Record of the Year Revisited: 1960

Original Record of the Year: Johnny & the Hurricanes - Beatnik Fly

My reason behind my choice for 1960 was that it was instrumental, modern for its time and different to the guitar driven rock n roll that sounds a bit samey. To be honest though if this hadn't appeared on an episode of Father Ted then it may not of been a candidate for the simple fact I probably wouldn't know it.

I stated there were several candidates for my pick which means on a different day I may have picked a different record. Is today one of those days?

New Record of the Year: Marv Johnson - I Love The Way You Love

Yes today is one of those days. What I've gone for is essentially a Motown record before Motown was a thing in the UK. Marv Johnson was a Motown artist and this record was penned by Berry Gordy. It was the 2nd Marv Johnson UK Top 40 hit and was the less successful follow up to his debut "You Got What It Takes", also penned by Berry Gordy.

Marv Johnson wouldn't return to the UK Top 40 after this until 1969 with 2 more hits that were actually Motown records.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1959

Original Record of the Year: Lloyd Price - I'm Gonna Get Married

Not only did I think this was the best record of the year, I thought it was the best record of the decade too. Even with my new choices for other years this would beat all of them.

It's not up against the other years though, it's up against other records of 1959. We're in an era where music generally improves as the years go on so competition is going to be tougher. Has it held on?

New Record of the Year: The Impalas - Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)

It's close but in part due to this being a new discovery over the last 10 years I've picked it as my record of the year.

The Impalas were a one hit wonder and formed in 1958 and only lasted until 1961. It only made number 28 in the UK but was a number 2 in America so maybe it's not as obscure as I thought it might be. The Impalas are no household name though.

January Charts: 1993

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. Duran Duran - Ordinary World

2. The Time Frequency - New Emotion (EP)

3. Arrested Development - Mr Wendal/Revolution

4. Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray

5. Dinosaur Jr - Start Choppin

6. Bon Jovi - Bed Of Roses

7. Little Angels - Womankind

8. Faith No More - I'm Easy/Be Aggressive

9. USURA - Open Your Mind

10. East 17 - Deep

11. The Beloved - Sweet Harmony

12. En Vogue - Give It Up, Turn It Loose

13. Pop Will Eat Itself - Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies!

14. Jesus Jones - The Devil You Know

15. Sunscreem - Broken English

16. Alice In Chains - Would

17. West End - The Love I Lost ft Sybil

18. Snap! - Exterminate! ft Niki Harris

19. Fargetta And Anne-Marie Smith - Music

20. The Farm - Love See No Colour

21. Prefab Sprout - Life Of Surprises

22. Trey Lorenz - Photograph Of Mary

23. Martine Girault - Revival

24. Del Amitri - When You Were Young

25. The The - Dogs Of Lust

26. Peter Gabriel - Steam

27. Gary Clark - We Sail On The Stormy Waters

28. Apache Indian - Arranged Marriage

29. Paul McCartney - Hope Of Deliverance

30. The Frank And Walters - After All

31. Lulu - Independence

32. Sugar - If I Can't Change Your Mind

33. 2 Unlimited - No Limit

34. Sultans Of Ping FC - You Talk Too Much

35. Alexander O'Neal - Love Makes No Sense

36. Def Leppard - Heaven Is

37. D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better

38. Go West - What You Won't Do For Love

39. Leila K - Open Sesame

40. Belly - Feed The Tree

41. Cher - Many Rivers To Cross

42. SOUL SYSTEM - It's Gonna Be A Lovely Day

Who would of thought a naff 80s band would have the best Top 40 hit of January 1993. That's exactly what has happened. I generally don't like the music of Duran Duran and find the so called classics often irritating. However "Ordinary World" is an excellent song and despite it being after their 80s hey day many agree that this was their finest moment.

Rave music in a breakbeat hardcore sense had all but disappeared from the Top 40 by 1993. The nearest we get some some bouncy techno from Scotland with TTF making their Top 40 debut with "New Emotion" which has to settle for 2nd place.

Rap music was now starting to have a greater presence in the Top 40 and the 2 rap records by Arrested Development and Naughty By Nature sit in 3rd and 4th place respectively.

