🚀 go-pugleaf

"Chris Brown" <extreme_rice@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:r6sdb3$c68$1@dont-email.me...
> Posting on Saturday for a change, because the date is Monday and it's a
> Bank Holiday weekend. I almost posted it on Good Friday because one of the
> tracks is called Passion...
>
> Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the 90s
> I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on Pointless,
> you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the form of obscure
> hits by very well-known acts.
> You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
> versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
> track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit that
> was left off a best-of album in 2020.
> I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>
> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
> the appropriate single versions.
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>
> 13th April 1996
>
> 1.   (1) The Prodigy Firestarter

Never liked them at the time (and was one of the few at school who didn't)
but grew into their style.

> 3.   (4) Mark Morrison Return Of The Mack

Just... not very good.

> 4.   (3) Robert Miles Children

Classic Italo House, how can a piano line so simple be so effective?

> 10.  (9) Take That How Deep Is Your Love

The end for them, first time around, wasn't it?

> 11. (11) Oasis Don't Look Back In Anger

Closing track from 'Our Friends in the North' tv series, which was required
viewing for my A level history class.

Re-watched it over 20yrs later on DVD and it has stood the test of time.

> 15. (20) Baby D Take Me To Heaven

Not the best of their album but a decent enough track

> 17. (12) Ken Doh Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)

The DJ on Radio Norfolk who does the retro show is mad about this.  You know
it's going to turn up if he does 1996.  Similarly Toni di Bart with The Real
Thing for 94, Running in the Family for 87, and a few others.

> 19.  (7) Ocean Colour Scene You've Got It Bad

Brummy Blues, quite effective to start, but becoming a bit repetitive by
now.

> 20. (24) PJ & Duncan Stepping Stone

Ugh.

> 22. (10) Pulp Something Changed

Getting close to bottom of Different Class barrel now, seems to be a theme
on this chart.

> 27. (23) Garbage Stupid Girl

Had a flatmate who played Version 2.0 on repeat for a week after a break up
which has probably tainted my memories of Garbage

> 32. (34) Paul Carrack How Long?

I'd forgotten he had a solo hit with this

> 40. (35) Shed Seven Going For Gold

Another one I like more in retrospect.  He's technically quite a weak
vocalist but very effective for their style.

> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo Spaceman

Was this on the way up or a re-entry?  Mainstay of Atlantic 252 at the time.

> 53. (44) The Beatles Real Love

Why they released this as the 2nd single not the 1st I don't know, far
better track than the dreary Free as a Bird

> 74. (65) Queen Too Much Love Will Kill You

Is this the Brian vocal version or a re-release of Freddie version?

> 84. (93) Passengers Miss Sarajevo

Charity record but struggling to recall for what.  Refugees from a war I
think?  But which?  Was the disintegration of Yugoslavia still happening
then?

James

On 11/04/2020 13:31, Chris Brown wrote:

> 13th April 1996
>

> 4.   (3) Robert Miles    Children
> 5.   (6) Gina G    Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit

> 11. (11) Oasis    Don't Look Back In Anger

> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo    Spaceman

> 78. (83) Oasis    Wonderwall

> 81. (86) Everything But The Girl    Missing {remix}

> 89. (84) Michael Jackson    Earth Song

As usual, very few I know.

There ware a lot of Oasis songs in this chart!


--

Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

On 11/04/2020 13:31, Chris Brown wrote:

> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
> the appropriate single versions.
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>
> 13th April 1996
>
> 1.   (1) The Prodigy    Firestarter

They had seemingly lost their way and this single put them firmly back
on the right track. And kickstarted their most successful era.

> 2.   (2) Mark Snow    The X-Files

I believe this may have been rush released to compete with the DJ Dado
remake. I'm surprised it took as long to release as it had been a
popular TV theme tune for almost two years by this point.

> 3.   (4) Mark Morrison    Return Of The Mack

By coincidence I heard this on Radio 2 in the very early hours of this
morning. I quite liked this back then but his voice somewhat spoils the
song.

> 4.   (3) Robert Miles    Children

A great instrumental song. Unusually one of three instrumentals in the
top 10.

> 5.   (6) Gina G    Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit

Our Eurovision entry and the first UK Euro entry to top the chart since
1981. We seemed to run out of home gwon acts though. Gina G is
Australian and Katrina Leskanich from the following year is American
(though her band The Waves did have British members).

> 6.  (NE) 2 Pac ft Dr Dre    California Love

Good, influential hip-hop / RnB song.

> 7.   (5) Gabrielle    Give Me A Little More Time

Her nasalised vocals apart this is a good song.

> 8.  (NE) Rage Against The Machine    Bulls On The Parade

Their biggest conventional hit. That is, the one that gotthere without
being an anti X-Factor song.

> 9.   (8) DJ Dado    X-Files

I only found out recently that this was technically a German import. The
record label were based in Germany and copies that made it into UK shops
were simply distributed by a company based in a small lock-up in
Wembley. The records themselves were all imported over. Maybe it was
connected with the fact that when the record started selling the Mark
Snow original wasn't available in the UK. I'm not an expert on copyright
law but maybe there was some legal wrangle that prevented the record
being pressed in the UK.

