24th June 1990

 

2 weeks on top for You’ve Got A Friend as the highest new entry is a 1966 classic from The Rolling Stones, and quite possibly their best record, Paint It, Black, re-issued after featuring in Vietnam War TV series Tour Of Duty, and a chart entry in the UK and chart-topper in the Netherlands. Dark, inventive use of the sitar (shortly after George Harrison brought it into western pop music) and aggressive, it never gets boring, which is why it still periodically enters the UK singles charts. Into the top 10, Don Pablo’s Animals get the 3rd top 10 version of Venus, and Jeff Lynne keeps his run going (for most ELO singles releases, and The Move singles dating back to 1971.

 

Meanwhile, Diana Ross’ period-common oldies remix (usually with a Soul II Soul shuffle beat) brings I’m Still Waiting back into the 20 for the 3rd time, though the pedestrian dance version isn’t a patch on the lush orchestral original arrangement that hit my top spot in 1976 on re-issue 5 years after first charting. That could also apply to Promised Land and their cover of Something In The Air, the 1969 Thunderclap Newman number one that was also my 3rd ever purchased single. The Bangles actual original version also goes top 20, I’m relieved to say, as they keep on walking like an Egyptian.

 

In at 31, it’s a charity cover version of the 1949 Hank Snow record Nobody’s Child, though the version I knew was Karen Young’s 1969 hit cover. George Harrison also recorded it with Tony Sheridan and George’s mates John and Paul. Tom Petty is also a new entry at 48 with Yer So Bad, as well as a Wilbury, and ditto Jeff Lynne at 10 and as a Wilbury. MC Tunes vs 808 State hit the 40 along with Maxi Priest, and also Craig McClaghlan, while lower down Bob Geldof gets a solo entry 5 years since his first one, and 13 years after his debut Boomtown Rats entry, but he seems indifferent about it.

 

1 ( 1 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

2 ( 2 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

3 ( NEW ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

4 ( 4 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

5 ( 3 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

6 ( 9 ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

7 ( 6 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

8 ( 18 ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals

9 ( 7 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

10 ( 20 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

 

 

11 ( 8 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

12 ( 11 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

13 ( 16 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

14 ( 5 ) ROAM The B52’s

15 ( 12 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

16 ( 19 ) OOOPS UP Snap!

17 ( 45 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

18 ( 10 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

19 ( 21 ) WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN The Bangles

20 ( NEW ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

 

 

21 ( 25 ) THINKING OF YOU Maureen Walsh

22 ( 13 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

23 ( 14 ) THE ONLY ONE I KNOW The Charlatans

24 ( 17 ) STILL GOT THE BLUES Gary Moore

25 ( 15 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue

26 ( 26 ) TIME Kim Wilde

27 ( 39 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

28 ( 43 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

29 ( 29 ) ALRIGHT Janet Jackson

30 ( 23 ) ALL THE YOUNG DUDES Bruce Dickinson

 

 

 

31 ( NEW ) NOBODY’S CHILD The Traveling Wilburys

32 ( 35 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

33 ( 33 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

34 ( 24 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees

35 ( 40 ) SPRINGTIME FOR THE WORLD Blow Monkeys

36 ( 49 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

37 ( 27 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

38 ( 57 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

39 ( 28 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International

40 ( 69 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

 

 

41 ( 41 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

42 ( 32 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart

43 ( 34 ) VOGUE Madonna

44 ( 42 ) THE POWER Snap!

45 ( 31 ) TEXAS Chris Rea

46 ( 38 ) PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE Was (Not Was)

47 ( 46 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

48 ( NEW ) YER SO BAD Tom Petty

49 ( 30 ) CUTS BOTH WAYS Gloria Estefan

50 ( 75 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

 

51 ( 22 ) YAAAH/ TECHNO TRANCE D-Shake

52 ( NEW ) THE MASTERPLAN Diana Brown and Barrie K. Sharpe

53 ( 58 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

54 ( 52 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure

55 ( 55 ) LOADED Primal Scream

56 ( 63 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

57 ( 56 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

58 ( 48 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair

59 ( 71 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

60 ( 50 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40

 

61 ( 67 ) FREE-STYLE MEGAMIX Bobby Brown

62 ( 36 ) HEAR THE DRUMMER (GO WICKED) Chad Jackson

63 ( RE ) MESSAGE IN THE BOX World Party

64 ( 62 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan

65 ( 66 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

66 ( 59 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

67 ( 64 ) DANGEROUS Roxette

68 ( 60 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

69 ( 37 ) ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPLE) They Might Be Giants

70 ( NEW ) WHO’S LAW IS IT ANYWAY Guru Josh

 

71 ( NEW ) MOVE AWAY JIMMT BLUE Del Amitri

72 ( NEW ) GREAT SONG OF INDIFFERENCE Bob Geldof

73 ( 74 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

74 ( 61 ) MADLY IN LOVE Bros

75 ( NEW ) STEP BY STEP New Kids On The Block

 

In real life, the niece and nephew were back at home with me and their mum, and Vicki said she missed me when they were away (aaah, sweet!). Having wasted my money on an MSX music computer 5 years earlier which was neither one thing nor the other, I opted for a new Amstrad 9512 for the hugely expensive price of £576 - bear in mind they were glorified typewriters in those days and that would be like paying a couple of thousand for one now while on low wages! Ouch!

1st July 1990

 

Only a top 40 for 3 weeks, as I foolishly decided to join the modern world and switch to a long-dead PC format for my charts, and print out my top 75. After 3 weeks I decided I didn’t like it and reverted back, just as well as I can’t find the print-outs for the full top 75 at the mo, so I only have the top 40 in pencil notepad format. There’s a lot to be said for pencil!

 

So anyway, joining the dance remix party, and straight in at 1, it’s the classic Timmy Thomas 1973 UK hit, Why Can’t We Live Together. The original is still the best, and had peaked at 2, but that gooooorgeous organ sound and sentiment are still on show here with Soul II Soul shuffles, and mixed with sound footage of Martin Luther King Jr classic speeches for added impact. Sadly, both the original video and record are subject to copyright disputes (I assume) as the versions online have removed all of the MLK speeches - yes, in the true spirit of unity, MLK’s family feel that the speeches designed to bring equality to all, are not historical news items for the betterment of mankind, they need paying first, even though the writer has been dead nearly 50 years. I’m sure it’s what he would have wanted....

 

Timmy Thomas is still alive, and I’m sure Drake has given him credit for sampling the classic organ riffs, speeding them up and still end up being the best part of current hit Hotline Bling. Jeff Lynne goes top 5, with Every Little Thing, just ahead of the Something In The Air remake at 6, 60’s TV show theme Thunderbirds Are Go remake at 7, and a new peak for the joint UK and US mix of Alright for Janet Jackson. The UK dance scene was splitting away from the US in a big way, meaning big names like Janet had to remix album tracks to get a hit, this time with Heavy D rap. The Jam & Lewis original is the best. Meanwhile Double Trouble go top 10 with an update of Rose Royce.

 

At number 12 it’s an original song! It was a flop, sadly, but it’s gorgeous, a cowboy themed ethereal harmonic gem. Ms Inga Humpe is German, and Trevor Horn is on production duties, so it is of course immaculate. In the UK Inga and her older sis Annette were known as Swimming With Sharks, and had charted in 1988 with Careless Love. Meanwhile, don’t worry, it’s another soul cover Soul II Soul style as Joanna Law does a good version of Roberta Flack at 18, First Time Ever - no face to see in the title though. Maureen Walsh goes top 20 with her Sister Sledge cover, Luciano Pavarotti goes top 40 with his rousing cover of Nessun Dorma, and we finally get 3 actual new songs: Aztec Camera’s Crying Scene at 33, An Emotional Fish Celebrate at 35 and The Rolling Stones join their own classic Paint It Black, at 38 with Almost Hear You Sigh. Almost hear me sigh when comparing 60’s classic to 90’s MOR. Doh!

 

 

1 ( NEW ) WHU CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

2 ( 1 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

3 ( 4 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

4 ( 2 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

5 ( 10 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

6 ( 20 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

7 ( 13 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

8 ( 29 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

9 ( 3 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

10 ( 28 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

 

11 ( 17 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

12 ( NEW ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

13 ( 5 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

14 ( 7 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

15 ( 16 ) OOOPS UP Snap!

