November 1992

It was the end of Her Majesty’s Annus Horribilis and the start of Bill Clinton’s 8 years of denying inhaling and being inhaled.

In November 1992 I was sitting in Loreto College getting used to the fireworks in Moss Side and trying to work out whether it was fireworks or a return to Gunchester!

HR1

1. FAITH NO MORE – Everything’s Ruined
   The brilliant video is made up of the band and some teenagers singing against a blue screen with various home movie and wildlife footage behind them. It was a favourite in our house because there’s a shot of a bird poo-ing…in reverse. Genius.
2. STEREO MC’s – Step It Up
   Billboard calls them “funkateers” which I do NOT approve of.
3. THE PRODIGY – Out Of Space
   Fourth single from The Prodigy Experience. Got to number 5 in the UK but number 3 in the Netherlands
4. THE LEMONHEADS – Mrs. Robinson
   Also covered by Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra. Paul Simon apparently really disliked this version, almost as much as Evan Dando hated covering it.
5. BON JOVI – Keep The Faith
   Bon Jovi’d 5th album, Keep The Faith wass the last to feature all 5 of the original line up and their first to have a title track. Recorded in Vancouver and a reaction to being kicked in the teeth by Nirvana, according to Jon Bon Jovi, it’s number 21 in Kerrang’s list of albums you must listen to before you die.
6. MANIC STREET PREACHERS – Little Baby Nothing
   Guest vocals from porn star Traci Lords, it’s all about the sexual exploitation of women.
7. NED’S ATOMIC DUSTBIN – Intact
   From “Are You Normal?”, their last album to chart.
8. DINA CARROLL – So Close
9. YELLO – The Race
10. NENEH CHERRY – Buddy X (Homebrew)
    Swedish singer and force of nature Neneh Cherry’s second album. This song is alledged to be about Lenny Kravitz
11. INXS – Taste It
    Fourth single from Welcome To Wherever You Are. The rehearsals for the album happened at Sydney Opera House.
12. GUNS N ROSES – Yesterdays
13. DEACON BLUE – Your Town
    From Whatever You Say, Say Nothing which is my advice for when your boss starts asking you what you think.

HR 2

1. HAPPY MONDAYS – Sunshine and Love
   From the album that broke Factory Records
2. EAST 17 – Gold
   Mark Frith in Smash Hits called this “memorable”. Well, erm…
3. THE WEDDING PRESENT – Queen Of Outer Space
   1992 was the year The Wedding Present released a limited edition single every month. This was obviously close to the end of the project but no less brilliant than the preceding 10 releases.
4. WHITNEY HOUSTON – I Will Always Love You
   From one of my wife’s favourite films.
5. LEONARD COHEN – Closing Time
   Leonard Cohen was a writer, poet and singer born in Quebec, Canada in 1934 he passed away in 2016 but not before leaving an incredible body of work behind. The 9th of 15 albums, The Future came after 4 years off to look after his son who had been in a coma and at the start of his relationship with acrtess Rebecca De Mornay.
   This song alone took 2 years to write.
6. SOUNDGARDEN – Outshined
   This was the first song that Chris Cornell wrote that was at all personal.
7. PRINCE AND THE NEW POWER GENERATION – 7
8. REM – Man on the Moon
   A tribute to the incredible Andy Kaufman. If you haven’t seen the incredible film that borrowed the title, Jim Carrey is utterly brilliant. Go and find it!
9. SHAKESPEAR’S SISTER – Hello, Turn Your Radio On
   “Oh look! They’ve spelt Shakespeare wrong!” – NO! They’re named after the Smiths song so there! It’s Morrissey’s fault! AGAIN!
10. THE FRANK AND WALTERS – Happy Busman
    The Frank and Walters and Paul and Niall Linehan and Ashley Keating. They’re from Cork in Ireland and are named after two eccentric characters from their home town.
    Trains, Boats and Planes was their first album of 8 so far and this was the first single that charted.
11. U2 – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?
    The last single to be taken from Achtung Baby.
12. MARY J BLIGE – Real Love
    Mary J’s first Top 10 hit in the US
13. THE SHAMEN – Boss Drum

April 1996

In April 1996, I was closing in on the end of my first year at Humberside University. I was trying to convince my first girlfriend that she should go out with me and that I wasn’t really hard work and needed constant validation (Spoiler: I do) and I had all of my record collection stolen from my room at the Grange Halls of Residence on Beverley High Road in Hull. I thought that the smell of my socks would stop anyone from breaking into the room but obviously the tykes of West Hull are hardier than I had imagined.