> 10.  (9) Take That    How Deep Is Your Love

Their final single. Or so we thought.

> 11. (11) Oasis    Don't Look Back In Anger

1996 was definitely the year of Oasis even though they only released one
- this - single. They spent well over 100 weeks in the top 75 largely
thanks to their singles constantly charting.

> 12. (16) Cast    Walkaway

Good song. But Cast never really lived up to the promise theyshowed in
1995 and early 1996.

> 17. (12) Ken Doh    Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)

I keep thinking of wrestling on World Of Sport on ITV when I see the
name of the act and the title of the single. I'm sure there used to be
wrestlers with those two names. Good song though.

> 23. (27) Technohead    I Wanna Be A Hippy

Very silly song but one I quite liked. Most people I knew back then
hated it though.

> 24. (18) Dubstar    Stars {reissue}

Second time around for this lovely song.

> 27. (23) Garbage    Stupid Girl

Great single by the lovely Shirley Manson and company.

> 31. (28) Celine Dion    Falling Into You

My by-far favourite Celine Dion song. Not that there's much competition
but this one I genuinely like.

> 32. (34) Paul Carrack    How Long?

He wrote and sang on the original version by Ace, a number 20 hit in
1974. It was one of those songs (by Ace) that still got some radio play
in the mid 1990s.
>
> 41. (49) Simply Red & White    Daydream Believer (Cheer Up Peter Reid)

An affectionate tribute to the Sunderland football team manager who was
well known for looking miserable even when the team were doing well. And
it begridges me to point out that they were doing fairly well at the
time. Unlike my team Newcastle who were falling apart, having surrended
a 12 point lead over Man Utd at the top of the Premier League and then
who lost 4-3 to Liverpool in a classic match some 4 days before this
chart was announced. I bet that cheered up Peter Reid who got a lot of
stick at Newcastle matches. Even when we weren't playing Sunderland.

> 60. (45) Joan Osborne    One Of Us

One of the most annoying big radio hits of 1996.

> 68. (NE) Bruce Dickinson    Back From The Edge

He'd left Iron Maiden but his solo career failed to really take off and
he soon returned to the band.

>      Chris


--
------
Robbie

On 12/04/2020 06:53, Vidcapper wrote:
> On 11/04/2020 13:31, Chris Brown wrote:
>
>> 13th April 1996
>>
>
>> 4.   (3) Robert Miles    Children

I know all the words to this... oh.

>> 5.   (6) Gina G    Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit

I like this just a little bit.

>> 11. (11) Oasis    Don't Look Back In Anger

In a recent tweet, Bonehead admitted that the intro to this song was
based on 'Imagine'. This may be the last surprising statement ever made.

>> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo    Spaceman

I always wanted him to go... away.


> As usual, very few I know.
>
> There ware a lot of Oasis songs in this chart!


Yes, this the era where most of their catalogue singles are more or less
constantly in the Top 100, partly because they were still widely available.



Anyway, here are some songs that are covers (self-covers in at least one
case) or covered by "name" acts or similar.

13th April 1996

1.   (1) The Prodigy	Firestarter
2.   (2) Mark Snow	The X-Files
9.   (8) DJ Dado	X-Files
10.  (9) Take That	How Deep Is Your Love
20. (24) PJ & Duncan	Stepping Stone
26. (13) Donna Summer	State Of Independence {1996 remix}
28. (NE) Interactive	Forever Young
32. (34) Paul Carrack	How Long?
33. (NE) Suggs with Louchie Lou & Michelle One	Cecilia
35. (NE) Status Quo	Don't Stop
36. (31) Shaggy	The Train Is Coming
41. (49) Simply Red & White	Daydream Believer (Cheer Up Peter Reid)
52. (80) The Mike Flowers Pops	Wonderwall
53. (44) The Beatles	Real Love
74. (65) Queen	Too Much Love Will Kill You
76. (RE) Robson & Jerome	I Believe / Up On The Roof
78. (83) Oasis	Wonderwall
85. (88) Mariah Carey	Open Arms
100.(RE) Etta James	I Just Want To Make Love To You

Here are a few songs that were based on prominent recognisable samples
13. (14) Coolio	1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)
27. (23) Garbage	Stupid Girl
49. (32) Full Intention	America (I Love America)

And here's one that was a bigger hit when parodied by the Smurfs.
23. (27) Technohead	I Wanna Be A Hippy


	Chris

On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>Posting on Saturday for a change, because the date is Monday and it's a
>Bank Holiday weekend. I almost posted it on Good Friday because one of
>the tracks is called Passion...
>
>Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the
>90s I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on
>Pointless, you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the form
>of obscure hits by very well-known acts.
>You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
>versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
>track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit
>that was left off a best-of album in 2020.
>I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>
>Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>the appropriate single versions.
>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>
>13th April 1996

It's an interesting chart. For me, this was only a week or so after I'd
started a new job, and hence was driving to work again after a few years
of working within walking distance, so for the first time in a few years
I was listening to the radio regularly on the way to work and back. So
there's more in this chart that I recall than I would have done even a
month or so earlier. On the other hand, I had also recently moved out of
the shared house I'd been living in, into my own flat, so I was no
longer being inflicted with my housemates' musical tastes, which may
have had the effect of reducing my exposure to some acts in this chart.

