Gezza

YEAR: 1994 PEAK POSITION: 4 VOTER: Chartjack2- 30pts, AHGold- 30pts, Mango- 28pts, JulianT- 28pts, Bjork- 26pts, PadamicTension- 25pts. Jimwatts- 23pts, Dandy*- 23pts, Popchartfreak- 22 pts, Gezza- 22pts, King Rollo- 21pts, Jester- 5pts We’ll never know for sure if the three year break in albums (or indeed the almost 2 year break in new singles) was the turning point for Erasure, but it certainly seemed we had missed them when this debuted in the top 5 on release in 1994. It became their third (and final) US top 20 hit. All but 1 of us put this in our top 10's. lWqJTKdznaM o3zAXqvB-aw

NTDAG is certainly up there with my fave BF singles. "Fame" (TV series) started to be aired directly after TOTP in June 1982 proving to be an instant hit with the UK public. BBC records snapped up the rights to the show and the albums, though oddly not the singles, another reason why "Fame" appeared.

I don't NOT like it- I was just never bowled over by it :dance:

17TH JULY Whichever record was going to be No 1 this week it certainly wasn't going to be "Happy Talk", it recedes 1-3 on a sale of just 67,000 as the British public seems to have stopped laughing at the joke (if they started that is) but it has at least now sold 251,000 copies so something to be happy about. Indeed two records were out in front from the off and were vying for the top spot with Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra" making the early running before "Fame" benefitted from exposure on TOTP and of course the "Fame" TV series shown after it, in the end that swung it for Irene Cara as she outstripped Steve Miller towards the end of the week selling 98,000 to the latter's 79,000 copies. ChhCpSVrjvU German band Trio have their debut UK hit on their hands, "Da Da Da" has already been a hit in most of Europe and finally makes its mark here thanks doubtless to tourists returning from their summer holidays. Whilst some critics are less impressed with it lyrically it expands 30-7 (46,000) this week and has its sights set firmly on the No 1 spot where it has already peaked in Switzerland and Austria. 0nDRSJPvr_8 Trio had better watch out though as Bucks Fizz are also on the look out for a No 1 and that would be their third chart topper on the trot! "Now Those Days Are Gone" climbs 13-8 (45,000) and is a break from their usual full on pop being as it is a ballad from the group and also features a lead vocal from Mike Nolan. m_dYbvk0mOM Bananarama finally have the confidence to go it alone without Fun Boy Three and no wonder with "Shy Boy" being written and produced by Jolly & Swain (famous for their work in crafting the sound of Imagination) and a promo directed by Midge Ure. All that support results in "Shy Boy" moving 20-9 (43,000) this week, the debut album from the girls has just been confirmed and they are due to enter the studio to record it later this year. qg5mjs9Tmgg Telling the tale of a collision of two sets of Mardi Gras Indians at a parade in New Orleans, "Iko Iko" was originally a No 23 hit in 1965 by the Dixie Cups and was subject this year to two competing versions of the track. The Belle Stars version petered out at No 35 last month by a rival version by Natasha England (known by her forename for the purposes of the hit) jumps 12-10 (38,000) this week. Bc3m3-yp73c One other climber on this weeks top 10, Shalamar climb 6-5 (60,000) whilst Odyssey drop 3-4 (61,000) and Imagination also topple 5-6 (53,000) but all improve at retail. 1- FAME- Irene Cara (98,000) 2- ABRACADABRA- Steve Miller Band (79,000) 3- HAPPY TALK- Captain Sensible (67,000) 4- INSIDE OUT- Odyssey (61,000) 5- A NIGHT TO REMEMBER- Shalamar (60,000) 6- MUSIC AND LIGHTS- Imagination (53,000) 7- DA DA DA- Trio (46,000) 8- NOW THOSE DAYS ARE GONE- Bucks Fizz (45,000) 9- SHY BOY- Bananarama (43,000) 10- IKO IKO- Natasha (38,000)

So that makes our top 5: A LITTLE RESPECT ALWAYS BLUE SAVANNAH LOVE TO HATE YOU SOMETIMES 9 Voters got their 30 pointers into the top 5 and, up until now, no song has got points from all voters but ALL of the top 5 picked up points from all voters.

