‘Dangerous’ Bumps ‘Achtung Baby’

As expected, Michael Jackson cut U2’s stay in the No. 1 spot very short on the Billboard magazine pop album chart. “Achtung Baby” lasted only a week on top, slipping to No. 3 to give way to Jackson’s heavily hyped “Dangerous.” The big question, though, is can Jackson continue to beat out Garth Brooks’ “Ropin’ the Wind,” which has been at Nos. 1 or 2 for nearly three months? Albums have come and gone in the Top Five but Brooks is still there. Boyz II Men has quietly had one of the year’s most consistent selling albums, “Cooleyhighharmony,” which has sold more than 2 million copies. It moved back into the Top 10--at No. 9, the latest surge propelled by another hit single, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”--No. 2 on the pop singles chart behind Jackson’s “Black or White.”

* Pop-soul heartthrob Keith Sweat, best-known for his ballads, entered the chart at a lofty No. 19 with his album, “Keep It Comin’.” Pop Album Chart

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1. “Dangerous” ... ... 1 Michael Jackson (Epic) 2. “Ropin’ the Wind” 2 1 11 Garth Brooks (Capitol) 3. “Achtung Baby” 1 ... 2 U2 (Island) 4. “Too Legit to Quit” 3 2 5 Hammer (Capitol) 5. “Time, Love and Tenderness” 5 8 32 Michael Bolton (Columbia) * “Keep It Comin”’ ... ... 1 Keith Sweat (Elektra)