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Dominator’s Voting List – The Best and Worst of 1997
Time to vote!Please send votes for the following to : vote@festive.demon.co.uk
All votes must correspond with singles released or anything else that happenedin 1997 only.
In the last chart of 1996, I posted my Top 50 singles of the year, picking out the Top 10 first. During 1997, I’ll be going through the list one by one. I’ve finished the Top 10, and have now moved onto the rest.
This week : 14 new entries, 2 climbers, 1 non-mover & 23 downers
It’s goodbye to :
And hello to :
(* – my current favourites)
(!!! – Single Of The Week!!!)
(:O === the current all-time hate that makes even my smilie want to hurl!)
( (R) – Repeat., ie. a re-release)
A brief analysis on the current chart situation…
14 new entries this week, 2 climbers (Steps from 23 to 17, and All Saints from6 to 5), 1 non-mover for Aqua at 3, and 23 going down.
Big fallers include Verve (7 to 21), Gala (11 to 26), Kylie Minogue (14 to 37)and USURA (21 to 39).
Nothing to report this week.
Of this week’s highlights and lowlights…
40 Sparks vs. Faith No More – This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us * !!!
A bizarre band with more misses than hits, the Sparks hit No.2 with the originalof this in May 1974, and it remains as one of the best songs of all time, eventhough until I saw them on TV in 1994 I thought it was sung by a woman….
Apart from one other Top 10 hit, Beat The Clock (No.10, July 79), they’ve hadnothing else in the charts since the criminally ignored singles, “When I KissYou I Hear Charlie Parker Playing”, “Now That I Own The BBC”, and the biggestof the three, “When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’ ?” (No.32, May 95 – reissue).
I’ve not heard this collaboration with Faith No More, but it has to beat thepants off anything else this week.
34 Dreem Teem – The Theme
Is this the theme tune to Sky One’s “football” programme? And someone bought it?
23 Will Smith – Just Cruisin’
Follow-up to the No.1 hit, “Men In Black”. Not half as good, and not doing halfas well.
18 Blackstreet – (Money Can’t) Buy Me Love :O ===
Godawful cover of the Beatles classic, “Can’t Buy Me Love” which made No.1in March 1964.
15 Seahorses – You Can Talk To Me
Following the top tunes, “Love is the Law” and “Blinded By The Sun”, theirsingles have gone a bit staid with this and their last one, “Love Me And LeaveMe”. Quite a bit different from their Stone Roses roots.
12 Sheryl Crow – Tomorrow Never Dies
The theme tune to the 18th James Bond film. Alas not very good, and whateverhappened to only using UK artists? That soon went out of the window.
Anyway, the films are usually superb, and let’s hope the new one, due out incinemas on December 12th follows the trend…
7 Robbie Williams – Angels *
Fifth single for Robbie, and back in the Top 10 with rather a slow, but goodone too. How it fares from now remains to be seen.
5 (6) All Saints – Never Ever
This, and “I Know Where It’s At”, but their next single, “Under The Bridge”is a dire “cover” of the Red Hot Chili Peppers classic (which made No.26 inMarch 92, and then No.13 when reissued in April 94). I loved the original, butthis, as performed on TFI Friday, is a pale imitation of it.
They’ve also massacred another classic tune by Labelle, namely “Lady Marmalade”,their one and only hit as a group, which made No.17 in March 1975, and had thetop-notch chorus, “Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Ce Soir?”
And I had such high hopes for them as well…
4 Janet Jackson – Together Again :O ===
Following her ridiculous “cover” of Joni Mitchell’s, “Big Yellow Taxi”, inthe form of “Got Til It’s Gone”, this song is about her friends who died ofAIDS. Perhaps she’s letting on more than she’s not telling…
On the Big Breakfast last week she gave an in-depth analysis into the meaningbehind the title of her latest album, “The Velvet Rope”. I can’t remember whatshe said, but it sounds like she’s as off-the-rails as her brother Michael.
1 Teletubbies – Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh! *1st Week at No.1*
Does this need any introduction? Well, just in case you haven’t been livingin Britain, the Teletubbies are four fat teddy-bear-like creatures namedTinky Winky (who’s purple), Dipsy (green), Laa-Laa (yellow), and Po (red),and who each have a television in their stomachs.
