N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?'

Chart Peak: 7
YouTube

N-Trance's update of Rod Stewart's 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy' crashed into the chart at No. 7 on 26th October '97... Their other big hits include 'Set You Free' and 'Stayin' Alive'

Speaking of old songs from the 1970s with the word "sexy" in the title... Indeed this was also in the chart at the same time as the Clock and Hot Chocolate versions of 'You Sexy Thing'. Ignoring his uncredited vocal for Glass Tiger on Now 20,  Roderick returns to the Now series for the first time since the very first album; and does so via one of several attempts by N-Trance to repeat the successful formula of 'Stayin' Alive' by taking a danceable but uncool oldie and updating the style with new rapped verses by Ricardo Da Force. Unusually this version actually samples the original chorus vocal - hence the featured credit - and parts of the backing track. It's a silly version of a song that was already pretty laughable (Stewart's cowriter Duane Hitchings claims that it was always supposed to be a parody) though it does drop the lyrical idea of the couple being shy or nervous.

This version is one of those tracks that is sort of rubbish but mildly enjoyable, although it does suffer from the sense that they'd already tried this trick a few times too many. It's not as good as 'Stayin' Alive' but I would take it over more "credible" N-Trance songs like 'Set You Free'.

Rod Stewart also appears on: Now 1
N-Trance also appear on: Now 30, 32, 50
Available on: A Night At The Roxbury (Soundtrack)

N-Trance 'Set You Free'

Chart Peak: 2 [83 in 1993, 39 in 1994]
YouTube

'Set You Free' is one of the success stories of 1995 with the single having sold around 1/2 million copies to date... N-Trance are Dale, KO and singer Kelly Llorenna.

Certainly not the first time I've written about N-Trance, indeed not even the first time I've written about 'Set You Free' as it reappears on Now 50. Like the Nightcrawlers track this was a regular on music TV in 1994-5 and, well, I might have to take back what I said about the video for 'Push The Feeling On' looking cheap, it's 'Thriller' compared to this. They didn't even pay for the fireworks, they just happened to be in town when they happened.

Having been released every year from 1992 to 1995 (and several times since), this song has a strong reputation as a dance classic and whilst I can see what people like about it, the more familiar it gets the less I enjoy it. It's just not that interesting, frankly. I tend to prefer N-Trance when they're more ridiculous over this rather straight stuff.

Also appearing on: Now 32, 38, 50 [same track]
Available on: Best Of

N-Trance 'Set You Free'

Chart Peak: 4 [83 in 1993, 39 in 1994, 2 in 1995]

YouTube

Originally released in 1994 (although it was the 1995 release that scored a major hit), 'Set You Free' is widely regarded as one of the definitive dance tunes of the 90's... Proving its enduring popularity, the track (featuring Kelly Llorenna on lead vocals) re-entered the UK Top 5 in September 2001 - The band have achieved 10 hit singles in the UK and boast worldwide record sales in excess of 5 million.

As I think I've intimated before, I wasn't really interested in dance music in the mid-1990s, and to the extent that I gave it any thought at all, I tended to think more of the "credible" dance that got written about in the NME. I was certainly aware of this track though, it was a regular on the TV music channels with that video that reportedly cost £5000. They must have had a big catering budget.

In theory, they released a remixed version to publicise a hits compilation, but Now 50 uses the famous 1995 version. It's possible that this is just a mistake - it wouldn't be the first or last time in the series - but it could have been a conscious choice as even at the time the remix didn't seem all that well-received and it's all but forgotten now, although the 2001 single (which includes both versions) inexplicably recharted in early 2005. It's certainly this version that's aged better now, for all that it sounds rather of its time; mind you that very sense of nostalgia is probably part of the appeal now. It's not a track I'd really seek out, but because it was so ubiquitous at the time it's acquired a certain warm glow.

Also appearing on: Now 30 [this same track], 32, 38
Available on: All Clubbed Up

N-Trance featuring Ricardo Da Force 'Stayin Alive'

Chart Peak: 2

YouTube

Impressively, the packaging of Now 32 manages to spell Ricardo Da Force's name wrong no fewer than five times (back cover, disc label, back of the booklet, sleevenote and credits) and all this despite the fact that the typical publicity shot is replaced here by the single cover.

As the notes do correctly point out, this was the follow-up to the huge, 'Set You Free', which had sold over half a million - and that was only the first three times they released it! This track is a different sort of dance hit: as Mr Da Force explains during his rap, they "took a Bee Gees riff and broke it down like Kenco". Unsurprisingly, in the coolness stakes this makes the Shaggy record look like the Arcade Fire or something, but I have to admit I always rather liked it. It's not a record I'd want to make myself listen to too often, but it usually raises a smile, much more so than a lot of dance records that are supposed to be better.

Incidentally, my brother had this track on the non-canonical Now 1995. The notes to that credit the session singers, one of whom is also credited on 'Fighting Fit' by Gene. And that's the only chance I'll get to link to that track on this blog, tenuous as it is.

N-Trance also appear on: Now 30, 38, 50
Available on: The Best Of N-Trance