Heavy notice: These charts are not intended as any representation of sales or airplay data on any station. They are merely intended as a guide to the most successful records in the UK at the moment. Unauthorised reproduction in print, electronic, broadcast or other media is not permitted without the consent of the author.

On the survey this month: 17 bands, 10 lasses, 10 blokes and 3 duets. There are 17 United Stations, 8 and a half British acts, three Germans, two Canadians, two Irish, one Puerto Rican, one Italian, one Dutch, one French, half a Dane, half a Jamaican, and half a Swede in the 40.

This	Tot wks	TITLE album Act	Peak
Number One
1	15	GENIE IN A BOTTLE Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera	1 x2
Another American teen sensation, spending five weeks atop the chart over there. She wasn't released onto an unsuspecting UK market until the beginning of October, but managed to enter the sales 75 a full month before her scheduled release. When she did come out, it was straight to the top.
2	8	BLUE Eifell 65	1 x2
Another of the records that hit before release; in this case, a #39 single plus a #1 budget album. On release it tops the sales charts, and soars from 40 to 9 to 2 on this listing, missing the top by one week.
3	8	MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN Come On Over Shania Twain	3
Single five (count 'em!) from Shania's breakthrough album. This is not the track one found on original pressings of the album, with the guitar pushed to the fore at the expense of the country beat. Indeed, this has happened with many other tracks; so much so that the version available here would rightly be called the European Remix Album. The original is still available in the USA and her native Canada. And the video takes a pastiche of Robot Palmer's 1986 "Addicted To Love" clip, the one with the nasty-looking womyn.
4	13	MAMBO NUMBER FIVE A Little Bit of Mambo Lou Bega	1 x5
It's not unusual for a record to crack this chart based on overseas success. It is absolutely remarkable for one to make #31 on the sales pile based on import copies alone. But that's what happened to this track; the UK release was brought forward a week to stem the import tide, one of the imports was so long it gave him the #1 budget album for a fortnight, and the song looks set to storm quickly up on release. Though why so many people should want the theme song for Channel Four's cricket coverage, when they've shown two losses in the worst season ever, is beyond me. Anyway, this track stormed to the top after two weeks on release, stuck there for the rest of September, and will probably be with us most of the way till Christmas. Lou's also made #4 on airplay alone in the USA, and topped the Canadian survey for a fortnight.
5	6	YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY ...baby one more time Britany Spears	5
A return to the upbeat Eurodisco of "Baby One More Time" for hit #3. While she's not quite shaken off the accusation of One Album Wonder, Spears does seem to have a good shot at sticking around. Spears will not be entering the Christmas singles race this year.
6	4	TWO TIMES Ann Lee	6
The woman responsible for writing Whigfield's 1994 summer smash "Saturday Night" records a single of her own. It beats the Dane's entry in the Most Trite Lyric competition, sounding like one cliche after another set to an annoying bleep machine. Yet it's catchy.
Single Of The Month
7	4	I TRY On How Life Is Macy Gray	7
Where Lauryn Hill has picked up flak for being too rich to have been miseducated, Macy appears to be the real item. She sounds like R&B diva Hill after a few too many ciggies, and here comes out with an absolute belter of a track. If you've never heard it, do so at once; if you've turned it off halfway through because it's going nowhere, go back and listen to it in full. The song projects a big city, late at night, and received hyper-enthusiastic airplay on London's breakfast show. It also set eyebrows aflame on the UK sales chart, for daring to climb up the chart for three consecutive weeks. Such is the abuse of the sales list by record companies that no record has managed this trick since Donna Lewis in 1996. Macy appears here higher than single week burners from B*Witched, S Club 7, Westlife and ATB.
8	12	UNPRETTY Fanmail TLC	2
The second single off the girls' album may be the most commercial piece of New Jill Swing ever to feature a guitar solo. But then, with lyrics about how Society (read: men) expect womyn to look like models all the time, the track works on many levels. I'm waiting to see someone claim that TLC, not the Spices, invented Girl Power... This one may well be in for a fair fall next month.
Sureshot
9	2	IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME R R Kelly	9
When the first single from this album was released, Liverpool and Newcastle were involved in European football, Geri was still a Spice, and John Major was prime minister. "I Believe I Can Fly" spent three weeks at the top in April 97, since when there have been five more singles off R's double album. This, though, is the first since last Christmas, and is his greatest ballad with the possible exception of "...Fly". Import sales of this single helped it spend three weeks on the sales 75 before release, but the UK release only features a 4 minute radio edit, losing the 90 second instrumental introduction.
Sureshot
10	3	JESSE HOLD ON Awake And Breathe B*Witched	10
