Gezza

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.

This was just before I started listening to the charts on a Sunday religiously (that will happen next month) so I can't recall if it was a complete surprise. Given what is No 2 however I'll take him over the Fat Boys. :lol:

9TH JULY Just over a year ago The Firm bounced 14-1 with “Star Trekkin” and since then no track has climbed from outside the top 10 straight to the top spot, until this week. Glenn Medeiros won a radio talent contest in his native Hawaii just last year with a version of George Benson’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” which led to an album which was picked up by a US DJ on holiday and through various turns of fate it generated into a US No 12 hit for the singer though it bombed here at No 176. Now released via London Records the song ignited, shooting 61-36-11-1 and selling 74,137 copies into the bargain, he’s the first act from Hawaii to have a UK chart topper, he’s also (at 17) the youngest male soloist to top the charts since Donny Osmond back in 1973, and the fourth teenager to be top of the stack in 1988 making it a landmark year for teenage acts. bby5dQFRxUo The rise of Medeiros robs the Fat Boys and Chubby Checker of their first No 1 with “The Twist (Yo Twist)” which remains stranded at No 2 (48,501) and it must be fancied now not to progress further especially as Salt N Pepa are coming up hard on the rails 7-3 (46,325). No other new hits on the charts and the only act in the lower half of the top 10 to be celebrating is Tracy Chapman who keeps the No 1 album in the land and also sees “Fast Car” motor 10-7 (28,764) but above her are three fallers, Bros finally surrender the top slot falling back 1-4 (40,800), Phil Collins dips 4-5 (30,872) and Sabrina slides 3-6 (28,764). Lower down UB40 & Chrissie Hynde won’t be celebrating another chart topper as they hurtle 6-8 (27,557), the Pasadenas ebb 5-9 (26,996) and Maxi Priest is cast out 9-10 (19,210). As we’re half way through the year here’s the current YTD top 10: 1- I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY- Kylie Minogue 608,328 2- I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW- Tiffany 496,383 3- WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/ SHE’S LEAVING HOME- Wet, Wet Wet/ Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey 396,814 4- PERFECT- Fairground Attraction 333,608 5- HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH- Belinda Carlisle 298,486 6- THEME FROM S EXPRESS- S Express 277,933 7- TELL IT TO MY HEART- Taylor Dayne 272,986 8- GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR- Billy Ocean 262,072 9- GOT TO BE CERTAIN- Kylie Minogue 261,817 10- HEART- Pet Shop Boys 260,644 This week's Top 10 1- NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU- Glenn Medeiros (74,137) 2- THE TWIST (YO TWIST)- Fat Boys & Chubby Checker (48,501) 3- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (46,325) 4- I OWE YOU NOTHING- Bros (40,800) 5- IN THE AIR TONIGHT 88- Phil Collins (30,872) 6- BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE)- Sabrina (28,764) 7- FAST CAR- Tracy Chapman (28,067) 8- BREAKFAST IN BED- UB40 & Chrissie Hynde (27,557) 9- TRIBUTE (RIGHT ON)- The Pasadenas (26,996) 10- WILD WORLD- Maxi Priest (19,210)