They spend 30 mins a day running about in Teletubbyland doing various dances,eating Tubbytoast, or Tubbycustard, and instead of saying “Hello”, they say”Eh-Oh”. At some point the TV’s in their stomachs light up, and one of themplays an educational video of sorts. Elsewhere in the show, the hoover,Noo-Noo, will attempt to clean up.
Created by Ragdoll Productions, the Teletubbies are this years hot toy, withshops selling out as soon as they open and stocks being limited to one percustomer. Why the creators didn’t organise enough toys is anyone’s guess afterthe farce last year when the Buzz Lightyear dolls sold out in droves.
The Teletubbies have a connection with Shakespeare in that their home isalso Stratford-Upon-Avon, and courted controversy when the first “Tinky Winky”,played by Dave Thompson, was sacked for not playing his part properly….
All said and done, this single is just the programme’s theme tune, and ishotly-tipped to make No.1 for Xmas ahead of the Spice Girls.
This is now the second single to go straight in at No.1 in a row :
(* – my current favourites)
December 1st :
GROUNDED………………………………………..Bangtwister (BMB) BACHELORETTE……………………………..Bjork (One Little Indian) MONEY CAN’T BUY ME LOVE……………Blackstreet (Interscope/Universal) REAL WORLD……………………………………Mr. Blank (RCR/Ripe) RUN TO YOU…………………………..Joi Cardwell (Eightball/Activ) BUTTERFLY / FLY AWAY / THE ROOF………………Mariah Carey (Columbia) THE PRIVATE PSYCHEDELIC REEL [chart-ineigible]…………………….. ………………………The Chemical Brothers (Freestyle Dust/Virgin) BIGGEST & BEST………………………………Clawfinger (Coalition) BEST LOVE……………………………….The Course (Brothers Org.) TOMORROW NEVER DIES (UNTIL THAT DAY)……………….Sheryl Crow (A&M) CHINESE BURN…………………………………….Curve (Universal) LOVETHING………………………………………….Down Low (ZYX) ONLY IF ………………………………………………Enya (WEA) [tba]………………………………………Eternal (1st Ave./EMI) SLAM DUNK (DA FUNK)…………………………………….Five (RCA) I FARTED…………………………………….Freakwincey (Rephlex) ALL I WANT FOR X-MAS IS A SPICE GIRL…………………Gompie (Edisom) ENTROPY……………………………………………G.T.B. (Sperm) MAHOGANY ROOTS [rm]………………………………Hardfloor (Eye-Q) I WANNA BE YOUR LADY / MY EYES………………….Hinda Hicks (Island) TOGETHER AGAIN………………………………Janet Jackson (Virgin) HIGH TIMES……………………………………Jamiroquai (Sony S2) IN OVER MY HEAD (THEME FROM `GET WELL SOON’)……Aled Jones (Coalition) GOD IS GOD………………………………..Juno Reactor (Blue Room) I’M A DISCO DANCER……………………..Christopher Just (Slut Trax) FOLLOW ME…………………Fiona Kennedy feat. Donnier Munroe (Pixie) DESIRE………………………………….Life Of Agony (Roadrunner) WHAT YOU SAY………………………………..Lightning Seeds (Epic) GOLD…………………………………………….Lush (Freerange) WHO’S WHO…………………………….Monk & Canatella (Cup Of Tea) PERSONAL TOUCH………………………………………..Naomi (Gut) GIVE IT TO ME……………………………..Non-Alains (Un-Disputed) PONDLIFE…………………………………………Novocaine (Fire) BEST BIT…………………………………….Beth Orton (Heavenly) ON MY OWN [ri]……………………………………….Peach (Mute) MATHAR………………………………..The Dave Pike Set (Outcaste) REMIXES EP: TRAILER MUSIC / THE WORLD IS SPINNING AT 45RPM / LOVE’S THEME…………………………………….Pizzicato Five (Matador) NO EDUCATION……………………………………..Plush (Flydaddy) GIMME SOUND [rm]…………………….Ian Pooley (NRK Sound Division) NO-ONE BUT YOU (ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG)…………..Queen (Parlophone) DREAMS ’98…………………………………..Quench (House Nation) SCENT OF LOVE [rm]………………………….Redanka (West2/Edel UK) DANGEROUS…………………………..Busta Rhymes (Violator/Elektra) MISSING YOU…………………………Ronnie Richards (Atlantic Jaxx) THE ART WORKS EP: LIFESIGNS / PROTOTYPE / CONTROLLING………………. ………………………………………….Rodd-Y-Ler (Top Banana) YOU CAN TALK TO ME…………………………..The Seahorses (Geffen) ON MY MIND………………………Sixteen Souls (Glasgow Underground) JUST CRUISIN’………………………………..Will Smith (Columbia) FORGIVEN (I FEEL YOUR LOVE)……………The Space Brothers (Manifesto) THIS TOWN AIN’T BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US…………………………. ……………………………..Sparks vs. Faith No More (Roadrunner) DON’T CRY FOR ME…………………..Lisa Stansfield (Big Life/Arista) STIK TO YOU…………………..Stikhead & The Stikems (Magnetise/CBM) DEMONOID…………………………….Techno Animal (City Slang/EfA) TELETUBBIES SAY EH-OH……………………Teletubbies (BBC Worldwide) IF GOD WILL SEND HIS ANGELS / MOFO [rm]………………….U2 (Island) DO WHAT YOU LIKE / OVERDOSE…………………….Pete Wardman (Shift) READY…………………………………..Bruce Wayne (Logic/Arista) I CAN’T STOP………………………………….Westbam (Low Spirit) ANGELS…………………………………Robbie Williams (Chrysalis) ACID BRASS / VOODOO RAY / PACIFIC 202 / CAN U DANCE? / WHAT TIME IS LOVE ……………………….The Williams Fairey Brass Band (Blast First)
December 8th :
BACK TO YOU……………………………………..Bryan Adams (A&M) SHELTER……………………………….The Brand New Heavies (ffrr) LOST YOU SOMEWHERE……………………….Chicane (Xtravaganza/Edel) I NEVER LOVED YOU ANYWAY……………….The Corrs (143/Lava/Atlantic) THE REASON……………………………………..Celine Dion (Epic) THE RHAPSODY………………….Warren G feat. Sissel (DefJam/Mercury) THIS IS … / WSH………………………….Gravity Wheel (Distance) CHANDELIER…………………………………Idlewild (Fierce Panda) DOG TRAIN……………………………………The Levellers (China) BEAUTIFUL NIGHT…………………………Paul McCartney (Parlophone) SUNDAY MORNING………………..No Doubt (Trauma/Interscope/Universal) ALL MY TIME.Paid & Live feat. Lauryn Hill & Robert Kool Bell (One World) HISTORY REPEATING…………………………………..Propellerheads ………………………….feat. Miss Shirley Bassey (Wall Of Sound) GUESS WHO’S BACK…………………………………Rakim (Universal) LIFT ME UP……………………………Red 5 (House Nation/Multiply) DEEPER……………………………………..Serious Danger (Fresh) PENNY LOVER………………….Sly & Robbie feat. Amblique (East West) ODE TO TODAY…………………………………………..Snug (WEA) MY SWEET ROSE……………………………Rachel Stamp (Bitch Vinyl) ROXANNE ’97 / WALKING ON THE MOON ’97…….The Sting & The Police (A&M) ROCK THE DISCO…………………………….Supercharger (Indochina)
December 15th :
TOO MUCH……………………………………..Spice Girls (Virgin)
December 29th :
AMNESIA…………………………………………Chumbawamba (EMI) DON’T DIE JUST YET [rm]………………………David Holmes (Go.Beat) FEEL SO GOOD………………………………………..Mase (Arista)
January 5th :
ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT……………..Peter Andre feat. Coolio (Mushroom) ADVENTURES IN FREESTYLE (REVENGE OF THE B-BOY) EP: B-BOY STANCE / FEEL DA PANIC / BREAKER BEATS……………………Freestylers (Freskanova)
January 12th :
MY STAR…………………………………………….Ian Brown (-) LOSING MY HEROES……………………..Foo Fighters (Roswell/Capitol)
January 19th :
CARRY ON………………………………………Spacehog (Sire/WEA)
January 26th :
ROCK…………………………………………..Utah Saints (Echo)
February 2nd :
KEEP THAT DREAM………………………………………..Akin (WEA)
February 9th :
SEXY BOY…………………………………………….Air (Virgin)
February 23rd :
BIG MISTAKE………………………………..Natalie Imbruglia (RCA)
Other forthcoming releasesDECEMBER :
