Week commencing 9 July 1990

Among this week's new entries, we have a single that was not released in the group's homeland due to their record label going bust, a group where 80% of the members were sporting bowl haircuts at this point in time, a song about same-sex relationships (quite avant-garde for 1990), and a song with a music video that apparently captured a ghost on film.  Ooh!  Let's dive straight in.

 

Inspiral Carpets: bowl haircuts were all the rage in 1990.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 125 "More Than One Kind of Love" by Joan Armatrading

Peak: number 125

Peak date: 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 125-137-143-132-140-145-148-139

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Born in what was then the British Leeward Islands, now Saint Kitts and Nevis, England-based singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading placed 10 singles on the Australian top 100 between 1978 and 1986.  Her biggest hit in Australia, "Drop the Pilot", peaked at number 6 in May 1983.  Its follow-up, "(I Love It When You) Call Me Names" (number 20, September 1983), also reached the top 20.

Joan previously bubbled under on the Kent Music Report's list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 with "The Shouting Stage", which reached eleventh place on the list in September 1986.  "Living for You" also reached the the top 100 on all five of the ARIA state charts in 1988, but missed the national chart (when it ended at number 100).  "Living for You" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 58 in October 1988.

"More Than One Kind of Love" was the first single released from Joan's twelfth studio album, Hearts and Flowers (number 56, July 1990).  The single registered in the top 100 on three of the state charts, peaking highest in Victoria/Tasmania at number 92.  In the UK, "More Than One Kind of Love" peaked at number 75 in May 1990.

"More Than One Kind of Love" is presumably - at least in part - about non-heterosexual relationships, although Joan had not publicly declared her sexuality at the time (do heterosexuals ever need to do this?).

Two further singles from Hearts and Flowers were issued in Australia - "Free" (released in Australia in October 1990) and "Promise Land" (March 1991) - but both failed to chart.

Joan will next join us in 1992.

Number 143 "Here's Where the Story Ends" by The Sundays

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 6 August 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 143-138-131-127-123-125-137-146

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

English band The Sundays landed a number 74 'hit' in Australia with "Can't Be Sure", their debut single, in April 1990, 14 months after it peaked at number 45 in the UK.

 

"Here's Where the Story Ends", the follow-up, was surprisingly not issued in the UK, owing to the band's label Rough Trade Records entering receivership.  The song did, nonetheless, top the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart (then known as the Modern Rock Tracks chart), which I don't consider a real chart, in May 1990.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Here's Where the Story Ends" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 88.   Both "Can't Be Sure" and "Here's Where the Story End" are lifted from the band's debut album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (number 40, April 1990).

 

Following Rough Trade Records' bankruptcy in 1991, The Sundays decided to manage themselves.  The group would eventually land a top 50 single in Australia with "Summertime" (number 41, February 1998).

We shall see The Sundays again in 1992.

Number 145 "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" by Swanee

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

Jimmy Barnes' older brother John Swan, known as 'Swanee' for most of his recording career, placed 7 singles on the Australian chart between 1979 and 1984, with the biggest of those being "If I Were a Carpenter" (number 5, September 1981).

 

More-recently, John sang lead vocal on The Party Boys' "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (number 1, July 1987) and "Hold Your Head Up" (number 21, October 1987).  John also sang lead on The Party Boys' version of "Gloria", which reached fifth place on the Australian Music Report list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in March 1988.

Swanee reverted to his real name for three single releases in 1985-6.  One of those singles, "Say You'll Do Something", placed sixth on the Kent Music Report list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in November 1985.

"Blood Is Thicker Than Water" was preceded by another non-album Swanee single, "Lucille", in March 1990, but it missed the top 150.

Number 147 "Across the River" by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 3 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Chart run: 157-147-133-120-113-111-113-113-114-110-(off chart for 1 week)-150

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

American band Bruce Hornsby & The Range placed 4 singles on the Australian top 100 between 1986 and 1988, with the biggest of those being "The Way It Is" (number 12, November 1986).  The group only landed one other Australian top 40 single, with "The Valley Road" (number 36, June 1988).

"Across the River" was the lead single from the band's third and final studio album A Night on the Town (number 59, August 1990).  The single performed much better in the US, where it reached number 18 in August 1990.

 

On the state charts, "Across the River" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 84.

