Gezza

yes the banner for that entry is incorrectly titled- sorry

YEAR: 2005 PEAK POSITION: 25 VOTER: Padamic Tension- 5pts, Dandy*- 2pts Double A-Side with “Here I Go Impossible Again” SM5oM9EiDCY

I don't recall "Precious" from the time but at least it sounds like the Jam are doing something different from their usual sound.

13TH FEBRUARY For the fourth time in the 80s a record has debuted at No 1 and for a second time in the decade that track comes from the Jam. A precursor to the album "The Gift" which is due for release next month, the double A side "Town Called Malice/ Precious" smashes into the top spot on a sale of 123,000 showing that last year's relatively poor chart track record of two No 4 hits and a No 21 track (although that was on import only) was not a terminal decline in the group's popularity. Much like last year's "Absolute Beginners" it has a literary connection being named after the novel "A Town Called Alice" only this time Weller is reflecting on life in Woking, it becomes the third Jam single to make No 1 bringing them equal with Blondie, John Lennon and Shakin' Stevens in the list of acts with the most No 1 singles in the 80s, however it is the first Jam single to have a 12" release! YfpRm-p7qlY T0mDmabbR1E The Jam sprinted to an early lead as you might expect and left the Stranglers "Golden Brown" stranded as it moved 3-2 (98,000) this week, has their opportunity slipped past them? It's still their biggest hit to date so reasons to be cheerful. Only one other new entry this week from Tight Fit. You may recall last year the outfit scored a top 5 hit with the medley "Back To The Sixties" and followed that with part two of the medley which fizzled out at No 33, well when this lot appeared on TOTP you might be forgiven for wondering if it was an entirely new band as none of the members were the same. The group (in both instances) were assembled after the songs were made by session singers and are there for promotional purposes and TV appearances and so it is that the group has been totally "re-invented" although of course the UK Public seem not to care. Their cover of The Tokens 1961 US No 1 single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" leaps 29-8 (43,000) this week. The track originally dates back to 30s in recorded form though it is a Zulu folk song dating back for some time before that, it has already been a UK hit in three versions, The Tokens (#11), Karl Denver (#4) and Dave Newman (#34) so this is already the second most successful version here. EFR99kTVY2c Elsewhere there are four fallers, Shakin Stevens 2-3 (63,000), and Kraftwerk who drop 1-4 (61,000) with a marked decrease in sales, Bucks Fizz continue to slide 4-9 (39,000) and the Mobiles drop 9-10 (37,000). Shaky and Kraftwerk are the first back to back 1 week chart toppers since Althea & Donna and Brotherhood of Man in early 1978 by way of trivia. Otherwise there are three non movers for Meat Loaf at No 5 (55,000), OMD at No 6 (51,000) and Christopher Cross at No 7 (44,000). A reminder that next week's chart will essentially contain two Fridays and Saturdays as the charts return to "Normal" which will be a relief for the Music Industry which has been vocal in its opposition to the changes implemented by BMRB back in the new year- expect big sales! 1- A TOWN CALLED MALICE/ PRECIOUS- The Jam (123,000) 2- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (98,000) 3- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (63,000) 4- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (61,000) 5- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (55,000) 6- MAID OF ORLEANS- O.M.D (51,000) 7- ARTHUR’S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (44,000) 8- THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT- Tight Fit. (43,000) 9- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz. (39,000) 10- DROWNING IN BERLIN- The Mobiles (37,000)

YEAR: 2011 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart VOTERS: AH Gold Tinters has nothing about this one- second single from “Tomorrow’s World”. Bell: “It’s quite Scandinavian sounding and it’s very high as well and I’m dreading singing it, and also singers tend to stay away from singing “e”’s because they don’t sound very nice and we’ve got lots of “e”’s on the end, so it was quite shrill and we had to kind of soften it all up” B7zSL2C_MZc

YEAR: 2017 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart VOTER: King Rollo- 3pts, Bjork- 1pt From the 17th album of the same title and it’s second single but the highest placed on the rate! tCSKfRzVUgA

yes were it not for BMRB playing about with the chart week then Kraftwerk would likely have been No 1 for 2 weeks and "Oh Julie" would probably not have made it.

