7 1 20 EXTREME WAYS - Armin van Buuren & Moby 1297250

An early 2000's Moby track that I liked, but not quite enough to go top 10 at the time, Extreme Ways got used in cult movies and turned into one of his most popular tracks along the way. Armin van Buuren upped the ante on this top remix, I prefer it to the original, it's exciting and gave Moby his secod chart-topper in my charts with an oldie. Armin has been remarkably consistent over the last couple of years, he just does dance music the way I like it despite being around well ober a decade grabbing the occasional hit. Needless to say, it wasn't a hit. Hey ho.

6 1 26 GOOD MOURNING - Shaznay Lewis featuring Shola Ama & General Levy 1297850

A 90's acts collab here that was as good as, or rather even better than, anything Shaznay did in All Saints or solo, or Shola Ama and General Levy did in their heyday. I'm using the word "exciting" again, this is a major comeback that should have been huge, what a track, grabbing the best of All Saints sound, hitting the drum'n'bass rhythm big time and it's perfect from beginning to end, a monster dance track with bite and melody.

5 3 28 CLOSER - Ben Hemsley featuring Chenai 1316700

Yet another monster dance trance-ish track that should have been huge, this one by unknowns (to me) Ben Hemsley twiddling the knobs and Chenai on vocal - yet it sounds like a big hit from a decade or three ago - and it didnt even top my charts, it just had a very long run at the top end peaking at 3, and like Feel peaking at 4, is likely the biggest track ever to peak at 3 - it was just unlucky to clash with a couple of even bigger tracks. Not entirely unlike Robert Miles' Children hook speeded up as a base to the track - it may even be a sample - but Chenai's vocals lift it well up.

4 1 19 SATURN RETURN - Reve 1319700

And the dance tracks keep on coming, this time from Reve, heading into the pop arena of a Dua Lipa vibe, love the synthy/strings chords on this and the low-key tune building up to a sultry banger of a chorus that never quite arrives, it leaves you on the edge in anticipation. Canadian Reve hasn't charted outside of Canada which a shame, but this is lovely anyway, and any song using the name of a planet is always going to catch my eye.

3 1 29 COMING BACK TO ME GOOD - Kasabian 1355300

And the Bronze medal goes to....Kasabian. They haven't had hits for quite some time, and some hard-core fans seem unhappy with the departure of lead vocalist Tom Meighan from their heyday but Sergio Pizzorno can do no wrong for me as new main lead vocalist in Kasabian or as The SLP, his pseudonym for solo stuff, including a chart-topping biggie in my charts. This single even outdid that one in my affection, and much as I like their early stuff from the 2000's, this one has an epic traditional poprock hook and production that just grabs me. I love a melodic song that romps along smoothly and hits at the emotions.

2 1 33 LATE NIGHT PHONE CALL - Reverend And The Makers 1681200

Already at 12 with the Lottery Winners, the Rev and The Makers came back at Christmas with gospel backing chorus, strings and brass, rock-ballad that fit the Christmas mood perfectly, arguments, the pub and love. This brilliant ballad had a 50's feel-good and down-to-earth vibe and goose-bump-inducing lead vocal for their 4th chart-topper in the last few years this decade. John's vocal was always good back in the brief chart career, but older John has depth and emotion in spades thse days, one of the best vocalists around, bar none, and it's a tragedy that "proper singers" (or those that sound genuinely emotionally invested in a good range vs the current fashion for hystrionics/shouting/crying loudly in many cases) don't get more notice. In a normal year this would easily have been top track of the year.

1 1 36 NEW LONDON BOY - Pet Shop Boys 2559750

This spoke to me like no other track this year, and topped my charts for 2 or 3 months as an album track before finally getting a single release along with All The Young Dudes. Obviously, it's not remotely commercial, but the lyrics caught me as a reminder of the early 1970's, and a life that I might have had in a different set of circumstances if we had had the internet in those days to find out stuff. It's a pretty autobiographical story song for Neil I think as he moved to London to work as a music journalist. The melody is just gorgeous, there's a sax sound to underline the mournful-lost-past-times mood, and a mid-song West-End-Girls-reminding rap that also brings back the 80's as wel as the 70's. The album seemed to me to have themes in batches of 3 songs, and this fit beautifully in with Dancing Star (and A New Bohemia) as referencing the past for those of us of a certain age. And of course Neil & Chris have more entries than anyone else on the Top 100. It's not always guaranteed, but this album was the Soundtrack to driving round the Lake District when it was fresh and new and there was much to love.

John, I'm very far from the fresh music, so from your top 100 I heard only Swedish Eurovision entry and possibly Kim Wilde.

Even Girls Aloud track is unknown for me. #flopfan.

On 06/09/2025 at 10:00, Last Dreamer said:

John, I'm very far from the fresh music, so from your top 100 I heard only Swedish Eurovision entry and possibly Kim Wilde.

Even Girls Aloud track is unknown for me. #flopfan.

Hi Alex, there's so much music about it's hard to keep up these days, and I'm out of touch with chart stuff for the most part too! I hear them once and then never again unless I buy them 😮I bought the Girls Aloud and Kim Wilde so I know them, but GA have a fab new old unreleased single called Singapore out now which is lovely. Worth searching it out, you might like it 🙂