Bruce Hornsby & The Range released one further single in Australia, "Set Me in Motion", from the Backdraft soundtrack, in July 1991.  It did not chart.  Bruce embarked on a solo career following this, with the album Harbour Lights (number 118, May 1993); a single from which we see in 1993.

Number 149 "This Is How It Feels" by Inspiral Carpets

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Known chart run: 153-149

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

English band Inspiral Carpets were part of the 'Madchester' (indie-dance bands originating from Manchester, associated with the late 1980s/early 1990s) scene, and "This Is How It Feels" was the lead single from their first studio album Life (number 140, September 1990).  The band had previously released a couple of demo albums and EP's in the UK, but this was their first Australian release.

 

Released in Australia on 30 April 1990, "This Is How It Feels" took more than two months to dent the top 150.  The single found much greater success in the band's native UK, where it peaked at number 14 in March 1990, becoming their first top 40 entry.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "This Is How It Feels" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 116.

 

The second single from Life, and one of my favourites from the band, "She Comes in the Fall", was released locally in September 1990, but failed to chart here.  In fact, the band never dented the top 100 in Australia with any of their releases.  In contrast, Inspiral Carpets managed to notch up 11 top 40 singles in the UK between 1990 and 1995, although only four of those (including this one) made the top 20.

 

We shall see Inspiral Carpets bubble under again on the Australian chart a few times over the coming years, with the next occasion being in December 1990.

Number 150 "Wildland" by Wildland

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 23 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 150-(out for 1 week)-149

Australian band Wildland have graced our presence twice previously, in January and March 1990, and here they are for a third and final time, with the fourth single from their only album In This Lifetime (number 80, June 1990).

 

Unlike their last single to bubble under, I don't recall hearing this one before.   Eponymous singles are uncommon, unlike (often debut) albums; however, we will see another one, from a completely different act, in January 1991.

While perusing the comments on the music video embedded below, it became apparent that some people see a 'ghost' in the music video.  At around the 2:33 mark, a figure appears in the background (circled in the still I've embedded below, for your convenience) as the band walks by, before vanishing into thin air at around 2:35.  Spooky!

"Wildland" appears to have been the band's final single.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 155 "You Keep It All In" by The Beautiful South

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 9 July 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We first saw The Beautiful South back in September 1989, with their debut single, and here they are, belatedly, with the follow-up.  "You Keep It All In" was released in Australia on 4 June 1990, but took just over a month to chart.

I'm not sure why it took so long for "You Keep It All In" to be issued locally, as it peaked in the band's native UK at number 8 back in October 1989.  The single also peaked at number 3 in Ireland, and number 37 in Germany in November 1989.  On the ARIA state charts, "You Keep It All In" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 113.

Never making it big in Australia, "You Keep It All In" was the first of seven singles from The Beautiful South to peak outside the top 150 on the ARIA singles chart between 1990 and 1999.  The band managed to land one top 100 single in Australia, though, with "A Little Time" peaking at number 72 in May 1991.

We will next see The Beautiful South in 1991.

Next week (16 July): A quieter week, with only four top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

< Previous week: 2 July 1990                                          Next week: 16 July 1990 >

Week commencing 19 March 1990

This week, there are ten new top 150 debuts, which is the second-highest number of new entries within the top 150 we shall see for the year, tied with 21 May 1990 and 17 September 1990.  Of the ten new entries, six of them are from Australian artists.  Shall we take a look?

 

Max Q's Michael Hutchence predicts the Clinton-Lewinski affair: "You stained my chair, I stained your dress".  Ooh er!

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 107 "Monday Night by Satellite" by Max Q

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 159-107-109-123-128-121-120-122-121

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Max Q was INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence's side-project with Ollie Olsen.  Their Max Q album (number 13, October 1989) spawned three singles, of which "Monday Night by Satellite" was the last.  It followed "Way of the World" (number 8, September 1989) and "Sometimes" (number 31, November 1989).

While I enjoyed "Monday Night by Satellite", it sounded less like a 'single' to my ears than the album's earlier releases.  I would have gone with "Ghost of the Year" instead, although there weren't many tracks left on the album that sounded like 'hits'.

It probably doesn't fit the timing, and the track was written solely by Ollie Olsen anyway, but I like to think that the "Monday Night by Satellite" lyric 'people say we're brats, but I think we're pretty smart' aptly describes Michael Hutchence and his then-new beau Kylie Minogue, with their short-hair (a wig, in Kylie's case) new-look public appearances in late 1989.

