'Its My Life' is epic how it builds and also has a cool acid house production.

19TH SEPTEMBER



It only registers an increase of 22% but it’s enough to give The Shamen a No 1 with “Ebeneezer Goode” ironically in the week BBC Radio 1 has its drugs awareness week. Anyway for obvious reasons radio has had a lukewarm response to the single and TOTP has reluctantly embracing it clearly having learnt the lesson that “banning” does little good. For now it seems therefore to be selling to some extent on controversy but that convinced 41,040 buyers last week.

It helped of course that the main opposition it had is now so old, Snap!’s 6 week tenure at the top is over as it slides 1-3 (34,200) and Undercover finally rise 3-2 (34,860) in its sixth week on the chart, Snap!’s hit is in its 12th week and has now sold 497,055 making it the biggest selling single of 1992. Interestingly "Baker Street" was midweek No 2 on two occasions and ended up at No 3 on each occasion- last week they trailed in third place midweek and finally end up at No 2! If you want to look for the next chart topper however then Dr Alban is a real contender to repeat his Europe wide domination as it launches 8-4 (29,580), Brian May completes the top 5 as “Too Much Love Will Kill You” rises 6-5 (24,240) and becomes his biggest solo hit.




Clearing the half million mark in 16 weeks, Lionel Richie’s new best of album “Back To Front” has never left the top 10 after spending its first 6 weeks at No 1 over the summer. The first new single from it “Do It To Me” only made No 33 but he’s done much better with his new single “My Destiny” and this week rises 11-8 (19,080), it’s his 8th top 10 hit as a solo act but his first in 6 years.

Covering tracks for the forthcoming NME/ Radio 1 compilation album “Ruby Trax” Manic Street Preachers have covered MASH’s 1980 chart topper “Suicide Is Painless” whilst indie rockers Fatima Mansions have taken on Bryan Adams’ “Everything I Do” and to help promote the project the tracks have been issued as a double A side. Mansions have never made it higher than No 59, but The Manic Street Preachers have seen, with the exception of a brief blip, ever higher peak positions of 62,40,26,16,20, and 17 so will be delighted to make the top 10 even if it is with a cover version.

Being marketed as an alternative to Take That, East 17 are the newest group aimed at the teenage female audience and first fruits “House Of Love” has found fans as it rises 15-10 (17,400). They take their name from the postcode for Walthamstow where they all hail from and before finding fame the boys were a mixture of roofers, shop assistants, Printers, and a plumber. An album is already apparently in the pipeline (pun intended).

Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson continue their slow descent 4-6 (23,955) and Jon Secada holds at No 7 (19,245).


1- EBENEEZER GOODE- The Shamen (41,040)
2- BAKER STREET- Undercover (34,860)
3- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (34,200)
4- IT’S MY LIFE- Dr Alban (29,580)
5- TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU- Brian May (24,240)
6- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (23,955)
7- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (19,245)
8- MY DESTINY- Lionel Richie (19,080)
9- THEME FROM MASH/ EVERYTHING I DO- Manic St Preachers/ Fatima Mansions (18,555)
10- HOUSE OF LOVE- East 17 (17,400)

'House of Love' is an utter classic ♥️ Interesting we have an alternative to Take That when they've only just made a top 10 breakthrough and not seen mammoth success yet. I know they'd been going at it for a while by this point, is it fair to say they seemed bigger/more well-known than their chart success suggested?

Also what is that version of 'Ebeneezer Goode' performed on TOTP?! 😳

House of Love is so Shamen influenced - is it better than Take That - It Only Takes A Minute? Yes, probably for me!

2 hours ago, Jessie Where said:

'House of Love' is an utter classic ♥️ Interesting we have an alternative to Take That when they've only just made a top 10 breakthrough and not seen mammoth success yet. I know they'd been going at it for a while by this point, is it fair to say they seemed bigger/more well-known than their chart success suggested?

Also what is that version of 'Ebeneezer Goode' performed on TOTP?! 😳

Almost certainly, they did a lot of TV and magazines etc, there seemed to be enormous good will toward them from the industry who appeared to be eager to find the next big thing.

As to the Shamen performance.............that was a choice

26TH SEPTEMBER



Not much activity in the top 10 again this week so it was a relatively easy time at the top for The Shamen’s “Ebeneezer Goode” which is the top seller for a second week on 44,730 despite the arrival of the group’s album “Boss Drum” at No 3, a considerable improvement on the previous album “Progeny” which made No 23 last year. As predicted last week Dr Alban is the new challenger as he leaps 4-2 (33,945) but in truth he’s further behind the Shamen than Undercover were last week, and indeed Undercover complete the top 3 as they dip 2-3 (30,570).

