Got To Be Certain is great. So is Made in Heaven on the flip of Je Ne Sais Pas... Hand On Your Heart, Wouldn't Change... all good. First KM song I was a little disappointed in was Never Too Late.

 

Looking forward to hearing all about their chart fortunes in this thread and the (I assume forthcoming) 1989 one.

 

My sister owned the Kylie album before me (she was older and had more money than me). I got it on tape a couple of months later.

27TH FEBRUARY

 

 

Nothing short of a miracle would have prevented “I Should Be So Lucky” from topping the charts this week- and that miracle never happened, it sold a new 1988 high of 110,007 copies, the highest tally since Pet Shop Boys at Christmas as they stopped Rick Astley, it seems we can’t get enough of this particular Aussie at present.

 

 

The suspected challenge of Bomb The Bass never quite materialised though “Beat Dis” does power 5-2 (57,664) to provide a new peak for the Rhythm King label, it was also well clear of Billy Ocean who despite rising 4-3 (46,733) lagged well behind all week.

 

 

Two massive and much anticipated singles make their debut in the top 10 this week, first up the first solo single from former Smiths frontman Morrissey. “Suedehead” continues the singers seeming obsession with James Dean with a promo filmed in Dean’s hometown of Fairmount, Indiana, and of course he’s again courted slight controversy with the title alluding to skinhead culture though this may be more conjecture by some journalists. From a chart point of view he’s already bettered anything he’s done with the Smiths who only managed to peak at No 10 with any of their singles whilst this smashes in at No 6 (29,750)- a shock No 1 in store?

 

 

 

Further down at No 9 (20,910) we see the entry of a certain, and already mentioned, Rick Astley. Fourth single to be plucked from his debut album “Whenever You Need Somebody” is “Together Forever”. Astley has become a bit of a hit in the US with his first single there “Never Gonna Give You Up” climbing into the top 5 there this week, over here all previous singles from the album have gone top 3 so odds on this is set for a nice climb next week, Kylie should be worried even though some journalists have speculated that “I Should Be So Lucky” is just a sped up Rick Astley vocal!

 

 

 

Few would have given you good odds on seeing Eddy Grant back in the top 10, he was last seen 4 years on “Romancing The Stone” which could only make No 52 and hasn’t had a top 10 single in over 5 years. However his anti-apartheid single “Gimme Hope Jo’anna” proves there is life in the old dog yet as he climbs 12-8 (27,625) to have his 4th top 10 single.

 

 

 

You might not have heard of Coldcut but you’ve already heard their work, the duo formed in 1986 and produced a single called “Say Kids What Time Is It?” which was later sampled by M/A/R/R/S for their No 1 “Pump Up The Volume” last year, they then remixed Erik B & Rakim’s “Paid On Time” for the UK release (which included the sampled title for “Pump Up The Volume”) which helped the track become a hit on both sides of the pond. They finally get their own name into the charts on “Doctorin The House” which features former model and George Michael’s hairdresser Yazz. The song sold 20,689 copies last week as it lifts 25-10.

 

 

 

Jermaine Stewart is the only other climber as he creeps 8-7 (28,186), further up the charts and there are 2 fallers, Taylor Dayne dips 3-4 (46,495) and Tiffany slides 2-5 (44,608).

 

 

1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue (110,007)

2- BEAT DIS- Bomb The Bass (57,664)

3- GET OUT OF MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR- Billy Ocean (46,733)

4- TELL IT TO MY HEART- Taylor Dayne (46,495)

5- I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW- Tiffany (44,608)

6- SUEDEHEAD- Morrissey (29,750)

7- SAY IT AGAIN- Jermaine Stewart (28,186)

8- GIMME HOPE JOANNA- Eddy Grant (27,625)

9- TOGETHER FOREVER- Rick Astley (20,910)

10- DOCTORIN’ THE HOUSE- Coldcut Featuring Yazz & The Plastic Population (20,689)

 

'Suedehead' is good but not as good imo as many of the Smiths songs before it, so don't know why it outpeaked the Smiths' songs.

 

'Together Forever' is my favourite of Rick Astley's songs.

 

'Doctorin' the House' is interesting, some more singing in it than the other sample house tracks before it.

Edited January 13Jan 13 by TheSnake

Together Forever is also my favourite Rick Astley song, it has aged well imo.

Compared to the house songs of 1988, like 'Beat Dis' and 'Doctorin' the House' I don't think any SAW productions have aged well, they sound very of their time with the horn and string synths (although they were still used in dance songs in 1995 like The Original), but I still like them and they are undoubtedly catchy.

