Gezza

11TH NOVEMBER Lisa Stansfield is crowned the new chart queen this week with “All Around The World” rising 3-1 (78,744) and marks a vote of confidence in her former Blue Zone band members who wrote the song with her, the parent debut album “Affection” will be out in just 3 weeks. Its rise puts another nail in the coffin for Milli Vanilli’s chances of reaching the top, they do cling onto the No 2 spot for a third week but they sold just 45,560 to do so the lowest tally for 8 weeks, the outgoing chart topper for Jive Bunny plunges 1-3 (44,404) but has now sold 346,868 copies so can be considered a success. Her second album “Enjoy Yourself” topped the charts 4 weeks ago and hasn’t left the top 3 yet so there’s little reason to suspect that the Kylie bubble has burst just yet but certainly on the surface the No 17 debut last week of “Never Too Late” caused alarm to some in the press. The truth of course is that it is easily explained, the single was available only on 12” and CD but not on 7” single owing to a factory mix up, the 7” inch is still the preferred format for younger fans of music and certainly for those who ply their trade in the out and out pop field of music hence it found the going tough. This week however all formats are available and the single duly thrusts 17-4 (40,154) however given PWL’s mishandling of “Hand On Your Hand” earlier in the year it does seem they need a tighter rein on the handling of formats of their biggest star. If the single progresses no further then they only have themselves to blame, however no act has ever placed their first 8 hits in the top 5 so she is already a record holder. Martika seems to have found her way into our hearts, her second single “I Feel The Earth Move” hits it big lifting 12-7 (34,034) to rest one place lower than the original reached 18 years ago for Carole King. Her debut album has underperformed this far peaking at No 24 but it does bounce 52-28 this week so has a good chance of re-peaking. Phil Collins’s tenth top 10 single sees him get serious and address the issue of homelessness, something which hasn’t earned him unanimous praise in the press but “Another Day In Paradise” seems to have won over the public at least as it cruises 22-8 (33,830) to become a 5th top tenner on the trot, a streak which extends back to 1985! It’s the lead single to his fourth solo album “But Seriously” which is up against the new Lisa Stansfield album in three weeks time. Double Trouble continue to slip gently down the charts 4-5 (37,026), Living In A Box ebb 5-6 (35,020), Belinda Carlisle tumbles 6-9 (25,058) and Cher is on her way out 7-10 (25,007). 1- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Lisa Stansfield (78,744) 2- GIRL I’M GONNA MISS YOU- Milli Vanilli (45,560) 3- THAT’S WHAT I LIKE- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (44,404) 4- NEVER TOO LATE- Kylie Minogue (40,154) 5- STREET TUFF- Double Trouble Featuring Rebel MC (37,026) 6- ROOM IN YOUR HEART- Living In A Box (35,020) 7- I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE- Martika (34,034) 8- ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE- Phil Collins (33,830) 9- LEAVE A LIGHT ON- Belinda Carlisle (25,058) 10- IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME- Cher (25,007)

4TH NOVEMBER No change at the top this week with Jive Bunny’s “That’s What I Like” marching to an easy victory though its sales are now diminishing to 76,007, it was however still well clear of Milli Vanilli who hold at No 2 on a reduced sale itself of 56,423 and now looks as though its chance of repeating its US success may have passed by. Winning a local talent competition at just 14 Lisa Stansfield has been releasing solo singles and forming the group Blue Zone with her former classmates who, chartwise, never climbed higher than No 79. This led her to working with Coldcut on the track “People Hold On” which made No 11 earlier this year and prompted a rethink by the group which led to a change of tack to promote Stansfield as a soloist, and to ask Coldcut to produce Stansfield’s first solo single “This Is The Right Time” (No 13). Stansfield’s second solo hit “All Around The World” accelerates 13-3 (53,805) this week to easily become her biggest hit and a potential chart topper. Eleven years after his chart debut Chris Rea finally gets a top 10 single, the M25 inspired “The Road To Hell” which comes in two parts though it is part 2 only which appears on the 7” version. The album of the same name is out this week so might stunt any further progress but for now the track climbs 12-10 (28,288) even though it lost sales, the “full length” version (or parts 1 & 2) comes in at just under 10 minutes if you want to check it out in all its glory. Living In A Box climb 7-5 (43,231) to equal their previous peak and Billy Joel yo-yo’s back up the charts 9-8 (29,733) despite sales dipping on the arrival of his album “Storm Front” at No 5 one place lower than Belinda Carlisle’s new LP but “Leave A Light On” conversely dips 4-6 (42,840) though it increases sales! Also falling are Double Trouble & Rebel MC 3-4 (43,792), Cher 6-7 (38,641) and Black Box 5-9 (29,719) but “Ride On Time” is now just 32,000 sales behind "Swing The Mood" and is 26,000 copies away from the 800,000 mark. It's now spent 11 straight weeks in the top 10, the longest uninterrupted stint since Stevie Wonder five years ago! Incidentally the new Kylie Single debuts at a lowly No 17 this week but should feature in our round up next week unless something spectacular happens- more in 7 days time. 1- THAT’S WHAT I LIKE- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (76,007) 2- GIRL I’M GONNA MISS YOU- Milli Vanilli (56,423) 3- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Lisa Stansfield (53,805) 4- STREET TUFF- Double Trouble Featuring Rebel MC (43,792) 5- ROOM IN YOUR HEART- Living In A Box (43,231) 6- LEAVE A LIGHT ON- Belinda Carlisle (42,840) 7- IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME- Cher (38,641) 8- WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE- Billy Joel (29,733) 9- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (29,716) 10- THE ROAD TO HELL- Chris Rea (28,288)

95k. Kylie's third release from "Kylie" was post album and debuted at No 2.

