A mixed bag of debuts this week - one by an act with a previous minor hit in Australia, another by an act with a decent-sized hit that they couldn't follow up, an act with a few hits under their belt's final release, and two new acts who would never go on to make the top 100 (at least in their current form). There isn't really a common thread there that I can write about... so let's just get on to the debuts.
The State: One of them would go on to write non-hits for Collette.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 122 "Heaven in My Hands" by Level 42
Peak: number 115
Peak date: 6 March 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 155-(off chart for 2 weeks)-122-115-132-128-120-125-122
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
Level 42 scored 20 top 40 hits in their native UK, but could chart no higher than number 43 down under, with 1987's "Running in the Family" (number 43, June 1987). They'll be back later in the year with another top 150 entry.
Internationally, "Heaven Is in My Hands" peaked at number 12 in the UK in September 1988, number 9 in Ireland in September 1988, number 20 in Switzerland in October 1988, number 22 in Germany in October 1988, number 4 in the Netherlands in October 1988, number 6 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1988, and number 10 in Norway.
Locally, "Heaven in My Hands" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 77.
Number 131 "I Won't Bleed for You" by Climie Fisher
Peak: number 124
Peak date: 6 March 1989
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Chart run: 131-124-139-131-134
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Climie Fisher returned to the top 150 this week, following in the footsteps of "This Is Me" from January, with their second consecutive single to peak in the 120's. Two more singles of theirs were released in Australia in 1989: "Love Like a River" (April) and "Facts of Love" (October), but both failed to chart.
Internationally, "I Won't Bleed for You" peaked at number 35 in the UK in August 1988. Locally, the single was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 116.
While we won't see Climie Fisher again, singer Simon Climie will bubble under in 1992.
Number 138 "Cars & Planes" by Machinations
Peak: number 105
Peak date: 13 March 1989
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 138-133-105-108-108-116-113-118-119
This fourth and final single from 1988's Uptown (number 50, November 1988) album was also Machinations' final single, after front man Fred Loneragan was injured in a car accident in April 1989. "Cars & Planes" failed to connect with the record-buying public.
Number 142 "Is This Love?" by King Swamp
Peak: number 109
Peak date: 20 March 1989
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 142-(out for 2 weeks)-109-116
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Formed in 1988, UK band King Swamp scaled the lower end of the top 100 in their homeland, reaching number 92 with this track, from the album King Swamp (number 111, March 1989). In Australia, they did nearly as 'well', but missed the top 100.
On the state charts, "Is This Love?" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 73.
Number 150 "So Lonely Now" by The State
Peak: number 150
Peak date: 27 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 150
Before roping in Jack Jones (real name Irwin Thomas) and morphing into Southern Sons, The State had their first taste of chart 'success' with "So Lonely Now", which spent a solitary week at number 150. CD copies of their album Elementary fetch upwards of $70 on discogs.com now! Interestingly, Peter Bowman from the group would later go on to co-write most of Collette's second album, Attitude (number 107, April 1991).
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 159 Ballad of the Streets EP by Simple Minds
Peak: number 159
Peak date: 27 February 1989
Weeks on chart: 1 week
From time to time, I notice what I think (sometimes it's clear; other times, more a matter of opinion) are mistakes on the ARIA chart. This is one of them.
Ballad of the Streets was the name - across all formats - given to the single containing the track "Belfast Child" by Simple Minds. However, the single cover also listed "Belfast Child" and the other track(s) - depending on which format, so there was no mistake it was the 'Belfast Child single' if you were browsing the stock in a record store.
My only guess - and it is just a guess - as to why ARIA have listed Ballad of the Streets separately to "Belfast Child", which was at number 23 this week, is that it represents sales of the 12" vinyl or CD single, with extra track "Biko" on it. Sales of the 12" or CD single really should have just been added to the tally for "Belfast Child".
Adelaide band The Everys only released one studio album, Everyone, which did not chart at its time of release, in February 1989. It did, however, manage to chart... at number 1280, in June 2018, following its digital release. I suspect the album would have peaked higher in 1989 had the chart extended lower back then.
