2 very contrasting highlights here. After they didn’t release any singles from “Kid A” it was great to get this hauntingly beautiful one from Radiohead which is very close to a 10, alongside the pop classic that paved the way for a long string of hits for Blue.

 

9 Radiohead Pyramid Song Their 1st hit of the century: the wailing vocal over the piano chords with the irregular rhythm is heartbreakingly beautiful

9 Blue All Rise Debut single for this UK boyband: a fabulous pop song that takes a theme and delivers it in a unique musical and lyrical way

8 Air Radio #1 Their last Top 40: I really like the futuristic feel to this and the sense of a crowd of people all singing marching in unison

7 Dido Thank You Her whole career is thanks to this as it was used for "Stan": I love it within the context of the album but slightly less on its own

6 3LW No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) 1st hit for this US girl group: nothing exceptional but quite a compelling piece of pop RnB that bounces along rather nicely

5 Sunshine Anderson Heard It All Before Only Top 40 for this US RnB singer: it's a solid and well performed track but I feel like it never quite escapes from 3rd gear

4 DJ Pied Piper And The Masters Of Ceremonies Do You Really Like It? 898th #1 for this UK garage group: some random parts and terrible lyrics but a one off track and I like the summery guitar

3 Musique Vs U2 New Years Dub Can't find any info about the act but their only hit: a dance track based on the U2 instrumental and it's OK but not essential

2 Aaron Soul Ring Ring Ring Only hit for this UK garage DJ featured in "Bridget Jones's Diary": the lyrics are quite banal and it's a fairly mundane tune

2 Anastacia Cowboys And Kisses A very pedestrian 3rd hit from her: she does retro style soulful pop well but this is just bland and doesn't show her off vocally

 

 

 

2001 Week 23:

 

#759 09/06/2001 Shaggy Featuring Rayvon Angel 1 {1}-1-1-2-4-7-10-13-16-22-26-31-35-45-57-71->16

#760 09/06/2001 Travis Sing 3 {3}-10-17-23-33-41-50-56-57-50-51-65-60-75->14

#761 09/06/2001 Eddy Grant Electric Avenue (Ringbang Remix) 5 {5}-11-15-19-28-33-37-46-55-70-71R(2)-72->12

#762 09/06/2001 Mya Free 11 {11}-24-33-39-46-71->6

#763 09/06/2001 Outkast So Fresh So Clean 16 {16}-33-53-65-70-69-75-67->8

#764 09/06/2001 Lisa Roxanne No Flow 18 {18}-42->2

#765 09/06/2001 Ludacris Featuring Shawnna What's Your Fantasy 19 {19}-28-36-44-71->5

#766 09/06/2001 N*E*R*D Featuring Lee Harvey And Vita Lapdance 33 {33}-50->2

#767 09/06/2001 Eye To Eye Featuring Taka Boom Just Can't Get Enough (No No No No) 36 {36}-57->2

#768 09/06/2001 Lee Ann Womack I Hope You Dance 40 {40}-53->2

Radiohead, sorry never really got them bar half a dozen singles, 2/10, Blue more my style 9/10, great debut :lol: Air still had some great singles in them, shame this was their last hit 8/10. Dido, if Stan got a 9 this will have to be an 8/10. 3LW rings no bells at all and yet it went top 10 for me! I need to re-hear it, obv, so I'll give it an 8/10 and trust my judgement was mildly flattering it.

 

Sunshone Anderson also got an 8, I do likes me US r'n'b, what can I say. DJ Pied Piper I recall very well. I still hope to never hear it again. 1/10. The New Years Day dance revamp was OK, a 7/10, the original was an 8. Ring Ring Ring gets a surprisingly high 5/10 from me, and Cowboys & Kisses was OK Anastacia, 7/10. I do remember that one, which is more than I can say for Ring Ring Ring. B-)

Just noticed how far behind I've fallen again, just catching up with selected comments on each batch, on the first of the last five my favourites were Give Me A Reason (the radio edit that's not on Spotify

) - this is a better track than Irresistible. And I bought Das Glockenspiel too, really cool little dance track.

