The incredible story of Frankie Goes To Hollywood continues unabated this week as they hold the top 2 positions again. “Two Tribes” naturally dominates though it takes a further sales knock of 14% a figure softened by the release of new mixes of the song, a trick that ZTT have quickly become masters of in a very short time. The song is now only 23,000 away from the million after shifting 145,000, a figure it should easily exceed this week, it still has some way to go to catch “Relax” which holds at No 2 on a sale of 78,000 which means that it’s total sales of 1,226,000 see if fly past “Come On Eileen” with only “Karma Chameleon” about 140,000 ahead of it, it now seems destined to become the biggest selling single of the decade at some point in the forthcoming weeks. “Two Tribes” is incidentally the 5th biggest seller of the 80s so far just so you know.
In non-Frankie news the highest new entry on the charts this week comes from Nigel Planer, better known as Neil from the BBC Comedy series “The Young ones” which has just come to the end of its second series. Planer of course plays the resident hippie and his version of Traffic’s 1968 No 2 hit “Hole In My Shoe” debuts instantly at No 5 this week with 44,000 buyers and is the new great white hope for those already tired of the FGTH success. It features Barbara Gaskin on backing vocals and is produced by Dave Stewart who of course had his own No 1 just three years ago with “It’s My Party”. The single is released as Planer’s alter ego Neil from the show and an album of Neil’s similar musings will be available in the autumn.
Prior to his most recent single Prince was known primarily in this country for his #25 hit “1999” in 1983 (confusingly). Anyway he’s now about to release his sixth album “Purple Rain” of which “When Doves Cry” is the lead track and now his first UK top 10 single, it is currently the No 1 single in the US so expect this to continue to rise here though the album is released this week so may impact on the single, it moves 21-8 (37,000)
Also sneaking into the top 10 is a third hit for Tina Turner from her “Private Dancer” album. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” has a long history dating back some years now and was offered to Cliff Richard originally back in 1981 but rejected before being offered to both Phyllis Hyman and Donna Summer before Turner got to record it for her album. Funnily enough Bucks Fizz recorded the song earlier this year but Turner seems to have gotten in first in making it a hit, the album was only released three weeks ago and has moved 16-19-16 thus far, the single meanwhile powers 18-10 (32,000).
Cyndi Lauper continues to have a great 1984, “Time After Time” responds well to TOTP exposure and moves 4-3 (73,000) a figure that would have been enough for No 1 in 8 weeks of 1984 so far! Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel also move upwards 10-9 (36,000) but no good news to be found elsewhere. Nik Kershaw continues to slide 3-4 (53,000), Ollie & Jerry dip 5-6 (38,000) and The Pointer Sisters recede 6-7 (37,000)
https://forum.popjustice.com/thread...-by-week-1984-1985.38232/page-19#post-3597182