Gezza

23RD JUNE With England struggling in the World Cup (2 draws so far) perhaps it’s no surprise that “World In Motion” also finds itself in trouble descending 1-2 (65,773) this week but it doesn’t make way for the expected coronation of New Kids On The Block who surprisingly fall themselves 2-5 (45,135)- that fall being the first track to debut as high as No 2 and to drop the next week since The Beatles "Let It Be" 20 years ago. Instead the new No 1 comes from Elton John who finally gets his first solo chart topper after 53 chart entries, he was of course at the top 14 years ago in duet with Kiki Dee on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” but his previous solo best was 1972’s “Rocket Man” which stopped at No 2 behind T Rex’s “Metal Guru”. It’s ascendency to the top marks the 7th year on the trot that a charity record has made the top but for Elton it must be a sweet feeling to finally get the chart accolade that has always previously escaped him, no act has had as many chart hits before getting a solo chart topper. Proceeds to Terence Higgins Trust so it’s a good day for the charity too! Its coronation comes with 74,205 sales. More World Cup shenanigans at No 3 this week where Luciano Pavarotti’s version of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (trans: None shall sleep”) which comes from the opera “Turandot” and was performed by Pavarotti on the opening night of the World Cup at the “Three Tenors” concert. The version used by the BBC on its coverage of the tournament is actually Pavarotti’s 1972 recording but it can also be found on his “Essential Pavarotti” album which rockets 8-1 on the album charts this week thanks to the exposure. Indeed that may be the problem, the single springs 21-3 (54,111) but it seems more people are investing in the album but we’ll see over the next few weeks. Snap! are back with their second single “Ooops Up” which doesn’t look like repeating the success of their debut “The Power” in topping the charts, the latter hit moved 12-1 in its first fortnight whilst this song can “merely” jumps 13-6 (34,850). In part that might be to do with the fact that their album “World Power” is now released though in its first 5 weeks it has only made No 39 though it does rally 54-43 this week in sympathy. That’s it for new songs in the top 10 which means that Roxette can advance 6-4 (49,232) and Wilson Phillips also rise but only 10-8 (29,685), it’s down for Chad Jackson 3-7 (30,617), Betty Boo 7-9 (27,319) and The Charlatans 9-10 (25,704) despite their best week at retail. The new Jason Donovan single arrives next week, his last 6 have all debuted in the top 10, can he recover lost ground from the No 8 peaking “Hang On To Your Love”? 1- SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS- Elton John (74,205) 2- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (65,773) 3- NESSUN DORMA- Luciano Pavarotti (54,111) 4- IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE- Roxette (49,232) 5- STEP BY STEP- New Kids On The Block (45,135) 6- OOOPS UP- Snap! (34,850) 7- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (30,617) 8- HOLD ON- Wilson Phillips (29,665) 9- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (27,319) 10- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (25,704)

16TH JUNE It started off brightly for New Kids On The Block who were on course for a sensational No 1 debut but it proved to not quite have the legs, for this week at least, allowing “World In Motion” to fly past it at the weekend and retain a second week at the top of the charts on a sale of 78,149, another 17% increase week on week. It was of course helped by the considerable media coverage and hype of the tournament itself which commenced on Saturday with a 1-0 victory to Cameroon, odd to think that a football match in Italy would decide the fate of the UK No 1 single but there you go. Onto that new entry by the biggest Boyband in the land then, “Step By Step” is penned by their manager Maurice Starr for another one of his projects, The Superiors, who released it in 1987 as a single without success, it’s also already rapidly rising up the charts in the US whilst here it wastes no time smashing straight in at No 2 after selling 52,360 copies in its first 6 days, a best start for them both position wise and sales wise. UK fans have just a fortnight to wait for the album of the same name which is, again, widely tipped to arrive at the top spot, as for the single, well it must be a hot favourite to become the next chart topper next week and their third No 1. Can a football competition remain in its way? Here’s an unusual tale, a new Elton John album is hardly the news it once was and last year’s “Sleeping With The Past” made No 6 spending a mere 9 weeks on the chart. The two singles pulled from it “Sacrifice” and “Healing Hands” peaked at No’s 55 & 45 respectively and that appeared to be the end of the era, but now the songs have been put together as a double A-Side with the proceeds going to charity in part due to Radio 1 DJ Steve Wright who picked the song up and started playing it regularly on his show and partly due to the single becoming a top 30 US hit earlier in the year. It’s now back in demand as it scorches 26-5 (30,668) to become his biggest hit since the live version of “Candle In The Wind” two years ago. The album incidentally re-enters at No 64 but is now in short supply as it’s getting a full re-issue in a few weeks. Number one at present in the Cinema’s “Pretty Woman” is a film which is already spawning the hit singles, David Bowie’s “Fame 90” made No 28 back in April, Natalie Cole’s “Wild Woman Do” peaked at No 16 in May and now Roxette have a hit on their hands with “It Must Have Been Love” as it charges 21-6 (30,498). The band broke through last year with “The Look” which peaked at No 7 but follow up singles “Dressed For Success” and “Listen To Your Heart” failed to dent the top 40 so this is something of a return for the Swedish duo. The song actually dates back to 1987 when it was issued in Sweden with the suffix “Christmas For The Broken Hearted” becoming a top 10 single, a slight tweak to the lyrics and an updated production and it’s finally an international hit topping the US charts this week. The song that Roxette have just deposed Stateside also arrives in nice unison to the UK top 10 this week as well, Wilson Phillip’s “Hold On”. The trio are all daughters of rather famous parents, namely Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and John & Michelle Phillips of the Mamma’s & The Papa’s, the debut single flies 23-10 (19,873) as it gets leapfrogged by Roxette but expect both singles to be battling it out for honours higher up the charts in the next few weeks. Chad Jackson holds at No 3 this week but does post an increase of 12% to 43,231 as Adamski starts to find the going tough with “Killer” dropping 2-4 (32,419). Betty Boo nudges 8-7 (27,268) and The Charlatans inch 10-9 (22,916) but it’s over for Don Pablo’s Animals who slide 4-8 (27,013). 1- WORLD IN MOTION- EnglandNeworder (77,149) 2- STEP BY STEP- New Kids On The Block (52,360) 3- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (43,231) 4- KILLER- Adamski (32,419) 5- SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS- Elton John (30,668) 6- IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE- Roxette (30,498) 7- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (27,268) 8- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (27,013) 9- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (22,916) 10- HOLD ON- Wilson Phillips (19,873)

