March's first top spot was seemingly reserved for Madonna, whose 43rd (!!) hit single Frozen went straight in there to replace Ms Dion. it's a new direction for her, being more earthy and 'spiritual', and the style is continued on her LP Ray of Light - the name says it all. It seems motherhood has transformed her like it does so many. It's a cool video though...
Cerys from Catatonia scores more points in the 'most annoying single' stakes as she teams up with Space for their Ballad of Tom Jones. 10 out of 10 for name dropping, but a fat zero for lyrics. Frankly, I'd rather not think about her knickers, much less have them thrown at me, and scouser Tommy isn't from Wales? No way!

it seems always to have been fashinable amongst the music press to take an arbitrary aversion to all things Shed 7. But, having failed for years to be trendy in other aspects of life - clothes, attitude, football team etc.- I'll stand up now for them. Their new single She Left Me On Friday is downright cool! It's loosened up a bit since the more trad rock'n'roll of Getting Better and Going for Gold, and this has led to comparisions along the lines of "they've gone Blur". She Left Me On Friday has a melody more reminiscent of The Happy Mondays, and is unquestionabley groovey, though I'm not sure about that wah-wah solo...

The Bluetones released their second LP Return to the Last Chance Saloon this month to a lukewarm reception from the critics, but a fairly good one from the fans. The sound is in places a little heavier, but the good tunes are still in evidence, though perhaps not as much as on their debut. It went in at #10, a far cry short of the #1 Expecting to Fly earned.
Speaking of number 1's. For once Spice Girls aren't us. For their record breaking run of how-ever-many singles going straight to the top was halted when their motown "influenced" Stop was forced into a poor second to the brilliant It's Like That, by the legendary U.S. hip hoppers Run D.M.C. versus (or remixed by) Jason Nivens. We have much thank them for. Click here if you liked it as much as I do. They managed to see out the rest of the month in the top spot.

Once again the new solo stars Ian and Bernard are almost head to head. Many light guitars Stay may have had but Bernard Butler's new single Not Alone is a bigger, brasher outing around the borders of glam-rock if you ask me. His voice is stronger this time around, the strings are out in force as usual to provide a hook, but the guitar solo is trademark Butler, retaining the philosophy he started with so long ago in Suede. Good thing! Corpses, Ian Brown's latest offering came out just a week later, and possibley just edged the chart success stakes over Butler as it entered at #14. This is another laid back, melodic tune with a smooth rhythm and chiming guitar. More than a little like My Star? No, but the mood is maintained and it continues to unveil his songwriting potential. It's undeniabley catchy!
If you ignore all else this month, you'd be wise to invest a little cash in Arab Strap's new double a-side, and taster for the new LP, Here We Go/Trippy. The 'Strap are definitely progressing further while retaining their trademark laid back guitar tinkling and mumbled narratives. On Here We Go, about having an argument with your girlfriend, it sounds like he's almost trying to make the effort to sing on the chorus, but energy escapes him. Trippy is another story about what happened one night with their mates. It's value for money at 12 minutes & something, and you'll find out just how it got its name when it weirds-out towards the end. There's another layer of polish on these new recordings, obviously due to the increasing amounts of time spent in the studio. It all looks good for the new album due out next month.


Back to index page...

Go to Geocities...