I didn't know the Montell Jordan song until the Joe Stone song came out in 2015 sampling it. Its a good song anyway!

Dreamer hitting number 1 always stood out in my memory as the point when the shops, the distributors and the record companies all started co-operating to maximise sales in week 1.

 

Was it also at that point when discounts were applied to week 1 stock to encourage buyers to buy in week 1?

No, discounting became a thing a little later in the 90s (around 97 If i recall correctly).

Cool. Thanks.

Was radio airplay for tracks commencing sooner by this time; a few weeks ahead of release?

I presumed that 'Buddy Holly' was a 2000s song for years for some reason! I hadn't seen the music video for it before until the TOTP repeat, very good indeed.

Was radio airplay for tracks commencing sooner by this time; a few weeks ahead of release?

Yes there was a much greater focus on "new music" from 1994 onwards rather than be a reflection of what was already in the top 40 as Radio 1 veered much more towards a younger demographic than most of its established DJ's which were replaced gradually. This tied in with pre-release tracks which coupled with distribution deals and advance promo accelerated everything through the next decade to the point where all the promo was pretty much done by the end of release week.

Phew, glad to see that Dreamer got there, despite the dubious matter in which it was achieved. Going beyond Set You Free, Don't Give Me Your Life, Push The Feeling On, U Sure Do and all the rest and actually topping the chart!

 

It's still a song I hear very regularly on the radio - along with their follow up Don't Stop Movin', so the success was very deserved I think.

20TH MAY

 

 

Until last September no act had ever had their first chart week at No 1 (Al Martino aside) then Whigfield re-wrote the history books, now there is a second and from a source that few suspected. Actors in “Soldier, Soldier” Robson Green & Jerome Flynn were recently involved in a storyline which saw them perform the classic hit “Unchained Melody” and such was the alleged interest in the track that Simon Cowell at RCA convinced the boys to make it into a record and teamed it with “White Cliff Of Dover” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of VE day.

 

Few foresaw quite how popular the double A-Side was going to be but it posted a sale of 314,000 copies last week a total dwarfed only by Take That and Queen in the 90s. It helps to create a little chart history as well as it becomes the fourth No 1 in a row to debut at No 1 (albeit one was a re-issue) and “Unchained Melody” becomes the first song to make No 1 in three different versions having already topped the charts for Jimmy Young and The Righteous Brothers. We should add that it also sees the return to the top for Mike Stock and Matt Aitken who can now claim their 14th chart topper as producers but first in 5 years since Kylie’s “Tears On My Pillow” gave them chart honours as part of the S/A/W production team.

 

 

 

As has become the norm over the last few years the FA Cup final is also played out in the charts with this year’s finalists both scoring hits, Everton are new at No 24 with their version of “All Together Now” but somewhat predictably it’s Manchester United that score the bigger hit. Following on the heels of last year’s No 1 “Come On You Reds” Man Utd have recruited a local rapper called Stryker and the optimistically titled “We’re Gonna Do It Again” climbs 15-6 (41,000) we’ll see if it proves prophetic on Saturday.

 

 

 

Definitely not winners were Love City Groove who came in 10th at Eurovision last week but it is certainly one of the UK’s more unusual entries into the competition featuring a rapper. The song experienced a slow start to its chart career moving 52-36-17-12-17-16-7 after initial stocking issues were corrected- the label appeared to think that the song wouldn’t be too popular with the public here at least! Anyway the song sold 37,000 in the run up and may get some sales this week but its chance must have passed now- it does however become the highest peaking UK Eurovision entry since Bardo in 1982.

 

 

 

Former frontwoman for Electribe 101 Billie Ray Martin is now out on her own and in the top 10 but not for the first time as she appeared on backing vocals (and on TOTP) with S Express on “Hey Music Lover”. Her first solo single “Your Loving Arms” made No 38 last November but gets the obligatory remixes from the Grid which sees it re-enter at No 10 (22,000)

 

 

Increasing sales by 17% doesn’t help Livin’ Joy who still fall 1-2 (81,000) understandably given the huge intro sale from Robson & Jerome and that all leaves Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra stranded At No 3 (63,000) with a 40% sales hike of their own. Even Scatman John sees his sales swell by 64% to 55,000 but can only move 6-4 on the process proving just how competitive the top 5 is at the moment.

 

 

 

Oasis drop 2-5 (48,000), Take That remain No 1 on the album front but drop 4-8 (30,000) on the singles survey, and Tina Arena continues her slow descent 7-9 (26,000)

 

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY/ THE WHITE CLLIFFS OF DOVER- Robson & Jerome (314,000)

2- DREAMER- Livin Joy (81,000)

3- GUAGLIONE- Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra (63,000)

4- SCATMAN- Scatman John (55,000)

5- SOME MIGHT SAY- Oasis (48,000)

6- WE’RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN- Manchester United Football Squad (41,000)

7- LOVE CITY GROOVE- Love City Groove (37,000)

8- BACK FOR GOOD- Take That (30,000)

9- CHAINS- Tina Arena (26,000)

10- YOUR LOVING ARMS- Billie Ray Martin (22,000)

 

27TH MAY

 

 

Another week and another historic sale, after Robson & Jerome put in a performance which saw them sell 314,000 copies to open at the top most thought the only way was straight down at least sales wise but astonishingly the opposite has happened with “Unchained Melody/ White Cliffs Of Dover” improving by 46% percent to record a sale of 460,000 in a week, that is more than any song since the 80s started with the exception of Band Aid. It may be attracting more than its fair share of criticism from the muso’s but there is no disputing the song’s appeal with the general public! As Take That creep nearer to Celine Dion in the YTD list Robson & Jerome are already at No 3 on that list and at the current rate could speed past both of them to top the list of 1995 after just three weeks on release. In short 27% of all singles sold last week belonged to this pair.

