Pop Album Chart : The Cowboy’s Still Riding High

Hammer is hammering away at Garth Brooks but Brooks’ “Ropin’ the Wind” still leads the Billboard magazine pop album chart by a country mile, substantially outselling Hammer’s second-ranked “Too Legit to Quit.” Hammer may reach the top yet. His single, “2 Legit 2 Quit,” rising rapidly on the pop singles chart (No. 19), may significantly boost album sales. Brooks has two Top 10 albums again. His “No Fences” moved up three notches to No. 9. Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” one of the fastest-rising pop singles in chart history, leaped from No. 35 to No. 3. P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” is the new No. 1 pop single.

* Richard Marx fans aren’t rushing to buy “Rush Street,” probably the big chart surprise of the week. After debuting at No. 40 last week, it figured to jump up but it remained at No. 40--not a good sign for the album’s chart longevity.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1.”Ropin’ the Wind” 1 1 10 Garth Brooks (Capitol) 2.”Too Legit to Quit” 2 3 3 Hammer (Capitol) 3.”Death Certificate” 3 2 3 Ice Cube (Priority) 4.”We Can’t Dance” ... ... 1 Genesis (Atlantic) 5.”Nevermind” 4 9 8 Nirvana (Geffen) *”Rush Street” 40 ... 2 Richard Marx (Capitol)