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G'day gang, right now it's time for this week's recap of the newest songs making their way on to the shores in Australia, according to their official music sales chart . This week PSY dominates the #1 spot for a fifth week with " Gangnam Style "... The top debut this week at #40 is be the first American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, with the single from her upcoming greatest hits set, "Catch My Breath". Kelly has had one song, " Mr. Know It All ", go to #1 in this country.. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time for another trip back to the 60s, and this week it's another dive into 1964, the year that Vee-Jay records released Introducing the Beatles , beating Capitol by ten days... Peter & Gordon - " A World Without Love " from the album A World Without Love (1964) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 British duo take a McCartney toss-off and make it a proto-hipster anthem. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Today, October 31st, marks rapper/reality carpenter Vanilla Ice's 45th birthday... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Daryl Hall & John Oates - " One On One " from the album H2O (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (three weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 15 Today's Song of the Day is by Philly blue-eyed soul legends Hall & Oates , whose eleventh studio album, H2O , already scored them their biggest pop hit to date with " Maneater ", which spent four weeks at #1. For their followup they released the ballad "One On One", written by Hall and produced by the duo, with a no-frills love song that references a game of basketball, and harkening back to the slow jam R&B songs of the late 70s... "One On One" hit the top-10 for the duo on the pop, R&B, and adult-contemporary (soft-rock) chart, though it was only a minor hit in England. It remains one of the longest-lasting hits, though, aging better than some of their more pop-oriented work. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, I'm temporarily back online, so while I have the chance I'll post the German music recap for this week. PSY claims yet another country as " Gangnam Style " takes over at #1 for its first week... The highest debut at #19 is Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris, with "Sweet Nothing" featuring Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine. It's Harris' biggest hit yet as a lead artist, though he has a #1 featured credit on Rihanna's " We Found Love "... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I've got the latest songs on tap making their debut this week accord to the French official music charts . This week Korean phenomenon PSY conquers yet another country as " Gangnam Style " moves up to #1 for its first week. The top debut this week is by singer/dancer M. Pokora and singer Tal, with their collaboration "Envole Moi" ("Fly Me") at #14. Pokora, who I would compare to a French Ricky Martin in his vocals and presence, topped the charts in this country with " Dangerous " in 2008, while Tal was in the top-5 earlier this year with the fun " Le Sens De La Vie " ("The Meaning Of Life"). The two of them are a great pair together... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Journey - " Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) " from the album Frontiers (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (six weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 16 Today's Song of the Day is by San Franciscan arena-rock group Journey , whose seventh studio album Escape made them A-listers, scoring them three top-10 hits, including their classic " Open Arms ", which claimed the runner-up position on the pop chart for six weeks in 1982. The fourth single from the record, " Still They Ride ", also made the top-20, and the album went on to sell over nine million copies. So obviously, anticipation for their next album would be pretty high, and the band's first single from Frontiers , "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", didn't disappoint. With a futuristic synth riff kicking things off all Tron-like, the song soars and rocks like a house music anthem for mulletheads. Of course, the music video is the completely opposite of that, with the band seemingly too ...

The Who - " Eminence Front " from the album It's Hard (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #68 This week's "robbed hit" is by the rock heroes of London, the Who , who closed out 1982 with a new album, It's Hard , and a mediocre top-40 hit " Athena " to kick it off. The band followed that up with a song that really should have been chosen as the first single, "Eminence Front". Powered by a monster keyboard riff and Pete Townshend's Clapton-esque growling vocals, the song was a much better representation of where the band has come, and loose enough not to feel forced. Perhaps it was in their contract that a Daltrey track had to lead the album, but damn . While the song sputtered out at #68 on the pop chart, it was their second consecutive top-5 hit on the rock radio format list, and ended up being their last appearance on the pop chart (well, so far). The third single from the album, the title track , reached the top-40 on ...

