Compilation: Hit Machine 2
Released: 1993 – Columbia
Number of tracks: 20
Number one singles: 2 – "Mr. Vain" by Culture Beat, "All That She Wants" by Ace Of Base
Other top ten singles: 5
Best track: "Three Little Pigs" by Green Jelly
Hidden gem: "More & More" by Captain Hollywood Project
With a decidedly video-game art conceit, it's the follow up to Hit Machine '93, giving the hint there would be many more Hit Machines to come. There would end up being 28 of them in fact, every single one of them topping the ARIA compilation album charts, until they were replaced by So Fresh – the most successful Australian compilation album series – with Hit Machine in second place. We're witnessing the birth of a behemoth here, friends.
Anyway, back to the artwork. It says "Super Sonic" at the top and the drawing closely resembles a certain Italian plumber. Sonic and Mario were massive in 1993 – as a Sega owner I'd have to say Sonic more so, because of the massive recent success of Sonic 2. How this ties in to the music of they day is another matter; the Super Mario Bros. movie was still fresh in people's minds, so perhaps the thing that would link it all together is if the big ballad on that film's soundtrack, Roxette's "Almost Unreal", appears on here but unfortunately it does not. In fact it never showed up on any compilation, to my knowledge.
That aside, there are some standout tracks here. My personal faves are the demented metal-fest from Green Jelly (complete with memorable video – check it out if you wanna see the Big Bad Wolf get riddled with bullets courtesy of Rambo), Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" (the safe-for-granny no swearing version), Ween's "Push Th' Little Daisies", 2 Unlimited's "Tribal Dance", Inner Circle's "Bad Boys" and Freedom Williams' "Voice Of Freedom". All good stuff.
Also good are the two aforementioned chart-toppers, Sub Sub's "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)", and Terence Trent D'Arby's "She Kissed Me". Jeremy Jordan and Dannii can go suck it. If you ignore those two songs as is deserved, you've got one fine comp here. Super sonics, indeed.
Rating: 8/10
