This week's Official UK Singles Chart
Preamble
Not exactly the most exciting chart we have had this year to be honest, enough action in the bottom half but things at the top remain virtually the same. 11 new entries, 8 climbers and 4 non-movers.
Analysis
No. 38: NEW ENTRY. Magic Affair - In The Middle Of The Night
To start with then, one of a couple of Eurodisco hits on the chart. It's the third hit of the year for Magic Affair who made No.17 in June with Omen III and No.30 in August with Give Me All Your Love
No. 37: NEW ENTRY. Loveland - (Keep On) Shining
The second mainstream crossover for Loveland following 'Let The Music (Lift You Up) which was an instant No.16 hit in April.
No. 35: NEW ENTRY. Apollo 440 - Liquid Cool
This is getting monotonous... a further dance act making a reappearance, this track from Apollo 440 being their second hit of the year too, following Astral America which reached No.36 in January.
No. 29: NEW ENTRY. Brand New Heavies - Spend Some Time
Continuing a strong consistent run come the Brand New Heavies, riding high at the moment following their version of Midnight At The Oasis which became their biggest hit ever when reaching No.13 in August. Their fourth hit of the year is another stab at a radio-friendly Jazz-funk track, if anything better than any of the singles from the album so far. Sadly though this may end up being its peak.
No. 27: NEW ENTRY. Sean Maguire - Take This Time
Sean Maguire becomes the second former 'Eastenders' star on the chart this week with his second hit of the year. The No.14 peak of Someone To Love was creditable enough, even if the track itself was a little uninspiring. For his second single he drops into a pop-reggae groove and produces a surprisingly strong pop single. It will take strong promotion to push this up into the Top 20 though.
No. 23: NEW ENTRY. Aerosmith - Crazy
Mooted as a possible single release for a while now, this track finally explodes onto the chart becoming Aerosmith's second Top 30 hit of the year following Shut Up And Dance which made No.24 back in July. Less of the hard rock of old, Crazy finds the band in a bluesy frame of mind and produce a ballad that is not a million miles away from Cryin' which made the Top 40 exactly a year ago this week.
No. 22: NEW ENTRY. Tom Jones - If I Only Knew
There are few around like this chap. The Welsh singer with the almighty voice first shot to fame in 1965 with the all-time classic It's Not Unusual. His career has continued on and off ever since and following a fallow period in the mid-1980s he has in recent years acquired a certain hip status, carefully selecting the most unexpected songs possible. It was this kind of logic that caused him to team up in 1988 with the Art Of Noise and release his version of Prince's Kiss, a move which gave him a Top 10 smash. This knack was also highlighted by a TV series he presented last year which featured him duetting with many different artists, mostly notably with EMF on an astonishing version of Unbelievable. Jones The Voice's latest hit single started life as a rap submitted to his publishing company [which is a weird way of describing it. The song is a cover of a track by Rise Robots Rise and indeed was entirely rapped in its original form]. Tom loved the song so much he put a tune to one of the verses, rapped the second anyway and has scored his first Top 40 hit for over 18 months and one which deserves to go even higher. Lest this text sound too sycophantic it is worth pointing out that he has in the past produced some terrible records, his last hit being a charity cover of All You Need Is Love in February 1993 which would never have even charted had it not been for the benefit of Childline.
No. 20: NEW ENTRY. Paul Weller - Out Of The Sinking
The second hit of the year for Paul Weller, hot on the heels of having his Wild Wood album nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. The new single turns its back slightly on the mellow acoustic strums of recent hits but is no less accomplished for that. Woefully uncommercial but at least his records bought by his sizable following are more deserving hits than many high-charting bands I could mention.
No. 17: NEW ENTRY. Real McCoy - Another Night
I sometimes miss hits like this out, simply because without detailed knowledge of the club scene it is difficult to comment intelligently on hits such as this, straight from the dancefloors and into the charts to become possibly the next big commercial dance hit.
No. 13: NON-MOVER. Elton John - Circle Of Life
It may be due to the fact that the film is now on general release, but Circle Of Life is certainly proving to be one of the more static hits around, now spending a third week at No.13 following two weeks at its original peak of No.11.
No. 12: NEW ENTRY. Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
Virtually every radio DJ I know goes into raptures over this track. Americans have done the same, sending Sheryl Crow up to No.2 which has in part prompted the record to make such a big impact over here. It is an entry which would otherwise be surprising given the failure of earlier tracks such as What I Can Do For You earlier this year. All I Wanna Do certainly has potential to go further, not least with Lisa Loeb as a role model but my one overwhelming confession is that I honestly cannot see what all the fuss is about. It's a good record, but no more.
No. 9: CLIMBER. Ultimate Kaos - Some Girls
It looked like shaky start but after staggering from No.20 to No.17 last week Ultimate Kaos are off and running and make the Top 10 with their debut hit.
No. 7: NEW ENTRY. Eternal - Oh Baby I...
It's now a year since the all-girl group first hit the charts and their stature has been growing ever since. Now with their fifth single they move away from the dancefloor and into ballad territory and in the process score their highest new entry ever and their second biggest hit single, following their debut Stay which made No.4.
No. 2: CLIMBER. Bon Jovi - Always
The Top 5 enters a stillwater with no new hits making a significant impact so the existing hits simply reshuffle their positions. Bon Jovi in particular benefit from this, climbing back up to No.2 a full 4 weeks since the single last scaled these heights.
No. 1: SECOND WEEK. Pato Banton - Baby Come Back
In the meantime Pato Banton takes full advantage to cruise to a second week at the top. That's really all there is to say. It's now 8 weeks until Christmas so expect a comparatively calm period for a few weeks as most major releases are held back so they can coincide with the festive season.
