Gezza

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)

25TH SEPTEMBER It's got the bit between its teeth as "Eye Of The Tiger" is refusing to give up the No 1 spot as it becomes the second chart topper of 1982 to spend 4 weeks at the summit, another week of gently declining sales again of 18% sees the Survivor track sell another 82,000 copies, that sees the track move up the YTD list, we'll have a full top 10 update next week, but there are lots of changes happening on it! It does, however, bring to an end a record run of 9 weeks in the 80s where the No 1 sold over 100,000 weekly. btPJPFnesV4 A fair few tracks see the benefit of TOTP performances, none greater than The Jam who soar 5-2 with a 40% sales hike to 79,000 and was pushing Survivor all the way toward the end of the week. The strange tale of "Private Investigations" continues, last week it climbed 4-2 despite selling less than the previous week, and this week moves 2-3 whilst improving sales to 71,000! Of course TOTP helped to explain that but without the show the single should now fall back. Further sales increases also for Rocker's Revenge and ABC, they both sold 49,000 which resulted in the former holding at No 4 and the latter lifting 6-5. Outside of the top 5 Shalamar also climb 10-6 (57,000) whilst Grandmaster Flash persists at No 8 (43,000) with help from a new 7" version (the length of the track remains the same as the 12" however) and Duran Duran fall from favour 3-7 (47,000). That Leaves us with two new entries to discuss, first up is one Jacques Pépino who is better known on this weeks chart as David Christie. He is a man with many alias' though, one being James Bolden who was the co-writer (perhaps most famously) of Tina Charles's 1976 chart topper "I Love To Love" as well some Gloria Gaynor tracks, he's finally a star in this country in his own right with "Saddle Up" which rises 12-9 (42,000). 6Y6yLJZe8EQ Some eyebrows were raised last week when "Friend Or Foe" debuted at No 22 for Adam Ant, especially as the album of the same name is due next month and tipped by most as a surefire No 1. Better news this week as it progresses 22-10 (38,000) it, like most of the album is another Ant/ Perroni composition and turns the trick of giving the dandy highwayman a 9th top 10 hit of the decade just one behind the most prolific top 10 act of the decade so far, Madness. 4IP-2Ck-wak 1- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (82,000) 2- THE BITTEREST PILL (I EVER HAD TO SWALLOW)- The Jam (79,000) 3- PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS- Dire Straits (71,000) 4- WALKING ON SUNSHINE- Rockers Revenge (59,000) 5- ALL OF MY HEART- ABC (59,000) 6- THERE IT IS- Shalamar (57,000) 7- SAVE A PRAYER- Duran Duran (47,000) 8- THE MESSAGE- Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five (43,000) 9- SADDLE UP- David Christie (42,000) 10- FRIEND OR FOE- Adam Ant (38,000)

