10TH JUNE- THE BEST OF ME- Cliff Richard (2 weeks)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/38099.jpg

 

The cover of the record tells the story here. Promoted as Cliff's 100th release this debuted at No 2 in the same week as Jason Donovan's "Sealed With A Kiss" debuted at No 1, only the second time in chart history (after 15.12.84) when both the top 2 were new entries. "The Best Of Me" is a rather pedestrian ballad if i'm honest, it isn't actually a bad record, and indeed Cliff, by the late 80s was getting rather experimental, teh follow up to this was the S/A/W penned "I Just Don't Have The Heart" which made the top 3 all over again. This illustrated Cliff's great bonus point- he always moved with the times mixing the right amount of modernity but not enough to alienate the existing fanbase, truth be told Cliff's career as an existing "popstar" was just about to end. His output and chart performance post 1990 was a curious mix of festive oddities and the occasional ballad rather than a cohesive modern popstar, he still had more longevity than almost any other star so it was hardly a blot on his chart achievements.

 

I recall at the time the big hoo-hah about his 100th single and there was considerable promotion behind it, and had it not been up against probably the biggets star of 1989 then there is little doubt that he would have got another UK No 1 single so perhaps this is a No 2 hit we have to put down to a shoddy decision on behalf of the record company re scheduling, having said that does it really deserve to have been a No 1, I would have to conclude no more or less than Elvis getting the 1000th Number one single in 2005, read into that as you will.....

 

Edited August 18, 201113 yr by gezza76

1ST JULY- BATDANCE- Prince (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/Prince_Batdance.jpg

 

I'm no Prince fan as you may know, but this is a MESS of a record even by his standards. A record which never really seems to be sure of what it plans to be, screaming guitars over a funky dance beat is always going to be hard to pull off and Prince gives it his best shot, and I suppose I must give some kudos to him for doing something experimental for his "Batman" soundtrack, but other than that "Batdance" is overly long and meandering and without that link to that summer's big movie release I supect this would probably have debuted at No 8 then fallen down the charts. The track does have a deep funk feel about it, and the production is very good, but as a stand alone track it has too many hats on, the varying tempo's/ parts of the song just detract from each other and the end you're left wandering just what that was all about, i don't know anything more about the film nor really what the song is about.

 

The Video is however a saving grace, visually stunning and quite dark in tone it adequently reflects the new troubled "Batman" that was being unveiled in the film. I concede that as an artist he was visually interesting and creative (esentially in our 80s popstars) though musically very messy. This could have been worse but it could have been SOOOOO much better....

 

Edited August 18, 201113 yr by gezza76

8TH JULY- SONG FOR WHOEVER- The Beautiful South (1 week)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/10541.jpg

 

There are two schools of thought on the Beautiful South. They are either the writers of wry, witty, observant pop, or purveyors of bland music that wouldn't be out of place in an elevator, frankly I'm (in the main) in the former camp. "Let Love Speak Itself" is in my opinion their most touching tender moment but in hitting No 51 it's also one of their lowest charting tracks, meanwhile debut hit "Song For Whoever" was one of their biggest, a song about a pop writer who dates woman as a source for their records it was typical of the unusual tales and themes that dominate their music. It isn't the most wryly observed of their records but it was unusual enough in 1989 to garner notice in the charts and it's a good little choon if a little uninspiring, its role call of girls names was changed by us crazy cats in school to girls in our class (surely we weren't the only ones?).

 

Consistantly under-rated I think the group finally gained recognition with 1994's "Carry On Up The Charts" a greatest hits set which sold over 2 million copies in the UK and surprised even me with the quality of the singles when they were lined up one after another, and whilst they did score a No 1 in 1990 with "A Little Time" it's just a little bit of shame that this is the song (out of all their cannon) to make our thread....

 

22ND JULY- LONDON NIGHTS- London Boys (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d0/London-boys-london-nights.jpg

 

Ok i'm trying to keep calm but this record is bloody GREAT. The London boys had been peddling their wares since the mid 80s without muhc success until "Requiem" exploded into the top 10 in Apr 89, and this was the follow up, the fantastic "London Nights" For all that it contains the basic elements of a "gay" record (if such a thing exsists) being in the Hi-NRG field of pop music and performed by two muscle mary's I don't actually find the record THAT gay. It's a surprisingly dark ominious song i've always thought, the beat swells and pumps beneath the synth line, the Pet Shop Boys had long been the masters of creating ominious synth line, and you can easily imagine this song on TOTP and being a PSB record minus the back flips and the gymnastics obviously.

