Gezza

I'd say 98 is my fave followed by 99, 96,90, 95 then 97. 91 and 92 are definitely the weak years

30TH NOVEMBER A quieter week than most this week as the big guns hold back in preparation for the Christmas push (we’ll look at the runners and riders later on) but that’s good news for The Prodigy who scored an easy victory in the end on 95,000. Lv4s6hKdgUQ Mounting an early challenge to them however was the new Fugees single who have dared to cover a Bob Marely track, namely Marely’s 1975 single “No Woman, No Cry” which made no 22 that year but No 8 on re-issue in 1981 after the singer’s death. A remix of the single features Stephen Marley (Bob Marley’s son) and is on the new “Bootleg Versions” CD which out next week but their studio album “The Score” lifts 13-9 this week. Meanwhile the single is new at No 2 (78,000) and could become their third No 1 next week. sNXi5flMQAs More was expected in some quarters from the first solo Mark Owen single which might have been expected to debut higher but as it is “Child” is new at No 3 (62,000). Three former members of the band have now had solo top 3 hits but Owen will be the first to release an album, his “Green Man” album is out in a few weeks whilst Barlow and Williams are still in the studio. O8Q47MsqiZw More Simon Climie penned glory for Louise comes in at No 9 (37,000). “One Kiss From Heaven” features a promo littered with celebrities including members of Eternal, Boyzone, Eastenders stars Martine McCutheon and Sean McGuire and of course boyfriend Jamie Redknapp. Her seemingly permanent presence in lads mags clearly isn’t doing her harm. wpL2lyLs9LI Warren G Featuring Adina Howard slip 2-4 (56,000) and Toni Braxton continues to yo-yo around the top 5 having moved 4-5-5-4-5 so far selling 51,000 last week. Also showing sticking power are Robert Miles & Maria Naylor hold No 6 (50,000) for a third week selling virtually the same amount in each week! The Woolpackers face closing time 5-7 (44,000) and Robson & Jerome pay the price for having the album No 1 as the single plummets 3-8 (39,000) and clinging in there at No 10 are East 17 Featuring Gabrielle who slip 2 (35,000). With Christmas just a month away let’s have a look at those potential contenders for the most important No 1 spot of the year! 2 BECOME 1- The Spice Girls According to the bookies there is no competition this year with Girlpower streamrolling the festive top spot- who’s to stop them? KNOCKIN ON HEAVEN’S DOOR- THROW THESE GUNS AWAY- Dunblane Well charity may play a part in denying the girls top billing and there’s no better a cause than the Dunblane charity appeal. A DIFFERENT BEAT- Boyzone Hottest boyband of the moment Boyzone may have a say in the top spot- the 232,000 opening of “Words” was impressive- can they replicate? I FEEL YOU- Peter Andre Another act with form is Peter Andre. His last two singles sold a combined total of over a million and this winter chiller could just do it. DON’T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA- Madonna She’s not the chart force she once was but surely the most famous song from “Evita” is worth a bet at the festive top spot? SILENT NGHT- Robson & Jerome Going for their Fourth chart topper in a row- don’t discount the power of this duo who continue to defy the critics with chart toppers. YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH- The Smurfs Or how about some Smurfs action? Few would have predicted they would be back in the charts but with a lack of anything specifically Christmas and high profile maybe this can sneak in? 1- BREATHE- The Prodigy (95,000) 2- NO WOMAN NO CRY- The Fugees (78,000) 3- CHILD- Mark Owen (62,000) 4- WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT- Warren G Ft Adina Howard (56,000) 5- UN-BREAK MY HEART- Toni Braxton (51,000) 6- ONE & ONE- Robert Miles Ft Maria Naylor (50,000) 7- HILLBILLY ROCK, HILLBILLY ROLL- The Woolpackers (44,000) 8- WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED/ SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES/ YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE- Robson & Jerome (39,000) 9- ONE KISS FROM HEAVEN- Louise (37,000) 10- IF YOU EVER- East 17 Ft Gabrielle (35,000)

23RD NOVEMBER Becoming the fourth act to grab multiple chart toppers in 1996 The Prodigy move straight into the penthouse spot this week with “Breathe”. It caps off what has been an incredible year for the band who looked a spent force in terms of their chart trajectory, they’re hard at it recording a new album but it will feature a couple of chart topping singles now which can’t be bad. It opens with a sale of 195,000, far more than the 119,000 that “Firestarter” managed to interest which will give them heart. rmHDhAohJlQ Robson & Jerome have a bittersweet week, they lose the top spot falling 1-3 (77,000) but arrive at No 1 on the album charts with “Take Two”, it means that the succession of chart topping acts on the singles chart has now replicated itself on the album charts with Boyzone giving way to the Spice Girls who were replaced by Robson & Jerome. That sequence is unlikely to be extended as the Prodigy have only just started work on their next album. Also slipping past R & J is Warren G featuring Adina Howard, they’ve done a cover of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (No 3, 1984) which features in the new film “Supercop” featuring Jackie Chan. Warren G has stripped out the verses and replaced with his trademark rapping and seen him rewarded with a No 2 entry (92,000)- at a stroke it becomes the biggest hit for both acts and even beats Turner’s original version! Rdb5v-7Xzko Surely one of the acts of the year are Kula Shaker who are onto their 4th single of the year and “Govinda” doesn’t disappointment becoming their third top 10 single in the space of just 6 months. It enters at No 7 (40,000) and is the first UK top 10 single to be sung entirely in Sanskrit. 9QZOHzWLF9w It’s been a good week for Garbage, they won “Best Newcomer” at the MTV Europe awards and performed the single “Milk” to celebrate. The single now duly enters at No 10 (30,000) to become their second top tier hit, the main mix features trip hop artist Tricky who lends his backing vocals to the version as well. YOP-RMXHSr0 Toni Braxton is on the rebound pushing up 5-4 (53,000) managing to hold off the Woolpackers 7-5 (51,000) and Robert Miles Featuring Maria Naylor who hold a No 6 (50,000). Two former favourites fade badly, East 17 Featuring Gabrielle bomb 3-8 (40,000) and The Spice Girls hurtle 2-9 (36,000). Next week we’ll see how Mark Owen can perform outside Take That and will the Fugees get a third chart topper? 1- BREATHE- The Prodigy (195,000) 2- WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT- Warren G Ft Adina Howard (92,000) 3- WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED/ SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES// YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE- Robson & Jerome (77,000) 4- UN-BREAK MY HEART- Toni Braxton (53,000) 5- HILLBILLY ROCK. HILLBILLY ROLL- The Woolpackers (51,000) 6- ONE & ONE- Robert Miles Ft Maria Naylor (50,000) 7- GOVINDA- Kula Shaker (40,000) 8- IF YOU EVER- East 17 Ft Gabrielle (40,000) 9- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE- The Spice Girls (36,000) 10- MILK- Garbage Ft Tricky (30,000)