"Eyes for the Blind" was the third of four singles issued from the album; the other three - "This Town" (January 1988, released as The Every Brothers), "Paved with Gold" (July 1988) and "Stranger You Are" (July 1989) - did not chart.
Number 175 "Four Letter Word" by Kim Wilde
Peak: number 165
Peak date: 13 March 1989
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
Poor Kim could only manage sporadic chart success in Australia, after
her string of four consecutive top 10 singles in 1981-2. A four letter
word is what Kim might be thinking if she looked at her Australian
chart history... though we at least gave her a number one hit - something she somehow couldn't manage in her home country - in 1987.
Elsewhere, "Four Letter Word" peaked at number 6 in the UK in January 1989, number 5 in Ireland, number 9 in the Netherlands in February 1989, number 18 in Switzerland in February 1989, number 9 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1989, number 27 in Germany in March 1989, and number 23 in Austria in May 1989.
In Australia, "Four Letter Word" was most successful in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 115.
Next week(6 March): Another 5 new top 150 entries, though one of them isn't really 'new'. Other acts debuting next week include another return act, and a double A-side from a female rap act who looked like they were going to become one-hit wonders.
Please note that next week's post will be on Friday, rather than Thursday, due to the leap day this year. My posts for the next 4 years (assuming I continue writing these posts) will now be on a Friday.
This post is the first in a series to take a look at singles that 'bubbled under' the Kent/Australian Music Report chart, before the ARIA chart extended beyond number 100. This first instalment covers the AMR charts from winter 1988, coinciding with the first few months of the ARIA-produced chart.
Tiffany: The Australian record-buying public's feelings for Tiff weren't, unfortunately, forever.
Prior to the advent of the first ARIA-produced chart (that was published) in June 1988, ARIA had been licensing the top 50 portion of the Kent Music Report (which was later known as the Australian Music Report, from the edition dated 6 July 1987) since late June 1983.
I say "that was published", as ARIA actually produced an unpublished top 50 chart, as a trial run, a week prior to 'going live' with the chart linked above. But we'll get to that in another post.
The Kent/Australian Music Report, since 23 August 1982, had included a list of "singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100" - if that is not a contradiction in terms.
Usually, the titles listed in this section were singles that had not yet entered the national top 100 chart. But, curiously, the list also included titles falling out of the top 100 from time to time.
The singles were ranked in order of sales, with the best-selling title among them being listed first, and so on. These lists were akin to the US Billboard 'Bubbling Under' chart, listing titles that were on the cusp of entering the Hot 100 chart, but had not yet done so.
The number of titles listed varied week by week. Sometimes, only a few titles were listed. Other weeks (mainly later on), the list could contain as many as 25-30 titles! Some weeks (not very often, thankfully), there was no list of these 'bubbling under' titles at all.
As there are no available records of the Kent/Australian Music Report chart extending beyond number 100, these lists provide the next best thing in giving an indication of what was lurking outside the top 100. The songs listed are not literally positions 101, 102 etc., however.
After that rather lengthy intro, this post will look at singles that 'bubbled under' the Australian Music Report (AMR) top 100 chart between June and August 1988 that also did not make the ARIA top 100 or top 150 charts. I will take a look at other periods in later posts. Note that this list does not include singles that entered the AMR top 100, but missed the ARIA chart. That will be yet another topic for another day!
Non-charting singles that bubbled under the Australian Music Report chart June-August 1988:
"Towers of Strength" by Died Pretty
AMR chart first listing: 6 June 1988
Highest rank: 15 (on the 'bubbling under' list)
Five years before they finally broke into the top 100, Australian band Died Pretty bubbled under with this release.
"Rise to the Occasion" by Climie Fisher
AMR chart first listing: 13 June 1988
Highest rank: 5 (on the 'bubbling under' list)
Before 'Love Changes (Everything)' became a number 23 hit, this ballad, which peaked at number 10 in the UK in January 1988, bubbled under the top 100.
"The Way I Live" by Tony Johns
AMR chart first listing: 20 June 1988
Highest rank: 12 (on the 'bubbling under' list)
I've never heard of Tony Johns before... but noticed that one YouTube upload for this song declares that he is a "6'4" 100% Italian ladies man from Salt Lake City".
