Popular '91

Songs with 100%! OK, so there’s only been 3 voters, but hey.

First year I”ve only picked *one*. Horrifying stuff. I was listening to Clannad In Concert.

wow…that was a shockingly bad year. Have just had a look back and for me, turns out 91 is the worst year so far since I was born (74). Even the ones I ticked were borderline, other than the KLF.

KLF (9), U2 and Color Me Badd (7), and some borderline 5.6 votes I generously rounded up. Looking at the 1991 charts now, I like a lot of the dance-oriented stuff, though not as much as that of the 3-4 years to come.

At the time (18/19yo) I listened to nothing but REM for pretty much the whole year; bought Achtung Baby, Bandwagonesque and Nevermind towards the end of the year, and liked “Unfinished Sympathy” quite a bit.

The Melody Maker Critics Poll best singles of 1991;

1. Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
2. Losing My Religion – REM
3. Higher Than The Sun – Primal Scream
4. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
5. Blindfold EP – Curve
6. Coppelina EP – Levitation
7. Tremolo Ep – My Bloody Valentine
8. Nothing Can Stop Us – St Etienne
9. Carwash Hair – Mercury Rev
10. Enter Sandman – Metallica
11. Size Of A Cow – The Wonder Stuff
12. Bring The Noise – Anthrax & Public Enemy
13. This Is Fascism – Consolidated
14. Starsign – Teenage Fanclub
15. Last Train To Transcentral – The KLF
16. Where The Streets Have No Name – Pet Shop Boys
17. Get The Message – Electronic
18. Adoration – Cranes
19. Winter In July – Bomb The Bass
20. Teenage Whore – Hole

I think 1991 was largely responsible for me hating the charts a lot for quite a few years. It was a fairly low point in my memory.

Still, Enigma & KLF! I haven’t got tired of them yet. That’s a silver lining, right?

4 out of 17 for me, and as with others here, I was doing some desperate, charitable rounding up to get that (the amazing 1990 #1s seem a very long time ago!). Lots of good stuff around on the NME and MM charts I see. My Legendary G/f and Superelectric, oh how I love thee…..

Re #12 – The Face Critics Poll singles of 1991;

1 Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
2 Young Disciples – Apparently Nothin’
3 PM Dawn – Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
4 DSK – What Would We Do?
5 Ce Ce Peniston – Finally
6 Prince – Gett Off
7 Alison Limerick – Where Love Lives
8 Omar – There’s Nothing Like This
9 Urban Soul – Alright
10 Lenny Kravitz – It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
11 The Source featuring Candi Staton – You Got The Love
12 Incognito – Always There
13 Sounds Of Blackness – Optimistic
14 Primal Scream – Don’t Fight It Feel It
15 Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman
16 DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Summertime
17 Madonna – Justify My Love
18 Jesus Loves You – Generations Of Love
19 Sabrina Johnston – Peace
20 Primal Scream – Higher Than The Sun
21 Rozalla – Everybody’s Free
22 Kym Sims – Too Blind To See It
23 A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It?
24 Pet Shop Boys – Where The Streets Have No Name
25 Brand New Heavies – Never Stop
26 PM Dawn – Paper Doll
27 Moby – Go
28 Mass Order – Take Me Away
29 Dread Flimstone – From The Ghetto
30 Curve – Blindfold
31 Definition Of Sound – Wear Your Love Like Heaven
32 Naughty By Nature – OPP
33 Crystal Waters – Makin’ Happy
34 Joey Negro – Do What You Feel
35 Ariel – Mustn’t Grumble
36 Ultraviolet – I Wish That
37 Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy
38 REM – Shiny Happy People
39 REM – Near Wild Heaven
40 The Wonderstuff – Size Of A Cow
41 Tyrrel Corporation – Six O’Clock
42 Massive Attack – Safe From Harm
43 Brothers In Rhythm – Such A Good Feeling
44 Bassheads – Is Anybody Out There?
45 Pinchers – Bandolero
46 Cola Boy – 7 Ways To Love
47 DNA – Rebel Woman
48 REM – Losing My Religion
49 Maxi Priest and Shabba Ranks – House Call
50 World Of Twist – Sweets

Just two for me – an 8 or 9 for the KLF and a feeling-generous 6 for Queen. My tastes at the time reflected the absolute height/nadir (delete according to personal preference) of my NME/MM-ness.

