I remember reading somewhere that apparently the BBC got a lot of complaints about the Praga Khan record. Something to do with the title, maybe people believed it was about drugs.

Edited February 4, 20223 yr by fiesta

Wow sales had really tanked at this point. It's the ballads here that are my favourites - Stay (of course <3) and the lovely Save The Best For Last, although its use on a Bisto Gravy advert is what really sticks in my head, and Vanessa's brilliant turn in Ugly Betty.

 

Tonight was the first time I ever heard that Mr Bean/Bruce Dickinson record, and hopefully the last.

'Save The Best For Last' - iconic. I often sing it in the shower.

'Jade4U' what an artist name, wonder if our Jade is still keeping up with the TOTP re-runs.

Funnily enough I've been catching up this week while I've had a few days off work! I had been behind since November but have got through the 8 episodes currently on iPlayer. I say this every time but I really need to stop being perennially behind! I have plans tonight rather than tomorrow so I might try and catch it live for once.

 

So, belated thoughts... the two records that stood out to me as extreme favourites over the weeks are of course Shakespears Sister - 'Stay' and also Opus III - 'It's A Fine Day', both stunning :wub: :wub: :wub: so I didn't mind all of these many plays of 'Stay', in either music video or live form, in a condensed period of time whatsoever. I really need to give the 'Hormonally Yours' album a go!

 

I also knew and appreciate the top 10 hits from The Prodigy, Michael Jackson, The KLF, Nirvana, The Cure and CeCe Peniston!

 

My favourite discoveries have been Ride - 'Leave Them All Behind' and Kicks Like A Mule - 'The Bouncer' - both swiftly added to my 90s playlist.

 

I was shocked to find out that 'My Girl' had only made #43 prior to this 90s resurgence, wow :o I've also somehow never realised that 'America: What Time Is Love?' borrows the 'Ace of Spades' riff, I'm usually quite good at picking up on samples/interpolations but that completely escaped me. Admittedly it's the KLF hit I listen to the least, but still.

 

Finally... what on Earth was that Mr Bean thing :rofl:

18TH APRIL

 

 

 

Shakespears Sister’s “Stay” at No 1 is finally over as it drops 1-2 (26,000) after 2 solid months at the top of the charts. Its total sales of 437,000 for a chart topper of such length is disappointing but highlights the current depressed market not helped of course by the recession. It gives way to Right Said Fred who finally score the chart topper they were cruelly denied by Bryan Adams last summer, “Deeply Dippy” sold an improved 32,000 and felt the benefit of TOTP and another revealing outfit worn by frontman Richard Fairbrass. The album “Up” remains at No 2 getting trumped this week by Annie Lennox’s debut solo album.

 

 

 

 

The highest new entry on the charts arrives at No 7 (16,000) for rave act SL2 otherwise known as due Slipmatt & Lime. Based around a sample of Jah Screechie’s “Walk The Skank” it is the highest ever start for the XL label and beats “Charly” by The Prodigy by 2 places, their first single “DJ’s Take Control/ Way In My Brain” agonisingly peaked at No 11 but this has picked up considerable airplay in mainstream dance clubs and could go much further.

 

 

 

Capitalising on the success of “I Wonder Why” Curtis Stigers is back with second single “You’re All That Matters To Me”, he’s been doing brisk trade with his album which made No 7 on release two months ago and has revived 24-17-12 over the past three weeks as the single powers 15-9 (14,000) to be his second top 10 single of 1992.

 

 

 

It’s greatest hits time for ZZ Top and to preview the album the group have recorded their version of Elvis’s “Viva Las Vegas” which peaked at No 17 in 1964. Already the cover has outperformed the original as it climbs 17-10 (13,000) and also equals their previous best outing with “Give Me All Your Lovin’” 8 years ago.

 

 

Sales continue to be dire, to be quite frank, Vanessa Williams moves 8-3 (21,000) and Altern 8 glide 10-6 (17,000), Chris Peat (of Altern 8) came fourth in the constituency where he stood for those interested in his general election result!

 

Bad news for the following acts, Mr Big slide 3-4 (20,000) Soul II Soul aren’t full of Joy 4-5 (17,000) and CeCe Peniston drops 6-8 (15,000). All of these sales help to explain why The Wedding Present were at No 1 in the midweek sales flashes with a limited edition of just 10,000 copies of their track “Silver Shorts”- it eventually entered at No 14.

 

 

1- DEEPLY DIPPY- Right Said Fred (32,000)

2- STAY- Shakespears Sister (26,000)

3- SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST- Vanessa Williams (21,000)

4- TO BE WITH YOU- Mr Big (20,000)

5- JOY- Soul II Soul (17,000)

6- EVAPOR 8- Altern 8/ PP Arnold (17,000)

7- ON A RAGGA TIP- SL2 (16,000)

8- FINALLY- Ce Ce Peniston (15,000)

9- YOU’RE ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME- Curtis Stigers (14,000)

10- VIVA LAS VEGAS- ZZ Top (13,000)

 

I feel like Right Said Fred deserved a #1 so can't begrudge them their time at the top with Deeply Dippy. SL2 are the clear highlight (aside from Stay obvs) in the top 10 for me, a great dance track :wub:

25TH APRIL

 

 

For the second time in as many weeks Right Said Fred are No 1 and also had to come from behind to do it. They can claim a double this week with “Up” finally make the top spot on the album charts, it shows no sign yet of denting the progress of “Deeply Dippy” which sold a new high of 48,000 last week, total sales of the single? Well they currently stand at 174,000 easily in the top 10 YTD.

