I really liked Mica Paris and My One Temptation, great single, she had lots of potential but this was her only big big hit.

Love will save the Day is a great Whitney single. At this point the UK seemed to prefer her upbeat numbers since the 2 ballads of the album had both stalled at #14, while going to #1 in the US.

Thought LA Mix missed the top 10 and peaked at #12 for some reason! Good to see it there, I like the main horn synth melody and the end of it with its 'yeah woo' sample fun!

 

Thought dance and R&B like Whitney's upbeat songs would have switched to house, or new jack swing, production but maybe not yet.

Thought dance and R&B like Whitney's upbeat songs would have switched to house, or new jack swing, production but maybe not yet.

You're way ahead of yourself :D New Jack wasn't something that was ever heard until around 1991 as an expression or genre of its own, Chicago house was definitely something that was happening in clubs along with acieeeed but more on that later in 88. Whitney's track was on the album which came out in Mid 87 and was probably recorded in late 86ish.

You're way ahead of yourself :D New Jack wasn't something that was ever heard until around 1991 as an expression

 

Didn't know that - what I meant is production like Pebbles - Girlfriend or Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately.

Didn't know that - what I meant is production like Pebbles - Girlfriend or Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately.

Don't get me wrong- I think things like that can be seen as precursor to new jack but they were considered (in the late 80s) as just pop/RNB crossovers, or US style pop

havent heard Check This Out in decades, but it's one I liked, but it's been forgotten by radio since, unlike My One Temptation which is still played. I still have a soft spot for Mica, no big hits beyond this one but always sounding good. Love Will Save The Day was formula Whitney, not as drearily annoying as the ballads, but nothing special for an upbeat track. Her 2 chart-toppers both made my top 10 at the time but she wouldnt have anything else good enough to do that until 1999. For me that was peak Whitney era.

11TH JUNE

 

 

A Fortnight ago the Childline record “With A Little Help From My Friends” triumphed by a whopping 48,000 copies, this week it was just under 7,000 with a brave Kylie clinging on for a third week in the runner up spot and actually managing to outsell the Wets on some days through the week, the Glasgow boys running out 47,328 to 40,409 winners.

 

 

 

Neither act is likely to be No 1 next week however, nor is Aztec Camera who despite a 5-3 move sold 25,585 copies a mere 20% increase despite TOTP to assist it. No, the next No 1 will probably come from the Timelords who power 22-4 (25,143) with their unique take on the Dr Who theme mashed in with Gary Glitter’s “Rock N Roll (Part 2)” and Sweet’s “Blockbuster”. The Timelords are Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, two maverick musicians who don’t normally venture into the mainstream but this novelty track certainly seems to have hit a nerve with the UK Public. The pair also go by the name of The Justified Ancients Of MuMu producing three singles which used samples by Sam Fox, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton and which attracted critical acclaim if not sales.

 

 

 

Soaring 14-5 (23,256) is the best selling single of 1987 in both Germany and Switzerland, and a chart topper in Norway and Austria though only a No 2 in France, it comes from Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop who goes by the name of Desireless and the track “Voyage Voyage” becomes the second top 10 single of 1988 to be sung entirely in French after Vanessa Paradis’ “Joe La Taxi” back in March. The song only made No 57 last November but has now been remixed for the UK market by Pete Hammond and Pete Waterman and it now finds favour with us- we’re a fickle lot.

 

 

 

For the first time ever two Lennon/ McCartney covers are in the top 10 simultaneously (three depending on how you count the current No 1) as Tiffany’s cover of “I Saw Him Standing There” arrives 23-8 (16,881). As with all her previous singles here it has already been a top 10 single in the US (making No 7 there), the album responds by flying 77-49 but has performed disappointingly for an LP containing three top 10 singles, selling just over 150,000 copies so far.

 

 

Mica Paris continues to win fans 8-7 (17,680) as she nestles in behind a falling Belinda Carlisle 4-6 (21,743), LA Mix slide 6-9 (16,286) and Fairground Attraction finally lose public support moving 3-10 (16,218) but "Perfect" now moves over 300,000 copies in total.