Let’s go with the NME‘s 1991 albums list:

1. Nevermind – Nirvana
2. Bandwagonesque – Teenage Fanclub
3. Screamadelica – Primal Scream
4. Weld – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5. Out Of Time – REM
6. Blue Lines – Massive Attack
7. OG: Original Gangster – Ice-T
8. 30 Something – Carter USM
9. Loveless – My Bloody Valentine
10. Never Loved Elvis – Wonder Stuff
11. Of The Heart, Of The Soul And Of The Cross: The Utopian Experience – PM Dawn
12. Eat Yourself Whole – Kingmaker
13. Electronic – Electronic
14. Trompe Le Monde – Pixies
15. Shift-Work – Fall
16. Apocalypse ’91: The Enemy Strikes Black – Public Enemy
17. Love & Life: A Journey With The Chameleons – Definition Of Sound
18. And Now The Legacy Begins – Dream Warriors
19. Don’t Try This At Home – Billy Bragg
20. Achtung Baby – U2
21. Bertie’s Brochures – Fatima Mansions
22. Peggy Suicide – Julian Cope
23. God Fodder – Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
24. Foxbase Alpha – Saint Etienne
25. Kill Uncle – Morrissey
26. The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
27. Strange Free World – Kitchens of Distinction
28. Pretty On The Inside – Hole
29. Leisure – Blur
30. Ex:El – 808 State
31. To Mother – Babes in Toyland
32. Spartacus – The Farm
33. Diamonds And Pearls – Prince
34. Friendly Fascism – Consolidated
35. The Real Ramona – Throwing Muses
36. The Great White Wonder – Pooh Sticks
37. Death Certificate – Ice Cube
38. The First Of Too Many – Senseless Things
39. Beatsongs – Blue Aeroplanes
40. Schubert Dip – EMF
41. The White Room – KLF
42. Whirlpool – Chapterhouse
43. Honey Lingers – Voice of the Beehive
44. Watershed – GW Mclennan
45. Just For A Day – Slowdive
46. Slinky – Milltown Brothers
47. Orbital – Orbital
48. Frequencies – LFO
49. Mush – Leatherface
50. In The Presence Of Greatness – Velvet Crush

The ones I didn’t buy tend to coincide with the ones for which Steve Lamacq probably voted (Nevermind obviously excepted).

Just two from me I’m afraid. A pretty dismal year to my ears.

only two from me and only the KLF that rises above a 6 – but as the best of year lists show there was a lot of good stuff around

JP’s Festive Fifty 91

1. Nirvana -Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. PJ Harvey -Dress
3. Curve -Ten Little Girls
4. The Fall -Edinburgh Man
5. Teenage Fanclub -Star Sign
6. Teenage Fanclub -The Concept
7. Hole -Burn Black
8. Wedding Present -Dalliance
9. The Fall -A Lot Of Wind
10. Hole -Teenage Whore
11. Primal Scream -Higher Than The Sun
12. Wedding Present -Dare
13. Gallon Drunk -Some Fools Mess
14. Wedding Present -Fleshworld
15. Catherine Wheel -Black Metallic
16. Nirvana -Drain You
17. Moose -Suzanne
18. Babes In Toyland -Handsome & Gretel
19. Boo Radleys -Finest Kiss
20. Slowdive -Catch The Breeze
21. Foreheads In A Fishtank -Happy Shopper
22. Wedding Present -Rotterdam
23. Slint -Good Morning, Captain
24. The Fall -High Tension Line
25. Nirvana -Lithium
26. Pixies -Planet Of Sound
27. Smashing Pumpkins -Siva
28. 70 Gwen Party -Auto Killer UK
29. Billy Bragg -Sexuality
30. Babes In Toyland -Catatonic
31. Babes In Toyland -Laugh My Head Off
32. Wedding Present -Octopussy
33. Chapterhouse -Pearl
34. Pavement -Summer Babe
35. The Fall -The War Against Intelligence
36. Teenage Fanclub -Like A Virgin
37. My Bloody Valentine -To Here Knows Where
38. Curve -No Escape From Heaven
39. Babes In Toyland -Primus
40. Electronic -Get The Message
41. The Fall -The Mixer
42. Babes In Toyland -Ripe
43. The Fall -So What About It?
44. Th’ Faith Healers -Gorgeous Blue Flower In My Garden
45. Field Mice -Missing The Moon
46. Pixies -Motorway To Roswell
47. Pixies -Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons
48. Nirvana -Breed
49. Mercury Rev -Car Wash Hair
50. Bongwater -Nick Cave Dolls

