Artist	Song
Jesus Jones	Right Here, Right Now (#31, #2)
R.E.M.	Losing My Religion (#19, #4)
Mike + The Mechanics	Word Of Mouth (#13, #78)
Nirvana	Smells Like Teen Spirit (#7, #6 in '92)
Soho	Hippy Chick (#8, #14)
U2	Mysterious Ways (#13, #9 in '92)
The Doors	Light My Fire (re-issue) (#7)
Free	All Right Now (re-issue) (#8)
Erasure	Love to Hate You (#4)
Bronski Beat	Smalltown Boy (#32)
Crystal Waters	Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee) (#2, #8)
East Side Beat	Ride Like The Wind (#3) (cover)
EMF	Lies (#28, #18)
Chris Isaak	Blue Hotel (#17)
Extreme	More Than Words (#2, #1)
Primal Scream	Higher Than The Sun (#40)
Enya	Caribbean Blue (#13, #79)
Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole	Unforgettable (#19, #14)

Comment:

First of all, the chart rankings given above lists the UK chart position, and then, if it charted there, it is followed by the USA chart position. Also, the link on the first song title is to an mp3 of 160kbps quality which is of the whole mix and about 90megs in size.


1991 was something of a retro kind of year, especially in the UK. I counted fifteen re-issues or covers of hits (that were in the top 40 in '91) from 1964 through 1984 (but eleven of those were from 1964-1976). The re-issues were Don McLean's American Pie (#2 in '72 and #12 in '91), T.Rex' 20th Century Boy (#3 in '73 and #13 in '91), Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (#1 in '75 and #1 in '91). I used two others in this mix as tracks #7 & 8 (which happened to reach #7 & 8 on the charts in '91 but #49 in '67 and #2 in '70 respectively; the Doors did a much better #1 in the USA in '67). There were two hits reissued by the Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go (hit #1 and originally reached #17 in 1982; #45 then in the USA) and Rock the Casbah (hit #15, originally #30 in 1981; and #8 in '83 in the USA). Oh yeh, Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy (track 10) originally reached #3 in '84, but only #48 in '85 in the USA. Curiously, it was also released in the UK once in '90 and again in '91, but it charted the same both times (#32).

For the covers, Robert Palmer did a medley of two Marvin Gaye songs in 1991 (charting at #9). The songs were Mercy Mercy Me (originally #4 in '71 in the USA) and I Want You (# 15 in '76 in the USA). Guns and Roses did Live and Let Die (#5 in '91, but only #33 in '92 in the USA) which was first done by Wings in '73 (#9; #2 in the USA). Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff did Dizzy (#1 in '91) which was first done by Tommy Roe (#1 in '69 in the UK & USA). Voice of the Beehive did I Think I love You (#25 in '91) and first reached #18 in '71 by the Partridge Family (#1 in '70 in the USA). Echo & The Bunnymen did People are Strange (reached #34, but also #29 in '88; originally hit #12 in the USA back in 1967). Cher reached #1 with her cover of the Shoop Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss) which originally reached #6 in the USA back in 1964. The last cover tallied here was used as track 12 in this mix (originally by Christopher Cross and charting in at #2 in '80 in the USA; it wasn't in the top 40 in the UK at that time).

The last track is something of an anomaly, being both a re-issue and a cover. Originally the song was a solo by Nat King Cole in 1952, and redone in 1961. The singing from that later performance was dubbed into Natalie Cole's recording.

And by the way, I was alive and well in Europe in 1991. I vacationed in mostly Amsterdam for about six weeks in that year. Didn't make it to Britain, but met some good blokes from there. I recall that the change in environment made me feel at least eight years younger. I remember being on a back pateo and hearing a neighbor play the song At This Moment in Dutch. I said to my fellows that I loved that song. Originally it was performed by Billy Vera (of Billy & The Beaters) in 1981 & 1987 (reached #79 and then #1 when reissued in those years in the USA).

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