Not too fond of When The Lights Go Out. It's fair to say Five hadn't quite found their own style yet at this point. Not surprising it did well in the US when it got a push there - it's hardly worlds apart from being the same sound the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC were pedalling around this time. Of course this was after the Spice Girls had opened up America for a whole assortment of British pop acts - Cleopatra, B*Witched, Jimmy Ray... is it any wonder US radio practically blacklisted British acts in the years directly afterwards after some of the stuff that made it over there in that period? :D

 

TLC!! :heart: I was a big fan of them in '99 - had all three of the singles and of course the album. Unpretty was the worst of the three for me but still good. On a related note, shame that Creep missed out on the top 200 (even if you combined both releases of it I doubt it would be enough to go over the 200k mark considering its bigger release was in the lower January period and its first release missed the top 20). That one is all-time favourite material for me. :cry:

TLC!! :heart: I was a big fan of them in '99 - had all three of the singles and of course the album. Unpretty was the worst of the three for me but still good. On a related note, shame that Creep missed out on the top 200 (even if you combined both releases of it I doubt it would be enough to go over the 200k mark considering its bigger release was in the lower January period and its first release missed the top 20). That one is all-time favourite material for me. :cry:

"Creep" is fantastic. Their early stuff (92-93) I always found quite gimmicky, but "Waterfalls" obviously changed everything for them, personally I'd have preferred to include it- maybe I could have fiddled the figures? :thinking: :lol:

Big fan of No Scrubs, TLC best hit to date.

Big fan of No Scrubs, TLC best hit to date.

 

Don't get too carried away Martin. 'No Scrubs' hasn't been revealed yet. :lol: (that last track was 'Unpretty').

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.

 

Actually, it was the other way around. Two of them (Carnie and Wendy) were Brian Wilson's daughters and Chynna Phillips was the lovechild of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & Papas.

 

Actually, it was the other way around. Two of them (Carnie and Wendy) were Brian Wilson's daughters and Chynna Phillips was the lovechild of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & Papas.

Noted :D

113. RIGHT HERE - S.W.V (210,100)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/SWVrighthere.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1993

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 12

 

Originally an album track that tanked on release in late 1992 it later transpired that all it needed was a much more famous track sampled through it and it could be big! Step forward Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” itself never a UK single though it made the US top 10 in 1983 and being on the “Thriller” album made sure that most knew of the song at any rate. Remixed it powered into the top 5 here just as Summer 93 was dying thanks also in part to its inclusion in the “Free Willy” film.

 

112. I NEED YOU- 3T (212,900)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/3t-i_need_you.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1996

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 10

 

Christmas 1996 and the brothers Jackson were back with their 4th release still searching for that ever elusive No 1. This didn’t provide them with it, it was too busy getting beaten by the likes of the Prodigy and Peter Andre, but it was a valiant effort, it’s a cover of an Eric Carmen track (famous for “Hungry Eyes” and “All By Myself”) from 1979 and was the last song by them to make the top 5.

 

111. ISN’T IT A WONDER?- Boyzone (216,900)

 

http://991.com/newGallery/Boyzone-Isnt-It-A-Wonder-80574.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1997

PEAK POSITION: 2

WKS ON CHART: 14

 

Don’t let their apparent innocence fool you Boyzone weren’t above playing the marketing game. During the filming for this track they had a minor incident on a plane in Australia which manager Walsh created into a “Boyzone in plane crash” headline to generate publicity for the single, it almost worked as the song would have given them a third chart topper in row but for Comic Relief which aired that Friday giving a last minute boost to the CR record that year by the Spice Girls and thus relegated the song to No 2.

 

111. ISN’T IT A WONDER?- Boyzone (216,900)

 

During the filming for this track they had a minor incident on a plane in Australia which manager Walsh created into a “Boyzone in plane crash” headline to generate publicity for the single...

 

:rolleyes:

 

...it almost worked as the song would have given them a third chart topper in row but for Comic Relief which aired that Friday giving a last minute boost to the CR record that year by the Spice Girls and thus relegated the song to No 2.

