Shanice, Opus III, Guns N Roses, Shakespears Sister and The KLF :wub:

 

What a FANTASTIC top 10!

 

Yeah I agree things seem to have got going for the year at this point- Shanice, Opus III, KLF & Shakespears Sister are massive highlights!

 

Finally is a highlight in the March charts, I prefer the Mary J Blige version of One.

Deeply Dippy is pure 60s/70s nostalgia in sound, I can see why an older audience may have also liked it and why it was such a big hit.

I didn’t realise how classic the tracks by Eric Clapton, Crowded House and Mr Big were, very well known today to me!

The high amount of new entries and Annie Lennox pre release exclusive suggests the record labels were beginning to see the benefits of a top 10 debut?

I do really like 'Finally', but honestly it has to be one of the most overplayed songs ever. Kind of similarly to 'Show Me Love'.

wow 3 weeks update in a row!

 

week 1: love those 3 newies, all 3 classics and amazing songs. One is U2 at its best, the melody is gorgeous and the lyrics work so well. It's probably my fav U2 song and the only one I can play on guitar and know the lyrics, which are really great, love the bit that goes "have you come here for forgiveness, have you come to raise the dead, how you come here to play Jesus with the lepers in your head" and the "you give me nothing, now it's all I got"... really hate it that the nonsensical shouty Mary J Blige version charted higher :/

I also love Weather with You. was a big Crowded House fan and they should have had cazillions of hits, they have so many "lost classics"... it was already a travesty that Don't Dream it's Over only was. minor top 40 in the UK (but huge in the US and around the world) but at least it got rectified with the Woodface album and later with their Together Alone GH. The Woodface album is really fantastic.

And of course Come as you are is also incredible. Nevermind is just one of the best rock albums ever and especially the first 3 singles, cannot really think of many bands that have released 3 singles in a row as good as Teen Spirit-Come as yu are-Lithium.

 

week 2:

not the biggest Eric Clapton fan, really dislike him as a person. My fav singer Phoebe Bridgers nails it on her Moon Song, where the lyrics go "We hate Tears in Heaven, but it's sad his baby died"... couldn't agree more myself, especially when live sometimes she switches it to "we hate Eric Clapton but..."

not a fan of Finally, too cheesy... and for Mr Big, I kinda liked the song back then, but hasn't aged very well imo... sounds very dated now...

 

week 3: good to see Stay still at #1, not a lot of competition but the song totally deserves it. Fav newbie is The Cure-High, was a huge Cure fan at the time and was pretty surprised to see High debut at #8. I was obsessed with the album Wish at the time and still think it's such an under-rated gem.

The other newies, the Annie Lennox single is not bad, but had better in her album... RSF never really saw the appeal and same for Def Leppard. I quite liked 80s rock bands like Heart or Bon Jovi or Whitesnake, but thought Def Leppard were pretty bad.

Stay never really sold that high for how long it stayed at No.1! Glad it did so well though, it really is wonderful, the juxtaposition of Marcella’s angelic, fragile but powerful vocal with Siobhan’s lower register dark and witchy persona, maybe one of the best mid-song sonic switch ups of all time for me.

The other newies, the Annie Lennox single is not bad, but had better in her album... RSF never really saw the appeal and same for Def Leppard. I quite liked 80s rock bands like Heart or Bon Jovi or Whitesnake, but thought Def Leppard were pretty bad.

 

'Love Bites' by Def Leppard from 1988 is brilliant I think and easily their best song, but 'Let's Get Rocked' is just OK imo.

 

Annie Lennox - 'Why' is quite a nice ballad.

Edited January 28, 20223 yr by Coal Statistics

Stay never really sold that high for how long it stayed at No.1! Glad it did so well though, it really is wonderful, the juxtaposition of Marcella’s angelic, fragile but powerful vocal with Siobhan’s lower register dark and witchy persona, maybe one of the best mid-song sonic switch ups of all time for me.

 

Think it was just the era when vinyls were on the out and cds hadn’t replaced it yet like 2007 in our era!

I never really liked Weather With You - Fall at Your Feet and Four Seasons in One Day are all time great songs for me.