 

Get Ur Freak On and Survivor are both classic singles, the former felt very futuristic at the time like a lot of Missy's output, and I still love the line in Survivor 'you know I'm not gonna diss you on the internet, 'cos my mamma taught me better than that' - kind of prescient to the social media age. Where were people dissing each other on the internet in 2001 - message boards, email, Kelly twisting the knife in on Microsoft Excel!??

 

I think Lovin' Each Day is better than a 3, certainly one of his better releases, quite a breezy and joyful pop song with a nice middle eight that you can tell is VERY New Radicals influenced, and clearly to the same formula of Life Is A Rollercoaster.

 

I can't disagree with the low scores for Madonna (I feel like I should love this more, some of the remixes were good), Brian Harvey (crap) and O-Town (catchy but cringey).

 

-----

 

From the next batch, yep it's hard to look past Don't Stop Movin' as the best of the week - a modern classic with great turns from Bradley and Jo and one of those slightly cooler pop songs that every big 'cheesy' pop band seemed to release at some point (Keep On Movin', Deeper Shade Of Blue, World Of Our Own) spring to mind.

 

Weapon of Choice was great too, amazing video. And I still like Karma Hotel a lot. Between Angels and Insects I'd long forgotten about but is decent hearing it back. And Good Souls is much better than a 4 for me, really lovely, melodic chorus on that, one of their best I'd say.

 

The rest I will pass on, I didn't think much of the Shed Seven song, Depeche Mode is decent but not extraordinary, the Joe song is a turgid bore (this was the 4th biggest seller of the year in the US - why???), Love Is Not A Game I agree has an annoying vocal, and Coming Home is extremely dull for a garage song in that era.

 

-----

 

So the two I bought from the third batch were Lindsay D (of course, it's Eurovision) and Alsou. For No Dream Impossible I'd flip the review over - Lindsay was great - her voice was incredibly strong for a then 16 year old but the rap was so cringey and not good at all, I thought it was a very naff Byker Grove coded rap that was horribly dated and really interrupted the build of the song. Alsou's was a bit of a strange release looking back - a Russian singer who had finished second the year before in Eurovision? I did like the song though and Kelly Llorenna later covered it weirdly.

 

Imitation of Life, along with The Great Beyond, is one of the classic early 00s singles from R.E.M., and the video was so good I agree. I like Bel Amour and Strange World a lot too - very solid dance hits.

 

White Boy With A Feather was actually in my personal top 100 of 2001, a very strange but enjoyable hybrid indeed but it did have a lot of airplay at the time and I did think it would be a fair bit bigger than it was, I keep wishing this would be added to Spotify.

 

Black Eyed Peas definitely didn't start their chart career off strong did they! Stay was an ok, catchy pop song, I like it more than the previous single myself but Stephen never released any great songs solo. Crazy is a bit of a dirge compared to the other K-Ci and JoJo hits, another one that was big in the US. I'm sure this had a remix that was also popular here but maybe I'm misremembering that.

 

Cold As Ice had a clever sample indeed, but that's all that was good about it for me. I'm not massively fond of Play or, indeed, It's Raining Men, a very sanitised cover that didn't deserve to be so big imo.

Edited July 19, 20241 yr by gooddelta

Radiohead, sorry never really got them bar half a dozen singles, 2/10

I think in all the 18 months we’ve been doing this, this is my least favourite take from you. :o

Pyramid Song is an 11/10 if such things existed!!!

Also I’ve just spotted that Days Go By is indeed the best track of the previous week - you’re good at this Julian!

My thoughts on the last couple of batches:

 

I'd flip Julian's rank upside down for the first week pretty much. Maybe not quite, but the two that topped my chart at the time were Fragma and Maria Rubia. To be fair, looking back on Say It, it's not really up to much but the French bit is cool. But I stand by You Are Alive being an absolutely brilliant song - there's a reason they clocked up a third top five hit, it's another euphoric pop trance track with a huge chorus.

 

My third place would probably be Upside Down which is clearly cheesy but a big favourite in certain pop circles these days, especially with a big key change that I've seen described as one of the best ever by several people online.

 

And my fourth place would be BBMak, which I think is a very good follow up to Back Here. This band always reminded me of a 00s version of Let Loose.

