It’s officially Christmas as The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl embark on their annual climb up the single chart, Fairytale of New York re-entering this week at 66, stealing a march on Wham!’s Last Christmas at 75 and Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone at 93. Kate Bush’s live set Before the Dawn enters the album chart at number 4 while Prince’s 4Ever sneaks in at 24 and Kylie Minogue’s Kylie Christmas returns at 41.
Incredibly The Rolling Stones are back with their first studio album in over a decade, Blue & Lonesome. Jean-Michel Jarre revisits past glories with Oxygene 3 and Diana Ross’s Chic-produced 1980 album Diana gets a clear vinyl reissue. Former Matt Bianco singer Basia’s 1994 set The Sweetest Illusion is expanded to a 3CD deluxe edition and Altered Images’ début album Happy Birthday is reissued on vinyl with a bonus red 7″ single of Dead Pop Stars. Finally ABC hope to join the party with a new EP Christmas… With Love including brand new song A Christmas We Deserve and acoustic versions of The Love Inside the Love, Viva Love and The Look of Love.
