Elton John's Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 97 looks like it's on the brink of falling out of Canada's top 20. This week, the song that debuted at #1 in September 1997 falls 15-20 on the singles sales chart after almost two-and-a-half years. That's a new low for Something, which previously never fell out of the top 15. (It was #15 for one week on November 1, 1999 and for another seven days last week). Regular chart watchers are well acquainted with Something's success: it topped the survey for 45 weeks and has spent a record 136 weeks on the chart to date.
Folk artist Cheryl Wheeler's label, Rounder Records, has issued a cease and desist letter to Jefferson County Sheriff's office, demanding Wheeler's anti-gun song If It Were Up To Me be removed from a videotape of footage of the Columbine High School shooting scene. The action follows the April 27 demand that Sarah McLachlan's I Will Remember You be removed from the tape, as well as copyright infringement allegations by lawyers for Amachrist Music and Penrod and Higgins Music, publishers of Wheeler's song, who called its use "totally unauthorized."
Any hope Robbie Williams had of making a career out of his art have been dashed. Williams, the former lead puppet with Take That, was invited to make a collage piece for an exhibition mounted in Liverpool by Peter Blake. The man behind the Sgt Pepper cover took one look at Williams' work and was unimpressed. Art critic Brian Sewell had one piece of advice. "Stop it now, stick to singing. If that's what he calls it."
In a US interview, Birtney Spears has spoken of how she's not looking to become romantically involved with Will Windsor. Will is grandson of Liz, the lead singer of British family band The Windsors, but Birtney doesn't like his affected lifestyle. "He is sweet, but I don't like castles. I want to be able to take a subway to Greenwich Village and go eat a hamburger. Maybe I'm a screwball, but I'm no princess."
Former New Radicals leader Greg Alexander is back, and doing work for charity at the same time. Alexander has written and co-produced "Life Is a Rollercoaster," the second single by Ronan Keating, a small karaoke star from Dublin. It's set for UK release in July.
After going down far better than headliners Oasis, Travis have been tinkering with their accent. A fan suggested to singer Fran Healy that he speak in an American accent, and it worked. Suggestions that Oasis pack up and go home early were met with snorts and monkey noises from the band members, so we assume they thought it was a good idea. Not that we could tell that easily.
Hero of the week is Shirley Manson, who brought Jennifer Lopez down to the planet following her appearance at the Grammy awards in February. Manson spotted Lopez backstage, and noticed that the barely-brained youngster was wandering around like the Queen of Sheba. Manson pointed out a few home truths, and almost punched out Lopez's light. Hurrah for small mercies.
Shania Twain was named entertainer of the year and the Dixie Chicks won group and album prizes for Fly at the 35th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Lonestar's Amazed was picked as best song and single. Faith Hill won top video prize for Breathe. The duet When I Said I Do by Clint Black and actress-wife Lisa Hartman Black was named as the vocal event of the year. The second consecutive album award for the Dixie Chicks also won the country album Grammy earlier this year. Taking a major music controversy head on, George Strait and Alan Jackson led off the night's performances with Murder on Music Row, the "someone killed country music" ditty that asserts traditional country has been drowned out by money-grubbing pop leanings.
Once again, 'N Sync's No Strings Attached holds off a strong debut, this time by Toni Braxton, to remain in the #1 spot in the US, selling 248,000 units. Toni Braxton's long-anticipated new album The Heat tallies 199,000, but must settle for #2.
Another big debut this week is Cypress Hill's Skull & Bones, which enters at #5. Elsewhere in the top 10, Joe's My Name Is Joe falls one to #3, Sisqo's Unleash The Dragon is down one to #4, while Santana's Supernatural slides from #4 to #6.
Destiny's Child's The Writing's On The Wall drops from #5 to #7, Creed's Human Clay holds at #8. Dr Dre's Dr Dre - 2001 moves from #11 to #9, while DMX's ...And Then There Was X shoots back to #10 from #15.
Top debuts this week come from Mya's Fear Of Flying at #15, Neil Young's Silver & Gold at #22, and hard rock act Papa Roach's Infest at #48.
Eminem's The Slim Shady LP finds new life this week, rocketing from #62 to #35 on the largest percentage growth in sales. With a leap from #115 to #45, the soundtrack to Love And Basketball is the fastest growing album at retail.