"Hold on to Love" by Jon Anderson
AMR chart first listing: 27 June 1988
Highest rank: 12 (on the 'bubbling under' list)
I wrongly assumed I'd never heard of Jon Anderson before. It turns out that he was the lead singer of Yes, they of 'Owner of a Lonely Heart', which peaked at number 14 on the Australian singles chart in February 1984.
"Responsible" by The State
AMR chart first listing: 4 July 1988
Highest rank: 2 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
The State would later evolve into Southern Sons, after recruiting new singer Jack Jones (real name: Irwin Thomas). But for now they had to settle with bubbling under the top 100. They will also make an appearance among the top 150 debuts in a couple of weeks.
"Diamond Sun" by Glass Tiger
AMR chart first listing: 4 July 1988
Highest rank: 3 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Glass Tiger found it an impossible task following up 'Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)', which peaked at number 9 on the Australian singles chart in January 1987, with no subsequent single release charting higher than number 91 in Australia.
"Love Takes Care" by The Angels
AMR chart first listing: 4 July 1988
Highest rank: 9 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
The Angels seemed to have so many singles released during 1980s. I've never heard of this uncharacteristically-subdued song, which was a live release, following up their live rendition of 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?', which peaked at number 11 in March 1988.
"Don't Stand So Close to the Window" by Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls
AMR chart first listing: 4 July 1988
Highest rank: 10 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
This one is interesting, as this song somehow made it onto the various artists 'hits' compilation Hit Pix '88 Volume II, despite never reaching the top 100. There also does not seem to be a music video for the song.
The former teen idol scored a US Billboard number 2 hit with this single.
"Get It" by Stevie Wonder & Michael Jackson
AMR chart first listing: 18 July 1988
Highest rank: 7 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
I wasn't previously aware of this track's existence, or that it received a single release. This single stalled at number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100, though made the top 15 in the Flanders region of Belgium.
"Don't Blame It on That Girl" by Matt Bianco
AMR chart first listing: 1 August 1988
Highest rank: 5 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
I have heard this one before. Matt Bianco, who are a group rather than a solo artist as the name might suggest, scored Australian top 100 hits with 'Whose Side Are You On?' (number 57 in June 1985) and 'Yeh Yeh' (number 64 in March 1986).
"Paved with Gold" by The Everys
AMR chart first listing: 8 August 1988
Highest rank: 6 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
An Australian band, this was the best The Everys managed on the chart; although 'Eyes for the Blind' spent one week at number 100 on the AMR chart in February 1989 (it did not reach the ARIA top 150).
"Life at a Top People's Health Farm" by The Style Council
AMR chart first listing: 15 August 1988
Highest rank: 8 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Quite an interesting song title, I've never heard of this one before. It peaked at number 28 in the UK. The Style Council scored a top 150 'hit' in 1989 which will be coming up in April in my weekly recaps.
"Baby Boom Baby" by James Taylor
AMR chart first listing: 15 August 1988
Highest rank: 3 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Wikipedia tells me that this one peaked at number 24 in Canada, but didn't do much elsewhere. Australia did not break that trend.
"Live in Hope" by Train of Thought
AMR chart first listing: 22 August 1988
Highest rank: 8 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything about this one, as it is not on YouTube or discogs.com, and I have never heard it. Can anyone reading this help?
"I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)" by Agnetha Fältskog & Peter Cetera
AMR chart first listing: 22 August 1988
Highest rank: 8 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Unlike her fellow ABBA-bandmate Frida, Agnetha wasn't able to score a solo hit down under, with 1983's 'Can't Shake Loose' being her only top 100 hit, at number 76. Not even this duet with Peter Cetera could turn her solo chart fortunes around.
"Skin Deep" by Cher
AMR chart first listing: 22 August 1988
Highest rank: 13 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Cher might have had a comeback earlier in the year with 'I Found Someone', but this release wasn't a chart success anywhere, peaking at number 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Waiting" by V. Spy V. Spy
AMR chart first listing: 22 August 1988
Highest rank: 16 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Australian band V. Spy V. Spy had scored 6 top 100 hits, with 'Don't Tear It Down' (number 31 in March 1987) performing the best among them.