16 ( 11 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

17 ( 9 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

18 ( NEW ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

19 ( 21 ) THINKING OF YOU Maureen Walsh

20 ( 6 ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

 

 

21 ( 8 ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals

22 ( 12 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

23 ( 27 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

24 ( 15 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

25 ( 14 ) ROAM The B52’s

26 ( 18 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

27 ( 50 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

28 ( 31 ) NOBODY’S CHILD The Traveling Wilburys

29 ( 40 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

30 ( 35 ) SPRINGTIME FOR THE WORLD Blow Monkeys

 

31 ( 38 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

32 ( 22 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

33 ( NEW ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

34 ( 19 ) WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN The Bangles

35 ( 36 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

36 ( NEW ) CELEBRATE An Emotional Fish

37 ( 24 ) STILL GOT THE BLUES Gary Moore

38 ( NEW ) ALMOST HEAR YOU SIGH The Rolling Stones

39 ( 25 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue

40 ( 63 ) MESSAGE IN THE BOX World Party

 

 

41 ( 32 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 33 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

43 ( 26 ) TIME Kim Wilde

44 ( RE ) ANOTHER NIGHT Jason Donovan

45 ( 41 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

46 ( 34 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees

47 ( NEW ) SHE AIN’T WORTH IT Glen Medeiros and Bobby Brown

48 ( 48 ) YER SO BAD Tom Petty

49 ( 47 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

50 ( 44 ) THE POWER Snap!

 

51 ( 42 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart

52 ( 23 ) THE ONLY ONE I KNOW The Charlatans

53 ( 43 ) VOGUE Madonna

54 ( 39 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International

55 ( 30 ) ALL THE YOUNG DUDES Bruce Dickinson

56 ( 56 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

57 ( 57 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

58 ( 59 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

59 ( 54 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure

60 ( 53 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

 

61 ( 72 ) GREAT SONG OF INDIFFERENCE Bob Geldof

62 ( 55 ) LOADED Primal Scream

63 ( 45 ) TEXAS Chris Rea

64 ( 71 ) MOVE AWAY JIMMY BLUE Del Amitri

65 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

66 ( 46 ) PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE Was (Not Was)

67 ( 66 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

68 ( 64 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan

69 ( 37 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

70 ( 58 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair

 

71 ( NEW ) BIRD ON A WIRE The Neville Brothers

72 ( 52 ) THE MASTERPLAN Diana Brown and Barrie K. Sharpe

73 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

74 ( 60 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40

75 ( NEW ) TREAT ME RIGHT Yazz

 

 

OLDIES/PLAYLIST

1 REPUTATION (LP) Dusty Springfield

2 ANGIE The Rolling Stones

3 LOOK SHARP (LP) Roxette

 

In my world, lots of checking and sorting stuff in the parks and schools of the Council, in my new role as contracts supervisor, at home I tried to get the niece and nephew into DC Comics. It didn’t work, though more recent ones like Batman, at least! On TV The Terminator, a film I’d avoided cos it had Arnold Schwarzenegger in it, turned out to be rather good, and has improved with age.

8th July 1990

 

2 weeks on top for Timmy Thomas’ remix, presiding over a deluge of covers and remixes and reissues in the top 40 - there’s another week of missing chart data to go before normal top 75 service is resumed! Jeff Lynne is up to 3, beating a host of ELO big hits, with Every Little Thing, and months late Janet Jackson’s Alright at 4 as it becomes a UK hit. Inga Humpe (to give her full name) is into the top 10 with the brilliant Trevor Horn Riding Into Blue, and Nessun Dorma brings opera into the top 20.

 

Aztec Camera have 7 years of top 20 entries as The Crying Scene leaps to 19, and Maxi Priest has 6 years as Close To You hits 20. River City People cover The Mamas & The Papas 60’s classic and are rewarded with the highest new entry - it’s not a patch on the original, witness it finally going into the UK top 10 in 1997, and topping my chart for 15 consecutive weeks, still a record. Bob Geldof finally stops being indifferent and enters the 40 4 years since he last did it, and 13 years since he first hit the Boomtown. Tom Petty, also of the Class of ’77, adds to his growing list Yer So Bad, Michael Bolton whacks off another entry, one of his better ones, and Glenn Medeiros makes my charts where his big UK chart-topper failed, with a bit of an assist from Bobby Brown, another Class Of ’83, along with Aztec Camera.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) WHU CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

2 ( 2 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

3 ( 5 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

4 ( 8 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

5 ( 3 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

6 ( 4 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

7 ( 7 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

8 ( 10 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

9 ( 12 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

10 ( 6 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

 

 

11 ( 11 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

12 ( 9 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

13 ( 18 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

14 ( 19 ) THINKING OF YOU Maureen Walsh

15 ( 13 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

16 ( 27 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

17 ( 14 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

18 ( 15 ) OOOPS UP Snap!

19 ( 33 ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

20 ( 29 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

 

 

21 ( 31 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

22 ( 23 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

23 ( 22 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

24 ( 16 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

25 ( 35 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

26 ( NEW ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

27 ( 17 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

28 ( 38 ) ALMOST HEAR YOU SIGH The Rolling Stones

29 ( 36 ) CELEBRATE An Emotional Fish

30 ( ? ) GREAT SONG OF INDIFFERENCE Bob Geldof

 

 

31 ( 24 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

32 ( 32 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

33 ( 20 ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

34 ( 26 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

35 ( ? ) YER SO BAD Tom Petty

36 ( 40 ) MESSAGE IN THE BOX World Party

37 ( NEW ) SHE AIN’T WORTH IT Glen Medeiros and Bobby Brown

38 ( 21 ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals

39 ( NEW ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

40 ( 25 ) ROAM The B52’s

 

 

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 44 ) ANOTHER NIGHT Jason Donovan

43 ( 42 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( RE ) I WANNA BE RICH Calloway

45 ( 45 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

46 ( 28 ) NOBODY’S CHILD The Traveling Wilburys

47 ( 39 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue

48 ( 58 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

49 ( 34 ) WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN The Bangles

50 ( 30 ) SPRINGTIME FOR THE WORLD Blow Monkeys

 

51 ( 49 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

52 ( 50 ) THE POWER Snap!

53 ( 37 ) STILL GOT THE BLUES Gary Moore

54 ( NEW ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

55 ( 56 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

56 ( NEW ) SHE COMES IN THE FALL The Inspiral Carpets

57 ( 46 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees

58 ( 57 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

59 ( NEW ) THIS CAN BE REAL Candy Flip

60 ( 51 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart

 

61 ( 60 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

62 ( 59 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure

63 ( 53 ) VOGUE Madonna

64 ( NEW ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

65 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

66 ( 62 ) LOADED Primal Scream

67 ( NEW ) I LOVE MUSIC Daryl Pandy

68 ( 54 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International

69 ( 67 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

70 ( 43 ) TIME Kim Wilde

 

71 ( 68 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan

72 ( NEW ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

73 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

74 ( NEW ) ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

75 ( 70 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair

 

playlist

1 DAYDREAMING Dusty Springfield

2 WINDY The Association

3 DOWNEASTER ALEXA Billy Joel

 

 

At work, in Bournemouth’s coastal cliffside Alum Chine Tropical Gardens, I picked up some Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan Palm) seeds, took ‘em home, and indulged my new hobby of growing exotic plants from seeds - one of them sprouted, shooted, lived happily indoors in a pot for a few years and then stepped outside into the back garden. It’s now 30 years old and 30 foot high, hooray!

 

Played Peter at tennis, unlike squash where he thrashes me, t’other way around for tennis - 6-0, 6-1, 2-1. England lost to West Germany in the World Cup, and on TV it was Sticky Moments With Julian Clary, MASH, Top Of The Pops, LA Law, and Blackadder II, while at Wimbledon Steffi Graf went out to Zina Garrison.

15th July 1990

 

3 weeks for Timmy Thomas’ classic on top, albeit remixed, and Inga rides the top 5, as the highest new entry is in at 10, and it’s another Rolling Stones song, covered baggy rave stylee by Soup Dragons, I’m Free Mr. Humphreys, and it’s rather fab, irreverent, joyful and lively, with a bit of toasting to boot. River City People dream into the 20, and Paul Young finally gets his Chi-Lites cover of Oh Girl into the top 20 after a few weeks pottering about outside the 40.

 

The Beloved pop back to a new peak, Time After Time, 22, and new at 24 Suzanne Vega is back after a while away, but she’s been remixed! Of course she has, it’s 1990, everything was remixed, but this one took the slightly annoying acapella original and added groovy dance beats, so improving Tom’s Diner. Blue Pearl debut with the great danceclub soul of Naked In The Rain at 28, and Inspiral Carpets return with follow-up She Comes In The Fall at 30. At 35, Go West come back after a break for 5 years of hits, with a song from the Pretty Woman soundtrack, a ballad, and their best song, the fabulous King Of Wishful Thinking. I still haven’t seen the movie so I have not been swayed by the soundtrack, it’s just a great record, and still sounded good when they did it a couple of months ago in concert, late 2015! That leaves only new entry Lovely Thing from the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, who are what they say on the label, and why not?!

