Yeah, pre-streaming the closest she'd had was 'Into The Groove' which was on 800-something-K.

Wow thats insane

And so Unfair

Was never keen on the U2/BB feature much, though it was nice for King to get some chart action late into his career. The FYC single was a literally a Good Thing :)

Re album sales, the reason singles sold in bucketloads in the 60's and albums didnt is down to price. They were both expensive relative to income (a single was almost 10 shillings by the end of the decade - 50p - when weekly wages were £24 on average. That's what my dad earned in the RAF. Bearing in mind rent, food, clothes and the rest there really wasnt much left over for luxuries like records, except second-hand. Albums were more like 10% of your wage.

In the 70's records held their price as wages climbed along with inflation so by the end of the decade singles were peaking in sales and really weren't that expensive (they hit £1 in 1979 as wages hit £100, so 1% and albums were maybe 3 or 4% so they were also peaking in sales. This trend continued into the 80's but there were 3 million unemployed (I was one of 'em) so a chunk of the population wasnt in a position to buy anything much until things improved later in the decade, at which point albums were so cheap it made sense to buy them over singles especially as record companies milked albums for singles to prioritise album sales, more profits in those.

Bad was the biggest selling album of all-time in the UK as we go into the 90's.......

1 hour ago, Popchartfreak said:

Was never keen on the U2/BB feature much, though it was nice for King to get some chart action late into his career. The FYC single was a literally a Good Thing :)

Re album sales, the reason singles sold in bucketloads in the 60's and albums didnt is down to price. They were both expensive relative to income (a single was almost 10 shillings by the end of the decade - 50p - when weekly wages were £24 on average. That's what my dad earned in the RAF. Bearing in mind rent, food, clothes and the rest there really wasnt much left over for luxuries like records, except second-hand. Albums were more like 10% of your wage.

In the 70's records held their price as wages climbed along with inflation so by the end of the decade singles were peaking in sales and really weren't that expensive (they hit £1 in 1979 as wages hit £100, so 1% and albums were maybe 3 or 4% so they were also peaking in sales. This trend continued into the 80's but there were 3 million unemployed (I was one of 'em) so a chunk of the population wasnt in a position to buy anything much until things improved later in the decade, at which point albums were so cheap it made sense to buy them over singles especially as record companies milked albums for singles to prioritise album sales, more profits in those.

Bad was the biggest selling album of all-time in the UK as we go into the 90's.......

Not quite. "Brothers in arms" was the best selling album of the 80s so was certainly ahead of "Bad" at this point

Despite getting nowhere near 1 million in sales at the time, I really think that Hung Up was Madonna’s biggest single but was very much hampered by an incredibly poor sales climate

I always feel like Vogue should be her biggest, but pretty certain it's not that close.

4 Minutes was pretty huge as well.

I always find Madonna's singles sales quite underwhelming for who she is.

It’s Vogue, Into the Groove or Like a Prayer for me!

29TH APRIL





“Eternal Flame” flickers slightly at the top but still puts in a sterling performance of 78,387 copies, their previous biggest seller was of course “Walk Like An Egyptian” which sold 350,000 in late 1986 but their current single has shifted 286,229 copies to date and should overtake the latter within the next few weeks. Simply Red spend a third week at No 2 but slip back even further in sales terms, they were 5,000 copies behind The Bangles a fortnight ago, last week they were 29,000 adrift coming in at 48,654 in total, however “A New Flame” does return to the No 1 spot on the album charts meaning that both Flames are aloft of their respective charts.

Transvision Vamp surprisingly hold the No 3 position (41,548) with a sales increase following a raunchy TOTP performance which featured James in a rather revealing outfit! Whilst Holly Johnson holds at No 4 (37,009) with just a minimal sales increase, he kept his clothes on for the show!




13 years after they formed and 19 singles later The Cure finally secure themselves a top 5 single, “Lullaby” flies 12-5 (24,582) and is the introductory single to the group’s 8th album “Disintegration” which is in shops in a fortnight. The group’s only prior entry in the top 10 was back in 1983 with the No 7 hit “Love Cats” with none of the interim 8 singles getting any higher than No 14.

