Gezza

24TH SEPTEMBER The market takes a general decline this week but the decline sees a new UK No 1 in the form of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by The Hollies. It becomes their second chart topper and their first in 23 years, a record gap, it suffered a 5% decrease in sales to 98,192 but a chart topper is a chart topper, Phil Collins drops 1-2 (95,336) a more severe 15% drop in sales doubtless lost to the soundtrack which debuts at No 6 on the album charts, Womack & Womack, who hold at No 3, make little more progress to them as they register an increase of just 2% to 54,383. Fears that Bill Medley's alternative version may cost The Hollies a No 1 prove unfounded but Medley revealed this week that he was actually offered the track back in the 60s before The Hollies got it yet turned it down, silly move! WV72d4udVbY We’ve had Charlene so it must be time for Scott! Yes “Neighbours” star Jason Donovan makes the move from Ramsey Street to the charts with the help of S/A/W and the song “Nothing Can Divide Us”. It was originally destined for the new Rick Astley album but he passed on it and so it ends up in the hands of Donovan who scores himself a first top 10 as it flies 13-5 (46,954) PHDzLXTr-wE The newest dance act on the block are Detroit duo Inner City who have been exciting dance aficionado’s this year and translate that into chart success with their debut release “Big Fun”. The song powers 20-8 (27,319) as it seeks to emulate its dance No 1 status, though it is credited as Inner City Featuring Kevin Saunderson he is actually one of the duo- his reputation as a dance innovator in certain circles was clearly seen as something worth promoting. The track appears on the "Detroit Techno" compilation album which has been getting promotion through DJ Paul Oakenfold creating underground support for the song. Gr-zG-IXDyo Heralded by many as their fifth chart topper The Pet Shop Boys are back with “Domino Dancing” lead single from their forthcoming third album “Introspective” due next month. Their new found Latin edge hasn’t been a hit with all their fans but the song does debut at No 9 (27,217), it’s their 8th top 10 single and the fifth to shoot straight into the top 10, watch out for this one next week. 4Ht7HGxhKVM Last week’s big new entry Bros flounder this week dipping 4-6 (36,363) perhaps pointing to overkill for the group this year and Yazz & The Plastic Population fall 7-10 (24,463) and is now about 50,000 short of Kylie in the YTD race. Bill Withers rises 6-4 (49,062) and thus gives a second No 4 hit for remixer Liebrand this year, and Yello climb 8-7 (27,676) and are now the second highest peaking Swiss act ever. 1- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies (98,192) 2- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (95,336) 3- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (54,383) 4- LOVELY DAY (SUNSHINE MIX)- Bill Withers (49,062) 5- NOTHING CAN DIVIDE US- Jason Donovan (46,954) 6- I QUIT- Bros (33,363) 7- THE RACE- Yello (27,676) 8- BIG FUN- Inner City Featuring Kevin Saunderson (27,319) 9- DOMINO DANCING- Pet Shop Boys (27,217) 10- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (24,463)

He could play and did so on tour but he's not playing on the album

It was worse than that. Luke and Craig didn't do anything on the album. It was Matt and session singers plus the producer, though of course that didn't come out until years later. That aside they are a fascinating case study in the phenomenon of a teen scream act and the music industry.

It is their worst single in 88 i agree. There is actually better on the album "shocked" of "liar" for example. Not that it mattered much at this point as they were so huge! Also the first line of the song always puzzles me "most of my friends were strangers when I met them", well yes they would be...

17TH SEPTEMBER Strong sales at the top this week deprive Bros of another sensational debut near the top of the charts but more on that in a moment, for now Phil Collins spends a second week in the penthouse after almost doubling his sales again to a whopping 112,965 the sixth time in 1988 a six figure sale was registered for the No 1 spot, but more importantly he wasn't the only contender with the Hollies sprinting 5-2 (104,448) which means that both the top 2 sold in six figure quantities, the first time that's happened since April 1987. Both tracks are being promoted via other media (namely a film and a TV advert) which could account for the explosion in sales and sets up an interesting battle next week. For the Hollies it marks a new peak for the 19 year old track and if it doesn't make No 1 then they may well feel aggrieved that sales for the Bill Medley version (which is still top 30) may have detracted sales. FvhAKBhLKwk So onto Bros, briefly at No 3 on initial sales flashes it faded as the week progressed and sold a respectable 39,168 copies in the end to debut at No 4, it’s the fourth single from “Push” which itself is back in resurgence 21-14 this week. It sold poorly in the latter part of the week only just fending off rival boy banders Brother Beyond who slide 2-5 (39,049) when the dust settled. It is worth noting however that opening sale for "I Quit" were in fact higher than "I Owe You Nothing" when the latter debuted at No 2! mSJmvWv-iwU Ben Liebrand’s remixes are quite the thing these days, he recently took Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” to No 4 and now he works the magic on Bill Withers “Lovely Day” which first appeared on one of his mix tapes and which are highly sought after themselves. The original peaked at No 7 in 1978 but this remix has taken just 14 days to outperform it as it surges 21-6 (37,621) spurred on by its use in the current Ford Escort adverts. Withers manages to hold a note on the track for 18 seconds which is, I’m reliably informed, a record! WswAX8c959I It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the Miami Sound Machine, the hits have continued in the US but they haven’t found favour here, a slight credit change to promote frontwoman Gloria Estefan seems to have helped as “Anything For You” finally makes the top 10 jumping 15-10 (26,911) in its 10th week on the survey, The song has topped the charts over in America back in May this year. G_bLJiJJLbM Womack & Womack have another great week as they continue to climb 4-3 (53,618), Yazz & The Plastic population continue to slacken 3-7 (36,703) while Yello hold at No 8 (35,751) and Bomb The Bass drop 6-9 (32,147). Finally this week sees old enemies Pet Shop Boys and Rick Astley return to the charts with lead singles from new albums, the two fought it out in the top 2 back in December, can Astley get revenge or will it be a third chart topper on the trot for the PSB? 1- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (112,965) 2- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies (104,448) 3- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (53,618) 4- I QUIT- Bros (39,168) 5- THE HARDER I TRY- Brother Beyond (39,049) 6- LOVELY DAY (SUNSHINE MIX)- Bill Withers (37,621) 7- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (36,703) 8- THE RACE- Yello (35,751) 9- MEGABLAST/ DON’T MAKE ME WAIT- Bomb The Bass (32,147) 10- ANYTHING FOR YOU- Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine (26,911)

Plus Shakey's entire oeuvre which thankfully, in terms of the top 10 was now over by 1988

12 yr old me had Brother Beyond, Womack & Womack, The hollies, Julio & Stevie, and Kylie on 7"

10TH SEPTEMBER A real topsy-turvy week in the charts this week which saw Brother Beyond lead at the midweek point with a firm if not spectacular lead over Yazz. However the boys were only act of the midweek top 3 not to feature on TOTP and ultimately it cost them the No 1, "The Only Way Is Up" staged a slight rally but it wasn't enough to overtake the "Harder I Try" the two tracks coming in with sales of 53,907 and 49,827 respectively, and for Yazz it means she crosses the 500,000 mark to celebrate and is a little more than 100,000 behind Kylie in the YTD charts. Instead Phil Collins sees his second cover version become his third No 1 today as “A Groovy Kind Of Love” takes full advantage of the slump in sales for Yazz to storm 9-1 (57,681) whilst doubling its own sales and nipping into pole position at the last minute. The soundtrack is out in a fortnight which may detract some sales from the single but it’s another triumph for Collins who goes from strength to strength. 15TzO4txILY Scoring 27 top 40 hits between 1963- 1974 The Hollies were one of the biggest acts of the 60s, 17 of those were top 10 singles but only one track “I’m Alive” went all the way to the top. One of those singles was “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” which peaked at No 3 in 1969 and now sees a re-issue thanks to the song’s use in the current advert for Miller lite Beer, it also features Mr Elton John on Piano to boot, and rockets 28-5 (46,138) which along with the Isley Brothers sample in the Brother Beyond single, and Phil Collins, gives a heavy 60s feel to the current top 5. A competing version of the track by Bill Medley rests at No 25, that comes courtesy of its inclusion in the film “Rambo III”. 6CZQ0FndXMI The only prior acts to make the top 10 from Switzerland were Sweet People in 1981 and Double back in 1986 when “Captain Of Your Heart” peaked at No 8, they’re joined now by Yello who rise 14-8 (34,238) with “The Race”. They are duo Dieter Meier and Boris Blank who have slogging away for 9 years with only one track 1983’s “I Love You” their biggest hit peaking at No 41. Y4QbJRAWvRU Womack & Womack lift 7-4 (47,838) leaving Bomb The Bass stranded at No 6 (36,958), Julio Iglesias & Stevie Wonder fall back 5-7 (35,360), Kylie dives 3-9 (30,940) and Breathe drop 4-10 (29,869) and in doing so set the highest sale for the anchor position since 21st November last year! Finally next week sees the release of a new Bros record- straight in at No 1? 1- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (57,681) 2- THE HARDER I TRY- Brother Beyond (53,907) 3- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (49,827) 4- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (47,838) 5- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies (46,838) 6- MEGABLAST/ DON’T MAKE ME WAIT- Bomb The Bass (36,958) 7- MY LOVE- Julio Iglesias & Stevie Wonder (35,360) 8- THE RACE- Yello (34,238) 9- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (30,940) 10- HANDS TO HEAVEN- Breathe (29,869)

3RD SEPTEMBER It’s now sold 470,560 copies in total as it easily hauls in a fifth week at the top despite a further 23% slump in sales to 67,864 copies, yes “The Only Way Is Up” is still the UK’s No 1 as it equals the longest run at the top for 1988, an honour it shares with “I Should Be So Lucky” by Kylie Minogue who she has of course held off the top spot for the last 4 weeks. “The Loco-Motion” finally gives up its valiant effort and slides 2-3 (40,392) to make way for another S/A/W creation, Brother Beyond’s “The Harder I Try” which nudges 3-2 (53,686) and could pose a serious threat to Yazz in 7 days time but wwon't have TOTP to support it. “The Only Way Is Up” moves up into the top 3 on the YTD chart as it tries to catch….you guessed it, “I Should Be So Lucky” but realistically it should overtake that track ultimately. Incidentally Kylie's track becomes the first song to enter at No 2 and spend as long as a month there and not reach No 1 since Wham!'s "Last Christmas", with its peak established it has replicated the position of Little Eva's version, one of only four records to hit the runner up spot in two different versions (the others being "Black Is Black", "When I Fall In Love" and "Hole In My Shoe"). CdZxFQSVL3s Taking 6 months to follow up “Beat Dis” has allowed Bomb The Bass to get the song right and their second single, double A Side, “Megablast/ Don’t Make Me Wait” explodes 20-6 (28,271) to prove the wait was worth the while. “Megablast” takes its bass from the John Carpenter film “Assault On Precinct 13” though it’s the other side which is getting the more exposure and radio play and features vocals from Lorraine from the band The Cool notes. gczvwli4u_Y XdfqWEqObhM Husband and Wife duo Womack & Womack first came to our attention on the 1984 hit “Love Wars” (No 14) but since then they’ve always fallen short of the top 20, Cecil was previously married to Mary Wells (of “My Guy” fame) until 1977 before he married Linda in the same year, she is the daughter of soul legend Sam Cooke, so there’s a rich source of talent they pull on. The couple are now on their fourth album and the lead single “Teardrops” becomes their biggest hit as it floats 18-7 (27,268). fC10Lx3ZJ7c The last time Phil Collins released a cover version it ended up going to No 1, that was “You Can’t Hurry Love” in 1982, he’s now back with a cover of the Diane & Annita song “A Groovy Kind Of Love” which the Mindbenders took to No 2 in 1966, it becomes his highest debuting track of his long career including all Genesis releases as it arrives with a splash at No 9 (23,426). It comes from the new film “Buster” which stars Collins’ in the main role with Julie Walters which is in cinemas in a fortnight, the track was not the first choice of a single for Collins- the original plan was to record a version of "The First Cut Is The Deepest". HsC_SARyPzk Breathe hold at No 4 (38,675) but are still increasing in terms of weekly sales, they hold off Julio & Stevie who climb 6-5 (33,745) but it’s all over for BVSMP 5-8 (23,953) and Fairground Attraction 7-10 (20,808). 1- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (67,864) 2- THE HARDER I TRY- Brother Beyond (53,686) 3- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (40,392) 4- HANDS TO HEAVEN- Breathe (38,675) 5- MY LOVE- Julio Iglesias & Stevie Wonder (33,745) 6- MEGABLAST/ DON’T MAKE ME WAIT- Bomb The Bass (28,271) 7- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (27,268) 8- I NEED YOU- BVSMP (23,953) 9- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (23,426) 10- FIND MY LOVE- Fairground Attraction (20,808)

I'm working on something albums wise to the end of 2024.

27TH AUGUST The top two are again proving intransigent at the top as they become the first two tracks to create such deadlock, and for so many weeks, since Wham! and Band Aid were locked in duel for 5 weeks in late 1984, both are still in decline, Yazz & The Plastic population down 14% to 88,995 whilst Minogue loses 17% to 52,836, respective tallies of 402,696 and 251,872 prove it’s been a lucrative four week stasis though for both. “The Only Way Is Up” is already the 4th biggest single of 1988 and “The Loco-Motion” is easily in the top 20 for the year, meanwhile “Kylie” finally tops the album chart making her the youngest female act to ever do so at just 20. It’s also the first time in chart history that all three records in the top 3 start with the same word! JvoHA0wilQQ It’s taken a re-issue to make it a hit and extensive use on Mad Lizzie’s TV-AM exercise work out session but Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder’s “My Love” is finally a hit moving 17-6 (29,852). It’s Wonder’s 18th top 10 single but only Iglesias’ 3rd, for the Spanish singer it also marks the third hit in a row to be duet and he’s had a different duetting partner on each track, Diana Ross and Willie Nelson being his previous co-conspirators, the first time an act has done such a feat- it’s quite the record breaking week. 2OXVnsPC0gg 19yr old Tanita Tikaram strikes it lucky first time out with debut single “Good Tradition” rising 15-10 (14,909) to become the perfect launch pad for her album “Ancient Heart” which hits the shops next month. zvE3nN8Oquk S/A/W again have two hits in the top 3 with Brother Beyond accelerating 8-3 (37,281), Breathe also climb 6-4 (33,745) as BVSMP dip 3-5 (32,946). Fairground Attraction hold at No 7 (25,891) but climb to No 2 on the album charts, Kim Wilde collapses 4-8 (23,647) and Iron Maiden run out of steam 5-9 (15,793). 1- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (88,995) 2- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (52,836) 3- THE HARDER I TRY- Brother Beyond (37,281) 4- HANDS TO HEAVEN- Breathe (33,745) 5- I NEED YOU- BVSMP (32,946) 6- MY LOVE- Julio Iglesias & Stevie Wonder (29,852) 7- FIND MY LOVE- Fairground Attraction (25,891) 8- YOU CAME- Kim Wilde (23,647) 9- THE EVIL THAT MEN DO- Iron Maiden (15,793) 10- GOOD TRADITION- Tanita Tikaram (14,909)

No idea. Maybe as Coldcut were the producers in 89 but didn't produce the 97 version then the credit got to change to the new producers? B-)

29TH MARCH The Spice Girls domination continues with double A Side “Mama/ Who Do You Think You Are” remaining at No 1 for a third week whilst “Spice” keeps control of the album charts. Even with Mother’s day and Comic Relief over they are the face of the new TV channel 5 which launches next weekend and so they’re still on TV daily at present which can only help them. It shifted another 85,000 to raise its 21 day tally to 485,000. VsNbhwSXDB8 Runner up this week is R Kelly who scores his biggest hit as performer as “I Believe I Can Fly” debuts at No 2 (68,000), he has of course written a chart topper (“You Are Not Alone”) and previously been in the top 3 himself with “She’s Got That Vibe”. The song features in the new part animated film “Space Jam” which hit the cinemas this weekend itself, and over in the US it has already peaked at No 2 as well, this time behind Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart”. axhOdD9i8ZQ The Backstreet Boys bring the UK up to date with the continent with the release of a 5th single from their debut album called “Anywhere For You”. They are still increasing in popularity here and starting to rival Boyzone in the boyband stakes with this now their 5th top 20 single in 9 months, it couldn’t quite maintain its early showing in the top 3 and debuts at No 4 (51,000). The album incidentally has sold just over 200,000 copies and rests outside the top 40 currently. i8D_1EYO0OE Picking up from where they left off are BBE whose new single “Flash” is new at No 5 (48,000) just two places lower than “Seven Days And One Week” peaked last Autumn. sEVLaGyMBGs That’s only BBE’s second top 10 hit but acts with rather more big hits to their credit crash into the top tier slightly lower down. Firstly Madonna who now has her 39th top 10 hit in the form of “Another Suitcase In Another Hall” which is a third hit to be pulled from the current “Evita” soundtrack. It made No 18 way back in 1977 for Barbara Dickson but is a much bigger hit in the arms of Madonna as it crashes in at No 7 (39,000). Lt4UCJZTfg4 Meanwhile the Pet Shop Boys are up to their 17th top 10 hit with “Red Letter Day” new at No 9 (36,000). Their last single “Bilingual” only made No 14 so they must be happier with this showing, Neil Tennant was apparently so enamoured with the skills of remixer Motiv-8 that he asked the producer to remix this song and liked the mix so much that it gets sampled in the main version! xA19C5PKgqE Elsewhere No Doubt climb again 4-3 but they lost 18% at retail to sell 53,000 in the process, Sash! fall 5-6 (42,000), Boyzone hurtle 2-8 (37,000) and Gina G ripens 6-10 (31,000). 1- MAMA/ WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?- Spice Girls (85,000) 2- I BELIEVE I CAN FLY- R Kelly (68,000) 3- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt (53,000) 4- ANYWHERE FOR YOU- Backstreet Boys (51,000) 5- FLASH- BBE (48,000) 6- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! (42,000) 7- ANOTHER SUITCASE IN ANOTHER HALL- Madonna (39,000) 8- ISN’T IT A WONDER- Boyzone (37,000) 9- A RED LETTER DAY- Pet Shop Boys (36,000) 10- FRESH- Gina G (31,000)

22ND MARCH It was Comic Relief this week and those Spice Girls were everywhere! Promotion flipped from “Mama” to “Who Do You Think You Are” for which two promo’s were available a normal one and a comic relief version featuring the sugarlumps (Dawn French/ Jennifer Saunders/ Kathy Burke/ Lulu/ Llewella Gideon) a parody of the group, and for three of that entourage a reprisal of the fictional group Lananeeneenoonoo who played with Bananarama in 1989. The track struggled early on only narrowly ahead of the new Boyzone single but after Friday’s Comic Relief event it pulled well clear ending up with sales of 152,000. “Spice” is of course home to both singles and returns itself to the No 1 spot on the album charts with total sales of 2.4 million in just 19 weeks- they truly are a phenomenon. HbvGLz5BRms Onto Boyzone then, an eighth release and an eighth top 4 hit placing them behind Gary Glitter and Kylie Minogue in terms of the best start to a career ever. “Isn’t It A Wonder” is another cut from their second album “A Different Beat” and follows to consecutive chart toppers for the Irish boys, they were in the papers this week following tales of the filming the promo which apparently saw a near death experience when a plane almost landed on them!! The song ends up at No 2 (110,000) selling more in its first week than their previous chart topper did to make the top. vJxJNOR25Ng 10 years since their debut Wet Wet Wet are about to release a celebratory “10” album, they’ve had 23 hits in that space of time and can now count their 24th as “If I Never See You Again” makes it big. Debuting at No 3 (81,000) it marks their highest ever debut and have announced a one off concert date at Wembley in August which has already sold out. LtXivl6UDc8 Six new entries again this week and next up is Gina G who continues to confound expectations of Eurovision acts. Her third release debuts effortlessly at No 6 (56,000) and is a precursor to her debut album of the same name which is released in a fortnight and will be the real test of her popularity. X7aEKZsx5lo Also releasing their debut album next month are Damage, the boys have generated a lot of goodwill in the press and critics as one of Britain’s leading RNB groups. “Love Guaranteed” dives in at No 7 (47,000) and comes with a promo featuring Christopher Lee! qUJ8dGz4CuE Lisa Stansfield’s recent stock has risen thanks to the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remix of “People Hold On”, she capitalises on that with new single “The Real Thing” which debuts at No 9 (39,000). The CD version of the song indeed features a remix by those scoundrels hoping to recapture the chart magic, this is Stansfield’s 8th top 10 hit in 8 years. 4CwL7S1Hzj0 After three top 10 hits in a row back in 1995 Clock seemed to have peaked commercially especially as their next three releases all missed the top flight, but proving you can’t write them off just yet “It’s Over” puts them back in the pink. It arrives at No 10 (34,000). AFh7vFgNPGM No Doubt drop 2-4 (64,000) but will be platinum (600,000) next week, Sash! are also holding on impressively 4-5 (64,000), but fading fast are The Fugees 3-8 (41,000). 1- MAMA/ WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE- Spice Girls (152,000) 2- ISN’T IT A WONDER- Boyzone (110,000) 3- IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN- Wet, wet, wet (81,000) 4- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt (64,000) 5- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! (64,000) 6- FRESH- Gina G (56,000) 7- LOVE GUARANTEED- Damage (47,000) 8- RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE- The Fugees (41,000) 9- THE REAL THING- Lisa Stansfield (39,000) 10- IT’S OVER- Clock (34,000)

20TH AUGUST The top 2 remain on lock down for a third week with Yazz & The Plastic Population claiming the top spot easily though sales cool to 103,989 to bring its total to 313,701 copies as it moves seamlessly into the top 10 YTD, it’s the first time since The Bee Gees back in October last year that a song has recorded more than 1 week above the 100,000 mark. Kylie therefore plays runner up on both charts with her album nestled behind “Now 12” for a second week and the single “Loco-Motion” making it three weeks lodged behind Yazz, the bad news is that she’s losing sales, the track sold 63,257 copies, though its total is now just shy of 200,000 copies, impressive for a third release of an album. m2HLcNGVlBE On its way down 2-7 in the US Breathe are moving the other way here in the UK with their track “Hands To Heaven”, it’s another example of a UK band (they’re from Hampshire) who only hit it big here after our American friends give them a break. It’s their first hit after a few flops and shows the success that can obtained when you get a major label behind you, the track flies 17-6 (27,047) after peaking at No 106 earlier in the year on first release. ICWAw7udcXg A story of if at first you don’t succeed…. Brother Beyond have seen their first 4 releases either miss the chart or fail to hit the top 50 so when the chance to work with S/A/W presented itself via an offer from the producers to produce a song for whoever won a charity auction came along it was won by EMI who hooked the band up with the producers and “The Harder I Try” was born. Owing a debt of gratitude to “This Old Heart Of Mine” it duly gives the quartet their breakthrough hit shifting 24-8 (20,910) and has started to earn the boys a lot of coverage with the teenage female audience! it completes a nice trajectory of their singles which all peaked higher than the previous effort (#166,#62, #57, #56). bm_gZ--67eQ Former Mission backing vocalist Julianne Regan is also the vocalist for All About Eve who were last week involved in one of the more infamous incidents on TOTP when the group couldn’t hear the backing track while the camera rolled resulting in them missing their cue, even so the track still moved 22-15 and they got invited back on TOTP to remedy the error and the track again responds 15-10 (14,722). Much like Brother Beyond the band have released six singles all with improving chart positions, 87, 81, 47, 33, 30, and now 10, their debut album which is home to five of those singles peaked at No 7 on release in February and now returns to the top 40 for the first time since March. WZ1xO5r-6ok BVSMP and Kim Wilde swap places at No 3 and 4 with former shifting 37,298 to the latter’s 30,379 and true to form Iron Maiden only move up a spot to No 5 after their spectacular debut a place lower last week and sell 28,577 to do so. Fairground Attraction also creep a spot 8-7 (22,780) as people seem to have been more swung into buying the album as it bounces 7-3 to get a new peak, and S Express fall 5-9 (20,026). 1- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (103,989) 2- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (63,257) 3- I NEED YOU- BVSMP (37,298) 4- YOU CAME- Kim Wilde (30,379) 5- THE EVIL THAT MEN DO- Iron Maiden (28,577) 6- HANDS TO HEAVEN- Breathe (27,047) 7- FIND MY LOVE- Fairground Attraction (22,780) 8- THE HARDER I TRY- Brother Beyond (20,910) 9- SUPERFLY GUY- S Express (20,026) 10- MARTHA’S HARBOUR- All About Eve (14,722)

Not overly- Entries into the top 10- 1980- 11 1981- 10 1982- 9 1983- 11 1984- 15 1985- 11 1986- 9 1987- 19 1988- 10 (so far)

13TH AUGUST With sales exploding 100% week on week Yazz & The Plastic Population’s “The Only Way Is Up” secures a firm grip on the No 1 spot that looks hard to shake, so much so that even though she increases her own sales 68% Kylie Minogue drifts further away from Yazz though her album lifts 5-2 and so splits sales. The 84,830 copies that “Loco-Motion” sold would have been enough to be No 1 in 22 of the 31 weeks so far in 1988- it’s all about the timing! but it is the highest sale for a runner up since Whitney Houston in May last year. That was of course on its way down from No 1 so if we strip out all tracks either climbing or falling to No 1 then the last track to sell that much and peak at No 2 was A-Ha way back in October 1985. Yazz's sale of 122,145 is the fourth six figure weekly sale of the year compared to 10 in 1987 and 6 in 1986 at the same point. vjD3EVC1-zU The high debut of “Can I Play With Madness” followed by only peaking one place higher urges caution, but certainly for now the resurgence in popularity of Iron Maiden continues as the second single from “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” debuts at No 6 (25,585). Taking its title from a speech by Marcus Antonius in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, “The Evil That Men Do” heralds the band’s brief touch down in the UK on their current world tour, they’ll return for a longer stint in November but this track becomes their third top 10 hit and in doing so equals the record of three top 10 singles for a heavy metal group set by Rainbow, however Iron Maiden have now debuted twice there- a record! M6JpxDebokM Rising 14-8 (23,613) this week is the second single from Fairground Attraction “Find My Love”, they’ll again be hoping that they can knock S Express off the top spot though the latter group only move 6-5 (26,486) so history may not be repeating on this occasion. The album responds by climbing 9-7 this week to match its debut peak back in May. 3LBCHJRWjZc Kim Wilde is still inching closer to the top 4-3 (37,162) but so are BVSMP 7-4 (32,589), whilst three tracks are most definitely on the slide, Glenn Medeiros drops 3-7 (24,225) but is nearing the 450,000 mark, Salt N Pepa reverse 5-9 (18,598) and Transvision Vamp slump 9-10 (18,360). 1- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (122,145) 2- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (84,830) 3- YOU CAME- Kim Wilde (37,162) 4- I NEED YOU- BVSMP (32,589) 5- SUPERFLY GUY- S Express (26,486) 6- THE EVIL THAT MEN DO- Iron Maiden (25,585) 7- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (24,225) 8- FIND MY LOVE- Fairground Attraction (23,613) 9- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (18,598) 10- I WANT YOUR LOVE- Transvision Vamp (18,360)

Yes, I bought "Kylie" but not until after "Locomotion" came out- I recall going into "Our Price" and seeing the single there but deciding to get the album instead so that's how I can place it. It had moved 2-3-5-5 so far since release, blocked by Tracy Chapman. :( . First week sales were roughly 60,000.

What's interesting is how TOTP worked against new entries at No 1 in the 80s by focusing and promoting what was in the charts already- hence, first Bros, then Kylie were on course for debuts there but ultimately lost out to tracks which featured in the weeks programme, that despite low sales (for the 80s).

6TH AUGUST It looked like a plain sailing week for Glenn Medeiros whose “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” seemed good to hold the top spot for a fifth week yet in the end it dropped 1-3 (48,382) it has sold over 400,000 copies as it departs the top spot and is the third biggest single of the year. TOTP decided the destination of the No 1 spot as Yazz & The Plastic Population catapult 10-1 (61,183) with their cover of “The Only Way Is Up”, it was sitting at No 3 on sales to the end of Thursday but in the last two day of sales it soared ahead overtaking the highest new entry right at the death. QHWM15QZEAw Looking good for a sensation debut at No 1 until the end, that highest new entry becomes the highest debut by a female solo act ever in chart history overtaking Madonna’s “Who’s That Girl” which went in at No 3 last year, yes Kylie Minogue is doubtless celebrating tonight as a remixed version of her debut Australian single “The Loco-motion” comes straight in at No 2 after selling 50,762 copies. It’s her third top 2 single giving her the best start to any chart career since Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1984 and is available (in an alternative version) on her debut album “Kylie” which peaked at No 2 four weeks ago. It’s the fourth version of the track to chart following in the footsteps of The Vernon Girls (No 47, 1962), Little Eva (No 2, 1962), and Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin (No 70, 1986) so Kylie has at least matched the peak of Little Eva, she also follows Bros in scoring a hat-trick of top 2 hits in 1988 though they of course needed re-issues to do the trick. Jdc8WfpCRbc BVSMP stands for Baby Virgo Shocking Mister P, a US three piece whose rap hit “I Need You” jets in 22-7 (26,605) for the youngsters. The song was released here in March though did next to nothing but has taken off recently as it has become a big hit in Europe and most significantly hit No 2 in Spain which exposed it to a large UK audience holidaying who have snapped it up on their return though interestingly it failed to dent the US charts, perhaps mention of “virginity” was a step too far? eA05M4iyfZw Lots of other action in the big 10 after last week’s stasis, Kim Wilde glides 6-4 (34,459), and S Express inch 7-6 (27,812), worse news for Salt N Pepa who give up the ghost 2-5 (27,914), Everything But The Girl slide 3-8 (26,333) as the re-issued “Idlewild” debuts at No 30, Transvision Vamp dip 5-9 (23,987) and Michael Jackson drops 4-10 (20,706) now that his UK tour dates are over. 1- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (61,183) 2- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue (50,762) 3- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (48,382) 4- YOU CAME- Kim Wilde (34,459) 5- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (27,914) 6- SUPERFLY GUY- S Express (27,812) 7- I NEED YOU- BVSMP (26,605) 8- I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT- Everything But The Girl (26,333) 9- I WANT YOUR LOVE- Transvision Vamp (23,987) 10- DIRTY DIANA- Michael Jackson (20,706)

30TH JULY Suffering a 32% slump in sales yet still keeping the top slot shows just how far Glenn Medeiros was ahead last week, his tally this week is 63,274 which is still respectable in terms of 1988 and he remains 28,000 clear of Salt N Pepa who hold No 2 for a third week but are now in danger themselves as sales recede. _DgG-jwJ02M Indeed the whole top 5 are static for the first time since August 1984 and though Everything But The Girl (No 3, 32,453), Michael Jackson (No 4, 28,951) and Transvision Vamp (No 5, 27,064) all improve sales wise it isn’t by enough to pose any real threat to Medeiros yet who should see another week at the top if nothing else. Further down and also holding are Mac Band & The McCampbell brothers at No 8 (20,332) and Debbie Gibson at No 9 (20,077). Supporting Michael Jackson on tour has paid off for Kim Wilde who has just done 5 nights at Wembley with the US Superstar and now has her 6th top 10 single with “You Came” shooting 16-6 (26,316). Wilde’s 6th studio album “Close” has been a bit of a wet squib so far, first single from the campaign “Hey Mr Heartache” fizzled out at No 31 seeing the album debut at peak at No 70, it re-enters at No 73 this week but has sold only 10,000 copies since it was released six weeks ago, hopefully the single will push it back up, only one of her previous albums (her debut album in fact) has gone top 10. P9l8Jzqd3dQ S Express return with their second single “Superfly Guy” which sees more of the same from Mark Moore which resulted in their debut release “Theme From S Express” top the charts for a fortnight in April. The album “Original Soundtrack” debuted at No 5 but left the chart after just 9 weeks and is yet to return. Meanwhile their second single advances 20-7 (23,749). lSsumWG8k2s Yazz seems to have dumped Coldcut who gave her her first top 10 single back in February with “Doctorin The House” and headed out solo, that’s not strictly true as Coldcut are still present on the single producing it, but she’s chosen to do a cover of an Otis Clay track from 1980 called “The Only Way Is Up” for her first solo record. From the opening horn blast (sampled from Sharon Redd’s “Beat The Street”) this is a radical makeover of the Clay original and rockets 28-10 (19,890), Yazz is currently recording that all important debut album scheduled for Christmas. SzkY63WeCj8 1- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (63,274) 2- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (35,853) 3- I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT- Everything But The Girl (32,453) 4- DIRTY DIANA- Michael Jackson (28,951) 5- I WANT YOUR LOVE- Transvision Vamp (27,064) 6- YOU CAME- Kim Wilde (26,316) 7- SUPERFLY GUY- S Express (23,749) 8- ROSES ARE RED- The Mac Band & The McCampbell Brothers (20,332) 9- FOOLISH BEAT- Debbie Gibson (20,077) 10- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population (19,890)

"Neighbours" undoubtedly helped Kylie initially, a daily reminder of her until October 89. She was also lucky that she seemed to get SAW's best output until she left them. Otherwise she's played the press game wisely and not gone off the rails in public view at least. Cultivating a gay audience has helped her to keep a certain level of fame regardless of how she was doing in the charts, and something that the others failed to do. That really saved her when she became "uncool" in the mainstream in the 90s.