18TH SEPTEMBER Survivor continue to dominate the field this week with "Eye Of The Tiger" having a third week at No 1 and an easy victory despite having peaked sales wise, it suffers a slight 2% dip to 101,000 copies outselling the No 2 track by 33,000 and lifting the songs overall sales to 608,000 copies, that's enough to see them enter the YTD top 10- watch out Dexy's! FFo_U128A98 Those of a mathematical nature will have worked out that Dire Straits' move 4-2 with "Private Investigations" is accompanied by a sale of 68,000 incredibly a sales dip of 10% over last week- it's a funny old world in the charts! Fresh from their success of scoring a first No 1 album "The Gift" back in March this year the Jam continue to clock up the top 10 hits as "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)" debuts at No 5 this week. The band are yet to enter the studio to record their follow up album but this will be the track to watch next week as any band who can make No 8 with an import must be fancied to go all the way with full release yet to feature on an album, it could easily spell a fourth No 1 for the outfit. Its opening salvo was 57,000- not a bad start, and features Jennie Matthias from The Belle Stars on backing vocals! Aw7kvqk-v4s Rap isn't a genre that has really taken off in the UK, whilst some acts have utilised it in pop records (Adam Ant a notable example) "pure" rap records are few and far between in chart history but seeking to change that is Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Grandmaster Flash doesn't actually appear on the track (it's really Furious Five member Melle Mel who raps) but the act is signed to Sugarhill records and were responsible for the first acknowledged UK top 10 single "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang three years ago, "The Message" is the groups take on Reganomics and this week pounces 13-8 (45,000) on sales of 12" alone- the second track after Abba's "Lay All Your Love On Me" to make the top 10 on that format alone. Y7kpsUwb3dM Shalamar score their third top 10 hit of the year with "There It Is" just slipping into the top 10, 17-10 (43,000). Despite being hit heavy, the album from which all three is taken, "Friends", has only spent 4 weeks in the top 20 peaking at No 16 thus far. Ws577DNLsUE Talking of climbers Rockers Revenge continue their upward climb, though they are making hard work of it, they rise 5-4 (58,000), and ABC advance 8-6 (51,000). Going the wrong way however are Duran Duran 2-3 (58,000), Kids From Fame 6-7 (47,000) and a fast fading "Come On Eileen 2-9 (45,000) and should cross the million mark next week as it continues to chase "Tainted Love" in the decade's best list. 1- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (101,000) 2- PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS- Dire Straits (68,000) 3- SAVE A PRAYER- Duran Duran (58,000) 4- WALKING ON SUNSHINE- Rockers Revenge (58,000) 5- THE BITTEREST PILL (I EVER HAD TO SWALLOW)- The Jam (57,000) 6- ALL OF MY HEART- ABC (51,000) 7- HI FIDELITY- Kids From “Fame” (47,000) 8- THE MESSAGE- Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (45,000) 9- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (45,000) 10- THERE IT IS- Shalamar (43,000)

The other great difference was the rise of youtube etc. Why buy a song when i can listen to it for free whenever I want. That happened in 2005 and also impacted on sales. Prior to that you had to own a copy to hear something when you wanted it. Even broadband helped to slow the charts down by making songs not only avaliable at all times but also less torturous to get access for those that remember pre broadband in the late 90s early 00s

I think it's more nuanced than that. Singles would have a good 6 or 7 week run in to release where all the promotion took place, and because it was all about the first week position the promotion would be frenetic in that week with all the promo pretty much done when it was over (except maybe a totp performance on the week it entered the charts). This all drove sales to weeks 1 and 2 and then a decline, hence the wider GP might not even be aware of them especially if they didn't listen much to the radio. The multitude of music channels on TV and radio also diluted the effect of any individual show to propel an act or song into the public consciousness like totp had done since the 60s until the early 90s. So nothing embedded because, promotion wise, it was all done after the entry week. Also because the chart move quicker there were more acts around scoring hits so competition was far more in your face and people moved on to their new favourite single pretty quickly. Each era has its issues it's just about preference and what you grew up with really.

Let's just all be thankful that it wasn't a thing :D

I'm assuming you mean Nick Heyward?

