And a Backstreet Boys fan as well... where will your perfectness end?? :snif:

 

All I Have To Give was one of my favourites from their second album. It's gorgeous. :wub:

Haha, not really a fan as such - so I guess my perfectness ends here! :D

 

I didn't like them all at the time, mainly because they just made my brain reach for the snooze button. With age I guess you can appreciate ballads more and they certainly had their fair share of well-crafted ballads. So that and probably partly nostalgia as well has turned me into a bit of a casual fan. I have their Greatest Hits but that's it.

Edited April 9, 201213 yr by superbossanova

Haha, not really a fan as such - so I guess my perfectness ends here! :D

 

I didn't like them all at the time, mainly because they just made my brain reach for the snooze button. With age I guess you can appreciate ballads more and they certainly had their fair share of well-crafted ballads. So that and probably partly nostalgia as well has turned me into a bit of a casual fan. I have their Greatest Hits but that's it.

Oh well, off with you then. Haha. (Is perfectness even a word? Should've used perfection... sorry, esl and all)

 

I was the same with N'Synch, they just never excited me... but it could be I was conditioned as a BSB fan. Ah, good times good times, thankfully the internet wasn't around that time I would have embarrassed myself.

119. HOLD ON- Wilson Phillips (205,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/Wilson_Phillips_Hold_On_single_cover.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1990

PEAK POSITION: 6

WKS ON CHART: 12

 

The Wilson sisters and their friend Chynna Phillips were, back in the early 90s pretty big in the US at least scoring a hat-trick of No 1 hits. Not quite successful over here where this was their sole top 10 hit, but much was of their parentage where one was the daughter of former Beach Boy Brian Wilson and two of them Mamas & Papas daughters. A flop second album saw them disband in 1992 and they periodically reunite but never trouble the charts.

 

118. TAKE ON ME- A1 (205,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Take_on_Me_a1.jpg

 

RELEASED: 2000

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 11

 

The band’s biggest selling single came courtesy of this cover of the 1985 A-Ha! Classic. With a matrix themed video that was at the time reputedly the most expensive video ever made by a UK act (taking over from Jamiroquai’s “Deeper Underground”) they CGI’d themselves into the top slot over here, mind you with such an iconic and ground breaking video for the original I suppose they had to do something big. For the part Norwegian band it was perhaps a fitting tribute to their fellow Scandinavians and remains their commercial high point.

 

Wilson Phillips have troubled the charts a few times in the last year or so - although only with 'Hold On'.

117. COMING HOME NOW- Boyzone (205,700)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Boyzone_Coming_Home_Now.jpeg

 

RELEASED: 1996

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS ON CHART: 9

 

So I still recall the day back in 1996 when I walked into HMV to see a big poster saying “Take That Vs Boyzone- the battle of the Boy bands”. Of course they were trying to recreate the Blur Vs Oasis bout from the previous summer but yes the Irish lads had chosen to release their fifth single from their debut album against the “farewell” Take That single unavailable on any album at that point. There was no real competition, a fact thrown into sharp relief the next Sunday when this limped in at No 4, quite good considering, it was written entirely by the boys as an aside. You can remove that last comma if it pleases you!

 

117. COMING HOME NOW- Boyzone (205,700)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Boyzone_Coming_Home_Now.jpeg

 

RELEASED: 1996

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS ON CHART: 9

 

So I still recall the day back in 1996 when I walked into HMV to see a big poster saying “Take That Vs Boyzone- the battle of the Boy bands”. Of course they were trying to recreate the Blur Vs Oasis bout from the previous summer but yes the Irish lads had chosen to release their fifth single from their debut album against the “farewell” Take That single unavailable on any album at that point. There was no real competition, a fact thrown into sharp relief the next Sunday when this limped in at No 4, quite good considering, it was written entirely by the boys as an aside. You can remove that last comma if it pleases you!

 

 

That's quite an interesting fact, I never knew that! :o

Who calls it a pencil tin?! I've always heard it referred to as a pencil case. :huh:

 

They're different things, a pencil case is made out of plastic and has a zip, a pencil tin is a metal tin which has a lid, I always had pencil cases but there were just as many people with pencil tins.

 

As an aside, even I, as Buzzjack's premiere Boyzone fan, can't find much good to say about Coming Home Now, maybe my least favourite single of theirs.

118. TAKE ON ME- A1 (205,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Take_on_Me_a1.jpg

 

RELEASED: 2000

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 11

 

The band’s biggest selling single came courtesy of this cover of the 1985 A-Ha! Classic. With a matrix themed video that was at the time reputedly the most expensive video ever made by a UK act (taking over from Jamiroquai’s “Deeper Underground”) they CGI’d themselves into the top slot over here, mind you with such an iconic and ground breaking video for the original I suppose they had to do something big. For the part Norwegian band it was perhaps a fitting tribute to their fellow Scandinavians and remains their commercial high point.

 

One of the worst covers I've ever heard, just foul! :puke:

Edited April 9, 201213 yr by C.W

125. IF YOU LOVE ME- Brownstone (196,000)

 

So forgotten, that I erroneously recall them as being boys rather than girls!

Wilson Phillips have troubled the charts a few times in the last year or so - although only with 'Hold On'.

Yeah, I did notice that before. What was that all about? I didn't even realise it had any kind of enduring popularity.

 

It's a decent song, although the lead singer's voice has a shrieky tone to it that grates after a while, so it's one that I can only stand in small doses. Their brief US popularity looks rather ridiculous over two decades on - only at the transition into the 90s when the likes of Phil Collins and Richard Marx were dominating US radio could THAT kind of shit happen. I guess in terms of Billboard chart history they were a bit like the US version of poor B*Witched and their four #1s, all forgotten bar the first.

