I can't identify a theme linking this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, other than they all missed the top 100. Let's take a look...
Curve might have been 'horrified' by the chart peak of this single in Australia in 1992.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 123 "Eyes on Fire" by John Schumann
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 31 August 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 123-132-126-132-142-134
Hailing from Adelaide, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist John Schumann was the front man in Redgum, who landed five Australian top 100 singles between 1983 and 1987. Their biggest hit was the Vietnam War-inspired "I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)" (number 1 for 2 weeks in May 1983). Although I probably knew that song at the time, when I was in kindergarten, I was not aware of Redgum until I had to listen to "I've Been to Bali Too" (number 16, May 1984) in Indonesian class in year 10. In 1994, anything from 1984 sounded practically ancient to my ears.
John launched his solo career in 1987, with the single "Borrowed Ground" (number 91, August 1987) and the album Etched in Blue (number 63, November 1987). John landed a second charting solo album with John Schuman Goes Looby Loo - A Collection of Songs for Little Kids (number 116, January 1989), but "Eyes on Fire" was his only other single to trouble the ARIA top 150.
"Eyes on Fire" would eventually appear on John's third solo studio album True Believers, which was released October 1993, but missed the top 150.
John later tried his hand at politics, becoming chief of staff for Australian Democrats' then-leader Meg Lees in 1998, before running for the Division of Mayo in the 1998 Federal election, coming a close second behind then-Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. John decided not to contest the seat at the 2001 Federal election, however, and stepped away from politics.
Number 130 "This Is Not the Way Home" by The Cruel Sea
Peak: number 130
Peak date: 31 August 1992
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 130-138-141-142-135-146-149-148
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
We last saw Sydney band The Cruel Sea in 1991. Since then, the band scored their first top 100 single with "4 x 4" (number 82, May 1992). "This Is Not the Way Home" was issued as the third and final single from the band's second album This Is Not the Way Home (number 62, October 1992).
On the state charts, "This Is Not the Way Home" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 93.
The Cruel Sea would have their commercial breakthrough in 1993 with the single "Black Stick" (number 25, May 1993) and album The Honeymoon Is Over (number 4, June 1993).
We shall next see The Cruel Sea in 1995.
Number 133 "Little Black Book" by Belinda Carlisle
Peak: number 106
Peak date: 28 September 1992
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 133-107-108-115-106-121-141-(out for 5 weeks)-120-142
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
We last saw Belinda Carlisle in April 1992.
"Little Black Book" was issued as the fourth and final single from Belinda's fourth solo studio album Live Your Life Be Free (number 27, November 1991). While I wasn't aware of this one being released at the time, I did hear it on her first greatest hits compilation album The Best of Belinda Volume 1 (number 14, November 1992) a few months later, which oddly did not contain any new tracks to promote it. Belinda co-wrote this track with Marcella Detroit (real name Marcy Levy) from Shakespears Sister, and Marcy's songwriting partner at the time, Richard Feldman. This was the first Belinda Carlisle single on which she receives a writing credit.
Internationally, "Little Black Book" peaked at number 28 in the UK in September 1992, and number 69 in Germany in October 1992.
Locally, "Little Black Book" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 80. The single peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with South Australia/Northern Territory being the only exception.
I hadn't seen the music video for "Little Black Book" until viewing it while writing this post.
We shall next see Belinda in 1994.
Number 148 "Church of Logic, Sin, & Love" by The Men
Peak: number 143
Peak date: 7 September 1992
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 148-143-148
Here's one I hadn't heard until writing this post. The Men, who contain two female members, hail from Santa Monica, California.
"Church of Logic, Sin, & Love" (yes, the oxford comma followed by the ampersand is part of the title) was lifted from the band's only album The Men, which was released locally in August 1992 but missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart. The single reached number 8 on the meaningless US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. I cannot find evidence of the single charting elsewhere.
This was The Men's only single to trouble the ARIA top 150. The group disbanded shortly afterwards.
While "Church of Logic..." is not something I would actively seek out, I didn't mind this one.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 182 "Who Do You Think You Are?" by Kim Wilde
Peak: number 159
Peak date: 14 September 1992
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Kim Wilde last graced our presence in 1990.
Despite Kim having her most-consistent career success in her native UK with her 1988 album Close (number 82, November 1988), the follow-up album Love Moves (number 126, August 1990) and its associated singles pretty much flopped worldwide. As record companies weren't as gung ho with dropping artists after a flop release back in those days, Kim was given a chance to redeem herself commercially, and she experienced greater, although still somewhat middling, success with her eighth studio album Love Is (number 92, July 1992). The album's lead single, "Love Is Holy" (number 29, July 1992), gave Kim her first Australian top 40 hit since "You Came" (number 34, November 1988).
As good as I think "Love Is Holy" - on which Kim sounds more like Belinda Carlisle than herself - is, I suspect the single's chart performance benefited from heavy discounting in Australia, as I was not even aware of its existence until it crept into the lower region of the top 60 on rage, and I am a casual Kim Wilde fan. If I remember correctly, I think I saw the cassingle for sale in Brashs for $0.99, when the standard price at the time was $5.99.
While "Who Do You Think You Are?" was released as the second single from Love Is in Australia, it was the third release from the album in the UK, with "Heart Over Mind" (which I prefer) being the second single there. I am not sure why the Australian record company skipped "Heart Over Mind", considering it performed better than "Who Do You Think You Are?" in the UK.
Internationally, "Who Do You Think You Are?" peaked at number 66 in the Netherlands in August 1992, number 49 in the UK in September 1992, and number 58 in Germany in September 1992.
Domestically, "Who Do You Think You Are?" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 139.
While I heard "Heart Over Mind" at the time on the UK Chart Attack radio show, I didn't hear "Who Do You Think You Are?" until the mid-2000s, though was aware of its release as it was reviewed in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine. It has never been my favourite Kim Wilde song - I can barely remember how it goes most of the time.
We'll see Kim next in November 1992 with what I think is a much better single of hers.
Number 196 "Horror Head" by Curve
Peak: number 195
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
English band Curve last joined us in May 1992.
"Horror Head" was the second and final single from the band's debut album Doppelgänger (number 136, May 1992). Internationally, "Horror Head" peaked at number 31 in the UK in July 1992. It also reached number 23 on the meaningless US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
In Australia, "Horror Head" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 151.
I think I caught the music video for "Horror Head" on rage some months after its release. Interestingly, the graphic pattern at the start of the video was used as the backdrop for the US and UK top 5 charts displayed on Video Smash Hits.
We'll next see Curve in 1996.
Number 212 "Elvis on Velvet" by Stray Cats
Peak: number 197
Peak date: 7 September 1992
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
We last saw Stray Cats in 1991.
"Elvis on Velvet" was the lead single from Stray Cats' seventh studio album Choo Choo Hot Fish, which was released locally in September 1992 but missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart. Internationally, the single peaked at number 66 in the Netherlands in July 1992.
Domestically, "Elvis on Velvet" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 155 on the state chart.
I hadn't heard this one before. The drum pattern during the intro reminded me of The Cure's "Close to Me" (number 7, February 1986).
This was Stray Cats' final charting single in Australia.
Next week (7 September): A mammoth week, with 11 new top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.
I bought a copy of that 99 cent Kim Wilde cassette single and still have it
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