11TH SEPTEMBER "Eye Of The Tiger" continues to impress at retail shifting a further 104,000 copies last week as it stretches away from all opposition this week and brings its total tally to 507,000 which is enough to place Survivor well inside the top 15 for the YTD. Indeed the track is the third No 1 in a row which has been flying off the shelves in something of a purple patch for the charts since "Fame" arrived two months ago. In fact this is the 8th consecutive week where the No 1 has sold in six figures- the longest run so far in the 80s. LhNVSdtUOkE "Come On Eileen" sells another 78,000 as it drifts 2-3 and now has cumulative sales of 941,000 which sees it become the biggest seller of the 1982 and under 100,000 of deposing "Tainted Love" as the biggest seller of the decade so far ("Fame" also moves past the 900,000 mark in tandem). It was only just overtaken by Duran Duran's "Save A Prayer" which slid past Dexy's at the death on a sale of 80,000 (actually down on last week), that track is now easily the biggest of the band's career and seems to be affirming their position as the nation's favourite pin ups thanks in part to numerous Smash Hits covers. Dire Straits previous best showing in the UK charts was from "Sultans Of Swing" and "Romeo & Juliet" which both made No 8 but they smash that record this week with "Private Investigations" which accelerates 13-4 (75,000) in just its second week. It's the lead track from their fourth album "Love Over Gold" which will hit the record shops in three weeks, it takes, as inspiration, the novels of Raymond Chandler and is getting the firm support of Radio 1. nPDsPPAQ_HU "The Lexicon Of Love" has justified the hype by becoming one of the biggest albums of 1982 and has now spawned a third top 10 for them in "All Of My Heart" which shoots 28-8 (44,000) this week. It's a change in pace for the band who demonstrating their more sensitive side in the song, the B-side is an orchestral medley of several album tracks just in case you haven't yet been tempted into buying the album yet! Lfph3043yZU The only other climber is Rocker's Revenge who nip up a couple of spots to No 5 (74,000) in a very strong top 5 sales wise, whilst the fallers include Kids From Fame 5-6 (54,000), Soft Cell 4-7 (46,000), Toto Coelo 8-9 (41,000) and Boys Town Gang 6-10 (37,000) 1- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (104,000) 2- SAVE A PRAYER- Duran Duran (80,000) 3- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (78,000) 4- PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS- Dire Straits (75,000) 5- WALKING ON SUNSHINE- Rockers Revenge (74,000) 6- HI FIDELITY- Kids From “Fame” (54,000) 7- WHAT- Soft Cell (46,000) 8- ALL OF MY HEART- ABC (44,000) 9- I EAT CANNIBALS- Toto Coelo (41,000) 10- CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU- Boys Town Gang (37,000)

It's Zoo dancing to the track. I can't find an official promo for it so it may be that there isn't one

4TH SEPTEMBER No 1 in countries as diverse as Canada, Japan, South Africa and Norway, the UK finally succumbs to the power of Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" this week as the track deposes Dexy's Midnight Runners moving 2-1 after seeing 137,000 buyers part with their cash. The song actually falls from No 1 stateside to make way for the Steve Miller Band after 6 weeks of chart domination there but its just getting off the ground here and has already sold 403,316 copies as it hits the top 8Q94pOU2eQ8 "Come On Eileen" ascends 3-2 on the YTD list overtaking Tight fit on a sale of 94,000 takes its tally to 863,155 copies making it the 4th best selling single of the 80s yet still behind "Fame" which remains the best seller of the year to date with 892,503 sales including 38,000 as it moves 7-10 this week. Both are chasing Soft Cell who bang on time ease pass the million mark this week with "Tainted Love" to become the decade's first million seller (current sales of 1,000,531) and it remains well clear of the field with "Fame" in second place, their current hit "What" can advance no more and trips 3-4 (76,000) despite increased sales. Producer and DJ Arthur Baker is the man behind Rocker's Revenge who have scored a US Dance No 1 with "Walkin' In The Sunshine" which is now a transatlantic hit progressing 19-7 (53,000). It's the only new song in the top 10 week and features vocals by Donnie Calvin, it's also a cover of an Eddy Grant song which was the title track to his 1979 album but this is now a bigger hit than any of Grant's solo work though of course two Equals tracks have peaked higher "Viva Bobby Joe" (No 6, 1969) and of course "Baby Come Back" (No 1, 1968). Smtn4kUdb1Q Other climbers this week include Duran Duran who leap 5-3 (81,000) without a TOTP appearance as the band are currently on tour supporting Blondie in the US, Kids From Fame turn in a good report and move 7-5 (64,000), Toto Coelo jolt 9-8 (49,000) and Haircut 100 surprisingly only move 10-9 (48,000). BoysTown Gang reverse 4-6 (60,000) to complete the top 10. 1- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (137,000) 2- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (94,000) 3- SAVE A PRAYER- Duran Duran (81,000) 4- WHAT- Soft Cell (76,000) 5- HI FIDELITY- Kids From “Fame” (64,000) 6- CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU- Boys Town Gang (60,000) 7- WALKING ON SUNSHINE- Rocker’s Revenge (53,000) 8- I EAT CANNIBALS- Toto Coelo (49,000) 9- NOBODY’S FOOL- Haircut 100 (48,000) 10- FAME- Irene Cara (38,000)