In their defence (slightly) they were reluctant popstars it seems. Simon Cowell offered them ridiculous amounts of money to continue and they turned him down because they were aware that the whole project was seen as naff.

16TH NOVEMBER The Robson & Jerome success story continues with the triple header “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted/ Saturday Night At The Movies/ You’ll Never Walk Alone” keeping the top spot for a second week though sales are off 42% week on week and just 113,000 copies were sold last week. It now looks unlikely that it will become their third million seller having sold just 309,000 in its first fortnight. NAcGUpQJsjQ The Spice Girls are the real victors this week with “Spice” debuting at No 1 on the album chart (the first time an all girl group has made the top) but “Say You’ll Be There” also tops the airplay chart, it remains No 2 on the sales chart selling 84,000 putting its overall sales at 712,000 after a month on sale. East 17 Featuring Gabrielle complete an all static top 3 (66,000) and that despite East 17’s greatest hits collection being new at No 3 itself- Gabrielle’s expanded album (to include the duet) also re-enters at No 16 depriving the single of more sales. Written back in 1993, whilst his “Dangerous” tour was in Moscow, Jackson wrote a poem, subsequently worked it into a song called, funnily enough “Stranger In Moscow” which now becomes the fifth single to be pulled from “HIStory”. If you like your gaming then you may have spotted a resemblance between the song and the end music for “Sonic The Hedgehog 3”- no coincidence as Jackson also penned that and used the music and part of the instrumentation for this song! It enters at No 4 (52,000) to become his 36th top 10 single for which he has been separately credited. 8eCfiKdZbNc Originally (if you believe the rumours) offered to Whitney Houston as a single and recorded by her, “One And One” ends up in the hands of Robert Miles who has help with the vocals from Maria Naylor whose only previous foray into the charts was a joint credit on Sasha’s “Be As One” which made No 17 earlier this year. Co-written by Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg the song enters at No 6 (49,000) to be Robert Miles’ third straight top 10 single. 29XphWTbNd8 Billy Ray Cyrus has a lot to answer for! Some 4 years after “Achy Breaky Heart” scarred us the phenomenon of line dancing has inexplicably become a trend. So much so that TV Soap “Emmerdale” incorporated it into a storyline where characters formed a band and the inevitable has happened- yes it’s now a top 10 hit. The Woolpackers, as they call themselves, are legit popstars and “Hillbilly Rock, Hillbilly Roll” is straight in at No 7 (42,000) and with the Christmas party schedule just round the corner who’s to bet against still knocking around in the top 10? Incidentally it’s the first track to chart by an existing member of the cast since Malandra Burrows in 1990. MgnUgoeecK4 Meanwhile the UK continues to catch up with the European success of The Backstreet Boys. “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” was another flop here originally only making No 42 last Christmas but in the wake of the success of “We’ve Got It Goin on” it gets another whirl and results in a No 8 hit on sales of 39,000. BHvWKi7JwZ8 Toni Braxton holds up well at No 5 (50,000) thanks in part to new dance remixes being released of “Un-Break My Heart”, Babybird fall 7-9 (36,000) and Gina G slides 6-10 (32,000). Incidentally the biggest selling singles act last week? Oasis! Thanks to the re-promotion of their back catalogue (all 9 are in the Top 75) and the new gold and platinum box sets which chart on the album charts. 1- WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED/ SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES/ YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE- Robson & Jerome (113,000) 2- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE- The Spice Girls (84,000) 3- IF YOU EVER- East 17 Ft Gabrielle (66,000) 4- STRANGER IN MOSCOW- Michael Jackson (52,000) 5- UN-BREAK MY HEART- Toni Braxton (50,000) 6- ONE & ONE- Robert Miles Ft Maria Naylor (49,000) 7- HILLBILLY ROCK, HILLBILLY ROLL- Woolpackers (42,000) 8- I’LL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEART- Backstreet Boys (39,000) 9- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (36,000) 10- I BELONG TO YOU- Gina G (32,000)