6TH FEBRUARY "The Model/ Computer Love" this week glides 3-1 on the singles chart to bring Shakin' Stevens reign at the top to an end after just one week and in the process sells a much better 108,000 as singles sales seem to finally get off the ground. As noted last week the new chart week is largely responsible for the odd climb for the Kraftwerk single 10-2-3-1 and indeed the first song to hit No 1 via a drop in the chart (once it had charted in the top 75) since John Lennon's understandable 10-21-1 drive in December 1980. The track has now sold 389,991 in total including its run in 1981, as noted it is also a bit of a victory for the record company but it remains to be seen if the group will perform it on TOTP. In reaching the top spot they are arguably the first West German band to hit the top of the UK singles chart depending on how you view Boney M. GEnx9xS79Lc That isn't to say that Shaky was left out in the cold this week, even though "Oh Julie" recedes 1-2 it sold 106,000 a nice uplift of 44% from last week but it wasn't enough in the end and probably lost out due to TOTP. It's a little bit of chart karma after Shaky took the spot by just 2,000 last week he now loses out by the same figure despite leading all week! Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are back with a fourth straight top 10 hit but their obsession with Joan Of Arc continues. Their last single was named after the historical figure and sold 336,000 copies in its run to No 5, follow up "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc)" is wasting little time rushing 17-6 (49,000). Parent album "Architecture and Morality" is back in the top 5 this week and looks like it could improve on its original peak of No 3 back in November and has just tipped over the 300,000 mark. If you do purchase (or have already) then look at the b-side, the group had initially wanted "Experiments In Vertical TakeOff" to be used and first pressings of the single had it as the flip side, however they changed their minds to "All The Things We've Made" so if you have the former then you could have a rarity! hHxT6vfPRpg Eastbourne based group Mobiles are a new name on the charts and strike it big first time around with "Drowning In Berlin" which ascends 14-9 (34,000). The band are signed to Rialto records which are owned by sons of former PM Edward Heath! BCq0yS3CXYw The Stranglers continue to impress as "Golden Brown" climbs 4-3 (87,000) and Meat Loaf yo-yo's 9-5 (52,000) with Christopher Cross sticking to him as he climbs 10-7 (43,000). Three fallers come from Bucks Fizz 2-4 (54,000), Kool & The Gang 5-8 (34,000) and Human League 6-10 (32,000) 1- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (108,000) 2- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (106,000) 3- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (87,000) 4- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (54,000) 5- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (52,000) 6- MAID OF ORLEANS- O.M.D (49,000) 7- ARTHUR’S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (43,000) 8- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (34,000) 9- DROWNING IN BERLIN- Mobiles (34,000) 10- BEING BOILED- Human League (32,000)

YEAR: 2006 PEAK POSITION: Ineligible VOTER: Gezza Their third ineligible EP that they released- it previewed the album “Union Street” which saw the duo reinterpret their tracks in either acoustic or country and western ways. This was originally a track on their “Cowboy” album. UkRYz6lDY6s

YEAR: 2017 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart VOTER: Bjork Lead track from “World Be Gone” 2P2Pd9JRIos

