Chart Review 14th March 2005 with DJ Chris Plant (1/3)	(1/3), (2/3), (3/3).
www.djchrisplant.co.uk

Comic Relief: week is upon us once again, or at least it was - Red Nose Day: having taken place last Friday. Originally conceived as a one-off famine relief fundraiser in 1986, the Comic Relief: charity has now evolved into a biannual televised appeal, each year featuring the cream of British comedy and one or two entertainment stars as well. Also part of the tradition is the concept of an official single promoted by the event, which sees all proceeds going to the charity.

Originally these singles had a comic theme to them but for the past few years the Comic Relief: singles have been little more than colour by numbers cover versions of classic 80s hits, done by some of the biggest acts of the time. Thus in 1999 we had Boyzone: doing When The Going Gets Tough, Westlife covering Uptown Girl in 2001 and most recently in 2003 Gareth Gates brought a comedy element back to proceedings by teaming up with The Kumars on Spirit In The Sky. All were good enough pop records in their own right (all topped the charts), but all were ultimately rather forgettable.

Thus it is actually a welcome sight to see the 2005 Comic Relief: single not only topping the charts once more but doing so as much on its own merits as because of the exposure given to it as part of the appeal. McFly's fifth single is double-sided. First track All About You is easily their most mainstream yet, a gorgeous ballad available in both acoustic and orchestral mixes that deserves to catapult Busted-lite into the mainstream in a big way.

On the flip side is yes, OK, a cover but a cover version of rare quality - a sensitive remake of James Taylor's You've Got A Friend.

The song was actually written by Carole King and appeared on her famous album Tapestry but it was her close friend Taylor who had the hit single, topping the US charts and hitting Number 4 in this country in 1971. The song was revived in 1997 by the Brand New Heavies but their version could only reach Number 9, McFly thus finally take the song to the top of the charts 35 years after it was first written. It is their third Number One single in all, following Five Colours In Her Hair and Obviously which both charted in 2004.

All About You/You've Got A Friend is the sixth Comic Relief: single in a row to top the charts and the seventh overall, counting back from the original 1986 single which saw Cliff Richard and the Young Ones team up for a remake of Living Doll. Despite the presence of All About You, McFly's single still contains a cover. The last completely original Comic Relief: single was the 1997 offering by the Spice Girls - although only a true cynic would suggest that Mama/Who Do You Think You Are would have topped the charts even without the Comic Relief: connection.

So now to the Elvis single of the week, which reverses his recent decline and slips nicely into (an admittedly distant) runners up slot. Good Luck Charm: was the King's second release of 1962 and was part of his last brief flowering of stardom before the Merseybeat boom reduced him to little more than an irrelevance. For the moment however there was no stopping him and every one of his singles that year soared to the top of the charts. Good Luck Charm: spending five weeks at the top as his 11th Number One single.

Back to the present and this release means that Elvis has had 10 Top 3 hits in 10 successive weeks.

Continued ...next page

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