1st January 1985

 

Back up to Number One for a second week for Wham! and their classic Last Christmas, while christmas songs elsewhere rise to new peaks: Gary Glitter at 6, Captain Sensible at 22, Queen at 37, Alvin Stardust at 38. Tears For Fears brilliant Shout hits a new peak of 3, as Strawberry Switchblade’s brilliant Since Yesterday hits 4. Alison Moyet gets her 2nd solo top 10, Invisible at 8, and Bob Marley returns to the top 10 Could You Be Loved back in for the first time in over 4 years.

 

Ashord and Simpson hit a new peak of 16, Paul Young’s changing at 20, and Kim Wilde’s touching 40, but really not much post-christmas movement and only 3 new entries: another quick new one from Stevie Wonder while his last single hangs about in flight, he’s also advising for the new year Don’t Drive Drunk. Good advice at 43. The Art Of Noise re-enter at 66, Close To The Edit all Trevor-Horned-up. Finally, Meatloaf is going Nowhere Fast at 75.

 

 

1 ( 2 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

2 ( 1 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

3 ( 9 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

4 ( 12 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

5 ( 4 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

6 ( 7 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

7 ( 3 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

8 ( 11 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

9 ( 13 ) COULD YOU BE LOVED Bob Marley And The Wailers

10 ( 5 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

 

11 ( 6 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

12 ( 8 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

13 ( 20 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

14 ( 18 ) LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME The Thompson Twins

15 ( 14 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

16 ( 29 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

17 ( 31 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

18 ( 17 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

19 ( 15 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

20 ( 26 ) EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Paul Young

 

21 ( 10 ) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Slade

22 ( 39 ) ONE CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE Captain Sensible

23 ( 19 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

24 ( 25 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

25 ( 16 ) FRESH Kool And The Gang

26 ( 21 ) LOUISE Human League

27 ( 23 ) ALL JOIN HANDS Slade

28 ( 33 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

29 ( 22 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

30 ( 32 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

 

 

31 ( 36 ) NELLIE THE ELEPHANT The Toy Dolls

32 ( 28 ) HARD HABIT TO BREAK Chicago

33 ( 35 ) STRANGER IN TOWN Toto

34 ( 27 ) ROUND AND ROUND Spandau Ballet

35 ( 43 ) BIG DEAL (THEME) Bobby G

36 ( 30 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

37 ( 37 ) THANK GOD IT’S CHRISTMAS Queen

38 ( 40 ) SO NEAR TO CHRISTMAS Alvin Stardust

39 ( 24 ) TEARDROPS Shakin’ Stevens

40 ( 47 ) THE TOUCH Kim Wilde

 

 

 

41 ( 34 ) TREAT HER LIKE A LADY The Temptations

42 ( 50 ) SOUL DEEP The Council Collective

43 ( NEW ) DON’T DRIVE DRUNK Stevie Wonder

44 ( 41 ) LET IT ALL BLOW The Dazz Band

45 ( 38 ) SEND MY HEART The Adventures

46 ( 57 ) THE ROSE IS SOWN Big Country

47 ( 60 ) I WOULD DIE 4 U Prince

48 ( 68 ) OUT OF TOUCH Daryl Hall and John Oates

49 ( 44 ) CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) Billy Ocean

50 ( 64 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

 

 

 

51 ( 46 ) NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS Paul McCartney

52 ( 48 ) RESPECT YOURSELF The Kane Gang

53 ( 53 ) DO THE CONGA Black Lace

54 ( 55 ) VALOTTE Julian Lennon

55 ( 42 ) THE MEDAL SONG Culture Club

56 ( 59 ) I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER Jim Diamond

57 ( 54 ) DRIVE The Cars

58 ( 45 ) LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT Stevie Wonder

59 ( 51 ) THE VOICE The Moody Blues

60 ( 56 ) THE NEVER ENDING STORY Limahl

 

61 ( 52 ) PRIVATE DANCER Tina Turner

62 ( 49 ) YOU MIGHT THINK The Cars

63 ( 63 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

64 ( 61 ) HALF A MINUTE Matt Bianco

65 ( 69 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

66 ( RE ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

67 ( 62 ) WARNING SIGN Nick Heyward

68 ( 58 ) STRUT Sheena Easton

69 ( 71 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

70 ( 73 ) SEPTEMBER SONG Ian McCulloch

 

 

 

71 ( 66 ) NO MERCY The Stranglers

72 ( 70 ) MADAME BUTTERFLY Malcolm McLaren

73 ( 65 ) I’M A LITTLE CHRISTMAS CRACKER The Bouncing Czecks

74 ( 74 ) NEVER LET HER SLIP AWAY Trevor Walters

75 ( NEW ) NOWHERE FAST Meatloaf

 

TV: Dec 29 1984 - Jan 4 1985

1. Star Wars: film

2. Superman II: film

3. Another Audience With Dame Edna

4. Gallipoli: film

5. The Towering Inferno: film

6. The Wizard Of Oz: film

7. Duck Soup: film

8. The Deer Hunter: film

9. Morecambe & Wise Classics

10. Top Of The Pops

11. Diced Carrott

12. Dr. No: film

13. The Incredible Shrinking Woman: film

14. Dallas

15. Kramer vs Kramer: film

 

 

TV over the holiday period is pure domination of classic movies, and of course Star Wars is on top, just ahead of Superman II. More surprisingly, quite high is the Australian war movie Gallipoli, one I’ve not seen since I think, and should check out again. In the TV comedian stakes, Dame Edna comes out on top, being as Barry Humphries was at his peak, ahead of Morecambe & Wise and Jasper Carrott.

 

Christmas in Blidworth turned out to be a series of family arguments, tiffs, sulks and storming-off’s. Happy days. Back to Poole, and some time to myself as I developed a cold from the cold North and stress. New Years Eve was spent with parents on the Marines camp, though they went to a party and I at last said “good riddance” to a rotten year on my own.

8th January 1985

 

I hit 27 years old with nothing much achieved, and nothing much on the horizon, but at least Wham! have Everything She Wants at number one, as radio flips from playing Last Christmas to the sultry other A side that had been overshadowed so far. In the USA both tracks were released separately and Everything She Wants topped on it’s own merits. In the UK 2-fer-1, hooray! Foreigner go top 5 for the first ever time, Ashford & Simpson go top 10 for the first time as artists, and plenty of tracks go back up or re-enter after the year-end run-downs, but I’ll ignore all of them and look at the new...

 

Sal Solo’s traditional-hymn-sounding San Damiano is up to 13, Bronski Beat’s actual old It Ain’t Necessarily So is at 20, and highest new entry is an immaculate Bucks Fizz, the recovering Mike Nolan after brain surgery following their coach crash, and one spot ahead of Bobby G’s TV theme. I Hear Talk is one of their best records and picked up a fair bit of good-will at the time, classy and beautifully-produced. Smiley Culture is in at 40, meanwhile, with Police Officer and his Cockney-Jamaican reggae vocal style, ending up influencing later much bigger cockney-rap stars. Smiley killed himself during a police raid in 2011, which sort of removes the upbeat mood somewhat from the record.

 

60’s and 70’s soul/Philly greats The Intruders have a welcome return at 45 with Who Do You Love, some 11 years since their last chart entry, Win Place Or Show (She’s A Winner). Also starting his chart career in 1974, Billy Ocean confirms his revival as the guitar-riffed funky Loverboy pops in at 48, complete with great aliens video (for the time). Melle Mel appears to have promoted himself to Grandmaster for his solo follow-up to the classic White Lines, Step Off. I think Bud in brilliant blue-collar sitcom Married:With Children also promoted himself to the Grandmaster B some years later, so it must have caught on.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

2 ( 4 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

3 ( 3 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

4 ( 5 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

5 ( 13 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

6 ( 6 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

7 ( 2 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

8 ( 12 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

9 ( 10 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

10 ( 16 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

 

11 ( 11 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

12 ( 17 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

13 ( 28 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

14 ( 14 ) LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME The Thompson Twins

15 ( 15 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

16 ( 7 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

17 ( 8 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

18 ( 20 ) EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Paul Young

19 ( 18 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

20 ( 30 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

 

21 ( 19 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

22 ( 22 ) ONE CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE Captain Sensible

23 ( 9 ) COULD YOU BE LOVED Bob Marley And The Wailers

24 ( 24 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

25 ( 25 ) FRESH Kool And The Gang

26 ( 40 ) THE TOUCH Kim Wilde

27 ( 26 ) LOUISE Human League

28 ( 27 ) ALL JOIN HANDS Slade

29 ( 33 ) STRANGER IN TOWN Toto

30 ( 31 ) NELLIE THE ELEPHANT The Toy Dolls

 

31 ( 23 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

32 ( NEW ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

33 ( 35 ) BIG DEAL (THEME) Bobby G

34 ( 34 ) ROUND AND ROUND Spandau Ballet

35 ( 48 ) OUT OF TOUCH Daryl Hall and John Oates

36 ( 43 ) DON’T DRIVE DRUNK Stevie Wonder

37 ( 21 ) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Slade

38 ( 32 ) HARD HABIT TO BREAK Chicago

39 ( 29 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

40 ( NEW ) POLICE OFFICER Smiley Culture

 

 

41 ( 36 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

42 ( 42 ) SOUL DEEP The Council Collective

43 ( 41 ) TREAT HER LIKE A LADY The Temptations

44 ( 68 ) STRUT Sheena Easton

45 ( NEW ) WHO DO YOU LOVE The Intruders

46 ( 38 ) SO NEAR TO CHRISTMAS Alvin Stardust

47 ( 44 ) LET IT ALL BLOW The Dazz Band

48 ( NEW ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

49 ( 50 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

50 ( 54 ) VALOTTE Julian Lennon

 

 

51 ( RE ) WHITE LINES (DON’T DON’T DO IT) Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel

52 ( 49 ) CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) Billy Ocean

53 ( 47 ) I WOULD DIE 4 U Prince

54 ( 37 ) THANK GOD IT’S CHRISTMAS Queen

55 ( 39 ) TEARDROPS Shakin’ Stevens

56 ( 66 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

57 ( NEW ) STEP OFF Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five

58 ( 51 ) NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS Paul McCartney

59 ( 56 ) I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER Jim Diamond

60 ( RE ) FREEDOM Wham!

 

 

 

61 ( 57 ) DRIVE The Cars

62 ( 71 ) NO MERCY The Stranglers

63 ( 63 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

64 ( 60 ) THE NEVER ENDING STORY Limahl

65 ( 45 ) SEND MY HEART The Adventures

66 ( 46 ) WHERE THE ROSE IS SOWN Big Country

67 ( RE ) AGADOO Black Lace

68 ( 55 ) THE MEDAL SONG Culture Club

69 ( 69 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

70 ( 72 ) MADAME BUTTERFLY Malcolm McLaren

 

71 ( RE ) I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU Stevie Wonder

72 ( 53 ) DO THE CONGA Black Lace

73 ( 59 ) THE VOICE The Moody Blues

74 ( 62 ) YOU MIGHT THINK The Cars

75 ( NEW ) TELL ME GIRL Scary Thieves

 

TV: Jan 5-11th

1. Star Trek: The Squire Of Gothos

2. It’ll Be Alright On The Night 4

3. Another Audience With Dame Edna

4. Gregory’s Girl: film

5. Top Of The Pops

6. Doctor Who

7. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

8. The Phil Silvers Show

9. The Addams Family

10. Spitting Image

 

Back to work for me, still stressed about the driving of my car-share driver and trying to tactfully tell her to slow down, then when that didn’t work tried the more direct “I may have to get alternative arrangements” hinting. Bob at work was good fun, and I generally came to the conclusion I needed to go out and socialise, missing my college friends a LOT, and also I needed to come up with some sort of goals to aim for, including getting my own transport. My first nephew was born the day after my birthday, Gavin just missed it by an hour and a half! Anything to be awkward, though he did hit my Aunty’s birthday, and mum and dad hot-footed up to Mansfield to see him while I verbally snapped at my boss at work. He got his own back, making me work outside in the freezing cold for hours, hands frozen to the computer, to teach me a lesson. I already knew he was a so and so, though, so didn’t learn anything new. He also kept quiet about us needlessly putting in annual leave for New Years Eve, so Bob and I both lost a days pay for nothing. Our fault apparently....