The top 10 of The Hot 100 is largely unchanged, with Santana's Maria Maria featuring the Product G&B enjoying a sixth week at #1, and Toni Braxton's He Wasn't Man Enough at #2 for a second week. Macy Gray's I Try swaps from #7 to #6 with 'N Sync's Bye Bye Bye, while Enrique Iglesias' Be With You jumps back from #12 to #9.
Pearl Jam's Nothing As It Seems, the first single from the group's forthcoming album Binaural, is the top debut, opening at #49. Eminem's The Real Slim Shady is the fastest growing track at radio, zooming from #70 to #32. BBMak's Back Here is catching fire at retail, jumping from #86 to #60.
On the Country Singles & Tracks chart, Kenny Rogers earns his first #1 in more than 12 years with Buy Me A Rose featuring Alison Krauss and Billy Dean. Rogers' last country chart-topper came in Sept 1987, with Make No Mistake, She's Mine, a duet with Ronnie Milsap.
also...
alb 19 (21) Bloodhound Gang: Hooray For Boobies [int 19]
40 (19) Pink Floyd: The Wall Live 1980-81 [inet 6]
44 (44) Sting: Brand New Day [inet 14]
79 (82) Sonique: Hear My Cry
86 (67) AC/DC: Stiff Upper Lip
87 (52) Tarzan OST
heat 1 (1) S Club 7: S Club
4 (4) Travis: The Man Who
8 (5) Westlife
hot 11 (10) Sonique: It Feels So Good
44 (46) Westlife: Swear It Again
mr 17 (12) Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch
..and..
cn 1 (2) Kenny Rogers, Alison Krauss, Billy Dean:
Buy Me a Rose
top40 #1 Macy Gray: I Try
TOTP
pre - Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again [in a flowing pink crop top and red trews, and a half dozen dancers in black. the spoken bit gets chopped, improving the song no end.] #11 - Lolly: Per Sempre Amore [from the original to the clone, right down to the silver backless top. fake latin beats were *so* '99. and the dancers all wear lolly t-shirts. euch.] #10 - MJ Cole & Elizabeth Troy: Crazy Love [she's in a big hat, he's behind record decks. it works only because of the vocal.] #6 - Mandy Moore: Candy [dark top, light trews, using a hand mike not a headset. by these differences shall we tell them apart.] #12 - Scooch: The Best Is Yet To Come [sitting on chairs is not promising, but this turns into a class act. especially the dance *on* the chairs.] #19 - System F: Cry [from a line of dancers, the vocalist emerges. anything else is padding.] #8 - Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough [as last week] #1 - Oxide & Neutrino: Bound To the Reload [freeze-frame effects have no place.]
Planet Pop
* Uppers and Downers: Oasis and their goats, Madonna and Ali G, recruiting DJs at 8.
* Sonique: the guy this song is about thought our Son was interested in his money.
* Mikey Boyzone.
* The King: he's not Elvis
* Meteors: Armand van Helden, Birth, Angel Lee.
* De la Soul: is back! The public is pleased.
* Donell Jones: doesn't want to clash with TLC.
UK Impact Chart
1 [27]Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again 2 [1] Oxide & Neutrino: Bound for the Reload 3 [5] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 4 [4] Sisqo: Thong Song 5 [6] Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough 6[NEW]Watergate: Heart of Asia 7 [2] Fragma: Toca's Miracle 8 [3] Craig David: Fill Me In 9 [8] Destiny's Child: Say My Name 10[10]Meja & Ricky Martin: Private Emotion
Personal Airplay Chart
1 [re] Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again 2 [1] Santana: Smooth 3 [5] Mel C & Lisa Lopez: Never Be the Same Again 4 [re] Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough 5[NEW] Billie Piper: Day And Night 6 [re] Destiny's Child: Say My Name 7 [re] Macy Gray: Still 8 [4] Lonestar: Amazed 9[NEW] Goo Goo Dolls: Broadway 10[NEW]Dr Dre / Eminem: Forget About Dre
A federal appeals court upholds a 1994 verdict against Michael Bolton, who violated the copyright of the 1964 Isley Brothers song Love Is A Wonderful Thing when writing his own song of the same name. The verdict against Bolton awards Ronald and Marvin Isley 66% of all past and future royalties from the single and 28% of past and future royalties from the 1991 Bolton album "Time, Love and Tenderness." Bolton's "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 in June 1991, and was a #23 UK hit. The "Time, Love and Tenderness" album peaked at #1 in the US in late May 1991 (#14 in the UK that Christmas,) and has sold 6.7 million copies to date.
