I have very fond memories of this time as it was the first time I followed the charts. As a 10 year old I loved Saturday Night, Always, Baby Come Back, The Rhythm Of The Night, Sweetness, Stay and Secret. I still have a soft spot for all of those.

Sure is terrible, such a default non-number 1. Boo!

Sure is terrible, such a default non-number 1. Boo!

 

Agreed, their worst and a poor singles run for them after Love Ain’t Here Anymore.

 

Shame Saturday Night couldn’t hold on.

 

My favourite in the top ten at the moment is Stay, which was living up to its name with its top ten run.

 

But lots of other classics scattered throughout too.

 

Secret is a first half of the 90s highlight from Madonna, I really loved her 1994 output.

By the way, next week a certain Think Twice by Celine Dion debuts at number 53…….

That would have some chart run and prove how despite the high new entries there was still climbers right up until 1996/97!

that Corona version really doesn't hold a candle to the original>>>>

Despite going top 10 for a couple weeks, don't think I ever heard of Madonna until the Like a Virgin era

 

Sure is terrible, such a default non-number 1. Boo!

 

Although Sure entered the chart at number 1 and stayed on top for 2 weeks, it was only the number 42 best selling single of the year - just behind Sweets For My Sweet by CJ Lewis !!

FYI - Top of the Pops 1994 will feature on Gogglebox tomorrow night.

 

I bet they will be watching Ant and Dec as PJ and Duncan.

22ND OCTOBER

 

 

The release of a second CD proved to be the saving grace for Take That who fend off the increasing threat from Pato Banton who climbs 4-2 (73,000) and will almost definitely take over next week.

 

Sales of “Sure” meanwhile take a hit of 29% to a more modest 81,000 signifying that it will be a short runner at the top at least, but I omitted to say last week that it marked the first time back to back No 1 tracks entered at No 1 since late 1991 when 3 chart toppers all arrived there consecutively.

 

 

The rest of the top 5 continues to re-arrange itself with both Whigfield and Bon Jovi slipping a spot to make way for Banton, “Saturday Night” sold 66,000 bringing its total to 865,000 and probably won’t be troubling the Wets as the biggest seller of the year. Bon Jovi meanwhile sold 120,000 copies of their greatest hits set “Cross Road” last week to debut at No 1, meanwhile the single “Always” held up well with another 60,000 copies flying off the shelve, it’s been a remarkably consistent seller since release if never spectacular meaning its sales now stand at 304,000. It will become their best seller next week, failing something amazing, as it overtakes “Livin On A Prayer”. Cyndi Lauper remains at No 5 (33,000) albeit well done in sales.

 

 

Riding high on near universal praise and ever bettering single positions Oasis saw their debut album “Definitely Maybe” power to No 1 last month and it now yields its fourth and biggest single in “Cigarettes And Alcohol” which arrives at No 7 (28,000). Previous singles have peaked at No 31, 11, and 10 so the trajectory is ever upwards, it features a Beatles cover on the CD (“I Am The Walrus”) and has again got into trouble with some claiming the riff is lifted from T Rex’s “Get It On” though no-one seems overly concerned about that claim.

 

 

 

 

In a world where the charts are seeing more and more tracks debut in the top 10 there have been a few which have bucked the trend this year including “Welcome To Tomorrow” by Snap! Featuring Summer which has so far wound 27-25-22-20-12-9 selling 23,000 copies last week. You’ll notice the outfit has a new frontwoman summer, real name Paula Brown, who started out as a dancer in the TV series of “Fame”, it heralds the release of the group’s third album of the same name and is the 9th top 10 single from 10 releases in the UK- an impressive hit rate.

 

 

 

Already a major star in his native US, R Kelly’s first hit “She’s Got That Vibe” is officially additionally credited to Public Announcement, an entourage formed to support him which has since disbanded. By way of explanation this song stems from 1992 when it made No 57, it’s been re-issued with additional new mixes (it’s actually the song’s fourth release here) now that’s he’s a star (quite why we get this single and not the recent US chart topper “Bump N Grind” I’m not sure) and debuts at No 10 (20,000). R Kelly comes with a fair amount of press speculation, he’s an in demand producer and writing having launched the career of Aaliyah whilst the press have suggested the pair are married already despite the star being just 15.

 

 

Michelle Gayle’s debut album enters at No 30 which dents the sales of the single but the advance of “Sweetness”, which is up 7-6 (29,000), continues. Lisa Loeb holds again at No 8 (28,000) though it loses sales every week.

 

 

1- SURE- Take That (81,000)

2- BABY COME BACK- Pato Banton Ft Robin & Ali Campbell (73,000)

3- SATURDAY NIGHT- Whigfield (66,000)

4- ALWAYS- Bon Jovi (60,000)

5- HEY NOW (GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN)- Cyndi Lauper (33,000)

6- SWEETNESS- Michelle Gayle (29,000)

7- CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL- Oasis (28,000)

8- STAY (I MISSED YOU)- Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories (28,000)

9- WELCOME TO TOMORROW- Snap! Ft Summer (23,000)

10- SHE’S GOT THAT VIBE- R Kelly (20,000)

 

Cigarettes and Alcohol is classic Oasis :wub:

 

Also :wub: at Jarvis Cocker presenting!

