AGinAg (38)
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Kim Appleby's album was one the first I ever owned.
Don't Worry is a 13/10
Don't Worry is a 13/10
Sardonicus reviews a bunch of old 45s
- Thread starter Sardonicus
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Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
These were hits for Kim in Spain then (you are in Spain I think?) I wasn't sure if they'd hit on the CONTINENTI think I got the Don't worry 12" for my sister at some point. I believe her next single, G.L.A.D., made me gay
Tisch
Back on the horse
@Sardonicus if you use it, a Spotify playlist of these would be awesome
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
I'll try put one together in my week off next week@Sardonicus if you use it, a Spotify playlist of these would be awesome
I hadn't thought of doing that.Although I'm yet to review what my parents were buying at the time, so you might change your mind on that quite SWIFTLY
Tisch
Back on the horse
I recognise a few but as a YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER (36I'll try put one together in my week off next week
Although I'm yet to review what my parents were buying at the time, so you might change your mind on that quite SWIFTLY
) these are all just slightly before my time, and would make a great change from all the old toot you get on the standard Best of 80's playlists, so would love to peruse (but I'm too lazy to create my own x)
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Alla
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Don't worry surely got enough airplay to be a moderate radio hit (singles sales here were a mess an irrelevant already) and that was it.These were hits for Kim in Spain then (you are in Spain I think?) I wasn't sure if they'd hit on the CONTINENT
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
EMF - Unbelievable b/w EMF (Live At The Bilson) (1990)
UK chart peak - Number 3
The one HOT POP FACT I can always remember about EMF is that they are from Cinderford. No idea why I remember that especially since I don't know where the hell Cinderford even IS
Anyway, for a brief period in the early 90s they were HOT PROPERTY.
I've got the album this is from but from what I remember there's little to note from it outside of this & follow up hits "I Believe" & "Children". All 3 of these songs are indie pop ravey dancey tunes, they very much captured the ZEITGEIST of that sort of sound at the time, taking a little of the Madchester sound of the Happy Mondays & the Stone Roses with a sprinkle of the burgeoning rave & indie scenes which were both about to experience chart BREAKTHROUGHS within the next year.
"Unbelievable" is catchy not so much because of what he's singing - I still can't understand HALF of what he's wittering on about - but for the catchy instrumental bouncy bit that comes after he sings "you're unbelievable", full of weird sound effects including a sample of comedian Andrew Dice Clay. It's hard to describe but when you hear it, it's immediately MEMORABLE.
This was enough to take them to the top 3 in the UK & astonishingly, to number 1 in the USA in early 1991. It doesn't strike me as the sort of song that would have fitted in at all on American radio at the time, although this was also the year that Jesus Jones hit big in the USA, so I can only assume those CRAZY AMERICAN KIDS went through a brief INDIE PHASE. Maybe @Joseph can confirm if EMF were one hit wonders over there?
The B side is an equally frantic live track that mainly consists of them shouting "E - Ecstasy! M - Motherfucker, Motherfucker! F - From Us To You!" countless times. Thank goodness my parents weren't listening too closely when I got this for Christmas aged 7 I always thought this was what EMF stood for, but allegedly it's the Epsom Mad Funkers.
They seemed dumper bound by 1995 but had a brief top 3 comeback with a charity cover of "I'm A Believer" accompanied by Reeves & Mortimer before that really was it. In the midst of the Britpop explosion of 1995, I remember EMF felt like RELICS by that point. It was the same when Jesus Jones attempted a flop comeback in 1997. I can't even remember if they were FIT - the blurry live photo on the back cover offers no SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE.
UK chart peak - Number 3
The one HOT POP FACT I can always remember about EMF is that they are from Cinderford. No idea why I remember that especially since I don't know where the hell Cinderford even IS
Anyway, for a brief period in the early 90s they were HOT PROPERTY.I've got the album this is from but from what I remember there's little to note from it outside of this & follow up hits "I Believe" & "Children". All 3 of these songs are indie pop ravey dancey tunes, they very much captured the ZEITGEIST of that sort of sound at the time, taking a little of the Madchester sound of the Happy Mondays & the Stone Roses with a sprinkle of the burgeoning rave & indie scenes which were both about to experience chart BREAKTHROUGHS within the next year.