Looking for their day in court - and a million bucks - are unknown songwriters Mark Gaillard and Mary Anderson. They claim that the Rolling Stones copied their 1979 composition "Oh Yeah," and turned it into Saint of Me for their 1997 "Bridges to Babylon" album.
Christina Aguilera has been laid up for the past two weeks with a throat infection that she can not shake. The upshot is that Aguilera has cancelled her trip to Britain and a performance in Monaco. Aguilera was headed to the UK to promote the release of her single I Turn To You which was to be released on May 22. Due to the change in plans the single's British release will now be pushed back to late June, when she can make the trip. The concept of releasing the single on its own merits, without Aggie visiting the country, seems to have been ruled out. It's nice to know the record company has such faith in its "stars."
Travis pulls out of a live show in Sheffield. The group had agreed to appear at the BBC-sponsored event at the end of this month, but withdrew when it emerged that the organisers were going to levy a £10 entry fee. The group claims it doesn't want to undermine the faith of fans who have purchased tickets for other summer festivals.
In other concert news, Sting's talking about a freebie in Central Park, NY, at the end of summer. The BBC-sponsored event in Liverpool, featuring Public Enemy and Run DMC, is cancelled owing to poor ticket sales.
Tori Amos may have a club hit on her hands with a track she does not even sing on. Amos will commercially release a single Let's Do It Again, which is currently spinning at British clubs, in June through BPM Records. "Let’s Do It Again" was a collaborative effort with Amoebaassasin's Andy Gray, and features out-takes of Amos' studio sessions coupled with hard hitting house music. The artist had to manoeuvre around a few contract issues in order to legally record the track. Since Amos' contribution on the single is all spoken word, she was able to enter the project with a clean conscience. Her recording contract only covers her singing voice.
Still in strange meeting country, Meat Loaf's songs are to be given the country treatment. Leann, Faith and Garth are amongst those linked with the Bat out of Nashville project, which will cover many of the Loaf / Steinman classics from the two "Bat out of Hell" albums.
Still going strong, 'N Sync's No Strings Attached logs its seventh straight week at #1 spot on The Billboard 200, selling 191,000. The album, falling below 200,000 for the first time, holds off Goodfellas by 504 Boyz, which bows at #2 on 139,000 copies.
Sisqo's Unleash The Dragon swaps from #4 to #3 with Joe's My Name Is Joe, Toni Braxton's The Heat drops from #2 to #5, and Santana's Supernatural holds at #6. Creed's Human Clay rises one spot to #7, Cypress Hill's Skull & Bones falls three to #8, and Destiny's Child's The Writing's On The Wall slips from #7 to #9. Jay-Z's Vol 3 ... Life And Times Of S Carter is up from #13 to #10.
Debuts this week include Billy Joel's live album 2000 Years - The Millennium Concert at #40, Mary Mary's Thankful at #62, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Pay Attention at #74, and Collin Raye's Tracks at #81.
Ween's White Pepper opens at #121, the highest showing ever for the eclectic duo. "White Pepper" also debuts at #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Another underground rock favorite, Sleater-Kinney, also earns its highest chart showing to date, as its newie All Hands On The Bad One bows at #177.
The soundtrack to the TV miniseries The '70s is the fastest growing album at retail, rocketing from #117 to #42. Alan Jackson's Under The Influence shows the highest percentage growth of sales, and moves up from #139 to #94.
On The Hot 100, Santana's Maria Maria enjoys a seventh week at #1. Faith Hill's Breathe moves back up one spot to #2 and Sisqo's Thong Song jumps from #4 to #3. Aaliyah's Try Again trades places with last week's #10, Lonestar's Amazed, which drops to #12. Macy Gray's I Try reaches a new peak at #5, one ahead of Vertical Horizon's Everything You Want.
Eminem's The Real Slim Shady is the fastest growing track at radio for the second straight week, as it jumps from #32 to #20. Rapper Nelly's (Hot Shit) Country Grammar is the fastest growing single at retail, leaping 20 from #96 to #76. R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl's first single, Dance Tonight, is this week's top debut, premiering at #80.
3 Doors Down's Kryptonite pulls off a clean sweep on Billboard's rock airplay charts, unseating the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Otherside from #1 on Modern Rock Tracks after 13 straight weeks, and enjoying a seventh consecutive week of its own at #1 on Mainstream Rock Tracks.
