22 December 2021

1990 - the chart year in review

Below is a list of all of the singles debuting in 1990 that peaked within the 101 to 150 region of the ARIA singles chart, conveniently in one location.  Also embedded below is a video I have compiled featuring excerpts from a selection of songs that peaked outside the top 100 on the ARIA singles chart in 1990:
 
 
ARTIST TITLE PEAK DEBUT DATE
WEEKS IN


 

21 GUNS Save Me 129 5/03/1990 4
21 GUNS Hard Luck Story 129 6/08/1990 2
49ERS Girl To Girl 116 10/09/1990 6
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST Bonita Applebum 144 22/10/1990 1
ABSOLUTE Gotta Lambada 147 14/05/1990 1
ADAM ANT Room At the Top 116 25/06/1990 5
ADAMSKI Killer 112 21/05/1990 8
ADEVA Beautiful Love 109 26/03/1990 7
ADRIAN BELEW featuring DAVID BOWIE Pretty Pink Rose 127 2/07/1990 8
AFTER 7 Heat of the Moment 107 5/02/1990 15
AGRO Living In a Child's Dream 150 5/11/1990 1
A-HA Crying In the Rain 131 5/11/1990 6
ALSTON Never Felt This Way Before 131 12/11/1990 1
ANDREW RIDGELEY Red Dress 110 30/07/1990 7
ANGRY Heaven 102 17/12/1990 8
ANITA BAKER Talk To Me 139 3/09/1990 2
ANTHRAX Got the Time 142 5/11/1990 1
ANTOINETTE Never Get Enough 147 24/09/1990 1
AZTEC CAMERA The Crying Scene 123 30/07/1990 11
BABYFACE Tender Lover 144 26/03/1990 2
BAD ENGLISH Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word 124 11/06/1990 6
BANG THE DRUM Stay Forever 114 30/07/1990 11
BASS-O-MATIC Fascinating Rhythm 145 17/12/1990 3
BELINDA CARLISLE (We Want) The Same Thing 103 15/10/1990 8
BEN LIEBRAND The Eve of the War 118 19/02/1990 8
BEN LIEBRAND I Wish 145 17/09/1990 1
BIG FUN Handful of Promises 110 21/05/1990 7
BILLY IDOL Prodigal Blues 109 26/11/1990 8
BILLY JOEL Leningrad 115 19/03/1990 7
BILLY JOEL The Downeaster "Alexa" 126 28/05/1990 8
BILLY JOEL And So It Goes 108 10/12/1990 7
BIZZ NIZZ Don't Miss the Party Line 124 10/09/1990 5
BLOW It's Gonna Change 145 5/02/1990 1
BOBBY BROWN Don't Be Cruel (Rapacious Edit) 101 11/06/1990 6
BODEANS Good Things 148 2/04/1990 1
BONNIE RAITT Nick of Time 142 14/05/1990 1
BONNIE RAITT Have a Heart 149 21/05/1990 2
BOO-YAA T.R.I.B.E. Psyko Funk 136 17/09/1990 1
BOXCAR Insect 143 5/02/1990 3
BRUCE DICKINSON Tattooed Millionaire 149 2/07/1990 1
BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE Across the River 110 9/07/1990 10
CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN Pictures of Matchstick Men 122 12/02/1990 7
CARON WHEELER Livin' In the Light 112 10/12/1990 10
CHARLIE SEXTON Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress 141 29/10/1990 2
CHOSEN FEW Love 122 19/02/1990 8
CHRIS REA That's What They Always Say 123 22/01/1990 6
CHYP-NOTIC Nothing Compares 2 U 140 3/09/1990 3
CLIFF RICHARD Lean On You 107 29/01/1990 8
CLIFF RICHARD Stronger Than That 140 9/04/1990 2
CLIFF RICHARD From a Distance 101 3/12/1990 8
CLOUDS Cloud Factory 118 17/12/1990 21
CLUB VEG The Yuppie Rap 146 5/02/1990 1
COLIN HAY Into My Life 117 9/04/1990 8
COLIN JAMES Just Came Back 125 10/09/1990 7
CRAIG McLACHLAN AND CHECK 1-2 I Almost Felt Like Crying 103 29/10/1990 5
DAN FOGELBERG Rhythm of the Rain 129 12/11/1990 7
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES So Close 106 17/12/1990 11
DAVID BYRNE Make Believe Mambo 136 5/02/1990 3
DE MONT So Easy 124 19/03/1990 10
DEEP PURPLE King of Dreams 138 29/10/1990 2
DEF LEPPARD Women 148 9/04/1990 1
DEPECHE MODE Policy of Truth 143 2/07/1990 1
DEPECHE MODE Personal Jesus 134 10/12/1990 1