Possibly a little unusually, I haven't seen any acts in this chart as
such play live, but I have seen an act play live that's in this chart
under a pseudonym.

>1.   (1) The Prodigy	Firestarter

Probably their best-known, and best, track. I have spent ages perfectly
one of the moves in this video. You'll find it at 0:37 on the version in
the YouTube playlist.

>2.   (2) Mark Snow	The X-Files

Is this the actual theme of the show? As opposed to a remix? I didn't
watch it, so I don't know. And I don't recall this charting, possibly
because it didn't get airplay.

>3.   (4) Mark Morrison	Return Of The Mack

Pants.

>4.   (3) Robert Miles	Children

Great track. From a great album, that is, still, one of my all-time
favourites.

>5.   (6) Gina G	Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit

Very much of its era.

>6.  (NE) 2 Pac ft Dr Dre	California Love

Meh.

>7.   (5) Gabrielle	Give Me A Little More Time

Bland.

>8.  (NE) Rage Against The Machine	Bulls On The Parade

Uninteresting.

>9.   (8) DJ Dado	X-Files

This, I do remember. But this is a remix.

>10.  (9) Take That	How Deep Is Your Love

As cover versions go, this goes nowhere interesting.

>11. (11) Oasis	Don't Look Back In Anger

I do quite like this. But, on the other hand, it's so much a Beatles
pastiche that it might just as well have been done by The Rutles.

>12. (16) Cast	Walkaway

Nice song. I don't really remember this from the time, but it's become a
staple of gold format radio

>17. (12) Ken Doh	Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)

I wonder how many of the people buying this had any idea where the name
came from.

>26. (13) Donna Summer	State Of Independence {1996 remix}

Good song. But the remix didn't really add anything.

>27. (23) Garbage	Stupid Girl

Good song. Classic of its era.

>41. (49) Simply Red & White	Daydream Believer (Cheer Up Peter Reid)

That didn't age well, did it.

>47. (61) Babylon Zoo	Spaceman

At the time, this seemed new, and radical, and the precursor to loads
more great stuff in the future. As it turned out, it was a one-hit
wonder and the guy behind it turned out to be an utter numptie.

>52. (80) The Mike Flowers Pops	Wonderwall

As cover versions go, this goes to places you wouldn't expect.

>53. (44) The Beatles	Real Love

If you played all the songs in this chart to someone who had never heard
any of them before, and asked them which one was by The Beatles, they
probably wouldn't pick this one.

>56. (70) Oasis	Whatever

This is a rather Oasisisy chart. but I like this one.

>57. (57) Lighthouse Family	Lifted

Classic song.

>60. (45) Joan Osborne	One Of Us

A strangely compelling song. One of my favourites at the time.

The opening acapella verse is a clip from a recording made in 1937 for
the Archive of American Folk Song. You can hear the whole thing here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v}Zoq4ZH-SQ


>75. (82) Oasis	Cigarettes & Alcohol
>78. (83) Oasis	Wonderwall
>80. (92) Oasis	Live Forever
>83. (91) Oasis	Some Might Say

...there are too many Oasis songs in this chart :-)

They are all good songs, though. It's kind of odd, really, in that, at
the time, I was more of a Blur fan. But it's Oasis that, now, anchor the
decade for me. Particularly the tracks from What's The Story. Partly
because I was the odd one out in my group of friends in preferring Blur,
and therefore Oasis was the inevitable backdrop to almost every social
occasion. Some friends of mine were in a band, they teetered agonisingly
on the verge of actually making it - got some minor airplay, got a few
gigs in London at places that had broken big names before them - and I
helped out as a roadie, and played keyboard on a couple of their studio
tracks. And we played Oasis to death in the van on the road.

>84. (93) Passengers	Miss Sarajevo

Great song. If only they'd done more than one album, eh.

>88. (RE) Blur	Stereotypes

Good song. Not one of their best, though. IMO.

>89. (84) Michael Jackson	Earth Song

Awful. Truly awful.

>94. (95) Oasis	Shakermaker

Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
The New Seekers. And got sued for it.

Rather amusingly, an Oasis tribute band later did a version of "I'd Like
to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of Oasis, which makes the
similarity even more obvious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvSwZaquCw

Mark

On 11/04/2020 21:27, James Heaton wrote:
>
> "Chris Brown" <extreme_rice@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:r6sdb3$c68$1@dont-email.me...
>> Posting on Saturday for a change, because the date is Monday and it's
>> a Bank Holiday weekend. I almost posted it on Good Friday because one
>> of the tracks is called Passion...
>>
>> Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the
>> 90s I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on
>> Pointless, you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the
>> form of obscure hits by very well-known acts.
>> You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
>> versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
>> track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit
>> that was left off a best-of album in 2020.
>> I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>>
>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look
>> for the appropriate single versions.
>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>
>> 13th April 1996
>>
>> 1.   (1) The Prodigy Firestarter
>
> Never liked them at the time (and was one of the few at school who
> didn't) but grew into their style.