9TH NOVEMBER The charts have been around for almost 44 years and in all that time only three acts have opened with a hat-trick of chart toppers from their first 3 releases, Gerry & The Pacemakers (1963), Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984) and Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (1989). Add now Robson & Jerome who top the charts this week with a first EVER triple A-Side! “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted””You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Saturday Night At The Movies” are all of course remakes of hits by Jimmy Ruffin (No 4, 1974 on re-issue), Gerry & The Pacemakers (No 1, 1963) and The Drifters (No 3, 1972 on re-issue) respectively and together they herald the duo’s second album due in a few weeks. The triple hit sold 196,000 last week substantially lower than the opening salvo of either “Unchained Melody” (314,000) or “I Believe” (258,000). S_Qon-Udlhw The experience of last year when their album became the quickest million selling album ever should tell you that you write this pair at your peril and if anyone can challenge the Spice Girl Juggernaut this year then it’s these boys. Talking of the Spice Girls they are bundled off the top spot 1-2 (116,000) though they will be concentrating on their album which is out this week. Already a two week chart topping album Simply Red’s “Greatest Hits” fades 2-3 this week as the track “Angel” is lifted from it and is new at No 4 (79,000). It’s a cover of an Aretha Franklin track from 1973 which made No 37 here and gets the workover treatment by the Fugees who also provide backing vocals on the new version, you can also find the track on the new “Set It Off” film released in January. mW3XT4qZcaM Many wrote off Gina G as a one hit wonder but she proves them all wrong with her new single “I Belong To You” becoming a smash hit at No 6 (56,000)- an exact replica of the debut position for her chart topper “Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit” And she’s got some talent herself co-penning this track and yes she is recording an album! She is however the first Eurovision entry to debut with a Eurovision hit and follow it with a top 10 single! pUlTEJqZNcs Into an increasingly saturated market come a new boyband 911. They formed last year launching into a tour of schools to build a fanbase and releasing two independent singles, a cover of the Shalamar classic “Night To Remember” (No 35) and “Love Sensation” (No 21) as well as winning GMTV’s “Search For A Star”. This caused them to be picked up by Virgin and with a major label behind them “Don’t Make Me Wait” gives them a best yet slotting in at No 10 (31,000). sSAsFcGsHLU East 17 Featuring Gabrielle relent 2-3 (88,000) and despite a slight rise in sales Toni Braxton heads south 4-5 (63,000). Babybird hold at No 7 (40,000) but Faithless drop 5-8 (39,000) and Boyzone fare worst of all collapsing 3-9 (39,000) which is explained by the fact that their second album “A Different Beat” debuts at No 1 this week. 1- WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED?/ SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES/ YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE- Robson & Jerome (196,000) 2- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE- The Spice Girls (116,000) 3- IF YOU EVER- East 17 Ft Gabrielle (88,000) 4- ANGEL- Simply Red (79,000) 5- UN-BREAK MY HEART- Toni Braxton (63,000) 6- I BELONG TO YOU- Gina G (56,000) 7- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (40,000) 8- INSOMNIA- Faithless (39,000) 9- WORDS- Boyzone (39,000) 10- DON’T MAKE ME WAIT- 911 (31,000)

A reminder, if you get bored over December that you can relive (again) any of the years of the 80s via the helpful link http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=270540 that Jester has curated to bring yourself up to speed in preparation for 1988!

8lkXXwSifH8 Umm- how come no one told me that Celine Dion covered "Land Of Make Believe"???? :o - or was it just me in the dark?

And there we are- you're all caught up on the early 80s meaning that we're back to 1988 come January. My thanks as always to those who have contributed to the thread!

8TH JANUARY 1983 Chart compilation changes to Gallup this week after they promised to computerise the compilation method and improve the accuracy of the charts by making hyping a great deal harder. None of this changes the chart topper which for a fourth week is Renee & Renato, "Save Your Love" is going nowhere as it sells another 111,826 copies in the post Christmas slump and it ends the year with a sale of 565,087 copies, it is likely that due to the fact that BMRB did not produce a chart last week which included the run up to the big day that the song sold considerably more but that's all that it will be officially credited with (another "issue" which Gallup have vowed to resolve). It's unclear whether that tally includes any sales collected from the missing week but what is clear that "Save Your Love" becomes the 18th song to cross the half million mark in 1982 (though there was actually 19 with Dionne Wawick's "Heartbreaker" inching past that mark on New Year's Eve). Phil Collins puts himself in prime position to be the next No 1 as he jumps 6-2 (76,126) with his version of “You Can’t Hurry Love” and looks like the main benefactor from that slump. L6bRlocza-8 One of the hit Children’s shows of 1982 was “The Keith Harris Show” and the character Orville The Duck (named after the Wright brother), that success translates into a chart hit this week with “Orville’s Song” which must be the recipient of many a gift voucher or Christmas money given to the kids- it moves 33-8 (41,497). teiA9rfV9G0 Dionne Warwick has never managed back to back top 10 hits in her career- until today. The Gibb brothers penned "All The Love In The World" charges 14-10 (31,620), parent album "Heartbreaker" is already her best selling LP and this week moves back into the top 5 having peaked at No 3 back in November. _0372RjHoDY The big post Christmas shake up has already begun with winners and losers. Among the winners are David Essex (7-3, 72,726), and Modern Romance (8-4, 61,727), both may be outside bets for No 1 next week, but the losers make up the majority of the top 10. Madness can't progress at all holding at No 5 (59,755), whilst heading down are Culture Club (4-6, 49,419), Shakin Stevens 2-7 (42,551) and David Bowie & Bing Crosby 3-9 (33,966) who all feel the winter chill. 1- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (111,826) 2- YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE- Phil Collins (76,126) 3- A WINTER’S TALE- David Essex (72,726) 4- BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES- Modern Romance (61,727) 5- OUR HOUSE- Madness (59,755) 6- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (49,419) 7- SHAKIN STEVENS E.P- Shakin Stevens (42,551) 8- ORVILLE’S SONG- Keith Harris & Orville (41,497) 9-PEACE ON EARTH- LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie/ Bing Crosby (33,966) 10- ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD- Dionne Warwick. (31,620)

