50% of the top ten songs are oldies of various vintages there, especially 50's and 60's and 80's. Great top 3 :wub:

It's kinda funny cos with the current rules all those oldies would be on eternal-ACR so wouldn't be nowhere near the top

Might highlight the current rules aren’t very fair but acts and record companies could ask for SCR for repromotion I guess. Love the Beautiful South, well deserved number one for them!

Good to see the 'Take My Breath Away' and 'Unchained Melody' revivals, total classics :wub: the latter has been so overdone but I do really like that specific version.

used to love Berlin as a kid, was one of the first bands that I really liked

too bad they were kinda 1-hit wonders in the UK, I think in the US they had a bunch of minor hits in addition to Take my breath away

3RD NOVEMBER

 

 

Two years ago The Hollies created chart history when “He Ain’t Heavy” topped the charts 23 years after “I’m Alive” made No 1, a record gap between chart toppers, that record is broken this week as “Unchained Melody” ascends 3-1 25 years after “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” made the top spot. In doing so it exploded at retail selling a 1990 record of 157,000 copies, outside of Christmas it’s actually the biggest 7 day sale since Rick Astley in September 1987! Which means we could be on for a very healthy total all told. It’s also the 14th record to top the charts in 2 separate versions after Jimmy Young took the song to the top 35 years ago.

 

 

That’s all bad news for Beautiful South who improve 24% saleswise to 79,000 yet still drop 1-2, and for Berlin who despite rising 8-3 (48,000) don’t have any hope of topping the charts again, and former chart topper “Show Me Heaven” slips 2-4 (40,000) but does pass the 400,000 mark.

 

 

It may surprise some that Belinda Carlisle has plucked a fifth single from her “Runaway Horses” but in this case it has disproved the notion of diminishing returns, previous releases have peaked at No’s 4, 38, 40, and 41 but this week “(We Want) The Same Thing” leaps 14-6 (31,000). The song has been substantively remixed from the album version and the label have issued picture disc’s and 12” versions with postcards to help boost interest.

 

 

 

Debuting at No 9 this week is Kylie’s 11th release “Step Back In Time” and is the second single from Kylie’s third album “Rhythm Of Love” which hits the shops in 3 weeks’ time. All of Kylie’s singles have made the top ten but this is the 7th to arrive there immediately, as usual it comes from the pen of S/A/W whose other acts have mostly failed to maintain their pace or flopped from the off, Minogue for the time being at least, is bucking that trend after selling 23,000.

 

 

Whitney Houston climbs 7-5 (39,000) as the Happy Mondays move the wrong way 5-7 (26,000), Status Quo dive 4-8 (24,000) and Bobby Vinton drifts 6-10 (19,000).

 

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY- Righteous Brothers (157,000)

2- A LITTLE TIME- Beautiful South (79,000)

3- TAKE MY BREATH AWAY- Berlin (48,000)

4- SHOW ME HEAVEN- Maria McKee (40,000)

5- I’M YOUR BABY TONIGHT- Whitney Houston (39,000)

6- (WE WANT) THE SAME THING- Belinda Carlise (31,000)

7- KINKY AFRO- Happy Mondays (26,000)

8- THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ PART ONE- Status Quo (24,000)

9- STEP BACK IN TIME- Kylie Minogue (23,000)

10- BLUE VELVET- Bobby Vinton (19,000)

 

My favourite Kylie single :wub:

I loved Belinda - We want the same thing, amazing for a 5th single to go top 10!

That really is a fantastic Kylie single, I'd say that run of 4 singles from this era is probably her best ever. :wub:

10TH NOVEMBER

 

 

Could “Unchained Melody” become the first million seller since “The Power Of Love” back in 1985? Well it’s too early to make those predictions just yet but it’s certainly showing very positive signs as it sold 197,000 copies last week to bring its three week tally to 410,000 copies enough to make it to No 9 on the YTD list. It’s the highest 7 day tally since “Mistletoe & Wine” 24 months ago and the highest non December weekly result since Stevie Wonder in 1984! Its dominance is such that though Beautiful South remain at No 2 “A Little Time” lagged behind The Righteous Brothers by a mighty 139,000 copies, the biggest gap since Wham! were stopped by Band Aid. The Beautiful South’s second album “Choke” also debuts at No 2 which didn’t help matters for their single.

