Singles
-------
Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to 
the CD release.

New Entries/Climbers
--------------------
Top 10 : Ida Corr #2, Ronson/Winehouse #7, Feist #8
Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11, Stereophonics #12, Elvis #15
Top 30 : MSP #22, Kate Nash #23, Mika #29
Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33, Lethal Bizzle #37, Kanye West #40

New outside the top 40 : Coral #44, Ne-Yo #62, MIA #66, Amy Winehouse 
#69, Sex Pistols #70, Hives #73, Biffy Clyro #74, Timbaland #75

BTW, Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' has now had 57 weeks on the chart, 
which I think is now the 3rd longest ever run!

Albums
------
To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1. 
Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.

NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2, Babyshambles #5, Annie Lennox #7, Bob 
Dylan #10, Gabrielle #11

New outside the top 20 : Nightwish #25, Bee Gees #35, Steve Earle #55, 
Mick Jagger #57, Harry Connick Jr #63, Peter Bjorn & John #68, Don 
Mclean #71, Cult #72,  Puppini Sisters #73, Kate Walsh #75

Also - not a NE, but a new peak for Feist at #44

Next Week
---------
Singles
-------
The Sugababes look safe enough for at least one more week.

Top 10 : Ali & AJ,
Top 20 : Elvis, Hoosiers,
Top 30 : Hives, Roisin Murphy, Pet Shop Boys (DLO*)
Top 40 : Chico, Biffy Clyro, Natasha B (DLO)

* Download-only

Any other possibilities?

Albums
------
The Sugababes should have no trouble completing the double.

Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat, Eric Clapton, Jack Penate, Jennifer Lopez, 
Pet Shop Boys

Others : Aled Jones, Chicago, Ed Harcourt, Leann Rimes, Mario, Stevie 
Wonder
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

On Sun, 7 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett wrote
(in article ):

> Singles
> -------

Bit late this but did the download only ITLAPD (International Talk Like A 
Pirate Day) single (On A Pirate Ship) get anywhere near the charts? I bought 
it - twice, two different mixes - but I didn't see it. Might have been blink 
and you miss it or perhaps it was a shipwreck.

-- 
remove stars for email
g*a*r*y*c*o*w*e*l*l*a*t*m*a*c*d*o*t*c*o*m
Stargazing blog at
<http://tinyurl.com/398eom>

On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett  wrote:

Talking of Katie Melua, did you listen to Mark Radcliffe on R2 on
Friday? I didn't hear the show, but I heard about what they were
going to do on the show.

Fred X


> Singles
> -------
> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to
> the CD release.
>
> New Entries/Climbers
> --------------------
> Top 10 : Ida Corr #2, Ronson/Winehouse #7, Feist #8
> Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11, Stereophonics #12, Elvis #15
> Top 30 : MSP #22, Kate Nash #23, Mika #29
> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33, Lethal Bizzle #37, Kanye West #40
>
> New outside the top 40 : Coral #44, Ne-Yo #62, MIA #66, Amy Winehouse
> #69, Sex Pistols #70, Hives #73, Biffy Clyro #74, Timbaland #75
>
> BTW, Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' has now had 57 weeks on the chart,
> which I think is now the 3rd longest ever run!
>
> Albums
> ------
> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1.
> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.
>
> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2, Babyshambles #5, Annie Lennox #7, Bob
> Dylan #10, Gabrielle #11
>
> New outside the top 20 : Nightwish #25, Bee Gees #35, Steve Earle #55,
> Mick Jagger #57, Harry Connick Jr #63, Peter Bjorn & John #68, Don
> Mclean #71, Cult #72,  Puppini Sisters #73, Kate Walsh #75
>
> Also - not a NE, but a new peak for Feist at #44
>
> Next Week
> ---------
> Singles
> -------
> The Sugababes look safe enough for at least one more week.
>
> Top 10 : Ali & AJ,
> Top 20 : Elvis, Hoosiers,
> Top 30 : Hives, Roisin Murphy, Pet Shop Boys (DLO*)
> Top 40 : Chico, Biffy Clyro, Natasha B (DLO)
>
> * Download-only
>
> Any other possibilities?
>
> Albums
> ------
> The Sugababes should have no trouble completing the double.
>
> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat, Eric Clapton, Jack Penate, Jennifer Lopez,
> Pet Shop Boys
>
> Others : Aled Jones, Chicago, Ed Harcourt, Leann Rimes, Mario, Stevie
> Wonder

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:rZfmNsAlmRCHFwiq@blueyonder.co.uk...
> Singles
> -------
> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to the 
> CD release.

Of course, one disadvantage of a single topping the charts on downloads is 
that it can make the physical release look a bit anti-climactic. But here it 
is anyway, cementing the first ever Number One for this lineup. Two of them 
were at the top exactly two years ago with 'Push The Button'.
As to the record itself, I've never made it any secret that the appeal of 
much of their music tends to pass me by, and so in this case have all the 
claims that this is some unexpected new direction for them - to me it sounds 
like their other stuff, but slightly sped up. Many have also noted the 
presumably deliberate - if rather late - Strokes quotation at the start.

> New Entries/Climbers
> --------------------
> Top 10 : Ida Corr #2,

Technically a climber, although I suppose it may be more like a fall for 
Shayne.

>Ronson/Winehouse #7,

 Now officially the biggest 'Valerie', unless you count Eric Prydz.

>Feist #8

And still it climbs. I sort of wish I'd prepared more to say about it.


> Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11,

Mislaid your copy of Paula Abdul - The Collected B-Sides Volume 2? Well, 
help is at hand with this supposedly new single from the woman we're not 
supposed to call J-Lo anymore.

> Stereophonics #12,

So it has got verses then.
The not-wholly-innacurately-titled 'It Means Nothing' is the first proper 
single from their new album. As such, it would normally be expected to storm 
into the Top 5, as even swiftly-forgotten turkeys like 'Mr Writer' and 
'Madame Helga' did in the same position. Perhaps the introduction of 
downloads has diluted the power of their name, although their success in 
2005 doesn't entirely suggest that, or maybe a slowie like this isn't the 
way to launch an album.

> Elvis #15

'King Creole', title song from the film, was originally a Number 2 in late 
1958. One problem with these re-issues is that they're not necessarily 
picking out the ones that there's most to say about.

> Top 30 : MSP #22,

The band who released 'Autumnsong' in July now bring us a record with the 
word "Summer" in the title just in time for, er, October. Presumably that 
Christmas single they're supposedly working on will come out in about May, 
then. Even if there wasn't a B-side called 'Anorexic Rodin', you'd never 
mistake this for any other band, as it follows their recent nostalgic 
groove - there's something almost admirable about how shamelessly this 
rehashes their most popular song.
The bad news for them is that people are getting tired of this sort of 
thing, and it's their first single since 1994 to miss the Top 20.

>Kate Nash #23,

Do you think that dragon on the cover scared people off? ;-)
It'd be interesting to imagine how this might have done had it come out 
before the album.

> Mika #29

Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.

> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,

Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.

> Lethal Bizzle #37,

Sampling The Clash's version of 'Police On My Back', Bizzle narrates a tale 
of car theft, although he dodges any accusation of glorification as it is 
only a Fiat Punto.

> Kanye West #40

Physical release date 29th Oct.

> New outside the top 40 : Coral #44,

A decent-sized radio hit for them, but it doesn't seem to have motivated 
many people into actually spending money on it. I didn't quite get round to 
it myself.
Their lowest-charting single since the limited 7" release of 'Shadows Fall'.

>Ne-Yo #62,

Possibly not the new R-Kelly after all, then.

>MIA #66,

A (translated) cover of a song from the 1982 Hindi film Disco Dancer, 
although the ultimate effect is oddly reminiscent of Boney M. As many failed 
revivals in recent years have demonstrated, sounding like Boney M isn't a 
guaranteed recipe for success these days.

>Amy Winehouse #69,

Her own version of 'Valerie'. I can't remember exactly how different this is 
from Mark Ronson's arrangement.

>Sex Pistols #70,

'Anarchy In The UK', the first instalment in a reissue programme we'll be 
hearing more of.

> Hives #73,

Out tomorrow on CD & 7".

> Biffy Clyro #74,

Out tomorrow on CD & 7"s.

>Timbaland #75

Out on CD & 12" on the 29th.

> BTW, Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' has now had 57 weeks on the chart, which 
> I think is now the 3rd longest ever run!

I believe that is the case. We'll find out soon enough.
Also, I have a slight correction to make: last week I wrongly attributed 
'Hip Hop Police' to Slick Rick (thanks a lot Yahoo!); it is in fact by 
Chamillionaire ft Slick Rick.

> Albums
> ------
> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1. 
> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.

His third consecutive Number One album of new material this century, not 
counting the covers on The Seeger Sessions, three live albums or a 
compilation.

> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2,

I have to admit to some relief on discovering that the tracks 'Perfect 
Circle' and 'Ghost Town' here are not versions of the R.E.M. or Specials 
tracks, respectively.
Credit where it's due for being a good sport, though.

>Babyshambles #5,

 It's tempting to make the usual cracks about it being surprising for Pete 
Doherty to get attention for making an actual record, though this is 
actually his fourth album since 2002. By all accounts Stephen Street has 
imposed a new level of discipline on the band, although he doesn't seem to 
have been able to stop them writing a song about one of Doherty's drawings.
As ever, there's a limited bonus DVD with live tracks, interviews and a 
video.

> Annie Lennox #7,

Fourth solo album from the frequently award-winning Scot. Includes the 
allegedly forthcoming single 'Sing', which features guest vocals from 
Madonna, Celine Dion and many others.

> Bob Dylan #10,

And so the Best-of season commences, with a collection of his finest work 
(and 'Lay Lady Lay'). You can choose from an 18-track single disc or a 
51-track triple, the longer version available in standard or deluxe 
packaging; for maximum confusion, the UK edition of the shorter album 
includes a "bonus" disc with the Mark Ronson remix on it.
The more comprehensive version includes all his UK Top 10 singles, as well 
as his original versions of 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall', 'All I Really Want 
To Do', 'Mr Tambourine Man', 'Maggie's Farm', 'Just Like A Woman', 'All 
Along The Watchtower', 'If Not For You', 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'.
BTW, this isn't the first album called Dylan - an album of rejected cover 
versions was released under that title in 1973 in an apparent act of spite 
by a record company he'd left.

>Gabrielle #11

Rather low-key appearance for her fifth album, featuring the Weller-sampling 
near-hit 'Why' and another track based on Prml Scrm's 'Rocks'.

> New outside the top 20 : Nightwish #25,

Sixth album from the pretentious metallists, but their first with new 
vocalist Anette Olzon. If you don't like her, there's an instrumental 
version of the album as a bonus disc.

