Following a performance on TOTP during which they wore “No 1” T-Shirts it’s clear to see that Wham! are enjoying being at No 1 at present, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” continues to impress providing a new 1984 high of 103,000 copies at the top slot. Clearly the UK public seem to have missed the group with George Michael’s only appearance in the charts this year coming with a cameo in Hazel O’Connor’s “Don’t Touch Me” video.
Their position at the top of the charts is under threat though with a new Frankie Goes To Hollywood record out this week and our next record marking the return to the charts for a certain Spandau Ballet. “Only When You Leave” has the usual Spandau credentials, written by Gary Kemp and co-produced by the band themselves and Jolly & Swain, it is the first single to be taken from the forthcoming album “Parade” which is released next month, the single is their eighth top 10 smash and is their highest debuting single as it smashes straight into the No 5 slot this week with 38,000 sales and set up an interesting chart battle next week with three of the biggest bands around in pop.
Talking of major new stars Howard Jones has had a great 84 so far with a string of hit singles and a chart topping album in “Human Lib”. Despite his last single being the first to miss the top 10 (it made No 12) he reverses that trend with “Pearl In A Shell” which triumphs 15-8 (30,000) this week. Jones is heading out on tour in the next few months if you want to catch him.
Evelyn Thomas was discovered by producer Ian Levine in 1975 - they produced several tracks scoring a couple of hits in 76 before the disco backlash kicked in and ended her career early. With the newly invigorated genre of HI-NRG music, a sub division of the dreaded disco, emerging from the gay clubs of the UK, the pair have teamed up again to give us the appropriately named “High Energy” as it slinks 11-9 (27,000)
Current indie darlings The Smiths have been getting better and better since their debut single “Hand In Glove” missed the charts. Subsequent singles peaked at No 25, and No 12 and now their fourth release “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” does even better as it bounds 19-10 (24,000) and comes with the controversial b-side “Suffer Little Children” which has caused some comment in the tabloids regarding its theme of the Moors Murderers. The title is a pun on the 1969 Sandie Shaw single “Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now”, of course the group recently helped the singer score her first top 30 single in 15 years just a few weeks ago with her cover of “Hand In Glove”
One of the more interesting battles this week was over the destination of the no 2 slot with three tracks ending up just under 800 copies apart. Deniece Williams ended up retaining the runner up spot but Ultravox snapped at the heels almost overtaking as it rose 6-3 whilst Duran Duran slipped 3-4 but all sold 47,000. Hazell Dean is also rising as she moves 8-6 (33,000) and Style Council fold under the pressure as they retreat 5-7 (32,000)
https://forum.popjustice.com/thread...-by-week-1984-1985.38232/page-18#post-3588632