 

Days Go By is a strong dance track, one that is definitely far better known than its low chart peak here. And Ride Wit Me was the best Nelly had done to this point and seems to be still well loved today with nearly 600 million Spotify streams.

 

Who's That Girl was a catchy debut for Eve but she had better to come. I didn't think much of Up Middle Finger or One Wild Night.

 

Before You Leave was a nice re-discovery. I definitely do remember it from the time but not heard it in ages. I do remember the Badly Drawn Boy song (most of his songs also feel way better known than their peak), and the Stereo MCs track.

 

I agree that Shine On and Don't Talk aren't up to much. I had to look up Never Look Back, I don't recall that at all but I like it. Fairly bogstandard trance of the time though but the German parts make it stand out.

 

----------

 

Of the next batch, actually Pyramid Song is one of the Radiohead singles I remember really well. It stood out a lot in the charts of pre-summer 2001, very affecting chords and vocals.

 

All Rise was a cool boyband debut, but maybe not so much when you consider it's basically a near copy musically and structure wise of

, I guess they just needed a vehicle to use this melody and production here and Blue were as good as any. Lyrically All Rise is very clever though and the guys all have great and distinct voices.

 

Thank You is lovely, but I also do prefer the clever way the verse was used in Stan. Here With Me is the better track in terms of solo Dido.

 

I like Heard It All Before quite a bit, and No More is quite sweet musically but I always found their vocals a bit annoying in the verses, which stopped me really loving it.

 

I'd have the same bottom three this week. Weak U2 remix/sample, a bland song from Aaron Soul and a bit of a dirge from Anastacia.

 

Do You Really Like It gives me school playground horror flashbacks, everyone used to sing this, complete with 'Aiya Napa, Aiya Napa' etc, which they were never actually saying at all, but actually saying 'How you like my', which I didn't realise until recently!

Edited July 21, 20241 yr by gooddelta

I did say I’d give all genres a chance here and I’m doing my bit for country this time. I think it was actually a club remix of “I Hope You Dance” I heard first, but the lyrics really hit me hard and stayed with me. I don’t see it having a religious connection particularly, but I think when you look back most of the best life experiences happen when you decide to throw yourself into something instead of sitting it out. While the track is fairly standard musically I think that helps the words to speak for themselves.

There are also a couple of really fun risqué rap numbers in this group.

 

9 Lee Ann Womack I Hope You Dance Only hit for this US country star and it's a simple well sung mid tempo ballad but with the most incredible life affirming lyrics

8 Ludacris Featuring Shawnna What's Your Fantasy 1st hit for this US rapper and 1st of a couple of collaborations with Shawna: the rhythm and prodiction here are very infectious

8 N*E*R*D Featuring Lee Harvey And Vita Lapdance 1st hit for Pharrell's rap rock band, also featuring a female rapper Vita, and an excellent and vigorous track satirising politicians

7 Travis Sing The lead single from "The Invisible Band" and their highest peaking: I love the banjos here and it's lovely but not extraordinary

6 Eddy Grant Electric Avenue (Ringbang Remix) Only hit this century for him with a remix of his 1983 #2: not essential but a good uptempo version that does add to the song

5 Outkast So Fresh So Clean Like "Ms Jackson" this has excellent production and a good atmosphere: I just find the main thrust of the song rather lacking

4 Free This is well performed but it's quite a bland pop RnB song and lacks the striking quality and dynamism of "Case Of The Ex"

3 Lisa Roxanne No Flow Only Top 40 for this UK RnB artist: she obviously has talent but the song doesn't do it for me and the hook isn't strong enough

3 Shaggy Featuring Rayvon Angel 899th #1 interpolating "Angel In The Morning" and using the baseline of "The Joker": it does work but it's very unoriginal

2 Eye To Eye Featuring Taka Boom Just Can't Get Enough (No No No No) A mash-up of "Can't Get Enough" by Soulsearcher from 1998 and an Apollo 440 track: can't see the point and don't enjoy it

 

 

2001 Week 24:

 

#769 16/06/2001 Faithless We Come 1 3 {3}-8-11-19-25-35-47-59-62-66->10

#770 16/06/2001 Steps Here And Now/You'll Be Sorry 4 {4}-13-17-26-34-43-54-60-49-63->10

