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