Can you think of any?
It sounds like they might've been off their tits on shrooms when they recorded this cover of the Donovan classic. It got plenty of radio play, but didnt chart here and only got to #98 in the UK. Butthole Surfers - The Hurdy Gurdy Man.
Vanessa Paradis - Be My Baby
The second and final UK top 10 hit for the French singer, best known for Joe le Taxi in 1987 (it was 1988 before it made its way over here) and for being the long-time partner of Johnny Depp and mother of his two children, including actress Lily-Rose Depp. Be My Baby was released in the autumn of 1992, the lead track from her first English-language album (and third album overall.) Produced and co-written by her then-boyfriend Lenny Kravitz, the song reached number six, both here and in the UK. I remember it being on heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
Travel back to May 1995 when Thieves met Suede. At Camden’s Jazz Café. Or their ex-members David McAlmont and Bernard Butler did and created the spiritual and uplifting Yes. One of the highlights of that Britpop-soaked summer.
McAlmont & Butler - Yes
"Chris Gaines" - Lost In You
Chris Gaines was an Australian singer…except he wasn't. Chris Gaines never existed. At the end of the 90s, Country & Western superstar Garth Brooks (who was huge here in the mid-90s) decided he wanted to dabble in other genres. However, feeling his name would be a disadvantage, he invented an alter ego, Chris Gaines. Garth slimmed down, swapped the Wranglers for leather pants and the cowboy hat for a wig. He even went as far as making a VH-1 Behind The Music special as Chris Gaines. Lost In You was the "debut" single from Chris, released in the autumn of 1999. While there was an album, Garth had bigger plans for Chris, but these never materialised and the whole project was scrapped. I remember this being released on airplay around September 1999. Most DJs playing it for the first time introduced it with "You'll never guess who's singing this!", then revealing afterwards that it was Garth Brooks. Which probably explains why the project flopped, because everyone knew it was Garth Brooks anyway. Despite Garth's popularity here, it didn't chart, and only reached number 70 in the UK in November 1999, but did get some airplay, if only for novelty value.
It's actually his biggest mainstream hit in the States reaching No.5 on the Hot 100.
Indeed, Mr. Brooks was never huge in Britain as himself, only peaking at #13 in the singles chart.
Yep, seemed to get off to a good start with it…but it quickly fizzled out. Further albums and a movie were planned but never materialised. The song only popped into my head earlier today and I did a bit of reading about Chris Gaines before posting. One article put it best…saying "Perhaps the real reason for Chris Gaines’ failure is that Brooks went too far and not far enough." As in, Brooks went as far as even creating a backstory for Gaines’ parents, yet the project was always clearly a Garth Brooks side project.
Yes, our neighbours across the water never took to Garth Brooks quite like we did. But there's plenty of other songs and international acts over the years where that's happened…I always think of the song Amazed by Lonestar. Number 2 here and never off the radio, but the British public weren't so keen and the song didn't even break the top 20 there.
Staying with Vanessa Paradis - this was the follow up to be my baby - Sunday Mondays
Posted to the wrong sub.
Remember this 1999 banger being played in Virgin Megastore over the sound system. Big display for the 7" and CD single as it was on the V2 label. Synth pop c.1982 sound which owes a huge debt to The Human League. They were fronted by Phil Oakey soundalike Joe Northern, with synth player Jimmy D and female singers Andie & Liz. Good piece here where The Electricity Club track down Joe in 2017 and he reveals that Sugar Sweet Dreams should have been their debut single instead.
Younger Younger 28s - We're Going Out
Only reaching No.55 in the UK this hit No.9 on the Hot 100 in March 1990. He was famously sued by Gilbert O'Sullivan for using unauthorized samples. The law was changed after this requiring that all samples be cleared with the original artist.
Biz Markie - Just a Friend
Alone Again
I disagree - Garth was as big in the UK as in Ireland in the early to late 90s.
Fun fact that ex-Bros member Craig Logan was responsible for a lot of Garth's popularity in UK and Europe in his role with EMI International
Only three British top 40 singles, none of which charted higher than #13, although he did have a #2 album. So he was moderately big there. Nothing compared to Ireland though.
Bryan Adams - "The Best of Me"
Failed to reach the British top 40 in December 1999.
With the sad news to day, most people don't know that Murray Head's brother Anthony hit No.87in the UK in March 91 with this track from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I think he sounds very like Tom Jones in this. RIP Anthony Head.
Anthony Head - Sweet Transvestite
Cliff Richard - "Can't Keep This Feeling In" (1998)
Very interesting story behind it - wonder did it inspire Garth Brooks to come up with Chris Gaines?
Solo Bruce Dickinson, this is "Tattooed Millionaire" from 1990.
This was released in May 1991 as a standalone single, reaching #17 in the UK and #8 over here. The dream was fading and this track, along with September 45, Happy Together, marked the end of his tenure under SAW. Both were included on his Greatest Hits LP along with a previously unreleased cover of A Fool Such As I. Even the sleeve of that compilation screams late 50s / early 60s Elvis, especially its colour tones. R.S.V.P. works great, a more mature sound & a killer chorus.
Jason Donovan - R.S.V.P.
I had a quick look and don’t think this was mentioned yet. Another from the 90s boy band craze. Randomly popped into my head for some reason.
MN8 - If You Only Let Me In
Released in May 1994 and reaching No.4 here and 3 in the UK. The Grid were Dave Ball from Soft Cell and producer Richard Norris who worked on the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack and wrote the official Paul Oakenfold biography.
The Grid - Swamp Thing
A sad story behind the banjo player on that track, Roger Dinsdale. He was paid a fairly low fixed sum for the recording and felt he was shafted after it got so popular. He died by suicide in 2009.
The follow-up, "Texas Cowboys"
2 Cowboys "Everybody's gonfi gon" was in the charts at the same time as The Grid's Swamp Thing. Both tracks had the same eurodance country feeling that people were into at the time, probably something to do with the country music revival and line dancing craze at the time in Europe. Not forgetting Rednex's "Cotton Eyed Joe" from the same year.
Swamp Thing was certainly one of those songs that was played as part of the line dancing craze. How many know that the riff was a rearrangement of the original version of a splendid alternative rock tune Swamp Thing by The Chameleons from the 1980s and that it was originally the guitar riff in the song which had proper verses? Many think the Grid's version was an original but it wasn't really. Incidentally I preferred Texas Cowboys. Both songs by the Grid were infectious but the latter was even more so.
I never knew that!
Released in 95/96, everyone remembers this from Ibiza Uncovered. Reached No.22 in the UK but didn't chart here. A side project of Norman Cook and former flatmate Gareth Hansome. Samples the previously mentioned here Laid Backs' White Horse (mentioned in the 80's thread)
Mighty Dub Katz - Magic Carpet Ride
Just added the original Swamp Thing to the forgotten 80s radio hits thread:
Swamp Thing history from band:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/jul/08/how-the-grid-made-swamp-thing-banjo-house
Honeyz - Never Let You Down. 1998 or 99.
bought the 12" in Abbey Discs