28TH OCTOBER “That’s What I Like” continues at the top and indeed increases its lead over the field moving 92,718 in its latest frame, Milli Vanilli are the new challengers climbing 3-2 (59,976) even without TOTP exposure. I omitted to mention last week that Jive Bunny were the first act since George Michael to have a track knocked off the top slot only for another track of theirs to, in turn, depose that same record, his of course was in 1984 and the record in question was “I Just Called To Say I Love You” which deposed his solo “Careless Whisper” and was in turn knocked off by Wham!’s “Freedom”. The sales last week take the Jive Bunny track 3 week tally to 226,457 copies and on course for the top 10 best sellers of the year, the debut at No 7 of the Milli Vanilli album won’t help them bridge that gap. Only one new track in the top 10 this week and it comes from climbing 11-7 (34,255) for Living In A Box who are back in the big 10 for the third time in 2 years with “Room In Your Heart”. The track is co-written by Albert Hammond who has penned many a track with Diane Warren and with Cher climbing 9-6 (38,709) it sees the two former collaborators side by side in the chart. With half term over sales generally tumble and produce some interesting moves. Double Trouble reverse last week’s fall and climb 6-3 (39,916) in the face of an 18% sales decrease and are in reality way behind Milli Vanilli despite how it may look, in turn Belinda Carlisle rises 8-4 (39,253) to score her biggest hit since “Circle In The Sand” and was unlucky not to snatch bronze position at the death. Four fallers to commiserate with, Black Box tumble 2-5 (39,151)- that's their 10th straight week in the top 10 making only the 6th track of the 80s to do so, Technotronic slide 4-8 (34,034), Billy Joel disappoints 7-9 (32,929) and Sydney Youngblood flounders 5-10 (31,994). Next week we await a new Kylie single- another debut at No 2? 1- THAT’S WHAT I LIKE- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (92,718) 2- GIRL I’M GONNA MISS YOU- Milli Vanilli (59,976) 3- STREET TUFF- Double Trouble Featuring Rebel MC (39,916) 4- LEAVE A LIGHT ON- Belinda Carlisle (39,253) 5- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (39,151) 6- IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME- Cher (38,709) 7- ROOM IN YOUR HEART- Living In A Box (34,255) 8- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (34,034) 9- WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE- Billy Joel (32,929) 10- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (31,994)

There is an argument that it introduced classics to a new journey generation so it wasn't all bad. Not unlike the medley craze of 81

I'm away with work tomorrow so the thread will return on Wednesday!

21ST OCTOBER Surprising no-one this week Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers casually saunter 4-1 this week selling a very respectable 89,845 copies as the producers reveal that they will be releasing a single for Christmas- be very afraid! The success of “That’s What I Like” puts pay to “Ride On Time”’s reign at the top, it slips 1-2 but did sell 63,954 in the process and has now sold 705,194 copies in total as it continues to chase Jive Bunny’s first hit “Swing The Mood” in the YTD charts, the latter hit climbs in the light of the current No 1 32-27 and is now over the 780,000 mark- it might end up being very close! Belinda Carlisle is hoping to get in on the spoils of the festive market with her third album “Runaway Horses” in a fortnight, but for now “Leave A Light On” does it job in promoting it with a steady climb 14-8 (34,901). The single comes with some help from George Harrison on guitar who has of course worked with her husband on “Sex, Lies & Videotape”. Another returning star is Cher who is lucky enough to have had Diane Warren write her new hit for her, “If I Could Turn Back Time” comes with a rather suggestive video which has also raised some eyebrows but then this is Cher so that’s no surprise! The single is rocketing up the charts 13-9 (32,249) and makes up the disappointment of the first single from her recent album “Heart Of Stone” only making No 84 (“After All”). The album debuted at No 62 back in July but disappeared immediately, it has returned recently and hits a new peak of No 26 this week. Following in the wake of Jimmy Nail’s 1985 remake of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” comes a cover of another Rose Royce hit “Wishing On A Star”. It comes courtesy of Fresh 4 Featuring Lizz E who get the production kudos of having Smith & Mighty produce their dance version of the No 3 1978 track, they’ve helmed “Manchild” into the top 10 already this year for Neneh Cherry and have created their own sound successfully. The track is on the move 21-10 (28,339) this week. Milli Vanilli shoot 10-3 (54,706) to equal the peak of their previous biggest hit “Girl You Know It’s True” forcing Technotronic 2-4 (52,105) and Sydney Youngblood 3-5 (50,643), further down Double Trouble & Rebel MC drift 5-6 (48,467) but Billy Joel nudges upward 8-7 (38,301). 1- THAT’S WHAT I LIKE- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (89,845) 2- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (63,954) 3- GIRL I’M GONNA MISS YOU- Milli Vanilli (54,706) 4- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (52,105) 5- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (50,643) 6- STREET TUFF- Double Trouble Featuring Rebel MC (48,467) 7- WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE- Billy Joel (38,301) 8- LEAVE A LIGHT ON- Belinda Carlisle (34,901) 9- IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME- Cher (32,249) 10- WISHING ON A STAR- Fresh 4 Featuring Lizz E (28,339)

