omg finally catch up with this thread.

I never knew Bellissima was such a huge hit in UK <3, so happy to see spending weeks and weeks inside Top 10. In other parts of Europe we were lucky to get a separate release of 'I Have A Dream' which imo it's just as good!!!

While I remember most of the #1's very well, but some of them I'm like what? How did this manage to top the charts etc. etc..

Oh wow nearly 100K for Paranoid Android!!!! That's incredible, and so close to #2

It's a classic of classics and a sort Bohemian Rhapsody of the 90s (but better) ;)

as a huge fan of the band and The Bends, for me this was the best thing they ever did at the time

and I remember being obsessed with the video too

I also loved 6 Underground, deserved top 10 second time around. Great trip-hop-esque song

Also loved Mmm Bop, and those sales are insane for them. The song was everywhere and cannot be catchier.

Also loved the Eternal one. Both Don't You Love Me and this one were great.

'Paranoid Android' into 'MMBop' on the second TOTP repeat yesterday was major sonic whiplash

I echo the love for 'Paranoid Android', already found it impressive that it was a top 3 hit, but those sales - wow!

'6 Underground' didn't get a play on the TOTP repeats yesterday but already know and love that too. 'Closer Than Close' also a tune!

As expected, several shows are skipped over the summer of 97 due to P.Diddy so I'll have to return to daily posting after next week's shows

Also kinda crazy that I'll be there for you had been a top 3 in 95 and went back into the top 5 just 2 years later

the power of Friends

never heard that Rose Gaines song

I Wanna Be The Only One was my favourite song of 1997 - pure uplifting joy, and what a moment for Eternal to finally get a No.1 so far into their career. Easther and BeBe both deliver a vocal masterclass on the track too, he was such a great guest vocalist on it. I'm glad it had such high sales to fend off a soaring Time To Say Goodbye, but I wished that had got a week in somewhere too as it's beautiful, and such an unusual big hit in 1997.

I said earlier in the thread, but it's annoying for me that Eternal released three of their most quality singles in 1997 and then it all imploded.

I also think MMMBop is a great track, the verses especially, a very nostalgic kind of feel to it, even when it came out. And the chorus is stupidly catchy of course.

Waltz Away Dreaming is ok, not a George Michael classic, I guess even his name power didn't get it that high compared to most of his hits.

Gina G at No.11 on one of the weeks too - near miss for her La Isla Bonita soundalike, but I didn't really expect that kind of single from her.

Closer Than Close is a really good dance/almost early garage kind of hit.

Also, really good to see Katrina and the Waves had such a big post-Eurovision hit with Love Shine A Light - it's quite an unfashionable song really, and sounds more like a hymn, but Katrina sang the hell out of it at Eurovision - the live performance with the brass section is one of the best live moments the contest has had imo.

This was also around the time that New Labour also won the general election, Cool Britannia iconography was everywhere, the UK felt like a very positive place at this moment - certainly not something that lasted though, with Princess Diana's death a few months later.

Didn't realise Olive's album was called Extra Virgin - that's a fantastic title!

'Paranoid Android' this felt seismic at the time, unlike anything else in the charts or on the radio, especially the middle eight, and a sign of the expanding possibilities of British guitar music post-peak Britpop. I was one of the 94k who bought it that week. 'Six Underground' getting a belated Top 10 peak was also great to see.

I notice TOTP cut their rundown from a Top 40 to a Top 20, between these weeks, but the last ever full Top 40 rundown included the Top 40 debuts of Stereophonics and Basement Jaxx - the latter's 'Fly Life' was huge on Radio 1 at the time, although seemed to be all but forgotten by the time their bigger hits and album came around two years later.

14TH JUNE




The brothers Hanson continue to dominate the charts with “MMMBop” proving far too popular at retail, it loses 54% in sales to record a still impressive 120,000 tally last week. The boys are in the midst of promotion for the single and album “Middle Of Nowhere” which is in shops this week and could pose a serious threat to a third week at the top for them.

Eternal and Bebe Winans remain in the runner up spot (79,000) with Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli surfacing 4-3 (59,000). The three tracks are racking up impressive sales totals between them with Hanson on 380,000, Eternal on 327,000 and Brightman/ Bocelli on 305,000, it’s a rare feat the current top 3 all on over 300,000 sales each at that point pointing to the strength of the charts in general and the current hits in particular.





That spells trouble for Jon Bon Jovi, his solo single “Midnight In Chelsea” narrowly fails to make the top 3 with a sale 57,000. Jon Bon Jovi’s first solo album “Blaze Of Glory” came out 7 years ago and featured music from the film “Young Guns II”, so it may come as no surprise that his new album “Destination Anywhere” also has a film to help promote and stars the man himself, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and Whoopi Goldberg. The lead single is co-written by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart and is immediately the biggest solo hit by the Bon Jovi front man.

Helped on production by the US producers Basement Boys Ultra Nate has delivered two house albums which have attracted good club reaction on both sides of the Atlantic though only three minor UK hits. Her move from Warner Bros to Strictly Rhythm now pays dividends with “Free” becoming her first major single and arriving at No 5 (45,000) and joins Rosie Gaines (No 6, 44,000) in the top 10 as big dance diva hits of the moment.

The “Beavis And Butt-head Do America” soundtrack propelled LL Cool J to No 1 earlier this year and it now gives Red Hot Chili Peppers their biggest hit to date. A cover of the Ohio Players single “Love Rollercoaster” never charted here in 1975 though did become known for the urban legend that the scream heard during the instrumental break was the sound of a woman being murdered in the next door studio!. The Chili’s version becomes only their second top 10 single of their long career and eclipses the No 9 peak of “Give It Away” by debuting at No 7 (42,000) this week.

Mr President are a German trio who are conquering all of Europe at present with the single “Coco Jambo”. The band’s first album generated some hits mainly in Austria/ Switzerland/ Germany but they seem to have finally made their way out of those regions with this single which serves as the first release from their second album and is new at No 8 (41,000) as the UK finally succumbs.

The end of the month sees the latest in the “Batman” series of films “Batman & Robin”, naturally it comes with its own theme and it’s The Smashing Pumpkins who get to deliver it this time around. “The End Is The Beginning Is The End” can only make No 10 (36,000) despite all the promotion, that’s already their second highest peaking single behind last year’s “Tonight Tonight” (No 8).

Radiohead complete the top 10 by falling 3-9 (39,000).

1- MMMBOP- Hanson (120,000)
2- I WANNA BE THE ONLY ONE- Eternal Featuring BeBe Winans (79,000)
3- TIME TO SAY GOODBYE- Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli (59,000)
4- MIDNIGHT IN CHELSEA- Jon Bon Jovi (57,000)
5- FREE- Ultra Nate (45,000)
6- CLOSER THAN CLOSE- Rosie Gaines (44,000)
7- LOVE ROLLERCOASTER- Red Hot Chili Peppers (42,000)
8- COCO JAMBO- Mr President (41,000)
9- PARANOID ANDROID- Radiohead (39,000)
10- THE END IS THE BEGINNING IS THE END- Smashing Pumpkins (36,000)


 

As we're about to miss 6 episodes- I'll go to posting a chart a day to keep us on track!

Coco Jamboo was huge on the Box for months before it was a hit, in box tops for ages. So catchy!

Free is still a classic, great euphoric dance.

39K in week two for Paranoid Android! Excellent sales considering.

Ultra Nate arriving, another excellent house single to chart <3

21ST JUNE





Hanson mania continues apace with “MMMBop” grabbing a third week at No 1 and the group get the double as well as “Middle Of Nowhere” arrives at the top over on the album charts. That means that they are the first act ever to score a No 1 simultaneously with their debut single and album. Sales of the single suffered however with just 86,000 copies passing the counter making it very vulnerable to challengers next week.

For this week however it leads a top 5 without a new entry for the first time since new year (and if you exclude that famously slow chart then W/E 5/10/96 meets the criteria). The rest of the top 5 consist of older hits Eternal at No 2 (53,000) Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli at No 3 (45,000) and inching higher Ultra Nate 5-4 (42,000) and Rosie Gaines 6-5 (38,000). The achievements of the top 3 are all the more noteworthy as all the acts also have albums in the top 5 which feature the tracks, Hanson at No 1, Sarah Brightman at No 2 and Eternal at No 4.

By contrast the bottom half of the top flight are all new entries with the exception of Mr President who hold No 8 (29,000).




The Charlatans continue to enjoy renewed success with new single “How High”, a third top 10 single in a row from the group who can now boast another No 1 album in “Tellin Stories”. It can’t quite match the highs of the two previous singles (unsurprisingly) but it is the highest new hit of the week at No 6 (34,000).

Prodigies of Babyface Az Yet are a new US vocal group who got their first US hit with “Last Night” thanks in part to being featured on the “Nutty Professor” soundtrack. It failed to crack the UK market but follow up “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” has hit it big for them, it’s a cover of the 1982 Chicago #4 hit and even features the group’s former frontman Peter Cetera on backing vocals. It’s new at No 7 (32,000).

Also featured on the soundtrack to “Nutty Professor” are tracks by both Foxy Brown and Jay Z and they team up to give us “I’ll Be” which is new at No 9 (27,000). Brown is a 17 year old American rapper who came to attention after winning a local talent show in New York and being asked to provide verses for remixes of some big hits by Toni Braxton among others. Indeed her two previous hits in the UK were features on songs by Blackstreet and Jay Z and the latter returns the favour here to give Brown her first hit as lead act, the current single features a sample of Blondie’s “Rapture” through it.

Supergrass have now scored five top 10 singles in a row, new release “Sun Hits The Sky” makes an appearance at No 10 (24,000) to provide some relief from the underperformance of the album “In It For The Money” which drops 29-36 regardless. The single features the band’s cover of the Smiths “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” if you’re interested.

1- MMMBOP- Hanson (86,000)
2- I WANNA BE THE ONLY ONE- Eternal Featuring BeBe Winans (53,000)
3- TIME TO SAY GOODBYE- Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli (45,000)
4- FREE- Ultra Nate (42,000)
5- CLOSER THAN CLOSE- Rosie Gaines (38,000)
6- HOW HIGH- The Charlatans (34,000)
7- HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY- Az Yet (32,000)
8- COCO JAMBO- Mr President (29,000)
9- I’LL BE- Foxy Brown Featuring Jay Z (27,000)
10- SUN HITS THE SKY- Supergrass (24,000)

Sun Hits The Sky is ace, a breath of fresh air on an otherwise very dull TOTP.

'Coco Jambo' is quite Ace of Base/Beloved Sweet Harmony sounding in terms of production!

'Free' the best song in that top 10 for me and one I remember a lot from the time although I really like 'I Wanna Be The Only One' too such a MOR radio fave now.

I prefer Aquagen's version of 'Hard To Say I'm Sorry'!

Not the bestest top 10, really think it was borderline too easy to make the top 10 back then

1 hour ago, Bjork said:

Not the bestest top 10, really think it was borderline too easy to make the top 10 back then

True, just put out 2 CD singles at £1.99 for the first week and bam there you go!

This is why it was much better pre 1996 imo!

Prices were lower in week1 then increased right?

28 minutes ago, Bjork said:

Prices were lower in week1 then increased right?

Yep, usually to £3.99

The practice was actually starting to become less frequent by 1997 as the record companies started to realise how much money they were losing and were worried they had devalued the format. The reason why they were cheaper was due to the fact the the pluggers would do deals with record shops "if you take 300 copies of x single then we'll give you 200 free" essentially allowing the shops to lower the price and still make a profit on the singles. Deals were only really available to stores which had the EPOS machines (which fed detail to the CIN chart machines) and pluggers were only interested in offering deals where the result may be a better chart position, this pushed many more record shops to install the EPOS machines in order to get the deals but by 1997 the old "panel sales" method of compilation was abandoned by CIN as an estimated 97% of all outlets were now feeding data into CIN. Not to mention that supermarkets were now on board meaning that many independent record shops had closed but it perversely improved the information as there were less overall outlets.