That's one of my fave MSP tracks also, that and 4st 7lb are both great

Im always surprised at Holy Bible being the biggest fan fav album of the Manics

For me it was the opposite, found it very "cacophonic" (not sure how to describe it) and almost lost me as a fan

much more into their Everything Must Go/This is My Truth sound

Faster is molten metal fizzing with agression and head spinning melody.

25TH JUNE

 

 

“Love Is All Around” this week equals the record held by every other Wet wet wet track to make No.1, it spends a fourth week there! Better news than that for the band is that it should easily retain the top spot for another week at least as it is exactly 70,000 clear of the No 2 track which is again Big Mountain though that is in retreat saleswise. The Wets actually cool at retail for the first time during their run albeit it by a mere 2% to 113,000 but the drop should be more noticeable next week, its total so far is 526,000 placing it behind only Mariah Carey in 1994’s big sellers, it is however their best seller now moving past “With A Little Help From My Friends” in their catalogue. Dawn Penn holds at No 3 (40,000) and The Grid trudge 8-4 (34,000) and must fancy their chances of being No 2 next week.

 

 

 

Californian based foursome All-4-One have been No 1 in the US for the last 6 weeks with their version of the recent John Michael Montgomery US Country hit “I Swear” and it’s now been released over here resulting in a 17-7 (27,000) move in its second week. Keep an eye on the track which is being touted as a future chart topper if it can overtake Take That in a fortnight.

 

 

All-4-One are the only new act in the top 10 with everything else re-arranging itself. Ace Of Base continue to drive north 7-5 (33,000) but Mariah Carey looks to be in trouble inching 9-8 (22,000) as her album shoots 8-3 to recompense her. The Prodigy drop 4-6 (28,000), Maxx are getting away 5-9 (20,000) and it’s far from great for Absolutely Fabulous as they fall 6-10 (20,000).

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet (113,000)

2- BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY- Big Mountain (43,000)

3- YOU DON’T LOVE ME (NO NO NO)- Dawn Penn (40,000)

4- SWAMP THING- The Grid (34,000)

5- DON’T TURN AROUND- Ace Of Base (33,000)

6- NO GOOD (START THE DANCE)- The Prodigy (28,000)

7- I SWEAR- All-4-One (27,000)

8- ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND- Mariah Carey (22,000)

9- GET-A-WAY- Maxx (20,000)

10- ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS- Absolutely Fabulous (20,000)

 

2ND JULY

 

 

Sales are off 11% but “Love Is All Around” has another easy week at the top becoming simultaneously Wet Wet Wet’s longest chart topper, the longest No 1 of 1994 and at 5 weeks now the bestselling single of the year as it moves past the 600,000 mark. Its victory was absolute at almost double the sales of the record beneath it 100,000 vs 54,000 though All-4-One do shoot 7-2 but the Wets will face a strong challenge from Take That this week who are on a roll at present with four consecutive chart toppers from their last 4 releases. Incidentally it’s the 9th week of 1994 where the No 1 has ran into six figures- by that matrix it becomes the biggest year so far of the 90s with 1989 being the last year to achieve so many big weekly figures.

 

 

 

The highest new entry arrives at No 7 (26,000) for Reel 2 Real Featuring The Mad Stuntman just as the outfit’s last single “I Like To Move It” finally leaves the chart. It’s more of the same from them as they are in the studio recording a debut album in time for Christmas you lucky people, but for now you get the new single “Go On Move” which like its predecessor was originally released back in 1993 though it didn’t get a UK release.

 

 

 

Ace Of Base’s “Happy Nation” finally tops the album charts this week a year after the initial release thanks in part of the performance of their single “Don’t Turn Around” which slips 5-6 (31,000). The song was also recorded by Aswad for a chart topper in 1988 and by co-incidence Aswad are back in the top 10 this week as “Shine” rises 19-9 (23,000) to rather belatedly become their second single to make it this high. The song has been remixed by The Beatmasters (to carry on our 1988 revival vibe) and marks an upturn in their stock though they did produce 5 top 40 singles in the interim and were last seen in the charts in tandem with Yazz last year.

 

 

 

Cappella continues to be a very productive vehicle for Bartolotti as they score a fourth top ten single in just over a year. Their new single “U & Me” once again borrows a riff from another track this time Patty Johnson’s “Let Me Go”, it lifts 12-10 (20,000) this week.

