1st January 1980

 

New Years Day and very little chart movement, 2 new entries, 1 re-entry and not much else, but happily the first new number of the 80’s is a bonafide classic, as Pink Floyd find Another Brick In The Wall presiding over a chart that included David Bowie peaking at 4 again, second-time around with John I’m Only Dancing (the Again version is no great shakes), and The Skids getting their 3rd top 10 with the characteristically catchy punkpop Yankee Dollar.

 

Macca continues to hang about outside the 10, as Styx, Sheila and Mike Oldfield creep into the 20, or Blue Peter Babe Spacer. Anne Murray re-enters with a bang at 25, Broken-Hearted Me, pleasant of course, cos Anne’s middle name was “nice”. Happily, I like nice, even if not’s cool to admit it. Let’s skip over that Bangor day trip going up, and instead comment on Stevie Wonder managing to get another top 40 song for over 11 years continuously, give or take. Earth Wind and Fire also grab another for 5 years of hits, they just Can’t Let Go. Highest actual new entry benefits from following up a good pop record, as Dr. Hook make it 8 years of hits at 48. Truth to tell the new bland version was not an improvement on the original quirky Medicine Show version, and Better Love Next Time is most definitely not up to the cover version of The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan a bit lower down for Marianne Faithful. Dennis Locorriere, voice of Hook, has much the same opinion these days and he avoids the singles from 1980 mostly, in concert (resident in England, he’s worth catching for his regular UK tours).

 

The rest: classic London Calling only up to 50 (I didn’t warm to it right away), Kurtis Blow up to 67 (I just bought it at long last, downloaded and on my current playlist), and new at 71 it’s The Inmates with The Walk. Both this and Dr Hook were on Top Of The Pops, so that may or may not have influenced them entering my chart. The Inmates? A bluesy 50’s styled jaunty romp. I like it. Apart from Floyd, though, the videos this week are MOR, so put your feet up, relax, soak in the lazy vibes and just enjoy...!

 

 

1 ( 2 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

2 ( 3 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

3 ( 1 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

4 ( 5 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

5 ( 4 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

6 ( 6 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

7 ( 7 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

8 ( 10 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

9 ( 8 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

10 ( 12 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

 

 

11 ( 11 ) WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME Paul McCartney

12 ( 16 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

13 ( 9 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

14 ( 15 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

15 ( 20 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

16 ( 13 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

17 ( 29 ) BABE Styx

18 ( 14 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

19 ( 21 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

20 ( 23 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

 

 

21 ( 28 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

22 ( 19 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

23 ( 17 ) DIAMOND SMILES The Boomtown Rats

24 ( 37 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

25 ( RE ) BROKEN-HEARTED ME Anne Murray

26 ( 32 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

27 ( 18 ) SING CHILDREN SING Lesley Duncan

28 ( 25 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

29 ( 26 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

30 ( 27 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

 

 

31 ( 24 ) RAPPER’S DELIGHT The Sugarhill Gang

32 ( 33 ) IT’S MY HOUSE Diana Ross

33 ( 22 ) UNION CITY BLUE Blondie

34 ( 34 ) IT’S MY HOUSE Storm

35 ( 46 ) SEND ONE YOUR LOVE Stevie Wonder

36 ( 35 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

37 ( 40 ) I’M BORN AGAIN Boney M

38 ( 30 ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson

39 ( 55 ) CAN’T LET GO Earth Wind & Fire

40 ( 39 ) NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand

 

41 ( 38 ) LIVING ON AN ISLAND Status Quo

42 ( 42 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

43 ( 43 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

44 ( 31 ) MONKEY CHOP Dan-I

45 ( 41 ) RISE Herb Alpert

46 ( 48 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

47 ( 45 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

48 ( NEW ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

49 ( 49 ) IT WON’T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU Elvis Presley

50 ( 62 ) LONDON CALLING The Clash

 

51 ( 36 ) BOMBER Motorhead

52 ( 44 ) MY SIMPLE HEART The Three Degrees

53 ( 53 ) CARS Gary Numan

54 ( 52 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

55 ( 47 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich

56 ( 57 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

57 ( 59 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

58 ( 58 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

59 ( 54 ) SAD EYES Robert John

60 ( 60 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

 

61 ( 63 ) ROCKABILLY REBEL Matchbox

62 ( 56 ) HOLD ON Ian Gomm

63 ( 51 ) SHE’S NOT THERE The UK Subs

64 ( 68 ) REET PETITE Darts

65 ( 50 ) TIRED OF TOEING THE LINE Rocky Burnette

66 ( 66 ) THE BALLAD OF LUCY JORDAN Marianne Faithful

67 ( 75 ) CHRISTMAS RAPPIN’ Kurtis Blow

68 ( 71 ) WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard

69 ( 69 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

70 ( 70 ) ETON RIFLES The Jam

 

71 ( NEW ) THE WALK The Inmates

72 ( 72 ) SAIL ON The Commodores

73 ( 61 ) STILL The Commodores

74 ( 74 ) SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE Rainbow

75 ( 65 ) MELLOW MELLOW RIGHT ON Lowrell

 

 

XMAS 1979 AND NEW YEAR 1980 TV CHART

1. The Poseidon Adventure: film

2. Help!: film

3. Top Of The Pops 1979 part 2

4. A Hard Day’s Night: film

5. Solid Gold Top 20

6. Soap

7. Play It Again Sam: film

8. Top Of The Pops 1979 part 1

9. Fawlty Towers

10. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: film

11. The Three Musketeers: film

12. Goldfinger: film

13. Not The least Of The 9 O’clock News

14. Yellow Submarine: film

15. The Beatles At Shea Stadium

16. The Best Of Dean Martin

17. Let It Be; Film

18. Happy Days

19. Doctor Who

20. Parkinson at Christmas

 

TV charts, well TOTP part 2 beats part 1, and there’s a host of blockbuster movies, and it’s Beatles galore week, sprinkled throughout my expanded chart. The only TV shows that can compete with that are Soap (yes it really was that good), and Fawlty Towers (ditto). Meanwhile, still in Gravesend with family friends Joe and Sandra, I went to see Star Trek at the cinema again, concluding the music score needed a bit more oomph to up the pacing but I was dazzled by having my cast of heroes back and the special effects, still, and it wouldn’t wear off for another decade or so, by which time the film seemed slow and ponderous, if charming at times.

 

More Board games in Gravesend, then back for New Year in Mansfield, with Mark & Sue, popping in on grandparents, and finally buying Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Did some babysitting for lil cousins Rachel and Lisa. Mostly, though, college work to do. Emphasis on “to do” though as New Years Day Radio 1 had a bonanza 1970’s Top 100 all day long which I just could not (obviously) not listen to and write down. By the time it got to the top 10, the presence of Showaddywaddy as one of the big sellers of the 70’s had me doubting it’s accuracy, and then some. Turns out now, it’s a million seller with downloads after all, but even so, top 10 is not accurate. These things matter to chart-list-freaks...!

 

So, for the end of the 70’s and start of the 80’s? How did I celebrate it? Partying? Pub? Nah. Mum wasn’t well so I stayed in with her while Dad Mark and Sue went round to Aunty Eileen’s party, so that meant I got to see the hilarious “Will Kenny Everett Make It To 1980 Show” with Cliff, Bowie, Boomtown Rats, Roxy Music as guests. The last record I heard in the 70’s? A Merry Jingle by The Greedies, with my parting words “Well hope 1980’s as good as 1979’s been (on the whole). Doubt it somehow, but keep fingers crossed nothing too bad will happen.” That’s me always glass half-empty! 1979 was a fabulous year for me. 1980 was a year of two halves, the first half fab, the second half a slippery slope downwards - at least that’s how I remember it, let’s see if the diary bears it out (I’ve not looked at these ever before, so this is a real trip down memory lane for me..)!

8th January 1980

 

Back up on top for a second week, Abba have a dream, and it’s a kiddie-singing sweet one, enough to keep The Pretenders off the top spot. Paul McCartney, well after christmas festivities have faded, finally gets into the top 10 giving him his first actual solo Top 10 hit since 1971 chart-topper Another Day. Of course he worked in the interim as Wings and when he wasn’t having a number one he was at least Top 10 in each of those years. Not to mention The Beatles...

 

Talking of The Beatles, Billy Preston hit the Top 5 in 1969 with The Fabs credited “with Billy Preston” on Get Back, and charted again in 1974, and again in 1976, with it. On his own he’d grabbed a top 10 slot in 1969 with That’s The Way God Planned It on The Beatles Apple label before branching out on solo funk hit instrumentals and non-instrumentals in the USA from 1972 onwards, which were chart ineligible in my charts (UK only charts in 1972/3) but Outa Space and Will It Go Round In Circles, among others, would otherwise have charted. So it was great to have him back duetting with Syreeta (also returning after a 5 year-gap) on the lovely With You I’m Born Again, a touching, sentimental song given class by the two vocalists.

 

Chic at last make the top 20, My Feet Keep Dancin’ knocking out another Chic hit, Spacer, while the fourth title track single from the album Spirits Having Flown enters at 23 for The Bee Gees, underperforming chart-wise in the UK and USA by their standards, but then it had been out a year already. One of my favourite Bee Gees records, I love the melody, the vocals and the arrangement, top notch and under-rated.

 

The Greedies belatedly get their christmas track in at 38, after a New Years Eve performance on TV - that’s Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy and the non-singing half of the Sex Pistols - A Merry Jingle combining christmas standards in a medley, and fun. At 47 Madness get a 3rd hit, the terrific My Girl (who’s mad at them apparently), Joe Jackson gets a 2nd hit It’s Different For Girls, a pretty good ballad, at 64, and one of the songs that grew to annoy me greatly from saturation plays, and it’s simple catchiness, I’m In The Mood For Dancing in at 71, The Nolans having dropped a Sisters and added an “s” and going for the wholesome disco pop market. Amusingly, nestling next to Motorhead and Bomber. Well it amuses me, at any rate, Bomber still sounds good (just downloaded it) and as is far away as you can get from The Nolans.

 

1 ( 3 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

2 ( 6 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

3 ( 1 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

4 ( 4 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

5 ( 2 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

6 ( 5 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

7 ( 8 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

8 ( 10 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

9 ( 7 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

10 ( 11 ) WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME Paul McCartney

 

 

11 ( 12 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

12 ( 9 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

13 ( NEW ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

14 ( 14 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

15 ( 16 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

16 ( 17 ) BABE Styx

17 ( 13 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

18 ( 24 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

19 ( 21 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

20 ( 20 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

 

 

21 ( 19 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

22 ( 18 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

23 ( NEW ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

24 ( 26 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

25 ( 27 ) SING CHILDREN SING Lesley Duncan

26 ( 25 ) BROKEN-HEARTED ME Anne Murray

27 ( 15 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

28 ( 39 ) CAN’T LET GO Earth Wind & Fire

29 ( 32 ) IT’S MY HOUSE Diana Ross

30 ( 28 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

 

 

31 ( 33 ) UNION CITY BLUE Blondie

32 ( 22 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

33 ( 31 ) RAPPER’S DELIGHT The Sugarhill Gang

34 ( 30 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

35 ( 29 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

36 ( 23 ) DIAMOND SMILES The Boomtown Rats

37 ( 37 ) I’M BORN AGAIN Boney M

38 ( NEW ) A MERRY JINGLE The Greedies

39 ( 36 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

40 ( 49 ) IT WON’T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU Elvis Presley

 

41 ( 50 ) LONDON CALLING The Clash

42 ( 47 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

43 ( 42 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

44 ( 43 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

45 ( 48 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

46 ( 41 ) LIVING ON AN ISLAND Status Quo

47 ( NEW ) MY GIRL Madness

48 ( 45 ) RISE Herb Alpert

49 ( 38 ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson

50 ( 67 ) CHRISTMAS RAPPIN’ Kurtis Blow

 

 

51 ( 46 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

52 ( 40 ) NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand

53 ( 56 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

54 ( 53 ) CARS Gary Numan

55 ( 54 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

56 ( 35 ) SEND ONE YOUR LOVE Stevie Wonder

57 ( 44 ) MONKEY CHOP Dan-I

58 ( 57 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

59 ( 58 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

60 ( 60 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

 

61 ( 34 ) IT'S MY HOUSE Storm

62 ( 55 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich

63 ( 59 ) SAD EYES Robert John

64 ( NEW ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

65 ( 52 ) MY SIMPLE HEART The Three Degrees

66 ( 62 ) HOLD ON Ian Gomm

67 ( 71 ) THE WALK The Inmates

68 ( 61 ) ROCKABILLY REBEL Matchbox

69 ( 69 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

70 ( 68 ) WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard

 

71 ( NEW ) I’M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING The Nolans

72 ( 51 ) BOMBER Motorhead

73 ( 72 ) SAIL ON The Commodores

74 ( 70 ) ETON RIFLES The Jam

75 ( 64 ) REET PETITE Darts

 

 

TV Dec 29th 1979 - Jan 4th 1980

 

1. Will Kenny Everett Make It To 1980 Show

2. Logan’s Run: Crypt

3. Paint Your Wagon: film

4. Soap

5. Murder On The Orient Express: film

6. Mork And Mindy

7. The Recorded Jasper Carrott

8. The Odessa File: film

9. Film ’80

10. Top Of The Pops

 

11. Fawlty Towers

12. Victor Borge

13. Nationwide

14. Doctor Who

15. The Night They Took Miss Beautiful

16. The Odd Couple

17. Parkinson

18. My Wife Next Door

19. Up A Gum Tree

20. Mork And Mindy

 

 

 

On TV, Kenny Everett’s New Years show rules, but note another great comic on the list - no not Jasper Carrott (though he’s good too), it’s Victor Borge. A Danish classical pianist and conductor taught by a former pupil of Liszt. He gave his first concert in 1926, escaped from the Nazi’s in WW2 after years of telling anti-nazi jokes, and eventually became a big TV star thanks to his great comic timing and amiable accent and manner, sat at his piano. I used to regularly (not literally) piss myself laughing at him, he was great, and already 70 (he died in 2000) as with so many of my comedy heroes, being of retirement age is meaningless. If you got it you got it! The other TV note is for Logan’s Run episode Crypt, at 2, written by Harlan Ellison (Star Trek: City On The Edge Of Forever writer and sci-fi novelist) which was the best episode by far of the short-lived series. Age is a big thing in Logan’s Run, of course, as you get to exit the world at age 30 one way or another. A bit like Radio One.