I WONDER IF HEAVEN’S GOT A GHETTO……….2pac feat. Maxee (Amaru/Jive) RUNNING SONG…………………………Ambersunshower (Gee Street/V2) SPACE MARCH / JAMES BOND THEME…………………………David Arnold …………………………………Leftfield / LTJ Bukem (East West) BAMBOOGIE…………………………………………….Bamboo (VC) BASS ODDITY……………………………………….Bass Oddity (-) [tba]……………………………..The Beta Band (Regal/Parlophone) DANCE………………………………..Black Magic (Strictly Rhythm) CALL ME / THE CITY IS MINE…….Blackstreet feat. Jay-Z (LaFace/Arista) NO OTHER LOVE…………………………Blue Amazon (Jackpot/Sony S3) GET DOWN GET FUNKY…………………………………Blue Max (Heat) DEATH OF A PARTY…………………………….Blur (Food/Parlophone) I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS…………………………..David Bowie (RCA) LET ME SHOW YOU……………………………………Camisra (white) CASTRO EP……………………………………….Castro (Handmade) NO CHORUS………………………..Michael John Charles (Good Groove) ESCAPE FROM THE BOX EP……………………………….Chaser (Quad) I AM IN LOVE WITH THE WORLD………..Chicken Shed Theatre Company (RCA) EVERYBODY…………………………..Continental Trash (Continental) RAIDERS…………………………………..Lara Croft (Dance Naked) WOMAN IN LOVE FUNNY GIRL / RIGHT BESIDE YOU…….Suzanne Dee (Energise) COSMIC FUNK………………………………….Joey Ducane (Montana) DAMN I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER……………………..En Vogue (East West) RAIN / SOMETIMES / IN MY ARMS………………………..Erasure (Mute) NO RESOLVE…………………………………………..Fade (Limbo) RECORD SHOP EP………………..Funky DL & DJ Stix (Wild Card/Polydor) SMOKIN’ ME OUT……………………………Warren G (DefJam/Mercury) BE STRONG [rm]………………………………Rosie Gaines (Pop Top) ALL NIGHT LONG…………………………………….Gant (Positiva) ~ SHIPWRECKED………………………………………Genesis (Virgin) CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE………………………..Martine Girault (Opaz) COSA NOSTRA……………………………………Girl Talk (Anthrob) HELL’S PARTY………………………………………Glam (Babushka) [tba]…………………………………….Goldie (Metalheadz/ffrr) [tba]…………………………………………Green Day (Reprise) [tba]…………………………….Robson Green & Jerome Flynn (RCA) BELO HORIZONTI [rm]……………………………..The Heartists (VC) DOWN THE RIVER………………………………Hong Kong Trash (Glow) WHAT YOU WANT…………………..Industry Standard Vol. 1 (Satellite) [tba]……………………………………..James (Fontana/Mercury) GET UP / WARNING…………………………………J.J. (Stoney Boy) HEY GIRL…………………………………….Billy Joel (Columbia) EVERYTHING CHANGES………………………………..Kapta (Freeflow) GENERATION X……………………………….Kooky Ballerina (Slamm) UP & DOWN……………………………….Billy Lawrence (East West) EXPAND THE ROOM……………………………………The Light (AAA) HIGH………………………….Lighthouse Family (Wild Card/Polydor) VERTIGO…………………………………………….Loki (Loaded) STAND UP [rm]…………………………………..Love Tribe (AM:PM) JUS MEE & U……………………………….Luniz (Noo Trybe/Virgin) DRUGLORD SUPERSTAR……………………..MC Lyte (East West/Atlantic) [tba]…………………………………….Virginia MacNaughton (-) ALANE…………………………………………..Was Madiko (Epic) IS IT REAL?……………………………………Marsha (Diesel/WEA) REACH FOR MY HEART………………………..Massif (Koch Dance Force) DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER……………….Miss B feat. Maxine Berry (Klone) SATAN REJECTED MY SOUL…………………………..Morrissey (Island) HORNY / BAD BOY…………………………..Mousse T (Peppermint Jam) MUSICA………………………………………Mu-Tron (Global Beat) [tba]………………………………………………Navigator (-) WHEN I DIE / MEGAMIX MEDLEY……………………….No Mercy (Arista) BEING WITH YOU………………………………..Obsession (Almighty) ADDICTED TO LOVE [rm]…………………………..Robert Palmer (EMI) PEACE TRAIN……………………………….Dolly Parton (Universal) MOVIN ON…………………………………….Debbie Pender (Azuli) CARWASH [rm]……………………………Phat’n’Phunky (Eternal/WEA) BOILER……………………………………………..Pob (Seismic) WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD…..Iggy Pop (Wall