 

 

1- WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/ SHE’S LEAVING HOME- Wet, wet, wet/

Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey (47,328)

2- GOT TO BE CERTAIN- Kylie Minogue (40,409)

3- SOMEWHERE IN MY HEART- Aztec Camera (25,585)

4- DOCTORIN THE TARDIS- The Timelords (25,143)

5- VOYAGE VOYAGE (REMIX)- Desireless (23,256)

6- CIRCLE IN THE SAND- Belinda Carlisle (21,743)

7- MY ONE TEMPTATION- Mica Paris (17,680)

8- I SAW HIM STANDING THERE- Tiffany (16,881)

9- CHECK THIS OUT- LA Mix (16,286)

10- PERFECT- Fairground Attraction (16,218)

 

The Voyage song and remix is good, another Euro-disco hit to addd to the numerous Italo-disco ones in the 80s.

Edited January 28Jan 28 by TheSnake

Voyage Voyage :wub:

 

Goodness only knows why it needed a remix though as it doesn't add anything and possibly just made it sound more tinny.

 

Glad to see Aztec Camera crack the top 3, didn't realise it had made it so high.

 

That Tiffany song is awful. I only knew the big hit and so far none of the others have impressed me at all.

'Voyage Voyage' is my favourite hit in a while :wub: didn't really need that remix quality-wise but not complaining if it became a top 10 hit off the back of it.

 

'Doctorin' the Tardis', the inspiration behind the iconic KLF manual :cheeseblock: (the Glitter association is unfortunate though)

 

'I Saw Her Standing There' is one of my favourites on the Beatles' debut but can't say the Tiffany version does anything for me either

love Voyage Voyage pure nostalgia of hearing this as a kid, the song was everywhere at the time

 

less of a fan of the Doctorin' the Tardis

 

the Tifanny cover of the Beatles was kinda lacklustre

but surprised at how international the UK charts were in 1988, 2 songs in French being hits!

 

 

'Voyage Voyage' is such a classic!

I haven't commented much in a while. Lots of great stuff.

 

Somewhere in My Heart sounds like it would really suit the Manic Street Preachers, if they ever chose to cover it - right down to the guitar solo.

 

 

also surprised Somewhere in my Heart made the top 3, thought it had peaked low top 10.

many other songs I got the wrong peak in the head, I also thought Crash or King of rock and roll had peaked lower.

 

On the other hand, I was convinced the great Don't Go by Hothouse Flowers had been top 10, but looks like it peaked at #11 sadly

 

Voyage Voyage is a great pop track, always a delight when a French-language track hits in the UK. I should use the past-tense I suppose, these days. Doctorin The Tardis was a total banging Glam-stomper with arguably the most innovative TV theme tune ever - I say arguably, but it isn't really, it was that far ahead of its time nothing else comes close. Not that it hadnt been a hit before (see disco Mankind in 1978), but it just blended with Blockbuster/Rock n Roll part 2 perfectly, the latter Mike Leander stomp and Glitter Band chants sample doesnt really feature that bloke by and large, when on TOTP in 72, he just pranced around like a warm-up act, like the bloke in Boney M. The Timelords/Mum Mu duo, just to rub it in that they could get a number one record without trying hard, then wrote a best-selling book about how to get a number one record and followed it up with a little short-term combo called KLF. Then burnt the cash and filmed it.

 

I wasnt a massive fan of the Beatles original I Saw Her Standing There, oddly, it just sounded a bit amateurish compared to what came after, and Tiffany did nothing to try and improve on it, though she was 17/18 so the lyrics fit better. The three Beatles songs in the top 10, though, were all McCartney tracks really. As John once commented when he lost his bet with Elton about Whatever Gets You The Night hitting number one in the USA, and had turn up at Elton's gig and sang I Saw Her introducing it as "a song by an old estranged fiancee" - this was a B side for Elton's Philadelphia Freedom and later a single hit posthumously in 1981 for John, & Elton. That's the version I first knew as I bought Philadelphia Freedom.

