Gezza

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)

6TH NOVEMBER Culture Club remain where they are for a third week with "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" which sells a further 98,000 copies raising its total to 584,000 so far, their album also remains top 5. The band have also confirmed that their follow up "Time" will be released in 3 weeks time to aim for the Christmas No 1 spot. sBQCCkKKnzw The boys lead was cut as the week progressed by Tears for Fears who ended up shooting 6-3 (95,000) almost snatching the top spot away with the highest sale for bronze position since J Geils Band back in February. The reason it isn't No 2 is because it got caught an even faster rising track! Eddy Grant now has the biggest solo hit of his career on his hands with "I Don't Wanna Dance" which darts 11-2 (96,000) this week and would have been No 1 with 1 more day's sales. It's the first release from his next album "Killer On The Rampage" which is released in early 1983, it's not the biggest hit he's been involved with though as he reached No 1 back in 1968 with "Baby Come Back"- however that could change next week after this impressive jump! 9de6jeOevi8 Talking about people who had their biggest hit in 1968 next up is Dionne Warwick. Back then "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" peaked at No 8 which was one of only top 10 hits in the UK for the legendary singer, now however she's teamed up with the brothers Gibb in a bid to revitalise her career and in hope they do for her what they did for Streisand on the "Guilty" album, and initial results are promising. The Gibb composed "Heartbreaker" shoots 29-5 (47,000) this week to mark her first top 5 track of her 18 year chart career. 9xHQsMYosao Shakin' Stevens last single "Give Me Your Heart Tonight" became his first 45 to fail to make the top 10 in 7 releases, but he appears to have clawed the situation back with "I'll Be Satisfied" which arrives 19-10 (35,000) this week. All his 1982 releases are collected on the album which shares the title with his last single and was only released last month peaking at No 3, whilst the year started off brightly for him there is little doubt his star seems to have dimmed over the course of the year. 4kOKIS6rozA Barry Manilow also improves 10-8 (41,000) even though its sales drop slightly. Four tracks can't go any further though, Kids From Fame finally recede 3-4 (55,000), Kid Creole slip into a surprise reverse 2-6 (44,000), The Beatles fold 4-7 (42,000) and Spandau Ballet drop 7-9 (37,000) 1- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (98,000) 2- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (96,000) 3- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (95,000) 4- STARMAKER- Kids From “Fame” (55,000) 5- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (47,000) 6- ANNIE, I’M NOT YOUR DADDY- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (44,000) 7- LOVE ME DO- The Beatles (42,000) 8- I WANNA DO IT WITH YOU- Barry Manilow (41,000) 9- LIFELINE- Spandau Ballet (37,000) 10- I’LL BE SATISFIED- Shakin Stevens (35,000)

30TH OCTOBER Culture Club hold steady at the top this week and sell a slightly treduced tally of 132,000 this week to move within striking distance of the half million mark for the reggae tinged track as the parent album "Kissing To Be Clever" continues to impress on the album front moving 8-5. The press are still generating the headlines about lead singer Boy George but it only seems to be fuelling sales so I doubt the band will mind too much about the less than uniformly good coverage. 0ubKbEK8wfY On paper Kid Creole & The Coconuts look to be strong challengers to Culture Club's throne as they progress 9-2 but "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy" sold just 77,000 copies last week, those mathematically minded will know that that means that the latter's dominance in the charts is actually increasing. Kid Creole was run close the whole way by the Kids From Fame who hold at No 3 (77,000) but lose sales week on week, they won't be complaining though as the phenomenon of 1982 is still alive with the self titled album returning to No 1 and their follow up set "Kids From Fame.....Again" climbs to No 2, it's the first time the top 2 albums have been from the same artist since Mike Oldfield in 1974. Talking of the Beatles the re-issue of "Love Me Do" (on the same catalogue number you'll note) moves 5-4 (69,000) and the band also see a GH set "20 Greatest Hits" debut at No 17. With a name derived from Arthur Janovs Primal Scream therapy, Tears For Fears are Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal, formerly of the group The Graduate who didn't grace the charts under that name but now Smith and Orzabal have formed this new group they get instant recognition. Well almost instant, the group's first two releases bombed but "Mad World" this week jumps 16-6 (59,000), it was originally written to be the B- side of their second single "Pale Shelter" but it was decided it was too good to throw away on a flipside. The band have also said it was written to be something in the style of Duran Duran's "Girls On Film"- it looks like it may even outdo its inspiration! _hS-1nJdWLQ Barry Manilow is just about to release his 12th studio album next month and he's got his 12th UK hit on his hands but it's the first time he's made the top 10! "I Wanna Do It With You" inches 13-10 (36,000) to finally break his duck though he is of course a big album seller having achieved his first No 1 album back in May with his "Barry...Live In Britain" album, his forthcoming effort includes a cover of Shaky's "Oh Julie" bizarrely enough which is his current US single. YljFt-1EAOE Elsewhere Spandau Ballet hold at No 7 (49,000) proving that TOTP doesn't always help you, and there are three fallers, Musical Youth slip 2-5 (60,000), Fat Larry's Band slide 4-8 (43,000) and Chicago are down and out at No 9 (42,000) 1- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (132,000) 2- ANNIE, I’M NOT YOUR DADDY- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (77,000) 3- STARMAKER- Kids From “Fame” (77,000) 4- LOVE ME DO- The Beatles (69,000) 5- PASS THE DUTCHIE- Musical Youth (60,000) 6- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (59,000) 7- LIFELINE- Spandau Ballet (49,000) 8- ZOOM- Fat Larry’s Band (43,000) 9- HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY- Chicago (42,000) 10- I WANNA DO IT WITH YOU- Barry Manilow (36,000)

