POP LP CHART : Marx Still ‘Waiting’ for Top Album Spot

Richard Marx’s “Repeat Offender” (No. 2) should be the next No. 1 album on the Billboard magazine chart, eventually displacing Prince’s high-flying “Batman,” which has been No. 1 for five weeks. “Repeat Offender” is propelled by Marx’s No. 1 pop single, “Right Here Waiting.” The hottest new album is the Beastie Boys’ “Paul Boutique,” which rocketed to No. 19 in just two weeks. A big surprise is the failure of Pete Townshend’s album, “The Iron Man,” which peaked at No. 58 and is currently No. 67. Even all the Who tour hoopla didn’t attract much attention to this album. An even bigger surprise is that the Aretha Franklin/Whitney Houston duet single, “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be,” didn’t even make the Top 40. Supposedly a shoo-in for the Top 10, this one climbed only to No. 41 before sliding into oblivion. A surprise hit is Cher’s fast-rising album “Heart of Stone”--No. 49.

* This debut album by young pop/dance music singer Martika was all but dead in June, having been kept alive earlier in the year by a single, “More Than You Know,” which peaked at No. 18 in April. But her recent No. 1 single, “Toy Soldiers,” revived “Martika,” which moved up two notches to No. 15.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “Batman” 1 1 7 Prince’s sound track (Warner) 2. “Repeat Offender” 3 4 14 Richard Marx (EMI) 3. “Hangin’ Tough” 2 3 52 New Kids on Block (Columbia) 4. “Forever Your Girl” 7 9 57 Paula Abdul (Virgin) 5. “Full Moon Fever” 5 5 15 Tom Petty (MCA) * “Martika” 17 17 24 Martika (Columbia)