YEAR: 1988 PEAK POSITION: 2 VOYTER: Padamic Tension- 30pts, Jester- 29pts, Chartjack2- 28pts, Mango- 27pts, Jimwatts- 22pts, King Rollo- 19pts, Popchartfreak- 17pts, AHGold- 17pts, JulianT- 17pts, Gezza- 15pts, Dandy*- 14pts Officially an EP (“Crackers International EP”,) there was no doubt that “Stop” got almost all the airplay and promo. It equalled “Sometimes” in becoming their biggest hit to date when it made No 2 but that chart topper was still some years away! ITyXjY5L-_E mNzgdP_hg9U

21ST SEPTEMBER The three year wait is over! Yes the last song to debut at No 2 then rise to No 1 was Gabrielle’s “Dreams” in June 1993, but this week the Fugees surprise us all as they slide up a spot to the top of the pile even though they lost 24% week on week at retail. “Ready Or Not” had the advantage thanks in part to the fact that last week they released a second CD version of the single whilst Peter Andre’s record label released both CDs and the Cassingle versions of his hit in the first week. “Flava” falls 1-2 (71,500) losing 44% as a result and ultimately the format release schedule proves fatal for its chart topping ability, it was a close run thing however with just 500 copies separating the pair. For the Fugees it makes a second chart topper of the year for them drawing them level with George Michael in that respect, whilst the Peter Andre track becomes the 5th solitary week chart topper of the year- the last year to have more 1 weekers was all the way back in 1977. WZC938RBfVY First released at the end of June in the UK Deep Blue Something’s Single “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” left some disappointed at its No 55 peak but it has had rather consistent airplay at radio meaning that a re-release was always on the cards as pent up demand sees the song rechart at No 3 (63,000). The song was actually inspired by Audrey’s Hepburn’s character in “Roman Holiday” but the band thought that “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” was a catchier title, its already made No 5 in the US and is finally a hit here now. 1ClCpfeIELw Belinda Carlisle’s return to the top 10 continues apace with new single “Always Breaking My Heart” debuting at No 8 (27,000). It’s written by Roxette’s Per Gessle, whilst this is Carlisle’s 7th top 10 single it’s the first time she’s placed back to back top tenners since 1988. NY5-QvcogwA “All I Wanna Do” remains Sheryl Crow’s biggest selling single but she now returns with a second album and another top 10 single as “If It Makes You Happy” slides in at No 9 (24,000). The song is apparently a reflection on her life during her last album. uwlpKWUKZKo The Spice Girls fall 3-4 (58,000) and the Smurfs are also pushed down 4-5 (36,000) whilst Stretch N Vern hold at No 6 (32,000). Further down Jamiroquai drift 5-7 (31,000) as they also miss out on the top spot on the albums behind REM, and OMC dip 8-10 (23,000). 1- READY OR NOT- The Fugees (72,000) 2- FLAVA- Peter Andre (71,500) 3- BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S- Deep Blue Something (63,000) 4- WANNABE- The Spice Girls (58,000) 5- I’VE GOT A LITTLE PUPPY- The Smurfs (36,000) 6- I’M ALIVE- Stretch N Verne (32,000) 7- VIRTUAL INSANITY- Jamiroquai (31,000) 8- ALWAYS BREAKING MY HEART- Belinda Carlise (27,000) 9- IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY- Sheryl Crow (24,000) 10- HOW BIZARRE- OMC (23,000)

