Once again I cannot identify a common theme among this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, other than they're all a bit 'strange' in some way. Have a listen and see what you think.
Kylie Minogue: 1 Unlimited
Top 150 debuts:
Number 113 "Everyday Sunshine" by Fishbone
Peak: number 112
Peak date: 9 March 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
We saw Fishbone last week, and here they are again with their second and final ARIA top 150 single, from the band's third studio album The Reality of My Surroundings (number 136, July 1991).
Internationally, "Everyday Sunshine" peaked at number 60 in the UK in August 1992. It also reached number 14 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in July 1991.
Number 139 "Boys Will Be Boys" by Osmond Boys
Peak: number 132
Peak date: 9 March 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Osmond Boys were the vocal quartet Michael, Douglas, Nathan and David Osmond, who were all sons of Alan Osmond from the band The Osmonds. To my surprise, they do not currently have a Wikipedia page.
"Boys Will Be Boys" was lifted from the group's second album Boysterous, which was issued locally in February 1992, but missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart.
Internationally, "Boys Will Be Boys" peaked at number 65 in the UK in November 1991.
Another single from Boysterous, "Second Generation", was released in Australia in July 1992 but missed the top 150.
Number 147 "A Midlife's Tale (Get It Back Now)" by My Friend the Chocolate Cake
Peak: number 134
Peak date: 2 March 1992
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Formed in Melbourne in 1989, Australian band My Friend the Chocolate Cake never landed a top 100 single in Australia, though placed three albums in the top 100.
"A Midlife's Tale (Get It Back Now)", the band's debut single, was lifted from their first album My Friend the Chocolate Cake (number 109, April 1992).
Listening to this track for the first time as I write this, there's something distinctly 'Melbourne'-sounding about the instrumentation. It reminds me a little bit of acoustic band Things of Stone & Wood, musically. I don't mind the song.
While My Friend the Chocolate Cake would not be troubling the ARIA top 100 with their single releases, we will see them a number of times in the 101-150 region of the chart over the coming years, with the next occasion being in 1994.
Number 148 "The Marrickville Mauler" by Leon K and The Knockouts
Peak: number 148
Peak date: 24 February 1992
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Before I look up any information about this release, I must tell you that I really do not know what to expect, given the artist name and song title...
As I half-suspected, this track is by an Australian artist, was a one-off release, and is not available to listen to anywhere online. Drat!
The "Marrickville mauler" in question is Australian boxer Jeff Fenech.
One person on discogs owns the CD single, but their collection is not listed publicly, so I am unable to message them to request a rip of this track. There is a copy of the CD single listed for sale on eBay for $12.50, but to be honest, I'm not sure that it's worth that just to hear this 'song'. But maybe I will relent...
Here's the single sleeve.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 168 "I'll Get By" by Eddie Money
Peak: number 168
Peak date: 24 February 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
We last saw Eddie Money in 1990.
"I'll Get By" was issued as the second single from Eddie's eighth studio album Right Here (number 160, September 1991). It followed "Heaven in the Back Seat", which was released locally in September 1991 but failed to chart.
Internationally, "I'll Get By" peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1992, and at number 15 in Canada.
Despite listening to American Top 40 in early 1992, I do not recall hearing this one before. Of note is that Eddie's locks have been trimmed for the music video.
Within Australia, "I'll Get By" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 159.
This was Eddie's last single to chart in Australia.
Number 174 "I Guess I Like It Like That" by Kylie Minogue
Peak: number 174
Peak date: 24 February 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue needs no introduction. At this point in 1992, four and a half years into her recording career, Kylie had notched up 15 hits on the Australian singles chart, with all of those making the top 25.
Kylie was signed to Pete Waterman's PWL label in the UK, who were at this point licensing dance tracks from continental Europe for release in the UK; Dutch techno act 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready for This" (number 2, April 1992) being one of those. "I Guess I Like It Like That", an album track from Kylie's fourth album Let's Get To It (number 13, December 1991), blatantly plagiarises "Get Ready for This". I assume that a deal was made whereby Pete could rip off their song for a Kylie track in exchange for a UK distribution deal. Of course, Kylie's take on the track is inferior to the 2 Unlimited original.
"I Guess I Like It Like That" was listed as the double A-side on Kylie's "If You Were with Me Now" (number 23, March 1992) single on the ARIA chart, despite not being actually listed as such on the single sleeve. Perhaps the decision to list the single as a double A-side was because a 12" vinyl single with "I Guess I Like It Like That" as the A-side, and "If You Were with Me Now" on side B, was released commercially in Australia. But it is this vinyl single, I assume, that is responsible for "I Guess I Like It Like That" charting in its own right. A little confusing, hey?
In my mind, vinyl was pretty much dead in Australia as a commercial format by early 1991, with The Simpsons' "Do the Bartman" (number 1, March 1991) being the first number one single in Australia that was not available on 7" vinyl. The exception being that vinyl was still a format used by DJ's. Given vinyl's waning popularity in Australia at the time, I guess it's not bad that "I Guess I Like It Like That", which was available only on the 12" format, registered a chart placing.
On the state charts, "I Guess I Like It Like That" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 150. As the single was not issued commercially anywhere else, it only charted in Australia.
Kylie's next single to miss the ARIA top 100 would not come until 2011; but, given that my interest in chart music falls off a cliff by the start of the 2000s, I probably won't be recapping those charts in 2042 (!).
I shouldn't miss this opportunity to mention one of my favourite Kylie songs, "Finer Feelings" (number 60, June 1992), was her first proper-single flop in Australia, undeservedly. But hey, it's the underappreciated gems that are manna for the true music fans, right?
Next week (2 March): Owing to 1992 being a leap year, my 1992 chart recaps will be posted on a Thursday from now on. Next week, there are four top 150 debuts, and two bubbling WAY down under entries.
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