"Unbelievable" is catchy not so much because of what he's singing - I still can't understand HALF of what he's wittering on about
- but for the catchy instrumental bouncy bit that comes after he sings "you're unbelievable", full of weird sound effects including a sample of comedian Andrew Dice Clay. It's hard to describe but when you hear it, it's immediately MEMORABLE.This was enough to take them to the top 3 in the UK & astonishingly, to number 1 in the USA in early 1991. It doesn't strike me as the sort of song that would have fitted in at all on American radio at the time, although this was also the year that Jesus Jones hit big in the USA, so I can only assume those CRAZY AMERICAN KIDS went through a brief INDIE PHASE. Maybe @Joseph can confirm if EMF were one hit wonders over there?
The B side is an equally frantic live track that mainly consists of them shouting "E - Ecstasy! M - Motherfucker, Motherfucker! F - From Us To You!" countless times. Thank goodness my parents weren't listening too closely when I got this for Christmas aged 7
I always thought this was what EMF stood for, but allegedly it's the Epsom Mad Funkers.They seemed dumper bound by 1995 but had a brief top 3 comeback with a charity cover of "I'm A Believer" accompanied by Reeves & Mortimer before that really was it. In the midst of the Britpop explosion of 1995, I remember EMF felt like RELICS by that point. It was the same when Jesus Jones attempted a flop comeback in 1997. I can't even remember if they were FIT - the blurry live photo on the back cover offers no SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE.
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Jimmy Somerville - To Love Somebody b/w Rain (1990)
UK chart peak - Number 8
"Smalltown Boy", Jim's debut single from his first band Bronski Beat, is his song that's lasted over the years the most. Its story of a teenager leaving home after being rejected for his homosexuality continues to resonate down the GENERATIONS. My days of avid chart watching are long gone, but I think it's even made recent forays into the lower reaches after taking off via TikTok or possibly an advert?
Jim later saw further success as part of the duo The Communards, with a number 1 & the biggest selling UK single of 1986 with acover of Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" before launching a solo career in 1989.
One thing I was too young to notice about Jimmy Somerville at the time - but have come to really admire him for in the ENSUING YEARS - is just how vocal he was about his own homosexuality & gay rights. He never hid it in interviews or anything, a lot of his songs are explicitly about being gay, his videos featured people dancing in ACT UP t-shirts & so on. BRAVO to him for doing this at a time when the stigma against gay men due to both the AIDS crisis & the policies of the Reagan & Thatcher governments was at ALARMING levels.
All this being said, it isn't enough to save "To Love Somebody" for me. A cover of an early Bee Gees hit, this was clearly a Christmas purchase by someone for me who liked it a lot more than I did (HELLO DAD) but its lilting easy listening reggae is not my PREFERRED GENRE. It's very reminiscent of UB40, & the refrain of "you don't know what it's like" in the chorus doesn't sound like a joyful expression of loving someone, it makes it sound like a WHINY CHORE. Jim's cover of "Comment Te Dire Adieu" the previous year is ten times more
This is another issue with Jimmy's solo career though - it almost entirely consists of covers, & with the originals now easily available on Spotify, who's going to give, say, his version of "Mighty Real" a spin when Sylvester's original is RIGHT THERE? The B side, "Rain", perhaps provides some clues as to just why he became such a COVERS-HEAVY artist. It's an interesting, dark little dance tune penned by Jim himself that starts off very promisingly, but ultimately meanders about for ages without building up into anything FULL ON - it seems only half finished. I wonder if this gives a bit of insight into his songwriting process & if he was struggling to complete a coherent song.
Jim had a couple more covers before his chart time was up, last hitting the top 20 in 1995 with another UB40-lite cover of Susan Cadogan's "Hurts So Good" (a song I've always assumed was about being DONE UP THE ARSE), he's still around & still a gay rights activist to this day, but oddly it's former bandmate Richard Coles, aka "the other one" in The Communards, who has maintained a much more active media presence, writing books, appearing all the time on panel shows & even recently on "I'm A Celebrity".