 

It may be the half spoken verses like a narrative talking us through the dark streets of the capital, it may be the semi angelic bells that start the record but it's not the euphoric track it pretends to be on the surface. The notion of them as popstars is of course ludicrous, they're clearly front men used to present the songs, but they are entertaining....

 

29TH JULY- TOO MUCH- Bros (1 week)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/10636.jpg

 

Craig's left...did you notice? no? Well the end of Bros had started, they just didn't realise it yet. I recall being very underwhelmed by their return in the Summer of 1989, obviously "Sister" is a forgotten gem but the rest of the second album is largely forgettable, of course this was their first release as duo, and their first single from that difficult second album, and of course it debuted instantly at No 2 behind the mighty Sonia! "Too Much" is not a good song however, the chorus struggles to emerge for the verse almost, Luke's drumming seems to overpower even Matt's fantastic voice on the track and all in all it ends up being a rather empty song, full of yelps and gloriously over the top non sensical lyrics "Escape escape from this tickertape/ god I'm underground oh yeah/ A circle's been drawn it's lonely dawn/ should I pencil in this emptiness?", none of this matters if the melody is strong enough but sadly in the case of "Too Much" it isn't.

 

There were two more top 10 hits to follow in 1989 before the slide really set in and the 1991 comeback whimpered out after the third album "Changing Faces" spent just 2 weeks in the chart before the brothers went their seperate ways. It's a fascinating story though, the breathtaking rise and fall of the phenomenon was a cautionary tale of too much too young and in believing in your own hype, the rise of New Kids On The Block was just months away that would take away a huge proportion of their teen base proving that once you trade on that fanbase you need to make your money fast and get out....

 

 

Edited August 21, 201113 yr by gezza76

22ND JULY- LONDON NIGHTS- London Boys (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d0/London-boys-london-nights.jpg

 

Ok i'm trying to keep calm but this record is bloody GREAT. The London boys had been peddling their wares since the mid 80s without muhc success until "Requiem" exploded into the top 10 in Apr 89, and this was the follow up, the fantastic "London Nights" For all that it contains the basic elements of a "gay" record (if such a thing exsists) being in the Hi-NRG field of pop music and performed by two muscle mary's I don't actually find the record THAT gay. It's a surprisingly dark ominious song i've always thought, the beat swells and pumps beneath the synth line, the Pet Shop Boys had long been the masters of creating ominious synth line, and you can easily imagine this song on TOTP and being a PSB record minus the back flips and the gymnastics obviously.

 

It may be the half spoken verses like a narrative talking us through the dark streets of the capital, it may be the semi angelic bells that start the record but it's not the euphoric track it pretends to be on the surface. The notion of them as popstars is of course ludicrous, they're clearly front men used to present the songs, but they are entertaining....

I loved this song and it was one of the first records I ever bought. Classic pop music. R.I.P. The London Boys.

Absolutely loving this thread! Cheers!

It's catch up time. Let's see what gems graced the #2 spot in the Spring/Summer of 1989...

 

...oh!!! :(

 

15TH APRIL- IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red (3 weeks)

 

I do rememeber this from the time possibly even seeing it on TOTP. However, this again really wasn't a song aimed at young kids my age. I guess I sort of liked it but Simply Red have become one of those groups it seem that aren't credible but they keep on going. For me, I actually really like Simply Red and enjoyed watching their An Audience With from early on this year (or late 2010 - can't rememeber). Mick sure knows how to sing brilliantly. Those vocals are unmistakable.

 

3RD JUNE- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (1 week)

 

This was a song I remember my mum liking. :lol: Then again, my dad is a massive Nat King Cole fan, and their 1991 "duet" 'Unforgettable' is their song. Bless!!! :lol: I also liked this at the time - it actually held up really well actually looking at its chart run. Is it a song I still listen to out of choice? No...

 

10TH JUNE- THE BEST OF ME- Cliff Richard (2 weeks)

 

This is a really weird one because I remember about 8 years ago discovering a website that listed every UK #2 and seeing this on the list, I thought to myself "what is that song?" and couldn't recall it. A few years later with the sudden rise of YouTube (circa 2006) I actually had a listen. Turns out I did remember...well, the chorus at least but despite being Cliff's 100th single, I MUCH prefer his 101st. 'I Just Don't Have The Heart' is easily one of my fave S/A/W moments and if I had a choose a Cliff Richard track to listen to, it would be this.