 

1 ( 1 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

2 ( 3 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

3 ( 2 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

4 ( 4 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

5 ( 9 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

6 ( 5 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

7 ( 8 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

8 ( 6 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

9 ( 7 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

10 ( NEW ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

 

 

11 ( 13 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

12 ( 19 ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

13 ( 12 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

14 ( 26 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

15 ( ? ) OH GIRL Paul Young

16 ( 16 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

17 ( 20 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

18 ( 21 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

19 ( 10 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

20 ( 25 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

 

 

21 ( 17 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

22 ( ? ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

23 ( 15 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

24 ( NEW ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

25 ( 11 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

26 ( 39 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

27 ( 35 ) YER SO BAD Tom Petty

28 ( NEW ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

29 ( 14 ) THINKING OF YOU Maureen Walsh

30 ( NEW ) SHE COMES IN THE FALL The Inspiral Carpets

 

31 ( 23 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

32 ( 24 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

33 ( 37 ) SHE AIN’T WORTH IT Glen Medeiros and Bobby Brown

34 ( 18 ) OOOPS UP Snap!

35 ( NEW ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

36 ( 22 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

37 ( 27 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

38 ( NEW ) LOVELY THING Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra

39 ( 31 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

40 ( 34 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

 

 

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( NEW ) THE DOWNEASTER ALEXA Billy Joel

43 ( 29 ) CELEBRATE An Emotional Fish

44 ( 43 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

45 ( 45 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

46 ( 40 ) ROAM The B52’s

47 ( 72 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

48 ( 28 ) ALMOST HEAR YOU SIGH The Rolling Stones

49 ( 32 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

50 ( 33 ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

 

51 ( NEW ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

52 ( 38 ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals

53 ( 42 ) ANOTHER NIGHT Jason Donovan

54 ( 44 ) I WANNA BE RICH Calloway

55 ( 51 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

56 ( 30 ) GREAT SONG OF INDIFFERENCE Bob Geldof

57 ( NEW ) GIMME SOME LOVIN’ Thunder

58 ( 55 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

59 ( 59 ) THIS CAN BE REAL Candy Flip

60 ( 52 ) THE POWER Snap!

 

61 ( 58 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

62 ( NEW ) MORE THAN ONE KIND OF LOVE Joan Armatrading

63 ( 61 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

64 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

65 ( NEW ) VISION OF YOU Belinda Carlisle

66 ( 62 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure

67 ( 47 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue

68 ( NEW ) STRUNG OUT Wendy & Lisa

69 ( 69 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

70 ( NEW ) MEGACHIC - CHIC MEDLEY Chic

 

71 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

72 ( 66 ) LOADED Primal Scream

73 ( NEW ) I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW The Hothouse Flowers

74 ( NEW ) ONE LOVE The Stone Roses

75 ( NEW ) LOVING YOU Massivo featuring Tracie

 

playlist

1 DAYDREAMING Dusty Springfield

2 BAMBOLEO Gypsy Kings

3 I JUST WANT TO STAY HERE Dusty Springfield

 

PRINCE AT WEMBLEY ARENA

1 Take Me With U

2 1999

3 Nothin’ Compares 2 U

4 Kiss

5 Batdance

At home, I decided I didn’t like how time-consuming doing my charts on the computer was, so that was that for 7 years until technology caught up enough to speed things up, and I went back to paper and pencil, fortunately, as the technology is long dead. I’m still trying to convert Microsoft Works spreadsheets and documents from 1997 through 2014 to so-called Microsoft 360. 360 is the number of days it takes to open your old files cos Works is also a dead system apparently. The PC biz, like the music biz, like to keep changing formats to keep their profits healthy, very annoyingly.

 

At Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova beat Zina Garrison, Edberg over Becker, and on Monday it was a day in London, at art gallery’s (David Shepherd, among others), Virgin Records (Magnum, the band, were signing records) before tubing it to...

PRINCE IN CONCERT AT WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON, JULY 9TH 1990

 

It got off to a bad start as I had my radio-cassette taken off me by security, having to check it in. Prince, even in those days, was and is obsessive over copyright, even shittily-recorded tinny souvenir copies, and photographs taken from a mile away. This anti-fan attitude eventually killed his career on record (having gone media insane with squiggle/TAFKAP), I think I only bothered buying one more Prince album after this Graffiti Bridge tour. To his credit Mavis Staples was the support, and terrific to hear 18-years-old fave of mine I’ll Take You There, and Respect Yourself. Less creditable was the long, bloody wait for Prince to hit the stage, but once he did....! Everything written about Prince and his brilliant live performances is true, he’s charismatic, visually impressive, inventive, professional, a great dancer, an erotic mover, and great sets.

 

Nothing Compares 2 U, 1999, both highlights, Housequake funky, Purple Rain (never a fave of mine) sounded like a real Stadium Anthem in it’s natural environment, and the mostly-young audience were well into the whole mood by now. Take Me With U was instantly a new fave of mine, I was converted to it’s appeal, Kiss was excellent, though his newer piano-ballads were less appealing to me. Alphabet Street, Batdance, Partyman and that was that. “Probably the best concert I’ve seen” was my closing remark - and this is despite NOT doing When Doves Cry, Sign O The Times, Let’s Go Crazy, U Got The Look and so on. Had he done those and dropped the more forgettable album tracks, the “probably” would have become “definitely”.

At work, we had yet another reorganisation (this happens all the time in local government, at regular intervals every few years) which meant some would be moved out of the Town Hall, but not me. At home I did some drawings with young Gavin, and mate Jason popped round to organise our Paris trip. We met up again last week, it’s rather reassuring to find some things can last 25 years, yay! I now do drawings for Gav’s kids, he’s kinda grown out of that himself...

22nd July 1990

 

4 weeks or Timmy Thomas topping, as the full 75 countdown comes back, without any last week figures for those outside the top 40, except the new entries, or those that entered inside the 40 for the first time (which are treated as new entries). Highest new entry is Cher in rockin’ mode at 2, with an album track I already loved, You Wouldn’t Know Love, keeping Janet Jackson at 3, and both already having topped the chart in 1990. I never thought it would happen, but Michael ‘Mullet’ Bolton shoots into my top 10 with a good single, as Paula Abdul reissues Knocked Out to improved chart position, in at 17.

 

Fresh from the concert, Prince enters at 23 with the fab Thieves In The Temple - no youtube obviously - and Thunder roar in at 24 with a cover of The Spencer Davis Group’s Gimme Some Lovin’, a Steve Winwood song. Calloway finally make the 40, Candy Flip follow-up at 39, and The Stone Roses hit 40, with One Love. Lower down, UB40 are wearing us to the ball, at 45, Gun shoot in at 52, some superhero leatherbacks pop in with a kiddie tune at 59, Sinead O’Connor baldly follows up her classic cover, and Dream Warriors are apparently wearing our face, albeit tunefully, in their sink. It sounds distasteful, but isn’t at all. ZZ Top return with a song from fab classic movie Back To The Future III - they perform it old-western-style in the fillum, to boot - Doubleback, and finally Madonna is also in a new movie, the fairly dull Dick Tracy with beau Warren Beatty, and treats us all to her worst-ever single, the awful Hanky Panky. It is supposed to be pastiche 40’s, but is just childishly annoying - I have the soundtrack album, and there are actually really nice 40’s pastiche tracks like Now I’m Following You or Sooner Or Later which might not have sold as much but would have left no nasty after-taste!

 

 

1 ( 1 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

2 ( NEW ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

3 ( 4 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

4 ( 3 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

5 ( 2 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

6 ( 6 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

7 ( 5 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

8 ( 26 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

9 ( 10 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

10 ( 8 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

 

 

11 ( 14 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

12 ( 7 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

13 ( 9 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

14 ( 15 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

15 ( 28 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

16 ( 22 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

17 ( NEW ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

18 ( 20 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

19 ( 24 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

20 ( 11 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

 

21 ( 12 ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

22 ( 13 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

23 ( NEW ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

24 ( NEW ) GIMME SOME LOVIN’ Thunder

25 ( 30 ) SHE COMES IN THE FALL The Inspiral Carpets

26 ( 35 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

27 ( 21 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

28 ( 18 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

29 ( 23 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

30 ( 17 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

 

31 ( 19 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

32 ( 16 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

33 ( RE ) I WANNA BE RICH Calloway

34 ( 38 ) LOVELY THING Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra

35 ( 33 ) SHE AIN’T WORTH IT Glen Medeiros and Bobby Brown

36 ( ? ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

37 ( 31 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

38 ( 25 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

39 ( NEW ) THIS CAN BE REAL Candy Flip

40 ( NEW ) ONE LOVE The Stone Roses

 

 

41 ( ? ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 32 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

43 ( ? ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( 40 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

45 ( NEW ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

46 ( 36 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

47 ( ? ) LET IT BE The Beatles

48 ( 39 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

49 ( ? ) VISION OF YOU Belinda Carlisle

50 ( 27 ) YER SO BAD Tom Petty

 

51 ( 37 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

52 ( NEW ) SHAME ON YOU GUN

53 ( 34 ) OOOPS UP Snap!