UK chart peak - Number 8
"Smalltown Boy", Jim's debut single from his first band Bronski Beat, is his song that's lasted over the years the most. Its story of a teenager leaving home after being rejected for his homosexuality continues to resonate down the GENERATIONS. My days of avid chart watching are long gone, but I think it's even made recent forays into the lower reaches after taking off via TikTok or possibly an advert?
Jim later saw further success as part of the duo The Communards, with a number 1 & the biggest selling UK single of 1986 with a
cover of Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" before launching a solo career in 1989.One thing I was too young to notice about Jimmy Somerville at the time - but have come to really admire him for in the ENSUING YEARS - is just how vocal he was about his own homosexuality & gay rights. He never hid it in interviews or anything, a lot of his songs are explicitly about being gay, his videos featured people dancing in ACT UP t-shirts & so on. BRAVO to him for doing this at a time when the stigma against gay men due to both the AIDS crisis & the policies of the Reagan & Thatcher governments was at ALARMING levels.
All this being said, it isn't enough to save "To Love Somebody" for me. A cover of an early Bee Gees hit, this was clearly a Christmas purchase by someone for me who liked it a lot more than I did (HELLO DAD) but its lilting easy listening reggae is not my PREFERRED GENRE. It's very reminiscent of UB40, & the refrain of "you don't know what it's like" in the chorus doesn't sound like a joyful expression of loving someone, it makes it sound like a WHINY CHORE. Jim's cover of "Comment Te Dire Adieu" the previous year is ten times more
This is another issue with Jimmy's solo career though - it almost entirely consists of covers, & with the originals now easily available on Spotify, who's going to give, say, his version of "Mighty Real" a spin when Sylvester's original is RIGHT THERE? The B side, "Rain", perhaps provides some clues as to just why he became such a COVERS-HEAVY artist. It's an interesting, dark little dance tune penned by Jim himself that starts off very promisingly, but ultimately meanders about for ages without building up into anything FULL ON - it seems only half finished. I wonder if this gives a bit of insight into his songwriting process & if he was struggling to complete a coherent song.
Jim had a couple more covers before his chart time was up, last hitting the top 20 in 1995 with another UB40-lite cover of Susan Cadogan's "Hurts So Good" (a song I've always assumed was about being DONE UP THE ARSE), he's still around & still a gay rights activist to this day, but oddly it's former bandmate Richard Coles, aka "the other one" in The Communards, who has maintained a much more active media presence, writing books, appearing all the time on panel shows & even recently on "I'm A Celebrity".
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VoR
Take it or leave it
Somerville is definitely a lot easier to admire for his bravery than he is to love for his frequently naff solo material (CTDA aside, naturally!)
I do like this one though, of his relatively few non-cover single releases.
I do like this one though, of his relatively few non-cover single releases.
octophone
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Not only did I have this single, I had Schubert Dip and I saw them on that tour at the Barrowlands! They were great fun but struggled when they decided to be 'serious'. Also RIP Zac Foley who used to entertain journalists by strecthing his cock around items of fruit.EMF - Unbelievable b/w EMF (Live At The Bilson) (1990)
UK chart peak - Number 3
View attachment 33740
The one HOT POP FACT I can always remember about EMF is that they are from Cinderford. No idea why I remember that especially since I don't know where the hell Cinderford even IS
I've got the album this is from but from what I remember there's little to note from it outside of this & follow up hits "I Believe" & "Children". All 3 of these songs are indie pop ravey dancey tunes, they very much captured the ZEITGEIST of that sort of sound at the time, taking a little of the Madchester sound of the Happy Mondays & the Stone Roses with a sprinkle of the burgeoning rave & indie scenes which were both about to experience chart BREAKTHROUGHS within the next year.
"Unbelievable" is catchy not so much because of what he's singing - I still can't understand HALF of what he's wittering on about
This was enough to take them to the top 3 in the UK & astonishingly, to number 1 in the USA in early 1991. It doesn't strike me as the sort of song that would have fitted in at all on American radio at the time, although this was also the year that Jesus Jones hit big in the USA, so I can only assume those CRAZY AMERICAN KIDS went through a brief INDIE PHASE. Maybe @Joseph can confirm if EMF were one hit wonders over there?