Yeah, I wasn't into dance at all at this point, and I wasn't that keen
on rap or metal either so this was a non-starter for 1996 me.
It has grown on me since, but I still prefer several of their other singles.

>> 3.   (4) Mark Morrison Return Of The Mack
>
> Just... not very good.

It's not but I suppose it is at least memorable.


>> 10.  (9) Take That How Deep Is Your Love
>
> The end for them, first time around, wasn't it?

Yes. Which was a bit awkward, given that they'd already released the
obvious swansong 'Never Forget'.

>> 11. (11) Oasis Don't Look Back In Anger
>
> Closing track from 'Our Friends in the North' tv series, which was
> required viewing for my A level history class.

I watched it and I still only got a D.

> Re-watched it over 20yrs later on DVD and it has stood the test of time.

I should probably try and watch it again sometime.
of course Mark Strong is now voicing government adverts about social
distancing.

>> 15. (20) Baby D Take Me To Heaven
>
> Not the best of their album but a decent enough track

Not the hit that anyone remembers them for (including me).

>> 17. (12) Ken Doh Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)
>
> The DJ on Radio Norfolk who does the retro show is mad about this.  You
> know it's going to turn up if he does 1996.  Similarly Toni di Bart with
> The Real Thing for 94, Running in the Family for 87, and a few others.

I'm glad to know that non-obvious stuff like this is getting onto those
kind of shows.

>> 19.  (7) Ocean Colour Scene You've Got It Bad
>
> Brummy Blues, quite effective to start, but becoming a bit repetitive by
> now.

This was their second actual hit, so still the honeymoon period for me.

>> 20. (24) PJ & Duncan Stepping Stone
>
> Ugh.

Not their finest work.

>> 22. (10) Pulp Something Changed
>
> Getting close to bottom of Different Class barrel now, seems to be a
> theme on this chart.

I like the song, but I was surprised at the time that it was picked as a
single. It's quite atypical.
As I'm writing this, there's a Twitter listening party for the album and
it's been mentioned that the song was written circa 1984, which is
probably why it sounds so different from the rest.

>> 27. (23) Garbage Stupid Girl
>
> Had a flatmate who played Version 2.0 on repeat for a week after a break
> up which has probably tainted my memories of Garbage

There was always something about them I couldn't warm to, even though I
like some individual songs.

>> 32. (34) Paul Carrack How Long?
>
> I'd forgotten he had a solo hit with this

I suspect most people have. I don't even think Radio 2 play this version
now.

>> 40. (35) Shed Seven Going For Gold
>
> Another one I like more in retrospect.

I thought I liked it at the time, but then again I didn't buy the single
at the time (and didn't get the album until months later). Maybe I'd
have bought the 7" if any of my local shops had it.

> He's technically quite a weak
> vocalist but very effective for their style.

Yes, I have a lot of love for Shed Seven, they're like comfort food for
me, and I think that's part of the reason.

>> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo Spaceman
>
> Was this on the way up or a re-entry?

It was a rebound, although it hadn't been out of the Top 75 yet.
Presumably it was a beneficiary of promotion for the imminent release of
the second single.

>  Mainstay of Atlantic 252 at the
> time.

A few people at my school listened to that but I was more of a Radio 4
man in those days.

>> 53. (44) The Beatles Real Love
>
> Why they released this as the 2nd single not the 1st I don't know, far
> better track than the dreary Free as a Bird

I've often thought the same. My only theory was that for maximum they
wanted a totally unheard song to be the "comeback" single, whereas a
version of 'Real Love' had been released before.

>> 74. (65) Queen Too Much Love Will Kill You
>
> Is this the Brian vocal version or a re-release of Freddie version?

It's the Freddie vocal that was only released posthumously. It was
obviously recorded before Brian May's solo version

>> 84. (93) Passengers Miss Sarajevo
>
> Charity record but struggling to recall for what.  Refugees from a war I
> think?  But which?  Was the disintegration of Yugoslavia still happening
> then?

It was, I think they might have given the money to War Child.

	Chris

On 12/04/2020 22:50, Chris Brown wrote:
> On 11/04/2020 21:27, James Heaton wrote:

>>> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo Spaceman
>>
>> Was this on the way up or a re-entry?
>
> It was a rebound, although it hadn't been out of the Top 75 yet.
> Presumably it was a beneficiary of promotion for the imminent release of
> the second single.

Possibly but was this not also the start of the era where ex-top 40
singles began to bounce around the lower reaches of the charts due to a
combination of what became known as "sell-off singles" - bargain bin
tracks which became even more of a problem in two or three years
largelybecause labels just wouldn't take back excess stock - and so many
records entering so high up the chart that older singles just meandered
around the lower part of the top 75 for a few weeks.

