19TH SEPTEMBER

 

 

A further sales heamorrhage of 12% for Astley would indicate that “Never Gonna Give You Up” is now a sitting duck at No 1 but its sales decline is slow by modern standards and it is still well ahead of the pack to make it 4 weeks at the top, making it the longest running chart topper of the year along with Starship, all reasons to call the track a success. Its sales of 97,699 means it was the victor by 45,000.

 

 

 

The new challenger to Astley and potential chart topper next week is M/A/R/R/S, they have produced one of the hottest records around at present with the sampling “Pump Up The Volume” which is being hailed as the breakthrough moment of the genre though of course some tracks have used sampling and been hits it seems could be the moment it enters the public consciousness. The “group” are not in fact a group but a collaboration between two acts Colourbox and A R Kane who were put together by 4AD label owner Watts-Russell to make a track, and although the groups found that they didn’t gel in the studio they produced two songs “Pump Up The Volume” (Colourbox) and “Anitina” (A R Kane) separately and then remixed each other’s tune hence we have the current double A-Side. It’s fair to say that “Pump Up The Volume” is getting all the airplay and generating most of the sales, when the tracks were released on 12” only the song entered at No 35 last week thanks to club exposure, but when the 7” remix (and it is a remix not just the 12” mix edited) was released it really started to garner sales sailing 35-11 with all the additional samples thrown into the mix. The title hook is lifted from Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid In Full” which is due for release here next month and gets a nice spot of promo. Its move 11-2 (52,887) signals that this will be number one next week failing some kind of major intervention.

 

 

 

Normally a new Madonna single means a contender for the top slot and “Causing A Commotion” certainly starts off brightly as it smashes straight in at No 7 (27,693). It’s another cut from the “Who’s That Girl” soundtrack and has been helped by her first tour of the UK last month and the accompanying media circus which pretty much blitzed the news coupled with persistent rumours that her marriage may be on the rocks. It’s her 16th consecutive top 10 hit and her 5th to debut inside the big 10 as she goes for her third consecutive chart topper.

 

 

The rise of M/A/R/R/S is bad news for The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys who dip 2-3 (50,354) in their wake and T’Pau whose climb is stemmed 5-4 (44,421). U2 surprisingly dip 4-5 (38,947) though they increased sales and are comfortably ahead of Cliff Richard who continues to improve 7-6 (28,169), meanwhile at the bottom of the top 10 LeVert only manage a 10-9 (25,449) climb whilst Sinitta collapses 6-10 (24,922). The Pet Shop Boys moved the release of their second album “Actually” back a week so as to not clash with Michael Jackson’s “Bad” but it didn’t matter in the end as they couldn’t overthrow Jacko, he keeps the No 1 spot by some margin and the Pet Shop Boys single with Dusty Springfield deflates 3-8 (27,149) in response.

 

 

Next week sees the release of the single of the moment, Jackson's "Bad", how high can it enter?

 

 

1- NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP- Rick Astley (97,699)

2- PUMP UP THE VOLUME- M/A/R/R/S (52,887)

3- WIPEOUT- Fat Boys & Beach Boys (50,354)

4- HEART AND SOUL- T’Pau (44,421)

5- WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME- U2 (38,947)

6- SOME PEOPLE- Cliff Richard (28,169)

7- CAUSING A COMMOTION- Madonna (27,693)

8- WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS- Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield (27,149)

9- CASANOVA- Levert (25,449)

10- TOY BOY- Sinitta (24,922)

 

oh nice to see the arrival of Pump of the Volume, don't think I liked it much as a kid but of course it became a classic

back then I remember being much more obsessed with Causin' a Commotion, a much better single than Who's That Girl, and I bought it as 7".

 

poor PSB being blocked by Bad week 2 but they kinda could have imagined it and moved it further away

just realised the week before Prince peaked at #11 with the fabulous U Got the Look

featuring an uncredited Sheena Easton (for the occ)

 

'Pump Up The Volume' :music: I didn't know M/A/R/R/S were effectively two different acts who remixed each other's songs! It's a shame the Pet Shop Boys' Actually ran into Bad

Which week ending are you asking about?