 

1ST JULY- BATDANCE- Prince (1 week)

 

Another weird one. :lol: This tracks, for me anyways, has two sections. The first section where it's all uptempo and I actually thought this is great in 1989 - I guess seeing the video on TV emphasise the dramaticness of the song. Then it goes all RnB-lite and we enter "go and get a drink" territory. :D So yes, the first minute of 'Batdance' is great but the remaining 4 minutes (even though it goes uptempo again towards the end) losses all its appeal.

 

8TH JULY- SONG FOR WHOEVER- The Beautiful South (1 week)

 

I like The Beautiful South. :lol: They were one of those quirky pop acts that managed to write some really good pop songs. My biggest memory of them came in late 1990 when me and my neice recorded ourselves on a karaoke machine singing 'A Little Time'. It's still on an old cassette somewhere collecting dust. :lol:

 

22ND JULY- LONDON NIGHTS- London Boys (1 week)

 

CAMPTASTIC!!! *.* You might not think Gezza but this is definitely a track aimed at the "gay market" or the "pink pound" if you like. I just find it hilarious that aged 8, I rememeber seeing this on TOTP and the way the two lads sing "Lon. Don. Nights" and do that really girly kick thing with their legs and being so innocent and naive, not thinking for a second that it was "gay". It was just some form of entertainment. 'London Nights' has become of those songs I loved as an 8 year old, but I get really embarrassed if I hear it these days. Even Milli Vanilli songs don't have that effect on me these days!!! :lol:

 

29TH JULY- TOO MUCH- Bros (1 week)

 

Don't rememeber it. Don't want to rememeber it. Next!!! (as you can tell, I really REALLY didn't like Bros when I was a kid). :D

I loved this song and it was one of the first records I ever bought. Classic pop music. R.I.P. The London Boys.

Absolutely loving this thread! Cheers!

You're Welcome- always nice for someone new to start contributing! :D

CAMPTASTIC!!! *.* You might not think Gezza but this is definitely a track aimed at the "gay market" or the "pink pound" if you like. I just find it hilarious that aged 8, I rememeber seeing this on TOTP and the way the two lads sing "Lon. Don. Nights" and do that really girly kick thing with their legs and being so innocent and naive, not thinking for a second that it was "gay". It was just some form of entertainment. 'London Nights' has become of those songs I loved as an 8 year old, but I get really embarrassed if I hear it these days. Even Milli Vanilli songs don't have that effect on me these days!!! :lol:

Here's the thing with "London nights" now- for me anyway- by the time this came out the charts were Hi-NRG heavy with the dominance of S/A/W so even relatively straight acts were making "Gay" music if you like. Sure it looks very camp and gay now but in 1989 I don't recall it being that way- merely that it was "dance" music- albeit commercial dance (such a quaint phrase you no longer hear). The "pink Pound" had very much become the "metrosexual" pound by this point. In conclusion- NOW it's as gay as the hills, but in 1989 it wasn't- in my opinion anyway.... :lol:

LONDON BOYS!!!!

 

Their album '12 Commandments Of Dance' was the first album I bought, oh the shame! I adored both London Nights and Requiem. You're the love of my life (my life) (my life) and I won't let you go now... this is a RE-QUI-EMMMMMMMMM! :D

 

 

Out of the recent ones, my favourites are The Crackers International EP and Song For Whoever, Erasure and The Beautiful South were my favourite bands at the time too.

Thanks! I have a bad habit of reading your threads addictively but never commenting, so decided it was time to start! There are so many greatsongs that made number 2 and sometimes to a much lesser song. The first album I ever bought was Kylie, like so many, and I think that was the start of me being hooked on music! She has a lot to answer for!

5TH AUGUST- WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING- Kylie Minogue (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Kylie-Minogue-Wouldnt-Change-A-Thing1.jpg

 

In 1988 we established that anything Bros could do so could Kylie and so it proved in 1989, and one week after Bros debuted at No 2 Kylie did. In all honesty "Wouldn't Change A Thing" is not a great record. S/A/W have turned down the BPM and given Kylie a pedestrian Mid tempo which is neither dance nor ballad, it stuck me when I was thinking about it how laboured a theme S/A/W were doing with Kylie. "I Should be So Lucky" "Hand On Your Heart" "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" and "Wouldn't Change A Thing" all take as their theme relationships which are flawed or destructive, perhaps it was their intention to paint Minogue as some kind of Diva with tragedy in her pores (Minogue's real life would never really match this stereotype).

