27TH APRIL- A DESIGN FOR LIFE- Manic Street Preachers (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/ADesignForLife.jpg

 

I've said it before in this thread but SOMETIMES social commentary and music can combine to be very effectual. There is nothing very subtle about "Design" it wears its socialist badge with evident pride and whilst I don't agree politically with it I can't deny that the track is probably one of the best No 2 hits of the decade, paked with high drama and has all the force of a tornado slamming into the injustices of social elitism and class conflict, and it all came as a shock really. Not really for fans I'm sure, but to casual chart observes we had been used to middling chart performances and the concept of the group being rather stuck in a groove unable to strike out for their small but dedicated fanbase, they first came to my attention in 1992 with the excellent "Motorcycle Emptiness" which I loved at the time but after that they raised minimal interest in me.

 

It must be with some ambivalance therefore that they view the loss of guitarist Richey Edwards in 1995 one of the main singwriters of the group, popular theory suggests that had Edwards lived the resulting album after "The Holy Bible" would not been anything like "Everything Must Go" but it was that album that really sprung the group into the A list of Britpop acts. With refrences to Newport library and German concentration camps in the lyrics it is hardly a shalow piece of work (there's more than enough of that in 1996 don't worry) but the bombast of the production and the anger in Bradfield's voice is more than to convince of the sincerity and emotive connection he feels to the track, and for the passion alone this should have been a No 1 hit. Really it's hard to find a fault with ADFL, maybe it's too clever for the pop audience of 1996, traditionally as we enter boom times we have less to be concerned about and our satisfaction with governments tends to go up (or our desire to do something about it goes down, one of the two) , but we're just about to enter the period where even Prescott was saying "We're all middle class now" so maybe the message was too little, too late.

 

Anyway none of this detracts from just what a fantastic record this is- another one of my top 10 No 2 hits of the decade.

 

 

Edited November 28, 201113 yr by gezza76

13TH JULY- BORN SLIPPY- Underworld (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Underworld_bornSlippyNuxxUS.jpg

 

With a title taken from a greyhound the band bet on and won, "Born Slippy" is one of the hardest songs to dance to if I recall correctly. In terms of dance music THIS takes me back to 1996 more than Mark Snow or Robert Miles ever can, lifted from the "Trainspotting" film which EVERYONE saw that year "Born Slippy" is meant to represent an internal dialogue of an alcoholic (i.e it's not meant to make much sense) but it's a record that always sounds great, i'm not keen on the parts with the beat but the synth bits of the track are great, quite ethereal in places, and almost hymnal.

 

Of course in some ways it was seized on as a pre cursor to hits like "Tubthumping" with its lads out on the p*ss feel and chants, but it's much more delicate a flower than Chumbabwamba's full on three pints and a packet of pork scratchings approach to pop. In a way cultural moments are hard to define but I remember a journey to see the film felt like a defining moment in the decade, in a year when everything was about the UK (or it felt like it at least) this British film was the equivalent of Britpop, part of the movement, its flagship trailblazer, and for all those reasons I will always love "Born Slippy" more for what it represents maybe than the song itself. To get the most from it you simply HAD to be there.

 

 

Edited November 28, 201113 yr by gezza76

3RD FEBRUARY- SLIGHT RETURN- The Bluetones (1 week)

 

So it's early 1996 and I'd just turned 15 years old. One of the years biggest disappointments was on its way to selling over one million copies which leads me to 'Slight Return'. Easily one of my fave singles in the chart at that time. I'd actually stopped compiling my chart by this point (it lasted from summer 1994 to December 1995). I was now starting preparing for my GCSE's so there was more focus there than there was in the UK charts. I still followed them, just not as much as I had the previous few years.

 

10TH FEBRUARY- ANYTHING- 3T (3 Weeks)

 

BoyBLAND? Oh yes!!! Innovensive and always reminded me of 'I Swear' by All 4 One for some reason. If 'Anything' was edible, it'd taste like someone has just put a tablespoon of sugar in your month. Too syrupy for my liking - I'm not the biggest fan of boybands but sometimes they manage to release a great track. This isn't one of them. In fact, I don't think I liked any of 3T's singles.