DIETER KLEEMAN Dr. Dan's Theme 126 22/10/1990 3
DIGITAL UNDERGROUND Doowutchyalike 139 22/10/1990 1
DON HENLEY The Heart of the Matter 127 9/04/1990 7
DONALD WASN'T Abbatak (The House ABBA Built) 128 11/06/1990 1
DOUBLE TROUBLE Love Don't Live Here Anymore 147 22/10/1990 2
DOUBLE TROUBLE AND THE REBEL M.C. Just Keep Rockin' 149 12/03/1990 1
DOUG ANTHONY ALLSTARS Bottle 141 17/12/1990 3
DURAN DURAN Burning the Ground 145 5/03/1990 2
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD In Private 136 30/04/1990 6
EARTH, WIND & FIRE featuring MC HAMMER Wanna Be the Man 146 24/09/1990 1
ECCOHOMO New York, New York 110 21/05/1990 9
EDDIE MONEY Peace In Our Time 127 12/02/1990 6
EDDIE MURPHY Put Your Mouth On Me 149 12/02/1990 1
ERIC CLAPTON Bad Love 125 26/02/1990 7
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Driving 146 11/06/1990 1
FAN CLUB I Feel Love 105 2/04/1990 9
FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS I'm Not the Man I Used To Be 109 5/02/1990 6
FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS I'm Not Satisfied 145 23/04/1990 1
FIVE STAR Treat Me Like a Lady 130 21/05/1990 5
FPI PROJECT Going Back To My Roots 143 14/05/1990 3
GENE PITNEY You're the Reason 103 8/01/1990 8
GEORGE LAMOND Bad of the Heart 148 27/08/1990 1
GEORGIA SATELLITES Another Chance 126 15/01/1990 6
GIANT I'll See You In My Dreams 115 5/11/1990 15
GIORGIO MORODER PROJECT featuring PAUL ENGEMANN To Be Number One (Summer 1990) 118 18/06/1990 7
GIRL OVERBOARD In the Evening 130 15/10/1990 6
GLENN MEDEIROS All I'm Missing Is You 101 15/10/1990 7
GO 101 Message 131 21/05/1990 8
GRACE KNIGHT Sophisticated Lady 141 28/05/1990 1
HEART Stranded 120 22/10/1990 5
HITHOUSE featuring REGGIE I've Been Waiting For Your Love 147 17/09/1990 1
IGGY POP Livin' On the Edge of the Night 101 26/02/1990 9
INNER CITY That Man (He's All Mine) 143 29/10/1990 1
INNOCENCE Natural Thing 116 9/04/1990 6
INSPIRAL CARPETS This Is How It Feels 149 9/07/1990 1
INSPIRAL CARPETS Biggest Mountain 122 10/12/1990 11
J.J. CALE Shanghaid 149 29/01/1990 1
JAMES BLUNDELL The Blue Heeler 127 26/11/1990 7
JAMES REYNE Harvest Moon 122 8/01/1990 6
JAMIE J. MORGAN Rocksteady 147 23/07/1990 1
JANE CHILD Welcome To the Real World 123 12/03/1990 6
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Calypso 149 17/09/1990 1
JEFF LYNNE Lift Me Up 125 29/10/1990 2
JESUS LOVES YOU Generations of Love 145 3/09/1990 3
JIMI HENDRIX Hey Joe 150 3/12/1990 1
JIMI THE HUMAN & SPECTRE 7 Quicksand 137 5/02/1990 9
JOAN ARMATRADING More Than One Kind of Love 125 9/07/1990 8
JODY WATLEY Everything 143 30/04/1990 2
JOE COCKER Fever 112 22/01/1990 8
JOE COCKER I Will Live For You 134 21/05/1990 4
JOE COCKER What Are You Doing With a Fool Like Me 115 16/07/1990 9
JOHN HIATT Child of the Wild Blue Yonder 133 17/09/1990 7
JOHN LEE HOOKER The Healer 102 23/07/1990 8
JOHN LENNON Imagine 132 17/12/1990 3
JOHN WILLIAMSON Chrismas Photo 113 19/11/1990 8
JOHNNY GILL Fairweather Friend 142 3/12/1990 1
JON ANDERSON Far Far Cry 148 28/05/1990 1
JUDE COLE Baby, It's Tonight 106 14/05/1990 13
JUDE COLE Time For Letting Go 118 24/09/1990 11
JULEE CRUISE Rockin' Back Inside My Heart 107 24/09/1990 9
JULIO IGLESIAS Can't Help Falling In Love 106 26/11/1990 9
JUNGLE BROTHERS What "U" Waitin' "4"? 146 7/05/1990 1
KAOMA Danรงando Lambada 143 21/05/1990 1
KATE BUSH Love and Anger 145 28/05/1990 1
KATE CEBERANO Nature Boy 121 12/11/1990 10
KATRINA AND THE WAVES Rock 'n' Roll Girl 146 8/01/1990 2