5TH OCTOBER Autumn rolls around and to celebrate we have a new number one which everyone just about managed to see- yes Deep Blue Something have the UK number one single, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” ascends 2-1 with 85,000 sales, another leap of 19% and shows little sign of faltering yet. 7KzeKzurp1U So the Fugees fall 1-2 (64,000) but pay the price for people switching to their album which itself hits a new peak rising 4-2 this week behind Kula Shaker, they are also famously now in trouble with Enya for failing to clear the sample of “Boadicea” which forms the backbone of “Ready Or Not”. In total they have spent 7 weeks at the top tying with the Spice Girls for the honour of act with most weeks at the top in 1996. The rest of the top 5 are made up of BBE who rise 4-3 (46,000) by virtue of having a longer lasting appeal than the falling Dina Carroll who swaps places 3-4 (42,000) but both could be overtaken by a fast rising Donna Lewis who lifts 9-5 (39,000). Celine Dion now has 8 UK top 10 singles to her credit but she has never debuted higher than she has this week with the fabulously OTT “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now”. It will surprise few I’m sure to find that the song was written by Jim Steinman and was inspired by the novel “Wuthering Heights”, the original was performed by Pandora’s Box who took the song to No 51 becoming something of a cult classic. It now resurfaces for Dion as her third single from “Falling Into You” and has been cut by a whole minute from the Pandora Box original but it still clocks in at 7.37 on her album whilst the radio edit reduces the song to 5.31. Meat Loaf is apparently none too impressed that Steinman has given the song to Dion stating that it was given to him to record for his “Bat Out Of Hell II” album but he held it over for a proposed forthcoming album, in any event it is new at No 6 (37,000) for Dion and is already No 3 in the US behind Donna Lewis and Los Del Rio. 1vd-Unc-9cI Talking about highest debuts in a long career the same applies to LL Cool J whose previous best was 1987’s “I Need Love” which peaked at No 8. Nine years later he finally tops it as “Loungin” arrives at No 7 (32,000) the song is also in the US top 10 although on the way down at No 8, he’s in the unusual position of having three songs released from the same album and all peaking higher than the other. 5AD9CAPKs9c He’s no longer the chart star he once was but Phil Collins can still command a top 10 single it seems. With a new album in the wings the lead single (and title song) “Dance Into The Light” now in the charts at No 9 (29,000) it’s all off to a promising start- it’s his 13th top 10 hit (if you count the two versions of “In The Air Tonight” as separate entries). The album is out in a month. nTYnK-KSm5g Peter Andre falls 5-8 (32,000) but his album is finally out this week so we’ll see if he can translate his single success to the album market. Finally the Spice Girls fall 8-10 (27,000) but has it done enough to become the year’s best seller?- As we reach the ¾ mark in the year let’s check out that list: 1- KILLING ME SOFTLY- The Fugees 1,253,000 2- WANNABE- The Spice Girls 1,145,000 3- SPACEMAN- Babylon Zoo 1,098,000 4- RETURN OF THE MACK- Mark Morrison 838,000 5- OOH AAH JUST A LITTLE BIT- Gina G 787,000 6- THREE LIONS- Skinner/ Baddiel/ Lightning Seeds 785,000 7- CHILDREN- Robert Miles 764,000 8- MYSTERIOUS GIRL- Peter Andre 738,000 9- DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER- Oasis 720,000 10- HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE- Take That 669,000 This week's chart: 1- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (85,000) 2- READY OR NOT- The Fugees (64,000) 3- SEVEN DAYS AND ONE WEEK- BBE (46,000) 4- ESCAPING- Dina Carroll (42,000) 5- I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER- Donna Lewis (39,000) 6- IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW- Celine Dion (37,000) 7- LOUNGIN- LL Cool J (32,000) 8- FLAVA- Peter Andre (32,000) 9- DANCE INTO THE LIGHT- Phil Collins (29,000) 10- WANNABE- The Spice Girls (27,000)