There was good SAW and bad SAW just like every other pop phase, their distinctive sound is what made them stand out and be so instantly recognisable, and they ought to be more celebrated for being probably the last British production team that really dominated the charts, everything after was either US or Swedish based (unless I'm overlooking something). We have that odd thing in Britain of always turning against something which is home grown, I think the nearest anything, production team wise, came close to their level of domination in the charts subsequently was probably Cheiron in the late 90s. Let's not forget that the big labels (and by extension the corporate music industry) was against them in the main simply because they were independent and not one of the big 4 companies and basically showed them how it was done for a few years at least.

 

Plus it was old fashioned music snobbery in part- "serious" music vs pop music etc

Most SAW stuff does sound very dated and of its time.

 

 

agree there's good SAW and then lots of bad SAW. Rick's Together Forever is definitely good SAW.

 

love Morrissey's Suedehead. What a fantastic debut single. Up there with the best of the Smiths.

 

also love the Cold Cut song and Yazz sounded great on this

 

the Eddy Grant one is also good although I'm not generally a big fan of his

Also a lot of it does sound exactly the same, much as I like it. I guess it's a winning formula!

Madonna changed the pop music biz, and the charts were starting to reflect her influence with all the teeny boppers charting, Kylie arrived with a huge bang, everyone but me was watching Neighbours (I'd got hooked on The Sullivans when I was unemployed, an Aussie Wartime soap, so I like to think I was ahead of the soap Kylie thing, as she was in that one too). I agree she didnt get the best SAW songs yet, though Je Ne sais Pas Pourquoi was good and Lucky was riff-hooked.

 

Top record is easily Taylor Dayne though, Tell It To My Heart was a chart-topping monster for me, love it, drips attitude. As far as the new House or dance music goes, Beat Dis was a big tune, exciting track, ditto Doctorin' The House, Billy Ocean's is decent but prefer his 70's stuff or Caribbean Queen. Morrissey without Marr was never in the same league, and I couldn't hum Suedehead if I tried. Every Day Is Like Sunday is about the only solo track I could have a go at until First Of The Gang To Die or his duet with Siouxsie.

 

Great to have Eddy Grant back, 20 years on from Baby Come Back, and a jolly way to make an important point, Rollin' Rick was getting a bit samey at this point, Jermaine Stewart was decent, too.

5TH MARCH

 

 

“I Should Be So Lucky” cools at retail sliding 22% to 87,975 as overall sales expand to 383,571 enough to see it rank only behind Tiffany for the year thus far. Again it was untouchable by the chasers and outpaced Bomb The Bass by almost 2: 1 with the latter selling 49,504 copies in the runner up spot as it itself similarly lost support.

 

 

 

Only one new entry to discuss and once again it is from a female teenage vocalist, we’ve already had Tiffany, Debbie and Kylie and now 1988 gives us Vanessa Paradis who is the youngest of them all at just 15. “Joe Le Taxi” was issued her native France last year and topped the charts there for 11 weeks making her into a native sensation, much more unusually it makes the transition across the channel to us here as it climbs 14-7 (32,266) to become the first top 10 single to be sung entirely in a foreign language since Los Lobos last year- can the song repeat “La Bamba”’s success? Much like “I Should Be So Lucky” it also comes with two promo’s one featuring Paradis being driven around in a car (this time in Martinique) which promoted the original French release and one which has been filmed for international release.

 

 

 

Billy Ocean holds firm at No 3 (43,214) though sales are down and he certainly felt the pressure from both Astley 9-4 (40,188) and Morrissey 6-5 (33,133) who both improve upon their debut positions of last week but will have to put in some serious effort to climb further. Astley can at least be excused as he is currently in the US promoting his debut hit which is now No 2 with a real shot at the top!

 

Taylor Dayne is still heading out of the top 10 as she drifts 4-6 (32,351) whilst Eddy Grant remains at No 8 (31,790) and Coldcut & Yazz climb 10-9 (25,891) and poor Tiffany slides 5-10 (24,157) but has sold 458,031 but must suspect her time at the top of the YTD charts is coming to an end!