 

Sorry thought they had low sales at no1 until the jump last week but it was still peaking!

Lol at ABC being #11 and being called a flop

It was 100% the other way around, their last 2 albums failed to produce a proper hit

so this was definitely a return to form

 

love Heart and Soul, what a fantastic debut for T'Pau, one of the best bands of the 80s

bizarre that i flopped first time in the UK but got top 5 in the US, also it doesn't sound like something that would be a hit in the US

I can see why Whitesnake or Def Leppard were huge there, but T'Pau not so much

 

also love Wonderful Life, second amazing song from Black. And so many songs that flopped first time, luckily labels didn't have a problem re-releasing :)

 

Yeh true lol no11 isn’t a flop but they were or seemed to be on TOTP every week. I didn’t realise they had albums or singles in between this and the breakthrough in 1982!

 

Strange that Wonderful Life wasn’t a number one, it’s such a brilliantly crafted song.

 

As for U2 such a shame the three releases in 1987 weren’t their no1s but such is the nature of the charts!

I didn't really like Pump Up The Volume the first time I heard it but I really like it now. Its a good track to do karaoke to!

 

I assume Pump Up The Volume didn't get much radio airplay at the time and became a hit because of airplay in clubs/early raves instead. I read that before about most of the early house hits.

 

'Causing a Commotion' is a song I am not that familiar with, sounds catchy and good on first listen.

Edited February 10, 20241 yr by TheSnake

26TH SEPTEMBER

 

 

Well it turned into the most interesting of weeks so far in 1987 and for all the wrong reasons. The headline will read that Rick Astley holds the top spot and “Never Gonna Give You Up” is the first record to be No 1 for five weeks since Jennifer Rush in late 1985. The song sold just 80,189 copies taking its total to 578,782 meaning it is already the third biggest seller of the year behind Whitney Houston (595,000) and Starship (699,000).

 

 

But it all kicked off last week when Pete Waterman of SAW wrote an open letter to the Sun claiming that M/A/R/R/S had used a sample of their single “Roadblock” without asking and called it “wholesale theft”, this resulted in a response from M/A/R/R/S that Waterman was doing the same thing on the current No 1 from Rick Astley by using the bassline from Colonel Abrams “Trapped”. It all resulted in a court hearing on Monday which ended with a distribution ban on copies of “Pump Up The Volume” for five days so that fresh stock did not arrive in the shops until Saturday and made the 7” track harder and harder to find through the week. Indeed M/A/R/R/S were down at No 4 based on sales between Monday and Thursday with only 12” sales being available as that mix does not include the aforementioned sample.

 

With stock newly available “Pump Up The Volume” was by some stretch the biggest seller on Saturday and the track clawed its way back to No 2 after selling 75,650 copies ultimately but the legal shenanigans undoubtedly cost M/A/R/R/S a No 1.

 

Spare a thought for Cliff Richard (6-3, 49,538) and Madonna (7-4, 45,747) who looked like securing the other top 3 positions until the death. Both acts now have albums which contain the singles, Cliff is new at No 5 and the “Who’s That Girl” soundtrack dips 15-16.

 

 

Furthermore that delay imposed on M/A/R/R/S may also have cost it its window of opportunity as not only are Cliff and Madonna lining up behind them but Michael Jackson enters the chart at No 5 this week with the title track to the current No 1 album “Bad”. The song was written and intended as a duet between Jackson and Prince but touring commitments meant that the duet was ultimately doomed but no matter as it easily becomes a top 10 single. The 18 minute Martin Scorsese lensed promo has won applaud from critics and certainly cemented his place music video history, the video of course got a special airing on Channel 4 all to itself and was watched by around 4 million, only 36,108 of those actually purchased the song this week. Could it be Jackson’s fourth chart topper next week?

 

 

 

You might be wondering just who House Master Boyz Featuring Rude Boy Of House actually are- well it’s none other than Farley “Jackmaster” Funk who had a top 10 hit last year with “Love Can’t Turn Around”. His growing reputation as the main chart exponent of “house” music means he can now boast one more top 10 hit than former flatmate Steve “Silk” Hurley who can claim his hit was a No 1 (controversy aside). “House Nation” originally peaked at No 48 in May this year but after continental success it becomes a hit in this country on re-issue climbing 12-8 (31,348).