 

2ND MARCH- CHILDREN- Robert Miles (3 weeks)

 

However, where boybands struggle to make a connection with me, I will always have a soft spot of big Eurodance hits like this. For the time it was riding high in the UK charts, this was by far my fave single in the charts. It was unique at the times purely for the fact this was an instrumental dance track based heavily around the infamous piano melody. Listening to the track though it builds up before breaking down, then building again before the final section of the song changes bringing the song to its end. Like Gezza says, an absolute monster hit across Europe. A shame the UK was one of the few countries where this failed to become a chart topper.

 

 

As a theme tune, 'The X Files' was indeed perfect. It was the perfect soundtrack for the opening credits for the TV show. However, as a single I never really "got" it. :ph34r: Yes, once you've gotton past the first 30 seconds you've pretty much heard 'The X Files'. It was the same with Power Rngers when they turned the theme tune into a 3 minute song released in December 1994 (and made the top 3!!! :drama: ). I didn't understand either song in this extended style. Like I say, for opening credits it's fine. Some songs somehow work for me in their entirety, like 'I'll Be There For You' by The Rembrandts.

 

27TH APRIL- A DESIGN FOR LIFE- Manic Street Preachers (1 week)

 

Now this was an excellent track and easily ranks inside my top 20 (if not top 10) best UK #2 singles of the 90s. Such a shame it didn't have what it took to outsell Mark Morrison although I suspect 'The Return Of The Mack' must've benefitted more from the Saturday sales to get that second week at #1. The only other Manics I've enjoyed listening to loads without ever getting bored of the song (or overplaying the song) is 'You're Love Alone Is Not Enough'.

 

13TH JULY- BORN SLIPPY- Underworld (1 week)

 

What a jump from April to July. Then again, May/June 1996 were dominated heavily by the likes of 'Fast Love', 'Ooh Aah...Just A Little Bit', 'Killing Me Softly' and 'Three Lions' which were either #1 or #2 for weeks I remember. Anyways, 'Born Slippy' took me by surprise when it became such a massive hit. Taken from 'Trainspotting' I'm guessing the success of this song was a combination of people buying the single off the back of seeing the film, and people going clubbing and hearing this on a night out. What I liked about the song mostly was the sections with the synth melody. As Gezza says, the main section with the hard hitting beats for me anyways suffered to lack of melody going on. Then again, I'm not sure if the song would've had the same impact had the synths continued playing over those dark harsh banging drum kicks.

 

"shouting LAGER, LAGER, LAGER, LAGER, shouting LAGER..."

"Born Slippy" is a classic. It should be re-released as often as "Rhythm Is A Dancer".

10TH AUGUST- FREEDOM- Robbie Williams (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/Robbie_Williams-Freedom_s.jpg

 

Popstars bleating on about fame- it never goes down well, well ordinarily that is. With the arrival back on the scene of George Michael in 1996 (he'd already got a couple of chart toppers in the year by this point) it was an apt time for a cover, and right on cue here's Robbie. "Freedom 90" as it was originally titled, was written by Michael and released in 1990 when it peaked at the princely position of no 28 suffering from a lack of promotion, though its supermodel studied promo is not easily forgotten, and concerned Michael breaking free from the restrictions of being in a "teen scream" band to forge a "serious" career. It was therefore the perfect track for the newly solo Williams to re-record with the demise of Take That in March 96.