>
>>   Mainstay of Atlantic 252 at the time.
>
> A few people at my school listened to that but I was more of a Radio 4
> man in those days.

Atlantic 252 seemed to have a playlist of about 20 to 30 songs at one
stage. And when a track was playlisted it would often be played 60+
times a week.

>
>      Chris


--
------
Robbie

"Mark Goodge" <usenet@listmail.good-stuff.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ptq69f5943kd9sddi41m2b3n37urrka2p9@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Posting on Saturday for a change, because the date is Monday and it's a
>>Bank Holiday weekend. I almost posted it on Good Friday because one of
>>the tracks is called Passion...
>>
>>Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the
>>90s I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on
>>Pointless, you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the form
>>of obscure hits by very well-known acts.
>>You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
>>versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
>>track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit
>>that was left off a best-of album in 2020.
>>I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>>
>>Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>>the appropriate single versions.
>>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>
>>13th April 1996
>
>>94. (95) Oasis Shakermaker
>
> Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
> The New Seekers. And got sued for it.
>
> Rather amusingly, an Oasis tribute band later did a version of "I'd Like
> to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of Oasis, which makes the
> similarity even more obvious.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvSwZaquCw

When I saw them live at Cardiff Arena in 95 or 96, they even did it
themselves...

Added it as a final coda after the last verse - first two lines of I'd like
to teach... followed by 'ahhhhh.... shake along with me...'

James

On 13/04/2020 10:29, James Heaton wrote:
>
> "Mark Goodge" <usenet@listmail.good-stuff.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:ptq69f5943kd9sddi41m2b3n37urrka2p9@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Posting on Saturday for a change, because the date is Monday and it's a
>>> Bank Holiday weekend. I almost posted it on Good Friday because one of
>>> the tracks is called Passion...
>>>
>>> Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the
>>> 90s I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on
>>> Pointless, you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the form
>>> of obscure hits by very well-known acts.
>>> You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
>>> versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
>>> track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit
>>> that was left off a best-of album in 2020.
>>> I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>>>
>>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>>> the appropriate single versions.
>>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>>
>>> 13th April 1996
>>
>>> 94. (95) Oasis Shakermaker
>>
>> Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
>> The New Seekers. And got sued for it.
>>
>> Rather amusingly, an Oasis tribute band later did a version of "I'd Like
>> to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of Oasis, which makes the
>> similarity even more obvious.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvSwZaquCw
>
> When I saw them live at Cardiff Arena in 95 or 96, they even did it
> themselves...
>
> Added it as a final coda after the last verse - first two lines of I'd
> like to teach... followed by 'ahhhhh.... shake along with me...'

I remember them doing 'Whatever' on MTV and breaking into a bit of 'All
The Young Dudes' at the end. Maybe that was misdirection?

	Chris

On 12/04/2020 23:42, Robbie wrote:
> On 12/04/2020 22:50, Chris Brown wrote:
>> On 11/04/2020 21:27, James Heaton wrote:
>
>>>> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo Spaceman
>>>
>>> Was this on the way up or a re-entry?
>>
>> It was a rebound, although it hadn't been out of the Top 75 yet.
>> Presumably it was a beneficiary of promotion for the imminent release
>> of the second single.
>
> Possibly but was this not also the start of the era where ex-top 40
> singles began to bounce around the lower reaches of the charts due to a
> combination of what became known as "sell-off singles" - bargain bin
> tracks which became even more of a problem in two or three years
> largelybecause labels just wouldn't take back excess stock - and so many
> records entering so high up the chart that older singles just meandered
> around the lower part of the top 75 for a few weeks.

That is actually possible, but I was quite seduced by the mental image
of people hearing 'Animal Army' and thinking "Okay, I won't buy the
album, just the single".

	Chris

On 12/04/2020 10:29, Robbie wrote:
> On 11/04/2020 13:31, Chris Brown wrote:
>
>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look
>> for the appropriate single versions.
>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>
>> 13th April 1996
>>
>> 1.   (1) The Prodigy    Firestarter
>
> They had seemingly lost their way and this single put them firmly back
> on the right track. And kickstarted their most successful era.

Even with their unbroken run of Top 20 singles they still seemed like an
underground act until they had two Number One singles. Even if they
still weren't exactly mainstream at this point they were one of the
biggest and most famous groups in the UK.

>> 2.   (2) Mark Snow    The X-Files
>
> I believe this may have been rush released to compete with the DJ Dado
> remake. I'm surprised it took as long to release as it had been a
> popular TV theme tune for almost two years by this point.

True, but releasing TV theme tunes as singles was less of a thing in the
90s than in the 70s and early 80s... I guess because it was harder to
make money off singles by then if they weren't promoting an album?
Mark Snow did release an album of X-Files music in 1996 - and I suppose
it makes sense that he'd only do that when there had been more episodes,
but I don't know whether pulling a single off it was because of DJ Dado.

