It's always a number 1 day!

[3 Colours Red]

Jasper Carrott still tours (afaik) but is very rarely on TV these days. Was there any particular reason for his departing the screen other than drifting popularity/semi-retirement?

IIRC, he had a stake in Celador, so has quite the nest-egg from selling his shares after the success of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

[Discordant Resonance]

In 1996, The Backstreet Boys say We've Got It Goin' On, but drop the minimum to 10, and Space are a new entry at 9 with Me and You Versus The World. OMC declare How Bizarre that they're unchanged at 8, while Los Del Rio are still at 7 doing The Macarena. George Michael is Spinning The Wheel as he tumbles from 2 to 6, while Jamiroquai slips from 3 to 5 with Virtual Insanity. The Smurfs go straight in at 4 with I've Got A Brand New Puppy, as do The Charlatans at 3 with One To Another. Kula Shaker go straight to 2 with Hey Dude, and the Spice Girls remain at 1 with Wannabe.

[Discordant Resonance]

[Auntie Beryl]

For those unfamiliar with that Smurfs hit, it's a parody of Technohead's happy hardcore chartbound sound I Wanna Be A Hippy:

You may have watched that and thought "well, at least The Smurfs couldn't have made it any worse". Not neccessarily:

I've got a little puppy, little dog of my own
Pooper! Pooper scooper!

[Benjm]

I have a residual fondness for Smurfs but that is dreadful. As with, say, Glenn Hoddle or Kevin Keegan, the golden memories aren't rooted in the musical career.

Kula Shaker were worse, though.

[delicatemoth]

Oh christ that Smurfs song was going round my head when I had a mental break that year. Yuck. I also saw The Fall in Aylesbury around this time, that was during Brix' brief return and the group was visibly falling apart. I remember this cos of the Spice Girls, me and Taylor and our friend Tommy were discussing them before we went to the gig. Couldn't work out if I liked them or not.

Not heard that Charlatans song so I'm gonna listen. If it's half as good as 'Then' it'll be the best record in that 10.

Well, it's nice but unremarkable, so Spice Girls are the best. Charlatans did have a very appealing sound though.

[Discordant Resonance]

In 1962, Ray Charles Can't Stop Loving You, falling 1 to 10, while Billy Fury also drops from 7 to 9 Once Upon A Dream. Elvis climbs a stinking 26 places to 8 with She's Not You, while Neil Sedaka (easily confused with Jon Secada) says Breaking Up Is Hard To Do at 7, inching up 1 this week. The Shadow slip 2 to 6 with their Guitar Tango, while Pat Boone is down 3 to 5 with Speedy Gonzalez. Ronnie Carroll moves up 2 to 4 with Roses Are Red (My Love), as does Brian Hyland, who is Sealed With A Kiss at 3. Bobby Darin also ascends 1 to 2 with Things, but Frank Ifield is still at 1 with I Remember You.

[Discordant Resonance]

[Benjm]

Elvis climbs a stinking 26 places to 8 with She's Not You

Not a fan of the movie years then, DR?

[Jah Womble]

Not heard that Charlatans song so I'm gonna listen. If it's half as good as 'Then' it'll be the best record in that 10.

It isn't. Then was 'the' Charlatans moment, I agree.

[Discordant Resonance]

Not a fan of the movie years then, DR?

Perhaps also slightly Freudian that I was calling the song She's Not That Into You before checking the page for the weekly movement.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Elvis could have recorded himself breaking wind at this point in time and it would've made No1 a week later. On a personal note Breaking Up Is Hard To Do was one of the first singles I bought.

[Discordant Resonance]

Eighteen years ago today, James Blunt tumbles 5 places to 10 with You're Beautiful, as Les Rythmes Digitales enter at 9 with Jacques Your Body. David Gray's also new at 8 with The One I Love, and the Black Eyed Peas slip one to 7 with Don't Lie. Simon Webbe falls 2 to 6 with Lay Your Hands, while Oasis collapse from the top to 5 with The Importance of Being Idle. Jessica Simpson goes straight in at 4 with These Boots are Made For Walking (from the now-forgotten Dukes of Hazzard film), and Daniel Powter's unchanged at 3 with Bad Day. Rihanna is unmoved at 2 Pon De Replay, but the Gorillaz are brand new at 1 with Dare.

[Discordant Resonance]

[ale]

That Top Ten pretty much sums up the directionlessness of pop music at the time - glam was done and dusted, punk and disco yet to come, bla bla bla. Novelties and MOR TV tie-ins seemed to be the order of the day.

If you were a popular British comedian or comedic actor, the UK chart was definitely your friend in 1975: Carrott, The Goodies, Billy Connolly, Davies & Estelle, Mike Reid and Billy Howard (from ITV's Who Do You Do?) all scored major hit records that year - and various others tried. (There were, of course, other comic novelties like Yin & Yan and Chris Hill.)

Undoubtedly. I was into glam at age 10-11 but from 1974-76 there was little to enthuse and was still only 12-14 years of age. Bowie was still a massive influence. Alex Harvey. 10cc. ELO. Be Bop Deluxe. Sparks. Cockney Rebel. Even Wings. Punk was so necessary.

[Discordant Resonance]

It's 1988, and Breathe are down 6 to 10 with Hands to Heaven, as is Kylie to 9 with The Locomotion. Yello, by contrast, climb by 6 to 8 with The Race, but Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder drop 2 to 7 with My Love. Bomb The Bass are unchanged at 6 with Megablast, while The Hollies are up a whopping 23 places to 5 with He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. Womack and Womack soar 3 places to 4 with Teardrops, while Yazz and the Plastic Population slip from the top to 3 with The Only Way Is Up. Brother Beyond are unchanged at 2 with The Harder I Try, but up a stonking 8 places to 1 this week is Phil Collins with A Groovy Kind Of Love.

[Discordant Resonance]

[Benjm]

Teardrops is a few years later than I would have guessed from memory but wins the chart. Yello, Bomb the Bass and Yazz jostle for the podium places.

[Sporting]

from 1974-76 there was little to enthuse and was still only 12-14 years of age. Bowie was still a massive influence. Alex Harvey. 10cc. ELO. Be Bop Deluxe. Sparks. Cockney Rebel. Even Wings. Punk was so necessary.

Punk was necessary, completely agree, but I still enjoyed - and enjoy - many of the artists you mention.

[Sean of the Shed]

Fuck me the late 80s was just fucking appalling.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Certainly that period after the end of Wham! and before George Michael's solo career took off was a bit of a musical desert.

[Sean of the Shed]

It was Grunge that rescued me from that nadir of musical blandness. All that processed production line nothingness needed the strongest antidote.

[Discordant Resonance]

Note that the decline of SAW perfectly tracks the fall of Communism - coincidence, I think not!

[Discordant Resonance]

In 1954's Top 12, Anthony Steel and the Revellers begin the chart as a new entry, with West of Zanzibar, as is Max Bygraves at 11 with Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea. Doris Day falls from 5 to 10 with Secret Love, as does Perry Como from 7 to 9 with Idle Gossip. Jointly at 7 are Al Martino (falling from 6) with Wanted, and Doris Day (climbing from 8) with The Black Hills of Dakota. Nat King Cole is new at 6 with Smile, while Don Cornell jumps from 10 to 5 with Hold My Hand. Frankie Laine remains at 4 with My Friend, and David Whitfield finally tumbles from the top to 3 with Cara Mia. Frank Sinatra ascends from 3 to 2 with Three Coins In The Fountain, but Kitty Kallen moves to 1 with Little Things Mean A Lot.

[Discordant Resonance]