"Chains of Love" by Erasure
AMR chart first listing: 22 August 1988
Highest rank: 11 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Two number 13-peaking singles (1986's 'Oh L'amour' and 1992's 'ABBA-Esque' EP) aside, Erasure didn't exactly set the Australian charts on fire, with no other single peaking higher than number 45. While 'Chains of Love' missed both the AMR and ARIA national top 100, it did manage to peak at number 91 on the South Australian/Northern Territory ARIA state singles chart, on 29 August 1988.
"Feelings of Forever" by Tiffany
AMR chart first listing: 29 August 1988
Highest rank: 14 (on the 'bubbling under' chart)
Tiffany's string of three top 15 hits in Australia came to a screeching halt with the release of this fourth (in Australia) single from her self-titled debut. Quite a pity, really, as it's a nice song, I think. It did manage to dent the South Australian/Northern Territory ARIA state singles chart, though, peaking at number 93 on 29 August 1988.
Stay tuned for the second instalment of this series, covering AMR bubbling under singles from Spring 1988, at a date yet to be determined.
Welcome to the first weekly post recapping the new entries on the Australian singles chart that peaked between numbers 101 and 150. Occasionally, I will also be listing some singles with known peaks outside the top 150.
As this was the first singles chart that extended beyond number 100, there are quite a few new entries. Because it's such a long post, I shall be splitting it into two parts.
Despite it now being late January in 1989, many of the singles below had been released months earlier - some as early as July 1988 - without ever denting the lofty heights of the top 100.
Eighth Wonder: Ah Patsy... never mind the rock star husbands, she could have been a pop icon herself!
Top 150 debuts:
Number 113 "Love Is All That Matters" by The Human League
Peak: number 113
Peak date: 30 January 1989
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Chart run: 113-125
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
Released in Australia in mid-November 1988 to promote their Greatest Hits (number 76, January 1989) album, The Human League's first 'charting' single since 1986's "Human" (number 26, October 1986), this one stalled at number 113. Given that the single had been out for over two months by this point, you have to wonder if it might have peaked nearer to 100 in the interim... but we'll never know. Interestingly, the song was lifted from their 1986 studio album Crash (number 32, October 1986), rather than being a new recording. I remember seeing this release reviewed in (the Australian edition of) Smash Hits, and even spotting the cassingle in my local Myer, but never actually hearing the song until 2008.
Internationally, "Love Is All That Matters" peaked at number 41 in the UK in October 1988, and number 27 in Ireland in October 1988.
Domestically, "Love Is All That Matters" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66 on the state chart in October 1988. "Love Is All That Matters" peaked within the top 100 on all five state charts.
Bill Medley was one half of The Righteous Brothers, who are best known for "Unchained Melody" (number 1 for 5 weeks in November-December 1990; originally peaking at number 3 in Australia in September 1965). As a solo artist, Bill's sole Australian top 100 singles chart entry was his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (number 1 for 6 weeks in January-February 1988), from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack album (number 1 for 8 weeks in February-March 1988), which was the highest-selling single of 1988 in Australia. "I'm Gonna Be Strong" was released in Australia in November 1988.
I've never actually heard this one before. It's a cover version of a
1963 song recorded by Frankie Laine, which was later covered by Gene Pitney (his version peaked at number 5 in Australia in December 1964), and Cyndi Lauper's band Blue Angel in 1980. Cyndi also covered the song solo, and we'll see her version bubble under in 1995.
Internationally, Bill's version of "I'm Gonna Be Strong" peaked at number 171 (number 132 on the compressed chart) in the UK in November 1988.
While we won't see Bill again as a solo artist, The Righteous Brothers will bubble under in 1991.
Number 116 "Cross My Heart" by Eighth Wonder
Peak: number 116
Peak date: 30 January 1989
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Chart run: 116
Weeks on chart: 1 week
After a string of flop releases, child actor-turned-adult actor-turned pop star (for a short while, anyway) Patsy Kensit and her band Eighth Wonder scored two UK top 15 hits in 1988, with the Pet Shop Boys-penned "I'm Not Scared", and this... a Michael Jay (the man behind Martika's debut album, among other things) written track produced by Phil Harding of PWL (the label owned by Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman). With that pedigree, something was bound to give Eighth Wonder a hit eventually - just not in Australia, sadly.