> Bee Gees #35,

Remaster of a compilation that originally went Top 10 in 1979, now expanded 
with bonus tracks (mostly remixes). You wouldn't normally expect much call 
for an old Greatest Hits album, but I suppose the selling point of this one 
is that it concentrates firmly on their disco era.

> Steve Earle #55,

Another collection from the rebellious country star, who duets with his 
(seventh!) wife Alison Moorer on one track here.
In a slightly unexpected move, production is by John King of The Dust 
Brothers.

> Mick Jagger #57,

Of course, in a sane world an album called "The Very Best Of Mick Jagger" 
would consist entirely of tracks by the Rolling Stones.
Of course this one isn't like that, and instead collects extra-curricular 
works like 'Memo From Turner' (from Perfomance), his successful duets with 
David Bowie and Peter Tosh and a load of stuff from his solo albums. There's 
also a hitherto (officially) unreleased collaboration with John Lennon and 
two outtakes, to bait the collectors.

>Harry Connick Jr #63,

My New Orleans is, predictably, an album full of versions of songs from the 
eponymous city, Connick's hometown. Although if we wanted to be picky about 
it, 'Jambalaya (On The Bayou)' shouldn't really count.

>Peter Bjorn & John #68,

Belated Top 75 debut for an album that first charted in August last year, 
now available as a deluxe double CD with remixes, B-sides and videos. Wish 
I'd known they were going to do that before I bought the normal version.

>Don Mclean #71,

20-track retrospective from the twice chart-topper plus a DVD of a 1982 
concert.

>Cult #72,

Another comeback from the long-running rockers, who seem to think we'll be 
impressed that the mixer for this album has also worked with Madonna. The 
single is, of course, called 'Dirty Little Rockstar'.

>Puppini Sisters #73,

Second album and it looks like the novelty is already wearing off. The lead 
single is a version of what's patronisingly called "the little-known Dusty 
Springfield number Spooky" and there are also versions of 'Old Cape Cod', 
'Crazy In Love' and 'Walk Like An Egyptian' as well as some original songs 
(aargh!).

>Kate Walsh #75

Another rather late chart entry, for an album that was first issued 
independently in April and re-released by a major in June.

> Also - not a NE, but a new peak for Feist at #44

I was going to say that!

> Next Week
> ---------
> Singles
> -------
> The Sugababes look safe enough for at least one more week.

Yeah, especially with not much coming.

> Top 10 : Ali & AJ,

Aly?

> Top 20 : Elvis,

Easy.

> Hoosiers,

Assuming that it wasn't released as a download last week. ;-)

> Top 30 : Hives,

Seems about right, as this comeback hasn't unleashed massive excitement.

>Roisin Murphy,

Not sure about this one - she's obviously never had a solo hit before and 
this does rather remind me of that Tracey Thorn single.

> Pet Shop Boys (DLO*)

If you mean 'Integral', that came out this week. And would it really do as 
well as the last one anyway?

> Top 40 : Chico,

Really, who can possibly predict this one.

>Biffy Clyro,

If anything, I'd expect them to have the edge over the Hives, because they 
sold about the same number of downloads, even though this has been out on 
album for ages.

>Natasha B (DLO)

I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very successful.

> Any other possibilities?

Dave Gahan has a lot of fans (or at least Depeche Mode have) and you might 
have heard that the NME has started a rather stupid campaign to return 'God 
Save The Queen' to Number One. Obviously, they won't succeed, but I wouldn't 
be at all surprised to see it in the Top 40.

> Albums
> ------
> The Sugababes should have no trouble completing the double.

Agreed - they have a very strong track record.

> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat,

Off the back of a Number 72 single?

> Eric Clapton,

It doesn't seem to have had much promo, but there are some big hits on 
there.

> Jack Penate,

Yeah. Top 10 I reckon.

>Jennifer Lopez,

Not out until the 15th, apparently.

> Pet Shop Boys

Actually, is this eligible for the artist album chart?

> Others : Aled Jones,

Likely, although this sort of thing hasn't done brilliantly in the last few 
weeks.

> Chicago,

Are they releasing an album then?

>Ed Harcourt,

Somewhere in the Top 75, at least. But there's an obvious problem with him 
trying to release a hits compilation.

> Leann Rimes,

Yeah.

>Mario,

According to HMV, it's not out until next month. By which time everyone will 
have forgotten the single.

> Stevie Wonder

Deserves to sell, obviously, but it seems to coming out by stealth and a lot 
of people already have these tracks.

    Chris
-- 
"It's always hard meeting your heroes. Especially when they punch you in the 
face."

http://thehitparade.blogspot.com

More of my blathering is available at
http://faynights.users.btopenworld.com

In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Gary  wrote 
:
>On Sun, 7 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett wrote
>(in article ):
>
>> Singles
>> -------
>
>Bit late this but did the download only ITLAPD (International Talk Like A
>Pirate Day) single (On A Pirate Ship) get anywhere near the charts? I bought
>it - twice, two different mixes - but I didn't see it. Might have been blink
>and you miss it or perhaps it was a shipwreck.
>
I think your two copies might have been the only ones that were sold. :)

Seriously though, if it even made the top 200, I won't know until 
Thursday.
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Fred X  wrote 
:
>On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett 
> wrote:
>
>Talking of Katie Melua, did you listen to Mark Radcliffe on R2 on
>Friday?

No.

>I didn't hear the show, but I heard about what they were
>going to do on the show.

What was it, then?
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :

>> Singles
>> -------
>> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to the
>> CD release.
>
>Of course, one disadvantage of a single topping the charts on downloads is
>that it can make the physical release look a bit anti-climactic.

Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted 
on full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen 
eventually.

>But here it
>is anyway, cementing the first ever Number One for this lineup.

This line up were part of 'Walk This Way'.

>Two of them
>were at the top exactly two years ago with 'Push The Button'.
>As to the record itself, I've never made it any secret that the appeal of
>much of their music tends to pass me by, and so in this case have all the
>claims that this is some unexpected new direction for them - to me it sounds
>like their other stuff, but slightly sped up.

It seems to work for them.

Where they really score over Girls Aloud though, is that they are not 
just pretty faces - they also write their own songs.

>Many have also noted the
>presumably deliberate - if rather late - Strokes quotation at the start.

I must have missed that?
>
>> New Entries/Climbers
>> --------------------
>> Top 10 : Ida Corr #2,
>
>Technically a climber, although I suppose it may be more like a fall for
>Shayne.

Even if it was #3, it would still be a climber, since it was #5 last 
week.

I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were 
big sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him 
dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.
>
>>Ronson/Winehouse #7,
>
> Now officially the biggest 'Valerie', unless you count Eric Prydz.

Another 'Proclaimers' situation, with one version chasing another up the 
charts on download - AW's solo version being at #69.

For me though, just as with the Ronson/Lily Allen song, I am unsure as 
to what his contribution is supposed to be?
>
>>Feist #8
>
>And still it climbs. I sort of wish I'd prepared more to say about it.

It's finally reached the heights I always thought it deserved. :)
>
>> Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11,
>
>Mislaid your copy of Paula Abdul - The Collected B-Sides Volume 2? Well,
>help is at hand with this supposedly new single

I don't get it?

> from the woman we're not
>supposed to call J-Lo anymore.

Just too convenient an abbreviation ,though. :)
>
>> Stereophonics #12,
>
>So it has got verses then.
>The not-wholly-innacurately-titled 'It Means Nothing' is the first proper
>single from their new album. As such, it would normally be expected to storm
>into the Top 5, as even swiftly-forgotten turkeys like 'Mr Writer' and
>'Madame Helga' did in the same position. Perhaps the introduction of
>downloads has diluted the power of their name

We won't know that until we see how well it did on that chart, though as 
we well know, rock tends to over-rely on the ever declining physical 
market.

>, although their success in
>2005 doesn't entirely suggest that, or maybe a slowie like this isn't the
>way to launch an album.

Having said that, next Monday is relatively quiet for new albums, so 
they should still manage #1.
>
>> Elvis #15
>
>'King Creole', title song from the film, was originally a Number 2 in late
>1958. One problem with these re-issues is that they're not necessarily
>picking out the ones that there's most to say about.

I guess he's now going for a record for most consecutive #15's. :)

I don't even know the next three releases - not until the 29th is the 
next one I'm familiar with (Viva Las Vegas).
>
>> Top 30 : MSP #22,
>
>The band who released 'Autumnsong' in July now bring us a record with the
>word "Summer" in the title just in time for, er, October. Presumably that
>Christmas single they're supposedly working on will come out in about May,
>then.

Grin.

>The bad news for them is that people are getting tired of this sort of
>thing, and it's their first single since 1994 to miss the Top 20.

ISTM that the first single from the album was almost 'too' successful - 
selling more copies of the album than usual early on, and thus killing 
later singles.
>
>>Kate Nash #23,
>
>Do you think that dragon on the cover scared people off? ;-)
>It'd be interesting to imagine how this might have done had it come out
>before the album.

Instead of Foundations, you mean? In those circumstances, it would 
surely have struggled to make the top 200.
>
>> Mika #29
>
>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.

I'd be surprised if this goes top 10 even then, given it is the 4th from 
a high-selling album.
>
>> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,
>
>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.

The release schedule says it's out today.
>
>> Lethal Bizzle #37,
>
>Sampling The Clash's version of 'Police On My Back', Bizzle narrates a tale
>of car theft, although he dodges any accusation of glorification as it is
>only a Fiat Punto.

At least this is on full release, so this is surely the last we'll ever 
hear of it.
>
>> Kanye West #40
>
>Physical release date 29th Oct.

What list are you using? I have 5th Nov.

I've noticed a tendency for urban tracks to chart especially early on 
download - often well over a month before physical release.
>
>>Coral #44,
>
>A decent-sized radio hit for them, but it doesn't seem to have motivated
>many people into actually spending money on it. I didn't quite get round to
>it myself.

I thought it one of their better ones, myself.
>
>>Ne-Yo #62,
>
>Possibly not the new R-Kelly after all, then.

Low profile single - little sign of it on Sky.
>
>>MIA #66,
>
>A (translated) cover of a song from the 1982 Hindi film Disco Dancer,
>although the ultimate effect is oddly reminiscent of Boney M. As many failed
>revivals in recent years have demonstrated, sounding like Boney M isn't a
>guaranteed recipe for success these days.

Only Boney M could pull off the disco/gospel combination, ISTM.
>
>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>
>Her own version of 'Valerie'. I can't remember exactly how different this is
>from Mark Ronson's arrangement.

I don't suppose this was ever intended to be a single, but that doesn't 
matter nowadays...
>
>>Sex Pistols #70,
>
>'Anarchy In The UK', the first instalment in a reissue programme we'll be
>hearing more of.