I did try to message but your mailbox is full :(

30TH JANUARY Another week of doldrum sales and erratic moves coupled with music label objections sees BMRB announce it’s to reverse its decision of last month and will be going back to the status quo re a chart week of Monday- Saturday from the Chart dated 20th February. Its current set up probably cost Kraftwerk a No 1 this week with “The Model/ Computer Love” which did appear on this weeks TOTP but falls 2-3 (68,000) but should perversely see an increase in sales next week. None of that saves Bucks Fizz who drop 1-2 (72,000) and were never in contention for retaining the crown which instead passes to Shakin Stevens, Attaining his third No 1 single in the space of just 10 months it seems everything he touches at present has top 10 written on it and this time he is finally making some serious money himself having written it himself. With the TOTP working the way it does however it should be Kraftwerk and Bucks Fizz who get the boost next week- interesting times, “Oh Julie” sold a poor 74,000 this week but it is the first chart topper since "Mary's Boy Child" by Boney M to feature a woman's name in it fact fans. InmjV_SDsOc (Includes the top 20 countdown) Punk survivors The Stranglers have been absent from the top 10 since 1977 but this week “Golden Brown” jumps 16-4 (56,000) which has been oddly championed by Radio 2 of all radio stations! There are a few theories currently doing the rounds as to the meaning of the song but a spot of mild controversy never harmed sales and this is now their highest charting single of their career! If2TfkHEpHg The reappearance of Dollar at No 8 (42,000) is again entirely down to the TOTP effect which raises the track 11-8 proving just how unworkable the current set up is, but two places below them is Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do” which is on the move 18-10 (38,000). It’s the theme (as you could guess) to the current Dudley Moore film which opened in the UK a few weeks ago, it got its original release last October when the film debuted Stateside and it became Cross’ second US No 1 single later that month but petered out here at No 56, better luck for him now though as it is already by some stretch his biggest UK hit. 2quQ7A-vDiw Elsewhere three songs tumble, Kool & The Gang continue their slow come down dropping 4-5 (49,000), Jon & Vangelis finally recede 6-7 (46,000) and Meat Loaf back tracks 7-9 (41,000) but better news for Human League whose “Being Boiled” continues to improve 9-6 (48,000) though you’ll note that’s a marginal increase sales wise. 1- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (74,000) 2- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (72,000) 3- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk. (68,000) 4- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (56,000) 5- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (49,000) 6- BEING BOILED- Human League (48,000) 7- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (46,000) 8- MIRROR MIRROR- Dollar (42,000) 9- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (41,000) 10- ARTHUR THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (38,000)

That's it for the zero pointers- onto the pointed songs tomorrow!

YEAR: 2021 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart Culled from the “Neon Remixed” project, this was a new track written for the album. 8n77X65Aquw

YEAR: 2020 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart Containing many of the elements and participants from the “Nerves Of Steel” promo, this was the third release from “The Neon” but had a more Halloween theme as it got an October release. Bell added “It kind of reminds me of Human League crossed with Jane Wiedlin” tAgkT1yEhT8

Final two zero pointers tomorrow

YEAR: 2017 PEAK POSITION: Did not chart Third and final single from “World Be Gone”. Zero points is perhaps a little harsh- it's nice enough. yfz2m27acsE

YEAR: 2007 PEAK POSITION: 33 Their final top 40 single (indeed the last to chart officially)- it has no official promo. Isn't the chorus basically the same as "Under Attack" by ABBA? 9B4IXrext6I

YEAR: 1997 PEAK POSITION: Ineligible Ineligible due to running time so who knows where this would have peaked- it was their final single of the 90s, and in my opinion probably their blandest single so this is little surprise. cNFmyTn6vWc

So we had 5 tracks that failed to get any points, I'll post the first three of them shortly