14TH OCTOBER The top 3 remain static this week but all of them are losing sales fast with the chances of “Ride On Time” being No 1 next week remarkably slim. For now at least it makes it 6 weeks at the top and in doing so it becomes the longest chart topper of the last 5 years, since Stevie Wonder in fact, it sold 73,746 copies, a gentle decrease of 12% as it turns platinum, it’s reign was allowed to continue only because Technotronic and Sydney Youngblood both suffered surprise falls in sales themselves of 5% and 2% to register 65,008 and 63,138 sales respectively. Following more or less the same formula as they did with “Swing The Mood”, Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers return with “That’ What I Like” which is based around the “Hawaii Five-O” theme and uses session singers to record versions of classics such as “Great Balls Of Fire”, “Wipeout” and “The Twist” and it seems that we still love the bunny as the song debuts at No 4 (43,350) with nothing looking strong enough to prevent it from becoming the next chart topper. One of the hottest dance acts around at present, Double Trouble are a London based outfit whose second release became their first hit “Just Keep Rockin” (No 11) and who know score even greater success with “Street Tuff” which rushes 12-5 (43,894). Both of those tracks feature the rapping skills of the Rebel MC (real name Michael West) with the latter hit based heavily around the Maytals track “54-46 That’s My Number”, the collaboration are currently in the studio making that debut album due sometime next year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zag5Q8Gqqwk (won't embed for some reason) Having turned 40 back in May Billy Joel has composed a song of the events that have occurred in his life and strung them together to the tune “We Didn’t Start The Fire” which is the first release from his new album “Storm Front”. It was inspired by an event in Joel’s life after he met an acquaintance who complained that it was a bad time to be 21 and that it was better for Joel as less happened when Joel was that age. The song has become only his 4th top 10 single of a chart career now 10 years old and his first major hit in 5 years as it flies 11-8 (39,814). Milli Vanilli first rose to our attention last year on the No 3 hit “Girl You Know It’s True” but subsequent hits “Baby Don’t Forget My Number” and “Blame It On The Rain” have followed a pattern of diminishing returns hitting No 16 & 52 respectively. What has saved the group however is their US success which has seen “Girl” hit No 3 and “Number” hit the top spot along with a new song “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” which spent a fortnight at the No 1 spot last month and drummed up interest in the UK. The song duly powers 24-10 (35,258) this week to become a second top 10 single for them, their debut album “All Or Nothing” suggested we wanted nothing when it peaked at No 37 but it is being re-issued in a fortnight along with some remixes and US album only tracks as “2 x 2” in the hope that we’re more interested now. Some of 1988’s bigger names don’t do as well as they might have hoped this week with Erasure reversing 4-6 (41,429), Wet, wet, wet stumbling 6-7 (41,004), even the Beautiful South slip 8-9 (38,981) and let’s not mention Bros, though all have albums out within the next 4 weeks. As a side note the amount needed to be top 10 hits a new high not only for 1989 but also the highest ever since Christmas 1985 and outside of Christmas then you have to go back to October 1984 to find a higher threshold- who said single sales were dead! 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (73,746) 2- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (65,008) 3- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (63,138) 4- THAT’S WHAT I LIKE- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (43,894) 5- STREET TUFF- Double Trouble Featuring Rebel MC (43,350) 6- DRAMA- Erasure (41,429) 7- SWEET SURRENDER- Wet, wet, wet (41,004) 8- WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE- Billy Joel (39,814) 9- YOU KEEP IT ALL IN- Beautiful South (38,981) 10- GIRL I’M GONNA MISS YOU- Milli Vanilli (35,258)

"The Memphis Sessions" was their second though it was part compilation and re-recordings. You can argue either way on it.