KENNY ROGERS DUET WITH DOLLY PARTON Love Is Strange 145 5/11/1990 1
KEVIN PAIGE Anything I Want 102 16/07/1990 7
KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS The Sex of It 139 7/05/1990 4
KIM WILDE It's Here 104 11/06/1990 8
KISS Rise To It 144 10/09/1990 2
LES NEGRESSES VERTES Zobi La Mouche 120 30/04/1990 7
LINDA EDER Someone Like You 147 1/10/1990 1
LISA STANSFIELD This Is the Right Time 138 29/01/1990 4
LITA FORD Hungry 137 25/06/1990 4
LITTLE RIVER BAND Every Time I Turn Around 134 16/07/1990 7
LIVING COLOUR Type 121 10/12/1990 5
LONNIE GORDON Beyond Your Wildest Dreams 104 24/09/1990 7
LOU GRAMM True Blue Love 147 30/04/1990 2
LOWEN & NAVARRO Walking On a Wire 131 19/11/1990 20
LUCIANO PAVAROTTI Nessun Dorma 108 22/10/1990 6
MALCOLM McLAREN House of the Blue Danube 150 15/01/1990 1
MALCOLM McLAREN Deep In Vogue 107 2/07/1990 5
MANTRONIX featuring WONDRESS Got To Have Your Love 119 12/02/1990 1
MAURIE FIELDS Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer 149 3/12/1990 1
MAX Q Monday Night By Satellite 107 19/03/1990 8
MEGADETH Holy Wars... The Punishment Due 138 5/11/1990 1
MELISSA ETHERIDGE You Can Sleep While I Drive 105 2/07/1990 6
MENTAL AS ANYTHING Overwhelmed 108 12/03/1990 8
MICHAEL BOLTON Soul Provider 119 1/10/1990 6
MIGHTY BIG CRIME Dr. Dynamite 121 15/10/1990 6
MONEY TALKS Brave Young Boy 143 25/06/1990 1
MR. LEE Pump That Body 139 3/09/1990 2
NGAIRE To Sir With Love 150 15/10/1990 1
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS The Ship Song 138 1/10/1990 2
NICK LOWE All Men Are Liars 108 18/06/1990 12
NORMA O'HARA MURPHY The Banks of the Bogan 147 11/06/1990 1
NWA Gangsta Gangsta 141 3/12/1990 4
PARTNERS RIME SYNDICATE 54-46 (That's My Number) 142 21/05/1990 1
PAUL CARRACK Battlefield 141 30/04/1990 2
PAUL KELLY AND THE MESSENGERS Pouring Petrol On a Burning Man 109 20/08/1990 8
PAUL McCARTNEY Birthday 102 12/11/1990 11
PAUL NORTON Billy Billy 114 12/11/1990 9
PAUL YOUNG Softly Whispering I Love You 105 28/05/1990 11
PAUL YOUNG Oh Girl 111 17/09/1990 9
PAULA ABDUL Knocked Out (Remix) 115 30/07/1990 5
PERFECT GENTLEMEN Ooh La La (I Can't Get Over You) 148 4/06/1990 1
PiL Don't Ask Me 139 19/11/1990 2
POCO Call It Love 150 22/01/1990 2
PREFAB SPROUT Looking For Atlantis 145 1/10/1990 3
PRETENDERS Never Do That 107 18/06/1990 5
PRETENDERS Sense of Purpose 129 12/11/1990 5
PROPAGANDA Heaven Give Me Words 105 6/08/1990 9
QUEENSRYCHE Empire 150 22/10/1990 1
QUINCY JONES I'll Be Good For You 148 15/01/1990 2
RAY LYELL & THE STORM Carry Me 117 12/11/1990 7
REBEL MC Better World 131 2/07/1990 3
REPLAY Michael Medley 143 19/03/1990 1
RICHARD MARX Children of the Night 120 16/07/1990 8
RITA MacNEIL Flying On Your Own 142 17/09/1990 2
ROCK AID ARMENIA Smoke On the Water 108 10/09/1990 8
RUSSELL MORRIS The Real Thing 124 17/12/1990 4
SALT 'N' PEPA Expression 141 18/06/1990 3
SAM BROWN Once In Your Life 125 22/10/1990 11
SCRAP METAL Make It Work 126 17/09/1990 6
SEVEN STORIES Kicking Against the Bricks 122 8/10/1990 9
SHARON O'NEILL Satin Sheets 106 2/07/1990 7
SINร‰AD O'CONNOR Three Babies 108 26/11/1990 7
SINITTA Hitchin' a Ride 131 23/07/1990 7
SOLANGE Fine Time 147 3/12/1990 1
SONIA Listen To Your Heart 119 19/02/1990 8
SONIA Counting Every Minute 118 21/05/1990 8
SPLASH I Need Rhythm 105 17/09/1990 9
STATUS QUO The Anniversary Waltz 104 10/12/1990 10
STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES The Other Kind (Back Out On the Road Again) 111 6/08/1990 6
STEVE HOY Break Up Fall Out 136 19/03/1990 8
