The Lightning Seeds were fab, great tunes and productions, "nice" is not a dirty word though some might view (wrongly) as inferior in some way :lol:

 

On the other end of the scale, spitting venom is also perfectly acceptable, and Alanis was also fab (and the album too) You Oughta Know one of the most vitriolic odes to an ex to chart. B-)

 

10/09/1995

 

Mike & The Mechanics - Another Cup Of Coffee

 

I just have to comment on how unsuitable this mental video is for this song. It's almost silly in places which undermines the darkness in the rest of the video. The general treatment is that of your average Garbage/Placebo/Skunk Anansie/90's Depeche Mode video but the high speed of some of the footage is a joke and the close ups of the singer are out of place too.

 

Such a sad song about domestic abuse. It wasn't a hit for them in the UK but it's my favourite of their 90s output.

 

 

2 Weeks

 

10/09/1995

1 - Another Cup of Coffee - Mike and The Mechanics

2 - '74-'75 - The Connells

3 - Great Things - Echobelly

 

17/09/1995

1 - Another Cup of Coffee - Mike and The Mechanics

2 - '74-'75 - The Connells

3 - Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore - Céline Dion

 

10/09/1995

 

Céline Dion - Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore

 

This is perhaps the least predictable number 1 in this entire run down. Now we can all scoff at each other's guilty pleasures but I don't usually feel that guilty about them.

 

I haven't a clue what it's about but it's highly unlikely that it competes lyrically with anything on The Holy Bible, OK Computer or In Utero.

 

1 Week

 

24/09/1995

1 - Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore - Céline Dion

2 - Heart's Filthy Lesson - David Bowie

3 - Stay with Me - Erasure

Edited February 11, 201411 yr by AnthonyT

 

01/10/1995

 

David Bowie - Hearts Filthy Lesson

 

And now for something completely different.

 

Not one of Mr Bowie's most melodic lead singles - but then again he's not exactly Enya, now is he? A brilliant industrial concoction which fitted in well to the final credits of Se7en. I really must investigate the album. I'm sure there's great stuff on it.

 

Video directed by legend Sam Bayer.

 

2 Week

 

01/10/1995

1 - Hearts Filthy Lesson - David Bowie

2 - Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore - Céline Dion

3 - Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage

 

08/10/1995

1 - Hearts Filthy Lesson - David Bowie

2 - Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage

3 - Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore - Céline Dion

Edited February 11, 201411 yr by AnthonyT

 

15/10/1995

 

Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains

 

And now for something completely similar.

 

This was my introduction to Garbage - an affair that would last over 5 years. I love how the layers build up - with so many producers in the band it's always going to be full of layers. The just knew how to make amazing, dark, tense, heavy pop music.

 

I didn't get the album until after Stupid Girl was released. It is really great.

 

3 Week

 

15/10/1995

1 - Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage

2 - Hearts Filthy Lesson - David Bowie

3 - Rilkean Heart - Cocteau Twins

 

 

23/10/1995

1 - Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage

2 - Rilkean Heart - Cocteau Twins

3 - Hearts Filthy Lesson - David Bowie

 

30/10/1995

1 - Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage

2 - Rilkean Heart - Cocteau Twins

3 - Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins

 

 

15/10/1995

 

Everything But The Girl - Missing (Todd Terry Remix)

 

After quite drop in quality in late Summer/Autumn 1995 - late 1995's quality would go stratospheric resulting in Missing only managing one week at number. It's the third biggest selling number 3 hit of all time (behind The A Team and Blue Monday).

 

It was quite a grower for me. Always liked it but it was years after before I re-acquainted myself with it and recognised what a classic it is. The success of this remix would point them in a much more electronic direction which - as we saw with Massive Attacks Protection - really suited Tracey's vocals.

 

I must mention the almost equally amazing You'll See from Madonna and You Do from McAlmont and Butler. Either of these would easily have outpaced any of the number 1s from August/September.

 

 

1 Week

 

15/10/1995

1 - Missing - Everything But the Girl

2 - You'll See - Madonna

3 - You Do - McAlmont and Butler

 

 

 

 

12/11/1995

 

Radiohead - Lucky

 

Also suffering from the quality of late 95 is Lucky which hung on for a week longer than Missing. The clear standout track on the Help album, the Help EP and also among the best on OK Computer. A glacially slow, morphing, majestic beast signalling a less bombastic direction than they had taken with The Bends.

 

It's scary as f*ck to thing that they would be able to go on to better this.