#771 16/06/2001 Brandy And Ray J Another Day In Paradise 5 {5}-7-5-8-15-25-33-40-46-68->10

#772 16/06/2001 Basement Jaxx Romeo 6 {6}-11-13-17-24-32-35-44-52-60->10

#773 16/06/2001 Marti Pellow Close To You 9 {9}-18-21-37-51-60->6

#774 16/06/2001 Muse New Born 12 {12}-28-47-62->4

#775 16/06/2001 Melanie B Lullaby 13 {13}-27-41-75->4

#776 16/06/2001 Manic Street Preachers Ocean Spray 15 {15}-41-56-69->4

#777 16/06/2001 Boris Dlugosch Featuring Roisin Murphy Never Enough 16 {16}-30-40-48->4

#778 16/06/2001 I Monster Daydream In Blue 20 {20}-26-29-40-46-65->6

#779 16/06/2001 Delirious? Waiting For The Summer 26 {26}-72->2

#780 16/06/2001 Dina Carroll Someone Like You 38 {38}-65->2

#781 16/06/2001 Bran Van 3000 Featuring Curtis Mayfield Astounded 40 {40}-59->2

I really like 'Just Can't Get Enough' actually, there are a few versions but I know and like this radio edit version: https://open.spotify.com/album/3528cgAudiou...NQiiXrIhidxdycA

The top youtube version appears to be speeded up and isn't very good as a result maybe thats the version you heard?

I think in all the 18 months we’ve been doing this, this is my least favourite take from you. :o

 

I have friends who rave them and friends who loathe them, "depressing" being the most frequent comment, so I suppose I fall sort of in between on a very marmite and critically acclaimed band :lol: I love The Air That I Breathe, oops sorry Creep, and the raucous There There and maybe No Surprises, and like a handful of others, but a whole album's worth would be a tough ask for me I'm afraid, oops! :cry: As I didnt chart it playing it again now havent heard it in 23 years, nice production, a bit jazzy, dark and moody, but it still leaves me with little impression - 2/10 was an assumption based on non-charting, so I'll up it to 4 but not for me, sadly.

2001 week 22:

 

I'm a couple of months away from turning 4 at this point and can actually remember 'Do You Really Like It?' at the time as an early musical memory. I agree that the lyrics aren't much to write home about but I do really like (:basil:) its 2-step garage production feat. guitar hook. This combination still feels fairly influential as I have found myself comparing the odd BJSC entry to it over the years, plus Bray shared a WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA potential years ago that also incorporated this sound quite closely.

 

I have a bit of a soft spot for that 3LW song. Fun fact, group member Naturi Naughton later charted at #33 in 2009 with a cover of 'Fame' :lol:

 

'Thank You' is perfectly pleasant but just makes me want to listen to 'Stan', that really was a masterstroke of genius.

 

'All Rise' is certainly one of Blue's high points - great melody, harmonica and I enjoy the inventive use of the courtroom in pop. My one bugbear is the "step in my house, you find that your stuff is gone, but in reality, to whom does the stuff belong?" line which takes me out every time, so OTT :lol:

 

When I saw the line-up for this group I did hope that 'Pyramid Song' would top it, yay :wub: :wub: agreed with Dandy that it's an 11/10 x The unusual time signature/rhythm and haunting delivery of the lyrics are a stunning combination. Its use in Peaky Blinders elevated it even more for me.

oops missed one out sorry...!

 

Days Go By is 10/10, one of my BJSC top 30 final acts in latter days (but not with this fab track). Before you leave is a 5/10, not that I recall it, and Mark B was a good 7/10 not quite up to The Unknown. Pissing In The Wind easily the best Badly Drawn Boy track, 8/10 and Divine Comedy never bad, Ambassador or otherwise, 7/10.

 

Oxide & Neutrino, can't get past the title. Hope it was washed throughly first. Stereo MC's a late comeback I approved of, 7/10, Nelly's was a fun ride, 8/10, Dumonde I didnt chart, ditto King Adora, My Vitriol, but Fragma grabbed a 5/10. As per with US R'n'b I liked Eve, some great ones to come but Who's That Girl is a decent 7/10.

