Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Experimental old chart post (1997)

Hello everyone.

It's creepingly come to my attention that I haven't posted anything on here for a long time, having sidetracked myself so conclusively with my other blog. One of these months I will get round to writing up a Number 16, but in the meantime I thought it might be interesting, or at least easy, to reawaken things with an old chart. I've been posting these on Usenet for over a year now but Sweeping The Nation tells us that many of his most popular posts are chart-related and it reminded me of an idea I had some years ago when Tony Blair left office: to look up the chart for the week he entered it. What with one thing and another I never got round to it, but it just so happens that the chart I've treated uk.music.charts to this week is the one after that, and since somebody in it actually got a few thousand votes, I thought it might be worth giving it a fresh audience. Sadly, my other great idea, to dab in a few YouTube links, was scotched by record companies hiding some of the ones I most wanted to include, but as a partial substitute I've set up a playlist with as much of the Top 75 as I could find (may not work outside the UK).

And I couldn't do this without the help of ChartStats

01.(NE) Gary Barlow - Love Won't Wait
The only Number One single written, but not performed, by Madonna.
02.(NE) George Michael - Star People '97
So called because it was the 97th single from the album, or at least felt like it.
03.(NE) The Seahorses - Love Is The Law
04. (4) The Cardigans - Lovefool {re-issue}
05. (2) R Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly
Two songs from the movies there.
06.(NE) Jamiroquai - Alright
07. (6) Shola Ama - You Might Need Somebody
08. (1) Michael Jackson - Blood On The Dancefloor
His last Number One, dropping an unusual-even-then seven places in its second week.
09. (5) DJ Quicksilver - Bellissima
10. (3) 911 - Bodyshakin'
Best thing they ever did, if you ask me. But then that's probably why you didn't.
11.(NE) Red 5 - I Love You... Stop!
12.(NE) Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
Didn't like this at the time. I've reconsidered since. 
13. (9) Blackstreet - Don't Leave Me
14.(NE) Ant And Dec - Falling
Their last single, until the football song. Which was probably just as well, as this wasn't exactly a career high.  
15.(NE) Mansun - Six (EP) - Taxloss
It's not really an EP if there's only one song common to all formats, you fools.
16.(NE) Dru Hill - In My Bed
17. (8) Robbie Williams - Old Before I Die
He covered 'Making Plans For Nigel' on the B-side. See what he did there?
18. (7) Republica - Drop Dead Gorgeous
19.(NE) Paul McCartney - Young Boy
People say Jeff Lynne started out trying to sound like the Beatles and ended up making the Beatles sound like him. 
20.(15) The Course - Ready Or Not
21.(13) The Lightning Seeds - You Showed Me
Their biggest hit that doesn't have the word "Lions" in the title.
22.(NE) Gene - Where Are They Now?
I always thought this was a weird choice of single, but of course I bought it anyway, with 'Cast Out In The Seventies on the flipside.
23.(16) No Doubt - Don't Speak
24.(11) Brainbug - Nightmare
25.(NE) Goodfellaz - Sugar Honey Ice Tea
Many a true word spoken in acronym
26.(NE) Nuyorican Soul Featuring Jocelyn Brown - It's Alright, I Feel It!
27.(14) Daft Punk - Around The World
It's just as well this came out as a single, it makes no sense as anything other than the soundtrack to that video
28.(NE) 3 Colours Red - Pure
29.(NE) Hurricane #1 - Step Into My World
Their first hit...
30.(NE) Prefab Sprout - A Prisoner Of The Past
...and their last
31.(NE) Jay-Z Featuring Foxy Brown - Ain't No Playa
32.(10) The Notorious BIG - Hypnotize
33.(20) Sash! - Encore Une Fois
34.(17) U2 - Staring At The Sun
Nobody ever mentions this one now
35.(NE) Tin Tin Out Featuring Tony Hadley - Dance With Me
36.(21) Texas - Halo
37.(19) D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better {second re-issue}
The song they couldn't play on the radio due to the duty of impartiality. We should have enjoyed it while it lasted.
38.(25) Spice Girls - Mama/Who Do You Think You Are?
39.(12) James - Tomorrow
40.(28) Michelle Gayle - Sensational
41.(28) Snoop Doggy Dogg - Vapors
42.(NE) Fountains Of Wayne - Sink To The Bottom
Speaking of odd choices of single
43.(22) Orbital - The Saint
44.(NE) Human Nature - Wishes
45.(23) Blur - Song 2
46.(34) The Brand New Heavies - Sometimes
47.(26) Faithless - Reverence
48.(24) DJ Supreme - Tha Wild Style {remix}
49.(31) Smoke City - Underwater Love
50.(NE) Katrina And The Waves - Love Shine A Light
They'd just won Eurovision, of course.
51.(NE) Dreadzone - Earth Angel
52.(36) Kavana - MFEO
53.(NE) Feeder - Cement
54.(37) Bruce Springsteen - Secret Garden {re-issue}
55.(35) 2Pac And Snoop Doggy Dogg - Wanted Dead or Alive
56.(33) Tony Toni Tone Featuring DJ Quik - Let's Get Down
57.(32) Silver Sun - Golden Skin
Their first hit, such as it was. The record company blocked the YouTube upload but it's still on Muzuat time of writing.
58.(RE) Peter Andre - Natural
59.(30) Keith Sweat Featuring Athena Cage - Nobody
60.(41) Supergrass - Richard III
61.(NE) Tilt - My Spirit
62.(43) N-Trance - DISCO
Not the worst version of this song ever recorded.
63.(NE) LSG - Netherworld
64.(NE) Bis - Everybody Thinks That They're Going To Get Theirs
Not as bad as some Bis records.
65.(NE) Various Artists - Feverpitch EP
[The Pretenders 'Goin' Back'; The Las's 'There She Goes'; Orlando 'How Can We Hang On To A Dream?'; Nick Hornby 'Football']
66.(NE) Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Wail
67.(53) The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
68.(27) Kenickie - Nightlife
Removed from YouTube thanks to Warner Music, who don't even own the UK rights.
69.(45) Erykah Badu - On And On
70.(58) Wet Wet Wet - If I Never See You Again
71.(42) Zhane - Request Line
72.(52) B Real/Busta Rhymes - Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)
73.(48) Depeche Mode - It's No Good
Asking for trouble with that title.
74.(51) Cast - Free Me
75.(29) Tricky - Makes Me Wanna Die