I forgot what Bamboogie was, so I had a listen. It's okay, but I can see why I forgot it.

Renegade Master is a cracking tune.

24TH JANUARY





Scoring an easy fourth chart topper Oasis prove they still have what it takes with “All Around the World”. It’s a tenth top 10 single for the band and an eighth top 3 track on the trot and sold a mighty 112,000 copies to fly to the top which is also their 8th straight six figure opening week sum. At over 9 minutes in length it also becomes the UK’s longest No 1 single ever beating Meat Loaf’s 5 year record (though a radio edit at 4:50 has been made to get airplay) and means that the group have now had a No 1 single in 4 consecutive years, the first since Take That (93-96), the last act to do 5 continuous years? Their heroes The Beatles naturally. The song stems from 1992 and has backing vocals from Meg Matthews, Patsy Kensit and Richard Ashcroft to add extra pazzazz. The “Be Here Now” album has already sold over 1.5 million and lifts 21-14 this week.

Back to another song that was written some years ago (1995 in this case), Radiohead’s “No Surprises” goes straight in at No 4 (52,000). It comes a rather alarming promo which sees Yorke get visibly more stressed as his diver’s helmet fills with water which has caused some comment in the press. Nonetheless it is the group’s 5th top 10 hit and helps the album recover 9-6.

Following the split in late 1996 of The Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown took some time out of the music business but the lure proved too great and his debut solo album is just around the corner. “My Star” is his opening shot and becomes a No 5 (49,000) hit after considerable hype in the music press.

Increasing sales by 27% wasn’t anywhere near enough to keep the top spot so All Saints play runner up to Oasis on 68,000, they occupy the same position on the album chart behind the Verve. Bamboo drop 2-3 (52,000) and Wildchild fall 3-6 (48,500) but the bottom four are all long runners. Lighthouse Family hold at No 7 (48,200) just ahead of Janet Jackson who is down 5-8 (47,500) and Robbie Williams who is slipping 6-9 (47,000). Various Artists are now well and truly out of fashion 4-10 (37,000).


1- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Oasis (112,000)
2- NEVER EVER- All Saints (68,000)
3- BAMBOOGIE- Bamboo (52,000)
4- NO SURPRISES- Radiohead (52,000)
5- MY STAR- Ian Brown (49,000)
6- RENEGADE MASTER 98- Wildchild (48,500)
7- HIGH- Lighthouse Family (48,200)
8- TOGETHER AGAIN- Janet Jackson (47,500)
9- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (47,000)
10- PERFECT DAY- Various Artists (37,000)


 

31ST JANUARY





Plucked from obscurity at just 13 by record producer and label owner LA Reid, Usher Raymond IV had his first album out at just 15 and got Puff Daddy to co-produce it. Whilst generating some minor hits in the US and the UK #70 hit “Think Of You” (co-written by Faith Evans) it passed largely unnoticed, but now at the grand old age of 19 he returns with a second album “My Way” and a major hit in “You Make Me Wanna”. The song spent 7 weeks at No 2 in the US behind Elton John but wastes no time here shooting straight to No 1 (106,968), it means that 1998 starts just as 1997 did with a string of one week chart toppers for a fourth week.  Usher also  becomes the youngest male solo act to hit No 1 since Glenn Medeiros ten years ago.

Part of the ever growing music scene in Wales Catatonia have built up a steady fanbase touring and supporting, among others, Space over the last few years and have been rewarded with five hit singles so far though none made the top 30. With a second album due in a few weeks they now score their real breakthrough at No 3 (53,000) with the X-Files inspired title “Mulder & Scully. The song was originally intended to be released last summer as the first single from the second album but the record company vetoed the idea and went with “I Am The Mob” (#40) so it looks like the group are now vindicated.

“Tubthumping” sold an incredible 750,000+ copies and is doubtless a tough act to follow but Chumbawamba aren’t doing too badly with “Amnesia”. Written as an examination of Tony Blair’s new labour project it doesn’t seem to have been hampered by the party’s current popularity and enters at No 10 (24,000) Proving that the group aren’t destined to become one hit wonders, in the UK at any rate.

The All Saints play runner up on both charts again unable to dislodge the Verve on the albums and selling just 61,000 copies of “Never Ever” to trail in at No 2 behind Usher on the singles chart. The track may just sneak its millionth sale this week with a current tally of 959,000.

Proving a slow burning hit Lighthouse Family’s “High” rebounds 7-4 (43,000) even though it lost sales, but former No 1 “All Around The World” deflates 1-5 (40,000)- none of the band’s four chart toppers have lasted more than 7 days.

Bamboo drift 3-6 (36,000) and Robbie Williams is all zig-zagging around the top 10 9-7 (31,000). “Angels” is now in its 8th week in the top 10 and has sold 501,000 copies, that’s more than all but 2 Take That singles.

Wildchild rebel 6-9 (28,000) and fall past Janet Jackson who sticks at No 8 (30,000) but is now the new No 1 Stateside, her 8th US chart topper.


1- YOU MAKE ME WANNA- Usher (106,968)
2- NEVER EVER- All Saints (61,000)
3- MULDER AND SCULLY- Catatonia (53,000)
4- HIGH- Lighthouse Family (43,000)
5- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Oasis (40,700)
6- BAMBOOGIE- Bamboo (36,000)
7- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (31,000)
8- TOGETHER AGAIN- Janet Jackson (30,000)
9- RENEGADE MASTER 98- Wildchild (28,000)
10- AMNESIA- Chumbawamba (24,000)

No Surprises ❤️ one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.

For some reason I thought it had peaked at number 10, so 4 is

Also Mulder and Scully is superb - I remember this chart vividly. Woolies had it out of the top 10 So it was an unexpected hit!

Hooray - the obligatory airing of All Saints' Never Ever!, Performance 8 out of 9 for this.

And then we get another performance of 'Angels'.

All Saints and Robbie never off the Pops at this point!

9 minutes long and I couldn't hum a bar of All Around the World, so I had a quick listen...

Nothing.

Literally can't remember it at all.

Definitely not one of their best was it. I wasn't really into the Usher song that much either, though it's better than Oasis. I guess 1998 improved rapidly as it was my favourite year for the charts, but not really in January.

Still, kudos to Robbie and All Saints for hanging around so well, I definitely do relate both acts more to 1998 than 1997 in my head so it's fair that they started off so strongly.

Nice indie and rock on this edition from Catatonia, Radiohead, Green Day. I wasn't so taken by the Chumbawamba song (a true 'halo hit' I guess, as it never would have been a hit without Tubthumping coming before it).

Some crap pop in these two weeks too from OTT and Peter Andre, and so many disco covers or samples doing the rounds in the chart at this point. 1997 and 1998 definitely felt like the 70s revival. I didn't really enjoy the slower version of High either so I guess that works better with its lovely studio string production.

No Surprises the clear highlight of this update, beautiful and mesmerising track <3

On 13/06/2025 at 19:57, Jessie Where said:

Oh wow at 'Never Ever' very almost not being a #1!

I never knew that.

Thank goodness it beat that other song which has aged terribly!

Cerys' accent in the chorus in Mulder and Scully definitely helped it in the charts I think!

Never Ever is good, High by Lighthouse Family is really nice too he has a nice tone to his voice. Robbies' Angels has been ruined by overplay, Bamboogie I am not really a fan of compared to other dance music of the late 90s but that style of organ bassline sound in Bamboogie has been replicated lots in house music more recently.

Edited Friday at 21:354 days by TheSnake

I actually really enjoy the Oasis track, another classic.

Absolutely was addicted to the X Files at this moment of my life so nice to see Catatonia having a big hit and proving how big culturally the show was in the 90s!

'No Surprises' doing that well for a band/song of its type from an album that had already sold a truck load over a few months is really good going! They really were on fire during this point.

I must admit I also couldn’t hum a moment of that Oasis track

I was late to 'No Surprises' / OK Computer in general but was utterly mesmerised by the song and its claustrophobic video when I finally got around to it. It's definitely my favourite Radiohead song now I've become more acquainted with their discography I was delighted to see it sneaking into the Spotify top 200 for the first time recently on top of 'Let Down's sudden TikTok popularity.

'All Around The World' feels like Oasis in their ultimate Beatles pastiche mode. The music video for it was aired on TOTP tonight and the psychedelic visuals screamed Yellow Submarine movie while the song itself feels like them trying to create a 'Hey Jude' moment but it not quite scaling those heights. I don't dislike it or anything but they have far more organically anthemic songs.

I think it was mentioned in the second TOTP episode that 'Never Ever' had now crossed a million! We've finally shaken off the 'Barbie Girl' and 'Torn' plays but 'Angels' and 'Never Ever' still here to stay haha.

No Surprises should have been #1 instead of the Beatles pastiche :o But guess top 5 was already quite the achievement for the album's 3rd single. It's one of my fav songs ever, also an amazing song to play if you're musically inclined, the chord progression is really great. The lyrics are also great, love the line about the job that slowly kills you...

All Around the World didn't deserve the #1, same as D'you know what I mean earlier... that's non-1's on name alone. The only good songs on Be Here Now are Stand by Me and Don't go away, which should have been single #3

loved the Catatonia song. That also should have been #1 over the meh Usher song in an ideal world...

11 hours ago, Jade said:

I think it was mentioned in the second TOTP episode that 'Never Ever' had now crossed a million! We've finally shaken off the 'Barbie Girl' and 'Torn' plays but 'Angels' and 'Never Ever' still here to stay haha.

TOTP premature again- it actually crossed the 1 million mark on 31/1 (the day after TOTP was shown).

10 minutes ago, Gezza said:

TOTP premature again- it actually crossed the 1 million mark on 31/1 (the day after TOTP was shown).

Ah okay, did wonder if they had jumped the gun after reading your commentary thanks for confirming.