Sorry I may not have been clear here, it was Boyzone's record company that were so confident that they toyed with the idea of pushing the single back a week to go head to head with the Spice Girls. I suppose no one really knew how "Say you'll be there" was ultimately going to be received in terms of first week sales, after all the Fugees had just followed up a million seller with a track which did under 100k in week one although they did have an album to affect its sales. But there was still an element of the unknown about them at this stage. I recall thinking at the time of "Words" that Ronan looked slightly uncomfortable on the TOTP performance as though he didn't realise that with TT now gone they were the heir apparent to the boyband crown and it did feel that the amount of adoration they got there was a definite step up, as though teenage girls were looking for the next big thing and it was them...

"Danger Games" has always been accused of having a strange pattern chart wise. NEW at No 30- on TOTP Non- mover at No 30- no TOTP Up to No 27- On TOTP Then it shot up to No 8. At the time it was thought to be the result of either record company hyping or a mistake at BMRB, but nothing was ever proved, Alan Jones noted at the time it was strange and the track fell on other charts (NME etc) out of the top 30 in the same week it went to No 8 on the BMRB chart.

23RD OCTOBER A right ding dong battle at the top of the charts this week with Musical Youth and Culture Club neck and neck in the early part of the week but as it progressed Boy George and his crew pulled clear to become the 18th No 1 single of 1982 with "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me". The track sold 135,000 copies vs "Pass The Dutchie"'s 107,000 but its the latter track that has sold more cumulatively 619,000 against 354,000 expect that to be challenged in forthcoming weeks, Culture Club's debut album "Kissing To Be Clever" leaps 12-8 on the album charts in its second week which doesn't seem to be sapping too many sales from the single, at present anyway! 2nXGPZaTKik Buoyed by the success of the "Beatles Movie Medley" EMI has decided to re-release the original "Love Me Do" as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations of the fab four, "Love Me Do" was of course the first Beatles hit back in 1962 when It made No 17, it's been rather more successful this time around as the song debuted at No 14 last week and this weeks travels 14-5 (62,000) and marks not only the first time the Beatles have been in the top 5 for 12 years but also the first time a single by them has peaked higher than the original release. The version is not the same as the 1962 release however and is actually the album version fact fans- the difference?- well it has Andy White on Drums instead of Ringo Starr, the original single version is on the 12" however- the first time it gets a release since 1963! An album "20 Greatest Hits" is released this week. Jbt8oH5Lxto Hailing from Basildon, The Pinkees are the latest new arrivals in the top 10 as "Danger Games" climb 27-8 (49,000). It's their second release after "Gonna Be Lonely Again" failed to trouble the charts earlier this year but they finally have their breakthrough. 1GGBTHGHNUc It doesn't seem as though Kid Creole and his coconuts can be stopped in 1982 as they score their third top 10 single of the year with "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy". The album "Tropical Gangsters" returns to the top 20 this week and can be authentically called one of the albums of the year, home as it is, to all three singles, the current track leaps 15-9 (49,000). DFPRwginBkk Kids From Fame now have their biggest hit single on their hands as "Starmaker" glides 4-3 (81,000) and is joined in the climbers by Spandau Ballet who move 10-7 (57,000). Falling this week are Fat Larry's Band 3-4 (64,000), Chicago 5-6 (61,000) and Dexy's Midnight Runners 6-10 (40,000). 1- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (135,000) 2- PASS THE DUTCHIE- Musical Youth (107,000) 3- STARMAKER- Kids From “Fame” (81,000) 4- ZOOM- Fat Larry’s Band (64,000) 5- LOVE ME DO- The Beatles (62,000) 6- HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY- Chicago (61,000) 7- LIFELINE- Spandau Ballet (57,000) 8- DANGER GAMES- Pinkees (49,000) 9- ANNIE, I’M NOT YOUR DADDY- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (49,000) 10- JACKIE WILSON SAID- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (40,000)