54 ( ? ) ALMOST HEAR YOU SIGH The Rolling Stones

55 ( NEW ) HANKY PANKY Madonna

56 ( ? ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

57 ( ? ) ROAM The B52’s

58 ( ? ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

59 ( NEW ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

60 ( ? ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

 

61 ( 29 ) THINKING OF YOU Maureen Walsh

62 ( ? ) THE DOWNEASTER ALEXA Billy Joel

63 ( ? ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

64 ( ? ) THE POWER Snap!

65 ( ? ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

66 ( ? ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

67 ( NEW ) EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES Sinead O’Connor

68 ( ? ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

69 ( NEW ) WEAR YOUR FACE IN MY SINK Dream Warriors

70 ( ? ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

 

71 ( ? ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

72 ( NEW ) ROCKIN’ OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

73 ( NEW ) UNSKINNY BOP Poison

74 ( ? ) LOADED Primal Scream

75 ( NEW ) DOUBLEBACK ZZ Top

 

 

 

 

OLDIES CHART

1 THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

2 SECRET LOVE Kathy Kirby

3 GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Tom Jones

 

 

On my oldies chart, I’ve clearly reverted to childhood, as all 3 would have been chart-toppers in the 60’s when I loved them to bits, and Xanadu actually did top my chart in the 21st century. Kathy Kirby’s uptempo cover of Doris Day’s brilliant Secret Love was gloriously OTT, and I was mad on Kathy Kirby when I was 5 or 6 years old. Tom’s dark execution ballad Green Grass is still well known, and high-time I charted it! A new greatest hits CD please Tom!

The weather this week was scorching hot, and we had friends of mum’s down, Pat, Gary & Nathan, while at the cinema I went to see the final part of the Back To The Future trilogy, a near-perfect trio of films that I love to this day, NEVER tire of seeing them. The western setting of the 3rd slightly disappointed me at the time, but as Western romp these days I love it. Lots of college friends getting in touch a decade on, Alan, Sue rang me, and Paul & Sheila arranged to come down next week. In my pond, I noticed one of the river-caught fish was still alive, and HUGE - I watched it eat a wasp! At work, I was surveying schools in Bournemouth, and on TV an episode of Cheers I’d seen in Florida in March aired in the UK.

29th July 1990

 

It’s a new entry at 1 for Roxette - or 2 re-entries, depending on how you view it - as 2 previous American big hits that didn’t hit in the UK, but made my charts, are issued together. Dangerous was the one I preferred, but Listen To Your Heart grew on me more. That gives Roxette 3 tracks in my top 6, not bad! Fresh off seeing him live, Prince shoots up to 3, while his Mavis Staples track enters at 60, her first chart action since 1974! Suzanne Vega remixed hits the top 5, while Sting remixed by top remixer Ben Liebrand enters at 52, improving on the more laid-back original song about gay cultural icon Quentin Crisp - well, at the time it seemed like an improvement, the original sounds good these days.

 

Paula Abdul gets a 3rd top 10, knocked out she is, while old-timers Elton and Phil go straight into my 20 with fairly average tracks, for some reason, at 20 and 19 respectively. For another mystifying reason, some Turtles shoot up to 25, and Technotronic go top 40, as do the much more welcome Human League having a comeback minor UK hit with Heart Like A Wheel, and I was very happy to see ‘em back. Heart, Blow Monkeys, and Jon Bon Jovi’s solo cowboy movie theme all pop in fresh, but the best of the new bunch lower down is Bananarama’s Only Your Love - essentially a cheeky nick of the Rolling Stones Sympathy For The Devil’s “woo-hoo”s grafted over a new dance track, and it works beautifully.

 

 

1 ( NEW ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

2 ( 1 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

3 ( 23 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

4 ( 2 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

5 ( 19 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

6 ( 6 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

7 ( 9 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

8 ( 4 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

9 ( 3 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

10 ( 17 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

 

11 ( 7 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

12 ( 15 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

13 ( 8 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

14 ( 5 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

15 ( 11 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

16 ( 13 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

17 ( 10 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

18 ( 26 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

19 ( NEW ) THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS Phil Collins

20 ( NEW ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

 

21 ( 12 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

22 ( 16 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

23 ( 14 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

24 ( 24 ) GIMME SOME LOVIN’ Thunder

25 ( 59 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

26 ( 72 ) ROCKIN’ OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

27 ( 20 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

28 ( 27 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

29 ( 34 ) LOVELY THING Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra

30 ( 18 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

 

31 ( 29 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

32 ( 36 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

33 ( 25 ) SHE COMES IN THE FALL The Inspiral Carpets

34 ( 21 ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

35 ( NEW ) DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG The Jungle Brothers

36 ( 22 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

37 ( 40 ) ONE LOVE The Stone Roses

38 ( 37 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

39 ( NEW ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

40 ( NEW ) I DIDN’T WANT TO NEED YOU Heart

 

 

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 43 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

43 ( 33 ) I WANNA BE RICH Calloway

44 ( 39 ) THIS CAN BE REAL Candy Flip

45 ( 38 ) I’M STILL WAITING (REMIX) Diana Ross

46 ( 67 ) EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES Sinead O’Connor

47 ( 47 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

48 ( 44 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

49 ( 45 ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

50 ( 28 ) THE ONLY RHYME THAT BITES MC Tunes vs 808 State

 

 

51 ( 31 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Promised Land

52 ( NEW ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

53 ( 55 ) HANKY PANKY Madonna

54 ( NEW ) ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

55 ( 60 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

56 ( 51 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

57 ( 35 ) SHE AIN’T WORTH IT Glen Medeiros and Bobby Brown

58 ( 58 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

59 ( 42 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo

60 ( NEW ) MELODY COOL Mavis Staples

 

 

61 ( 48 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

62 ( 46 ) U CAN’T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

63 ( 69 ) WEAR YOUR FACE IN MY SINK Dream Warriors

64 ( 63 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

65 ( NEW ) LA PASSIONARA The Blow Monkeys

66 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

67 ( 75 ) DOUBLEBACK ZZ Top

68 ( NEW ) LET LOVE RULE Lenny Kravitz

69 ( NEW ) POISON Bell Biv Devoe

70 ( 64 ) THE POWER Snap!

 

71 ( 30 ) CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

72 ( 71 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

73 ( NEW ) CAN’T STOP THE RAP Smiley Culture

74 ( 32 ) NESSUN DORMA Luciano Pavarotti

75 ( NEW ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

 

I’ve mislead my diaries again from here-on, hooray! So little in the way of gossip of the time, for now. It was, however, the week I went to see a Blonde Ambition Tour....

MADONNA LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM 21st/22nd July 1990

 

I went mate Bob, we got their early and spent the day standing in the elements on the steps of Wembley Stadium to make sure we got good seats. I wanted no repeat of the previous tour, where we stood and were surrounded by piss-heads chucking bottles of piss at little kiddie Madonna lookalikes sitting on their dad’s shoulders and blocking everybody’s view behind. This one, we got seats not to far from the stage, half-way down, and it was a whole new experience, we had an overview of the whole stadium, which at times was electric, most of all on Like A Prayer, which had the whole place singing along joyously and movingly, ciggie lighters glowing - I’ll be honest I got goosebumps and it became my new Greatest Moment At A Live Concert Ever. A clip of another evening off the Truth Or Dare movie is attached.

 

Sadly, I can’t give any insights of the moment, except to say, Madonna put on a show that took on Prince (seen a week or so earlier) and won. Raunchy, controversial, great sets and costumes, and the list of the best tracks goes as:

 

 

1. Like A Prayer

2. Papa Don’t Reach

3. Holiday

4. Open Your Heart

5. Express Yourself

6. Live To Tell

7. Like A Virgin

8. Vogue

5th August 1990

 

Oops over a year since I last posted any charts from 1990 - as I'm off work sick, that's an opportunity to try and catch up then! 16 new entries, 6 of them cover versions (not usually a healthy sign in any given music scene) and one oldie, and it's Roxette all the way with 3 songs dominating the top 3, as they replace themselves on top with the Pretty Woman soundtrack song. I have never seen the film so can't say that swayed me one way or the other!

 

Inga's brilliant Riding Into Blue goes top 5 a few years after her band Swimming With Sharks introduced her to my charts, and in at 9 it's a record that made my top 20 in 1974, and topped the US charts, but criminally never charted in the UK. Thanks to an advert, that all changed 16 years late for The Steve Miller Band, who had to wait until 1976 to chart in the UK, and 1982 to get a huge hit. The Joker was and is quirky and cool.