7TH OCTOBER Not such a convincing victory for Black Box this week but “Ride On Time” holds on for a fifth week which, along with “Swing The Mood” marks the first time that back to back chart toppers have lasted 5 weeks at the top apiece in just under 6 years. Black Box "only" sold 84,252 copies this week though, its winning margin halved as “Pump Up The Jam” lifts 3-2 (69,105), total sales of the track are now 567,494 as it chases “Swing The Mood” for the title of biggest hit of 1989, as the year is now three quarters of the way done here’s the YTD top 10: 1- SWING THE MOOD- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers 769,726 2- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box 567,494 3- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles 489,447 4- TOO MANY BROKEN HEARTS- Jason Donovan 447,984 5- SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART- Marc Almond & Gene Pitney 444,125 6- BACK TO LIFE (HOWEVER DO YOU WANT ME)- Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler 439,620 7- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue 419,645 8- LIKE A PRAYER- Madonna 406,861 9- LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING- Michael Ball 358,173 10- YOU’LL NEVER STOP ME LOVING YOU- Sonia 354,059 Wet, wet, wet’s third album “Holding Back The River” arrives in shops next month and first single “Sweet Surrender” sees the band record a 5th top 10 single as it rises 14-6 (39,406), the band have taken almost 18 months to follow up their last single, the chart topping “With A Little Help From My Friends” but their fans don’t seem to mind. The album apparently contains a cover of “Maggie May” and deals with weightier issues than their last LP including alcoholism, let’s see if their audience have grown up with them. Talking of audiences growing up the signs are not good for Bros, their 7th single “Chocolate Box gets off to a flying start debuting straight into the charts at No 9 (33,575) which sounds like a good thing, and obviously 7 top 10 singles to start a career is no bad thing. Yet none of the last four Bros singles have ever climbed from their entry position and all made the top 4 so the chances of the single progressing further are slim meaning this could be the worst performing single to date. That second album “The Time” is out in 3 weeks and clearly a sold out date at Wembley arena in front of 77,000 people this summer proves they still have a dedicated fanbase. The single once again comes with 3 sleeve options, the duo together and one each with their individual pictures on. Technotronic climb 3-2 as mentioned earlier and Sydney Youngblood follows them 4-3 (34,634) with Erasure also improving 6-4 (60,384)- that's the highest tally for the No 4 position for 1989 so far!, all of which is bad news for Richard Marx who collapses 2-5 (46,597). Tina Turner falls 5-7 (39,049) and Madonna drops 7-10 (24,463) but better news for Beautiful South who nip 9-8 (38,760) 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (84,252) 2- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (69,105) 3- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (64,634) 4- DRAMA- Erasure (60,384) 5- RIGHT HERE WAITING- Richard Marx (46,597) 6- SWEET SURRENDER- Wet Wet Wet (39,406) 7- THE BEST- Tina Turner (39,049) 8- YOU KEEP IT ALL IN- Beautiful South (38,760) 9- CHOCOLATE BOX- Bros (33,575) 10- CHERISH- Madonna (24,463)

22ND NOVEMBER Aqua’s reign extends to 4 weeks with another strong sale of 165,000 easily outpacing the rest of the field on its way to becoming the third million seller of 1997. Once again Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” was its constant companion in the fight for the top spot, in fairness she’s closing the gap each week starting out with a deficit to “Barbie Girl” of 104,000 a fortnight ago it has since reduced that to 71,000 last week and now in its latest frame to 47,000. “Torn” itself has now sold 374,000 in 21 days. The All Saints are rapidly building themselves a fanbase on a platform of being the “credible” and “urban” version of the Spice Girls, new single “Never Ever” starts out brighter than their first single “I Know It’s where it” once place higher at No 3 and on more than double the opening sales, a mighty 104,000. Their debut album is a fortnight away and just in time for Christmas. Hanson are showing us their sensitive side with third single “I Will Come To You” new at No 5 (58,000). It follows the law of diminishing returns for the brothers who nevertheless have had an incredible year, debut album “Middle Of Nowhere” of course made the top spot though it is yet to go platinum but it lifts 61-55 this week. Re-activated by its use in the current “Full Monty” film, Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing” is back in the charts. Originally a No 2 hit in 1975 where it got lodged behind Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and then got the remix treatment in 1987 when it made No 10. The song has actually been in the charts two times already this year, No 63 for T-shirt in September and No 11 for Clock earlier this month, but proving that the original is always best this now enters at No 6 (57,000). More Bond related singles now….kinda. Pulp wrote the song “Tomorrow Never Lies” to be considered as the theme for the forthcoming film but it was ultimately rejected and ends up as a supporting track on the CD single “Help The Aged”. Pulp’s first single from a brand new album, much was hoped for the track in terms of a chart topper but it was never in with a shout once the mids started coming through, it at least keeps their run of top 10 singles in tact though arriving at No 8 (46,000). Whilst Pulp have five top 10 singles in a row Ocean Colour Scene do one better with a sixth. “Marchin Already” delivered up the goods on the album charts when it deposed Oasis’ “Be Here Now” from the top back in September and now “Better Day” hits the mark at No 9 (43,000). Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion fall 3-4 (66,000) whilst Elton finally looks a spent force 5-7 (47,000) and The Spice Girls pay the price of having the No 1 album as they fall 4-10 (42,000), Girl Power does however replace the Boy Band officially- after being the biggest singles act of the 90s until a few months ago Take That bounce down to fourth as The Spices move past them! We also record 200 new entries into the top 10 this year- a phenomenal rate with no sign of slowing down! A new Prodigy single is released this week can it become a third chart topper on the trot? 1- BARBIE GIRL- Aqua (165,000) 2- TORN- Natalie Imbruglia (118,000) 3- NEVER EVER- All Saints (104,000) 4- TELL HIM- Barbra Streisand & Celine Dion (66,000) 5- I WILL COME TO YOU- Hanson (58,000) 6- YOU SEXY THING- Hot Chocolate (57,000) 7- CANDLE IN THE WIND 97/ SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT- Elton John (47,000) 8- HELP THE AGED- Pulp (46,000) 9- BETTER DAY- Ocean Colour Scene (43,000) 10- SPICE UP YOUR LIFE- Spice Girls (42,000)