Below this we have some guitar bands who frequently made their way onto my Top 10 bands lists from around this time. The best of these was "Start Choppin" by Dinosaur Jr which I wouldn't have put as the best at the time but has probably aged the best. Further down the list is Alice In Chains with their debut "Would". It was seen as almost compulsory to have them on your Top 10 list by my peers, but I never truly thought they were as good as Little Angels who were a band I brought to the table.

We were yet to reach the point of pop music being deemed uncool. I remember unashamedly dancing to "Open Your Mind" by USURA at the school disco and I remember "Deep" being the last East 17 record where I could still admit that I liked them.

The worst record by some distance is "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" by SOUL SYSTEM. What they have done here is take the best bits of "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers and throw them away. Once left with the rubbish they get the worst rapper they can find to do a rap over it. Without going back and looking at the competition I would speculate this is quite possibly the worst January Top 40 hit of the 20th century.

As a result Cher's cover of "Many Rivers To Cross" has to settle for 2nd from bottom. I remember it really irritating me at the time. Likewise the band Belly just irritated me in general. Then at 4th from bottom we have some irritating rapping from Leila K on "Open Sesame".

Go West were an 80s band still hanging around with their estate agents music and at the time I remember questioning why. I also considered "Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream to be dance music for estate agents. 

Despite being into guitar music at the time Def Leppard were considered to be crap amongst me and my peers. Probably because they were too 80s though their best song was yet to come. Even Alexander O'Neal was past his best with "Love Makes No Sense".

Much of the middle of the table is solid if unremarkable music and this is probably why we arrive at this score.

Score: 50  

Record of the Year Revisited: 1958

Original Record of the Year: Poni-Tails - Born Too Late

My original pick celebrated the fact girl groups were actually quite good once upon a time. They used to harmonise with their vocals as opposed to being a marketing campaign like they are these days.

I can't remember how I first came across this record and made no note at the time of how I did. My knowledge of 50s records isn't great but it's been helped in recent times by Retro Charts Radio. It was listening to this which introduced me to a record that's made me change my mind.

New Record Of The Year: Buddy Holly - Early In The Morning

I thought I was pretty clued up on Buddy Holly records. He's a big name known for several records but this was one I didn't know of his. 

It was his follow up to "Rave On" and you could say that sequence is describing the future of raving on until early in the morning. It's also quite speedy for a 50s record which helps.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1957

Original Record of the Year: Patience and Prudence - Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now

I picked a record sung by kids because I found it an enjoyable listen. Most 50s records aren't very catchy but this one is. It's a breath of fresh air compared to it's competitors.

A disadvantage the more catchy records of 1957 had was that they tended to be ones I'd known all my life. The anthems if you like. As you've probably gathered I don't like to pick something too obvious.

I question I do have to ask myself though is can I honestly say this record is better than "Reet Petite"?

New Record of the Year: Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite

Well no I can't. I don't consciously remember the charts until 1987 but I also have vague recollections of some music around just before that and this was one of those records. It was rereleased in 1986 and was Christmas number one. It's a record I don't remember not knowing and at the same time I can place it at that point in my life.

For 1957 though this really does feel ahead of the pack and when you consider it's Jackie Wilsons UK chart debut and compare to what came next for him it more or less confirms it.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1956

Original Record of the Year: Little Richard - Rip It Up

I picked this one because it seemed to liven up the 50s. In my original post I said Little Richard was still performing as late as 2014 but since then he's sadly passed away.

My reluctancy to pick this record was the fact I'd known it and had heard of Little Richard for as long as I can remember. I mentioned it was a tough choice and sounds like it had some tough competition, but I can't remember if that was the case.

However I've now changed my mind and gone with something I don't think was part of the original competition because I didn't know it.

New Record of the Year: Deep River Boys - That's Right

I think it was last year that I first heard this record. I was looking through a list of songs and was inclined to listen to artists I'd never heard of and this was the record that stood out.

It also wasn't until I picked it until I discovered it was a cover of a Mills Brothers record, the group who did my Record of the Year for 1953. 

Like the Mills Brothers, the Deep River Boys were one hit wonders. They also formed long before the charts with their origins being in the 1930s.

Why Honeyz?

A few months ago I wrote this post about why I became an Alisha's Attic fan. I went off them in the end and moved onto the Honeyz who were the 2nd all female music act I owned any music from, after Alisha's Attic.

