UK number ones of 1995

I'm now listening to a playlist of The Great Escape-era b-sides and it holds together well in its own right - dare I say better than the album itself these days. The much-publicised Prozac-obsession is emphasised even more, and it really REALLY reminds me of the second Specials album. Starts off ridiculously chirpy with 'One Born Every Minute' and 'Ultranol', ends in the bleakest run of songs they ever did ('The Horrors', 'A Song', 'St Louis'). Almost makes me forget what an embarrassing band they'd become by that point.

(PS sorry for turning this into a Blur thread).

Oh god 'The Horrors' - I remember listening to that and trying to imagine playing it to literally anyone and telling them it was a song by one of the biggest groups in the country. It's like the demo tape found in the walkman of a failed film soundtrack writer after he hangs himself.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

lol @ robson & jerome

The whole Robson & Jerome thing was Simon Cowell getting his foot back in the door after Sinitta's hits dried up and Fanfare Records went tits up. I think the story goes that he saw the episode of Soldier Soldier where they sang 'Unchained Melody' and decided to capitalise on it. Anyhow, it was a huge seller and probably helped Cowell become a judge on Pop Idol, which then led to the creation of The X Factor. So yeah, thanks for that Robson & Jerome, you bastards.

https://media.giphy.com/media/QmPLxW7gNUas/giphy.gif

Correct top three.

I knew Simply Red were in trouble when my own mother described Fairground as "bland"

And she bought Stars

At the time that record had a bit of credibility and was taken seriously in a way that Simply Red hadn't been since the 80s. Pretty sure that was largely down to the Goodmen sample.

Or it could be the fact that Simply Red were at the height of their popularity. Stars was a huge selling album, and 'Fairground' was the first new Simply Red material for a long time.

I am pretty sure I never heard "Fairground" until now because "Simply Red samples The Goodmen" would have been pure aural catnip to me in 1995

That's how it would work now, back then a huge-selling album wasn't a guarantee of the music press taking your new record seriously AT ALL. Especially if you were Mick Hucknall at the height of Britpop. He might as well have been Phil Collins.

I remember pete tong enthusiastically play a remix of that simply red track quite a lot so maybe the 2xCD singles with remixes helped sales of that single.

back then a huge-selling album wasn't a guarantee of the music press taking your new record seriously AT ALL

it still isn't, though it is a guarantee of the music press slavishly covering your every move anyway (see: sheeran)

also being 14 is no fucking excuse for enjoying "country house" or blur at all

Blur has some great songs, it's just that "Country House" isn't one of them.

Never heard winning song... Weird

Cher/Hynde/Cherry w.Clapton - Love Can Build a Bridge 2

ILX neneh cherry bloc strikes again

outthere brothers were robbed

*outhere

"it still isn't, though it is a guarantee of the music press slavishly covering your every move anyway (see: sheeran)"

There's still a music press?