Two new number ones this week and a hefty ten new entries in the singles chart.

 

Last week Black Eyed Peas saw Boom Boom Pow become only the 32nd song to return to the top of the singles chart. It was the 34th time this has happened but two songs have done it twice. One of these, I Believe by Frankie Laine, still holds the record for the most weeks spent at number one with a total of 18 weeks in its three spells at the top. This week, BEP join an even more select group as both of Boom Boom Pow’s spells at number one have lasted just a single week. Of course, that still makes a total of two weeks too many. Thanks to Martin at Buzzjack for the list of recycled number ones.

 

The new number one is from Pixie Lott who makes her chart debut at the top of the pile with Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh). It almost goes without saying that it’s better than Black Eyed Peas. Fortunately it’s also better than several more number ones this year. And don’t worry about the Uh-Oh bit in the title. It doesn’t sound anything like Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh! Agnes is back up one place to number three with Dizzee Rascal dropping to four. Daniel Merriweather refuses to budge and is now in his fourth week at number five.

 

With the Airi L cover of When Love Takes Over selling well, the original by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland was released late in the week. It sold rapidly and overtook the other version easily to finish at number seven.

 

The third highest new entry, at number 13, is from the year’s big success story, Lady GaGa. Paparazzi is the third single from the album Fame and, for me, represents a further improvement. Like Poker Face, it is already riding high in the charts a few weeks before the physical release which is due at the beginning of next month. The video is a bit disturbing though.

 

New at number 20 is New Divide from Linkin Park, their first top twenty single since What I’ve Done two years ago. Standard nu-metal stuff.

 

If I wanted to be kind about Jordin Sparks I’d say that her output has been consistent. The bad news is that it has been consistently terrible and Battlefield, a new entry at 21, is no exception. The same comment could be applied to Pussycat Dolls who, unfortunately, refuse to take their own advice and won’t Hush Hush. The song of the same name is new at number 25, one place behind Jai Ho.

 

With Lady GaGa at numbers 13 and 14 two different artists have singles in adjacent positions for the first time since 1968. Since then, The Jam have had four singles in successive positions (36-39) and The Beatles have had two pairs of singles at 12 and 13 and also 27 and 28. In each case, that was due to mass rereleases. Thanks to ad1 at ChC for that piece of research.

 

There was a lot of discussion through the week about whether the Airi L version of When Love Takes Over would be eligible to chart. It was released rather sneakily to cash in on the David Guetta/Kelly Rowland version. Like the DG/KR version, it’s rubbish. However, records can’t be disqualified simply for being rubbish and it has entered at number 22.

 

Kasabian are at number 32 with Underdog from their new album (see below). There is no news yet on what the second single from the album will be – assuming there will be one. If the record company were waiting to see which track was the most popular they seem to have found their answer.

 

Lenka is yet another Australian actress who thinks she can sing. She’s actually in her early thirties but the start of her song sounds more like a twelve-year-old pretending to be Lily Allen. It gets better but it’s hardly classic material. The Show comes in at number 33. “I Want My Money Back” she sings at the end. You said it dear.

 

The tenth, and final, new entry comes from The Saturdays at number 38. Most of their output so far has been half-decent pop. Work, however, is dire. They seem to be making an effort to come up with something that sounds even worse than the Pussycat Dolls and they’ve nearly succeeded.

 

Finall on the singles chart, an honourable mention for Jason Mraz. I’m Yours has this week become the 107th song to spend at least 23 weeks in the top 40 (Poker Face is certain to be the 108th next week). Only three of the previous 106 have, like I’m Yours, failed to make the top 10 in their long run.

 

Kasabian have their second number one album with West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum (whatever that is supposed to mean), following their 2006 chart-topping Empire. They will be expecting to benefit later this month from an appearance at Glastonbury just before a certain Mr.Bruce Springsteen, of whom more later. Last week’s number one, from Paolo Nutini, drops one place to number two.

 

Kasabian’s biggest challenge from this week’s releases came, as expected, from Black Eyed Peas with enough people shelling out (see what I did there?) to buy it to propel it to number three. The E.N.D is the follow-up to the million-selling Monkey Business. It’s probably wishful thinking to hope that this really will be the end.

 

Little Boots also has a high new entry with her debut, Hands, at number five. Andy Hornby, the man who was paid millions as chief executive of HBOS (and left a cost to the taxpayer of billions of pounds) has been appointed to run the company that owns Boots the Chemists. If he does for them what he did for HBOS, they will soon be able to rename themselves Little Boots.

 

With Fathers’ Day just a week away, there’s a bit of a Dad-rock invasion in the albums chart this week. Bruce Springsteen leads the way at number seven with another Greatest Hits collection. It’s a shame to see someone of Springsteen’s integrity allowing his record company to go for the cynical ploy of releasing an album of tracks all fans will own already plus a couple live tracks. Judging by its chart position, it’s worked and it does, of course, mean he has something new(ish) to promote at Glastonbury.

 

Whatever you may think of Placebo, they certainly can’t be accused of being over-productive. Battle For The Sun is only their sixth studio album in 13 years and their first since Meds in March 2006. Four of the previous five albums made the top 10 while Sleeping With Ghosts fell just one place short. At its best the album is very good indeed although there are a couple tracks which fall short of the expected standard and it maintains their chart record by entering at number eight.

 

Those five new entries (plus Jim Reeves Very Best Of climbing back up to number ten) mean that Lady GaGa, Prodigy, Green Day, Escala, Pink and Paul Potts all depart the top ten. I suspect some of them will be back ere long.

 

Chickenfoot are made up of former members of Van Halen plus the drummer from Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Don’t expect their eponymous album, new at number 23, to sound like Boyzone then. Perhaps they have mellowed in their old age, had sensible haircuts and produced a pop album but I doubt it.

 

The real Dad-rock invasion is lower down the top 40 where the words Very Best Of (because a mere Best Of is not good enough for our fathers) and Collection proliferate. The Very Best Ofs come from Cat Stevens at 18 and part-time Eagle Don Henley at 29. Joining the Collection already in the top 40 from Simon and Garfunkel and an ultimate one from Michael McDonald are a definitive one from Lionel Richie and the Commodores (sending us to sleep again at number 37) and a simple Collection from Mike Oldfield at 25. Meat Loaf’s best of at least has a vaguely original title. Hits Out Of Hell has now been expanded and returns to the chart at number 28. Finally, there is a Best Of collection from the Faces at 36.

 

Sonic Youth released their first album in 1983 so should by now be known as Sonic Middle-Aged or, perhaps, Sonic Getting On A Bit. Their best song remains Sugar Kane which was a modest hit in 1993. Their fifteenth studio album, The Eternal, falls victim to the Dad-rock invasion and misses out on the top 40.

 

The usual thanks to ChC, chartstats.com and Music Week for the extra information not directly credited above

 

If I wanted to be kind about Jordin Sparks I’d say that her output has been consistent. The bad news is that it has been consistently terrible and Battlefield, a new entry at 21, is no exception.

 

:lol:

 

Great read, again...