SUZANNE VEGA Book of Dreams 102 2/07/1990 8
SUZANNE VEGA Tired of Sleeping 145 8/10/1990 1
SWANEE Blood Is Thicker Than Water 145 9/07/1990 1
SYBIL Don't Make Me Over 144 5/02/1990 2
SYBIL Crazy 4 U 147 29/10/1990 1
TACKHEAD Dangerous Sex 149 24/09/1990 1
TANITA TIKARAM We Almost Got It Together 116 5/02/1990 7
TEARS FOR FEARS Advice For the Young At Heart 116 7/05/1990 7
TEN WEDGE Too Tough 118 6/08/1990 6
TEXAS Prayer For You 101 5/02/1990 5
THE 4 OF US Drag My Bad Name Down 121 14/05/1990 8
THE BATS Smoking Her Wings 145 1/10/1990 1
THE BEACH BOYS Somewhere Near Japan 132 12/02/1990 5
THE BEATMASTERS featuring CLAUDIA FONTAINE Warm Love 117 12/02/1990 8
THE BELOVED Your Love Takes Me Higher 148 15/10/1990 1
THE BOOZIN' BANG'N DANCE CREW Kiss My Ass 144 2/07/1990 3
THE CELIBATE RIFLES Wonderful Life 138 14/05/1990 6
THE CHARLATANS Then 104 19/11/1990 13
THE CHILLS Heavenly Pop Hit 118 18/06/1990 12
THE CHIMES True Love 106 3/09/1990 9
THE CHIMES Heaven (re-issue) 103 26/11/1990 7
THE CHRISTIANS I Found Out 140 5/11/1990 1
THE COCKROACHES Hope 126 6/08/1990 6
THE CULT Sweet Soul Sister 109 16/04/1990 9
THE FLARES Abbacadabra 102 25/06/1990 6
THE GRID Floatation 102 20/08/1990 11
THE HAVALINAS High Hopes 102 25/06/1990 6
THE JEFF HEALEY BAND While My Guitar Gently Weeps 127 29/10/1990 4
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Rollercoaster E.P. 110 15/10/1990 9
THE MAKERS New Kind of Blue 131 13/08/1990 6
THE MISSION Deliverance 112 16/04/1990 9
THE MISSION Butterfly On a Wheel 141 17/09/1990 2
THE NOTTING HILLBILLIES Feel Like Going Home 107 11/06/1990 6
THE POGUES Summer In Siam 139 29/10/1990 2
THE ROLLING STONES Almost Hear You Sigh 118 2/04/1990 8
THE SHIVERS Washaway 104 8/01/1990 9
THE SHIVERS Baby Says 150 30/07/1990 1
THE SMITHEREENS A Girl Like You 111 12/02/1990 8
THE SOMELOVES Melt 119 5/03/1990 9
THE SOMELOVES Sunshine's Glove/Girl Soul 150 23/07/1990 1
THE STONE ROSES She Bangs the Drums 128 19/03/1990 4
THE SUNDAYS Here's Where the Story Ends 123 9/07/1990 8
THE TRIFFIDS Falling Over You 150 5/03/1990 1
THE TRILOBITES New Head 132 19/03/1990 7
THE VAUGHAN BROTHERS Tick Tock 117 12/11/1990 11
THE WEST COAST RAP ALL-STARS We're All In the Same Gang 106 30/07/1990 8
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Birdhouse In Your Soul 125 9/04/1990 7
TIM FINN Not Even Close 124 2/04/1990 5
TINA TURNER Look Me In the Heart 111 14/05/1990 8
TISM The History of Western Civilisation 117 24/09/1990 10
TOMMY EMMANUEL Guitar Boogie 111 8/10/1990 5
TOMMY PAGE I'll Be Your Everything 103 23/04/1990 7
TRACEY ARBON Only Love Will Set You Free 105 19/03/1990 14
TRACY CHAPMAN All That You Have Is Your Soul 119 29/01/1990 6
TRANSVISION VAMP Born To Be Sold 108 5/02/1990 7
TYLER COLLINS Girls Nite Out 133 10/09/1990 4
UB40 Kingston Town 128 4/06/1990 7
UB40 Wear You To the Ball 132 27/08/1990 6
UNDERWORLD Thrash 147 15/01/1990 1
V.SPY V.SPY Clear Skies 103 12/02/1990 9
V.SPY V.SPY Our House 119 28/05/1990 7
VAN MORRISON Real Real Gone 117 22/10/1990 12
W.A.S.P. Forever Free 150 12/02/1990 1
WARRANT Big Talk 111 22/01/1990 10
WEDDINGS, PARTIES, ANYTHING Darlin' Please 136 9/04/1990 5
WENDY & LISA Strung Out 133 1/10/1990 6
WHITESNAKE The Deeper the Love 149 19/03/1990 1
WILDLAND Hold Me 141 29/01/1990 1
WILDLAND The Sun 107 19/03/1990 12
WILDLAND Wildland 149 9/07/1990 2
WILSON PHILLIPS Impulsive 103 10/12/1990 10
WORLD PARTY Way Down Now 114 8/10/1990 9
ZZ TOP Give It Up 106 26/11/1990 9
 
