same, for me I couldn't even listen to the clip linked

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

 

I know :(

Crash

 

Such a fun track to dance to, absolutely love it

I still get saddened by anything Mel & Kim, much too young to pass away especially after going through all she did, and I did buy this single, I thought it was under-rated compared to other SAW stuff around at that time. Crash is pretty good, though never a top 10 fave in my charts, if I remember right. (checked, peaked at 14).

I echo the love for Crash.

 

And also the sadness for Mel. This latest song was nowhere near as good as Respectable and Showing Out and the video not having them in it - whilst understandable - probably didn't do it any favours either.

'That's the Way It Is' is better than their previous single 'FLM' I think.

 

So sad about Mel (and Kim) indeed :(

Edited January 16Jan 16 by TheSnake

FLM the single was terrible (and I did buy it lol)

19TH MARCH

 

 

On paper not an awful lot happened last week in the top 3, Kylie hung on for a 5th week at the top (the longest chart topper by a female since Jennifer Rush in 1985) while Rick Astley held at No 2 and Vanessa Paradis crawled 4-3 but the fact beneath that is that all three tracks are now in sales decline to varying degrees. Kylie slumped 26% to post a sale of just 48,280 which is the lowest tally since Madonna last May, Astley shed 13% to sell 35,496 (the lowest sale for No 2 since “Caravan Of Love" last year) and Vanessa Paradis lost 15% to clock in at 28,815, all in all that makes a pretty soft top 3.

 

 

 

All the better for Aswad who this week leap 22-4 (27,455) to give UK Reggae a much needed spot of advertising. “Don’t Turn Around” was penned by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond (they also wrote Starship’s No 1 from last year) and was given to Tina Turner to record in 1986, her version ended up as a b-side to “Typical Male” but was covered last year by TV presenter Kim Goody (of “No 73” fame) but that failed to chart. It was also covered and became a US R N B top 20 single for Luther Ingram and that’s the version that Aswad heard and decided to give it a whirl, the band have been around for 13 years with only two chart hits to their credit, neither of which pierced the top 50.

 

 

 

Erasure’s third album “The Innocents” is released next month and lead single “Ship Of Fools” is doing the trick of promoting it with some ease as it flies 12-6 (23,494). The duo have chosen Pet Shop Boys producer Stephen Hague to oversee the album and he steers this song to become the group’s 4th top 10 single in just over a year.

 

 

 

A product of Prince’s Paisley Park label, Taja Sevelle (real name Nancy Richardson) is the new name on the block with “Love Is Contagious”. Unlike Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, Sevelle doesn’t come to the UK with a US top 10 hit to promote, this track fizzled out at No 62 Stateside but has done much better over here as the song bounces 17-7 (22,933) after a stunning TOTP performance.

 

 

The Primitives move 9-5 (25,449) with a minimal sales increase, and three songs are back to back and falling, Bomb The Bass slump 3-8 (22,865), Coldcut & Yazz slip 6-9 (22,678) and Billy Ocean dips 5-10 (22,287), his album “Tear Down These Walls” does however debut at No 3 to compensate.

 

 

1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue (48,280)

2- TOGETHER FOREVER- Rick Astley (35,496)

3- JOE LE TAXI- Vanessa Paradis (28,815)

4- DON’T TURN AROUND- Aswad (27,455)

5- CRASH- The Primitives (25,449)

6- SHIP OF FOOLS- Erasure (23,494)

7- LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS- Taja Sevelle (22,933)

8- BEAT DIS- Bomb The Bass (22,865)

9- DOCTORIN HOUSE- Coldcut Featuring Yazz & The Plastic Population (22,678)

10- GET OUT OF MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR- Billy Ocean (22,287)

 

It's a sad song lyrically but I really like 'Ship of Fools' especially the chorus; someone should sample it in a dance track or something.

 

Really like Aswad's version of 'Don't Turn Around' too what a nostalgic classic!

Edited January 16Jan 16 by TheSnake

Ship of Fools :wub: I didn't know it at the time but I remember hearing it on the Pop! compilation and thinking it was weird that they went with this as a lead single when Chains of Love and (obvs) A Little Respect were right there... but over time I've come to appreciate it a lot more and think it's one of their loveliest songs.

That Taja Sevelle song isn't very good imo even after a few listens.

Edited January 16Jan 16 by TheSnake

Fantastic Erasure single!

 

Also didn't realise Primitives actually went top 5, so that's been nice to see!

Only 1.2k between numbers 6 and 10. Could have ended up in any order

 

'Crash' is great. Like both versions!

 

'Joe Le Taxi' is quite nice as well!

Oh loooove Ship of fools, my @1 Erasure song, pure class

 

Also loooove Love is Contagious, amazing song. Think I always thought it was a Prince-penned song, guess not?

 

oh so great Crash went top 5, didn't recall that, thought it had peaked low top 10. Fantastic band and album and song! Loved all those female-fronted sorta pop-rock bands around that time like Primitives or Transvision Vamp, stealing from pop, rock, punk, with guitars! Too bad we don't have these kinda bands anymore.

Edited January 17Jan 17 by Bjork

There’s 100s of them - Wolf Alice, The Big Moon….