"The kick inside" went to No 3

15TH MARCH The Spice Girls once again enter the charts and the record books as “Mama/ Who Do You Think You Are” debuts at No 1 on a sale of 248,000 copies. They are the first act ever to record four chart topping singles from their first 4 releases and, like everything with the girls, has been planned meticulously. Picking up 2 BRIT awards they performed “Who Do You Think You Are” and caught the headlines with Geri in THAT dress, the song also got picked to support the forthcoming Comic Relief event (this Friday) and in the meantime “Mama” gets the promo for Mother’s Day which was on Sunday- great timing! The girls were on TOTP to perform the track and the promo features their real life mothers. ueHRsg3EgHM LlyT8hewRh0 The Girls are also currently No 1 Stateside with “Wannabe” making them the first act since Tiffany in 1988 to be No 1 in both countries but with different singles, the only glitch is however that “Spice” falls 1-2 on the album charts seeding the way to U2’s “Pop” but it becomes the first studio album to house five UK No 1 singles! The best selling single of last year was a tight race between the Fugees and The Spice Girls and this week they went head to head with the former coming off worse. Recorded for the soundtrack to the forthcoming documentary “When We Were Kings” the single “Rumble In The Jungle” contains a sample of Abba’s “The Name Of The Game”- a rare example of where the group have authorised a sample of one of their singles. The documentary chronicles the legendary fight between George Foreman and Muhammed Ali in 1974 (hence the title) and enters at No 3 (73,000) having ran in second place all week. It is worth noting that the intention was to re-release “Fugee-La” (A No 21 hit last year) but was dropped in favour of this track, a wise choice as it proves their fourth top 3 single in just 9 months, the group have announced that they will concentrating on solo projects for the rest of the year so don’t be expecting a new album this side of Christmas. Ok6fmRt6MvU Another BRITS performer was Mark Morrison who went home empty handed but he gets another top tier hit with “Moan & Groan”. An incredible 6th single to be culled from the “Return Of The Mack” album and a fifth to make the top 10- yes folks that’s a record as no other debut album has been home to as many top 10 singles as this one (honorary mention to the Spices although Morrison does it without the help of double A-Sides). It smashes at No 7 (42,000). dUmvJJm5hSo Ant and Dec continue to quietly rack up the singles, “Shout” is their 13th release and all but two have made the top 20, but crucially this single is just their third to make the top flight. With a chorus inspired by the Tears For Fears track of the same name and using a chord structure very similar to Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” it also features backing vocals by Erasure’s Andy Bell, and the guys have returned to TV with a new successful C4 series as the new song debuts at No 10 (24,000). JOwO-wYDWvA Last week’s No 1 from No Doubt dips 1-2 (74,000) but does become the track to beat as it makes No 1 on the YTD overtaking No Mercy who themselves fall 7-9 (31,000). Holding up well are Sash! (No 4, 67,000) and The Bee Gees (No 5, 63,000), but falling out of the top 3 from last week are Kula Shaker 2-6 (46,000) and Eternal 3-8 (36,000). Next week we’ll see if Boyzone can topple Spice Girls in an act of revenge? 1- MAMA/ WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE- Spice Girls (248,000) 2- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt (74,000) 3- RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE- The Fugees (73,000) 4- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! (67,000) 5- ALONE- Bee Gees (63,000) 6- HUSH- Kula Shaker (46,000) 7- MOAN & GROAN- Mark Morrison (42,000) 8- DON’T YOU LOVE ME?- Eternal (36,000) 9- WHERE DO YOU GO?- No Mercy (31,000) 10- SHOUT- Ant & Dec (24,000)

8TH MARCH It was behind in the midweek charts but in the end No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” triumphs for a third week, by far the longest chart topper of the year so far. “Don’t Speak” sold just over 100,000 copies, another 28% drop week on week as their album also recedes 5-7 but it must count as a great week for the band. 46oWyc4P_pw So onto that midweek champion which was Kula Shaker, they had 3 top 10 singles in 1996 including “Hey Dude” which made No 2 behind the Spice Girls last summer. They clearly didn’t want to risk that again (the new Spice Girls single is out this week) and so their cover of “Hush” takes its bow at No 2 (87,000), the track was written by Joe South for Billy Joe Royal who had a minor US hit in 1967, but it was a cover by Deep Purple the following year that made the song famous. That version made US #4 but didn’t chart in the UK until they re-recorded it in 1988 when it could only make No 62 and so remained unknown to many over here. Kula Shaker took home best newcomer at last month’s BRITS you may recall and are certainly in demand at present, this single was helped by the fact that it isn’t on their album “K” which responds 20-10 this week anyway. xl9GPjcA6Hg Eternal’s 10th top ten single proves to be their most successful as they crack the top 3 for the first time ever! “Don’t You Love Me” shifted an impressive 72,000 copies last week to collect bronze position and is a precursor to their third album “Before The Rain” which is out in a few weeks. Dealing with themes of child neglect it is hardly an upbeat number but it cements their position as the biggest girl group of the decade so far if not of the last 6 months! 81MLQYUQTwE Peter Andre might have expected more from the title track of his album “Natural” but in the end it arrives at No 6 (51,000). It is his 4th straight top 10 single however to take the positives and is also the sixth release from it so perhaps its chart position is no shock, the album incidentally lingers at No 70 seemingly unmoved by the single. 4e-RZ2KkkDw Robin Stone is back (also known as Robin S), a remix of her 1993 single “Show Me Love” by Lisa Marie Experience is new at No 9 (31,000) three places lower than the original peaked four years ago. It follows in the footsteps of The Source in terms of early 90s dance music remixed and a hit all over again, “You Got The Love” tumbles 3-8 (32,000) this week. ALqgHxknQxg Sash! are pushed 2-4 (63,000) by those new arrivals but the Bee Gees hold firm at No 5 (62,000) with a substantial sales increase (38%). No Mercy descend 4-7 (39,000) while Blue Boy ebb 9-10 (27,000). This week sees the fourth release for the Spice Girls- can it make chart history by making the top? 1- DON’T SPEAK- No Doubt (100,000) 2- HUSH- Kula Shaker (87,000) 3- DON’T YOU LOVE ME?- Eternal (72,000) 4- ENCORE UNE FOIS- Sash! (63,000) 5- ALONE- Bee Gees (62,000) 6- NATURAL- Peter Andre (51,000) 7- WHERE DO YOU GO?- No Mercy (39,000) 8- YOU GOT THE LOVE- Source Featuring Candi Staton (32,000) 9- SHOW ME LOVE- Robin S (31,000) 10- REMEMBER ME- Blueboy (27,000)