 
< 1989 - the chart year in review                                  1991 - the chart year in review >

17 December 2021

Week commencing 17 December 1990

Welcome to the last chart survey of 1990!  It doesn't seem like that long since I was rounding off 1989.
 
Among this week in 1990's batch of singles peaking outside the top 100 are several artists who've been around for a while, but were now not having so much luck on the charts.  We also have some upcoming dance and alternative artists - the chart seemed to cater for both genres equally in the early 1990s.
 
Before diving into this week's new entries, I have updated an earlier post:
 
- 24 July 1989 - with a newly uncovered bubbling WAY down under entry from Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.
 
Daryl Hall & John Oates: so close to the top 100.
 
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 121 "So Close" by Daryl Hall & John Oates
Peak: number 106
Peak date: 7 January 1991
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks
 
American duo Daryl Hall and John Oates placed 18 singles on the Australian top 100 between 1976 and 1988.  Surprisingly, only two of those, "Rich Girl" (number 6, June 1977) and "Maneater" (number 4, December 1982), reached the top ten.  Given how much Australian radio loved Hall & Oates, if you were around in the early-mid 80s, you would assume the pair would have had a string of number one hits.  That was the case in the US, where the duo notched up six Billboard Hot 100 number ones.  I am actually shocked that "Private Eyes" (number 17, December 1981) did not even make the top 10 in Australia; it seems like it would have been a number one here, to me.

Despite only making the Australian top 10 singles chart twice, Hall & Oates had another four top 20 hits in Australia, with "Out of Touch" - my favourite - narrowly missing the top 10, peaking at number 11 in December 1984.  Oddly, the "Out of Touch" music video seems to be blocked on YouTube, at least in Australia.

A combination of a three-and-a-half-year gap between albums and popular music styles shifting is probably responsible for Hall & Oates' chart fortunes waning significantly on the Australian chart in the second half of the 1980s.  "Everything Your Heart Desires" (number 75, June 1988), the duo's last single to register in the top 100, stalled in the lower half of the top 100, and was the only charting release from Hall & Oates' previous studio album Ooh Yeah! (number 46, June 1988).  The second and final single issued from the album in Australia, "Missed Opportunity", lived up to its title, and failed to chart.

"So Close" was the lead single from Hall & Oates' fourteenth studio album Change of Season (number 137, February 1991).

In my mind, the US charts at this point in time were an odd marriage between 'new'-sounding (mainly r&b) music, that hadn't quite crossed over properly in Australia, and 'safe' music your parents would approve of that seemed quite dated (think of all of those overwrought ballads that seemed to hog the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100).  Accordingly, Hall & Oates' commercial success continued in the US for a while longer than it did elsewhere, and both "Everything Your Heart Desires" (number 3, June 1988) and "So Close" (number 11, December 1990) were decent-sized hits there.  "So Close" was the duo's final Billboard Hot 100 single to reach the top 40, however.

Elsewhere, "So Close" peaked at number 69 in the UK in September 1990, and number 4 in Canada in December 1990.
 
Within Australia, "So Close" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 81.
 
While Hall & Oates' would not trouble the top 150 again with a contemporary release, in the streaming era, where anything can chart, their 1983 rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock" reached number 36 in December 2020, and could better that peak this year or in subsequent years - anything can happen, it seems, with the Christmas chart these days.

We will see Daryl Hall & John Oates again in April 1991.


 
Number 123 "Heaven" by Angry
Peak: number 102
Peak date: 7 January 1991
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
 
Angry Anderson, real name Gary Stephen Anderson, dropped his surname for the era of his debut - and only, depending on how that is counted (read on to see what I mean) - solo album, Blood from Stone (number 35, October 1990).  Prior to going solo, Angry was the lead singer of Australian pub rock band Rose Tattoo, who landed 11 singles on the Australian top 100 between 1977 and 1987.  Rose Tattoo's biggest hit was surprisingly not "We Can't Be Beaten" (number 28, December 1982), but "Bad Boy for Love" (number 19, January 1978).
 
Angry launched his solo career with "Suddenly" (number 2, August 1987), a song that is best known for its use as the soundtrack to Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue)'s wedding on the Australian TV soap opera Neighbours in July 1987.  This exposure led to "Suddenly" reaching number 3 in the UK and Ireland in December 1988, when the wedding belatedly aired there.
 