14TH SEPTEMBER From the time that the first set of midweeks came through it was clear that the reign of The Spice Girls was over and in the end Peter Andre is the act to do it. The man who has quickly become as known for his pretty boy looks and six pack as his music can do little wrong at the moment and his new single “Flava” wasting no time in debuting at No 1. It is, apparently, written about Andre’s inspirations Mark Morrison and Bobby Brown and convinced 129,000 people to buy a copy a copy last week. 45fKiMTFdFU Andre’s last single “Mysterious Girl” got lodged at No 2 behind The Fugees “Killing Me Softly” but he gets his revenge this week as the new Fugees single “Ready Or Not” debuts behind him. Sales of 95,000 are enough to earn the Fugees runner up spot, the song itself is based around the delfonics track “Ready Or Not Here I Come” and features a sample of Enya’s “Boadicea”. It all comes with a promo costing $1.3 million. aIXyKmElvv8 The top 3 is completed by those Spice Girls who dip 1-3 (75,000) which of course means it is now 1996’s third million seller with sales of 1,027,000. With a sample of a loop from Earth Wind & Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland” running through it, Stretch N Verne’s “I’m Alive” is the only other new entry in the top 10 this week at No 6 (36,000). It has been a hit in the dance clubs for the last few months and finally gets a release to rapturous reviews in specialist magazines. Ig9Sgz8iARQ The Smurfs hold at No 4 (42,000) and Jamiroquai do the same one place below on 40,000. Kula Shaker however dive 2-7 (35,000) but showing more resilience are OMC who stick it out at No 8 (31,000) and Los Del Rio who ebb 7-9 (29,000), The Charlatans anchor the top flight by falling 3-10 (28,000). 1- FLAVA- Peter Andre (129,000) 2- READY OR NOT- The Fugees (95,000) 3- WANNABE- The Spice Girls (75,000) 4- I’VE GOT A LITTLE PUPPY- The Smurfs (42,000) 5- VIRTUAL INSANITY- Jamiroquai (40,000) 6- I’M ALIVE- Stretch N Vern (36,000) 7- HEY DUDE- Kula Shaker (35,000) 8- HOW BIZARRE- OMC (31,000) 9- MACARENA- Los Del Rio (29,000) 10- ONE TO ANOTHER- The Charlatans (28,000)