 

 

 

 

The death of Mel Appleby in January 1990 was naturally met with shock and sadness but as a fitting tribute sister Kim has continued and produced an album originally intended as the second Mel & Kim album with some album co-written by Mel herself. Single “Don’t Worry” isn’t one of them however, that’s co-written by Kim and her Boyfriend (and former Bros Bassist) Craig Logan which met with positive reviews and a lot of goodwill from the music business. It flies 16-5 (36,000) this week to mark a great start to her enforced solo career, she’s left the S/A/W stable (apparently at the right time) and forged out on her own, she’s also had a hit at just the right time it appears with exactly half of the top 10 comprised of female soloists lined up nicely at No’s 4-8. In more detail Kylie Minogue climbs 9-4 (43,000), Belinda Carlisle holds steady at No 6 (33,000), Whitney drops 5-7 (28,000) and Maria Mckee hurtles 4-8 (24,000).

 

 

http://www.livinglifeboomerstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Katrin-Quinol-Chic.jpg

 

Take the vocals of Martha Wash, marry it to a cover of an Earth Wind & Fire song and throw in a beat sampled directly from Grace Jones’ “La Vie En Rose” and you have the new Black Box Single. “Fantasy” originally peaked at No 14 in 1978 but that has already been surpassed by the Black Box version which accelerates 21-9 (23,000) to give them a third Top 10 single in just over a year after last single “Everybody, Everybody” surprisingly faltered at No 16 in the summer. Katrin Quinol is on duties to do the miming and the promo for the song but really the cats out of the bag on that one so quite why we still get treated to Ms Quinol is a bit of head scratcher.

 

 

 

 

Not had enough covers yet? Well next up is Robert Palmer who’s hooked up with UB40 to cover Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” for his forthcoming “Don’t Explain” album. It becomes Plant’s 4th top 10 single and UB40’s 14th as it moves 19-10 (22,000), interestingly the original Dylan album that this song appears on “John Wesley Adams” generated no hit singles for Dylan though another track on it, “All Along The Watchtower”” did become a top 5 single for Jimi Hendrix in 1968.

 

 

Berlin complete the top 10 review as they hold at No 3 (44,000) whilst moving over the 700,000 mark once we combine the original run to its present chart run.

 

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY- Righteous Brothers (197,000)

2- A LITTLE TIME- Beautiful South (58,000)

3- TAKE MY BREATH AWAY- Berlin (44,000)

4- STEP BACK IN TIME- Kylie Minogue (43,000)

5- DON’T WORRY- Kim Appleby (36,000)

6- (WE WANT) THE SAME THING- Belinda Carlise (33,000)

7- I’M YOUR BABY TONIGHT- Whitney Houston (28,000)

8- SHOW ME HEAVEN- Maria McKee (24,000)

9- FANTASY- Black Box (23,000)

10- I’LL BE YOUR BABY TONIGHT- UB40 & Robert Palmer (22,000)

 

never knew Unchained Melody had had such crazy sales, but guess the movie and the song were really popular that year

personally it's a bit too cheesy :)

 

guess it was a bit of a karma situation with The Beautiful South, the were lucky to grab the #1 in singles

but unlucky to release their debut album on the same week as the Very Best of Elton John

Does anyone know the opening figures for Elton's Very Best and Choke?

guess it was a bit of a karma situation with The Beautiful South, the were lucky to grab the #1 in singles

but unlucky to release their debut album on the same week as the Very Best of Elton John

Does anyone know the opening figures for Elton's Very Best and Choke?

98k vs 69k

thanks, poor BS, nearly 70K for a #2!

I loved Belinda - We want the same thing, amazing for a 5th single to go top 10!

 

In fairness after single one the others before this charted poorly!

That was a huge gap between 1 and 2 in the singles. There's no way I would have been able to answer that question if it came up in a music quiz.

Yeah insane gap :o already mentioned that I'm a fan of this 'Unchained Melody' incarnation earlier so I'm glad to see it at #1 <3

 

I never massively rated 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' (Whitney - wow two '...Baby Tonight' singles in the top 10 now) but it's growing on me via these TOTP repeats!

17TH NOVEMBER

 

 

It can’t top the blistering pace it set last week but that’s not a great surprise, neither is it a shock that “Unchained Melody” holds the top spot for a third week shifting another 123,000 copies to bring its 4 week total to 533,000 copies and No 4 on the YTD list. It could head the list for the year as early as a fortnight’s time- truly amazing by the standards of today.

 

 

http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/00323289_mirrorpix-300x242.jpg

 

On paper they may be under pressure from the track which shoots 11-2 for Lindisfarne and Gazza. Yes you read right, footballer Paul Gascoigne has now turned his hand to making records whilst his stock is high following Italia 90, in truth he’s nothing more than a special guest on Lindisfarne’s “Fog On The Tyne” which wasn’t a hit when released in 1972 but has now got the added tag of “Revisited” with some re-written lyrics to make it applicable to Gazza himself, and put together it becomes the group’s biggest hit topping the No 3 peak of “Lady Eleanor”. It sold only 51,000 copies however and will have to really take off this week to pose a threat.