15th January 1985

 

 

First new number of 1985 is the fabulous Strawberry Switchblade, there’s nothing not to love about the record, from the girls polka-dot obsessed video and image, to the 80’s-production values on a great melodic song. Upbeat, positive and joyous, I don’t see how anyone can not like it! The only downside is the equally great Shout peaks at 2 for a 2nd Tears For Fears classic falling short at the final hurdle. Or Durdle (Dore) video-wise. Salo Solo does what Classix Nouveau never managed, meanwhile - he gets into the 10!

 

The charts finally get some action as This Island Earth rocket to 21, Dead Or Alive re-enter even higher after a short break out the chart, with the exciting You Spin Me Round, and Imagination return with Thank You My Love for 4 years of chart entries, it’s pleasant enough. The better stuff is lower down though, as Abba jump in at 31 - well, again it’s Bjorn and Benny, and Chess, and two musical dependables, Barbara Dickson (giving her 9 years since Answer Me hit 2) and Elaine Paige (6 years since Evita), duetting the great I Know Him So Well. It could have been awesome though if the boys had got Frida and Agnetha duetting instead, oh, and just called it an Abba record. Doh!

 

Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark again, after going top 40 in the summer of 84, Yah Mo B There is also back a year or so on, at 38, for James Ingram and Michael McDonald, while buzz act of January 1985 (ie most-hyped by the record industry) were King, long-hair and coloured Doc Martens. Love And Pride wasn’t bad though, and in at 44, ahead of Eurythmics 1984 movie ballad, Julia, at 52, and Amii Stewart’s return after a gap of 5 years with Friends at 56. Best of all though it’s Bryan Adams giving it some Canadian rock oomph as he debuts at 59 with the frankly wonderful, exciting Run To You, still his best record. Ol’ Bry went on to mega success of course, and mega-hate thanks to THAT record, but if you need convincing he’s all right, take a gander at the guitar work, the shouty growled chorus, and the ominous, frantic mood of this track.

 

Others: Chaka Khan’s back, Malcolm McLaren’s still in an opera groove, The Colourfield debut (aka Terry Hall’s third band, he just can’t seem to settle down, having left The Specials at their peak, and the Fun Boy Three at their peak. Not a problem with The Colourfield, as they never peaked at anything), and finally Lou Reed pops in briefly with Suzanne some 12 years after taking a much more impressive Walk On The Wild Side.

 

 

1 ( 2 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

2 ( 3 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

3 ( 5 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

4 ( 4 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

5 ( 1 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

6 ( 13 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

7 ( 10 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

8 ( 8 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

9 ( 9 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

10 ( 6 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

 

11 ( 17 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

12 ( 14 ) LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME The Thompson Twins

13 ( 7 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

14 ( 20 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

15 ( 11 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

16 ( 15 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

17 ( 12 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

18 ( 24 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

19 ( 19 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

20 ( 16 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

 

21 ( 49 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

22 ( 18 ) EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Paul Young

23 ( 21 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

24 ( 32 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

25 ( RE ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

26 ( NEW ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

27 ( 25 ) FRESH Kool And The Gang

28 ( 23 ) COULD YOU BE LOVED Bob Marley And The Wailers

29 ( 30 ) NELLIE THE ELEPHANT The Toy Dolls

30 ( 40 ) POLICE OFFICER Smiley Culture

 

 

31 ( NEW ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

32 ( NEW ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

33 ( 31 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

34 ( 42 ) SOUL DEEP The Council Collective

35 ( 22 ) ONE CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE Captain Sensible

36 ( 36 ) DON’T DRIVE DRUNK Stevie Wonder

37 ( 27 ) LOUISE Human League

38 ( NEW ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

39 ( RE ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

40 ( 57 ) STEP OFF Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five

 

 

41 ( 41 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

42 ( 26 ) THE TOUCH Kim Wilde

43 ( 48 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

44 ( NEW ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

45 ( 45 ) WHO DO YOU LOVE The Intruders

46 ( 29 ) STRANGER IN TOWN Toto

47 ( 28 ) ALL JOIN HANDS Slade

48 ( 51 ) WHITE LINES (DON’T DON’T DO IT) Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel

49 ( 50 ) VALOTTE Julian Lennon

50 ( 38 ) HARD HABIT TO BREAK Chicago

 

51 ( 39 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

52 ( NEW ) JULIA Eurythmics

53 ( 33 ) BIG DEAL (THEME) Bobby G

54 ( 44 ) STRUT Sheena Easton

55 ( 37 ) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Slade

56 ( NEW ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

57 ( 35 ) OUT OF TOUCH Daryl Hall and John Oates

58 ( 47 ) LET IT ALL BLOW The Dazz Band

59 ( NEW ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

60 ( 74 ) YOU MIGHT THINK The Cars

 

 

 

61 ( 34 ) ROUND AND ROUND Spandau Ballet

62 ( 53 ) I WOULD DIE 4 U Prince

63 ( 56 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

64 ( 63 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

65 ( 61 ) DRIVE The Cars

66 ( 67 ) AGADOO Black Lace

67 ( 71 ) I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU Stevie Wonder

68 ( 58 ) NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS Paul McCartney

69 ( NEW ) THIS IS MY NIGHT Chaka Khan

70 ( 69 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

 

71 ( 52 ) CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) Billy Ocean

72 ( 70 ) MADAME BUTTERFLY Malcolm McLaren

73 ( NEW ) CARMEN Malcolm McLaren

74 ( NEW ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

75 ( NEW ) I LOVE YOU SUZANNE Lou Reed

 

 

Jan 12-18th

1. Star Trek: Return Of The Archons

2. Hill Street Blues

3. The Addams Family

4. The Phil Silvers Show

5. The Avengers

6. Top Of The Pops

7. Doctor Who

8. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

9. Dallas

10. The New Avengers

 

 

At work in Dorset, I find I just can’t resist answering back when I don’t agree with someone. Ego? Yes. Plus, I’m right. Snowy roads around Blandford this time, cold but at least sunny outside. I did my charts, happy to see plenty of faves from 1984 that never made it at last getting some UK chart action and Radio 1 airplay. It’s important to me they become hits...! Bob popped round with his new Scirocco car, snazzy, as he left to welcome his mum and dad to Bournemouth, they’d moved down, and I’d get to know them fairly well over the years to my pleasure. Mum and dad bought a Yorkie terrier dog from friends of theirs, and Picket (as she was called) turned out to have a big impact on the family until, and including, the traumatic day she died. On Sunday we went to visit our Singapore friends The Wainwright’s again in Chippenham, where Jamie had morphed into trendy James, and we had a nice National Trust pub meal. It was good to see Doreen laugh a little at old times, but we all wished Dale could have been there. I still get annoyed he missed so much life.

22nd January 1985

 

Another new number one, it’s the UK/US smash gospel-flavoured rock anthem classic that is I Want To Know What Love Is giving Foreigner a number one 7 years since they first charted. It’s glorious, especially that climactic Jennifer Holliday fade out, she’s the one that did the spine-tingling definitive version of And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going, top 10 in my charts 1982. Highest new entry is Prince - I say new, it’s actually the UK catching up on his 2 minor 1983 hits bundled together, both peaked at 9 in my chart, and together they hit 6, my initial preference was for Little Red Corvette, but 1999 became the main track.

 

Babs and Elaine overtake the Abba boys other song at 8 and 9, while Amii Stewart’s Friends collectively jump to 14, and Bucks Fizz overhear rumours at 15. The Limit say “yeah” as they enter at 27, a smooth bit of jazz funk, while the rougher side of dance-rock (in comparison, only) takes Billy Ocean’s Loverboy to 24. King aren’t doing quite as well as Prince, as royalty Pride comes after Love. There’s loads of new entries, but let’s not mention Russ Abbott! Especially not when Elvis has a medley of some of his finest moments at 48 - 4 minutes to learn about the fuss: think Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra...and then boom! Elvis. Icon.

 

Some US pop heart-throbs arrive, Corey Hart and the growing-up New Edition, not to mention Phil Collins in a Prince 1999 groove, Sussudio doesn’t fool me, nor is it quite as good. Chicago are back, uninspiring, actually, despite what they say. Heaven 17...and that’s no lie, get a low entry at 72 but it’s not bad, nor is John Lydon and Afrika Bambaata aka Time Zone, punk funking it up synth style. Johnny Rotten was a mere 8 years earlier! Which leaves the jewell in the pop crown, as the much-missed fantastic Kirsty MacColl gets two appearances: her brilliant version of Billy Bragg’s A New England at 61, and Tracey Ullman’s pretty good version of Kirsty’s Terry, Tracey already having wonderfully covered Kirsty’s They Don’t Know.

 

 

1 ( 3 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

2 ( 1 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

3 ( 6 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

4 ( 2 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

5 ( 7 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

6 ( NEW ) LITTLE RED CORVETTE/ 1999 Prince

7 ( 4 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

8 ( 31 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

9 ( 9 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

10 ( 5 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

 

11 ( 8 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

12 ( 14 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

13 ( 10 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

14 ( 56 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

15 ( 24 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

16 ( 18 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

17 ( 26 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

18 ( 15 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

19 ( 17 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

20 ( 16 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

 

21 ( 11 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

22 ( 13 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

23 ( 21 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

24 ( 43 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

25 ( 19 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

26 ( 32 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

27 ( NEW ) SAY YEAH The Limit

28 ( 44 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

29 ( 20 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

30 ( 38 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

 

31 ( 12 ) LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME The Thompson Twins

32 ( 59 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

33 ( 63 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

34 ( 23 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

35 ( 39 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

36 ( 40 ) STEP OFF Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five

37 ( 69 ) THIS IS MY NIGHT Chaka Khan

38 ( 27 ) FRESH Kool And The Gang

39 ( 25 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

40 ( 33 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

 

41 ( 28 ) COULD YOU BE LOVED Bob Marley And The Wailers

42 ( 41 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

43 ( 22 ) EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Paul Young

44 ( NEW ) ATMOSPHERE Russ Abbott

45 ( 42 ) THE TOUCH Kim Wilde

46 ( 35 ) ONE CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE Captain Sensible

47 ( 30 ) POLICE OFFICER Smiley Culture

48 ( NEW ) THE ELVIS MEDLEY Elvis Presley

49 ( 37 ) LOUISE Human League

50 ( 36 ) DON’T DRIVE DRUNK Stevie Wonder

 

 

51 ( NEW ) NEUTRON DANCE The Pointer Sisters

52 ( 52 ) JULIA Eurythmics

53 ( 46 ) STRANGER IN TOWN Toto

54 ( NEW ) IT AIN’T ENOUGH Corey Hart

55 ( 29 ) NELLIE THE ELEPHANT The Toy Dolls

56 ( NEW ) COOL IT NOW New Edition

57 ( 34 ) SOUL DEEP The Council Collective

58 ( 51 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

59 ( 74 ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

60 ( 57 ) OUT OF TOUCH Daryl Hall and John Oates

 

 

61 ( NEW ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

62 ( 50 ) HARD HABIT TO BREAK Chicago

63 ( NEW ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

64 ( 64 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

65 ( 65 ) DRIVE The Cars

66 ( 48 ) WHITE LINES (DON’T DON’T DO IT) Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel

67 ( NEW ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

68 ( 55 ) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY Slade

69 ( 68 ) NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS Paul McCartney

70 ( 70 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

 

71 ( 47 ) ALL JOIN HANDS Slade

72 ( NEW ) ... AND THAT’S NO LIE Heaven 17

73 ( 45 ) WHO DO YOU LOVE The Intruders

74 ( NEW ) TERRY Tracey Ullman

75 ( NEW ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

 

 

 

 

TV 19-25th Jan

1. Star Trek: Operation Annihilate

2. The Phil Silvers Show

3. Hill Street Blues

4. Top Of The Pops

5. The Other Side Of The Tracks: Abba

6. The Twilight Zone

7. The New Avengers

8. The Rockford Files

9. Dallas

10. Doctor Who

 

On TV, Paul Gambaccini’s excellent pop profile show The Other Side Of The Tracks was on with a Benny & Bjorn interview, while Hill Street Blues, Doctor Who and Dallas are the only new dramas still doing it for me. Watched an episode of The Avengers with mum and dad, it was the one they filmed on an RAF base, dad watched Diana Rigg & Patrick Macnee re-do takes quite a few times from his work window. In my work: quite snowy again in the wilds of Dorset, Bob was off ill, on the coldest day in 20 years, culminating in a big-ish friday snowfall, which meant slow bus to work as I marvelled at how quickly the south of England grinds to a halt at the drop of a snowflake. Bournemouth and Poole are still the same, drivers have no idea to how to deal with snow on the road and it quickly slows to walking pace, or they start calling in for the day off work cos it takes a bit longer. Wimps. If they only knew that the northerners at work always talk about them, the snowfall in Dorset is never more than an inch. Of our section, only Paul (from Sheffield) and me (Mansfield/Lincoln) made it in.

