Compilation Compilation Album Review: "The Best Of 100% Hits 93"

Compilation: The Best Of 100% Hits 93
Released: 1993 –Warner Music
Number of tracks: 19
Number one singles: 5 — "Informer" by Snow, "That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, "Cat's In The Cradle" by Ugly Kid Joe and "Can't Help Falling In Love" by UB40
Other top ten singles: 14
Best track: "The Hitman" by AB Logic
Hidden gem: None, because I've heard them all.

Why the tautology in the post title? Because this is a compilation of a compilation – the 100% Hits series releasing a best-of for the end of the year. As such, this is about as successful a compilation as you can get: all 19 tracks here reached the top 10, with five number 1s. But, will the selections be to your taste?

Well, looking at said five number 1s above, they haven't dated terribly badly. My favourite at the time was "Informer", but that style of music rapidly faded from popularity and while I still enjoy listening to it, I much prefer "The Hitman" as a dance track. It still kicks, and you can't deny it! Leonard Kravitz and Ugly Kid Joe still sound alright, and UB40's cover (it's funny how so many number 1 singles in the '90s were covers) has that reggae sound which was everywhere in 1993 but is still a good listen. As for Janet Jackson, I didn't much care for "That's The Way Love Goes", her only number 1 in Australia (and then only for one week). I much preferred "If" and other 'deep cuts', as pretentious tossers say, on the janet album.

Other highlights include East 17's "West End Girls" (another cover), Chaka Demus & Pliers' "Tease Me" (more reggae) and "Tequila" by ALT & The Lost Civilization – cringeworthy lyrics in parts, but I 'dug it', as they used to say in the '70s, at the time. Then there's the somewhat rapey "Sweat" by Inner Circle which got to number 2 (I can't remember what denied it the top spot – probably bloody Meat Loaf, and thankfully that rubbish isn't on here, having taken up nearly 6 minutes on the previous release, 100% Hits Volume 10).

The only truly weak moment is the godawful, shambolic, irritating pathetic excuse for a song that is "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes. There are already numerous rants on the internet about how bad this song really is, so you can search for those if you want to hear someone more articulate than I excoriate this hideous song. How it nearly topped the charts here I'll never know. But skip that track and you'll be set for some decent pop n' rock from 1993!

Rating: 7/10