My blood group was “Bass Bitter/Two Dogs Shandy”

• GEORGE MICHAEL – Fastlove
  The video had someone wearing “Fony” headphones in a snipe at Sony who he’d fallen out with. That told them!
• OCEAN COLOUR SCENE – You Got It Bad
  Moseley Shoals was one of the albums that everyone has in the Halls of Residence had, alongside “Stanley Road” by Paul Weller. I’m surprised by how despite never owning it I still know every single word.
• GIN BLOSSOMS – Follow You Down
• PRESIDENTS OF THE USA – Peaches
  All about a girl the singer Chris Bellew had a crush on. It’s the age-old story of stalking a girl by sitting under the nearest peach tree to your crush waiting for them to leave the house. I used to just cycle around the block of my crushes….and that’s one of the reasons I was single until I was 20.
• 2 PAC – California Love
  Tupac’s comeback single after his prison stint. I loved this – 2Pac’s “A Life In Ten Pictures” https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000v5hv/a-life-in-ten-pictures-series-1-2-tupac-shakur
• ASH – Goldfinger
  Tim Wheeler says it the best song Ash ever wrote.
• 3T – 24/7
  Michael Jackson’s nephews. Doesn’t open as many doors today as it did…
• MANIC STREET PREACHERS – A Design For Life
  Not about Spanish revolutionaries for once. Just class struggle.
• ALANIS MORRISSETTE – Ironic
  Ed Byrne was one of the first to point out that the situations she presents aren’t Ironic, just annoying and that the only ironic thing about the song is the title.

• SLEEPER – Sale Of The Century
  Billboard said it’s one of the most thrilling singles of 1996. Was 1996 that bad in American music?
• ADEVA – I Thank You
  Adeva scared me!
• KULA SHAKER – Grateful When You’re Dead
• TONY RICH PROJECT – Nobody Knows
• BLAMELESS – Breathe (A Little Deeper)
  I was sure they were Australian, but they’re from the Steel City. This was a song my brilliant friend Pippa introduced to me. I hadn’t heard of them and I haven’t heard anything since but I bought a Shine compilation purely because it was on there.
• SWV – Use Your Heart
• THE CRANBERRIES – Salvation
  Some reviewers thought it was too preachy. Ah, the 90’s!
• PURESSENCE – India
  I didn’t really get into them at the time. I think that if I’d have still been in Manchester I’d have loved them earlier but I am only just really discovering them.
• SHED SEVEN – On Standby
• REPUBLICA – Ready To Go
  I saw them supporting Fun Lovin Criminals.
• EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Walking Wounded
  The first single released after Missing blew up.
• TERRORVISION – Celebrity Hit List
  Other famous people from Keighley. Eric Pickles, Kiki Dee, Denis Healey and Mollie Sugden
• JOE – All The Things Your Man Won’t Do
  Written for the soundtrack of the Wayans Brothers’ parody of gangsta rap films Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In the Hood.
• LONGPIGS – On and On
  Now known as “Richard Hawley’s band”
• MAXWELL – Ascension
• HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH – Old Man And Me
  Huuuuge in America. This is from their second album Fairweather Johnson which sold 4 million copies over there. Very much passed me by.
• BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – The Ghost Of Tom Joad
  It’s been covered by Rage Against The Machine!

May 1998

1. Child Psychology – BLACK BOX RECORDER
I’ve yet to read a book about Britpop which is close to “Bad Vibes” by Luke Haines. In fairness, I haven’t read many….but…

2. This Feeling – PURESSENCE
We’ve played this on Proper 90’s a couple of times now and it gets further into my head every time. Fastly becoming a huge favourite. Rock and roll from Failsworth Pole.

