Bowie scores his fourth chart topper this week as "Let's Dance" goes stellar posting a new 1983 record of 163,000 and sets the album up perfectly, it itself is due in just a fortnight. That sale allows "Let's Dance" to advance into the top 10 for the year already on just three weeks sales! as it racks up a total of 326,000, the full YTD top 10 is as below....
1-DOWN UNDER- Men At Work 683,000
2-TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART- Bonnie Tyler 657,000
3-BILLIE JEAN- Michael Jackson 610,000
4-YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE- Phil Collins 542,000
5-TOO SHY- Kajagoogoo 531,000
6-SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)- Eurythmics 525,000
7-SIGN OF THE TIMES- Belle Stars 375,000
8-IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW- Duran Duran 360,000
9-ELECTRIC AVENUE- Eddy Grant 329,000
10-LET’S DANCE- David Bowie 326,000
The observant will note that no less than 4 tracks In the current top 10 are also in the YTD top 10, other acts include Duran Duran (1-2 this week on a sale of 106,000), Eurythmics (holding at No 5, 56,000), and Bonnie Tyler (3-8, 48,000), Tyler will probably overtake Men At Work at some point in the next few weeks to become 83's biggest seller.
Better known as a west end actress and a TV Comedienne Tracey Ullman proves that she can also sing a tune or two. Recorded by Irma Thomas back in 1964 but deemed only good enough for a b-side to her single "Wish Someone Would Care" Ullman has given the track a lick of paint and now "Breakaway" ascends 18-6 (52,000) helped no doubt by a memorable TOTP performance substituting microphones with hairbrushes!
With a debut album due in just 3 weeks Kajagoogoo are back with "Ooh To Be Aah" which is of course the follow up to the chart topper "Too Shy" which has, and you will now know, sold over 530,000 copies this year. Nick Rhodes is again on Production duties for the guys although the track itself is penned by the boys who prove they don't need an established writer to provide the hits for them. It advances 20-7 (49,000) and will be looking for a top 5 position next week.
Culture Club are also back with a bang as "Church Of The Poison Mind" debuts at No 9 on a sale of 41,000- by far the best week for the band in their admittedly short career. The band have been very busy in the US where "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" spends its third week at No 2 behind "Billie Jean" which has delayed the second album until autumn but there is little doubt that here in the UK the band remain as popular as ever!
Like Ullman, Kenny Everett is better known for his DJ skills and TV sketch shows than his music but he has also produced a track that the British public seem to have taken a shine to! "Snot Rap" features "guest" spots by Everett's characters Cupid Stunt and Sid Snot who lends his name to the hit, it advances 27-10 (39,000) this week.
Elsewhere JoBoxers rise 6-3 (57,000) but it's so far behind the top 2 that further advances look beyond it, whilst Style Council hold at No 4 for a third week but it's peaked sales wise as it records just 57,000 copies for the position.