 

I purchased Together Alone before Woodface. The production was so much better on TA so Woodface always sounded a bit safe and ordinary too me but it has plenty of great stuff on it. I never understood why Chocolate Cake was the first single - it's my least favourite song one the whole album.

Yes Weather With You is not one of their best. Locked Out & Pineapple Head are the stand out singles from Together Alone for me.

Yes Weather With You is not one of their best. Locked Out & Pineapple Head are the stand out singles from Together Alone for me.

 

 

It's the three other ones for me :D

 

Nails in My Feet was a whole new level for their songcraft.

Agree it was really weird picking Chocolate cake as lead from Woodface when they had so many better choices. My fav track from that album is probably Fall at your feet but Whispers and Moans is also a big favourite.

From Together alone hands down the best track is Private Universe, followed by Fingers of Love.

 

gotta love how everyone has different favourites.

Private Universe is indeed the pick of the lot.

4TH APRIL

 

 

Becoming only the 7th track in the last 20 years to spend as long as 7 weeks at No 1 Shakespears Sister’s “Stay” is proving worthy of its title and refusing to budge. The pair sold 34,000 registering a small increase week on week, as it is a quarter of the way through the year let’s see where that places it on the YTD:

 

1- STAY- Shakespears Sister 383,000

2- GOODNIGHT GIRL- Wet Wet Wet 319,000

3- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/ THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES- Queen 252,000

4- MY GIRL- The Temptations 205,000

5- TWILIGHT ZONE- 2 Unlimited 189,000

6- I LOVE YOUR SMILE (REMIX)- Shanice 183,000

7- I’M DOING FINE NOW- The Pasadenas 182,000

8- I WONDER WHY- Curtis Stigers 158,000

9- EVERYBODY IN THE PLACE EP- The Prodigy 143,000

10- GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME- Kylie Minogue 138,000

 

Yes a few weeks ago “Stay” did indeed become the biggest seller of 1992 so far and is now 64,000 clear of the field, and it’s still at No 1 and should pass the 400,000 mark this week. Shanice also moves 7-6 on the YTD as she dips 7-10 (13,000) on the weekly charts.

 

 

CeCe Peniston’s expected coronation never occurred as she backslides 2-5 (30,000) and allows Def Leppard to become new heir apparent’s as they lift 6-2 (32,000) but their album is now out and may scupper the opportunity for that final place rise. Mr Big and Right Said Fred both hold at No’s 3 & 4 and both sold 31,000, those increases in sales for the two tracks might point to a continue threat to “Stay”’s dominance.

 

 

Erasure’s last single “Am I Right” faltered in the Christmas market only making No 13 but a calmer market means better things for their fourth cut from “Chorus” with “Breath Of Life” moving 12-8 (19,000). It’s the boys 11th top 10 single in just over 5 years.

 

 

 

Also returning to the charts are Soul II Soul who will be hoping for a return to the glory days of 1989/90 with a third album due in 3 weeks. Nelle Hooper has left the outfit but they have a new vocalist in Ritchie Stevens and lead single “Joy” becomes their 5th top 10 single and a third to arrive instantly in the top flight as it enters at No 9 (16,000).

 

 

Annie Lennox rises 9-6 (24,000) as Eric Clapton is left sobbing 5-7 (22,000).

 

 

1- STAY- Shakespears Sister (34,000)

2- LET’S GET ROCKED- Def Leppard (32,000)

3- TO BE WITH YOU- Mr Big ( 31,000)

4- DEEPLY DIPPY- Right Said Fred (31,000)

5- FINALLY- Ce Ce Peniston (30,600)

6- WHY- Annie Lennox (24,000)

7- TEARS IN HEAVEN- Eric Clapton (22,000)

8- BREATH OF LIFE- Erasure (19,000)

9- JOY- Soul II Soul (16,000)

10- I LOVE YOUR SMILE- Shanice (13,000)

 

yes another week for Stay!