3. Sonnet – THE VERVE
The last song released from Urban Hymns which, for some reason, one of my university friends got free through the post. Not sure it was addressed to her…

4. If… – THE BLUETONES
Originally The Bottlegarden, I forgot how many great singles came from The Bluetones.

5. Culture Move – ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION (Rafi’s Revenge)
Asian Dub Foundation were formed out of an educational workshop in London. They were huge in France after their first album and after touring with Primal Scream and the Beastie Boys their second album Rafi’s Revenge got to number 20. 

6. Say You Love Me – SIMPLY RED
Did well in Hungary.

7. Push It – GARBAGE
From the album Version 2.0 the video was nominated for 13 MTV VMA’s

8. Come Back To What You Know – EMBRACE
Danny McNamara once told me that his family went on holiday in Withernsea and they loved it.

9. Sleep On The Left Side – CORNERSHOP
Cornershop weren’t as massive as they should have been. This reminds me of Mark and Lard.

10. I Gotta Move – FRANK BLACK AND THE CATHOLICS (Frank Black and the Catholics)
Frank Black, AKA Black Francis from the Pixies but really called Charles Thompson the Fourth and his backing band from the album “The Cult Of Ray”, it’s release was delayed for 18 months due to some problems with the record label

11. Too Close – NEXT
Have you read the lyrics? Pure filth!

12. Horny – MOUSSE T AND HOT ‘N’ JUICY
German producer Mousse T’s first single. Hot N Juicy were from Birmingham

13. Do You Really Want Me? – ROBYN

14. Kelly Watch The Stars – AIR
Released on my 22nd birthday which I spent throwing up in the urinals of the gents in the Welly Club in Hull

HOUR 2

1.Turn Back Time – AQUA
Was this the first time Aqua did something semi-serious? Certainly no shouty boyfriend.

2. Drinking In LA – BRAN VAN 3000
Canadians BV3 as they’re sometimes known. This was played a lot on Siren FM, the student radio station I helped run and was the first song I had a stand up row about in a radio studio when our breakfast show host refused to play it. Why? No idea. I didn’t listen.

3. Gone ‘Til November – WYCLEF JEAN
Watch the video for cameos from Destiny’s Child and Bob Dylan, and the time he met Tig Notaro who had no idea who he was.

4. Stranded – LUCRITIA McNEAL
Huge in Germany

5. Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth – DANDY WARHOLS (The Dandy Warhols Come Back)
Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Peter Holmstrom, Zia McCabe & Eric Hedford are The Dandy Warhols. They formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. They have released 11 albums so far, The Dandy Warhols Come Down was the second and Eric Hedford left during the tour to promote it. 

6. Ice Hockey Hair – SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
From an EP that features 4 songs there wasn’t enough room for on the album Radiator.

7. The Boy Is Mine – BRANDY AND MONICA
The answer to Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s duet.

8. Runaground – JAMES
The second single from James’ best of collection

9. Ray Of Light – MADONNA
From the days when Madonna could reinvent herself without Twitter piling on her.

10. The Bad Photographer – SAINT ETIENNE (Good Humour)
St Etienne is a town in France and also an indie-dance band from London. Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs met at school and Sarah Cracknell joined as a temporary singer but soon took the position as her own. They released 9 albums between 1991 and 2017, the 4th was Good Humour. 

11. Eat My Goal – COLLAPSED LUNG
Accidental Partridge! Another 90’s song that everyone loves 6 seconds of but aren’t familiar with the rest of it.

12. Under The Bridge – ALL SAINTS
Cover version of Red Hot Chili Peppers. One of the worst cover versions ever?

13. Teardrop – MASSIVE ATTACK
Elizabeth Fraser from The Cocteau Twins, but it was originally supposed to be Madonna.

 

 