"Cross My Heart" appears to have first been recorded by Tracie Spencer, for her 1988 self-titled debut album. Tracie's version received a single release in Japan. Martika also recorded her own version of this track for her aforementioned debut album. Although both Tracie and Martika have a technically stronger voice than Patsy, I find something about Patsy's paper-thin vocals really endearing.
This single was released in Australia back in September 1988. It fared better on the state charts, where it peaked as high as number 56 in New South Wales/ACT in November, and number 58 in South Australia/Northern Territory in December. That makes me think that "Cross My Heart" probably would have peaked higher than number 116 on the national chart had it extended beyond number 100 earlier.
Internationally, "Cross My Heart" peaked at number 13 in the UK in July 1988, number 16 in Ireland, number 6 in Switzerland in August 1988, number 17 in Germany in August 1988, number 6 in Norway, and number 13 in France in February 1989.
I actually read Patsy's autobiography a while back, as I thought she was someone who'd likely had an interesting life (and that's before we get to the numerous rock-star husbands). In it, she seems a little embarrassed of her pop star phase, never feeling too confident in her singing ability. It's a shame, as she made a great pop star, I thought.
But this song wasn't all for Patsy and... er, the others on the Australian charts. They will be back soon enough with another top 150 smash!
Number 117 "Rubber Love" by Bigstorm
Peak: number 117
Peak date: 30 January 1989
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 117-126-129-128-132
I haven't actually heard this one before. Vocally, it reminds me of Alice Cooper in parts. The group don't currently have a Wikipedia page, so I can't tell you much about them. Their discogs.com page does not reveal much either... although only an Australian pressing is listed for this single, so I assume Bigstorm were an Australian band. This track is lifted from the album Living in Exile (number 110, March 1989).
Number 120 "High on You" by Iggy Pop
Peak: number 114
Peak date: 6 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Chart run: 120-114-118-121-125-132
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
American punk rocker Iggy Pop, real name James Newell Osterberg Jr., is best known in Australia for his duet with The B-52's Kate Pierson, "Candy" (number 9, January 1991)... and his infamous Countdown performance of "I'm Bored" (number 68, August 1979). Before launching his solo career in 1977, Iggy was the lead singer in The Stooges.
"High on You" was the second single lifted from Iggy's eighth solo studio album Instinct (number 82, August 1988), following "Cold Metal" (released in Australia in September 1988), which did not chart nationally, but registered on the South Australia/Northern Territory and Western Australia state charts, where it peaked at numbers 77 and 85, respectively. “High on You” was released in Australia in November 1988.
Internationally, "High on You" peaked at number 230 (number 148 on the compressed chart) in the UK in December 1988.
Locally, “High on You” performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 78.
Before now, you might have gotten the impression that singles peaking outside the top 100 always peaked where they debuted, but this one actually rose another 6 places to reach its eventual peak of number 114.
American band Van Halen formed in 1973. Their first single to chart in Australia was their debut release, a cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (number 12, June 1978). Their biggest hit locally was "Jump" (number 2, March 1984). The band underwent a line-up change in 1985, with lead singer David Lee Roth being replaced by Sammy Hagar. My favourite Van Halen single would be "Dreams" (number 51, September 1986), which was surprisingly a flop here.
"Finish What Ya Started" was the second single released in Australia from Van Halen's eighth studio album OU812 (number 9, July 1988). It followed "When It's Love" (number 23, August 1988).
Internationally, "Finish What Ya Started" peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1988.
In Australia, "Finish What Ya Started" was equally most-popular in Queensland and Western Australia, where it reached number 77 on the state charts. The singled peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory being the only exception.
I was not familiar with "Finish What Ya Started". It sounds a bit more easy-listening to me than their earlier hits.
Number 124 "Long and Lasting Love (Once in a Lifetime)" by Glenn Medeiros
Peak: number 113
Peak date: 20 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 124-122-125-113-114-118-125
Hawaiian Glenn Medeiros made his debut on the Australian charts in 1987, with his first single "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" (number 10, February 1988), which took over six months to reach its peak from its mid-August 1987 release in Australia. He would score a second hit in 1990 with his duet with Bobby Brown, "She Ain't Worth It" (number 8, August 1990), essentially becoming a two-hit wonder in Australia.