What confuses me is that "Suddenly" originally appeared on the Rose Tattoo album Beats from a Single Drum (number 35, December 1986), which was later re-issued as a solo Angry Anderson album (including in Australia - so not just following the 'solo' success of "Suddenly" overseas), despite having the same songs on it.  Can anyone enlighten me on what happened here?
 
"Heaven" was the second single lifted from Blood from Stone.  It followed "Bound for Glory" (number 11, October 1990), which was used as an unofficial anthem for the 1990 Australian Football League grand final - not that I give a toss about that.

"Heaven" was Angry's last foray into the ARIA top 150, and was the final single released from Blood for Stone.
 
"Heaven" reached number 99 on the Australian Music Report singles chart.

Angry is better known these days for being an aspiring Liberal (that is, economically liberal and socially conservative, as the Australian 'Liberal' Party is) politician, in spite of his 'rough' bikie gang appearance and working class roots, who occasionally pops up on shows like A Current Affair or SBS's Go Back to Where You Came From, where he was quite outspoken against "boat people".
 
 
 
Number 132 "Imagine" by John Lennon
Peak: number 132
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Weeks on chart: 415 weeks (as of 9 February 2022)

Now onto an artist who promoted peace and social justice - so long as you were not an unwanted child of his (sorry, I couldn't help myself).  John Lennon was, of course, shot by a crazed fan in December 1980, and died shortly afterwards, aged 40.

"Imagine" was recorded in 1971, and topped the Australian singles chart.  It re-entered the chart following John's untimely death, reaching number 43 in March 1981.  More-recently, "Imagine", backed with "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)", peaked at number 21 in December 1988.

I'm not sure exactly what led to "Imagine" re-charting in 1990.



Number 138 "The Real Thing (1990 Mix)" by Russell Morris
Peak: number 124
Peak date: 7 January 1991
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
 
Another oldie re-charted this week in 1990... "The Real Thing" was first released in 1969, and topped the Australian Go-Set (as it was then) singles chart.  The song was produced by Ian "Molly" Meldrum, who of course went on to host the iconic Australian music TV program Countdown between 1974 and 1987.

Australian electronic act Third Eye had recently covered "The Real Thing".  Their version of the song peaked at number 76 in October 1990, which presumably prompted this remix of the original, by Mike Duffy.

If you ask me (and this is my site, so I'll give my 2 cents' worth anyway), this remix is pretty pointless, and doesn't sound terribly '1990' to my ears, for that matter.

This version of "The Real Thing" was included on Russell's A Thousand Suns (number 98, November 1991) album.

We shall see Russell again in August 1991.


 
Number 141 "Bottle" by Doug Anthony All Stars
Peak: number 141 
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
 
Doug Anthony Allstars are an Australian comedy trio, who at this point in time were made up of Paul McDermott, Tim Ferguson, and Richard Fidler.  However, "Bottle" sounds like it is only Paul McDermott singing, unless the other two were playing instruments, which I don't think they were, although Richard Fidler also played guitar.

"Bottle" was the only single from the trio's debut and only studio album DAAS Icon (number 42, June 1990).
 
My favourite thing with loose Doug Anthony All Stars connections is the flop (which means it was good, right?) ABC 1970s cop drama parody series from 1995, Funky Squad, in which Doug Anthony All Stars member Tim Ferguson played one of the main characters.  If you haven't seen it, the seven episodes are on YouTube, and it is worth checking out alone for the real 1970s TV commercial breaks featured within it.



Number 145 "Fascinating Rhythm" by Bass-O-Matic
Peak: number 145
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
 
Bass-O-Matic, alternatively stylised as Bassomatic and BassOmatic (such inconsistencies annoy me!), were an electronic group from Sheffield, England.  One of the group members was William Orbit, who went on to become quite a successful producer for other artists, such as Madonna, All Saints, Robbie Williams, and Blur, among others.  The group was fronted by singer Sharon Musgrave and rapper MC Inna Onestep.

"Fascinating Rhythm" was Bass-O-Matic's second single, following "In the Realm of the Senses", which was issued in Australia in July 1990 but missed the top 150.  Both tracks were lifted from their debut album Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass.

Internationally, "Fascinating Rhythm" peaked at number 9 in the UK in September 1990, number 18 in Ireland, and number 47 in the Netherlands in November 1990.
 
On the ARIA state charts, "Fascinating Rhythm" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 107.

"Fascinating Rhythm" was Bass-O-Matic's only single to chart in Australia.



Number 147 "Cloud Factory" by Clouds
Peak: number 118
Peak date: 11 March 1991
Weeks in top 150: 21 weeks
Weeks on chart: 26 weeks
 
1991 is often cited as the year that 'alternative' music - that is, music that is not primarily motivated by achieving major commercial success - became mainstream, with the success of Nirvana's Nevermind album towards the end of the year.
 
