Alex's Weekly Blog - 22nd August

I'm a bit of a chart geek, and luckily I can channel some of this energy into deciding which songs we play on Tameside Radio each week. It's been a Sabrina Carpenter dominated summer so far, with added Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. Bands are largely nowhere to be seen, with Billie Eilish and Myles Smith also performing well in the upper echelons of the hit parade.

Whilst browsing the Official Charts Company website, I've found a list of every UK album that's ever been at number one, and thought it might be fun to have a look at what was dominating the LP Chart in decades gone by. For the record, Johnny Mathis was sitting at the top of the chart when I was born in 1977, in the middle of a month long run in the top spot, which might explain why I absolutely love When A Child Is Born, his crooning Christmas classic. So let's go back in the time machine...

This week in 1974 saw Paul McCartney & Wings at number one with Band On The Run. Recorded in Lagos in Nigeria, and containing the song Jet, which may have been named after a horse or a dog, depending on which interview you've read with Macca. It finally saw McCartney emerge from the shadow of the Beatles, and remains something of a classic LP. Fun fact - chat show king Michael Parkinson was one of the celebrities on the cover of the album, along with James Coburn and Christopher Lee.

Heading to late August 1984 and Now That's What I Call Music 3 had replaced Bob Marley's Legend at the top of the Album Chart. Aside from a certain disgraced glam rock star, it contains some top chart hits, including Bananarama, Weather Girls, OMD, Bronski Beat and a superb one hit wonder by The Art Company called Susannah. I also own this on vinyl, along with the rest of the first 18 Now Albums. Sadly, the reissued CDs recently have been missing certain artists due to record company wrangles, I assume. INXS and Phil Collins are conspicuous by their absence. Pleased to say the Now series lives on, though, and I do need to buy the last few releases on CD at some stage for completionist purposes.

In 1994, the Rolling Stones had just enjoyed a week at number one with Voodoo Lounge, including their underrated 90s single Love Is Strong, and were replaced at the top by Wet Wet Wet's End Of Part One (Their Greatest Hits). Everyone had probably had their fill of Love Is All Around by this stage, but this has a great collection of hits spanning from 1987 to 1994, including Wishing I Was Lucky, Goodnight Girl and Temptation. I've always had a soft spot for Marti Pellow and co, and the songs are still pretty radio friendly 30 years later!

Hopping forward to 2004, we find Anastacia's self-titled debut at number one. Hard to believe it's been 20 years since the likes of Sick and Tired and Left Outside Alone. Still terrific pop songs, and she's announced a huge European tour for next year, including dates in Barcelona, Milan, and Manchester.

In 2014, Ed Sheeran fever had hit the Album Chart, with X ('multiply') in the middle of eight weeks at number one. Ed recently joined Taylor Swift for the acoustic section of her tour in London, and has also been promoting his hot sauce called Tingly Teds. I've tried it, and it's quite tasty.

And to 2024, and we find Beabadoobee celebrating her first UK number one album with This Is How Tomorrow Moves, telling the Official Charts Company: "I am so over the moon!". It's the Filipino-British singer-songwriter's third album, and narrowly beat a challenge from Chappell Roan, whose super catchy song Good Luck Babe is currently on the Tameside Radio playlist.

It's sometimes good to take a moment and look back through time, plus it reminds me how quickly the years are whizzing by! I also wonder if people still listen to albums from beginning to end, as used to happen when I bought a new CD back in the day. I suspect there's a lot more cherry-picking going on, but it's good to see album sales in relatively good health, with a new Script album expected to claim the top spot this weekend. If you want to know your birthday number one album, you can find the full list at the Official Charts website. Happy listening!