9TH JUNE It’s taken 20 years for them to climb back to the top but the England World Cup Squad are sitting at the top of the pile of this week with a considerable helping hand from New Order, “World In Motion” seems to auger well for the forthcoming World cup and England’s chances surging 2-1 after almost doubling its sales to 67,371. It was never in danger from Adamski whose “Killer” graciously descends 1-2 (50,116) and brings the tracks total to an impressive 403,767 copies and should clear the 500k mark with some ease when all is done. Hailing from St Helens, Mark Chadwick is better known as Chad Jackson and the Manchester based DJ is responsible for the song that charges 12-3 (39,117) this week. Jackson won the 1987 Disco Mix Club World Championship and launched his career earlier this year with “Freedom To Party” which flopped, his second single “Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked)” is proving much more successful, it’s largely based on a sample of “900 Number” by 45 King which also serves as the theme to Radio 1’s dance show “Big Beat” so should be familiar to the station’s regulars. Rumour is that Jackson presented this to 45 King as a remix of their track but the outfit turned it down suggesting he release himself as a track- et voila! You might not know the name Alison Clarkson but you may be familiar her alias Betty Boo as the singer on The Beatmasters No 7 hit “Hey DJ” last summer. Clarkson was formally a member of the She Rockers who managed to work with Public Enemy but failed to yield any top 75 singles before she left last year to guest on “DJ” and go solo. She’s back and she’s gone solo with her new single “Doin’ The Do” which samples Reparata and the Delron’s “Captain Of Your Ship”, a No 13 hit in 1968, it wastes little time moving 15-8 (21,930). You’d be forgiven for thinking that The Charlatans are the newest Madchester band on the scene but only the lead singer actually comes from Manchester. Their debut single “Indian Rope” was a hit on the Indie charts as it was issued on their own label Dead Dead Good records, but they’ve been snapped up by Beggars Banquet and “The One And Only”, which borrows some lines from the Byrds “Everybody’s Been Burned” coupled with a dash of Deep Purple’s guitar riff laden “Hush”, expands 24-10 (19,227) in its second week to show real intent on becoming a massive hit. An album will follow in the autumn! Don Pablo’s Animals “Venus” rises 7-4 (28,985) but will have trouble continuing to climb given how far it is behind the top 3, everything else is on the slide, The Adventures Of Stevie V fall 4-5 (22,831), Kylie ebbs 3-6 (22,831), En Vogue are out of fashion 5-7 (22,644) and The Chimes are lost 6-9 (20,451) as the summer sales slump really kicks in! That should be good news for the next New Kids On The Block single- expect a very high debut! Finally it's worth noting that in the last 97 chart weeks (back to 6/8/88) a record by S/A/W or PWL has been in the top 10 for 81 weeks- a dominance never before seen in the charts by a production team. 1- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (67,371) 2- KILLER- Adamski (50,116) 3- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (39,117) 4- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (28,985) 5- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (22,831) 6- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (22,831) 7- HOLD ON- En Vogue (22,644) 8- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (21,930) 9- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (20,451) 10- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (19,227)

2ND JUNE He thought it was all over, and it will probably be next week but Adamski was out in front from the off with “Killer” claiming a fourth week at the top. It sold just 60,860, a 17% decrease though it is still clear of the field and built up a decent lead though it was outpaced on Saturday by this week’s highest new entry which arrives at No 2 Starting out life as the theme to BBC 2’s “Reportage” TV series for which New Order wrote the track, they’ve gotten TV actor Keith Allen to write some lyrics for the track and a rap and come up with “World In Motion” which will serve as this year’s anthem to send the England World Cup Squad off to Italy with. The competition starts on June 8th so expect this track to be round until at least the team leaves the competition, it isn’t of course the highest placed England Football track, back in 1970 “Back Home” topped the charts and in 1982 “This Time” made No 2, but this track has attracted praise which exceeds the normal reception of a football related track with even John Barnes receiving the thumbs up for his rap. For New Order it becomes instantly their highest peaking chart hit topping the No 3 peak of 1988’s re-issued “Blue Monday”, though the track has had its lyrics re-written as the Football Association rejected the first version called “E is For England” as it was a bit too easy to misinterpret- ahem! The track got stronger through the week ending up with 37,553 copies and eyeing up No 1 next week…… “Venus” is a song which has already been a top 10 single for Shocking Blue and Bananarama reaching No 8 for both acts, now we have a new Italo house act Don Pablo’s Animals doing their version of the track. It rockets 12-7 (26,673) to give the song a new peak position, well kind of, it was featured on the Starsound medley “Stars On 45” and therefore did reach No 2 depending on how you view its inclusion. Michael Bolton is back and this time he’s helped by Desmond Child and Diane Warren on “How Can We Be Lovers” his second release from “Soul Provider”. During the album’s 12 week chart life it debuted at No 8 before dropping almost out of the top 40 but has been having a revival over the last 5 weeks climbing every week and now repeaks at it rises 9-7. The single can only hobble 11-10 (16,065) to sneak into the big 10 having already made US No 3 last month. The arrival of EnglandNewOrder means bad news for Kylie who slips 2-3 (30,804) and for Adventures Of Stevie V who similarly slip a place 3-4 (28,917). En Vogue hold at No 5 (28,662) but lose sales as their album debuts at No 32 this week, and the Chimes are also holding at No 6 (27,081) and can’t outstrip the peak of the original. New Kids On The Block drop 4-8 (20,179) but they have a new single out in a fortnight so don’t lament too much, and Madonna drops 8-9 (16,541) as “I’m Breathless” debuts at No 2 behind Soul II Soul, but she is No 1 Stateside. 1- KILLER- Adamski (60,860) 2- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (37,553) 3- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (30,804) 4- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (28,917) 5- HOLD ON- En Vogue (28,662) 6- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (27,081) 7- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (26,673) 8- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (20,179) 9- VOGUE- Madonna (16,541) 10- HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS- Michael Bolton (16,065)

