Before getting onto this week in 1991's new entries peaking outside the ARIA top 100, 25 November 1991 is a memorable day for me, for being the day that Freddie Mercury's (the lead singer from Queen, if you live under a rock) death was announced - in Australian time, anyway. Although I'm nothing more than a very casual Queen fan, the announcement of Freddie's death was one of those flashbulb memory moments for me, where you remember where you were when you heard the news.
November 25 in 1991 was also a curriculum day for me at school (yes, I sometimes remember these things...), and the day I also bought my first various artists compilation album on CD, 100% Hits Volume 2.
Now, onto the next batch of singles peaking outside the top 100. As with last week, they all feature male lead vocals.
Pet Shop Boys: an apple a day keeps the... hits at bay?
Top 150 debuts:
Number 105 "Radio Song" by R.E.M.
Peak: number 105
Peak date: 25 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
American band R.E.M. formed in 1980, but would have to wait until early 1989 to land their first top 50 single in Australia, with "Orange Crush" (number 15, February 1989).
"Radio Song" was issued as the fourth single from R.E.M.'s seventh studio album Out of Time (number 4, April 1991). It followed "Losing My Religion" (number 11, May 1991), "Shiny Happy People" (number 19, July 1991), and "Near Wild Heaven" (number 65, September 1991).
Internationally, "Radio Song" peaked at number 28 in the UK in November 1991, number 5 in Ireland in November 1991, and number 30 in the Netherlands in November 1991. The song also reached number 43 on the meaningless US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in October 1991.
Within Australia, "Radio Song" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 87.
We will next see R.E.M. in 1994, and will also see lead singer Michael Stipe as an uncredited featured artist a few months prior.
Number 136 "It's Grim Up North" by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu
Peak: number 136
Peak date: 25 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty formed The KLF (possibly short for Kopyright Liberation Front) in 1987. Under the name The Timelords, they scored a number 2 hit in Australia in 1988 with "Doctorin' the Tardis" (number 2, September 1988).
The KLF returned to our charts, under their own name, in November 1990, with "What Time Is Love?", which, after a slow start, peaked at number 76 in February 1991 (it would go on to peak at number 73 in October 1991 when re-issued). They then landed back-to-back top 5 hits locally with "3 a.m. Eternal" (number 3, May 1991) and "Last Train to Trancentral" (number 5, July 1991).
"It's Grim Up North" was released under another KLF alter-ego, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu... furthermore known as The J.A.M.M.S. - if you were paying attention to the lyrics of "Last Train to Trancentral".
The single, which largely just lists cities and towns in the northern region of England, peaked at number 10 in the UK in November 1991, and number 26 in Switzerland in December 1991.
I remember catching the video for this one on Coca-Cola Power Cuts, when it aired as a half-hour program on weekday afternoons. My first thoughts were... this is a bit weird, not in a great way, and that it's lacking a tune. I guess that's why this one didn't become a hit in Australia.
The KLF would return with "Justified & Ancient" (number 3, February 1992), released locally in December 1991, with the unlikely pairing of country music legend Tammy Wynette on vocals.
We'll next see The KLF, under another guise, in 1997.
Number 137 "Rock It On" by D-Man
Peak: number 118
Peak date: 20 January 1992
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
D-Man was an Australian rap artist, who somehow completely passed me by at the time, and I know next to nothing about... other than (after reading the comments on the video embedded below, if they are to be believed) he has since shuffled off this mortal coil, and his name was Damien Lane.
"DJ Culture" was one of two new tracks recorded for inclusion on the Pet Shop Boys' first retrospective compilation, Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (number 6, December 1991), which was the fifth CD album I ever bought.
Internationally, "DJ Culture" peaked at number 13 in the UK in October 1991, number 7 in Ireland in October 1991, number 17 in Sweden in November 1991, number 19 in Germany in November 1991, and number 21 in Switzerland in November 1991. The single, when remixed by The Grid, also reached number 13 on the US Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart in December 1991.
Domestically, "DJ Culture" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 92. The single also crept into the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart, peaking at number 95 on it.
While Discography is one of the best 'greatest hits' albums I own, I've never been much of a fan of "DJ Culture", and would always skip it. I find the song dull and boring, and a bit of a chore to listen to.