18TH JUNE

 

 

The week started off with Wet Wet Wet looking like maintaining the top spot but they gave way to the new Bros single which looking like it could be a sensational debut at No 1 but, post TOTP, lost the lead conclusively to the Timelords! Phew! “Doctorin The Tardis” therefore climbs 4-1 (43,605) benefiting from an idiosyncratic performance on the BBC flagship show, it marks the first time in chart history when a Scottish act has replaced Scots at the top spot, Wet, Wet, Wet tumble 1-3 (34,136) though the track is now the 3rd biggest of the year with 367,268 sales. By Contrast The Timelords sale this week is the lowest needed for No 1 since the Pet Shop Boys made No 1 in January 1986 on a sale of 34,697 but at least that had the January sales slump as an explanation.

 

 

 

So onto the “new entry” which of course isn’t really, “I Owe You Nothing” was the first Bros single and peaked at No 80 last year but has now been remixed and debuts at No 2 on a strong sale of 34,850, the best start to any of their singles. Of course it matches the peak of both their previous hits “When Will I Be Famous” and “Drop The Boy” and also their album “Push”, the group are in danger of being the perennial runner ups of the year, though in terms of press they certainly can’t be beaten, “Smash Hits” seem to love them! We’ll see if they can finally grab a chart topper next week though in part its high new entry this week is thanks to a limited edition of the 7" which was available in three variants each with a different member of the band on the cover.

 

 

 

Another “big” act bounces 24-4 (31,059) which benefitted from another TOTP “moment” when someone at the show didn’t quite view the entire video before airing it and didn’t spot that the singers breasts appear to almost pop out in the promo- at 7.15 on BBC 1! The artist in question is 20 year old Sabrina Salerno who comes from Italy and has had an international hit with “Boys (Summertime Love)” which has already topped charts in France and Switzerland earlier this year though it flopped here making No 60 in February. With warmer climes upon us it now finds favour and results in a top 5 for the singer, the writer is a certain Claudio Cecchetto who also wrote Taffy’s “I Love My Radio” a top 10 hit last year.

 

 

 

A US #11 hit in 1970 for Cat Stevens, “Wild World” has been a radio staple over the years though he never released the song here, that honour falling to Jimmy Cliff who took it to No 8 in the same year. That was the only version to be a hit until Maxi Priest released his current single, it grows 15-7 (23,596) to become his biggest hit and first top 10 single. The song was of course released as a cover Jonathan King last year in attempt to prove that the Pet Shop Boys “It’s A Sin” was essentially the same song, a claim that resulted in the boys taking King to Court, the case to be heard at some point this year.

 

 

 

The Smiths scored two top 10 hits from 17 releases, Morrissey has now scored two top 10 singles from his first two releases! He must presumably be happy that the band split as he’s had nothing but success this year with “Suedehead” making No 5 and his debut solo album “Viva Hate” topped the chart, now second single “Everyday Is Like Sunday” comes in 12-9 (21,403). Its call for a nuclear bomb to drop on a seaside town is apparently inspired by a trip the singer made to Borth in Wales, I doubt they’ll be impressed.

 

 

Elsewhere Desireless hold at No 5 (26,367) but it’s bad news for Kylie who slides 2-6 (25,806), Aztec Camera who tumble 3-8 (21,539) and Tiffany who reverses 8-10 (20,791).

 

 

1- DOCTORIN IN THE TARDIS- The Timelords (43,605)

2- I OWE YOU NOTHING- Bros (34,850)

3- WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/ SHE’S LEAVING HOME- Wet, wet, wet/ Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey (34,136)

4- BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE)- Sabrina (31,059)

5- VOYAGE VOYAGE (REMIX)- Desireless (26,367)

6- GOT TO BE CERTAIN- Kylie Minogue (25,806)

7- WILD WORLD- Maxi Priest (23,596)

8- SOMEWHERE IN MY HEART- Aztec Camera (21,539)

9- EVERYDAY IS LIKE SUNDAY- Morrissey (21,403)

10- I SAW HIM STANDING THERE- Tiffany (20,791)

 

A reminder on spoilers- can we try to avoid to mentioning where tracks peaked (between 1988 and 1994 at least).

love Everyday is like Sunday, Morrissey's best song, up their with the best of the Smiths

 

the Bros I also kinda like

Two big fav peaking outside the top 10 sadly

 

Erasure-Chains of Love, peaking at #11... this one I never understood, this is pop perfection

 

Voice of The Beehive-Don't call me Baby, peaking at #15... love the band and the single and their debut album was fantastic too