Tuesday, January 1st: I started 1980 doing College work, and the first record of the decade? My Simple Heart (Three Degrees)...oh, well! Barry Norman listed Alien and Life Of Brian as 2 of his dozen films of the year. Spot on, there! Turned 22 on Thursday, freezing and icy, and no prezzies to mark my new adult status. Well, a coat from mum & dad. Cousins Rachel & Lisa round saturday morning babysitting, with Sue, and off to see (again!) Star Trek at the cinema. This time some 11 & 12 year old’s decided it was boring and just talked and broke things and made noises, my brother threatened them to no avail, so I said “Do you wanna get chucked out?! Be Quiet!” They got worse, and bruv was in danger of getting physical with the little bleeders so I went for the usher and got them thrown out of the cinema. Ruined the film, of course. I’m mild-mannered, but nobody spoils Star Trek without consequences! Not a film for children, obviously, though.

 

Back to Lincoln College, Mark saw my college room for the first time, before he and ailing mum and dad left for home, and fab catch up chats with Joe, Sue, Julie and Ian. Julie and I discussed topics: Afghanistan situation (Russian troops), Nostradamus (!), WW2... Pete popped round, they both liked the Trek movie “slow but good” (J) and “brilliant, knocked out” (P). My new coat seemed to go down well with everyone. Pity I don’t remember it now. Never was bothered with fashion! caught up with Jane, Bev and Paul the next day, but Jane thoughtfully brought me an electric fire as my room was freezing - heating not working.

15th January 1980

 

The Pretenders get to the top, as I seem to be holding the same chart-topper opinions as the UK record-buyer (plus Abba), and Brass In Pocket was a worthy number one, New Wave with a 60’s vibe, Chrissie Hynde fronting a great British band, like Suzi Quatro before her, an American with British success, and based in the UK. It also sounded pretty original. KC meanwhile gets his first top 5 hit since 1975, Syreeta her first top 10 since 1975, and Billy Preston his first new top 10 since 1969. The Bee Gees fly up into the upper layers too, with their 8th consecutive top 10, plus several as songwriters, and all inside 3 years. Bung in another, ooh, 10 or so since appearing in the very first chart in 1968, and things were looking very good for them. Appearances can be very deceptive in the music biz though!

 

Madness take My Girl to 9, and a second top 10 hit, just ahead of The Beat who copy Smokey Robinson by going top 10, albeit ska-stylee. Highest new entry is a UK non-hit instrumental classic from the early 60’s, the groovy, moody Green Onions, giving Booker T his first hit in 11 years. It was to be an incredible 34 years before he got his 3rd! Or if you like, 45 years between new recordings charting. It’s hard to see that record being beaten! Fleetwood Mac at last start to get moving with the truly wondrous Sara, at 26, and The Clash finally get London Calling into the 40. So does Kurtis Blow, and so do The Nolans. I guess I must have liked it for a while!

 

New entries between 41 and 75: The Boomtown Rats return with another hit, Someone’s Looking At You, which was a little more sprawling than previous singles, but did the job, while at 53 there’s a new duo, Jon and Vangelis. I say new. What I mean is Vangelis gets a follow-up hit to his 1975 reissued chart entry of a 1972 single from Greek band Aphrodite’s Child, the fabulous Break. In the interim, bandmate Demis Roussos had had a number one with Forever And Ever, so can he do what the late Demis did? All shall be revealed. Jon Anderson, meanwhile, is back after a couple of hits with Yes, including the fab top 10 Wondrous Stories from 1977.

 

New Musik get their second hit, Living By Numbers being another delicious perfect synth pop confection. Terrific. Talking earlier of Suzi Quatro, her Mama’s Boy joins her in the charts for a sweet 7 years of regular chart entries, but sadly never a number one. This one was pretty decent. Sister Sledge were winding down their initial run of chart action with the OK Got To Love Somebody, unique out of their early tracks in not ever making the charts again in following decades, again and again. It wasn’t bad, but not up to the classics standard.

 

 

1 ( 2 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

2 ( 1 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

3 ( 3 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

4 ( 7 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

5 ( 5 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

6 ( 13 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

7 ( 6 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

8 ( 23 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

9 ( 47 ) MY GIRL Madness

10 ( 19 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

 

 

11 ( 4 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

12 ( 14 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

13 ( 20 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

14 ( 9 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

15 ( 16 ) BABE Styx

16 ( 8 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

17 ( 15 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

18 ( 18 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

19 ( 27 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

20 ( 12 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

 

21 ( 21 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

22 ( 24 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

23 ( 11 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

24 ( 17 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

25 ( NEW ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

26 ( 51 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

27 ( 10 ) WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME Paul McCartney

28 ( 40 ) IT WON’T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU Elvis Presley

29 ( 41 ) LONDON CALLING The Clash

30 ( 22 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

 

 

 

31 ( 37 ) I’M BORN AGAIN Boney M

32 ( 30 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

33 ( 71 ) I’M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING The Nolans

34 ( 28 ) CAN’T LET GO Earth Wind & Fire

35 ( 50 ) CHRISTMAS RAPPIN’ Kurtis Blow

36 ( 25 ) SING CHILDREN SING Lesley Duncan

37 ( 34 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

38 ( 45 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

39 ( 39 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

40 ( 35 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

 

41 ( 33 ) RAPPER’S DELIGHT The Sugarhill Gang

42 ( 29 ) IT’S MY HOUSE Diana Ross

43 ( 64 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

44 ( 31 ) UNION CITY BLUE Blondie

45 ( 32 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

46 ( 36 ) DIAMOND SMILES The Boomtown Rats

47 ( 44 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

48 ( 43 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

49 ( 53 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

50 ( NEW ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

 

51 ( 42 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

52 ( 67 ) THE WALK The Inmates

53 ( NEW ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

54 ( 26 ) BROKEN-HEARTED ME Anne Murray

55 ( 48 ) RISE Herb Alpert

56 ( 46 ) LIVING ON AN ISLAND Status Quo

57 ( NEW ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

58 ( 54 ) CARS Gary Numan

59 ( 55 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

60 ( 58 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

 

 

61 ( 59 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 49 ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson

63 ( 60 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

64 ( 38 ) A MERRY JINGLE The Greedies

65 ( NEW ) QUOTE GOODBYE QUOTE Carolyn Mas

66 ( 62 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich

67 ( 63 ) SAD EYES Robert John

68 ( NEW ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

69 ( 57 ) MONKEY CHOP Dan-I

70 ( 52 ) NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand

 

71 ( 69 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

72 ( 65 ) MY SIMPLE HEART The Three Degrees

73 ( 70 ) WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard

74 ( NEW ) GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY Sister Sledge

75 ( 56 ) SEND ONE YOUR LOVE Stevie Wonder

 

 

 

Jan 5-11 TV

1. Soap

1. Clapperboard

1. Fawlty Towers

4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

5. MASH

6. The Rockford Files

7. Top Of The Pops

8. The Hot Rock: film

9. Logan’s Run

10. My Wife Next Door

 

11. Film 80

12. Barney Miller

13. Blake’s 7

14. West Side Story: film

15. Parkinson (sat)

16. Doctor Who

17. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot: film

18. Hollywood

19. Nationwide

20. Parkinson (wed)

 

 

 

On TV: lots of films, many of them rarely ever on TV, if at all for some decades, but 1972’s forgotten The Hot Rock was a heist movie I was fond of under it’s 1972 title, How To Steal A Diamond In Four Uneasy Lessons. Bad title change there! It was a fun Robert Redford movie that I saw first time round. Soap heads the US sitcoms, Fawlty Towers the UK, but there’s not that many actual 1979/80 new sitcoms or series in the list, bar MASH, Rockford, Blake’s 7, and Doctor Who.

At College (or Uni as it’s now renamed), I found my lecturer hated Edgar Allen Poe, so fundamentally disagreed with everything I wrote in my assignment, giving me bad marks. He thought Poe was Poo and could not accept any other viewpoint, however well argued. Dick. Lots of happy socialising with the gang in various combinations, in the breaks and evenings, chez moi. Got invited to 2 birthday parties on the same day which gave me (and invited Julie) a dilemma, never one for wanting to hurt people’s feelings, either of us. Doh! On telly, we laughed at Basil The Hamster in Farty Towels, and tried to hold back the tears at West Side Story’s climax. As we played snooker on Thursday I marvelled at my quick-wit banter, at least Jane and Pete appreciated it anyway, which led me to think I was “quite hilarious at times”. Oooo get ‘er! I do love banter though, and people who love banter.

 

Sue, as practical as always, sorted out the clashing parties dilemma diplomatically - and they didn’t clash anyway, so Julie and I had angst for nothing! It snowed heavily on Monday, it was cold and I was in a foul mood with a lecturer who kept me waiting for 45 minutes, then droned on needlessly about William Golding stuff I already knew, while simultaneously wafting his aroma all over the place. At least that’s how I choose to describe him these many years later, as the “smelly twat” I put in my diary seems a tad unkind. Still, Pete and Julie cheered me up by ambushing me with snowballs later on. On TV the new Blake’s 7 was much improved, with new cast members, and Avon now the star character. Actor Paul Darrow and I shared an intimate moment 25 years later. I say intimate. He said “Hello mate” while he grabbed a ciggie outside the Starfleet Ball in Bournemouth. I always view a star talking me as special....

22nd January 1980

 

2 weeks for Brass In Pocket at 1, Chrissie not moving. Styx get their first (and last) Top 10, as Babe blubs it’s way up to 8, and Dollar finally get their Beatles cover into the top 10 - the 60’s fab gear clothes on their Top Of The Pops performance didn’t hurt! Suddenly I was 6 years old again! Jon And Vangelis meanwhile positively rocket up to 12, I Hear You Now, oh yes, as another sublime record hits 14 for Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nicks gorgeous Sara.

 

Rupert Holmes also downs his Pina Colada in one and bursts upwards and into the 20 for the first time since 1975. Lower down, The Rats and New Musik go top 40, and there’s very few new entries: The Buggles follow-up Video with Plastic, and it’s pretty good, albeit forgotten these days, we do indeed live in The Plastic Age. Sad Cafe have a strange little follow-up to a plain ballad, the quirky little girl at 52 is quite odd, but endearing after a few plays. Amii Stewart flies her sweet Paradise Bird to 57, and The Regents unusual 7 Teen is in at 68, very downbeat and 60’s inspired, if not actually sounding. Herb Alpert ain’t Rise-ing, but he is Rotating, at 74, another funky sax instrumental (mostly), and still classy.

 

1 ( 1 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

2 ( 2 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

3 ( 4 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

4 ( 3 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

5 ( 8 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

6 ( 9 ) MY GIRL Madness

7 ( 5 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

8 ( 15 ) BABE Styx

9 ( 19 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

10 ( 10 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

 

 

11 ( 6 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

12 ( 53 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

13 ( 7 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

14 ( 26 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

15 ( 49 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

16 ( 16 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

17 ( 17 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

18 ( 14 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

19 ( 18 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

20 ( 25 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

 

 

21 ( 12 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

22 ( 20 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

23 ( 21 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

24 ( 13 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

25 ( 11 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

26 ( 33 ) I’M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING The Nolans

27 ( 22 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

28 ( 38 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

29 ( 43 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

30 ( 29 ) LONDON CALLING The Clash

 

31 ( 32 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

32 ( 24 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

33 ( 23 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

34 ( 50 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

35 ( 57 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

36 ( 39 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

37 ( 37 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

38 ( 30 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

39 ( 52 ) THE WALK The Inmates

40 ( 40 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

 

 

41 ( 36 ) SING CHILDREN SING Lesley Duncan

42 ( 28 ) IT WON’T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU Elvis Presley

43 ( 47 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

44 ( 48 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

45 ( 27 ) WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME Paul McCartney

46 ( 34 ) CAN’T LET GO Earth Wind & Fire

47 ( 45 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

48 ( 46 ) DIAMOND SMILES The Boomtown Rats

49 ( 44 ) UNION CITY BLUE Blondie

50 ( NEW ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

 

 

51 ( 51 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

52 ( NEW ) STRANGE LITTLE GIRL Sad Cafe

53 ( 41 ) RAPPER’S DELIGHT The Sugarhill Gang

54 ( 60 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

55 ( NEW ) WE GOT THE FUNK Positive Force

56 ( 65 ) QUOTE GOODBYE QUOTE Carolyn Mas

57 ( NEW ) PARADISE BIRD Amii Stewart

58 ( 55 ) RISE Herb Alpert

59 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

60 ( 68 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

 

61 ( 58 ) CARS Gary Numan

62 ( 59 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

63 ( 63 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

64 ( 31 ) I’M BORN AGAIN Boney M

65 ( 35 ) CHRISTMAS RAPPIN’ Kurtis Blow

66 ( 42 ) IT’S MY HOUSE Diana Ross

67 ( 74 ) GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY Sister Sledge

68 ( NEW ) 7 TEEN The Regents

69 ( 54 ) BROKEN-HEARTED ME Anne Murray

70 ( 71 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

 

71 ( 66 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich

72 ( 67 ) SAD EYES Robert John

73 ( 62 ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson

74 ( NEW ) ROTATION Herb Alpert

75 ( NEW ) YOUNG BLOOD U.F.O.