.ukie
alb 21 (19) Bloodhound Gang: hooray for boobies [inet 19]
38 (44) Sting: brand new day [inet 13]
67 (40) Pink Floyd: the wall live
87 (79) Sonique: hear my cry
91 (87) Tarzan OST
98 (86) AC/DC: stiff upper lip
heat 4 (4) Travis: the man who
11 (1) S Club 7: s club
14 (8) Westlife
hot 14 (11) Sonique: it feels so good
*44 (44) Westlife: swear it again
..and...
cn * 1 (3) Faith Hill: the way you love me
TOTP
#5 - Bloodhound Gang: the bad touch [cut to shreds again, but still a corker.] #3 - Watergate: heart of asia [who did the wardrobe? one dress stops at the knee, two others have no back. the dancing is pathetic. just show the vid...] #2 - Oxide & Neutrino: bound for the reload [a fresh appearance, and more normal camera work than last week's unwatchable mess.] #15 - Made In London: dirty water [red tops, black trews, little stage presence, but far better than the last two.] #6 - Sisqo: thong song [a new performance, i can tell by the red backdrop, not blue. the rest is near enough a copy.] #8 - Toploader: achilles heel [dangling lights, a clear tv presence, stars of the show] pre - Tom Jones / Mousse T: sex bomb [why is posh spice one of his dancers? jones is in a white suit, looking like a refugee from the 60s.] #1 - Britney Spears: oops i did it again [red plastic drapes line the stage, same dancers as last week, same routine, but it *looks* new.]
Planet Pop
* Uppers and Downers:
All Saints - too saucy for your fans.
Oasis - begging for pub gigs in Philadelphia.
Simon le Bon - stupid haircuts for Beckham and Nob.
* Sid Owen: from Albert Square to planet Pop. Can we send him back?
* Charlatans: "Impossible"
* Meteors:
Phoenix - top scots
Wookie - soul ii soul remade
Backstreet Boys - crap vid, great tune
* Madasun: walking on water. Cue Tony Blair.
* Lest We Forget: Stevie Wonder. He's 50, don't ya know.
* Embrace: on top of a tower somewhere.
UK Impact Chart
1 [1] Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again 2 [3] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 3 [92] Madison Avenue: Don’t Call Me Baby 4 [5] Toni Braxton: He Wasn’t Man Enough 5 [4] Sisqo: Thong Song 6 [7] Fragma: Toca's Miracle 7 [9] Destiny's Child: Say My Name 8 [2] Oxide & Neutrino: Bound for the Reload 9 [46] Tom Jones / Mousse T: Sex Bomb 10 [6] Watergate: Heart of AsiaAlso... Armand van Helden puts his “Koochie” at 14, Lone Star and Faith Hill hold 16 and 17. Iron Maiden make their long-awaited comeback, “The Wicker Man” lands at 24; Paul Van Dyk & Sarah Cracknell are 26, “Tell Me Why.” Shaft cover Clooney again, “Mambo Italiano” squeaks in at 36.
Personal Airplay
1 [re] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 2 [7] Macy Gray: Still 3 [NEW] Watergate: Heart of Asia 4 [re] Meja & Ricky Martin: Private Emotion 5 [1] Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again 6 [NEW] Mary Mary: Shackles (Praise You) 7 [re] Macy Gray: I Try 8 [re] All Saints: Pure Shores 9 [re] Sonique: It Feels So Good 10 [4] Toni Braxton: He Wasn’t Man Enough
UK Albums
Tom Jones’ Reload project returns to the #1 album slot, deposing Moby’s Play after four weeks. Santana holds at #3, with Dr Dre 2001 climbing 10-4, and the best of Englebert Humpendinck rounding out the top 5. Jeff Buckley has the highest new entry at #8 with Mystery White Boy – Live 95-96, ahead of Eagle-Eye Cherry’s Living In the Present Future at #12 and Bob Dylan’s Best Of 2 at #22. TQ’s The Second Coming bows at #32, Grandaddy’s Sophtware Slump enters at #36, and Mandy Moore’s I Wanna Be With You #52. Eminem’s Slim Shady album is the greatest grower, moving 42-29, with good moves for David Grey’s White Ladder 69-44, and Ricky Martin 64-46
Prince, the artiste formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As
Prince, is back. With the expiration of his publishing agreement with Warner Bros at the end of 1999, the pop star said, "I will now go back to using my name, instead of the symbol I adopted as a means to free myself from all undesirable relationships." The symbol, which Prince said he used during his "warrior mode" when he was "really angry" as he battled with Warner Bros over the rights to his music, has not been retired. It appeared on a press kit handed out Tuesday.