10TH JULY After his meteoric leap to No 1 last week Captain Sensible maintains his position with "Happy Talk" which sells another 92,000 copies to help pull the chart from its summer slumber. Now having sold 184,287 copies it becomes the biggest seller of his career overtaking the Damned's "Love Song" a No 20 hit in 1979 and the previous holder of that accolade. 8ieBaHGOXBw Although it was never ahead of "Happy Talk" (there was only clear blue sea between "Abracadabra" and the former track after Thursday's TOTP which assured an easier victory than it at first looked for Captain Sensible), Steve Miller Band sold 71,000 copies in the end, enough for No 1 in 3 of the last four weeks. Back in 1980 you may recall a film called "Fame" and its theme song of the same name by Irene Cara (who also starred in the film), it made the US No 4 in that year but was a flop in the UK. The Film has now spawned a TV spin off which has started to be aired on BBC prime time Thursday last month and has seen the show explode in popularity, that prompted a rush release of the theme, it should be noted that Cara does not appear in the TV Series (being replaced by Erica Gimpel in the role she took in the film), nor is it her voice you hear in the opening credits to the TV show (again that's Gimpel's re-recorded vocals) but it's Cara's version that takes off this week as it soars 51-4 (56,000) a massive climb of 47 places which doesn't quite match the all time record leap of 55 places which occurred to Paul McCartney's "Coming Up" in May 1980. With continued exposure weekly it may run "Happy Talk" close next week! In case you're wondering why we have Cara's version and not Gimpel's as a single, well that's because the BBC passed on the rights to release the track as a single leaving RSO free to push Cara's single- silly move. dF4P4Gcwcps Arriving 17-6 (42,000) are Shalamar who top even the performance of their only other Top 10 single "I Can Make You Feel Good" which peaked at No 7 in May this year. "A Night To Remember" gained considerable expose thanks to some fancy moves on TOTP by group member Jeffrey Daniel which have generated some headlines and helped the song on its way. 1qokA5khruY There is seemingly some new chart record to report every week and this week is no different thanks to the Jam. "Just Who Is The Five O'clock Hero" debuted at No 13 last week but now climbs to No 8 (38,000) despite the fact that the single is only available on Dutch import, it is now the highest peaking track to be available only on import, taking the record from another Jam import, namely "That's Entertainment" which peaked at No 21 last year. The single is available on the current Jam album "The Gift" which became their first No 1 album but has not returned to the top 20 since it left there back in April. 4dYR_HJD5rY Midge Ure has had top 10 hits with both Slik, Visage, and of course Ultravox, he can now add a solo top 10 single to his repertoire as "No Regrets" accelerates 11-9 (35,000). The song is a cover of a 1968 track by Tom Rush which was covered by the Walker Brothers in 1975 an made No 7 marking their return to the top 10 after a ten year absence, it now gets another appearance in the upper reaches of the chart thanks to Ure's cover. nJJbaJch6AU Elsewhere there are two non movers, Odyssey hold at No 3 (57,000) and Imagination are static at No 5 (51,000) whilst two songs are on their way out, Charlene drops 2-7 (38,000), and Diana Ross dips 7-10 (34,000) 1- HAPPY TALK- Captain Sensible (92,000) 2- ABRACADABRA- Steve Miller Band (71,000) 3- INSIDE OUT- Odyssey (57,000) 4- FAME- Irene Cara (56,000) 5- MUSIC AND LIGHTS- Imagination (51,000) 6- A NIGHT TO REMEMBER- Shalamar (42,000) 7- I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME- Charlene (38,000) 8- JUST WHO IS THE FIVE O’CLOCK HERO- The Jam (38,000) 9- NO REGRETS- Midge Ure (35,000) 10- WORK THAT BODY- Diana Ross (34,000) As we are now half way through the year here's the YTD top 10 1- THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT- Tight Fit 795,098 2- SEVEN TEARS- Goombay Dance band 655,615 3- EBONY AND IVORY- Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney 608,051 4- PRECIOUS/ A TOWN CALLED MALICE- The Jam 596,942 5- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers 548,653 6- MICKEY- Toni Basil 521,287 7- LOVE PLUS ONE- Haircut 100 515,165 8- COMPUTER LOVE/ THE MODEL- Kraftwerk 514,257 9- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens 511,083 10- GOODY TWO SHOES- Adam Ant 479.596

YEAR: 1991 PEAK POSITION: 3 VOTER: Dandy*- 29pts, King Rollo- 27pts, Mango- 26pts, Padamic Tension- 26pts, Jester- 23pts, Bjork- 22pts, JulianT- 18pts, Chartjack2- 15pts, Jimwatts- 14pts, Popchartfreak- 14pts In the summer of 1991 Erasure were back, back BACK with their first single in a year. It became their highest debuting single to that point by smashing straight into the top 3 though it progressed no further. A8LV75PMseU lDbg4N9omRE

YEAR: 1988 PEAK POSITION: 6 VOTER: Bjork- 30pts, Chartjack2- 27pts, Jimwatts- 27pts, King Rollo- 26pts, Dandy*- 21pts, Gezza- 19pts, Jester- 17pts, JulianT- 16pts, Mango- 12pts, AHGold- 8pts, Popchartfreak- 7pts Lead single from “The Innocents” this became the group’s 4th top 10 single on release. ekc_aR5LyAk f4sEXrhAu_8