A new compilation of his work “Songs Of Freedom” is out this week and to help generate sales Bob Marley & The Wailers record label have released “Iron Lion Zion” which is a track which dates back to either 1973 or 74 when recorded. It is the group’s 7th top 10 single but only three of those were while Marley was alive making his chart career better since his death than before. The single climbs 11-6 (22,560).

One place behind are Manic Street Preachers and Fatima Mansions who improve 9-7 (21,720).

The rest of the chart are either fallers or stickers, the latter include Brian May at No 5 (22,575) and Lionel Richie at No 8 (21,600), whilst the fallers encompass Snap! 3-4 (23,955) as it trips over the half million mark, Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross 6-9 (18,645) and Jon Secada 7-10 (15,810).


1- EBENEEZER GOODE- The Shamen (44,730)
2- IT’S MY LIFE- Dr Alban (33,945)
3- BAKER STREET- Undercover (30,570)
4- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (23,955)
5- TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU- Brian May(22,575)
6- IRON LION ZION- Bob Marley & The Wailers (22,560)
7- THEME FROM MASH/ EVERYTHING I DO- Manic Street Preachers/ Fatima Mansions (21,720)
8- MY DESTINY- Lionel Richie (21,600)
9- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (18,645)
10- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (15,810)

'It's My Life' has all the ingredients of a track I should love, but I've always found it slightly annoying.

Me too. I loved eurodance at the time but never felt compelled to buy this one.

Me three on Its My Life. Never liked it.

3RD OCTOBER

“Ebeneezer Goode” remains ahead of the pack selling another 36,435 copies to take its overall sales to 184,845. It would be hard to deny that the controversy that helped to generate sales initially has also been harmful to it by the limited promo it has had on radio and TV overall. Having said that it is still good enough to hold Dr Alban off the top spot, he maintains No 2 though his sales are down to 32,775 and slashes The Shamen's lead to 3.7k, whilst Undercover hold the No 3 position on 24,375.

Bradford lass Tasmin Archer is one of Britain’s new talents with her critically lauded first single “Sleeping Satellite”. Lyrically it deals with the Space race and subsequent decline in interest for it, relatively unusual thematically, it pushes 13-4 (24,150) and could easily challenge The Shamen next week though she won’t have TOTP to help her.

At No 1 stateside for the last 8 weeks Boyz II Men’s “End Of The Road” has a much slower ascent here moving 36-31-22-14 so far in its first month. They take their name from the New Edition song “Boys To Men” which when you know how they came to fame you’ll understand. The US quartet got their break after they sneaked backstage at a Bel Biv DeVoe concert in 1989 and impressed Michael Bivin who helped to produce them and secure them a record contract, he even provides a rap on their next single here, a re-issue of “Motownphilly”. The US hits started coming last year and the boys toured with Hammer earlier this year which led to a request to provide a track for the new Eddie Murphy film “Boomerang” and “End Of The Road” was the result. It was written and produced by L.A Reid and Babyface and becomes the group’s first UK hit as it lifts 14-6 (20,325).

Bob Marley & The Wailers “Songs Of Freedom” debuts at No 10 this week as the single “Iron Lion Zion” creeps 6-5 (21,000) whilst losing sales, and similarly inching up is Lionel Richie 8-7 (18,825) but sliding out are Brian May 5-8 (17,895), Manic Street Preachers/ Fatima Mansions 7-9 (17,295) and Snap! 4-10 (17,280).


1- EBENEEZER GOODE- The Shamen (36,435)
2- IT’S MY LIFE- Dr Alban (32,775)
3- BAKER STREET- Undercover (24,375)
4- SLEEPING SATELLITE- Tasmin Archer (24,150)
5- IRON LION ZION- Bob Marley & The Wailers (21,000)
6- END OF THE ROAD- Boyz II Men (20,325)
7- MY DESTINY- Lionel Richie (18,825)
8- TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU- Brian May (17,895)
9- THEME FROM MASH/ EVERYTHING I DO- Manic Street Preachers/ Fatima Mansions (17,295)
10- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (17,280)

Full on Euro in the top 3. "Sleeping Satellite" is a great song. "End Of The Road" is a masterpiece - one of my favourite R&B songs of all time. "Theme From Mash" is my least favourite Manics song, maybe because I don't like the original.

I love Sleeping Satellite, it was such a nice change to see a singer/songwriter track in the top 10

The classics keep coming - Sleeping Satellite is a great pop song.