Breath of Life is a great Erasure single

not a big Soul II Soul fan, even less by '92

11TH APRIL

 

 

Proving harder to shift than many suspected Shakespears Sister claim an 8th week at No 1 with “Stay”. The song, and indeed the top 3, are all performing well despite all having albums in the top 30 at present, at least on the surface however the sales of “Stay” are only 28,000, (28,170) to be exact, that’s the lowest sale for a chart topper this side of 1980 for sure and beats the previous low of 28,500 recorded by NKOTB back in January 1990. Indeed the song only topped one format chart, that of the cassingle, it loses out to Altern 8 in terms of 12” sales, Annie Lennox in the CD’s and Right Said Fred on the 7” front. Its victory over Right Said Fred was just over 250 copies as “Deeply Dippy” itself starts to lose sales though parent album “Up” is also sitting at No 2 in the album charts behind a new entry by Def Leppard, their single “Let’s Get Rocked” responds by diving 2-7 (17,000), and Mr Big completes the top 3 with a non mover on 25,000.

 

 

Outside that some hope is returned by both Soul II Soul 9-4 (22,000) and Annie Lennox 6-5 (20,000) but they have a long way to go, and CeCe Peniston dips 5-6 (19,000).

 

 

First attracting attention for becoming the first black Miss America 8 years ago though she had to resign from that post quite promptly, Vanessa Williams has gone on to become a popstar scoring hits in the US though none made the top 60 here, her latest single “Save The Best For Last” is currently in its 4th week atop the US charts and now rises 11-8 (15,000) here.

 

 

 

In case you hadn’t noticed there’s a general election this Thursday which of course accounts for the rise 12-9 of a new version of Alice Cooper’s 1972 #4 track “Elected”. It’s been rebranded “(I Want To Be) Elected” and comes us courtesy of Rowan Atkinson’s TV character Mr Bean backed with rock group Taste and Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson with proceeds going to Comic Relief.

 

 

 

The only new entry straight into the top 10 comes from Altern 8 with “Evapor 8” their second time in the big 10 after selling 12,000 and features the vocals of PP Arnold, and for her this is her first time among the big sellers, 25 years after her first hit. Talking of the election the band’s Chris Peat will stand as an independent candidate in the group’s hometown of Stoke On Trent.

 

 

 

1- STAY- Shakespears Sister (28,000)

2- DEEPLY DIPPY- Right Said Fred (27,000)

3- TO BE WITH YOU- Mr Big (25,000)

4- JOY- Soul II Soul (22,000)

5- WHY- Annie Lennox (20,000)

6- FINALLY- Ce Ce Peniston (19,000)

7- LET’S GET ROCKED –Def Leppard (17,000)

8- SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST- Vanessa Williams (15,000)

9- (I WANT TO BE) ELECTED- Mr Bean & Smear Campaign (14,000)

10- EVAPOR 8- Altern 8 & PP Arnold. (12,000)

 

'Evapor8' is very good including good use of the Strings of Life sample but I prefer Altern8's next single 'Hypnotic St8', which sadly missed the top 10.

 

'Save The Best For Last' is a very nice song.

Altern8 really were decades ahead of everyone with those face masks!

My pick of the week is probably Praga Khan / Jade 4U (up from 25 to #16) with “Injected with A Poison” which went.. ehem, viral, in April 2020 after the (at the time) President of the USA suggested injecting disinfectant to combat Covid-19. 🤣

Altern8 really were decades ahead of everyone with those face masks!

My pick of the week is probably Praga Khan / Jade 4U (up from 25 to #16) with “Injected with A Poison” which went.. ehem, viral, in April 2020 after the (at the time) President of the USA suggested injecting disinfectant to combat Covid-19.

 

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

 

Injected With A Poison is crazy but also a bit of a mess musically imo sadly! Didn't know it actually went viral in 2020.

 

My pick of the non top 10s after watching the recent episodes is Charlatans - Weirdo - one of the things I don't like much about early 90s indie is that that most indie bands were shunning synths and keyboards in the early 90s as they were used a lot in the 80s but this song stands out as it uses good synth organ effects. The singer sounds quite Liam Gallagher-esque too!

Edited February 4, 20223 yr by mdf