Hey gang, it's time for the second part of this week's "Album Sweep", where I sample the latest records making the Top 200 Albums chart in Billboard magazine. You can check out the first part by clicking here , and as before I've included links to buy anything on Amazon mp3 if available, or please go to your local independent record store. You will feel good! Californian EDM artist Bassnectar debuts at #79 with the six-song EP Freestyle . He's had one top-40 album, Vava Voom in April of this year... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Today, October 29th, marks R&B singer/stage actress Melba Moore's 67th birthday... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Saga - " On The Loose " from the album Worlds Apart (1981) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's Song of the Day is by the Canadian hard rock band Saga, who are led by Welsh singer Michael Sadler and guitarist Jim Crichton. Formed in the Toronto suburbs, Saga released their self-titled first album in 1978, and with their sophomore record a year later, they scored their first minor hit in Canada with " It's Time ". The bands big breakthrough came with their fourth album, Worlds Apart , which gave them their first Canadian top-40 hit, " Wind Him Up ". The followup to that single, "On The Loose" became the band's big song in America... "On The Loose", an infectious heap of power-pop goodness, became the band's only top-40 hit, and was huge on rock radio, peaking at #3 on that format's chart. The album was a top-40 success here as well. The band continues to recor...

Hey gang, as the East Coast battens down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, it's time for this week's recap of the new songs making it on to the Official Music Chart in the United Kingdom. This week singer/songwriter Labrinth nabs his first #1 record as the sixth (!) single from his debut album, " Behind Your Beautiful ", featuring Emeli Sande', leaps from #85 to #1. It's also Emeli's second charttopper, both in a featured role - Professor Green's "Read All About It" did the trick last year. X Factor boyband finalists that are not One Direction, JLS, have the top debut this week at #6 with "Hottest Girl In The World". They came in second to Alexandra Burke during their stint on the show, and since then ten of their eleven singles have reached the top-10, and five have reached the top, the last time being " She Makes Me Wanna " from last year (they also have three more #1s as featured artists in chari...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off this week's two-part "album sweep" where I sample the new records making their debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart this week. I've included as always links to buy anything you like on Amazon mp3 if available... The top-selling album this week is the first #1 album for country singer Jason Aldean, with his fifth full-length album Night Train . It sold over 400 thousand copies last week, the second largest first-week sales sum after Mumford & Sons' Babel . (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Today, October 28th, marks country singer/guitarist Brad Paisley's 40th birthday... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Linda Ronstadt - " I Knew You When " from the album Get Closer (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week) Weeks in the top-40: 3 Today's Song of the Day is by the rock goddess of the 70s, Linda Ronstadt. She closed out 1982 with a new album, and the title track " Get Closer " made the top-40. For the follow up single she recorded a cover of a song written by country-rock singer Joe South in the 60s called "I Knew You When". The retro-doowop tune was a top-20 hit for single Billy Joe Royal in 1965.... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're up to the fifth and final "chart sweep" of the newest songs making their way onto this week's music charts at Billboard magazine, and this time it's the latest dance songs in the clubs and on the radio. On the DJ-polled Hot Dance Club Play chart, Rita Ora scores her second #1 US club hit with " R.I.P. " featuring rapper Tinie Tempah... The top debut on this chart is the new single by Enrique Iglesias, with "Finally Found You" featuring rapper Sammy Adams at #34.He has topped the dance charts ten times, the last time with " I Like How It Feels " early this year... Pop/rock outfit Matchbox Twenty are in at #42 with the club mixes of their top-40 hit "She's So Mean". They've already been to the #8 with "How Far We've Come" in 2008... Newcomer Kelly Divan debuts at #47 with her first hit, "Invincible"..   Kelly Divan Invincible (Kelly's Original Radio Edit Quic...