 

Bon Jovi, One Wild Night a tad perfunctory, 3/10. Shine On, not generally a fan of garage at the time, so whoosh, Say It no idea, nut again US R'n'b and Don't Talk an 8/10 from me and the US hit BBMak I also liked, 7/10. A*Teens is worth a 4/10 but not much more, a slight improvement on the ABBA covers.

 

 

Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance was a lovely track, bought that one, charted it in 2000 on a Florida holiday boost and it got a second wind in 2001 on a less-good UK remix. 9/10. Ludacris made my charts once only. This wasn't it. N.E.R.D. had a few too, but not this one. Sing, loved it, bought it, a tuneful great single 9/10.

 

Fan of Eddy Grant since I was a boy and was mad on Viva Bobby Joe - Electric Avenue oddly I never loved, but I have always liked, the guitar riffing is fab, and the remix is pretty decent 8/10. Always enjoy Outkast and So Fresh is no exception 7/10. I thought Free had had another bloody remix re-entry for a sec there with All Right Now, but happily it's Mya and the great bop Free a definite 9/10 from me, "sales"-wise it was marginally bigger than Case Of The Ex.

 

Lisa Roxanne was a pass from me, Shaggy took a classic PP Arnold song (a 60's hit in the UK, that is) and turned it into a novelty hit, 6/10. For an example on how to do a great cover see my current BJSC entry and watch the first 4 minutes of the first Deadpool movie ahead of the release of the third this week. Shaggy could do much better...and this got annoying quite quickly. and Eye To Eye, I still hadn't started clubbing and hedonism, so it made no impression. Maybe later in the year it might have.

Wow there’s quite a few tracks I really enjoy in the next batch. Will be interested to see how you rank them.

 

In the prior batch, I think Electric Avenue is my favourite of a largely forgettable set of songs. I thought it was a good update on the original, albeit nothing too fundamental is changed. Outkast is fine but I agree it’s not as strong as some of their very best material. I Hope You Dance is okay but it gives me X-Factor album vibes - wasn’t it covered by someone very bland like a reality tv show person?

 

I really disliked Angel so glad you didn’t rate the #1 highly

Ronan Keating covered it and took it to No.2 as one of his many country covers turned bland pop. The original by Lee Ann Womack is nice, and is regarded as a country classic.

 

Not a massively strong group, I didn't buy any of them. I like Sing and the Electric Avenue remix, but don't love either. The food fight video for Sing (

) was memorable though, and I work near Electric Avenue in Brixton so think of that song almost daily.

 

The Ludacris song was not my cup of tea, I don't remember it from the time but not enjoying it much. I like the N*E*R*D song though, the rock influence made them stand out quite a lot at the time. And I liked the Outkast song too but agree it has nothing on Ms Jackson. The Mya song is quite a big step down from her prior hit sadly.

 

I had to remind myself of No Flow - I think it was on a Hits compilation as it does ring some bells, fairly standard R&B though.

 

I did quite like Angel at the time (although never loved it). It was so overplayed on the radio but I just remember being impressed that It Wasn't Me wasn't just a one off, and that Shaggy managed to consolidate it with another big No.1 hit and complete his full unlikely return to relevance.

 

I had to look up the Soulsearcher/Apollo 440 mash-up as didn't remember it. Doesn't do anything for me either.

Edited July 22, 20241 yr by gooddelta

'So Fresh, So Clean' and 'Electric Avenue (Ringbang Remix)' are my favourites from this section. I knew the remix before the original 'Electric Avenue' thanks to growing up with Now 49 - shame it's not on streaming.

A really strong top half dozen here topped by 2 great pieces of electronics. I don’t think “We Come 1” quite touches “Insomnia” but it isn’t far off, and I remember hearing “Daydream In Blue” on my Radio 1 alarm while dozing as a teenager and thinking it seemed a very special track.