I mean in the singles charts

Aswad were long overdue a proper hit by 1988 and those of us of a certain age still had love for Brinsley as one of the child stars of Here Come The Double Deckers, so it was great they finally got a breakthrough and bumped reggae back into the charts ready for the 90's resurgence. Taja Sevelle was cool and looked like she might be a stayer - but sadly not. Ship Of Fools is decent but the next two singles were Erasure at their best to date, bar Sometimes.

26TH MARCH

 

 

A huge tidy out this week after the lull of 7 days ago. Aswad make their expected rise to No 1 this week and in the process sold 48,807 copies, not exactly a show that it intends to stay for a long time! As noted before it is the second Hammond/ Warren composition to make No 1 in just 10 months, Aswad were lagging behind the highest new entry of the week until Friday before they finally gained some authority over the top slot, it is the first reggae No 1 since UB40 & Chrissie Hynde, depending on how you view Boy George’s “Everything I Own” from last year.

 

 

 

Making a late challenge to their authority however were Bros who are quickly turning into the teen sensation of 1988 with a publicity machine that continues to pump out stories about the trio to the press encouraging scenes of female adoration wherever the boys go. For now it’s working a dream, second single “Drop The Boy” debuted at No 17 last week and now slices through the competition 17-2 (40,341) to equal the peak of their last single “When Will I Be Famous” a couple of months ago. On this form one has to suspect that the boys will be celebrating their first No 1 next week, their debut album “Push” is out in three weeks and should similarly be a chart topper but more immediately they have a half hour special on ITV this Friday which should ensure a tough battle for Aswad next week.

 

 

Kylie falls 1-3 (37,128) after 5 weeks as the nation’s favourite which brings the tracks total sales to 534,820, S/A/W are clearly hoping to have produced the best seller of the year for a second year on the trot as this track ascends to the top of the listings for 1988 and lifts above the half million mark.

 

 

Just below Kylie are the highest new entry of the week and for a time the song that was looking good to enter at the top in the midweek sales flashes. Iron Maiden have so far scored 16 hits in their long career but their previous best was 1982’s “Run To The Hills” which made No 7, they now go instantly better with “Can I Play With Madness?” enters at No 4 (27,047) showing how badly it faded as the week progressed. The song was originally called “On The Wings Of Eagles” and comes with a promo filmed at Tintern Abbey.

 

 

 

“Could’ve Been” has already topped the US charts for Tiffany and it’s making short work here in the UK. Her last single “I Think We’re Alone Now” finally leaves the top 40 this week but she’s wasting no time on following up the No 1 single as this single catapults 22-5 (24,242) and could be in with an outside chance of making No 1 next week if Bros/ Aswad should falter, her album shows little sign of being revived by the single though as it falls out of the top 20 after just 5 weeks 20-23 after peaking at No 5.

 

 

 

Taking rather longer to become a hit here after making the top in the US, Heart have struggled to follow up “Alone”, it became their first top 40 single and made it all the way to No 3, “Who Will You Run To?” (No 30) and “There’s The Girl” (No 34) both failed to impress. The group have clearly decided to return to former glories and give the song “These Dreams” another lease of life. It made No 1 in the US two years ago but only No 62 here, they’ve teamed it with “Never” as a double A Side, a song that failed to chart here but Made No 4 in America. “These Dreams” was originally offered to Stevie Nicks who turned it down and must regret it now, the coupling rises 12-8 (22,151) to see the rockers return to the top flight.

 

 

 

Not content with co-writing the current No 1 single Diane Warren is also responsible for the track at the other end of the top 10, Belinda Carlisle’s “I Get Weak”. The song falls 2-6 in the US this week unable to dislodge Rick Astley, but has surprisingly struggled here moving 39-17-13-11-10 thus far selling 21,607 copies in its latest frame actually losing sales as it rises!

 

 

Three further fallers to cover briefly, Vanessa Paradis taxi’s south 3-6 (23,834), the Primitives crash out 5-7 (23,715) and Erasure sink 6-9 (22,083).

 

 

1- DON’T TURN AROUND- Aswad (48,807)

2- DROP THE BOY- Bros (40,341)

3- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue (37,128)

4- CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS- Iron Maiden (27.047)

5- COULD’VE BEEN- Tiffany (24,242)

6- JOE LE TAXI- Vanessa Paradis (23,834)

7- CRASH- The Primitives (23,715)

8- NEVER/ THESE DREAMS- Heart (22,151)

9- SHIP OF FOOLS- Erasure (22,083)

10- I GET WEAK- Belinda Carlisle (21,607)

 

a couple of newbies that I really really love... first Heart with the re-issued These Dreams/Never, two fantastic oldies from them. Heart were one of my fave bands as a kid <3 also love I Get Weak from Belinda, don't get why it didn't do better, great single and better than Heaven imo

the Tifanny ballad is your classic 80s ballad but really liked it at the time and kinda made me buy the album, despite being team Debbie Gibson :D

I was not a big fan of Bros but Drop the Boy is a good pop song. I do prefer it to the Aswad track so I would have preferred Bros at #1

 

the only newbie I hate with all my guts is the Iron Maiden one. Hated the band and never ever could comprehend their appeal.