Absolutely love Maria! :heart: I’ve said this before but very few acts have as many as 6 #1s with them all being that great.

Okay this is one of my absolute faves and would appear in one of my own 90's related countdown if I did one. Just a brilliant track and this is before I was properly aware of who Blondie were :lol:

Blondie and Debs are brilliant, loads of chart toppers in my charts from them, though this wasn't one of them - but it was genuinely a lovely surprise having them back on top of the UK charts. Never ever stopped being fab whatever they do.

 

National Express is just pure fun. Whimsy in pop music is always under-estimated and the acts under-rated. It doesn't always have to be about drama and misery :)

 

218 | 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?

 

From Blondie to a group of Non-Blondes... What's Up was by far the biggest hit for Linda Perry's band, it did one better for me than it managed in the official chart where it found itself stuck behind Take That's Pray. This was the first sign that Linda Perry could write a mean pop/rock song before she went on to even bigger levels of success as a songwriter and producer in the 00s, initially adding her magic to P!nk's most successful album and providing Beautiful for Christina Aguilera. Back in 1993 this sounded really different to everything else around in the charts, it wasn't very often that a woman fronted a band like this and it deservedly showcased how great the combination could be.

 

I mentioned it on the last page in my write up for REM but here they are again with Nightswimming peaking at #3 as the fifth single to be lifted from their immaculate Automatic for the People album. It was a beautiful piano led ballad and showcased another side of the album. Pick of the week for song that I let slip by me is most definitely Cypress Hill with their signature tune, Insane in the Brain. It now stands as a hip hop classic but the genre hadn't really clicked with me back then.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 25 July 1993

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 165

2020s plays rank: 230

Biggest song it kept from #1: R.E.M. - Nightswimming (#3 w/c 25 July 1993)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: Cypress Hill - Insane in the Brain

 

 

217 | Bedrock - Heaven Scent

 

Back to 1999 now and to the penultimate new #1 of the decade. We're right in the middle of the progressive trance movement and one of the biggest players on that scene was John Digweed and this was the first release on his Bedrock label, under the guise of the same name. Heaven Scent was a huge anthem at the time, a long journey through progressive beats with a couple of huge synth breakdowns along the way... the radio edit cuts the first 3 minute build up into about 10 seconds(!) and rightfully makes the most of the more commercial synth elements. These days I tend to return to the later Greg Downey remix from 2007 as, ironically, it is less progressive.

 

Another trance classic was entering at #4 for me this week in the form of Paul Oakenfold as Planet Perfecto. It would of course be back for a second shot at chart success a year later. Oddly for me, the song I let slip by me was from Tori Amos. I didn't even know at the time that Glory of the 80s had been a single - I don't think it would have come close to topping my chart had I realised but I do like the vibe of it and enjoy it as part of the parent album.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 07 November 1999

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 219

2020s plays rank: 171

Biggest song it kept from #1: Planet Perfecto - Bullet in the Gun (#4 w/c 07 November 1999)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: Tori Amos - Glory of the 80s

 

 

216 | Seal - Kiss From a Rose

 

This made #1 for me second time around, the same time it peaked in the UK after featuring in the Batman Forever film. The material from Seal's second album was a move away from the Trevor Horn produced dance influenced sounds of his debut, instead settling on layered harmonies and acoustic guitars - indeed it even features a turn from the amazing Joni Mitchell who frankly hardly ever graces the material of others. Second time around this really clicked with radio and it became one of the staple songs of 1995... I'm not sure how fondly it is remembered these days but I'm definitely still a fan - this and Prayer for the Dying were great dramatic singles.

 

Black Grape get the honorary mention for being closest to the top but never made it... this was their second single and I was slowly getting on board by this point - their It's Great When You're Straight Yeah album is actually a really decent effort and this together with Revered Black Grape are classics from the era. However I was not so generous to Blue Monday at the time as I was feeling snobbish about how they had ruined it with the Hardfloor Remix in 1995 - actually it's not that bad in retrospect, it's obviously not as great as the original but it's a pretty good attempt to update it to the sounds of 1995.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 30 July 1995

Weeks: Two

1990s chart rank: 174

2020s plays rank: 214

Biggest song it kept from #1: Black Grape - In the Name of the Father (#3 w/c 30 July 1995)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: New Order - Blue Monday '95

What's Up is a goodie, Seal's is a classic and it topped my charts twice, when it came out and when Batman pushed it - granted not everyone listens to Radio 2 and Hits stations but it's a regular classic oldie. I doubt Radio 1 plays it though....