Of Sound/East West) THIS IS MY LIFE……………………….Queen Nadine (Academy Street) [tba]…………………………………………Jimmy Ray (Sony S2) UNTOUCHABLE [ri]………………………………..Rialto (East West) HOW COULD I (INSECURITY)……………………….Roachford (Columbia) SO GOOD……………………………..Juliet Roberts (Delirious/RCA) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE [rm]…………………..Rollo Goes Mystic (Champion) MY FAMILY DEPENDS ON ME…………………….Simone (Strictly Rhythm) I FEEL DIVINE…………………………………………S-J (React) DREAMS…………………………Smokin’ Beats feat. Lyn Eden (AM:PM) I REFUSE (WHAT YOU WANT)…………………………Somore (Locked On) JUMP……………………………………………..Edwin Starr (-) (YOU MAKE ME FELL) MIGHTY REAL…………….Byron Stingily (Manifesto) COVER ME………………………………………Sunscreem (Pulse-8) ENTER THE SCENE…………..DJ Supreme vs. Rhythm Masters (Distinctive) UPSIDE DOWN…………………………………..Annette Taylor (ZYX) NEVER GIVE UP…………………………………………….TBA (-) HERE I COME…………………………………….Thriller U (Adept) SUMMATION EP……………………………………….Tipple (Limbo) 14 HOURS TO SAVE THE EARTH…………Tomski (Firefly/Extravaganza/Edel) ANY OLD LOVE……………………..Ultra Nate (Strictly Rhythm/AM:PM) YOU MAKE ME WANNA ……………………………Usher (LaFace/Arista) I FEEL LOVE……………………………………..Vanessa-Mae (EMI) EVERYTHING SHE WANTS ’97………………………….Wham! (Epic-Sony) IT’S MY LIFE (IT’S MY TURN) [US imp]………….Michelle Wilson (Waako) RENEGADE MASTER [rm]…………..Wildchild Experience (Hi-Life/Polydor) THE BAND……………………………Marco Zaffarano (Silver Planet)
JANUARY :
UNDER THE BRIDGE……………………………….All Saints (London) A PESSIMIST IS NEVER DISAPPOINTED………The Audience (eLLeFFe/Mercury) MARBLES………………………………….Black Grape (Radioactive) THAT’S THE WAY I LIKE IT………..Clock (Power Station/Media/Universal) HIDEAWAY [rm]………………….De’Lacy (Slip’n’Slide/Deconstruction) FIRST DEGREE FUNK………Desert Eagle Discs (Boiler House!/Rhythm King) [tba]………………………………Faith Evans (Puff Daddy/Arista) MASQUERADE…………………………………………The Fall (Jet) YOU EITHER LIKE IT OR YOU DON’T………………………………….. ……………………….Christine Levine (Boiler House!/Rhythm King) ALL ROUND THE WORLD……………………………….Oasis (Creation) [tba]……………………………………..Photek (Science/Virgin) SOME DAY……………………………………..Roachford (Columbia) [tba]……………………………………………The Smiles (A&M) FREE [rm]……………………………..Ultra Nate (Strictly Rhythm) WOMBLING SONG……………………………………..The Wombles (-)
FEBRUARY :
[tba]………………………….The Bluetones (Superior Quality/A&M) [tba]…………………………………………………Five (RCA) [tba]…………………………………………Mansun (Parlophone) BE MY LOVER…………………………………………..Naomi (Gut) SAY WHAT YOU WANT [rr]……………………………..Texas (Mercury)
MARCH :
NAKED WITHOUT YOU……………………………..Roachford (Columbia)
This week’s Top 40 sees new entries for Bryan Adams (Unplugged, 19) andGarth Brooks (Sevens, 34). The Spice Girls topple Celine Dion for the top slot,and All Saints climb into the Top 10 at No.7.
50. Faithless – Insomnia
I forgot to count up to 50 when doing this originally, so had space for onemore single, and this was it.
First a hit in Dec 95 when it made No.27, it was re-released in October 96to make No.3, it’s refusal to go away has meant that it has appeared on anumber of 1997 dance compilation CDs.
Their other hits, Salva Mea and Don’t Leave, have also graced the Top 40 inmore than one incarnation apiece.
The end bit :
Well, that’s it for now. If you want to be added to the WidescreenVideo and Laserdisc lists, just mail me atCharts Request to tell me.
Bye for now,
Dominator
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.