He had much to say about the current state of the recording industry, focusing on the often-strained relationship between record companies and artists. Adapting the famous quote from "Forrest Gump," he wryly noted: "A royalty check is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." "The price of CDs has skyrocketed while the quality of music has plummeted," he said. "And as long as middlemen create the means by which consumers consume, this will never change."
As a result, Prince said he was setting up a Web site to sell his music. "The problem is not a complex one, and the solution is simple," he said. "Let the baker make the bread."
Following the lead of Metallica's management, hip-hip star Dr Dre has submitted the names of 230,000 fans he believes have been illegally copying his songs via the music trading software Napster. The company disconnected those named, just as they had when Metallica’s team submitted 317,000 Napster users they said had traded in illegally copied songs by the band.
More than 30,000 people denied access as a result of Metallica's action have filled out online forms stating, under penalty of perjury, that they were mistakenly identified. Lawyer Howard King, the driving force behind the present mess, representing both Metallica and Dre, said the band would not likely challenge those reinstatement declarations - which he said numbered more than 17,000 - adding that he hoped the lawsuit would focus on Napster, and not the users. "They've turned 17,000 people into perjurers by encouraging them to lie under oath." Those who filed for re-instatement are consulting their lawyers over the possiblity of a defamation lawsuit against Kink.
Shania Twain and Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight" took home top honours at performing rights organisation BMI's 48th Pop Awards. Twain won pop songwriter for the second consecutive year by placing five songs off her 17-time platinum album "Come on Over" on the most performed list: "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" "That Don't Impress Me Much," "You've Got a Way," "You're Still the One" and last year's winner "From This Moment On." Twain co-wrote the award-winning songs, which are published by Loon Echo Inc and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International Inc, with her husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. EMI Publishing took home the pop publisher of the year for the third consecutive year with 20 songs cited. "Save Tonight" was named pop song of the year for Eagle-Eye Cherry and publisher Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
James Brown, the Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey and the late Curtis Mayfield are among those honoured by the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters' Hall of Fame at the organisation's 31st annual induction and awards dinner on June 15 in New York. Other inductees include James Taylor and former Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. A slate of special awards will also be bestowed, including the Johnny Mercer Award, which will be given to the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller. A lifetime achievement award will be presented to Neil Diamond; the Hitmaker Award to Johnny Mathis; and the Towering Song Award to Jimmie Davis, author of the timeless classic "You Are My Sunshine."
With its eighth straight week at #1 on The Billboard 200, 'N Sync's No Strings Attached continues to move solid numbers, selling 188,000. Bowing in the second spot is the soundtrack to Mission Impossible 2, which posts first-week sales of 130,000 units.
The soundtrack features Metallica's first-ever soundtrack contribution, "I Disappear," which is #2 on Mainstream Rock this week. The set also sports tracks from Rob Zombie, Limp Bizkit, and a duet from Foo Fighters and Queen's Brian May on Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar."
Santana's Supernatural jolts back to #3, overtaking Sisqo's Unleash The Dragon and Joe's My Name Is Joe. Creed's Human Clay jumps one spot to #6, as Toni Braxton's The Heat drops from #5 to #7.
Goodfellas by rappers 504 Boyz plummets to #8 from its #2 debut last week. Dixie Chicks' Fly jumps from #14 to #9, while Faith Hill's Breathe leaps from #16 to #10.
Hanson's This Time Around opens at #19. Teen vocalist Mandy Moore's I Wanna Be With You debuts at #21, while R&B singer Avant's My Thoughts bows at #49.
Celine Dion's All The Way ... A Decade Of Song is the fastest growing album at retail, a former #1 album rebounding from #31 to #22. The soundtrack to the hit film Gladiator shows the highest percentage growth of sales, and soars from #153 to #66.
On The Hot 100, Santana's Maria Maria featuring the Product G&B enjoys an eighth week at #1, while the 2-4 slots - Faith Hill's Breathe, Sisqo's Thong Song, and Toni Braxton's He Wasn't Man Enough - hold steady. The top 10 includes one new entry, led by Marc Anthony's You Sang To Me, which jumps from #13 to #5.
Rapper Eminem's The Real Slim Shady is the fastest growing track at radio for the third straight week, up from #20 to #16. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Otherside is the fastest growing single at retail, moving from #18 to #14. Backstreet Boys' new single The One is this week's top debut, premiering at #58.