 

 

http://pm1.narvii.com/6772/2f51a2796d2fcb8ba14efc85eef16f1d91b3ceabv2_00.jpg

 

Topping the midweek charts was the new single from Iron Maiden, the group only scored one top 10 single from 16 releases between 1980 and 1988 but since then they have put together a string of 7 straight singles which have all made the top 6 with five of those debuting straight into the upper reaches of the chart. “Be Quick Or Be Dead” is the first release from their forthcoming 9th studio album “Fear Of The Dark” and is also of course the follow up to their first chart topper “Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter”, as we noted it was quick out of the starting blocks but faded as the week progressed ending up with 29,000 copies sold by close of play.

 

 

 

What a year Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine had in 1991, their third single “Bloodsport for All” was critical of the army at a time when the Gulf War had started and was subsequently not playlisted by the BBC, fifth single After The Watershed” became their biggest hit when it made No 11 but caused a legal case with the Rolling Stones over the lyrics, and was followed by a memorable Smash Hits Award ceremony appearance where they rugby tackled host Phillip Schofield. Their new single “The Only Living Boy In New Cross” marks their debut on the Chrysalis label after Rough Trade faltered last year, it’s a good start as well as the song enters at No 8 (18,000), the title is based on the Simon & Garfunkel track of a similar name except their boy is in New York. Expect the album in three weeks!

 

 

 

Written and recorded by David McWilliams and a hit in the continent back in 1967 “The Days Of Pearly Spencer” was written as a commentary on the poor in his local town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. It was never a hit in the UK thanks to Radio 1 not playing it but he was managed by Phil Soloman who was the executive of Radio Caroline and who also gave considerable exposure to the song and were the main rivals to the newly launched station Radio 1. Anyway Marc Almond has plucked the song from being a “radio oldie” into a commercial hit at last by doing his cover which is a new entry at No 9 (17,000) instantly becoming his biggest “solo” hit. Of course he’s gone higher with Soft Cell, Communards and in duet with Gene Pitney but he’s hoping to prove he can do it alone with this release.

 

 

 

In these days of quick moving charts it’s unusual to find a record which climbs over a number of weeks to reach the top 10 but that’s what we have with Ten Sharp. The Dutch duo formed in 1984 and had some local success but the single “You” has been a hit across Europe and now makes its move here. It’s moved 44-40-32-18-12-10 so far as it’s grown at radio and sold 14,000 in its latest frame.

 

 

SL2 float 7-3 (27,000) displacing Vanessa Williams 3-4 (24,000) who increases her sales nevertheless, and Curtis Stigers is also moving in the right direction 9-7 (18,000). Shakespears Sister continue to drop 2-5 (20,000) and Mr Big dive 4-6 (19,000), next week sees a new Michael Jackson single and another expensive promo!

 

 

1- DEEPLY DIPPY- Right Said Fred (48,000)

2- BE QUICK OR BE DEAD- Iron Maiden (29,000)

3- ON A RAGGA TIP- SL2 (27,000)

4- SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST- Vanessa Williams (24,000)

5- STAY- Shakespears Sister (20,000)

6- TO BE WITH YOU- Mr Big (19,000)

7- YOU’RE ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME- Curtis Stigers (18,000)

8- THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK- Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine (18,000)

9- THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER- Marc Almond (17,000)

10- YOU- Ten Sharp (14,000)

 

That's actually quite the increase for Deeply Dippy there, when I saw that sales were so low I was expecting its tenure to be far lower than almost hitting the 50K mark.

'Deeply Dippy' is annoyingly catchy, I will admit. Shame they're such awful human beings.

2ND MAY

 

 

Finally Right Said Fred can say that they are No 1 and led all week! They can be thankful to TOTP for not having SL2 on the show as “Deeply Dippy” only sold 29,000 last week down 38% week on week and were lucky to fend off “On A Ragga Tip” who themselves lost sales but by a far smaller amount to sell 26,000 and with some additional airtime could easily have overwhelmed the boys.

 

 

 

 

The Sisters Of Mercy have new retrospective “Some Girls Wander By Mistake” is out this week and to help promote it the group have re-recorded their 1983 single “Temple Of Love” with additional backing vocals by Ofra Haza. The groups tour with Public Enemy last year infamously only played half the dates after fears of violence between the two sets of fans saw many US dates cancelled and ultimately led to WEA cancelled their US distribution deal and souring relations between them and the group of which the group have been vocal about. It seems that the GH album and the re-recording of the song seem to have been at the record company’s instance but it is also their biggest hit to date as it sold 24,000 to debut at No 3.