"We Don't Talk Anymore", originally released in 1979, peaked at number 3 in Australia in November of that year. For this release, the track was remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow for PWL, using a live performance from From a Distance: The Event (number 21, December 1991).
Cliff had, of course, dabbled with PWL in 1989, releasing the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (number 100, October 1989).
Oddly, this remix of "We Don't Talk Anymore" does not appear to have charted anywhere else, missing the UK top 75. That's because it was not released there - a reader from the UK has kindly let me know.
Within Australia, the remixed "We Don't Talk Anymore" single was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 93.
I hadn't heard this one before. My thoughts are... it's kind of pointless.
We'll next see Cliff in 1993.
Next week (2 December): Just one new top 150 entry, but five bubbling WAY down under entries to make up for it.
One thing all four of this week in 1991's debuts peaking outside the ARIA top 100 have in common is that they all feature male lead vocals. Let's take a look at them.
The Stone Roses' latest single was not quite 'adored' by the Australian record-buying public.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 139 "Superman's Song" by Crash Test Dummies (1991 chart run)
Peak: number 133
Peak dates: 16 December 1991, 23 December 1991 and 30 December 1991 (initial chart run)
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks (initial chart run); 18 weeks (1991 and 1992 chart runs combined)
Weeks on chart: 28 weeks
This single peaked at number 87 on 25 May 1992, spending another 9 weeks in the top 150 between April and June 1992.
Canadian band Crash Test Dummies formed in 1988. "Superman's Song" was their debut single, lifted from the band's first album The Ghosts That Haunt Me (number 110, April 1992).
Internationally, "Superman's Song" peaked at number 4 in Canada in August 1991, and number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991.
"Superman's Song" had a second lease of life on the Australian chart between April and June 1992, reaching its peak of number 87 in May 1992. Before then, the single initially stalled outside the ARIA top 100. On the state charts, "Superman's Song" was much more popular in South Australia/Northern Territory and Western Australia, where it reached number 20 and 30, respectively, than in any other region of Australia. The next-highest state chart peak "Superman's Song" reached, in contrast, was number 99 in Victoria/Tasmania.
As someone living in Victoria, I had never heard of Crash Test Dummies until their smash hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" (number 1, June 1994) in 1994.
Before then, we'll next see Crash Test Dummies in 1992.
Number 141 "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses
Peak: number 141
Peak date: 18 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
We last saw The Stone Roses in March 1990. Since that time, the band had been in a major dispute with their record label, Silvertone Records, who would not free them from their recording contract to release new material on the major label, Geffen Records, they had just signed with. The belated second Stone Roses album proper, Second Coming (number 17, December 1994), was delayed until late 1994, as a result.
In the interim, to cash-in on The Stone Roses' popularity and probably also to irritate the band further, Silvertone released additional singles from their debut album The Stone Roses (number 36, May 1990), of which "I Wanna Be Adored" was one. As the band had already filmed a music video for "I Wanna Be Adored", in what looks like a two-for-one deal (the videos are virtually identical) filmed at the same time as "Fools Gold" (number 13, May 1990), that was ready to go for promotion without requiring the band's further involvement. Convenient!
"I Wanna Be Adored" peaked at number 20 in the UK in September 1991, and number 21 in Ireland during the same month.
Within Australia, "I Wanna Be Adored" found greatest success in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 120.
I didn't know "I Wanna Be Adored" at the time, but became familiar with it as a rage guest programmer music video selection some time in the 2000s. While the song's lyrics are minimal ("I don't have to sell my soul, he's already in me" and "I wanna be adored" are about it), I quite enjoy this one, and it has one of those classic guitar riffs.
I knew that "I Wanna Be Adored" was a fan and critical favourite, but I was surprised to see that the music video has nearly five times as many views as that for "Fools Gold", the much bigger chart hit, on YouTube.
We shall next see The Stone Roses in 1995. Before then, another Silvertone cash-in album, Turns into Stone (number 189, August 1992), which compiled the band's singles and B-sides that did not appear on the debut album, was released.
Number 145 "House Party II (I Don't Know What You Come to Do)" by Tony! Toni! Toné!