Yes

19TH OCTOBER Confidence was so high at Polydor that some thought that the release date of the new Boyzone single should have been moved to next week to go head to head with the Spice Girls but in the end it wasn’t to be. In the event Boyzone cruise to an easy No 1 today with their cover of the Bee Gees 1968 No 8 hit “Words” selling an impressive 232,000 copies in 6 days- a real step up for them with the song selling more copies on Monday alone than the rest managed in a whole week. It should answer the query about heir apparent’s to the crown that Take That vacated at the beginning of the year without doubt but with a new East 17 single out in a fortnight we’ll see. For the Gibb Brothers it marks an 8th chart topper as composers having last been there with Take That (no coincidence that Boyzone chose one of their songs?) in March. In debuting at No 1 it is the 12th track of the year to do so making 1996 a record breaking year. LGRQG6iackA Mark Morrison slows it down for his new single “Trippin”, it’s a fourth cut from his “Return Of The Mack” album and becomes a third top 10 hit as it debuts at No 8 (34,000). The album disappeared from the charts last month and has yet to re-emerge but Morrison has clearly had a phenomenal year so far. 8Tsve2dCcno Shooting up to No 4 in the US this week is a record called “No Diggity” by Blackstreet Featuring Dr Dre, it’s the first release from the outfit’s second album “Another Level” and now their first UK top 20 single as it makes a splash at No 9 (32,000). The group’s first album delivered up four hits though only 2 made the top 40 with debut release “Baby Be Mine” the biggest at No 37 but they appear now to be on the cusp of bigger things. The current single samples Bill Wither’s “Grandma’s Hands” as its base and was originally offered to 2Pac. nrfIYKnKrTY Deep Blue Something hold at No 2 (60,000) creating the second biggest difference between the top 2 in sales for the year, but Celine Dion actually loses sales as she climbs 4-3 (47,000) punters clearly preferring her album which soars 10-2 after being re-promoted. The Chemical Brothers and Noel Gallagher tumble 1-4 (45,000) as sales half and they were lucky for such a gentle fall after TOTP caused a minor surge in sales with The Beautiful south (6-5, 44,000) and Baby Bird (3-6, 44,000) both ahead pre the show. Donna Lewis falls 5-7 (42,000) but is No 2 in the states for an amazing 9th week, and BBE slip 7-10 (30,000). So now is crunch time for The Spice Girls- can it topple a very strong chart topper from Boyzone- let battle commence. 1- WORDS- Boyzone (232,000) 2- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (60,000) 3- IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW- Celine Dion (47,000) 4- SETTING SUN- The Chemical Brothers (45,000) 5- ROTTERDAM- The Beautiful South (44,000) 6- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (44,000) 7- I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER- Donna Lewis (42,000) 8- TRIPPIN- Mark Morrison (34,000) 9- NO DIGGITY- Blackstreet Ft Dr Dre (32,000) 10- SEVEN DAYS AND ONE WEEK- BBE (30,000)