 

William's hadn'teven recorded the track by the time he had to do the video so instead mimed along to the Michael original, but whilst Michael's version seem sfull of intent and personal memories (obviously) this seems rather a hollow remake, Williams sneering through his performance with what would become his career persona of cocky schoolboy with an eye on a opportunity. Sure he was to write some belters of pop songs in his career but this seems like a stop gap track, saying "I'm still here, the albums on the way" and sure it enough it worked, theoug interestingly as if to prove my point, this track never appeared on a Robbie album until his greatest hit set in 2010. What we see in "Freedom" is an artist with a fragile ego who is really unsure where he is and where he's going, the direct opposite of what the song is about- by 1990 Michael was very sure where he wanted to go, whilst Williams can't even feign sincerity at any point through the track. For this reason the version doesn't work, the cracks in Williams's phsche are too clear to see, and he's too eager to share, whilst on the surface this choice of song is an obvious move, for the parities between Take That and Wham!, really he's failed to grasp the true meaning behind it all.

 

 

Edited November 29, 201113 yr by Gezza76

17TH AUGUST- MACARENA- Los Del Rio (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/MacarenaLosDelRio.jpg

 

Now fess up- did you do the dance? I know I did, but then again I knew the dance to "Saturday Night" in 1994 so it follows. The song actually dates back to 1992 and was first released in a rumba version in 1993 gaining success in Mexico and Spain, subsequent releases in 94 and 95 gained further success in most spanish speaking countries and in some US cities with large Hispanic populations. Once the track was taken and remixed by the Bayside Boys and given some English lyrics the stage was set for a full international release, trouble was it had been around for so long another group Los Del Mar were also ready with their version and during the summer of 1996 they went head to head. Well the winner is clear, Los Del Mar peaked at No 43 here, spare a thought for the Australians though where Los Del Mar peaked at No 2 behind, you guessed it, Los Del Rio, a bit too much "Macarena" for my money.

 

Anyway as a song there's little point saying it isn't catchy, and believe me it was everywhere radio wise, and I can't say I dislike the song, drunk and at a 90s night I dare say I may join in if someone did the moves (I've forgotten them honest) so let's not be too harsh, of its moment certainly, but it was a fun moment.

 

Edited November 29, 201113 yr by Gezza76

Strangely I prefer the Los Del Mar version as it adds an extra bridge iirc, not that I'd listen to either out of choice!

10TH AUGUST- FREEDOM- Robbie Williams (1 week)

 

So which member of Take That had the best debut solo single in 1996? Was it Gary Barlow whose timing meant he got his sole week at #1 with 'Forever Love'? Was it Robbie Williams 'Freedom' whose chances of #1 were ripped to shreds by the rapid emergence of the all conquering Spice Girls. Or was it Mark Owen whose debut 'Child' failed to not just enter at #1, but also missed the #2 spot as well. The answer is they were all rubbish!!! :drama: If someone said to me, you have to choose one to listen to I would literally have no clue as I have no desire to listen to any of these. Ever!!! Such a shame we never got to hear Jason Orange's debut single. I believe it was a full on Hi NRG camp classic in the making but nothing materialised. :P

 

17TH AUGUST- MACARENA- Los Del Rio (1 week)

 

** guilty pleasure alert **

 

There will always be songs that people like but never want to admit to. In my case, the 'Macarena' pretty much covers this perfectly. Pure Eurocheese at it's finest and must've been the biggest hit across Europe during the whole summer of 1996. I know thanks to watching German channels on Sky (like RTL II, and VIVA) that 'Macarena' had already been a monster hit a good few months before the UK release. I never realised that fact about Australia and the Macarena top 2. Personally, my opinion differs to that of GD - I much preferred the Los Del Rio version. You could tell this was the genuine article as for me the Los Del Mar version sounded like a cheap karaoke cover (listen to the male vocals for example). That's why Los Del Rio spent 14 weeks at #1 in America, rather than Los Del Mar.

Mark Owen at least had a great solo single the following year with Clementine :D Then again Robbie had a lot of great solo singles to come too, Gary less so :lol:

When I think back, it actually doesn't surprise me that Gary Barlow became such a laughable artist in his own right. Yes, his career seemed to start off well enough but I think this was coming fresh from Take That's split and 'Forever Love' was practically a Take That single without the other band members providing vocals.