 

 

They are the only new entries to the top 10 but lots of other action takes place, Kim Appleby improves 5-3 (47,000), Black Box power 9-5 (37,000) and Robert Palmer & UB40 bolt 10-6 (36,000). Heading down are Beautiful South 2-4 (44,000), Berlin 3-7 (36,000), Kylie drops 4-8 (34,000), Belinda Carlisle collapses 6-9 (24,000) and Whitney dips 7-10 (21,000) as her new album debuts surprisingly low at No 6!

 

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY- Righteous Brothers (123,000)

2- FOG ON THE TYNE (REVISITED)- Gazza & Lindisfarne (51,000)

3- DON’T WORRY- Kim Appleby (47,000)

4- A LITTLE TIME- Beautiful South (44,000)

5- FANTASY- Black Box (37,000)

6- I’LL BE YOUR BABY TONIGHT- UB40 & Robert Palmer (36,000)

7- TAKE MY BREATH AWAY- Berlin (36,000)

8- STEP BACK IN TIME- Kylie Minogue (34,000)

9- (WE WANT) THE SAME THING- Belinda Carlise (24,000)

10- I’M YOUR BABY TONIGHT- Whitney Houston (21,000)

 

guess Whitney's poor chart performance in albums was pretty shocking back in the day

Gazza! :lol:

 

Terrible, terrible terrible.

 

14 year old me bought it :( :cry:

24TH NOVEMBER

 

 

Much more action in this week’s top 10 but no change at the top as “Unchained Melody” makes it four weeks as the nation’s favourite song though its sales are off 31% to 84,000, still impressive by 1990 standards but it may struggle next week to make a fifth week and the million mark may be beyond it, it’s total sales are now 617,000 enough to place it third on the YTD and only around 60,000 short of Sinead O’Connor, the current leader.

 

 

 

The next chart topper is not likely to be Kim Appleby however, although she climbs 3-2 (58,000) she’s not gaining sales rapidly enough to challenge for the top. Instead it will probably fall to a new entry at No 3, Vanilla Ice creates chart history this week as he sees his debut single crash straight into the top 3, the first time that a debut act has ever gone in so high (charity conglomerations aside). “Ice Ice Baby” has been much anticipated in the UK after it topped the US singles chart last month and samples David Bowie & Queen’s “Under Pressure” extensively throughout the track, it first saw life as a b-side to his US single “Play That Funky Music” but when a DJ accidentally flipped it the song started to gain popularity causing the record company to give it a main release and bingo it was a hit. 51,000 copies were bought last week, expect this to challenge for the top next week given the hype. Vanilla Ice’s real name is Robert Van Winkle incidentally, clearly a name change was essential.

 

 

 

Gloucestershire lads EMF (Epsom Mad Funkers) are another much touted British Band who come good with their debut release “Unbelievable”. Featuring samples of comedian Andrew Dice Clay in the track plus a splash of Ya Kid K the song has attracted considerable airplay as it eases 15-5 (37,000)

 

 

 

Debuting at No 6 on the album charts this week is the “Singles Collection 1984-1990” covering the career of Bronski Beat, The Communards, and Jimmy Somerville’s solo career, and to help promote that Somerville has released his version of the Bee Gees “To Love Somebody” a track originally written for Otis Redding before his untimely death prevented that ever happening. It’s the third version of the track to make the charts after the Brothers Gibb original made only a lowly No 41 before Nina Simone’s cover went all the way to No 5 two years later in 1969 so Jimmy’s version still has a little way to go to become the highest charting rendition however he does climb 12-8 (30,000) to be in with a shot.

 

 

 

808 State would dearly love to climb next week. They’ve had two hits peak at No 10 already, “Pacific State” (1989) and “The Only Rhyme That Bites” earlier this year and now “Cubik/ Olympic” inches 11-10 (22,000) to join them. It’s a first release from a forthcoming album “Ex:El” which is due in the spring.

 

 

 

Gazza & Lindisfarne drop 2-4 (40,000) and Black Box also fall 5-6 (36,000) just above UB40 & Robert Palmer who are also down 6-7 (30,000) whilst The Beautiful South dip 4-9 (25,000).

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY- Righteous Brothers (84,000)

2- DON’T WORRY- Kim Appleby (58,000)

3- ICE ICE BABY- Vanilla Ice (51,000)

4- FOG ON THE TYNE (REVISITED)- Gazza & Lindisfarne (40,000)

5- UNBELIEVABLE- E.M.F (37,000)

6- FANTASY- Black Box (36,000)

7- I’LL BE YOUR BABY TONIGHT- UB40 & Robert Palmer (30,000)

8- TO LOVE SOMEBODY- Jimmy Somerville (30,000)

9- A LITTLE TIME- Beautiful South (25,000)

10- CUBIK/OLYMPIC- 808 State (22,000)