 

 

 

Remember Karel Fialka? Touted very briefly as the next big thing by some quarters of the music press back in 1980 his sole hit “The Eyes Have It” ended up at No 52 though he did get a TOTP performance out of it but then nothing. 7 years on and Fialka pulls the biggest hit of his career out of the back with “Hey Matthew” a song in which the father questions his son on what he sees on TV and what he wants to be when he’s older, it’s an unusual subject for a track and proves to be a surprise hit as it jets 20-9 (23,137) after his second TOTP performance of the decade.

 

 

 

Level 42’s 6th top 10 single “It’s Over” is one of the first to be accompanied by the promo video on the CD version of the single, a gimmick which may have helped in its rise 11-10 (20,655). The group have now pulled 4 top 10 singles from the “Running In The Family” album which is fast approaching its half millionth sale.

 

 

T’Pau slide 4-6 (35,683) and The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys continue to decline 3-7 (34,323).

 

 

1- NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP- Rick Astley (80,189)

2- PUMP UP THE VOLUME- M/A/R/R/S (75,650)

3- SOME PEOPLE- Cliff Richard (49,538)

4- CAUSING A COMMOTION- Madonna (45,747)

5- BAD- Michael Jackson (36,108)

6- HEART AND SOUL- T’Pau (35,683)

7- WIPEOUT- Fat Boys & Beach Boys (34,323)

8- HOUSE NATION- House Master Boyz Ft Rude Boy Of House (31,348)

9- HEY MATTHEW- Karel Fialka (23,137)

10- IT’S OVER- Level 42 (20,655)

 

oh very interesting read about the SAW shenanigans

 

my fav song in the top 10 is Level 42- It's over, and one of my fav of the year, incredible that L42 managed 4 top 10s from the same album

 

never knew Bad was actually a post-album single, sure it would have been #1 if released ahead, but guess it's the same strategy as U2 with The Joshua Tree/With or ithout you

Shout out to the 2nd Johnny Hates Jazz, I don't want to be a hero, the follow-up to Shattered dreams

and which for some reason I bought as 12"

Fantastic song that sadly peaked at #11 this week

 

Edited February 11, 20241 yr by Bjork

As a Matthew (well, officially anyway) I always had a soft spot for Hey Matthew.

Ridiculous from Waterman, all to keep Rick at the top or was he serious about the sample? Assume the attention probably helped both in the end.

 

What was the strategy regarding ‘Bad’ being released after the album? Amazing that it got premiered on Ch4 but only sold 39k, assume the album sold a lot more following?

Interesting production for that Karel Fialka track almost Ace of Base reminiscent.

 

'House Nation' is a good track too.

I don't think Bad is that great a single really, it's decent and all but I'm surprised that this and I Just Can't Stop Loving You generated so many sales so quickly for the album. There were definitely much better to come that I'd have thought may have done better as early singles - even as a child I can remember loving Smooth Criminal and The Way You Make Me Feel more than any of the others, definitely felt like the more iconic songs.

3RD OCTOBER

 

 

Following the settlement of the injunction filed by S/A/W which saw international releases of “Pump Up The Volume” being made available without the sample in question, M/A/R/R/S made hard work of overcoming Astley and actually saw a reduced sale of 70,992 copies which lifts the total to 227,817 proving it still has some way to go to make the YE top 10. No such problem for Rick Astley who’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” finally concedes the top spot after 5 weeks there and dips 1-2 (65,229) which swells the tally to 644,011 and as it is now ¾ of the way through the year it’s fittingly time for our final interim report on how that YTD top 10 is shaping up.

 

 

 

1- NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW- Starship 698,938

2- NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP- Rick Astley 644,011

3- I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)- Whitney Houston 592,960

4- RESPECTABLE- Mel & Kim 532,151

5- STAND BY ME- Ben E King 499,528

6- STAR TREKKIN- The Firm 444,890

7- IT’S A SIN- Pet Shop Boys 442,850

8- I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME)- George Michael & Aretha Franklin 416,500

9- UNDER THE BOARDWALK- Bruce Willis 405,365

10- LET IT BE- Ferry Aid 398,038

 

Astley has, as you can see, only Starship ahead of him now, but in around 2-3 weeks he should be able to claim the biggest hit of the year so far! You’ll also note that he already has the accolade of the biggest S/A/W produced track, the producers themselves claim 3of the top 10 themselves, and that the Pet Shop Boys have a new personal best seller in “It’s A Sin”.