On the state charts, "Monday Night by Satellite" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 77.  The single fared better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 93.

'Hutch' would be back to INXS after this, with their X album released in October 1990.  Ollie Olsen would also score his own minor 'hit' single with his band Third Eye in 1990, with "The Real Thing" (number 76, October 1990).  Third Eye will bubble under in 1991, and INXS will bubble under in 1994.

Number 128 "She Bangs the Drums" by The Stone Roses

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 128-147-(out for 1 week)-145-133

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

"Fools Gold" (no apostrophe), The Stone Roses' first and biggest hit down under (number 13, May 1990), debuted at number 143 last week, and climbed to number 100 this week, spawning enough interest in their previous single "She Bangs the Drums", released locally in November 1989, for it to also make the top 150.  Prior to this, "She Bangs the Drums" spent a week on the ARIA singles chart in December 1989 at number 167.

Lifted from their The Stone Roses album (number 36, May 1990), "She Bangs the Drums" was the Roses' second single released in Australia, following "Made of Stone" in June 1989, which failed to chart in its own right.  Although I can't now find any evidence online, if I remember correctly, "Made of Stone" was packaged together with "Elephant Stone" (number 86, July 1990) in a 2-for-the-price-of-1 deal, which is why it is listed as a double A-side with "Elephant Stone" in The ARIA Report, despite not being a B-side on that single.

 

"She Bangs the Drums", which I (perhaps wrongly) assume is rhyming slang for an orgasm ("see how she comes"), was the Manchester band's first UK top 40 single, originally peaking at number 36 in July 1989, before reaching number 34 there in March 1990 when re-issued.

 

Within Australia, "She Bangs the Drums" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it peaked at number 109 on the state chart.  "She Bangs the Drums" also performed better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 96. 

 

I caught the video embedded below for "She Bangs the Drums", compiled from footage from an August 1989 gig, at least once on Countdown Revolution and it didn't really grab me... but I love the song now, particularly for its piano bass lines.  A different, low-budget slow-motion video was used to promote the single for its original UK release.

 

As an aside, you should check out this UK live TV performance of "Made of Stone" if you've not seen it before, even if you don't particularly like The Stone Roses.  Spoiler alert: Ian Brown, the band's vocalist, drops an F-bomb and shouts "amateurs!" at the program's producers before walking off.  Calamity ensues just under a minute after they start playing, when their sound gets cut off for exceeding the maximum volume threshold.

The Stone Roses will join us again in 1991.

Number 138 "Leningrad" by Billy Joel

Peak: number 115

Peak date: 26 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 138-115-127-120-125-138-135

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Given how much FM radio loved Billy Joel in the 80s and early 90s, I must have heard "Leningrad" before, but have no recollection of it.  Maybe the chorus "blast the Yellow Reds to hell" lyric was a little too risqué, even for the probably pro-war, socially conservative-types who were making the decisions at the radio stations in 1990.  I've got to say, listening to the song now, that it's very, very boring.

Issued as the third single from Storm Front (number 1, November 1989), "Leningrad" followed "We Didn't Start the Fire" (number 2, November 1989) and "I Go to Extremes" (number 48, February 1990).

 

"Leningrad" is another one that peaked higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 93.

 

It was unusual for Billy to score only one Australian top 40 hit from a new album - not that the record company didn't try.  No fewer than five more singles were released from the Storm Front album, four of which peaked in the the 101-150 region of the chart.  Their run will extend all the way to early 1992.  I thought only the Jacksons released 7+ singes from an album during this era.

We will next see Billy in May.

Number 141 "The Sun" by Wildland

Peak: number 107

Peak dates: 23 April 1990 and 14 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 141-123-117-116-116-107-114-113-107-108-119-124

Aussie band Wildland bubbled under back in January, and here they are again in the same region of the chart with "The Sun", the third single lifted from their only album, In This Lifetime (number 80, June 1990).

I can't tell you much about this one, other than I remember seeing the video with its striking orange sun backdrop a few times on TV at the time.  I had completely forgotten about this song, however.  It's nice, but not what I'd normally listen to.  Their lead singer, Noel Zammit, reminds me a little bit of a pre-shades Bono.

Wildland will join us for one last visit in July.