 

On a slight tangent, SWV are another girl group who were HUGE in the US for an album or two but virtually one-hit wonders here, and will probably be coming up shortly with their one big UK hit. (Although their biggest US hit is a different song that was also far superior.)

 

Back on topic, Take On Me was an unnecessary cover. What a shame that A1 had to go the easy way to get a #1 hit after some quality pop tunes on their first album. :( Although perhaps in this case I can give it a pass as I doubt the rather fantastic follow-up Same Old Brand New You would have reached #1 otherwise.

Yeah, I did notice that before. What was that all about? I didn't even realise it had any kind of enduring popularity.

 

It's a decent song, although the lead singer's voice has a shrieky tone to it that grates after a while, so it's one that I can only stand in small doses. Their brief US popularity looks rather ridiculous over two decades on - only at the transition into the 90s when the likes of Phil Collins and Richard Marx were dominating US radio could THAT kind of shit happen. I guess in terms of Billboard chart history they were a bit like the US version of poor B*Witched and their four #1s, all forgotten bar the first.

 

On a slight tangent, SWV are another girl group who were HUGE in the US for an album or two but virtually one-hit wonders here, and will probably be coming up shortly with their one big UK hit. (Although their biggest US hit is a different song that was also far superior.)

 

Back on topic, Take On Me was an unnecessary cover. What a shame that A1 had to go the easy way to get a #1 hit after some quality pop tunes on their first album. :( Although perhaps in this case I can give it a pass as I doubt the rather fantastic follow-up Same Old Brand New You would have reached #1 otherwise.

I don't mind the Wilson Phillips, even at the time it was rather pointless pop, its climb up the UK chart was on the back of making the US No 1 spot- what can I say summer of 1990 was a slow time! :lol:

 

I appear to be alone in my liking for A1's version of "Take On Me". I like that they tried to do something with the video, even if it was a LOT of money to little effect as it quickly sung down the charts, then again I love the Original so I guess almost any version gets some love. In the week of Take That Vs Boyzone I remember in HMV in Leicester that there were very few copies of Take That left but a plethora of Boyzone, I took from that that the No 1 that week was a foregone conclusion (not that I hadn't thought that prior to seeing the shelves obviously).

I don't mind the Wilson Phillips, even at the time it was rather pointless pop, its climb up the UK chart was on the back of making the US No 1 spot- what can I say summer of 1990 was a slow time! :lol:

 

I appear to be alone in my liking for A1's version of "Take On Me". I like that they tried to do something with the video, even if it was a LOT of money to little effect as it quickly sung down the charts, then again I love the Original so I guess almost any version gets some love. In the week of Take That Vs Boyzone I remember in HMV in Leicester that there were very few copies of Take That left but a plethora of Boyzone, I took from that that the No 1 that week was a foregone conclusion (not that I hadn't thought that prior to seeing the shelves obviously).

 

So glad someone shares my feelings on this A1 track! It's not often a cover betters the original, but I think it rings true in the case of Take On Me!

So glad someone shares my feelings on this A1 track! It's not often a cover betters the original, but I think it rings true in the case of Take On Me!

I wouldn't go as far as "better" (the A-Ha! version will always be the best one for me) but I don't think A1 disgraced the song either. :D

The Wilson Phillips video makes me laugh... there's the two skinny ones flaunting about in skimpy clothes... whilst the dumpy one's in a big smock stranded on the beach, bless her....

Yeah, I did notice that before. What was that all about? I didn't even realise it had any kind of enduring popularity.

 

It was used in the film 'Bridesmaids' and subsequently got added to the approved list of songs that get raped on TV talent shows every series. (It's also been a benefactor of a price reduction at least once).

116. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT- Five (208,400)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/15/Wtlgo.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1998

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS ON CHART: 9

 

The amount of UK boy bands who can claim a top 10 hit in the US is quite a short list. BBMak, Take That, more recently the Wanted, and in 1998 this bunch with this hit. This was, internationally, the band’s first release though the UK had been treated to” Slam Dunk (Da Funk)” some months earlier, the track was remixed for the US release and given a new video, Jay’s rap replaced by Abs as his northern accent was thought to be too challenging for the US market, it’s co-written by a former member of 80s band Dead Or Alive (though not Pete Burns!)

 

115. HANDS TO HEAVEN- Breathe (209,000)

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dN12_YBg0IE/SQGlToud0yI/AAAAAAAACyw/bK4Obrb0FOI/s320/breathe7.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1988

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS ON CHART: 12

 

More popular in the US than they were here this wasn’t Breathe’s only UK hit but let’s be honest you’ll struggle to find many who can hum any of the others. This was a US No 2 hit which peaked two places lower here in the summer of 88 and was the sole time they troubled the top 40 here.

 

114. UNPRETTY- TLC (209,500)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Tlc-unpretty.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1999

PEAK POSITION: 6

WKS ON CHART: 11

 

Imagine the Sugababes “Ugly” but 6 years earlier, yep girl power is back in the form of TLC who are gonna teach girls to throw those shackles of male oppression off. This was the final release to make the top 20 before the girls went their different ways, the song originated from a poem which was turned into this US chart topping tale by Dallas Austin who had been behind the career of the girls virtually from the off (though they were "discovered" by 80s popstar Pebbles who gave them their name).

 

One of the worst covers I've ever heard, just foul! :puke:

 

OMG I know just awful awful. The original is a classic and the video is just brilliant. Shame it was held off number 1. At least their second single got there.

 

I thought the Wilson Phillips track would have sold a lot more than that! It seemed to be around forever!

Edited April 10, 201213 yr by torresgirl