A bit like Alisha's Attic I was late to the party with the Honeyz. I remember them from the start but never bought their album until 2001. Around the same time I was getting more into R&B and watching "The Lick" with Trevor Nelson on MTV Base which no doubt helped.

I would listen to their album a lot but still considered them just another music act I like and listen to. I was still very much an Alisha's Attic fan even if I knew at the back of my mind that I was going off them.

In August 2001 the inevitable happened. Alisha's Attic's long awaited 3rd album was released and flopped and they were immediately dropped from their record label.

Around the same time though the Honeyz were back with new single "I Don't Know" which had been doing the rounds on the music channels. I've since learned group member Celena doesn't like that record but I think it's great. 

It was probably me going into the record shop to buy both CDs of the "I Don't Know" single that made the statement that I was now a Honeyz fan rather than an Alisha's Attic one.

Unfortunately the single flopped and it was rumoured they were too on the verge of getting dropped. Seemed half my luck as I'd only just become a fan, but it turned out to be true and the next single never got released, nor did the album. 

By the end of the year it seemed time to move onto someone else to follow. I bought 2 albums by female artists at the same time, the self titled Aaliyah album and "Whoa Nelly" by Nelly Furtado. Aaliyah was sadly no longer with us by this point so Nelly Furtado seemed the logical choice.

However it felt like I was forcing the issue this time. As much as I liked them album I didn't like it as much as I liked the Honeyz.

The 3rd all female act for me to own music by was En Vogue but they'd been around some time so didn't seem a logical choice.

The 4th all female act for me to own music by however almost seemed a perfect choice on paper. The act in question was Mis-Teeq. They broke through that same year and their album was just a few weeks old when I bought it. They were an R&B group who also did garage music, a genre I love. Why did I not move onto them?

Well as I look at the tracklist the only tracks I can hum to myself are the singles and "They'll Never Know". That shows how much I listened to the album. Then when they came back with their 2nd album I wasn't even keen on the singles.

With the Honeyz I can hum every track on their album and also every track on their unreleased 2nd album. It's rare for a music act to make a 2nd album anywhere near as good as their 1st but with the Honeyz I'd put the 2 albums on a par with each other.

Is the Honeyz music better than anything else I listen to? No.

Did they make better R&B than any other British act? possibly.

Are they the best female R&B act? absolutely.

Are they the best female act full stop? struggling to think of anyone better so yes.

The thing is when I look back upon my time as an Alisha's Attic fan I think silly me. The extensive Alisha's Attic collection I had along with fan club magazines etc has been sitting in a dark corner of my parents house somewhere for almost 25 years aside from the "Alisha Rules The World" album,

On the other hand I look back at the Honeyz and think yes they were good and still play their CDs to this very day.

January Charts: 1992

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place

2. Isotonik - Different Strokes

3. The Wonder Stuff - Welcome To The Cheap Seats (EP)

4. Marathon - Movin'

5. Convert - Nightbird

6. Public Enemy - Shut 'Em Down

7. Dream Frequency - Feel So Real ft Debbie Sharp

8. Senseless Things - Easy To Smile

9. Erasure - Am I Right?

10. Voice Of The Beehive - Perfect Place

11. Kiss - God Gave Rock And Roll To You II

12. Blessing - Highway 5

13. Blue Pearl - (Can You) Feel The Passion

14. Paula Abdul - Vibeology

15. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Rubbish

16. Motley Crue - Home Sweet Home

17. Curtis Stigers - I Wonder Why

18. Genesis - I Can't Dance

19. Wet Wet Wet - Goodnight Girl

20. Cicero - Love Is Everywhere

21. Daisy Chainsaw - Love Your Money

22. Clivilles And Cole - Pride (In The Name Of Love)

23. 2 Unlimited - Twilight Zone

24. Kingmaker - Idiots At The Wheel (EP)

25. The Beautiful South - Old Red Eyes Is Back

26. Crystal Waters - Megamix

27. Cappella - Take Me Away ft Loleatta Holloway

28. Marc Almond - My Hand Over My Heart

29. The Stone Roses - Waterfall

30. Fish - Credo

31. Status Quo - Rock 'Til You Drop

32. The Wedding Present - Blue Eyes

33. Belinda Carlisle - Half The World

34. Sugarcubes - Hit

35. Lush - For Love

36. Julia Fordham - Love Moves (In Mysterious Ways)

37. Cliff Richard - This New Year

38. Kylie Minogue - Give Me Just A Little More Time

39. Des'ree - Feel So High

40. Ce Ce Peniston - We Got A Love Thang

41. Shakespear's Sister - Stay

42. Mariah Carey - Can't Let Go

We're very much into the breakbeat hardcore era by January 1992 and the best of these records is "Everybody In The Place" by The Prodigy. This was their 2nd Top 40 hit and is one of those all time classics.