Peak: number 141
Peak dates: 2 December 1991 and 9 December 1991
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
American r&b trio Tony! Toni! Toné! - none of whom were actually named Tony (or spelling variants thereof) - landed a minor hit in Australia with the second single, "Feels Good" (number 89, February 1991), from their second album The Revival (number 149, February 1991).
"House Party II (I Don't Know What You Come to Do)" was recorded for the House Party 2 soundtrack (number 138, June 1992). Interestingly, I cannot find evidence of the single charting anywhere else, although it did make number 19 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 40 on the US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
Tony! Toni! Toné! would have their belated breakthrough hit in Australia in 1993, with "If I Had No Loot" (number 12, October 1993). That would become their only ARIA top 50 entry.
"My Love Life" was a non-album single. It peaked at number 29 in the UK in October 1990, and number 6 in Ireland during the same month.
On the ARIA state charts, "My Love Life" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 123.
Of course, Morrissey was famous for not having a "love life" at the time, being open about his celibacy. Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde performs harmony vocals on this one.
Moz will next join us in 1994 on his own, but we will see him with his former band The Smiths on a couple of occasions before then, in 1992 and 1993.
Four of this week in 1991's six new entries debuting and peaking outside the ARIA top 100 are from artists we have seen before. Let's take a look at them.
Lisette Melendez: a few weeks in the top 150.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 125 "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton (1991 release)
Peak: number 122
Peak dates: 25 November 1991 and 2 December 1991
Weeks in top 150: 13 weeks (in 1991); 21 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)
Weeks on chart: 27 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)
This single peaked at number 100 in Australia on 15 April 1996, when re-issued, spending another 8 weeks in the top 150.
"When a Man Loves a Woman", a song originally recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966, was a number 3 hit in Australia in November 1988 when Jimmy Barnes released a live version as a single. I suspect that this relatively recent hit is one reason why Michael Bolton's rendition of the song did not take off in Australia.
"When a Man Love a Woman" was released as the third single from Michael's seventh studio album Time, Love & Tenderness (number 11, August 1992).
Internationally, Michael's version of the song peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week in November 1991, number 12 in Ireland in November 1991, number 8 in the UK in November 1991, number 21 in New Zealand in December 1991, number 4 in Canada in December 1991, number 52 in Germany in December 1991, number 34 in Sweden in January 1992, number 17 in the Netherlands in January 1991, number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1992, and number 34 in France in May 1992.
In Australia, "When a Man Loves a Woman" had an interesting chart run, spending the first 11 weeks of its top 150 chart run hovering between numbers 122 and 125. Given that the single was not a hit the first time around, it was re-issued in Australia in 1996 following the release of Michael's Greatest Hits 1985-1995 (number 6, September 1995) compilation. The 1996 release of "When a Man Loves a Woman" just scraped into the ARIA top 100, peaking at number 100 in April 1996.
On the ARIA state charts, "When a Man Loves a Woman" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 69 in 1996. The single peaked in early 1992 in Queensland and Western Australia, and in 1996 in all other states.
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me " was originally recorded by Elton John, and reached number 13 in Australia in September 1974. Oleta's version was recorded for the various artists tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (number 15, November 1991).
Internationally, Oleta's version of the track peaked at number 33 in the UK in October 1991, and number 32 in the Netherlands in November 1991.
Within Australia, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 86.
Canadian musician Robbie Robertson was born Jaime Royal Robertson. He was the lead guitarist and a songwriter for The Band before launching his solo career in 1987.
Robbie's only Australian singles chart entries to date had been "Showdown at Big Sky" (number 95, February 1988) and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", which peaked at number 100 on the Australian Music Report in June 1988, during the week before ARIA commenced producing the chart in-house (it otherwise went on to peak at number 83 on the AMR chart).
"What About Now" was the lead single in Australia from Robbie's second solo album Storyville (number 113, November 1991).
While I cannot find evidence of "What About Now" charting on any other sales-based chart, it registered on two meaningless subsidiary US Billboard charts. "What About Now" peaked at number 15 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and number 28 on the Alternative Airplay chart in November 1991.
Domestically, "What About Now" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 87.
This was Robbie's last single to chart in Australia. A second Storyville single, "Go Back to Your Woods", was released in Australia in March 1992.