I was searching yesterday for a picture of Bros pre their makeover in 1987 and finally found one Makeover very much needed. In other news here's a snip from TV about Brosmania in 88 for those who are too young to recall gOG3czQmIuc

2ND JULY On paper it’s an excellent week for Bros but in truth “I Owe You Nothing” is floundering, it sold just 50,150 copies last week, already contracting at retail it seems it is more a champion in a weak market than a genuine expansion of their admittedly large and fanatical fan base, to compensate the album “Push” advances 5-2 to equal its previous peak. The track was under pressure from Chubby Checker and the Fat Boys who drive 4-2 (42,993) and should take over at the top next week, honorary mention to Sabrina who was running in the No 2 spot for most of the week but suffered without TOTP, she remains at No 3 (34,595). F8f7blXDYJI One of the first rap all girl acts (and certainly one of the first to have a hit single) New York’s Salt N Pepa are a trio whose first release “The Showstopper” was an answer track to Doug E Fresh’s “The Show” but flopped when released in 1986. Fast forward to 1987 and their single “Tramp” might have flopped but it contained a track called “Push It” on the b-side of the 12” mix, this track was remixed by DJ Cameron Paul and turned into the A-Side when it made the US top 20 back in February. The UK release saw the song peak agonisingly at No 41 but after the group’s performance of the track at the recent Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday tribute concert it was immediately issued again and shoots 24-7 (25,534) and is an official double A-Side with the former track “Tramp”. unr-mYqIfo8 6Fa4xPANi28 Talking of the Nelson Mandela concert the biggest “new” star to be launched courtesy of it was Tracy Chapman who did two stints after filling in for Stevie Wonder when he had difficulties with equipment and was a major recipient of sales with her debut album having only reached No 47 before the concert and has since moved 25-2-1 to top the album charts this week, her single “Fast Car” hasn’t done badly either shifting 26-10 (16,473) this week to announce her arrival on the pop scene. Incidentally in hitting the top position on the album chart Chapman becomes the first female act to manage this feat with their debut album. teZsA_ci-7E Phil Collins is in a warm current as he moves 8-4 (28,883) just ahead of the Pasadenas who themselves climb 6-5 (28,832) and UB40 & Chrissie Hynde who leap 9-6 (27,727). Further down the Timelords find time is fleeting and drift 2-8 (25,347) and Maxi Priest falls 5-9 (25,177) despite increasing his sales! 1- I OWE YOU NOTHING- Bros (50,150) 2- THE TWIST (YO TWIST)- Fat Boys & Chubby Checker (42,993) 3- BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE)- Sabrina (34,595) 4- IN THE AIR TONIGHT 88- Phil Collins (28,883) 5- TRIBUTE (RIGHT ON)- The Pasadenas (28,832) 6- BREAKFAST IN BED- UB40 & Chrissie Hynde (27,727) 7- PUSH IT/ TRAMP- Salt N Pepa (25,534) 8- DOCTORIN THE TARDIS- The Timelords (25,347) 9- WILD WORLD- Maxi Priest (25,177) 10- FAST CAR- Tracy Chapman (16,473)