Any publicity is good publicity they say Ed Sheeran not happy

25TH DECEMBER Christmas has arrived! Though of course in chart terms the Christmas sales week is actually as far away from the big day as it can possibly be which goes a long way to explaining why sales aren’t as good as they normally are for the period. All that being said congratulations go to Renee & Renato who make it a fortnight at No 1 with “Save Your Love” which sells a healthy 125,256 thanks to the publicity afforded to the festive chart topper, and a total which facilities the tracks total sales swelling to 453,261 copies which is far better than how it was looking last week. In total that’s an increase of 55%, indeed only 2 tracks in the top 10 register a sales drop as you might expect given the festive period, their victory was in the end quite an easy one, nearest challenger Shakin Stevens rises 4-2 on a sale of 80,400, itself healthy but never in danger of threatening “Save Your Love”. m7EnYrW0oQM Phil Collins’s second album “Hello I Must Be Going” entered the charts at No 2 last month unable to unseat “Kids From Fame” but has underperformed since dropping out of the top 20 on the strength of the first single “Thru These Walls” which surprisingly tanked at No 56 in October. Perhaps that influenced his choice of second single which is a cover of the Supremes classic “You Can’t Hurry Love” which seems to have about faced the situation by catapulting 17-6 (61,680) to become his second top 10 hit as a soloist. 6A8y8Pxh_-k Accumulating 7 top 10 hits (including two chart toppers) in the 70s David Essex has been busy in films and treading the boards in the 80s but he still remembers his roots now and again. “Silver Dream Machine” peaked at No 4 back in 1980 and now he’s back for his 9th top 10 smash with “A Winter’s Tale”, it’s written by Tim Rice and Mike Batt. It rockets 30-7 (56,952) but it’s a bit too late for the big day, we’ll have to see how many want that Winter feeling in the new year?! gyQFtAsnl_A David Bowie and Bing Crosby power 10-3 (78,288) proving popular with mums and dads and ran Shaky close all week, Culture Club dip 3-4 despite a sales increase to 71,688, and Madness hold at No 5 with sales of 66,852. Modern Romance rise gently 9-8 (49,656) whilst those two tracks losing sales are Lionel Richie (6-9 48,708) and The Jam (2-10 46,212) BMRB officially bow out of chart compilation after 13 years at the helm- a brave new dawn is on the horizon! 1- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (125,256) 2- THE SHAKIN STEVENS EP- Shakin Stevens (80,400) 3- PEACE ON EARTH- LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie & Bing Crosby (78,288) 4- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (71,688) 5- OUR HOUSE- Madness (66,852) 6- YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE- Phil Collins (61,680) 7- A WINTER’S TALE- David Essex (56,952) 8- BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES- Modern Romance (49,656) 9- TRULY- Lionel Richie (48,708) 10- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (46,212)

Exactly this- it's not really a case of musical merit or otherwise (lord knows, the original apart, there's little going on in terms of breaking new ground on subsequent versions- and let's not when it comes to Dizzee's rap)- but if it was good enough for Geldof to approach SAW to produce it and to take the subsequent monies that it raised then it should be present in some form.

We have 2 charts left for 1982 however luckily we have exact sales for those two weeks so the above is the last "guestimated" chart of the 80s.

18TH DECEMBER Next week’s chart is the big one- Christmas! Not that the charts are exactly alive at the moment, Renee & Renato duly take the top billing that they threatened last week but “Save Your Love” whilst advancing 3-1 can only post an increase of 10% to 81,000, that takes the tracks total to 327,000 copies, pretty poor for a chart topper at this time of the year. bcyfPpyt7CQ Just when he looked to be struggling Shaky has pulled it out of the bag with a Christmas EP containing four tracks most of which are covers. The songs in question are “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” originally by Lloyd Price, “Que Sera Sera” by Doris Day, “Blue Christmas” a song by many artists including Elvis Presley, and his own composition “Josephine”, the set jets in from 35-4 (57,000) this week and could become a surprise No 1 next week! Sneaky old Shaky...... xPCbMAYf9jQ A twelfth top 10 hit is now in the bag for Madness with “Our House” climbing 12-5 (52,000). The single is taken from their fourth studio album “The Rise & Fall” which peaked at No 10 a week after release (a significant come down in performance for them) but has risen again to that position just in time for the Christmas boost. 4V12G4bbIMw Modern Romance may have replaced their frontman (Geoff Deane out and Michael Mullins in) but the hits continue for the outfit as “Best Years Of our Life” sweeps in 11-9 (44,000), it’s the fifth hit for the group and now it’s already their highest charting track, seems a change has done them good! QAePfN_buhQ Recording for Bing Crosby’s 1977 TV Special (he died just 5 weeks after taping) “Little Drummer Boy” is a track that Bowie didn’t want to sing considering it rather too twee for his personal taste and in order to placate the star Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan wrote “Peace On Earth” as a counterpoint for Bowie to sing on the show. It has become over the years a much sought after bootleg that RCA are now issuing as a single and are rewarded with a 22-10 (43,000) climb, marking the first top 10 single for Crosby since “White Christmas” was finally a hit single here in 1977, it’s also Crosby’s 8th top tenner and Bowie’s 16th, and with 43 years separating the two duettists, it marks the biggest discrepancy age wise on a duet. lCpXMy5GalI The Jam debut at No 2 on the album charts with “Dig The New Breed” and are in the same position on the singles chart as “Beat Surrender” can only do a fortnight at the top and sell a further 69,000 copies, after 3 weeks it now totals 263,000 copies and doesn’t look it will come anywhere near their other 1982 chart topper “Town Called Malice” which has sold 597,000, perhaps they were wise to exit when they did. Other runners and riders for next week’s big chart include Culture Club who rise 5-3 (69,000) and were unlucky not to pass The Jam, Lionel Richie who clings to the No. 6 spot (51,000) whilst the threat is over from Human League 2-7 (48,000) and Wham! 4-8 (46,000) who are down and out. So who will it be? Renee & Renato, Culture Club, Shakin Stevens, Madness or Crosby/ Bowie- six days until we find out! 1- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (81,000) 2- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (69,000) 3- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (69,000) 4- THE SHAKIN STEVENS EP- Shakin Stevens (57,000) 5- OUR HOUSE- Madness (52,000) 6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (51,000) 7- MIRROR MAN- Human League (48,000) 8- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (46,000) 9-BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES- Modern Romance (44,000) 10- PEACE ON EARTH- LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie & Bing Crosby (43,000)

