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Just as 12 months' previously, Madonna was at the top of the UK chart in
mid-April. Whereas that 1989 #1 Like A Prayer had been a daringly different
effort, Vogue - up 3 from its debut position of #4 - aligned itself firmly to
clubland. The track never even gained A-side status in America (playing second
fiddle to Keep It Together; their roles were reversed on this side of the pond) but
it proved an instant smash with its slick black-and-white video, references
to American icons of the past (mostly from the Golden Age of Hollywood), and
its nod to the fashion for striking a "pose" while on the dancefloor.
Vogue's 4-week residency at the summit was sandwiched between two more dance
anthems from the year; Snap's outgoing chart-topper The Power (falling just
one notch to #2) and Adamski's seminal Killer (new at #39). The former was the
first in a surprisingly enduring run of hits for the German-based act, none of
which ever matched The Power's magnifinence (the less said about Mary Had A
Little Lamb, the better). As for Killer, it launced a then still-uncredited lead
vocalist by the name of Seal into the Top 40. He would quickly carve out a
major solo career in 1991 while Adamski himself would all-too-swiftly disappear
off the radar following a pretty wretched debut album at the end of 1990.
UB40: Labour Of Love Vols 1-3
Alannah Myles was the immediate casualty of Madonna's supremacy; the rapid
rise of her introductory smash Black Velvet seemed to put the Canadian rock
chick on course for a Transatlantic #1 (the single having already hit the top of
Billboard's Hot 100) but after moving #36-#17-#3 and now up to #2 Black Velvet
then ground to a halt. The follow-up, Love Is, struggled to reach #61 and,
despite continued success in her homeland with further singles from the album,
Alannah Myles would score just the one UK Top 40 hit.
(DVDfever Dom adds: "I hated 'Black Velvet' with a passion,
but 'Love Is' was an absolute belter and I can still remember it to this day!)
During their first decade of chart activity, UB40's fortunes fluctuated -
indeed, often alternated - between big hit singles and misfires that fell short
of the Top 40. Very few releases settled in the middle-ground of the lower
teens and upper 20s. Homely Girl, the opening single from their latest album
Labour Of Love II, had reached #6 in November 1989, but then Here I Am progressed
no further than a disappointing #46 in early 1990. True to form, single number
three - Kingston Town - put the Birmingham reggae outfit back in the Top 10.
Having entered at #30, it had risen to #11 and now climbed 7 places to its peak
of #4.
(DVDfever Dom adds: "I'm glad I'm not the only one who
remembers this. It was certainly an oddity for any band to have this happen.)
The Very Best Of The Stone Roses
Gleefully fronting the Madchester assault on the charts and collective
(un)consciousness with their peers and rivals The Stone Roses, 1990 was a very good
year for the Happy Mondays. Whereas the Roses became paralysed by their own
hype and genuine potential, the Mondays - for a time, at least - built upon
their own breakthrough with a brace of Top 10 entries in 1990 and a cracking
second album Pills'N'Thrills & Bellyaches. Step On - their cocksure, baggy cover of
a #22 hit from the 70s by John Kongos - vaulted 11 places from its debut
position of #16 to #5 on this week 14 years ago.
The SAW sound may have been dominant for some considerable time but by the
Spring of 1990 not even they could get away with sub-standard fare like Hang On
To Your Love, the latest Jason Donovan single which alarmed many chart
observers by reaching only #8. Prior to this setback, Donovan had been on a
particularly hot streak of consecutive top 3 hits and narrowly missed out on the 1989
Christmas #1 to Band Aid II. In truth, the comparative failure of Hang On To
Your Love was the start of a permanent decline for the original PWL team; the
triumphant Better The Devil You Know couldn't get Kylie a UK #1 either the
following month when previously it would surely have been a stick on chart-topper,
and Jason's next release Another Night bombed out at a disastrous #18. Sonia,
SAW's bright new hope who stormed the charts in 1989, was also reduced to
middling success with her unexceptional 4th single Counting Every Minute (in this
week at #30).
The Cure: Greatest Hits
Between September 1989 and September 1990, Janet Jackson would score no fewer
than seven UK hits (all from her 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814), but
remarkably none of them made the Top 10. Escapade, up 3 to #18, was the fourth of the
septet and one of the album's many highpoints. Meanwhile Paula Abdul, the
woman responsible for choreographing the dance routines for Miss Jackson's videos,
was a major force in her own right with the Forever Your Girl album still
generating huge hits after more than a year on release. Its latest single, and
biggest UK success (leaping #33-#16 en route to #2), was Opposites Attract; a
fairly routine album cut was transformed by a remix and an accompanying video
which mixed live action and animation in the same fashion as the film Who Framed
Roger Rabbit? had done not so long before.
In the bottom half of the Top 40, The Cure were climbing 4 places to #24 with
Pictures Of You, the third and final UK single from 1989's Disintegration,
while 90s indie favourites Ride made their chart bow at #32 with the Play EP.
Jesus Jones, too, were enjoying a first genuine hit with Real Real Real (up 3 to
#23), and Faith No More were new at #37 with the follow-up to Epic, the
er..epic From Out Of Nowhere.
A nicely seasonal slant was offered by another new entry; Easter -
Marillion's third post-Fish single with new frontman Steve Hogarth - arrived at #34.
Their next three singles would peak at #34, #26 and #34.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