That single from Snap was such an unexpected hit. I remember it being released and quite liking it but thinking that it would fall straight out from its debut at #27... even after it held a chart place the following week I would never have imagined it would end up top 10. They must have been so surprised at its success as it definitely felt like their ship had well and truly sailed by this point.

That’s my favourite era from Snap! This and The First, The Last, Eternity are my favourite tracks by them.

29TH OCTOBER

 

 

The story of the charts this week is a deceptive one with only one single gaining at retail and it isn’t the new chart topper! Nevertheless Pato Banton Featuring Robin & Ali Campbell’s cover of the Equals 1968 chart topper “Baby Come Back” repeats the fate of the original by becoming the UK’s No 1 with a sale of 71,500 (down 2% week on week), it is however a strong seller already with 254,000 copies already sold at arrives at the top.

 

 

The continued collapse of Take That’s “Sure” which lost 58% of its week on sales sees it fall 1-4 (34,000) with cumulative sales of 230,000 means it is looking like the lowest selling of their chart toppers thus far and must give cause for concern. That means that for the first time in a while the song climbing to No 1 has sold more in its contemporary run than the song leaving No 1! Their demise is good news for Whigfield and Bon Jovi who lose a far more respectable weekly % of 26% and 21% to record sales of 49,000 and 47,000, but both climb thanks to that Take That plummet. So the only sales gainer is therefore Michelle Gayle, her album may be down 30-36 but the single continues to impress 6-5 (33,000) and is back to increasing its sales.

 

 

The only new entry in the top 10 this week comes from chart regular Sting who somewhat incredibly has never had a solo UK Top 10 single in his 12 year solo career though of course he visited the top 10 on ten occasions including 5 chart toppers between 1979 and 1983. His greatest hits collection “Fields Of Gold” is primed for release and will contain two new hits one of which is “When We Dance” which debuts at No 9 (22,000) and comes with new mixes of previous singles “Fortress Around Your Heart” and “If You Love Someone Set Them Free” which have doubtless helped.

 

 

 

Elsewhere R Kelly climbs 10-6 (33,000) leaping over the also climbing Snap! 9-8 (26,000), but its bad news for Cyndi Lauper who is down 5-7 (26,000), and Lisa Loeb who finally gives up the battle 8-10 (22,000).

 

 

1- BABY COME BACK- Pato Banton Ft Robin & Ali Campbell (71,500)

2- SATURDAY NIGHT- Whigfield (49,000)

3- ALWAYS- Bon Jovi (47,000)

4- SURE- Take That (34,000)

5- SWEETNESS- Michelle Gayle (33,000)

6- SHE’S GOT THAT VIBE- R Kelly (33,000)

7- HEY NOW (GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN)- Cyndi Lauper (26,000)

8- WELCOME TO TOMORROW- Snap! Ft Summer (26,000)

9- WHEN WE DANCE- Sting (22,000)

10- STAY (I MISSED YOU)- Lisa Loeb Ft Nine Stories (22,000)

 

I'd never noticed the similarity between the 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' riff and 'Get It On' before but now it seems so obvious :o

 

Great to have the arrival of Green Day on TOTP now outside of the top 10. I wish Massive Attack - 'Sly' had got a play too!

'Welcome To Tomorrow' certainly sounds like it influenced the cheesy Clubland sound of the early 00s.

Sure, of which many a music fan has tried to express their opinion but only managed "Sure, not the greatest thing they ha..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, snort, what?! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

 

Oasis' entire career was based on ripping off err I mean being inspired by T.Rex, Slade, Beatles, beatles and beatles, with a sniff here or there of New Seekers, Kinks and a few others. But then who isn't inspired by the music they loved as kids...? genuine game-changing innovation in music is pretty rare, cough, I Feel Love...

 

Ah, R.Kelly, the good old days when RnB stars were free to marry underage girls and have no career backlash as long as they both got hits out of it.

Lisa Loeb remains the best in that top 10

not a fan of Snap's 3rd era

That single from Snap was such an unexpected hit. I remember it being released and quite liking it but thinking that it would fall straight out from its debut at #27... even after it held a chart place the following week I would never have imagined it would end up top 10. They must have been so surprised at its success as it definitely felt like their ship had well and truly sailed by this point.

 

It did shock me when I read they were performing this week thinking ‘I thought they had disappeared by the end of 1994!’

So the sales differences between Take That and Whigfield went +1k -> +15k -> -15k :o would have been an interesting timeline had that first week gone the other way, would Take That have gone 2-1-4 (and Whigfield 1-3-2), or would they not have got there at all? It seemed such a sure-footed number 1 at the time (pun possibly intended), until it started plummeting.