It seems the Christmas single rush has already peaked, as Fairytale of New York slips 2 places 18, Last Christmas drops a place to 20 and Merry Christmas Everyone also falls one position to 29. Still looking good for Chris Rea though as Driving Home For Christmas climbs 9 to number 37. He’s only got another week to get there as the undignified scramble for the Christmas number 1 spot starts today with everyone and his dog fighting for seven days’ worth of sales, including Inspiral Carpets whose fans want to get their 1994 single Saturn 5 to the top in memory of the band’s drummer Craig Gill who died in November. Other online campaigns are available, urging the download of everything from Madness’s House of Fun as an antidote to the misery of 2016, to Terry Wogan’s Floral Dance in memory of the beloved broadcaster who passed away in January. Other contenders include Paul Carrack helping out the London Hospices Choir on a new version of The Living Years.
Elsewhere, a new Visage compilation The Wild Life spans the band’s entire career from 1978 to 2015 for the first time on one disc and Bon Jovi follow up their recent album This House Is Not For Sale with a live version of the album recorded at the London Palladium. If you’re of a vinyl persuasion there’s a limited edition picture disc issue of Motörhead’s final album Bad Magic out today, as well as a vinyl version of Dead Or Alive’s Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI box set on clear vinyl.