October 1991

HOUR 1

1. Radio Wall Of Sound – SLADE
   My wife told me this week that she thought Slade only made “Merry Xmas Everybody”. They probably only needed to, it makes about a million quid every year. This was their last hit and features Mike Read as the DJ. Are the two related?
2. Dizzy – VIC REEVES & THE WONDER STUFF
   One of the few tunes that will hget me on the dancefloor without the aid of Guinness. A cover of the Tommy Roe hit, from the album “I Will Cure You” which features the brilliant “Meals On Wheels” and “I Remember Punk Rock”
3. Fun Day – STEVIE WONDER
   From the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever” which was heavily played on Northern Air Hospital Radio by Kath Yates, who did the show that I sat in on when I started my radio “journey”.
4. DJ Culture – PET SHOP BOYS
   Apparently it’s about George Bush’s speeches at the time of the first Gulf War, that important part of DJ culture.
5. Paper Doll – PM DAWN
   “Paper Doll” is said over 100 times. It’s second to “Pray” by MC Hammer for the record of the number of times the title is said in an American Top 40 single. Obviously Doop never made it in the States.
6. DJ’s Take Control – SL2
   S is Slipmatt and L is Lime, Matt Nelson and John Fernandez to their parents.
7. Finally – CE CE PENISTON
   Hee hee hee – penis.
8. Eat Yourself Whole – KINGMAKER (Eat Yourself Whole)
   I do like bands from Hull, I like Hull and so Kingmaker were right up my street. This album is full of little gems, every single’s a corker. Here’s a brill fact, they were supported by Radiohead! Best new band in the NME 1991 poll, so…
9. Fall At Your Feet – CROWDED HOUSE
   Don’t Dream It’s Over was the b-side. Once I’ve got the time there will be a Proper 90’s B Side special. I mean that may be in a few years time but it will happen!
10. Carribean Blue – ENYA
    The only things I know about Enya are that she had something to do with Clannad and she lives in a castle, and I’m only confident about one of those things
11. Breath Of Life – ERASURE
    Apparently when they were on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway someone’s daughter complained that they were “so old fashioned”. Erm…Vince was phoning in his performance on Teams! How much more 2021 can you be?
12. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – SAINT ETIENNE
    Sarah Cracknell and friends do Neil Young. Years later I would experience the keyboard player doing his thing at a funeral. Still got it.
13. No Son Of Mine – GENESIS
    At the time I remember Genesis trying to be humourous with their “We Can’t Dance” videos, except for this one…..which is why I preferred it. Phil Collins – not funny.

HOUR 2

1. Change – LISA STANSFIELD
   This was a Pointless answer earlier this week. I said it while David James looked gormless. I win.
2. Your Mirror – SIMPLY RED
   Simply Red are my guilty pleasure. I know that liking a pop band isn’t really a guilty pleasure. According to a survey, an extra scoop of ice cream is our favourite guilty pleasure. That’s just gluttony isn’t it?
3. Take Me To The River – THE COMMITMENTS
   Al Green song also covered by Talking Heads, Annie Lennox and Big Mouth Billy Bass.
4. Goodbye Cruel World – SHAKESPEAR’S SISTER
   Yes, actually, I HAVE spelt it correctly. They’re named after the Smiths song rather than a writer’s sibling!
5. Blood Sugar Sex Magik – RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
   I believe my brother Mark’s copy of this is still with the family he used to babysit for in 1991. Because when you want to get nippers off to sleep, the Chilis will sort that right out.
6. Money Don’t Matter Tonight – PRINCE AND THE NEW POWER GENERATION
   From the first album that was credited to Prince and the New Power Generation, although the name was used in Graffiti Bridge and mentioned on Lovesexy. They are not related to NPower which is a link no-one else has ever made to the best of mu knowledge.
7. After The Watershed – CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE
   It was in October 1991 that Fruitbat from Carter jumped on Phillip Schofield after he said something snide about them at the Smash Hits Poll Winners’ Party. That was my Pistols saying “f**k” at Bill Grundy moment.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iat50AHOm94
8. The Fly – U2
   Described by Bono as a “phone conversation with someone from Hell”, it is the best U2 song. That is my final word on the matter.
9. Closing Time – DEACON BLUE
   At about this time I had a Saturday job at a bakery in Moston cleaning dinky pie tins and washing equipment and the like and I worked with a girl who loved RnB and Hip Hop…but her favourite band was Deacon Blue. This is from Fellow Hoodlums.
10. The Show Must Go On – QUEEN
    Queen, the most over-rated band in rock history. Written by Brian May and recorded when Freddie Mercury was quite seriously ill.
11. Jacky – MARC ALMOND (Tenament Symphony)
    Changed his name to from Mark to Marc because he was obsessed with Marc Bolan
12. The Concept – TEENAGE FANCLUB
    Disgustingly this only got to number 51 in the chartts and I think it’s obvious to everyone now that this is a stone cold classic!