 

 

The Grid nudge 4-3 (45,000) overtaking Big Mountain who fall 2-4 (35,000) but they stave off Dawn Penn who is also down 3-5 (35,000), The Prodigy also drop 6-8 (24,000). So onto next week and can Take That do it?

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet (100,000)

2- I SWEAR- All-4-One (54,000)

3- SWAMP THING- The Grid (45,000)

4- BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY- Big Mountain (35,000)

5- YOU DON’T LOVE ME (NO NO NO)- Dawn Penn (35,000)

6- DON’T TURN AROUND- Ace Of Base (31,000)

7- GO ON MOVE- Reel 2 Real Ft Mad Stuntman (26,000)

8- NO GOOD (START THE DANCE)- The Prodigy (24,000)

9- SHINE- Aswad (23,000)

10- U & ME- Cappella (20,000)

 

Wet Wet Wet had some crazy high sales at #1

Dawn Penn so close to #2!

This TOTP saw the debut of Oasis at 11 with Shakermaker :wub:

So much reggae pop about in the charts at this point. I actually like the Aswad song more than the Ace of Base cover!

 

I’ve always loved I Swear, shame it ran into a giant there.

9TH JULY

 

 

A very interesting chart this week with Wet Wet Wet holding on for a sixth week and barely losing a sale at all with another 100,000 flying across the counter, it’s already the best seller of the year and the longest running No 1 of 1994 but it’s starting to pull itself clear of the field as we can see:

 

1. LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet 726,000

2. WITHOUT YOU- Mariah Carey 559,000

3. THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER- D:Ream 481,000

4. DOOP- Doop 466,000

5. THE SIGN- Ace Of Base 443,000

6. COME ON YOU REDS- Manchester United Football Squad 405,000

7. I LIKE TO MOVE IT- Reel 2 Real Featuring The Mad Stuntman 389,000

8. EVERYTHING CHANGES- Take That 359,000

9. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA- Bruce Springsteen 349,000

10. INSIDE- Stiltskin 333,000

 

“Four Weddings & A Funeral” has turned into a summer smash at the box office and the soundtrack which contains the single remains top 10 but Wet, wet, wet’s own “End Of Part One-Greatest Hits” gets a new promo push despite not housing the current chart topper and propels 36-5 in response.

 

 

 

Expected by many to debut at the top (as indeed their last 4 singles have) Take That find themselves arriving not at the top, nor for that matter at No 2 but can only make No 3 (70,000) despite only being a few thousand behind the Wets as the first sales reports came in. It is a sixth single to be lifted from “Everything Changes” so can be forgiven for not quite performing as well as the other singles but it’s still an impressive showing. Indeed all may not be lost with TOTP support this week along with the cassingle and a second live CD version out this week to boost sales! For now it is their 8th top 10 on the trot and 9th overall in just over two years putting them in second place behind Madonna in terms of top tenners in the 90s, the album is already a million seller but barely recognises the new hit as it moves gently 19-17.

 

 

 

The new “Flintstones” movie opens later this month but its theme tune is already doing the business under the title of “(Meet) The Flintstones”. It’s been recorded by the B-52’s who have renamed themselves the BC-52’s in honour of the film and score their fastest hit as it debuts at No 5 (31,000), they’ve only been higher once, way back in 1990 when “Love Shack” narrowly missed out on the top spot to Snap!, but it’s only the second time in their long career that they’ve been inside the big 10.

 

 

 

You might recall GUN from their 1989 hit “Better Days” or their biggest hit “Steal Your Fire” from last year, they’re back with a new album due in the late Summer and a single “Word Up”. Yes it is a cover of the 1986 Cameo classic which has been given the rock treatment as you might expect from them, the band have supported Rolling Stones back in 1991 and by way of trivia the lead singer Mark Rankin is the cousin of Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri. The single debuts at No 8 (26,000) and proves there is still a place for rock in the top 10.

 

 

The Grid fall 3-4 (54,000) despite a nice sales boost but no such fortune for Big Mountain (4-6, 31,000) or Dawn Penn (5-10, 22,000) who are now fading badly. Reel 2 Real hold at No 7 (31,000) and Aswad are also stuck in the groove at No 9 (26,000) but both sold more than the previous week- there is still hope!