11TH DECEMBER December has arrived and with it the party season, the charts meanwhile could only be described as very scrappy! Floating above all that however were The Jam who ride out a second week at No 1 as "Beat Surrender" increases sales by a mere 5% to 99,000- its margin of victory was much easier but the small increase may suggest that it isn't appealing to those outside of their sizeable fanbase. I5OcAO6KedA Below that was a mess however with three tracks all within 1,500 copies of each other and once again TOTP mixed things up giving airtime to both Wham! and Human League at the expense of Renee & Renato who looked on easy street at No 2 for the majority of the week. In the end Human League inched past the serenading duo to maintain No 2 (75,000) whilst Wham! narrowly lost out by a few hundred copies to them and drop 3-4 (74,000)- the same tally as "Save Your Love" which nevertheless improve 5-3. They’ve been threatening a big hit all year and finally A Flock Of Seagulls manage it as the only new entrants in the top 10. They’ve already hit it big in the US where their previous single “I Ran” made No 9 in October, here that single couldn’t progress beyond No 43 but this week “Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)” moves that all important one spot 11-10 (47,000), it’s the first release from their second album “Listen” which is out next year. The song owes some of its success to the lead singer Michael Score’s hairstyle which has certainly gained some notoriety! LCBwuWAmVLY Another challenger to the top next week include Culture Club who jump 9-5 (66,000) and have a fortnight to make ground on that No 1 spot before the festive chart topper is revealed, Duran Duran also manage a slight improvement 10-9 (49,000). Everything else in the top 10 looks like a spent force, Eddy Grant spirals 4-8 (50,000) whilst both Lionel Richie (No 6, 64,000) and Blancmange (No 7, 53,000) hold steady. 1- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (99,000) 2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (75,000) 3- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (74,000) 4- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (74,000) 5- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (66,000) 6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (64,000) 7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (53,000) 8- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (50,000) 9- RIO- Duran Duran (49,000) 10- WISHING (IF I HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU)- A Flock Of Seagulls (47,000) Interestingly in a side note- a member of staff at BMRB was sacked this week for fiddling the figures- no details are known of the track or tracks in question and the record company who bribed them!

2ND NOVEMBER After the sensational debut last week at the top for The Spice Girls even a sales decrease of 53% week on week (normally fatal for a No 1) means that they stroll to another week at the summit with a sale of 163,000 and of course means they have sold half a million in just a fortnight. 9ro0FW9Qt-4 Starting off the week only slightly behind the Spices was the duet between East 17 and Gabrielle called “If You Ever”, a retitled cover of 1992 original by Shai (UK #36, US #2) called “If I Ever Fall In Love”. The group liked the song ever since, covering it regularly at live shows and when asked to perform tracks on a French TV show back in April they did a rendition with Gabrielle who was also on the show. The result went down a storm and it was recorded in the studio as a lead single from a “Best Of” by the boys due out this month. Selling 120,000 copies it arrives at No 2 to become the second biggest hit for both acts. 15YlfbbofDE Diane Warren has penned another hit this time Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” which is new at No 4 (61,000). The promo tells the tale of Braxton losing her lover (played by model Tyson Beckford) in a road accident, it’s a track which allegedly the singer didn’t like when she first heard it but was persuaded to include it on her album. CD2 is released in a fortnight and will include dance remixes which are already popular at radio. iAY-nyw0iJw So onto Reef, a young British band who shot to fame last year when their track “Naked” was used in an advert for Sony Minidisc, in the advert the band were turned down by a label executive but in real life it gave them the push to score a major hit when it peaked at No 11. It was their biggest hit until this week when they released a new single from their forthcoming second album due next year, “Place Your Hands” which has been helped by the group supporting Paul Weller and The Rolling Stones between albums. Thematically drawing on the lead singer’s feelings on the loss of his grandfather, the song is new at No 6 (44,000). zyoNSgV9iiA “Follow The Rules” of diminishing returns seems to be appropriate for Livin’ Joy, that’s the title of their new single and it arrives at No 9 (32,000) becoming their third top 10 single from three releases- an impressive strike rate though it is the least successful of their singles. 7jbyF_SxNGs An incredible 37th top 10 single for Madonna is now fact with “You Must Love Me” new at No 10 (30,000). She’s became a mother this year and completed work on the film “Evita” for which this song forms part of the soundtrack and was written by Rice and Lloyd-Webber specifically for the film adaptation and marks the first time in a decade they have worked together. The film itself premieres next month and opens in January in the UK but the soundtrack is out this week if you can’t wait. ReZAhqqG4v8 Boyzone’s “Words” wilts 2-3 (92,000) but has sold 461,000 copies in 21 days making it their 3rd biggest seller already. Faithless fall 3-5 (57,000) and Babybird drift 6-7 (41,000) despite a slight sales lift and the album entering at No 9, and Celine Dion completes the top flight moving 5-8 (35,000). Next week will see the Spices challenged by new singles by Simply Red and Robson & Jerome- surely they can’t hold out? 1- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE- The Spice Girls (163,000) 2- IF YOU EVER- East 17 Ft Gabrielle (120,000) 3- WORDS- Boyzone (92,000) 4- UN-BREAK MY HEART- Toni Braxton (61,000) 5- INSOMNIA (REMIX)- Faithless (57,000) 6- PLACE YOUR HANDS- Reef (44,000) 7- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (41,000) 8- IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW- Celine Dion (35,000) 9- FOLLOW THE RULES- Livin Joy (32,000) 10- YOU MUST LOVE ME- Madonna (30,000)