I suppose we can at least say then she is the first indisputably to do so lol

26TH MAY “Killer” looks to be slowing but its commanding lead at the top last week means that even that can’t prevent it securing a third week at the top with a further 73,882 copies finding buyers, that brings its cumulative total to 292,791 easing itself into the top 10 YTD. Kylie does close the gap nominally as she suffered a smaller decrease of 3% to 40,783 And yet there isn’t much else around to challenge “Killer” either, The Adventures of Stevie V hold at No 3 on just 37,043 and the New Kids On The Block complete a static Top 4 on a mere 30,294 but you'll note the entire top 4 are in decline saleswise, En Vogue offer a ray of hope climbing 7-5 (27,047) but it’s a small one. Things look brighter at No 6 with a ten place climb for Scots band The Chimes. They’ve done an updated version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” which made No 6, let’s hope the curse of that position can be broken by this version. Both their previous singles failed to dent the top 50 so it’s a marked upturn in their chart fortunes, this single shifted 26,418 copies last week. Getting their second top 10 single in a row Mantronix call upon Wondress again and “Take Your Time” has moved 19-11-10 (16,592) to nudge into the big ten. Beats International inch 10-9 (20,043) with a slight sales increase, and just above them are two fallers, Paula Abdul slips 5-7 (22,338) and Madonna slips 6-8 (21,199) but she’ll be focusing on her new album “I’m Breathless” which is in stores now. 1- KILLER- Adamski (73,882) 2- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (40,783) 3- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (37,043) 4- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (30,294) 5- HOLD ON- En Vogue (27,047) 6- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (26,416) 7- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul duet with Wild Pair (22,338) 8- VOGUE- Madonna (21,199) 9- WON’T TALK ABOUT IT- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (20,043) 10- TAKE YOUR TIME- Mantronix (16,592)

I believe it is a record- can't think of another act (to this point) that had their first 10 singles go top 5.

"Made In Heaven" even with its shoestring budget video. NTL was the first Kylie Single that I wasn't mad about when it came out. I don't hate it but it just never connected in the same way.

It's 80s sales were 723k based on the Gallup multiplier of the time (that includes sales from the rest of the 80s). Those 2021 "revisions" are a hot mess😄

19TH MAY “Killer” finished off the competition easily this week extending its sales to an impressive 82,297 copies to now hold a commanding lead at the top of the charts, Kylie Minogue does zoom 5-2 but only managed to increase her sales by 30% to 42.891 with the possibility of a fifth chart topper in “Better The Devil You Know” a distant prospect. Indeed she only just managed to squeeze past Adventures of Stevie V (40,953) at the death so should consider herself lucky lucky lucky (pun intended). En Vogue are the latest US female vocal group to be garnering attention and praise on both sides of the Atlantic, their debut single “Hold On” finds itself powering 14-7 (21,709) to get them off to a perfect start. If you’re wondering what song they sing at the start of the track then it’s called “Who’s Lovin You” by the Miracles. Beats International are back with Lindy Layton again providing vocals to score a second top 10 hit with “Won’t Talk About It” climbing 18-10 (17,561), the album is back in the top 40 but is no-where near bettering the No 17 position it reached on debut. This song was written by Billy Bragg for his 1984 album “Brewing Up With” but didn’t make the cut though it should be noted much of the verses on this version are written by Norman Cook, it’s the second top 10 Bragg has written coming 5 years after Kirsty MacColl’s “A New England”. It was first released by former Housemartin Norman Cook last summer but featured the vocals of Bragg himself when it made No 29 so is doing substantially better this time around New Kids On The Block rise 8-4 (34,663) to score their 4th top 5 single in 6 months and still seem unstoppable, their new album will be arriving in a few months and another NKOTB single is pencilled in for next month, they’re making money whilst the sun shines for sure. Paula Abdul falls 3-5 (32,827) directly above the song that held it off the top, Madonna’s “Vogue” which is also down 4-6 (25,738) but is now her 8th chart topper in the US as well as approaching the 350,000 mark. Another one of “Vogue”’s victims Alannah Myles drops 7-8 (19,550) and Soul II Soul slide 6—9 (19,499) and must be considered a disappointment given their recent chart form. 1- KILLER- Adamski (82,297) 2- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (42,891) 3- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (40,953) 4- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (34,663) 5- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul duet with the Wild Pair (32,827) 6- VOGUE- Madonna (25,738) 7- HOLD ON- En Vogue (21,709) 8- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (19,550) 9- A DREAM’S A DREAM- Soul II Soul (19,499) 10- WON’T TALK ABOUT IT- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (17,561)

Yeah they didn't stick around back then for sure! Even then Wham! and Frankie's "The Power Of Love" (which also spent 5 weeks in the top 10 post No 1) had the festive period to buoy them up artificially. Other than that you'd be back in the times of "Relax" which of course took two stints in the top 10 so did accumulate more than 5 weeks post summit.

