1991 is so mid. :(

I’m holding off looking so I’ll be surprised with what appears, but I don’t recall 1991 being great - Enigma, KLF and Erasure aside, and I doubt many of those would have finished that high

Welcome to 1991. I'm sorry.

10 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This

It's quite baffling, in a year that brought us The Prodigy, Altern-8 and several KLF classics that the two biggest selling dance singles of 1991 were Oceanic's pedestrian Insanity and this basic tripe.

I do kinda enjoy the intro, though - what a let down the rest of it is.

Those of you that purchased enough copies of this to make it the 11th best selling single of the year, I hope you're happy with your life choices.

Colm's score 3.7

Edited August 3Aug 3 by Colm

9 Salt-N-Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex

A public service announcement in the form of a pop-rap song. STDs are less irritating.

14th best selling single of the year. You can thank Bryan Adams that this didn't make it to number 1.

Colm's Score 3.9

I think I'm easily pleased, as friends often say about my music tastes 😄Pure cheese, but 2 Unlimited didn't seem so much a cheese-fest when they started off and I like this one, and also Salt n Pepa's. I didnt buy them though, I had Now CD's for that, but I did buy Bryan Adams. You're welcome!

I certainly didn't dislike Get Ready for This as much back then. But it's quite thin on redeeming features.

18 hours ago, Colm said:

I certainly didn't dislike Get Ready for This as much back then. But it's quite thin on redeeming features.

Oh it's not as good as No Limits and def hasnt dated well compared to other stuff of the era. They were easy on the eye which always helps new singles, but doesn't have such an effect on long-term opinion 😄

8 The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go

Decent jump in score here. I suppose it's ok. They have much better stuff. This re-release landed them their only top 10 single. 19th best seller of 1991.

Colm's Score 6.5

Edited August 8Aug 8 by Colm

7 Zoe - Sunshine On A Rainy Day

I used to love this. I still quite like the verses but the chorus just crushes any interest that the verse has worked up. 18th best seller of the year, highest selling number 4 and only beaten by one number 3 - Oceanic's Insanity,

Colm's Score 6.6

Edited August 9Aug 9 by Colm

6 George Michael And Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Live)

This is just ok. It's hard to quibble with two national treasures doing a live version of an old song for charity. Sometimes it's hard to rationalise how things like this were popular.

Top 5 in dozens of countries.

Finished as the 15th best seller of 1991.

Colm's score 6.7

The Clash oldie was an oddity, I'd never seen it as special in any way, though it's catchy enough. Rock The Casbah, Bankrobber are among their better 80's tracks. Sunshine On A Rainy Day is jolly enough, a good summer pop track but not amongst the 20 best of 91 for me. George and Elton took me on a journey - love both of them and their charity principles, and had only just started to love Elton's original after being largely indifferent to it for 15 years or so, and charted it on a long run as a re-issue, before this maudlin version sucked all the life out of it from over-familiarity, and I still havent got back to that early 90's rating of the original. Hey ho!

Of the stuff I know, Rock The Casbah is by far my favourite.

On 03/08/2025 at 13:09, Colm said:

1991 is so mid. :(

So far I would concur.

I don't mind the Clash but it's not a huge favourite or anything. I always found the Zoe track a bit naff, I think it is the chorus as you mention that just completely lets it down which is a shame as I do quite like elements of the verse and I think she phrases some of it quite nicely.

2 Unlimited was awful. I remember going to a church camp and some christian singer was able to recreate it very easily on their keyboard, it was such a basic track. George & Elton was always a no from me, just dreary. Salt n Pepa is okay-ish. I do like that they were able to sing about those sort of things, for a 10/11 year old I felt that I hadn't really heard people being so open about sex... but then my childhood was very sheltered! I do still like that it's a song from the POV of women and empowerment though, a lot of my female friends at school loved it.

Ok. If it's a sex positive or empowering song then I can forgive it. If art is useful or important it doesn't necessarily have to be well rendered.

I didn’t buy any of the songs that you’ve featured so far. That’s quite surprising as I really ramped up my buying of singles in 90 and 91

There may be one coming up very soon.

“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” is head, shoulders and nipples above anything else revealed so far this year!

5 The KLF - 3AM Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)

I find this quite weak compared to What Time is Love? and Last Train to Trancentral. Both of which are 10s.

I thought that this would be an automatic number 1 for 1991 but assumptions can be very wrong, sometimes. I know I will be judged harshly for what I have placed above it.

12th best seller of 1991.

Colm's score 6.8

Well you were right that I did buy that one… I’m very shocked that it’s only 0.1 better than the George/Elton cover for you.

“3AM Eternal” isn’t any weaker than their other hits for me.