He’s been in the press as a badboy but Merlin also features on the new Beatmasters single “Who’s In The House?” for which he’s rewarded with a 23-8 (21,522) rise. The Beatmasters hit the top 10 with their debut “Rok Da House” last January but follow up “Burn It Up” missed out at No 14 despite a guest vocal by 60s singer PP Arnold.

Morrissey is back and for a third time he debuts higher than the Smiths ever peaked, in this case “Interesting Drug” makes its debut at No 9 (20,995). Like his last single it features all the ex Smiths with the exception of Johnny Marr who’s moonlighting with The The at present, it also features backing vocals of Kirsty MacColl but there’s no word on that second Morrissey album, it seems like we’ll have to keep waiting.  The single was delayed initially by producer Stephen Street who was claiming unpaid royalties from the singer's "Viva Hate" album and put an injunction on the release but the matter is seemingly cleared up!

Along with Soul II Soul Inner City are probably one of the most talked about dance acts at present and both will be hoping will to shift some albums this year, “Club Classics Volume I” has already launched and holds at No 5 in its second week whilst “Paradise” is the debut Inner City album out in a fortnight and will now be home to three top 10 singles “Big Fun”, “Good Life” and “Ain’t Nobody” which lifts 20-10 (20,774) this week.

Fine Young Cannibals surge 9-7 (22,916) just behind the slipping Kon Kan 5-6 (22,984), this week’s also sees the release of a new Kylie single which should indicate if the youngsters have moved from Minogue to Donovan in 1989 in the same way they moved from Astley to Minogue last year- fickle world pop.


1- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles  (78,387)
2- IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red (48,654)
3- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp  (41,548)
4- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson  (37,009)
5- LULLABY- The Cure (24,582)
6- I BEG YOUR PARDON- Kon Kan (22,984)
7- GOOD THING- Fine Young Cannibals  (22,916)
8- WHO’S IN THE HOUSE- Beatmasters Featuring Merlin (21,522)
9- INTERESTING DRUG- Morrissey (20,995)
10- AIN’T NOBODY BETTER- Inner City (20,774)

love love love Lullaby, the quintessential Cure song, plus that video

and a great introduction to the Disintegration era

also like a lot that Morrissey single, didn't know his first 4 solo single had all gone top 10

the Beatmasters and Inner City songs are also great

forgot to say I also liked Good Thing a lot, 2 great ones in a row for FYC

Flaming chart-toppers, eh! Have to admit I'm not too fussed about any of these new entries, none of them have stayed with me over the years, I would struggle to recognise them, bar The Cure. I was most put out that all of the quirky Cure hits before Love Song weren't top 10, it was a great run of quality goth-pop, but from here-on they got all serious-album oriented and took off in the USA. It granted them kudos, street-cred and a long-line of influence, but I still love the earlier stuff more for the most part. Morrissey involved in a court case? Who'd a thunk it, but I'm sure that will never happen again.....😇

Brilliant to see The Cure achieving a new personal best in the charts this week with the haunting 'Lullaby'!

Amazing single and the parent album is a masterpiece, their strongest era for me hands down.

There isn't a lot to say about the newies here.

I listened to The Cure to remind myself, but even that didn't spark much attention for me.

Amazed anyone can feel indifferent to lullaby 😢

6TH MAY





The Bangles claim a fourth week at No 1 this week as “Eternal Flame” refuses to be extinguished and equals the record for an all female group previously held by Pussycat and Sister Sledge, by a combination of determination and a monumental mess up by PWL, more on that in a moment, it sold 72,029 copies and thusly has now sold over 350,000 in total, easily enough to place it in the top 10 for the year and become their personal best seller and the 4th biggest of 1989 to date.