28TH SEPTEMBER Another tight week at the top and another week that The Fugees just manage to fend off the competition though it took a 4% increase in sales to pull it off. It is also 4% ahead of Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” whose own sales increase by 15% to 72,000 just 3,000 behind The Fugees- could be an interesting competition between the two next week as the rest of the field are some way behind. XyTu7aMChr4 Dina Carroll leads the new entries this week with her first single in almost 3 years “Escaping”. It’s a cover of 1992 Asia single which only made No 50 but has been rejuvenated into a hit by Carroll as it equals instantly her best ever placing at No 3 (55,000). It is also picking up considerable sales thanks to the track “Mind Body & Soul” which is No 1 in the club charts. SYQT0FXWyHQ A massive hit all over Europe already BBE’s “Seven Days And One Week” finally got its UK release last week and slots in at No 4 (51,000). It was already selling well on imports and is the current dance No 1 for the French/ Italian outfit. lpkLcfbOra4 Two of the big new names in Britpop up next. Firstly Ocean Colour Scene whose album “Moseley Shoals” has already sold over half a million and made No 2 for 6 weeks so far this year. It delivers up a fourth hit in the form of “The Circle” which is new at No 6 (40,000), helped by a live of version of “Day Tripper” which features the Gallagher brothers. U-TKnhfzezs Just below them are The Bluetones who have released a standalone single called “Marblehead Johnson”, a tribute to the late comedian Bill Hicks. The single coincides with their UK tour at the moment, it debuts at No 7 (34,000). 3mfBJVpWJHU “Macarena” has been No 1 in the US for 9 weeks and for six of those weeks Donna Lewis has been runner up. She actually hails for Wales but had to gain US success before we took note, her single “I Love You Always Forever” is self written and she co-produces the single. It’s had a rather old fashioned climb in the charts so far 34-20-11-9 and has seen increasing radio support selling 28,000 in its current frame. wvyRxnZJHeE Former chart topper “Flava” fades 2-5 (49,000) whilst another former No 1 slides 4-8 (33,000) for the Spice Girls, that takes sales of “Wannabe” over the 1.1 million mark as it eases past “Spaceman” with only The Fugees” ahead of them! Stretch N Vern fade 6-10 (26,000) to complete the rundown. 1- READY OR NOT- The Fugees (75,000) 2- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (72,000) 3- ESCAPING- Dina Carroll (55,000) 4- SEVEN DAYS AND ONE WEEK- BBE (51,000) 5- FLAVA- Peter Andre (49,000) 6- THE CIRCLE- Ocean Colour Scene (40,000) 7- MARBLEHEAD JOHNSTON- The Bluetones (34,000) 8- WANNABE- The Spice Girls (33,000) 9- I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER- Donna Lewis (28,000) 10- I’M ALIVE- Stretch N Verne (26,000)

