5 hours ago, Jade said:

Elsewhere in the top 20, 'Buddy X '99' is one of those songs I recognised but didn't know the name of until recently, after listening to an old garage compilation from 2000. What a banging Neneh Cherry remix!

LOVED "Buddy X '99"! I was a big UK garage head / fan of the Dreem Team (I used to listen to their show they had on Radio 1 on Sundays back in the day, I still listen to Spoony on Radio 2 now) and I still love that tune. An underrated anthem but a corker.

I discovered on one of the recent shows Dope Smugglaz with Double Double Dutch, it didn't really work and the original by Malcolm McLaren (which appeared quite recently on the 1983 listenback on Buzzjack) is way better.

Keep On Movin’ is an absolute banger. Great to see Five finally get a #1.

20TH NOVEMBER

With the furore of last week over and no more Chris Evans updates, Geri Halliwell tumbles 1-4 (62,000) and in the process sees three new entries sail past by her. The highest of which comes from Robbie Williams who scores his second solo No 1, it’s a double A-Side “She’s The One/ It’s Only Us” the former track taken from his year old album “I’ve Been Expecting You” and comes with an Ice-Skating promo. It’s actually a cover of a World Party track from 1997 which turned into a concert favourite for Williams and on which much of the publicity has been focused. Meanwhile “It’s Only Us” is an original track which Williams has written for the video game “FIFA 2000” and is apparently its “Official” theme. The song outstripped all rivals by almost 2:1 romping in with sales of 122,600 by the end of the week.

Will Smith’s impressive chart run continues, his new single “Will 2K” is an advance celebration of the forthcoming new Millennium and enters at No 2 (69,000) to become his 6th top 3 single on the trot. Smith’s second solo album “Willennium” is released this week and contains his last two singles, as per usual the single is based around a sample and this time it’s the Clash’s “Rock The Casbah”, Prince’s “1999” and Grandmaster Flash’s “Superrappin” along with some vocals courtesy of K-Ci.

1999 has been quite the year for boybands and for A1, the quartet have put together a string of three top 10 singles peaking at No 6, 5, and now No 3 (65,500) with another double A-Side “Everytime/ Read Or Not”. The former is a ballad typical of the winter market whilst the more uptempo “Ready Or Not” is getting most of the airplay. All four tracks are on their debut album “Here We Are” due in a fortnight.

Another band who can reflect on a happy 1999 are Travis who finally converted columns of critical appreciation into sales, their second album “The Man Who” has so far sold 600,000 and is the 7th biggest album of the year, it now generates a fourth top 20 single and the biggest yet in “Turn”. The song comes with a promo featuring actress Julie Smith and a cover of Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” on the CD all helping to drive them to new heights with 39,000 buyers.

R Kelly proves he has broad appeal gently drifting 4-5 (53,000) whilst the song that held it off the top drops 3-6 (51,000) for Five although their album does debut at No 4 providing an explanation. Macy Gray spends a 7th week in the top 10 and sticks at No 7 (42,000), total sales of “I Try” now stand at 282,000, Tin Tin Out Featuring Emma Bunton cool 2-9 (39,000) and Jennifer Lopez hangs on in there 5-10 (38,000).

1- IT’S ONLY US/ SHE’S THE ONE- Robbie Williams (122,600)
2- WILL 2K- Will Smith (69,000)
3- EVERYTIME/ READY OR NOT- A1 (65,500)
4- LIFT ME UP- Geri Halliwell (62,000)
5- IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME- R Kelly (53,000)
6- KEEP ON MOVIN- Five (51,000)
7- I TRY- Macy Gray (42,000)
8- TURN- Travis (39,000)
9- WHAT I AM- Tin Tin Out Ft Emma Bunton (39,000)
10- WAITING FOR TONIGHT- Jennifer Lopez (38,000)

27TH NOVEMBER



Dance music again rules the chart this week as Wamdue Project’s “King Of My Castle” arrives fresh from the dancefloor to the No 1 spot after shifting 148,000 copies. Wamdue Project is really a pseudonym for US producer Chris Brann who asked singer Gaelle Adisson to provide vocals to this track and released it first in the summer of 1998 when it could only make No 121, it got a new lease of life this summer when Italian producer Roy Malone remixed it into a big European chart hit. Making No 61 last week on imports meant that the splash this week was always going to be big and so it turns out.