29th January 1985

 

Foreigner hold for a second week as 16 new entries give the chart a real clear-out, though the top end is more sedate, with Bucks Fizz’ I Hear Talk at 4 giving them 4 years of top 5 hits, at least one a year, usually 2. Amii Stewart’s pleasant Friends, and Bronski Beat’s retro It Ain’t Necessarily So grab a top 10 slot before the onslaught lower down - Springsteen outdoes his 1984 chart high at 12, King at 13 are still quite proud, but highest new entry at 16 is the fabulous This Is Not America, David Bowie’s collaboration with Jazz act The Pat Metheny Band and back on form to boot.

 

At 19, The Commodores are back, minus Lionel Richie, and show they don’t really need him on this classy sad soul tribute to the then-recently late Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson: Nightshift. Slade don’t hang about, a third hit in 3 months, as 7 Year Bitch brings them in at 25 for a singalong chant that never really caught on (probably the title!). Also back for a spot of spelling lesson, M.E.T.H.O.D. of Modern Love gives Hall & Oates yet another great pop entry at 35, while The Honeydrippers cover Phil Phillips’ 50’s doo-wop era classic, Sea Of Love at 36. Who are the Honeydrippers? Heard of Robert Plant? Jimmy Page? Led Zeppelin? Nile Rodgers? He’s had a hit or 2? How about Jeff Beck? Hi Ho Silver Lining? No? Pretty much a supergroup, and all pretty much still very active. It’s terrific, too.

 

 

 

Then there’s two masterpiece classics a bit lower down: The Smiths How Soon Is Now was under-appreciated in the UK charts, and in mine too, at the time, it’s pure genius, the Johnny Marr guitar is especially stunning, but this remains a record to bring joy - as I’m hoping Morrissey will grace us in 2 months when I see him, fingers-crossed. But there’s another: Don Henley had been pretty damn fine with his Dirty laundry and other solo stuff since The Eagles split in 1980, but nothing to match up to One Of These Nights - till now! Boys Of Summer is very 80’s-sounding, great lyrics, great sound, great song, so good, like The Smiths How Soon Is Now, they both had to come back again and chart in the 90’s. 58 and 67 respectively, though, for now.

 

Others: Howard Jones full of optimism a good 10 years before D:Ream, opining Things Can Only Get Better. Bronski Beat might disagree though. Sheila E’s in at 70, better known as a protege of Prince. Prince had lots of short lithe female protoges: he insisted he preferred the company of women to men, I’m sure that’s the main reason. The Belle Of St Mark is very Prince-sounding, and pretty good. Dan Hartman’s back again; Jermaine Jackson gets another solo hit as brother Michael takes a break from Thriller album tracks to release; The Boomtown Rats have yet another decent single completely ignored, at 75, the good A Hold Of Me from the decent album In The Long Grass.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

2 ( 2 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

3 ( 8 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

4 ( 15 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

5 ( 3 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

6 ( 6 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

7 ( 5 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

8 ( 4 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

9 ( 14 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

10 ( 12 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

 

 

11 ( 7 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

12 ( 26 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

13 ( 28 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

14 ( 10 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

15 ( 11 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

16 ( NEW ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

17 ( 17 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

18 ( 24 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

19 ( NEW ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

20 ( 30 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

 

 

21 ( 9 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

22 ( 27 ) SAY YEAH The Limit

23 ( 33 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

24 ( 32 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

25 ( NEW ) 7 YEAR BITCH Slade

26 ( 18 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

27 ( 35 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

28 ( 13 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

29 ( 20 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

30 ( 16 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

 

31 ( 19 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

32 ( 22 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

33 ( 37 ) THIS IS MY NIGHT Chaka Khan

34 ( 25 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

35 ( NEW ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

36 ( NEW ) SEA OF LOVE The Honeydrippers

37 ( 21 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

38 ( 29 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

39 ( 61 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

40 ( NEW ) CAN I Cashmere

 

41 ( 23 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

42 ( 63 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

43 ( 44 ) ATMOSPHERE Russ Abbott

44 ( 59 ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

45 ( 34 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

46 ( 42 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

47 ( 48 ) THE ELVIS MEDLEY Elvis Presley

48 ( 40 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

49 ( 54 ) IT AIN’T ENOUGH Corey Hart

50 ( 51 ) NEUTRON DANCE The Pointer Sisters

 

51 ( 31 ) LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME The Thompson Twins

52 ( 67 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

53 ( 43 ) EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE Paul Young

54 ( 72 ) ... AND THAT’S NO LIE Heaven 17

55 ( 38 ) FRESH Kool And The Gang

56 ( 39 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

57 ( 75 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

58 ( NEW ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

59 ( 36 ) STEP OFF Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five

60 ( NEW ) “20/20” George Benson

 

 

61 ( NEW ) JUST A SHADOW Big Country

62 ( 52 ) JULIA Eurythmics

63 ( 49 ) LOUISE Human League

64 ( 58 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

65 ( NEW ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

66 ( 64 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

67 ( NEW ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

68 ( 65 ) DRIVE The Cars

69 ( 70 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

70 ( NEW ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

 

 

71 ( NEW ) IN THE EVENING Sheryl Lee Ralph

72 ( NEW ) WE ARE THE YOUNG Dan Hartman

73 ( 56 ) COOL IT NOW New Edition

74 ( NEW ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

75 ( NEW ) A HOLD OF ME The Boomtown Rats

 

 

TV 26 Jan-1st Feb

1. Star Trek: Assignment Earth

2. Hill Street Blues

3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

4. Top Of The Pops

5. Dallas

6. The Addams Family (2 eps)

7. The Avengers

8. The Rockford Files

9. Doctor Who

10. Newhart

 

On TV, Hill Street Blues still rules the new shows, though sitcom Newhart and it’s great hillbilly and other supporting cast of characters was getting better and better. Bob Newhart is SO funny. Always. Frankie Goes To Hollywood released tickets for Bournemouth gigs this week: sold out. Damn! I didn’t get one. I got a new spiky-gel haircut for £7 (I pay £7 for a haircut 30 years later, bear in mind). Bob took the piss out of it on Monday, calling me a hedgehog. I don’t recall the haircut lasting the week to be honest, and there are no photos in existence, so I’ll just have to put it down to experience, and there was only one more Bad 80’s Hair experience ahead of me (yes, it was a permed nightmare), before I decided once and for all that trendy hairdo’s were not for me. Phew!

5th February 1985

 

It’s...It’s...A Sweet Chart-topper from nowhere, as my love and nostalgia for the manic glam-rockers propels a megamix of their biggest hits on top to give them a 6th number one, following on from 5-in-a-row from Wig Wam Bam in 1972 to Teenage Rampage in 1974. Fab! The originals that is, the megamix has nothing good to add to them, it’s purely an exercise in nostalgia. Meanwhile, a year late, Bruce takes Dancing In The Dark into the top 10, at 7, rather stunningly his first ever, having just missed out with all previous classic singles. King also are have Pride in being at 8, and Bowie gets another at 9, to add to his very long list by this time, since Starman first turned the trick in 1972.

 

Meanwhile Slade also add another top 20 (Bitch!) to their 14-year-run of them, since Coz I Luv You almost topped my chart in 1971. 14 for 14 years, how apt. Say Yeah? That’s The Limit, jazzfunk smoothstyle at 15, ahead of some noisy Art. Don Henley is driving at great speed with his Deadhead stickers on his cadillac, as The Boys Of Summer surge to 25, as the highest “actual” new track is This House, from Big Sound Authority, very much in a Style Council groove at 30, but they never really broke big sadly. The Colourfield takes Terry Hall back into the top 40, ditto Eurythmics’ Julia, Phil Collins’ Sussidio, and Time Zone’s John Lydon and Afrika Bambaata’s World Destruction.

 

New entries from Sam Harris at 51, Hearts On Fire, and Flash And The Pan get one of their irregular entries, Midnight Man at 54 giving the Aussies another flash in the pan 7 years on from And The Band Played On. They are always good, and should be better remembered than they are. David Lee Roth meantime feels he can do OK without the Van Halen boys, and covers the Beach Boys’ California Girls. Not that well, actually, though it’s a bit of fun to pop in at 56. MUCH better is 57, and it’s another 70’s pop star making a comeback, as Partridge Family teen idol David Cassidy is back 14 years on from I Think I Love You topping my charts. I still loved his singing style, enough for The Last Kiss to enter on one listen - and with George Michael on backing vocals (also a fan) it had that extra selling point. It’s breathy, builds, and is atmospheric, and I got all misty-eyed to have David back in the spotlight after a gap of 9 years. Aaahhh.

 

At 66, Mick Jagger finally gets that solo hit as the dancerock of Just Another Night does what Bill Wyman managed 11 years earlier, charting without the rest of the Rolling Stones. A much more succesful, and even more veteran, solo singer singer keeps his looooooooong run of chart entries going at 72. No I don’t remember Heart User much either! Cliff, of course, was there when my charts began in 1968, was there through glam, disco and punk, happily revived during New Wave and New Romantic, and to be honest, had I had been charting as a toddler he would have featured then too, cos I can’t recall a time in my life when there wasn’t Cliff. I hope these current police allegations evaporate, certainly the various prosecuting authorities have seemed far less concerned (than the American authorities) in putting actual terrorists and organised gangs of paedophiles away than they are now chasing juicy expensive celebrity headline cases. I digress. At 75 it’s the Fink brothers chasing some Mutants from Mega-City One. That’ll be a disguised Suggs and Carl from Madness going all clubby Judge Dredd then!

 

 

1 ( NEW ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

2 ( 1 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

3 ( 3 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

4 ( 4 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

5 ( 2 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

6 ( 6 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

7 ( 12 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

8 ( 13 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

9 ( 16 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

10 ( 8 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

 

 

11 ( 5 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

12 ( 19 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

13 ( 18 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

14 ( 25 ) 7 YEAR BITCH Slade

15 ( 22 ) SAY YEAH The Limit

16 ( 23 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

17 ( 7 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

18 ( 9 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

19 ( 17 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

20 ( 20 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

 

 

21 ( 11 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

22 ( 14 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

23 ( 24 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

24 ( 27 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

25 ( 67 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

26 ( 15 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

27 ( 39 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

28 ( 10 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

29 ( 40 ) CAN I Cashmere

30 ( NEW ) THIS HOUSE Big Sound Authority

 

31 ( 21 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

32 ( 36 ) SEA OF LOVE The Honeydrippers

33 ( 35 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

34 ( 44 ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

35 ( 26 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

36 ( 62 ) JULIA Eurythmics

37 ( 29 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

38 ( 42 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

39 ( 57 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

40 ( 30 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

 

41 ( 31 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

42 ( 33 ) THIS IS MY NIGHT Chaka Khan

43 ( 32 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

44 ( 50 ) NEUTRON DANCE The Pointer Sisters

45 ( 60 ) “20/20” George Benson

46 ( 34 ) I FEEL FOR YOU Chaka Khan

47 ( 28 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

48 ( 65 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

49 ( 38 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

50 ( 37 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

 

51 ( NEW ) HEARTS ON FIRE Sam Harris

52 ( 52 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

53 ( 46 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

54 ( NEW ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

55 ( 45 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

56 ( NEW ) CALIFORNIA GIRLS David Lee Roth

57 ( NEW ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

58 ( 58 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

59 ( RE ) TERRY Tracey Ullman

60 ( 41 ) SEE THAT GLOW This Island Earth

 

 

61 ( 71 ) IN THE EVENING Sheryl Lee Ralph

62 ( 48 ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles

63 ( 72 ) WE ARE THE YOUNG Dan Hartman

64 ( 56 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

65 ( 59 ) STEP OFF Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five

66 ( NEW ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

67 ( 43 ) ATMOSPHERE Russ Abbott

68 ( 74 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

69 ( 70 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

70 ( 66 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

 

71 ( 69 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

72 ( NEW ) HEART USER Cliff Richard

73 ( 64 ) I WON’T RUN AWAY Alvin Stardust

74 ( 63 ) LOUISE Human League

75 ( NEW ) MUTANTS IN MEGA CITY ONE The Fink Brothers

TV: Feb 2nd - 8th 1985

1 Star Trek: Amok Time

2 Cheers

3 Sleeper: film

4 Hill Street Blues

5 Star Trek: Return Of The Archons

6 Top Of The Pops

7 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

8 Dallas

9 Spitting Image

10 Bewitched

 

In the week that Leonard Nimoy died, it’s entirely fitting that I should be reviewing my TV chart for February 1985 when yet another re-run of Star Trek’s Spock highlight episode, Amok Time, was shown. Spock was a major hero of mine from age 11, and Leonard Nimoy equally as much, so it’s very sad to have to say goodbye, but if you want to see Leonard at his best, and a great Spock-centric TV episode, this is the one to go for. Spock gets struck by Pon-farr, the irresistible 7-year-mating-itch that becomes unscratchable for Vulcans. This is the one also featuring T’pau, High Priestess of the ceremony, and future UK chart-toppers. true fact. Elsewhere, Cheers and Hill Street Blues were firing on all-cylinders, both of them influentially, and Spitting Image was taking the pee out of politicians and celebrities. I hear it’s on the way back....