 

 

TV JAN 12-18

1. Soap

2. The Goodies

3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

4. Logan’s Run

5. The Hallelujah Trail: film

6. Blake’s 7

7. Mork And Mindy

8. Barney Miller

9. Ray Bradbury - The Illustrated Man

10. Top Of The Pops

 

11. The New Avengers

12. Wildlife On One

13. Doctor Who

14. The Two Ronnies

15. The Odd Couple

16. The High Chapparal

17. My Wife Next Door

18. Film 80

19. Sporting Superstars

20. Most Wanted

 

 

On TV, sci-fi writer hero of mine (one of my top 3) Ray Bradbury gets a profile, his writings are poetically nostalgic in a futuristic social-commentary fashion, and I especially adore the short stories, The Martian Chronicles most of all. The Goodies are back with a bang, various sporting superstars compete for entertainment in a variety of events, the fab Western The Hallelujah Trail is on again, and The Two Ronnies must have a good show, as they didn’t generally end up in my list by this time.

 

At college I breakfasted with Pauline and some more American students on my course, while mates Pete and Ian popped in for a morning cuppa and chat having got the day off teaching practice - their bus didn’t turn up. Result! Snooker with Pete after Art lectures, I won 84 to 39 it says here. It’s not the winning that counts, I honestly care not either way! Though I enjoy winning. It was a great day, Pete chuffed to be off school-work, me chuffed having someone to talk to during the day, yay! I cheered up the glum T.P. returnees later on, then they all beat me at snooker in gratitude. Win some lose some! Talked to Jane for an hour, lately quite rundown, but feeling better now. Hooray!

 

Went home at the weekend, as my pet budgie (still had a white one in the house) was ill, as were brother Mark & soon-to-be sis-in-law. I bought a fave John Wyndham novel that I read at school in 1972, The Chrysalids. I re-read it not long ago, it’s still pretty good, still relevant in showcasing intolerance of people (genetic-defects some generations following a nuclear holocaust). Mark showed us all his latest toy, movies of all of us on his film recorder, actual old-fashioned film, including one scene of me playing The Police Walking On The Moon in my bedroom - tragically this film is long gone walkabout. Popped in on various relations, and dad, mum and Mark took me back on Sunday to Lincoln via RAF Swinderby (where dad still worked) - I’d bought a cassette tape deck for £15 off someone, which meant I could now tape all of the songs off the radio to tape. Still have them!

Some fantastic stuff here like Pretenders, Madness and Sheila & B Devotion especially. Also quite like a couple that I hadn't heard prior to watching TOTP 1980 a few days ago like the Sad Café one, very ELO in places I thought and Amii Stewart.

 

Much prefer Straight Lines over Living By Numbers by New Muzik, the former should have been a massive hit.

Some fantastic stuff here like Pretenders, Madness and Sheila & B Devotion especially. Also quite like a couple that I hadn't heard prior to watching TOTP 1980 a few days ago like the Sad Café one, very ELO in places I thought and Amii Stewart.

 

Much prefer Straight Lines over Living By Numbers by New Muzik, the former should have been a massive hit.

 

Thanks AH, I agree Straight Lines was better than Living By Numbers, then again I think the singles after LBN were also better, but the whole album is pretty consistent: From A To B.

29th January 1980

 

3 weeks on top for The Pretenders as 12 new entries finally kick-start 1980, many of them great. The Bee Gees get yet another runners-up medal with the fab Spirits Having Flown, as Madness get their first Top 3 with the very British charms of My Girl. Fleetwood Mac’s classic Sara also goes top 10, despite not being huge in the UK. It should have been massive! Meanwhile Sheila’s Chic-tastic Spacer’s yo-yoing up and down the charts almost takes her into orbit as it peaks at 13.

 

The Boomtown rats and New Musik leap into the 20, just ahead of the highest new entry, yes it’s Matchbox following up a very minor chart entry with an instant smash - Buzz Buzz A Diddle It! I love it, British rockabilly in the style of classic cowboy novelty song Three Wheels On My Wagon, and it beats out: Michael Jackson’s classic Rock With You at 24, exquisite soulfunk mellow disco, and still great; Prince, debuting at 54 with a dance track largely forgotten, I Wanna Be Your Lover. It’s pretty good, and there is a youtube link someone put on 2 months ago, but I won’t bother listing it as it’ll be removed before long, Prince being obsessive about people not listening to his music for free and all, even if you want to check it out to buy (which I do as I never bought it at the time). Minus one sale, then.

 

The Buggles and Suzi Quatro make the top 40, while 60‘s hippie band Jefferson Airplane suffer a pop metal morphing into Jefferson Starship, and the rock anthem Jane riffs in at 67. 70‘s Prog Rock band Barclay James Harvest also do a spot of morphing, adding some 80’s-stylee synths to terrific effect at 73, with Love On The Line. At 34, The Specials get a 3rd hit with future UK chart-topper Too Much Too Young, the lead track on an EP, live version, and one to pogo along to. Kool And The Gang return with the pleasant Too Hot at 55, the theme tune to American TV’s classic Soap sitcom jaunts in at 70, mostly cos I loved the show, it was a total departure for American sitcoms, with a stunningly huge talented cast, controversial themes which had all kinds of self-righteous narrow-minded groups up in arms, and basically took the piss out of TV, and soaps in particular, pretty much all episodes written by one writer Susan “Golden Girls” Harris.

 

Others: a bit of jazz funk (Azymuth), a bit of country (Kenny Rogers soon-to-be-annoying Coward Of The County, as it hits number one and suffers overdose-fatigue), The Captain and Tennille are back with a gentle ballad 5 years after topping my chart, the sweetly naughty Do That To Me One More Time (I wonder what Toni means?), and The Ramones cover Phil Spector’s Ronettes classic Baby I Love You, produced by the actual warped genius himself, and sounding much weedier and less Wall Of Sound than Dave Edmunds self-produced definitive version which topped my chart in 1973.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

2 ( 5 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

3 ( 6 ) MY GIRL Madness

4 ( 2 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

5 ( 8 ) BABE Styx

6 ( 12 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

7 ( 3 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

8 ( 4 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

9 ( 9 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

10 ( 14 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

 

11 ( 20 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

12 ( 7 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

13 ( 23 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

14 ( 15 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

15 ( 34 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

16 ( 13 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

17 ( 10 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

18 ( 35 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

19 ( 11 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

20 ( NEW ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

 

 

21 ( 68 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

22 ( 18 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

23 ( 28 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

24 ( NEW ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

25 ( 29 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

26 ( 22 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

27 ( 19 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

28 ( 17 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

29 ( 16 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

30 ( 50 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

 

 

31 ( 31 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

32 ( 27 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

33 ( 32 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

34 ( NEW ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

35 ( 52 ) STRANGE LITTLE GIRL Sad Cafe

36 ( 57 ) PARADISE BIRD Amii Stewart

37 ( 21 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

38 ( 55 ) WE GOT THE FUNK Positive Force

39 ( 60 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

40 ( 36 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

 

41 ( 24 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

42 ( 37 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

43 ( 26 ) I’M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING The Nolans

44 ( 25 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

45 ( 43 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

46 ( 44 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

47 ( 33 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

48 ( 51 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

49 ( 40 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

50 ( 38 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

 

51 ( 56 ) QUOTE GOODBYE QUOTE Carolyn Mas

52 ( 39 ) THE WALK The Inmates

53 ( 67 ) GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY Sister Sledge

54 ( NEW ) I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER Prince

55 ( NEW ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

56 ( 47 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

57 ( 54 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

58 ( 59 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

59 ( 30 ) LONDON CALLING The Clash

60 ( 74 ) ROTATION Herb Alpert

 

61 ( 58 ) RISE Herb Alpert

62 ( 61 ) CARS Gary Numan

63 ( 63 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

64 ( 48 ) DIAMOND SMILES The Boomtown Rats

65 ( 62 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

66 ( 49 ) UNION CITY BLUE Blondie

67 ( NEW ) JANE Jefferson Starship

68 ( 70 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

69 ( 41 ) SING CHILDREN SING Lesley Duncan

70 ( NEW ) THEME FROM ‘SOAP” George Aliceson Tipton

 

 

71 ( NEW ) JAZZ CARNIVAL Azymuth

72 ( NEW ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

73 ( NEW ) LOVE ON THE LINE Barclay James Harvest

74 ( NEW ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

75 ( NEW ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

 

 

 

TV JAN 19-26

1. Live And Let Die: film

2. Soap

3. Logan’s Run

3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

5. Disaster On The Coastliner: TV film

6. The New Avengers

7. Play Misty For Me: film

8. Barney Miller

9. MASH

10. Top Of The Pops

11. Blake’s 7

12. The Rockford Files

13. The Two Ronnies

14. The Goodies

15. Wonder Woman

 

College: another snowstorm, another awkward bus driver, another day off from Teaching Practice for Pete, Alan and Ian who instead popped to my room for some laughs instead. yay! Helped me avoid William Golding work. I later looked at some schoolbooks from me at 6, stories of what I did, liked and drew at that time: sci-fi, pop music, TV, animals. Not much change there then. Still. Tuesday was English Lit: School For Scandal. Wednesday I socialised in the art-room while I finished my screen-prints - I enjoy art students company. Thursday Pete off ill, so we hung about a lot in between lectures, and the evenings had the usual gang coming and going. Friday was Elaine’s birthday bash from 11pm, a drunken gangster’s moll tried to get me to dance (fancy dress, not real!) and laughs and jokes with Ian and Julie till 1.

 

 

 

5th February 1980

 

Jon And Vangelis get that chart-topper with the gorgeous, ethereal, gentle synth-friendly I Hear You Now. Jon Anderson had been the voice of 1977 Top 3 Wondrous Stories (with Yes) and Vangelis had been behind the fantastic Aphrodite’s Child belated 1975 biggie Break (though would have charted in 1972, if eligible). Up 30 places to 4, hard on their heels it’s The Specials second Top 10 hit, Too Much Too Young, outdoing even the way better Gangsters. Booker T gets those Green Onions to 6, and the Rats get a 5th consecutive Top 10, and 8th Top 20, as Someone’s Looking At You at 9. New Musik get their first top tenner, clearly Living By Numbers.

 

There’s a Jazz Carnival parading through the charts to 26, as shhh The Whispers get the highest new entry at 29, And The Beat Goes On, a pretty good soul funk dance groove, though they seemed to be getting more smooth and less funky as disco booms before the Disco Sucks movement killed them all off en masse. At 34, it’s John Foxx, not always a barrel of laughs, ex-Ultravox-man who went solo with initial success before Midge Ure somewhat overshadowed his career. Underpass was OK, though to me it always sounded like Underpants when he sang the chorus. I sent a lampoon cartoon of pet peeves of the time (John Foxx, Doctor Hook etc) to Record Mirror, the Editor actually replied and told me they weren’t very good and perhaps Art College would help. Errr I was doing an art course at College, at the time. Oops! Never mind, I’m now spouting my opinions on the internet and Record Mirror alas is no more.

 

35? Kool And The Gang, dang, it’s Too Hot. One of their better tracks actually. Barclay James Harvest go top 40, laying their Love On The Line, very nicely. Other newies: Billy Ocean’s back at 47, Are You Ready? I’ve been ready for 6 years of his hits (starting with Scorched Earth stomping fabulousness On The Run)! Don’t recall this one, yoohootube (it’s OK Jacko-stylee disco)! I do recall 51, Captain Beaky, and Keith Michell is back 9 years on from I’ll Give You The Earth, with kiddie classic written by the late Jeremy Lloyd, he of Laugh-In fame, and sitcom scripter a la Are You Being Served. It’s actually pretty good really for a novelty song. Leaving The Shadows back at 56 with an instrumental cover of classic cowboy song Riders In The Sky, a childhood fave with all of it’s yippee-aye-ey’s and fab toon. 5 years on from Eurovision too! Queen, 63, Save Me, quite nice but a bit on the slow slow quick quick slow side. The Selecter prove they aren’t Three Minute Hero’s at 70, their second ska hit, and I regret missing Pauline the other saturday in Southampton, I had to cancel to look after my parents.

 

 

 

1 ( 6 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

2 ( 2 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

3 ( 3 ) MY GIRL Madness

4 ( 34 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

5 ( 1 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

6 ( 11 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

7 ( 4 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

8 ( 5 ) BABE Styx

9 ( 15 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

10 ( 18 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

 

 

11 ( 8 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

12 ( 21 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

13 ( 25 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

14 ( 7 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

15 ( 9 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

16 ( 20 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

17 ( 14 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

18 ( 13 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

19 ( 12 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

20 ( 30 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

 

21 ( 10 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

22 ( 39 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

23 ( 24 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

24 ( 19 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

25 ( 16 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

26 ( 71 ) JAZZ CARNIVAL Azymuth

27 ( 22 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

28 ( 17 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

29 ( NEW ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

30 ( 35 ) STRANGE LITTLE GIRL Sad Cafe

 

 

31 ( 26 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

32 ( 23 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

33 ( 38 ) WE GOT THE FUNK Positive Force

34 ( NEW ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

35 ( 67 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

36 ( 31 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

37 ( 33 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

38 ( 55 ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

39 ( 28 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

40 ( 73 ) LOVE ON THE LINE Barclay James Harvest

 

 

41 ( 29 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

42 ( 27 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

43 ( 40 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

44 ( 42 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

45 ( 54 ) I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER Prince

46 ( 36 ) PARADISE BIRD Amii Stewart

47 ( NEW ) ARE YOU READY Billy Ocean

48 ( 53 ) GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY Sister Sledge

49 ( 45 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

50 ( 46 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

 

51 ( NEW ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

52 ( 44 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

53 ( 32 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

54 ( 48 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

55 ( 41 ) BLUE PETER Mike Oldfield

56 ( NEW ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

57 ( 49 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

58 ( 75 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

59 ( 37 ) MOONLIGHT AND MUSAK M

60 ( 72 ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

 

61 ( 58 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 57 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

63 ( NEW ) SAVE ME Queen

64 ( 51 ) QUOTE GOODBYE QUOTE Carolyn Mas

65 ( 50 ) QUE SERA MI VIDA (IF YOU SHOULD GO) The Gibson Brothers

66 ( 56 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

67 ( 62 ) CARS Gary Numan

68 ( 63 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

69 ( 60 ) ROTATION Herb Alpert

70 ( NEW ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

 

71 ( 65 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

72 ( 68 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

73 ( NEW ) MOTOR BIKE BEAT The Revillos

74 ( 47 ) OFF THE WALL Michael Jackson

75 ( 61 ) RISE Herb Alpert

 

25th jan - 1st Feb TV chart

1 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

2 Soap

3 Blake’s 7

4 Barney Miller

5 MASH

6 Parkinson

7 Mork And Mindy

8 The Rockford Files

9 Top Of The Pops

10 The Two Ronnies

11 Parkinson (Wed)

12 Logan’s Run

13 Hart To Hart

14 TISWAS

15 Nationwide (Thurs)

16 Hawaii 5-0

17 The New Avengers

18 My Wife Next Door

19 The Legend Of Hell House (film)

20 Hollywood

21 Chopper Squad

22 If It’s Tuesday It Must Be Belguim (film)

23 Film 80

24 A Boy Named Charlie Brown

25 The Muppet Show

 

In College Life, I was studying Pope and School For Scandal in literature, socialising in my TV bedroom with various friends, and one of my parents fave actor’s Jimmy Durante, or Schnozzel, died. I knew him best for literally kicking the bucket in It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and Morecombe & Wise’s ongoing “sat at my piano” plastic cup over the nose gag. In artwork I was doing Silver Queen cowboy screen prints (based on Calico ghost-town saloon), The Two Ronnies had the timeless “got any o’s?” sketch on TV, with an “excellent” Parkinson (my quote of the day!) - he had Alan Alda (yay!), Rene Cutforth (who?) and Jimmy Saville (errr...). Yes, well, that one would be interesting to re-view...

