Carry On Up the Charts

"Carry On Up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South" is a greatest hits album by English alternative rock band The Beautiful South, released in November 1994. It marked the band's fifth album and their first compilation album, capturing the highlights of their career up to that point. The album was a major commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and becoming the second highest-selling album of 1994. It was released just two months after their previous album, Miaow, and featured the single "One Last Love Song," which was released in October 1994. "One Last Love Song" became a hit, reaching No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

The album includes all the singles released by The Beautiful South in the first five years of their career, arranged in order of their release. Its title is a playful nod to the Carry On film series, known for its humorous and cheeky style, which reflects the band's similarly sardonic and witty approach to songwriting. A two-disc Limited Edition of the album was also released, containing bonus tracks such as non-LP B-sides from the band's previous singles.

At a time when the band's sales had begun to dip, Carry On Up the Charts was a surprise commercial success. It topped the UK Albums Chart on 3 December 1994 and went on to be certified 5× Platinum by the summer of 1995, making it one of the best-selling albums of the year. The album's popularity was such that it was reported that one in seven households in the UK owned a copy. The collection solidified The Beautiful South's place as one of the most beloved and commercially successful British bands of the 1990s.