Sometimes the pop album charts churn; now they've fallen into one of their stable periods, with each week's lineup looking like the one before. The winners-the artists, in other words, who've been holding steady at whatever level they've reached-are by now a familiar and nicely varied list: Garth Brooks, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, U2, Michael Bolton (who lately has been soaring higher), the hiphop/doowop vocal quartets Color Me Badd and Boyz II Men. Genesis is surging; Metallica seems to have retired from the top 10, after a long and honorable run. There's one apparent recent loser: Hammer, whose album seemingly can't maintain the pace, and has been dropping fast. LAST POP ALBUMS WEEKS ON WEEK CHART
1 1 Garth Brooks 22 Ropin' the Wind, Liberty 2 2 Michael Jackson 12 Dangerous, Epic 3 3 Nirvana 21 Nevermind, DGC 4 4 Garth Brooks 76 No Fences, Liberty 5 7 Michael Bolton 43 Time, Love & Tenderness, Columbia 6 5 Color Me Badd 30 C.M.B., Giant 7 10 Genesis 14 We Can't Dance, Atlantic 8 9 U2 13 Achtung Baby, Island 9 6 Boyz II Men 40 Cooleyhighharmony, Motown 10 8 Hammer 16 Too Legit to Quit, Capitol 2 WKS. AGO CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
1 1 Fourplay 21 Fourplay, Warner Bros. 2 3 Al Di Meola Project 11 Kiss My Axe, Mesa-Bluemoon 3 2 Richard Elliot 19 On the Town, Manhattan/Capitol 4 4 Nancy Wilson 15 With My Lover Beside Me, Columbia 5 5 David Benoit 19 Shadows, GRP 6 7 Eric Marienthal 21 Oasis, GRP 7 6 Sam Riney 13 Talk to Me, Spindletop 8 9 Bob Berg 13 Back Roads, Denon/A&M 9 8 Eliane Elias 17 A Long Story, Manhattan/Capitol 10 15 Bobby Caldwell 7 Stuck on You, Sin-Drome