>> 3.   (4) Mark Morrison    Return Of The Mack
>
> By coincidence I heard this on Radio 2 in the very early hours of this
> morning. I quite liked this back then but his voice somewhat spoils the
> song.

Speaking of early hours, Bob Mills was going the late Sunday show on GLR
at this time and he did a whole riff on whether this song was about a
coat, then his producer mentioned that he actually had Morrison's number
and called him. A few weeks later he was presenting TotP with a totally
different accent.

>> 4.   (3) Robert Miles    Children
>
> A great instrumental song. Unusually one of three instrumentals in the
> top 10.

Must have been quite rare after the 60s.

>> 5.   (6) Gina G    Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit
>
> Our Eurovision entry and the first UK Euro entry to top the chart since
> 1981. We seemed to run out of home gwon acts though. Gina G is
> Australian and Katrina Leskanich from the following year is American
> (though her band The Waves did have British members).

I assume the more recent ones have been British?

>> 6.  (NE) 2 Pac ft Dr Dre    California Love
>
> Good, influential hip-hop / RnB song.

Even I quite like this.

>> 7.   (5) Gabrielle    Give Me A Little More Time
>
> Her nasalised vocals apart this is a good song.

I actually like her singing on this one.

>> 8.  (NE) Rage Against The Machine    Bulls On The Parade
>
> Their biggest conventional hit. That is, the one that gotthere without
> being an anti X-Factor song.

It used to be a good potential quiz question to name their only Top 10
single.

>> 9.   (8) DJ Dado    X-Files
>
> I only found out recently that this was technically a German import. The
> record label were based in Germany and copies that made it into UK shops
> were simply distributed by a company based in a small lock-up in
> Wembley. The records themselves were all imported over. Maybe it was
> connected with the fact that when the record started selling the Mark
> Snow original wasn't available in the UK. I'm not an expert on copyright
> law but maybe there was some legal wrangle that prevented the record
> being pressed in the UK.

I hadn't heard of that before but it seems plausible.

>> 10.  (9) Take That    How Deep Is Your Love
>
> Their final single. Or so we thought.

I'm sure they did too.

>> 11. (11) Oasis    Don't Look Back In Anger
>
> 1996 was definitely the year of Oasis even though they only released one
> - this - single.

Which was of course from their 1995 album, not that it stopped fans
buying it fr the B-sides.

>They spent well over 100 weeks in the top 75 largely
> thanks to their singles constantly charting.

Surely even longer Top 100.

>> 12. (16) Cast    Walkaway
>
> Good song. But Cast never really lived up to the promise theyshowed in
> 1995 and early 1996.

They obviously still have their fans and to be fair I don't not like
them, but I think they peaked early. Mind you, I've never really
listened to the reunion stuff.

>> 17. (12) Ken Doh    Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)
>
> I keep thinking of wrestling on World Of Sport on ITV when I see the
> name of the act and the title of the single. I'm sure there used to be
> wrestlers with those two names.

Yeah, Kendo Nagasaki was a famous masked wrestler in the Seventies, and
made a comeback in the Eighties.
In fact here he is in a vaguely on-topic match where the wrestlers had
to climb up a ladder and retrieve a 12" single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?vüf7QAy61Yo

Don't think there's a wrestler called I Need A Lover Tonight, though.



>> 23. (27) Technohead    I Wanna Be A Hippy
>
> Very silly song but one I quite liked. Most people I knew back then
> hated it though.

I did find it funny but it's one you can get tired of.

>> 24. (18) Dubstar    Stars {reissue}
>
> Second time around for this lovely song.

A very cheery song about the end of world.

>> 27. (23) Garbage    Stupid Girl
>
> Great single by the lovely Shirley Manson and company.

One of their best, even if it's a bit mean.

>> 31. (28) Celine Dion    Falling Into You
>
> My by-far favourite Celine Dion song. Not that there's much competition
> but this one I genuinely like.

Yeah, I like this as well. It's an interesting tune and suits her voice.

>> 32. (34) Paul Carrack    How Long?
>
> He wrote and sang on the original version by Ace, a number 20 hit in
> 1974. It was one of those songs (by Ace) that still got some radio play
> in the mid 1990s.

I presume putting this out as a single after he'd started to break
through as a solo act was seen as an easy win.



>> 60. (45) Joan Osborne    One Of Us
>
> One of the most annoying big radio hits of 1996.

I'm sure she's a nice person and all but this was irritating.

>> 68. (NE) Bruce Dickinson    Back From The Edge
>
> He'd left Iron Maiden but his solo career failed to really take off and
> he soon returned to the band.

And unlike some cases, the band had also been less successful without
him so he was probably quite welcome!