26TH OCTOBER From the moment the first sales flashes came through it was certain that the new Spice Girls Single would be No 1 but the scale of the victory wasn’t predicted anywhere with a whopping 349,000 copies sold in the week, a tally beaten only by Babylon Zoo this year. It of course means that the group score a second No 1 in 1996 to join The Fugees and George Michael in that exclusive club but their 8 weeks at the top this year is a record. With the dust barely settled on the success of “Wannabe” (it drifts 21-29 this week) radio has already embraced the new single and it sits within the top 10 with the Mojavi desert located video at the top of “The Box” chart pre release. The promo is a homage to “Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill” and “Pulp Fiction” and has become part of the pop landscape, the rise of the group into public conscience in such a short time is nothing short of a phenomenon and they have a busy November turning on the Oxford Street Christmas lights and that debut album plus a Christmas single! HhDJE3giio4 With a 41% sales loss week on week Boyzone’s time at the top is limited to a week but the 137,000 they sold of “Words” last week would normally have secured them another week at No 1 but it wasn’t to be. A hit which has been brewing for a while up next. Faithless are a dance trio who so far have produced a string of minor hits in the charts all three of which made the top 40 with one in particular “Insomnia” peaking at No 27 last Christmas. It has become a club classic ever since and was primed for a re-issue when ready, new mixes to hand the song debuts at No 3 (84,000). The song samples Kariya’s “Let Me Love You Tonight” a No 44 hit in 1989. liNey8zgapo Cast have got the biggest hit of their career so far, “Flying” isn’t available on the current album “All Change” and benefits from the fact by soaring in at No 4 (49,000). It’s their third top 10 single on the trot and should tide fans over whilst they get in the studio and complete their second album. ds9TI6txbe0 Suede’s new lineup is proving to be their most successful at retail anyway, last single “Trash” became only their second top 3 single and third album “Coming Up” smashed in at No 1. The album is also the only Suede album to house two top 10 singles as second single from it “Beautiful Ones” is new at No 8 (32,000)- you can catch them on tour at the end of November. 0G0ngqYEyb8 Celine Dion falls back 3-5 (40,000) just above a static Babybird at No 6 (38,000), Deep Blue Something start to feel the chill as they tumble 2-7 (37,000). Further down Donna Lewis slips 7-9 (31,000) as she also slips 2-3 in the US to swap places with Dion, Beautiful South fall 5-10 (28,000). 1- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE- The Spice Girls (349,000) 2- WORDS- Boyzone (137,000) 3- INSOMNIA (REMIX)- Faithless (84,000) 4- FLYING- Cast (49,000) 5- IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW- Celine Dion (40,000) 6- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (38,000) 7- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (37,000) 8- BEAUTIFUL ONES- Suede (32,000) 9- I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER- Donna Lewis (31,000) 10- ROTTERDAM- The Beautiful South (28,000)

Just a correction, "Dumb" was their last great single- late 98 coming through again with the greats!

4TH DECEMBER 5 Singles have entered the charts at the top position in the 1980s so far, and three of those singles have now come from the Jam. Since they announced their split back in late October anticipation has been high for their final single and this week “Beat Surrender” duly obliges and smashes straight into the No 1 position on a sale of 95,000 copies, it was available as a two track 7” and 12” but also as an EP in both formats containing 5 tracks on each version which all saw the track rush into a rapid lead that meant it was all over before the race really began. Live album “Dig The New Breed” is out next week and is also expected to unseat John Lennon at the top of that chart (if Lennon holds on this week), another couple of trivia tip bits for you- the girl on the cover is Weller’s girlfriend Gill Price and the backing vocals on the track come courtesy of Tracie Young, his new protégée whom he plucked from obscurity through an ad in Smash Hits magazine for a singer for his Respond label, Young will release her first single next year but already now features on a No 1. If this is to go on to become the festive No 1 it will need to do what no other Jam chart topper has done and stay at No 1 for 4 weeks! MHP0UxBuuGQ Despite its speedy start “Beat Surrender” was already cooling significantly toward the end of the week when “Mirror Man” closed the gap steadily ending up just 10,000 copies short of the Jam song and even outsold “Beat Surrender” marginally on Saturday- it may not be all over! Currently No 1 in the US Lionel Richie’s debut solo track “Truly” proves he was right to ditch the Commodores. Of course he appeared on last year’s No 7 hit in duet with Diana Ross (again another US chart topper) but he’s now a fully fledged solo act, the self titled album rockets 79-22 on the album charts, all the signs are good as the single leaps 17-6 (58,000). YxJlO7fdC2g Their previous chart topper rests at No 30 this week but Culture Club are back in the top 10 already with follow up “Time (Clock Of The Heart)” which zooms 34-9 (45,000). The song is not featured on their current album “Kissing To Be Clever” despite the album only being released 8 weeks ago, clearly they didn’t want anything impacting on their run for the Christmas No 1 spot! Their previous track “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” has now crossed the 800,000 mark just out of interest. 8M5Wn3-dwPo With the implosion of Haircut 100 earlier this year Duran Duran are now clearly the leaders in the posters on girls walls chart (if such a thing existed), they’re also back from the US just long enough to promote the “Rio” single. The parent album is now back in the top 5 and the top 10 for the year and indeed reflects the way the band have really taken off, naturally the promo for the single is another typically exotic affair featuring models, yachts and sunnier shores, few bands have had as much money thrown at them this year as Duran Duran but it looks like it’s all been a wise investment as the title track of the album grinds 11-10 (45,000) to become their third top 10 hit on the trot. GsOhwGlAj3k There’s lots of action elsewhere, Wham! continue to threaten with “Young Guns” which has life left as it moves 4-3 (83,000) but lost out on runner up spot at the last minute and Renee & Renato float 9-5 (71,000) whilst Blancmange hold at No 7 (56,000) with a small sales increase. Having less luck this week are Eddy Grant who tumbles 1-4 (74,000) but was never in with a shot of 4th week at No 1, and Dionne Warwick who falls back 3-8 (45,000) 1- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (95,000) 2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (85,000) 3- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (83,000) 4- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (74,000) 5- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (71,000) 6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (58,000) 7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (56,000) 8- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (45,000) 9- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (45,000) 10- RIO- Duran Duran (45,000)

