POP LP CHART : Chapman Breaks Through

After weeks of “languishing” in the Top Five, Tracy Chapman’s debut album finally broke through this week to capture the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop albums chart. Chapman’s folk-rock assault on the top of the heap was fueled by the album’s current hit single, “Fast Car,” which rose to No. 6 on the singles chart. But look for L.A.’s own bad boys, Guns N’ Roses, to move up again in the Top Five. The band’s double-platinum LP is getting a new boost from the power-poppish single “Sweet Child of Mine,” which has moved up to No. 4 on the singles chart. (George Michael’s “Monkey” is No. 1 on the singles chart this week.)

* Richard Marx’s debut album slid back up to No. 9 after loitering around No. 11 for several weeks. All this without the benefit of any new single or video.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “Tracy Chapman” 4 4 18 Tracy Chapman (Elektra) 2. “Hysteria” 2 1 54 Def Leppard (PolyGram) 3. “Roll With It” 1 2 8 Steve Winwood (Virgin) 4. “Appetite for Destruction” 3 4 53 Guns N’ Roses (Geffen) 5. “He’s The D.J., I’m The Rapper” 5 8 19 D.J. Jazzy Jeff/ The Fresh Prince (Jive/RCA) * “Richard Marx” 11 11 63 Richard Marx (EMI-Manhattan)