 

 

The completion, such as it is, now comes from Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra but “Guaglione” only increases its sales by 7% to 67,000 meaning that the difference between the top two is 393,000 the second largest gap after- you guessed it- Band Aid and Wham! Scatman John completes the top three inching 4-3 (64,000) and may be able to hit No 2 next week.

 

As an aside the entire top 3 are on the RCA label, only the second time in history that the three biggest sellers are all homed on one label, the last time was back in April 1965 when Decca held sway with The Rolling Stones, Unit 4 Plus 2, and Tom Jones occupying the top 3.

 

 

UB40 are currently having a break from touring which has given lead singer Ali Campbell some spare time, we last saw him as a feature on Pato Banton’s No 1 hit “Baby Come Back” last year and that has clearly given some courage to venture out on his own albeit temporarily. Album “Big Love” is out next month and the lead single “That Look In Your Eye” spirals up 15-5 (33,000) and features uncredited vocals from Pamela Sparks.

 

 

 

If it isn’t broke seems to be the mantra for The Nightcrawlers, their last hit made No 3 after being remixed by Marc Kinchin and he turns remixer again for “Surrender Your Love” which debuts at No 7 (28,000) at the first time of asking. For no good reason the track credits John Reid who is the sole man behind the outfit in reality.

 

 

 

“Think Twice” remains the best seller of 95 so far though as noted Take That and Robson & Jerome are closing fast, meanwhile Dion is onto the follow up and here we have “Only One Road”, another cut from “The Colour Of My Love” which celebrates 20 straight weeks in the top 10 this week. The single lifts 11-8 (25,000) to become Dion’s 4th top tenner but looks unlikely to be another No 1 for her.

 

 

 

When Bernard Butler left Suede a year ago few thought it would be a wise move but he’s teamed up with David McAlmont formerly of the Thieves to give us the magnificent “Yes” which bounds straight in at No 10 (23,000). Lyrically the song has been described as either an ode to moving on or a reflection of McAlmont’s treatment when younger for being a gay man, either way the song will feature on the duo’s future album.

 

 

Livin’ Joy fall 2-4 (61,000) as do Manchester United Football Club who lost 1-0 at the weekend to Everton in the FA cup final and now fall 6-9 (25,000) on the charts, Everton’s track actually falls 24-31 so is no better for the victory. Better news for Billie Ray Martin who climbs 10-6 (31,000).

 

 

1- UNCHAINED MELODY/ WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER- Robson & Jerome (460,000)

2- GUAGLIONE- Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra (67,000)

3- SCATMAN- Scatman John (64,000)

4- DREAMER- Livin Joy (61,000)

5- THAT LOOK IN YOUR EYE- Ali Campbell (33,000)

6- YOUR LOVIN ARMS- Billie Ray Martin (31,000)

7- SURRENDER YOUR LOVE- The Nightcrawlers Featuring John Reid (28,000)

8- ONLY ONE ROAD- Celine Dion (25,000)

9- WE’RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN- Manchester United Football Squad (25,000)

10- YES- McAlmont & Butler (23,000)

 

10- YES- McAlmont & Butler (23,000)

 

 

Single of the year and one of my favourite Britpop singles.

Oh my R&J nearly doing half a million

 

Your Loving Arms is the best in that top 10

Oh my R&J nearly doing half a million

 

Your Loving Arms is the best in that top 10

 

TOTP announcing "UM" as a million seller after 1 week on sale- although you could argue maybe they were seeing into the future! The fact that it increased sales in week 2 suggests that maybe it exceeded expectations and ran out of stock in week 1.

Surrender Your Love - what a great follow up and my favourite Nightcrawlers single.

 

Yes is of course superb.

Yes was very influencial on Everything Must Go. James loved the retro sound of it so he approached Mike Hedges (who produced Yes) to work on EMG.

'Yes' is fantastic, my favourite in that latter Top 10 with 'Dreamer' a close second. 'Your Loving Arms' is also great. However my favourite in the entire Top 40 that week is the new entry at #21 :heart:

'Yes' I don't know very well but on listen there now I like it, its very 60s retro-soul sounding.

 

'Your Loving Arms' is a great track, continuing a great year for chart dance. It's a shame that the TOTP performance cut off the last bit of the song.

 

I didn't know Billie Ray Martin was famous before that song or that she sung on an S-Express track, never heard of Electribe 101 either.

 

'Surrender Your Love' I think I prefer to 'Push The Feeling On'.

460k people longed to buy a Robson & Jerome dirge in just a single week.

 

Talk about depressing facts.

So much amazing music round at that time and yet R&J do those numbers - guess it just appeals to all the Karen’s on Facebook which I’ve learned a lot about on the BJ Big Bro thread this past month 😂

Robson and Jerome were awful - but I’m saving my wrath for next week :kink:

Different market buying R&J, most of whom don't normally buy singles.

Edited November 12, 20231 yr by Colm