Robbie had a couple of later albums that peaked outside the top 100 in Australia: Contact from the Underworld of Redboy (number 189, April 1998), and How to Become Clairvoyant (number 129, April 2011).
Number 147 "A Day in My Life (Without You)" by Lisette Melendez
"A Day in My Life (Without You)" was issued as the second single from Lisette's debut album Together Forever (number 199, December 1991).
Internationally, "A Day in My Life..." peaked at number 49 in the US in November 1991.
Within Australia, "A Day in My Life..." was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 125.
Listening to this track, the first thing that strikes me is that the backing music is almost identical to Corina's "Temptation" (number 57, October 1991), which was an observation I made with the last Lisette track we saw.
English duo Curve are made up of singer Toni Halliday and instrumentalist/programmer Dean Garcia. The pair were signed to Dave Stewart's, whom we saw last week, label Anxious Records.
"Coast Is Clear", which does not appear on Curve's debut album Doppelgänger (number 136, May 1992), was Curve's debut release in Australia. The single became the pair's first top 40 entry in the UK, where it reached number 34 in May 1991.
In Australia, "Coast Is Clear" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 145.
Curve never had a top 100 entry in Australia, but we will see them bubble under on five more occasions on the singles chart, between now and 1998. We shall next see Curve in 1992.
All but two of this week in 1991's eleven new entries debuting and peaking outside the ARIA top 100 are by artists hailing from the UK, which is an unusual occurrence. Let's take a look at them.
EMF scored an 'unbelievably' low peak in Australia with their latest single.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 110 "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" by Billy Bragg
Peak: number 107
Peak date: 11 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
We last saw English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, born Stephen William Bragg, in March 1989. Since then, Billy landed his first top 100 single in Australia with "Sexuality" (number 46, September 1991). Songs with 'sex', or a version thereof, in the title seemed to be big in 1991.
"You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" was the second single lifted from Billy's sixth studio album Don't Try This at Home (number 35, October 1991).
Internationally, "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" peaked at number 54 in the UK in September 1991. it also reached number 25 on the meaningless US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in November 1991.
Billy will next join us in 1996.
Number 136 "No Deeper Meaning" by Culture Beat
Peak: number 126
Peak date: 2 December 1991
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Weeks on chart: 13 weeks
German eurodance act Culture Beat last joined us in June 1991.
"No Deeper Meaning" was the fourth and final single released from Culture Beat's debut album Horizon (number 150, August 1991). It was also their third consecutive single to peak outside the ARIA top 100.
Overseas, "No Deeper Meaning" peaked at number 5 in the Netherlands in October 1991, number 30 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1991, and number 19 in Finland.
Within Australia, "No Deeper Meaning" was much more popular in Western Australia than elsewhere, where it reached number 74. The next-highest state chart peak "No Deeper Meaning" obtained was number 111, in South Australia/Northern Territory.
If a music video for "No Deeper Meaning" exists, it has not been uploaded to YouTube (and is not in my collection), but you can view a TV performance of the track here.
Culture Beat would finally make their breakthrough in Australia in 1993, when "Mr. Vain" topped the singles chart for one week in October of that year. A new female singer, Tania Evans, was on board by then, replacing Lana Earl.
Culture Beat followed-up the ARIA platinum-certified "Mr. Vain" with two further gold singles from their second album, the gold-certified Serenity (number 5, March 1994): "Got to Get It" (number 7, December 1993) and "Anything" (number 12, March 1994).
We shall next see Culture Beat in 1996.
Number 138 "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Monty Python (1991 release)
Peak: number 119
Peak date: 18 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
This single peaked at number 9 in Australia in March 1980, spending 14 weeks in the top 100.
Being born in 1978, I was exposed to, and enjoyed, numerous British comedy TV programs growing up, including some that were largely filmed before my time, such as George and Mildred and The Benny Hill Show. Monty Python's Flying Circus, which was originally broadcast between 1969 and 1974, was not one of them, however, and I don't think I had even heard of them until noticing that this track was in the UK top 10 published in the back of the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine in 1991. I am pretty sure I caught the video for it once on TV around this time.