	Chris

On 12/04/2020 22:02, Mark Goodge wrote:
> On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>

>> Anyway, this isn't a really topical chart, I just picked a year in the
>> 90s I hadn't done for a while. But if you're ever a contestant on
>> Pointless, you'll find some potentially useful answers here, in the form
>> of obscure hits by very well-known acts.
>> You might also note two versions of the same song in the Top 10, two
>> versions of the same song that had previously been Top 10 together, a
>> track that was going to be a Top 10 hit later in 1996 and a Top 5 hit
>> that was left off a best-of album in 2020.
>> I promise that song title at 67 isn't a typo
>>
>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>> the appropriate single versions.
>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>
>> 13th April 1996
>
> It's an interesting chart. For me, this was only a week or so after I'd
> started a new job, and hence was driving to work again after a few years
> of working within walking distance, so for the first time in a few years
> I was listening to the radio regularly on the way to work and back. So
> there's more in this chart that I recall than I would have done even a
> month or so earlier. On the other hand, I had also recently moved out of
> the shared house I'd been living in, into my own flat, so I was no
> longer being inflicted with my housemates' musical tastes, which may
> have had the effect of reducing my exposure to some acts in this chart.

I should have been revising for my A-Levels. We'd only recently got
cable TV so I was into the music channels, but mostly for the Britpop
records.

> Possibly a little unusually, I haven't seen any acts in this chart as
> such play live, but I have seen an act play live that's in this chart
> under a pseudonym.

Easy.

>> 1.   (1) The Prodigy	Firestarter
>
> Probably their best-known, and best, track. I have spent ages perfectly
> one of the moves in this video. You'll find it at 0:37 on the version in
> the YouTube playlist.
>
>> 2.   (2) Mark Snow	The X-Files
>
> Is this the actual theme of the show? As opposed to a remix? I didn't
> watch it, so I don't know.

I don't think I ever watched a whole episode but it was in the culture
enough that I recognised it. Presumably the version used on the series
wasn't four minutes long, so he must have padded it out a bit for the
single/album recording.

>And I don't recall this charting, possibly
> because it didn't get airplay.

It was on MTV a fair bit.

>> 3.   (4) Mark Morrison	Return Of The Mack
>
> Pants.

I suppose it's sort of funny. But not intentionally.

>> 4.   (3) Robert Miles	Children
>
> Great track. From a great album, that is, still, one of my all-time
> favourites.

I'm not sure I'd want to listen to 40 minutes of this.

>> 5.   (6) Gina G	Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit
>
> Very much of its era.

Produced by Motiv8, indeed.

>> 6.  (NE) 2 Pac ft Dr Dre	California Love
>
> Meh.

Even I like this, and I think Tupac was/is massively overrated.

>> 7.   (5) Gabrielle	Give Me A Little More Time
>
> Bland.

I like this.

>> 8.  (NE) Rage Against The Machine	Bulls On The Parade
>
> Uninteresting.

Maybe trying too hard to convince.

>> 9.   (8) DJ Dado	X-Files
>
> This, I do remember. But this is a remix.

It had a proper video too.

>> 10.  (9) Take That	How Deep Is Your Love
>
> As cover versions go, this goes nowhere interesting.

An obvious contractual obligation, even if you're not a conspiray theorist.
Nothing actually wrong with it.

>> 11. (11) Oasis	Don't Look Back In Anger
>
> I do quite like this. But, on the other hand, it's so much a Beatles
> pastiche that it might just as well have been done by The Rutles.

Well, a Lennon pastiche really.

>> 12. (16) Cast	Walkaway
>
> Nice song. I don't really remember this from the time, but it's become a
> staple of gold format radio

Which is not what I would have predicted at the time.

>> 17. (12) Ken Doh	Nakasaki EP (I Need A Lover Tonight)
>
> I wonder how many of the people buying this had any idea where the name
> came from.

I assume DJs were mostly old enough.

>> 26. (13) Donna Summer	State Of Independence {1996 remix}
>
> Good song. But the remix didn't really add anything.

I believe this is in fact re-recorded so I'm sure there were
financial/contractual reasons.

>> 27. (23) Garbage	Stupid Girl
>
> Good song. Classic of its era.

Might be my second favourite of theirs.

>> 41. (49) Simply Red & White	Daydream Believer (Cheer Up Peter Reid)
>
> That didn't age well, did it.

Did it sound better 24 years ago?

>> 47. (61) Babylon Zoo	Spaceman
>
> At the time, this seemed new, and radical, and the precursor to loads
> more great stuff in the future.

Did it? I Mostly remember people buying it because of the jeans advert.

?As it turned out, it was a one-hit
> wonder and the guy behind it turned out to be an utter numptie.

Although he technically had three hits.

>> 52. (80) The Mike Flowers Pops	Wonderwall
>
> As cover versions go, this goes to places you wouldn't expect.

Including Number 2 in the charts.

>> 53. (44) The Beatles	Real Love
>
> If you played all the songs in this chart to someone who had never heard
> any of them before, and asked them which one was by The Beatles, they
> probably wouldn't pick this one.

As much as I like this, I do understand why people were a bit nonplussed
by the reunion singles. They don't really sound like the 60s or the 90s.

>> 56. (70) Oasis	Whatever
>
> This is a rather Oasisisy chart. but I like this one.