27TH NOVEMBER Eddy Grant makes it three weeks at the top today and it was a relatively easy ride after selling 101,000 copies coupled with the fact that the opposition more or less collapsed into the bargain. “I Don’t Wanna Dance” has now sold 530,000 copies to sneak into the YTD top 15. amymJtp6Z1o Last week’s challengers all suffer badly, Dionne Warwick slips 2-3 (71,000) and Tears For Fears bomb 3-6 (65,000), instead all eyes are on the Human League who dart 9-2 (74,000) and don’t mount the kind of challenge that many had expected- however given Eddy Grant’s decline in sales they may still be able to sneak it next week! Only two new tracks in the top 10 this week, Blancmange being the first with “Living On The Ceiling”. This is the groups third release having successfully outpeaked the previous single on every occasion so far, “God’s iamspamspamami peaked at No 65 followed by the No 46 high of “Feel Me” and they now have a massive hit on their hands with their current track moving 12-7 (54,000), parent debut album “Happy Families” has already been on the charts but has struggled to advance beyond No 30 to date, that might be about to change. Interestingly the band came to the attention of many after being featured on the “Some Bizzare” album back in 1981 which was the first to feature many bands that went on to become chart regulars, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode most notably! DZ9xaNjw8aw Christmas must be approaching as the first novelty track makes its presence felt, “Save Your Love” by Renee and Renato darts 24-9 (44,000). It was written by Johnny Edward who was guitarist in the band Manish Boys with David Bowie back in the mid 60s and subsequently went into the production side of the business writing this song way back in 1976 in response to “Save Your Kisses For You” as a kind of joke record. It stayed on the shelf whilst Edward’s turned his attention to TV creating, voicing and controlling “Metal Mickey” for ITV, for whatever reason he decided now was the time to release “Save Your Love” on us, incidentally the female in the video is not Renee as during the interim between the recording and the release the original singer decided that she didn’t want to be involved in promotion for the single. jKhDudNkls4 Elsewhere those Christmas contenders line up nicely, most notably Wham! who leap 10-4 (70,000) but Marvin Gaye drops 4-5 (67,000) even with a sales bump, Clannad slip 5-8 (44,000) and Hall & Oates dive 6-10 (40,000) 1- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (101,000) 2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (74,000) 3- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (71,000) 4- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (70,000) 5- (SEXUAL) HEALING- Marvin Gaye (67,000) 6- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (65,000) 7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (54,000) 8- THEME FROM HARRY’S GAME- Clannad (44,000) 9- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (44,000) 10- MANEATER- Hall & Oates (40,000) And with Christmas a matter of a month away it's time to review the potentials for the festive No 1 BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam Final release from the band as they go for their 4th chart topper- could it give them an appropriate farewell with the festive No 1? BLUE CHRISTMAS- Shakin Stevens Shaky has had a patchy year but he’s hoping to score himself a festive No 1 with this cover. CHRISTMAS WRAPPING- The Waitresses Originally released last year this missed the charts but has built up a cult following which may make it a hit this year and it could take off! MIRROR MAN- Human League Last year’s Christmas No 1 came from these guys- can they do it again with their first new single since then PEACE ON EARTH/ LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie & Bing Crosby Some big money going on this unsual duet taking the festive chart prize- discount at your peril RIO- Duran Duran Perhaps the pin ups of the year? Well they are still looking for their first No 1 could the title track from their album do it? SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato Another outside chance here for an equal dose of cheese and romance SINGALONG-A-SANTA- Santa Claus & The Christmas Trees Novelty maybe but at Christmas anything can happen THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE- Yazoo Their first two singles went top 3 and this may follow suit and might go all the way TIME- Culture Club Follow up to a chart topper from one of the most discussed bands of the year- plus it’s a ballad which has that cosy warm festive feeling WHERE THE HEART IS- Soft Cell After 5 top 5 hits on the trot can Soft Cell get their second No 1 with this one

It was only some years later that "Mirror Man" was revealed to be about Adam Ant.....in case you wondered.

