Owing to technical failures, this post was not published until 22 October 2008.

(More: The route for the CTRL is announced, Clarence Thomas is a womaniser, and the Net Book Agreement's in trouble. With profiles of Richard Marx, Lush, Lisa Stansfield, and Kingmaker; and songs from Slade and Monty Python.)

There were a lot of contenders for the UK's number one single this week. Could Kiri stage the fastest climb to the top in five years? Could Monty Python give us the first comedy number one in six months? Could the Scorpions replicate their achievemnt on the Network Chart? Could there be a tie at number one? In the event, no to all of those questions, but it was far closer than all that; less than 2100 copies covered the top four, the closest race in the whole of the year. Kiri Te Kanawa's World in union stormed up seven places to number 4, the Scorpions spent a third week at number 2 (though number 1 on the Network Chart), and Bryan Adams made it fifteen at one.

| Permanent link

Quickly looking at the UK charts, where Pink retains number one for a third week. Peter Kay is new at number 2 with The winners [sic] song. This one's performed under the alias of Geraldine McQueen, the winner of his spoof talent show Britain's Got the Pop Factor, which aired on Channel 4 last Sunday. In at 3 comes Don't call this love, by Leon Jackson. Readers with very long memories will recall that Mr. Jackson was the winner of Simon Cowell's spoof talent show Simon Cowell Says... Here's A Bit of Singing last year.

New at number 5 for those purveyors of fine chocolate mousse, The Saturdays. They're clearly the Liberal Democrats of the pop world, for the video to Up sees the girls prancing about on bar charts. Snow Patrol rise nine to 6 with Take back the city, and Sash! enters at 9 with Raindrops (encore une fois). This still has seven places to climb, people! Much lower down, Razorlight enter at 30 with Wire to wire, and positions 31-40 are all fallers. Has this ever happened before? (crunches numbers). Yes, this is the 20th time, though there haven't been ten fallers between 31 and 40 since 24 September 2005. Half the events took place between 4 November 2000 and 6 July 2002.

Guru Josh may be top ten in Germany, but Infinity is a slow starter, only number 56 in the UK. Oldies used on the casting shows include U2's inferior version of With or without you (66), Oasis's inferior version of Wonderwall (85), and Boys II Men's I'll make love to you (89). On the album chart, we note Idina Menzel has a solo album, I stand appears at 54 for the Wicked star.

| Permanent link

Owing to a major system failure, we were unable to write to any other journal this week.

A settled week, and - apart from some cloud during the early part - a mostly fine one. The settled weather ended on Saturday night, with some rain presaging a windy day. That wind will continue into the week, but later days will be a little more settled. Temperatures will be down, so do wrap up.

13 Mo fog to sun spells 10/17
14 Tu cloud             12/15
15 We cloud              9/15, 3.0
16 Th sun                7/12
17 Fr sun                4/14
18 Sa sun                7/14
19 Su rain o/n, wind    10/13, 3.0

Rainfall in October: 52mm; monthly average: 69mm

Degree heating days: 4½
2007: 13/809½
2006: 0/499
2005: 0/684
2004: 9½/556
2003: 9/754

| Permanent link