Richie's Singles Club
16th February
'(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)'
(Def Jam)
It's amazing to think how far they came, isn't it? I mean, I was aware of the Beastie Boys when I was 10. I knew some of the 'bad boys' in the neighbourhood had fashioned necklaces out of bicycle padlocks and old Mrs Petrie's Lada car badge. But even back then this sounded a little naff, didn't it? The Beastie Boys at this time were obnoxious and tedious and ripe for parody (hello Tony Hawks) which just makes it all the more nice that by a decade later they were as right on as old Mrs Petrie herself (and her questionable community vegan stew).
'I Am the Law'
(Epic)
I've never really got metal. But I allow a few exceptions, which amount basically to Faith No More and Anthrax. This one is specifically about British comic star Judge Dredd and his exploits up until 1987, which is made it probably the nerdiest rock single until Pop Will Eat Itself topped them in the coming years.
'If They Move Kill 'Em'
(Creation)
As far removed from the Stones lite Scream as you can imagine, so that's why it stumbled into the charts at number 81.
Other songs released today
- Urusei Yatsura - 'Hello Tiger' (Che)
- Catherine Wheel - 'Ma Solituda' (Chrysalis)
- Dandy Warhols - 'Every Day Should be a Holiday' (Capitol)
- Cornershop - 'Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim Remix)' (Wiiija)
- Biff Bang Pow! - 'The Whole World is Turning Brouchard!' (Creation)
- Chakk - 'Timebomb (Take Your Time)' (Fon)
- The Cult - 'Love Removal Machine' (Beggars Banquet)
- Erasure - 'It Doesn't Have to Be' (Mute)
- Classix Nouveaux - 'Guilty' (Liberty)
- Landscape - 'Einstein A Go-Go' (RCA)
- The Human League - 'Boys and Girls' (Virgin)