 

9 Faithless We Come 1 Equalling the peak of "Insomnia", this has an incredible atmosphere in the slow part before it builds into a euphoric dance track

9 I Monster Daydream In Blue Only hit for this UK electronic duo with a stunningly atmospheric track that evokes a daydream lying on the grass in summer

8 Muse New Born This makes 5 out of 5 fabulous Top 40s for them: such an intense, dramatic and bitter track that builds into a swirling frenzy

8 Basement Jaxx Romeo Their highest peak this century with vocals from Kele Le Roc: it's quite poppy but an excellent stompy and infectious track

7 Bran Van 3000 Featuring Curtis Mayfield Astounded Only hit other than the big one for this Canadian act using some old vocals from the late Curtis: very interesting and enjoyable

7 Manic Street Preachers Ocean Spray A 3rd hit following the double release, and a lovely track named after a cranberry drink James took to his mother in hospital

6 Boris Dlugosch Featuring Roisin Murphy Never Enough Last and biggest hit for this German producer: nothing extraordinary but an enjoyable energetic track done very well by Roisin

5 Delirious? Waiting For The Summer I find the lead singer's vowels odd but this is a nice track: sounds quite like something Supergrass would do so nothing new

4 Brandy And Ray J Another Day In Paradise A brother sister pair here doing an RnB cover of Phil's classic: it works nicely but doesn't do anything really interesting with it

3 Steps Here And Now/You'll Be Sorry I quite like "You'll Be Sorry" though don't think it treads any new ground for them, but "Here And Now" I find very formulaic

3 Dina Carroll Someone Like You Only 21st century hit for her from "Bridget Jones's Diary" it's a sweet ballad but sound very 90s and like her old material

2 Marti Pellow Close To You Debut solo hit for the Wet Wet Wet star but the style isn't really any different from the band, and it's a rather dreary ballad

2 Melanie B Lullaby Her last Top 40 with a song her child: the melody is nice but rather repetitive and the track is very sugary and lyrically basic

 

 

 

2001 Week 25:

 

#782 23/06/2001 Mis-Teeq All I Want 2 {2}-4-7-10-17-22-26-28-40-53-71->11

#783 23/06/2001 2Pac Until The End Of Time 4 {4}-7-11-17-24-28-33-38-45-60-75->11

#784 23/06/2001 Stereophonics Have A Nice Day 5 {5}-12-20-28-39-50-54-55-58->9

#785 23/06/2001 Limp Bizkit My Way 6 {6}-10-18-26-36-48-58-64-69-68->10

#786 23/06/2001 Sticky Featuring Ms Dynamite Booo 12 {12}-16-27-37-47-69->6

#787 23/06/2001 Daft Punk Digital Love 14 {14}-24-35-43-56-59-56->7

#788 23/06/2001 Public Domain Featuring Chuck D Rock Da Funky Beats 19 {19}-33-43->3

#789 23/06/2001 allSTARS* Best Friends 20 {20}-30-38-54-59-73R(6)-66->7

#790 23/06/2001 R. Kelly Fiesta 23 {23}-38-47->3

#791 23/06/2001 Members Of Mayday 10 In 01 31 {31}-45-64->3

#792 23/06/2001 Lionel Richie I Forgot 34 {34}-51->2

#793 23/06/2001 Incubus Drive 40 {40}-58->2

 

'We Come 1' is very good. 'Never Enough' and 'Romeo' are quite good too.

Daydream in Blue is my favourite this week, although you have all 6 of the ones I like in your top 7. We Come 1 is a good choice for the top place though, I’ve been familiarising myself with their albums since Maxi sadly passed and they’re actually really strong and interesting - I’d always assumed they were more a singles band but there’s a lot of depth to their material.

We Come 1 is decent Faithless I give it 5, and Daydream In Blue is amazing, 9/10 but I might be persuaded to go for 10/10 some days in the right mood. New Born is debut Muse (for me) at a fairly good 7/10, Basement Jaxx, Romeo just rubbed me the wrong way though, sorry! 3/10 a bit repetitive from memory, but they'll be back with a chart-topping 10/10 in a couple of years.

 

Astounded does what it says on the label, should have been a huge hit 10/10 and a chart-topper for me. Ocean Spray scrapes a 7, but it may be a 6, not heard it since 2001! Never Enough ditto.... I have no memory of Delerious whatsoever, Brandy's bro Phil cover scraped a 6, and Here And Now is worth a 4 and not much more. Dina Carroll once topped my chart - and now she's struggling for a 3/10. Close To You a 5/10, but I beg to differ on Lullaby, a great melodic tune 9/10. Lyrics optional for me... :)