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
16. Kavana - Crazy Chance '97 (New)
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
14. Staxx - Joy (New)
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
12. N-Tyce - We Come To Party (New)
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
7. Cast - Live The Dream (New)
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
4. Hanson - Where's The Love (New)
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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