 

Robbie isn't the best singer in the world but he commands the stage when he performs. He also has tracks like 'Angels' and 'Let Me Entertain You' to his discography. Imagine Gary Barlow singing 'Let Me Entertain You'!!! :lol: It just wouldn't work - what I'm getting at is you really can have too many ballads. Sadly this is how Gary Barlow's career ended up going.

 

Look at Take That's 2007 "flop" 'I'd Wait For Life'. Pretty much exactly the same and deserved to bomb as Gary Barlow shouldn't just assume he can release another textbook "Barlow Ballad" and get it to #1. It worked in 1996, it didn't in 2007. He should learn. Then again, he doesn't really have the personality to write a great uptempo track. That's where Mark Owen always came in useful with the post-2006 era Take That singles. I'm sure Gary Barlow didn't write 'Shine' but look how successful that song has become. It's like an anthem now for Morrisons!!! :lol:

Shine has Mark Owen written all over it if you look back at some of his later solo singles - I still think that Four Minute Warning is a genius pop song and I'm glad that it somehow managed to find its way into the UK top five!

 

I'd Wait For Life was a bit plain and there were far better potential singles on Beautiful World (why pick one where nobody else even sings? :lol:), even so #17 was a shock to me as they hadn't had a single miss the top three since near the beginning of their career! That said, Eight Letters is a 'typical Barlow ballad' too and is imo FAR better than I'd Wait For Life so he does get it right sometimes.

Shine has Mark Owen written all over it if you look back at some of his later solo singles - I still think that Four Minute Warning is a genius pop song and I'm glad that it somehow managed to find its way into the UK top five!

 

I'd Wait For Life was a bit plain and there were far better potential singles on Beautiful World (why pick one where nobody else even sings? :lol:), even so #17 was a shock to me as they hadn't had a single miss the top three since near the beginning of their career! That said, Eight Letters is a 'typical Barlow ballad' too and is imo FAR better than I'd Wait For Life so he does get it right sometimes.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong. When Gary Barlow gets it's right, the song can be outstanding. 'Patience' and 'Rule The World' are definitely two of the best Take That singles ever released. I still have a major soft spot for 'Back For Good' so you can't blame the Barlow for using his newly found celebrity status to performing the song at every given opportunity. Also 'A Million Love Songs' is a decent enough ballad - a track I like more now than I ever did in 1992. :lol:

 

It's songs like 'Greatest Day', 'Said It All' etc... that miss the mark completely for me.

 

As for 'Four Minute Warning', I actually did like that song. It was released in 2003 iirc? A year dominated by the sound of dancehall. A year where the majority of my fave singles of that year didn't reach #1.

I've never been quite sure how Greatest Day became a Take That 'classic', it doesn't particularly go anywhere - it tries to be euphoric and uplifting but falls flat in my opinion because it consists of a mildly anthemic verse that trails into nothing.

 

Indeed though, Gary's written more than enough classic singles in his time to be forgiven his poorer efforts; Rule The World, Patience, Pray, Never Forget, Back For Good etc...

 

Yep, Four Minute Warning was a suprise top five hit I thought but Mark had just won Celebrity Big Brother earlier in the year so maybe it was partly off the back of that? Funnily enough I went to a club night last night and they were playing dance hall for a good hour or two, it was like being transported right back to 2003 - Never Leave You, Turn Me On, Get Busy, No Letting Go etc... :lol:

"Four Minute Warning" is a Barlow composition too (co-wrote anyway) and is my favourite former Take That solo record ever!

 

Generally I agree though Barlow can write durge's with the best- in the immediate aftermath of the split the money was definitely on him to be the biggest star in part as he was the one writing the songs. I don't mind "Forever Love" however it didn't deserve No 1, "Child" is a little bit of a guilty pleasure to me though :blush:

Yep, Four Minute Warning was a suprise top five hit I thought but Mark had just won Celebrity Big Brother earlier in the year so maybe it was partly off the back of that? Funnily enough I went to a club night last night and they were playing dance hall for a good hour or two, it was like being transported right back to 2003 - Never Leave You, Turn Me On, Get Busy, No Letting Go etc... :lol:

 

I remember missing the final of CBB because it clashed with Fame Academy that night. I'd been staying over at my sisters that night and she wanted to watch Fame Academy instead. Just doing some research Mark Owen won CBB on 29th November 2002 (almost 9 years ago to the date :o ).