Carl Thomas moves into the top spot on the R&B chart with I Wish. 3 Doors Down's Kryptonite enjoys a clean sweep on rock airplay charts for the second straight week, as it once again holds at #1 on both Modern and Mainstream Rock Tracks. Faith Hill holds at #1 Country for the second week with The Way You Love Me.
alb *11 (15) Macy Gray: on how life is 26 (21) Bloodhound Gang: hooray for boobies *29 (38) Sting: brand new day *35 (46) Vitamin C *38 (57) Papa Roach: infest *65 (84) Kenny Rogers: she rides wild horses *79 (104)Jesus - The Mini-Series: ost *81 (91) Tarzan: ost *84 (119) Reba McEntire: so good together *86 (118) Charlotte Church: voice of an angel heat * 1 (10) Kathie Lee Gifford: born for you 2 (4) Travis: the man who * 3 (15) Yolante Adams: mountain high... valley low 13 (14) Westlife 14 (11) S Club 7 inet 1 (1) The 70s: ost 3 NEW Hanson: this time around 5 NEW Vigilantes of Love: audible sigh 10 (13) Sting: brand new day 12 NEW Jeff Buckley: mystery white boy 14 NEW Jayhawks: smile 20 NEW Aimee Mann: bachelor #2 hot 17 (14) Sonique: it feels so good *29 (34) Alice DJ: better off alone *33 (39) Chad Brock: yes! *37 (44) Westlife: swear it again *38 (52) BBMak: back here *39 (51) N'Sync: it's gonna be me *45 (55) Jagged Edge: let's get married
TOTP
#2 Birtney Spears: oops i did it again [as last week] #16 Heather Small: proud [it's as if she'd never left m people] #18 Bluetones: autophilia [suits! blue lights! adulterated vocals! good stuff!] #4 Armand van Helden: koochy [robotic dancers! scantily clad ladies! great show, far better than the track.] #9 Iron Maiden: the wicker man [back, and about time, too. looks a lot like sweden's entry at eurosong. faded out way before the end.] #12 Shaft: mambo italiano [more suits! big double-bass! very swish, apart from her in the denim dungarees.] #3 Tom Jones: sex bomb [repeat of last week] #1 Madison Avenue: don't call me baby [dancing in a diamond formation. very 1996.]
No place for #7 from Paul Van Dyk / St Ettienne.
It’s all change atop the UK Album Chart, as Whitney Houston’s Greatest Hits comes from behind to beat Birtney Spears’ Oops I Did It Again to the top slot. Tom Jones and Moby both slip two places, ahead of Pearl Jam’s Binaural and Shining Like a National Guitar, the Paul Simon hits disc. The Bluetones enter at 7 with Science & Nature, with the Super Furry Animals’ Welsh language disc Mwng entering at 11. Fastest climber is the Eurythmics’ greatest hits, climbing 61-21 after featuring in record store sales and being featured in a Sunday newspaper. The disc was released in 1991.
Other new entries include opera singer Lesley Garrett’s I Will Wait For You at 28; the Gladiator soundtrack at 33; and Gloria Estefan’s Spanish language Alma Caribena at 44.
UK Impact Chart 1 [1] Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again (week 3) 2 [2] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 3 [3] Madison Avenue: Don't Call Me Baby 4 [NEW] Billie Piper: Day And Night 5 [5] Sissy: Thong Song 6 [4] Toni Brixton: He Wasn't Man Enough 7 [9] Tom Jones / Mousse T: Sex Bomb 8 [6] Fargo: Toc's Miracle 9 [10] Watergate: Heart of Asia 10 [7] Destiny's Child: Say My Name
DJ Luck covers Stevie Wonder's "Masterblaster" and lands at 16, the Southside Spinners (who?) place at 26, girl band Madasun's "Walking on Water" makes 37. Chelsea FC put the FA Cup Final record at 46, the theme to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" lands at 56, and Nikki French's Eurosong entry stiffs, scraping a #67 place.
Personal Airplay
1 [re] Santana: Smooth 2 [2] Macy Gray: Still 3 [4] Meja & Ricky Martin: Private Emotion 4 [re] TLC: No Scrubs 5 [8] All Saints: Pure Shores 6 [9] Sonique: It Feels So Good 7 [10] Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough 8 [3] Watergate: Heart of Asia 9 [re] DJ Quicksilver: Bellissima 10 [re] Cher: Believe
The Smashing Pumpkins are to split at the end of the year. Leader Billy Corgan announced that the group will bow out after completing their touring committments in December. Hinting that the band had run its natural course, Corgan confirmed that there would be no greatest hits package.
Oasis lyricist and guitarist Noel Gallagher has left the band's current European tour, announcing that he will not perform at any of the 24 remaining dates on the trek. Gallagher "intends to perform with the band for the scheduled UK dates later this summer."
The other members of Oasis - Noel's younger brother, lead singer Liam Gallagher; guitarist Gem Archer; bassist Andy Bell; and drummer Alan White - will stage the remaining European dates with replacement guitarist Matt Deighton, who has played with Paul Weller and I Mother Earth.
Four shows in France were cancelled, but the band expressed confidence that it would play a live show in Milan next Tuesday (May 30).
Gallagher flounced out of the group due to Liam's wildly unpredictable behaviour, according to press reports. The two brothers' caustic relationship has been headline fodder since the group's inception, and has fostered a number of bizarre disappearances by each individual.
Last summer, original guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and bassist Paul McGuigan exited the group, just after finishing their contributions to Oasis' fourth studio album. "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" has shown sluggish sales, dropping out of the top 50 UK albums within six weeks of release.
Fran Healy of Travis triumphed twice at the Ivor Novello Awards, presented by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. He was named songwriter of the year, and Why Does It Always Rain On Me was recognized as best contemporary song.
William Orbit and Madonna's Beautiful Stranger was the most-performed work in 1999, as measured by the Performing Rights Society. Genie In A Bottle by Pam Sheyne, David Frank, and Steve Kipner took the kudos as international hit of the year.
The award for best-selling single in the UK was not presented, since the qualifying release is subject to a dispute over authorship. The record was not named at the ceremonies, but it is believed to be Cliff Richard's medley of Auld Lang Syne and The Lord's Prayer, trading as Millennium Prayer.
Other winners were the Pet Shop Boys for outstanding contribution to British music and Madness for outstanding song collection. Sir Paul McCartney was named a fellow of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.
Britney Spears' album Oops! ... I Did It Again scored the second biggest sales week in SoundScan history, with 1.3 million sold. It leads a pack of four albums that debuted in the top five on The Billboard 200. The others are Pearl Jam's Binaural, at #2 (226,000); Big Tymers' I Got That Work, #3 (187,000); and Whitney Houston's Whitney: The Greatest Hits, #5 (158,000).
These debuts finally knocked 'N Sync's No Strings Attached from the top of the chart after eight weeks in that position; the set falls to #4. The soundtrack to Mission Impossible: 2 drops from #2 to #6, while Sisqo's Unleash The Dragon is down from #4 to #7. Santana's Supernatural falls from #3 to #8, Creed's Human Clay drops from #6 to #9, and Joe's My Name Is Joe plummets from #5 to #10.
Phish's Farmhouse opens at #12, the second-highest chart placement ever for the seminal Vermont band. DJ Quik's Balance & Options debuts at #18, while the Temptations' Ear-Resistible debuts at #54, and punk-popsters MxPx's The Ever Passing Moment premieres at #56.
Among other notable debuts are Nine Days' Madding Crowd at #87; Carly Simon's The Bedroom Tapes at #90; A*Teens' The ABBA Generation at #100; Five's Invincible at #108; BBMak's Sooner Or Later at #118; Dido's No Angel at #144; Fenix TX's self-titled debut at #150; Blackhawk's Greatest Hits at #152; Veruca Salt's Resolver at #171; Sonic Youth's NYC Ghosts & Flowers at #172.
Papa Roach's Infest is the fastest growing album at retail, while the Sony soundtrack to Center Stage shows the highest percentage growth of sales, and soars from #192 to #120.
Over on The Billboard Hot 100, Santana's Maria Maria featuring the Product G&B enjoys an ninth week at #1, while Marc Anthony's You Sang To Me leaps three notches from #5 to #2. The only new entry in the top 10 this week is Joe's I Wanna Know, which moves one rung from #11 to #10.
'N Sync's It's Gonna Be Me is the fastest growing track at radio, while Da Brat's What'chu Like featuring Tyrese is this week's top debut at #71.