25TH JUNE So the poster boys of 1988 finally get their moment in the sun as Bros take that final step 2-1 (56,457) with “I Owe You Nothing”. As a group they have now sold half a million copies in the year making them the 5th act to do so, and are currently on the UK leg of their first tour packing them out at Wembley Stadium at present, there can’t be any better way to celebrate surely? The album “Push” responds 11-5 and has itself sold close to the 500,000 mark since its April release, not bad for the boys who are all still just 19. 7yu0T9n5uos The appeal of “Doctorin The Tardis” proves to be fleeting as it falls 1-2 (48,722) though they did get a sales boost ironically from TOTP, but not as much as Sabrina who continues to improve 4-3 (46,274) and was unlucky not to snatch runner up position. You’ll doubtless recall the Fat Boys from last year’s Beach Boys collaboration “Wipeout”, well they’ve managed to get another 60s popstar back into the studio in the form of Chubby Checker to re-record his classic “The Twist” which debuted at No 19 last week and now sprints to No 4 (30,804). Checker’s original has already been released three times and each time it has peaked higher #44 in 1960, #14 in 1962 and #5 in 1975 and of course now it has turned the trick again in the main thanks to an appearance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Tribute concert. Q09yrBEVoZM The Pasadenas find instant success with their debut “Tribute (Right On)” which is, as you might expect, a tribute to various soul stars of yesteryear. An album is promised by the five before the year is out, this track is co-written by Pete Wingfield who was last in the top 20 as the writer of Mel Brooks’ “To Be Or Not To Be”. Their single advances 16-6 (22,134). xcug2UFSp9g Selling over 400,000 copies in its original 1981 release “In The Air Tonight” now comes in an 1988 remixed form courtesy of Ben Liebrand who mixed the track for his DJ set telling the crowd that if they wanted the mix released then they should call Virgin records, apparently over a thousand queries were lodged with the label resulting ultimately in the song being issued. It charges 35-8 (19,975) this week, its Collins’s first release in 3 years and is his 7th top 10 single if you view it as a separate release to the original which of course went to No 2 behind John Lennon. vOQo-lheXS0 The last time UB40 & Chrissie Hynde teamed up it was on “I Got You Babe” and it went all the way to No 1, now they return in tandem with a cover of Dusty Springfield’s “Breakfast In Bed”. It’s interesting to note that Dusty’s version was never a single in the UK, and indeed the song was never a hit here until a cover by Sheila Hylton in 1979 made No 57 and is therefore a less known track than the Sonny & Cher track. It becomes UB40’s 11th top 10 single, but first in 2 years, as it flies 30-9 (19,618) LFoHaChv6SQ Maxi Priest improves 7-5 (24,463) as he does a direct swap with Desireless as she dips 5-7 (20,332) and Wet, wet, wet bomb 3-10 (16,082) on their way out. 1- I OWE YOU NOTHING- Bros (56,457) 2- DOCTORIN THE TARDIS- The Timelords (48,722) 3- BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE)- Sabrina (46,274) 4- THE TWIST (YO TWIST)- Fat Boys & Chubby Checker (30,804) 5- WILD WORLD- Maxi Priest (24,463) 6- TRIBUTE (RIGHT ON)- The Pasadenas (22,134) 7- VOYAGE VOYAGE (REMIX)- Desireless (20,332) 8- IN THE AIR TONIGHT 88- Phil Collins (19,975) 9- BREAKFAST IN BED- UB40 & Chrissie Hynde (19,618) 10- WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/ SHE’S LEAVING HOME- Wet, wet, wet/ Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey (16,082)

They were supporting Duran Duran on their US tour im 87 which helps to explain why the song broke through there

A few months yet

She was very popular with 12 year old boys in 1988 i can remember that....

I agree that "Everyday" is one of Morrissey's finest songs. "I Owe You Nothing" is great out and out pop, like Jester I wasn't a fan of them in 1988 (far too much hype and naturally they were a threat to Kylie in the popularity stakes) but in retrospect I like most of their singles with the odd exception.

A reminder on spoilers- can we try to avoid to mentioning where tracks peaked (between 1988 and 1994 at least).