This week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100 are an eclectic bunch, with everything from a 60's rocker your parents might have been fans of to a young big band crooner and pioneering electronic acts. Shall we take a look?
Blue Pearl: passion for playing with knives.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 103 "You Didn't Know Me When" by Harry Connick, Jr.
Peak: number 103
Peak date: 9 March 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
American singer Harry Connick, Jr. made his Australian chart debut with the album We Are in Love (number 120, July 1991). His ARIA top 150 singles debut came with "It Had to Be You" (number 70, June 1992), which was first released locally in November 1989, and initially peaked at number 76 in October 1991. That song was the title track to an Australian-only compilation of some of Harry's earlier recordings, It Had to Be You (number 4, March 1992), which became his commercial breakthrough in Australia.
"You Didn't Know Me When" was lifted from Harry's third studio album Blue Light, Red Light (number 10, March 1992).
Harry's biggest hit in Australia came with "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" (number 15, December 1994), which I always associate with the Hey Hey It's Saturday band playing before heading to an ad break.
Last I was aware, Harry was currently a judge on the reboot of Australian Idol - I would not encourage any readers to watch that rubbish.
Number 130 "Don't Turn Around" by Neil Diamond
Peak: number 117
Peak date: 13 April 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeksAmerican singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is someone I'd never heard of until his albums started appearing in the ARIA top 50 in the early 90s, but he landed 28 charting singles in Australia between 1969 and 1982. If I remember correctly (I can't really be bothered looking it up), Neil's renewed popularity in the early 90s was due to him touring Australia - I recall seeing TV commercials for his shows. In particular, I remember hearing Neil's 1966 song "Cherry, Cherry", with its "she got the way to move me" chorus, in the adverts. We have seen Neil previously in 1981.
As I suspected from the title, "Don't Turn Around" is a cover version of the song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren that was originally recorded by Tina Turner, as the B-side to "Typical Male" (number 20, November 1986), in 1986. Aswad's version of "Don't Turn Around" peaked at number 34 in June 1988, and it would go on to become a number 19 hit for Ace of Base in August 1994.
"Don't Turn Around" was lifted from Neil's Lovescape (number 15, March 1992) album. Internationally, the single peaked at number 79 in Canada in March 1992.
Neil's rendition of "Don't Turn Around" took six weeks to climb to its peak of number 117 in Australia, before falling out of the top 150 the following week.
We will next see Neil in April.
Number 146 "Never Stop" by The Brand New Heavies featuring N'Dea Davenport
Peak: number 140
Peak date: 13 April 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeksBritish acid jazz and funk band The Brand New Heavies formed in 1985. American singer N'Dea Davenport, who receives a featuring credit on this release, was the band's lead singer between 1990 and 1995, before rejoining them in 2005. "Never Stop", lifted from the brand's debut album The Brand New Heavies (number 139, August 1992), was their first Australian release.
Internationally, "Never Stop" peaked at number 43 in the UK in October 1991, and number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1991.
The Brand New Heavies never landed an ARIA top 100 single, but we shall see them bubble under on several occasions in the coming years, with the next instance being in 1994.
Number 148 "When I First Met Your Ma" by Paul Kelly and The Messengers
Peak: number 131
Peak date: 6 April 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeksWeeks on chart: 10 weeks
We last saw Paul Kelly and The Messengers in 1991.
"When I First Met Your Ma" was the only single released from the Hidden Things (number 29, April 1992) compilation album, which collated non-album tracks recorded by Paul Kelly and The Messengers (formerly Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) between 1986 and 1991.
On the state charts, "When I First Met Your Ma" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 89.
We shall next see Paul Kelly and The Messengers in 1994, but before then, Paul will appear on his own as part of a collaboration with other artists in 1993.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 176 "Instruments of Darkness (All of Us Are One People)" by The Art of Noise
Peak: number 170
Peak date: 16 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
We last saw English syth-pop act The Art of Noise in 1989.
"Instruments of Darkness..." originally appeared as a largely instrumental track on the 1986 album In Visible Silence (number 55, July 1986). This remixed version was lifted from the compilation The FON Mixes (number 180, March 1992). Internationally, the single peaked at number 45 in the UK in January 1992.
Domestically, "Instruments of Darkness..." was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 121.
Listening to this track for the first time, my initial impression was that it sounds very much like The Prodigy. Then I discovered that The Prodigy's Liam Howlett co-produced this version of the track.
We shall next see The Art of Noise in 1995.
Number 180 "(Can You) Feel the Passion" by Blue Pearl
Peak: number 166
Peak date: 16 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeksBlue Pearl were English producer Youth (real name Martin Glover) and American singer Durga McBroom, who had been a long term backing singer for Pink Floyd - both on their studio recordings and their live concerts.
The pair released their debut single "Naked in the Rain" in 1990, which reached number 4 in the UK, but failed to chart in Australia upon its local release in September of that year. A second single, "Little Brother", was issued in Australia in June 1991, but similarly failed to chart, as did the album both singles were lifted from, Naked, which was released locally in June 1991.
The duo's third single, "(Can You) Feel the Passion", finally registered Blue Pearl a placing on the ARIA singles chart, albeit a rather low one. The single fared better internationally, where it reached number 14 in the UK in January 1992, number 24 in Ireland, number 32 in Sweden in February 1992, number 34 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1992, and number 49 in the Netherlands in March 1992. "(Can You) Feel the Passion" also topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in May 1992.
Locally, "(Can You) Feel the Passion" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 134.
"(Can You) Feel the Passion" lyrically references Bizarre Inc's "Playing with Knives", which we saw bubble WAY down under in 1991.
We will see Blue Pearl again in 1998.
Number 189 "In My Dreams" by The Party
Peak: number 186
Peak date: 23 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 2 weeksWe last saw The Party in 1991.
While "In My Dreams" was the lead single from the band's second album In the Meantime, In Between Time, curiously their debut album The Party (number 189, June 1992) peaked a few months after this in 1992 - although it is possible that this track was added to the Australian pressing.
Internationally, "In My Dreams" peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992.
Within Australia, "In My Dreams" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 172.
I don't recall hearing this one before. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it's actually quite decent.
This was The Party's final single to chart in Australia.
Next week (16 March): Five top 150 debuts, and four bubbling WAY down under entries.
Neil Diamond was a staple in our house growing up. Mum and Dad used to flog Hot August Night to death. I still have a bit of a soft spot for him.
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