28TH AUGUST After 3 weeks without much action at all this week sees half of the top 10 being comprised of new tracks! None of this affects Dexy's Midnight Runners who hold steady in the face of a 22% sales drop to 113,000 bringing its total to 768,000 in all, that's enough to move "Come On Eileen" to No 3 on the YTD list just 85,000 behind "Fame" which sold 48,000 this week on its way down 3-6, both are separated by Tight Fit's "Lion Sleeps Tonight" on 795,000. I'll be very surprised if we don't have a new YTD No 1 next week and it is also now the longest No 1 of the year! C3rg4psdHxw Whilst "Come On Eileen" might be on its way to No 1 on the yearly list it is likely to lose the weekly No 1 position after 4 weeks next week thanks to Survivor who profit from TOTP to see sales of "Eye Of The Tiger" increase by 21% to 107,000 to provide a genuine challenge as they outsold Dexy's on Saturday. Soft Cell have been plundering their back catalogue of Northern soul again to come up with a cover of a Judy Street's 1966 track "What" which failed to chart here in the UK, No trouble with this version though as the song debuted at No 13 last week (their highest debut) and glides to No 3 (68,000) but has quite a large gap to make up on the top 2 so progress might be too much to ask. It's taken from their second album "Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing" which peaked at No 7 back in June. zPtUbqBzt3c Things seem to be finally happening for Duran Duran, their second album "Rio" peaked at No 2 on release and has never been lower than No 21 after 15 weeks of release. It's now home to two top 10 hit singles (a better hit rate than their debut LP) as "Save A Prayer" becomes their most immediate hit bounding 27-5 (62,000) in its second week, helped no doubt by another Sri Lanka lensed video, the band are fast becoming associated with exotic videos which are now popular with US audiences on the new MTV channel and starting to create a stir on the other side of the pond. -O5_hTG9dqU Meanwhile the phenomenon of "Fame" continues as the soundtrack remains at No 7 whilst the "Kids From Fame" is in its fourth week at No 1 on the album charts, it contains the track "Hi Fidelity" with lead vocals by Valerie Landsberg (Doris in the show) which is the first single release and has taken just three weeks to similarly make the top 10 rising 26-7 (48,000)- can this replicate the albums success? fOpP6MRC4DI Barry Blue is best known for his 1973 No 2 hit "Dancin On A Saturday Night" but since the hits have dried up for the glam star he's turned to writing and producing other people's records and is back in the top 10 this week as writer and producer of "I eat Cannibals" by new girl group Toto Coelo. Their name is Latin and apparently translates as "by the whole extent of the heavens"- well the gods are smiling on them as the song bolts 12-9 (40,000)- the group contains the daughter of DJ and TV presenter Bob Holness by way of trivia! fxSxpk-Hv6s Pin up's Haircut 100 are back with a fourth top 10 hit from four releases! "Nobody's Fool" isn't on their debut album "Pelican West" which may account for why it is their quickest hit advancing 33-10 (39,000) and is being tipped by some as a future chart topper. The band will enter the studios later in the year to record their second album which should include this single but for now the hottest teen act on the charts can do little wrong. wFtw1w4Q0lw Boys Town Gang continue to climb 6-4 (63,000) marking the highest position it has ever attained, whilst Yazoo collapse 4-8 (45,000). 1- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (113,000) 2- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (107,000) 3- WHAT- Soft Cell (68,000) 4- CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU- Boys Town Gang (63,000) 5- SAVE A PRAYER- Duran Duran (62,000) 6- FAME- Irene Cara (48,000) 7- HI FIDELITY- Kids From “Fame” (48,000) 8- DON’T GO- Yazoo (45,000) 9- I EAT CANNIBALS- Toto Coelo (40,000) 10- NOBODY’S FOOL- Haircut 100 (38,000)

As i state it was written for "Rocky III".

21ST AUGUST Given its lead last week coupled with the huge margin of its victory it should be no surprise that "Come On Eileen" goes nowhere in the charts but the No 1 spot, though it is finally on the decline in terms of sales, again not a surprise after its stellar week last week. It sold 145,000 copies last week to increase its overall total to 655,000 copies as it moves into the TYD top 10. CZZvi06MQtQ All of which is bad news for Irene Cara, "Fame" drops 2-3 this week and sold a very respectable 54,000 copies to bring its total to 805,000 copies which is enough to replace Tight Fit at the top of the YTD list. the new challenger on the weekly charts to "Eileen"'s current dominance is Survivor who leap 6-2 in selling 89,000 copies but that is way off posing a serious risk to the top slot at present. Formed in 1980 to cater for the gay audience in San Francisco Boys Town Gang were soon speeding up the US Club charts and make their big breakthrough internationally with a cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" originally a hit for Franki Valli in the US and by Andy Williams in the UK in 1968 though it has become a staple at radio ever since. It's been turned into a Hi-Energy disco number and is already No 1 in the Netherlands whilst it rockets 21-6 (41,000) over here. sdWkaa0usSc Elsewhere there is only one climber, The Stranglers move 8-7 (39,000) and Hot Chocolate have a third week at No 5 (43,000) but are losing sales week on week. Four fallers not yet mentioned, Yazoo dip 3-4 (51,000), Madness dive 4-8 (38,000), Kid Creole slip 7-9 (36,000) and Bad Manners reverse 9-10 (35,000) 1-COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (145,000) 2- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (89,000) 3- FAME- Irene Cara (54,000) 4- DON’T GO- Yazoo (51,000) 5- IT STARTED WITH A KISS- Hot Chocolate (43,000) 6- CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU- Boystown Gang (41,000) 7- STRANGE LITTLE GIRL- The Stranglers (39,000) 8- DRIVING IN MY CAR- Madness (38,000) 9- STOOL PIGEON- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (36,000) 10- MY GIRL LOLLIPOP (MY BOY LOLLIPOP)- Bad Manners (35,000)

