1979 was a great year for music, one of the best, as we would be reminded if TOTP repeats were scheduled to continue past 1977 (they aren't committing). Every 10 years or so I like to play all the music from a given year, rank them, and compare how my tastes change over the decades (they do change, records can come in and out of favour, and it's a great way of reminding yourself about those forgotten classics that radio never plays)

 

Anyway, this isn't up to date, it's how I last rated 1979 about 8 or 9 years back, and there are some notable omissions that would now be in, but it's not too far from how I rate most of 1979...

 

1 VOULEZ VOUS Abba

2 CHIQUITITA Abba

3 TRAGEDY Bee Gees

4 WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard

5 I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS Boomtown Rats

6 THE RUNNER Three Degrees

7 THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.

8 DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

9 MIRRORS Sally Oldfield

10 I WILL SURVIVE Gloria Gaynor

 

11 ARE 'FRIENDS' ELECTRIC Tubeway Army

12 GIRL'S TALK Dave Edmunds

13 LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

14 GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

15 CONFUSION E.L.O.

16 DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

17 IF I HAD YOU Korgis

18 LADY LYNDA Beach Boys

19 KISSES OF FIRE Abba

20 GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

 

21 DRIVER'S SEAT Sniff 'n' The Tears

22 VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR Buggles

23 IF IT WASN'T FOR THE NIGHTS Abba

24 EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU Baby's

25 HEART OF GLASS Blondie

26 HALLELUJAH Milk & Honey

27 WHO WERE YOU WITH IN THE MOONLIGHT Dollar

28 BAT OUT OF HELL Meatloaf

29 CAN YOU FEEL THE FORCE Real Thing

30 GOOD TIMIN' Beach Boys

 

31 POP MUZIK M

32 YOU NEEDED ME Anne Murray

33 BANG BANG B.A.Robertson

34 SAD EYES Robert John

35 OLIVER'S ARMY Elvis Costello

36 CARS Gary Numan

37 ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL PART II Pink Floyd

38 CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe

39 IMPERIAL WIZARD David Essex

40 COULD IT BE MAGIC Barry Manilow

 

41 PRIME TIME Tubes

42 THE LOGICAL SONG Supertramp

43 JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

44 SUNDAY GIRL Blondie

45 I WAS MADE FOR DANCING Leif Garrett

46 KID Pretenders

47 GOOD TIMES Chic

48 GANGSTERS Special aka

49 GOODNIGHT TONIGHT Wings

50 HOLD THE LINE Toto

 

51 BOOGIE WONDERLAND Earth, Wind & Fire/Emotions

52 BOYS KEEP SWINGING David Bowie

53 AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW McFadden & Whitehead

54 WOW Kate Bush

55 THE LONE RANGER Quantum Jump

56 OOH WHAT A LIFE Gibson Brothers

57 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE Barry White

58 SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) Jacksons

59 ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE Funkadelic

60 WANTED Dooleys

 

61 LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart

62 SAIL ON Commodores

63 MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC

64 HOLD ON Ian Gomm

65 CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU Police

66 EVERY NIGHT Phoebe Snow

67 WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES Doobie Brothers

68 'SEPTEMBER' Earth, Wind & Fire

69 I WANT YOUR LOVE Chic

70 TAKE THAT TO THE BANK Shalamar

 

71 LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT Bee Gees

72 HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK Ian Dury & Blockheads

73 SHINE A LITTLE LOVE E.L.O.

74 THEME FROM SUPERMAN John Williams/O.Soundtrack

75 GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp

76 STOP YOUR SOBBIN' Pretenders

77 HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER Sister Sledge

78 SILLY GAMES Janet Kay

79 MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Police

80 BANANA SPLITS Dickies

 

81 OVERKILL Motorhead

82 ONE WAY TICKET Eruption

83 I'D BE SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOR YOU Linda Lewis

84 LIVING ON THE FRONTLINE Eddy Grant

85 LONESOME LOSER Little River Band

86 SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE Rainbow

87 TUSK Fleetwood Mac

88 ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

89 WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo

90 I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Tourists

 

91 WALKING ON THE MOON Police

92 PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Eagles

93 WE ARE FAMILY Sister Sledge

94 MONKEY CHOP Dan-I

95 GOLD John Stewart/Stevie Nicks

96 LOVE THEME FROM SUPERMAN John Williams/O.Soundtrack

97 BABY BLUE Dusty Springfield

98 I HAVE A DREAM Abba

99 QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) Gibson Brothers

100 JUST WHAT I NEEDED Cars

 

Oh, I do love this idea. I might do similar with the 90s in this forum.