Or not, given where this ended up.
>
>> Hives #73,
>
>Out tomorrow on CD & 7".

We agree on releases dates for once. :)
>
>> Biffy Clyro #74,
>
>Out tomorrow on CD & 7"s.

And again,
>
>>Timbaland #75
>
>Out on CD & 12" on the 29th.

And that's a hat-trick. :)
>
>> BTW, Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' has now had 57 weeks on the chart, which
>> I think is now the 3rd longest ever run!
>
>I believe that is the case. We'll find out soon enough.
>Also, I have a slight correction to make: last week I wrongly attributed
>'Hip Hop Police' to Slick Rick (thanks a lot Yahoo!); it is in fact by
>Chamillionaire ft Slick Rick.

I had that problem too - it messed up my chart spreadsheet a bit.

BTW, thanks to your advice, I found the new charts well before 4pm 
yesterday. :)
>
>> Albums
>> ------
>> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1.
>> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.
>
>His third consecutive Number One album of new material this century, not
>counting the covers on The Seeger Sessions, three live albums or a
>compilation.

Wonder what the sales margins were, finally?
>
>> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2,
>
>I have to admit to some relief on discovering that the tracks 'Perfect
>Circle' and 'Ghost Town' here are not versions of the R.E.M. or Specials
>tracks, respectively.
>Credit where it's due for being a good sport, though.

The way the chart show DJ's treat poor Katie makes me want to punch them 
in the face though(*). Scott Mills played *three* singles that dropped 
more than Katie Melua's yesterday, while ignoring hers - and their 
contempt is barely concealed, both for the songs, and the people who buy 
them.

(*) Or better still, tie them down and make them listen to a continuous 
tape of all her songs! :)
>
>>Babyshambles #5,
>
> It's tempting to make the usual cracks about it being surprising for Pete
>Doherty to get attention for making an actual record, though this is
>actually his fourth album since 2002. By all accounts Stephen Street has
>imposed a new level of discipline on the band, although he doesn't seem to
>have been able to stop them writing a song about one of Doherty's drawings.
>As ever, there's a limited bonus DVD with live tracks, interviews and a
>video.

And as ever, the album will have no longevity.
>
>> Annie Lennox #7,
>
>Fourth solo album from the frequently award-winning Scot. Includes the
>allegedly forthcoming single 'Sing', which features guest vocals from
>Madonna, Celine Dion and many others.

IMO she's lost the spark she had in the 80's & early 90's. In fact, she 
was virtually the only artist I still followed during my 'blank' period 
from the mid-80's onward.

I bought maybe 5 albums during the whole of the 90's, and three of them 
were hers - 2 solo, & Eurythmics GH.
>
>> Bob Dylan #10,
>
>And so the Best-of season commences, with a collection of his finest work
>(and 'Lay Lady Lay'). You can choose from an 18-track single disc or a
>51-track triple, the longer version available in standard or deluxe
>packaging; for maximum confusion, the UK edition of the shorter album
>includes a "bonus" disc with the Mark Ronson remix on it.

Ronson seems to be everywhere ATM!

I notice he co-wrote three tracks on Christina's last album, including 
the hit 'Hurt'.
>
>>Gabrielle #11
>
>Rather low-key appearance for her fifth album, featuring the Weller-sampling
>near-hit 'Why' and another track based on Prml Scrm's 'Rocks'.

Yet another has-been who remains blissfully unaware of that fact.
>
>> New outside the top 20 : Nightwish #25,
>
>Sixth album from the pretentious metallists, but their first with new
>vocalist Anette Olzon.

Oh, that was who I saw in the video.
>
>> Bee Gees #35,
>
>Remaster of a compilation that originally went Top 10 in 1979, now expanded
>with bonus tracks (mostly remixes). You wouldn't normally expect much call
>for an old Greatest Hits album, but I suppose the selling point of this one
>is that it concentrates firmly on their disco era.

Trying to sell to the one fan in a thousand who doesn't already have 
their every hit from that era?
>
>> Steve Earle #55,
>
>Another collection from the rebellious country star, who duets with his
>(seventh!) wife Alison Moorer on one track here.
>In a slightly unexpected move, production is by John King of The Dust
>Brothers.

I assume that means more to you than it does to me.
>
>>Harry Connick Jr #63,
>
>My New Orleans is, predictably, an album full of versions of songs from the
>eponymous city, Connick's hometown.

Any Katrina & the Waves covers? :)
>
>>Peter Bjorn & John #68,
>
>Belated Top 75 debut for an album that first charted in August last year,
>now available as a deluxe double CD with remixes, B-sides and videos. Wish
>I'd known they were going to do that before I bought the normal version.

I was beginning to wonder who bought their stuff...
>
>
>>Cult #72,
>
>Another comeback from the long-running rockers, who seem to think we'll be
>impressed that the mixer for this album has also worked with Madonna.

Why - do they mention it on the cover, or something?
>
>>Puppini Sisters #73,
>
>Second album and it looks like the novelty is already wearing off.

What novelty?
>
>>Kate Walsh #75
>
>Another rather late chart entry, for an album that was first issued
>independently in April and re-released by a major in June.

Though what has changed to make it chart *now*, is unclear to say the 
least.
>
>> Also - not a NE, but a new peak for Feist at #44
>
>I was going to say that!

I dare say it'll have a bit more life in it yet.
>
>> Next Week
>> ---------
>> Singles
>> -------
>> The Sugababes look safe enough for at least one more week.
>
>Yeah, especially with not much coming.

Not to mention a probable 2-1 sales lead from last week.
>
>> Top 10 : Ali & AJ,
>
>Aly?
>
Whatever.

>> Top 20 :
>
>> Hoosiers,
>
>Assuming that it wasn't released as a download last week. ;-)

Another song hard to avoid on Sky. :(
>
>> Top 30 : Hives,
>
>Seems about right, as this comeback hasn't unleashed massive excitement.

For 'massive', read 'any'.
>
>>Roisin Murphy,
>
>Not sure about this one - she's obviously never had a solo hit before and
>this does rather remind me of that Tracey Thorn single.

But have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling around 
- need I say more... :)
>
>> Pet Shop Boys (DLO*)
>
>If you mean 'Integral', that came out this week.

It's listed for download-only release on 8th Oct (today).

>And would it really do as
>well as the last one anyway?

Not just on downloads, certainly.
>
>> Top 40 : Chico,
>
>Really, who can possibly predict this one.

I just did. :)
>
>>Natasha B (DLO)
>
>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very successful.

Plus she is always good eye-candy...
>
>> Any other possibilities?
>
>Dave Gahan has a lot of fans (or at least Depeche Mode have) and you might
>have heard that the NME has started a rather stupid campaign to return 'God
>Save The Queen' to Number One. Obviously, they won't succeed, but I wouldn't
>be at all surprised to see it in the Top 40.

I would - don't forget it was re-released as recently as 2002, when it 
reached #15.
>
>> Albums
>> ------
>> The Sugababes should have no trouble completing the double.
>
>Agreed - they have a very strong track record.

And little competition.
>
>> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat,
>
>Off the back of a Number 72 single?

She's *very* Radio 2 though - and hit singles aren't necessary for 
easy-listening artists to sell albums - Norah Jones 'Come Away With Me', 
for example.
>
>> Jack Penate,
>
>Yeah. Top 10 I reckon.
>
Maybe even #2 behind the Babes.

>>Jennifer Lopez,
>
>Not out until the 15th, apparently.

Pushed back a week from the NR schedule I was using.
>
>> Pet Shop Boys
>
>Actually, is this eligible for the artist album chart?

Well, the last time I looked, they counted as music artists...
>
>> Chicago,
>
>Are they releasing an album then?

A 'Best Of', apparently.
>
>>Ed Harcourt,
>
>Somewhere in the Top 75, at least. But there's an obvious problem with him
>trying to release a hits compilation.

Not the least of it being that it has also been put back to the 15th. :)
>
>> Leann Rimes,
>
>Yeah.

But probably not well, off the back of a much under-appreciated single.
>
>>Mario,
>
>According to HMV, it's not out until next month. By which time everyone will
>have forgotten the single.

Another release-date change.
>
>> Stevie Wonder
>
>Deserves to sell

... nothing...

>, obviously, but it seems to coming out by stealth and a lot
>of people already have these tracks.

It'll undoubtedly contain one of my all-time three most hated singles 'I 
Just Called...'
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

In uk.music.charts on Mon, 8 Oct 2007, Paul Hyett 
 wrote :
>>
>>> Albums
>>> ------
>>> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat,
>>
>>Off the back of a Number 72 single?
>
>She's *very* Radio 2 though - and hit singles aren't necessary for 
>easy-listening artists to sell albums
>>
Following up : I got caught out on this one - bought it via Amazon, 
figuring it'd be cheaper as usual - but saw it in Woolies today £2 
cheaper at just £6.97.

Oh well, at least that means it'll chart higher...
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:rZfmNsAlmRCHFwiq@blueyonder.co.uk...
> Singles
> -------
> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to the 
> CD release.
>
> New Entries/Climbers
> --------------------
> Top 10 : Ida Corr #2, Ronson/Winehouse #7, Feist #8
> Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11, Stereophonics #12, Elvis #15
> Top 30 : MSP #22, Kate Nash #23, Mika #29
> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33, Lethal Bizzle #37, Kanye West #40
>
> New outside the top 40 : Coral #44, Ne-Yo #62, MIA #66, Amy Winehouse #69, 
> Sex Pistols #70, Hives #73, Biffy Clyro #74, Timbaland #75
>
> BTW, Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' has now had 57 weeks on the chart, which 
> I think is now the 3rd longest ever run!

But only just as it was no.75 last week, assuming that for 'official',
i.e.Guinness Hit Singles purposes, the 76-100 positions still don't
count. Of course 'Chasing Cars' should have an even longer run but
that's another story entirely of course....
-- 
Col

Steal a spaceship and head for the sun,
Shoot the stars with a lemonade ray gun.

"Chris Brown"  wrote in message 
news:febhqa$179$1@inews.gazeta.pl...
>
> "Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
> news:rZfmNsAlmRCHFwiq@blueyonder.co.uk...
>> Singles
>> -------
>> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to 
>> the CD release.
>
> Of course, one disadvantage of a single topping the charts on downloads is 
> that it can make the physical release look a bit anti-climactic.

Though why would that matter?
They've got their no.1 single.
-- 
Col

Steal a spaceship and head for the sun,
Shoot the stars with a lemonade ray gun.

On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:52:28 +0100, Paul Hyett  wrote:

> In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Fred X  wrote
> :
>> On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Talking of Katie Melua, did you listen to Mark Radcliffe on R2 on
>> Friday?
>
> No.
>
>> I didn't hear the show, but I heard about what they were
>> going to do on the show.
>
> What was it, then?