14TH MARCH Still selling in prodigious quantities each week there was always a chance, given the right circumstances, that Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” would reap the rewards of the top spot again given the ongoing success of the Titanic film. Circumstances happened this week, Madonna suffers a 54% decrease in sales to 91,000 and slumps 1-3 in part due to the arrival of her album “Ray Of Light” at No 1, that created a vacuum at the top which was filled by Dion as she rebounds 2-1 (112,000) a mere 20% slip week on week. Dion’s track is the 6th single to return to the top in the same run in the 90s, an usual feat until the last few years, it also turns platinum in celebration with a new tally of 663,000. She doesn’t have it all her own way though with the song toppled from the US No 1 spot by Will Smith, and it becomes the first chart topper since Puff Daddy last summer to be No 1 yet top none of the individual format charts with Madonna triumphing on 12", CD, and Cassingle and Cornershop the top selling 7". For the first time in 10 years the entire top 3 consist of female soloists with Natalie Imbruglia joining Dion and Madonna there. Her new single “Big Mistake” avoids the controversy over writing credits that “Torn” generated by being co-written by the woman herself and arrives at No 2 (96,000), it’s another cut from “Left Of The Middle” which has done almost 400,000 so far. Proving they were no one hit wonders Five are back with a second single hot on the heels of the No 10 smash “Slam Dunk (Da Funk)” in December. Former Dead Or Alive member Mike Percy co-writes this one (he’s already written top ten singles for Kenny Thomas and 911 this decade) and “When The Lights Go Out” easily tops of the achievement of Five’s first single by debuting at No 4 (65,000). An album is promised in the summer. “Casualty” has been on our screens for 12 years now and whilst many have gone on to be well known faces on the TV few have made the transition to chart stars but now the entire cast score a top 10 single. The recent storyline which resulted in the marriage of characters Charlie & Baz resulted in some of the cast performing this single at the reception spearheaded by Amy Howard (played by Rebecca Wheatley) on main vocals. They pile in at No 5 (57,000). Bereft of new entries in the lower half, tracks just re-arrange themselves, Cornershop drop 3-6 (54,000), Space & Cerys Matthews fall 4-7 (49,000), Savage Garden ebb 5-8 (44,000) as their album berths at No 14, LeAnn Rimes relents 7-9 (38,000) and Aqua hang in there 6-10 (36,000). So this week sees the release of the Spice Girls 7th single- could their lucky streak continue? 1- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (112,000) 2- BIG MISTAKE- Natalie Imbruglia (96,000) 3- FROZEN- Madonna (91,000) 4- WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT- Five (65,000) 5- EVERLASTING LOVE- Cast From “Casualty” (57,000) 6- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop (54,000) 7- THE BALLAD OF TOM JONES- Space With Cerys Matthews (49,000) 8- TRULY MADLY DEPLY- Savage Garden (44,000) 9- HOW DO I LIVE?- Le Ann Rimes (38,000) 10- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua (36,000) http://i.imgur.com/Dt2ir56.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/yopOOH2.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/qyAYAVq.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/HJ6LnBe.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/LSn9znJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pxrEIUt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ZHK0Cbk.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/L9eTpOT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/o1FvFoH.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/vFykSSd.jpg

7TH MARCH Written off for much of the decade as an artist whose creativity had peaked and was set for a slow gradual fade in pop history as a chart force, Madonna once again proves that you can never quite write her off. Heralding her first studio album in four years new single “Frozen” this week becomes her first instant No 1 selling a mighty 196,604 to prove the point helped by a memorable National Lottery show performance which garnered much attention. Where to start with the stats on Madonna is always a head scratcher but here goes, this is her 8th No 1 single drawing her level with Take That and Rolling Stones, and behind only Cliff, Elvis, The Beatles, and ABBA, the wait of 8 years since her last No 1 “Vogue” with new material is a longer wait than any act save Diana Ross, Queen, Cher, Don McLean, Frank Sinatra, Cliff, and The Bee Gees. It’s her 44th hit and 40th top 10 single more than double any other female soloist with only Elvis and Cliff ahead of her. The single naturally comes with another eye catching promo featuring Madonna shapeshifting and the song is produced by William Orbit (former member of “Fascinating Rhythm” hitmakers Bass-O-Matic) to give it its distinctive sound, you can get the album “Ray Of Light” this week if you like the sound of this. Interesting fact, no Madonna single has sold as much in one week as “Frozen” last week! The country is still “Titanic” crazy with the soundtrack still No 1 and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” still raking it in at No 2 (140,000)- it has sold a mighty 550,000 in 3 weeks and rockets to No 1 on the YTD chart in the process. With Catatonia’s “Mulder & Scully” still top 40, lead singer Cerys Matthews has gone AWOL to help out Space on their new single “Ballad Of Tom Jones”. The tale of warring lovers who come together through their love of the Welsh singer has found fans zooming straight in at No 4 (84,000) which makes it instantly the biggest hit of Space’s career. A massive US hit and finally arriving in the UK at No 7 (43,000) is LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live?”- it made No 2 stateside behind both Elton and Savage Garden spending a record 25 consecutive weeks in the top 5. The country song is written by Diane Warren expressly with Rimes in mind and for the film “Con Air” but once they heard 14yr old Rimes version the film studio said they would prefer an older singer to record the film version and country star Trisha Yearwood got the gig. Yearwood’s version made US #23 and UK #66 last year but Rimes gets the last laugh with the major hit. From 15yr old Rimes to 18 yr old Robin Carlsson who records under the name Robyn. Discovered via television in her native Sweden Robyn’s first album generated a couple of minor hits here but two top 10 hits in the US including “Show Me Love” which is new at No 8 (37,000) here this week. Long a star in his home country of Jamaica, Beenie Man is now a UK star with his song “Who Am I” crashing straight in at No 10 (32,000). It marks his debut with a major label (virgin) which gives the dancehall star an international platform. The song somewhat inexplicably turns into a cover, briefly, of Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” half way through which at least makes it something unusual. Cornershop drop 1-3 (106,000) with Savage Garden off gently 4-5 (55,000). Aqua’s former chart topper falls 3-6 (47,000) and Another Level fall back 6-9 (35,000). 1- FROZEN- Madonna (196,604) 2- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (140,000) 3- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop (106,000) 4- THE BALLAD OF TOM JONES- Space with Cerys Matthews (84,000) 5- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (55,000) 6- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua (47,000) 7- HOW DO I LIVE?- Le Ann Rimes (43,000) 8- SHOW ME LOVE- Robyn (37,000) 9- BE ALONE NO MORE- Another Level (35,000) 10- WHO AM I- Beenie Man (32,000)