20TH NOVEMBER An interesting chart this week though the entire top 3 are static! They all gain sales as well and their grip on the upper reaches remains solid, and leading the charge is still Eddy Grant expands another 35% to 149,000 but that increases the total sales to 429,000 for "I Don't Wanna Dance" as it overtakes "Do You Feel My Love" as his best seller. s-wOu4u_3v0 Dionne Warwick remains Heartbroken at No 2 though she loses ground on Grant as hew sales increase to 92,000 but does pass 270,000 sales so has some reason to be cheery and one place behind is "Mad World" by Tears For Fears which is up marginally up at 86,000 thanks to TOTP as its total sales near 400,000 - we can call that a success! Moving onto the new entries and getting a toe hold in the top 5 are Clannad, you may currently be watching the ITV series "Harry's Game" and this is the song that you'll hear throughout the series. It's the first hit here for the Celtic folk band and the first time a track sung in Gaelic has been a top 40 hit in the UK charts, the band of course being successful within their genre since the early 1970's, this track arrives 11-5 (55,000) iZ373WoGRmo Putting re-issues of old tracks to one side, this is the official follow up single to last years Christmas No 1 single "Don't You Want Me" as Human League seem to be going for the prize again! "Mirror Man" becomes the 8th track of the year to debut in the top 10 (there were 9 last year) and so befits its follow up status . Though the subject of the track remains a mystery they have confirmed it is a current pop star- interesting. The band have of course been busy scoring a US Chart topper with DYWM and have been too busy to yet enter the studios to record a new single though they are doing so in 1983, "Mirror Man" therefore seems to be a stand alone single and debuts this week at No 9 (43,000) and you have to fancy a chart topper in the immediate future! UJxIRbnmbKI Blazing a trail into the top 10 are a new duo Wham! who hail from Watford. Their first single "Wham! Rap" fizzled out just shy of the charts at No 105 but they have a lot more luck with "Young Guns (Go For It)" which rises 24-10 (43,000), it owes a lot of its success to the fact that Marvin Gaye was pencilled in to do TOTP but withdrew at the last minute which allowed the group a slot as they stood outside the Top 40 at No 42 (an unusual though not unprecedented feat) and perform an eye catching dance routine- a fortnight later here they are, the fact the group are quite photogenic I suspect won't harm them in the slightest. 6_MhjfgeC44 Outside of the tracks already mentioned there are three climbers, the aforementioned Marvin Gaye glides 5-4 (57,000), Hall & Oates leap 10-6 (54,000) and Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney nip a spot 9-8 (48,000), whilst former No 1 "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" slips 4-7 (48,000) for Culture Club who release the follow up "Time" this week. 1- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (149,000) 2- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (92,000) 3- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (86,000) 4- (SEXUAL) HEALING- Marvin Gaye (57,000) 5- THEME FROM HARRY’S GAME- Clannad (55,000) 6- MANEATER- Hall & Oates (54,000) 7- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (48,000) 8- THE GIRL IS MINE- Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (48,000) 9- MIRROR MAN- Human League (43,000) 10- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (43,000)

I genuinely think they thought TGIM would be a great choice because it did feature McCartney who remained a big name in both sides of the pond and had taken his duet with Stevie Wonder to No 1 6 months previously. I agree it is very saccharine but then again would BJ or BI have smashed hard in the run up to Christmas? Maybe it was too risky?

13TH NOVEMBER Becoming the first Guyanan solo artist to top the UK Charts Eddy Grant bridges a gap of 14 years since he was last at No 1 here with the group The Equals. "I Don't Wanna Dance" performed remarkably over the week selling 111,000 copies that's despite no TOTP. Indeed the only song to feature on the show and feature in the top 4 this week was last weeks chart topper, Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" which tumbles 1-4 (76,000) it's time was simply up, but it does mark the first time that the UK has had three consecutive reggae influenced chart toppers. -4b-3AMBwL8 Sandwiched between Grant and Culture Club are Dionne Warwick and Tears For Fears. For Warwick "Heartbreaker" becomes her biggest hit to date as it edges 5-2 with a sale of 87,000, Whilst the tale for Tears For Fears was one of close but no cigar again as it lost its No 2 placing it had all week at the death and is left static at No 3 (85,000). He's been away from the top 10 for 5 years but this weeks sees the return of Marvin Gaye with the smooth as silk "(Sexual) Healing" progressing 18-5 (54,000). 1981 brought the singer drugs, divorce and an end to his long contract with Motown so it's a clean break all around for the singer with his 7th top 10 hit and with a new album due this week things are finally looking rosy again for Gaye. AhsUYxKUZU0 Scoring their fourth top 10 hit in three years consistency seems to be the word for Kool & The Gang, their latest single "Ooh La La La (Let's Go Dancing)" sneaks 11-6 (49,000) and is now their second highest scoring hit after "Get Down On It" back in January this year. JlfXufMa8fs Michael Jackson has a tough call to replicate the feats of his last album "Off The Wall" which generated four top 10 hits for the singer, he also of course scored a No 1 single last year with "One Day In Your Life". His first release from his new album "Thriller" is a duet with Paul McCartney called "The Girl Is Mine" they will doubtless be hoping to replicate the success of "Ebony & Ivory" which McCartney helped to steer to the top back in April, the album is out in a fortnight but in the meantime the single leaps 33-9 (41,000) and is a good omen. The cover incidentally is a picture taken by none other than Linda McCartney. ng4jRU-ESGk Hall & Oates are also back with a new album (Christmas must be approaching) as the duo come back for a second UK top 10 hit following in the footsteps of "I Can't Go For That" earlier this year. "Maneater" scorches 20-10 (38,000) this week, keep an eye for it! Jf0PYpf2xsk Two more tracks to cover briefly, Barry Manilow holds at no 8 (43,000) whilst Kids From Fame slide 4-7 (47,000). 1- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (111,000) 2- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (87,000) 3- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (85,000) 4- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (76,000) 5- (SEXUAL) HEALING- Marvin Gaye (54,000) 6- OOH LA LA LA (LET’S GO DANCING)- Kool & The Gang (49,000) 7- STARMAKER- Kids From Fame (47,000) 8- I WANNA DO IT WITH YOU- Barry Manilow (43,000) 9- THE GIRL IS MINE- Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (41,000) 10- MANEATER- Hall & Oates (38,000)