 

In my life: Bob & I had our merry banter on the Dorset highways at work, I decided to get a moped on HP so I could free myself from being a passenger, not quite having enough cash for Bob’s second-hand car and not keen to go into debt. In retrospect that was a big mistake, but hey ho, hindsight is a marvelous thing. Had another argument with the supervisor over his change of plans as to who was out on the road and who was driving, followed by me sulking and us nearly getting hit by a skidding car on the road-bend we were working on, Bob holding back from the bend in the van with warning lights. Kind of reinforced my question really! I got a sort-of apology. Bob & I decided to speed-up the job application exodus among colleagues.

 

At home family problems I won’t mention (I pretty much never not have family issues), but mum and dad’s friends brought round a sweet little yorkie puppy, which they bought off them, pedigree and all. She was SO nervous being taken away from her mother, shaking like a leaf which upset me. Her name was Picket, in honour of the striking coal miners, of which my brother was one still. She gave mum and dad something good they could mutually focus on together, and did bring some joy, as well as being a constant pain in the arse when she got older for anyone babysitting through all the howling when mum and dad left her at home for any time. Win some lose some.

12th February 1985

2 weeks for Sweet on top as another oldie bangs in at 2, courtesy of a re-entry into the UK top 75 singles chart: Soft Cell and Tainted Love, a number one from 1981, and a genuine synth classic cover of the Gloria Jones northern soul track. It was a classic in 1981, in 1985, and still is. Marc Almond was into his solo career by this time, and Soft Cell alas were no more, as they had some right gems together. I saw Marc live the other year, and he wasn’t overly generous with the back-catalogue classics, which was a pity. Had I known he was going to do that I would have grabbed him in Gran Canaria about 10 years back when he stuck his head in the door of the bar I was sitting in, and suggested a) do your big hits in concert and b) do a cover of I’m Gonna Be Strong.

 

After meandering up and down the chart for over 2 months Dead Or Alive suddenly rocket up 60 places to 4 with future club classic, and the real start of the big time for Stock Aitken Waterman as producers, You Spin Me Round. The tempo was unbelievably exciting, so frenetic was it. Fab. Not to be outdone, the late great Kirsty MacColl takes her wonderful version of Billy Bragg’s A New England to 5 with a big leap. Leaving Billy Ocean to grab his 4th top 10 hit in 10 years, and Trevor Horn his umpteenth in 10 months, as Art Of Noise hit 10.

 

The top 20 gets a bit Adult Rock-ish with Pat Benatar, Bryan Adams and Don Henley all entering slowly, and rather less rapidly than they deserved. Flash And The Pan go top 30, as Midnight Man burns the midnight oil just ahead of an optimistic Howard Jones, and a welcome top 40 return from David Cassidy 9 years since the last time. Sam Harris meanwhile has an American hit, and enters my Top 40 with the Motown track Hearts On Fire. Classic Smiths also gets in at 40, How Soon Is Now also under-performing so far, so many great tracks to compete with.

 

At 47, The Associates return 3 years after topping with the epic Party Fears Two, having a spot of Breakfast, ahead of returning Grandmaster Flash and Kool And The Gang, who confirm to me that that mysterious verb I read in books as a pre-teen, to misle, I misle, they misled me, wasn’t a verb at all, and it was pronounced Miss-Led. Harrumph! Willy Finlayson is a Scottish singer who’s guested with Manfred Mann’s Earthband, and is still a gigging musician, but he closest he got to the charts was in at 68, On The Air Tonight, a laid-back European hit. 4 years on since she immortalised Bette Davis’ eyes, Kim Carnes is also back at 71 with an invitation to dance, while a much less-friendly Killing Joke announce they have love like blood at 74. Ewww! On TV, the BRITS were on, for an evening of awards for Prince and the like, a bit shorter in those days I think. The show, not Prince.

 

 

 

1 ( 1 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

2 ( NEW ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

3 ( 8 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

4 ( 64 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

5 ( 27 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

6 ( 2 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

7 ( 3 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

8 ( 9 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

9 ( 13 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

10 ( 16 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

 

 

11 ( 5 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

12 ( 12 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

13 ( 14 ) 7 YEAR BITCH Slade

14 ( 4 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

15 ( 6 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

16 ( 7 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

17 ( 24 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

18 ( 10 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

19 ( 23 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

20 ( 25 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

 

21 ( 11 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

22 ( 17 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

23 ( 20 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

24 ( 30 ) THIS HOUSE Big Sound Authority

25 ( 18 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

26 ( 19 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

27 ( 54 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

28 ( 48 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

29 ( 29 ) CAN I Cashmere

30 ( 34 ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

 

 

31 ( 15 ) SAY YEAH The Limit

32 ( 22 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

33 ( 33 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

34 ( 45 ) “20/20” George Benson

35 ( 38 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

36 ( 57 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

37 ( 21 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

38 ( 51 ) HEARTS ON FIRE Sam Harris

39 ( 26 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

40 ( 58 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

 

41 ( 31 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

42 ( 39 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

43 ( 66 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

44 ( 52 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

45 ( 35 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

46 ( 37 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

47 ( NEW ) BREAKFAST The Associates

48 ( NEW ) SIGN OF THE TIMES Grandmaster Flash

49 ( 56 ) CALIFORNIA GIRLS David Lee Roth

50 ( NEW ) MISLED Kool And The Gang

 

51 ( 32 ) SEA OF LOVE The Honeydrippers

52 ( 28 ) IT AIN’T NECESSARILY SO Bronski Beat

53 ( 36 ) JULIA Eurythmics

54 ( 41 ) GHOSTBUSTERS Ray Parker Junior

55 ( 63 ) WE ARE THE YOUNG Dan Hartman

56 ( 43 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

57 ( 42 ) THIS IS MY NIGHT Chaka Khan

58 ( 55 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

59 ( 68 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

60 ( 53 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

 

61 ( 40 ) SHARP DRESSED MAN Z.Z. TOP

62 ( 44 ) NEUTRON DANCE The Pointer Sisters

63 ( 47 ) ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL CHRISTMAS Gary Glitter

64 ( 50 ) INVISIBLE Alison Moyet

65 ( 72 ) HEART USER Cliff Richard

66 ( 49 ) WE ALL STAND TOGETHER Paul McCartney and The Frog Chorus

67 ( 69 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

68 ( NEW ) ON THE AIR TONIGHT Willy Finlayson

69 ( 75 ) MUTANTS IN MEGA CITY ONE The Fink Brothers

70 ( 70 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

 

 

 

71 ( NEW ) INVITATION TO DANCE Kim Carnes

72 ( NEW ) OPERATOR Floy Joy

73 ( 71 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

74 ( NEW ) LOVE LIKE BLOOD Killing Joke

75 ( NEW ) PERSONALITY Eugene Wilde

 

 

 

 

TV Feb 9th to 15th

1 Star Trek: Who Mourns For Adonis

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

6 Television

7 The BRITS

8 Bewitched

9 The Addams Family

10 Top Of The Pops

Work along Dorset highways was much improved, as the boss was off sick, and I was getting all misty eyed for hits from 1973, wishing I could go back and do it right this time (eg, life). That I feel the same about my life generally still is a tad sad, lost opportunities and all that. Hey ho. Put me in the mood, though, for a trip in dad’s car to my old nostalgic haunting ground Gloucester, and Innsworth, where we moved in 1973, en route to Birmingham Bull Ring centre. I was fascinated by the cosmopolitan nature of kids in the comics shop there, and found big cities exciting and also a little daunting. Then I spent the weekend with Sue and Joe in Wolverhampton, catching up on stuff since we’d last met up in 1983. It snowed on and off all weekend, and especially heavily when I drove home, gale force freezing winds making it all a bit treacherous, not helped by unmarked diversions down minor country roads passing many motorists stuck in snowdrifts near Gillingham. Poole, of course, was snow free. It virtually never snows significantly round Poole harbour....

19th February 1985

 

 

Dead Or Alive finally get on top, after months of meandering up and down the charts, the longest run to date before getting to number one (excluding reissues and re-entries), and it’s well-deserved for You Spin Me Round. Relax is back again, too, as Frankie Goes To Hollywood enter at 3, or re-enter, depending on how you view it. I see it as a completely new chart run though, it’s a new year, and it originally entered in 1983 before getting to 1 in 1984. Don Henley meanwhile gets his classic Boys Of Summer to 9, as his ex-band-mate Glen Frey enters with The Heat Is On at 69, while The Commodores hit 10, their first non-Lionel song to do that since Machine Gun in 1974.

 

Highest proper new entry is The Boomtown Rats at 17, and the under-rated A Hold Of Me, one of their best singles in an 8-year run, and certainly not one of their biggest hits outside my charts. Mick Jagger goes top 40, as Prince grabs another double-A-sided hit, amazingly bundling two of the 3 best tracks on Purple Rain together, which means Let’s Go Crazy is back after a short run on it’s own in my charts, and Take Me With U debuts. Crazy is manic rock genius, Take Me With U is almost a non-Prince girlie chorus pop gem, catchy strings and all. Sadly, of course, no youtube videos so you’ll just have to take my word, and buy the album, which is a classic worthy of anyone’s collection.

 

At 52, one of pop music’s unlikely collaborations, it’s Bill Sharpe of jazz-funk Shakatak and Gary Numan of decreasing commercial-pop-star fame experimental, melody-lite synth music. Well, waddya know, it’s fabulous, a career highlight for both, and high-time it was re-evaluated and pushed again in a film or advert. New Edition are back again, with the twee Mr. Telephone Man, at 56, and 14 years on Shaft returns to my charts - sadly not Isaac Hayes classic though, it’s an 80’s dance cover by Van Twist which pales in comparison even to the forthcoming rival hit cover version. ZZ Top are also back with the rocking Legs - that’ll be shapely lady legs of course, plus hot rod - at 65, while Cyndi Lauper is running out of album tracks to release as singles, Money Changes Everything not being the strongest, in at 70. Junior is back at 75, 3 years after debuting, with yet another Beverley Hills Cop soundtrack hit, and oh yes, there’s a Material Girl Marilyn Monroe wannabee at 73, getting her 5th chart hit. A bit of a departure for disco diva Madonna, can her career survive it? Stay tuned....!

