So PSB had Kings cross planned as the next single?!?

 

Love So emotional!!

The song your thinking of came from a Elvis special in Sept of 87!

Yes at this point in time "Kings cross" was going to be the Christmas single.

'King's Cross' is probably my second favourite Pet Shop Boys song after 'It's A Sin' - would have been intriguing to see how it would have done although I couldn't really see it as a Christmas #1, but any impact on the chart is insignificant compared to the deaths of 31 people in a fire at King's Cross station on 18 Nov which meant the single release had to be changed.

but couldn't they have done the opposite and release it and give all profits to charity for the victims etc

All will be explained in forthcoming posts

28TH NOVEMBER

 

 

“China In Your Hand” spends a third week at the top this week but it's past its peak at retail as it loses 26% to 71,978 copies and 306,102 in total which allows it to sail past “Heart And Soul” as their personal best seller. George Harrison again holds at No 2 for a third week though again his sales are in retreat 27% to just 51,204, and Rick Astley holds at No 3 but his sales are off 35% to 35,020 though he debuts at the No 1 position on the album charts with over 100,000 copies sold which explains part of the decrease.

 

 

 

Alexander O’Neal has been struggling since the success of “Saturday Love” in early 1986 with his next three singles all missing the top 10, his second album “Hearsay” is beginning to yield the goods though with second single “Criticize” returning him to the big time. Produced the hottest US producers of the year Jam/ Lewis it comes with backing vocals from Lisa Keith who provided backing vocals on Human League’s “Human” last year, the single rises 14-8 (27,931). The album peaked at No 10 on release in August but now revives a little 32-26 its highest position since it dropped out of the top 20 after 6 weeks.

 

 

 

Whitesnake are currently the biggest UK rock group in the US with a recent No 1 single in “Here I Go Again” a re-recording of their 1982 UK No 34 track and an album which has made No 2. It gets a release here now in the remixed form and becomes the group’s second top 10 single on the trot as it moves 11-9 (27,368) with a promo that again features Coverdale’s Girlfriend Tawny Kitaen.

 

 

 

Twins Charlie & Craig Reid hail from Edinburgh and formed the Proclaimers in 1983 garnering a cult fanbase until a fan sent a demo to The Housemartins in 1986 which resulted in the group being invited to support them on tour last year and in turn led to a performance on “The Tube” earlier this year. They’ve now got themselves a record deal and first single “Throw The R Away” missed the charts but second single “Letter From America” finds fans of their broad Scottish accent as it powers 25-10 (24,038). The main version is co-produced by Gerry Rafferty but on the 12” version there are two versions of the track (a Band version and an orchestral version) which are interwoven and which version you get depends on where you place the stylus- record companies are ever inventive, lyrically the track reflects on the history of Scottish emigration in the face of economic depression drawing comparisons with the current Thatcher government.

 

 

The Communards hold steady at No 4 (33,779) but are clearly on the wane, Whitney Houston darts 9-5 (30,838) passing a static Jennifer Warnes & Bill Medley at No 6 (29,971). Nina Simone rounds us off dipping 5-7 (29,954), finally this week sees the release of many of the Christmas No 1 contenders, it’s about to get rather festive.

 

1- CHINA IN YOUR HAND- T’Pau (71,978)

2- GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU- George Harrison (51,204)

3- WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY- Rick Astley (35,020)

4- NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE- The Communards (33,779)

5- SO EMOTIONAL- Whitney Houston (30,838)

6- (I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE- Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (29,971)

7- MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME- Nina Simone (29,954)

8- CRITICIZE- Alexander O’Neal (27,931)

9- HERE I GO AGAIN- Whitesnake (27,268)

10- LETTER FROM AMERICA- The Proclaimers (24,038)

 

It's very of its time but Criticize is probably my favourite this week, it's a really catchy soul track

Criticize is a really good song, not usually my sort of thing but it’s ace!

Absolutely love 'Criticize' :wub:

 

One I listen to regularly, I love that wobbly bassline.

love Critizise too

also big fan of Whitesnake and Here I Go Again

Proclaimers I'm less of a fan but this is ok

'Letter From America' :wub: a really well-written song

'Criticize' is a brilliant 80s anthem, perhaps another song that like Living In A Box and Never Gonna Give You Up before it owes a lot to Colonel Abrams - Trapped.

Edited February 20, 20241 yr by TheSnake

Trapped seems to have been very influential!

 

My fav this week is probably ‘Letter from America’ classic Proclaimers. Also love ‘Criticise’ love the full wedding suit Alexander wears of TOTP, very 80s!

5TH DECEMBER

 

 

T’pau prove harder to shift than many thought with “China In Your Hand”, it’s now in its fourth week at the top though it continues to fade sales wise to 61,693, it should pass the 400,000 mark next week but it’s already into the top 20 for the YTD.

 

 

 

Only one new song in the top 10 this week and it’s from the act with the most singles sold in the 80s. Yes it’s Shaky with his 14th top 10 single, a tally which pulls him level with Madness and two behind Madonna in terms of the most top 10 singles in the 80s and no surprises it’s a cover, this time of Emile Ford & The Checkmates 1959 UK No 1 single “What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?” the final chart topper of the 50s. It dates back to 1917 in composition but Shaky must be thanking his lucky stars that it seems to have done the trick for him, he’s been missing the top 10 with his last 4 singles, by far his worst spell since he broke through in 1980, it’s helped by an EP version which includes previous Christmas success’s “Merry Christmas Everyone” and “Blue Christmas”. It should also rekindle the album “Let’s Boogie” which contains his last four singles (including this one) but only spent a week in the charts at No 66 when released in October, it resurfaces at No 92 this week! The single meanwhile zooms 27-7 (24,769)- could it steal the march on the festive No 1 spot?

 

 

Elsewhere George Harrison really rides his luck as he spends a fourth week playing second fiddle to T’pau but he loses 10% to sell 46,801 last week. Next week’s chart topper may come from either The Proclaimers who manoeuvre 10-3 (30,685) or Alexander O’Neal who climbs 8-4 (28,016) if they can continue to improve but they are still way off target as the charts feel like they are holding their breath before the Christmas onslaught! Moving away from the action are The Communards 4-5 (27,268), Whitney Houston 5-6 (26,282), Rick Astley 3-8 (22,474), Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes 6-9 (22,270) and Whitesnake 9-10 (20,808). Next week we may very well be discussed new entries by Madonna, Rick Astley and Pet Shop Boys- it’s all hotting up with the biggest chart week of the year so far!

 

 

1- CHINA IN YOUR HAND- T’Pau (61,693)

2- GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU- George Harrison (46,801)

3- LETTER FROM AMERICA- The Proclaimers (30,685)

4- CRITICIZE- Alexander O’Neal (28,016)

5- NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE- The Communards (27,268)

6- SO EMOTIONAL- Whitney Houston (26,282)

7- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THOSE EYES AT ME FOR- Shakin Stevens (24,769)

8- WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY- Rick Astley (22,474)

9- (I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE- Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (22,270)

10- HERE I GO AGAIN- Whitesnake (20,808)

 

is Madonna really a contender? Thought there was barely any promo for The Look of Love, no video, nothing

Kinda thought ‘Time of Your Life’ sounded like a huge no1 but just did ok on this release!

is Madonna really a contender? Thought there was barely any promo for The Look of Love, no video, nothing

 

It’s late 1987 Madonna she was always a contender!

It's a soft week- Proclaiimers increase sales by just 6k and rocket 10-3!

12TH DECEMBER

 

 

Perry Como once sang “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” and that sums up this week’s top 10 with five new tracks to discuss after the relative stasis of last week. The headline is that T’Pau become the second act of the year after Rick Astley to spent five weeks at the top of the charts in 1987, the only threat this week came from the man himself, but more on that in a minute. “China In Your Hand” left it late to top the charts running in second place all week until after TOTP which gave it enough of a lift to sell 50,813 copies raising its tally to 418,608 copies in total, it’s now the 11th biggest seller of the year with 4 chart weeks left, parent album “Bridge Of Spies” meanwhile crosses the half million mark in tribute.

 

 

 

The song that was out front from the beginning was indeed Rick Astley, his cover of Nat “King” Cole’s “When I Fall In Love” is officially a double A-Side with “My Arms Keep Missing You” a non album track with S/A/W at the helm trying to recreate the commercial gold of Wham! in 1984 who pulled much the same trick. It was unlucky not to enter at No 1 after selling 46,682 copies last week and ahead in midweek flashes, you may recall that Astley’s last single “Whenever You Need Somebody” also topped midweek chart flashes before seeding the place to T’pau last month so this is in fact the second Astley single to be beaten by the Shropshire band.

 

 

 

Astley’s version of Nat “King” Cole’s track is on RCA which is part of the BMG group, you may also note that Cole’s original version charts this week at No 51 and is on the Capitol label which is owned by EMI and which has, as one of its other subsidiaries, Parlophone and they are responsible for the Pet Shop Boys single “Always On My Mind” which also debuts this week at No 4 (40,715), it’s a fact that hasn’t passed by Pete Waterman who is already crying foul play but that’s the potential downfall of a cover version. Of course The Pet Shop Boys song is also a cover of an Elvis song from 1972 (No 9) and is co-penned by singer Brenda Lee, the boys were asked to cover a Presley track for a TV show “Love Me Tender” marking the 10th anniversary of the singer’s death and recorded their version as an uptempo dance track. It was never intended to be a single as the duo had pencilled in “Kings Cross” as their next single until the tragic fire at the station on 18th November an incident which saw “The Sun” campaign for the song’s release but a hasty remix for single purposes and the boys see their version of “Always On My Mind” become their highest debuting single ever.

 

 

 

In between the new entries of Astley and The Pet Shop Boys there’s a huge climber for Michael Jackson with a third cut from “Bad”. “The Way You Make Me Feel” debuted at No 16 last week but flies to No 3 (42,449) this week thanks to a TOTP showing of the promo which itself clocks in at 7 minutes in its “short” version! In doing so it means that all 3 singles from the album have hit the top 3, a better start than even “Thriller” could boast with its first three singles. Talking of the album it moves back into the top ten, 12-6 in fact, and has already sold 1.3 million as it fast approaches U2’s “The Joshua Tree” as the year’s biggest seller.

 

 

 

Victor Young’s a name you probably haven’t heard of but he’s the man behind two top 10 hits this week being the writer of both “When I Fall In Love” and “Love Letters” which drives 30-9 (25,979) this week for Alison Moyet. The coincidences keep coming as although the song was first a hit for Kitty Lester in 1962 (No 4) it was also a hit for Elvis Presley in 1966 (No 6) giving it links to two other new tracks in the top 10 this week. For Moyet it’s her 6th top 10 single from 8 releases and makes up for the disappointment of her last single “Ordinary Girl” which failed to hit the top 40, it’s also not on her recent LP “Raindancing” which regardless re-enters the chart at No 34 this week and has so far sold over 500,000 copies.

 

 

 

Produced by Phil Ramone, Paul McCartney is back with his 11th top 10 single (excluding his work on The Beatles and Wings) but his first in 3 years. Following on from George Harrison’s recent success it forms a golden patch for former Beatles members which may lure Ringo Starr back into the studios!, “Once Upon A Long Ago” was written for the “Princess Bride” film but were eventually rejected and the song found its way onto “All The Best” his recent greatest hits album which made No 2 behind George Michael and then T’Pau and looks like being a strong Christmas seller, the single moves 14-10 (22,814).

 

 

In view of all the new tracks Shaky is struggling moving 7-5 (39,576) whilst three tracks are falling, The Proclaimers 3-6 (37,298) Alexander O’Neal 4-8 (32,997) and George Harrison 2-7 (34,034, it’s the first time since January 1984 that two former Beatles were in the top 10 simultaneously. You'll also note that the Proclaimers and Alexander O'Neal both post healthy sales increases despite doubling their positions week on week- rather unfortunate!

 

 

1- CHINA IN YOUR HAND- T’Pau (50,813)

2- WHEN I FALL IN LOVE/ MY ARMS KEEP MISSING YOU- Rick Astley (46,682)

3- THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL- Michael Jackson (42,449)

4- ALWAYS ON MY MIND- Pet Shop Boys (40,715)

5- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THOSE EYES AT ME FOR- Shakin Stevens (39,576)

6- LETTER FROM AMERICA- The Proclaimers (37,298)

7- GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU- George Harrison (34,034)

8- CRITICIZE- Alexander O’Neal (32,997)

9- LOVE LETTERS- Alison Moyet (25,976)

10- ONCE UPON A LONG AGO- Paul McCartney (22,814)