 

 

1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue (87,975)

2- BEAT DIS- Bomb The Bass (49,504)

3- GET OUT OF MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR- Billy Ocean (43,214)

4- TOGETHER FOREVER- Rick Astley (40,188)

5- SUEDEHEAD- Morrissey (33,133)

6- TELL IT TO MY HEART- Taylor Dayne (32,351)

7- JOE LE TAXI- Vanessa Paradis (32,266)

8- GIMME HOPE JOANNA- Eddy Grant (31,790)

9- DOCTORIN THE HOUSE- Coldcut Featuring Yazz & The Plastic Population. (25,891)

10- I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW- Tiffany (24,157)

 

oh love Joe le Taxi <3 I still can sing all the lyrics in French <3

Madonna changed the pop music biz, and the charts were starting to reflect her influence with all the teeny boppers charting, Kylie arrived with a huge bang, everyone but me was watching Neighbours (I'd got

 

Yes I have long thought that Kylie's vocal style in 1988 is very similar to Madonna's in 1984

Joe Le Taxi, one of the best tracks of 1988, love it. Lenny Kravitz did too, I bet. :teresa: Vanessa was prob better in the 90's overall though when she was a bit more mature.

Not really that keen on any of the new entries since I last commented. Suedehead is okay but I agree it isn't a patch on the best Smiths singles... Joe Le Taxi is also okay but I've always found it a little bit boring if I'm honest... The Eddy Grant track is catchy but repeated plays left me finding it irritating... I don't remember the Coldcut track and didn't realise that Yazz had a hit before the more famous singles, again it was okay but I can't remember how it goes even though I've only just listened... and then there's Rick Astley, Together Forever is definitely a song that gets stuck in your head so I'll give it that

12TH MARCH

 

 

With sales off by 25% Kylie Minogue remains the nation’s biggest seller for a fourth week but it’s really touch and go for a fifth week for the Neighbours star, regardless it is now the longest chart topper of 1988. “I Should Be So Lucky” sold 65,841 copies last week but still had a relatively easy week as she defended herself against the still improving Rick Astley whose “Together Forever” rose 4-2 (41,616) to emerge as her main challenger, that of course gives Stock Aitken & Waterman a stranglehold on the top 2 replicating their high point as producers (April 1987 was the first time they held the top 2 spots), they also book end the top 10 with a new track at No 10, but more on that in a moment. Astley also finally makes No 1 in the US with “Never Gonna Give You Up”, that’s the production trio’s second US chart topper after Bananarama’s “Venus” turned the trick for them last year.

 

 

 

Currently being championed by the NME and the indie press, Coventry’s The Primitives have their first hit on their hands in the form of “Crash”. The song is the first release since the group sold their own label Lazy records to RCA, and with the push of a major label they hit it big, of course getting Morrissey to wear a T-Shirt advertising your band helped as well, certainly in indie circles. The song climbs 15-9 (22,406) this week.

 

 

 

So onto S/A/W’s newest top 10 and the return of Mel & Kim, Mel of course recently revealed that she has been fighting spine cancer during the course of last year which explains the duo’s absence from the charts since August 1987. “That’s The Way It Is” is a new recording which Mel discharged herself from hospital in order to record the vocals and comes with a new b-side which sounds like an amalgamation of Rick Astley singles! Anyway the song becomes the fourth top 10 single from the girls as it shoots 16-10 (21,828) and with the news Mel is well on the road to recovery there should be a second album sometime next year.

 

 

Celebrating this week are Vanessa Paradis who drives 7-4 (33,476) and Coldcut & Yazz who move 9-6 (27,982) with a TOTP boost and Eddy Grant is ever hopeful 8-7 (23,392). Bomb The Bass see their moment of opportunity pass as they dip 2-3 (34,476), Billy Ocean is caught daydreaming 3-5 (31,348) and Morrissey fans can’t lift their hero any higher as he tumbles 5-8 (22,678) his debut album “Viva Hate” is out in a fortnight.

 

 

1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue (65,841)

2- TOGETHER FOREVER- Rick Astley (41,616)

3- BEAT DIS- Bomb The Bass (34,476)

4- JOE LE TAXI- Vanessa Paradis (33,439)

5- GET OUT OF MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR- Billy Ocean (31,348)

6- DOCTORIN IN THE HOUSE- Coldcut Featuring Yazz & The Plastic Population (27,982)

7- GIMME HOPE JOANNA- Eddy Grant (23,392)

8- SUEDEHEAD- Morrissey (22,678)

9- CRASH- The Primitives (22,406)

10- THAT’S THE WAY IT IS- Mel & Kim (21,828)

 

oh love love love Primities-Crash such a mega classic of classic, perfect pure indie <3

 

was a big fan of Mel & Kim, bought all their singles, but this one was not that amazing

I really like that Mel and Kim song 'ooh ooh ooh-ooh, looking at the number one' , the chorus is so catchy.

 

The Primitives - Crash sounds to me like it could be a new wave song from 1980.

Edited January 15Jan 15 by TheSnake

Reading that sentence about Mel being on the road to recovery actually made me feel a bit sad + teary eyed :cry: