13February
Ten years ago, pyramid schemes threatened the government of Albania, John Fashanu was being tried in the Grobbelgaate (©WSC 1994) case, the president of Ecuador was deemed incompetent, Lennox Lewis beat Oliver McCall in strange and distressing circumstances, and after being rescued from almost certain death in the Antarctic Ocean when his yacht capsized, Tony Bullimore is dragooned into appearing on the National Lottery draw show with Dale Winton.
| Number One | Discotheque- U2 - 1st week |
|---|---|
| Second Highest new entry | Clementine- Mark Owen - number 3 |
| Fastest climber (within top 40) | Remember me- Blueboy - 13 to 8 |
| Fastest climber (within top 75) | Remember me- Blueboy - 13 to 8 |
| Lemming-like fall (within top 40) | Little wonder- David Bowie - 14 to 38 |
| Lemming-like fall (within top 75) | Monday morning- Candyskins - 34 to 74 |
Outside the top 40, there were entries for Montage, Laurent Garnier, Donell Jones, Alibi, Jocasta, Total, Morcheeba, and Public Demand. Jones would go on to have a number 2 hit in 2000, Morcheeba would have a string of minor hits until they split in 2003.
Bone Thugs and Harmony, Electronic, and Dru Hill (his debut) had unremarkable entries. Hole In One were a Dutch act whose one week on chart was with the rather decent Life's too short
. SL2 had had a modicum of success in 1992, but a remix of On a ragga tip
was lucky to make 31; they'll not be back. Souvlaki was another one-week wonder, a dance act if we remember correctly. Korn had their second hit with ADIDAS. Audioweb had been all over the inky music press, their top 40 debut came with the Clash cover Bankrobber
, a surprise number 19 hit.
Seven new entries in the top 12, and six in the top 10, were both all-time records. OTT were an Irish band who hoped to be the new Boyzone; in spite of appearances on Live 'n' Kicking
and Noel's House Party
, and covering an old Osmonds number, their underlying crapness ensured they'd never make the top 10. The Eels had a bizarre career, Novocaine for the soul
a quality entry at 10, but their best moment lay ahead. Mansun's She makes my nose bleed
came in at 9. Apollo 440 sampled Van Halen on the crunchingly loud Ain't talkin' 'bout dub
, new at 7. Their career highlight was also in the future.
Depeche Mode had the Most Lemming-like Single Trajectory of the Twentieth Century, Barrel of a gun
went 4-23-48-74. It was even beaten by Mark Owen's Clementine
; four weeks in the top 40 for him, and he wouldn't return to the top ten until 2003. U2 had the third chart-topper of their career with Discotheque
, from the oft-forgotten album Pop
. It snuck five weeks in the top 40, as many as any of this week's new entries.
For the chosen track, we go back to position 32, and a pop-disco version of Sometimes when we touch
. James Masterton, whose Dotmusic commentary is still to the sales chart as some claim the Week is to British game shows, reckons the Dan Hill original (from 1977, fact fiends) is the best song ever recorded. Here at The Snow in the Summer, we prefer the phrase, one of the best, but that's small beer. The song is infinitely better than the sloppy mush that comes out around this time of year, not least because it's a bit honest.
