The Greatest Hits Of ’95 (Telstar, 1995)

Review
Telstar amended the sleeve design for The Greatest Hits Of 1995; the first slim CD packaging consisting of a square board dotted with small photographs of headshots. Once again, the story of the year consists of 40 tracks including six number ones.

By the time of going to press, Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise had reached the coveted midweek number one spot. It featured on the soundtrack of the blockbusting Dangerous Minds and sampled the chorus and music from Stevie Wonder’s Pastime Paradise. It’s followed by the similarly rueful Never Forget by Take That. Two covers next: Robson and Jerome taking on Unchained Melody and winning. Boyzone cutting their teeth on Love Me For A Reason. Take some 90s acid and you’ve got Freak Power’s Turn On, Turn In, Cop Out. A long way from Flag Day. It’s a rush of Britpop with Edwyn Collins’ A Girl Like You and Oasis in quick succession. It’s the shorter video version of Some Might Say.

Then there’s Suggs’ likeable cover of I’m Only Sleeping and the irrepressible Wake Up Boo come later with the incongruous Euro dance of the Real McCoy’s Another Night stuck in the middle. PJ and Duncan dig deep for Stuck On You while East 17 try and keep up with the effective Hold My Body Tight. Indie Kylie pulls a rabbit out of the hat with the absolutely stunning Put Yourself In My Place. Speaking of independent matters; Scarlet’s Independent Love Song is an urgent hyperballad with an unforgettable chorus. Elsewhere Annie Lennox sums up the summer of love with a decent stab at A Whiter Shade Of Pale.

Getting their jollies are the Lightning Seeds on the inspirational Change. Shame it’s the slightly longer album version rather than the 7″ edit. Get ready for the greatest one hit wonder of the decade: The Connells and ’74-’75 Think of Robert Frost and The Road Not Taken. I did anyway. CD1 drifts on with Nicki French’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Shaggy’s best Mungo Jerry impression and Celine Dion’s mournful Only One Road.

CD2: Dance the night away. You know the score as it’s a gold run through Livin’ Joy – Dreamer, The Original – I Luv U Baby, Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game, Strike – U Sure Do, M People – Search For The Hero. Get some cheese under the grill ’cause Kenny Dope and The Bucketheads are in the house and they’ve just dropped The Bomb! and I can’t get it out of my head. N-Trance bust some moves but lose their kudos on a badass Stayin’ Alive while Ini Kamoze’s Here Comes The Hotstepper gatecrashed many a post-pub session in Dublin 6. Some smooth R&B – Dana Dawson’s chirpy 3 Is Family and Love City Groove’s self-titled Eurovision entry.

Get your hardbag shoes on; Felix is in the house. Don’t You Want Me gets a ’95 remix and remains crucial. Surrender Your Love to Nightcrawlers – a slow burner. 30 Fingers and Gillette cuts their men down to size on the caustic Short Short Man while Jinny drops some quality house on Keep Warm. A pair of new releases for Halloween: Ultra High’s overdone trance Stay With Me and Mayte’s steady bopper If I Love You 2 Night. They’re surrounded by MN8’s funky If You Only Let Me In and Des’ree’s homespun You Gotta Be. And one for the after party; Brownstone’s 3AM soul of Grapevyne. Rednex: Puke + Cry.

Favourite tracks
Oasis – Some Might Say

Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You

Scarlet – Independent Love Song

Kylie Minogue – Put Yourself In My Place

Freak Power – Turn On, Tine In, Cop Out

Lest we forget
Lightning Seeds – Change

Missing tracks and other thoughts
The series continued to shift decent units, primarily by being released three or four weeks before the November / end of year Now album. There’s a distinct lack of imagination with this one. Step forward please. . .

The Rembrandts – I’ll Be There For You. Friends mania.
Bjork – It’s Oh So Quiet. Would have been a “NR” but worth the gamble.
Pulp – Mis-Shapes. The one that’s faded away.