12TH MAY Adamski is the nation’s new favourite act with “Killer” moving 4-1 (51,782). It easily fended off Adventures Of Stevie V who still threaten 5-2 (40,001) and manage to push Paula Abdul out of the way as she trips 2-3 (39,321), her album also re-peaks at No 3 which must have drained some sales away from the single. No similar excuse for Madonna as she hurtles 1-4 (35,649) but was unlucky to fall so far given the similar sales tallies. Below Madonna is the heir apparent (at present) to her title, Kylie Minogue. Her 10th single also becomes her 10th top 5 hit as it crashes into the charts at No 5 (33,388), it again comes from the pens of S/A/W who seem to be losing their touch with their other acts allowing Minogue to claim back the honour as their biggest act with the recent downturn in the fate of Donovan. The track is allegedly written about her relationship with Michael Hutchence which has attracted considerable press attention over the course of this year and has garnered more than usual praise from the critics who are liking the more sophisticated angle to her music, not to mention it comes with a racier than normal promo from the Ex-Neighbours star. This is her 6th hit to debut inside the top 5 but the previous 5 all debuted at No 2 so this is the first not to! For S/A/W and PWL this is their 63rd top 10 single and the 101st S/A/W produced single to be released apparently. Further down are current chart favourites New Kids On The Block who score a third top 10 single of 1990 and a fourth on the trot with “Cover Girl” which arrives at No 8 (24,871). The UK is still playing catch up with their native US where this song peaked at No 2 last November (albeit in a remixed version whereas we get the album version), the album “Hangin Tough” continues to sell well shifting 21-12 this week having already sold over 300.000. Soul II Soul appear to be floundering with their new single only climbing 8-6 (26,571) but that’s better than Alannah Myles who slides 3-7 (25,483), also going the wrong way are UB40 6-9 (20,111) and Snap! 7-10 (17,595). "The Power" has now spent five weeks in the top 10 post topping the charts, the first track to spend so long past its No 1 peak since Wham!'s "I'm Your Man" in 1985. 1- KILLER- Adamski (51,782) 2- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (40,001) 3- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul Duet with Wild Pair (39,321) 4- VOGUE- Madonna (35,649) 5- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (33,388) 6- A DREAM’S A DREAM- Soul II Soul (26,571) 7- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (25,483) 8- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (24,871) 9- KINGSTON TOWN- UB40 (20,111) 10- THE POWER- Snap! (17,595)

5TH MAY Well “Vogue” spends a month at the top equalling her personal best she achieved with “Into The Groove”, the track sold 51,680 copies putting in a very consistent performance, it was always out in front but whether it can become her first chart topper to last 5 weeks looks doubtful though. In part that’s because of Paula Abdul who climbs 3-2 selling 44,863 into the bargain which coupled with Madonna’s dropping sales could point to the end of her reign, Abdul could be curtailed by the new expanded version of her album “Forever Your Girl” getting a re-release which will include this hit. Incidentally “Vogue” has sold 255,153 copies during its 4 week tenure at the top, compare that to the 448,069 that “Into The Groove” did and you get an idea of the different market we’re in five years later. If not Abdul then one of the new entries to the big 10 could be worth a punt, “Dirty Cash” which has been doing well on 12” inch since its limited release back in December and had got as high as No 93 in February before being deleted and primed for a full release a few weeks ago. It’s since moved 28-11-5 securing sales of 33,779 in the process last week- it could go much higher! Another of 1989’s favourite acts returns this week and it’s the group that perhaps identified the “sound” of summer of 1989, Soul II Soul. It’s time for that second album and here’s the lead single “A Dreams A Dream” which features the vocals of Victoria Wilson James and precedes “Volume II” which is out in 3 weeks and will go head to head with the new Madonna album “I’m Breathless”. The single debuts at No 8 (26,214) and with the last 3 Soul II Soul singles all going top 5 this should see a nice rise next week. Alannah Myles’ challenge to the top spot is over as she trips 2-3 (43,486) as it duelled with Paula Abdul all week for the runner up spot, Adamski lifts 7-4 (38,760), below him and falling are UB40 5-6 (28,475), Snap! 4-7 (26,741) and Heart 8-9 (23,800) with Family Stand maintaining the anchor position with 21,080 sales. You may recall a few weeks ago I mentioned that the amount of eligible formats for the chart dropped from 5 to 4, well it has also seemingly contributed to the decline of the 7" single, most record labels are opting to go with a 7", 12" cassette, and CD version abandoning the practice of gatefold sleeve and multiple covers of 7" singles which were common up to that point. Sales of the format now account for 44% of the market with 12" sales still expanding to 38%. Next week old adversaries New Kids On The Block and Kylie Minogue go head to head with new singles- who’ll make the bigger splash? 1- VOGUE- Madonna (51,680) 2- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul Duet with the Wild Pair (44,863) 3- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (43,486) 4- KILLER- Adamski (38,760) 5- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (33,779) 6- KINGSTON TOWN- UB40 (28,475) 7- THE POWER- Snap! (26,741) 8- A DREAM’S A DREAM- Soul II Soul (26,214) 9- ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU- Heart (23,800) 10- GHETTO HEAVEN- Family Stand (21,080)

Sales had been consistently declining since the late 70s from 89.1 million in 1979 to 58.8 million in 1990. Several factors at play really, vinyl heading out and the slow switch to CD, less teenagers around as the baby boomers were then into their 20s/30s, and, arguably, as everything became computerised it made hyping songs harder to achieve so figures were less likely to be inflated as they were before gallup.