3RD JULY Another slice of chart history is made today as former "Damned" guitarist Raymond Burns (Better known as "Captain Sensible") leaps 33-1 with his version of "Happy Talk", originally a song from the musical "South Pacific". That's the biggest jump to the top spot in chart history and can thank in part a low sales climate for performing the miraculous feat as the song sold just 77,000 copies, not spectacular however that is a marked (25%) increase on the performance of Charlene last week. Captain Sensible is joined by the Dolly Mixtures on backing vocals who have had a lot of radio 1 support thanks to John Peel but this is their first slice of chart fame. it's the third Rogers & Hammerstein composition to make No 1 after "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". 291ET6Py6H8 "I've Never Been To Me" drops 1-2 this week and sells a further 56,000 copies into the bargain but again TOTP didn't help its cause at all indicating that its appeal is limited and dare I say it, a fortunate No 1. Three new hits to cover this week, first up are the Steve Miller Band who's only previous UK hit was "Rock N Me" which peaked at No 11 back in 1976. Six years down the line the band return with "Abracadabra" which jumps 12-4 (54,000) to easily score the biggest hit of their career to date. J3uqwdhCIHo Not quite the climb that Captain Sensible experienced this week, but then not far off either. for Imagination whose "Music and Lights" rocket 31-5 (53,000) and is the band's third top 10 single and follow up to the No 2 hit "Just An Illusion". September sees the release of a second album for the trio and will be produced by Jolly & Swain who are now much in demand among chart acts. K1e8u_58bmI Thought the medley craze was over? Not quite- after holding off for a year Parlophone finally assented to the release of a Beatles Medley of music from their various films and this week sees the return of the fab 4 to the top 10 for the first time since 1976 and is their 24th visit to the upper reaches. The song heads up 18-10 (35,000) this week and will hopefully help to sell the album "Reel Music" which has not met expectations so far and perhaps explains the u-turn on this track which was originally only a US release making it, until now, a rarity for UK collectors. _8X8MR4dNkM On to the climbers this week which include Odyssey (7-3, 56,000),and Diana Ross 8-7 (41,000), and three fallers. Kid Creole & The Coconuts (4-6, 41,000), Duran Duran 5-8 (39,000), and Adam Ant who trails off 2-9 (38,000). You'll note that Charlene's fall could have been far more substantial! 1- HAPPY TALK- Captain Sensible (77,000) 2- I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME- Charlene (56,000) 3- INSIDE OUT- Odyssey (56,000) 4- ABRACADABRA- Steve Miller Band (54,000) 5- MUSIC AND LIGHTS- Imagination (53,000) 6- I’M A WONDERFUL THING BABY- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (41,000) 7- WORK THAT BODY- Diana Ross (41,000) 8- HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF- Duran Duran (39,000) 9- GOODY TWO SHOES- Adam Ant (38,000) 10- BEATLES MOVIE MEDLEY- The Beatles (35,000)

OH L’AMOUR YEAR: 1986/ 2003 PEAK POSITION: 85/13 VOTER: AHGold- 29pts, Mango- 24pts, King Rollo- 24pts, JulianT- 23pts, Padamic Tension- 21pts, Jester- 20pts, Bjork- 18pts, Jimwatts- 18pts, Dandy*- 10pts, Chartjack2- 5pts, Popchartfreak- 2pts Odd to think now that “Oh L’amour” bombed on its first release in early 1986, it has gone on to be one of their more famous hits making the top 10 in 1988 for Dollar and finally getiing a top 20 position for the group themselves upon being remixed in 2003 to promote another “best of” compilation. On the b-side of the original was a cover of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme”- that ABBA cover might be something they revisit later….. Bell: “by the time the third single was released that was a euro-hit for us. We’d also been a club band anyway, and they picked up on the single and it was a hit in France and by that time we’d created a stir and because of that our next single started to get a lot of airplay” kFduy8qQIOg YgTut7WBmtw

YEAR: 1989 PEAK POSITION: 4 VOTER: Dandy*- 28pts, Gezza- 28pts, Jester- 18pts, Chartjack2- 17pts, Popchartfreak- 15pts, King Rollo- 14pts, Mango- 14pts, Jimwatts- 11pts, Bjork- 9pts, Padamic Tension- 7pts, JulianT- 2pts Erasure’s first single in 9 months had some hype with interest high in whether it would top the charts given the success of the previous single “Stop”. It debuted high at No 7 but petered out at No 4, the backing vocals on the cry “Guilty!” comes in part from Sisters Of Mercy who were recording in the next studio at the time. 4gwiInUNf_s NoLo1HUrOGw