 

On Thursday I was complaining of a dull day. I dream of dull days. I haven’t had a dull day in years, because you only get them when you are content with nothing pressing, nothing urgent, nothing stressful, and that concept died a long time ago in my life. True sad fact. I must have been bored as I marked some kids Maths schoolwork for Paul to save him getting so tired staying up late with loads of marking. Teachers DO work late, it’s true! I quite enjoyed it actually, the power! Friday? Still snow. Chatted in art lectures to mature students, good fun. Dad picked me up and home to Mansfield for the weekend, where brother had got his first home-movie back, with me briefly on it. Apparently, I thought I was “giving my own charming smile”. Oooohh get ‘im! What I really meant was I had a nice smile despite the slightly (and soon to be much) crooked teeth. Yes that American cliche about the Brits is true for me! Bought some tropical fish for my tank, loads of vinyl records, visited Ernie now in “death row” care home (as they called it), and Polish WW2 refugee Renie (Renata Modelefski) popped round to say hello 3 times, now widowed and at a loose end, and lonely. So, yes, Polish people were here long ago and we have a long mutual history. Get over it UKIP-lovers.

12th February 1980

 

2 weeks for Jon & Vangelis, and The Specials hit number 2 as they hit 1 in the UK singles chart. At 6, The Regents slow climb into the 10 with 7 Teen culminates in a spot of Human League-ish girlie backing singers stylee Top Of The Pops, in a sort of miserable fashion. I could imagine Morrissey covering it, with a few rewritten longer words in there. Queen take a rocket to Save Me, to 21, leapfrogging Jefferson Starship, as the highest new entry is Cliff at 24, with his terrific and dark Carrie, written by BA Robertson and Terry Britten, of Bang Bang and Devil Woman previous songs each respectively. Cliff, with this single, started a long run of quality pop singles for some years without a single duffer amongst them, and his best period really. The Shadows, at 27, on the other hand were coming to the end of their singles career. Doh!

 

New entries: The Tourists consider it so good to be back home again, at 54, not one of their best, while future UK chart-topper Fern Kinney covers Together We Are Beautiful a 1979 chart entry for Steve Allen (in my charts), and does it way better, her unusual voice and cantering rhythms making it much more commercial. Rocky Sharpe and The Replays return with a cover of the 1963 Ran-Dells American hit, Martian Hop. My brother had played the original as the Ted revival scene was pretty big business in Mansfield, and it had been doing the rounds, sort of Northern Soul-wise (old obscure tracks getting discovered by a new generation). Dave Edmunds also whacks out a cover, this time Singing The Blues the 1950’s Guy Mitchell number one, and in at 74, but definitely going higher it’s Turning Japanese by The Vapors - a fabulous New Wave bit of fun, which is less than PC these days in intent, if not in actual lyric. I can’t possibly say what the subject matter is, but suffice to say it involves a favourite pastime of boys and men sat on their own.

 

1 ( 1 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

2 ( 4 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

3 ( 3 ) MY GIRL Madness

4 ( 2 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

5 ( 6 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

6 ( 12 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

7 ( 9 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

8 ( 5 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

9 ( 10 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

10 ( 8 ) BABE Styx

 

 

11 ( 16 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

12 ( 7 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

13 ( 13 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

14 ( 20 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

15 ( 34 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

16 ( 11 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

17 ( 23 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

18 ( 14 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

19 ( 22 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

20 ( 29 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

 

 

21 ( 63 ) SAVE ME Queen

22 ( 15 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

23 ( 35 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

24 ( NEW ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

25 ( 19 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

26 ( 18 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

27 ( 56 ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

28 ( 17 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

29 ( 25 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

30 ( 26 ) JAZZ CARNIVAL Azymuth

 

 

 

31 ( 51 ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

32 ( 27 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

33 ( 38 ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

34 ( 30 ) STRANGE LITTLE GIRL Sad Cafe

35 ( 24 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

36 ( 21 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

37 ( 31 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

38 ( 28 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

39 ( 47 ) ARE YOU READY Billy Ocean

40 ( 70 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

 

41 ( 36 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

42 ( 32 ) BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME Dr. Hook

43 ( 37 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

44 ( 60 ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

45 ( 44 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

46 ( 43 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

47 ( 39 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

48 ( 58 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

49 ( 49 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

50 ( 50 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

 

51 ( 33 ) WE GOT THE FUNK Positive Force

52 ( 41 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

53 ( 40 ) LOVE ON THE LINE Barclay James Harvest

54 ( NEW ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

55 ( 64 ) QUOTE GOODBYE QUOTE Carolyn Mas

56 ( 52 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

57 ( 42 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

58 ( 54 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

59 ( NEW ) TOGETHER WE’RE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

60 ( NEW ) MARTIAN HOP Rocky Sharpe and the Replays

 

 

 

61 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

63 ( 57 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

64 ( 53 ) DAY TRIP TO BANGOR Fiddler’s Dram

65 ( 45 ) I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER Prince

66 ( 46 ) PARADISE BIRD Amii Stewart

67 ( 67 ) CARS Gary Numan

68 ( 66 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

69 ( NEW ) SINGING THE BLUES Dave Edmunds

70 ( 68 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

 

71 ( 73 ) MOTOR BIKE BEAT The Revillos

72 ( 75 ) RISE Herb Alpert

73 ( 72 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

74 ( NEW ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

75 ( 71 ) DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

 

 

Feb 2nd-8th1980

1 MASH

2 Soap

3 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

4 Blake’s 7

5 Top Of The Pops

6 The Two Ronnies

7 The Scalphunters (film)

8 The Goodies

9 Logan’s Run

10 Hart To Hart

 

11 The Last Of Sheila (film)

12 Film 80

13 Sporting Superstars

14 The New Avengers

15 Wildlife On One

16 The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race

17 What’s On Next

18 My Wife Next Door

19 Parkinson (wed)

20 The Sky At Night

 

On TV Blake’s 7 was getting better, thanks to the scriptwriting, while the Goodies were doing a pastiche of Close Encounters, I was reading William Golding for English Lit, chatting to friends, and having a dream featuring Danno from Hawaii 5-0, though quite what James MacArthur was doing inside a cave in the dream I have no idea nor memory of! In another one I was golf caddie for 2nd year student Brian - at night. Now I may not have played golf at the time, but I suspected finding balls might be a challenge at night...

 

In Art Max, my tutor was encouraging me to try for artistic jobs at the course end - I wish I wish I wish I had. Not that there were many about, of course. Meanwhile I had to give my first ever talk on my work, embarrassingly bright red, stuttering, forgot what I was saying, a disaster! I found I can handle Q&A but not giving speeches, and nothing has changed 35 years on! On TV The Two Ronnies my fave song sketch was on( “sod off sod off sod off so duff your cap to me...poor cow poor cow pour cowslip dew into your cup”): classic.

 

19th February 1980

 

3 weeks at 1, I Hear You Now, 2 weeks at 2 Too Much Too Young and My Girl 4 weeks at 3. That concludes the top 3 results. The Rats get their 3rd biggest hit at 4, as Synth music makes inroads into the top 10, with John Foxx and Buggles joining New Musik, with Cliff and Jacko giving some veteran quality into the bargain. Queen and Jefferson Starship rock into the 20, and highest of many great new entries is Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s fab Take That Look Off Your Face, from Evita girl Marti Webb showcasing Tell Me On A Sunday. It’s a great song.

 

At 22, Blondie return with 3rd track off Eat To The Beat, and it’s the best track, Atomic, quite probably their best ever record (and they had already had 3 chart-toppers). More punky, but ab fab. At 34, The Gibson Brothers reactivate first minor hit Cuba, and it sounds even better, love those latin disco rhythms and the chorus is great. 35, I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down, Elvis is back. Costello, that is, it’s OK but not one of his greats. Dexy’s debut at 49, as Dance Stance gets moving a bit, and the horn section was a breath of fresh air at the time, 60’s retro soul but kinda rock-based, I loved it.

 

At 58, Peter Gabriel finally gets a second terrific solo hit as Games Without Frontiers, with added Kate Bush vocals, follows up Solsbury Hill 3 years on. Chuck in Brass Construction and The Flying Lizards making a minor return, and skip on to The Police giving up an old track, So Lonely, coming after 3 chart-toppers in a row, each better than the last, it was the least of their five hits to date, and of course they really sing Sue Lawley, Nationwide presenter. Still good though. At 73, it’s another great amusing and clever record from BA Robertson, Kool In The Kaftan starting the hippie backlash, but also sort of affectionately 60‘s retro in sound and references. BA is a great lyricist, witness Carrie in the top 10 this very week, one of his. Finally, and rather tragically, AC/DC get a second hit as Touch Too Much enters at 75. The following day Bon Scott, great lead singer, was dead from booze abuse. From AC/DC’s point of view the death-inspired Back In Black album and hiring of the ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was the start of a looooong beloved career, and I approved cos I loved a lot of Geordie singles, but for me they just weren’t the same afterwards, Bon was such a great singer, and early AC/DC were sort of punk Led Zep, as opposed to later bombastic Led Zep. Touch Too Much is fantastic.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

2 ( 2 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

3 ( 3 ) MY GIRL Madness

4 ( 7 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

5 ( 17 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

6 ( 11 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

7 ( 14 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

8 ( 9 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

9 ( 24 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

10 ( 15 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

 

11 ( 4 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

12 ( 6 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

13 ( 8 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

14 ( 21 ) SAVE ME Queen

15 ( 5 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

16 ( 20 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

17 ( 23 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

18 ( 10 ) BABE Styx

19 ( 13 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

20 ( 12 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

 

21 ( NEW ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

22 ( NEW ) ATOMIC Blondie

23 ( 27 ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

24 ( 16 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

25 ( 54 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

26 ( 31 ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

27 ( 18 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

28 ( 40 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

29 ( 25 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

30 ( 33 ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

 

31 ( 19 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

32 ( 29 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

33 ( 22 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

34 ( NEW ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

35 ( NEW ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

36 ( 59 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

37 ( 32 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

38 ( 60 ) MARTIAN HOP Rocky Sharpe and the Replays

39 ( 28 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

40 ( 48 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

 

 

41 ( 26 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

42 ( 44 ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

43 ( 30 ) JAZZ CARNIVAL Azymuth

44 ( 37 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

45 ( 41 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

46 ( 36 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

47 ( 34 ) STRANGE LITTLE GIRL Sad Cafe

48 ( 39 ) ARE YOU READY Billy Ocean

49 ( NEW ) DANCE STANCE Dexy’s Midnight Runners

50 ( 45 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

 

 

51 ( 46 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

52 ( 49 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

53 ( 50 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

54 ( 69 ) SINGING THE BLUES Dave Edmunds

55 ( 56 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

56 ( 43 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

57 ( 35 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

58 ( NEW ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

59 ( 38 ) TEARS OF A CLOWN The Beat

60 ( NEW ) TV The Flying Lizards

 

 

61 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

63 ( 58 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

64 ( 47 ) IS IT LOVE YOU'RE AFTER Rose Royce

65 ( 52 ) WORKING FOR THE YANKEE DOLLAR The Skids

66 ( NEW ) MUSIC MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE DANCING Brass Construction

67 ( RE ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

68 ( NEW ) SO LONELY The Police

69 ( 68 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

70 ( NEW ) FAN MAIL The Dickies

 

 

 

71 ( 57 ) MY FEET KEEP DANCING Chic

72 ( 70 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

73 ( NEW ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

74 ( 63 ) WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook

75 ( NEW ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

 

 

 

Feb 9 - 15 TV charts

1 Soap

2 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

3 MASH: film

4 Blake’s 7

5 MASH

6 Airport: film

7 Logan’s Run

8 Mork And Mindy

9 Barney Miller

10 Film 80

11 The Goodies

12 The Rockford Files

13 Hawaii 5-0

14 Top Of The Pops

15 Hollywood

 

 

In College days, poetry raised it’s head (sigh), a long list of friends dropping by chez John, outside the inner group too, and Hollywood featured Rudolf Valentino and Gloria Swanson - I was fascinated by then-ancient movie stars from long before I was born, it was like looking back in distant history: well, silent movies looked ancient, even if they were only 50 years or so earlier! A bit like a college student looking back to the 60’s now. I’m suddenly old! The Winter Olympics started this week, but it was overshadowed by the sudden death of David Janssen, an actor hero of mine, star of The Fugitive and Harry O, and the narrator of the epic-scaled Centennial mini-series. Only 49, he was just SO cool with that perfectly-phrased gravelly-voice. I was shocked.