What a year that was...!!! :rolleyes:

I think my Chart would be pretty much the same like yours, just some artists had been at higher positions: Elvis Costello, Ian Dury & Blockheads, Nick Lowe, XTC...

Also i would add a Led Zeppelin track from "In Through the Out Door" (most likely, All My Love). That album was first in three years for LedZep and it was greatest comeback!

I'm agreed with ELO's domination in 1979 Chart. "Discovery" is such a fantastic album! I think those were the heydays of Jeff Lynne and the Co.

For me 1979 also was a year of Thin Lizzy. At least three great singles (Waiting for an Alibi, Do Anything You Want To and Sarah) were released from the album Black Rose.

 

 

1. In my opinion: 1979 was not very good for ABBA, only 2 their singles were # 1 in my retro charts: Angeleyes and I Have A Dream (in Christmas week)

 

Glad to see "Kisses Of Fire" here.

 

Places in my ABBA songs ranking. It's top 40:

- Angeleyes (# 11)

- Kisses Of Fire (# 23)

- If It Wasn't For The Nights (# 25)

 

"Voulez-Vouz" and "Chiquitita" didn't qualified in my top 40.

 

My favourite ABBA songs (top 10 here, but if you want I can to post all 40 songs)

01. Honey, Honey

02. That's Me

03. When All Is Said And Done

04. I Am Just A Girl

05. When I Kissed The Teacher

06. Dissilusion

07. Knowing Me, Knowing You

08. Hasta Manana

09. The Winner Takes It All

10. Ring Ring

 

Favourite ABBA albums:

01. Ring Ring

02. Arrival

 

2. Blondie is my favourite artist from 1979 with four # 1 singles

- Sunday Girl (my favourite Blondie's song)

- Dreaming

- Heart Of Glass

- Union City Blue

 

3. Glad to see Pretenders, Dooleys, Dollar here

 

4. Some my favourites from 1979:

- Anita Skorgan - Oliver (Norway - Eurovision)

- Fiddler's Dram - Day Trip to Bangor

- Cats U.K. - Luton Airport

- Dana - Something's Cookin' In The Kitchen

+ some artists and songs from Netherlands.

This is a great list. Always consider 1979 to probably be my favourite year for music, chart music in particular. Every week there would be some new great song (and still great to this day) entering the chart.

 

This sort of ranking list also fits into an idea I've had for a while. The 'Ultimate Series' rating games and 'Record Of The Decade' voting on the main UK Chart Forum have always been great fun and very interesting to correlate every person's differing tastes, but they are more heavily influenced by music from the past couple of decades. I've had the idea for a while of doing my own 'Record Of The Year', in a similar vein to those two voting games, going through the years of 70's and 80's and even the 60's. Trouble is you would need a good amount of people voting consistently to make the game worthwhile and not sure if enough of us would get involved. After the current 'Ultimate Rate of the 1200 UK No.1's', which has been very interesting, has concluded perhaps I will look into this idea further.

I'm agreed with ELO's domination in 1979 Chart. "Discovery" is such a fantastic album! I think those were the heydays of Jeff Lynne and the Co.

 

I was (still am) a massive fan of ELO - well Jeff Lynne to be precise - but Discovery was the last album I bought of theirs. I was pretty disappointed with it after the fabulous Out of the Blue and New World Record Albums. I didn't even like the title - it seemed like Lynne was trying to push the disco aspect - it was even evident in the title. I have to admit though ... there is one song on that album that is right up there with Lynne's best work - and I'd loved it to have been a single ... Need Her Love is just a gorgeous song.

I've had the idea for a while of doing my own 'Record Of The Year', in a similar vein to those two voting games, going through the years of 70's and 80's and even the 60's.

 

The Moose, you have the wonderful nickname. I like your idea about some retro votings :yahoo:

I promise, that I will be vote in your game.

Oh, I do love this idea. I might do similar with the 90s in this forum.