 

 

Any fears that M/A/R/R/S might have missed their window of opportunity at the top thanks to the new Michael Jackson single were misplaced, “Bad” accelerates 5-3 (58,293) this week but he’s too busy shifting albums (where he spends a fourth week at the top) to generate sufficient single sales, and you might have been expecting more from the Madonna single “Causing A Commotion” which goes into reverse 4-5 (39,236) it therefore spends the least time in the top 4 since “Dress You Up” failed to make the mark almost two years ago- has overexposure finally caught up with her? Cliff Richard sandwiches the two US superstars with the falling “Some People” 3-4 (39,627).

 

There’s two strugglers in the bottom half of the top 10 this week, House Master Boyz hold at No 8 (28,305) and Karel Fialka delves 9-10 (25,381) but the remaining three songs are all new to the top flight.

 

 

Jan Hammer was previously in the top 10 with “Miami Vice Theme” two years ago, well the TV show may be struggling ratings wise in the US now but he still pulls a hit from it here with “Crockett’s Theme”. Crockett is of course the surname of one of the lead characters played by Don Johnson in the series and may be the last track that Hammer can link with the series having announced that he will no longer be providing the compositions for the fourth season which has just started to air in the US, here of course we’re still on Season 3 so can enjoy him for slightly longer, the track escalates 19-6 (32,419) this week.

 

 

 

Daughter of actress Christiane and Film Director Stanley Kubrick, Abigail Mead is also an alias of Vivian Kubrick which in part helps to explain how she wrote the score for her father’s new film “Full Metal Jacket” which is getting rave reviews in cinema’s at present. Her duet partner Nigel Goulding is an actor in the film and the track “Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Inspector)” also uses samples from the flick which all contribute to a whopping 33-7 (30,141) climb this week. Interestingly it’s the first time that an Abigail or a Nigel have ever charted in the UK as popstars.

 

 

 

Being billed as the first ever rap love song LL Cool J follows in the steps of Run DMC and The Beastie Boys as rap acts who now have a top 10 single to their credit in the UK, fitting as Cool J opened for those two acts on the 1986 “Raisin Hell” tour. “I Need Love” sees the New Yorker float 16-9 (27,217) thanks in part to a performance on TOTP live.

 

 

1- PUMP UP THE VOLUME- M/A/R/R/S (70,992)

2- NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP- Rick Astley (65,229)

3- BAD- Michael Jackson (58,293)

4- SOME PEOPLE- Cliff Richard (39,627)

5- CAUSING A COMMOTION- Madonna (39,236)

6- CROCKETT’S THEME- Jan Hammer (32,419)

7- FULL METAL JACKET ( I WANNA BE YOUR DRILL INSTRUCTOR)- Abigail Mead & Nigel Gouding (30,141)

8- HOUSE NATION- House Master Boyz Ft Rude Boy Of House (28,305)

9- I NEED LOVE- LL Cool J (27,217)

10- HEY MATTHEW- Karel Fialka (25,381)

 

Always remember being quite shocked how early LL Cool J charted in the Uk!

Absolutely love 'Crockett's Theme' :wub: what a dreamy instrumental.

 

'Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor)' is a pretty idiosyncratic addition :lol: lol at the "it’s the first time that an Abigail or a Nigel have ever charted in the UK as popstars." fact, looks like it's been over 20 years since we had a Nigel credited on a top 40 hit ('Follow Da Leader' *_*) and 19 years since an Abigail (Abigail Bailey) - not polyhex searches I expected to do today!

I remember danG on here saying that Crockett's Theme was like an early form of tropical house, can hear why he said that!

Edited February 12, 20241 yr by TheSnake

I remember hating that Full Metal Jacket song back in the day

Crockett's theme is great

Crockett’s Theme is wonderful :wub: