Gezza

He was on RCA not PWL as regards record label and they would have probably chosen singles. As the whole first album was SAW written and produced it didn't matter what the singles were. Plus the relationship had broken down between SAW and Astley in the main. That was in part due exhaustion on Astley's part after breaking the USA, he was ordered to take some months off earlier in 88 by doctors so I suppose he was determined to do things his way for the second album which inevitably meant less reliance on SAW.

85. High Expectations Mabel (17-22-31-50-85) 367,000 (T/S 441,000) 84. The Sound Of….- The Smiths (NEW) 368,000 (t/s 908,000) 83. I Will Always Love You- The Best Of- Whitney Houston (NEW) 369,000 (T/S 506,000) 82. Short N Sweet- Sabrina Carpenter (NEW) 373,000 81. Curtain Call 2- Eminem (NEW) 376,000 A mildly exciting section with Mabel scoring the biggest faller on the survey compared to two years ago and four new entries- albeit three are GH sets. At least we have something new from Sabrina Carpenter- the saviour of 2024! rOQcetiARFg

90. Hit Me Hard And Soft- Billie Eilish (NEW) 346,000 89. Without Fear Dermot Kennedy (47-37-49-69-89) 347,000 (T/S 395,000) 88. Favourite Worst Nightmare- Arctic Monkeys (95-89-88) 352,000 (T/S 1,395,000) 87. Greatest Hits Guns N Roses (84-93-84-86-87) 355,000 (T/S 2,514,000) 86. ? Xxxtentacion (44-45-59-74-86) 357,000 (T/S 597,000) First of 4 Billie Eilish albums (and most recent) sneaks in to the countdown, and Arctic Monkeys have 3 albums on the list with this one still improving position wise year after year. J9leUoU96KU

5TH APRIL Containing samples from 6 tracks including a vocal hook lifted from Schoolly D’s “Gucci Again” from 1985, The Chemical Brothers “Block Rockin’ Beats” becomes their second No 1 single on the trot this week after moving 84,700 copies. The duo’s second album “Dig Your Own Hole” is out in a fortnight and is widely expected to top the charts. jKdHa6-M2cg It was a close run thing though with The Spice Girls selling approximately 700 copies less than the Chemical Brothers, No Doubt however stick at No 3 but increase sales to 67,000- the reason both songs have held up so well is of course because it is the Easter weekend and the schools are currently on holiday. Both Spice Girls and No Doubt are of course among the biggest hits of the year and as we’re a ¼ of the way through it’s an apt time to look at the YTD charts 1- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt 692,000 2- WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE/ MAMA- Spice Girls 569,000 3- WHERE DO YOU GO- No Mercy 514,000 4- DON’T LET GO (LOVE)- En Vogue 387,000 5- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! 369,000 6- YOUR WOMAN- White Town 326,000 7- 2 BECOME 1- The Spice Girls 296,000 8- PROFESSIONAL WIDOW (IT’S GOTTA BE BIG)- Tori Amos 287,000 9- REMEMBER ME- Blue Boy 280,000 10- SAY WHAT YOU WANT- Texas 258,000 Last September The Charlatans released “One To Another” and it became their biggest hit making No 3, they’ve taken a whole 8 months to record an album and with “Tellin Stories” almost good to go we get the second single from it “North Country Boy”. It storms in at No 4 (64,000) to become their second top 10 hit on the trot but only the third of their 7 year chart history. i9oAHPgEAdw Turkish born DJ Quicksilver yet again proves the power of the clubs to influence the charts, his track “Bellissima” has already been a club hit all over Europe and now gets UK recognition. Credited as a double A-side in Europe with the Martin Luther King sampling “I Have A Dream” it seems that the latter track has been downgraded for us though it can still be found on the CD version here, the package arrives at No 6 (45,000). Dh5S-vnVEH8 Cast’s second album “Mother Nature Calls” lands in three weeks and will feature their new single “Free Me” which itself touches down at No 7 (42,000). That’s a fourth top 10 single in a row and something of an achievement for the Liverpool foursome who have established themselves in the Britpop field and will be hoping for big things for the album. 3gsjmLp0j2k The film “Space Jam” may have met with a lukewarm reception but it has delivered up the hits with Seal’s “Fly like An Eagle” (No 13) and R Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” (which this week falls 2-5, 62,000) registered on the charts, it now provides a No 8 (38,000) hit for Busta Rhymes/ Coolio/ LL Cool J/ Method Man/ and B Real. It’s certainly a rap supergroup with only B Real the new name to the charts, Method Man and Busta Rhymes have a solitary top 10 single to their credit before today, Coolio had two (including the million selling “Gangsta’s Paradise”) and JJ Cool J is the daddy of them all with three prior top flight hits with his last “Ain’t Nobody” a chart topper only 2 months ago. QkdgFwizJx0 3T continue to mine their debut album “Brotherhood” for singles and a fifth cut “Gotta Be You” provides them with a fourth top 10 single. It features (officially) Herbie Crichlow who produces the track for the boys as it flies in at No 10 (33,000). t4eoKE8wo7Q Six new entries again this week means that we only have four survivors and the only song not discussed yet is Sash! who slips 6-9 (35,000) 1- BLOCK ROCKIN BEATS- Chemical Brothers (84,700) 2- MAMA/ WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE- Spice Girls (84,000) 3- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt (67,000) 4- NORTH COUNTRY BOY- Charlatans (64,000) 5- I BELIEVE I CAN FLY- R Kelly (62,000) 6- BELISSIMA- DJ Quicksilver (45,000) 7- FREE ME- Cast (42,000) 8- HIT EM HIGH- Busta Rhymes/ Coolio/ LL Cool J/ Method Man/ B Real (38,000) 9- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! (35,000) 10- GOTTA BE YOU- 3T (33,000)

so we're missing quite a few weeks out now because of you know who. I'll post a chart a day to bring us up to speed slowly!

8TH OCTOBER A rare week, outside Christmas, when there are no new entries to discuss at all in the top 10, that being said it doesn’t mean that we don’t get a new No 1! After 8 years of trying U2 can finally celebrate grabbing a UK chart topper with “Desire” lifting 3-1 (62,118) helped by the release of the 12" version of the song, they overcome The Hollies who dip 1-2 (55,233)- that sale takes the title to 394,536 and in terms of 1988 here’s the YTD chart as we enter the final quarter: 1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue 611,371 2- THE ONLY WAY IS UP- Yazz & The Plastic Population 608,617 3- I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW- Tiffany 496,383 4- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros 493,527 5- WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/ SHE’S LEAVING HOME- Wet, Wet, Wet/ Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey 408,425 6- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies 394,536 7- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins 384,812 8- THE LOCO-MOTION- Kylie Minogue 362,355 9- PERFECT- Fairground Attraction 340,017 10- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack 299,795 z8rQ575DWD8 “Desire” also becomes the first original composition to make the top slot since Bros back in July!, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” meanwhile is now the 6th biggest hit of the year (as you can see), and you’ll note no doubt that Phil Collins slides in beneath them at No 7 for the year, he’s also at No 5 on the weekly charts after selling 38,097 copies last week. Whitney Houston dashes 8-3 (43,843) to score her biggest hit since “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” topped the charts last year, Womack & Womack meanwhile show remarkable staying power to hold at No 4 (43,588) who themselves now almost top the 300,000 mark better than some of the year’s chart toppers and are at No 10 on the YTD. A PWL double bill at No’s 6 & 7 this week, Rick Astley continues to inch up 10-7 (32,572) whilst the song he rejected “Nothing Can Divide Us” holds at No 6 (36,074) for Jason Donovan, Bill Withers drops 5-8 (30,685) and the Pet Shop Boys go into decline 7-9 (26,741) whilst Inner City continue to slide 9-10 (26,605). 1- DESIRE- U2 (62,118) 2- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies (55,233) 3- ONE MOMENT IN TIME- Whitney Houston (43,843) 4- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (43,588) 5- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (38,097) 6- NOTHING CAN DIVIDE US- Jason Donovan (36,074) 7- SHE WANTS TO DANCE WITH ME- Rick Astley (32,572) 8- LOVELY DAY (SUNSHINE MIX)- Bill Withers (30,685) 9- DOMINO DANCING- Pet Shop Boys (26,741) 10- BIG FUN- Inner City Featuring Kevin Saunderson (26,605)

Can we avoid mentioning stuff that will make the top 10 please?

Phil Harding and Ian Curnow were in house producers for PWL which is probably why so it isn't entirely S/A/W free.

95. The Diamond Collection- Post Malone (NEW) 333,000 94. Music To Be Murdered By Eminem (11-25-36-72-94) 336,000 93. Staying At Tamara's George Ezra (43-59-63-85-93) 340,000 (T/S 1,363,000) 92. The Eminem Show- Eminem (NEW) 341,000 (t/s 2,150,000) 91. Nevermind Nirvana (85-68-76-91) 346,000 (T/S 2,629,000) Double Eminem as his 20+ year old album overtakes his 2020 album, and Post Malone’s compilation set proves a winner. IzPQ_jA00bk

100. Greatest Hits- The Platinum Collection Queen (54-84-92-99-100) 327,000 (T/S 2,581,000) 98. Hypersonic Missiles Sam Fender (72-90-72-90-99) 328,000 (T/S 442,000) 98. Timeless- The All Time Greatest Hits Bee Gees (86-82-91-98) 330,000 (T/S 454,000) 97. Good Girl Gone Bad- Rihanna (NEW) 330,000 (t/s 2,390,000) 96. Harry Styles Harry Styles (94-73-80-96) 330,000 (T/S 579,000) The highlight in our first selection is the return of Rihanna! Who needs new music when we clearly still love her golden era from almost 20 years ago! More greatest hits from Queen and Bee Gees are still selling and the first of 3 albums from Harry makes an appearance. g_v1rVGlwbY

New decade- new albums. The album market certainly isn't what it was once but that doesn't stop us counting down the top 100 best selling albums of the decade so far, if only so we can complain about the lack of new albums. 33 of albums on the list are greatest hits compilations so where possible I'll try to focus on albums released in this decade..... Charts covered are 09.01.2020- 04.01.2025. The top positions will probably be well known so no spoilers please!

1ST OCTOBER With total sales now almost 340,000 The Hollies spend a second week at the top with “He Ain’t Heavy, he’s My brother”, its sales again on the slide at 81,226, it’s slender victory over Phil Collins last week is much easier this week as though Collins holds at No 2 he sold 57,307 copies, his total is 346,715 as he runs slightly ahead of the Hollies. The re-issued 1969 track is incidentally the fourth 1960’s cover/ re-issue to make the top in 1988. U2Avmrcnql0 For a third week in a row there’s a new entry inside the top 10, this time it’s U2 who place “Desire” at No 3 on a strong sales of 51,782, it is the best start by any U2 track either in terms of first week sales or chart debut position. It clocks in at just under 3 minutes and is the first release from their new album “Rattle & Hum” which will go head to head with the new Pet Shop Boys album in just 3 weeks. Talking of the Pet Shop Boys they rise just two spots 9-7 (42,347) with “Domino Dancing” and look to be in trouble with the track, a third No 1 on the trot now looks unlikely! d9TiEWVlTKg Composed for NBC’s Olympic coverage in Seoul by Albert Hammond and produced by long time collaborator Narada Michael Walden, Whitney Houston returns to the upper reaches with “One Moment In Time” to give her a seventh top 10 single as it flies 24-8 (30,651) 7L9EMe-7Z4w An opening salvo of four Top 3 singles is nothing to be sniffed, especially when one of those tracks spent 5 weeks at No 1 here and two of them made the US No 1 spot, that’s the enviable track record of Rick Astley thus far. That second album is nearing completion and the lead single “She Wants To Dance With Me” has surprised many by struggling so far, relatively speaking, it debuted at No 16 (his lowest entry since his debut hit) and this week can only rise 16-10 (29,342). Some point to the fact that he’s written this song himself and not relied on the S/A/W writing machine to generate another hit for him, or the fact that the magic trio are not even the producers on the track, that duty being performed by Ian Curnow and Phil Harding, or maybe the Astley phenomena is just wearing out, whatever the reason the progress of this single will be much scrutinised by the record industry. Me8nwfpqAAI The arrival of U2 pushes a series of tracks down a spot, they include Womack & Womack 3-4 (51,782)- yes that's exactly the same sale but naturally registers a lesser sales increase than U2 , Bill Withers 4-5 (46,410) and Jason Donovan 5-6 (44,523), Inner City also dip 8-9 (30,175). 1- HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER- The Hollies (81,226) 2- A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE- Phil Collins (57,307) 3- DESIRE- U2 (51,782) 4- TEARDROPS- Womack & Womack (51,782) 5- LOVELY DAY (SUNSHINE MIX)- Bill Withers (46,410) 6- NOTHING CAN DIVIDE US- Jason Donovan (44,523) 7- DOMINO DANCING- Pet Shop Boys (42,347) 8- ONE MOMENT IN TIME- Whitney Houston (30,651) 9- BIG FUN- Inner City Featuring Kevin Saunderson (30,175) 10- SHE WANTS TO DANCE WITH ME- Rick Astley (29,342)

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)