 

Had an American geography exam, sat through a great John Davis lecture afterwards, and Max in Art was encouraging me to frame my latest prints and try and sell some. I had forgotten what a gem of encouragement Max was, given I spent years on the dole anyway I might as well have gone in for art rather than entirely waste my time applying for crap, soul-destroying tedious jobs. If only I knew then what I know now... The weekend I was glum in Mansfield, babysat for my little cousins, rachel letting it out that all of my budgies were dead (donated to Clipstone school) which didn’t make me happier as I was leaned on to get rid of them in the first place. Really, I think it was the realisation that my little glorious bubble-world of College was drawing to a close and I really didn’t like that thought at all.

26th February 1980

Blondie, boom, Atomic! 4th number one, after Denis, Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl. One of those instances, like Baker Street, where the single edit is the classic version, the album version meanders in the middle and loses the sheer power and urgency of the track, proving conclusively that sometimes less is more. Debbie Harry was never better than on Atomic, and as the world got very nervous about nuclear war just having Atomic as the title (it wasn’t really the hook, it was the only part of the track that wasn’t a hook!) gave it that extra topical zing. At 3 rockabilly rules, buzz buzz a diddle it, parp! Such fun! At the other end of the chart rockabilly future arrives as Shakin’ Stevens brings a Hot Dog into the chart. I would have preferred the much better song with that title by the Archies, mind you.

 

The Buggles peak at 4 for the second time, John Foxx hits 7, The Whispers 8, and showtune time at 10 with Marti Webb - no, take that look off your face, it’s fab! Peter Gabriel shows no frontiers can hold him back, chanting Jeux Sans Frontiers and beating the competition up to 16 from 58. Little bit of politics nod’s as good as a wink, eh, squire? Call the police! So Lonely? 40 places up to 28 and leapfrogging the Ramones quietly climbing to 30. The late Bon Scott leads AC/DC to 34, Touch Too Much, and The Flying Lizards get a second top 40, TV. Highest new entry, Rainbow are back with another pop metal singalong All Night Long, not quite as good as Since You’ve Been Gone, but Blackmore and Glover equals good enough for Deep Purple.

 

Hands off - she’s mine, exclaim The Beat at 48. OK, if you say so lads, the prettier face of ska and now not doing covers. Donna Summer’s back on the radio with a sprawling ballad/disco track at 60, Liquid Gold dance themselves dizzy (do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-dizzy!) with a bit of cheesy fun at 66, Joan Armatrading gets Rosie at 73 4 years after her classic Love And Affection, and Iron Maiden announce themselves while Running Free. At 75, part of the New Wave of British Heavy Music, sort of, and I certainly wouldn’t have put money on them churning out much the same stuff for the next 3 decades to a loyal fanbase. Hey ho.

 

 

 

1 ( 22 ) ATOMIC Blondie

2 ( 1 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

3 ( 6 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

4 ( 7 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

5 ( 5 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

6 ( 9 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

7 ( 10 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

8 ( 16 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

9 ( 2 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

10 ( 21 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

 

 

11 ( 4 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

12 ( 3 ) MY GIRL Madness

13 ( 8 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

14 ( 14 ) SAVE ME Queen

15 ( 25 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

16 ( 58 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

17 ( 17 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

18 ( 13 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

19 ( 11 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

20 ( 23 ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

 

 

21 ( 28 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

22 ( 35 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

23 ( 12 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

24 ( 36 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

25 ( 15 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

26 ( 20 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

27 ( 18 ) BABE Styx

28 ( 68 ) SO LONELY The Police

29 ( 24 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

30 ( 40 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

 

31 ( 19 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

32 ( 34 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

33 ( 29 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

34 ( 75 ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

35 ( 49 ) DANCE STANCE Dexy’s Midnight Runners

36 ( 32 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

37 ( 60 ) TV The Flying Lizards

38 ( 26 ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

39 ( 67 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

40 ( NEW ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

 

 

41 ( 27 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

42 ( 30 ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

43 ( 44 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

44 ( 33 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

45 ( 37 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

46 ( 42 ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

47 ( 38 ) MARTIAN HOP Rocky Sharpe and the Replays

48 ( NEW ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

49 ( 54 ) SINGING THE BLUES Dave Edmunds

50 ( 45 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

 

51 ( 52 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

52 ( 51 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

53 ( 53 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

54 ( 50 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

55 ( 31 ) MAMA’S BOY Suzi Quatro

56 ( 39 ) ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) Rupert Holmes

57 ( 55 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

58 ( 41 ) SPACER Sheila and B. Devotion

59 ( 46 ) SARA Fleetwood Mac

60 ( NEW ) ON THE RADIO Donna Summer

 

61 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

63 ( NEW ) TONIGHT Zane Griff

64 ( 56 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

65 ( 73 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

66 ( NEW ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

67 ( 63 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

68 ( 72 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

69 ( NEW ) MAYBE TOMORROW The Chords

70 ( 43 ) JAZZ CARNIVAL Azymuth

 

71 ( NEW ) HOT DOG Shakin’ Stevens

72 ( 69 ) COMPLEX Gary Numan

73 ( NEW ) ROSIE Joan Armatrading

74 ( 57 ) WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN Billy Preston and Syreeta

75 ( NEW ) RUNNING FREE Iron Maiden

 

 

 

TV feb 16-22

1 Thoroughly Modern Millie: film

2 The Kenny Everett Video Show

3 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

4 Soap

5 MASH

6 Top Of The Pops

7 Blake’s 7

8 The Rockford Files

9 Film 80

10 Wonder Woman

11 Barney Miller

12 World’s Apart

13 Parkinson (sat)

14 Police Story

15 The Blue Knight

 

In lectures, it was Great Expectations, outside lectures it was Blondie in at 3 on the UK charts (hooray!), lotsa socialising and laughs, and good TV (Blake’s 7, Rockford Files etc). I finally got around to developing the Paris art trip negatives, and printing my b&w USA prints in the darkroom. Some snooker, some Winter Olympics, some laughs and then Pete, Julie, Bev & I went to see The Exorcist in the Uni lounge. Some parts were sickening and disturbing, and I didn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as Alien, but the others were more impressed. The ending was quite shocking, though, and it left a disturbing after-memory...

 

Got my Geog exam results, which were good, and John Davies hinted my grades for American Studies were good for my degree. My expectations were optmistic based on what lecturers were telling me, for a Grade 1. If I’ve learnt anything in life, though, it’s to not bother being optimistic, it just leads to disappointment! The main problem being my tutors all liked me, and outside examiners didn’t know me from Adam. Drama in snooker: Bev wanted to join in on a game Pete, Sue Julie & I were already playing, but she didn’t want to start on the lowest score, which caused conflict and ill feeling, which I don’t deal well with, so I sent all the balls flying forcing a new game. Cue sulks from some parts. Top Of The Pops, I noted, was very good. Saturday evening Paul and Dave drove the gang in two cars to Nottingham for Pauline’s 21st birthday party, much laughter and dancing, I even did the hokey cokey, not something I ever planned to do! I was quite extrovert, for me, had a great time, and we drove back to Lincoln at midnight. On Sunday sci-fi drama with David Janssen in, Marooned, gave me an opportunity to repeat more than once the old gag about a ship carrying blue paint colliding with one carrying red paint, the crew were Marooned....ouch!

4th March 1980

2 weeks Atomic blasting for Blondie on top, with Peter Gabriel (plus Kate) climbing big-ly to 3 with a bit of political commentary, and Cliff managing another top 5 to add to his list - actually only his 6th in 12 years! The Gibson brothers get another top 10 (Cuba) and The Police make it 5 in a row as So Lonely hits 10. Highest new entry is Sammy Hagar at 18, who has done, it seems, everything for you, and presides over a mini-metal invasion as AC/DC hit 19 and Rainbow return to the 20 a second time with All Night Long.

 

The Beat return to the 40 with a second single, and Bowie’s back with a bizarre cover of Kurt Weil’s 1927 Alabama Song and a stark cover of his own Space Oddity tucked away on the B side. 36 is quite generous for what you might call Bowie’s least-commercial single outside of Tin Machine. At 43, The Vapors re-enter a bit higher this time, and at 46, the very pleasant Take A Little Rhythm, very US-radio-friendly pop from Ali Thompson. Squeeze have another nail for my heart new at 59, uptempo, clever pop as always, even if they tended not to have big hits from here on.

 

At 64, a fondly-recalled Canadian new-wave classic for Martha And The Muffins, Echo Beach just seems to have struck a chord with that generation including me. The Detroit Spinners enter at 66 with a cover of a little-known Four Seasons single (at that time) Working My Way Back To You, and they do it justice, on it’s way to the UK number one 7 years after debuting with the fab Could It Be I’m Falling In Love. At 70 it’s Kenny Loggins, and it’s not Footloose (still 4 years in the future), at 71 the absolutely gorgeous Longer, from Dan Fogelberg, gentle, classy, imacculate balladry. The Lambrettas mod-ify 50’s classic Poison Ivy at 72, The Eagles go out on a minor hit, but one of their best singles, I Can’t Tell You Why, a lovely country-rock ballad at 73, and M grab a 3rd chart entry at 75 - that’s the way the money goes!

 

1 ( 1 ) ATOMIC Blondie

2 ( 2 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

3 ( 16 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

4 ( 5 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

5 ( 6 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

6 ( 10 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

7 ( 3 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

8 ( 4 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

9 ( 32 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

10 ( 28 ) SO LONELY The Police

 

 

11 ( 7 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

12 ( 8 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

13 ( 24 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

14 ( 15 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

15 ( 9 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

16 ( 22 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

17 ( 11 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

18 ( NEW ) I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU Sammy Hagar

19 ( 34 ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

20 ( 40 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

 

21 ( 12 ) MY GIRL Madness

22 ( 17 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

23 ( 18 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

24 ( 19 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

25 ( 13 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

26 ( 14 ) SAVE ME Queen

27 ( 30 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

28 ( 39 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

29 ( 21 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

30 ( 48 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

 

31 ( 26 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

32 ( 29 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

33 ( 33 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

34 ( 66 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

35 ( 20 ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

36 ( NEW ) ALABAMA SONG/ SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

37 ( 27 ) BABE Styx

38 ( 25 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

39 ( 23 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

40 ( 36 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

 

41 ( 35 ) DANCE STANCE Dexy’s Midnight Runners

42 ( 43 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

43 ( RE ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

44 ( 31 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

45 ( 65 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

46 ( NEW ) TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM Ali Thompson

47 ( 41 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

48 ( 45 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

49 ( 60 ) ON THE RADIO Donna Summer

50 ( 53 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

 

51 ( 51 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

52 ( 52 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

53 ( 54 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

54 ( 50 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

55 ( NEW ) AT THE EDGE Stiff Little Fingers

56 ( 38 ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

57 ( 44 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

58 ( 57 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

59 ( NEW ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

60 ( 75 ) RUNNING FREE Iron Maiden

 

 

 

61 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

62 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

63 ( 49 ) SINGING THE BLUES Dave Edmunds

64 ( NEW ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

65 ( 42 ) TOO HOT Kool And The Gang

66 ( NEW ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

67 ( 64 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

68 ( 68 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

69 ( 37 ) TV The Flying Lizards

70 ( NEW ) THIS IS IT Kenny Loggins

 

 

71 ( NEW ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

72 ( NEW ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

73 ( NEW ) I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY The Eagles

74 ( 46 ) COWARD OF THE COUNTY Kenny Rogers

75 ( NEW ) THAT’S THE WAY THE MONEY GOES M

 

 

 

 

 

TV Feb 22-29

1 The Kenny Everett Video Show

2 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

3 British Rock and Pop Awards

4 Top Of The Pops

5 Blake’s 7

6 MASH

7 The Rockford Files

8 Film 80

9 Marooned

10 The Two Ronnies

 

 

 

College days, and the usual crowd for chats, quizzes, snooker and lectures. Fab! Had to read out a poem, called Pastoral, which went down rather well in English Lit, surprisingly. I didn’t even get embarrassed once. The new UK charts, I noted, were “excellent”: I stand by that opinion! Kenny Everett & Rockford Files were good on TV. The BRITS (aka British Rock & Pop Awards) were fab: The Police, Boomtown rats, Cliff, Macca, Specials, Gary Numan, Kate Bush. On Thursday I slaughtered all-comers at lunchtime snooker and crowed about it, I must have been giddy at it all as that’s just not me! In art I was working on supasized photos cut up and glued together on raised blocks for a 3D effect. Seemed like a good idea at the time....

 

The weekend was a hired car, and a group off for another 21st birthday bash (Jane Deacey), with a band playing, and with a group of college girl friends of hers, which would have been in Wolverhampton. Apparently. I actually have no memory of it, which is very sad to contemplate, I seem to have lost a day, even with photos I took - I must have them somewhere, but that might take a bit of researching! We stopped off for Nottingham shopping on the way back to Lincoln, which was eventful: I finally got hold of a copy of Zager & Evans’ In The Year 2525 after 11 years of trying, and also found a copy of a long-lost Legion of Super heroes comic I’d stupidly sold in 1972 - Adventure Comics 375. Hooray! The ten-pin bowling alley was closed, though, so doh! Back in my dorm room, my tape recorder and my record player turntable were on the joint failure, double disaster for me - at least I now had a cassette recorder player as back-up, I do believe in spares as a motto in life....

11th March 1980

3 weeks for Blondie bombing the competition, and Rock With You hits 2 for Michael Jackson. They both have returned to the singles charts in the years since, so I feel justified, yay! I look at the top 10 and I see a complete range of genres and styles that would be inconceivable in the current UK charts - New Wave, disco soul, showtune, carribbean, progrock, metal, reggaerock, synthballad, band pop, MOR pop. Awesome. The Tourists get a second top 10 hit, and AC/DC their first, the fabulous Touch Too Much.