First single from the girl's sophomore set is just like much of the first, a jaunty little number that sings and dances in all the right places. It hasn't quite sold as well as their previous work, but then the market is strange right now.
11	2	LARGER THAN LIFE Millennium Backstreet Boys	11
Single two from the album is a loud, almost rocking number. It's not a huge departure from their previous work, but reminds us of Take That's flirtation with Jim Steinmann on "Never Forget". They split eight months later.
Sureshot
12	3	GIVE IT TO YOU Jordan Knight	12
The comeback single from the former New Kid is a mix of three disparate songs. While this worked for Meat Loaf in 93, Jordan can't quite meld Miami funk (Gloria!), English two-step (ye Beatles) and a fairground organ (Inspiral Carpets) into a coherent whole. He does make an excellent try, and the song really is more than the sum of its parts.
Sureshot
13	8	SMOOTH Smooth Santana feat Rob Thomas	13
Rob is the vocalist from Matchbox 20, joining the rest of Carlos' group on a laid-back but still charged hit. This became a surprise American chart-topper for three weeks, deposing Mariah, and two weeks at the top in Canada, but struggled to #75 on this side of the pond.
14	6	S CLUB PARTY S Club S Club 7	6
After "Miami 7" on the BBC came two shows on rival ITV, and a more laid-back R&B sound which just isn't the same. Pop's Dreaded Dumper awaits, we hope.
15	5	HEARTBREAKER Mariah Carey	15
She's back. I've heard this since last month, but it's worse than I thought. Mariah-by-numbers, right down to the warble at the end. Two weeks at the top in the USA.
16	7	SUN IS SHINING Funkstar Deluxe	9
With the vocals of Bob Marley, who first recorded this track in 1971, and the remixing "talents" of Martin Ottesen of Denmark. This is a relatively sensitive re-working, but does detract from the original. That was never a UK hit, but formed a central part of the Marley canon, and the base of Finlay Quaye's "Sunday Shining" a couple of years back.
Sureshot
17	3	I SAVED THE WORLD TODAY Peace Eurythmics	17
It's been ten years, give or take, since we last had something new from Annie Lennox and David Stewart. The duo split in 1991, both launching solo careers of some success before spending more time with their family (Annie) Brian Poole's daughters (David). Back together for this year's Brit awards, the two decided to make a new album. This is the first single, and it's as good as anything they've ever done, picking up exactly where the lush string arrangements of "Angel" left off in summer 1990.
18	19	MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE My Love is Your Love Whitney Houston	3
Eyebrows all over Chart City were raised when Whitney's last single, "It's Not Right But It's OK", turned out to be the best thing she's released in over a decade. With this classy track, soft soul at its finest, Whitney finally stakes the claim to singing high ground that she vacated after the bombastic "One Moment in Time" in October 88. And we've missed her, as a counterweight to the over-wrought Mariah and the icy Celine. This song has been performing well in the US, but retains a fair airplay presence in the UK.
19	5	SUNSHINE Rise Gabrielle	16
Maybe it's because she's been eclipsed by Macy Gray's star, but Britain's leading R&B diva has faded into obscurity with this slightly over-sweet ditty. First single from her third album.
20	14	BALIAMOS Wild Wild West OST Enrique Inglesias	2
Son-of-Julio has a bigger hit on his hands with this track. It's got a clear Latin touch, which seems to be flavour of this summer. It shows his voice to be a strong implement, far stronger than other contributors to this movie; like another contributor, he's spent a week at the top in the States. Unlike the notional star, he stayed for a second, and saw off the challenge from a dance cover by M3 which made the dizzy height of #206 for the month.
21	2	FLYING WITHOUT WINGS Westlife	21
Westlife have managed to have three big singles without showing much in the way of talent. This is probably the best of a ropey bunch - a soaring ballad that could just about cut the mustard as a Michael Jackson number. R Kelly could turn it out in his sleep. As of late October, Westlife are the bookies' favourite for the Christmas chart-topper.
22	2	DON'T STOP ATB	22
The follow-up to 9pm is a remake of that track, only with slightly different chord sequences and a similar vocal.
23	2	AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE Steptacular Steps	23
The second single from Steps' sophomore effort is more ABBA-by-numbers. They seem to have lost the creative spark somewhere along the line, which is never good to see. The Christmas release looms already - a ballad on one side, a Kylie cover on the other. So nothing like last year's plan at all.
24	7	BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE Revolve Tom Jones & The Cardigans	10
The Welsh Wizard's first studio album in five years sees him duet with some (er) more contemporary stars. This track was originally on Talking Heads' 1983 album "Speaking In Tongues". Oddly, Jones' growl sits well with Nina's squeak, but aren't David Byrne. Either of them.
25	2	WAITING FOR TONIGHT On The 6 Jennifer Lopez	25
The second single is an upbeat dancey number, though still one that tries to show her vocal talents. It helps to have some, though.
26	8	SHE'S ALL I EVER HAD Ricky Martin Ricky Martin	18
The US follow-up is a more introspective ballad, but a great one. The British follow-up is another upbeat track, which isn't anything like as good.
Sureshot
27	4	SHE'S SO HIGH Tal Bachman	27
Remember Bachman Turner Overdrive? Not arf, pop pickers. They remain the most successful Canadian group in the UK, and have now produced Son of Bachman. That's Tal, here getting his debut with a record that's spent a week at the top in Canada, done well in the US, and picked up big airplay in the UK. But not big sales, which condemned it to a swift exit.
28	10	MUCHO MAMBO Shaft	5
An updated version of Rosemary Clooney's song "Sway" - a hit for Dean Martin in '54 - was set for release in the spring until Clooney's estate denied permission to use her vocals. Claire Vaughan is the new vocalist, re-working a track by the artist who had the first mambo chart-topper back in 55.
29	2	NEVER LET ME DOWN Wonder #8 Honeyz	29
After losing one of the band to reasons never quite explained, the remaining Honeyzs decided to rework their album, excising the vocals of the departed Heavenly, and re-record with her replacement. The new album includes a few new tracks, but this isn't one of them. Neither is it as good as their previous work.
Sureshot
30	4	GOIN' DOWN Northern Star Mel C	18
Goodness, if it isn't Punky Spice. The artist formerly known as Sporty doesn't so much sing this tune as growl it, in a way that would put Rage Against the Machine to shame. Utterly uncommercial, in a way I can't recall since U2 launched "Achtung Baby!" with "The Fly" way back in 1991. The title track was already picking up airplay by the end of the month.
31	8	WE'RE GOING TO IBIZA The Party Album Vengaboys	7
Their song is back, and this time it's about the joys of eating Italian food, set to the tune of Typically Tropical's 1975 chart-topper "Barbados".
32	2	I NEED TO KNOW Marc Anthony	32
The latest US dance sensation is a young bloke with a decent single. You don't need to know any more.
33	8	THE LAUNCH DJ Jean	6
A French track, that is centred around a count-down. Much as Bomb the Bass' "Beat Dis" was in 88, but by no means as good.
34	1	AIN'T THAT A LOT OF LOVE Simply Red	34
This band was the flavour of many months from July 85 right through to October 95. Ever since they released "Fairground", the one and only number one single, it's been downhill for Mick Hucknall. An album of covers in the first half of last year wasn't well received, and this first release from their new longplayer has sunk like a stone. It's all hollering and ranting over a particularly poor beat. While even the greatest acts occasionally release a stinker, Simply Red seem to have lost the plot totally.
35	14	WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL Notting Hill OST / By Request Ronan Keating	1 x1
The third single lifted from the British movie of the summer, following Another Level's "From the Heart" and Elvis Costello's cover "She". Boyzone are, in true Ross and Rachel style, 'on a break' at the moment, allowing lead singer Ronan's first solo effort to chart. It still appears on Boyzone's greatest hits album. There is a book being run on which of Boyzone, the Spice Girls or Elvis Presley will produce a brand new album first. The Spices are favourites. Like most of Boyzone's work, this is also a cover - Keith Whitley doing the original back in 1988. The 'zone have also recently covered tracks by John Michael Montgomery ("I Love The Way You Love Me") and Anne Murray ("You Needed Me"), making them the second biggest country act of the year, behind Shania. Boyzone will also be in the Christmas campaigns, going directly against Ronan's protoges.
Sureshot
36	1	BUG A BOO The Writing's On The Wall Destiny's Child	36
The second single from their sophomore set sees The Destiny's still in a bit of man trouble. This time, he just won't take no for an answer, and calls our heroines at all times of day and night. What an awkward person. Like all their work, this is presented in a managable, almost slick package, but one that does have the odd rough edge.
37	14	BETTER OFF ALONE Alice DJ	1 x1
A strange track, all thumping keyboard and quietly insistent vocal. Shouldn't work well, but it does, somehow.
38	1	MUSIC OF MY HEART Gloria Estefan & N-Sync	38
A power-ballad too far, methinks. It just sits there and, no matter how much we wait for it to spring into action, it doesn't.
39	1	GOING UNDERGROUND Fire And Skill Buffalo Tom	39
Music critics across the country tried their hardest to make this band's 1994 album "Big Red Letter Day" a massive hit. It didn't happen, in spite of the track "Late At Night" being used in the seminal 90s tv moment on My So-Called Life. Instead, they had to cover a track by 70s British mods The Jam for a tribute album. It's a plodding tribute that doesn't show the Tom at their best; that said, the Jam didn't move out of gear on this track that might have benefitted from being played by a string quartet. It's a double A sided single, with "Carnation", by Steve Craddock (Ocean Colour Scene) and Liam Gallagher (Desert) as the second, and decidedly inferior, track.
40	6	GET GET DOWN Paul Johnson	17
Chicago-based Johnson has his UK breakthrough thanks to wide exposure in Italy over the summer. This is classic Chicago house, comparable to the original House of 1986.

UK acts in blue;Canadian acts in red;Irish acts in green. Orange backgrounds indicate no UK availability as of the end of this month.

breakers...

nov 2 99