A recap of my favourites and least favourites so far.

 

Best

1 Adamski - Killer

2 SL2 - On a Ragga Tip

3 Utah Saints - Something Good

4 The Prodigy - Charly

5 KLF - Last Train to Trancentral

 

 

Worst

1 Bizarre Inc- I'm Gonna Get You

2 KWS - Please Don't Go

3 Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman

4 Oceanic - Insanity

5 2 Unlimited - Get Ready for This.

 

Overall it's been an amazing chart so far (not just because I'm involved :D )

Edited September 7, 20159 yr by AntoineTTe

I'm LOVING this thread :wub:

As an Aussie, some of these songs weren't hits in Australia so I've found a couple of new JAMS here :)

Am living for Oceanic's 'Insanity', The Shamen's 'Move Any Mountain' ('Ebeneezer Goode' was their only hit back in Oz) and Shut Up & Dance's 'Raving I'm Raving'.

The rest I either knew or have found to be absolute shit :P

I'm LOVING this thread :wub:

As an Aussie, some of these songs weren't hits in Australia so I've found a couple of new JAMS here :)

Am living for Oceanic's 'Insanity', The Shamen's 'Move Any Mountain' ('Ebeneezer Goode' was their only hit back in Oz) and Shut Up & Dance's 'Raving I'm Raving'.

The rest I either knew or have found to be absolute shit :P

 

Glad you are enjoying - that is why we are doing it!

 

Rage - Run To You

 

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/TheMagicPosition86/rsz_rage_zpsgtoibghy.png

 

Date 1st November 1992

1 Week

Official Chart Run 10-3-5-10-13-25-34-45-51-54-61 (11 weeks)

*Positions in red are the weeks when the track would be number 1 if just dance music was chart eligible.

 

A lot of the criticism aimed at the music scene of 1992 was its lack of musical direction - at times the UK singles chart was overwhelmed with covers or re-releases of older hits: In February “My Girl” by the Temptations was riding high at #2 concurrently with “It Must Be Love” by Madness, reinforcing the nation’s nostalgia fix and setting the tone for the rest of the year; sales consequently were at their lowest ebb of the decade. Of course this wasn’t strictly fair, the growing dance scene was providing some of the most exciting and innovative hits for years but the most interesting tracks didn’t always register - instead sadly a number of fairly uninspired dance covers triumphed in their place. Of course we have already seen K.K.S. who spent 5 weeks at No. 1 in May/June, but in September Undercover’s retread of the Gerry Rafferty classic “Baker Street” spent 7 weeks in the Top 5, and a year earlier East Side Beat added a beat to Christopher Cross’ relatively unknown “Ride Like The Wind” and shot it into the Top 3.

 

Next up were Rage - or En-rage as they were known in Europe due to a legal dispute with the German rock band Rage - who updated Bryan Adam’s career launching debut “Run To You”. The 1985 original (which incidentally holds the UK record for most consecutive weeks at #11 without peaking higher) dealt with the subject of infidelity, and took the guitar intro from “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and reworked it to create a melodic pop/rock track which melded well with Adam’s throaty vocals. Rage were created by UK producers Barry Leng and Duncan Hannant, and were fronted by seasoned singer and frontman Tony Jackson (whose previous claim to fame was voicing the Um Bongo adverts in the 1980s). MC Chill Rob G is also sampled for the incongruous rap towards the end of the track: ‘You need to slow your speed, stop the nonsense’ taken from 1989s “Let The Words Flow” (also sampled by Snap’s! “The Power” 2 years earlier) - which was a commentary on how MC's are rapping faster but not actually saying anything of worth. Originally released in May but failing to get anywhere, a re-release in November secured a Top 10 debut and a fairly sizeable hit, though it soon drifted and they never again returned to the Top 40, achieving just two further minor hits with the same basic backing track/beat - the highest of these - an Animals cover - made No. 41 (“House Of The Rising Sun”) the following year.

 

How weird, I have never even vaguely thought of that as a cover of the Bryan Adams track!

It's preferable to Baker Street or Please Don't Go.

The Shamen - Ebeneezer Goode

 

Worth pointing out that Jerry Sadowitz played the titular character in the video for any fans of foul-mouthed Scottish comedy (or magic for that matter).