 

2 Week

 

12/11/1995

1 - Lucky - Radiohead

2 - Missing - Everything But the Girl

3 - You'll See - Madonna

 

19/11/1995

1 - Lucky - Radiohead

2 - He's on the Phone - Saint Etienne

3 - Missing - Everything But the Girl

 

 

26/11/1995

 

Blur - The Universal

 

And on we go through classic song after classic song. This is easily in my most played song of all time list just on 1995 plays alone. I killed it off though, but it still makes it on to a Best of Blur in my book.

 

Were they too scared to release it as the lead single to The Great Escape or were they just overconfident in its quality that it would also sail to number 1? We'll never know.

 

 

2 Week

 

26/11/1995

1 - The Universal - Blur

2 - Lucky - Radiohead

3 - He's on the Phone - Saint Etienne

 

03/12/1995

1 - The Universal - Blur

2 - Lucky - Radiohead

3 - He's on the Phone - Saint Etienne

 

 

10/12/1995

 

Erasure - Fingers and Thumbs

 

And back for their 4th Christmas number 1 in 7 years (including 1989's You Surround Me) and they still had a fantastic knack for melody and intricate, incandescent electronics. This was such a pure pop hit (in the druggy sense of the word) after the stately Stay With Me.

 

This is close to being my favourite Erasure single - it's probably this or I Love Saturday. With their command of broad-stroke melody in the chorus, they were at an all time high. The album version is a few minutes longer with an even longer breakdown.

 

 

5 Weeks

 

10/12/1995

1 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

2 - The Universal - Blur

2 - Lucky - Radiohead

 

17/12/1995

1 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

2 - The Universal - Blur

2 - Lucky - Radiohead

 

24/12/1995

1 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

2 - The Universal - Blur

2 - Lucky - Radiohead

 

31/12/11995

1 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

2 - Mr Sarajevo - Passangers

2 - Just the One - The Levellers

 

07/12/11995

1 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

2 - Not So Manic Now Dubstar

3 - Mr Sarajevo - Passangers

Edited February 22, 201411 yr by AnthonyT

Top 20 of 1995

 

1 - Yes (1)

2 - Lucky (1)

3 - Fingers and Thumbs (1)

4 - Set Me Free (1)

5 - Sour Times (1)

6 - Ten Story Lovesong (1)

7 - Wake Up Boo (1)

8 - In Your Loving Arms (2)

9 -The Universal (1)

10 - Not Over Yet (1)

 

11 Fake Plastic Trees (2)

12 Perfect (1)

13 Protection (1)

14 Only Happy When it Rains (1)

15 Heart's Filthy Lesson (1)

16 Rilkean Heart (2)

17 Some Might Say (2)

18 You Do Something To Me (2)

19 He's on the Phone (2)

20 Missing (1)

 

Love "Missing" - people used to take the mick out of Todd Terry because all of his remixes sounded the same (similar drum loop) but the upbeat remix to an already great song really lifted the track into a true 90s classic. I also love "Only Happy When It Rains", particularly the refrain 'Pourrrrr your misery down on me'.

 

I have developed a bit of a dislike of "The Universal" recently because British Gas use it as their hold music when you call them, however I imagine that will pass.

No Pulp, Tony? :(

No Pulp, Tony? :(

 

He put Robson and Jerome at #1 for 7 weeks instead. :P

Never really got Pulp

I'm considering doing Top 5s in 1996 because there were just so many great singles released that year.

Definitely liking the idea of Top 5s in 1996 Tony!

 

Forgot to say, excellent to see St. Etienne's "He's On The Phone" - one of the best pop songs of the nineties.

Predictions for 1996?

 

Just how many weeks will the Manics spend at number 1?

St Etienne fab, The Universal, gorgeous, Yes is also my record of 1995, hooray! B-)

Well "A Design For Life" could be a good shout for 96. As would "Firestarter" and "Breathe". Maybe a bit of the Chemical Brothers' "Setting Sun" too?

 

"Not So Manic Now" by Dubstar is a favourite of mine from early 1996. Oh and "Female Of The Species" by Space. They had a mid-90s indie CD on at the place I was staying in Lincolnshire last week, I stayed in the bar for an extra hour just to hear all of these lovely songs. Think it was one of the Shine compilation CDs. :wub:

 

13/01/1996

 

Dubstar - Not So Manic Now

 

Not So Manic Now is simply a beautiful, understated and quite marvelous pop song. Just as St Etienne disbanded, Dubstar took over and were generally a decent replacement. The lyrics are pure k*tchen-sink drama. Even the sounds of the words chosen are fairly enchanting. Been playing this all morning.

 

1 Week

 

13/01/1996

1 - Not So Manic Now - Dubstar

2 - Caught a Lite Sneeze - Tori Amos

3 - Fingers and Thumbs- Erasure

4 - Mr Sarajevo - Passangers

5 - For the Dead - Gene

Edited March 16, 201411 yr by AnthonyT