 

 

 

1 ( 4 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

2 ( 2 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

3 ( NEW ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4 ( 8 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

5 ( 3 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

6 ( 1 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

7 ( 5 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

8 ( 7 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

9 ( 20 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

10 ( 12 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

 

11 ( 6 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

12 ( 10 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

13 ( 17 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

14 ( 9 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

15 ( 19 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

16 ( 28 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

17 ( NEW ) A HOLD OF ME The Boomtown Rats

18 ( 11 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

19 ( 15 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

20 ( 27 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

 

 

 

21 ( 16 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

22 ( 18 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

23 ( 24 ) THIS HOUSE Big Sound Authority

24 ( 22 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

25 ( 14 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

26 ( 40 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

27 ( 34 ) “20/20” George Benson

28 ( 43 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

29 ( NEW ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

30 ( 35 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

 

31 ( 13 ) 7 YEAR BITCH Slade

32 ( 36 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

33 ( 33 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

34 ( 38 ) HEARTS ON FIRE Sam Harris

35 ( 21 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

36 ( 49 ) CALIFORNIA GIRLS David Lee Roth

37 ( 50 ) MISLED Kool And The Gang

38 ( 44 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

39 ( 25 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

40 ( 23 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

 

 

 

41 ( 26 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

42 ( 42 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

43 ( 29 ) CAN I Cashmere

44 ( 32 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

45 ( 37 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

46 ( 48 ) SIGN OF THE TIMES Grandmaster Flash

47 ( 31 ) SAY YEAH The Limit

48 ( 30 ) THINKING OF YOU The Colourfield

49 ( 65 ) HEART USER Cliff Richard

50 ( 45 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

51 ( 39 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

52 ( NEW ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

53 ( 46 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

54 ( 55 ) WE ARE THE YOUNG Dan Hartman

55 ( 59 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

56 ( NEW ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

57 ( 47 ) BREAKFAST The Associates

58 ( 68 ) ON THE AIR TONIGHT Willy Finlayson

59 ( 41 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

60 ( 69 ) MUTANTS IN MEGA CITY ONE The Fink Brothers

 

 

 

61 ( 74 ) LOVE LIKE BLOOD Killing Joke

62 ( 75 ) PERSONALITY Eugene Wilde

63 ( NEW ) SHAFT Van Twist

64 ( 60 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

65 ( NEW ) LEGS ZZ Top

66 ( 56 ) I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY Wizzard

67 ( 67 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

68 ( 58 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

69 ( NEW ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

70 ( NEW ) MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING Cyndi Lauper

 

71 ( NEW ) WHO COMES TO BOOGIE Little Benny And The Masters

72 ( 70 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

73 ( NEW ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

74 ( 73 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

75 ( NEW ) DO YOU REALLY (WANT MY LOVE) Junior

 

 

 

TV Feb 16-22

1 The Young Ones: Nasty

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 An American Werewolf In London: film

6 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

7 Bewitched

8 Doctor Who: The Two Doctors

9 Newhart

10 Top Of The Pops

11 The Addams Family

12 Grange Hill

13 The Bill Cosby Show

14 My World And Welcome To It

15 The Rockford Files

 

On TV, a great horror movie, An American Werewolf In London, John Landis and state of the art effects, while my fave Doctor Who Patrick Troughton makes his final appearance as guest return with new Doctor Colin Baker (sadly it was a bit gruesome in subject-matter, though compensated for by Frazier Hines returning as Jamie, a little). Oh, and My world And Welcome To It gets it’s final ever broadcast on TV, a great arty gentle sitcom based on the cartoons and humour of James Thurber, with a great cast and long list of guest stars despite lasting only one season in 1969/70, and despite winning two Emmy’s. It was a show I liked a lot in Singapore.

In life, Bob came round for an evening of pop chat, (BRITS awards on the Monday, with Bob Geldof giving politicians what-for no-holds-barred). This was appropriate because I went to my first concert alone: The Boomtown Rats at Poole Arts Centre Feb 14th 1985. A young crowd, male-biased, and late teens, early 20’s, and chose to avoid back-ache standing by getting a seat upstairs. Bob and the Rats did mostly new stuff from the In The Long Grass album, and a sprinkling of hits, the highlights were Someone’s Looking At You, Rat Trap, Drag Me Down, Dave, A Hold Of Me and Elephant’s Graveyard as they set off on a furious pace, despite poor sound quality in a 1hour 20 minute set. The final encore, Do They Know It’s Christmas, was introduced by Bob suggesting anyone who hadn’t bought it “ought to be ashamed of themselves”. Happily I had. Phew! I was very impressed, Bob never let up “carrying the whole shebang with wit and charisma, his new songs sounding good, and just a shame hardly any oldies. The Rats were perfectly wonderful. Energetic, lively show.” I got home at 10.30 and kicked the puppy across the room. Not deliberately, I hasten to add, I just didn’t see her come to welcome me - not used to having a dog in the house!

26th February 1985

2 weeks for Dead Or Alive at 1, as yet another (superior) dance cover of Isaac Hayes classic Shaft pops in at 3, outdoing the original’s peak first time round (second time round it hit 1 on my oldies charts). It’s not bad, but not as good as supercool Isaac obviously. Meanwhile David Cassidy (and George Michael) shoots up to 4, his highest chart position since I’m A Clown hit 3 in 1973, showing he was firmly back emoting a ballad in his own unique endearing style. Howard Jones adds to his growing list of top 10’s, as well, ooh, must be his 6th in a row!

 

Prince and Mick Jagger go top 20, Hall and Oates, and Sharpe and Numan go top 30, and second highest new entry is Philip’s Bailey and Collins at 37, with Easy Lover. That concludes the list of male duos. Easy Lover was essentially Earth Wind & Fire (Bailey being co-lead-vocalist) done Collins funk style, and was a huge hit, though I’ve never really warmed back to it since I overdosed on it in 1985. Pleasant enough though. Other new entries: The Stranglers are back, 8 years on, Tina Turner covers Ann Peebles, and becomes the second cover to chart, after Eruption’s much-better eurodisco thumper hit my 3 in 1978. Elton also sneaks in, with a ballad, Breaking Hearts tail-ending the album’s run of singles and giving him 14 years of chart activity, consecutive years too.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

2 ( 3 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3 ( NEW ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

4 ( 32 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

5 ( 5 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

6 ( 9 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

7 ( 4 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

8 ( 7 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

9 ( 2 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

10 ( 16 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

 

 

11 ( 8 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

12 ( 15 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

13 ( 6 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

14 ( 20 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

15 ( 28 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

16 ( 29 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

17 ( 17 ) A HOLD OF ME The Boomtown Rats

18 ( 10 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

19 ( 12 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

20 ( 14 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

 

 

21 ( 13 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

22 ( 11 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

23 ( 19 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

24 ( 18 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

25 ( 27 ) “20/20” George Benson

26 ( 26 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

27 ( 42 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

28 ( 33 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

29 ( 52 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

30 ( 24 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

 

31 ( 23 ) THIS HOUSE Big Sound Authority

32 ( 37 ) MISLED Kool And The Gang

33 ( 21 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

34 ( 34 ) HEARTS ON FIRE Sam Harris

35 ( 22 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

36 ( 36 ) CALIFORNIA GIRLS David Lee Roth

37 ( NEW ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

38 ( 38 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

39 ( 30 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

40 ( 25 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

 

41 ( 65 ) LEGS ZZ Top

42 ( 71 ) WHO COMES TO BOOGIE Little Benny And The Masters

43 ( 61 ) LOVE LIKE BLOOD Killing Joke

44 ( 55 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

45 ( 35 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

46 ( 56 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

47 ( 45 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

48 ( 50 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

49 ( 62 ) PERSONALITY Eugene Wilde

50 ( 60 ) MUTANTS IN MEGA CITY ONE The Fink Brothers

 

 

51 ( 40 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

52 ( 44 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

53 ( 39 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

54 ( 67 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

55 ( 31 ) 7 YEAR BITCH Slade

56 ( 69 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

57 ( 53 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

58 ( 41 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

59 ( 73 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

60 ( NEW ) LAY ME DOWN EASY The Stranglers

 

 

61 ( 43 ) CAN I Cashmere

62 ( NEW ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

63 ( 51 ) LIKE A VIRGIN Madonna

64 ( 49 ) HEART USER Cliff Richard

65 ( 59 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

66 ( 70 ) MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING Cyndi Lauper

67 ( 75 ) DO YOU REALLY (WANT MY LOVE) Junior

68 ( 68 ) THE RIDDLE Nik Kershaw

69 ( NEW ) I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN Tina Turner

70 ( 64 ) THE WILD BOYS Duran Duran

 

71 ( NEW ) BREAKING HEARTS Elton John

72 ( 63 ) SHAFT Van Twist

73 ( 72 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

74 ( 46 ) SIGN OF THE TIMES Grandmaster Flash

75 ( 74 ) THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME Abba

 

 

TV 26th Feb - 1st Mar

1 Cheers

2 Hill Street Blues

3 The Phil Silvers Show

4 Rising Damp

5 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

6 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: film

7 Top Of The Pops

8 Bewitched

9 Doctor Who: The Two Doctors

10 The Addams Family

 

At work, our boss supervisor was becoming increasingly paranoid about everyone, mostly because he was useless, and one of the few people I’ve met in my life that I have little sympathy for. Colin and Monic were part of the exodus of employees as others were applying elsewhere for jobs. Madman critcised Bob for being slow, which annoyed him and me. Pot calling kettle. Parents went to Mansfield for the weekend and took the cat and dog. Started my back catalogue trawling for non-succesful USA pop bands of the 60’s buying 20 Greatest Hits of Gary Lewis and The Playboys, son of Jerry Lewis, and little-known gems on there too. Played it a lot.

YES!!!!! Dead Or Alive at 1 :cheer: probably my all time favourite record. Quite like the Shaft cover as well. I seem to recall my parents having the 12 inch. Also, Kirsty's A New England never dates for me, a true gem.

YES!!!!! Dead Or Alive at 1 :cheer: probably my all time favourite record. Quite like the Shaft cover as well. I seem to recall my parents having the 12 inch. Also, Kirsty's A New England never dates for me, a true gem.

 

 

Thanks AH true classic, still famous, thats always a good sign! Love Kirsty still, myself, too :cheer:

5th March 1985

 

New number one for David Cassidy (and uncredited George Michael), The last Kiss being his 4th in total and first solo number one since his 3 toppers with The Partridge Family in 1971 and 1972 (it counts because they were all “featuring David Cassidy” credits). George’s doesn’t count, sadly, otherwise it would have been his 3rd. It’s very George Michael ballad-style, it has to be said, but the way it builds to a iamspamspamamisink and all climax is terrific. Prince gets his 4th or 5th or 6th Top 10, depending on how you judge the reissued single of 2 previous top tenners, and the double A delight of Take Me With U and Let’s Go Crazy, both of which are strong enough to have had independent runs in the 10. Then there’s Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You, and new at 75 it’s a Prince song and production for UK sweetheart Sheena Easton, and UK flop because it’s very very naughty lyrically, going on as it does about the spending night inside Sheena’s Sugar Walls. Turns out she IS a Modern Girl after all (and Sugar Walls is fab).

 

Jagger gets his one and only solo top 10 track, Just Another Night, in which he moves like Jagger in the dance video, and gives him actual 16 years of top 10’s (the rest with The Stones or Bowie). John Lydon is also back in the top 20 under another name, Time Zone, with Afrika Bambaata, and some World Destruction, a sort of rock/hip-hop fusion ahead of it’s time, just ahead of a synth/jazz fusion from Sharpe & Numan. This one was less influential, sadly, as it’s great. At 20 the Smiths How Soon Is Now under-performs again, as it’s brilliance takes time to sink in properly, those riffs, oohhhh just magic.

 

Highest new entry is Shaky. 31. I feel I should have some exclamation marks attached, as it’s not one anyone recalls, and it’s not from the 50’s or 60’s, but actually it’s not bad at all. Matt Bianco enter with another cool jazz number at 38, and it’s not more than I can bear, and although I may not want to kiss Stephen Duffy, it’s a good pop track at 40. The classic is at 44, though, the GORGEOUS Cry, from Godley & Creme, ex-10CC members and video innovators, on the single where it all came together as they morphed a world of faces into each other in the video showcasing a brilliant affecting synth ballad that was even better than previous topper Under Your Thumb (1981) and most of 10CC’s brilliant output. Alvin Stardust is back again, 12 years in, with Got A Little Heartache at 58, The Bluebells are new at 59 with one I’ve forgotten, David Essex is also 12 years in and singing of Fallen Angels Riding at 65, while British soul shows it’s as good as the US with Loose Ends terrific Hanging On A String at 68. Finally Eddy Grant is back again with Baby Come Back, sadly he never did get the UK number one with his own reggae version of his own band’s UK 1968 number one - that was to be years away, and Pato Banton with UB40 who did that.

