Simpsons Gain Top Five

The Simpsons craze has infiltrated pop music, with this zany cartoon family bursting into the Billboard magazine pop Top 5. Their hit album, “The Simpsons Sing the Blues” climbed from No. 7 to No. 4. This novelty album has done much better than expected. Of all the albums in the Top 20, it’s the one most likely to topple long-running chart leader Vanilla Ice. The Black Crowes first album, “Shake Your Money Maker,” is still going strong (No. 15 and climbing) after nearly a year on the chart. Telsa’s “Five Man Acoustical Jam” (No. 27) is a surprise hit. The new No. 1 pop single is Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do (Without You).”

* Ice Cube, the X-rated gangster rapper who defected from the group N.W.A, has one of the hottest new rap albums on the chart with “Kill at Will.” In its third chart week, it jumped from No. 54 to No. 41 and should at least crack the Top 30.

POP ALBUM CHART

Rank Rank 2 Weeks Title (Label) Last Week Weeks Ago on Chart 1.”To the Extreme” 1 1 18 Vanilla Ice (SBK) 2.”Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” 2 2 46 M.C. Hammer (Capitol) 3.”The Immaculate Collection” 3 3 8 Madonna (Sire/Warner Bros.) 4.”The Simpsons Sing the Blues” 7 10 5 The Simpsons (Geffen) 5.”Mariah Carey” 4 4 30 Mariah Carey (Columbia) *”Kill at Will” 54 94 3 Ice Cube (Priority)