 

In at 17, no more teen videos, all serious and grown-up, it's the late great George Michael and his move into social comment with the brilliant Praying For Time. He sings it with passion (as he always did on ballads) and the words remain even more true than they did in 1990. Meanwhile Cliff delves deep into the archives for a rocknroll era song that was more familiar to me with Hermans Hermits version, a childhood fave. It's decent, but not as good as older versions, and ditto Hothouse Flowers' Johnny Nash cover, Big Fun's Eddie Holman cover, Deacon Blue's Bobbie Gentry cover and Lindy Layton's Janet Kay cover. Timmy Mallet, meanwhile, gets a huge UK chart-topper with a charming kiddie fave from Brian Hyland, disguised (badly) as Bombalurina. It's awful.

 

Happily, a great new pop single from Betty Boo, and a debut from Mariah Carey that gives no indication of future atrocities committed to tape, the sweet Vision Of Love, compensate somewhat. Mariah Carey has an amazing vocal range (as she likes showing off inappropriately at times) and can write good pop songs (see her xmas classic) or really get into a groove - but too often is distracted by bland overblown ballads.

 

Please excuse the Hanky Panky movement into the top 40 - in my defence I was fresh off seeing Madonna in concert the week before, and it seemed fun for about a week. I realise now I was wrong, and it isn't. Madonna's worst single no contest! No video links anymore, as they just get out of date (and who has time to find new ones!) and my old computer struggles with more than one Youtube link before going into never-ending staring-at-a-circle-spinning mode...

 

1 ( 6 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

2 ( 1 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

3 ( 3 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

4 ( 11 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

5 ( 7 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

6 ( 2 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

7 ( 10 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

8 ( 8 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

9 ( NEW ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

10 ( 5 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

 

11 ( 4 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

12 ( 12 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

13 ( 18 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

14 ( 19 ) THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS Phil Collins

15 ( 15 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

16 ( 9 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

17 ( NEW ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

18 ( 16 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

19 ( 39 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

20 ( 20 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

 

21 ( 17 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

22 ( 35 ) DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG The Jungle Brothers

23 ( 13 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

24 ( NEW ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

25 ( 26 ) ROCKIN’ OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

26 ( 14 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

27 ( NEW ) I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW The Hothouse Flowers

28 ( 25 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

29 ( 22 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

30 ( 32 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

 

31 ( NEW ) HEY THERE LONELY GIRL Big Fun

32 ( 75 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

33 ( 28 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

34 ( 69 ) POISON Bell Biv Devoe

35 ( 21 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

36 ( 31 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

37 ( 49 ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

38 ( 52 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

39 ( 23 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

40 ( 53 ) HANKY PANKY Madonna

 

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 38 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

43 ( 42 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( 36 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

45 ( 40 ) I DIDN’T WANT TO NEED YOU Heart

46 ( 54 ) ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

47 ( 63 ) WASH YOUR FACE IN MY SINK Dream Warriors

48 ( 47 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

49 ( 27 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

50 ( 29 ) LOVELY THING Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra

 

51 ( 34 ) THE CRYING SCENE Aztec Camera

52 ( 48 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

53 ( NEW ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

54 ( 24 ) GIMME SOME LOVIN’ Thunder

55 ( NEW ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

56 ( NEW ) ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI Bombalurina

57 ( 55 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

58 ( 60 ) MELODY COOL Mavis Staples

59 ( 68 ) LET LOVE RULE Lenny Kravitz

60 ( NEW ) HOW THE HEART BEHAVES Was (Not Was)

 

61 ( 58 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

62 ( 56 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

63 ( 46 ) EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES Sinead O’Connor

64 ( NEW ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

65 ( 65 ) LA PASSIONARA The Blow Monkeys

66 ( 64 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

67 ( 66 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

68 ( NEW ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton

69 ( 30 ) MONA Craig McClaghlan

70 ( NEW ) VIOLENCE OF SUMMER Duran Duran

 

71 ( 61 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V

72 ( NEW ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

73 ( 72 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

74 ( NEW ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

75 ( NEW ) CHANNEL Z The B52’s

I still have the Swimming With Sharks album on cassette. Careless Love and No Longer Friends are great songs. I didn't buy Inga Humpe's 1990 solo album but I see it's on Spotify so I might listen to it.

 

I also bought Every Little Thing as a CD single which has an extended version of the song. It's unusual for Jeff Lynne to record a longer version of any song. Any ELO 12 inch singles just have the same version of the main song as the 7 inch. His solo album from that year,Armchair Theatre,was quite good.

I still have the Swimming With Sharks album on cassette. Careless Love and No Longer Friends are great songs. I didn't buy Inga Humpe's 1990 solo album but I see it's on Spotify so I might listen to it.

 

I also bought Every Little Thing as a CD single which has an extended version of the song. It's unusual for Jeff Lynne to record a longer version of any song. Any ELO 12 inch singles just have the same version of the main song as the 7 inch. His solo album from that year,Armchair Theatre,was quite good.

 

Thanks Rollo, Careless Love was a goodie, I've not heard the other one must check it out. Inga's single was a Trevor Horn production,and tastefully low-key lush, not heard the album sadly.

 

I also bought that Jeff Lynne CD single and the vinyl album, bit of a fan I am :lol:

12th August 1990

 

Roxette return to the top, replacing themselves on top for the second time. In my main singles chart there have been a few occasions where acts replace themselves with oldies, but few with new or recent material. Prior to 1990 I don't think there were any, not even Abba! Go West overtake one Pretty Woman soundtrack single with the best one (and also their best record) the fab King Of Wishful Thinking up to 2. Saw them not long ago (2015-ish) and still in fine fettle. Ditto Human League in 2016, up to 4 with a comeback lesser hit that hasn't worn as well as Go West's.

 

George into the 10, Jon Bon Jovi getting an increasingly rare top 20 hit (by this time), also a movie soundtrack (Western) song, with Sting's classy remix at last getting the attention it deserves for the cool jazz ode to Quentin Crisp. Sting should revisit his 80's heyday for some tips on how to make great records. Highest new entry is Aswad, or as I know them, Partial Double-deckers. I'm old. Google it. By this time they were hitting a great lovers-rock string of pleasant singles, and Next To You is no exception.

 

Big climbs into the 40 for Tina Turner, hot off her recent anthems, Betty Boo, New Kids On The Block (a reasonable pop record, honest), Mariah Carey, Lindy Layton (now ex-Beats International) and Bananarama on a fab Stones rifftastic dancegroove that was under-appreciated. Only Your Love was to become a Paris city-getaway holiday memory for me in the autumn, hooray! In at 32, Wilson Philips follow up a still-selling future-movie-song monster with a pleasant US chart-topper, Release Me. Thankfully not the Engelbert song.

 

That leaves new entries from Tears For Fears, with some last words that peaked at a low 83 in the UK charts. Still, higher in mine, eh? Sonia, coming off the back of a number one for me, also did good covering the brilliant End Of The World and introducing it to a younger audience - granted it's not a patch on Skeeter Davis' original hit version, but it's not ruined. Primal Scream get a second hit, Come Together (not The Beatles song) anda second KLF chart-entry for me the future hit classic What Time Is Love, in at 69. I loved every single from Kylie Said To Jason, through to America: What Time Is Love, and including The Timelords' Doctorin' The Tardis, which no doubt boosted this version of What Time Is Love into my charts.

 

 

1 ( 2 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

2 ( 13 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

3 ( 3 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

4 ( 19 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

5 ( 5 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

6 ( 1 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

7 ( 9 ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

8 ( 17 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

9 ( 6 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

10 ( 10 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

 

11 ( 12 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

12 ( 20 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

13 ( 4 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

14 ( 8 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

15 ( 11 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

16 ( 7 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

17 ( 32 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

18 ( 38 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

19 ( 22 ) DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG The Jungle Brothers

20 ( NEW ) NEXT TO YOU Aswad

 

21 ( 23 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

22 ( 27 ) I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW The Hothouse Flowers

23 ( 24 ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

24 ( 21 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

25 ( 14 ) THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS Phil Collins

26 ( 37 ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

27 ( 16 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

28 ( 53 ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

29 ( 18 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

30 ( 34 ) POISON Bell Biv Devoe

 

31 ( 15 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

32 ( NEW ) RELEASE ME Wilson Philips

33 ( 74 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

34 ( 28 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

35 ( 29 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

36 ( 72 ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

37 ( 55 ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

38 ( 33 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

39 ( 46 ) ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

40 ( 68 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton

 

 

41 ( 26 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

42 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

43 ( 36 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

44 ( 43 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

45 ( 64 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

46 ( 44 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

47 ( 31 ) HEY THERE LONELY GIRL Big Fun

48 ( 42 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

49 ( 48 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

50 ( 30 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

 

51 ( 56 ) ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI Bombalurina

52 ( 60 ) HOW THE HEART BEHAVES Was (Not Was)