Well he previously had been talking about that line in her new single where
she sings "If you were a piece of wood, I'd nail you to the floor", and
asked his listeners to come up with their own similar lines. Some of the
results were "if you were a swimming pool, I'd chlorinate you" and "If you
were a tile, I'd grout you" and Katie said she was going to sing some the
listeners versions when she appeared on the show! It's probably available
on Listen Again on the R2 site if you want to hear it.

Fred X

"Fred X"  wrote in message 
news:op.tzv6uvasj3tnem@skynet.wag54gs...
> On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:52:28 +0100, Paul Hyett 
>  wrote:
>
>> In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Fred X  wrote
>> :
>>> On Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:40:17 +0100, Paul Hyett
>>>  wrote:
>>>
>>> Talking of Katie Melua, did you listen to Mark Radcliffe on R2 on
>>> Friday?
>>
>> No.
>>
>>> I didn't hear the show, but I heard about what they were
>>> going to do on the show.
>>
>> What was it, then?
>
> Well he previously had been talking about that line in her new single 
> where
> she sings "If you were a piece of wood, I'd nail you to the floor", and
> asked his listeners to come up with their own similar lines. Some of the
> results were "if you were a swimming pool, I'd chlorinate you" and "If you
> were a tile, I'd grout you" and Katie said she was going to sing some the
> listeners versions when she appeared on the show! It's probably available
> on Listen Again on the R2 site if you want to hear it.

See here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/wright/

Don't worry - although it was nominally the Steve Wright show he was on 
holiday last week.

    Chris

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:LER+q7GcjdCHFwH6@blueyonder.co.uk...
> In uk.music.charts on Sun, 7 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
>  wrote :
>
>>> Singles
>>> -------
>>> Sugababes greatly consolidate their hold on the #1 position, thanks to 
>>> the
>>> CD release.
>>
>>Of course, one disadvantage of a single topping the charts on downloads is
>>that it can make the physical release look a bit anti-climactic.
>
> Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted on 
> full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen eventually.

Bound to - I'd guess that the first one will be a charity record or a TV 
show winner or something like that.

>>But here it
>>is anyway, cementing the first ever Number One for this lineup.
>
> This line up were part of 'Walk This Way'.

Yeah, but so were Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts and the other three.

> Where they really score over Girls Aloud though, is that they are not just 
> pretty faces - they also write their own songs.

Well I see it the opposite way - I give the people behind Girls Aloud credit 
for delegating the songwriting to people who know how to do it.

>>Many have also noted the
>>presumably deliberate - if rather late - Strokes quotation at the start.
>
> I must have missed that?

The drumbeat at the start is extremely reminiscent of 'Hard To Explain', a 
hit in 2001. But to be fair, two of the present Babes weren't in the band 
then.

>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>> --------------------
>>> Top 10 : Ida Corr #2,
>>
>>Technically a climber, although I suppose it may be more like a fall for
>>Shayne.
>
> Even if it was #3, it would still be a climber, since it was #5 last week.

Yeah - but you know what I mean.

> I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were big 
> sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him 
> dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.

I see he wasn't very far behind Number 2, but I suppose it's the distance 
down to 4 that matters.

>>>Ronson/Winehouse #7,
>>
>> Now officially the biggest 'Valerie', unless you count Eric Prydz.
>
> Another 'Proclaimers' situation, with one version chasing another up the 
> charts on download - AW's solo version being at #69.

Yes, although it's hard to know whether people are doing it on purpose - I'd 
guess that it's less likely this time, because you won't have the same 
phenomenon of people who know the earlier version and object to the new one.

> For me though, just as with the Ronson/Lily Allen song, I am unsure as to 
> what his contribution is supposed to be?

He's the producer, I think he plays some keyboards and it was his idea in 
the first place - and the studio time was paid for out of his advance. 
People have had credits for less.

>>>Feist #8
>>
>>And still it climbs. I sort of wish I'd prepared more to say about it.
>
> It's finally reached the heights I always thought it deserved. :)

I wonder whether it can get any higher? In relative terms, it's probably one 
of the biggest advert-spawned hits in years.

>>> Top 20 : Jennifer Lopez #11,
>>
>>Mislaid your copy of Paula Abdul - The Collected B-Sides Volume 2? Well,
>>help is at hand with this supposedly new single
>
> I don't get it?

I'm just insulting the record, don't worry about it.

>> from the woman we're not
>>supposed to call J-Lo anymore.
>
> Just too convenient an abbreviation ,though. :)

I think she still uses that name for the perfume business.

>>> Stereophonics #12,
>>
>>So it has got verses then.
>>The not-wholly-innacurately-titled 'It Means Nothing' is the first proper
>>single from their new album. As such, it would normally be expected to 
>>storm
>>into the Top 5, as even swiftly-forgotten turkeys like 'Mr Writer' and
>>'Madame Helga' did in the same position. Perhaps the introduction of
>>downloads has diluted the power of their name
>
> We won't know that until we see how well it did on that chart, though as 
> we well know, rock tends to over-rely on the ever declining physical 
> market.

As I said, though, they didn't seem to suffer (in terms of chart entry 
points) when downloads first started to count in 2005.

>>, although their success in
>>2005 doesn't entirely suggest that, or maybe a slowie like this isn't the
>>way to launch an album.
>
> Having said that, next Monday is relatively quiet for new albums, so they 
> should still manage #1.

Oh yeah, I was taking that as a given anyway.

>>> Elvis #15
>>
>>'King Creole', title song from the film, was originally a Number 2 in late
>>1958. One problem with these re-issues is that they're not necessarily
>>picking out the ones that there's most to say about.
>
> I guess he's now going for a record for most consecutive #15's. :)

Yeah. I suppose he could keep working his way down - a series of 14s, then 
15s... then 16s.

> I don't even know the next three releases - not until the 29th is the next 
> one I'm familiar with (Viva Las Vegas).

Are you claiming that you did remember 'Hard-Headed Woman' and 'Don't'? The 
next one I know is 'If I Can Dream', and I actually *know* the songs from 
that point on.

>>> Top 30 : MSP #22,
>>
>>The band who released 'Autumnsong' in July now bring us a record with the
>>word "Summer" in the title just in time for, er, October. Presumably that
>>Christmas single they're supposedly working on will come out in about May,
>>then.
>
> Grin.

There actually is a track called 'Winterlovers' on the album already, so 
they might knock that one out in the summer.

>>The bad news for them is that people are getting tired of this sort of
>>thing, and it's their first single since 1994 to miss the Top 20.
>
> ISTM that the first single from the album was almost 'too' successful - 
> selling more copies of the album than usual early on, and thus killing 
> later singles.

I don't have the facts at my fingertips, but I would find it very hard to 
believe that Everything Must Go or This Is My Truth had sold less by the 
time their third singles came out.

>>>Kate Nash #23,
>>
>>Do you think that dragon on the cover scared people off? ;-)
>>It'd be interesting to imagine how this might have done had it come out
>>before the album.
>
> Instead of Foundations, you mean? In those circumstances, it would surely 
> have struggled to make the top 200.

No - I mean if they'd released it as the follow-up but before the album. 
AFAIK that was the original plan but they brought the album forward because 
'Foundations' was an unexpectedly big hit.

>>> Mika #29
>>
>>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.
>
> I'd be surprised if this goes top 10 even then, given it is the 4th from a 
> high-selling album.

It'll need something special, for sure.

>>> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,
>>
>>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.
>
> The release schedule says it's out today.

Oops, forgot to copy before pasting there - that's a repeat of the Mika 
info. The single is indeed out today, but only on CD.

>>> Lethal Bizzle #37,
>>
>>Sampling The Clash's version of 'Police On My Back', Bizzle narrates a 
>>tale
>>of car theft, although he dodges any accusation of glorification as it is
>>only a Fiat Punto.
>
> At least this is on full release, so this is surely the last we'll ever 
> hear of it.

Well, some of us might hear it again, but I'm not expecting it to go Top 10.

>>> Kanye West #40
>>
>>Physical release date 29th Oct.
>
> What list are you using? I have 5th Nov.

IIRC, I got that one from Buzzjack, although most of mine are from HMV.

> I've noticed a tendency for urban tracks to chart especially early on 
> download - often well over a month before physical release.

Who wants to wait for the B-sides?

>>>Coral #44,
>>
>>A decent-sized radio hit for them, but it doesn't seem to have motivated
>>many people into actually spending money on it. I didn't quite get round 
>>to
>>it myself.
>
> I thought it one of their better ones, myself.

I wouldn't actively disagree with that. But it seems like it's "just" 
another good Coral single.

>>>Ne-Yo #62,
>>
>>Possibly not the new R-Kelly after all, then.
>
> Low profile single - little sign of it on Sky.

There's some suggestion on the messageboards that it's not supposed to be 
out for a couple of weeks, but if so the entire HMV chain seems to have 
leaked it.

>>>MIA #66,
>>
>>A (translated) cover of a song from the 1982 Hindi film Disco Dancer,
>>although the ultimate effect is oddly reminiscent of Boney M. As many 
>>failed
>>revivals in recent years have demonstrated, sounding like Boney M isn't a
>>guaranteed recipe for success these days.
>
> Only Boney M could pull off the disco/gospel combination, ISTM.

Even then, all the comebacks seem to fail. I don't think the musical lasted 
long either.

>>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>>
>>Her own version of 'Valerie'. I can't remember exactly how different this 
>>is
>>from Mark Ronson's arrangement.
>
> I don't suppose this was ever intended to be a single, but that doesn't 
> matter nowadays...

Indeed not, it was a B-side. I don't actually know whether this was recorded 
before or after the Ronson version.

>>>Sex Pistols #70,
>>
>>'Anarchy In The UK', the first instalment in a reissue programme we'll be
>>hearing more of.
>
> Or not, given where this ended up.

At the very least, there's no reason why the other three shouldn't sell as 
many as this one.

>>>Timbaland #75
>>
>>Out on CD & 12" on the 29th.
>
> And that's a hat-trick. :)
>>
>>Also, I have a slight correction to make: last week I wrongly attributed
>>'Hip Hop Police' to Slick Rick (thanks a lot Yahoo!); it is in fact by
>>Chamillionaire ft Slick Rick.
>
> I had that problem too - it messed up my chart spreadsheet a bit.

They did it again this time, crediting the Timbaland record to One Republic. 
But once bitten, twice shy.

>>> Albums
>>> ------
>>> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1.
>>> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.
>>
>>His third consecutive Number One album of new material this century, not
>>counting the covers on The Seeger Sessions, three live albums or a
>>compilation.
>
> Wonder what the sales margins were, finally?

You'll know by now.