 

 

 

1 ( 4 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

2 ( 1 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

3 ( 3 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

4 ( 6 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

5 ( 16 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

6 ( 5 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

7 ( 2 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

8 ( 10 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

9 ( 15 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

10 ( 7 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

 

11 ( 8 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

12 ( 11 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

13 ( 14 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

14 ( 27 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

15 ( 29 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

16 ( 9 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

17 ( 13 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

18 ( 18 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

19 ( 20 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

20 ( 26 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

 

21 ( 12 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

22 ( 28 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

23 ( 19 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

24 ( 23 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

25 ( 37 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

26 ( 38 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

27 ( 22 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

28 ( 32 ) MISLED Kool And The Gang

29 ( 17 ) A HOLD OF ME The Boomtown Rats

30 ( 24 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

 

 

 

31 ( NEW ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

32 ( 30 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

33 ( 42 ) WHO COMES TO BOOGIE Little Benny And The Masters

34 ( 21 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

35 ( 33 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

36 ( 41 ) LEGS ZZ Top

37 ( 44 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

38 ( NEW ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

39 ( 46 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

40 ( NEW ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

 

41 ( 31 ) THIS HOUSE Big Sound Authority

42 ( 35 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

43 ( 43 ) LOVE LIKE BLOOD Killing Joke

44 ( NEW ) CRY Godley And Creme

45 ( 59 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

46 ( 56 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

47 ( 40 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

48 ( 62 ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

49 ( 34 ) HEARTS ON FIRE Sam Harris

50 ( 36 ) CALIFORNIA GIRLS David Lee Roth

 

51 ( 39 ) SUSSUDIO Phil Collins

52 ( 48 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

53 ( 25 ) “20/20” George Benson

54 ( 54 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

55 ( 71 ) BREAKING HEARTS Elton John

56 ( 47 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

57 ( 45 ) SAN DAMIANO (HEART AND SOUL) Sal Solo

58 ( NEW ) GOT A LITTLE HEARTACHE Alvin Stardust

59 ( NEW ) ALL I AM (IS LOVING YOU) The Bluebells

60 ( 60 ) LAY ME DOWN EASY The Stranglers

 

61 ( 52 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

62 ( 69 ) I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN Tina Turner

63 ( 57 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

64 ( 66 ) MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING Cyndi Lauper

65 ( NEW ) FALLEN ANGELS RIDING David Essex

66 ( 53 ) FRIENDS Amii Stewart

67 ( 51 ) YAH MO B THERE James Ingram and Michael McDonald

68 ( NEW ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

69 ( 65 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

70 ( NEW ) BABY COME BACK Eddy Grant

 

 

 

71 ( 58 ) THANK YOU MY LOVE Imagination

72 ( NEW ) NO FOOL (FOR LOVE) Hazell Dean

73 ( 73 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge

74 ( NEW ) STARVATION Starvation

75 ( NEW ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

 

 

 

TV Mar 2nd-8th

1 Airplane: film

2 Cheers

3 Top Of The Pops

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 Hill Street Blues

6 Calamity Jane: film

7 Bewitched

8 The Addams Family

9 Grange Hill

10 QED

 

 

 

At work, the paranoia of our boss was coming out in all sorts of odd stroppy unreasonable behaviour, all based on insecurity. Psychiatrists would have had a field day with him. I think he was terrified we would apply for the supervisor job which was now vacant and which he was going for. To be fair, I was so pissed off with him, I also DID apply for it just to stir things up for being such a tw*t. Hey ho, I react badly anyone ordering me to do things - I’ll go out of my way if someone asks nicely, but I have no respect for command-statements or anyone making them.

 

On sunday, the Miner’s strike ended. This meant my brother could have a job again - temporarily until they closed his pit, along with every other single coal mine in the Mansfield area. Essentially, it was a community of scabs and strikers forever more, Thatcher won because the miners were split by Scargill’s confrontational attitude and lack of democracy, and Thatcher’s bold-faced lies and promises not close all pits. That’s exactly what happened, and as a consequence the UK’s unions were pretty much made toothless from here on, the government and the rich manipulating political elite had won, and in the long run (despite periods of prosperity for large parts of the nation, but not all) the seeds were sown for the catastrophic policies which led to the crash of 2008, and the rich who had caused it laughing their tits off at the poor who ended up paying for it (quite literally). Moral: greedy rich people will always take opportunities to line their own pockets even if it’s illegal, immoral and devastating to the well-being of others. This is why, we have checks and balances on them. The ones that Thatcher removed as big banks turned into nation-shafting mega-corporations, and everything came down to short-term profit, not long-term usefulness. Of course, I may be biased....

12th March 1985

 

2 weeks for David on top, as Shakin’ Stevens gets his 3rd Top 10 record, Breaking Up My Heart not being one of his best-remembered, so judge for yourself on youtube...! Sharpe & Numan hit 8, Gary’s first top 10 since 1980 and his 6th in total, Bill’s 2nd. Matt Bianco get their first, surprisingly, with one of their minor hits, which is More Than I Can Bear, as do ZZ Top, proving they have Legs. I know I’m repeating myself, there, but hey, repeat till you get a laugh is my motto.

 

After pottering around the lower end, suddenly Madonna leaps to 11 with Material Girl and her 3rd biggest hit to date, while Earth, Wind & Genesis hit 12 - sort of - with Easy Lover. Highest new entry is Nik Kershaw, back with his 4th top 20, a bit of a Wide Boy it seems, but he was on a streak after seeing him in concert a few months previous. New Edition also get a top 20 entry again, 2 years since Candy Girl, while Alison Moyet covers a blues standard, an abrupt change in musical direction that worked for her, That Ole Devil Called Love entering at 26 for a 4th solo hit.

 

New at 35, Go West debut with the memorable We Close Our Eyes, while Starvation go up to 37 - as it sounds, it’s a charity regage single by members of the Specials, UB40, The Pioneers and Madness. In the case of The Pioneers that’s the first new stuff to chart since 1972. David Essex has less problems charting regularly, as his run of top 40 hits hits 12 years, Fallen Angels Riding at 38, Sheila E hits 40 with a little help from her friend (Prince), and Diana Ross enters at 39 with her Lionel Richie-written Missing You, a tribute to her late former Motown singing partners, Marvin Gaye, Florence Ballard and Paul Williams (of The Supremes, and The Temptations). In a nice bit of timing, Ali Campbell of UB40 does the bulk of the vocals on the Starvation record, and this week (April 2015) enters my chart with his version of the Diana Ross track.

 

That leaves new tracks from Eric Clapton (13 years on from Layla), The Cars (7 years on from My Best Friend’s Girl), Joan Armatrading (9 years since Love And Affection), and newer acts Paul Young, The fab Kane Gang track Gun Law, REO Speedwagon (former chart-toppers in 1981), Bryan Adams, China Crisis, and Julian Lennon.

 

1 ( 1 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

2 ( 2 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

3 ( 3 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

4 ( 5 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

5 ( 4 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

6 ( 31 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

7 ( 9 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

8 ( 15 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

9 ( 38 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

10 ( 36 ) LEGS ZZ Top

 

 

11 ( 45 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

12 ( 25 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

13 ( 6 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

14 ( 11 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

15 ( 22 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

16 ( 8 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

17 ( NEW ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

18 ( 10 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

19 ( 39 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

20 ( 18 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

 

 

21 ( 7 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

22 ( 12 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

23 ( 37 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

24 ( 40 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

25 ( 17 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

26 ( NEW ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

27 ( 14 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

28 ( 33 ) WHO COMES TO BOOGIE Little Benny And The Masters

29 ( 19 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

30 ( 48 ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

 

31 ( 16 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

32 ( 13 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

33 ( 24 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

34 ( 68 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

35 ( NEW ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

36 ( 26 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

37 ( 74 ) STARVATION Starvation

38 ( 65 ) FALLEN ANGELS RIDING David Essex

39 ( NEW ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

40 ( 54 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

 

 

41 ( 27 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

42 ( 30 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

43 ( 44 ) CRY Godley And Creme

44 ( 21 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

45 ( 32 ) SOLID Ashford and Simpson

46 ( 46 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

47 ( 23 ) CLOSE (TO THE EDIT) The Art Of Noise

48 ( NEW ) FOREVER MAN Eric Clapton

49 ( 58 ) GOT A LITTLE HEARTACHE Alvin Stardust

50 ( 55 ) BREAKING HEARTS Elton John

 

51 ( 20 ) HOW SOON IS NOW The Smiths

52 ( 72 ) NO FOOL (FOR LOVE) Hazell Dean

53 ( 35 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

54 ( 75 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

55 ( 28 ) MISLED Kool And The Gang

56 ( 34 ) WE BELONG Pat Benatar

57 ( NEW ) WHY CAN’T I HAVE YOU The Cars

58 ( 29 ) A HOLD OF ME The Boomtown Rats

59 ( 70 ) BABY COME BACK Eddy Grant

60 ( 52 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

61 ( 42 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

62 ( NEW ) TEMPTATION Joan Armatrading

63 ( 47 ) I HEAR TALK Bucks Fizz

64 ( NEW ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

65 ( NEW ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

66 ( NEW ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

67 ( 63 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

68 ( 43 ) LOVE LIKE BLOOD Killing Joke

69 ( 62 ) I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN Tina Turner

70 ( 56 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

 

 

 

71 ( NEW ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

72 ( NEW ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

73 ( 69 ) ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Murray Head

74 ( 61 ) LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS Wham!

75 ( NEW ) SAY YOU’RE WRONG Julian Lennon

 

TV March 9th-15th

1 Cheers

2 Hill Street Blues

3 Bewitched

4 Top Of The Pops

5 The Phil Silvers Show

6 The Addams Family

7 The Bill Cosby Show

8 The Other Side Of The Tracks

9 Entertainment USA

10 Night Court

 

At work, my rather depressed and stressed state not helped by our flashing lights on the van not stopping a lady driver having an accident (pulling out of a junction into an oncoming car) by not taking care in the vicinity of our surveying on a bendy country road. Thursday was interview day at Dorchester County Council for a computing job, which was heavily maths based (failed the tough 1 hour algebra exam along with some other candidates). Watched Calamity Jane on TV as consolation! My other consolation was to buy myself a new spanky MSX music computer, the £529 clearing out my savings, but I saw it as a way of trying to get into creating music. Unfortunately I hadn’t reckoned on MSX computers flopping, on having no way of saving any recordings except onto pitiful slow cassette tape (as computer signals, NOT quality audio recordings), and me having no real training or obsession with learning how to play keyboards. Total waste of money, as I was pretty much 20 years too early for bedroom knob twiddling. Hey ho.

19th March 1985

 

 

3 weeks for Dave on top, now equalling his Partridge Family runs at 1, and straight in at 2, it’s a re-issue of the fab 1978 reggae cover of the O’Jays Now That We’ve Found Love, in one swoop out-peaking it’s previous top 10 run. In at 5, though, and an instant 4th top 5 hit, it’s the epic Tears For Fears track, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, for my money a perfect pop song, there is no way it can be improved on (as was shown by the charity remix in 1986). The chords, the melody, the multiple hooks, the guitar, the synths, the vocals, perfect perfect perfect start to finish, I still love, and have never ever stopped loving, every second of it. Overshadowing another classic, though, Godley & Creme get a third top 5 record outside of 10CC, as Cry rockets to 4, and Madonna makes it 3 top 10’s.

 

in at 31, Frankie are back with the 4th great single in a row, the title track from Welcome To The Pleasure Dome, and it seemed as though their Trevor Horn epics could do no wrong, and the world was theirs. Sadly, they decided Trevor Horn wasn’t essential. Bad choice. Into the 40, The Kane Gang and Sheena Easton are up, not to mention Eric, Paul and The Cars. At 47, it’s a cover of Bruce’s still-charting Dancing In The Dark - done 50’s harmony style by Big Daddy, a band who made a habit of covering modern songs in old music styles, to great effect. It’s a great cover, and nothing like the original in any way! At 60, another great cover, albeit very like the original Detroit Spinners 1972/3 hit, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love had already charted in 1973 and 1977 and David Grant, ex-Linx, and Jaki Graham do a fab smooth 80’s soul version version.

 

Elsewhere: Billy Bragg, Barry Manilow and Dionne Warwick (both a decade on from debuting), a fab Slade song 14 years on, Junior, and The Power Station (Robert Palmer plus Duran) all enter.