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet (100,000)

2- I SWEAR- All-4-One (77,000)

3- LOVE AIN’T HERE ANYMORE- Take That (70,000)

4- SWAMP THING- The Grid (54,000)

5- (MEET) THE FLINTSTONES- The B-52’s (46,000)

6- BABY, I LOVE YOUR WAY- Big Mountain (31,000)

7- GO ON MOVE- Reel 2 Real Ft Mad Stuntman (31,000)

8- WORD UP- Gun (26,000)

9- SHINE- Aswad (26,000)

10- YOU DON’T LOVE ME (NO NO NO)- Dawn Penn (22,000)

 

16TH JULY

 

 

7 weeks and counting for Wet Wet Wet at the top of the singles chart, “Love Is All Around” is fading but slowly, it dropped sales by just 2% to 98,000 and its total sales swell to 824,000. For those tired of the track there is some hope, All-4-One remain at No 2 but their sales are up by 15% to 88,000, that gap of just 10,000 is the nearest the Wets have been to getting caught since they ascended to the top last month. In the US “I Swear” is currently doing a “Love Is All Around” remaining at the top for a 9th week itself! Take That remain in third despite those new formats being available and TOTP exposure, they started out brightly as fans snapped them up outpacing All-4-One initially but in the end they ended up selling 64,000 copies- expect their challenge to now be over, perhaps they’ll lament not releasing the single on 7” still a big format for the younger buyer.

 

 

 

The Grid’s “Swamp Thing” drops 4-5 (43,000) but it seems to have inspired more dance/country music crossover hits with 2 Cowboys track “Everybody’s Gonfi-Gon” rising 11-7 (27,000). The outfit consists of two Italian DJ’s and this song has already been a hit in the continent over the last few months and picked considerable club support here.

 

 

 

April 1993 saw the release of Let Loose’s “Crazy For You” which managed to make No 44 but no further, it’s been given another whirl by Mercury in an attempt to make the photogenic threesome a hit with the girls. The song comes with dance mixes by Wildfruit which have hit the spot and it duly rises 14-10 (22,000) even though sales of the 12” inch are not eligible for the chart as it exceeds the 25 minute cap placed on singles with 2-4 different tracks on it and becomes a mini LP.

 

 

The BC52’s make tough work of rising only moving 5-4 (57,000) but should see rewards next week as the “Flintstones” movie opens, Aswad thrust 9-6 (38,000) but not so good news for either Big Mountain and Gun who both drop. “Baby I Love Your Way” slides 6-8 (23,000) but has now sold over 250,000 copies, for Gun they move 8-9 (23,000).

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet (98,000)

2- I SWEAR- All-4-One (88,000)

3- LOVE AIN’T HERE ANYMORE- Take That (64,000)

4- (MEET) THE FLINTSTONES- The B-52’s (57,000)

5- SWAMP THING- The Grid (43,000)

6- SHINE- Aswad (38,000)

7- EVERYBODY’S GONFI-GON- Two Cowboys (27,000)

8- BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY- Big Mountain (23,000)

9- WORD UP- Gun (23,000)

10- CRAZY FOR YOU- Let Loose (22,000)

 

Perpetually behind on TOTP but finally caught up again so my favourite top 10 hits to appear since I last posted in February are:

 

Toni Di Bart - The Real Thing

Erasure - Always

Stiltskin - Inside

The Prodigy - No Good (Start The Dance)

The Grid - Swamp Thing

 

:wub:

I like The Swamp Thing more now than I did at the time. Crazy For You still sounds just as good now as it did then.

Edited April 15, 20232 yr by fiesta

nothing amazing in that top 10, that has to be one of the dullest and weakest TT singles

That Gonfi Gon song sounds like a mix of Doop and Swamp Thing and the parent of Cotton Eye Joe!

I enjoyed these charts myself. Love the BC-52s take on The Flintstones, and Crazy For You is a classic.

 

Unfortunate for Take That to come up against a No.2 selling nearly 90k and the huge Love Is All Around but Love Ain't Here Anymore is really drab, one of their most forgettable singles and surely selling on name alone only to their fanbase.

 

Seems quite unusual to have a top three of ballads for two weeks, especially in the summer?

Yes for Let Loose :wub:

 

It'a a karaoke go-to of mine :lol:

23RD JULY

 

 

It takes its largest hit yet (13%) but “Love Is All Around” fends off all competition for an eighth week making it the third longest chart topper of the decade. It sold 85,000 copies last week and means it should sell its millionth copy in a fortnight unless its sales dramatically plummet. All-4-One remain the nearest challenger but they too saw sales slip of 14% to 75,000 and they remain 10,000 adrift of the Scots, and with the “Flintstones” opening last Friday the theme by BC52’s lifts 4-3 (57,000) though its sales have stagnated.