Welcome back, and now we're up to the fourth part of today's "chart sweeps" where I take a look at the new songs making their way onto the weekly music charts at Billboard magazine. This time it's the latest on country radio (no, not the corrupted "country songs" chart)... Carrie Underwood is at #1 for a second week on the Country Airplay chart with " Blown Away ".. The big winner this week is Jason Aldean, who not only has the #1 album in the land this week, but also has the top debut at #47 with "The Only Way I Know" featuring Luke Bryan and Eric Church. Between the three of them they claim 14 #1 country hits (8 for Aldean, 4 for Bryan, and 2 for Church)... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, I'm up to part three of this week's five-part "chart sweeps" of the newest songs making their way on to the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine. This time out it's the latest at R&B radio. On the R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart, Miguel's " Adorn " claims a seventh week at #1 (including its time on the now-defiled "Songs" list)... The top debut this week is by rapper/reality show subject T.I., with "Ball" at 39. He's been to #1 twice before as a lead artist (" What You Know " in 2006 and " Whatever You Like " in 2008) and once in a featured credit (" Shoulder Lean " with Young Dro in 2006)...(NSFW)  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Welcome back, it's time for the second installment of today's "chart sweeps" of the newest songs making the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine. Right now it's the latest on rock radio.... On the composite "Rock Airplay" chart, " I Will Wait " by Mumford & Sons stays on top for a fourth week. The top debut this week is by Chicago hard rockers Chevelle, who made it to #2 on this chart with " Jars " in 2009. Their latest, "Same Old Trip" (the third single from Hats Off To The Bull ), is at #43 here (it's already in the top-30 on Mainstream Rock radio). It's an Occupy-friendly rage into the ills of America today... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" where I take a look at the new songs making their debut on the weekly music charts at Billboard magazine. This time out it's the pop side of the world... On the all-genre inclusive Hot 100 , Maroon 5 spent an incredible (for them) sixth week at #1 with " One More Night "... The top debut this week at #13 is the last "preview" track from Taylor Swift's Red album to make the chart.Four of the five songs that have made the chart have been the highest debut, but "State Of Grace" is the first to miss the top-10, even though it's the second-biggest seller last week, shifting over 200 thousand copies. What's hilarious is that Billboard chose not to include this as a "country" song in their wacked new composite "Country Songs" chart, even though its no different from " Red ", and a mile more "country"-tinged than the #1 ...

Today, October 27th, marks Duran Duran's Simon LeBon's 54th birthday... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Michael Jackson - " Billie Jean " from the album Thriller (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (seven weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 17 Today's Song of the Day is the game-changing hit from former child prodigy singer cum pop/R&B superstar Michael Jackson . At the end of 1982, Michael released Thriller , with a rather bland and sing-song track " The Girl is Mine " with Paul McCartney in tow as the first single. The song did really well even still due to their A-list status without a video, and the album was doing OK in the top-10. Then came "Billie Jean". A dark, sparse shuffling track about a rabid fan who claimed that Jackson was the father of one of her twins (um, what?) and sent him a gun to commit suicide together, Michael took that plus the experiences he saw of his brothers on the road and the hordes of groupies following them. And while the true facts would absolve Michael of the paternity, the song's lyrics twist around in a way ...

Hey gang, it's time again for my top-100 tunes for the week. This week Pink stays on top for a second week, while Muse (pictured above) make it into the top-10. Former hits by Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris & Ne-Yo, Usher, and Rita Ora drop out of my chart, while songs by Three Days Grace, Taryn Manning, and Rita Ora (again) make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). This Week             Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - Pink (1) 2. Some Nights - fun (2) 3. Ho Hey - The Lumineers (3) 4. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons (8) 5. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift (5) 6. Too Close - Alex Clare (4) 7. 50 Ways To Say Goodbye - Train (7) 8. Madness - Muse (11) 9. Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen (9) 10. One More Night - Maroon 5 (12) ...

Today, October 26th, marks the 45th birthday of Australian country singer Keith Urban.. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton - " We've Got Tonight " from the album We've Got Tonight (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (three weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 15 Today's Song of the Day is by the superstar pairing of country-pop singer Kenny Rogers and Scottish-born ingenue Sheena Easton. Rogers was just coming off of his feature film Six Pack , and a companion (non-soundtrack) album that had his top-40 hit from the movie, " Love Will Turn You Around ". Sheena started off 1982 with a couple of top-40 hits like the beautiful " When He Shines ", but her followup album, Money, Madness, and Music , was a relative disappointment, even with such amazing performances like " I Wouldn't Beg For Water ". In 1983, Rogers released We've Got Tonight , his final album on Liberty Records. The first single, the title track, was a remake of the Bob Seger hit from 1978 that made it to #13 on the pop singles chart. What Rogers and...