Glenn also scored a couple of more-minor 'hits'... such as this one, from his curiously-titled Not Me (number 124, March 1989) album, which I hadn't heard before either. Before Glenn's "harder" makeover in 1990, this is more of the same lovey-dovey stuff as you might expect. The music video is just about the most 80s thing ever.
Internationally, "Long and Lasting Love..." peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1988, number 42 in the UK in September 1988, number 26 in Ireland in September 1988, number 14 in the Netherlands in October 1988, number 4 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1988, and number 54 in Germany in October 1988.
Glenn went on to become a school principal in Honolulu.
Number 125 "A Little Further North" by Graeme Connors
Peak: number 125
Peak date: 30 January 1989
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 125
Weeks on chart: 21 weeks
Not being well-versed in country music, particularly of the Australian variety, I had never heard of Graeme Connors before. Graeme has had several top 100-charting albums in Australia, but only one single, 1975's "Dakota" (number 78, May 1975), made a dent on the top 100 singles chart. I don't actually mind "A Little Further North". The track is lifted from the album North (number 73, February 1989).
On the state charts, "A Little Further North" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 79.
Number 126 "Spanish Eyes" by Willie Nelson with Julio Iglesias
Peak: number 121
Peak date: 6 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 126-121
American Country music star Willie Nelson began his recording career in 1957. In Australia, his biggest hit was "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (number 4, May 1984), another duet with Julio Iglesias. Country music is not really my thing.
Internationally, "Spanish Eyes" peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in December 1988, and number 38 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1989.
We'll next see Willie, with another collaboration, in 1991.
Number 128 "Shake for the Sheik" by The Escape Club
Peak: number 114
Peak date: 6 March 1989
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Chart run: 128-123-124-129-126-114-128-135
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
Although they hailed from England, The Escape Club never landed a hit in the UK, with "Wild, Wild West" being their best-charting single there, peaking at number 122 (number 102 on the compressed chart) in November 1988. "Wild, Wild West" was the band's only real hit in Australia, peaking at number 6 in November 1988. "I'll Be There" (number 43, October 1991) was The Escape Club's only other ARIA top 50 single.
"Shake for the Sheik" was the second single lifted from the band's second album Wild Wild West (no comma this time) (number 42, November 1988). Internationally, the single peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1989, and number 46 in New Zealand in February 1989.
I thought I had seen the music video for "Shake for the Sheik" once at the time, on either Video Hits or The Factory, but had no recollection of how the song went, which kind of says it all.
Number 129 "This Is Me" by Climie Fisher
Peak: number 128
Peak date: 6 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Chart run: 129-128
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
English band Climie Fisher were named after the band's two members, Simon Climie and Rob Fisher. Simon had previously achieved success as a songwriter for other artists, co-writing Pat Benatar's "Invincible" (number 23, October 1985) and Aretha Franklin & George Michael's "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (number 1 for 4 weeks in March-April 1987). Rob was one half of Naked Eyes, who landed a top 10 hit in Australia with their rendition of "Always Something There to Remind Me" (number 7, June 1983) - their only top 100 singles chart entry here.
Climie Fisher's only ARIA top 100 entry, "Love Changes (Everything)" (number 23, October 1988), was the duo's third single in their native UK, originally peaking at number 67 in August 1987, before being re-released in 1988, when it climbed to number 2 in April 1988.
In Australia, "Love Changes (Everything)" was first released in October 1987, and was followed up by "Rise to the Occasion" in April 1988. Both releases failed to chart, and "Love Changes (Everything)" was re-released in August 1988. Both tracks and "This Is Me" are lifted from the duo's debut album Everything, which failed to chart nationally in Australia, but spent a solitary week at number 100 on the Western Australian state chart in December 1988, before the national chart extended beyond number 100.