14TH AUGUST A very quiet week in the charts this week with the entire top 6 being non movers in the album charts (meaning that Dexy's Midnight Runners play second fiddle to Kids From Fame) whilst on the singles chart the whole top 5 are static! That means that Dexy's Midnight Runners get their revenge for that album defeat with a blistering singles victory, "Come On Eileen" shifted 174,000 copies and is already the 11th biggest of the year after moving 510,000 copies and should become the groups biggest single next week failing a massive downturn. fHMeZef_74c One of the records in front of them on the YTD list remains "Fame" which clings to the No 2 position on a sale of 71,000 which is enough to see the song move 4-2 on that list with just Tight Fit's "Lion Sleeps Tonight" ahead of it, and with 751,000 copies sold in total it is still just over 44,000 copies behind ensuring that "Fame" will become the biggest selling single of the year within the next fortnight. Though Yazoo, Madness and Hot Chocolate all hold at No's 3,4,and 5 respectively all lose sales at 61,000 (30% sales slump), 46,000 (30% loss) and 44,000 (28% decline). A bit more action outside the top 5, firstly from Survivor who formed in 1978 and had some minor US success last year but nothing that compares to "Eye Of The Tiger". You may recognise the song as the theme to the current "Rocky III" film starring Sylvester Stallone who asked the band to record a track for the film after the film makers were refused permission to use Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust". He proved a wise man as the song is currently in its fourth week at No 1 Stateside, and scorches 29-6 (43,000) here. PuxADhIKd5o The Stranglers are on the move, not just in the charts but also in relation to record labels. The band are moving to Epic and as part of the severance deal with EMI they are releasing a compilation album which will feature their singles since 1977 along with "Strange Little Girl" which this weeks moves northward 11-8 (39,000). The track was actually written in 1974 and handed as a demo to EMI who passed on them (they ended up getting signed to Liberty records which were taken over by EMI last year) so perhaps the band are having the last laugh on the label by making this a top 10 single. mLETqulvWKk Written by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs back in 1956 as "My Girl Lollypop" the track first found fame in 1964 in the alternative gender take of "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie which made No 2 in the UK. It's now been reverted back to its original form by Bad Manners who must have feared their chart stock has fallen irrevocably after their previous two singles peaked at No's 34 and 44 but this new single leaps 21-9 (38,000) to prove they are far from done. YIJL9peVbnc Rounding off the top 10 Kid Creole & The Coconuts climb 8-7 (41,000) and Bananarama dip 7-10 (36,000) 1- COME ON EILEEN- Dexy’s Midnight Runners (174,000) 2- FAME- Irene Cara (71,000) 3- DON’T GO- Yazoo (61,000) 4- DRIVING IN MY CAR- Madness (46,000) 5- IT STARTED WITH A KISS- Hot Chocolate (44,000) 6- EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor (43,000) 7- STOOL PIGEON- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (41,000) 8- STRANGE LITTLE GIRL- The Stranglers (39,000) 9- MY GIRL LOLLIPOP (MY BOY LOLLIPOP)- Bad Manners (38,000) 10- SHY BOY- Bananarama (36,000)