28TH APRIL Madonna once again proves she is the current queen of pop as she sees “Vogue” grab a third week at the top, only “Into The Groove” has lasted longer at the top out of her chart toppers. It was helped by the news of her UK tour dates which naturally sold out in a morning, the song will now also be available on the soundtrack to her new movie “Dick Tracy” which is due to get a UK release in July to accompany the tour, the soundtrack is due in June. Alannah Myles did cut her lead at the top to just 8,381 selling 52,224 as her album debuts at No 3, Paula Abdul and the Wild Pair float 5-3 (36,448) so depending on how you view the contribution of the Wild Pair it is arguable that this is an all female top 3 for only the third time in history but the first not to feature Kylie Minogue, her new single is released next month. Adamski’s first hit “N-R-G” peaked at No 12 back in January, his new single “Killer” does even better as it rockets 20-7 (21,777) and introduces us to singer Seal though he is uncredited on the track. The pair apparently met in a McDonalds (if you believe the story) and now find themselves in the top 10, and Adamski (real name Adam Tinley) has a second album due this year if you like the sound of this. New York outfit Family Stand are also new entrants to our top ten with “Ghetto Heaven” moving 12-10 (19,482). Part of the song’s appeal comes from the fact that it is remixed and produced by Nelle Hooper and Jazzy B from Soul II Soul who have their own new single in the shops this week (watch out for that in 7 days time). A couple of tracks which can’t seem to move are The Happy Mondays at No 6 (22,219) and Heart at No 8 (21,046). Fallers include Snap! Who are powerless to drop 3-4 (33,031), UB40 who slip 4-5 (30,600), and Bizz Nizz who are hungover and slide 7-9 (20,230). 1- VOGUE- Madonna (60,605) 2- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (52,224) 3- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul Duet with The Wild Pair (36,448) 4- THE POWER- Snap! (33,031) 5- KINGSTON TOWN- UB40 (30,600) 6- STEP ON- Happy Mondays (22,219) 7- KILLER- Adamski (21,777) 8- ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU- Heart (21,046) 9- DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE- Bizz Nizz (20,230) 10- GHETTO HEAVEN- Family Stand (19,482)

21ST APRIL Sparked by a media frenzy over the start of her world tour opening in Japan last week Madonna mania seems alive and well in the UK with “Vogue” on cruise control this week and is proving a consistent if unspectacular seller registering a further 75,225 copies last week, turning last week’s 225 copy victory into a 23,000 victory over the still rising Alannah Myles who squeezes past a falling Snap! (50,524). That all leaves UB40 out in the cold and holding at No 4 (42,704) with no clear way of it seeing the top 3. Number One for 3 weeks Stateside in February “Opposites Attract” transposes its success across the Atlantic as it arrives 17-5 (30,906). Abdul’s career in the US has been stratospheric so far with four No 1 singles in the space of a year, it’s markedly different here where only “Straight Up” has been a top 20 single albeit a No 3 hit, her current hit features Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn as the “wild pair” but the track comes with a memorable semi animated promo featuring MC Skat Kat which is garnering attention, could it go all the way over here? Here’s a song with a history, “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” is a Robert “Mutt” Lange written track which was originally recorded in 1979 by Dobie Gray with completely different lyrics, it was dusted down by Lange and re-written into its current form with Don Henley in mind but ends up in the hands of Heart who you may recall scored a couple of top 10 singles a few years ago. Their tenth album “Brigade” is due next month and this marks the first single, its somewhat controversial lyrics seem to have not caused as much outrage here as they have in the US and the song rises 11-8 (26,843) Among those taking surprising downturns this week include The Happy Mondays 5-6 (29,359) and Jason Donovan 8-9 (21,913), also falling are the B-52’s who fall 6-10 (21,352). Better news for Bizz Nizz who hold at No 7 (26,877). 1- VOGUE- Madonna (75,225) 2- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (51,561) 3- THE POWER- Snap! (50,524) 4- KINGSTON TOWN- UB40 (42,704) 5- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul with Wild Pair (30,906) 6- STEP ON- Happy Mondays (29,359) 7- DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE- Bizz Nizz (26,877) 8- ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU- Heart (26,843) 9- HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE- Jason Donovan (21,913) 10- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (21,352)

14TH APRIL So in the end it ended up being quite a tussle, not between Madonna and Jason Donovan as form would suggest (they crossed swords last Easter you may recall) but between Madonna and the outgoing chart topper from Snap!, it ended up being awarded to Madonna who sees “Vogue” become her seventh chart topper placing her 6th on the all time list behind The Beatles, Elvis, Cliff, ABBA and The Rolling Stones, and she also becomes the third act to top the charts in the 80s and 90s. The track sold 67,643 against “The Power”’s 67,388, that 16% sales loss proving fatal. Recent US chart topper “Black Velvet” is also on the move 17-3 (34,000) and could yet prove troublesome for Madonna, the song by Canadian Alannah Myles, is a homage to Elvis Presley and was inspired when Myles’s boyfriend was on a coach to Graceland to mark the 10th anniversary of the icon’s death in 1987. UB40’s inability to score a big hit with self- written material arguably lead to “Labour Of Love II” at the end of last year and now they score a second top 10 single from it with “Kingston Town” originally written by Kendrick Patrick in 1970. It’s their 13th top 10 hit and as it rises 11-4 (33,915) it also becomes their highest peaking single since 1985’s “Don’t Break My Heart” made No 3. The album debuted at No 9 back in December but this week charges 16-8 to reach a new peak though it still has a long way to go to reach the success of the original “Labour Of Love” which went all the way to the top. Leading lights, along with The Stone Roses, in the current “Madchester” movement, and after their last single “Madchester Rave On EP” became their first Top 40 hit (peaking at No 19), Happy Mondays have seen considerable adulation in the music press (second only to the Roses), now they finally have a top 10 single to back it up, “Step On”. A take on John Kongos’s 1971’s No 4 hit “He’s Gonna Step On you Again” it’s been remixed by Paul Oakenfold and will be the first release from their third album due at Christmas, the single powers 16-5 (30,872) and could yet be a chart topper given their support. Two of last week’s top 3 find themselves out of favour with The B-52’s falling 2-6 (29,410) and Candy Flip tumbling 3-9 (24,718) along with They Might Be Giants ebbing 6-10 (24,480). Bizz Nizz rise 8-7 (28,288) and the surprise of the week being that Jason Donovan can only move a slot 9-8 (25,891) even with TOTP to help him, could S/A/W’s golden boy be losing his touch? Finally as a foot note the charts have altered the allowed formats to contribute to chart positions with only 5 formats now being permissible, hence the high number of new entries last week to get around the issue. 1- VOGUE- Madonna (67,643) 2- THE POWER- Snap! (67,388) 3- BLACK VELVET- Alannah Myles (34,000) 4- KINGSTON TOWN- UB40 (33,915) 5- STEP ON- Happy Mondays (30,872) 6- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (29,410) 7- DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE- Bizz Nizz (28,288) 8- HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE- Jason Donovan (25,891) 9- STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER- Candy Flip (24,718) 10- BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL- They Might Be Giants (24,480)

Well "Like a Prayer" had an international high profile launch with a controversial TV ad which created a major media buzz so let's not underestimate that either.