 

Captain & Tennille return to the 20 for the first time in 4 years, their third trip to date, while the Beat get a second visit, and Liquid Gold a first. The Vapours finally start making moves, to 21, and Echo Beach crashes upwards in waves to 25, just ahead of Scotland’s Ali Thomson, Squeeze, B.A. Robertson and The Detroit Spinners. Few new entries this week, just Secret Affair’s best single at 48, the storming My World (play loud!), Rupert Holmes classy MOR Him at 58 (his 3rd hit) and another ska band debuting at 67 - the ever-fun and loveable Bad Manners, fronted by the unforgettable Buster Bloodvessel, and the tongue-twistingly funtastic Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu. The final new entry is a return for the Brothers Johnson, 3 or 4 years on from the fantastic Strawberry Letter 23, the almost-as-good Stomp. Fab.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) ATOMIC Blondie

2 ( 4 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

3 ( 6 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

4 ( 9 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

5 ( 3 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

6 ( 10 ) SO LONELY The Police

7 ( 2 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

8 ( 13 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

9 ( 14 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

10 ( 19 ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

 

11 ( 20 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

12 ( 28 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

13 ( 5 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

14 ( 30 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

15 ( 18 ) I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU Sammy Hagar

16 ( 16 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

17 ( 7 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

18 ( 34 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

19 ( 8 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

20 ( 11 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

 

21 ( 43 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

22 ( 15 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

23 ( 17 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

24 ( 12 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

25 ( 64 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

26 ( 46 ) TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM Ali Thomson

27 ( 23 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

28 ( 21 ) MY GIRL Madness

29 ( 59 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

30 ( 24 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

 

 

31 ( 66 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

32 ( 22 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

33 ( 36 ) ALABAMA SONG/ SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

34 ( 32 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

35 ( 31 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

36 ( 33 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

37 ( 25 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

38 ( 27 ) BABY I LOVE YOU The Ramones

39 ( 29 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

40 ( 45 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

 

41 ( 55 ) AT THE EDGE Stiff Little Fingers

42 ( 40 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

43 ( 42 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

44 ( 35 ) RIDERS IN THE SKY The Shadows

45 ( 37 ) BABE Styx

46 ( 26 ) SAVE ME Queen

47 ( 38 ) GREEN ONIONS Booker T. and The MG’s

48 ( NEW ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

49 ( 50 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

50 ( 51 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

 

 

51 ( 39 ) 7 TEEN The Regents

52 ( 52 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

53 ( 53 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

54 ( 54 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

55 ( 75 ) THAT’S THE WAY THE MONEY GOES M

56 ( 60 ) RUNNING FREE Iron Maiden

57 ( 72 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

58 ( NEW ) HIM Rupert Holmes

59 ( 61 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

60 ( 58 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

 

61 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

62 ( 47 ) PLEASE DON’T GO KC and The Sunshine Band

63 ( 48 ) I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU The Tourists

64 ( 71 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

65 ( 49 ) ON THE RADIO Donna Summer

66 ( 44 ) IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS Joe Jackson

67 ( NEW ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

68 ( 70 ) THIS IS IT Kenny Loggins

69 ( 41 ) DANCE STANCE Dexy’s Midnight Runners

70 ( 73 ) I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY The Eagles

 

 

 

71 ( 57 ) I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Dollar

72 ( 68 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

73 ( NEW ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

74 ( 67 ) ONE STEP BEYOND Madness

75 ( 56 ) CAPTAIN BEAKY Keith Michell

 

 

 

 

1st-7th march 1980 TV

1 The Kenny Everett Video Show

2 Soap

3 Blake’s 7

4 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

5 Butterflies

6 Holocaust (part 4)

7 Top Of The Pops

8 The Phil Silvers Show

9 Chopper Squad

10 Film 80

11 Tomorrow’s World

12 Barney Miller

13 New Maverick

14 Hanging By A Thread

15 Dallas

 

On TV Kenny Everett was still ruling the comedy world (with a fab assist from Cliff Richard being game for a laugh), followed by ground-breaking madcap sitcom Soap, Blake’s 7 was topping British drama for me, Dallas was building and building towards it’s classic year, and a remake of classic 50’s western Maverick, which made the brilliant James Garner a star, debuts with him returning along with the next generation of Maverick’s.

 

At college, lectures, snooker, various gang member combo chats as everyone still came, went, stayed, returned from teaching practice, while my world remained static and they revolved around me (from my point of view!) Pete, Ian, Sue, Julie, Paul, Jane, Bev, Alan and lesser peripheral friends. Jane, one night late, stayed to chat, and she’s such a good listener I admitted all my freaky obsessive pop-chart-compiling and other hobbies. Which I now post here!

 

This was also the week I hypochondriac’d myself to the college matron in the middle of the night with chronic stomache pains, panicking it was appendicitis, when it was most likely stress from running to get a deposit back to the garage we hired the weekend car from, and other stuff, like being faced with talking about looking for gainful employment before long. Wuss! The doctor called it a mild attack of gastro-enteritis. Didn’t feel mild!

18th March 1980

 

Lots of connections in the new chart, starting off with Daydream Believer entering twice, in at 1 as part of the Monkees EP of 4 big 60’s hits, I’m A Believer (already topped my chart in 1974 reissued), Last Train To Clarksville and A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You, and also in at 74 as covered by Anne Murray. Both acts are long-time faves, Anne for 10 years since I went mad on Snowbird, and The Monkees since 1967, when their groundbreaking pop group madcap sitcom was a huge fave of mine. I loved all of their records, almost all of them would have hit the top spot in charts I hypothetically might have compiled while passing happy days at RAF Valley on the glorious Isle Of Anglesey, through to RAF Swinderby near Lincoln. By 1974 when I bought their hits albums, there were many many album tracks which would have done the same. So it was only right this should have jumped in at 1, being a UK hit all over again. As John Peel commented on Roundtable at the time, in the late 60’s like most of the hippie rock fraternity and British media, The Monkees were regarded as manufactured and dismissed. By 1980, he admitted they’d dated way better than his beloved hippie records, and to boot had been influential on the next gen of rock stars. They also played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, admittedly after the initial batch of success. All four tracks are 10/10 brilliant, two of them Neil Diamond songs.

 

Captain And Tennille get a 3rd Top 10, Brothers Johnson stomp their way into it, and The Vapors even turn Japanese to break into the Top 10. Squeeze go up to 19, which lets me mention a future temporary member of Squeeze, Paul Carrack (Tempted), who was to later become a part of Mike + The Mechanics along with Sad Cafe lead singer Paul Young. Sad cafe get a 3rd hit in at 63, my oh my! Just to round it off, Mike himself is in at 70 with a solo entry just one spot of ahead of his band Genesis and their fabulous Turn It On Again. Former member of Genesis Peter gabriel is at 13, and Phil Collins was only months away from a solo classic. That concludes the Genesis Family Tree.

 

Some good disco at 23, Narada Michael Walden’s Tonight I’m Alright, Earth Wind & Fire at 50 are written in the stone, Suzi Quatro grabs another quick chart entry and Rush debut with classic metal anthem Spirit Of Radio at 56. Babs Dickson is back after a gap, for 4 years of hits with the sweet January February at 60, there’s Bodysnatchers girlgroup ska going Rocksteady at 61, and Jimmy Buffet debuts his Carribbean rock stylee at 62, as the Volcano blows, though it would be Maragaritaville that would become the karaoke classic, and he’s still going strong in Florida, having had a recent US hit with It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere. Pat Benatar also debuts with Heartbreaker, UB40 debut with the first of a very very long run of hits (see this weeks chart as I write March 2015) the double A King and the fantastic Food For Thought. Finally The Dooleys are back with a decent pop track, and Siouxsie has a happy house, and proves it by sounding distinctly unhappy at 75, but always good.

 

 

1 ( NEW ) MONKEES EP (LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE/ I’M A BELIEVER/ A LITTLE BIT ME A LITTLE BIT YOU/ DAYDREAM BELIEVER) The Monkees

2 ( 1 ) ATOMIC Blondie

3 ( 4 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

4 ( 6 ) SO LONELY The Police

5 ( 12 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

6 ( 11 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

7 ( 3 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

8 ( 8 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

9 ( 73 ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

10 ( 21 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

 

 

11 ( 2 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

12 ( 18 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

13 ( 5 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

14 ( 14 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

15 ( 7 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

16 ( 31 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

17 ( 13 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

18 ( 25 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

19 ( 29 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

20 ( 9 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

 

 

21 ( 16 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

22 ( 10 ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

23 ( NEW ) TONIGHT I’M ALRIGHT Narada Michael Walden

24 ( 33 ) ALABAMA SONG/ SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

25 ( 17 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

26 ( 48 ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

27 ( 22 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

28 ( 64 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

29 ( 15 ) I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU Sammy Hagar

30 ( 58 ) HIM Rupert Holmes

 

31 ( 19 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

32 ( 20 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

33 ( 23 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

34 ( 26 ) TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM Ali Thomson

35 ( 27 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

36 ( 24 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

37 ( 57 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

38 ( NEW ) HOLDIN’ ON Tony Rallo

39 ( 41 ) AT THE EDGE Stiff Little Fingers

40 ( 36 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

 

41 ( 35 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

42 ( 28 ) MY GIRL Madness

43 ( 30 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

44 ( 34 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

45 ( 32 ) JANE Jefferson Starship

46 ( NEW ) I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE Suzi Quatro

47 ( 67 ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

48 ( 42 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

49 ( 43 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

50 ( NEW ) IN THE STONE Earth Wind And Fire

 

51 ( 55 ) THAT’S THE WAY THE MONEY GOES M

52 ( 39 ) THREE MINUTE HERO The Selecter

53 ( 49 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

54 ( 50 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

55 ( 37 ) LIVING BY NUMBERS New Musik

56 ( NEW ) SPIRIT OF RADIO Rush

57 ( 52 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

58 ( 53 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

59 ( 54 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

60 ( NEW ) JANUARY FEBRUARY Barbara Dickson

 

 

61 ( NEW ) LET’S DO ROCK STEADY The Bodysnatchers

62 ( NEW ) VOLCANO Jimmy Buffet

63 ( NEW ) MY OH MY Sad Cafe

64 ( 60 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

65 ( 45 ) BABE Styx

66 ( NEW ) HEARTBREAKER Pat Benatar

67 ( 59 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

68 ( 61 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

69 ( NEW ) WARHEAD The UK Subs

70 ( NEW ) WORKING IN LINE Mike Rutherford

 

71 ( NEW ) TURN IT ON AGAIN Genesis

72 ( NEW ) LOVE PATROL The Dooleys

73 ( NEW ) FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ KING UB40

74 ( NEW ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER Anne Murray

75 ( NEW ) HAPPY HOUSE Siouxsie And The Banshees

 

 

 

 

 

TV 8th Mar - 14th Mar

1 The Kenny Everett Video Show

2 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

3 MASH

4 Blake’s 7

5 Butterflies

6 Top Of The Pops

7 Film 80

8 Barney Miller

9 The Phil Silvers Show

10 Happy Days

11 Life On Earth

12 Fuzz: film

13 Parkinson: Robert Redford

14 Hollywood

15 Harry O: Such Dust As Dreams Are Made Of

On TV a brilliant Kenny Everett episode, Panorama on the very topical nuclear issues, a growing concern for all sane people, had a discussion with Pete & Ian over whether films can be called good or bad, or whether it’s just a personal response. I say a crap film is crap by any assessment! Jane round to watch Life On Earth, David Attenborough’s ground-breaking series on life, the planet and everything. Fantastic. Had to fight to watch MASH during an evening of Ice Skating finals that everyone had come round to watch, on my TV - funny! Bumped into old schoolmate Pete Lambert in town, chat to catch up on stuff and others from school - one was in a band, some had failed their degree, some were working. I’d missed their company actually, I decided.

John, will I see Sue Wilkinson's classic hit in your chart ?

John, will I see Sue Wilkinson's classic hit in your chart ?

 

Hi Alex, I think it charted, but I honestly don't recall how high, but I wouldn't hold your breath for a Hustling top 10 (I dont have the notepad with August 1980 in it handy) - I think! :lol:

25th March 1980

 

2 weeks on top for the Monkees, track featured this time being Neil Diamond’s under-rated A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You, and Davy’s terrific vocals atop a classy pop production. Fab. Highest new entry, though, is The Jam, Going Underground at 10 and already outdoing all previous Jam singles bar Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, cos it was fab and they were on fire. The Detroit Spinners get their first top 10 since the reissue of Could It Be I’m Fallin’ In Love in 1977, also their first top 10 in 1973. Rush, literally, rush to 7, from 56 as Spirit Of Radio strikes a chord with me, a metal chord. From one Canadian act to another: Martha & The Muffins also pop in at 8, Echo Beach still fab.