"This Is Me" was the first Climie Fisher single in the UK, peaking at number 134 (number 106 on the compressed chart) in September 1986. After the success of "Love Changes (Everything)", "This Is Me" was re-released in the UK, climbing to a new peak of number 22 in May 1988. Elsewhere, the 1988 release of "This Is Me" peaked at number 12 in Ireland in May 1988, number 26 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1988, number 60 in Germany in June 1988, number 34 in the Netherlands in July 1988, and number 43 in New Zealand in July 1988.
In Australia, "This Is Me" was released in November 1988. On the state charts, "This Is Me" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 94 in December 1988.
Rob Fisher died in 1999, aged 42, during surgery for cancer.
Top 150 chart run: 131-147-143-149-143-120-123-114-103-115-106-124-134-137
Weeks on chart: 15 weeks
English group When In Rome formed in 1987. "The Promise" was their debut single, originally released in the UK in 1987, where it stalled at number 230 (number 166 on the compressed chart) in September 1987.
When is a flop a sort-of hit? Despite peaking at only number 103 in Australia, "The Promise" spent 14 weeks in the top 150. In fact, only one single peaking within the 101-150 range in 1989 spent more weeks on the chart - we'll get to that in July. This song was particularly popular in Western Australia, reaching number 20 on the state chart, despite not entering any of the other state top 100 charts. It's funny how tastes could vary so significantly in various regions of Australia at the time.
Internationally, "The Promise" peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1988, and number 58 in the UK in January 1989.
I probably heard this song on American Top 40, but had no recollection of it when rediscovering it in 2008. Although the group appear to be a duo, it seems that there is some focus-on-the-more-conventionally-attractive*-band-member-who-isn't-actually-singing going on during the chorus (*though give me a shaved/bald head over Fabio-style locks any day), though he does seem to sing the verses, as I can hear two distinct voices on the track.
Quite a pleasant-sounding track, with a relaxing garden/looking through windows music video to boot. This would be When In Rome's only charting release in Australia.
Number 132 "Birth of the Beat" by Masters Apprentices
Peak: number 132
Peak date: 30 January 1989
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 132-134-137-145
Australian band Masters Apprentices formed in 1964 in Adelaide. Their highest-charting single in Australia was "Turn Up Your Radio" (number 7, June 1970 on the Go Set chart), although they are probably best known for "Because I Love You" (number 12, March 1971 on the Go Set chart); the "do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be yeah" song. The band split in 1972, and reformed in 1987. A 1988 re-recording of "Because I Love You" peaked at number 30 in Australia in November 1988.
Released as the follow-up to that track in December 1988, "Birth of the Beat" was a newly-recorded song, lifted from the band's fifth studio album Do What You Wanna Do (number 97, December 1988). The reduced price of $1.99 for the single (as evident from the video below) didn't seem to help its chart fortunes much.
Masters Apprentices' lead singer Jim Keays passed away in 2014, aged 67, following an illness with multiple myeloma.
We will see Masters Apprentices again in 1995.
Number 133 "Reason to Try" by Eric Carmen
Peak: number 133
Peak dates: 30 January 1989, 6 February 1989 and 13 February 1989
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 133-133-133-142-139
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen landed a top 10 hit in Australia with his debut single, "All by Myself" (number 7, May 1976), in 1976. He landed another four Australian top 100 singles between then and 1981, although none peaked higher than number 30, with "She Did It" (number 30, November 1977).
After a hiatus, Eric returned to the Australian chart in 1985 with "I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips" (number 27, May 1985). He finally scored another top 10 hit in early 1988 with "Hungry Eyes" (number 4, March 1988), from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack album (number 1 for 8 weeks in February-March 1988). Eric followed that up with another top 10 hit, "Make Me Lose Control" (number 8, September 1988), which would be his final ARIA top 100 single.
"Reason to Try", released as a single in Australia in December 1988, was recorded for the 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time album. Internationally, "Reason to Try" peaked at number 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1988.
Perhaps of interest to avid chart-watchers, this single spent three consecutive weeks at number 133, which is surely an unusual feat.
This would be Eric's last single to chart in Australia.
Next post:Stay tuned for part 2 later this week, which will include entries from a rather famous blonde singer, a cover version of an Aussie 'classic', and a younger artist known for one 'serious'-sounding hit scores with an uncharacteristically upbeat number.