Hey gang, it's time to take another trip back to the 80s, and this week I've got eight more nuggets from 1983, the year of the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger . The Fixx - " Red Skies " from the album Shuttered Room (1982) Billboard peak: #101 Before "One Thing Leads To Another", this was the key to the bands eerie new-wave aurora, where futuristic battleground were a pastiche for the genre. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Welcome back, I've got another seven nuggets from the 70s, and this time out it's a flashback to 1973, the year Elvis' concert in Hawaii was telecast by satellite live around the world.... The O'Jays - " Love Train " from the album Back Stabbers (1972) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 The happiest peace-nik song that ever was. It's so good and so resonant it should have won a Nobel Prize, not a Grammy. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Today, October 25th, marks Katy Perry's 28th birthday... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

The Pretenders - " Back On The Chain Gang " from the album Learning To Crawl (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (three weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 14 Today's Song of the Day marked the resurrection of the Pretenders , the classic pop-punk outfit started by expatriate music writer Chrissie Hynde from Ohio, bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, and drummer Martin Chambers. Their self-titled debut album, still critically acclaimed to this day, gave them their first minor hit in the US & the UK with a cover of the Kinks' " Stop Your Sobbing ". Their second followup single, " Brass In Pocket (I'm Special) ", went to #1 in Britain and made the pop top-20 in America in 1979. The group's next album in 1980, Pretenders II , placed " Message Of Love " in the top-5 of the nascent US rock radio chart, but it wasn't quite as successful promotionally as their first. Meanwhile, Fardon and Honeyman-Scott's d...

Hey gang, it's time to take a look at the new songs selling in Australia this week, according to their official charts . This week K-Pop king PSY commands a fourth week at #1 with " Gangnam Style ". The top debut this week belongs to Scottish DJ/producer Calvin Harris, who leaps in at #2 with "Sweet Nothing", featuring Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine. Calvin went to #1 earlier this year supporting Rihanna on " We Found Love ", while this is Florence's biggest hit in this country so far - her previous best is " Never Let Me Go ", which went to #3 earlier this year... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's time for another half-dozen nuggets from the 1960s, and this week it's six from 1963, the year Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was shown in the United States for the first time in Washington, DC...As usual I've included links to buy the music on Amazon on MP3 or CD where available... The Jaynetts - " Sally Go Round The Roses " from the album Sally Go Round The Roses (1963) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 The creepiest girl-group record apart from "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)", the Jaynetts warn a girl from going to the city and catching her cheating boyfriend, but the echoing vocals and clinky piano always felt like there was a worse fate waiting as well. (Click to see the rest of the post)

Today, October 24th, marks the 65th birthday of one of my first childhood boycrushes, Kevin Kline...(and here I get two crushes in one...) (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Sonny Charles - "Put It In A Magazine" from the album The Sun Still Shines (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (two weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 2 Today's Song of the Day is by Sonny Charles, an R&B singer from Indiana that lead the soul group the Checkmates in the 60's and 70's, and scored a top-20 hit on the pop chart with " Black Pearl ", a Phil Spector-produced nugget in 1969. In 1982, Charles (his actual last name is Hemphill) released his debut solo album, The Sun Still Shines . The first single, the easy-soul track "Put It In A Magazine", went to #2 on the R&B chart, and crossed over to the pop top-40 for a couple of weeks... The album made it to the top-20 on the R&B albums chart, and the lower half of the big chart. Charles would have one more minor soul hit "Always On My Mind". More recently he's been touring with the Steve Miller Band, but his one big pop hit is criminally absent from being ava...