The B side is an equally frantic live track that mainly consists of them shouting "E - Ecstasy! M - Motherfucker, Motherfucker! F - From Us To You!" countless times. Thank goodness my parents weren't listening too closely when I got this for Christmas aged 7
They seemed dumper bound by 1995 but had a brief top 3 comeback with a charity cover of "I'm A Believer" accompanied by Reeves & Mortimer before that really was it. In the midst of the Britpop explosion of 1995, I remember EMF felt like RELICS by that point. It was the same when Jesus Jones attempted a flop comeback in 1997. I can't even remember if they were FIT - the blurry live photo on the back cover offers no SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE.
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
I didn't know one of them had died - only 31 too
jyxz
User
Jim later saw further success as part of the duo The Communards, with a number 1 & the biggest selling UK single of 1986 with aThelma Houston's
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
"Don't Leave Me This Way" before launching a solo career in 1989.
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
2 Unlimited - Tribal Dance (Radio Edit b/w Rap Edit) (1993)
UK chart peak - Number 4
The follow-up to the chart conquering "No Limit", 2 Unlimited's signature hit & by far their biggest pop cultural MOMENT. I'll overcome my lifelong aversion to the Spitting Image puppets if anyone can dig out a clip of the puppet Anita singing "there's no lyrics"
Like many others of my generation, I loved 2 Unlimited & associate them with fond 90s memories. They encapsulated that era of pop dance better than anyone & even spawned a few PRETENDERS TO THE THRONE with the likes of Cappella. "Get Ready For This" still soundtracks sporting events THE WORLD OVER & I believe was their only significant American hit.
"Tribal Dance" has the usual cheapo cover art from PWL, which by 1993 had split into 2 labels - International & Continental (which released FUN FOR EUROPE dance hits such as this). The album cover for "No Limits" advertised on the back is equally HIDEOUS - why is Anita GRIMACING like that? Where was the budget?!!?
This is another slice of NONSENSICAL DANCEY FUN. Switch off your brain & bop away for 3 minutes like it's 1993 again - who cares if it MAKES NO SENSE? It sticks to a formula & does the job well. I did wince a little at the African tribal noises on this, sounds a TAD DODGE to my WOKE 2025 EARS. I did wonder if they'd just lined up a few PWL staffers around a mic & said go ahead & make a few UNGA BUNGA WUNGA noises, that'll do
The 'Lim were proper pop stars for a good few years after this before the formula began WEARING THIN, although final top 20 hit "Do What's Good For Me" is a good'un. They're fondly remembered way more than their peers as they had a lot more PERSONALITY & always seemed to be HAVING FUN. A couple of YOUNG PRETENDERS had a minor hit in 1998 using the 2 Unlimited name, but the public were having NONE OF IT without Ray & Anita. I think they may have reformed for the nostalgia circuit since, but I'm not sure. After listening to the B side though, all I can say is thank goodness we were spared Ray's CRINGEY RAPS in the UK.
UK chart peak - Number 4
The follow-up to the chart conquering "No Limit", 2 Unlimited's signature hit & by far their biggest pop cultural MOMENT. I'll overcome my lifelong aversion to the Spitting Image puppets if anyone can dig out a clip of the puppet Anita singing "there's no lyrics"
Like many others of my generation, I loved 2 Unlimited & associate them with fond 90s memories. They encapsulated that era of pop dance better than anyone & even spawned a few PRETENDERS TO THE THRONE with the likes of Cappella. "Get Ready For This" still soundtracks sporting events THE WORLD OVER & I believe was their only significant American hit.
"Tribal Dance" has the usual cheapo cover art from PWL, which by 1993 had split into 2 labels - International & Continental (which released FUN FOR EUROPE dance hits such as this). The album cover for "No Limits" advertised on the back is equally HIDEOUS - why is Anita GRIMACING like that? Where was the budget?!!?