15TH NOVEMBER Sales dip by 20% but Aqua remain comfortably clear at the top “Barbie Girl” selling a further 190,000 to bring its haul to 802,000 at the end of its first month on sale, the million must only be a matter of weeks away! Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” remains its nearest competitor though that track is itself down 10% to 121,000. Of course it is also the 21st week that the No 1 has sold over 100,000 another record (certainly since 1980). What could bring two artists like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand together? The Oscars is the answer. Due to perform separate songs at the ceremony back in March Streisand could not perform her duet “I Finally Found Someone” and so Natalie Cole stepped in only to pull out a few days before leaving Dion to get the gig. In addition to singing “Because You Loved Me” Dion become the first singer to perform twice at the ceremony and so touched by her rendition was Streisand that she sent a note to say thank you and that they should record a song together. We get the outcome now “Tell Him” which is new at No 3 (86,000) to become Dion’s 10th and Streisand’s 6th top 10 single. The brains behind Tzant’s No 36 hit last year “Hot & Wet” have had the idea to record a dance track around the now famous opening monologue by Ewan McGregor in the “Trainspotting” film. Now recording under the moniker PF Project and giving a credit to McGregor “Choose Life” sweeps in at No 6 (58,000). Following the disappointment of his last single “So Help Me Girl” (it only made No 11) Gary Barlow gets his solo career back on the right track with the title track from his album “Open Road”. Opening at No 7 (56,000) it causes the parent album to re-enter at No 57 and has sold 200,000 since its debut in June which must be considered a disappointment in view of the hopes he must have had. It is, at least, the most purchased solo album by a former Take That member easily trouncing both Mark Owen and Robbie Williams album thus far. Not, as you may expect, a cut from the recent David Arnold album “Shaken And Stirred” which gave us an alternative version of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” last month, but a new recording of the classic James Bond Theme by Moby used in the forthcoming Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies”. Moby pulls together his reworking with film samples from “Goldeneye” and “Goldfinger” to score his biggest hit ever eclipsing the No 10 peak of “Go” in 1991 to make No 8 (52,000). Spending only 11 of its 40 weeks on release outside the top 10 “White On Blonde” has been an unqualified success as sales reach the 650,000 mark. It can now claim to boast 4 top 10 singles with the latest release “Put Your Arms Around Me” troubling the No 10 spot on a sale of 42,000. The Spice Girls have had another headline making week, “Spice Up Your Life” slips 3-4 (75,000) but “Spiceworld” is an instant album chart topper and they of course sacked their manager to boot. Elton’s former No 1 slips 4-5 (61,000) and Sash! fall 5-9 (45,000). 1- BARBIE GIRL- Aqua (190,000) 2- TORN- Natalie Imbruglia (121,000) 3- TELL HIM- Barbra Streisand & Celine Dion (86,000) 4- SPICE UP YOUR LIFE- Spice Girls (75,000) 5- CANDLE IN THE WIND 97/ SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT- Elton John. (61,000) 6- CHOOSE LIFE- PF Project Featuring Ewan McGregor (58,000) 7- OPEN ROAD- Gary Barlow (56,000) 8- JAMES BOND THEME- Moby (52,000) 9- STAY- Sash Featuring La Trec (45,000) 10- PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME- Texas (42,000)

30TH SEPTEMBER Black Box record an easy week at the top as it seems in either version of the track it is flying off the shelves inspiring another 88,757 copies to change hands as it moves up to No 3 on the chart of 1989 behind “Swing The Mood” and "Eternal Flame" but more on that next week. Indeed those same two tracks are the only ones so far in 1989 to spend a month on top with "Ride On Time" joining them this week. Richard Marx continues to play second fiddle, “Right Here Waiting” got a TOTP boost but only to 58,361, he does however have good news as his album climbs into the top 10 for the first time, and with Technotronic (4-3, 53,695) and Sydney Youngblood (6-4, 53,040) having TOTP to support them this Thursday it looks like Black Box’s position at the top may not be assured for a 5th week, add to that a new Bros single out now and it could prove an interesting chart next week. (note: this is now the official promo but was not produced until the US release of the track in 1990). Our highest new entry this week marks a new highest debut for their career, yes Erasure return with a fourth album next month called “Wild!” and the lead single “Drama!” smashes straight in at No 6 this week shifting 39,202 in the process. It marks a first single for the boys since “Crackers International” last Christmas and they’ve already confirmed that the next single will be their shot at the festive top spot so watch this space, backing vocals here (especially on the “Guilty” part) come from Jesus & Mary Chain who happened to be in the next studio when the duo were recording the track. The approach to Christmas sees the album release schedule fill up from this point on, one of the most eagerly awaited in some circles must be the Beautiful South whose first release “Song For Whoever” went to No 2. Their new single “You Keep It All In” wastes little time flying in 31-9 (22,304) for the outfit, it’s more of what you would expect really clever lyrics married to a catchy tune, odds on the album will hit the top and be a festive hit. Tina Turner holds at No 5 (43,469) impacted by the arrival of her album “Foreign Affair” which becomes her first UK No 1 album this week. Madonna surprisingly falls 3-7 (36,482) but sees her album fly 26-9 due to re-promotion, Damian dips 7-8 (26,078) and Tears For Fears edge 9-10 (20,162) but they’ll be more interested in the album charts this week. 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (88,757) 2- RIGHT HERE WAITING- Richard Marx (58,361) 3- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (56,695) 4- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (53,040) 5- THE BEST- Tina Turner (43,469) 6- DRAMA- Erasure (39,202) 7- CHERISH- Madonna (36,482) 8- TIME WARP- Damian (26,078) 9- YOU KEEP IT ALL IN- Beautiful South (22,304) 10- SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE- Tears For Fears (20,162)