Surely the strangest year for number ones since 1980.

A horrible year for number ones, but still lots of great stuff out there, especially on The Face list (as ever). Very bad things going on with that NME poll, though – just had a listen to Midway Still to check they were as third-hand and charmless as I remember (they were). Still, a year that offers songs as varied yet enticing as There’s Nothing Like This and Nick Cave Dolls shouldn’t be dismissed.

Shameless plug. Domino Radio at 4pm – I’ll be channeling David Jacobs this afternoon as I spin Pre Rock, R&R, Big City Soul, Brill Building, Brit Building, Girl Groups, Belgian Popcorn, English Baroque and other fictitious pop genres. Maybe the odd number one, too. 87.7 FM or http://dominorad.io

I’m sure I remember JPeel saying it was because “Smells like Teen Spirit” had an overwhelming majority over everything else.

The second best no. 1 voted for is a song actually released over 10 years previously – just about sums up 91 then!

That Face list at #15 is basically my DJ set from 1991. Magnificent.

I remember Peel complaining about the Festive 50 as far back as 1986, essentially on the grounds that he spent the year playing a huge variety of music and then the listeners just voted for a small range of Anglo-American guitar bands (of course he was happy enough if the guitar band in question happened to be The Fall).

The KLF and Queen (of course), Enigma, Cher, Bryan Adams, and a guilty pleasure vote for Mr Jason Donovan. Unlike 1990 though, not the best year for #1s but some excellent tracks elsewhere in the top 40. I will forever love these rave tracks, cursing those old enough to enjoy them:

Bizarre Inc – Such A Feeling/Playing With Knives
Bassheads – Is There Anybody Out There
Cola Boy – 7 Ways To Love
The Prodigy – Charly/Everybody In The Place
T99 – Anasthasia
Human Resource – Dominator

Best group of the year goes to The KLF/JAMs. Everything they released was legendary.

Great albums of ’91:

REM – Out of Time
Erasure – Chorus
OMD – Sugar Tax
And honorable mention to Pet Shop Boys – Discography, a compilation but contained the epic ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ cover from that year.

Having a peek at 1992, bloody hell it’s dire isn’t it? Roll on 1993 already!

Only two from me and it was very nearly just the one (I didn’t count BoRap). I was thinking I really don’t remember music being that bad in 91, then I saw the top of The Face list

1 Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
2 Young Disciples – Apparently Nothin’
3 PM Dawn – Set Adrift On Memory Bliss
4 DSK – What Would We Do?
5 Ce Ce Peniston – Finally
6 Prince – Gett Off
7 Alison Limerick – Where Love Lives

And it wasn’t! What a great, great year it actually was.

Tori Amos was more of a 1992 phenomenon I suppose, but one of her best singles ‘Silent all these years’ was in the lower reaches of the UK charts in Nov and Dec 1991… so, yeah, woo-hoo 1991.

Melody Maker readers poll best single of 1991;

1. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. REM – Losing My Religion
3. Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff – Dizzy
4. Primal Scream – Higher Than The Sun
5. Curve – Ten Little Girls
6. Blur – There’s No Other Way
7. The Wonder Stuff – The Size Of A Cow
8. Ride – Unfamiliar
9. 9″ Nails – Head Like A Hole
10. Chapterhouse – Pearl