This is another slice of NONSENSICAL DANCEY FUN. Switch off your brain & bop away for 3 minutes like it's 1993 again - who cares if it MAKES NO SENSE? It sticks to a formula & does the job well. I did wince a little at the African tribal noises on this, sounds a TAD DODGE to my WOKE 2025 EARS. I did wonder if they'd just lined up a few PWL staffers around a mic & said go ahead & make a few UNGA BUNGA WUNGA noises, that'll do
The 'Lim were proper pop stars for a good few years after this before the formula began WEARING THIN, although final top 20 hit "Do What's Good For Me" is a good'un. They're fondly remembered way more than their peers as they had a lot more PERSONALITY & always seemed to be HAVING FUN. A couple of YOUNG PRETENDERS had a minor hit in 1998 using the 2 Unlimited name, but the public were having NONE OF IT without Ray & Anita. I think they may have reformed for the nostalgia circuit since, but I'm not sure. After listening to the B side though, all I can say is thank goodness we were spared Ray's CRINGEY RAPS in the UK.
AGinAg (38)
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I loved this.
jyxz
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How very….. butch
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
@Tisch - playlist as REQUESTED! I'll continue adding songs to it with each update IF AVAILABLE.I recognise a few but as a YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER (36
AGOG that almost everything - including the B sides is available
Missing only these from reviews SO FAR:
River City People "California Dreamin" (copyright issues I assume)
Glenn Medeiros "Victim Of Love"
Kim Appleby "Don't Worry (Instrumental)"
Jimmy Somerville "Rain"
2 Unlimited "Tribal Dance" without Ray's WANK RAP BITS
ASTONISHED that the frigging JIVE BUNNY B SIDE is on Spotify.
A
Alla
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Songs? I thought it was only Get ready for this! Which other 2U hits are played in America?
Get Ready 4 This
Twilight Zone
No Limit
Tribal Dance
Those are the 4 featured on the official ESPN Jock Jams CDs
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Positive Gang - Sweet Freedom (Sixteen Mix b/w IQ Version) (1993)
UK chart peak - Number 34
PWL Continental again, as can be seen from the CHEAP AS CHIPS sleeve. You'd think Pete Waterman could have stumped up a bit more CASH for this sort of thing for his acts considering he's made MILLIONS, not to mention allegedly doing everything from DISCOVERING THE BEATLES to INVENTING OXYGEN.
The video clearly cost all of about 9p to make too, with cardboard sets & rinky-dink props ahoy. Still, the group are clearly having a lot of fun & they really do seem like a POSITIVE GANG.
The YouTube upload of the video is one of the scant pieces of evidence that this group EVER EXISTED. I can find virtually nothing out there about Positive Gang, who they were or where they came from. The credited songwriter, G. Lanzini, suggests ITALIAN ORIGINS. I even wondered if it might have been another alias for one of those PESKY BLACK BOX BOYS. Flop follow up "Sweet Freedom Part 2" is a song I've always wanted to hear, but also nowhere to be found on YouTube or Spotify.
The song itself is RIDICULOUS & CHEESY but in the best possible way IMO. 30 odd years on I'm still fuming this tumbled out of the top 40 so quickly rather than bubbling up to the top 10. If you've ever wondered what 2 Unlimited doing the cricket theme would sound like, then this is the song for you. There's some WAILING DIVA vocals & funky organ sounds GALORE.
The B side is apparently a remix but in reality a different song entirely. It's got loads of jazzy loungey piano bits that breaks down into dancey moments every now & then. It's also BLOODY GREAT. I'm even tempted to upload it to YouTube if I can be arsed.
G. Lanzini, if you're out there, PLEASE COME FORWARD. You contributed an underrated but fabulous RAY OF SUNSHINE to the charts in 1993.
UK chart peak - Number 34
PWL Continental again, as can be seen from the CHEAP AS CHIPS sleeve. You'd think Pete Waterman could have stumped up a bit more CASH for this sort of thing for his acts considering he's made MILLIONS, not to mention allegedly doing everything from DISCOVERING THE BEATLES to INVENTING OXYGEN.
The video clearly cost all of about 9p to make too, with cardboard sets & rinky-dink props ahoy. Still, the group are clearly having a lot of fun & they really do seem like a POSITIVE GANG.
The YouTube upload of the video is one of the scant pieces of evidence that this group EVER EXISTED. I can find virtually nothing out there about Positive Gang, who they were or where they came from. The credited songwriter, G. Lanzini, suggests ITALIAN ORIGINS. I even wondered if it might have been another alias for one of those PESKY BLACK BOX BOYS. Flop follow up "Sweet Freedom Part 2" is a song I've always wanted to hear, but also nowhere to be found on YouTube or Spotify.