23RD SEPTEMBER With a fresh new supply of stock in the shops “Ride On Time” keeps ahead of the field with an impressive 97,257 copies sold in the last week which, along with the lack of TOTP support for Richard Marx, sees their margin at the top reduced to a mere 44,000, Marx on 53,244 copies all told, his album “Repeat Offender” is also on the move 27-15 which hasn’t helped the single. Total sales of “Ride On Time” now stand at 394,485, that makes it the 8th biggest seller of the year to date, you would be expecting the track to certainly move into the top 3 YTD failing a massive downturn in sales. All that for a song which still has no promo video! "Ride On Time" actually just moves past “Like A Prayer” on the TYD list, and by way of co-incidence, a new Madonna single saunters 16-3 (43,248) this week in the form of “Cherish”. It is Madonna’s 20th top 10 single in just five and a half years and currently also rises to No 5 stateside, it is naturally taken from the “Like A Prayer” album which nudges gently 30-26 this week and has already sold half a million itself. Starting out life as “Technotronic” by the Pro 24’s, the title became the name of the project Technotronic, a “group” that was a front for Belgian DJ Joe Bogaert. It is based heavily on Farley Jackmaster Funk’s “Acid Life” itself a 1988 release, and features the vocal input of Felly Kilingi who is being used in much the same way as Katrina Quinol is on the current No 1, a front for the outfit. “Technotronic” became “Pump Up The Jam” and is now a hit across the continent with Britain leading the charge 19-4 (40,817), they are the first Belgian act to score a UK top 5 single. His first release, a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine” could only make No 78 last year and the follow up “Congratulations” failed to chart at all, but now Sydney Youngblood sees his continental success transferred over here with “If Only I Could” arriving 17-6 (34,663). If the baseline seems very familiar then it is, the sample comes from Raze’s “Break 4 Love” a UK No 28 hit from the beginning of this year. Tina Turner climbs 10-5 (36,091) and at 49 she is the oldest woman ever to have a top 5 single here giving her cheer before the release of her album this week. Damian holds at No 7 (31,637) though he gets a sales boost but no joy for Jason Donovan who hurtles 2-8 (30,243), nor Tears For Fears who reverse 5-9 (27,030) or Alyson Williams who dips 9-10 (25,840) even though she increased sales week on week. 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (97,257) 2- RIGHT HERE WAITING- Richard Marx (53,244) 3- CHERISH- Madonna (43,248) 4- PUMP UP THE JAM- Technotronic Featuring Felly (40,817) 5- THE BEST- Tina Turner (36,091) 6- IF ONLY I COULD- Sydney Youngblood (34,663) 7- TIME WARP- Damian (31,637) 8- EVERYDAY (I LOVE YOU MORE)- Jason Donovan (30,243) 9- SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE- Tears For Fears (27,030) 10- I NEED YOUR LOVIN- Alyson Williams (25,840)

not sure who you are asking but as someone who bought all of Jason's 1989 singles but not the album it was probably do with expense. I think i got £5 a week pocket money and could get 2 singles with that but it wouldn't get me an album so I tended to get those only for birthday's and Christmas. Therefore i had far fewer albums than singles ( I think i had about 3 artist albums by the end of 1989 plus the "Now's" that my parents bought me when they came out as a treat).

2017

Incidentally in case you have the single and you want to know which version you have the "Heather Small" version has "Remix" under the title on the sleeve whilst the Holloway original doesn't #uselessinfo