Number 143 "Michael Medley" by Replay

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 143

Occasionally, I am faced with the dilemma (I know, first world problems...) of how to credit an artist or song title correctly, and this release is a prime example of that.  You see, the artwork for the single, going by what I see on discogs.com, has 'Michael Mania' written on the cover... but when you look at the rear sleeve, it lists the main track as being "Michael Medley" (it is not an EP).  It doesn't help matters that the UK pressing has on the cover, rear sleeve and label "Michael Mania Medley", or that the Australian 12" pressing (the only Australian pressing listed on discogs) comes in a generic sleeve with a sticker on it that reads: "MICHAEL MANIA!" in all-caps, with "A Tribute to Michael Jackson Medley" in smaller font.  Hmm.

Obviously, if you're still reading, this track is a budget Michael Jackson sound-a-like covering his songs, which are mixed into a medley.  Still, if you want to be able to listen to Michael's music guilt-free without the ick factor, you may enjoy this.

Listening to this as I write, the medley consists of 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough', 'Another Part of Me', 'Billie Jean', 'Working Day and Night', 'Bad', 'Rock with You', 'I Want You Back', 'The Way You Make Me Feel', 'Thriller' - at least in the 7" version I have linked below.

Australia always seeming to be behind the rest of the world with dance music at the time.  This single peaked at number 76 in the UK in August 1989.

Number 144 "New Head" by The Trilobites

Peak: number 132

Peak date: 26 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 144-132-134-142-140-137-142

 

Trilobites, in case you didn't know, are an extinct group of marine animals that existed for almost 300 million years and died out 252 million years ago.  The Trilobites, on the other hand, were an Australian band hailing from Sydney that existed for an eight-year period, between 1984 and 1992.

 

During that time, The Trilobites released five studio albums.  They never managed to dent the Australian top 100 charts, however.  "New Head" was the group's only single to register in the top 150.

"New Head" was the second single lifted from the band's fourth studio album - and second on the rooArt label, Savage Mood Swing (number 105, April 1990), following the... interestingly-titled "Fuck = Love" in September 1989.

The band's lead singer, Mike Dalton, returned to journalism after exiting the group in 1991, working on programs such as The Midday Show with Ray Martin and Today, and he is currently part of Channel 9's News team in Sydney.  Yes, really.  I thought I'd heard his name before somewhere.

I'm not sure whether a music video exists for "New Head", but I felt compelled to upload the Countdown Revolution performance of it from my collection, embedded below, as there was otherwise no footage of the band on YouTube performing the song.

Number 145 "So Easy" by De Mont

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 145-135-133-130-136-125-130-145-137-124

Another Sydney band who didn't have much luck on the Australian charts are De Mont.  That being said, the band placed two singles within the ARIA top 100 in 1989: "I Want Your Body" (number 84, June 1989) and "Close to the Edge" (number 89, October 1989).  Both of those singles, and "So Easy", were lifted from the band's Body Language album (number 100, October 1989).

 

"So Easy", a mid-tempo ballad, was more sedate-sounding than the previous two singles, and is fairly nice, I must say, as someone who doesn't normally listen to rock.  "So Easy" spent 10 weeks climbing to its peak of number 124, before falling out of the top 150 the following week.

The band would not dent the top 150 singles - or albums - chart again after this release.

Number 148 "Only Love Will Set You Free" by Tracey Arbon

Peak: number 105

Peak dates: 4 June 1990 and 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 14 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-(out for 1 week)-144-(out for 1 week)-131-127-119-118-123-113-114-105-105-120-129-123

 

I think I remember the name Tracey Arbon, another Australian artist, but don't have any recollection of this song, despite it narrowly missing the top 100 and spending three months on the chart.

This track was included as a bonus track on Tracey's belated 1996 album Colours.

While Tracey never made the top 100 ARIA chart, this single peaked at number 82 on the Australian Music Report singles chart.

 

Tracey will visit the top 150 again in 1993.

Number 149 "The Deeper the Love" by Whitesnake

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Chart run: 155-149

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

The 1980s decade had been over for nearly three months at this point, but English hair metal band Whitesnake were still notching up hits on the ARIA chart...  OK, well, not quite.  But there was still enough interest in them for their latest single to scrape into the top 150.

Whitesnake's biggest hit on the Australian charts was "Is This Love" (number 12, January 1988), although they are perhaps best known for "Here I Go Again" (number 24, December 1987).  "The Deeper the Love" was the second single released from the Slip of the Tongue album (number 39, February 1990), following "Fool for Your Loving" (number 69, January 1990).

