Charting 1997: 8th February

It's that time of the week again (or it isn't, depending on when you read this) and we're back with a fresh chart. I've also cut down on the number of embeds in the hope that the page will load a bit faster.
Speaking of fast, Blur slip an almost unprecedented six places so there's room for a new Number One single again - but still a bit of a surprise result.


1.(NE) LL Cool J - Ain't Nobody

I mean, really, WTF? I'm not sure I even knew this record existed and suddenly it's Number One - and at a time when it was still rare for a rap single to do that. I'm not convinced even LL Cool J remembers this record, but here it is, somebody must have liked it. 
2. (5) No Mercy - Where Do You Go
3. (2) White Town - Your Woman
4.(NE) The Orb - Toxygene
Another somewhat forgotten number, the last big hit for "Dr" Alex Patterson was a rejected remix for Jean-Michel Jarre, hence the slightly altered title. 
5.(10) En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love)
I can't remember why this returned to its peak position after a month, although I suspect the answer wouldn't be that exciting anyway.
6.(NE) Michelle Gayle - Do You Know
Return of one of the more successful pop stars to emerge from Eastenders, with more of her usual breezy if lightweight soul-pop.
7. (1) Blur - Beetlebum
8. (6) Texas - Say What You Want
9. (4) Placebo - Nancy Boy
10.(NE) Barbra Streisand And Bryan Adams - I Finally Found Someone
A duet that's every bit as subtle as you'd expect. From a film called The Mirror Has Two Faces, it says here.
11. (3) George Michael - Older/I Can't Make You Love Me
12. (7) Gabrielle - Walk On By
13. (9) Blueboy - Remember Me
14.(NE) David Bowie - Little Wonder

15.(NE) Amen! UK - Passion
A record I have a copy of and once wrote a blog post about, and I still can't remember much about it. One of many pseudonyms for dance producer Paul Masterson.
16.(11) Backstreet Boys - Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
17. (8) Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)
18.(18) Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
19.(13) Skunk Anansie - Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)
20.(NE) 808 State - Lopez

After 1996 had been a big breakthrough year for Manic Street Preachers, there was no new material from them in 1997 - but they kept their hand in with collaborations, of which this was one of the best, setting the unmistakable voice of James Dean Bradfield over brilliantly moody and sad electronic music - a sound they've attempted since but probably never bettered. Though I must admit I didn't appreciate this at the time and had pretty much forgotten it until I bought the CD single for a pound years later. Good investment.
21.(12) Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina
22.(16) Whitney Houston - Step By Step
23.(15) Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
24.(NE) Nuyorican Soul featuring India - Runaway
AKA Masters At Work AAKA Lil' Louis (of heavy breathing fame) and Kenny "Dope" Gonzales (of Bucketheads fame).
25.(NE) The Supernaturals - The Day Before Yesterday's Man
I still have this on a yellow 7", complete with the amusing (if NSFW) B-side 'Honk Williams'. For that matter the A-side is the uncensored original version too. Possibly their best single in my opinion.
26.(NE) Geneva - Into The Blue
Second single from the self-consciously epic indie act who might have made more of a commercial impact if they'd waited until more people had heard of Jeff Buckley. This particular track catches them in more pop-friendly, focused mood and is my favourite of theirs. Sorry guys.
27.(20) Ginuwine - Pony
28.(NE) Sub Merge - Take Me By The Hand ft Jan Johnston
Yeah, it's some sort of trance I suppose. Not exactly my scene.
29.(23) Byron Stingily - Get Up (Everybody)
30.(19) Reef - Come Back Brighter
31.(NE) Tin Tin Out - All I Wanna Do
A somewhat more credible dance sound than their later collaborations with Emma Bunton and Tony Hadley.
32.(25) The Prodigy - Breathe
33.(24) Suede - Saturday Night
34.(NE) The Candyskins - Monday Morning
Now this is more like it. Already veterans of pre-Britpop indie, and now stars of the recent documentary Anyone Can Play Guitar, they crept into the Top 40 for the first (and only) time with this brilliantly chirpy retro-pop smash. It's a great pity that I couldn't find the studio recording on YouTube, and it even seems to have been taken off Spotify since I compiled my playlist. You can probably get a secondhand copy of Shine 8 pretty cheap though. 
35.(22) Lisa Stansfield/Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - People Hold On (Bootleg Mixes)
36.(NE) Partizan - Drive Me Crazy
In a busy week for dance producers with multiple pseudonyms, here's "Tall" Paul Newman.
37.(30) Robert Miles - One And One ft Maria Nayler
38.(14) Babybird - Candy Girl
39.(NE) Donna Lewis - Without Love
The follow-up to one of the the biggest US hits by a Welsh act in the 1990s.
40.(29) Mark Morrison - Horny

45.(NE) Juno Reactor - Jungle High
48.(NE) Pavement - Stereo
Basking in some reflected glory after being cited as an influence on Blur's new sound.
59.(NE) Chrissy Ward - Right And Exact {1997 remix}
62.(NE) These Animal Men - Life Support Machine
70.(NE) KRS-One - Word Perfect