There were signs of an alternative music commercial breakthrough on the Australian chart earlier in 1991, however, when Sydney indie band Ratcat topped the singles chart twice in the space of a month, and also had a number one album.  But even before then, there were occasional ripples of mainstream success for indie artists on the Australian chart, such as The Hummingbirds' "Blush" creeping into the top 20 in September 1989, or even R.E.M.'s "Orange Crush" becoming a top 20 hit in February 1989.

Clouds, who were usually referred to as 'The Clouds' despite there being no 'The' in the band's name on their album or single sleeve artwork, were a Sydney indie rock band who achieved some moderate commercial success on the ARIA chart in the early 1990s.  "Cloud Factory" was Clouds' debut release.  Interestingly, the track does not appear on the band's debut album Penny Century (number 23, October 1991), but was included on a 2-CD expanded re-issue of it in 1996.

Like many avid pop/chart fans at the time who weren't old (or perhaps 'cool') enough to listen to Triple J, I first became aware of Clouds when this and the band's next single, the Loot EP (number 22, June 1991) - led by the track "Soul Eater", were vying for number one position on the ARIA Alternative Chart as shown on Channel 10's Coca-Cola Power Cuts music video TV program (does anyone reading this remember that?).

I have previously expressed my disdain for Billboard's stupid genre-specific charts, based on dubious methodology, and I feel similarly about ARIA's - though at least ARIA has/had 100% sales-based singles and albums charts, unlike Billboard.  Furthermore, unless you were a chart freak or religiously watched Coca-Cola Power Cuts in 1991 (the only year it was on air), you probably wouldn't even be aware that ARIA had Alternative and Dance charts.
 
Without bothering to check when it actually happened, ARIA's Dance chart was eventually sales-based, unlike Billboard's, and just extrapolated from the weekly national chart.  The ARIA Reports from this era state that "the ARIA Alternative Charts are compiled using sales data supplied by Alternative Music Retailers in each capital city."  As a Victorian, 'alternative music retailers' makes me think of Melbourne's Au Go Go Records store, which closed in 2003 (this makes me feel very old).  I guess the Sydney equivalent might be Red Eye Records, which seems to still be operating.

While "Cloud Factory" was not a massive success on the ARIA national singles chart, it reached number two on the ARIA Top 20 Alternative Singles chart (Coca-Cola Power Cuts only showed excerpts from the top 10) in April 1991.  At one point in April 1991, both "Cloud Factory" and Loot were in the Alternative top 10 together, and remained so until September 1991, although "Cloud Factory" dipped out of the top 10 for a couple of weeks in June and August.  In July 1991, Loot was number one and "Cloud Factory" was number two on the ARIA Alternative Singles Chart.  How is that for 'alternative' facts success?

Despite only peaking at number 118 on the national chart, "Cloud Factory" spent 21 non-consecutive weeks in the top 150, which holds the record for the most weeks in the top 150 for a single that peaked outside the top 100, at least until the end of 1995 (as far as I have obtained with these top 150 charts at the time of writing).  "Cloud Factory" was still charting as late as 24 June 1991 - more than six months after its top 150 debut.
 
On the state charts, "Cloud Factory" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 95.

We will next see Clouds in 1993.
 

 
Bubbling WAY down under:
 
Number 159 "Cubik"/"Olympic" by 808 State
Peak: number 159 
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

English electronic band 808 State (pronounced "eight oh eight state") formed in Manchester in 1987.  Only one single and one album released by the group in Australia reached the ARIA top 100: their first single released locally, "Pacific" (number 82, March 1990), and the album 808:90 (number 97, May 1990).

Both "Cubik" and "Olympic" were lifted from 808 State's third album ex:el (number 109, April 1991).  The double A-sided single reached number 10 in the UK in November 1990, and number 23 in Ireland during the same month.

On the ARIA state charts, "Cubik"/"Olympic" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 114.

Although I enjoy some of 808 State's singles, I have to say that the riff used on "Cubik" reminds me a little too much of one of those ear-bleeding ringtones some people use on their phones.  I don't think I had heard "Olympic" before.

We will next see 808 State in April 1991.




Number 162 "Next to You" by Aswad
Peak: number 162
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
 
English reggae band Aswad formed in West London in 1975, but did not score their first (and only real) hit in Australia until 1988, with their version of "Don't Turn Around" (number 34, June 1988) - a song co-written by Diane Warren that was originally recorded by Tina Turner as a B-side for her "Typical Male" (number 20, November 1986) single.  The song would also later be covered by Ace of Base, who landed a number 20 hit with it in August 1994.  Interestingly, Aswad's version of "Don't Turn Around" was much bigger in Western Australia, where it reached number 3 on the state chart, than elsewhere in Australia (its next highest state-chart peak was number 29 in South Australia/Northern Territory).
 