>>> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2,
>>
>>I have to admit to some relief on discovering that the tracks 'Perfect
>>Circle' and 'Ghost Town' here are not versions of the R.E.M. or Specials
>>tracks, respectively.
>>Credit where it's due for being a good sport, though.
>
> The way the chart show DJ's treat poor Katie makes me want to punch them 
> in the face though(*). Scott Mills played *three* singles that dropped 
> more than Katie Melua's yesterday, while ignoring hers - and their 
> contempt is barely concealed, both for the songs, and the people who buy 
> them.

By my count, didn't they play 39 records?
I can see why, if you care about music, it's hard to respect people who buy 
bad records - especially ones by people who could do better.

>>>Babyshambles #5,
>>
> And as ever, the album will have no longevity.

Didn't the first Libertines album sell half a million or something?

>>> Annie Lennox #7,
>>
>>Fourth solo album from the frequently award-winning Scot. Includes the
>>allegedly forthcoming single 'Sing', which features guest vocals from
>>Madonna, Celine Dion and many others.
>
> IMO she's lost the spark she had in the 80's & early 90's. In fact, she 
> was virtually the only artist I still followed during my 'blank' period 
> from the mid-80's onward.

I never really thought her solo stuff was that interesting to start with.

> I bought maybe 5 albums during the whole of the 90's, and three of them 
> were hers - 2 solo, & Eurythmics GH.

My dad bought the double CD of Medusa.

>>> Bob Dylan #10,
>>
>>And so the Best-of season commences, with a collection of his finest work
>>(and 'Lay Lady Lay'). You can choose from an 18-track single disc or a
>>51-track triple, the longer version available in standard or deluxe
>>packaging; for maximum confusion, the UK edition of the shorter album
>>includes a "bonus" disc with the Mark Ronson remix on it.
>
> Ronson seems to be everywhere ATM!

I presume that's why he was offered the Dylan job.

> I notice he co-wrote three tracks on Christina's last album, including the 
> hit 'Hurt'.

It does sort of ring a bell that he was involved, although I'd never have 
pegged that song as one of his.
Of course he also has a lot of writing credits on the Amy Winehouse album - 
so he could be said to contribute more to some of her solo hits than to 
'Valerie'.

>>>Gabrielle #11
>>
>>Rather low-key appearance for her fifth album, featuring the 
>>Weller-sampling
>>near-hit 'Why' and another track based on Prml Scrm's 'Rocks'.
>
> Yet another has-been who remains blissfully unaware of that fact.

Fairly non-irritating presence though.

>>> New outside the top 20 : Nightwish #25,
>>
>>Sixth album from the pretentious metallists, but their first with new
>>vocalist Anette Olzon.
>
> Oh, that was who I saw in the video.

I suppose it was. Watching Nightwish videos isn't a hobby for me. Apparently 
everyone took sides when the old singer was sacked.

>>> Bee Gees #35,
>>
>>Remaster of a compilation that originally went Top 10 in 1979, now 
>>expanded
>>with bonus tracks (mostly remixes). You wouldn't normally expect much call
>>for an old Greatest Hits album, but I suppose the selling point of this 
>>one
>>is that it concentrates firmly on their disco era.
>
> Trying to sell to the one fan in a thousand who doesn't already have their 
> every hit from that era?

I suppose it's good for people who really like that era and not the stuff 
before or after it.

>>> Steve Earle #55,
>>
>>Another collection from the rebellious country star, who duets with his
>>(seventh!) wife Alison Moorer on one track here.
>>In a slightly unexpected move, production is by John King of The Dust
>>Brothers.
>
> I assume that means more to you than it does to me.

Yeah, the Dust Brothers are electro/hip-hop types who are better known for 
producing the likes of Beck and the Beastie Boys, so one of them working 
with a country singer is mildly remarkable.

>>>Peter Bjorn & John #68,
>>
>>Belated Top 75 debut for an album that first charted in August last year,
>>now available as a deluxe double CD with remixes, B-sides and videos. Wish
>>I'd known they were going to do that before I bought the normal version.
>
> I was beginning to wonder who bought their stuff...

Well I didn't buy it again.

>>>Cult #72,
>>
>>Another comeback from the long-running rockers, who seem to think we'll be
>>impressed that the mixer for this album has also worked with Madonna.
>
> Why - do they mention it on the cover, or something?

I presume he's credited somewhere in there, but it's certainly mentioned in 
the press material and all that.

>>>Puppini Sisters #73,
>>
>>Second album and it looks like the novelty is already wearing off.
>
> What novelty?

Whatever novelty put their previous disc into the Top 20.

>>>Kate Walsh #75
>>
>>Another rather late chart entry, for an album that was first issued
>>independently in April and re-released by a major in June.
>
> Though what has changed to make it chart *now*, is unclear to say the 
> least.

I think they're going for a slow-build promo-wise. Perhaps it's been 
discounted?

>>> Next Week
>>> ---------
>>> Singles
>>> -------
>
>>> Top 20 :
>>
>>> Hoosiers,
>>
>>Assuming that it wasn't released as a download last week. ;-)
>
> Another song hard to avoid on Sky. :(

Or on the radio.

>>> Top 30 : Hives,
>>
>>Seems about right, as this comeback hasn't unleashed massive excitement.
>
> For 'massive', read 'any'.

It's been noticed at least.

>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>
>>Not sure about this one - she's obviously never had a solo hit before and
>>this does rather remind me of that Tracey Thorn single.
>
> But have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling around - 
> need I say more... :)

I hadn't actually.

>>> Pet Shop Boys (DLO*)
>>
>>If you mean 'Integral', that came out this week.
>
> It's listed for download-only release on 8th Oct (today).

I looked it up on one site, and they had the remixes on there dated the 1st. 
Obviously, the song itself has been available to download for a year.

>>And would it really do as
>>well as the last one anyway?
>
> Not just on downloads, certainly.

That - very unusually - missed the Top 20.

>>>Natasha B (DLO)
>>
>>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very successful.
>
> Plus she is always good eye-candy...

But downloads are the worst possible format on which to appreciate that.

>>> Any other possibilities?
>>
>>Dave Gahan has a lot of fans (or at least Depeche Mode have) and you might
>>have heard that the NME has started a rather stupid campaign to return 
>>'God
>>Save The Queen' to Number One. Obviously, they won't succeed, but I 
>>wouldn't
>>be at all surprised to see it in the Top 40.
>
> I would - don't forget it was re-released as recently as 2002, when it 
> reached #15.

So if they bought it then, why wouldn't they now?

Also, apparently the new McFly single has just gone onto iTunes. If so, 
that'll be interesting to see.

>>> Albums
>>> ------

>>
>>> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat,
>>
>>Off the back of a Number 72 single?
>
> She's *very* Radio 2 though -

Possibly, but they haven't forced her down our throats in the way of Amy 
Macdonald, etc.

> and hit singles aren't necessary for easy-listening artists to sell 
> albums - Norah Jones 'Come Away With Me', for example.

But that album didn't go straight in at the top, did it?
I can envisage this as a possible success, just not an overnight hit on that 
scale.

>>> Jack Penate,
>>
>>Yeah. Top 10 I reckon.
>>
> Maybe even #2 behind the Babes.

Decidedly possible.

>>> Pet Shop Boys
>>
>>Actually, is this eligible for the artist album chart?
>
> Well, the last time I looked, they counted as music artists...

Add your own punchline here. ;-)
But seriously, only two of the tracks on here are actually *by* the PSBs - 
the others are their mixes of other people's records. So it may be up to the 
OCC's discretion.

>>> Chicago,
>>
>>Are they releasing an album then?
>
> A 'Best Of', apparently.

Again?

>>>Ed Harcourt,
>>
>>Somewhere in the Top 75, at least. But there's an obvious problem with him
>>trying to release a hits compilation.
>
> Not the least of it being that it has also been put back to the 15th. :)

Makes sense, I suppose.


>>> Stevie Wonder
>>
>>Deserves to sell
>
> ... nothing...
>
>>, obviously, but it seems to coming out by stealth and a lot
>>of people already have these tracks.
>
> It'll undoubtedly contain one of my all-time three most hated singles 'I 
> Just Called...'

Yeah, but it does have 19 other tracks on it.
Don't think I wouldn't be tempted to buy the digital album and just not 
download that one. ;-)

    Chris

In uk.music.charts on Mon, 8 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :
>>
>>>> Singles
>>>> -------
>>
>> Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted on
>> full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen eventually.
>
>Bound to - I'd guess that the first one will be a charity record or a TV
>show winner or something like that.

That's what I expect, too.
>
>> Where they really score over Girls Aloud though, is that they are not just
>> pretty faces - they also write their own songs.
>
>Well I see it the opposite way - I give the people behind Girls Aloud credit
>for delegating the songwriting to people who know how to do it.

Well, the Sugababes have done pretty well on their own song-writing 
abilities so far...

But my point was - if you don't write your own songs, you are screwed 
once record companies stop giving you a-list material to record.
>
>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>> --------------------
>
>> I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were big
>> sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him
>> dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.
>
>I see he wasn't very far behind Number 2, but I suppose it's the distance
>down to 4 that matters.

He actually climbed from #11 to #9 on downloads, which does a long way 
towards explaining why his sales declined less than expected. I doubt 
he'll gain the same benefit this week, though.
>
>>>>Ronson/Winehouse #7,
>
>> For me though, just as with the Ronson/Lily Allen song, I am unsure as to
>> what his contribution is supposed to be?
>
>He's the producer, I think he plays some keyboards and it was his idea in
>the first place - and the studio time was paid for out of his advance.
>People have had credits for less.
>
He may convince himself - but IMO it is *only* AW's vocals that people 
are buying the song for, with the climb of her solo version adding 
credence to my theory.

>>>>Feist #8
>>>
>>>And still it climbs. I sort of wish I'd prepared more to say about it.
>>
>> It's finally reached the heights I always thought it deserved. :)
>
>I wonder whether it can get any higher? In relative terms, it's probably one
>of the biggest advert-spawned hits in years.

Whether you can call it the biggest download-only hit so far is 
disputable though, since there will be at least a few physical singles 
in the total (though surely not enough to change its position if they 
were excluded).
>
>>>> Stereophonics #12,
>>>
>>>Perhaps the introduction of
>>>downloads has diluted the power of their name
>>
>> We won't know that until we see how well it did on that chart, though as
>> we well know, rock tends to over-rely on the ever declining physical
>> market.
>
>As I said, though, they didn't seem to suffer (in terms of chart entry
>points) when downloads first started to count in 2005.

They were #22 on downloads, up from #31 the previous week - not as 
reliant as some, but still a significant disparity.
>>
>> Having said that, next Monday is relatively quiet for new albums, so they
>> should still manage #1.
>
>Oh yeah, I was taking that as a given anyway.