The song itself is RIDICULOUS & CHEESY but in the best possible way IMO. 30 odd years on I'm still fuming this tumbled out of the top 40 so quickly rather than bubbling up to the top 10. If you've ever wondered what 2 Unlimited doing the cricket theme would sound like, then this is the song for you. There's some
WAILING DIVA vocals & funky organ sounds GALORE.The B side is apparently a remix but in reality a different song entirely. It's got loads of jazzy loungey piano bits that breaks down into dancey moments every now & then. It's also BLOODY GREAT. I'm even tempted to upload it to YouTube if I can be arsed.
G. Lanzini, if you're out there, PLEASE COME FORWARD. You contributed an underrated but fabulous RAY OF SUNSHINE to the charts in 1993.
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Tisch
Back on the horse
Will peruse over my HORLICKS tomorrow if my eyes are up to it love x
jyxz
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Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Dina Carroll - Express (West End Remix b/w Alternative Mix) (1993)
UK chart peak - Number 12
1993 was THE year for Dina after a few initial hits in 1992. Loads of hit singles, with signature hit "Don't Be A Stranger" reaching the top 3 & the "So Close" album one of the biggest selling of the year. I think it was the biggest British female debut album EVER at that time.
"Express" just missed the top 10 midway through the year, remixed by West End who had hit the charts with Sybil earlier that year with "The Love I Lost" & were also involved with Eternal & numerous others at the time. It adds a bit of GLITTER to the flatter sounding album version - it's really this sort of 1993 pop dance sound in a nutshell. I could totally imagine Heather Small of M People HONKING her way through it at the time I'm not quite as ENAMOURED with it in 2025, it lacks a little compared to a few other Dina hits, but she's in fine vocal form throughout & it kept the album selling steadily before sales for it really took off when "Don't Be A Stranger" began rising up the charts. Speaking of, I remember Dina performing that live on TOTP that year & her live voice was AMAZING. She doesn't screech or strain for the high notes, she always sounds so SMOOTH & EFFORTLESS.
The other mix for "Express" is a less good slower jazzier version with Dina throwing in a few additional SLAGGY WHISPERING BITS.
She was BY FAR my favourite female singer at the time & I awaited the 2nd album with EAGER ANTICIPATION. But almost 3 long years passed as she began to struggle with an ear issue that affected her hearing just as her career was peaking She finally re-emerged in late 1996 with the excellent "Escaping" hitting the top 3, but the dull follow-up missed the top 30 & the momentum came to a halt. I think this proves out the point @Sheena made earlier on about record company insistence on releasing ballads around Christmas time, even if they obviously weren't a hit.
Dina could never get things going again a ballad in 1998 reached top 20 & a third album was on the horizon, but it never emerged. A year or so later a relaunch of her as a dance diva was tried, with "Without Love" reaching number 13, but although her voice was still in FINE FETTLE, the material just wasn't quite up to scratch. She's since all but disappeared off the radar ENTIRELY. No social media presence, no reality TV appearances, no hawking new material on the internet, nothing. I'm not sure if the hearing problems returned & she's struggling or if she's just forgotten about & not getting any offers. I'd still love to see her make a comeback, although I suspect it's far too late now for any further success. But if Louise can be getting albums out there...
UK chart peak - Number 12
1993 was THE year for Dina after a few initial hits in 1992. Loads of hit singles, with signature hit "Don't Be A Stranger" reaching the top 3 & the "So Close" album one of the biggest selling of the year. I think it was the biggest British female debut album EVER at that time.
"Express" just missed the top 10 midway through the year, remixed by West End who had hit the charts with Sybil earlier that year with "The Love I Lost" & were also involved with Eternal & numerous others at the time. It adds a bit of
GLITTER to the flatter sounding album version - it's really this sort of 1993 pop dance sound in a nutshell. I could totally imagine Heather Small of M People HONKING her way through it at the time I'm not quite as ENAMOURED with it in 2025, it lacks a little compared to a few other Dina hits, but she's in fine vocal form throughout & it kept the album selling steadily before sales for it really took off when "Don't Be A Stranger" began rising up the charts. Speaking of, I remember Dina performing that live on TOTP that year & her live voice was AMAZING. She doesn't screech or strain for the high notes, she always sounds so SMOOTH & EFFORTLESS.The other mix for "Express" is a less good slower jazzier version with Dina throwing in a few additional SLAGGY WHISPERING BITS.