23RD JANUARY Continued poor weather is striking the UK at present and it’s also striking the charts with nothing much selling in any quantities of note, well not of note in a good way. This week sees Bucks Fizz hold the No 1 spot and finally get a sales boost from TOTP and a full chart week to see sales move to 102,000 as it raises its total sales to 452,000 on the plus side. It's lead is much more assured this week than last but with a decent overall tally has it already run out of buyers? l6DOGITIfAY One of two songs are suggesting that they may be in trouble! If TOTP and the chart week were in sync as they usually are then the hot money would be on Kraftwerk who bolt 10-2 (71,000) with double A-Side “The Model/ Computer Love” whilst more than doubling their sales, and indeed they may still do it but they will have to contend with Shakin' Stevens who returns to the fold with his 5th straight top 10 hit “Oh Julie”. The song is his first hit from him that he has written, and it's also the first track to come from his next album due at the end of the year- such is his work rate, all facts which might have contributed to the song becoming his highest debuting hit at No 13 last week and jumping to no 3 (66,000) this week. 6AtOcWOPT50 Three more new tracks to discuss, with the massive selling album “Bat Out Of Hell” to his credit Meat Loaf has never graced the top 10 but that changes this week as “Dead Ringer For Love” charges 26-7 (53,000) in its 9th week on the charts, the hold up presumably due to the Christmas period. The track also features an uncredited vocal from Cher who ends an eleven year wait for her next Top 10 hit, she was last there with “Gypsys Tramps and Thieves” back in 1971, it comes from the fair hand of Jim Steinmen who seems to have the knack of hitting chart gold for Meat Loaf. KSTIsZULYmY The move from Rock to AOR seems to be pulling off for Foreigner who continue to rise 11-8 (45,000) with “Waiting For A Girl Like You”. The song is setting records in the US where it has spent its 9th week at No 2 without making the top spot, a new record, being held off all that time by Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”. Here in the UK Newton-John drops to No 62 and is on the way out so here at least it will not meet the same feat. It has already succeeded in becoming their biggest hit eclipsing “Cold As Ice” which peaked at No 24 in 1978. 5jhocSCSZzk In wake of the success of Adam & The Ants last year a spate of re-issues by former labels followed, the highest of which “Young Parisians” made No. 9, it’s a typical move when an act breaks big and this week Fast Product get in on the act to make some money out of The Human League. The band are of course flavour of the month at present as “Don’t You Want Me” has just topped the charts for 5 weeks and was the Christmas No 1 (it currently slides 2-5 on a sale of 56,000) and now “Being Boiled” joins it in the top 10 moving 19-9 (39,000). The track was originally released in 1978 on the label and became a collector’s item, it was re-recorded by the band in 1980 for Virgin and featured on their “Holiday 80 E.P” which became their first hit peaking at No 56, indeed in this instance it’s a case of the little guy triumphing as Virgin are re-issuing that EP in a fortnight's time to do a bit of cashing in themselves, we’ll see who wins. Incidentally Virgin are keen to release "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" but the group have indicated that they won't relent this time as it would be a 5th single from "Dare"- a step definitely too far. hENt5xGR8Ng On the way up this week are Jon & Vangelis who merit a special mention as they climb and have moved 10-9-8-6 over the last month and now sell 56,000 copies, moving the wrong way are Kool & The Gang 3-4 (59,000) and Altered Images 7-10 (35,000). 1- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (102,000) 2- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (71,000) 3- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (66,000) 4- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (59,000) 5- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Human League (56,000) 6- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (56,000) 7- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (53,000) 8- WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU- Foreigner (45,000) 9- BEING BOILED- Human League (39,000) 10- I COULD BE HAPPY- Altered Images (35,000)

Voting closed and we managed to get double digit voters!

16TH JANUARY With some very bad weather impacting on sales, along with a change in chart compilation periods as noted last week, Bucks Fizz make the move to the top though sales wise they drop 13% week on week to register 73,000 copies sold last week, that’s the lowest tally since David Stewart and Barbara Gaskin back in November though it is worth remembering that the track has now shifted 350,000 since its release and should become their second half million seller eventually. IZL3UgncfJc Their move to the top is in a rather lacklustre week when Human League still recorded a healthy sale of 71,000 and put up a brave defence of its crown, it has now moved 576,000 copies and is comfortably their biggest hit to date. The only new hit in the top 10 climbs 21-10 (30,000) this week from Kraftwerk who now have their biggest hit outpeaking “Autobahn” which made No 11 seven years ago. Long since revered as leading exponents of electronic music they are cited in some circles as the forerunners of the current synth music explosion which has resulted in the new wave movement which has dominated the charts over the last few years, perhaps it is fitting that they finally get another hit of their own. Originally released last summer with "Computer Love" as the lead single it peaked at No 36 but since that point it has continued to get consistent trickle sales with punters asking for it's flip track "The Model", word reached EMI who continued to fulfil orders but flipped the lead single and started to promote the single with a new sleeve promoted the new lead track. Needless to say the band were not happy to find out what the label had done as "The Model" actually dates back to 1978 and they are naturally keen to promote their current work- still sometimes the label do get it right! D0v0kuoFDp8 Though there aren’t any new songs there is plenty of action in the top 10 with both Kool & The Gang and Dollar on the climb, 7-3 (65,000) and 8-4 (60,000) though they are both well off the pace and will up their game to challenge the top spot, both tracks are however either the biggest hit of the band’s chart career (Kool & The Gang) or the joint highest peaking (Dollar) so both should be happy. Also climbing are Altered Images 10-7 (44,000) and Jon & Vangelis 9-8 (42,000) but other big Christmas hits continue to lose ground Adam & The Ants 3-5 (57,000), Abba 5-6 (54,000) and Madness 4-9 (38,000) helped no doubt by the delayed TOTP effect which is not allowing new tracks the boost necessary to clear the charts out as is the norm and is proving unpopular with record labels and the industry already. 1- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (73,000) 2- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Human League (71,000) 3- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (65,000) 4- MIRROR MIRROR- Dollar (60,000) 5- ANT RAP- Adam & The Ants (57,000) 6- ONE OF US- Abba (54,000) 7- I COULD BE HAPPY- Altered Images (44,000) 8- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (42,000) 9- IT MUST BE LOVE- Madness (38,000) 10- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (30,000)

24 hours left to register your vote peeps!