 

Hi Anthony, it takes a bit of time if you're playing the records (but quicker if you already know roughly how you rate them), but worth it, its fun revisiting. I'd love to see your 90's Top 100, I got part-way through 1991 and just havent the time yet to finish the year off, so my early 90's revisits are way behind. Be great if you beat me to it, I could be years yet! :) 1992-7 were great years too..

cheers John

What a year that was...!!! :rolleyes:

I think my Chart would be pretty much the same like yours, just some artists had been at higher positions: Elvis Costello, Ian Dury & Blockheads, Nick Lowe, XTC...

Also i would add a Led Zeppelin track from "In Through the Out Door" (most likely, All My Love). That album was first in three years for LedZep and it was greatest comeback!

I'm agreed with ELO's domination in 1979 Chart. "Discovery" is such a fantastic album! I think those were the heydays of Jeff Lynne and the Co.

For me 1979 also was a year of Thin Lizzy. At least three great singles (Waiting for an Alibi, Do Anything You Want To and Sarah) were released from the album Black Rose.

 

Thanks Andrey, the positions have jostled about a bit for me too since then, ELO were awesome then, and one reason Lizzy got edged out was the sheer number of great records, I could easily do a Top 200 of great records for 1979. Lizzy faves of mine? Dont Believe A Word, Killer On The Loose but they were always good..

Led Zep I got into belatedly via cd compilation, so need to play it again...(current stuff tends to take priority on my playlists)

:) cheers!

john

1. In my opinion: 1979 was not very good for ABBA, only 2 their singles were # 1 in my retro charts: Angeleyes and I Have A Dream (in Christmas week)

 

Glad to see "Kisses Of Fire" here.

 

Places in my ABBA songs ranking. It's top 40:

- Angeleyes (# 11)

- Kisses Of Fire (# 23)

- If It Wasn't For The Nights (# 25)

 

"Voulez-Vouz" and "Chiquitita" didn't qualified in my top 40.

 

My favourite ABBA songs (top 10 here, but if you want I can to post all 40 songs)

01. Honey, Honey

02. That's Me

03. When All Is Said And Done

04. I Am Just A Girl

05. When I Kissed The Teacher

06. Dissilusion

07. Knowing Me, Knowing You

08. Hasta Manana

09. The Winner Takes It All

10. Ring Ring

 

Favourite ABBA albums:

01. Ring Ring

02. Arrival

 

2. Blondie is my favourite artist from 1979 with four # 1 singles

- Sunday Girl (my favourite Blondie's song)

- Dreaming

- Heart Of Glass

- Union City Blue

 

3. Glad to see Pretenders, Dooleys, Dollar here

 

4. Some my favourites from 1979:

- Anita Skorgan - Oliver (Norway - Eurovision)

- Fiddler's Dram - Day Trip to Bangor

- Cats U.K. - Luton Airport

- Dana - Something's Cookin' In The Kitchen

+ some artists and songs from Netherlands.

Thanks Alex, 1979 was an odd year for Abba, they almost went on a disco diversion, but my love for Abba is pretty much 99%, apart from a few novelty early stuff like King Kong Song (which is pretty funny if nothing else), that said I think Does Your Mother Know is my least fave Abba single from this year, always preferred the B side Kisses Of Fire..

 

Love to see your Top 40, 9 & 7 would be in my top 5, 3 & 2 Top 20:)

 

1979 was Blondie's peak year (especially if you count Atomic off the album), loved 'em too:)

 

Pretenders were always great, and Ive never been influenced by a bad public image for pop bands, if the records great the records great - I'm quite happy to list Dooleys next to Motorhead if the records are fab!

 

Believe I took some stick at school for loving Abba in the mid 70's (they weren't cool, they had to fight to win over public and critical opinion:) I was right and they were wrong...! :)

 

cheers!

john

 

This is a great list. Always consider 1979 to probably be my favourite year for music, chart music in particular. Every week there would be some new great song (and still great to this day) entering the chart.

 

This sort of ranking list also fits into an idea I've had for a while. The 'Ultimate Series' rating games and 'Record Of The Decade' voting on the main UK Chart Forum have always been great fun and very interesting to correlate every person's differing tastes, but they are more heavily influenced by music from the past couple of decades. I've had the idea for a while of doing my own 'Record Of The Year', in a similar vein to those two voting games, going through the years of 70's and 80's and even the 60's. Trouble is you would need a good amount of people voting consistently to make the game worthwhile and not sure if enough of us would get involved. After the current 'Ultimate Rate of the 1200 UK No.1's', which has been very interesting, has concluded perhaps I will look into this idea further.