7TH APRIL Lots of new hits to digest this week but first to the top 3 where everything is, by way of contrast, entirely static. Snap! Make it two weeks at No 1 with “The Power” shifting another 80,053 copies, that’s an increase of 52% week on week, and they do extend their lead over The B-52’s to 41,582 from 7,327 last week so are far more secure, and Candy Flip get stuck in mud at No 3, again losing sales to 34,969. Below that it gets interesting with the new Madonna Single called “Vogue”. It takes its inspiration from the dance of the same name popular in underground gay clubs in New York which has now been exported by the singer to the mainstream and features a roll call of classic 30s-50s movie stars to accompany the stylish black and white promo which naturally being Madonna is another instantly memorable one. The song was originally written as a B-Side to the US single “Keep It Together”, a fifth release from the “Like A Prayer” album, as it was felt it needed a new track to get sales for a song available for such a long time on the album. In the end it was deemed too good to be thrown away on a B-side as instead it is issued as a standalone single and it arrives at No 4 (27,710) this week, she’s never debuted in the top 5 and not gone to No 1! Not had enough Belgian Dance music? Well look no further than Bizz Nizz who leap 22-8 (24,633) with “Don’t Miss The Partyline” and is another song which forms part of the ongoing trend of generating hits first in the clubs that transfer onto the charts. It’s the brainchild of Jean-Paul De Costa. So onto 1989’s biggest chart star Jason Donovan. His last 5 singles all debuted in the top 10 and all peaked in the top 2 and his newie “Hang On To Your Love” has started in the right vein as it debuts brightly at No 9 (21,437) and will be the second single from his new album expected in the summer. It’s another top 10 single for S/A/W/ Hit factory who have been absent from the big 10 for 5 weeks now, since Pepsi & Shirlie’s “Goodbye Stranger” entered the top 10 back in June 1987 a total of 148 chart weeks have elapsed, weeks without a hit factory record being present in it? Just 25! Erasure continue their slow descent 4-5 (26,282) along with a reverse gear for David A Stewart & Candy Dulfer dip 6-7 (25,126), meanwhile better news for They Might Be Giants who climb 8-6 (25,925) and see their album debut at No 14. Beats International slump 5-10 (18,598) to complete our round up but as it’s the end of the first quarter let’s see how the year is shaping up thus far! 1- NOTHING COMPARES 2 U- Sinead O’Connor 646,527 2- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Featuring Lindy Layton 436,407 3- GET UP! (BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER)- Technotronic Ft Ya Kid K 311,304 4- HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU- Michael Bolton 247,197 5- TEARS ON MY PILLOW- Kylie Minogue 241,077 6- GOT TO HAVE YOUR LOVE- Mantronix 192,202 7- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s 186,677 8- HANGIN TOUGH- New Kids On The Block 182,784 9- I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE- Black Box 181,169 10-TOUCH ME- 49ers 177,939 This week's top 10 1- THE POWER- Snap! (80,053) 2- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (38,471) 3- STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER- Candy Flip (34,969) 4- VOGUE- Madonna (27, 710) 5- BLUE SAVANNAH- Erasure (26,282) 6- BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL- They Might Be Giants (25,925) 7- LILY WAS HERE- David A Stewart Ft Candy Dulfer (25,126) 8- DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE- Bizz Nizz (24,633) 9- HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE- Jason Donovan (21,437) 10- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (18,598)

31ST MARCH Becoming the first song to leap to No 1 from outside the top 10 since Glenn Mederios back in 1988, Snap! are the new chart toppers with their track “The Power” which debuted at No 12 last week. Essentially a German production duo of Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing and fronted by rapper Turbo B, “The Power” is their first single under the Snap! Moniker and features the vocals of Penny Smith, though keeping with recent traditions in the dance genre, the video features a different singer miming the vocals (Jackie Harris) as Smith is apparently media shy. The song features a mash up of Jocelyn Brown’s “Love’s Gonna Get You”, Mantronix’s “King Of The Beats Lesson 1” and Chill Rob G’s “Let The Words Flow” which have come together to convince 53,380 buyers last week including a strong show on 12” to top that chart as well. Former Chart topper from Beats International was never in the running for a 5th week at the top, it falls 1-5 (35,190) the biggest fall since Simple Minds last year, it was overtaken by The B-52’s who are bridesmaids again on 46,053 and early week chart toppers before TOTP threw the No 1 spot Snap’s way. Candy Flip advance 6-3 (37,944) and Erasure slip a spot 3-4 (36,601) despite increasing sales. The only other new hit in the top 10 comes from They Might Be Giants with “Birdhouse In Your Soul”. There can’t be many songs which are essentially about a nightlight but that’s what this hit is all about sung from the perspective of the night light itself, the band have a quirky background (as you might expect) and this is the first single from their second album “Flood” which is due next week, in the meantime “Birdhouse” climbs 17-8 (24,565). David A Stewart & Candy Dulfer continue inch ever nearer to the top 5 as they climb 7-6 (34,493) but it’s certainly all over for the chart topping bids by New Kids On The Block who fall 5-7 (25,007) and Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers as they dive 4-9 (22,270), Michael Bolton completes the ten as he dips 8-10 (20,094). Next week sees the release of new singles by Jason Donovan and Madonna who go head to head with new releases not available on their albums yet- could they make the top 2 next week? 1- THE POWER- Snap! (53,380) 2- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (46,053) 3- STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER- Candy Flip (37,944) 4- BLUE SAVANNAH- Erasure (36,601) 5- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (35,190) 6- LILY WAS HERE- David A Stewart Ft Candy Dulfer (34,493) 7- I’LL BE LOVING YOU (FOREVER)- New Kids On The Block (25,007) 8- BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL- They Might Be Giants (24,565) 9- THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO ME- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (22,270) 10- HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU- Michael Bolton (20,094)