 

The Bodysnatchers rocket-steady up pronto to 14, ah-hah, ah-hah, as the gorgeous Longer by Dan Fogelberg falls in just behind, and Barbara Dickson also belatedly for March, sings about January february at 25. BA Robertson is back in his Kaftan at 30, after inexplicably dis-robing for a week, and UB40’s sultry stylish reggae is fresh at 32. Bad Manners ne ne na na new new in the top 40 at 35, Genesis Turn it On Again at 39, and Suzi Quatro is at 37, I’ve Never Been In Love she says, I don’t believe you, says I as The Dooleys patrol a bit around about 40. Leaving few new entries, but Gerry Rafferty scrapes in at 75, bringing it home again and his 3rd in the chart, and The Motors return 2 years after Airport topping, Love And Loneliness not quite as classic, but decent enough.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) MONKEES EP (LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE/ I’M A BELIEVER/ A LITTLE BIT ME A LITTLE BIT YOU/ DAYDREAM BELIEVER) The Monkees

2 ( 2 ) ATOMIC Blondie

3 ( 10 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

4 ( 5 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

5 ( 16 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

6 ( 9 ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

7 ( 56 ) SPIRIT OF RADIO Rush

8 ( 18 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

9 ( 12 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

10 ( NEW ) GOING UNDERGROUND The Jam

 

11 ( 3 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

12 ( 6 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

13 ( 4 ) SO LONELY The Police

14 ( 61 ) LET’S DO ROCK STEADY The Bodysnatchers

15 ( 28 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

16 ( 19 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

17 ( 7 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

18 ( 14 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

19 ( 8 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

20 ( 13 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

 

 

21 ( 23 ) TONIGHT I’M ALRIGHT Narada Michael Walden

22 ( 11 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

23 ( 26 ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

24 ( 15 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

25 ( 60 ) JANUARY FEBRUARY Barbara Dickson

26 ( 17 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

27 ( 30 ) HIM Rupert Holmes

28 ( 50 ) IN THE STONE Earth Wind And Fire

29 ( 37 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

30 ( RE ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

 

31 ( 24 ) ALABAMA SONG/ SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

32 ( 73 ) FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ KING UB40

33 ( 38 ) HOLDIN’ ON Tony Rallo

34 ( 39 ) AT THE EDGE Stiff Little Fingers

35 ( 47 ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

36 ( 27 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

37 ( 46 ) I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE Suzi Quatro

38 ( 20 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

39 ( 71 ) TURN IT ON AGAIN Genesis

40 ( 72 ) LOVE PATROL The Dooleys

 

 

 

41 ( 21 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

42 ( 35 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

43 ( 40 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

44 ( 41 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

45 ( 25 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

46 ( 63 ) MY OH MY Sad Cafe

47 ( 44 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

48 ( 36 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

49 ( 33 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

50 ( 69 ) WARHEAD The UK Subs

 

51 ( 22 ) TOUCH TOO MUCH AC/DC

52 ( 49 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

53 ( 48 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

54 ( 43 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

55 ( 32 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

56 ( 31 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

57 ( 66 ) HEARTBREAKER Pat Benatar

58 ( 53 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

59 ( 54 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

60 ( 42 ) MY GIRL Madness

 

61 ( 62 ) VOLCANO Jimmy Buffet

62 ( 59 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

63 ( 58 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

64 ( 57 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

65 ( 29 ) I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU Sammy Hagar

66 ( 75 ) HAPPY HOUSE Siouxsie And The Banshees

67 ( 70 ) WORKING IN LINE Mike Rutherford

68 ( NEW ) DON’T PUSH IT DON’T FORCE IT Leon Haywood

69 ( 68 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

70 ( 67 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

 

 

 

71 ( NEW ) LOVE AND LONELINESS The Motors

72 ( 64 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

73 ( 34 ) TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM Ali Thomson

74 ( 74 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER Anne Murray

75 ( NEW ) BRING IT ALL HOME Gerry Rafferty

 

 

 

TV 15th - 22nd Mar

1 Soap

2 The Kenny Everett Video Show

3 Monte Carlo Or Bust: film

4 Barney Miller

5 Not The Least Of The 9 o’clock News

6 TISWAS

7 Top Of The Pops

8 The Phil Silvers Show

9 Blake’s 7

10 Friday Night Saturday Morning

11 Wonder Woman

12 Mork And Mindy

13 Film 80

14 Life On Earth

15 Butterflies

16 Chopper Squad

17 Private Eye

18 British Academy Awards

19 Tomorrow’s World

20 The World About Us

 

 

In the real world, it snowed all day on Monday, as I received careers advice on how to get into radio - to be honest it’s still the only job I want to do, and still waiting (but not presenting)! In college, we had a gang snow-ball fight, soon-to-be teachers and me, and it was fun. Oh yes it was! In art I was cutting up my mega Eiffel Tower print, in the UK chart world The Jam entered at 1, first time anyone had done that for 7 years, so that was news. Denise, one of the mature art students gave a talk on her friend Carla Lane - of The Liver Birds and Butterflies sitcom writer fame. Wish I’d tried to get sitcom writing advice through her now, another ambition never realised! At the Uni movie night it was One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, a powerful drama, and I got to get to know better Paul’s new first-year friend Jane, not a shy girl, but likeable. She died within a very few years, which was so tragic and unexpected. I have a photo of her smiling sat on my bed from around this time, my lasting image of her. For some sadistic reason the college decided to hold a 6.45 am fire drill, the gits, so it was an early breakfast on friday. Chatted a lot with Ian who was missing his school days, athletics featuring big for him. He was kinda left out a lot as he was a day student, even though he only lived round the corner that was enough to miss out on a lot of socialising and I think he regretted that for the whole 3 years. Then it was home for easter break, mum and dad fetching me in the car, me reverting back into stroppy morose ungrateful teenager for a weekend in Mansfield with mum, dad, Mark, Sue and my tropical fish and budgies, and babysitting for lil’ cousins Rachel & Lisa saturday night. On Sunday the topic of Christening came up (ie for me), not sure why but maybe related to brothers forthcoming wedding, but in any case I put a firm, and short “No!” boot in the idea of that. Never had been, and it would have been hypocritical to do it now when I had no religious convictions one way or another. Happy to respect others convictions, but my views of the universe are more large-scale and generalised.

 

1st April 1980

 

 

3 weeks for The Monkees at 1 as The Jam get their biggest hit at 2 and Martha has some beach muffins at 3, both climbing, but not in the climbing league of Genesis who rocket up to 4, Turn It On Again being their second top 5 hit, after Follow You Follow Me peaked at 3. One of those 3 climbers will knock off the Monkees next week! Meanwhile the lovely Longer lingers longingly at 8 for Dan Fogelberg, it deserved higher, and UB40 make the top 20 for the first time with their double A fabbie King and Food For Thought. If anyone had said this new band would have a worldwide career for 2 decades, and beyond, it would have sounded a good bet to take on against it being accurate, they just didn’t seem to have mass appeal in the early days with their laid-back social and political reggae.

 

Siouxsie And The Banshees have a happy house inside the top 40 for the fourth time, and Stevie Wonder is the highest new entry in a quiet week, at 36 with Outside My Window - presumably not Siouxsie’s Happy House though. Leon Haywood doesn’t push his way into the 40, and I didn’t force that sentence. Honest. Back at 42, 11-year-oldie The Liquidator, the instrumental reggae track is back thanks to the ska revival which referred back to early reggae classics like this one. The Buggles get a 3rd entry with Clean Clean, another forgotten minor goodie at 47, while at 55 Madness are still on a roll with 4th hit Night Boat To Cairo - it’s part of an EP technically, one I bought, but this was the track I loved so I exclude the others and focus on the nutty boys saxtastic ska romp, just brilliant. John Foxx is back again, but No-One’s Driving, another EP, and ditto the main track was the best track. That leaves Dr. Hook still heading downwards in quality and upward in sales, and Bette Bright new at 68 with Hello I Am Your Heart and another on the ska pop train.

 

 

 

1 ( 1 ) MONKEES EP (LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE/ I’M A BELIEVER/ A LITTLE BIT ME A LITTLE BIT YOU/ DAYDREAM BELIEVER) The Monkees

2 ( 10 ) GOING UNDERGROUND The Jam

3 ( 8 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

4 ( 39 ) TURN IT ON AGAIN Genesis

5 ( 2 ) ATOMIC Blondie

6 ( 5 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

7 ( 7 ) SPIRIT OF RADIO Rush

8 ( 15 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

9 ( 3 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

10 ( 6 ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

 

11 ( 11 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

12 ( 14 ) LET’S DO ROCK STEADY The Bodysnatchers

13 ( 32 ) FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ KING UB40

14 ( 12 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

15 ( 4 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

16 ( 16 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

17 ( 23 ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

18 ( 25 ) JANUARY FEBRUARY Barbara Dickson

19 ( 29 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

20 ( 13 ) SO LONELY The Police

 

 

21 ( 30 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

22 ( 9 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

23 ( 17 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

24 ( 35 ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

25 ( 18 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

26 ( 27 ) HIM Rupert Holmes

27 ( 19 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

28 ( 66 ) HAPPY HOUSE Siouxsie And The Banshees

29 ( 40 ) LOVE PATROL The Dooleys

30 ( 24 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

 

31 ( 20 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

32 ( 21 ) TONIGHT I’M ALRIGHT Narada Michael Walden

33 ( 22 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

34 ( 46 ) MY OH MY Sad Cafe

35 ( 26 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

36 ( NEW ) OUTSIDE MY WINDOW Stevie Wonder

37 ( 37 ) I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE Suzi Quatro

38 ( 36 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

39 ( 68 ) DON’T PUSH IT DON’T FORCE IT Leon Haywood

40 ( 28 ) IN THE STONE Earth Wind And Fire

 

41 ( 31 ) ALABAMA SONG/ SPACE ODDITY David Bowie

42 ( NEW ) THE LIQUIDATOR Harry J and The All Stars

43 ( 43 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

44 ( 42 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

45 ( 44 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

46 ( 47 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

47 ( NEW ) CLEAN CLEAN The Buggles

48 ( 38 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

49 ( 41 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

50 ( 71 ) LOVE AND LONELINESS The Motors

 

 

51 ( 52 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

52 ( 53 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

53 ( 57 ) HEARTBREAKER Pat Benatar

54 ( 48 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

55 ( NEW ) NIGHT BOAT TO CAIRO Madness

56 ( NEW ) SEXY EYES Dr. Hook

57 ( 45 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

58 ( 58 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

59 ( 59 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

60 ( 54 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

 

61 ( 34 ) AT THE EDGE Stiff Little Fingers

62 ( 49 ) SOMEONE’S LOOKING AT YOU The Boomtown Rats

63 ( 63 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

64 ( 62 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

65 ( 64 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

66 ( 67 ) WORKING IN LINE Mike Rutherford

67 ( 60 ) MY GIRL Madness

68 ( NEW ) HELLO I AM YOUR HEART Bette Bright

69 ( 69 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

70 ( 70 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

 

71 ( 55 ) UNDERPASS John Foxx

72 ( 75 ) BRING IT ALL HOME Gerry Rafferty

73 ( 56 ) THE PLASTIC AGE The Buggles

74 ( 72 ) JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (1972)/JOHN I’M ONLY DANCING (AGAIN) (1975) David Bowie

75 ( NEW ) NO-ONE DRIVING John Foxx

 

 

TV 22-28th Mar

 

1 Parkinson

2 The Outer Limits

3 Blake’s 7

4 Soap

5 The Kenny Everett Video Show

6 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

7 Top Of The Pops

8 Barney Miller

9 Tiswas

10 The Phil Silvers Show

11 Life On Earth

12 The Muppet Show

13 The British Eurovision Song Contest

14 Film 80

15 Happy Days

16 Mork And Mindy

17 Dallas

18 Private Eye

19 Hawaii 5-0

20 Wonder Woman

 

March 25th was a big day for me - at home in Mansfield for holidays, and it was dad’s last day in the RAF, and the end of the main part of my life, really - 22 years of constant moving, always new places, or returning to old places, never anywhere longer than 2 years in one go. Life was never quite the same again for me, and certainly much-less interesting being in civvie street. On TV Kenny Everett and Blake’s 7 were fab. Uncle Tony bought his mate Tony round, sports coach I think for Notts Forest FC or something, I’d not seen him in 5 years (an old RAF mate of dad’s both round to celebrate his joining them in the real world - or offer condolences, depends how you see it).

 

UK Eurovision song contest was on, I liked one which lost in a tie with the eventual Stephanie De Sykes Guys & Dolls clone winner, and another one I liked did badly (Midnite). Clive James was terrific on Parkinson, sadly Clive is currently terminally ill but battling on, and even better was a new American nutter comic who was “totally HILARIOUS”. His name was Steve Martin, and it was the funniest show I’d seen in ages. I became an instant fan. The wacky Carol Channing was on the Muppets, I always liked her. Did a cartoon of John Foxx to celebrate 2 tracks in my charts, and mum’s cousin Pauline rang with medical problems news, and I hoped it wasn’t serious as it sounded (she got through it all, thankfully). As I was in full 1970 Singapore nostalgia mode, I rescued some table coasters for drinks we bought there which were now tatty and old and in the bin. I still have them.

 

On saturday, Pete, Helen and Alan, college friends arrived to pick me up to travel to Julie’s for her 21st birthday bash in Camberbach, near Northwich. Her parents house was lovely and large, we took the micke out of poor JUlie sweating from rushing about, how cruel! Sue and Joe, Jane and Dave arrived, the disco started, and a fun evening had by all. Shared a room with the lads overnight, and back to Mansfield on Sunday by bus - at least that was the plan, so much dithering about by others meant it pulled out as we arrived. So I caught one to Derby, then to Mansfield. I arrived mid-chart-show right in the middle of new entry Ne Ne Na Na Na Na Nu Nu, so only got half on tape. Pah!

8th April 1980

 

The Jam get their first chart-topper as the unstoppable Going Underground shoves off The Monkees, and stops Genesis getting a first number one. Chuck in Madness rocketing up the Cairo aboard a Nightboat to 4, and a third consecutive top 5, and you have a pretty exciting top 4. Not to mention the smooth fab UB40 (soon to be my unemployment signing on UB40-form stylee signature tune) at 5, B.A. Robertson getting a hat-trick of top 10’s in his Kaftan, and the highest new entry at 7 from The Selecter, outdoing even debut On My Radio for a touch of sad melodic ska.

 

New at 26, Dexy’s second top 40, the classic sax riffs of the brilliant Geno, and their tribute to 60’s soul star Geno Washington. Just behind at 27, The Pretenders are the talk of the town, following up a chart-topper, and grabbing a 4th top 40, as John Foxx drives up to 32 for his 2nd top 40, and David Essex drives in from nowhere at 38 in his silver dream machine, looking like he’s going to overtake John Foxx on a bend. David had the advantage of starring in the movie about car racing, and he tots up a non-stop run of largely fab hits for 7 years. At 54, it’s Blondie in Giorgio Moroder stomping disco film theme mode as Call Me follows Atomic into the charts and Rose Royce are back with Ooh Boy - excuse the grammar when I refer to bands as “they” rather than “it”, I know they are viewed as an entity, but I see them as a group of individuals under a single name, in much the same way as 4 people not in band would be a “they”. So at 57, they are back for 3 years of hits!