26TH JUNE The Summer lull continues and as Charlene's "I've Never Been To Me" climbs to the top spot 3-1 it sells a mere 62,000 copies, the record for the 2nd lowest tally required for a No 1 record in the decade so far, despite a TOTP appearance it registers a small 14% sales increase. The track has been on the charts for 7 weeks and has so far sold just 227,000 copies hardly a massive song. it is however the first wholly American No 1 act since Michael Jackson almost a year ago, co-incidentally they are both on the Motown label and both tracks that were 6 years old by the time they made No 1- spooky. ImHHKw8LMcM In the top 10 for a fifth time Odyssey have a new album out "Happy Together" and the lead track "Inside Out" propels itself 18-7 (46,000) this week to become their biggest hit since "Going Back To My Roots" last year. HrkvzmVrX50 Earlier this year Bow Wow Wow made No 7 with "Go Wild In The Country" and looked set for fame but follow up "See Jungle" unexpectedly failed to make the top 40 peaking at No 45, that downward spiral is arrested with the bands cover of "I Want Candy". It was originally sung by the Strangeloves in 1965 which made the US top 20 but flopped here, it was covered by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes later that year when it made No 25, so it now hits the top 10 for the first time as it reaches 14-9 (42,000). WBN19FnT13Y Wonder continues to reap the rewards of his first UK No 1 single ("Ebony & Ivory") as "Do I Do" arrives this week 15-10 (39,000) for the US superstar. It comes from his greatest hits album (of sorts) "Stevie Wonder's Musiquarium I" which has underperformed comparative to his "Hotter Than The Sun" period. bQEBZfG5SaY Adam Ant falls from the top spot this week 1-2 (60,000) after losing the top spot to Charlene at the last gasp of the week, he manages to outstrip "Torch" this week as that song dips 2-3 (50,000) in a week when the famous "sex dwarf" video got pulled from general release in a blaze of bad headlines- Did it deprive them of a No 1?, and ABC tumble 4-6 (46,000) but they will be concentrating on their debut album which is out this week. Climbers come from Kid Creole & The Coconuts 7-4 (49,000) who just manage to leapfrog Duran Duran 6-5 (49,000) and Diana Ross 10-8 (44,000). Only 20,000 copies separate No's 1 and 9- next week anything could happen! 1- I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME- Charlene (62,000) 2- GOODY TWO SHOES- Adam Ant (60,000) 3- TORCH- Soft Cell (50,000) 4- I’M A WONDERFUL THING BABY- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (49,000) 5- HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF- Duran Duran (49,000) 6- THE LOOK OF LOVE- ABC (46,000) 7- INSIDE OUT- Odyssey (46,000) 8- WORK THAT BODY- Diana Ross (44,000) 9- I WANT CANDY- Bow Wow Wow (42,000) 10- DO I DO- Stevie Wonder (39,000)

YEAR: 1987 PEAK POSITION: 6 VOTER: Jimwatts- 26pts, JulianT- 26pts, King Rollo- 22pts, Jester- 22pts, AHGold- 20pts, Dandy*- 18pts, Mango- 7pts, Bjork- 6pts, Popchartfreak- 6pts Erasure do politics! Well briefly at least. Lamenting the loss of the manufacturing base in the UK which occurred in the 80s, the song was interpreted as a critique of Thatcherism and was heavily edited down from its 5:30 album version to 3:50 for the single mix. 8U2lpnwa1ow lUwLJLD0F5I