 

Sounds like a great idea, I would vote! To be honest, while it might appeal more to older music fans, I'd be equally as interested in what young people make of older stuff, what appeals to new generations - I mean I never wouldve thought 80's pomp rock would remain so popular, but it does...! OK they may not know a lot of them, but they could always youtube or just vote for the ones they already know & like.

 

cheers!

john

I was (still am) a massive fan of ELO - well Jeff Lynne to be precise - but Discovery was the last album I bought of theirs. I was pretty disappointed with it after the fabulous Out of the Blue and New World Record Albums. I didn't even like the title - it seemed like Lynne was trying to push the disco aspect - it was even evident in the title. I have to admit though ... there is one song on that album that is right up there with Lynne's best work - and I'd loved it to have been a single ... Need Her Love is just a gorgeous song.

 

HI, ELO were second only to Abba in the 70's for my affections, I was there from the brilliant 10538 Overture onwards, and I never really stopped at least enjoying anything he was and is involved in. My big teenage hero was Roy Wood for 2 years 1973/4, once upon a time they worked together - well 2 years or so at any rate!:)

cheers

john

HI, ELO were second only to Abba in the 70's for my affections, I was there from the brilliant 10538 Overture onwards, and I never really stopped at least enjoying anything he was and is involved in. My big teenage hero was Roy Wood for 2 years 1973/4, once upon a time they worked together - well 2 years or so at any rate!:)

cheers

john

 

Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood worked really well together (I loved the later stuff that the Move did when Lynne joined them) but I suppose they were just two too strong characters and there could only be one boss. I still think Jeff Lynne is one of the greatest music producers and certainly one of the best songwriters.

 

Kath

Hi Anthony, it takes a bit of time if you're playing the records (but quicker if you already know roughly how you rate them), but worth it, its fun revisiting. I'd love to see your 90's Top 100, I got part-way through 1991 and just havent the time yet to finish the year off, so my early 90's revisits are way behind. Be great if you beat me to it, I could be years yet! :) 1992-7 were great years too..

cheers John

 

 

http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?s...amp;hl=tony%27s

 

Here's on I did two years ago.

I think I'll do a Top 50 of 1994, 1996 and 1998 first off.

http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?s...amp;hl=tony%27s

 

Here's on I did two years ago.

Thanks Anthony, had a look, interesting stuff! made comments on there...

cheers

john

I think I'll do a Top 50 of 1994, 1996 and 1998 first off.

 

That should be fab, I'm halfway through 1998 myself (but wont finish for ages as I'm converting cassette to cd), I may compare them when youve done with my Year-end listings (chart points) from the time:)

Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood worked really well together (I loved the later stuff that the Move did when Lynne joined them) but I suppose they were just two too strong characters and there could only be one boss. I still think Jeff Lynne is one of the greatest music producers and certainly one of the best songwriters.

 

Kath

 

Thanks Kath,

 

You're right about all that, I think:) Roy Wood was a great pop record producer in his heyday too, pity it fizzled out really..

 

cheers!

john:)

1979 was Blondie's peak year (especially if you count Atomic off the album), loved 'em too:)

 

I agree with your opinion, it was a huge year for Blondie, but singles line in 1978 was even better.

 

Singles from 1978:

- (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear :heart: (it's my second favourite after "Sunday Girl")

- Denis

- Picture This

- Hanging On The Telephone

 

John, "Atomic" is 1980 for me. Please, a little more charts. :)

Sounds like a great idea, I would vote! To be honest, while it might appeal more to older music fans, I'd be equally as interested in what young people make of older stuff, what appeals to new generations - I mean I never wouldve thought 80's pomp rock would remain so popular, but it does...! OK they may not know a lot of them, but they could always youtube or just vote for the ones they already know & like.

I quite agree, would love some of the younger voters to get involved as it would be great to get a broad range of taste. But, although I'm sure a few would get involved, most would dismiss it without giving it a chance. Personally I love to get involved in any of the votes even when I'm not that familiar with all the tracks as gives me an opportunity to discover something new that perhaps I'd overlooked previously.