3 Doors Down's Kryptonite earns a clean sweep on Billboard's rock airplay charts for the third straight week, as it once again holds at #1 on both Modern and Mainstream Rock Tracks. Faith Hill's The Way You Love Me holds Country #1 for week three, while Carl Thomas' I Wish is R&B #1 for a second week.
alb *29 (35) Vitamin C 34 (29) Sting: brand new day 36 (26) Bloodhound Gang: hooray for boobies *76 (80) Alice DJ: who needs guitars anyway? *83 (99) Sammie: from the bottom to the top *84(103) Stone Temple Pilots: no 4 97 (81) Tarzan OST 98 (83) Pink Floyd: the wall live heat * 2 (43) Dido: no angel 7 (2) Travis: the man who *10 (13) Westlife 16 (14) S Club 7: s club hot * 6 (8) Enrique Iglesias: be with you * 8 (9) Aaliyah: try again *11 (16) Eminem: the real slim shady *12 (13) Britney Spears: oops i did it again *14 (18) Creed: higher 19 (17) Sonique: it feels so good *26 (39) N'Sync: it's gonna be me *34 (38) BBMak: back here *35 (37) Westlife: swear it again *37 (55) Nelly: (hot shit) country grammar *39 (52) Nine Days: absolutely (story of a girl) *50 (58) Backstreet Boys: the one
TOTP
#2 - Madison Avenue: don't call me baby [even more outdated than this performance last week.] #28 - Lonestar: amazed [the clip was shown twice in april, with the group sitting on bar stools. major expansion in distribution should finally push them into the 20.] #15 - Charlatans: impossible [when did the singer grow specs? lots of pastel colours look good.] #5 - DJ Luck & MC Neat: masterblaster 2000 [stevie wonder cover, doing well with a non-visual track.] #14 - Madasun: walking on water [their colourful, live singing, all action debut. shame about the crapper.] #9 - Southside Spinners: lovestruck [dodgy dance routine, dodgy camerawork.] #29 - Bentley Rhythm Ace: theme from gutbuster [as a spectacle, this week is poor. people playing instruments just about sums it up.] #1 - Billie Piper: day and night [carried on stage, wearing a union jack top (geri!) looking like christina, sounding like birtney.]
UK Albums
Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits holds the top spot for a second week, beating off the challenge of Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP. Britney and Tom Jones slip a place each, to 3 and 4, while alt-rock band Toploader score a #5 entry with Onka's Big Moka. Travis' The Man Who marks its first year of release by climbing back into the top 10. Faith Hill's Breathe is new at #21, with Don Henley's Inside Job making #25. The unambiguously titled Mad Season By Matchbox Twenty bows at #31, Saint Ettienne's Sound Of Water is #33, Pitch Shifter's Deviant #35, and XTC's Apple Venus Volume 2 #40. The more eclectic entries lower down the listing are Eva Cassidy's Time After Time (#52), A Perfect Circle Mer de Noms (#55) and John Martyn Glasgow Walker (#66). Greatest gainer honours to David Gray's White Ladder, moving 32-23. A bunch of catalogue re-entries follow a major sale at one of the leading chains, top honours go to Simply Red's Greatest Hits (#26, 1996 release) Madonna's Ray of Light (#39, 1998) and Immaculate Collection (#41, 1990) and the Corrs Unplugged (#44, 1999)
UK Impact Chart
1 [21] Sonique: It Feels So Good 2 [1] Birtney Spears: Oops I Did It Again (week 3) 3[NEW] S Club 7: Reach 4[NEW] Bon Jovi: It's My Life 5 [3] Madison Avenue: Don't Call Me Baby 6 [6] Toni Brixton: He Wasn't Man Enough 7 [2] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 8 [5] Sissy: Thong Song 9 [7] Tom Jones / Mousse T: Sex Bomb 10[4] Billie Piper: Day And Night
DJ Decline's "I Don't Smoke" makes 20, Sia's "Taken For Granted" 34. Belle & Sebastians put "Legal Man" at 41, A-ha return with "Summer Moved On" at 43, Novi & Eniac's "Pumpin'" at 57, and Korn puts "Make Me Bad" to 67.
Personal Airplay
1 [6] Sonique: It Feels So Good 2 [3] Meja & Ricky Martin: Private Emotion 3 [2] Macy Gray: Still 4 [re] Mary Mary: Shackles 5 [5] All Saints: Pure Shores 6 [re] Mel C / Lisa Lopes: Never Be the Same Again 7 [re] Bloodhound Gang: The Bad Touch 8 [7] Toni Braxton: He Wasn't Man Enough 9 [1] Santana: Smooth 10[NEW]Bentley Rhythm Ace: Theme from Gutbuster
Also new: Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Are We Still Having Fun". Back: Bryan Adams "Summer of 69" (1985) and Oasis "Wonderwall" (1995).
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