12TH OCTOBER Another week another chart topper and this time The Chemical Brothers saunter past the opposition to enter at the top, the 11th time this year that a track has managed it. Their last single “Loops Of Fury” became their biggest yet when it made No 13 but suddenly they get a huge upsurge in support- the reason? Well of course the appearance of Mr Noel Gallagher on guitar and vocals. Such is the current demand for anything new Oasis related that a similar Gallagher association helped Ocean Colour Scene to a top 10 single a few weeks ago and indeed both OCS and The Chemical Brothers supported Oasis at the recent Knebworth concert in August. Lyrically Gallagher has used an old unused lyric to a song called “Comin’ On Strong” to give the track a vocal and the package sold 99,000 last week to take the crown. p5NX1FC-7-w As for the Chemical Brothers they started out as the Dust Brothers (after the US producers who worked with the Beastie Boys) and have undertaken many remixes under the moniker until forced to change their name in 1995. Babybird only formed last year and have already released a couple of albums of demos which led to a major label deal and a hit single when “Goodnight” made No 28 earlier this year. Follow up “You’re Gorgeous” is a much bigger hit as it smashes in at No 3 (77,000) but don’t go thinking this is a love song, it actually tells the story from a woman’s perspective of a photographer who exploits her for adult photos! sLgfNxL8MWo Despite racking up an impressive 15 hit singles The Beautiful South can only claim three top 10 hits, albeit “A Little Time” hit the top in 1990, they’re back now and since we last encountered them on these reports (1990) they’ve gotten themselves a new female vocalist (Jacqui Abbott) and seen their greatest hits album “Carry On Up The Charts” sell over 1.8 million in the UK alone. New single “Rotterdam” is their most immediate hit as it storms in at No 6 (39,000) and is the introductory single to their 5th studio album “Blue Is The Colour” out next month. 75sGf_8fcMk Another act that supported Oasis at Knebworth reaps some rewards at No 9 (30,000) and that’s Manic Street Preachers. Third single from “Everything Must Go” is called “Kevin Carter” and is inspired by the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer of the same name who committed suicide in 1994, its lyrics are composed entirely by former member Richey Edwards who remains missing and continues the hot streak for the band who now have three top 10 singles on the trot! bAopmfMiJyw Outgoing chart topper “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” dips 1-2 (84,000) with only a minimal drop in sales as it tops the airplay chart. In the battle of the diva’s Celine Dion comes out on top lifting 6-4 (50,000) which leaves Donna Lewis stuck at No 5 (46,000) though both are up at retail and may continue to climb. Three songs that are unlikely to climb past their current peaks are BBE who slide 3-7 (38,000), The Fugees collapse 2-8 (38,000) and Dina Carroll hurtles 4-10 (29,000). This week sees the first Boyzone single since the death of Take That- will it top the charts? 1- SETTING SUN- The Chemical Brothers (99,000) 2- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (84,000) 3- YOU’RE GORGEOUS- Baby Bird (77,000) 4- IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW- Celine Dion (50,000) 5- I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER- Donna Lewis (46,000) 6- ROTTERDAM- The Beautiful South (39,000) 7- SEVEN DAYS AND ONE WEEK- BBE (38,000) 8- READY OR NOT- The Fugees (38,000) 9- KEVIN CARTER- Manic Street Preachers (30,000) 10- ESCAPING- Dina Carroll (29,000)

16TH OCTOBER They may have seen their sales sip 36% but it's still an easy victory for Musical Youth with "Pass The Dutchie" selling 143,000 copies in the last 7 days. The boys are of course limited by law as to how much work they can undertake given their age but they have managed 512,000 buyers in the last month and should climb into the YTD top 10 next week illustrating just how much the track has taken off. XohAQV0DkDg Culture Club move 3-2 (91,000) though they were well beaten this week it could be a close call next week if both sales patterns are repeated. Fat Larry's Band are the victim in the squabble as they drop 2-3 though they have their best week yet at 89,000 and fought back hard on the lead Culture Club had accumulated. Kids From Fame are still on the scene, on the album charts they have a new entry at No 38 with their second album "Again" whilst "Kids From Fame" is in the top 2 for a twelfth week on the trot and is now the second biggest album of the year behind Barbra Streisand. Meanwhile the second single "Starmaker" bounds 14-4 (78,000) this week outstripping their previous release "Hi Fidelity" the latter track sold 327,000 so far and is just about to exit the charts. This single is actually a cover of a Bruce Roberts track from 1978 and has lead vocals from a record 7 individuals! f6meGvYYFkw Arriving 28-10 (36,000) is the first release by Spandau Ballet from their third as yet untitled album which is due in early 1983. "Lifeline" is the first product of the groups work with Jolley & Swain (producers of the moment) and becomes their fifth top 10 single of their career. bwEZh1HrDMk Dropping down the charts this week are Chicago 4-5 (67,000), Dexy's Midnight Runners slip 5-6 (55,000), whilst Shalamar dive 6-9 (41,000) whilst Evelyn King and Mari Wilson hold at No's 7 & 8 on sales of 49,000 and 47,000. 1- PASS THE DUTCHIE- Musical Youth (143,000) 2- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (91,000) 3- ZOOM- Fat Larry’s Band (89,000) 4- STARMAKER- Kids From “Fame” (78,000) 5- HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY- Chicago (67,000) 6- JACKIE WILSON SAID- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (55,000) 7- LOVE COME DOWN- Evelyn “Champagne” King (49,000) 8- JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED- Mari Wilson (47,000) 9- THERE IT IS- Shalamar (41,000) 10- LIFELINE- Spandau Ballet (36,000)