 

1 ( 1 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

2 ( NEW ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

3 ( 4 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

4 ( 43 ) CRY Godley And Creme

5 ( NEW ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

6 ( 6 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

7 ( 10 ) LEGS ZZ Top

8 ( 9 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

9 ( 2 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

10 ( 11 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

 

 

11 ( 17 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

12 ( 12 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

13 ( 3 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

14 ( 5 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

15 ( 24 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

16 ( 8 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

17 ( 7 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

18 ( 19 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

19 ( 26 ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

20 ( 23 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

 

21 ( 34 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

22 ( 15 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

23 ( 14 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

24 ( 40 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

25 ( 13 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

26 ( 30 ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

27 ( 35 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

28 ( 39 ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

29 ( 38 ) FALLEN ANGELS RIDING David Essex

30 ( 37 ) STARVATION Starvation

 

 

31 ( NEW ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

32 ( 16 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

33 ( 20 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

34 ( 18 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

35 ( 66 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

36 ( 54 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

37 ( 25 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

38 ( 48 ) FOREVER MAN Eric Clapton

39 ( 65 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

40 ( 57 ) WHY CAN’T I HAVE YOU The Cars

 

41 ( 71 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

42 ( 22 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

43 ( 63 ) TEMPTATION Joan Armatrading

44 ( 21 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

45 ( 50 ) BREAKING HEARTS Elton John

46 ( 33 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

47 ( NEW ) DANCING IN THE DARK Big Daddy

48 ( 31 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

49 ( 52 ) NO FOOL (FOR LOVE) Hazell Dean

50 ( 72 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

 

 

51 ( 29 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

52 ( 41 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

53 ( 42 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

54 ( 67 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

55 ( 49 ) GOT A LITTLE HEARTACHE Alvin Stardust

56 ( 27 ) WORLD DESTRUCTION Time Zone

57 ( 46 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

58 ( 59 ) BABY COME BACK Eddy Grant

59 ( 28 ) WHO COMES TO BOOGIE Little Benny And The Masters

60 ( NEW ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

 

 

61 ( 32 ) MIDNIGHT MAN Flash And The Pan

62 ( 60 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

63 ( 44 ) RUN TO YOU Bryan Adams

64 ( 53 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen

65 ( NEW ) BETWEEN THE WARS Billy Bragg

66 ( NEW ) RUN TO ME Dionne Warwicke and Barry Manilow

67 ( 36 ) YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION Chicago

68 ( 68 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

69 ( NEW ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

70 ( 70 ) DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS Band Aid

 

71 ( 61 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

72 ( NEW ) EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY The Roaring Boys

73 ( NEW ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

74 ( NEW ) INNER CITY BLUES Working Week

75 ( NEW ) DO YOU REALLY (WANT MY LOVE) Junior

 

 

TV 16-22 March

1 The Young Ones

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 Top Of The Pops

6 Bewitched

7 The Bill Cosby Show

8 Newhart

9 Spitting Image

10 Television

 

On my MSX computer I was learning basic programming, lending records for copying to Bob, and my brother was down for a break fresh from returning to work at Blidworth pit after the endless strike, and to have a go on my new computer. Getting fed up with the very long bus trip to and from work - 9 miles but it took (and still takes) 90 minutes by bus door to door. I killed a bird driving the work van - it hit the windscreen and I felt awful about it. Most importantly, I got to see my new nephew (born the day after my birthday) Gavin, wide-eyed, tongue sticking out, and very quiet. 18-month-old Vicki had me up and down the stairs all day (kids always take to me cos I give them the attention they want), I predicted she was going to be an extrovert when she grew up. When you’re right you’re right!

26th March 1985

 

It’s a second brilliant number for Godley & Creme, as Cry does what Under Your Thumb did in 1981, and indeed what Donna did in 1972, Wall Street Shuffle in 1974, I’m Not In Love in 1975 and I’m Mandy Fly Me in 1976 for 10CC. My fave under-rated act of the 70’s. Frankie get a 4th top 5 in a row, and Pat Benatar returns with her 1984 top 20 track Love Is A Battlefield, at last a UK hit as well. David Grant and Jaki Graham get a big climb to 16, and in at 20, it’s a classic debut for Dream Academy and their awesome atmospheric Life In A Northern Town, so good it was to become the basis of a future dance sample hit with those Hail Mama’s. Fab!

 

At 24, it’s the USA response to Band Aid, a sentimental mish mash of big names created mostly by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. We Are The World was a who’s who of big names (and the one everyone in the UK went “who he?”: Steve Perry. yes him of Journey and the 21st century million-seller anthem Don’t Stop Believin’ that had stiffed a few years before in the UK. Last laugh, eh, Steve? At 32, Brooce is back with Cover Me, staying ahead of the Big Daddy cover of Dancing In The Dark, while Joan Armatrading and Slade add to their list of top 40 hits. Sarah Brightman is in the classical world for Pie Jesu, at 41, and 7 years since topping a Starship Trooper, while Al Green soul great is back 14 years on with Never Met Nobody Like You at 62.

 

 

1 ( 4 ) CRY Godley And Creme

2 ( 1 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

3 ( 5 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

4 ( 2 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

5 ( 31 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

6 ( 3 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

7 ( NEW ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

8 ( 11 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

9 ( 15 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

10 ( 12 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

 

 

11 ( 8 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

12 ( 9 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

13 ( 21 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

14 ( 6 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

15 ( 7 ) LEGS ZZ Top

16 ( 60 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

17 ( 10 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

18 ( 18 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

19 ( 13 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

20 ( NEW ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

 

 

21 ( 20 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

22 ( 24 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

23 ( 14 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

24 ( NEW ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

25 ( 27 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

26 ( 40 ) WHY CAN’T I HAVE YOU The Cars

27 ( 29 ) FALLEN ANGELS RIDING David Essex

28 ( 39 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

29 ( 16 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

30 ( 17 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

 

31 ( 19 ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

32 ( NEW ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

33 ( 35 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

34 ( 47 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Big Daddy

35 ( 36 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

36 ( 43 ) TEMPTATION Joan Armatrading

37 ( 70 ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

38 ( 41 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

39 ( 22 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

40 ( 30 ) STARVATION Starvation

 

 

41 ( NEW ) PIE JESU Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

42 ( 26 ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

43 ( 74 ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

44 ( 66 ) BETWEEN THE WARS Billy Bragg

45 ( 37 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

46 ( 23 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

47 ( 28 ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

48 ( 32 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

49 ( 34 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

50 ( 50 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

 

51 ( 57 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

52 ( 38 ) FOREVER MAN Eric Clapton

53 ( 54 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

54 ( 25 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

55 ( 46 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

56 ( 44 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

57 ( 48 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

58 ( NEW ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

59 ( NEW ) LET HER GO Strawberry Switchblade

60 ( 53 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

 

61 ( 52 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

62 ( NEW ) NEVER MET NOBODY LIKE YOU Al Green

63 ( 33 ) NIGHTSHIFT The Commodores

64 ( 42 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

65 ( 63 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

66 ( 55 ) GOT A LITTLE HEARTACHE Alvin Stardust

67 ( 67 ) RUN TO ME Dionne Warwicke and Barry Manilow

68 ( NEW ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

69 ( 51 ) LOVERBOY Billy Ocean

70 ( NEW ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

 

71 ( 69 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

72 ( 49 ) NO FOOL (FOR LOVE) Hazell Dean

73 ( 72 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

74 ( NEW ) LUCKY The Greg Kihn Band

75 ( 45 ) BREAKING HEARTS Elton John

 

 

 

TV 23-29 Mar

1 The Young Ones: Oil

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Pink Panther Strikes Back

5 Top Of The Pops

6 Bewitched

7 Spitting Image

8 The Phil Silvers Show

9 The Addams Family

10 Newhart

 

Work was a week without boss-git, and it was bliss, just me and Bob able to get more work done and have a pleasant working environment along the country roads, even if Bob was throwing up ill on Tuesday. Had a meal at his parents which was nice of them, and I met his mum for the first time. It was Roy’s last day on friday, so we met up in the Westbourne pub for a goodbye drink. Roy had referred to our absent boss as “our venereal friend” so no love lost there! At home, I got frustrated being unable to save any synth sounds I created on the MSX, on the stupid sh*tty little tape recorder back up. That, I daresay, was the reason MSX computers failed miserably.

 

2nd April 1985

2 weeks on top for Cry, and Godley And Creme, as Tears For Fears hit 2 for the third time, and Frankie hit 3 with their Pleasuredome, and looking like the hat-trick of chart-toppers is about the end of it. David Grant and Jaki Graham, meanwhile take Could It Be I’m Falling In Love into the top 10 and match the Detroit Spinners original, while Dream Academy hit 10 with the utterly brilliant Life In A Northern Town. Into the 20? USA For Africa, Sheena Easton, Jermaine Jackson, The Kane Gang, and for the last time with a new single (apart from that xmas song!) Slade call it a day with the Myzsterious Mizster Jones, 14 years, 2 number ones and a long long run of big hits. TV was calling Noddy and he never went back to singing, doh!

 

China Crisis go top 40, as does Glen Frey snuggling up to former Eagles co-vocalist Don Henley, and ahead of Robert Palmer and Duranies. King join Prince in the 40, and The Damned get a decent return to the 40 6 years since they first did the trick, Grimly Fiendishly. Ditto Sarah Brightman, Pie Jesu-ing at 39, and Strawberry Switchblade return with Let her Go. New entries from cool Brit soul The Cool Notes, Spend The Night at 49, Phil Collins in ballad mode, One More Night at 52, Phyllis Nelson’s soulful great Move Closer at 60, The Smiths with a tribute to Bananarama vocalist Siobhan, Shakespear’s Sister at 75, and 5 years of chart entries for Change at 74.

 

1 ( 1 ) CRY Godley And Creme

2 ( 3 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

3 ( 5 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4 ( 4 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

5 ( 2 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

6 ( 7 ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

7 ( 16 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

8 ( 8 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

9 ( 9 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

10 ( 20 ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

 

 

11 ( 13 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

12 ( 10 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

13 ( 6 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

14 ( 11 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

15 ( 24 ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

16 ( 12 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

17 ( 21 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

18 ( 33 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

19 ( 35 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

20 ( 37 ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

 

 

21 ( 17 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

22 ( 14 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

23 ( 28 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

24 ( 32 ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

25 ( 25 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

26 ( 22 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

27 ( 15 ) LEGS ZZ Top

28 ( 34 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Big Daddy

29 ( 19 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

30 ( 18 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

 

 

31 ( 50 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

32 ( 23 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

33 ( 51 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

34 ( 43 ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

35 ( 38 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

36 ( 58 ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

37 ( 31 ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

38 ( 70 ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

39 ( 41 ) PIE JESU Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

40 ( 59 ) LET HER GO Strawberry Switchblade

 

 

41 ( 26 ) WHY CAN’T I HAVE YOU The Cars

42 ( 29 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

43 ( 30 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

44 ( 44 ) BETWEEN THE WARS Billy Bragg

45 ( 27 ) FALLEN ANGELS RIDING David Essex

46 ( 53 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

47 ( 36 ) TEMPTATION Joan Armatrading

48 ( 45 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

49 ( NEW ) SPEND THE NIGHT The Cool Notes

50 ( 40 ) STARVATION Starvation

 

51 ( 46 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

52 ( NEW ) ONE MORE NIGHT Phil Collins

53 ( 39 ) METHOD OF MODERN LOVE Daryl Hall and John Oates

54 ( 42 ) CONTRACT OF THE HEART Spelt Like This

55 ( 62 ) NEVER MET NOBODY LIKE YOU Al Green

56 ( 56 ) RELAX Frankie Goes To Hollywood

57 ( 57 ) TAINTED LOVE Soft Cell

58 ( 49 ) THIS IS NOT AMERICA David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

59 ( 55 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

60 ( NEW ) MOVE CLOSER Phyllis Nelson

 

61 ( 48 ) THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER Howard Jones

62 ( 52 ) FOREVER MAN Eric Clapton

63 ( 47 ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

64 ( 60 ) SINCE YESTERDAY Strawberry Switchblade

65 ( 61 ) I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS Foreigner

66 ( 68 ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

67 ( 65 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

68 ( 54 ) LOVE AND PRIDE King

69 ( 74 ) LUCKY The Greg Kihn Band

70 ( 73 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

 

71 ( 71 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

72 ( 66 ) GOT A LITTLE HEARTACHE Alvin Stardust

73 ( 64 ) I KNOW HIM SO WELL Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige

74 ( NEW ) LET’S GO TOGETHER Change

75 ( NEW ) SHAKESPEAR’S SISTER The Smiths

 

TV 30th Mar-5th Apr

1 The Young Ones: Bomb

2 Cheers

3 The Phil Silvers Show

4 Newhart

5 Top Of The Pops

6 Bewitched

7 The Cosby Show

8 Dallas

9 Entertainment USA

10 Doctor Who

 

At the cinema: 2010 A Space Odyssey, based on the fabulous sci-fi sequel novel by Arthur C.Clarke, my hero writer, and following-on from the groundbreaking Kubrick movie 2001, which remains the definitive statement on space exploration realism (albeit with fantasy tagged on). “great effects, intelligent, though-provoking, refreshingly different angle on Soviet/U.S. relations and not overlong. More human relations would have been nice, more Europa (the moon of Jupiter) too, but nitpicking. An entertaining movie, much better than Dune, not as entertaining as Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and Return Of The Jedi, but probably on a par in a different way. More straightforward than 2001, more human, more accessible, I’d rate it higher (for that reason).” I’d still rather watch 2010 than 2001, but 2001 remains a classic and 2010 isn’t, sadly.

