the Top 40 debut for Led Zeppelin which came 28 years after this was first recorded. In the days when I had long hair a number of people told me I must like Led Zeppelin because of it which made me resent them. I will concede though that this isn't bad, but I've never been a fan of Led Zeppelin.

Verdict - OK


Yet another Top 10 hit for Ocean Colour Scene which was their 5th in a row with only debut "The Riverboat Song" not making the Top 10 to this point. This sounds like it's been inspired by The Small Faces, possibly because it features vocals from PP Arnold who had also sung with The Small Faces. Gives it some authenticity I suppose. 

Verdict - OK


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


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 was the debut Top 40 hit for Chicane at the end of 1996. A few months later it was remixed for 1997. The only thing that's really changed is vocals have been added. Exactly the way to ruin a dance record, but it didn't ruin it too much.

Verdict - OK


We've seen what Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams and Mark Owen did after Take That, but what about Howard Donald? Well this is it. He was one of the writers of this record which had been the Top 40 debut for Kavana the previous year which made number 35. This 1997 version did better, but the Top 40 career of Kavana was now in decline whilst Howard Donald wouldn't have another hit as songwriter until Take that reunited.

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


This was originally a Top 40 hit in 1993 but was given a 1997 makeover and re-entered the Top 40 in 1997. I'd say it's a decent update that brings it into 1997.

Verdict - Good


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


The 2nd Top 40 hit for N-Tyce who were the first British girl group in the Top 40 to rival the Spice Girls and this was their biggest hit which is the same sort of nonsense as their debut hit. With the All Saints now a thing, the days were numbered for N-Tyce, but they would be back.

Verdict - Rubbish


This was the lesser known follow up single from DJ Quicksilver but I was paying attention because I liked his first hit and he was a name that had been brought to my attention prior to that. I must admit it hasn't aged well, still acceptable but I'm not sure I'd think much of it if I heard it for the first time now.

Verdict - OK


This was the 2nd Top 40 hit for Finley Quaye and his highest charting to date. I would say its one of those records I can appreciate and it doesn't sound as bad as I remembered it, but it's just not to my liking. 

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


It had been 7 years since Mariah Carey made her Top 40 debut. She had built a reputation for doing dreary ballads so now it seemed was time for a transformation. With Puff Daddy, Q-Tip and Stevie J on board this was a world away from the sort of music one might expect from her. If I was forced to listen to one of Mariah Careys 18 Top 40 hits to this point then this one would probably be it. More to do with how shit her other records were though.

Verdict - Rubbish


Cast really were living the dream with this being their 6th Top 10 hit in a row out of 8 Top 40 hits overall. Once again though it's a record that I don't remember being particularly big at the time. Their luck did run out with their next record.

Verdict - Rubbish


There was never any doubt that the All Saints were a girl group when they made their Top 40 debut with this single. As a result I really didn't want to like this song. I couldn't help but like it though and eventually bought their album which was the first album I'd bought in a long time that wasn't rave.

Verdict - Good


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


The 2nd Top 40 hit for Hanson and follow up to their big hit. I don't think this one is well remembered but my memory of it was the discovery that Hanson had a band member whose voice had broke. The contradiction between that and the squeaky voice of the lead singer made me laugh.

Verdict - Rubbish


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 you were to ask the question what was the only number one single for The Verve? I would guess most people would say "Bitter Sweet Symphony" but it was actually this record. There always seemed to be someone playing this at open mike night at university which is one of the reasons I wouldn't have gone to it myself if I wasn't playing songs there myself.

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%. Now we're sliding.
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Thursday 12 September 2024

2004: The Good Old Days? - October

It's looking like in 2004 we were in the rap and R&B era and then in 2005 we moved into the indie and garage rock era. The last quarter of 2004 suggests this anyway, though we still have a notable amount of indie records too.

We'll begin by looking at the dance records though because this is where the 2 strongest contenders for best record sit. Just missing out are Deep Dish with "Flashdance", a great record but not quite as good as "Drop the Pressure" by Mylo from his excellent "Destroy Rock & Roll" album which is one of my all time favourite albums.

Elsewhere in the dance world it's generally looking good. Danny Howells & Dick Trevor have a decent record in  "Dusk Til Dawn" as does Fatboy Slim with "Slash Dot Dash". We also have Kelis & Andre 3000 do some drum & bass with "Millionaire" which is surprisingly good. The only dance records not to get points are a couple of euro cheese numbers from Alcazar and Angel City.

The worst record for the month is a rap record, not sure that's happened yet. It comes from Khia with "My Neck My Back" which was irritating enough at the time but I feel like it's also influenced a number of god awful modern female rappers.

A full house for the rest of the rap records though, Lil Flip with "Sunshine" which I was very much enjoying at the time, The Streets with "Blinded By The Lights" which is probably the best thing he's done and Terror Squad with "Lean Back" which is solid.

The R&B records to get full marks are "Happy People / U Saved Me" by R Kelly who seems to be quite prolific towards the end of 2004. I quite enjoy "Love Them Ho's" by Eamon, his less known follow up to his controversial chart topper. I also like "Afrodisiac" by Brandy which led me to buy the album on a whim in Tesco when doing the weekly shop one time.

Depeche Mode have a remix of "Enjoy the Silence" which is more in line with their later sound and actually works quite well. Paul McCartney was back in the charts with "We All Stand Together" as part of a double a-side with "Tropic Island Hum" and has always been a guilty pleasure.

Elsewhere there's a few guitar driven records that get half marks including Velvet Revolver, the band that Guns N Roses could have been, with "Fall To Pieces". Not up to Guns N Roses standards though.

Here's a list of the records with the best on top, worst at the bottom and the good ones in green, OK ones in amber and rubbish ones in red (and in no particular order):


Score: 24%

Here's a look at the chart:


That's more like it, the 3rd best month. Still some improvement needed though if we are to declare 2004 the good old days.

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