Whitesnaske had greater success with this single in their homeland, where it peaked at number 35 on the UK singles chart in March 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "The Deeper the Love" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 131.

This would be Whitesnake's final single to make the Australian top 150.  As it's extremely unlikely I will be recapping these charts when it gets to the 2010s, due to my lack of interest in charts/music from that time onwards, I may as well reveal here that Whitesnake did, in fact, have one other single that charted in Australia.  "Hey You (You Make Me Rock)" peaked at number 1,537 (you read that right) in April 2019.  We will see Whitesnake front man David Coverdale bubble under in 1993, collaborating with another artist.

Number 150: "Break Up Fall Out" by Steve Hoy

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 9 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 150-137-(out for 1 week)-136-143-143-144-148-148

 

We saw Australian artist Steve Hoy bubble under in June 1989, and here he is again, precisely nine months later, with the second single from his Life Next Door album (number 119, July 1990).

This one sounds familiar to me, to my surprise.  Perhaps it was used as background music on Home & Away.

I can't tell you much about Steve, unfortunately, other than a third single, "Where I Come From", was issued in June 1990, but missed the top 150.

 

Next week (26 March): A mere two top 150 debuts, but they will be joined by three bubbling WAY down under entries.  You can also follow my posts on instagram, facebook and twitter.

< Previous week: 12 March 1990                                     Next week: 26 March 1990 >

Week commencing 29 January 1990

This week marks a year since ARIA extended the Australian singles chart beyond number 100, and when I started writing these recaps.  If you're just discovering this blog, you've got some reading to catch up on!  But if trawling through a year's worth of posts isn't your thing, there's a search box you can use on the right to search for specific artists or songs, to see whether they've charted outside the ARIA top 100 so far.  Alternatively, I made a post earlier this month which just lists the singles that peaked between number 101 and number 150 for 1989.

 

I can't identify a common thread among this week's new entries, other than I hadn't heard five of the six debuts before.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Lisa Stansfield: doing home haircuts since 1990.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 119 "All That You Have Is Your Soul" by Tracy Chapman

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 29 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 119-125-133-124-138-129

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Tracy Chapman's chart career in Australia started off promisingly, with "Fast Car" peaking at number 4 in June 1988.  Subsequent singles from her Tracy Chapman album (number 2, July 1988) fared less well on the chart, with "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" peaking at number 67 in September 1988 (it would eventually peak one place higher in 2011), and "Baby Can I Hold You" peaking at number 68 in February 1989.

Now onto her second album, Crossroads (number 4, October 1989), "All That You Have Is Your Soul" was the album's second release, following the title track, which peaked at number 58 in October 1989.  Tracy would have to wait until 1995 to score a second decent-sized hit single down under, with "Give Me One Reason" (number 3, February 1996).

 

Although "All That You Have Is Your Soul" - which I had not heard until writing this - failed to set the Australian charts alight, it does not appear to have charted anywhere else.  On the state charts, "All That You Have Is Your Soul" performed best in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 86.

Tracy will bubble down under again in 1996.

Number 141 "Hold Me" by Wildland

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 29 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 141

Australian band Wildland scored their first chart entry, and biggest hit, in 1989 with their debut single "One for Unity" (number 53, August 1989).  "Hold Me" was the follow-up, released back in October 1989, but somehow took until now to dent the lower region of the chart.  Both singles were lifted from the band's In This Lifetime album (number 80, June 1990).

We will see Wildland on two more occasions this year, with the next time being in March.

Number 145 "Lean on You" by Cliff Richard

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 12 February 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 145-108-107-118-121-114-119-122

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

"Lean on You" was the third single from Cliff's Stronger album (number 16, April 1990), following "The Best of Me" (number 59, August 1989) and the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (number 100, October 1989).  Listening to this track for the first time as I write this post, it reminds me a little bit of Cliff's "Some People" (number 7, April 1988), only not as good.

"Lean on You" fared significantly better in Cliff's native UK, where it peaked at number 17 in October 1989.  "Lean on You" also performed stronger on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 93.

 

On the state charts, "Lean on You" performed much stronger in South Australia/Northern Territory than elsewhere, where it reached number 43.

Cliff will become a regular visitor to this section of the chart in the coming months, with this being the first of three of his singles to peak outside the top 100 in 1990.  Cliff would need to wait until 1995 to score another top 100 hit down under, with his live duet with Phil Everly "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (number 93, March 1995), and until 1999 to score another (his last) top 50 single in Australia with "The Millennium Prayer" (number 2, December 1999).

