REWIND: R.E.M. - 'Crush With Eyeliner'

It's time once again to have a look at the new entries making the UK singles chart 20 years ago in 1995. Every week a Twitter account called @ThisIsMyJam95 invites followers to pick their favourite new entry of the week, and I have decided to take it a step further by listening to ALL of the new entries before picking the best of the bunch. This week's chart comes from February 4th 1995 and can be seen in full HERE.

At number 27, Luther Vandross beats the likes of Boyz II Men at their own game with the smooth ballad 'Always And Forever', but it's understandable why people were turning to British music for their excitement rather than such blandly produced American soul. At 31, The The's meat-and-potatoes rock cover of Hank Williams' 'I Saw The Light' isn't exactly brilliant either. I quite liked M People back at the time, but like their other efforts, the pale number 11 'Open Your Heart' is quite a weak thing to have in your ears. Not quite as bad as the week's highest new entry at #7, MN8's dreadful 'I've Got A Little Something For You', which sounds just as shallow and monotonous today as it did then.

Carter USM take a more guitar-heavy route than usual with their number 34 entry 'The Young Offender's Mum', while Spiritualized's beautifully hypnotic 'Let It Flow' went in at number 30 and Belly's lively, tuneful 'Now They'll Sleep' entered at number 28.
At 17 were Perfecto Allstars with their floorfilling update of 'Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag', but winning my prize for the week's best new entry are R.E.M, whose superb number 29 hit 'Crush With Eyeliner' was taken from the previous year's 'Monster'.