Some bands seem to be far luckier than others with the timing of their 
releases. :)
>
>>>> Top 30 : MSP #22,
>>>
>>>The band who released 'Autumnsong' in July now bring us a record with the
>>>word "Summer" in the title just in time for, er, October. Presumably that
>>>Christmas single they're supposedly working on will come out in about May,
>>>then.
>>
>> Grin.
>
>There actually is a track called 'Winterlovers' on the album already, so
>they might knock that one out in the summer.

MSP are one of the bands who *really* suffer when it comes to selling 
downloads v physical sales.

For example, Autumnsong was #10 overall, but just #112 on download, and 
I suspect download sales for the current sing will barely go top 200.

Admittedly 'Your Love Alone' was an exception, but I suspect that was 
because of a significant mainstream appeal that MSP singles generally 
lack.
>
>>>>Kate Nash #23,
>>>
>>>Do you think that dragon on the cover scared people off? ;-)
>>>It'd be interesting to imagine how this might have done had it come out
>>>before the album.
>>
>> Instead of Foundations, you mean? In those circumstances, it would surely
>> have struggled to make the top 200.
>
>No - I mean if they'd released it as the follow-up but before the album.

Ah, OK.

>AFAIK that was the original plan but they brought the album forward because
>'Foundations' was an unexpectedly big hit.

Given this one's under-performance, could 'Foundations' have been 
something of a fluke?
>
>>>> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,
>>>
>>>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.
>>
>> The release schedule says it's out today.
>
>Oops, forgot to copy before pasting there - that's a repeat of the Mika
>info. The single is indeed out today, but only on CD.

The local HMV have done their best to pretend the CD doesn't exist 
though - just a couple of copies out of the way on a bottom shelf.
>
>>>> Kanye West #40
>
>> I've noticed a tendency for urban tracks to chart especially early on
>> download - often well over a month before physical release.
>
>Who wants to wait for the B-sides?

Who even cares about B-sides?
>>
>> Only Boney M could pull off the disco/gospel combination, ISTM.
>
>Even then, all the comebacks seem to fail. I don't think the musical lasted
>long either.

Less time than Boney M's biggest hit stayed in the charts, almost 
certainly. :)
>
>>>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>>>
>>>Her own version of 'Valerie'. I can't remember exactly how different this
>>>is
>>>from Mark Ronson's arrangement.
>>
>> I don't suppose this was ever intended to be a single, but that doesn't
>> matter nowadays...
>
>Indeed not, it was a B-side. I don't actually know whether this was recorded
>before or after the Ronson version.

It's not on her album, then?
>
>>>>Sex Pistols #70,
>>>
>>>'Anarchy In The UK', the first instalment in a reissue programme we'll be
>>>hearing more of.
>>
>> Or not, given where this ended up.
>
>At the very least, there's no reason why the other three shouldn't sell as
>many as this one.

A 'massive' 1500 copies, then? :)

********************

On a totally separate matter, Britney's video for 'Gimme More' is now 
out :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ceCMpPJgc

Not exactly lyrically challenging for her, which is probably just as 
well ATM. :)

Certainly not one of her best, and made worse by the late voice-over by 
a bloody rapper. She still looks pretty fit though...

********************
>
>>>> Albums
>>>> ------
>>>> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to #1.
>>>> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.
>>>
>>>His third consecutive Number One album of new material this century, not
>>>counting the covers on The Seeger Sessions, three live albums or a
>>>compilation.
>>
>> Wonder what the sales margins were, finally?
>
>You'll know by now.

Indeed - 24k, though I have a funny feeling she'll chart far longer than 
he will.
>
>>>> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2,
>>
>> The way the chart show DJ's treat poor Katie makes me want to punch them
>> in the face though(*). Scott Mills played *three* singles that dropped
>> more than Katie Melua's yesterday, while ignoring hers - and their
>> contempt is barely concealed, both for the songs, and the people who buy
>> them.
>
>By my count, didn't they play 39 records?

I wasn't keeping score.

>I can see why, if you care about music, it's hard to respect people who buy
>bad records

But what is a 'bad' record is completely subjective...
>
>>>>Babyshambles #5,
>>>
>> And as ever, the album will have no longevity.
>
>Didn't the first Libertines album sell half a million or something?

I'm leaving towards 'something'. :)
>>
>> Ronson seems to be everywhere ATM!
>
>I presume that's why he was offered the Dylan job.
>
>> I notice he co-wrote three tracks on Christina's last album, including the
>> hit 'Hurt'.
>
>It does sort of ring a bell that he was involved, although I'd never have
>pegged that song as one of his.

Of the three singles so far from that album, I liked 'Hurt' least.

>
>>>>Kate Walsh #75
>>>
>>>Another rather late chart entry, for an album that was first issued
>>>independently in April and re-released by a major in June.
>>
>> Though what has changed to make it chart *now*, is unclear to say the
>> least.
>
>I think they're going for a slow-build promo-wise.

So it'll reach the top 20 by the time of the next ice-age? :)

>
>>>> Next Week
>>>> ---------
>>>> Singles
>>>> -------
>>
>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>>
>>>Not sure about this one - she's obviously never had a solo hit before and
>>>this does rather remind me of that Tracey Thorn single.
>>
>> But have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling around -
>> need I say more... :)
>
>I hadn't actually.

It depends if you like that sort of thing, I suppose. :)

She's not well-endowed, though.
>
>>>>Natasha B (DLO)
>>>
>>>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very successful.
>>
>> Plus she is always good eye-candy...
>
>But downloads are the worst possible format on which to appreciate that.

But there is a video, and she is in a swimming cozzy for one scene...
>
>>>> Any other possibilities?
>>>
>>>you might
>>>have heard that the NME has started a rather stupid campaign to return
>>>'God
>>>Save The Queen' to Number One. Obviously, they won't succeed, but I
>>>wouldn't
>>>be at all surprised to see it in the Top 40.
>>
>> I would - don't forget it was re-released as recently as 2002, when it
>> reached #15.
>
>So if they bought it then, why wouldn't they now?

Because they bought it in 2002 - duh! :)
>
>Also, apparently the new McFly single has just gone onto iTunes. If so,
>that'll be interesting to see.

Strange for them to release on download before CD, but perhaps they 
recognise they have no hope in hell of being #1 against the opposition 
they face this time, so concentrating their sales won't matter.
>
>>>> Albums
>>>> ------
>>>
>>>> Top 20 NE : Colbie Caillat,
>>>
>I can envisage this as a possible success, just not an overnight hit on that
>scale.

See my other post about the cut-price release of it.
>
>>>> Chicago,
>>>
>>>Are they releasing an album then?
>>
>> A 'Best Of', apparently.
>
>Again?

They'd hardly be the first...
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:$qTTBDDUJyCHFwzO@blueyonder.co.uk...
> In uk.music.charts on Mon, 8 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
>  wrote :
>>>
>>>>> Singles
>>>>> -------
>>>
>>> Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted 
>>> on
>>> full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen 
>>> eventually.
>>
>>Bound to - I'd guess that the first one will be a charity record or a TV
>>show winner or something like that.
>
> That's what I expect, too.

Not least because those are the most likely to get released in all versions 
simultaneously. of course.

>>> Where they really score over Girls Aloud though, is that they are not 
>>> just
>>> pretty faces - they also write their own songs.
>>
>>Well I see it the opposite way - I give the people behind Girls Aloud 
>>credit
>>for delegating the songwriting to people who know how to do it.
>
> Well, the Sugababes have done pretty well on their own song-writing 
> abilities so far...

Not exclusively, though.

> But my point was - if you don't write your own songs, you are screwed once 
> record companies stop giving you a-list material to >record.

Well that is true, although for this sort of thing you need the record 
company's wholehearted support anyway.

>>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>>> --------------------
>>
>>> I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were 
>>> big
>>> sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him
>>> dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.
>>
>>I see he wasn't very far behind Number 2, but I suppose it's the distance
>>down to 4 that matters.
>
> He actually climbed from #11 to #9 on downloads, which does a long way 
> towards explaining why his sales declined less than expected. I doubt 
> he'll gain the same benefit this week, though.

Yeah. I can only assume that people were trying really hard to push him up 
to the topspot.

>>>>>Ronson/Winehouse #7,
>>
>>> For me though, just as with the Ronson/Lily Allen song, I am unsure as 
>>> to
>>> what his contribution is supposed to be?
>>
>>He's the producer, I think he plays some keyboards and it was his idea in
>>the first place - and the studio time was paid for out of his advance.
>>People have had credits for less.
>>
> He may convince himself - but IMO it is *only* AW's vocals that people are 
> buying the song for, with the climb of her solo version adding credence to 
> my theory.

Well, that's probably true. But that's like saying that all the Wham! 
records should have been credited to George Michael because nobody bought 
them for Andrew Ridgely's contributions.

>>>>>Feist #8
>>>>
>>>>And still it climbs. I sort of wish I'd prepared more to say about it.
>>>
>>> It's finally reached the heights I always thought it deserved. :)
>>
>>I wonder whether it can get any higher? In relative terms, it's probably 
>>one
>>of the biggest advert-spawned hits in years.
>
> Whether you can call it the biggest download-only hit so far is disputable 
> though, since there will be at least a few physical singles in the total 
> (though surely not enough to change its position if they were excluded).

I think it's dubious to call anything a download-only hit if it exists in 
physical forms.

>>>>> Stereophonics #12,
>>>>
>>>>Perhaps the introduction of
>>>>downloads has diluted the power of their name
>>>
>>> We won't know that until we see how well it did on that chart, though as
>>> we well know, rock tends to over-rely on the ever declining physical
>>> market.
>>
>>As I said, though, they didn't seem to suffer (in terms of chart entry
>>points) when downloads first started to count in 2005.
>
> They were #22 on downloads, up from #31 the previous week - not as reliant 
> as some, but still a significant disparity.

Which hints that it may have underperformed in both formats really.

>>>>> Top 30 : MSP #22,

> MSP are one of the bands who *really* suffer when it comes to selling 
> downloads v physical sales.
>
> For example, Autumnsong was #10 overall, but just #112 on download, and I 
> suspect download sales for the current sing will barely go top 200.

By the looks of things, those digital-only singles of 'Autumnsong' didn't 
really help, did they?

> Admittedly 'Your Love Alone' was an exception, but I suspect that was 
> because of a significant mainstream appeal that MSP singles generally 
> lack.

That'd be part of it (although I might insert an "in recent years" 
somewhere) but it will also have gained something from being released ahead 
of the album.