 

Thank goodness for Comic Relief is all I can say. Dreadful song even by Boyzone's standards.

113. RIGHT HERE - S.W.V (210,100)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/SWVrighthere.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1993

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 12

 

Originally an album track that tanked on release in late 1992 it later transpired that all it needed was a much more famous track sampled through it and it could be big! Step forward Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” itself never a UK single though it made the US top 10 in 1983 and being on the “Thriller” album made sure that most knew of the song at any rate. Remixed it powered into the top 5 here just as Summer 93 was dying thanks also in part to its inclusion in the “Free Willy” film.

 

 

I always prefered the original version:

 

That original version is just so meh! Goes nowhere IMHO.

110. BLACK COFFEE- All Saints (218,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Black_Coffee_All_Saints.jpg

 

RELEASED: 2000

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 18

 

Co-written by former Miss UK Kirsty Roper it was penned as her debut single but was given to the All Saints and became their 5th and final No 1 in 2000. William Orbit was called in to helm the album after his overhaul of Madonna on “Ray Of Light” and came up trumps for the girls. Though fighting and bickering was to break them up just months after the song fell from No 1 as with so many bands on this list the reconciliation was only 6 years away, check out the video they weren’t actually speaking to each other on the day so there are no group shots!

 

109. IT’S OK- Atomic Kitten (218,300)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Atomic_Kitten_Its_Ok_Front.jpg

 

RELEASED: 2002

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 13

 

An altogether happier house with the Kittens who had gone from strength to strength after almost getting dropped in late 2000. Whilst the track performed well making No 3 it interrupted a string of chart toppers and had it made the top it would have given the girls a string of four consecutive No 1 singles only ever achieved by two girl groups in the history of pop, neither of which have showed up yet.

 

108. I NEED YOU- B.V.S.M.P (219,000)

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yzLwsSL--2k/SLOPPc-pGOI/AAAAAAAAASg/IUip-XaSqac/s320/I%20NEED%20YOU.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1988

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 12

 

Back to 1988 we go again and glorious one hit wonder time. Making No 3 in the summer of that year BVSMP apparently stands for Baby Virgo shocking Mr P (I have no idea) and caused very minor controversy by using the word “virginity” in the rap, can’t say I really noticed it at the time. For younger members you may recognise it for forming the base to Goldie Lookin Chain’s 2004 single “You Knows I Love You Baby”.

 

That original version is just so meh! Goes nowhere IMHO.

 

Agree 100% In fact, I'd never even heard that version until just now but I also think the vocals on the remixed version are so much better too.

 

'Black Coffee' was an absolute gem and a deserved #1 even if it isn't as well remembered these days compared to 'Never Ever' and 'Pure Shores' ( :wub: ).

 

As for 'I Need You', I don't remember that song at all from 1988. I can only assume everytime I heard it, I quickly thought "this is boring" and used that time to get a drink or something. :D Judging from its chart run it was clearly a popular track though but I've since heard the song and still don't understand what makes it so special. It just sounds so empty to me.

A couple of great tracks on this page, I absolutely looned over both Right Here and Black Coffee when they were released.

110. BLACK COFFEE- All Saints (218,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Black_Coffee_All_Saints.jpg

Such a lush song. It just floats along in this zen-like state, with the slightly detached vocals, lyrics that sound like half-finished sentences and spacious electronic bleeps washing over you. I LOVE the short but sweet bridge ("each moment is new, freeze the moment"). And then the chorus is beautifully harmonious. Gorgeous single.

 

As you said, this single was really botched by the situation in the band at the time. If they had promoted it more it could have sold a lot more, I think. Mind you, the album still went 2xPlatinum (although mainly only because of Xmas sales) off the back of it so what do I know... *shrug*

Black Coffee is STILL amazing after almost 12 years. I just love All Saints with William Orbit.

Plus it's one of the few songs you just HAVE to listen to from start to finish every time because of the amazing outro :heart: (which I somehow forgot to mention before).