 

Boys Cry, meanwhile, as Liverpool band Original Mirrors are at 61, and Manchester-based 10CC are back 8 years on with 125 at 72 - lotsa numbers, it’s really about one hundred and twenty five beats per minute and dancing. The Undertones keep their run of great chart entries coming as they reminisce about their perfect cousin at 74 and reference the soon-to-be-big Human League, as Judas Priest sneak in at 75 Living After Midnight, though I don’t know how as it wasn’t one I liked much to start with, then grew to hate with airplay. Hey ho!

 

 

1 ( 2 ) GOING UNDERGROUND The Jam

2 ( 4 ) TURN IT ON AGAIN Genesis

3 ( 1 ) MONKEES EP (LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE/ I’M A BELIEVER/ A LITTLE BIT ME A LITTLE BIT YOU/ DAYDREAM BELIEVER) The Monkees

4 ( 55 ) NIGHT BOAT TO CAIRO Madness

5 ( 13 ) FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ KING UB40

6 ( 21 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

7 ( NEW ) MISSING WORDS The Selecter

8 ( 17 ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

9 ( 3 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

10 ( 5 ) ATOMIC Blondie

 

 

11 ( 12 ) LET’S DO ROCK STEADY The Bodysnatchers

12 ( 19 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

13 ( 24 ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

14 ( 6 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

15 ( 10 ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

16 ( 18 ) JANUARY FEBRUARY Barbara Dickson

17 ( 7 ) SPIRIT OF RADIO Rush

18 ( 8 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

19 ( 9 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

20 ( 11 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

 

21 ( 16 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

22 ( 22 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

23 ( 14 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

24 ( 15 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

25 ( 26 ) HIM Rupert Holmes

26 ( NEW ) GENO Dexy’s Midnight Runners

27 ( NEW ) TALK OF THE TOWN The Pretenders

28 ( 28 ) HAPPY HOUSE Siouxsie And The Banshees

29 ( 20 ) SO LONELY The Police

30 ( 34 ) MY OH MY Sad Cafe

 

 

31 ( 23 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

32 ( 75 ) NO-ONE DRIVING John Foxx

33 ( 37 ) I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE Suzi Quatro

34 ( 56 ) SEXY EYES Dr. Hook

35 ( 36 ) OUTSIDE MY WINDOW Stevie Wonder

36 ( 39 ) DON’T PUSH IT DON’T FORCE IT Leon Haywood

37 ( 30 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

38 ( NEW ) SILVER DREAM MACHINE David Essex

39 ( 31 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

40 ( 29 ) LOVE PATROL The Dooleys

 

41 ( 27 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

42 ( 42 ) THE LIQUIDATOR Harry J and The All Stars

43 ( 47 ) CLEAN CLEAN The Buggles

44 ( 33 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

45 ( 35 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

46 ( 53 ) HEARTBREAKER Pat Benatar

47 ( 38 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

48 ( 44 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

49 ( 45 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

50 ( 46 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

 

51 ( 43 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

52 ( 50 ) LOVE AND LONELINESS The Motors

53 ( 25 ) HANDS OFF - SHE’S MINE The Beat

54 ( NEW ) CALL ME Blondie

55 ( 51 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

56 ( 52 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

57 ( NEW ) OOH BOY Rose Royce

58 ( 58 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

59 ( 59 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

60 ( 32 ) TONIGHT I’M ALRIGHT Narada Michael Walden

 

61 ( NEW ) BOYS CRY Original Mirrors

62 ( 60 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

63 ( 63 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

64 ( 64 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

65 ( 65 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

66 ( 54 ) AND THE BEAT GOES ON The Whispers

67 ( 72 ) BRING IT ALL HOME Gerry Rafferty

68 ( 69 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

69 ( 70 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

70 ( 57 ) BUZZ BUZZ A DIDDLE IT Matchbox

 

71 ( 48 ) SO GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN The Tourists

72 ( NEW ) 125 10CC

73 ( 49 ) I CAN’T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN Elvis Costello

74 ( NEW ) MY PERFECT COUSIN The Undertones

75 ( NEW ) LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT Judas Priest

 

 

TV 29th mar - 5th apr

1 Blake’s 7

2 The Kenny Everett Video Show

3 Butterflies

4 The Outer Limits

5 Top Of The Pops

6 Jan And Dean: TV film

7 Question Time

8 Tiswas

9 Film 80

10 Not The 9 O’Clock News

11 Police Story

12 The Muppet Show: Diana Ross

13 Private Eye

14 Life On Earth

15 S.P.Y.

 

On TV: little bit of politics with Question Time and I raved about one guest, the young black NUS president Trevor Phillips (and future Peter Mandelson mate and controversial policy critic); some kiddie slapstick with Tiswas, a biopic on 60‘s surfer pop duo Jan And Dean, and a classic sci-fi season end Blake’s 7 episode on top. Fab! I had a day in Nottingham, with Aunty Eileen, Uncle Tony, and mum and dad, and bought some DC comics, and got some back issues from the comic shop, and was amazed at how familiar Wonder Woman issue 93 was, considering I’d not read it for 10 years (in Singapore). Got a Leif Garrett picture disc single, I Got You Babe and Telegram Sam, and a pair of jeans that were far too tight to wear when I got them home (I felt obliged to take them after the assistant went up and down ladders about 10 times trying to find a pair that fit me. Idiot!). Watched a Eurovision TV preview of the contest and rated Austria and Luxembourg as bing bang bong oldstyle winners. Happily wrong there...

15th April 1980

 

Madness get their first chart-topper, as Night Boat To Cairo sails away ahead of the rest for a terrific bit of nutty-boy ska, which is bad news for UB40 stuck at 2. UB40 have never managed to beat this peak position, despite coming close many times, quite probably the most successful act never to top my charts, though lead singer Ali Campbell did at least manage it solo in 1995. Dexy’s Geno leaps into the top 10, outdoing Dance Stance, as another ska track from The Bodysnatchers joins the reggae top 10 party.

 

Blondie rocket to 11, overtaking Atomic, as American Gigolo dance theme races to the top of the UK and US charts. Into the 20: Siouxsie, The Pretenders, David Essex, not a bad list. At 36, highest new entry is a bit of Bach - better late than never - as Sky do a pumped-up version of Toccata and Fugue, John Williams of the band following-up his 1979 version of The Deer Hunter. Meanwhile, The Undertones go top 40 with their Cuz, ahead of a bunch of new entries: Smokie at 54 doing a reasonable version of the much better Bobby Vee original Take Good Care Of My Baby, as their 5-year-run of singles was about to run out of steam. At 58, Pete Townsend finally gets a solo hit 7 years after Roger Daltrey managed it with Townsend’s own I’m Free and Leo Sayer’s Giving It All away: Rough Boys is his best solo single, still.

 

Tom Petty has Refugee enter at 61, which extends his run to 3 years, and Graham Gouldman from 10CC has a solo entry from movie Animalympics, and some 14 years since he started his teenage hit-songwriting career for The Hollies and The Yardbirds. Lene Lovich entries seem to be getting smaller, but Billy Joel says it’s for Lene. I mean Leyna. Elvis Costello is in Hi-Fidelity, years before he was in Austin Powers, and Saxon debut with some metal wheels of steel. Sounds like a bumpy ride.

 

 

1 ( 4 ) NIGHT BOAT TO CAIRO Madness

2 ( 5 ) FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ KING UB40

3 ( 2 ) TURN IT ON AGAIN Genesis

4 ( 3 ) MONKEES EP (LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE/ I’M A BELIEVER/ A LITTLE BIT ME A LITTLE BIT YOU/ DAYDREAM BELIEVER) The Monkees

5 ( 6 ) KOOL IN THE KAFTAN B.A. Robertson

6 ( 7 ) MISSING WORDS The Selecter

7 ( 1 ) GOING UNDERGROUND The Jam

8 ( 26 ) GENO Dexy’s Midnight Runners

9 ( 11 ) LET’S DO ROCK STEADY The Bodysnatchers

10 ( 8 ) MY WORLD Secret Affair

 

 

11 ( 54 ) CALL ME Blondie

12 ( 9 ) ECHO BEACH Martha And The Muffins

13 ( 27 ) TALK OF THE TOWN The Pretenders

14 ( 16 ) JANUARY FEBRUARY Barbara Dickson

15 ( 10 ) ATOMIC Blondie

16 ( 12 ) POISON IVY The Lambrettas

17 ( 28 ) HAPPY HOUSE Siouxsie And The Banshees

18 ( 14 ) WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU The Detroit Spinners

19 ( 13 ) NE-NE-NA-NA-NA-NA-NU-NU Bad Manners

20 ( 38 ) SILVER DREAM MACHINE David Essex

 

 

21 ( 17 ) SPIRIT OF RADIO Rush

22 ( 25 ) HIM Rupert Holmes

23 ( 15 ) STOMP The Brothers Johnson

24 ( 30 ) MY OH MY Sad Cafe

25 ( 34 ) SEXY EYES Dr. Hook

26 ( 19 ) TURNING JAPANESE The Vapors

27 ( 20 ) CUBA The Gibson Brothers

28 ( 43 ) CLEAN CLEAN The Buggles

29 ( 32 ) NO-ONE DRIVING John Foxx

30 ( 22 ) DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold

 

31 ( 18 ) LONGER Dan Fogelberg

32 ( 21 ) ANOTHER NAIL FOR MY HEART Squeeze

33 ( 35 ) OUTSIDE MY WINDOW Stevie Wonder

34 ( 42 ) THE LIQUIDATOR Harry J and The All Stars

35 ( 46 ) HEARTBREAKER Pat Benatar

36 ( NEW ) TOCCATA Sky

37 ( 23 ) ALL NIGHT LONG Rainbow

38 ( 29 ) SO LONELY The Police

39 ( 74 ) MY PERFECT COUSIN The Undertones

40 ( 24 ) DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME Captain and Tennille

 

41 ( 31 ) TAKE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE Marti Webb

42 ( 36 ) DON’T PUSH IT DON’T FORCE IT Leon Haywood

43 ( 37 ) I HEAR YOU NOW Jon And Vangelis

44 ( 39 ) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS Peter Gabriel

45 ( 40 ) LOVE PATROL The Dooleys

46 ( 41 ) TOGETHER WE ARE BEAUTIFUL Fern Kinney

47 ( 49 ) I HAVE A DREAM Abba

48 ( 48 ) BRASS IN POCKET The Pretenders

49 ( 47 ) TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG The Special AKA

50 ( 51 ) WALKING ON THE MOON The Police

 

51 ( 50 ) ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) Pink Floyd

52 ( 44 ) ROCK WITH YOU Michael Jackson

53 ( 45 ) CARRIE Cliff Richard

54 ( NEW ) TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY Smokie

55 ( 55 ) CONFUSION/ LAST TRAIN TO LONDON E.L.O.

56 ( 33 ) I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE Suzi Quatro

57 ( 56 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues

58 ( NEW ) ROUGH BOYS Pete Townsend

59 ( 58 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

60 ( 59 ) DON'T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.

 

61 ( NEW ) REFUGEE Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

62 ( NEW ) LOVE’S NOT FOR ME (from ANIMALYMPICS) Graham Gouldman

63 ( 52 ) LOVE AND LONELINESS The Motors

64 ( 63 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac

65 ( 64 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba

66 ( 65 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police

67 ( 62 ) SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN The Bee Gees

68 ( NEW ) WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT YOU Lene Lovich

69 ( NEW ) ALL FOR LEYNA Billy Joel

70 ( 68 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty

 

71 ( 69 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

72 ( 57 ) OOH BOY Rose Royce

73 ( 75 ) LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT Judas Priest

74 ( NEW ) HIGH-FIDELITY Elvis Costello

75 ( NEW ) WHEELS OF STEEL Saxon

 

 

 

5-11th April TV

1 Support Your Local Sheriff: film

1 Some Like It Hot: film

1 Soap

4 Where Angels Go Trouble Follows: film

5 Tiswas

6 The Sound Of Music: film

7 Top Of The Pops

8 Parkinson: Bette Midler

9 The Outer Limits

10 Not The 9 O’Clock News

 

11 Omnibus: Chuck Jones (Road Runner & co)

12 Barney Miller

13 Butterflies

14 Plaza Suite: film

15 The Risk Business

16 They Shoot Horses Don’t They: film

17 James Burke

18 Dallas

19 Mork And Mindy

20 Bee Gees Special

 

On TV lots of holiday movie faves, one of them not been on since I think (Where Angels Go Trouble Follows, a comedy nun movie and sort of early Sister Act with the fab Stella Stevens, Susan Saint James and Rosalind Russell, and also Dolores Sutton who actually WAS in Sister Act as well as a nun). Bette Midler was manic and hilarious on Parkinson, while Omnibus gave Road Runner & Wile E Coyote creator Chuck Jones the in-depth appreciation (and well-deserved). On the radio, Ian Dury was on Rosko’s Roundtable reviewing the latest single releases. On classic sitcom Soap, there were flying saucers, possessed babies, an insulting puppet, and more. What’s not to love!?! On saturday kiddies show TISWAS there was John Peel, The Bodysnatchers, The Specials and Cozy Powell. Meanwhile on Dallas, the villainous JR Ewing, as played by the fab Larry Hagman, had me smirking throughout. Dallas always knew it was part-comedy, rival Dynasty mistakingly thought it was a sitcom. Went to see LIfe OF Brian again at the cinema, convinced it was an all-time classic. Malcolm Muggeridge was on TV blasting the movie, calling it inconsequential and that it would be forgotten fairly quickly. “I think it’ll last and outlive him for sure” I ventured correctly, if bitterly. Finally, the second Eurovision preview was on TV, and I tipped Greece and Austria, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland. Ireland won, of course, Switzerland 4th.