Thanks to all who voted and commented- it's been fun! :D

Full results NO 1- Sometimes- 311 pts NO 2- Blue Savannah- 304 pts NO 3- A Little Respect- 304 pts NO 4- Love To Hate You- 284 pts NO 5- Always- 283 pts NO 6- Stop!- 235 pts NO 7- Chorus- 214 pts NO 8- Ship Of Fools- 210 pts NO 9- Oh L'Amour- 194 pts NO 10- Drama- 163 pts NO 11- The Circus- 153 pts NO 12- Who Needs Love Like That- 153 pts NO 13- Chains Of Love- 149 pts NO 14- Victim Of Love- 142 pts NO 15- Breathe- 141 pts NO 16- Lay All Your Love On Me- 140 pts NO 17- I Love Saturday- 139 pts NO 18- You Surround Me- 138 pts NO 19- Stay With Me- 137 pts NO 20- Breath Of Life- 134 pts NO 21- Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer’s Day)- 133pts NO 22- In My Arms- 120 pts NO 23- Am I Right?- 112 pts NO 24- Run To The Sun- 111 pts NO 25- Take A Chance On Me- 109 pts NO 26- Star- 109 pts NO 27- It Doesn't Have To Be- 106 pts NO 28- Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me- 99pts NO 29- Voulez-Vous- 88 pts NO 30- Make It Wonderful- 74 pts NO 31- Heavenly Action- 72pts NO 32- Don't Say You Love Me- 62 pts NO 33- I Could Fall In Love With You- 58 pts NO 34- Solsbury Hill- 50pts NO 35- SOS- 47 pts NO 36- Here I Go Impossible Again- 43 pts NO 37- Storm In A Teacup- 31 pts NO 38- Moon & Sky- 27 pts NO 39- Reason- 26 pts NO 40- Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)- 25pts NO 41- When I Start To (Break It All Down)- 25 pts NO 42- Nerves Of Steel- 25pts NO 43- Freedom- 23 pts NO 44- Fill Us With Fire- 22 pts NO 45- Gaudete- 14pts NO 46- Elevation- 13pts NO 47- Sacred- 13pts NO 48- Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)- 10pts NO 49- All Of This Still Falling Out Of Love- 7 pts NO 50- Be With You- 5pts NO 51- World Be Gone- 4 pts NO 52- 2 POINTS Boy Love You To The Sky NO 54- 0 POINTS Rain Sunday Girl Just A Little Love Fallen Angel Secrets

YEAR: 1986 PEAK POSITION: 2 VOTER: Padamic Tension- 29pts, Bjork- 29pts, Chartjack2- 29pts, Jimwatts- 29pts, JulianT- 29pts, King Rollo- 28pts, Popchartfreak- 28pts, Jester- 26pts, AHGold- 26pts, Gezza- 23pts, Mango- 18pts, Dandy*- 17pts The record that started it all and put them on the pop map! It peaked at No 2 behind Europe’s “Final Countdown” in late 1986. Its lyrics were changed at the last minute (as you can see in the clip below) which obviously didn’t affect its prospects. It became the first of 17 top 10 hits in a 19 year span. Bell: “We were writing for the second album upstairs from the rough trade office and suddenly this song came out “Sometimes”. As the song developed and we got this hook we knew it was going to be a hit”. It wins the rate DESPITE not getting a single maximum points from anyone and being outside the top 10 for two voters though it was in 7 voters top 3. S1a8QABKNo0 S-LquTgY2m0

YEAR: 1990 PEAK POSITION : 3 VOTER: Popchartfreak- 30pts, Mango- 30pts, King Rollo- 30pts, JulianT- 30pts, Dandy*- 25pts, Padamic Tension- 24pts, Jester- 24pts, Chartjack2- 23pts, Bjork- 23pts, AHGold- 23pts, Gezza- 21pts, Jimwatts- 21pts Third release from “Wild!” ended up becoming the biggest single from it! The promo was directed Kevin Godley. We all put this in our top 10's and it gathered the most maximum points from voters in the entire rate! HZPQtb6NWKM 3QEyBO3KcDs