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" started out as the double A-side on the UK 1979 "Life of Brian" single, with Sonia Jones' "Brian" on the A-side. The latter track was the theme song from Monty Python'sLife of Brian movie, in which "Always..." also featured. Oddly for the UK, who seemed to lap up any old novelty record no matter how bad it was, this single did not chart there.
In continental Europe, North America and Australasia, this single was released with "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" as the A-side, and "Brian" as the B-side. The original release of this single peaked at number 9 in Australia in March 1980, number 34 in the Netherlands in January 1981, and number 30 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1981. This leads me to believe that Monty Python must have been quite big in Australia in the early 1980s, even though I had never heard of them as a toddler.
In 1991, BBC Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo started playing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" on his breakfast radio show, known for resurrecting novelty records, which led to its re-release. The 1991 release of "Always..." peaked at number 3 in the UK in October 1991, number 1 in Ireland, number 35 in the Flanders region of Belgium in December 1991, number 3 in Germany in December 1991, number 3 in Switzerland in December 1991, number 5 in Norway in December 1991, and number 2 in Austria in February 1992.
Number 142 "Waratah Street" by John Williamson
Peak: number 142
Peak date: 4 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
We last saw Australian country legend John Williamson in August 1991.
"Waratah Street" was the second and final single, and almost title track, from John's tenth studio album Waratah St. (number 14, September 1991).
On the state charts, "Waratah Street" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 1992.
John will join us next in 1992.
Number 147 "What Can You Do for Me" by Utah Saints (1991 release)
Peak: number 143
Peak date: 11 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks (in 1991-1992); 14 weeks (1991, 1992 and 1993 chart-runs combined)
Weeks on chart: 29 weeks (1991, 1992 and 1993 chart-runs combined)
This single peaked at number 90 in Australia in April 1993 when re-released, spending a further 8 weeks in the top 150.
Despite their name, Utah Saints hail from North Yorkshire in England rather than the American state of Utah. "What Can You Do for Me" was their debut release. Vocally, the track is based on samples from Eurythmics' "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (number 3, August 1985) and Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on but the Rent" (number 75, November 1986). The song's title comes from the sample from the Gwen Guthrie track.
Internationally, "What Can You Do for Me" peaked at number 10 in the UK in September 1991, number 16 in Ireland, and number 35 in Sweden in December 1991.
Utah Saints made their breakthrough in Australia with their next single, "Something Good" (number 10, November 1992), which used vocal samples from Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting" - a single that bubbled under in Australia in January and February 1986.
Both "What Can You Do for Me" and "Something Good" appear on Utah Saints' debut album Utah Saints (number 111, August 1993). "Something Good" became a hit again, with Kate's vocals replaced by a sound-a-like singer, in 2008, when "Something Good '08" peaked at number 32 in May of that year.
Following the success of "Something Good", "What Can You Do for Me" was re-released in Australia, reaching a new peak of number 90 in April 1993. On the state charts, the 1993 release of "What Can You Do for Me" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 49.
There was also a US remix of "What Can You Do for Me", with a new music video filmed to promote its release there.
As if all of these different versions and releases was not enough, "What Can You Do for Me" had a third lease of life on the Australian chart, when the 2012 remix peaked at number 694 in April 2012.
Utah Saints landed a third top 100 single in Australia from their debut album with "Believe in Me" (number 92, August 1993), which prominently sampled The Human League's "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" (number 12, March 1982).
We shall next see Utah Saints in 1995.
Number 150 "Such a Feeling" by Bizarre Inc
Peak: number 150
Peak date: 4 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
We last saw English dance act Bizarre Inc in June 1991. "Such a Feeling" was their second single released in Australia.
"Such a Feeling" peaked at number 13 in the UK in October 1991.
On the ARIA state charts, "Such a Feeling" performed strongest in Western Australia - where this early rave music seemed to do better than the rest of the country, based on the state chart peaks for this and, recently, The Prodigy - reaching number 80 there.
I get this one confused with the similarly-titled "Such a Good Feeling" by Brothers in Rhythm, which was released around the same time, though not in Australia.