She was BY FAR my favourite female singer at the time & I awaited the 2nd album with EAGER ANTICIPATION. But almost 3 long years passed as she began to struggle with an ear issue that affected her hearing just as her career was peaking
She finally re-emerged in late 1996 with the excellent "Escaping" hitting the top 3, but the dull follow-up missed the top 30 & the momentum came to a halt. I think this proves out the point @Sheena made earlier on about record company insistence on releasing ballads around Christmas time, even if they obviously weren't a hit.Dina could never get things going again
a ballad in 1998 reached top 20 & a third album was on the horizon, but it never emerged. A year or so later a relaunch of her as a dance diva was tried, with "Without Love" reaching number 13, but although her voice was still in FINE FETTLE, the material just wasn't quite up to scratch. She's since all but disappeared off the radar ENTIRELY. No social media presence, no reality TV appearances, no hawking new material on the internet, nothing. I'm not sure if the hearing problems returned & she's struggling or if she's just forgotten about & not getting any offers. I'd still love to see her make a comeback, although I suspect it's far too late now for any further success. But if Louise can be getting albums out there...
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Saint Etienne - I Was Born On Christmas Day b/w My Christmas Prayer (1993)
UK chart peak - Number 37
From my LURKING DAYS on Moopy I am pretty sure @Sheena is the forum Saint Et SUPERFAN, so I'll leave filling out some of the finer details I'll probably overlook in this review to him.
Like Dina Carroll, Saint Etienne had one of their most successful chart years in 1993. "You're In A Bad Way" came agonisingly close to the top 10 & the excellent "So Tough" album sold in steady if not spectacular amounts. "Who Do You Think You Are" was a big radio success at the time & IMO should have peaked a lot higher than number 23.
I picked up this single from the old Woolies BARGAIN BIN in January 1994. This single only release JUST scraped into the Christmas top 40 at Number 37, although it's lasted reasonably well for quite a minor hit. I still hear it every now & then over the Christmas period, although obviously nowhere near as much as Mariah & co. It's an upbeatdancey track which features Sarah duetting with the 
Tim Burgess from The Charlatans. There's a festive sounding synthy bit throughout & it's all got a very COSY, Christmassy vibe. The only complaint I have is I think their voices are a little too low down in the mix - it's hard to make out what they're singing at times. I still like it although I wouldn't count it amongst my Saint Et TOP FAVES.
I would, however, count the B side amongst my favourite Christmas songs. A cover of a lovely saddening Christmas ballad by old Liverpool rock & roller Billy Fury, it's got a properly heartbreaking, delicate vocal from Sarah, a divine backing track that updates the original for the 90s & a sedate, dreamy guitar solo that all combines to make a truly GORGEOUS song. I'm not a fan at all of MAUDLIN Christmas tunes - "Lonely This Christmas" makes me want to slit my wrists - but this one is the EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. Criminally unknown & underrated.
The Et are still together & releasing music, although with far less success than their 90s heyday. The last chart appearance I remember from them is a brief number 40 appearance years ago with "Soft Like Me". I've never felt they've really got their dues as a fantastic band, true pop geniuses with a real love for music & as QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH as they come.
UK chart peak - Number 37
From my LURKING DAYS on Moopy I am pretty sure @Sheena is the forum Saint Et SUPERFAN, so I'll leave filling out some of the finer details I'll probably overlook in this review to him.
Like Dina Carroll, Saint Etienne had one of their most successful chart years in 1993. "You're In A Bad Way" came agonisingly close to the top 10 & the excellent "So Tough" album sold in steady if not spectacular amounts. "Who Do You Think You Are" was a big radio success at the time & IMO should have peaked a lot higher than number 23.