Where to start with the track which is new at No 2……Cliff Richard had been with EMI for over 40 years but their decision not to release “The Millennium Prayer” on the grounds of not being commercial enough resulted in Richards effectively leaving the label. The single itself is a relatively simple idea, marry the lyrics of the Lord’s Prayer to the music of “Auld Lang Syne” and Cliff previewed it on his “Audience with…” earlier this month and helped the song to a first week sale of 87,718. Already it is his biggest hit since “Saviour’s Day” way back in 1990, it’s also his 122nd hit and 64th top 10 single (a record), on top of all that the proceeds go to the charity Children’s Promise.

Glamma Kid has turned his sampling skills from Sade to Carly Simon for his new single “Why” which, yes, samples the Simon single from 1982 which made No 10. It seems like history repeats itself with this track also smashing into the charts at No 10 (31,000) and equals the peak of his last single “Taboo” even without the help of Shola Ama.

Robbie Williams falls 1-3 (74,000) still just ahead of Will Smith 2-4 (44,000)- Smith’s album is new at No 11 rather frustratingly for the singer. Two tracks showing remarkable tenacity are R Kelly and Macy Gray, Kelly holds at No 5 (39,000) and has sold 323,000 in the last 5 weeks of top 5 action while Gray has amazingly managed to reach a new peak 7-6 (37,100) 8 weeks into a chart career and all of those weeks in the top 10, and all that despite it falling at retail week on week for the last fortnight!

Geri Halliwell falls 4-7 (35,000), Five ebb 6-8 (35,000) and A1 retreat 3-9 (32,000). Next week sees Boyzone return to the charts and face a new Melanie C single! Could there be some Spice revenge?



1- KING OF MY CASTLE- Wamdue Project (148,000)
2- THE MILLENNIUM PRAYER- Cliff Richard (87,718)
3- IT’S ONLY US/ SHE’S THE ONE- Robbie Williams (74,000)
4- WILL 2K- Will Smith (44,000)
5- IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME- R Kelly (39,000)
6- I TRY- Macy Gray (37,100)
7- LIFT ME UP- Geri Halliwell (35,000)
8- KEEP ON MOVIN- Five (35,000)
9- EVERYTIME/ READY OR NOT- A1 (32,000)
10- WHY?- Glamma Kid (31,000)

Christmas is a month away so time to take our annual look at the potential victors…..

KISS WHEN THE SUN DON’T SHINE- The Vengaboys

Their last two singles both topped the charts- how can this fail?

BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW/ SAY YOU’LL BE MINE- Steps

Steps covering Kylie- surely a firm dancefloor favourite for millennium night?

TWO IN A MILLION/ YOU’RE MY NUMBER ONE- S Club 7

Third single from this bunch and has to be there or thereabouts

I HAVE A DREAM/ SEASONS IN THE SUN- Westlife

A faultless record of three No 1 songs from 3 releases and now the Irish boyband go for the big one- only a history of low opening tallies goes against this

I GOT A GIRL- Lou Bega

Following a massive no 1 can Bega make it two on the trot?

I SHALL BE THERE- B*Witched Featuring Ladysmith Black Mambaza

Not the big deal they once were maybe but their festive single last year was No 1 the week before the big day!

A CHRISTMAS KISS- Daniel O’Donnell

Something more traditional for the big day? O’Donnell delivers this- could it surprise us all?

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE- Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews

Bound to be big for the renewed Jones in this all Welsh affair

COGNOSCENTI VS INTELLIGENSIA- Cuban Boys

The novelty track for Christmas?- another thing to thank the Internet for…

IT’S ONLY ROCK N ROLL- Various Artists

Cliff’s current single is for Children’s Promise charity and so is this superstar collaboration which includes Spice Girls, Corrs, S Club 7 and Ronan Keating among others

THE CHRISTMAS POO- Mr Hanky

Who can forget Chef’s “Chocolate Salty Balls” last year- don’t discount this one either!

IMAGINE- John Lennon

Re-released as the “national anthem” for the millennium this is apparently going to be played across radio and in the dome when the day comes.

Surprised The Clash let Will use their song in this godawful pile of $hite.

It sounds like today's Beatport tech house producers were influenced by the basic production of 'King Of My Castle'. I am not a big fan, prefer the other more complex dance music around in 1999-2000.