9TH OCTOBER After their phenomenal jump of 25 places to the top spot last week it was unthinkable that Musical Youth would fail to hold their ground, and so it proved with "Pass The Dutchie" spending a second week there on a best yet for 1982 sale of 224,000 copies as stocking issues were fixed, that equals 369,288 in just three weeks putting it on track for a top 10 YTD placement come three months time. 8AcsvVj7jxs Talking of the YTD chart lets take a last look before Christmas as to how it stands 1- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy's Midnight Runners 1,047,339 2- FAME- Irene Cara 955,765 3- THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT- Tight Fit 795,098 4- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor 778,849 5- SEVEN TEARS- Goombay Dance Band 655,615 6- EBONY AND IVORY- Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder 608,051 7- TOWN CALLED MALICE/ PRECIOUS- The Jam 596,942 8- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers 548,653 9- MICKEY- Toni Basil 521,398 10- LOVE PLUS ONE- Haircut 100 515,165 Survivor will overtake Tight Fit next week marking three chronological chart toppers as the top 3 of the year if nothing else alters. This week's sales for "Pass The Dutchie" are not only the biggest of 1982 yet but also of the entire 80s and only the second time in the decade that weekly sales of a track have sped through the 200k mark. Already creating more headlines than sales (so far) Culture Club's first performance of "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" caused such a media circus that the track was always going to be a hit and so it has proved with the track leaping 15-3 (77,000) repaying the faith Virgin had put in them after they were rejected by EMI. It's the band's third release after their first two releases "White Boy" (No 112) and "I'm Afraid Of Me" (No 100) both failed to chart, their debut album "Kissing To Be Clever" is released this week which contains all three singles. Though the new Romantic movement may have passed into pop history lead singer Boy George was once the cloakroom attendant at the Blitz Club where the movement took shape and so can lay some claim to producing another chart act. They owe a debt to Shakin Stevens for the big break- he was due to appear on TOTP but had to pull out due to ill health allowing the group to get the gig at the BBC and send everything skyward! R_36GmBeUhw Already a US No 1 single Chicago are finally back in the top 40 for the first time since their 1976 chart topper "If You Leave Me Now". Their new album is a slight derivation in sound which is more updated for the 80s and seems to prove a success at retail with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" which advances 11-4 (64,000) it's taken 8 weeks for the song to make the top 10 showing it to be a grower with the public. skHjKAlTSm4 Following up a million seller (and biggest seller of the decade so far) is never an easy task and Dexy's Midnight Runners have opted for a cover to do the trick. "Jackie Wilson Said" is their version of the Van Morrison single from 1972 which failed to chart, thusly Dexys improved on the original when it debuted at No 26 last week, if they were hoping for a Musical Youth style climb they will be slightly disappointed as it jumps 26-5 (54,000) but a top 5 hit is not something to be disappointed about even if TOTP can't tell the difference between Jackie and Jocky Wilson! zdt6jZ6hYDQ It might be her 6th single but for Mari Wilson it's her first sizeable hit as she attempts to being back the 60s with that beehive hairdo that recently graced TOTP. "Just What I've Always Wanted" rises 14-8 (44,000) this week, her debut album "Showpeople" should be out at the start of next year, zoNRMyVgdwo "Zoom" climbs a spot this week to No 2 (87,000) but is miles behind Musical Youth (137,000- the biggest gap between the top 2 in the 80s so far) and given the strong showing of Culture Club and Chicago looks unlikely to make any in roads next week. Falling however are Shalamar 5-6 (48,000) and The Jam who collapse 2-10 (39,000) dramatically, whilst holding steady are Evelyn King at No 7 (45,000) and Adam Ant at No 9 (42,000) 1- PASS THE DUTCHIE- Musical Youth (224,000) 2- ZOOM- Fat Larry’s Band (87,000) 3- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME?- Culture Club (77,000) 4- HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY- Chicago (64,000) 5- JACKIE WILSON SAID- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (54,000) 6- THERE IT IS- Shalamar (48,000) 7- LOVE COME DOWN- Evelyn “Champagne” King (45,000) 8- JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED- Mari Wilson (44,000) 9- FRIEND OR FOE-Adam Ant (42,000) 10- THE BITTEREST PILL (I EVER HAD TO SWALLOW)- The Jam (39,000)