53 ( 35 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

54 ( 52 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

55 ( 59 ) LET LOVE RULE Lenny Kravitz

56 ( 25 ) ROCKIN’ OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

57 ( 70 ) VIOLENCE OF SUMMER Duran Duran

58 ( 57 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

59 ( NEW ) NOBODY Tongue n’ Cheek

60 ( 49 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

 

61 ( NEW ) HARDLINE UPROAR Together

62 ( NEW ) FAMOUS LAST WORDS Tears For Fears

63 ( 61 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

64 ( RE ) DOUBLEBACK ZZ Top

65 ( 75 ) CHANNEL Z The B52’s

66 ( 62 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

67 ( 67 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

68 ( 66 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

69 ( NEW ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

70 ( 40 ) HANKY PANKY Madonna

 

71 ( NEW ) END OF THE WORLD Sonia

72 ( 39 ) OH GIRL Paul Young

73 ( NEW ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

74 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

75 ( NEW ) AMANDA Craig McClaghlan & Check 1-2

19th August 1990

 

Go West grab their only chart-topper, 5 years after debuting, with the still-brilliant King Of Wishful Thinking, a song which under-performed in the UK charts of the time but has weathered quite well in popularity terms since. Elton gathers another of his regular top 10 spots with a double A side that also was a minor hit only in sales charts, though the parent album was pretty big. 19 years of top 10's at this stage for Reg.

 

Highest new entry is a 20-year-old remixed cover-version that hit for Jonathan King, albeit minor, that sounded a bit fab n groovy in the Daisy Age/post-Second-Summer-Of-Love/Madchester period. It's still fun. Also firmly with a major "Pure 1990" sticker on it's forehead, the 60's-styled cool-hippie-funk, Groove Is In The Heart enters at 43 for fab Deee-Lite. It sounded fresh, fun and exciting at the time, and 27 years on hasn't lost any of that charm.

 

Fleetwood Mac come back with a long, tribal instrumental-heavy track at 40, but In The Back Of My Mind was post-Buckingham, I think, and suffered from that touch of magic being missing. It was OK, but not exactly Tango In The Night quality, never mind Rumours. Covers of The Eagles from Jam On The Mutha, and The Beatles from Wet Wet Wet, a return from Prefab Sprout, looking for Atlantis (try underwater is my advice), and also World Party, and Frazier Chorus, about whom I have forgotten all. Nothing was their biggest UK hit at 51, and Wikipedia tells me they hail from Brighton and band-member Tim Freeman is the brother of actor Martin Freeman. Who knew!?

 

 

1 ( 2 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

2 ( 1 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

3 ( 4 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

4 ( 3 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

5 ( 7 ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

6 ( 10 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

7 ( 8 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

8 ( 5 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

9 ( 15 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

10 ( 12 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

 

11 ( 17 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

12 ( 6 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

13 ( 18 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

14 ( 9 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

15 ( 20 ) NEXT TO YOU Aswad

16 ( NEW ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT ’90 Jonathan King

17 ( 32 ) RELEASE ME Wilson Philips

18 ( 13 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

19 ( 14 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

20 ( 28 ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

 

21 ( 33 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

22 ( 11 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

23 ( 23 ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

24 ( 16 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

25 ( 24 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

26 ( 26 ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

27 ( 19 ) DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG The Jungle Brothers

28 ( 25 ) THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS Phil Collins

29 ( 21 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

30 ( 36 ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

 

31 ( 22 ) I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW The Hothouse Flowers

32 ( 29 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

33 ( 40 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton

34 ( 37 ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

35 ( 61 ) HARDLINE UPROAR Together

36 ( 27 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

37 ( 45 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

38 ( 34 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

39 ( 35 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

40 ( NEW ) IN THE BACK OF MY MIND Fleetwood Mac

 

 

41 ( 42 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 38 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

43 ( NEW ) GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

44 ( 44 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

45 ( 43 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

46 ( NEW ) HOTEL CALIFORNIA Jam On The Mutha

47 ( 41 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

48 ( 73 ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

49 ( 49 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

50 ( 46 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

 

51 ( 31 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

52 ( 52 ) HOW THE HEART BEHAVES Was (Not Was)

53 ( 30 ) POISON Bell Biv Devoe

54 ( 48 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

55 ( 69 ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

56 ( 54 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

57 ( 62 ) FAMOUS LAST WORDS Tears For Fears

58 ( 58 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

59 ( 59 ) NOBODY Tongue n’ Cheek

60 ( 51 ) ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI Bombalurina

 

61 ( 50 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

62 ( 47 ) HEY THERE LONELY GIRL Big Fun

63 ( 39 ) ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

64 ( 63 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

65 ( 67 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

66 ( 53 ) LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE Double Trouble

67 ( 66 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

68 ( 68 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

69 ( 60 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

70 ( NEW ) LOOKING FOR ATLANTIS Prefab Sprout

 

71 ( NEW ) NOTHING Frazier Chorus

72 ( 75 ) AMANDA Craig McClaghlan & Check 1-2

73 ( NEW ) LAY DOWN NOW World Party

74 ( 74 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

75 ( NEW ) I FEEL FINE Wet Wet Wet

26th August 1990

 

It's a sudden reversal and leap back into the top 10 and on top of the chart for Inga, thanks to 12 inches. Yes, I bought the 12" vinyl version of the worldwide flop and got to fully appreciate the cowboy-synth Trevor-Horn-production charm of the record. The video is equally charming. Bad news for Human League who don't get to add another number one to their list, though 2 is quite generous enough in retrospect. JK goes top 10 with his 1970 oldie nd Joe Jackson returns to the top 10 7 years on with the great Steppin' Out.

 

Aswad clock up another top 10, and it won't be the last either, Deee-Lite leap into the 40, Primal Scream ditto, and Sonia re-enters her cover of End Of The World at 35, heading a run of covers to make the 40. Black Cat, Janet J goes all rock-chick, and I wasn't entirely convinced it was up to the standard of the early singles off Rhythm Nation. Had the album, too. There were much better tracks. Happily at 57 it's a classic from Bass-O-Matic, a William Orbit project that heavily sampled Tommy Roe's Dizzy rhythms. Dizzy was the first ever single I bought with my own money, so it could have gone horribly wrong in my affections, but didn't. It's still a fantastic single, sample-heavy, soulful, groovy.

 

Joining the Janet rock-vibe, Whitesnake and Aerosmith add to a long list of older chart entries, Heatwave remix a soul ballad goodie of theirs from 1978, Bob Geldof does a solo entry 5 years after his first one, and Junior extends his run of hits to 8 years with Step Off. DNA slip in while also hogging a top 10 slot with dut-dut-duh-da.

 

1 ( 18 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

2 ( 3 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

3 ( 2 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

4 ( 1 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

5 ( 7 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

6 ( 6 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

7 ( 16 ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT ’90 Jonathan King

8 ( NEW ) STEPPIN’ OUT Joe Jackson

9 ( 4 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

10 ( 15 ) NEXT TO YOU Aswad

 

11 ( 5 ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

12 ( 21 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

13 ( 13 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

14 ( 20 ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

15 ( 8 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

16 ( 11 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

17 ( 17 ) RELEASE ME Wilson Philips

18 ( 14 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

19 ( 12 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

20 ( 23 ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

 

21 ( 43 ) GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

22 ( 10 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

23 ( 19 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

24 ( 9 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

25 ( 34 ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

26 ( 48 ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

27 ( 39 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

28 ( 25 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

29 ( 33 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton

30 ( 30 ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

 

31 ( 35 ) HARDLINE UPROAR Together

32 ( 22 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

33 ( 24 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

34 ( 32 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

35 ( RE ) END OF THE WORLD Sonia

36 ( 37 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

37 ( 46 ) HOTEL CALIFORNIA Jam On The Mutha

38 ( 55 ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

39 ( 29 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

40 ( 40 ) IN THE BACK OF MY MIND Fleetwood Mac

 

 

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 44 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

43 ( 36 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

44 ( 42 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

45 ( 27 ) DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG The Jungle Brothers

46 ( 38 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

47 ( 45 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

48 ( NEW ) BLACK CAT janet Jackson

49 ( 49 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

50 ( 69 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

 

51 ( 26 ) WEAR YOU TO THE BALL UB40

52 ( 28 ) THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS Phil Collins

53 ( 31 ) I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW The Hothouse Flowers

54 ( 50 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

55 ( 47 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

56 ( 56 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

57 ( NEW ) FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-O-Matic

58 ( 58 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

59 ( 54 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

60 ( NEW ) NOW YOU’RE GONE Whitesnake

 

61 ( 51 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

62 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

63 ( NEW ) THE OTHER SIDE Aerosmith

64 ( 61 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

65 ( 64 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

66 ( NEW ) MIND BLOWING DECISIONS (REMIX) Heatwave

67 ( 53 ) POISON Bell Biv Devoe

68 ( 68 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

69 ( 67 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

70 ( 70 ) LOOKING FOR ATLANTIS Prefab Sprout

 

71 ( NEW ) LOVE OR SOMETHING Bob Geldof

72 ( 73 ) LAY DOWN NOW World Party

73 ( 74 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

74 ( NEW ) LA SERENISSIMA DNA

75 ( NEW ) STEP OFF Junior Giscombe

I went to see the Human League last December and was surprised by how okay they were still - although Heart Like a Wheel isn't a particularly high point for me!!!

 

Out of your latest one, these are my favourites:

 

2 ( 3 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

3 ( 2 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

4 ( 1 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

5 ( 7 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

6 ( 6 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

9 ( 4 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

12 ( 21 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

15 ( 8 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

19 ( 12 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

21 ( 43 ) GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

26 ( 48 ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

27 ( 39 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

29 ( 33 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton

32 ( 22 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

36 ( 37 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

38 ( 55 ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

41 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

42 ( 44 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( 42 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

47 ( 45 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

48 ( NEW ) BLACK CAT janet Jackson

49 ( 49 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

54 ( 50 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

57 ( NEW ) FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-O-Matic

58 ( 58 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

59 ( 54 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

62 ( 65 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

65 ( 64 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

73 ( 74 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

 

I went to see the Human League last December and was surprised by how okay they were still - although Heart Like a Wheel isn't a particularly high point for me!!!

 

Thanks for the list dandy! I also saw the Human League last December (for about the 8th or 9th time) and yes they still have it, Phil is cool. I think Heart Like A Wheel was a bit over-rated by me cos, like Pet Shop Boys, I had a bias towards anything new they put out. They were my fave 80's band till PSB's turned up. Pet Shop Boys are still brilliant live and I'm off to see them tonight (Super tour is fab, caught it last year) - and hopefully all going well again in April with Suedey at Royal Albert Hall & Bernard Butler. Hooray!

3rd September 1990

 

It's George Michael on top for a 1st week with the spine-tingling Praying For Time, so good it was released without a pop video as that would distract from the words, and gives the much-missed George an 8th chart-topper. Betty Boo gets a 2nd solo top 10, and the fab Deee-Lite leap up to 8, with late 60's psychedelic clothes and imagery that warmed my nostalgic heart. Talking of nostalgia, Talk Talk's 4-year-old top 10 is back at 10, Life's What You Make It should have been bigger both times in the UK charts. Maria McKee's car-race movie theme, and future UK chart-topper that stiffed in the USA, enters at 14, Show Me Heaven, while a huge leap for Bass-o-Matic's Dizzy-sampling gem from 57 to 16 gives William Orbit early success as both artist and producer, before he settles more for producing the likes of Madonna by the end of the decade.

 

The lovely Cocteau Twins Iceblink Luck enters at 19, and Sonia goes top 20 with an old 60's fave song, End Of The World is just a marvellous song though I'll take Skeeter Davis' version overall. New Kids are top 20 the very week as I type (Nov 2018) they have returned with a long list of 90's acts into my top 40. Mavis Staples is also around my current charts as she enters with a Prince-supporting Melody Cool at 50. Jason Donovan also has a 60's oldie song I liked a lot in at 26, Rhythm Of The Rain, DNA climb into the 40, INXS enter with the sadly-titled Suicide Blonde, at 56, S'Express have Nothing To Lose at 48, Richard Marx is back, Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler goes solo, and a bonus song (due to a miscount omission of Mariah Carey higher up the chart I discovered 3 weeks later. Fancy forgettin' her - GTFO as she currently sings in my current chart!) at 76 it's David Grant back for a Linx-inclusive chart-run of 10 years.

 

1 ( 5 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

2 ( 1 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

3 ( 3 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

4 ( 6 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

5 ( 4 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

6 ( 12 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

7 ( 2 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

8 ( 21 ) GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

9 ( 9 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

10 ( NEW ) LIFE’S WHAT YOU MAKE IT Talk Talk

 

11 ( 8 ) STEPPIN’ OUT Joe Jackson

12 ( 7 ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT ’90 Jonathan King

13 ( 10 ) NEXT TO YOU Aswad

14 ( NEW ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Maria McKee

15 ( 11 ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

16 ( 57 ) FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-O-Matic

17 ( 13 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

18 ( 35 ) END OF THE WORLD Sonia

19 ( NEW ) ICE BLINK LUCK Cocteau Twins

20 ( 30 ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

 

21 ( 25 ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

22 ( 15 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

23 ( 26 ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

24 ( 36 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

25 ( 18 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

26 ( NEW ) RHTHYM OF THE RAIN Jason Donovan

27 ( 16 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

28 ( 19 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

29 ( 23 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

30 ( 17 ) RELEASE ME Wilson Philips

 

31 ( 20 ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

32 ( 38 ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

33 ( 40 ) IN THE BACK OF MY MIND Fleetwood Mac

34 ( 74 ) LA SERENISSIMA DNA

35 ( 24 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

36 ( 14 ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

37 ( 22 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

38 ( 28 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

39 ( 46 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

40 ( 27 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

 

41 ( 48 ) BLACK CAT janet Jackson

42 ( 41 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

43 ( 42 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( 33 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

45 ( 60 ) NOW YOU’RE GONE Whitesnake

46 ( 34 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

47 ( 44 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

48 ( NEW ) NOTHING TO LOSE S’Express

49 ( 49 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

50 ( NEW ) MELODY COOL Mavis Staples

 

51 ( 43 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

52 ( 47 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

53 ( 31 ) HARDLINE UPROAR Together

54 ( 29 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay

55 ( 32 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

56 ( NEW ) SUICIDE BLONDE INXS

57 ( 39 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

58 ( 61 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

59 ( 56 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

60 ( 58 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

 

61 ( NEW ) HARD TO HANDLE The Black Crowes

62 ( 37 ) HOTEL CALIFORNIA Jam On The Mutha

63 ( 54 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

64 ( 62 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

65 ( 50 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

66 ( NEW ) ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS/ HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS Richard Marx

67 ( 65 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

68 ( 59 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal

69 ( NEW ) TERRIFYING The Rolling Stones

70 ( 68 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

 

71 ( 55 ) EVERY LITTLE THING Jeff Lynne

72 ( NEW ) LOVE AND AFFECTION Sinitta

73 ( NEW ) LIVIN’ IN THE LIGHT Caron Wheeler

74 ( 69 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

75 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

76 ( NEW ) LIFE ’90 David Grant

 

 

PLAYLIST OLDIES

 

1 THE QUESTION OF U Prince

2 5-7-0-5 City Boy

3 LIVING IN HARMONY Cliff Richard

 

My mate Bob is still pissed-off he had to go to a Uni friend's wedding and miss the Concert I went to this week at Wembley Stadium: Fleetwood Mac plugging their first Post-Lindsey Buckingham album, but happily including a stash of Buckingham-era greats. Support was Hall & Oates, so a twofer me. The Mac were fab, and having both Stevie & Christine still in the band helped compensate for not having Lindsey. And here I stand 28 years later not buying tickets to the latest Lindsey-free version playing Wembley again in 2019. I've seen 2 versions with Lindsey back and Christine missing, and finally got the Big Five all together for the last tour. It's disappointing they have gone all acrimonious and law-suitey with each other again just when we got Christine back and she and Lindsey had done some good stuff together. But this was a great gig, and these were the highlights....

 

 

FLEETWOOD MAC/HALL & OATES AT WEMBLEY STADIUM 1st SEPT 1990

 

1 GO YOUR OWN WAY Fleetwood Mac

2 LITTLE LIES Fleetwood Mac

3 DON’T STOP Fleetwood Mac

4 EVERYWHERE Fleetwood Mac

5 THE CHAIN Fleetwood Mac

6 SHE’S GONE Daryl Hall & John Oates

7 MANEATER Daryl Hall & John Oates

8 RHIANNON Fleetwood Mac

9 DREAMS Fleetwood Mac

10 I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO) Daryl Hall & John Oates

OK back after a big break, cos I had 30 mins spare after seeing the new Spiderman movie...

 

9th September 1990

 

It's 2 weeks on top for George Michael's brilliant Praying For Time in a quiet week for new entries. Bass-O-Matic aka rhythm track to the first single I ever bought (Dizzy by Tommy Roe) shoots up to 2, Fascinating Rhythm is totally right, while Groove certainly is In The Heart at 3. Maria McKee goes top 10, and quite rightly, with the highest new entry at 12 being a remix of a top 10 Philly Soul classic from 1973 for The Detroit Spinners as we called 'em in the UK. I'd actually forgotten to include Mariah Carey in my chart that week, and added her in later, which pushed everything below 20 down one slot, so I had a top 76 - and in my playlist chart of that week were 2 new album tracks.