January 1996

This week we’re going back to January 1996. I was returning from a Christmas working at the local pub to earn a bit for my second term at university. Spent it all in the Haworth by the third day.
What were you up to?

HOUR ONE

1 Every Little Thing BOBBY BROWN
But Simon, that’s from 1989! Well, yes and no. There was an album of remixes and this was the lead single, so there!

2 Getting Better SHED SEVEN
I always imagine Shed Seven playing at Fibbers in York. I realise that they moved on a pace from a residency at York’s premier venue but that’s where I place them.

3 Anything 3T
Michael Jackson’s nephews, which isn’t the selling point it was 25 years ago.

4 Beautiful Life ACE OF BASE
Sweden’s 4th biggest musical export. I honestly don’t remember this song but at the time I was enjoying “Pound A Pint” in the Haworth Arms and after “All That She Wants” I lost interest.

5 Dune Buggy PRESIDENTS OF THE USA from Presidents Of The United States
We call it ‘indie’, the Americans call it ‘alternative rock power’! I like the PUSA, but I like them even more as soon as I heard that they did a gig at Mount Rushmore for MTV. Makes more sense than Trump turning up there.

6 Men In Black FRANK BLACK
Not from the film, I don’t think…it would have been a much cooler film!

7 Sandstorm CAST
As the years have gone on I’ve enjoyed more of Cast. At the time I thought they were really boring, but looking back they were actually bloody good. I can’t listen to too much though.

8 Children ROBERT MILES
His death a few years ago was a real shock. Real name Robert Concina which on the show you will hear me make an absolute mess of.

9 Weak SKUNK ANANSIE
Again, I found them quite boring at the time, but I love Skin! She’s wonderful. If you get a chance, listen to her on Blood On The Tracks

10 On A Rope ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT from Scream, Dracula, Scream
I didn’t realise until I was preparing for the show that the band went by nicknames. Grown adults!!

11 Street Spirit (Fade Out) RADIOHEAD
Every now and again a track like this comes up and I realise that despite what I might say to dull Radiohead fans I know, they are geniuses!

12 Spaceman BABYLON ZOO
Were you one of the millions who got excited about this song due to the 20 seconds that were on the advert? Me too. The rest of it? Well….

13 I Want To Be A Hippy TECHNOHEAD
Not for me at the time but when I dug it up I was dancing round the kitchen. Well pogoing…

14 Single Girl LUSH
Absolute classic!

15 World Of Good SAW DOCTORS
One of my favourite live bands. Christmas gigs in Manchester were something else!

16 Loops Of Fury CHEMICAL BROTHERS

HOUR TWO

1 Got Myself Together BUCKETHEADS
2 One By One CHER
3 Spirits In The Material World PATO BANTON featuring STING
Honestly never realised Pato Banton was a Brummie called Patrick! Paddy and Gordon!

4 Slight Return THE BLUETONES
One of my absolute favourites from the 90’s. I think The Bluetones are one of the most underrated bands of the last 40 years.

5 Your Loving Arms BILLIE RAY MARTIN from Deadline For My Memories
I loved Electribe 101 just for her voice and this album just confirmed what an exceptional singer she is.

6 Let’s Push It NIGHTCRAWLERS

They did have an obsession with pushing things, or did I dream it.

7 Mr Friday Night LISA MORRISH
The theme tune for wacky BBC local radio DJ’s given a weekend show because they were “fun”

8 Jesus To A Child GEORGE MICHAEL
I used to live in Goring on Thames, literally round the corner from George’s home. I would hear loads of village bores in the Miller of Mansfield telling us about how they would gatecrash parties at his house by rowing up to his Thames-side garden. All bollocks, I’d imagine.

9 Whole Lotta Love GOLDBUG
Goldbug doing CCS doing Led Zeppelin

10 Over My Shoulder PAUL CARRICK from Blue Views
A class act. If you ever get the chance to see him live, do it!

11 Time MARION
Sleep was a cracking song and this is incredibly underrated.

12 Release The Pressure LEFTFIELD
Brilliant. Leftism is one of those albums I keep going back to.