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 but on a reduced sales of just 72,000 copies marking a new low for the position in the 80s (and taking the unwanted record from John Lennon’s “Imagine” this time last year) but it raises its total sales to 496,000 on the plus side. The fact that the song can’t increase its sales despite being a new No 1 would indicate its already a sitting duck at No 1 and will be lucky to add many weeks to its tally. In the spirit of fairness we should highlight that with the TOTP "split" we aren't comparing like for like given that the shows "sway" is diluted in terms of weekly sales though obviously not in terms of total sales.
[video=youtube;j9TX9syyqnc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9TX9syyqnc[/video]
One of two songs will probably dispose of the Fizz next week and 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 (68,000) with double A-Side “The Model/ Computer Love” 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 for him that he has written and is 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.
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 (37,000) 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.
The move from Rock to AOR seems to be pulling off for Foreigner who continue to rise 11-8 (35,000) 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.
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 49,000) and now “Being Boiled” joins it in the top 10 moving 19-9 (34,000). 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 case it’s a case of the little guy triumphing as Virgin are re-issuing that EP in a fortnights time to do a bit of cashing in themselves, we’ll see who wins.
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 43,000 copies, moving the wrong way are Kool & The Gang 3-4 (51,000) and Altered Images 7-10 (33,000).