We will next see Bizarre Inc in 1992, with one of my favourite tracks of the year.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 159 "Lies" by EMF
Peak: number 159
Peak date: 4 November 1991
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
One thing I did not know (or had forgotten) about English band EMF is that the band's name is short for Epsom Mad Funkers, which was the name of a New Order fan club. I had perhaps thought the band's name stood for electromagnetic force.
EMF burst onto the Australian chart in early 1991 with their debut single "Unbelievable" (number 8, April 1991). Just when it seemed like EMF were going to be the next big thing (a girl in my class at school had EMF written in large letters on her pencil case), their second single, "I Believe" (number 54, July 1991), flopped in Australia, although it did give them a second UK top 10 hit.
EMF's third single "Children" (number 49, September 1991) returned them to the ARIA top 50, if only just. It looked at this point, to me, like EMF might become one-hit wonders in Australia, and indeed that is what happened.
"Lies", the fourth and final single from the band's debut album Schubert Dip (number 44, June 1991), fared even worse, peaking outside the ARIA top 150.
I am not sure why EMF faltered so quickly on the charts. I can only guess that it was partly due to the band inhabiting that awkward spot between boy band who appeal to teenage girls (see the aforementioned pencil case example) and credible band who write their own songs and play their own instruments. Having pin-up looks (well, some of the band did) can be both a blessing and a curse. The teenage girl fans will move on to someone else six months later, and the 'serious music' fans won't take you seriously because of your appeal to teenyboppers.
Internationally, "Lies" peaked at number 18 in Ireland in August 1991, number 28 in the UK in August 1991, number 99 in Germany in September 1991, and number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991. "Lies" was the only EMF single other than "Unbelievable" to register on the Billboard Hot 100.
Within Australia, "Lies" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 133.
EMF split in 1997, though have since had a couple of reunions. Lead singer James Atkin now works as a school teacher, which seems to be the career of choice for former pop stars. You can view a video of James teaching on YouTube here. The band's original bass player, Zac Foley, died in 2002 from a drug overdose, aged 31.
EMF would never trouble the ARIA top 100 again, though we will see them bubble under on a few occasions in the coming years, with the next one being in 1992.
Number 176 "Pet Shop Boys Mega Mix" by Pet Shop Boys
This single is a bit of an enigma to me - it is not listed in the weekly lists of new release titles for either The ARIA Report or the Australian Music Report, and only Scandinavian pressings (and promotional ones at that) are listed on discogs.com. Do any Pet Shop Boys fans reading this know about this single's Australian release? I am guessing that perhaps it was made available on 12" vinyl in DJ-orientated stores.
Anyway, the megamix contains excerpts from the Pet Shop Boys songs "Being Boring" (number 82, February 1991), "So Hard" (number 27, December 1990), "Heart" (number 18, June 1988), "Suburbia" (bubbled under, November 1986), and "It's a Sin" (number 10, August 1987). They have not been mixed together in a particularly innovative way.
On the state charts, "Pet Shop Boys Mega Mix" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 137.
Number 186 "Stay Beautiful" by Manic Street Preachers
Peak: number 186
Peak date: 4 November 1991
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Welsh band Manic Street Preachers formed in Blackwood in 1986. While the group released a number of singles independently in the UK between 1988 and 1991, "Stay Beautiful" was their major label debut, and their first Australian release. The track was also the lead single from Manic Street Preachers' debut album Generation Terrorists (number 182, April 1992).
In the UK, "Stay Beautiful" peaked at number 40 in August 1991, becoming the first of the band's 34 UK top 40 singles to date.
Domestically, "Stay Beautiful" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 151.
I first became aware of Manic Street Preachers when reading about the disappearance, and presumed suicide, of the band's rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards in early 1995, in the British music newspaper N.M.E, which was one of the music publications I graduated to from Smash Hits in the second half of 1994. The first Manics song I heard, "A Design for Life" (number 50, July 1996), was also their first single to dent the ARIA top 100.
The Manics never really had major chart success in Australia, with only one other top 50 single, "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (number 49, September 1998). The band have landed two top 20 albums in Australia, however; although both had relatively brief chart runs.
Manic Street Preachers sort-of scored their biggest hit in Australia as the backing musicians on Kylie Minogue's "Some Kind of Bliss" (number 27, October 1997), during her 'indie' phase.