And this is the Oasis track that really does connect to the Rutles,
because it was ripped off from Neil Innes.

>> 57. (57) Lighthouse Family	Lifted
>
> Classic song.

I remember seeing the cassette single in WH Smith before I'd heard the
song. And it wasn't what I expected from the cover.

>> 60. (45) Joan Osborne	One Of Us
>
> A strangely compelling song. One of my favourites at the time.
>
> The opening acapella verse is a clip from a recording made in 1937 for
> the Archive of American Folk Song. You can hear the whole thing here:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v}Zoq4ZH-SQ

Pity they didn't just release that TBH.

>> 75. (82) Oasis	Cigarettes & Alcohol
>> 78. (83) Oasis	Wonderwall
>> 80. (92) Oasis	Live Forever
>> 83. (91) Oasis	Some Might Say
>
> ...there are too many Oasis songs in this chart :-)
>
> They are all good songs, though. It's kind of odd, really, in that, at
> the time, I was more of a Blur fan. But it's Oasis that, now, anchor the
> decade for me. Particularly the tracks from What's The Story. Partly
> because I was the odd one out in my group of friends in preferring Blur,
> and therefore Oasis was the inevitable backdrop to almost every social
> occasion. Some friends of mine were in a band, they teetered agonisingly
> on the verge of actually making it - got some minor airplay, got a few
> gigs in London at places that had broken big names before them - and I
> helped out as a roadie, and played keyboard on a couple of their studio
> tracks. And we played Oasis to death in the van on the road.

No getting away from the fact that Oasis ended up being a lot more
famous - and remained a big mainstream act for longer.
In a sense they were quite peripheral to the type of music that was
initially called Britpop but they ended ep so big that they shifted the
direction.

>> 84. (93) Passengers	Miss Sarajevo
>
> Great song. If only they'd done more than one album, eh.

I've never actually heard the rest of the album, but I presume it
doesn't all sound like this.

>> 88. (RE) Blur	Stereotypes
>
> Good song. Not one of their best, though. IMO.

My Mum was always keen on it.

>> 89. (84) Michael Jackson	Earth Song
>
> Awful. Truly awful.

You don't have to be Jarvis Cocker to find this sick-making.

>> 94. (95) Oasis	Shakermaker
>
> Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
> The New Seekers. And got sued for it.

Interesting in a way that as much as they pushed the Beatles angle
themselves, it's hard to think of a specific Oasis song that resembles a
specific Beatles song. And yet they did get caught borrowing from the
New Seekers, Stevie Wonder, Neil Innes etc, to say nothing of the
obvious T.Rex riff in 'Cigarettes And Alcohol' etc.

> Rather amusingly, an Oasis tribute band later did a version of "I'd Like
> to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of Oasis, which makes the
> similarity even more obvious.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvSwZaquCw

I almost bought that single.
I'm listening to it on Spotify now to see whether I was right not to.

	Chris

Op 12-4-2020 om 23:02 schreef Mark Goodge:
> On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>

>>
>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>> the appropriate single versions.
>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>
>> 13th April 1996
>

>
>> 94. (95) Oasis	Shakermaker
>
> Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
> The New Seekers. And got sued for it.
>

And everybody thinks that the New Seeker's version was the original, but
it isn't.

Before the New Seekers, there was the version of The Hillside Singers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASe7ioPis6I

But the original is from an Australian girl Susan Shirley.
It's called "True Love and Apple Pie":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3V7SCdUiKQ

Coca Cola discovered the Susan Shirley song, changed the lyrics and used
it for commercials.

Rink

Op 20-4-2020 om 0:40 schreef Chris Brown:
> On 12/04/2020 22:02, Mark Goodge wrote:
>> On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:31:31 +0100, Chris Brown <extreme_rice@yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>

>>>
>>> Playlists are here, and I've had plenty of time on my hands to look for
>>> the appropriate single versions.
>>> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jErxXNXDKC6d88LpZ468E?si=zg-_bGb7QVSaGdHL4Lb1-Q
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNqMtkigLkBfJBCKiIDGqkIG
>>>
>>> 13th April 1996
>>

>
>>> 94. (95) Oasis    Shakermaker
>>
>> Making a change from channelling The Beatles, in this song they channel
>> The New Seekers. And got sued for it.
>
> Interesting in a way that as much as they pushed the Beatles angle
> themselves, it's hard to think of a specific Oasis song that resembles a
> specific Beatles song. And yet they did get caught borrowing from the
> New Seekers, Stevie Wonder, Neil Innes etc, to say nothing of the
> obvious T.Rex riff in 'Cigarettes And Alcohol' etc.
>
>> Rather amusingly, an Oasis tribute band later did a version of "I'd Like
>> to Teach the World to Sing" in the style of Oasis, which makes the
>> similarity even more obvious.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvSwZaquCw
>
> I almost bought that single.
> I'm listening to it on Spotify now to see whether I was right not to.
>
>      Chris


And?

single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?vLNq3OG0P1w

Rink