 

Never heard of Heaven Scent. At least, it never charted for me :o

 

On runners-up, Planet Perfecto, Black Grape and New Order were all ones I liked, and REM and Cypress Hill are OK.

Liking all of those, but my favourite is Kiss From A Rose, surprised it didn't properly take off on its original release as to me it feels like such a timeless song, but then movie exposure was the key to a massive hit for many ballads in the 90s.

 

Bullet In The Gun I don't recall even hearing in 1999, but if I did it passed me by. I loved the 2000 update and bought that on single.

 

215 | Run-DMC vs Jason Nevins - It's Like That

 

Next up is one of the biggest songs of 1998 and one that is partly remembered for breaking the #1 streak of the Spice Girls after it unexpectedly defeated Stop to top the UK charts. I may have just been out of touch but I can't recall hearing any hype about this track at all before it made #1 so I was majorly surprised when it did so well, it had debuted at #10 the week before for me but I got caught up in the media hype and it rocketed to #1 in its second week. Its one week at the top underlies how much I liked it as it was unfortunate to come up against a huge 1998 favourite of mine (that won't be appearing here until we get into the top 50) so it actually remained in the top 3 for quite a few weeks. The song itself was originally Run-DMC's debut single all the way back in 1983 so it took 15 years and a pounding remix courtesy of Jason Nevins to get it to chart.

 

Highest new entry of the week was at #5 as Pulp returned with This Is Hardcore, the title track from their album that was just about to be released. I actually like the track a lot more now than I did at the time when I charted it so highly purely on my love for Pulp rather than the song itself which I found ever so slightly uncomfortable haha... I felt the same way about the album for a long time but eventually I got over the fact it wasn't another Different Class smash and started to listen to it for what it was - and discovered that I actually really enjoyed quite a lot of it. Looking through the charts in the late 90s I usually find that I knew everything that featured but this week I spy Prix Choc entering all the way down at #60 which I've listened to so many times but never realised charted here at all

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 22 March 1998

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 135

2020s plays rank: 253

Biggest song it kept from #1: Pulp - This Is Hardcore (#5 w/c 22 March 1998)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: Etienne De Crecy - Prix Choc

 

'Whats Up?' and 'Kiss From A Rose' are two of the best Nineties classics for me as well.

 

214 | Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu

 

Sticking with late 90s dance we find the mighty Basement Jaxx up next with their second hit of 1999. Rendez-Vu was the opening track from their Remedy album and was a song I instantly loved when I had bought it, those dum dum dums were just too darn catchy to ignore. We're still right at the beginning of the chart journey for the Jaxx and blissfully unaware of the stellar run of singles that would continue to be thrown at us from them, albeit none of them made #1 for me - Good Luck, Oh My Gosh and Do Your Thing all came painfully close to managing it though.

 

Now I really must have loved this because I was absolutely OBSESSED with The Chemical Brothers and Rendez-Vu managed to hold off Let Forever Be in this week - I think I remember thinking that Let Forever Be was too short at the time and that probably swung it for me (something I have obvs since corrected by creating a mashed up 8 minute version haha!) and also I think I felt that they were recreating a trick they'd already pulled by collaborating with Noel Gallagher again. But either way what an excellent top 2 that week *.* Further down the singles chart you can find the debut single from Doves which I wouldn't grow to love until I bought their album the following year.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 08 August 1999

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 218

2020s plays rank: 169

Biggest song it kept from #1:

(#2 w/c 08 August 1999)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time:

 

213 | Pet Shop Boys - I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing

 

Just looking at those single covers makes me smile haha, Neil and Chris were certainly having fun during the Very campaign in the way they styled themselves for each of the single releases :lol: We were treated to something akin to a modern take on the 60s for this release with the boys once again throwing themselves into a computer generated world for the accompanying video. I bought both the singles for this at the time because they marketed it as part of a set that came with an almost bubble wrap like plastic case to house them in, akin if not identical to the one they housed the limited 'Very Relentless' version of the album in. Everything about this era just felt so playful and creative and it was a joy to experience. As for the song, it was quite remixed by the Beatmasters (if I recall correctly as I haven't checked haha) to make it more similar to Go West imo, the outro wasn't anywhere to be seen on the album version and was very reminiscent of what they did on Go West for sure. In fact the album version is pretty stripped back in comparison with this being the widescreen maximalist take.

 

This spent 3 weeks at the top of my chart and looking back through the charts of the time it's easy to see why, late 1993 really was an awful time for singles :/ In the real chart Mr Blobby and Take That were fighting it out which says it all, suffice to say neither charted at all for me. However, amid the dross there was Big Time Sensuality which was gradually making its way up my chart to peak at #3 for Björk. I'm not sure in retrospect why I didn't love this more instantly and I'm even more baffled why it didn't make #1 amidst the lack of competition, especially as it went on to become one of my favourites of hers from her debut era but I hadn't been convinced enough to buy the album until the following year. For the late fave slot, we're going festive with Saint Etienne as I didn't really pay attention to it at the time. Bad dandy* :(

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 05 December 1993

Weeks: Three

1990s chart rank: 164

2020s plays rank: 223

Biggest song it kept from #1:

(#3 w/c 12 December 1993)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time:

'Rendez-Vu' may be Basement Jaxx's highest peaking single but feels relatively forgotten in their discography nowadays. Great to see that appearing here! :wub:

You know I'd never realised it was their highest peaking track :o

 

There's a thread idea in their somewhere around biggest peaks not being their most remembered/popular tracks

You know I'd never realised it was their highest peaking track :o

 

There's a thread idea in their somewhere around biggest peaks not being their most remembered/popular tracks

Great minds :D

 

http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=244964

Oh haha!!! :D

 

212 | The Shamen - Boss Drum

 

Next up we head back another year to 1992 to visit a dance group who were having an amazingly successful year. This was the third top 10 single of the year for The Shamen and the first to follow the release of the album (also called Boss Drum). Co-incidentally this is the second single in a row in this countdown that benefitted from a rework by the Beatmasters as most of the singles from Boss Drum were also overhauled by them to create a more chart friendly version of the band. I loved what they did to this track and consequently it entered straight at #1 for me in November 1992 and stayed there for a couple of weeks. The song, like much of the album, is about coming together and being tolerant of each other - a very different message than the prudish media thought they stood for after the controversy around Ebeneezer Goode earlier in the year.

 

This week was notable in retrospect for being the first release from Erasure in the 90s to not make #1 for me. Who Needs Love Like That was a re-release of their debut single ahead of their Pop! singles collection and even at the time I found it a bit cringe - however back then even something a bit cringe from Erasure could still make the top 3 of my chart. They had tried to make it sound a little more modern via a remix but tbh it barely made any difference. They would go on to have more singles success for me, an indeed two further #1s, but this was definitely the point where they stopped being untouchable. I had to check my chart but it appears as though I didn't care at all for Free Your Mind at the time as it limped in at #24 before falling away - god knows why as it's definitely top tier En Vogue and it's probably one of my favourite 90s girl group singles in retrospect.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 01 November 1992

Weeks: Two

1990s chart rank: 146

2020s plays rank: 241

Biggest song it kept from #1: Erasure - Who Needs Love Like That (#3 w/c 01 November 1992)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: En Vogue - Free Your Mind

 

211 | The Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore

 

This was the only #1 for Smashing Pumpkins on my chart as I'd only really paid attention to them from the release of Tonight Tonight onwards - in fact, following on from Jade's comment earlier in the thread, this is very much a case of their biggest peak following their most successful song. Ava Adore was the lead from Adore, an album that I feel is quite underrated but seemed to alienate fans as it moved away from the template that had made people love them during the Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream eras. They go a bit more full on goth on this record (love the artwork they delivered on the album) so I naturally approved and I loved the soaring chorus and slightly industrial beats that they brought us here. They were very fortunate to make #1 as this took over from an all time classic before immediately passing #1 back to said song the following week.

 

Ice Hockey Hair is one of my favourite Super Furry Animals tracks and it was unlucky to come up against a strong chart as in other weeks it could have given them their first number one. They did eventually manage it though when Juxtaposed With U made the top for me in 2001. Public Enemy take the other slot this time, not a song I love as such but it's good enough to warrant a mention.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 31 May 1998

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 230

2020s plays rank: 152

Biggest song it kept from #1: Super Furry Animals - Ice Hockey Hair (#3 w/c 31 May 1998)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: Public Enemy - He Got Game

If this ends in 2000, it better include VB!!!!!

VB didn’t make it I’m afraid, her AA, AAA, AAAA and AAAAA side sales weren’t counted so she only made #21 :( But at least #21 has a number one in it of sorts I guess.