28TH FEBRUARY Norman Cook is turning into quite the star of the year, the ex-Housemartin first remixed Wildchild’s “Renegade Master” into a No 3 hit last month and now he works his magic on Cornershop’s “Brimful Of Asha” and voila a No 1 single results! A very minor hit last year (#60) it clearly didn’t pass Cook by who allegedly got in touch with the record company offering his services to remix it and they duly obliged thankfully. Lyrically an homage to Indian film culture and actress Asha Bhosle it marks the official coming of age for Cornershop who have garnered much critical acclaim over the last few years without much sales to back it up. Parent album “When I Was Born For The Seventh Time” also goes top 20 even though it doesn’t contain the current mix. With most money on an easy second week for Dion but in the end she was easily defeated selling 176,000 as she slid to No 2 but Cornershop romp home on a sale of 208,321. She can console herself with the US No 1 spot which she debuts this week. One of the most anticipated records of 1998 finally arrives at No 4 (59,000) for Savage Garden. The song hit the headlines last month when it became the song to dislodge Elton John at the top of the US charts after 14 weeks and already been a No 1 last April in their native Australia! The group had a false dawn here last year when their single “I Want You” made No 11 but follow up “To The Moon And Back” flopped at No 55 so it was back to the drawing board with this plaintive ballad. You may know him better as Jambo in Hollyoaks but now actor Will Mellor is a popstar as well. His version of Leo Sayer’s “When I Need You” (No 1, 1977) comes straight in at No 5 (47,000) and comes with the announcement that Mellor will be leaving the soap this year. New boyband alert! Another Level are a UK quartet who sent their demo tape to Jay Z who in turn passed it onto his UK label Northwestside who promptly signed them up, first single “Be Alone No More” proves the investment as it arrives at No 6 (42,000). The UK isn’t normally too receptive to country music as it proved for Shania Twain who’s first international release “Woman In Me” generated no hit singles here and failed to chart despite making her a US star. She appears now to have made an impact here with a new single “You’re Still The One” which is new at No 10 (28,000) thanks in part to a slot on the National Lottery Show, the song is written by Twain and husband producer Robert “Mutt” Lange about their own relationship. Aqua drop 2-3 (73,000) as “Aquarium” reaches a new peak of No 6, All Saints drop back 3-7 (38,000) and Will Smith glides 7-8 (33,000). Robbie Williams also dips 4-9 (29,000). 1- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop (208,321) 2- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (176,000) 3- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua (73,000) 4- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (59,000) 5- WHEN I NEED YOU- Will Melor (47,000) 6- BE ALONE NO MORE- Another Level (42,000) 7- NEVER EVER- All Saints (38,000) 8- GETTIN JIGGY WIT IT- Will Smith (33,000) 9- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (29,000) 10- YOU’RE STILL THE ONE Shania Twain (28,000)

21ST FEBRUARY Celine Dion sails effortlessly to No 1 this week with the “Titanic” love theme “My Heart Will Go On”. The film is of course currently No 1 and rapidly becoming something of a sensation as the must see film in the land and so naturally the single rushed to the top on a 1998 best yet sale of 234,685, in debuting at the top it means that Dion has both the fastest chart topper of all time (which admittedly she shares with over 90 other singles) but also the slowest No 1 of all time (with “Think Twice”), the two songs remain Dion’s only UK chart toppers thus far. That sale incidentally beats the 220,000 sold by Whigfield’s “Saturday Night” to become the biggest weekly sale by a female solo act ever. Paul Newman is up next, he is normally known as DJ Tall Paul who scored a #12 hit last year with “Rock Da House” and is a much sought after DJ. He’s adopted another alias now as Casmira and the first release under this moniker is “Let Me Show You” which is itself a mish mash of samples from 4 tracks most notably Sandy B’s “Make The World Go Round”. It crashes in at No 5 (50,000). The Bluetones are back, lead single to a new album “Solomon Bites The Worm” debuts easily at No 10 (26,000) to become their fourth top 10 single in a row. You only have to wait a month for the album. We got the BRITS last week which as per usual affects the album charts much more than the singles chart but there are a couple of benefactors namely All Saints and Robbie Williams who both performed. “Never Ever” won two awards (Best British single and video) and lifts 5-3 (64,000) whilst Robbie ended up going home without an award but “Angels” responds 7-4 (56,000). That’s a new peak for the track 11 weeks into its run, an unusual feat in 1998 and it also becomes Williams’ first platinum seller with sales of 629,000 to date. Will Smith slides 6-7 (43,000) whilst increasing sales, Cleopatra fade 3-8 (34,000) and Lighthouse Family fall 8-9 (28,000). 1- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (234,685) 2- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua (112,000) 3- NEVER EVER- All Saints (64,000) 4- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (56,000) 5- LET ME SHOW YOU- Camisra (50,000) 6- ALL I HAVE TO GIVE- Backstreet Boys (47,000) 7- GETTIN JIGGY WIT IT- Will Smith (43,000) 8- CLEOPATRA’S THEME- Cleopatra (34,000) 9- HIGH- Lighthouse Family (28,000) 10- SOLOMON BITES THE WORM- The Bluetones (26,000)

Interestingly in terms of pure sales, Erasure far closer to No 1 in this week than they ever were with either "Sometimes" or "Stop".