At
my first ever 'job', standing in an assembly line collating packages
for off-campus uni students, I remember a 'colleague' there stating that
Manic Street Preachers were her favourite band, when the topic of music
came up. While the job was 'enjoyable' in the sense of getting paid to
essentially stand around and talk all day, I declined the offer for
more work after 3 days, due to the horrendous paper cuts I'd come home with on my fingers...
We shall next see Manic Street Preachers in 1992.
Number 192 "Crown of Madness" by Dave Stewart and The Spiritual Cowboys
"Crown of Madness" was released as the lead single from the second Dave Stewart and The Spiritual Cowboys album Honest (number 187, November 1991). The single missed the UK top 75, and I cannot find evidence of it charting in any other country.
In Australia, "Crown of Madness" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 162.
Although Dave Stewart and The Spiritual Cowboys' releases were generally flops, Dave would have still been raking in the cash in 1991 from his former band Eurythmics' Greatest Hits compilation, which spent seven weeks at number 1 in Australia in April and May of 1991, and topped the charts in the UK, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
We will next see Dave, on his own, in 1994.
Number 201 "Jacky" by Marc Almond
Peak: number 201
Peak date: 4 November 1991
Weeks on chart: 1 week
We last saw English singer Marc Almond, born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond, in June 1989.
"Jacky" was the lead single from Marc's seventh solo studio album Tenement Symphony, which was released in Australia in November 1991 but did not chart. The track is a cover version of a 1966 song by Belgian singer-songwrister Jacques Brel. An English language adaptation was released by Scott Walker in 1967.
Overseas, "Jacky" peaked at number 17 in the UK in October 1991, number 14 in Ireland, number 57 in the Netherlands in October 1991, and number 32 in the Flanders region of Belgium in November 1991.
Domestically, "Jacky" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 169.
At the time of writing, "Jacky" is the earliest single I have an ARIA singles chart peak for outside the top 200.
I hadn't heard "Jackie" before. Marc's next single, which I have heard before and like, "My Hand over My Heart", was released in Australia in March 1992, but failed to chart.
We will next see Marc in 1992.
Next week (11 November): Four top 150 debuts, and two bubbling WAY down under entries.
Another week in 1982 with just one new entry bubbling under the top 100, this week also marks the last post of 1982. Let's take a look.
Haircut One Hundred missed the top 100 with this one.
Beyond the top 100:
Position 10 "Nobody's Fool" by Haircut One Hundred
Highest rank: 10th
Peak date: 1 November 1982
Weeks on below list: 1 week
English band Haircut One Hundred formed in London in 1980. They landed three Australian top 100 singles in 1982: "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" (number 97, March 1982), "Love Plus One" (number 10, June 1982), and "Fantastic Day" (number 85, August 1982). Their debut album Pelican West, from which these three singles were lifted, peaked at number 27 in Australia in June 1982. Nothing else the band released, however, would trouble the Australian top 100.
"Nobody's Fool" was released as an in-between albums single. Internationally, "Nobody's Fool" peaked at number 9 in the UK in September 1982, and number 10 in Ireland.
A 14 year-old Patsy Kensit, who would later go on to front Eighth Wonder, appears in the music video for "Nobody's Fool", embedded below.
Haircut One Hundred front man Nick Heyward left the band in late 1982, and embarked on a solo career. Nothing Nick released troubled the national top 100 in Australia, but his 1988 single "You're My World" peaked at number 71 on the ARIA Western Australia state chart in November 1988 (before the national chart was extended beyond number 100).
My favourite solo Nick track that I've heard is "Tell Me Why", which was released in Australia in April 1989 and I caught on rage as new release.
Nick's third solo album, 1988's I Love You Avenue, from which both "You're My World" and "Tell Me Why" are lifted, eventually charted in Australia... peaking at number 1388 in July 2017.
Next post(17 January): This week's post is the last one for 1982, as, unfortunately for us, the Kent Music Report beyond the top 100 list ranked in order of sales returned to an alphabetised list of 'Hit Predictions' (from which rankings cannot be determined) on 8 November 1982. The significant sales beyond the top 100 lists would return, however, in January 1983. When my Kent Music Report beyond the top 100 recaps return in January 2023, there'll be one new entry bubbling under the top 100.