 

 

 

Another week another film soundtrack song becomes a hit, this time around the film “Above The Rim” generates the song which debuts at No 9 (24,000) for 23yr old US Rapper Warren G. “Regulate” is now dropping on the US chart but did spent three long weeks at No 2 behind All-4-One and may be hoping for some revenge in the UK, it comes to us with a large slice of Michael McDonald’s 1986 #43 single “I Keep Forgettin” sampled into the chorus. In the process it becomes his second top 10 single but a first for Warren G and featured rapper Nate Dogg, both of whom have risen to fame with the helping hand of producer Dr Dre who is himself something of a rising star stateside.

 

 

 

Covering a Stevie Wonder track is always a risky thing but CJ Lewis plunders his back catalogue and uses his 1966 #14 track “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” for his new version re-titled “Everything’s Alright (Uptight)”- sneaky. It debuts at No 10 (19,000) to instantly become his second top 10 single.

 

 

A bit of re-arranging elsewhere with the Grid back up 5-4 (41,000) though they’re still losing sales, Aswad follow them up the chart 6-5 (35,000) and Let Loose are also improving 10-6 (33,000). Take That drop 3-7 (33,000) and Two Cowboys dosey doe 7-8 (25,000).

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, wet, wet (85,000)

2- I SWEAR- All-4-One (75,000)

3- (MEET)- THE FLINTSTONES- The B52’s (57,000)

4- SWAMP THING- The Grid (41,000)

5- SHINE- Aswad (35,000)

6- CRAZY FOR YOU- Let Loose (33,000)

7- LOVE AIN’T HERE ANYMORE- Take That (33,000)

8- EVERYBODY’S GONFI-GON- Two Cowboys (25,000)

9- REGULATE- Warren G & Nate Dogg (24,000)

10- EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT (UPTIGHT)- CJ Lewis (19,000)

 

30TH JULY

 

 

Incredibly Wet Wet Wet not only grab their 9th week at No 1 but actually increase sales if only by about 20 copies week on week, the group also see their retrospective “End Of Part One- Their Greatest Hits” become their third No 1 album. A fantastic week for them! They are also increasing their lead over the opposition which is still, for a fifth week, All-4-One, they dip to 73,000 as they cross the 400,000 mark, it will probably be their last week there as the BC-52’s improve 20% to 68,000 despite remaining static at No 3 thanks to the first full week in the cinema of the parent film.

 

 

 

Three other hits could pose a problem in the forthcoming weeks as they move ever north, Let Loose improve 6-4 (43,000), Warren G & Nate Dogg dart 9-5 (38,000) and at No 6 is the highest new entry of the week for chart elders Erasure! It is the duo’s 15th top 10 single and 20th hit in total (not counting the remix EP of “Am I Right”) putting them 6 behind The Everly Brothers in terms of hits. Their most recent album “I Say I Say, I Say” became their fifth straight No 1 album in May and can now claim two top 10 hits with “Run To The Sun” selling 29,000 copies last week.

 

 

 

Reggae’s resurgence over the last 2 years unabated with China Black’s “Searching”, it was released back in 1992 on the now defunct Big One records but failed to cross into the mainstream. After the label folded the band were snapped up by Polydor and so the single gets a second release this time with major label promo to help, it advances 11-7 (28,000).

 

 

CJ Lewis improves in sales if not in position as he holds at No 10 (21,000) but getting dimmer Aswad drop 5-8 (27,000) and The Grid finally get mired 4-9 (23,000).

 

 

1- LOVE IS ALL AROUND- Wet, Wet, wet (85,000)

2- I SWEAR- All-4-One (73,000)

3- (MEET) THE FLINTSTONES- The B-52’s (68,000)

4- CRAZY FOR YOU- Let Loose (43,000)

5- REGULATE- Warren G & Nate Dogg (38,000)

6- RUN TO THE SUN- Erasure (29,000)

7- SEARCHING- China Black (28,000)

8- SHINE- Aswad (27,000)

9- SWAMP THING- The Grid (23,000)

10- EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT (UPTIGHT) –CJ Lewis (21,000)

 

I always thought of Searching as more R&B than reggae. Good song either way and also, in my opinion, his singing voice sounds like Will Young a bit.