>>>>>Kate Nash #23,
>>>>
>>>>Do you think that dragon on the cover scared people off? ;-)
>>>>It'd be interesting to imagine how this might have done had it come out
>>>>before the album.
>>>
>>> Instead of Foundations, you mean? In those circumstances, it would 
>>> surely
>>> have struggled to make the top 200.
>>
>>No - I mean if they'd released it as the follow-up but before the album.
>
> Ah, OK.
>
>>AFAIK that was the original plan but they brought the album forward 
>>because
>>'Foundations' was an unexpectedly big hit.
>
> Given this one's under-performance, could 'Foundations' have been 
> something of a fluke?

Possibly. Unless this one is, of course.

>>>>> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,
>>>>
>>>>Out on CD & 7" on the 15th.
>>>
>>> The release schedule says it's out today.
>>
>>Oops, forgot to copy before pasting there - that's a repeat of the Mika
>>info. The single is indeed out today, but only on CD.
>
> The local HMV have done their best to pretend the CD doesn't exist 
> though - just a couple of copies out of the way on a >bottom shelf.

My local one does that to all the singles!

>>>>> Kanye West #40
>>
>>> I've noticed a tendency for urban tracks to chart especially early on
>>> download - often well over a month before physical release.
>>
>>Who wants to wait for the B-sides?
>
> Who even cares about B-sides?

Manic Street Preachers fans (see above)!

>>>>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>>>>
>>>>Her own version of 'Valerie'. I can't remember exactly how different 
>>>>this
>>>>is
>>>>from Mark Ronson's arrangement.
>>>
>>> I don't suppose this was ever intended to be a single, but that doesn't
>>> matter nowadays...
>>
>>Indeed not, it was a B-side. I don't actually know whether this was 
>>recorded
>>before or after the Ronson version.
>
> It's not on her album, then?

No. In fact, she might not even have heard the song at the time when she was 
recording the album.

>>>>>Sex Pistols #70,
>>>>
>>>>'Anarchy In The UK', the first instalment in a reissue programme we'll 
>>>>be
>>>>hearing more of.
>>>
>>> Or not, given where this ended up.
>>
>>At the very least, there's no reason why the other three shouldn't sell as
>>many as this one.
>
> A 'massive' 1500 copies, then? :)

Yeah, but if they make it to the Top 75, we see them.

>>>>> Albums
>>>>> ------
>>>>> To my great surprise & disappointment, the Boss beat Katie Melua to 
>>>>> #1.
>>>>> Any other week, I wouldn't have minded Bruce Springsteen being top.
>>>>
>>>>His third consecutive Number One album of new material this century, not
>>>>counting the covers on The Seeger Sessions, three live albums or a
>>>>compilation.
>>>
>>> Wonder what the sales margins were, finally?
>>
>>You'll know by now.
>
> Indeed - 24k, though I have a funny feeling she'll chart far longer than 
> he will.

Possibly. She's more likely to manage another hit I suppose.

>>>>> NE's (top 20) : Katie Melua #2,
>>>
>>> The way the chart show DJ's treat poor Katie makes me want to punch them
>>> in the face though(*). Scott Mills played *three* singles that dropped
>>> more than Katie Melua's yesterday, while ignoring hers - and their
>>> contempt is barely concealed, both for the songs, and the people who buy
>>> them.
>>
>>By my count, didn't they play 39 records?
>
> I wasn't keeping score.

I don't recall any others getting dropped out.

>>I can see why, if you care about music, it's hard to respect people who 
>>buy
>>bad records
>
> But what is a 'bad' record is completely subjective...

Of course. But if you feel passionate about music, you're bound to think 
that some of it is.

>>>>> Next Week
>>>>> ---------
>>>>> Singles
>>>>> -------
>>>
>>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>>>
>>>>Not sure about this one - she's obviously never had a solo hit before 
>>>>and
>>>>this does rather remind me of that Tracey Thorn single.
>>>
>>> But have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling 
>>> around -
>>> need I say more... :)
>>
>>I hadn't actually.
>
> It depends if you like that sort of thing, I suppose. :)
>
> She's not well-endowed, though.

I remember that.

>>>>>Natasha B (DLO)
>>>>
>>>>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very 
>>>>successful.
>>>
>>> Plus she is always good eye-candy...
>>
>>But downloads are the worst possible format on which to appreciate that.
>
> But there is a video, and she is in a swimming cozzy for one scene...

But that's the point. You don't get to see the video if you buy the 
download.

>>>>> Any other possibilities?
>>>>
>>>>you might
>>>>have heard that the NME has started a rather stupid campaign to return
>>>>'God
>>>>Save The Queen' to Number One. Obviously, they won't succeed, but I
>>>>wouldn't
>>>>be at all surprised to see it in the Top 40.
>>>
>>> I would - don't forget it was re-released as recently as 2002, when it
>>> reached #15.
>>
>>So if they bought it then, why wouldn't they now?
>
> Because they bought it in 2002 - duh! :)

Yeah, but they probably already had it then, as well.

>>Also, apparently the new McFly single has just gone onto iTunes. If so,
>>that'll be interesting to see.
>
> Strange for them to release on download before CD, but perhaps they 
> recognise they have no hope in hell of being #1 against the opposition 
> they face this time, so concentrating their sales won't matter.

That may be it.

    Chris

In uk.music.charts on Tue, 9 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :
>>>>
>>>> Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted
>>>> on
>>>> full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen
>>>> eventually.
>>>
>>>Bound to - I'd guess that the first one will be a charity record or a TV
>>>show winner or something like that.
>>
>> That's what I expect, too.
>
>Not least because those are the most likely to get released in all versions
>simultaneously. of course.

Of course, you could release the winner's track to download immediately 
after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies late 
on Saturday...
>
>>>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>>>> --------------------
>>>
>>>> I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were
>>>> big
>>>> sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him
>>>> dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.
>>>
>>>I see he wasn't very far behind Number 2, but I suppose it's the distance
>>>down to 4 that matters.
>>
>> He actually climbed from #11 to #9 on downloads, which does a long way
>> towards explaining why his sales declined less than expected. I doubt
>> he'll gain the same benefit this week, though.
>
>Yeah. I can only assume that people were trying really hard to push him up
>to the topspot.

They should have realised it was pointless even to try - if SW on full 
release couldn't beat Sugababes download-only sales, there was not a 
snowball in hell's chance he could do it against the 'Babes full 
release!
>>>
>> He may convince himself - but IMO it is *only* AW's vocals that people are
>> buying the song for, with the climb of her solo version adding credence to
>> my theory.
>
>Well, that's probably true. But that's like saying that all the Wham!
>records should have been credited to George Michael because nobody bought
>them for Andrew Ridgely's contributions.

You really want to get into *that* topic? :)
>
>>>>>>Feist #8
>>
>> Whether you can call it the biggest download-only hit so far is disputable
>> though, since there will be at least a few physical singles in the total
>> (though surely not enough to change its position if they were excluded).
>
>I think it's dubious to call anything a download-only hit if it exists in
>physical forms.

OTOH, I doubt whether more than 1% of its sales are physical, so it 
seems a little mean to exclude it.

However, Oasis will surely make this moot, as their forthcoming 
download-only single will surely get to #4 at worst.
>
>>>>>> Stereophonics #12,
>>
>> They were #22 on downloads, up from #31 the previous week - not as reliant
>> as some, but still a significant disparity.
>
>Which hints that it may have underperformed in both formats really.

That #12 position more than *hints* at it, it confirms it.
>
>>>>>> Top 40 : Aly & AJ #33,
>>
>> The local HMV have done their best to pretend the CD doesn't exist
>> though - just a couple of copies out of the way on a >bottom shelf.
>
>My local one does that to all the singles!

Fortunately mine still has a big singles display - and now that the 
local Virgin store has closed, it's the only reliable source for CD 
singles.
>>
>> Who even cares about B-sides?
>
>Manic Street Preachers fans (see above)!

Are you saying it got to the dizzy heights of #22 only because of the 
b-side?
>
>>>>>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>>>>>
>> It's not on her album, then?
>
>No. In fact, she might not even have heard the song at the time when she was
>recording the album.

She was *that* stoned? :)

Seriously though - it's unusual to release a track like this, that is 
neither a single or an album track - just opportunism ISTM.
>
>>>>>> Next Week
>>>>>> ---------
>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>> -------
>>>>
>>>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>>>
>>>>have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling
>>>> around -
>>>> need I say more... :)
>>>
>>>I hadn't actually.
>>
>> It depends if you like that sort of thing, I suppose. :)
>>
>> She's not well-endowed, though.
>
>I remember that.

Anyone would think you'd dated her. :)

Looks like being top 40 this week, though.
>
>>>>>>Natasha B (DLO)
>>>>>
>>>>>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very
>>>>>successful.
>>>>
>>>> Plus she is always good eye-candy...
>>>
>>>But downloads are the worst possible format on which to appreciate that.
>>
>> But there is a video, and she is in a swimming cozzy for one scene...
>
>But that's the point. You don't get to see the video if you buy the
>download.

But it isn't where you buy it, it's where you hear it, or see it.

If like me, you virtually never listen to the radio, then Sky is where 
you'll encounter most new songs. Or, increasingly commonly, Youtube.
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:p+$WEgBi3GDHFw5a@blueyonder.co.uk...
> In uk.music.charts on Tue, 9 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
>  wrote :
>>>>>
>>>>> Sooner or later, a single that gets to #1 on download will be thwarted
>>>>> on
>>>>> full release by an even bigger single, though. Bound to happen
>>>>> eventually.
>>>>
>>>>Bound to - I'd guess that the first one will be a charity record or a TV
>>>>show winner or something like that.
>>>
>>> That's what I expect, too.
>>
>>Not least because those are the most likely to get released in all 
>>versions
>>simultaneously. of course.
>
> Of course, you could release the winner's track to download immediately 
> after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies late 
> on Saturday...

You could, but I doubt they'd ever want to.

>>>>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>>>>> --------------------
>>>>
>>>>> I suspect SW will suffer a good few places drop next week - there were
>>>>> big
>>>>> sales gaps last week, allowing him a big percentage drop without him
>>>>> dropping much. He won't be able to rely on that this week, though.
>>>>
>>>>I see he wasn't very far behind Number 2, but I suppose it's the 
>>>>distance
>>>>down to 4 that matters.
>>>
>>> He actually climbed from #11 to #9 on downloads, which does a long way
>>> towards explaining why his sales declined less than expected. I doubt
>>> he'll gain the same benefit this week, though.
>>
>>Yeah. I can only assume that people were trying really hard to push him up
>>to the topspot.
>
> They should have realised it was pointless even to try - if SW on full 
> release couldn't beat Sugababes download-only sales, there was not a 
> snowball in hell's chance he could do it against the 'Babes full release!

These are Shayne Ward fans we're talking about, remember.

