New number ones in both charts although, in the albums, it’s just a different Greatest Hits set and Michael Jackson dominates the charts as never before.

 

Michael Jackson led the way all week in the mids but fell from the top of the rolling 24-hour download chart after a couple days. Therefore, it always seemed likely that he would be off the top by today. That means a first number one single for Cascada with Evacuate The Dance Floor. The only reason I wouldn’t evacuate the dance floor if this came on is that I’m unlikely to have been on it in the first place. La Roux’s Bulletproof thus becomes the fourth successive number one to last just a single week as it falls to number three.

 

Man In The Mirror ends the week at number two ahead of a whole string of other Jackson songs. There is also a second week in the charts for Billie Jean (10), Thriller (12), Smooth Criminal (13), Beat It (19) and Earth Song (33). They are joined by Black Or White (25), Dirty Diana (26),They Don't Care About Us (32), The Way You Make Me Feel (34), You Are Not Alone (35) Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (38) and Bad (40). Surely that is more than enough? He does, of course, set a new record for the most songs in a single top 40.

 

It’s been 2 ½ years since Jamie T last made an appearance in the charts. Now he’s back with a new EP, Sticks and Stones, ahead of the release of his second album at the end of August. The lead track is a pretty decent song and it is the second highest new entry at 15.

 

I Know You Want Me boasts some bald bloke going by the name of Pitbull. Don’t flatter yourself matey. Some people seem to want him (or his dreadful record at least) though and he has a new entry at 28.

 

Black Eyed Peas enter at 39 with I Gotta Feeling. It’s better than Boom Boom Pow but it would be hard for them to come up with a second song as terrible as that.

 

On to the chart marathon watch. Jason Mraz has finally departed although he may yet be back once all the Michael Jackson songs have gone. I’m Yours thus remains stalled on 25 weeks. Lady GaGa joins him on the same total with Poker Face. Other probable victims of the Jackson effect are Empire of the Sun and Paloma Faith. Unfortunately, Gaslight Anthem are unable to capitalise on the coup of having Bruce Springsteen perform The 59 Sound with them at Glastonbury. And the quirky stat of the week is that, in their 16th week in the chart, La Roux are at number 16 for a third week with In For The Kill.

 

Last week I cast doubt on La Roux’s chances of having a number one album against the competition from various Michael Jackson albums. In the event they nearly benefited from a split vote between various Jackson compilations but The Essential pipped them at the post . Below that Thriller appears twice with the original at number six and the 25th anniversary edition at 18 and Off The Wall is at ten. Two other compilations are at 23 and 33.

 

Ali Campbell, best known for his work with UB40 (if that’s not a bit of a contradiction given the derivation of the band’s name), has the second highest new entry of the week with his third solo album, Flying High. Compared with the previous two albums it’s actually flying fairly low. Big Love and Running Free both made the top ten but this enters at number 13. Without the Jackson albums, he would have maintained his record.

 

This week’s award for the best oxymoronic description goes to Killswitch Engage who are described on Wikipedia as a melodic metalcore band. That sounds about as likely as Westlife making a punk album. I heard a clip on an advert last night. If that was melodic, it must be a new definition of melodic I was previously unaware of. Their new, eponymous, album is their fifth but only the second to make the top 40 after The End Of Heartache spent a solitary week at number 40 in 2004. Their 2002 debut was also called Killswitch Engage so they seem to have run out of ideas for album titles. They could at least have called it Engage Killswitch although that almost sounds like an invitation to operate the electric chair so perhaps it’s not such a good idea after all. Anyhoo, they are at number 29 this week which marks a new high for them.

 

The Kenyan Boys Choir performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration in January. As big breaks go they don’t get much bigger than that. Now, eleven years after they were originally formed, they have released an album, Spirit Of Africa having been signed up at the airport on their way back to Nairobi from Washington. Said album is a new entry at number 21.

 

The plethora of Jackson albums limits the scale of the Glastonbury effect on the top 40 this year. The good news is that Fleet Foxes (who also supported Neil Young at Hyde Park last weekend) return at number 25 and Blur’s Midlife collection goes back up to number 30. When the Blur album entered at 20 two weeks ago I speculated that their Glastonbury and Hyde Park performances could lift it to a new peak. Without all the Jackson albums, they would still have fallen a few places short.

 

Also benefitting from last weekend’s festival are Kasabian whose Empire album re-enters at 28 and Calvin Harris, up to number 32 with I Invented Disco. Bruce Springsteen looked like he might just get back into the top 40 with Working On A Dream but, sadly, just missed out. Similarly, Neil Young’s Greatest Hits also fell short.

 

Finally, Taylor Swift re-enters at 39 with Fearless. Why?

 

The usual thanks to ChC, Music Week, chartstats. Com and a special thanks to the late, great Douglas Adams from whom I borrowed the idea behind the line about the definition of melodic.

 

The lead track is a pretty decent song and it is the second highest new entry at 15.

 

I'm surprised (but glad) you like SnS considering the massive hate it gets on BJ :o

 

Great read :D

The lead track is a pretty decent song and it is the second highest new entry at 15.

 

I'm surprised (but glad) you like SnS considering the massive hate it gets on BJ :o

 

Great read :D

Thanks :D It's not the sort of song I normally like but, for whatever reason, I do rather like Jamie T.

Also for a bit of a chart fact, the last single to have Dancefloor in the title to reach at #1 was Michael Jackson with 'Blood On The Dancefloor'. How ironic is that.

 

Sophie Ellis Bextor came close with 'Murder On The Dancefloor. :P

Also for a bit of a chart fact, the last single to have Dancefloor in the title to reach at #1 was Michael Jackson with 'Blood On The Dancefloor'. How ironic is that.

 

Sophie Ellis Bextor came close with 'Murder On The Dancefloor. :P

Maybe Sophie Ellis Bextor murdered Michael Jackson :o

Maybe Sophie Ellis Bextor murdered Michael Jackson :o

 

 

Its funny how the three artists are all linked in this week's chart Sophie has a hit with 'Heartbreak etc etc ....' lower down the chart.

Also for a bit of a chart fact, the last single to have Dancefloor in the title to reach at #1 was Michael Jackson with 'Blood On The Dancefloor'. How ironic is that.

 

Sophie Ellis Bextor came close with 'Murder On The Dancefloor. :P

Erm, 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'...