The case of the Cardiff Three went to appeal - the three had been jailed in 1986 for a murder that they never committed, and most of the evidence against them was fabricated. The church of England appointed its new CEO, George Carey replaced the Rt. Rev. Right Reverend Robert Runcie. Publishers allowed some high-street retailers to cut the price of best-sellers. The Net Book Agreement enforced a minimum retail price for most hardbacks and paperbacks; critics said that its abolition would boost sales; supporters said that the loss would lead to fewer well-stocked shops, higher prices, and fewer titles published.

Mr. Gorbachev took Moscow's police from the city council and gave it to the Interior Ministry so that they could be ordered to stop a rally organised by Mr. Yeltsin. The rally took place, but nothing much changed. Albania voted in elections. Sr. Andreotti resigned as Italy's prime minister.

Mr. David Icke appeared at a press conference to promote his new book. He appeared in a turquoise tracksuit, because turquoise is the true colour of love and all that is good. He said that the world would be destroyed unless humanity changed its ways. Mr. Icke said that he expected scepticism, but said that that would vanish when Cuba, Greece, Arran, and the Kent cliffs did the same by the end of 1991. Such landmarks as Mount Rainier, the Texan oil fields, the cathedral in Naples, and even the Channel tunnel were doomed, and by 1997 there may be nothing left. The former football reporter and cyclist had visited faith healer Betty Shine in 1990, and found to his surprise that he was the Son of God.

By 2003, six years after his predicted end of the world, Mr. Icke had modified his position more than slightly. My predictions were meant to be wrong on a massive scale because I have always been scared of ridicule. Unless you have experienced hot and cold you cannot know what lukewarm is. Betty Shine went on to write a column for the Daily Hell, until she died in 2003. David Icke was last seen discussing lizards with Robbie Williams.

In proper sports news, Mr. Maradona of Argentina and Napoli failed a drugs test, having taken cocaine before playing Bari earlier in the month. Liverpool were replaced at the top of Division I by Arsenal, having squandered an eight-point lead. Ossie Ardiles took over as manager of Division II side Newcastle. The University Challenge Boat Race was retained by Oxford, under Matthew Pinsent and Rupert Obholzer, beating qualifiers Cambridge by 4¼ lengths. Oxford's winning record was now 15 from the last 16 races.

UK Singles Chart for w/c 31 March 1991

Number One	The one and only - Chesney Hawkes - 2nd week (Number 663 in seq.)
Highest new entry	The whole of the moon - Waterboys - number 11
Fastest climber (within top 40)	Love and kisses - Dannii Minogue - up 16 to 15
Fastest climber (within top 75)	(as above)
Lemming-like fall	Cherry pie - Warrant - down 26 to 72 Go for it! (heart and fire) - Joey B Ellis and Tynetta Hare - down 26 to 75
Top 40 debuts	Alison Limerick, The Shamen
Top 40 exits	Stevie B
Top 75 debuts	Katherine E, Tenor Fly
Top 75 exits	Digital Underground, Joey B Ellis And Tynetta Hare, Free, MC Mikee Freedom, Warrant
Simon Mayo Phillip Schofield's Record of the Week	How can it be - A Man Called Adam

A Man Called Adam is known for one very minor hit, Barefoot in the head. The British-via-Ibiza chilled groove did give a second single, but its claim to fame was an appearance as Phillip Schofield's Record of the Week.

Has the end come for Gloria Estefan? Second single from her new album is Seal our fate, and it's barely crept into the chart at number 73. New at 71 come the Ragga Twins with Wipe the needle / Juggling. Manchester yawnmongers High are in at 67 with More..., the original Essex bird Alison Moyet makes 66 with It won't be long, and Urban Soul hold at 60 with Alright. Chris Rea is new at 57 with Heaven, the second release from his Auberge album. Two In A Room are trying to follow January's miraculous hit Wiggle it (a miracle because there's no rational scientific explanation for its success). She's got me going crazy is in at 54, and that's the last we'll hear of them. May we be thankful for small mercies.

New at 52 came Michael West, aka the Rebel MC. He'd broken through into the mainstream in 1989 with backing group Double Trouble, releasing the infectious pop-rap Street tuff, and continued in a similar vein on his debut album Rebel Music. Mr. MC went for something harder on his new album, Black Meaning Good, throwing deeper basslines, harder techno, and some toasters into the washing machine. Wickedest sound was the beginning of his non-commercial phase - it failed to make the top 40, and he's not been back since - but those who know this area suggest that it's the beginning of the bass-and-drum jungle style that would sweep to success in 1994.

Some climbers, all with more to go: OMD's Sailing on the seven seas went up 15 to 51, Vanilla Ice's I love you managed a one-place climb at number 50, and Zucchero and Paul Young moved up 5 with Senza una donna (without a woman). Katherine E's I'm alright is a tiny footnote in history - the song only made number 46 nationally, but scraped to 38 in Scotland, and became the first record played on the New Scottish Chart, a strict subset of the UK national list. (For completists, the last record to be played was Somebody to love from George Michael and Queen; BBC Radio Scotland discontinued the chart in May 1993.)

Two acts found that top 40 hits are not guaranteed: George Michael moved up 14 to 45 with Cowboys and angels, and INXS went up one to 42 with By my side. It's just a blip in both careers, both would go on to bigger and better things. So would Alison Limerick - Where love lives (come on over) climbed 5 to 39. The Shamen made their top 40 debut at 38 with Hyperreal; we'll have more from them later in the year.

The first ever A versus B song was MC Tunes versus 808 State, whose The only rhyme that bites (you know, the one sampling The Big Country) made number 10 in summer 1990. The second appeared in the chart at 36: Monie Love versus Adeva performing Ring my bell, very loosely based on the Anita Ward disco classic from the late 1970s. The definitive version of the song is Tori Amos's cover on the 1992 Ruby Trax compilation. Slow climbs continue for Mike + the Mechanics, Word of mouth is up four to 35; the Mock Turtles, Can you dig it? is up two to 33; and Inspiral Carpets' Caravan, up 6 to a peak at 30. There's no move at 29 for the Rolling Stones's Highwire, and Jive Bunny's Over to you John is up four to a peak at 28. Black Box were still doing the rounds, Strike it up is new at 26, but this will be their last top 30 hit until 1996's I got the vibration. Two records from the Simpsons in the top 25: Do the Bart, man fell seven to 25, and was eclipsed by the group's second song, Deep deep trouble, new at 22. C&C Music Factory rose 12 places to 21 with Here we go.

Up four to 20 went Scritti Politti and Shabba Ranks with She's a woman. Scritti Politti was, effectively, Green Gartside and his backing band. He'd been recording since the early 1980s, but the commercial breakthrough didn't happen until 1984's Wood beez (pray like Aretha Franklin) made the top ten. Their biggest hit came with The word girl in 1985, and their best single, Perfect way, stalled at number 48. Scritti Politti's last significant hit was 1988's Oh Patti, and a comeback in 1999 stalled before it had really begun. We'll be profiling Shabba Ranks in about a month.

N-Joi were new at 19 with Anthem. Definition of Sound rose 7 to 16 with Wear your love like heaven. The Definition of Sound was centred around Kevin Clark and Don Weekes, two young men who had an ability to rap, and an appreciation of rare records. Their sound jumped all over the shop, moving from classic soul to AOR to hard rap in the space of a minute. They built a following in the post-acid clubs of 1989 and 1990 before releasing debut single Now is tomorrow, a morass of jangling guitar and soulful vocals. The second single was Wear your love like heaven, combining late-60s bubblegum pop with contemporary sounds. It's going to be their biggest hit, and presaged their album Love and Life: A Journey With the Chameleons. A third single, Moira Jane's cafe, emerged into the top 40 in early 1992. Then the Definition got caught up in record industry stupidity: their record label was bought up by EMI and promptly closed, their new record label bit the wax in the weeks before the second album was due for release, and a proper follow-up wasn't on the shelves until 1996's Experience (which yielded one big hit single, Pass the vibes. The group split shortly afterwards.

No move at 16 for the Banderas's This is your life, and fastest climber honours go to Denny Minogue's Love and kisses, up 16 to 15. Vapid, that's an apt word. Gary Clail On-U Sound System went up 11 to 14 with Human nature. Up two to 12 for Feargal Sharkey's I've got news from you. Sharkey had risen to fame as the lead singer with the Undertones, of Teenage kicks fame. After leaving the rest of the band (they went on to form That Petrol Emotion, now back together and playing with My Bloody Valentine), he then joined with Vince Clark of Yazoo (and later Erasure) in The Assembly, but is best known for a contrasting pair of singles, both top five hits, from his eponymous 1985 album. A good heart was Maria McKee's take on her split with Benmont Tench; You little thief was Tench's response. Sharkey's second album Wish (1988) failed to set the chart afire, and Songs From the Mardi Gras yielded this one hit single and not much else. Sharkey's since become an A&R man, served on the UK Radio Authority, and the figurehead of the government's Live Music Forum (Except We're Againstem). He's most recently been seen as the Head of British Music Rights for the entitlement-crazy record business, playing a peacemaker role.

The Waterboys put The whole of the moon in at 11, ensuring that this week's top 75 measured at least 3476km. Even larger if you count Marge Simpson's hair. Just one record moving out of the top ten - the Clash went 9-13 - and just one record moving into the top ten - Snap!'s Snap! megamix went up 3 to 10. The stonk dropped seven to 9, and Quartz held at 8 with It's too late; while Dina Carroll would go on to greater things, the duo of Dave Rawlings and Ronnie Herel remain one-hit wonders. Simple Minds dip a place to 7 with Let there be love, and the Pet Shop Boys are down two to 6. Secret love gives the Bee Gees another top five hit, rising 5 places, and Roxette's Joyride motors on, back up a place to 4. A third week at 3 for Rod Stewart's Rhythm of my heart. The Simpsons had already spent three weeks at 3, and two more records would do the same later in the year.

Like many of the bands that rose from the Madchester phenomenon, James had been doing the rounds for donkey's years. Unlike many of their compatriots, James were actually rather good. They'd formed in 1982, released a couple of eps through Factory Records, and gained a fan in Morrissey, who was singing their praises in press interviews at the start of 1985. The group signed to Sire Records later that year, releasing albums Stutter and Strip Mine to positive critical notices, but very few sales.

James left Sire in 1989, and eventually wound up with Fontana, releasing Gold Mother in late 1989. Lead singles Sit down and Come home just missed the top 75 that year, but the group put three singles - How was it for you?, Lose control, and a re-release of Come home - into the bottom of the top 40 during 1990. The big breakthrough came with the re-release of Sit down, with an additional and rather annoying big beat. Already, James had come up with a remarkably successful line of clothing, their t-shirts and sweatshirts had very nearly outsold their records. This was changing with every copy of Sit down sold, this week up 5 to 2.

All of which means there's no move at number one for Chesney Hawkes. Will the Easter holidays allow him to hold on for a third week?

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