 

 

 

Credited on the album “Dangerous” as a duet with a mystery girl, “In The Closet” is the third single from the LP to get single status by Michael Jackson. Popular rumour is that the female vocals are provided by Madonna who is known to have worked with Jackson last year on material, or indeed that it could be Naomi Campbell who appears with Jackson in the promo but either way the single arrives at No 8 (14,000). The album slipped out of the top 40 for a week but has since moved 41-31-29-28-23 as the promo for this single kicked in.

 

 

 

KC & The Sunshine Band’s “Please Don’t Go” originally made No 3 here and hit No 1 Stateside but it was updated earlier this year by Italian dance act Double You who scored a substantive hit throughout Europe but failed to secure a UK distribution deal, cue a rush released “cover” based on their arrangement of the tune by Nottingham’s KWS which has rather trumped the Double You “original” as it only debuts at No 47 whilst the KWS version soars 30-9 (12,000). The word is that Double You are none too happy about the affair with the lawyers hovering! It is nominally at least a double A-Side with “Game Boy” but there’s no doubt which side is getting all the promo.

 

 

Marc Almond advances 9-4 (20,000), Curtis Stigers inches 7-6 (16,000) despite losing sales and Carter USM nudge 8-7 (14,000) again with a sales loss, and Ten Sharp hold at No 10 (12,000). Vanessa Williams falls 4-5 (19,000) to complete our recap.

 

 

1- DEEPLY DIPPY- Right Said Fred (29,000)

2- ON A RAGGA TIP- SL2 (26,000)

3- TEMPLE OF LOVE (1992)- Sisters Of Mercy (24,000)

4- THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER- Marc Almond (20,000)

5- SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST- Vanessa Williams (19,000)

6- YOU’RE ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME- Curtis Stigers (16,000)

7- THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW CROSS- Carter the Unstoppable sex machine (14,000)

8- IN THE CLOSET- Michael Jackson and Mystery Girl (14,000)

9- PLEASE DON’T GO/ GAME BOY- KWS (12,000)

10- YOU- 10 Sharp (12,000)

 

Love a bit of SL2!

I stuck to my word and actually watched TOTP today :o roped my dad into it too, he was 17 at the time so had plenty of memories, including listening to 'On A Ragga Tip' in his room back in the day and my grandad shouting at him to turn it down :kink: that song is following me around this week as it turned up at my clubbercise class yesterday as well, what a banger!

 

Also enjoyed hearing 'In The Closet' (bloated music video once again and all! Naomi Campbell looking amazing there), not quite sure what to make of the Sisters of Mercy song on first listen but it's certainly intriguing - love Ofra Haza. My highlight across both episodes was probably the 'Friday I'm In Love' music video getting a play because 'Wish' was #1 in the albums :heart:

 

'Deeply Dippy' is quite the comedown at the top after 'Stay' I've gotta say *_* onwards and upwards x

Sisters of Mercy :wub: :wub:

 

80s goth sounds that still rocked in the 90s

Okay I decided to check out 'Temple of Love' for a second time via Spotify and it's clicked more now I knew what to expect - 8 minute version this time too!

 

-doesn't cancel appointment to dye my hair black next week now- :kink:

This Corrosion was always my favourite Sisters track, although I do love Temple of Love as well

I agree that KWS' vocal is better than Double You's. In the 50s and 60s there were quite a few rival versions of the same song making the charts and this Double You/KWS situation this one of the only times it has happened since. Obviously in 2005 we would have Cabin Crew/Sunset Strippers which is a somewhat similar situation.

 

As I said before East Side Beat started a trend for dance covers of classic songs which will continue throughout 1992 and my favourite of them will be near the end of the year.

 

Days of Pearly Spencer is a very good song, bit of a forgotten 60s song that didn't make the UK top 40 chart originally, so its good it got well known through Marc Almonds' good version of the track.

 

My theory is that Deeply Dippy only really got to #1 I think because it is quite 70s sounding so appealed to older generations.

Edited February 11, 20223 yr by mdf

Temple of Love is hands down the best of the last 3 weeks, such a bold and bizarre song

I still remember how surprised I was when it debuted at #3, never saw it coming

 

was very much into all those goth bands at the time, bands like All About Eve, The Cure, The Mission

The Only Living Boy In New Cross, I have never heard before, a return to the 80s hi-NRG beat mixed with indie, certainly an unusual song for 1992!

 

Temple Of Love is certainly very different, like with This Corrosion it mixes Gothic Rock with a danceable beat!

Edited February 11, 20223 yr by mdf

I ain't gonna lie, I love a bit of KWS.

SL2- of its time but still a tune! :cheer: Shame it only had a fairly small gap to overturn to get to #1.

 

Sales are looking pretty pitiful now though, I think this was about as bad as things got until the CD single market fell off a cliff in the 00s.