Onka's Big Moka

1999 studio album by Toploader

Onka's Big Moka

Studio album by

Toploader

Released

11 November 1999

Recorded

1998–1999

Studio

RAK, London; Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles

Genre

Post-Britpop
alternative rock

Length

48:02

Label

Producer

Dave Eringa

Toploader chronology

Onka's Big Moka
(1999)

Magic Hotel
(2002)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
BBC	Favourable link
Blender	^[2]
New Straits Times	^[3]
Select	^[5]
USA Today	^[4]

Onka's Big Moka is the debut studio album by English band Toploader. It was released on 11 November 1999, through S2 Records and was produced by long time collaborator of the Manic Street Preachers, Dave Eringa. The album reached the top 5 of the UK Albums Chart at number 4, where it stayed for six months.

The song "Dancing in the Moonlight", a cover of the Boffalongo song, was later featured in television commercials for the supermarket chain Sainsbury's, on the soundtrack of the 2002 American coming-of-age teen romantic drama A Walk to Remember, the 2010 comedy film Four Lions, and the 2019 television series The Umbrella Academy.

The album cover was taken at Lancaster Gate, located in the Bayswater district of Central London.

The title is a reference to a 1974 anthropological documentary Ongka's Big Moka: The Kawelka of Papua New Guinea.

Track listing

All tracks written by Joseph Washbourn except tracks 2 & 7.

"Let the People Know" – 3:54
"Dancing in the Moonlight" (Sherman Kelly) – 3:52
"Achilles Heel" – 4:18
"Breathe" – 3:56
"Do You Know What Your Future Will Be?" – 4:24
"Only for a While" – 3:51
"Just Hold On" (Dave Smith, Tim Woodcock, Mike Terry) – 4:01
"Higher State" – 3:11
"High Flying Bird" – 4:10
"Summer Cycle" – 4:38
"Just About Living" – 4:01
"Floating Away (In the Bath Tub)" – 3:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Onka's Big Moka*
Chart (1999–2001)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[6]	99
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[7]	36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[8]	86
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[9]	43
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[10]	6
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[11]	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[12]	85
UK Albums (OCC)^[13]	4

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Onka's Big Moka*
Chart (2000)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[14]	25
Chart (2001)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[15]	29

Certifications

Certifications for *Onka's Big Moka*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[16]	3× Platinum	900,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Gentry, Brandon. "Onka's Big Moka - Toploader | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
^ Kemp, Mark. "Toploader Onka's Big Moka". Blender. Archived from the original on 8 August 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
^ Murthl, R.S. (5 July 2000). "Loaded with the good stuff". New Straits Times: 4.
^ Gardner, Elysa (14 August 2001). "Pop/Rock". USA Today. Archived from the original on 11 September 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^ Mullen, John. "Toploader: Onka's Big Moka > Review".
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 283.
^ "Danishcharts.dk – Toploader – Onka's Big Moka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Toploader – Onka's Big Moka" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Toploader – Onka's Big Moka" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Toploader". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Toploader – Onka's Big Moka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2001". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
^ "British album certifications – Toploader – Onka's Big Moka". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 March 2021.