Just missing out on top spot is Isotonik with "Different Strokes". The man behind Isotonik was Chris Paul who was running the Orange raves in London at the time.

It wasn't just the rave music near the top, "Welcome To The Cheap Seats" was the follow up to The Wonder Stuffs chart topper "Dizzy" and I remember loving this record at the time.

Next up we have some ambient dance music from Marathon with "Movin" and then some harder Belgian music from Convert with "Nightbird". Public Enemy had one of their underrated hits with "Shut Em Down" which incidentally was what they played on their only appearance in the studio on Top of the Pops.

We were in an era where I still liked pop music in general and as a result there are records such as "Goodnight Girl" by Wet Wet Wet and "I Wonder Why" by Curtis Stigers which are in theory records I should hate because they're pop ballads but I have fond memories of them and like them.

I can't say the same for Mariah Careys dreary ballad "Can't Let Go" which finds itself down the bottom. In 1992 I don't think there was anything I hated more than a Mariah Carey ballad and I haven't really changed my mind.

As a result "Stay" by Shakespear's Sister is 2nd from bottom. It was number one for what felt like an eternity and I always hated this record.

Ce Ce Peniston is one of those singers who has always irritated me. She is an example of why dance music in general is better without vocals.

Another record that's always bugged me is "Feel So High" by Des'ree. It's difficult to put my finger on why because it sounds like life music at the same time.

This is comfortably the most records to feature in a given January so far and what I'm seeing is a lot of gems in there but plenty of rubbish at the same time. Isotonik may not have topped this list but it would of topped many other years lists. Likewise Shakespear's Sister could easily finish bottom of other years lists. 

As a result the score isn't has high as I expected it would be.

Score: 50

Record of the Year Revisited: 1955

Original Record of the Year: Crew Cuts - Earth Angel

I didn't want to pick the same artist twice for the Record of the Year. However the Crew Cuts had what I considered to be the best records in 1954 and 1955 respectively 

In the 50s though there are still a great chunk of records that I don't know or at the very least am unable to recall from seeing the song title.

The question therefore is have I found a better record? Well yes I have.

New Record of the Year: Ink Spots - Melody Of Love

I'm pretty sure when I was making my choice 10 years ago I didn't know this record. I'd certainly not heard of the Ink Spots.

It's one you have to listen to a few times to get into. I would speculate that Barry White took some inspiration from it, the deep spoken parts at least.

The Ink Spots broke up in 1954 but then there were offshoots from the original group and this was one of those and was their sole UK hit.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1954

Original Record of the Year: Crew Cuts - Sh-Boom

It's not the original version of "Sh-Boom" but it was the best version to chart with the other version being a comedy one.

For the first time I'd picked a record I properly liked. I've looked through the list of other hits from 1954 and listened to a few to see if there was anything better.

There wasn't, this is easily the best record of 1954 and I'm sure I won't change my mind in 10 years time either.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1953

Original Record of the Year: Les Paul & Mary Ford - Vayo Con Dios

I originally picked this record due to the simple fact it had a guitar, a rarity in those days but a glimpse at the future at the same time.

I can't say I was ever a big fan of this or any other record I knew from the year. However I've since discovered a record that's pretty good.

New Record of the Year: Mills Brothers - Gloworm

Depending on what criteria you use, the Mills Brothers were both the first group to have a UK hit in their own right and the first one hit wonder. Their history predates the charts though having formed over 100 years ago in 1925.

They were a barbershop quartet and the way they sing in harmony makes the record. The song itself originated as a German song from 1902. One thing of note is they sing about a Mazda, presumably not the car but I guess we can interpret the lyrics however we want.

Record of the Year Revisited: 1952

Original Record of the Year: Jo Stafford - Jambalaya

With just 27 records to choose from I could listen to all the ones I didn't know and make my choice. I went with "Jambalaya" because of it's familiarity. 

We were in an era or mostly crooners and novelty records and none of them stand out as great records. However I've changed my mind about what should be Record of the Year.