>>> He may convince himself - but IMO it is *only* AW's vocals that people 
>>> are
>>> buying the song for, with the climb of her solo version adding credence 
>>> to
>>> my theory.
>>
>>Well, that's probably true. But that's like saying that all the Wham!
>>records should have been credited to George Michael because nobody bought
>>them for Andrew Ridgely's contributions.
>
> You really want to get into *that* topic? :)

Not really.

>>>>>>>Feist #8
>>>
>>> Whether you can call it the biggest download-only hit so far is 
>>> disputable
>>> though, since there will be at least a few physical singles in the total
>>> (though surely not enough to change its position if they were excluded).
>>
>>I think it's dubious to call anything a download-only hit if it exists in
>>physical forms.
>
> OTOH, I doubt whether more than 1% of its sales are physical, so it seems 
> a little mean to exclude it.

But I sort of feel like the existence of a physical makes it part of the 
point. It was planned as a physical, and that must have contributed to the 
promo, despite the odd coincidence that it sold downloads months later.

> However, Oasis will surely make this moot, as their forthcoming 
> download-only single will surely get to #4 at worst.

Agreed.

>>>>>>> Stereophonics #12,
>>>
>>> They were #22 on downloads, up from #31 the previous week - not as 
>>> reliant
>>> as some, but still a significant disparity.
>>
>>Which hints that it may have underperformed in both formats really.
>
> That #12 position more than *hints* at it, it confirms it.

I mean that as a comparison to something like 'Autumnsong', which sold next 
to no downloads but did very well on physicals.

>>> Who even cares about B-sides?
>>
>>Manic Street Preachers fans (see above)!
>
> Are you saying it got to the dizzy heights of #22 only because of the 
> b-side?

Well, the five of them over various formats, yes. Why else would their fans 
pay for a song they've already got?

>>>>>>>Amy Winehouse #69,
>>>>>>
>>> It's not on her album, then?
>>
>>No. In fact, she might not even have heard the song at the time when she 
>>was
>>recording the album.
>
> She was *that* stoned? :)

Well, the Zutons released 'Valerie' as a single in June 2006, and Back To 
Black was released in October, so she presumably recorded it some time 
before that.

> Seriously though - it's unusual to release a track like this, that is 
> neither a single or an album track - just opportunism ISTM.

Well, like I said, her own version of 'Valerie' was a B-side (although I 
think they might be going to add it to a deluxe version of the album) and 
obviously Mark Ronson's is from his own album.

>>>>>>> Next Week
>>>>>>> ---------
>>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>>> -------
>>>>>
>>>>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>>>>
>>>>>have you seen the video - thin cotton top, no bra & jiggling
>>>>> around -
>>>>> need I say more... :)
>>>>
>>>>I hadn't actually.
>>>
>>> It depends if you like that sort of thing, I suppose. :)
>>>
>>> She's not well-endowed, though.
>>
>>I remember that.
>
> Anyone would think you'd dated her. :)

No, she always looked that old. Boom-boom!

> Looks like being top 40 this week, though.

Yeah. Apparently there was some problem with the downloads at the start of 
the week.

>>>>>>>Natasha B (DLO)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I suppose it has the advantage that the album hasn't been very
>>>>>>successful.
>>>>>
>>>>> Plus she is always good eye-candy...
>>>>
>>>>But downloads are the worst possible format on which to appreciate that.
>>>
>>> But there is a video, and she is in a swimming cozzy for one scene...
>>
>>But that's the point. You don't get to see the video if you buy the
>>download.
>
> But it isn't where you buy it, it's where you hear it, or see it.
>
> If like me, you virtually never listen to the radio, then Sky is where 
> you'll encounter most new songs. Or, increasingly commonly, Youtube.

Yeah. But my point is that you can watch the video on YouTube whether or not 
you buy the track, so the fact that she happens to be wearing a bikini won't 
automatically sell downloads. And by the looks of things, it hasn't.

    Chris

In uk.music.charts on Wed, 10 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :
>>
>> Of course, you could release the winner's track to download immediately
>> after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies late
>> on Saturday...
>
>You could, but I doubt they'd ever want to.

Why not?
>
>>>>>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>>>>>> --------------------
>>
>> They should have realised it was pointless even to try - if SW on full
>> release couldn't beat Sugababes download-only sales, there was not a
>> snowball in hell's chance he could do it against the 'Babes full release!
>
>These are Shayne Ward fans we're talking about, remember.

Are you saying they are extremely dedicated, or extremely stupid? :)
>>>
>>>Manic Street Preachers fans (see above)!
>>
>> Are you saying it got to the dizzy heights of #22 only because of the
>> b-side?
>
>Well, the five of them over various formats, yes. Why else would their fans
>pay for a song they've already got?

Completeism?
>
>
>> Seriously though - it's unusual to release a track like this, that is
>> neither a single or an album track - just opportunism ISTM.
>
>Well, like I said, her own version of 'Valerie' was a B-side

Oh right.
>
>>>>>>>> Next Week
>>>>>>>> ---------
>>>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>>>> -------
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>
>> Looks like being top 40 this week, though.
>
>Yeah. Apparently there was some problem with the downloads at the start of
>the week.

Like people not buying enough of them? :)

If there *was* a problem, then it's likely to move up from its first 
position.
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message
news:4ThCvrAZ0bDHFwJR@blueyonder.co.uk...
> In uk.music.charts on Wed, 10 Oct 2007, Chris Brown
>  wrote :
>>>
>>> Of course, you could release the winner's track to download immediately
>>> after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies late
>>> on Saturday...
>>
>>You could, but I doubt they'd ever want to.
>
> Why not?

Why risk subtracting from the impressive sales figure they can claim the 
following week? Especially since they probably couldn't guarantee enough 
sales in three hours for a Number One.
Remember, they can have the site live for people to pre-order the download.

>>>>>>>>> New Entries/Climbers
>>>>>>>>> --------------------
>>>
>>> They should have realised it was pointless even to try - if SW on full
>>> release couldn't beat Sugababes download-only sales, there was not a
>>> snowball in hell's chance he could do it against the 'Babes full
>>> release!
>>
>>These are Shayne Ward fans we're talking about, remember.
>
> Are you saying they are extremely dedicated, or extremely stupid? :)

In this context, the latter.

>>>>Manic Street Preachers fans (see above)!
>>>
>>> Are you saying it got to the dizzy heights of #22 only because of the
>>> b-side?
>>
>>Well, the five of them over various formats, yes. Why else would their
>>fans
>>pay for a song they've already got?
>
> Completeism?

Isn't that what completism is?

>>>>>>>>> Next Week
>>>>>>>>> ---------
>>>>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>>>>> -------
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Roisin Murphy,
>>
>>> Looks like being top 40 this week, though.
>>
>>Yeah. Apparently there was some problem with the downloads at the start of
>>the week.
>
> Like people not buying enough of them? :)
>
> If there *was* a problem, then it's likely to move up from its first
> position.

Supposedly - and this is just what I've read - it was on iTunes but really 
difficult to find for some reason.

    Chris

In uk.music.charts on Thu, 11 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :
>>>>
>>>> Of course, you could release the winner's track to download immediately
>>>> after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies late
>>>> on Saturday...
>>>
>>>You could, but I doubt they'd ever want to.
>>
>> Why not?
>
>Why risk subtracting from the impressive sales figure they can claim the
>following week?

Given the usual humongous sales of X-Factor singles, I doubt a few 
thousand downloads are likely to stop it being #1 on full release!

>Especially since they probably couldn't guarantee enough
>sales in three hours for a Number One.

So?

>Remember, they can have the site live for people to pre-order the download.

But they won't know which singer is going to win (unless it's another 
phone scam)? :)
>
>>>>if SW on full
>>>> release couldn't beat Sugababes download-only sales, there was not a
>>>> snowball in hell's chance he could do it against the 'Babes full
>>>> release!
>>>
>>>These are Shayne Ward fans we're talking about, remember.
>>
>> Are you saying they are extremely dedicated, or extremely stupid? :)
>
>In this context, the latter.

I couldn't possibly comment... :)
>
>>>>>Manic Street Preachers

>>>Why else would their
>>>fans
>>>pay for a song they've already got?
>>
>> Completeism?
>
>Isn't that what completism is?

Precisely - but they could download the b-sides instead, which would 
probably be cheaper?
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

"Paul Hyett"  wrote in message 
news:jIc05EBu0wDHFw6i@blueyonder.co.uk...
> In uk.music.charts on Thu, 11 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
>  wrote :
>>>>>
>>>>> Of course, you could release the winner's track to download 
>>>>> immediately
>>>>> after the announcement, and have it sell a good few thousand copies 
>>>>> late
>>>>> on Saturday...
>>>>
>>>>You could, but I doubt they'd ever want to.
>>>
>>> Why not?
>>
>>Why risk subtracting from the impressive sales figure they can claim the
>>following week?
>
> Given the usual humongous sales of X-Factor singles, I doubt a few 
> thousand downloads are likely to stop it being #1 on full release!

Well no, I was taking that as read - but they probably want to be able to 
hype up how many copies they do sell.

>>Especially since they probably couldn't guarantee enough
>>sales in three hours for a Number One.
>
> So?

So what good does it do them to have a week at 13 before it goes to Number 
One.

>>Remember, they can have the site live for people to pre-order the 
>>download.
>
> But they won't know which singer is going to win (unless it's another 
> phone scam)? :)

Like that matters!
But anyway, I meant that they could have people ordering the download in the 
three hours or whatever between the announcement and midnight.

>>>>>>Manic Street Preachers
>
>>>>Why else would their
>>>>fans
>>>>pay for a song they've already got?
>>>
>>> Completeism?
>>
>>Isn't that what completism is?
>
> Precisely - but they could download the b-sides instead, which would 
> probably be cheaper?

Just about, but there's not a lot in it (and if you ordered all the 
physicals online there were some free postcards too). Maybe that's why it 
only got to Number 22?
Incidentally, I think this really is part for the reason why 'Autumnsong' 
didn't do better on downloads - Sony released exclusive 2-track digital 
bundles, but obviously didn't think through that fans would just download 
the "B-side" track without having to purchase a sixth copy of 'Autumnsong' 
itself.

    Chris

In uk.music.charts on Fri, 12 Oct 2007, Chris Brown 
 wrote :
>>
>> Given the usual humongous sales of X-Factor singles, I doubt a few
>> thousand downloads are likely to stop it being #1 on full release!
>
>Well no, I was taking that as read - but they probably want to be able to
>hype up how many copies they do sell.
>
Except that no-one cares - it only matters when a song sells on *merit* 
rather than via a talent(less) show or charity.

>>>Especially since they probably couldn't guarantee enough
>>>sales in three hours for a Number One.
>>
>> So?
>
>So what good does it do them to have a week at 13 before it goes to Number
>One.

But there's always the chance it could sell enough, even in few hours, 
to get them an extra week at #1. They do tend to sell at 10 time