POP ALBUM CHART : ‘Phillips’ Threatens ‘Hammer’

Wilson Phillips, the female pop vocal trio, has been generally trashed by critics, but it’s a huge fan favorite. Its debut album, “Wilson Phillips,” moved up two notches to No. 2 on the Billboard magazine pop chart, threatening perennial No. 1, M.C. Hammer’s “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em.” The group’s new single, “Release Me” (No. 23 on the pop singles chart), is fueling the album’s latest surge. Hot new albums: Anita Baker’s “Compositions” (No. 9) and Poison’s “Flesh and Blood,” which jumped from No. 33 to No. 12 in its second week on the chart. Pop-soul singer Mariah Carey is one of the rare artists whose first single made No. 1 on the pop charts. Her “Vision of Love” moved up one notch to take over the top spot. Her debut album, “Mariah Carey,” moved up three places to No. 10.

* The R&B;/funk of the reunited Time, featuring Morris Day and the star producing/composing team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, propels “Pandemonium,” which is one of the hottest new albums on the chart. It climbed to No. 25 in just two weeks.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” 1 1 22 M.C.Hammer (Capitol) 2. “Wilson Phillips” 4 4 17 Wilson Phillips (SBK) 3. “Step By Step” 3 3 7 New Kids on the Block (Columbia) 4. “I’m Breathless” 2 2 9 Madonna (Sire) 5. “Pretty Woman” 5 5 18 Sound track (EMI) * “Pandemonium” 48 ... 2 Poison (Capitol)