New Record of the Year: Ray Martin and his Concert Orchestra - Blue Tango

My new choice is neither a crooner or novelty hit, it's an orchestra. Maybe it's because I've heard it a few more times since and it's grown on me. 

It was the first of 3 hits for Ray Martin and truth be told I prefer his follow up "Swedish Rhapsody" which came a year later. 

Above all though it manages to be quite uplifting without being cheesy which was a rarity in those days.

January Charts: 1991

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. KLF - 3AM Eternal ft The Children Of The Revolution

2. Mark Summers - Summers Magic

3. Ralph Tresvant - Sensitivity

4. 2 In A Room - Wiggle It

5. Soho - Hippy Chick

6. Anthrax - Got The Time

7. Thin Lizzy - Dedication

8. Queen - Innuendo

9. Orbital - Satan

10. Jesus Jones - International Bright Young Thing

11. Jimmy Barnes And INXS - Good Times

12. Alexander O'Neal - All True Man

13. Pop Will Eat Itself - X, Y And Zee

14. Rick Astley - Cry For Help

15. Jellyfish - The King Is Half Undressed

16. Prefab Sprout - Jordan - The EP

17. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?

18. Robert Palmer - Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You

19. Kenny Thomas - Outstanding

20. David Lee Roth - A Li'l Ain't Enough

21. Tongue 'N' Cheek - Forget Me Nots

22. Iron Maiden - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter

23. Big Dish - Miss America

24. High - Box Set Go

25. Oleta Adams - Get Here

26. Simpsons - Do The Bartman

27. Sting - All This Time

28. Bananarama - Preacher Man

29. Gloria Estefan - Coming Out Of The Dark

30. Mariah Carey - Someday

A few years after I left school I went to the pub in the town I went to school and a bloke a couple years older than me came up to ma and said "You're the one who used to sing Queen and KLF at school".

It's true, that's what I was doing in 1991 and we have records from both here. KLF is a clear winner with "3AM Eternal" but Queen have to settle for 8th with "Innuendo" which is long and varied like "Bohemian Rhapsody" but much better in my opinion.

In 2nd and 3rd place we have records I got into later on in life. There's "Summers Magic" by Mark Summers which kick started the "Toytown Techno" era but putting that to one side, those beats in a chart record in January 1991 would of been quite something.

Then we have "Sensitivity" by Ralph Tresvant which I got into when I got into R&B and it was one of the stand out tracks on the "Pure Swing" album. It was the only solo Top 40 hit for the former New Edition member.

Another memory from 1991 was a vote on Children's BBC, do we prefer Andi Peters favourite song "Wiggle It" by 2 in a Room or Ed the Ducks favourite song "Do The Bartman" by the Simpsons. I didn't vote myself but you can see here that I was clearly more inclined to agree with Andi Peters choice.

Sticking with kids TV we have "Hippy Chick" by Soho which I remember then performing on Motormouth. This was more or less marking the end of the era of the Soul II Soul beat.

The 2 highest new entries in the first week were both metal tracks. Straight in at number one was Iron Maiden with "Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter" which isn't bad but too slow for an Iron Maiden record. Then at a more appropriate speed we have "Got The Time" by Anthrax which finds itself near the top. 

Just below is "Dedication" by Thin Lizzy which was an old record hitting the Top 40 for the first time. Likewise we had "Good Times" by Jimmy Barnes & INXS hitting the Top 40 for the first time not long after the INXS record "Disappear" had left the Top 40 which video footage from a Christmas 1990 family party confirmed was my favourite song at the time. I do like "Good Times" but it didn't have the same impact.

There was the return of Rick Astley who had moved away from Stock Aitken & Waterman for a more mature sound. What I remember most about this comeback was that he now had long hair but I do think it's a pretty decent record too.

The same can't be said of "Someday" by Mariah Carey. This was a minor hit for her and to it's credit it isn't one of her dreary ballads. Still has her screechy voice though and wasn't only a stepping stone to her being an established chart act but also inspired some cheesy Eurodance rubbish.

Not quite as bad is "Coming Out Of The Dark" by Gloria Estefan. This was a ballad and was co-written by a then unknown Jon Secada who actually went on to do more interesting ballads.

A lot of nostalgia here then which no doubt helps with the score.

Score: 56