 

I recall the summer of 89 seemed to last forever and naturally being a Kylie fan this was one of my records of the summer but as I stated, it's not a song I listen to now sadly and this is probably the first instance of a Kylie record getting as high in the charts purely because of her status rather than any merit in the song. Certainly the song writing prowess of S/A/W was on the wain in general and perhaps "Wouldn't Change A Thing" is just a stop along this route...

 

19TH AUGUST- FRENCH KISS- Lil Louis (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/French_Kiss.jpg

 

Following on from the emergence of dance music as a commercial force Chicago Born DJ Louis Sims was responsible for "French Kiss"- imagine a 1989 version of "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" and you're probably there. Apparently this is now considered a dance classic but as a 13 yr old this song bored me- I suspect it may have fallen foul of my dislike for instrumentals, but I do remember this being a rather raunchy controversial song, though clearly by the late 80s Radio One had realised banning was completely pointless after FGTH and George Michael and I recall it having no problems being played weekly on the chart show (though perhaps not it's full 8 minute version).

 

I realise that without such records as this some of the great dance records fo the 90s may not have been possible, but really the attraction of "French Kiss" escapes me, it seems to be a record that attracted due to its depiction of a female "enjoying" herself, I'm not even sure HOW you would dance to this and I've never heard it being played anywhere out and about (though obviously I wasn't going clubbing in 1989) so really its puling power is somewhat beyond me.....

 

26TH AUGUST- POISON- Alice Cooper (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Poison.jpg

 

I'm not a rock fan, and certainly in the 80s commercial rock was all about perms, spandex, and OTT video's where PC didn't exsist. That said there is something endearing about Cooper, normally sincerity in a record is essential to selling a track but in Cooper's case I think the opposite is actually true, precisely because, in interviews, he comes across as affable, as very knowing about the cliches within his genre, in almost laughing at the OTT- ish qualities of rock, it actually makes his music more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that he treats it all as a joke, just that he understands it fully and doen't get wrapped up in the mythology of "rock" like say Bon Jovi certainly were circa late 80s. For that he is an endearing pop star, and because of that it makes "Poison" a very good song. The basics are of course there, a cracking tune with a guitar lick to hook you in, the sneering vocal, the attitude, but it's a very hard record NOT to like even if you don't like "Rock".

 

At a time when rock was the preserve of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi (chart wise), Cooper's resurrection was very welcome, this was his first top 40 hit in over 15 years. It's one of the few songs I actually like in the field and that is no small part to Cooper himself, "Poison" has charm by the bucketload and in a year of artificial pop this is a lost jem....

 

16TH SEPTEMBER- EVERYDAY (I LOVE YOU MORE)- Jason Donovan (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Every_day_(I_love_you_more).jpg

 

Meanwhile back in the S/A/W land eveything was still rosy. We haven't met Jason Donovan yet in this thread- that's because he was too busy racking up No 1 hits (3 chart toppers in a row in 1989), and by September 89 he was confirmed as the top teen scream of the year with the best selling album of the year under his belt too. Donovan was essentially sold to the great british public much in the same way as Kylie was, everything Australian was by this point glamourous and a host of Neighbours star were hitting the charts in 89/90 including the twins, Craig McLachlan, Stefan Dennis in addition to the big two mentioned already. Sure Donovan was a good looking lad but as a 13 yr old the allure of Donovan as a pop star escaped me (being a S/A/W artist naturally I bought all his 89 singles), Waterman revealed later that Donovan always wanted to be a "serious" musician playing more rock orientated music, but he certainly made his money with S/A/W so there's little room for him complain.

 

"Everyday" is rather S/A/W on autopilot however, daytime pop at its brightest, bland, ineffectual, and uncontroversial, in truth little more than a promo for the album as if to prove that it only spent 4 weeks in the entire top 20, it was a step up from "Sealed With A Kiss" admittedly, but if that's your benchmark then pretty much anything is......