YEAR: 1985/ 1992 PEAK POSITION: 55/10 VOTER: Jimwatts- 28pts, Chartjack2- 26pts, JulianT- 25pts, AHGold- 25pts, Jester- 21pts, Padamic Tension- 15pts, Mango- 8pts, Bjork- 5pts “There was a programme on Tele called “Evil Roy Slade” and that inspired the video. We started writing a spoof of a Western- I mean it’s got nothing to do with the song or anything but we thought it would be a giggle”- Vince Clarke Debut single from the boys which missed the top 40 initially but generated sufficient interest to merit the duo being asked to produce an album. It was remixed in 1992 to promote “Pop- The First 20 hits” and became a top 10 single finally! Bell recalled “It was one of the songs I did at my audition for Vince, and it needed quite a high vocal and so it was the first time I sang in falsetto” zll8APJ8SEA vXj6ZeQvnX4

19TH JUNE Adam Ant holds the top spot but the summer slump has set in well and truly and this week "Goody Two Shoes" sells just 74,000 copies- a 2% boost for the track which at least halts its reversal in sales but is hardly conclusive! The track has sold 362,000 copies in total a pale shadow of the kind of figures that he was shifting last year, his debut solo album is currently pencilled in for September to catch that Christmas market. YEuQX6Eoarc He also overtakes (in terms of total sales) his constant rival with this single "House Of Fun" toppling 2-5 (44,000) ABC hold at No 4 on 53,000 (again a further sales decrease) and two climbers threatening Ant's reign, Soft Cell climb 3-2 (70,000) but they will be without TOTP this week and could struggle, and Charlene climbing 9-3 (55,000) who should pose the biggest threat seven days hence. The first new hit comes from August Darnell who is better known as lead vocalist with Kid Creole and his band The Coconuts. The band's debut album produced the No 32 hit "Me No Pop I" last year but it looks like their second album could be the break through they were after with lead single "I'm A Wonderful Thing (Baby)" rising 17-7 (43,000) following their first UK tour last month. X9h6eakBlD0 Also seeing a September release will be the sixth Gary Numan album "I, Assassin", first release "Music For Chameleons" disappointed by peaking at No 19 but that looks like a blip as this week "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" debuts at No 9 (37,000), the 25th single to enter the charts in the top 10 in the decade and his third track to do the honours in the last 2 years. The singer has famously relocated to the US to become a tax exile a few months ago but that hasn't seemed to dent his popularity here. H5dleLT9Joo Surging 22-10 (36,000) is the new single from Diana Ross "Work That Body" with a video that draws inspiration from the current craze for keeping fit. The Sight of Ross in a leotard might not be everyone's cup of tea but it does become her 16th top 10 hit (if you ignore those tracks credited to just the Supremes), incidentally the song seems like something Donna Summer might sing then there's a reason for it, it's co-penned by Paul Jabara who co-wrote Summer's "Last Dance". I1wMHLOjEIg Also to briefly mention that Duran Duran can't seem to move at No 6 (44,000) and Tight Fit drop 5-8 (40,000). 1- GOODY TWO SHOES- Adam Ant (74,000) 2- TORCH- Soft Cell (70,000) 3- I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME- Charlene (55,000) 4- THE LOOK OF LOVE- ABC (53,000) 5- HOUSE OF FUN- Madness (44,000) 6- HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF- Duran Duran (44,000) 7- I’M A WONDERFUL THING (BABY)- Kid Creole & The Coconuts (43,000) 8- FANTASY ISLAND- Tight Fit (40,000) 9- WE TAKE MYSTERY TO BED- Gary Numan (37,000) 10- WORK THAT BODY- Diana Ross. (36,000)

YEAR: 1988 PEAK POSITION: 11 VOTER: Popchartfreak- 27pts, Bjork- 24pts, Padamic Tension- 19pts, King Rollo- 17pts, Dandy*- 16pts, Jimwatts- 16pts, Jester- 14pts, Chartjack2- 10pts, AHGold- 3pts, Mango- 2pts, JulianT- 1pt Missing the top 10 by just over 500 copies in the summer of 1988, this was their debut release in the US and was their biggest hit stateside peaking at No 12. The song was a subtle plea by the duo for the acceptance of same sex love, very daring for the 80s 6J2OlIpQgF8 AGnlPeahv1o

