Day 30 takes us to Now! #30, which was released on 10th April 1995.
On with the tunes!
Track 1: Freak Power – Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out
It’s starting to get to the point with some of these where I’m a bit like ‘oh! I haven’t even thought about this song for more than twenty years’, and all these incredibly vague memories sort of flash through my mind for a second. This must be what getting old feels like.
The track is still great – love that tune on the chorus.
Track 2: Janet Jackson – Whoops Now
Slightly ’60s-tinged, jaunty track – another one I haven’t thought about for a long time. The chorus is a little repetitive, but it’s a nice tune.
Track 3: Boyzone – Love Me For A Reason
Yup, I had this album. Boyzone showed up just at the right point when Take That were coming to the end of their original run, giving tween girls everywhere a new favourite band. Pretty much every girl in my primary school class loved this song.
To adult ears, it’s kind of cheesy, and while I’ve never heard the original ’70s version, I’m guessing the cover probably doesn’t add much.
Track 4: Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton – Love Can Build A Bridge
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Absolutely loved this one at the time, still like it now. It was the Comic Relief song for 1995, back when Comic Relief songs were still good. Love the tune, really like the way the vocals are shared throughout the song.
Track 5: East 17 – Stay Another Day
This track’s status as the Christmas number one for 1994, its festive bells toward the end, its snowy video and its ubiquity on the music channels during December all mean that this is very firmly considered a Christmas song nowadays, so it feels highly out of place in May. I’ve always loved it, though, and remember being wowed by it when I first saw it performed on Top of the Pops in late 1994.
Track 6: Mike & The Mechanics – Over My Shoulder
This one was the ‘played all the time on the ferry’ track of summer 1995, so it just takes me straight back to being on a cross-channel voyage. Great song, love the tune.
Track 7: Jimmy Nail – Crocodile Shoes
Super annoying chorus – never been keen on this one.
Track 8: Scarlet – Independent Love Song
Nice tune, nice atmosphere, but a bit slow, and the chorus is kind of overblown.
Track 9: Simple Minds – She’s A River
Great, epic-sounding rock song. Really like this one.
Track 10: The Boo Radleys – Wake Up Boo!
I think the tune and theme to this one are pretty annoying, but I still find myself nodding along to it.
Track 11: The Human League – Tell Me When
Good to see the Human League back in the charts, with a great bit of synthpop. Lovely tune.
Track 12: M People – Sight For Sore Eyes
Great danceable track – really like this tune.
Track 13: Sting – This Cowboy Song
The instrumentals are nice, but there’s nothing special about the song.
Track 14: Shut Up And Dance – Save It Till The Mourning After
‘Sampling’ of Duran Duran’s Save A Prayer where they’ve just taken the backing track and chorus and added a horrible misplaced rap over the top. I’m also not sure why, in the title, they’ve changed ‘morning’ to ‘mourning’.
However, no matter how messy the sampling, I love Duran Duran, and Save A Prayer is one of my favourites, so I’m just going to enjoy the sample and ignore everything else.
Track 15: R Kelly – Bump ‘N’ Grind
The vocal gymnastics at the start are pretty anthemic, but once the track gets going it’s messy, dull and irritating, not my cup of tea at all.
Track 16: Eternal – Oh Baby I…
Fairly generic-sounding ballad. Not keen.
Track 17: Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn – Protection
Too slow for me, and I find the tune pretty dull.
Track 18: Portishead – Glory Box
Great hook, great tune, classic track.
Track 19: Oasis – Whatever
Nice violin instrumentals, awesome tune. It’s another one I hadn’t thought about for a while.
Track 20: Outhere Brothers – Don’t Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)
This was everywhere in 1995. It’s actually a really annoying song, but it certainly has a lot of memories attached to it.
Track 21: Alex Party – Don’t Give Me Your Life
Oh, it’s this one! Another one I’d forgotten about. Loved it at the time, find that chorus a little annoying nowadays.
Track 22: Strike – U Sure Do
And…oh, it’s this one! I’ve got a feeling this is going to start happening a lot. Found the tune annoying at the time, find it quite nice and nostalgic now.
Track 23: Kenny Dope and The Bucketheads – The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)
Absolute classic – great party tune with an awesome singalong chorus.
Track 24: Nightcrawlers – Push The Feeling On
I find this one pretty repetitive, but I do like the instrumental hooks.
Track 25: Tin Tin Out – Always (Something There To Remind Me)
Electro dance cover of the ’60s classic. The instrumentals are too messy for my liking, unfortunately.
Track 26: Corona – Baby Baby
Great dance track, great atmosphere – really like this one.
Track 27: Clock – Axel F
Before Crazy Frog ruined the Harold Faltermeyer classic in the ’00s (which I mentioned in my review of the original), Clock had a go at a ’90s cover, which is basically a dance remix of the ’80s track. I don’t hate it, but nothing beats the purity of the original tune.
Track 28: N-Trance – Set You Free
Absolutely classic dance track – that chorus is epic.
Track 29: JX – You Belong To Me
Ten dance tracks in a row, and we’re most definitely back in the imaginary ’90s nightclub. This one’s got a nice atmosphere around the vocals, but it’s a bit generic otherwise.
Track 30: Perfecto Allstars – Reach Up (Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag)
Cover/sampling/remix (the line is becoming a bit blurred with these dance producers) of the Pigbag song with some messy drums over the top at the start and some irritating dance vocals cutting in thereafter. Really not keen on all the messing with classic tracks that started happening during this period.
Track 31: Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
Daft novelty country/linedance/electro dance track. I loved it at the time, but it’s become super overplayed in the intervening years.
Track 32: Deuce – Call It Love
Great piano intro, great atmosphere. Really like this one.
Track 33: 2 Unlimited – Here I Go
The tune to the vocals is nice, but it’s pretty generic otherwise.
Track 34: MC Sar & The Real McCoy – Run Away
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Great bassline, great atmosphere. Good stuff.
Track 35: Nicki French – Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Dance cover of the Bonnie Tyler classic. The vocals are very far from the original standard, and the dance beat is a bit wishy-washy. It’s different enough not to be pointless, but it’s pretty poor.
Track 36: Sean Maguire – Suddenly
Irritating tune, irritating vocals. I remember Smash Hits being obsessed with this guy, but his stuff’s hugely forgettable.
Track 37: Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game
I really liked this one at the time, and I still quite like it now – great tune. Shame it’s by Bobby Brown.
Track 38: Ultimate Kaos – Hoochie Booty
More creepy kiddie vocals about sex from Ultimate Kaos. Please go away.
Track 39: Pato Banton and Ranking Roger – Bubbling Hot
Like that saxophone in the background, as well as the reggae instrumentals. Nice jaunty song.
Track 40: Mica Paris – One
Slow, soulful cover of the U2 song. The vocals are a bit overblown, but I quite like it.
