This week in 1990, both of the top 150 debuts spent 9 weeks in the top 150, and all three of the bubbling WAY down under entries spent a solitary week on the chart. Let's take a look at them.
The Cult had a somewhat 'cult' following when it came to the Australian charts.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 124 "Deliverance" by The Mission
Peak: number 112
Peak date: 14 May 1990
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
The Mission were a quartet hailing from Leeds in the UK. "Deliverance" was released in Australia as the lead single from their fourth studio album Carved in Sand (number 109, April 1990), and became their first single to chart locally.
In the UK, "Deliverance" was issued as the second single from the album, and reached number 27 in March 1990. The single that preceded "Deliverance" in the UK will make an appearance in the ARIA top 150 in September.
I hadn't heard "Deliverance" before, though have heard the (Australian) follow-up release.
Number 135 "Sweet Soul Sister" by The Cult
Peak: number 109
Peak date: 30 April 1990
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
"Sweet Soul Sister" is one of those tracks I heard at the time (seeing the video on Countdown Revolution), but had completely forgotten about until catching it on rage, following The Cult lead singer Ian Astbury's guest programming in 2014. While I wouldn't call myself a Cult fan, it's one of their singles I enjoy.
"Sweet Soul Sister" was lifted from the Sonic Temple album (number 13, April 1989), and followed "Fire Woman" (number 24, May 1989) and "Edie (Ciao Baby)" (number 77, August 1989). In between "Edie" and this single, "Sun King" was released in the band's native UK, but I cannot find evidence of this being issued locally.
"Sweet Soul Sister" peaked at number 42 in the UK in March 1990.
The Cult will join us again in 1993.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 152 "Words" by The Christians
Peak: number 152
Peak date: 16 April 1990
Weeks on chart: 1 week
We saw English band The Christians bubble WAY down under in February 1989, and here they are again, in the same region of the chart.
"Words" was the lead single from the band's second album Colour (number 138, May 1990).
"Words" peaked at number 18 in the UK in December 1989, number 6 in Ireland, number 5 in the Netherlands in February 1990, number 10 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1990, number 18 in Sweden in February 1990, and number 1 in France for two weeks in May 1990. The Colour album topped the UK albums chart for one week in January 1990.
Before
recording the album, founding band member Roger Christian left
the group in 1987, due to a reluctance to tour. Roger died from a
brain tumour in 1998, aged 48.
On the state charts, "Words" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 122.
Clocking in at just over 7 minutes on the album, "Words" was edited down to just under 5 and a half minutes for its single release, but does not seem to outstay its welcome. To my ears, "Words" sounds like the sort of track that could have done well in Australia - or rather, the album could have, if it had received more exposure. I am thinking that maybe the band's name, giving the impression that it is 'Christian' music, worked against them.
We shall see The Christians again in November 1990.
Number 158 "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie
Peak: number 158
Peak date: 16 April 1990
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Biz Markie, real name Marcel Hall, hails from New York City. "Just a Friend" was his sole US Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at number 9 in March 1990. It was via the American Top 40 radio show that I became acquainted with this song.
"Just a Friend" is based on the 1968 Freddie Scott song, "(You) Got What I Need", and would be Biz Markie's only ARIA singles chart entry. Biz would, however, score a charting album in Australia in 2004 with Weekend Warrior (number 434, April 2004). On the state charts, "Just a Friend" performed strongest in Queensland, where it peaked at number 134.
Despite - or perhaps because of - being a one-hit wonder, Biz Markie appears to be remembered fondly, as "Just a Friend" seems to get chosen regularly by guest programmers hosting the Australian music video program rage.
Number 159 "Passion" by Kandu
Peak: number 159
Peak date: 16 April 1990
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Odds are, you've never heard of Kandu (pronounced 'can do' as in can-do attitude) before. Kandu were an Australian female vocal quartet, who happened to all be airline hostesses, moonlighting as a pop group. Given that this single - their sole release - failed to break the top 150, it's probably for the best that they (presumably) kept their day-jobs.
This track was released on DSK Records, which appears to have been an independent label, on which this is the only release listed on discogs.com. Kandu were biggest in Queensland, where this single reached number 138 on the state chart.
Next week (23 April): A mere two new top 150 entries debut next week. One of them is the second of three singles from an artist who never cracked the ARIA top 100, and the other is the fifth single from a number 1 album from 1989. In addition, there is one bubbling WAY down under entry.
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