Ten At A Time : Volume 2

This is my occasional blog charting my audio “journey” through every album that charted in the UK in the 1990’s, Ten At A Time

Volume 2

This time we start with Lou Bega’s “A Little Bit Of Mambo” (RCA – September 1999) which is more than a little bit! Having listened again after doing the “aulog”, or whatever the term is for audioblog, I feel it’s a bit harsh to say that it’s 45 minutes of “Mambo No 5”. “The Trumpet Part 2” is genuinely interesting, the rest is Jim Royle in a vest-tastic.

“A Love Like Ours” by Barbra Streisand (Columbia – September 1999) is a love letter to James Brolin, as one look at the inlay makes very clear! It’s like they’ve won an afternoon with a professional photographer after their engagement. Too much for me.

I know someone who genuinely thinks Shed Seven are the best band in the world. A view I like to call the “Yorkist” position on indie music. “A Maximum High” (Polydor – April 1996) is probably the band at their best and is better than I remember.

Still with the glint in his eye, your auntie’s favourite David Essex was given a list of tunes famous at the cinema for “A Night At The Movies” (Polygram TV – May 1997) and makes every song feel like it’s gone on for the length of the film it comes from.

I can’t listen to anything by Bruce Hornsby and the Range and not try to read football tables over it. Thanks Des Lynam! “A Night On The Town” (RCA – June 1990) is their last record together as Bruce went off on his own and the band went into opening garden centres.

The Verve feature for a second time with the album that set them up for huge superstardom. “A Northern Soul” (Hut – July 1995) is listed as one of the NME’s greatest albums of all time. “History” is pretty epic!

I knew nothing about Lit before listening to “A Place In The Sun” (RCA – July 1999) and other than the someone involved having the incredible name “Popov”, they completely fell out of my conscience again afterwards.

When I started this project/millstone I was excited about listening to music that I would normally avoid like the plague. Country Music is my bete noir. Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “A Place In The World” (Columbia Nashville – October 1996) did nothing to help.

Big Fun released “A Pocketful Of Dreams” in May 1990 (Jive). If only they hadn’t.

The Yorkshire Soprano Lesley Garrett was prolific in the 90’s and “A Soprano In Love” (Silva Screen – September 1998) is a collection of love songs from across the genres. There’s plenty of space for her to express her personality…

So, in order of preference…

1. Shed Seven – “A Maximum High” (1996)
2. Lit – “A Place In The Sun” (1999)
3. The Verve – “A Northern Soul” (1995)
4. Bruce Hornsby And The Range – “A Night On The Town” (1990)
5. Lesley Garrett – “A Soprano In Love” (1998)
6. Mary Chapin Carpenter – “A Place In The World” (1996)
7. Barbra Streisand – “A Love Like Ours” (1999)
8. David Essex – “A Night At The Movies” (1997)
9. Lou Bega – “A Little Bit Of Mambo” (1999)
10. Big Fun – “A Pocketful Of Dreams” (1990)