I picked up this single from the old Woolies BARGAIN BIN in January 1994. This single only release JUST scraped into the Christmas top 40 at Number 37, although it's lasted reasonably well for quite a minor hit. I still hear it every now & then over the Christmas period, although obviously nowhere near as much as Mariah & co. It's an upbeat
dancey track which features Sarah duetting with the Tim Burgess from The Charlatans. There's a festive sounding synthy bit throughout & it's all got a very COSY, Christmassy vibe. The only complaint I have is I think their voices are a little too low down in the mix - it's hard to make out what they're singing at times. I still like it although I wouldn't count it amongst my Saint Et TOP FAVES.I would, however, count the B side amongst my favourite Christmas songs. A cover of a lovely saddening Christmas ballad by old Liverpool rock & roller Billy Fury, it's got a properly heartbreaking, delicate vocal from Sarah, a divine backing track that updates the original for the 90s & a sedate, dreamy guitar solo that all combines to make a truly GORGEOUS song. I'm not a fan at all of MAUDLIN Christmas tunes - "Lonely This Christmas" makes me want to slit my wrists - but this one is the EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. Criminally unknown & underrated.
The Et are still together & releasing music, although with far less success than their 90s heyday. The last chart appearance I remember from them is a brief number 40 appearance years ago with "Soft Like Me". I've never felt they've really got their dues as a fantastic band, true pop geniuses with a real love for music & as QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH as they come.
Sheena
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The last two are RIGHT UP MY STREET. I loved Dina Carroll but that second album destroyed her career really. It just didn’t have any (even potential) hits beyond Escaping. They also lost a lot of the dance edge that she’d had on the first album.
Saint Etienne and Christmas are inextricably linked for me, because of their various Christmas singles. I loved I Was Born On Christmas Day, especially cause Bob actually was.
Saint Etienne and Christmas are inextricably linked for me, because of their various Christmas singles. I loved I Was Born On Christmas Day, especially cause Bob actually was.
A
Alla
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Recorded with an 80s casio keyboard
How did I not know this piece of shit that charted in 93? Downloading to my ipod!
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
I got the "Escaping" single & the flip side was an absolutelyThe last two are RIGHT UP MY STREET. I loved Dina Carroll but that second album destroyed her career really. It just didn’t have any (even potential) hits beyond Escaping. They also lost a lot of the dance edge that she’d had on the first album.
Saint Etienne and Christmas are inextricably linked for me, because of their various Christmas singles. I loved I Was Born On Christmas Day, especially cause Bob actually was.
number "Mind, Body & Soul" - I can totally see this hitting well with the likes of "Professional Widow" in January 1997. I was put off getting the second album with that DULL AS single. It shows how badly they dropped the ball on the whole campaign when a HUGE FAN like me just couldn't be arsed in the end.What do you think of "My Christmas Prayer", Shee? It's amongst the Et's best IMO.
funky
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The first Dina Carroll album was AMAZING. Just a fun bag of great pop music with lots of disco, house and R&B influences.
I don't really remember the second album at all but didn't she shift into completely bland balladry?
I remember she tried to recover with 2 great pop singles later ("123" and "Without You") but by that point people had largely stopped caring.
Also @Sardonicus could you stop jumping ahead and spoiling my thread with all these singles
I don't really remember the second album at all but didn't she shift into completely bland balladry?
I remember she tried to recover with 2 great pop singles later ("123" and "Without You") but by that point people had largely stopped caring.
Also @Sardonicus could you stop jumping ahead and spoiling my thread with all these singles
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
Only 2 more of my singles left - neither of them US hits - before we jump back to the 1980s with my parents purchases so it'll be a while before further spoilersThe first Dina Carroll album was AMAZING. Just a fun bag of great pop music with lots of disco, house and R&B influences.
I don't really remember the second album at all but didn't she shift into completely bland balladry?
I remember she tried to recover with 2 great pop singles later ("123" and "Without You") but by that point people had largely stopped caring.
Also @Sardonicus could you stop jumping ahead and spoiling my thread with all these singles
There's a few & a few DARK TURNS coming up, viewers...
Sheena
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I got the "Escaping" single & the flip side was an absolutely
What do you think of "My Christmas Prayer", Shee? It's amongst the Et's best IMO.
I LOVE IT! See also their beautiful version of Driving Home For Christmas.
Sardonicus
WHADDA YOU MEAN IT'S NOT IN THE COMPUTER
I've managed to find the even moreRecorded with an 80s casio keyboard
B side!