POP LP CHART : Midler Has a Hit in ‘Beaches’

Bette Midler’s single, “Wind Beneath My Wings”--from the “Beaches” sound track--is the new No. 1 pop single on the Billboard chart. The single’s success may sweep the album (No. 2) into the top spot on the pop album chart. De La Soul, the hot rap group, has a big hit album with the fast-rising “3 Feet High and Rising” (No. 24). Love and Rockets’ album, “Love and Rockets”--No. 39--is shooting up the charts and may wind up in the Top 20.

* 10,000 Maniacs, a group featuring singer Natalie Merchant, is known for delivering abrasive messages in a deceptively soothing style. Supposedly its often-unsettling music isn’t commercial. Surprisingly, the Maniacs’ new album looks like big hit. After two weeks, it’s No. 34 on the pop album chart.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “The Raw and the Cooked” 1 2 14 Fine Young Cannibals (I.R.S/MCA) 2. “Beaches” 3 4 21 Sound track (Atlantic) 3. “Like a Prayer” 2 1 10 Madonna (Sire/Warner Bros.) 4. “Don’t Be Cruel” 5 6 47 Bobby Brown (MCA) 5. “G N’ R Lies” 4 3 26 Guns N’ Roses (Geffen) * “Blind Man’s Zoo” 68 ... 2 10,000 Maniacs (Elektra)