While "Don't Turn Around" had been Aswad's only prior charting single in Australia, their Distant Thunder album peaked at number 68 on the Western Australia state albums chart (it did not chart nationally - when the chart ended at number 100) in July 1988, and their Crucial Tracks (Best of Aswad) compilation reached number 145 in October 1989.
 
"Next to You" was the lead single from Aswad's ninth studio album Too Wicked (number 157, April 1991).  Internationally, "Next to You" peaked at number 24 in the UK in September 1990, number 18 in the Netherlands in September 1990, number 46 in the Flanders region of Belgium in September 1990, and number 31 in New Zealand in March 1991.
 
Within Australia, "Next to You" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 147.
 
We shall next see Aswad in 1994.
 


Number 165 "Kiss the Ground" by Real Life
Peak: number 161
Peak date: 28 January 1991
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
 
Australian electronic band Real Life landed six singles on the Australian top 100 chart between 1983 and 1990, with "Send Me an Angel" (number 6, July 1983) and "Catch Me I'm Falling" (number 8, March 1984) reaching the top ten.  Both tracks even registered on the US Billboard Hot 100, although the 1989 version of "Send Me an Angel" became their biggest hit there, reaching number 26 in July 1989.
 
"Kiss the Ground" was the second and final single from Real Life's third studio album Lifetime (number 120, October 1990), their first album since 1985.  It followed "God Tonight" (number 83, October 1990), which performed much stronger in Victoria/Tasmania than in other states, where it reached number 39.

On the state charts, "Kiss the Ground" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 129.

"Kiss the Ground" was Real Life's final single to chart.
 

 
Number 166 "Missing You" by Soul II Soul featuring Kym Mazelle
Peak: number 166 
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
 
Soul II Soul are, as described on their Wikipedia page, a British "musical collective".  'Collective' is the right word, as the only constant in the band seems to have been founding member Jazzie B (real name Trevor Beresford Romeo).

Soul II Soul's first Australian release was their third single "Keep on Movin'" (number 77, September 1989), featuring Caron Wheeler - whom we saw last week - on vocals.  So far, Soul II Soul had placed five singles within the ARIA top 100, with "A Dreams a Dream" (sic) (number 27, June 1990), featuring Victoria Wilson-James on vocals, being the most successful of those.

"Missing You" was the third single lifted from Soul II Soul's second album Vol. II (1990 - A New Decade) (number 9, June 1990).  It followed "A Dreams a Dream" and "People" (number 90, October 1990).  This time, American singer Kym Mazelle was on vocal duties.

Kym had released a couple of solo singles in Australia at this point - "Wait" (a duet with Dr. Robert from The Blow Monkeys, released in Australia in March 1989), "Useless (I Don't Need You Now)" (July 1989), "Was That All It Was" (March 1990), and a remix of "Useless..." (July 1990) - but none of these charted.

Internationally, "Missing You" peaked at number 22 in the UK in December 1990, number 24 in Ireland in November 1990, and number 74 in the Netherlands in December 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "Missing You" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 130.

We will next see Soul II Soul in 1992, while Kym Mazelle will join us in 1994.
 

 
Number 168 "Soundtrack to a Generation" by The Human League
Peak: number 168
Peak date: 17 December 1990 (chart repeated 24 December 1990 and 31 December 1990)
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
 
British group The Human League formed in 1977 in Sheffield.  Between 1981 and 1990, they placed eight singles on the Australian top 100, with "Don't You Want Me" (number 4, July 1982) and "Mirror Man" (number 4, February 1983) peaking the highest.  We first saw The Human League bubble under on the first ARIA singles chart to extend beyond number 100, in January 1989.

"Soundtrack to a Generation" was the second and final single from The Human League's sixth studio album Romantic? (number 115, November 1990), their first studio album since 1986.  Their previous single "Heart Like a Wheel" (number 64, October 1990) - my favourite Human League single - was the band's last to dent the ARIA top 100 singles chart.
 
In the band's homeland, "Soundtrack to a Generation" peaked at number 77 in December 1990, the only other place it charted.

I don't recall hearing "Soundtrack to a Generation" before.  You have to admire a song whose chorus begins with "holy cow"...

We will next see The Human League in 1995.



Next chart (7 January): Owing to the Christmas breaks ARIA took with the chart prior to 1997, the next chart survey conducted was not until 7 January 1991.  The new year kicks off with seven top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.
 
Here is a preview of some of the songs we will see in my 1991 chart recaps in 2022:
 

In 1991, we will see 251 singles peaking in the 101 to number 150 region of the chart, and (at the time of writing this) a further 87 singles debuting and peaking outside the top 150.  That's at least 338 songs I have to listen to and write about next year...
 
As with 1989, I will post a summary of all of all of the singles debuting on the ARIA singles chart in 1990 that peaked between numbers 101 and 150, before the year is out.

Thank you for reading my posts this year.  Hopefully you have discovered or re-discovered some new old songs you like!
 
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