We will next see Cliff in March.

 

 

Number 146 "This Is the Right Time" by Lisa Stansfield

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146.  Re-entered 28 May 1990: 138-(out for 1 week)-139-149

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

Before embarking on a solo career, Lisa scored a minor 'hit' down under with her former band Blue Zone, "Jackie" (number 99, February 1989).  Yes, the same "Jack-Jack-Jackie" song that became a hit for B.Z. featuring Joanne in 1998.  Despite only peaking at number 99, "Jackie" spent 15 weeks in the top 150.  Then, Lisa scored another minor hit in Australia as the featured vocalist on Coldcut's "People Hold On" (number 78, June 1989).

Lisa then struck out on her own... well, kind of.  You see, although Blue Zone was her "band", the other members of the group, Andy Morris and Ian Devaney, continued to collaborate with Lisa throughout her solo career.  Ian and Andy were more than OK with Lisa being the sole representative of the 'band', doing promotional work/interviews etc. while they remained out of the spotlight.  So "Lisa Stansfield" is, essentially, a 'band' - but Lisa is the only visible member.  Make sense?

Lisa's "solo" career was launched with "This Is the Right Time", produced by recent collaborators Coldcut.  The single peaked at number 13 in the UK in August 1989.  Released in Australia in October 1989, it was finally the right time for this single to make a dent on our chart, spurred on by the ascent of Lisa's second solo single, "All Around the World" (number 9, February 1990), which was at number 13 this week.

 

But if you thought that was complicated, "This Is the Right Time" wouldn't actually peak on the ARIA chart until the end of May 1990, after a re-release following the next single, "Live Together" (number 62, March 1990).  All three of these singles were lifted from Lisa's Affection album (number 7, February 1990) - an album I purchased on the strength of "All Around the World", although "This Is the Right Time" was my favourite song on it.  A fourth single from Affection, "What Did I Do To You?" was released in Australia in July 1990, but failed to chart.

 

On the state charts, "This Is the Right Time" performed strongest in New South Wales/A.C.T., where it peaked at number 117.

Two music videos were filmed for "This Is the Right Time" - the original 1989 version, filmed for the UK market, is currently blocked on YouTube.  A second video was filmed for the single's US release in 1990 (it peaked at number 21 there in June 1990), embedded below, and memorably shows Lisa snipping off her trademark 'kiss curl' with a pair of scissors at the start.

Lisa will become a regular visitor to this region of the chart in the coming years - no fewer than nine of her singles charted outside the ARIA top 100 during the 1990s!  The next time we see Lisa will be in 1992.

 

  

Number 149 "Shanghaid" by J.J. Cale

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 29 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 149

J.J. Cale, real name John Weldon Cale, is best known for his 1977 single, "Cocaine", which I am shocked to discover only peaked at number 45 in Australia in June 1978.  The song did, however, top the New Zealand singles chart in March 1977.

"Shanghaid" was lifted from the album Travel-Log (number 102, January 1990), Cale's first studio album since 1983.  "Shanghaid" does not appear to have charted elsewhere.

J.J. Cale passed away in 2013, aged 74, due to a heart attack.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 161 "So Sorry, I Said" by Liza Minnelli

Peak: number 161

Peak date: 29 January 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Liza Minelli scored her first chart hit in 1989 with "Losing My Mind" (number 72, November 1989), despite already being a familiar name, through her work as an actress and stage performer, and being Judy Garland's daughter.  Liza was aged 43 at this point, which seemed 'old' to me - for a pop star, as an 11 year-old boy.

Like "Losing My Mind", "So Sorry, I Said" was another track from the Pet Shop Boys-produced album Results (number 94, January 1990).   In the UK, "Don't Drop Bombs" was issued as the second single from the album, but did not receive a local release.  I was going to surmise that "Don't Drop Bombs" was skipped because it flopped there (number 46, October 1989), but "So Sorry, I Said" performed even worse (number 62, December 1989) - so who knows what the record company's rationale was.

A fourth single from Results, "Love Pains", was released as the album's third single locally in April 1990, but failed to chart here.  "So Sorry, I Said" would become Liza's second and final single to chart in Australia.

 

 

Next week (5 February): a bumper week with eleven new top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry!  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

 

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