This week's Official UK Singles Chart

Preamble:

Quiet times again at the top as for the second week running no record makes a new entry into the Top 10. Everything else is pretty much as usual. 13 new entries, 6 climbers and 4 non-movers.

Analysis:

No. 40: NEW ENTRY. Urban Cookie Collective - The Key: The Secret

Dance hits in from nowhere again this week, first of which is this one. [Yeah, there will be much more written about this one over the coming weeks].

No. 38: NEW ENTRY. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train

Making a well deserved breakthrough after bubbling under on the breakers chart for several weeks, despite extensive radio airplay. Making an impression in the US too, this track comes with a powerful video featuring shots of homeless children, putting a whole new slant on what would ordinarily be an ordinary love song. Judging just how well this brand of country-sounding rock will do is difficult. If there is any justice it will go on to be a massive hit.

No. 35: NEW ENTRY. US3 featuring Tuka Yoot - Riddim

The latest ragga hit to be picked up on by radio is this one. It's incredible really what a change a few months can make. At the start of the year few stations would add ragga tracks to their playlists, now they are all at it and the records are crossing over to the chart. [No, there was much more to this one than at first met the eye, the first sign of the US3 project which would drag Blue Note records kicking and screaming back to visbility].

No. 34: NEW ENTRY. Blur - Chemical World

Still struggling to maintain credibility, Blur followup 'Into Tomorrow' with another similarly crafted piece of alternative rock that at one time may have given them a sizeable hit, but now that trends have moved on is unliklely to appeal beyond their fan base.

No. 31: NEW ENTRY. Jesus Jones - Zeroes and Ones

Third hit in a row from Jesus Jones, labouring under the same problems as Blur, but with enough of a following to not let it bother them too much. Pretty standard Jones fare this, but by no means as commercial as their last hit The Right Decision which made a quick in and out appearance back in April.

No. 30: NEW ENTRY. Jesus and Mary Chain - Sound Of Speed

Stalwarts of the indie rock scene, the JAMC return after an absence of almost a year with a new album and a new single. It's the type of record again that will appeal only to fans, a shame really as in the past they have made some alternative classics that have to a certain extent crossed over. Their biggest hits ever are April Skies and Reverence which both made No.10.

No. 29: NEW ENTRY. Usura - Sweat

There was a time when a faceless dance act would score one hit and vanish. Some production troupes are becoming more consistent though, including Usura who land another hit, to follow Open Your Mind.

No. 26: NEW ENTRY. Kenny Thomas - Stay

One of the top acts of 1991, white soulster Kenny Thomas lands a brand new hit. The track itself is unlikely to become another major hit, but it is interesting to note that it is the third song in chart history to be called Stay following the Shakespears Sister song and the classic from Maurice Williams.

No. 23: NEW ENTRY. AC/DC - Big Gun

After all these years they can still churn them out, another hit for the stalwarts of the metal scene who are guaranteed a hit virtually ever time they release a record. This is their first hit since a live version of Highway to Hell peaked at No.14 in October 1992. In landing this new hit they also stretch their lead at the top of a somewhat less prestigious table. Their tally of 23 hits is impressive enough, but even more astonishing is the fact that none have ever progressed beyond No.12. No other chart act can even come close to this.

No. 18: CLIMBER. Taylor Dayne - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love

Climbing into the Top 20 for only the third time ever. Note also that in a stagnant week for the chart, this is the first record to climb.

No. 16: NEW ENTRY. Kim Wilde - If I Can't Have You

To herald a greatest hits tour and album in the Autumn, Kim Wilde looks to a cover to revive her flagging career. It seems to have worked as well as her version of the Yvonne Elliman classic matches at a stroke her biggest hit of last year Love Is Holy. It's her highest new entry ever and with a start like this, must surely be favoured to give her her first Top 10 hit since Four Letter Word at Christmas 1988. In my view though, this is not a patch on the original classic which made No.4 in June 1978.

No. 12: NEW ENTRY. Levellers - Belaruse

The greatest folk rock band of all confirm their crossover status with the release of a brand new single that makes a storming debut. It's only their second Top 40 hit ever, the first being 15 Years which entered and peaked at No.11 in May 1992. Further progress may be slightly unlikely but then again the track is one of those that grows on you..

No. 11: NEW ENTRY. Michael Jackson - Will You Be There

Just grabbing the highest entry this week though is Jackson, and with it causing some debate over exactly what records he has established with this track. Very few albums produce large numbers of hit singles. The first to try this was Jackson himself with 6 from Thriller - the first album ever to manage this. Bad produced either 8 or 9 depending on your point of view (Leave Me Alone was only on the CD version yet peaked at 2 when released as a single in 1989) but one of these Man In The Mirror peaked at 21. Therefore with the other 7 singles from Dangerous making the Top 10 it becomes the first album ever to spawn 8 consecutive Top 20 hits, and a climb next week will make that 8 Top 10 hits. It's a remarkable achievement, the only people to come close to this are Guns 'N' Roses with (so far) 7 hits from the Use Your Illusion set, although this does not really count as they have 2 albums to play with rather than one.

The second record in recent weeks to go on the yo-yo just as it seemed to be dropping out of the Top 10. It merely confirms the recent trend of records charting high and staying high whilst they cross over, leaving a large turnover of also-rans in the lower end of the charts. The consistent success of this track is a pleasant surprise, especially with the album riding high in its own chart as well.

No. 8: CLIMBER. 4 Non-Blondes - What's Up

Another large leap for the all-girl band, giving them so far chart progress of 43-20-8 and with momentum like that, must surely be labelled as challengers for the No.1 slot.

No. 1: THIRD WEEK. Gabrielle - Dreams

No move for Gabrielle as the top of the chart continues to be logjammed and merely rearranges itself yet again. All of this could well change next week with 4 Non Blondes coming up fast.