Pop Album Chart : The Cowboy’s Still Riding High

Hammer is hammering away at Garth Brooks but Brooks’ “Ropin’ the Wind� still leads the Billboard magazine pop album chart by a country mile, substantially outselling Hammer’s second-ranked “Too Legit to Quit.� Hammer may reach the top yet. His single, “2 Legit 2 Quit,� rising rapidly on the pop singles chart (No. 19), may significantly boost album sales. Brooks has two Top 10 albums again. His “No Fences� moved up three notches to No. 9. Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,� one of the fastest-rising pop singles in chart history, leaped from No. 35 to No. 3. P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss� is the new No. 1 pop single.

* Richard Marx fans aren’t rushing to buy “Rush Street,� probably the big chart surprise of the week. After debuting at No. 40 last week, it figured to jump up but it remained at No. 40--not a good sign for the album’s chart longevity.

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1.�Ropin’ the Wind� 1 1 10 Garth Brooks (Capitol) 2.�Too Legit to Quit� 2 3 3 Hammer (Capitol) 3.�Death Certificate� 3 2 3 Ice Cube (Priority) 4.�We Can’t Dance� ... ... 1 Genesis (Atlantic) 5.�Nevermind� 4 9 8 Nirvana (Geffen) *�Rush Street� 40 ... 2 Richard Marx (Capitol)