YEAR: 1987 PEAK POSITION: 7 VOTER: Gezza- 29pts, Padamic Tension- 16pts, Bjork- 15pts, Jester- 15pts, Jimwatts- 15pts, Chartjack2- 14pts, Dandy*- 13pts, King Rollo- 11pts, JulianT- 7pts, AHGold- 6pts, Mango- 1pt Third single from “The Circus” and another top 10 hit. VgvogQomSzc iyCvkX_lRTc

Yes I agree. Their previous single had broken them and ended up being a reasonably good seller over a period of time. There was more instant demand for this one so it peaked higher.

I meant to respond to this but forgot- Yes Cambodia did 229k, Water On Glass 180k and View From A Bridge 151k

12TH JUNE With a sales slump of 17% this week "House Of Fun" can't keep its grip on the No 1 slot as it tumbles to No 2 (73,000) though Madness do regain the top spot on the albums listings, it makes way for Adam Ant who himself sees a decrease of 8% to 73,000 but that's enough in this week to earn the singer a third chart topper in a little over a year by the slimmest of margins. Ant must have feared that the track wasn't going to make it to the summit but he has now sold 288,000 copies in its first month and last week saw a limited edition picture disc which once again may have proved the difference for the second time this year! i6mZekT4u0U Soft Cell hold at No 3 suffering a more modest decrease to 68,000, ABC continue to climb 5-4 (55,000) and now have their biggest hit on their hands even if it is cooling at retail. Also climbing are Duran Duran who rise 8-6 (50,000) and Tight Fit who bounce back 6-5 (54,000) with a sales increase of 13%, Junior holds at No 7 but a TOTP performance sees him improve on a sale of 49,000 which is enough for him just to pip Yazoo who drop 4-8 (47,000). Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo Oliver is a new name on the popscene and has reached the top 10 with a 15-9 (40,000) jump. Her track "I've Never Been To Me" was first released by Randy Crawford in 1976 but made No 97 in the US for Charlene the following year and that was pretty much the story until earlier this year when the track was picked up by a Tampa DJ who started playing it and was amazed by the response. Word got back to Motown records who resigned the singer and re-released the single went to No 3 last month facilitating its UK release and here we are, that was after they managed to locate the singer who was living with her husband and running a sweet shop in Ilford! ibfqP4GVvtU Genesis have a new live album today "3 Sides Live" which may impact on the single "Paperlate", the lead track from the "3X3" EP and this week gives the band a 4th top 10 hit rising 19-10 (39,000). The album contains three sides of live material from their "Abacab" tour plus one side of new tracks which contains three of the tracks on the EP, the cover incidentally is meant to be a near replicate that of The Beatles "Twist and Shout"- a nice homage. U-j3F08uLcI 1- GOODY TWO SHOES- Adam Ant (73,000) 2- HOUSE OF FUN- Madness (73,000) 3- TORCH- Soft Cell (68,000) 4- THE LOOK OF LOVE- ABC (55,000) 5- FANTASY ISLAND- Tight Fit (54,000) 6- HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF- Duran Duran (50,000) 7- MAMA USED TO SAY- Junior (49,000) 8- ONLY YOU- Yazoo (47,000) 9- I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME- Charlene (40,000) 10-3 X 3 EP- Genesis (39,000)

YEAR: 2005 PEAK POSITION: 4 VOTER: Popchartfreak- 25pts, JulianT-24pts, Chartjack2- 20pts, Jimwatts- 19pts, AHGold- 18pts, Bjork- 17pts, Dandy*- 9pts, Mango- 6pts, Padamic Tension- 3pts Some might say they were taking advantage of the traditional January sales slump back in the physical age, however a top 5 hit is a top 5 hit, and this was their first in 11 years, it also proved to be their last. The CD:Rom version of the single (remember those) allowed buyers to download elements of the track and create their own remixes of the track. It is by far our favourite Erasure single of the 21st century. WVSe5M-Co48 rvv99g3toWA