23RD JULY It doesn’t record the kind of astounding sales as last week but “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” holds steady at No 1 for a third week moving a further 93,415 copies to bring its overall total to 322,762 making it the 5th biggest hit of the year so far. Salt N Pepa are still the main challengers but they increase sales minimally to 43,384 to pose little real threat to Medeiros’s ongoing domination. 1JYCgZw76QI Unless you’ve been avoiding the TV, radio, and the newspapers then you’ll know that Michael Jackson’s “Bad” tour is in the UK at present which assists with sales of his new single “Dirty Diana” as it powers 14-4 (28,356). It’s the 5th release from the album and incredibly all five of those releases have made the US No 1 spot, not so here where only “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” has gone all the way but he can at least celebrate his 21st top 10 single of his career and his 15th in the 80s, only Madonna with 17 top 10 hits in the decade is now ahead of him. The “Bad” album explodes 20-5 this week, it was last in the top 5 back in January and now has sold over 2 million copies in under a year- simply astonishing and makes him the first act to have two successive 2 million selling albums in UK chart history. If you're quick you can pick up a limited edition of the 7" with a six inch cut out of the man himself. lFqZOYtFtOY Already generating headlines with a string of interviews in which lead singer Wendy James gives her forthright opinions on various topics, Transvision Vamp now have the hit single to back them up with “I Want Your Love” shooting 15-5 (23,358). It’s the third release from the group whose previous single became their first hit “Tell That Girl To Shut Up” peaking at No 45 in April, expect a debut album from them in the Autumn. QRiBxRpvuKg Becoming the first female to write, produce and sing a US No 1 single, Debbie Gibson has a bright future and “Foolish Beat” returns her to the top 10 here for the first time since her No 7 hit “Shake Your Love” back in February. Parent album “Out Of The Blue” has underperformed here peaking at No 26 though it does revive 58-45 with the success of this single. It takes inspiration from George Michael's "Careless Whisper" whatever that means... qf8BoWKeHow Everything But The Girl continue to expand 6-3 (29,971) and The Mac Band Featuring The McCampbell Brothers also improve 9-8 (18,360) but everything else falls. Fat Boys and Chubby Checker continue to descend 3-6 (22,661), Tracy Chapman reverses 5-7 (21,896) and UB40 & Chrissie Hynde fall 7-10 (16,898) 1- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (93,415) 2- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (43,384) 3- I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT- Everything But The Girl (29,971) 4- DIRTY DIANA- Michael Jackson (28,356) 5- I WANT YOUR LOVE- Transvision Vamp (23,358) 6- THE TWIST (YO TWIST)- Fat Boys & Chubby Checker (22,661) 7- FAST CAR- Tracy Chapman (21,896) 8- ROSES ARE RED- The Mac Band & The McCampbell Brothers (18,360) 9- FOOLISH BEAT- Debbie Gibson (17,391) 10- BREAKFAST IN BED- UB40 & Chrissie Hynde (16,898)

16TH JULY Selling more copies last week than any single has since Rick Astley last summer, Glenn Medeiros makes it two weeks at the top with “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” and sets out an early marker for the year’s current best seller (Kylie Minogue’s “I Should Be So lucky”) that it means business. It has already sold 229,347 copies to be just outside the current YTD top 10 and should cruise into the top 5 at least next week assisted by a live TOTP vocal. This week it moved a mighty 131,002- a nice present for his 18th birthday. mUg5aEy-8CQ The challenge of the Fat Boys & Chubby Checker is over as they slip 2-3 (35,275) and are overtaken by Salt N Pepa but their sale of 42,925 is woefully short of Medeiros who has little to fear at present. Indeed the gap between the top 2 of 88,077 is biggest since Nick Berry triumphed over Madonna by 139,740 in October 1986. Everything but the girl have been a duo for 6 years and since releasing their first single in 1983 have created a dedicated if small fanbase which has enabled them to have only one previous top 40 single, 1984’s “Each And Every One” (No 28). Composed by Danny Whitten of Crazy Horses for their 1971 album and most famously covered by Rod Stewart in 1977 who took it to No 1, the song “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” has now been recorded by the group and this week becomes their biggest hit ever as it shoots 23-6 (22,848), it doesn’t originally feature on the band’s fourth album “Idlewild” but will be added to the re-issue. d4688wFOQ1k The newest R N B group to emerge from the states are the Mac Band who despite being credited as “The Mac Band Featuring McCampbell Brothers” are essentially one and the same thing being four brothers from Michigan, “Roses Are Red” sprints 16-9 (18,156) this week and is another Babyface production to add to his growing reputation in the genre. Ldz52ZcrABU Bros hold steady at No 4 (24,395) and just manage to fend off Tracy Chapman who climbs 7-5 (24,174), she’s still No 1 on the album chart and you have to fancy that if it were not for the that she’d probably be higher with “Fast Car” even though the single lost sales in that climb. UB40 & Chrissie Hynde rebound 8-7 (19,091) but it's illusionary as they decline 27% saleswise there’s no saving Sabrina 6-9 (18,938) or Phil Collins 5-10 (17,459) who won’t be with us in 7 days time. 1- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (131,002) 2- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (42,925) 3- THE TWIST (YO TWIST)- Fat Boys & Chubby Checker (35,275) 4- I OWE YOU NOTHING- Bros (24,395) 5- FAST CAR- Tracy Chapman (24,174) 6- I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT- Everything But The Girl (22,848) 7- BREAKFAST IN BED- UB40 & Chrissie Hynde (19,091) 8- BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE)- Sabrina (18,938) 9- ROSES ARE RED- The Mac Band Featuring The McCampbell Brothers (18,156) 10- IN THE AIR TONIGHT 88- Phil Collins (17,459)

Both of these are great and deserved top 10 without a doubt.