So onto the new Kylie Minogue single which was originally going to be “It’s No Secret” until the success of “Especially For You” put the single back so long that S/A/W had composed a new ditty for Minogue, that single was “Hand On Your Heart” and so instead of a fifth single from “Kylie” we get the lead single from her second album. It becomes the third single from a female soloists to debut at No 2 after selling 70,397 copies but it had 11,000 sales discounted for chart purposes- why? Because PWL put the cassingle at £1.99 retail price, lower than current BPI rules permit and so these “sales” were lost which cost PWL and Minogue the opportunity to become record breakers. BPI are currently relooking at Cassette single prices and reducing them in a bid to boost sales of the format so it may be a matter of bad timing but PWL certainly should have known what it was doing when it priced the format up or it was just an oversight, either way it’s cost them the top spot. It has resulted in one other change, in an attempt to give the single a chance at No 1 this Sunday the S/A/W produced “Ferry Cross The Mersey” in aid of the Hillsborough disaster has been put back a week!

In the 80s there have 122 new entries into the top 10, only 14 of them have been by female solo acts, and 9 of them by Madonna, however Kylie is the first female to debut at No 2 twice!

They may be German based but be assured the London Boys are indeed from London and have so far released 5 singles with only “Requiem” making the UK Charts (No 59) so far though they are, as they say, big on the continent where that single was a sizeable hit. So much so in fact that they decided to give another whirl and now the song rises 11-5 (34,425), the guys were former roller skaters which helps to explain their acrobatics on TOTP and their physiques which have attracted attention from certain quarters.

Undoubtedly experiencing her best time chart wise Natalie Cole had just one top 40 single before 1988 but since the career rejuvenating “Pink Cadillac” she’s now had 4 on the trot with “Miss You Like Crazy” becoming a fifth as it crashes in 24-7 (27,200). It’s the first single from her album “Good To Be Back” and is co-penned the legend Gerry Goffin.

An established act back in their native Australia, Midnight Oil have been churning out albums since 1978 with a couple of Aussie No 1’s under their belt, our current love of all things antipodean has seen a re-released “Beds Are Burning” hit it big here after stopping at No 48 last year. It’s the first release to really make a splash outside their homeland, unusual given its lyrical theme of giving land back to the original aborigines of Australia, anyway it now climbs 12-9 (22,542) two years after it was a hit down under.

The arrival of Kylie now knocks both Simply Red and Transvision Vamp down a slot 2-3 (35,802) and 3-4 (34,459) rerspectively, and Holly Johnson also tumbles 4-6 (30,124) as his album “Blast” lands at No 1 so he won’t be devastated at the fall. Beatmasters and Merlin hold at No 8 (26,690) even after a TOTP performance for which the singer was released from youth offenders for the day but they won’t have TOTP to help it this week, and Fine Young Cannibals fall back 7-10 (22,015).


1- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles (72,029)
2- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (70,397)
3- IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red (35,802)
4- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp (34,459)
5- REQUIEM- London Boys (34,425)
6- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson (30,124)
7- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (27,200)
8- WHO’S IN THE HOUSE- Beatmasters Featuring Merlin  (26,690)
9- BEDS ARE BURNING- Midnight Oil (22,542)
10- GOOD THING- Fine Young Cannibals  (22,015)

Disintegration is my favourite Cure album, and I believe 'Pictures of You' to be my favourite Cure song. Just amazing ❤️

I had no idea about 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' being pushed back a week to give 'Hand On Your Heart' another chance at #1 - that's quite shocking given the cause of the former. Kylie racking up the #2 debuts (three now if you count 'Especially For You'), I'm glad 'Eternal Flame' had a nice run at #1 though.

Love Hand On Your Heart! Kylie classic

CLEARLY the big news of the past couple of weeks is the arrival of the London Boys! 🤩

'Requiem' is great. Very Pet Shop Boys influenced obviously!

'Who's In the House' partly makes up for fellow hip house producer Tyree Cooper only reaching #12

With 'Hand on Your Heart' there is a slight difference to previous Kylie hits, the addition of a house influenced piano .

Edited April 18Apr 18 by TheSnake

In my excitement at the arrival of the true icons of 1989, I forgot to swoon at Lullaby which is a wonderful record and heralded the arrival of their best album.

I also quite like Beds are Burning too, but not to the extent of Lullaby or Requiem. The Kylie song is okay I guess, not a particular favourite though.