 

Yeah, it was a really aggressive release schedule - Boss Drum and Phorever People were both out really quickly. Not sure the releases of Re:Evolution and Comin' On were needed!

I always really disliked that song and things haven't changed. Even if they hadn't been responsible for the amazing Such a Feeling I would still find it repetitive and irritating. Awful.

Sorry :(

 

I remember very well an interview with Altern 8 in Select where they were in the studio they shared with Bizarre Inc. Mark Archer loaded up their DAT (I assume) and listened back then the two of them laughed themselves silly as "Bizarre Inc. had gone garage".

 

Wasn't a huge fan - a real toning down from Playing with Knives, but it wasn't completely awful.

I didn't realise at the time that Rage had covered Bryan Adams...but I didn't like it very much, so I guess I should have realised!

The Shamen - Boss Drum

 

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/TheMagicPosition86/rsz_the_shamen_zpslqupcnvv.png

 

Date 8th November 1992

1 Week

Official Chart Run 6-4-6-9-13-30-57 (7 weeks)

*Positions in red are the weeks when the track would be number 1 if just dance music was chart eligible.

 

This is second of three appearances in ’92 for The Shamen. Whilst many of the bands original fans had long since departed by this point, the commercial success of the Scottish rock/dance group continued to soar - helped massively by the controversy surrounding their previous single “Ebeneezer Goode”.

 

In October the title track became the third single from their 5th album Boss Drum, which was the groups first LP without the late Will Sinnott following the tragic incident that sadly marred their commercial breakthrough “Move Any Mountain” 18 months earlier. Once again the group called upon the production talents of the Beatmasters for the single edit, and “Boss Drum” was transformed from sparse techno into an upbeat pop track which recalled many of the groups traditional psychedelia soundscapes and lyrical themes first experimented with on 1989s In Gorbachev We Trust. Mr C's abrasive cockney patois is dialled down a notch which allows Colin Angus’ echoed mantra Activate the rhythm, the rhythm that has always been within you to dominate.

 

Like “Ebeneezer Goode” the track stormed into the chart at number 6 (with fifth format - the 12” vinyl - debuting on its own at 58 in the same week) to give the group their 4th consecutive Top 10 hit, however without the commercial edge of its predecessor it failed to find much of a footing in the Top 5 and quickly retreated after limping to number 4 the following week. Founding member Colin Angus was already tired of the dance sound the group had found themselves cultivating over the past year and following one final venture into the Top 10 would gradually move the group towards a more ambient and chill out sound drawing their brief flirtation with the mainstream to a close. Ever the innovators, in 1995 “Destination Eschaton” the lead single from their next album was made available only on the internet in advance of the physical release, a fore bearer of things to come.. Colin suggested at the time that ‘The internet has the potential to circumvent the record companies completely, with consumers buying music direct at source from the artist on a pay as you play basis’. In 2007 Radiohead did just that with their pay-what-you-want digital LP release for In Rainbows.

 

Another great track from the Shamen. :wub:

 

Interesting to hear that both the KLF & the Shamen weren't too fond of their commercial success.

A lot of bands reject their commercial success for a variety of reasons. One of them being that being famous, popular, rich and in demand didn't live up to expectations. Members of Blur and Pulp had such a reaction.

 

Then there were bands that loved being big - The Manics and Suede always seemed to need validation from the buying population.

I loved Boss Drum at the time, the strategy of releasing specific single mixes was really clever as it prompted people to buy the singles even after purchasing the album. I think I may have to download their best of as I've just watched to the video it's making me feel a tad nostalgic.

 

At the time I was such a big fan that I bought all their early albums - to much ensuing horror as they sounded nothing like the 'dance pop' act they had become in 1992.

I just played the 12" this evening. It doesn't sound like a top 5 single. It did well on the success of EG, I think. They went poppy again for Phorever People single.

 

 

A recap of my favourites and least favourites so far.

 

Best

1 Adamski - Killer

2 SL2 - On a Ragga Tip

3 Utah Saints - Something Good

4 The Prodigy - Charly

5 KLF - Last Train to Trancentral

 

I hope you will be compiling a list of your favourite 43 tracks to be made into a compilation next year called Now That's What BuzzJack Calls ACTUAL 90s Dance Music

I just played the 12" this evening. It doesn't sound like a top 5 single. It did well on the success of EG, I think. They went poppy again for Phorever People single.

Yes, my overriding impression was that it wasn't particularly commercial. Although a 12 year old me did really like it at the time so maybe it was more commercial than it seems.

1992's commercial dance scene really doesn't compare to the brilliance of mid-late 1991 for me, and this isn't based on any memories of the time as I'd have only been about 3 then. Bizarre Inc's transition from Such a Feeling/Playing With Knives to I'm Gonna Get You is kinda painful to listen to, it's so bland in comparison.

 

The Shamen have their moments but their singles, particularly by now, are just too poppy for me.

I hope you will be compiling a list of your favourite 43 tracks to be made into a compilation next year called Now That's What BuzzJack Calls ACTUAL 90s Dance Music

 

 

Now that's what I call a good idea.

1992's commercial dance scene really doesn't compare to the brilliance of mid-late 1991 for me, and this isn't based on any memories of the time as I'd have only been about 3 then. Bizarre Inc's transition from Such a Feeling/Playing With Knives to I'm Gonna Get You is kinda painful to listen to, it's so bland in comparison.

 

The Shamen have their moments but their singles, particularly by now, are just too poppy for me.

 

It's the usual thing of a scene being fresh and inventive one year becoming silly and opportunistic the following year. The same happened with brit pop and trance too. But even in the silly years there's solid gold to be found.

 

I think Boss Drum is still pretty poppy - the main hook certainly is. Might have been the lack of a female vocal in there as it's certainly less pop than LSI or Phorever People.

 

Interesting reading that Destination Eschaton was originally released only on the web as I do remember going to an Internet café in Edinburgh in the summer of 1995 and being amazed that I could play music on a PC from a remote location and listen to it through headphones...and, indeed, it was that track and associated remixes.

Undercover - Never Let Her Slip Away

 

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/TheMagicPosition86/rsz_undercover_zpsxiuq81b9.png

 

Date 15th November 1992

1 Week

Official Chart Run 7-5-5-7-17-24-29-27-36-58-75 (11 weeks)

*Positions in red are the weeks when the track would be number 1 if just dance music was chart eligible.

 

As mentioned earlier, there was a strong resurgence of nostalgia in the pop charts of ’92 - dance remixes are a great way of breathing new life into forgotten classics and introducing these songs to a new generation, usually however it has to be said, at the revulsion of those who remember the original. Undercover were a studio collaboration that set out to do just as the name suggested - perform cover versions of underrated classic hits. They were formed the year before by lead singer John Matthews, who was joined by Tim Laws and John Jules, and returned to the Top 10 in November having already managed a massive #2 during September with their updated version of Gerry Rafferty’s classic “Baker Street”. Unsurprisingly given the huge success of their debut, they used exactly the same formula for their follow-up. Essentially this involved adding a catchy dance beat to a 70s record with a prominent saxophone hook, and for “Never Let Her Slip Away” they once again raided the pop charts of 1978 and came across the Andrew Gold original which coincidentally also peaked at number 5.

 

“Never Let Her Slip Away” is one of their better covers (although the saxophone hook is much less distinctive) and it thankfully doesn't venture too far from the wistful and saccharine original. Complete with original saxophone lilt the 1978 hit single is updated with a Eurodance beat and those electronic blips that Pete Waterman liked to put in most of his productions at the time. The single benefitted hugely from following “Baker Street” which had only left the Top 40 the previous week after 13 weeks residency. It was however to become their penultimate Top 40 hit, the follow-up “I Wanna Stay With You” (1976 cover of Gallagher & Lyle) hit reverse gear immediately after debuting at 28. Their final single release of the 90s “Best Friend” fizzled out at a disappointing #79 in 1994 (and it was an original recording, though it sounded suspiciously like Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson’s “The Best Things In Life Are Free”). Unbelievably the group continued until 2005 when they finally disbanded, though not before threatening to return to the Top 40 with the frankly bizarre Only Fools and Horses influenced ‘unofficial’ Euro 2004 single “Viva England” which charted at #49.