2ND OCTOBER Part of the joy of following the charts is when they throw up a genuine surprise, this week is one of those weeks. Debuting at No 26 last week was a track by Birmingham based group Musical Youth, hitherto unknown to the charts with a track called "Pass The Dutchie", the group were formed back in 1979 and released one track, the double A Side "Generals/ political" on Birmingham's independent 0121 label. It failed to make the charts but brought them to the attention of John Peel who featured the band on his show and the band signed to MCA. With the support of a major label however the group (oldest member is just 15!) storm 26-1 this week (the third biggest climb to No 1 behind "Hey Jude" and "Happy Talk"), the song itself is a cover of two tracks which have spliced together, "Pass The Koutchie" by Mighty Diamonds and "Gimme The Music" by U Brown, well known tracks within the Caribbean community. It should be noted that lyrics have been substantively altered for the release, the Mighty Diamonds track had an altogether different meaning which might not have gone down well with either radio or TOTP. It was on it's way into the top 5 thanks to radio support anyway but TOTP sent the record into the stratosphere and helped it on the way to 120,000 copies last week amid rumours that stocking was an issue in some stores on Saturday due to unexpected demand. EsyUa63NM1E Whilst the Jam Started off the week well they were in truth struggling to maintain the lead and ended up just managing to keep the No 2 spot such was their trail off with a sale of 71,000 Fat Larry's Band's "Zoom" which rockets 17-3 (64,000) this week. The group were previously best known for their 1977 No 31 hit "Centre City" but their current track seems to have gotten the backing of radio which has transported them to a much larger audience! DMo6Ju8SJ8o Another act more famous until now for a 70s hit is Evelyn "Champagne" King who holds the record for the biggest selling non top 20 hit of all time with 1978's "Shame" which spent 23 weeks on the charts despite never climbing higher than No 39! No such worries climbing with "Love Come Down" which vaults 15-7 (49,000) and her fifth album "Get Loose" is released in a few weeks. Vf0e2OCjb9M The chart's haven't seen a Carly Simon single since her James Bond Theme "Nobody Does It Better" in 1977 and it's now been a whole 10 years since the iconic "You're So Vain" but Simon returns for her fourth top 10 hit this week with "Why?". It has a helping hand from Chic's main men Rodgers and Edwards on production/ writing duties who sprinkle their magic on the disc, it also features in the recent film "Soup For One" which didn't make a big splash at the cinema but that won't bother Simon who clearly has done well without it. -nd7yqyZ3Wg Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" was never in danger of clinging on to the top spot it collapses 1-4 (53,000), also falling are Rocker's Revenge 4-6 (49,000) and Dire Straits 3-8 (49,000) they will be happy today anyway as "Love Over Gold" debuts at No 1 on the album charts, but happier news for Shalamar who leap 6-5 (52000) thanks to TOTP and equal their highest placed hit "I Can Make You Feel Good", and Adam Ant who surprisingly only goes up a sole spot 10-9 (49,000) not good news for his album which is three weeks away from release. 1- PASS THE DUTCHIE- Musical Youth (120,000) 2- THE BITTEREST PILL (I EVER HAD TO SWALLOW)- The Jam (71,000) 3- ZOOM- Fat Larry’s Band (64,000) 4- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (53,000) 5- THERE IT IS- Shalamar (52,000) 6- WALKING ON SUNSHINE- Rockers Revenge (49,000) 7- LOVE COME DOWN- Evelyn King (49,000) 8- PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS- Dire Straits (49,000) 9- FRIEND OR FOE- Adam Ant (49,000) 10- WHY?- Carly Simon (42,000)