garax

I'd second Well Well Well by Duffy. You could argue it was the diet coke advert that did for her in terms of killing her career - but the performance of the lead single off the second album confirmed it.

Well, we are *all* the public - they are not some other tribe. But I have some sympathy re it being them and not one of the actual acts from the Big Reunion - but you can't make people buy things just because it is 'fairer'. That said someone was playing the best of PJ & Duncan when I was shopping today - and that *was* taking it too far - nobody needs to hear You Krazy Kats again.

How would it be 'stealing' it given it was midweek No.1 exactly?

Not quite sure why some people are so keen for a fairly anonymous track by Pink to get to No.1 this week. Surely Rhumble deserves it more - at least it is memorable and shows it has legs - nearly 20 years on from its original release.

Just discovered this when using chartarchive to see the perilous run for Ellie Goulding's new album. Have written to the Chart Company about this. In my view, if you own copyright on this info (and it is indeed questionable given how the responsibility for collecting this data has changed over the years) and someone is copying your site then fair enough. But when someone has taken the time and effort to provide a resource you can't be bothered to provide yourself and you close that then you are just selfish. And all this in the 60th birthday week of the charts - they should be ashamed.

Remember Kate Nash and Duffy? Barely? Well that.

Hmm - so this Lucy person - I've not heard the song, and I don't watch X Factor - but - whilst it's true without the show she wouldn't have the exposure to get a hit, it seems a bit horrible to potential ruin her one chance at a big hit by pulling it just because she is tied into a TV series - did they not think to pull it last week in any case - to avoid all this? It just seems really poorly managed. If this was a BBC show and the BBC wanted the song/ album pulled they would be accused of all sorts - probably of ruining her career - but because its ITV/Syco it's allowed to happen.

Does it matter that the Plan B is also listed in the albums chart - is that different sales or the same ones? So should stuff be being added (potentially putting it a lot higher) or ignored? Any ideas - thanks.

Actually if Paul M died I think his very success would work against him - what song/s would the sales cluster around - the thing with the Monkees is these days they are remembered for 5 or 6 main songs - and Davy Jones only sang lead on a few of those - it means there is less to choose from so you'll probably get one or two songs with a higher peak. The thing with Whitney recently is a good example - too many hits to pick from split the 'vote' - resulting in a fairly fleeting chart display.

There are many reasons people buy tracks by recently dead artists - but predominantly it's because just at that moment they really want to hear those songs - that's not cynical or indeed in any way bad - it's just a human reaction. I believe it's known as paying respect. I'm not a huge Huston fan but I may well give her back cat a preview later because for anyone with a talent to die so young in part because of what that talent brought with it is sad and makes one reflect.

Just out of curiosity - what did the Jai McDowall album manage to shift for it's combined 2 weeks in the top 100 albums? Thanks

Surprised to see Say Say Say there but not The Girl Is Mine - which I had always imagined sold a lot more copies.

Given TT's 1st week - even first day album sales- and given this single isn't on an album and - probably most importantly is there strongest non ballad offering since Shine - i'd say a No.1 in just a few days isn't at all unrealistic.

Kate Bush. Chart Gap 1994 - And So Is Love - No.26 - 2005 - King Of The Mountain - No.4 - 11 years. Top 10 Gap 1986 - Don't Give Up (With Peter Gabriel) - No.9 - 2005 King of the Mountain - No.4 - 19 years. And as a solo artist - 20 years - from Running Up That Hill (No.4) to the 2005 hit.

I think I'd add Mika - although his second album was released September 2009 because by rights (or at least based on the first one) he might have expected to be huge in 2010 instead of which he didn't even register. In fact - 2nd album seems to have been a nightmare for a whole bunch of artists who might reasonably have expected to be the new 'career' artists rather than the flash in the pan they have turned out to seemingly be - obviously Duffy but also Kate Nash. I don't think Adele will suffer the same fate though - I think '21' will be huge for her.

They really should have released The Garden as a single, it was suitably epic, maybe too obvious though. Didn't it get a minor chart placing all on it's own steam and I think was a single in some territories. Circus is a pretty clinical album really, I'm really glad they changed producer for Progress which is far warmer and has a really nice dynamic pop range to it.

I think Adele is going to go huge this time. Her Bob Dylan cover has been reminding everyone of her voice very nicely for a number of months now (a rare case of X factor actually doing something positive for music?) and this new single is tight as a drum. I'm saying No.1

I had a listen. Last years list you could easily pick some hits from, this year it's... tricky. They seem to have gone for at least 2 bands that just sound like The Drums, which didn't even work for The Drums that well so why anyone else would want to do it is beyond me. The Vaccines were about the only ones I can imagine breaking through. Last year's list introduced me to what is now one of my favorite bands and my album of the year - Everything Everything and Man Alive.

Looking at the last 20 or so, the only one I really like - I still think it's one of their best songs, is 2 become 1 by the Spice Girls. I bet I'd pick more from a list of all the songs that were number 2 at xmas - is there a list of those anywhere!

The stand out ones for me, in no order are: The Pretenders - 2000 miles - beautiful and never over played so it's always a delight to hear. The Pogues/Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York - a bit ott and I don't really want to hear anything that emotional when I'm shopping in Tesco, but still. Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry - when you break it down this song is still a madness - it totally should not work but it 100% does it every time. Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Christmas - the musical borrowing is beautiful to start with, but the icy starkness of the delivery is genius. Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime. I know, I can't help it - but this is truly the sound of a ridiculously talented writer arsing about and it always makes me smile. and maybe a new one, i'm loving Christmas Lights by Coldplay, it's maybe too soon to know if it's got the legs to be a great, but well, I think it just might...

I kind of find Slade's - "Merry Christmas Everybody", hard to bare. It just seems to bring something of the early 70's with it and I find it a bit depressing as a result.

My 'Record of the Year' - is the amazing track 'Final Form' by Everything Everything, ah, but I see it is not on the list, there mostly just seems to be a lot of forgettable blah on that, what a surprise.

On the subject of Xmas songs - I completely agree - there are a number of bands who would be a distant memory if their Christmas classic didn't do the business every year - Slade are a pretty good example - they were huge in the first half of the 70's - I suspect few people under 30 have heard of them but for the Xmas record. I'm really glad Coldplay bothered not only to do a Christmas Song but delivered one that is of the exact same standard as their 'normal' output - like them or not - at least they didn't just chuck any old rubbish out. And I also agree more should be doing it - I know XF keeps buggering up the Xmas No.1 - but losts of classics never got to number 1 - and actually of all songs released XMas songs more than any other are about connecting and having an emotional impact on people - rather than where they charted mattering - hence does it matter Fariytale of New York wasn't No 1 - or Last Xmas - or I Believe In Father Christmas - or Stop the Cavalry - I rather think not - a great Christmas song transcends that mark of success and just *becomes* part of Christmas. Coldplay I am 100% certain just added to the small pile. Take That really really ought to give it a go - I'm amazed Gary Barlow hasn't given it a proper go - (Geraldine accepted.)

See that Hurts track is a good example of the whole problem with the Hurts - it's trying hard but they just don't have a knack with melody lines - they ache so much to be a classic band and yet they just don't cut it. It's a shame because they mean well - they just need a moment of inspiration - they need to go up about 6 gears and then they'll be onto something.

I only read about the Coldplay single the day before, but having listened to it - and indeed bought it, it's a slam dunk instant Christmas classic, if it doesn't chart well this week - and it may yet - then I wouldn't be in the least bit amazed to see it really build up a head of steam in the next couple of weeks - it's ages since we had a new really A class Xmas song from anyone - and this is definitely a keeper.