I give a mark out of 10 to every single on Popular. Here’s where you can tick the ones you’d give 6 or higher to – and talk about the year in general.
(My highest mark for 1991 was an 8 for the KLF, my lowest a 1 for Hale And Pace.)
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Songs with 100%! OK, so there’s only been 3 voters, but hey.
The KLF, Color Me Badd, Michael Jackson, Cher, Bryan Adams.
Weirdly underwhelming considering it was the year I got into pop music and the charts.
First year I”ve only picked *one*. Horrifying stuff. I was listening to Clannad In Concert.
7 out of 17 but a large number of borderline 6s in amongst those. Pretty grim. I spent the first half of the year listening to NME-approved shoegaze, increasingly glumly as I realised it was all rubbish, then the second half of the year I turned my back on the NME and GOT INTO DYLAN. I remember the charts being tons better than this list suggests, mind you.
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.
Four out of 17! What a poor selection.
There were a lot of ‘phantom’ number ones in 1991 that topped the ILR/NME charts, but not the BBC ones;
James – Sit Down (1 week)
The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon (1)
Madonna – Rescue Me (1)
Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman (2)
Kiri Te Kanawa – World In Union (1)
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 NME Critics Poll singles of 1991;
1. Higher Than The Sun – Primal Scream
2. Justified & Ancient – The KLF
3. Loosing My Religion – REM
4. Starsign – Teenage Fanclub
5. The Concept – Teenage Fanclub
6. Get The Message – Electronic
7. Smell Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
8. Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
9. Pearl – Chapterhouse
10. Size Of A Cow – The Wonder Stuff
11. Sexuality – Billy Bragg
12. I Won’t Try – Midway Still
13. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – St Etienne
14. Playing With Knives – Bizarre Inc.
15. I’m To Sexy – Right Said Fred
16. Happy – Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
17. After The Watershed – Carter USM
18. Feel So Sad – Spiritalized
19. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss – PM Dawn
20. Wear Your Love Like Heaven – Definition Of Sound
21. Waterproof EP – Kingmaker
22. Motown Junk – Manic Street Preachers
23. Where The Streets Have No Name – Pet Shop Boys
24. Endless Art – A House
25. You Love Us – Manic Street Preachers
26. The Fly – U2
27. Infiltrate – Altern 8
28. Destined To Be Free – Fabulous
29. Apparently Nothing – Young Disciples
30. What Do I Have To Do? – Kylie Minogue
31. My Legendary Girlfriend – Pulp
32. Gett Off – Prince
33. Carwash Hair – Mercury Rev
34. Cream – Prince
35. Dominator – Human Resource
36. No Score After Extra Time – Thousand Yard Stare
37. Not Superstitious – Leatherface
38. Superelectric – Stereolab
39. Planet Of Sound – Pixies
40. Bring The Noise – Anthrax & Public Enemy
41. Go – Moby
42. Missing On The Moon – The Field Mice
43. Tasty Fish – The Other Two
44. There’s No Other Way – Blur
45. Pregnant For The Last Time – Morrissey
46. Words That Say – Mega City Four
47. Young People – The Pooh Sticks
48. Tremolo EP – My Bloody Valentine
49. Drive That Fast – Kitchens Of Distinction
50. Frozen EP – Curve
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
Five out of seventeen; the Balkanisation of the Top 40 sets in, like concrete.
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?
Such a great year and I only picked four, three of which I gave 6.
What kept PM Dawn off the top, anyone know? It’s aged really well.
Billy, have you got the Face singles of the year?
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…..
A miserable five.
This was the year I started properly (and regularly) gig-going. First gig Inspiral Carpets supported by the High (with the second on the bill Gary Clail not bothering to turn up). Then later on Carter USM, Thousand Yard Stare, Catherine Wheel, Hole, PJ Harvey, Daisy Chainsaw, Five Thirty, The Primitives, The Doves (the ex-Thrashing Doves. Dire band, except for one glorious track where they changed their style and ditched their unintersting whiny indie singer for the glorious Angie Brown – of Bizarre Inc fame, “Beaten Up In Love Again”, which no-one but no-one bought but which still sounds fantastic today), Buffalo Tom, Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, and countless others I have forgotten. (Some of these may have stretched into early 92 actually)
Anyway, the charts, and especially the top of them, were very evidently far from where it was at.
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
PM Dawn – “Set Adrift” was kept in third place by “Everything I Do” and “I’m Too Sexy.”
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.
6 out of 17 for me, and most of those borderline cases. 1992 looks a bit better.
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).
Hmm, there’s plenty on my “permanent” list there:
1. Nevermind – Nirvana
2. Bandwagonesque – Teenage Fanclub
3. Screamadelica – Primal Scream
9. Loveless – My Bloody Valentine
11. Of The Heart, Of The Soul And Of The Cross: The Utopian Experience – PM Dawn
30. Ex:El – 808 State
Just two from me I’m afraid. A pretty dismal year to my ears.
@8 – Midway Still?! Was there really an NME consensus that this was one of the best singles of 1991? Their presence surprises me even more than that of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.
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
I voted for 6, but I guess most of us here are in agreement that the #1s are unrepresentative of a pretty exciting year.