16TH SEPTEMBER Jason Donovan sees sales of “Everyday (I Love You More)” increase by 10% to 41,871 but he’s still well behind Black Box who sell 96,951 copies of “Ride On Time” to easy overcome his challenge. You’d be forgiven for expecting a larger sale for Black Box but the song has hit legal issues surrounding the sampling of Holloway’s vocals, the group had cleared the sample with Salsoul records (the original label for “Love Sensation”) but the label are in arrears with Holloway in relation to royalties, she in turn has commenced legal action to get her just rewards from the label which has as a by product held back new copies of the single being available (due to the injunction). Black Box’s solution is to get a new vocalist in to record new vocals on the track and the “new mixes” are being rushed released next week so if you want a Holloway version then you better get your skates on as any new stock will now feature the new vocal. Already a major US star with 6 top 3 singles including 3 US chart toppers, it took a long time to see UK Success for Richard Marx who finally has a massive single with “Right Here Waiting” shooting 15-3 (39,202) it’s already been a three week chart topper Stateside. Marx has been paying his dues in the industry being a backing vocalist to Madonna, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston among others as well as writing hits for other artists like Kenny Rogers and of course Cliff Richard (“The Best Of Me”) so the success is deserved. “Right Here Waiting” is basically a love letter to his wife actress Cynthia Rhodes and he’ll be hoping that he can seriously rival “Ride On Time” over the next few weeks. The Hit factory continue to generate hit after hit this time they take a failed version of “Time Warp” and remix it into a hit for Damian Davey. His version has already been released twice becoming a No 51 hit in January 1988 then a No 64 hit last summer but Pete Hammond has remixed it to give it a S/A/W sound and the song flies 12-7 (26,112). As you’ll probably know the track is taken from the musical “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and this version was a big club hit in the north of the UK which brought it to the attention of Waterman who saw its potential. Her debut album “Raw” finally hits the top 30 as it now boasts Alyson Williams’ biggest hit “I Need Your Lovin” which moves 11-8 (25,041). It’s the singer’s third top 40 hit this year as she is fast becoming one of Def Jam’s biggest acts of 1989, this one comes courtesy of a remix by Soul II Soul's Jazzie B and Nelle Hopper which doubtless helps. It’s been 4 long years since we last saw Tina Turner in the top 10 (“We Don’t Need Another Hero”) during which she’s been busy making albums and going on world tours though she’s had trouble replicating the “Private Dancer” period here in the UK during 1983-1985. Her new single “The Best” was originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler and made No 95 in January 1988 and is co-penned by Mike Chapman who has of course written more than his own fair share of hits for Mud, Suzie Quatro, Smokie, and Toni Basil. Turner rises 16-10 (23,800) and her 7th studio album “Foreign Affair” is out in a few weeks time. Tears For Fears continue to move gently north 6-5 (32,674) as it moves past Big Fun who drop 4-6 (28,407) but can’t quite catch former No 1 “Swing The Mood” which drops 2-4 (37,621), finally Starlight hold at No 9 (24,939). 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (96,951) 2- EVERYDAY (I LOVE YOU MORE)- Jason Donovan (41,871) 3- RIGHT HERE WAITING- Richard Marx (39,202) 4- SWING THE MOOD- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (37,621) 5- SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE- Tears For Fears (33,674) 6- BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE- Big Fun (28,407) 7- TIME WARP- Damian (26,112) 8- I NEED YOUR LOVIN- Alyson Williams (25,041) 9- NUMERO UNO- Starlight (24,939) 10- THE BEST- Tina Turner (23,800)

I'd say within the confines of 1989 it was certainly true. Jason had just scored 3 straight No 1's and in the year sold over 200k approx more singles than Kylie, on the album front he also outpaced her by around 200k, indeed on both Y/E charts his output was ranked higher than hers so objectively he was a bigger star in the year.

it's ok this is a safe zone haha. I had the top 3. The b-side "I guess she never loved me" is also a little gem IMHO

The main mix was 4:10 but youtube isn't giving me that mix so I went with an alternative version- this is the extended mix (i assume 12") which has the vocal you mention

9TH SEPTEMBER Black Box are the nation’s new no 1 though of course it should really be Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation” getting all the credit, they become only the third Italian act to hit the top and the first act since Renato (of Renee fame) to be a chart topper, “Ride on Time” sold a respectable 71,424 copies last week (given a day was lost to Bank Holiday), it overcame Jive Bunny with relative ease, “Swing The Mood” drops 1-2 (62,322) swelling its sales to 680,272. Heart throb of the year Jason Donovan gets his fourth top 3 single of the year as “Everyday (I Love You More)” debuts at No 3 (38,267) and is fifth single pulled from “Ten Good Reasons” which is itself locked at No 2 this week behind Gloria Estefan (who is at the top still for a 6th week), Donovan is chasing Simply Red for the honour of having the top selling album of the year. It also marks another great week for S/A/W who have Jason Donovan, Big Fun (No 4, 37,638) and Cliff Richard (No 5 , 35,887) all inside the top 5 singles, equalling their feat back in March. On top of that “Everyday” becomes the 50th top 10 single to be produced by the S/A/W stable in all its guises (including Pete Hammond and Phil Harding) counting only main 7” version credits, an incredible number given that 44 of those came over the last 32 months alone! Two records that should have expected better this week are Tears For Fears who climb 9-6 (34,289) and The Beatmasters who hold at No 7 (31,518). Black Box have another single in the top 10 this time under the guise of Starlight which is one of their alias, “Numero Uno” slinks in 11-9 (23,222) and is not at present looking it will be a challenger to the much bigger “Ride On Time”, it samples Rose Royce and James Brown among others. Alice Cooper drops 4-8 (26,996) and Martika finally surrenders the No 5 spot and falls 5-10 (21,250). 1- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (71,434) 2- SWING THE MOOD- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (62,322) 3- EVERYDAY (I LOVE YOU MORE)- Jason Donovan (38,267) 4- BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE- Big Fun (37,638) 5- I JUST DON’T HAVE THE HEART- Cliff Richard (35,887) 6- SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE- Tears For Fears (34,289) 7- HEY DJ...I CAN’T DANCE TO THAT MUSIC YOU’RE PLAYING/ SKA TRAIN- Beatmasters Featuring Betty Boo (31,518) 8- POISON- Alice Cooper (26,996) 9- NUMERO UNO- Starlight (23,222) 10- TOY SOLDIERS- Martika (21,250)

