Day 27, and today’s Now! compilation was released on 28th March 1994.
Let’s see what that TV might have been showing when I switched on Top of the Pops on a Thursday night!
Track 1: Ace Of Base – The Sign
Great tune, interesting lines. Happily chair-dancing along here.
Track 2: Chaka Demus & Pliers, Jack Radics and Taxi Gang – Twist And Shout
Fairly uninspired cover of the ’60s classic – I’d go as far as to call it pointless. Nothing much added other than some reggae vocals over the top.
Track 3: D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better
Is there anyone who doesn’t associate this one with its use for the campaign of New Labour in 1997?
In late April 1997, a few days before the election, I went to the Usher Hall in Edinburgh with my family for a Labour Party rally. Once we’d gawked at the famous politicians hanging about outside (George Robertson! I’ve seen him on the telly!), we went inside, found our seats and waited for the show to start. I asked my dad excitedly if maybe D:Ream would come on stage and perform Things Can Only Get Better.
Dad, perhaps not wanting to get my hopes up, shook his head. ‘Nah,’ he said. ‘I think they’re a bit too famous to come and do that.’
And for the most part, the rally didn’t feature anyone as famous as D:Ream. There were a lot of comedians I’d never heard of doing semi-funny sketches, and then the main event was an hour-long speech by Tony Blair that was revered in the press the next day as showing him to be a ‘man of the people’, as he had come out from behind the lectern and put his hands in his pockets, which apparently gave him the air of someone having a chat down the pub. Ah, 1997 media. Anyway, the speech captured my twelve-year-old attention for a whole hour, so it can’t have been bad.
What was much better, though, was that as soon as Blair left the stage to rapturous applause, D:Ream bounced on and launched into Things Can Only Get Better. I grinned at my dad, and my dad grinned at me, and it was one of those awesome moments. I’ve reminisced about seeing a lot of these Now! tracks played live by the bands, but this was the one I saw first.
Back in 1994, however, there was no political bent to this song – it was just an awesome pop track that I adored watching on Top of the Pops, with Peter Cunnah in his brightly coloured plaid suits.
And skipping forward to the 2010s, it will never stop being hilarious that the keyboardist from D:Ream eventually became Professor Brian Cox. Not ever.
Right, back to my usual one-line reviews about epic atmospheres, head-nodders and annoying choruses.
Track 4: East 17 – It’s Alright
Speaking of epic atmospheres! That melancholy piano intro is just stunning. Then it bangs into a classic dance track with a great chant-along chorus. Loved it at the time, still love it now.
Track 5: M People – Moving On Up
Nice feelgood tune, great singalong chorus – good stuff.
Track 6: Eternal – Save Our Love
I quite like those bells tolling at the start, but the vocals are too overblown for what is a fairly mediocre tune – which is very typical of mid-’90s pop, I find.
Track 7: Enigma – Return To Innocence
Yup, it’s the overplayed chillout track. I’ll give it a pass for being used to good effect on Britain’s Got The Pop Factor.
Track 8: Bee Gees – For Whom The Bell Tolls
I normally like the Bee Gees in all their eras, but this one is too slow for me, although the tune is nice.
Track 9: Wendy Moten – Come In Out Of The Rain
It’s everything I dislike in a ballad – slow, saccharine, overblown vocals, zero edge, generic tune. Don’t like this one at all!
Track 10: Dina Carroll – The Perfect Year
The music channels have defined this one as a Christmas song by featuring it in all their Christmas playlists, so I am most definitely feeling the seasonal dissonance right now. It’s another slow ballad from Dina Carroll, and I’m still not a fan, even with that sax solo.
Track 11: Phil Collins – Everyday
Nice piano intro, gorgeous tune. Really like this one.
Track 12: Richard Marx – Now And Forever
Lovely tune, but it’s just far too slow and acoustic-y for me.
Track 13: The Cranberries – Linger
Lovely tune, typically gorgeous vocals from Dolores O’Riordan (RIP 🙁 ). Geth and I used to play this one a lot when we were DJing our Motherfolker night at Mr Modos circa 2010. Good times.
Track 14: Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl
Great tune with really interesting piano lines and nice jaunty vocals. Good stuff.
Track 15: The Beautiful South – Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud)
Nice bouncy tune, quite like this one.
Track 16: Meat Loaf – Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
One of my favourites! We had it on a Top Gear compilation, and as a result it’s one of my favourite Meat Loaf songs (and I unashamedly adore Meat Loaf, so there’s stiff competition). For me, it evokes fast cars driving along cliffside roads in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Wonderful track, especially that epic squealing sax solo.
Track 17: Primal Scream – Rocks
Absolutely classic track – great singalong chorus, great tune.
Track 18: Gin Blossoms – Hey Jealousy
Nice tune, but the chorus annoys me slightly.
Track 19: Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm
Love those bells at the start – well, I love all the instrumentals in this track! Great epic atmosphere, great song.
Track 20: Doop – Doop
Wonderfully silly novelty song. I loved watching this one on Top of the Pops because of the girls’ colourful outfits – I’m not sure how many years it was before I realised it wasn’t actually them singing on the track.
Track 21: Right Said Fred – Wonderman
Great synthy dance track, typically silly vocals. Really like this one.
Track 22: Cappella – Move On Baby
Good solid dance track, nodding along to this right now.
Track 23: Culture Beat – Anything
Nice epic slow synth bit to start, and then it kicks into the interesting vocal melody, and then we have dance track liftoff. Great track.
Track 24: 2 Unlimited – Let The Beat Control Your Body
2 Unlimited starting to get a bit samey now, although it’s still very danceable.
Track 25: Reel 2 Real and The Mad Stuntman – I Like To Move It
Another lifelong favourite! I always sing this when I’m impatient for people to hurry up (in my head, obviously, because I’m a coward). Great hooks, great danceable beat.
Track 26: K7 – Come Baby Come
This one’s a bit repetitive for me, although I do like some of the instrumentals, and the chanting bits.
Track 27: Credit To The Nation – Teenage Sensation
That whistling at the start is super annoying, and the rest of the song is not really anything to write home about.
Track 28: EYC – The Way You Work It
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
I remember pretty much every word of EYC’s Smash Hits interviews during this period, especially the one they did about different brands of cola, but I don’t really remember any of their songs. This one’s okay, though – not a bad piece of pop, if a little generic.
Track 29: Bitty McLean – Here I Stand
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM)
Nice jaunty beat, but the tune’s a bit dull.
Track 30: Deep Forest – Sweet Lullaby
Nice atmosphere, good bit of chillout. Vocals are awful though.
Track 31: Björk – Violently Happy
Great epic atmosphere as ever from Björk – really like this one.
Track 32: Shara Nelson – Uptight
The tune’s a bit dull, but the beat’s alright for nodding along to.
Track 33: Gabrielle – Because Of You
Good head-nodder, nice tune.
Track 34: Carleen Anderson – Nervous Breakdown
Interesting tune, quite like this track.
Track 35: Juliet Roberts – I Want You
Love that epic intro, great atmosphere, solid dance track.
Track 36: Urban Cookie Collective – Sail Away
Another great dance tune from Urban Cookie Collective – the chorus is a little repetitive, but the beat is great.
Track 37: Degrees Of Motion and Biti – Shine On
Nice beat, but the vocals are a bit much for me, and the tune’s a bit dull.
Track 38: Joe Roberts – Lover
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Dull, slow tune, though the atmosphere’s quite nice.