 

What type of club did you go to last night? Was it a themed evening so they were purposely playing the "greatest" (used in the loosest terms possible :P ) hits of 2003.

I remember missing the final of CBB because it clashed with Fame Academy that night. I'd been staying over at my sisters that night and she wanted to watch Fame Academy instead. Just doing some research Mark Owen won CBB on 29th November 2002 (almost 9 years ago to the date :o ).

 

What type of club did you go to last night? Was it a themed evening so they were purposely playing the "greatest" (used in the loosest terms possible :P ) hits of 2003.

 

Just a general nightclub playing a mixture of things, chart music, R&B, rap and dance mostly but it did get decidedly more niche towards the end of the night! There were four or five songs from 2003 in a row but it was probably purely coincidence, dancehall really was at its peak then and they all had the same Diwali Riddim handclap beat so can be mixed into each other almost seamlessly.

Fable was Robert Miles best track imo, way too underrated. Born Slippy on the other hand is atrocious, always hated it, still haven't changed my mind.

HEY MACARENA! AYE.

24TH AUGUST- WHY?- 3T Featuring Michael Jackson (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/Why_single.jpg

 

Bloody good question! (Sorry it did ask for that though). More soppy balladry from the brothers Jackson this time roping thier uncle who really should have known better, and that's because this track was destined for inclusion on his "HIStory" album but didn't make the cut so he handed it to his nephews who turned it into this No 2 hit. Would it have made it without Michael Jackson? well debatable really, Babyface's production is as smooth as ever but the lamentable performance is just one long bore quite frankly.

 

We're coming to the end of Michael Jackson popstar and getting ready for Jacko the legend, yes he's passing from active popstar to being an "influence" only, whilst "HIStory" may have been a good move from a marketing angle (his record company were concerned in 1994 that a whole new album maight not sell after the allegations so opted for part greatest hits past new album) but it reminded the audience of one great truth- the guy's best days were now behind him. True, a lot of the new tracks he had done were very good but they were a side show to his 80s greats, and he did no favours by contributing to this version, 3T look slightly disinterested for most of the video, it purely served to extent their shelf life for a further 6 months but no-one has gained here.

 

Edited November 30, 201113 yr by Gezza76

31ST AUGUST- SPINNING THE WHEEL- George Michael (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Spinningthewheel.jpg

 

Like a pheonix from the proverbial flame 1996's "Older" proved to be Michael's greatest success of his career, though it almost never saw the light of day. More often in courts and litigation against his record company the 90s saw extended break for Michael as wrangles with Sony meant that from 1991 to 1996 his only releases were for charity, not bad though he still scored a couple of No 1 hits to keep his name in the fray, then came 1996. "Jesus To A Child" and "Fastlove" had already topped the charts, and third release "Spinning The Wheel" almost followed suit actually leading the Spice Girls in midweek flashes only to falter at the last hurdle.

 

A tale of sexual promiscuity of a lover and the danger of AIDS, it was preachy Michael alright, adn the album version is, in all honesty, a little dull so I've chosen the remix of it which did the rounds at the time and is much better IMO. I was a massive fan of the "Older" era though, purchasing all the singles on the day of release, though in hindsight the album is dull and steeped in its own pretentions and solemnity- thank god for the dance remixes that invariably spiced up the single releases. Indeed if he'd put the remixes out as the original album it would probably shifted even more than the 2 million that it did!

 

Anyway if you're not a Michael fan then this won't convert you, but it's a timely reminder of when the man could produce quality tracks and dominate the charts (all 6 singles taken from the album made the top 3- something not even Rihanna and Lady Gaga can pull off) so he was doing something incredibly right during 96-97.

 

Edited November 30, 201113 yr by Gezza76