On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 at 22:10:49, Chris Brown  
wrote in uk.music.charts :
>>>>
>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>> -------
>>>>>> Madonna claims her 13th #1! Unlucky only for Estelle... >:)
>>>>>
>>>>>Or for, y'know, people who like music.
>>>>
>>>> Well, it's the lesser of two evils - that's the best I can say about
>>>> it...
>>>
>>>Thing is though, if you're a Madonna fan who doesn't like this you
>>>wouldn't
>>>really want her to have an incentive to pursue this direction.
>>
>> I don't see that as a problem, as she never stays in one musical direction
>> for long.
>
>I suppose that is true, actually. Unless you count "past-it" as a direction.

Whatever else might be claimed about her, IMO 'past-it' is not a claim 
that stands up about her!

The standard test for me is - can they still sell singles?
>
>>>>>> New Entries/New Peaks
>>>>>> ---------------------
>> Hasn't proven a deterrent to others in the past, though...
>
>Anyone you had in mind there?

No-one specific.
>
>>>>>> Kanye West
>>>>
>>>> If only we could be confident this would be the last we hear from him
>>>> for
>>>> a while - but I fear he'll keep popping up on other people's records. :(
>>>
>>>I suppose you can't blame him for wanting to keep busy at the moment
>>>though.
>>
>> Are you sure about that claim, from my pov? :)
>
>What I mean is that he's obviously going through a tough patch in his life
>at the moment, so it's understandable that he's burying his head in work.

Surely he can afford a shrink...?
>>>
>>>But this is the thing - you can understand how songs like 'Don't Stop Me
>>>Now' or 'I'm A Man' can reach a new audience that wasn't around the first
>>>time they were released. But this only came out about three weeks ago.
>>
>> I could refer to you Feist again...
>
>Much longer gap

Not true. There was only a 7 week gap between 1234's physical release, 
and it being picked up for the iPod ad, compared to 4 weeks for 'Sweet 
About Me'.

> - and more to the point, a record that had been less hyped
>on the first occasion.

Well, at some of us recognised its quality beforehand.
>
>Having said all that, the album appears to have found its way to becoming
>R2's Album Of The Week,

Far better for the album to sell rather than the single, of course.

>if only because there's nothing out this week and
>the Madonna tracks are embargoed until the afternoon.

Why won't she let them play them during the morning?
>>>
>>>Which is of course entirely logical.
>>>What I meant about "Sustainable" was that the more TV shows become
>>>recognised as a promotional tool for music, the less appropriate they're
>>>going to get.
>>
>> I don't follow this - what do you mean by 'less appropriate'?
>
>What I mean is that, as the record companies become more conscious of this
>(as they already have in America) they're probably going to kill the goose
>by forcing all sorts of rubbish into these shows.

 From what I've heard, that ship has already sailed... :)
>
>>>> AFAIK, the #10 barrier for songs without a physical release has still
>>>> not
>>>> been broken - though I'm amazed it's lasted this long.
>>>
>>>Depends whether you count 'Homecoming', but even that was only Number 9.
>>
>> I thought that got a late 12" release though, thereby 'disqualifying' it?
>
>I'm not completely sure whether that 12" ever did come out - the release
>date seemed to keep slipping further and further back. I'm open to
>correction though.
>It it ever did come out though, I think it was far enough beyond the chart
>peak to be considered.

But it's the existence of a physical release at all, not the timing, 
that disqualifies it, IMO.
>>
>> It depends who the audience is, too. SCD is not a show that you'd expect
>> those of prime single-buying age to watch in any numbers!
>
>Are you sure about that?

How many teens do you know who excitedly talk about 'last Saturday's SCD 
show'...

> And why should there be a prime single-buying age
>anyway?

May there shouldn't be, but there *is* - that's a fact.

>
>>>>>>Ben's Brother #62,
>>
>> I just can't understand why their record company hasn't decided to cut
>> their losses yet - though the same might have been said about Take That in
>> Spring 1992... :)
>
>FWIW, I believe this is a new track so their career may be riding on it.

The only thing they'll be riding is the bus to the nearest job centre. 
:)
>
>>>>>> Albums
>>>>>> ------
>>>>>> New Entries/New Peaks
>>>>>> ---------------------
>>>>>> Top 10 :
>>>
>>>>>>Elliot Minor #6
>>
>> A fraction under 14k, which is a pretty crap figure, given how popular
>> Fearne & Reggie *claim* they are...
>
>But if 13000 of those people texted simultaneously...

Or repeatedly...
>
>>>>>> Top 20 : Sarah Brightman #13
>>
>> Christina, Mariah - or perhaps someone who *wouldn't* overshadow her? :)
>
>Er, I think she was looking for someone who was a man as well. Does Mariah
>have any lower range?

I don't know if she goes down low...

>
>>>>>> Re-entries : MGMT #63,
>>>>>
>>>>>For obvious TV reasons.
>>>>
>>>> But not musical ones... :)
>>>
>>>There's always room for some AOR.
>>
>> What does that have to do with *them*, though? :)
>
>Doesn't it sound AOR to you?

Try C.R.A.P.
>
>>>>>> Next Week
>>>>>> ---------
>>>>>> Singles
>>>>>> -------
>>>>>> Top 40 :
>>>>>
>>>>>>Kylie,
>
>> She's now B-listed on both R1 & R2 - I dare say it's fairly unusual for
>> pop/dance to get playlisted on R2 at all, but her bubbly 'girl-next-door'
>> image has always been an advantage there.
>
>It certainly isn't even remotely unusual for a Kylie record to get
>playlisted at R2.

Not *her*, but it would be for others of similar musical style.
-- 
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)