2ND SEPTEMBER Experiencing a 13% drop in sales “Swing The Mood” holds the top spot for a fifth week making it the longest chart topper since Yazz last summer, it sold a still impressive 82,229 copies last week to take its total to 617,950 copies turning platinum (the first single to be classified platinum under the new certification level), we’ll see if it can make it 6 weeks next week, that hasn’t been done since “I Just Called To Say I Love You” back in 1984. The gap however is now much narrower with Black Box climbing 3-2 (59,415) and Cliff Richard shooting 10-3 (42,789) both should have a shot at catching Jive Bunny next week if they can hold off the challenge of a new Jason Donovan single. Former member of the She Rockers (they supported Public Enemy on tour in the US) Betty Boo (real name Alison Clarkson) is the fourth artist to be featured on a Beatmasters single. The group have now scored three top 10 singles out of five releases and were last in the top 10 back in May with “Who’s In The House”, parent album “Anywayawanna” only made No 30 in July though it now back 48-37 this week as the new single “Hey DJ (I Can’t Dance To The Music You’re Playing)/ Ska Train” rises 11-7 (28,169). The single “DJ” is apparently a swipe at the S/A/W phenomenon (the clues are in the video if you need convincing). Tears For Fears are back! Clearly the UK has missed them as well as none of their six previous top 10 singles debuted in the top 10 but now “Seeds Of Love” has done just that at it crashes in at No 9 (26,197). Written in the summer of 1987 and reflecting the group’s feelings around the general election victory for Mrs Thatcher along with the occasion swipe at other musicians, it marks a controversial return for the pair, you can buy the duo’s first album in 4 years next month. A bad week for Alice Cooper with his album dropping 2-3 and the single “Poison” moving 2-4 (39,508) whilst Martika makes it three weeks at No 5 (30,515) and has been a remarkably consistent seller, Big Fun improve 8-6 (29,988) which sees a new peak for the track in any version, and all that with a sales decrease! Lil Louis drops 4-8 (27,404) and Kylie is almost out of the top 10 as she falls 6-10 (25,279) but not to worry as the new Jason Donovan single is out this week- will he be having rabbit stew next week? 1- SWING THE MOOD- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (82,229) 2- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (59,415) 3- I JUST DON’T HAVE THE HEART- Cliff Richard (42,789) 4- POISON- Alice Cooper (39,508) 5- TOY SOLDIERS- Martika (30,515) 6- BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE- Big Fun (29,988) 7- HEY DJ...I CAN’T DANCE TO THE MUSIC YOU’RE PLAYING/ SKA TRAIN- Beatmasters Featuring Betty Boo (28,169) 8- FRENCH KISS- Lil Louis (27,404) 9- SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE- Tears For Fears (26,197) 10- WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING- Kylie Minogue (25,279)

Well there is an argument that to enjoy and appreciate Dance music you need to hear it in the arena it was designed for (clubs) so I think that's true to an extent but even in the late 80s chart dance music was always at the more commercial end of the market, and most pop music incorporated it as well, even SAW plucked inspiration from the dance music. I was a pop kid 100% but even I had the 7" of "Ride on time" (and "Swing the mood" but let's glaze over that).

26TH AUGUST Jive Bunny hops home for a fourth week at the top and again was well clear of the field despite taking a 24% sales hit to 95,455 which means of course that “Swing The Mood” is now the best selling single of 1989 as it crosses the half million mark. On paper Alice Cooper could be a threat as he rises 4-2 but he sold just 44,319 copies to do so, hampered in part by the arrival of his album “Trash” which also hits No 2 behind Gloria Estefan, that’s still his best show on either chart for 15 years! The only danger on the horizon, and admittedly very far in the distance, comes from Italy’s Black Box, consisting of a production team of three members and fronted by a French model (Katrina Quinol) who have sampled the Loleatta Holloway Dance hit “Love Sensation” from 1980 to make “Ride On Time” this week’s highest climber in the top 10 shifting 11-3 (42,126). The fabled S/A/W written and produced track for Cliff Richard finally sees the light of day this week and crashes straight into the chart at No 10 (29,138) to mark the first time that three successive Cliff records have debuted in the top 10 and the first time in 7 years that he’s strung 3 ten singles together. Cliff has remarked that he’s never suffered such criticism in his career as he has had working with the S/A/W team but it seems he’s had the last laugh now. Lil Louis dips 2-4 (40,409) with Martika holding at No 5 (40,035) despite increasing her sales and Big Fun hold at No 8 (30,651) but there are also a brace of fallers. Kylie falls 3-6 (37,876), Liza Minelli surprisingly reverses 6-7 (36,244) even though sales are up 34%, Shakespears Sister fall 7-9 (29,359) sales up 18%. 1- SWING THE MOOD- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (95,455) 2- POISON- Alice Cooper (44,319) 3- RIDE ON TIME- Black Box (42,126) 4- FRENCH KISS- Lil Louis (40,409) 5- TOY SOLDIERS- Martika (40,035) 6- WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING- Kylie Minogue (37,876) 7- LOSING MY MIND- Liza Minelli (36,244) 8- BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE- Big Fun (30,651) 9- YOU’RE HISTORY- Shakespear's Sister (29,359) 10- I JUST DON’T HAVE THE HEART- Cliff Richard (29,138)