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[Jester]

Classic Chart Flashback

26 August 1995


vs


1 (NE) Blur – Country House (274,000)
2 (NE) Oasis – Roll With It (216,000)
3 (2) The Original – I Luv U Baby
4 (1) Take That – Never Forget
5 (4) TLC – Waterfalls
6 (NE) Clock – Everybody
7 (6) JX – Son Of A Gun
8 (NE) Madonna – Human Nature
9 (5) Seal – Kiss From A Rose/I’m Alive
10 (7) Corona – Try Me Out

11 (8) Diana King – Shy Guy
12 (NE) Charlatans – Just When You’re Thinking Things Over
12 (13) Deuce – On The Bible
14 (NE) Xpansions 95 – Move Your Body
15 (NE) Michelle Gayle – Happy Just To Be With You
16 (9) Suggs – I’m On Sleeping/Off On Holiday
17 (3) Boyzone – So Good
18 (10) Outhere Brothers – Boom Boom Boom
19 (NE) Real McCoy – Come And Get Your Love
20 (14) Supergrass – Alright/Time


Analysis

Probably one of the most famous chart battles ever – Blur vs Oasis and It was SO 90s!

To start with, neither Blur’s Country House or Oasis’s Roll With it are their best records by a long shot. Imagine if this had been Wonderwall vs The Universal for instance? Classic stuff.

However, we got what we got from both bands. Blur with the lead track from The Great Escape and Oasis with their second single from (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, following up a their first number 1 single Some Might Say. Neither album had yet to be released and we were in the heady days of discounted first week CD singles (£2.99 in case you wondered - £1 dearer than they were to become 2 years later) and hype from both the bands and the media who pitted this in advance as a big chart battle.

In a sweltering hot week (and month and summer) Blur entered the battle as the underdogs and if you were to ask the youth on the street (me included, I was but a child of 19 on holiday in Cornwall at the time) Oasis would easily romp home with the number 1. But as the week progressed, it appeared that the nation preferred bouncy mockney nonsense instead of heavier indie rock and Blur triumphed by nearly 60,000 sales.

The announcement even made the news (I miss those pre Brexit and Coronavirus days when things were sensible). The week’s TOTP was overseen by no less than Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Oasis blatantly mimed and Damon Alburn was pissed.

History had been made and I loved it (I bought Country House that week as much preferred Blur at the time). Blur had a pyrrhic victory, winning the battle but very much losing the war.

Moving down the chart though. The Original dropped to 3 from 2, holding up rather well given chart hits back in the mid/late 90s usually entered high and fell quickly – an example of this is at number 17, as Boyzone’s So Good was a 14 place faller. The previous weeks number 1, Never Forget from Take That, was at 4 after a 3 week stint at the top. This was the one with the choir at the start and was the last TT number 1 with Robbie (he would leave the band shortly after) – it sounded like their swansong and would have been a much more fitting (temporary) end than How Deep Is Your Love.

At 5 was (Don’t Go Jason) Waterfalls as it was mistakenly known, a future classic from the oh so cool TLC. Clock (Remember them? No? Me neither) were new at 6 and JX were enjoying their first big hit at 7. At 8, Madonna was back with the under-stated Human Nature – not a Madge classic but a solid hit nonetheless.

At 9, Seal was on the way down the chart with his love song from Batman Forever – a cracking song and a solid reminder of a long hot summer. Finally at 10 is Corona (now very unfortunately named!) with Try Me Out, a 90s dance gem.

Picks from 10-20 – Xpansions 95 were new at 14 with Move Your Body, which had a resurgence last year thanks to a car ad. Michelle Gayle off Eastenders was still trying to continue her music career at 15, more dance at 19 from the Real McCoy and to round off the top 20 was Supergrass with their Britpop classic Alright.