Peel list to follow…
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
US Billboard list:
“Justify My Love” Madonna
“Love Will Never Do (Without You)” Janet Jackson
“The First Time” Surface
“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” C+C Music Factory Freedom Williams
“All the Man That I Need” Whitney Houston
“Someday” Mariah Carey
“One More Try” Timmy T
“Coming Out of the Dark” Gloria Estefan
“I’ve Been Thinking About You” Londonbeat
“You’re in Love” Wilson Phillips
“Baby Baby” Amy Grant
“Joyride” Roxette
“I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)” Hi-Five
“I Don’t Wanna Cry” Mariah Carey
“More Than Words” Extreme
“Rush Rush” Paula Abdul
“Unbelievable” EMF
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” Bryan Adams
“The Promise of a New Day” Paula Abdul
“I Adore Mi Amor” Color Me Badd
“Good Vibrations” Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway
“Emotions” Mariah Carey
“Romantic” Karyn White
“Cream” Prince and the New Power Generation
“When a Man Loves a Woman” Michael Bolton
“Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” P.M. Dawn
“Black or White” Michael Jackson
Think I said this for 1990, too, but take a look at all those women.
Surely the strangest year for number ones since 1980.
That American list looks a bit better – C&C Music Factory, Londonbeat (sort of OK that one), Mariah Carey, Prince, PM Dawn, Surface (never knowingly heard that one but they put out good stuff like ‘Falling In Love With You’ and ‘Happy’ in the mid/late80s) so will at least be a classy production
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.
Nice to see The Tyrrel Corporation scrape into that Face list – I loved “Waking With A Stranger” and “Going Home”; not quite perfect pop, but such melancholy; and the artwork on the 7″ singles sleeves were beautifully presented too.
And Mass Order too – although obviously “Lift Every Voice” was superior to “Take Me Away”..
The Festive 50 this year is the one John Peel refused to broadcast, isn’t it? Can’t remember it was more because he didn’t like the music in the 50, or because so few people voted.
And “Alright” by Urban Soul was very much the sound of my 6th form common room towards the end of that year. Damn fine track it was too
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
#30 IIRC Peel was aghast at the conservatism of the list and scrapped it?
I’m sure I remember JPeel saying it was because “Smells like Teen Spirit” had an overwhelming majority over everything else.
Re: JP. 91’s “Phantom 50” wasn’t broadcast until 93 according to Wiki. I had an idea it was 92, but my memory plays tricks again. I’ll have to check my Margrave Of The Marshes to find any explanation for his delay. It could be as simple as him being a bit of a curmudgeon occasionally.
The second best no. 1 voted for is a song actually released over 10 years previously – just about sums up 91 then!
Actually it was just under nine years (appeared on Combat Rock, released May 1982).
He’d been complaining for years about the gumming up of the festive fifty with immoveable “classics”. It’s not curmudgeonly to be bored and disappointed that something’s turned into a chore when it shouldn’t be.
TOTPWatch: In the studio on the Christmas Day Top of the Pops 1991 were; Seal, Nomad featuring MC Mikee Freedom, Chesney Hawkes, James, OMD, Kenny Thomas, Erasure, Right Said Fred, Oceanic, The Scorpions and 2 Unlimited. Tony Dortie, Mark Franklin & Claudia Simon were the hosts.
That Face list at #15 is basically my DJ set from 1991. Magnificent.
One of the reasons Peel gave when eventually running through the list was indeed due to “not very many people bothered voting” (before playing ‘Dress’ during a live Glastonbury show).
‘SLTS’ was presaged with the abandonment being down to “the votes not coming in as they should be”, so make of that what you will. He did call it “a great record by any standards” when spinning it in July ’93 though.
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).
Well, that would account for a great many ‘peel favs’ making up the later festive fifties…
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!
@19: 1991 really was the best year ever for pop albums, wasn’t it? I had remembered the obvious peaks, but there is amazing strength in depth there. ‘Foxbase Alpha’! ‘Pretty on the Inside’! And a fantastic year for hip-hop (again, the best ever?) and techno.
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.
7 ticks – being generous to Queen and CMB.
I’m wondering if 1991 was a record year for instrumental hits in the top 40, including those with the more minimal sampled vocal snippets (Moby ‘Go!’, 808 State ‘In Yer Face’, SL2 ‘DJs Take Control’, Orbital ‘Satan’, N-Joi ‘Adrenalin’ and numerous others).
It’s been nice to revisit the year 20 years after the event (as with 1990). IIRC Popular was 40 years ahead for part of 1966 and 30 years ahead for 1978. Perhaps 2003 will be reached two years hence.
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.
NME Readers Poll Best Single 1991;
1. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. REM – Losing My Religion
3. Electronic – Get The Message
4. Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff – Dizzy
5. James – Sit Down
6. Carter USM – After The Watershed
7. Billy Bragg – Sexuality
8. Chapterhouse – Pearl
9. Teenage Fanclub – The Concept
10. REM – Shiny Happy People
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
A pitiful 4 for me too (U2, KLF, Queen the Second, Cher). Only two of those scored higher than 6, and I was probably a tad generous on the sixes.
Those Australian 1991 number ones…
Vanilla Ice, “Ice Ice Baby”, 3 weeks
*Divinyls, “I Touch Myself”, 2 weeks
Londonbeat, “I’ve Been Thinking About You”, 4 weeks
The Simpsons, “Do the Bartman”, 1 week
Dimples D., “Sucker DJ”, 2 weeks
Julee Cruise, “Falling”, 1 week
Roxette, “Joyride”, 3 weeks
*Ratcat, Tingles EP, 2 weeks
*Daryl Braithwaite, “The Horses”, 2 weeks
*Ratcat, “Don’t Go Now”, 1 week
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, “Grease Megamix”, 5 weeks
*Melissa, “Read My Lips”, 2 weeks
Bryan Adams, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, 11 weeks
Martika, “Love… Thy Will Be Done”, 1 week
Big Audio Dynamite, “Rush”, 2 weeks
U2, “The Fly”, 1 week
Right Said Fred, “I’m Too Sexy”, 3 weeks
Michael Jackson, “Black or White”, 8 weeks (3 in 1992)
*Australian artists. Plus half of the Grease Megamix, I suppose.