 

5TH AUGUST- WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING- Kylie Minogue (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Kylie-Minogue-Wouldnt-Change-A-Thing1.jpg

 

Loved this at the time of its release. Seems weird looking back how the unstoppable Kylie couldn't outsell the then unstoppable Jive Bunny. Of course, I remember 'Swing The Mood' really well and it was one of those big party tracks that was guaranteed to be played - like at a wedding reception when everyone's had a few pints. 'WCAT' by S/A/W by numbers but I still enjoy a little bit of 80's Kylie and 1989 was no exception. I even bought 'Enjoy Yourself', Kylie's second album towards the end of 1989 (after 'Never Too Late') has been released though.

 

19TH AUGUST- FRENCH KISS- Lil Louis (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/French_Kiss.jpg

 

This is a really bizarre one. I also can't understand what was so appealing about this track. Sure the synth bass melody at the start is the makings of a dance classic but the way it plods along seems so empty. For a dance track, it really doesn't do what it says on the tin. I remember hearing this on the radio and getting slightly worried as the tempo gradually starts getting lower and thinking there was something wrong with the radio so turned it off. I missed the chance of hearing that female going "uuuurrrggghhh" towards the end. Gutted. :( Then again, aged 8 I'd have wondered what the hell was going on. Actually, I think my mum would've been disgusted and turned the radio off herself. :D To conclude, this song starts off good but gets boring within 30 seconds and it doesn't improve on that.

 

26TH AUGUST- POISON- Alice Cooper (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Poison.jpg

 

Now this is a track that I think is excellent now. Definitely a track I'd be quite to listen to if it was on the radio, or I saw the video on TV. Back in 1989, it was a different story. It wasn't a song I was ever particularly interested in.

 

16TH SEPTEMBER- EVERYDAY (I LOVE YOU MORE)- Jason Donovan (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Every_day_(I_love_you_more).jpg

 

Urgh!!! -_- I also had 'Ten Good Reasons' on cassette. Not entirely sure why looking back because I far preferred listening to Kylie rather than Jason. I did like 'Too Many Broken Hearts' though. I guess I would've liked 'Sealed With A Kiss' as well at the time but unlike Kylie's 80s songs I still actually enjoy listening to, I never had the urge to listen to any of Jason Donovan's singles. Well, I guess there is one Jason Donovan single I don't mind if I had to listen it these days but that's still to come...

23RD SEPTEMBER- RIGHT HERE WAITING- Richard Marx (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Right_here_waiting.jpg

 

Readers, reader, readers, I'm torn on this one. Part of me considers this late 80s balladry by numbers, full of that angst and earnestness that just makes my skin crawl, but then there is part of it that is actually quite touching. On the whole the fomer wins out, i'm not actually anti Marx and 1992's "Hazard" was one of my fave records of that year but I could have done without "Right Here Waiting", truly a song that didn't grab me back in 1989. He'd been a star in the US since 1987 and one export that took a while to make it over here, and had co-written Cliff's 100th hit for him so wasn't completely unheard of her over here but this was his first and sole top 20 hit prior to 1992.

 

Written whilst on tour as a love letter to his wife actress Cynthia Rhodes to whom he remains married some 20 odd years later, there is therefore a personal element to the record, and perhaps it's this that stops me being too harsh on the track, there is a better US Ballad on its way before 89 leaves us, and so perhaps I'm damning it a bit unfairly and only in comparison, see I'm changing my mind again!

 

Certainly in an era of power ballads there is an understated charm to the song, having said all that it isn't "Hazard".........still can't decide.....

 

7TH OCTOBER- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/TechnotronicPumpUpTheJam7InchSingleCover.jpg

 

THIS however, I have never been in any doubt about. It's an evil record, dull, repetitive, annoying, irritating, hated at the time, and I hate it now. I've no idea what "Jam" is (I'm assuming it's not of the toast and Jam kind) and I'm not sure why it is required to be "pumped", what I do know is that as a 13 yr old this was probably my least favourite record of 1989. Critiics may point out that that may be because I wasn't old enough to "Enjoy" it and hear it in the proper environment and that may be true, but then neither was I old enough to enjoy, say "Ride On Time", but yet I loved that (probably it was much more innovative and had more variety in the track than this) so I don't buy this theory.

 

In any eventuality I can't think of anything positive to say about this song, and should you remain in any more doubt about the song's merits or otherwise then this was one of the songs chosen by the Crazy Frog for his debut "Album......

 

Right - note to self - up to page 8! :P

 

Great read Gezza!

Right - note to self - up to page 8! :P

 

Great read Gezza!

Thanks Jester- glad to see you're plowing through the 80s! B)