27TH JULY Well here’s a turn up for the books- accepted wisdom was that Gary Barlow would remain at No 1 until the new Robbie Williams single turned up, but that didn’t take into account the power of “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls. It accelerates 3-1 this week to become Britain’s new best seller on a sale of 108,000 and gets the girls careers off to a perfect start. They are the first all girl group to make No 1 since the Bangles back in 1989 and the very first all British girl group to do the trick. nnlXFFaBR2s The scale of its achievement is helped by the fact that Barlow’s single doesn’t really seem to be taking off outside the core audience of Take That Fans, saleswise it retracted by 39% last week to just 65,000 as it falls 1-3, being outsold by a static Fugees at No 2 (67,000). Whilst Barlow's single is not the first song to enter at No 1 then fall the following week, it is the first to fall out of the top 2 in the second week! Completing the top 5 are the ever resourceful Peter Andre who is back up 5-4 (46,000) selling his 500,000th copy in the process, and Underworld who swap places 4-5 (44,000). Andre has lost sales every week despite moving 2-3-3-4-5-4 proving that sometimes chart positions aren’t everything. “Return Of The Mack” rebounds slightly 60-56 on the chart this week as it approaches the 800,000 mark but Mark Morrison is striking whilst the iron is hot. New single “Crazy” is a remixed version of the song that gave him his chart berth last year when it made No 19 but is an instant bigger hit on release debuting at No 6 (38,000) coincidentally exactly the same position that Mack debuted at….. l8dXFN9jqdY Back in the charts thanks in the main to a remix by Dex & Jonesey Josh Wink’s “Higher State Of Consciousness” which is new at No 7 (36,000) improving one place on its 1995 peak. Credited just to Wink now it has rapidly turned into something of a dance classic. 1Z9mhK8Liqg The song of the summer? Well you could do worse than bet on Los Del Rio’s “Macarena”. It first appeared back in 1993 and became a hit in many Spanish speaking countries during the next two years, it got a revamp with English lyrics added by US DJs Bayside Boys (including a Yazoo sample of Moyet's laughter on "Situation") and released here earlier this year when it made No 64 then left the charts quickly. It also has a rival version by Los Del Mar which has been a hit in some countries including the UK where it retreats 43-55 this week and looks like it will miss the Top 40 now. The Los Del Rio original powered 74-11 a fortnight ago thanks to a full re-issue and use on TV: AM, the power of demand created by returning holidaymakers who had been exposed to the track on the dancefloors of Europe it seems. That move of 63 places created chart history incidentally as the biggest jump within the top 75 chart ever beating the 62 climb of Nick Berry in 1986 and the 61 place climb of the Firm in 1987 (the last time a song climbed 60+ places in a week within the top 75) and both of those songs went onto make No 1 -could history repeat?. Well it makes a smaller move this week 11-8 (31,000) but expect it to climb still, it also rests at No 4 in the US. 1Snb0gLx_3M Livin Joy fall back 8-9 (28,000), the track has spent 7 weeks in the top 10 without getting higher than No 5 and has sales totalling 233,000 to date- an impressive feat. Skinner/ Baddiel/ Lightning Seeds complete the top flight by falling 6-10 (25,000), its total sales so far of 660,000 make it the biggest football associated record ever. 1- WANNABE- The Spice Girls (108,000) 2- KILLING ME SOFTLY- The Fugees (67,000) 3- FOREVER LOVE- Gary Barlow (65,000) 4- MYSTERIOUS GIRL- Peter Andre (46,000) 5- BORN SLIPPY- Underworld (44,000) 6- CRAZY- Mark Morrison (38,000) 7- HIGHER STATE OF CONCIOUSNESS 96 REMIX- Wink (36,000) 8- MACARENA- Los Del Rio (31,000) 9- DON’T STOP MOVIN- Livin Joy (28,000) 10- THREE LIONS- Skinner/ Baddiel/ Lightning Seeds (25,000)