 

I excluded album tracks from my charts back then, but as I have an odd number anyway, I've slotted them in at the bottom - they would actually featured much higher, top 20 most likely, but as I can't prove where they resided in my affection then they just get the mention at 77 and 78 as it's only fair they get a chart credit: Prince's 1985 album track on his new Graffiti Bridge album, having caught the tour earlier - with Mavis Staples as support also going up with her Prince-gifted song at 33. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation album has multiple tracks on the chart, including the new one and best non-single in at 78 for Love Will Never Do Without You, while Black Cat goes top 40. The album is half-terrific. The songs are terrific, the vocal interruption tracks are excruciatingly awful.

 

Faith No More's fab Epic enters at 38, INXS, S'Express join Roxette in bringing the letter X into prominence inside the top 40, while another X-Man Maxi Priest has another Lovers Rock message new at 50, Loose Ends make it 5 years of chart entries, World Party not far behind, Adamski doesn't have a killer follow-up, or does he! Finally Londonbeat are back at 76, giving vocalist Jimmy Helms a sweet 17 years of chart hits, being as he UK hit-charted with Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, along with a follow-up or two (in my charts, not the UK singles chart): I've Been Thinking About You is even better.

 

1 ( 1 ) PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

2 ( 16 ) FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-O-Matic

3 ( 8 ) GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

4 ( 6 ) WHERE ARE YOU BABY Betty Boo

5 ( 3 ) LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS Roxette

6 ( 14 ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Maria McKee

7 ( 2 ) RIDING INTO BLUE Inga

8 ( 9 ) THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

9 ( 5 ) KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

10 ( 4 ) TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

 

11 ( 7 ) HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

12 ( NEW ) GHETTO CHILD (REMIX) The Detroit Spinners

13 ( 10 ) LIFE’S WHAT YOU MAKE IT Talk Talk

14 ( 12 ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT ’90 Jonathan King AKA JK25

15 ( 13 ) NEXT TO YOU Aswad

16 ( 18 ) ICE BLINK LUCK Cocteau Twins

17 ( 18 ) END OF THE WORLD Sonia

18 ( 24 ) I’LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN Deacon Blue

19 ( 23 ) COME TOGETHER Primal Scream

20 ( 21 ) VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

 

21 ( 15 ) THE JOKER The Steve Miller Band

22 ( 11 ) STEPPIN’ OUT Joe Jackson

23 ( 26 ) RHTHYM OF THE RAIN Jason Donovan

24 ( 39 ) TURTLE POWER Partners In Kryme

25 ( 17 ) ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Sting

26 ( 32 ) WHAT TIME IS LOVE The KLF

27 ( 48 ) NOTHING TO LOSE S’Express

28 ( 34 ) LA SERENISSIMA DNA

29 ( 25 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

30 ( 33 ) IN THE BACK OF MY MIND Fleetwood Mac

 

31 ( 41 ) BLACK CAT janet Jackson

32 ( 22 ) I’M FREE The Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

33 ( 50 ) MELODY COOL Mavis Staples

34 ( 29 ) YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND Big Fun and Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

35 ( 28 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

36 ( NEW ) EPIC Faith No More

37 ( 20 ) TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

38 ( 56 ) SUICIDE BLONDE INXS

39 ( 40 ) TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

40 ( 38 ) SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS Elton John

 

41 ( 35 ) YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE Cher

42 ( 42 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

43 ( 43 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

44 ( 27 ) BLAZE OF GLORY Jon Bon Jovi

45 ( 30 ) RELEASE ME Wilson Philips

46 ( 31 ) SILHOUETTES Cliff Richard

47 ( 73 ) LIVIN’ IN THE LIGHT Caron Wheeler

48 ( 49 ) LET IT BE The Beatles

49 ( 47 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips

50 ( NEW ) PEACE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Maxi Priest

 

51 ( 37 ) CLUB AT THE END OF THE STREET/ WHISPERS Elton John

52 ( 36 ) LOOK ME IN THE HEART Tina Turner

53 ( 51 ) ALRIGHT (UK/USA versions) Janet Jackson

54 ( 46 ) THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO FAB featuring MC Parker

55 ( 52 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk

56 ( 61 ) HARD TO HANDLE The Black Crowes

57 ( 55 ) NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

58 ( 69 ) TERRIFYING The Rolling Stones

59 ( 60 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

60 ( 59 ) WOULDN’T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys

 

61 ( 44 ) KNOCKED OUT Paula Abdul

62 ( 72 ) LOVE AND AFFECTION Sinitta

63 ( 64 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

64 ( 75 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush

65 ( 66 ) ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS/ HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS Richard Marx

66 ( 63 ) PAINT IT BLACK The Rolling Stones

67 ( 67 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode

68 ( NEW ) DON’T BE A FOOL Loose Ends

69 ( 65 ) FIRST TIME EVER Joanna Law

70 ( 57 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN Michael Bolton

 

71 ( 70 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher

72 ( 54 ) SILLY GAMES Lindy Layton featuring Janet Kay

73 ( NEW ) WAY DOWN NOW World Party

74 ( 58 ) CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ River City People

75 ( NEW ) THE SPACE JUNGLE Adamaski

76 ( NEW ) I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU Londonbeat

77 ( 77 ) THE QUESTION OF U Prince

78 ( NEW ) LOVE WILL NEVER DO WITHOUT YOU Janet Jackson

 

 

 

PLAYLIST ODLIES/ALBUM TRACKS

1 RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana

2 THE QUESTION OF U Prince

3 DAYDREAMING Dusty Springfield

4 LOVE WILL NEVER DO WITHOUT YOU Janet Jackson

I always consider Englishman in New York to be Stings most famous song as I remember it being played everywhere at the time but it only charted top 15 officially didn't it?!

I always consider Englishman in New York to be Stings most famous song as I remember it being played everywhere at the time but it only charted top 15 officially didn't it?!

 

Yes I think it was a middling hit and quite popular on radio - though the original version got little airplay when it came out. It's strange how some songs become well-recalled and known and bigger hits get forgotten. Does anyone fondly remember All For Love, When We Dance, or his guest spot on Craig David's Rise & fall? :lol: All top 10! I've totally forgotten the latter one and it got to 2 in the chart :o (Just checked, peaked at 68 in my charts that'll be why)

 

My biggest Sting tracks were Russians (3), Brand New Day (10), Desert Rose (8), This Cowboy Song (top 10), among others, but his most popular are easily Fields Of Gold and Englishman In New York.

A lot of classics here,

 

'Tom's Diner' is very nice. It has those 'lounge vibes' to it! 'Where Are You Baby' and 'Groove is In The Heart' are cheesy but both fun disco influenced tunes. Betty Boo's put-on voice in the middle part of 'Doin the Do' does remind me a bit of a bit early 10s Nicki Minaj so Mrs Boo might have been ahead of her time! 'Show Me Heaven', another one of those rather cheesy synthpop love ballads that apparently were a trend in the late 80s and early 90s. I do think it's one of the better of them though. Elton's Sacrifice I have a soft spot for as I used to hear it played a few times at my local cafe when i was younger (they must have had it on their playlist). Very nice song , I like the synths in it. 'What Time Is Love' is very good, I only discovered The KLF a year or so ago when reading the 90s dance number 1s thread on Buzzjack. My favorite KLF song is 'Last train to Trancentral' which was featured recently in BJSC Legends. 'Rockin Over The Beat' further up the page is easily my favourite Technotronic song, it has a bit more emotion to it I think than their other singles. 'Life's What You Make It' is another good track from Talk Talk, I like the guitar in it particularly. And finally, 'I've Been Thinking About You' just entering your chart lower down! It's a very charming song. It does remind me of Fine Young Cannibals, the Londonbeat singer does sound a bit like their vocalist I think.

 

I see earlier in this thread that the 49ers Touch me was a big #2 hit for you, great tune, with one of the best uses of pitched vocals in a dance song, there have been some awful uses of pitched vocals in chart dance songs this decade! Their follow up 'Don't You Love Me' is great too.

Edited July 13, 20195 yr by TheSnake

Yes I think it was a middling hit and quite popular on radio - though the original version got little airplay when it came out. It's strange how some songs become well-recalled and known and bigger hits get forgotten. Does anyone fondly remember All For Love, When We Dance, or his guest spot on Craig David's Rise & fall? :lol: All top 10! I've totally forgotten the latter one and it got to 2 in the chart :o (Just checked, peaked at 68 in my charts that'll be why)

 

My biggest Sting tracks were Russians (3), Brand New Day (10), Desert Rose (8), This Cowboy Song (top 10), among others, but his most popular are easily Fields Of Gold and Englishman In New York.

 

I remember the Craig DAvid one as I was into him at the time.