At work we got the great news that the boss would be moving over to the other team of surveyors and we were getting a new driver. Hooray! Got rid of him at last, we had a lunchtime drink in a pub in rural Dorset village Childe Okeford where the locals, bar one friendly guy who played pool with us, appeared to have been taken over by alien pods from Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers, they said nothing, just sat there and gave the odd mild yokel ooaarrr occasionally. On sunday I bought my first (second-hand) moped from the army camp, and tried to ride it home, it just kept cutting out though and didn’t go above 25 mph, so back for a service. It wasn’t very powerful, but just about got me about in my sports helmet on a pathetic titchy moped. The helmet was a good buy, it turned out though, so who cares what I looked like.

9th April 1985

 

17 new entries and a new all-time classic number one as Tears For Fears finally get higher than 2 in my chart with the awesome Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Roland Orzabal always said he co-wrote it deliberately as a commercial American hit record, but that does it a disservice - OK it’s more upbeat than previous TFF singles, but oh my word it’s a perfect creation. Almost everything about it is a hook, there are multiple melodies, all great, all hooky, and Curt Smith’s vocals were perfect for the song, light and harmonic to contrast Roland’s darker deeper injections. I got, and still get, goosebumps when I hear it - it’s one of those rare perfect records where it can’t be improved on (witness the less-good Everybody Wants To Run The World a year later), it just sounds so right from start to finish, the sexual chords, the synths, the shuffling beat. Perfection!

 

Highest new entry at 4 is a mash-up of classic T.Rex singles, the late Marc Bolan having had a majestic run of glam-rock monsters that rated very high on my nostalgia-ometer, and still do. Megarex 1 did the trick for me, and gave T.Rex their first top 5 since Telegram Sam had been reissued in 1982 and hit my number one. Phyllis Nelson moves closer to the 10, up from 60 to 14, Go west slot in behind eyes closed, with a China Crisis on their heels, and the heat is on at 20 as Glen Frey gets his first solo top 20 a decade after hitting 2 with The Eagles.

 

So, new entry invasion, ABC return at 33, Be Near Me is a good addition to the classy ballads they excel at, while at 35, the American version of a ska invasion that climaxed with No Doubt and Gwen Stefani a decade or so later starts with The Untouchables, and Free Yourself. 70’s funk band War return at 38 10 years on with a slick version of The Young Rascals fabulously cool and laid-back 60’s hit Groovin’, as Sal Solo is at 39 with his follow-up to San Damiano, Music And You. Lower down there’s Howard Jones extending his pop hit run - Look Mama! - at 49, while The Rah Band have their best hit since topping my chart in 1977 with The Crunch, and it’s a jazz-funk smooth sci-fi styled dance goodie, staying just the right side of cheese for me, and in at 50.

At 52, Narada’s back (minus his Michael Walden) after a 5-year gap, in combo with Patti austin for Gimme Gimme Gimme (not to be Abba confused) it’s pop souldance, and at 53 it’s the under-rated fabulous Bangles debut hit Going Down To Liverpool, a cover of a Katrina And The Waves song, with a 60’s flavour and fab harmonies. As if that wasn’t enough my hero Leonard “Spock” Nimoy is in the video. What’s not to love?! Check it out. That’s an order. Should have been big!

 

Pause for breath, and the invasion continues, as a version of Flower Duet from Lakme adds some classy opera to the chart at 55, thanks to it’s use in advert, and at 56 it’s a future monster American chart-topper from a huge movie, catapulting Simple Minds into world stadium rockers for a while, and critical derision, but Don’t You Forget About Me is a good record anyway. They ain’t the only act going stadium rock either, Eurythmics do the same at 59 - Would I Lie To You? No. Don Henley has a laid-back sunset grill tale at 60, which is also fab, as is the lovely synth instrumental Moments In Love as Art Of Noise return at 65 - if you have 10 minutes to spare check out the gorgeous youtube video and try and work out how you know the tune so well (answer: sampled so often, chill-out compilations etc). That leaves Chris Rea back, Tom Petty back, both 1977/1978 veterans, and Dead Or Alive with a 3rd chart entry. Phew!

 

 

1 ( 2 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

2 ( 1 ) CRY Godley And Creme

3 ( 3 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4 ( NEW ) MEGAREX 1 T.Rex

5 ( 7 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

6 ( 10 ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

7 ( 4 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

8 ( 6 ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

9 ( 11 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

10 ( 5 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

 

11 ( 15 ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

12 ( 9 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

13 ( 8 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

14 ( 60 ) MOVE CLOSER Phyllis Nelson

15 ( 25 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

16 ( 31 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

17 ( 19 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

18 ( 12 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

19 ( 24 ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

20 ( 33 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

 

21 ( 13 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

22 ( 18 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

23 ( 21 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

24 ( 36 ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

25 ( 16 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

26 ( 14 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

27 ( 38 ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

28 ( 17 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

29 ( 49 ) SPEND THE NIGHT The Cool Notes

30 ( 35 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

 

 

31 ( 23 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

32 ( 20 ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

33 ( NEW ) BE NEAR ME ABC

34 ( 34 ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

35 ( NEW ) FREE YOURSELF The Untouchables

36 ( 22 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

37 ( 27 ) LEGS ZZ Top

38 ( NEW ) GROOVIN’ War

39 ( NEW ) MUSIC AND YOU Sal Solo

40 ( 29 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

 

 

41 ( 46 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

42 ( 37 ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

43 ( 32 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

44 ( 30 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

45 ( 52 ) ONE MORE NIGHT Phil Collins

46 ( 26 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

47 ( 39 ) PIE JESU Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

48 ( 28 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Big Daddy

49 ( NEW ) LOOK MAMA Howard Jones

50 ( NEW ) CLOUDS ACROSS THE MOON The Rah Band

 

 

51 ( 48 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

52 ( NEW ) GIMME GIMME GIMME Narada and Patti Austin

53 ( NEW ) GOING DOWN THE LIVERPOOL The Bangles

54 ( 40 ) LET HER GO Strawberry Switchblade

55 ( NEW ) FLOWER DUET FROM LAKME Mady Mesple and Danielle Millet

56 ( NEW ) DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) Simple Minds

57 ( 41 ) WHY CAN’T I HAVE YOU The Cars

58 ( 47 ) TEMPTATION Joan Armatrading

59 ( NEW ) WOULD I LIE TO YOU Eurythmics

60 ( NEW ) DOWN AT THE SUNSET GRILL Don Henley

 

 

61 ( 51 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

62 ( 66 ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

63 ( 42 ) CHANGE YOUR MIND Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

64 ( 43 ) JUST ANOTHER NIGHT Mick Jagger

65 ( NEW ) MOMENTS IN LOVE The Art Of Noise

66 ( 59 ) 1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE Prince

67 ( 74 ) LET’S GO TOGETHER Change

68 ( NEW ) STAINSBY GIRLS Chris Rea

69 ( 67 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

70 ( 70 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

 

 

71 ( 44 ) BETWEEN THE WARS Billy Bragg

72 ( NEW ) DON’T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE Tom Petty

73 ( 71 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

74 ( NEW ) LOVER COME BACK TO ME Dead Or Alive

75 ( 75 ) SHAKESPEARE’S SISTER The Smiths

 

TV 6th - 12th Apr

1 Blazing Saddles: film

2 Cheers

3 The Monkees

4 Alias Smith And Jones

5 The Phil Silvers Show

6 The Abba Story

7 Top Of The Pops

8 The Cannonball Run: film

9 The Muppet Movie: film

10 The Cosby Show

 

 

On TV the final episode of Are You Being Served aired, I was reading Douglas Adams’ Restaurant At The End Of The Universe on the bus to work, and we had a new van driver, big Bob, chatty, sweary, fag-smokey, and amiable. In those days people used to smoke in vans, pubs and the office, which frankly left me with a sort throat, stinking clothes and pissed off with them. Three cheers for the Smoking Ban! Grandma (mum’s mum) was down to stay with me and Aunty Eileen was down en route to my Auntie at Weymouth, fresh after Uncle Tony had moved out, the other half arrived a bit later, grandad (dads dad), Ann, Geoff, and cousins Neil and Claire. Busy day.

16th April 1980

2 weeks for Tears For Fears ruling the world, with T.Rex stalking them at 2. Phyllis Nelson and USA For Africa, 2 UK chart-toppers, make my top 10, while Don Henley goes for a 2nd consecutive top 40, down at the sunset grill, and other big USA hits from Phil Collins and REO Speedwagon join him. Plus Howard Jones, look ma no hands, and Simple Minds famously not forgetting.

 

Very few new entries, just Sheila E getting a second quick Prince-led hit, The Glamorous Life for her at 60, Robin George, coulda-been rockstar enters at 62 with Heartline, Marilyn’s back again in the cold at 67, and there’s a debut at 68 which is notable: not for DeBarge but for songwriter Diane Warren, one-woman songwriting power-house, Rhythm Of The Night. At 71 Toyah has a last fab pop single, Don’t Fall In Love (I Said) wasn’t one of her biggest hits, but it was one of her best singles. Love comes to Gary Glitter at 74. Yes, well, no comment, bar 13 years of chart entries.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

2 ( 4 ) MEGAREX 1 T.Rex

3 ( 3 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4 ( 2 ) CRY Godley And Creme

5 ( 5 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

6 ( 6 ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

7 ( 8 ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

8 ( 14 ) MOVE CLOSER Phyllis Nelson

9 ( 11 ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

10 ( 7 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

 

 

11 ( 10 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

12 ( 9 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

13 ( 16 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

14 ( 17 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

15 ( 15 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

16 ( 24 ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

17 ( 29 ) SPEND THE NIGHT The Cool Notes

18 ( 13 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

19 ( 19 ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

20 ( 12 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

 

 

21 ( 20 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

22 ( 18 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

23 ( 23 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

24 ( 33 ) BE NEAR ME ABC

25 ( 30 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

26 ( 27 ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

27 ( 34 ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

28 ( 60 ) SUNSET GRILL Don Henley

29 ( 50 ) CLOUDS ACROSS THE MOON The Rah Band

30 ( 35 ) FREE YOURSELF The Untouchables

 

 

31 ( 21 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

32 ( 45 ) ONE MORE NIGHT Phil Collins

33 ( 25 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

34 ( 39 ) MUSIC AND YOU Sal Solo

35 ( 31 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

36 ( 41 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

37 ( 38 ) GROOVIN’ War

38 ( 49 ) LOOK MAMA Howard Jones

39 ( 22 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

40 ( 56 ) DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) Simple Minds

 

 

41 ( 32 ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

42 ( 28 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

43 ( 26 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

44 ( 62 ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

45 ( 74 ) LOVER COME BACK TO ME Dead Or Alive

46 ( 37 ) LEGS ZZ Top

47 ( 40 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

48 ( 36 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

49 ( 52 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME Narada and Patti Austin

50 ( 54 ) LET HER GO Strawberry Switchblade

 

51 ( 42 ) THAT OLE DEVIL CALLED LOVE Alison Moyet

52 ( 59 ) WOULD I LIE TO YOU Eurythmics

53 ( 53 ) GOING DOWN THE LIVERPOOL The Bangles

54 ( 55 ) FLOWER DUET FROM LAKME Mady Mesple and Danielle Millet

55 ( 51 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

56 ( 72 ) DON’T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

57 ( 43 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

58 ( 67 ) LET’S GO TOGETHER Change

59 ( 65 ) MOMENTS IN LOVE The Art Of Noise

60 ( NEW ) THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Sheila E

 

61 ( 47 ) PIE JESU Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

62 ( NEW ) HEARTLINE Robin George

63 ( 68 ) STAINSBY GIRLS Chris Rea

64 ( 48 ) DANCING IN THE DARK Big Daddy

65 ( 75 ) SHAKESPEARE’S SISTER The Smiths

66 ( 44 ) MR. TELEPHONE MAN New Edition

67 ( NEW ) BABY U LEFT ME (IN THE COLD) Marilyn

68 ( NEW ) RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT DeBarge

69 ( 46 ) THE BELLE OF ST. MARK Sheila E

70 ( 69 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

71 ( NEW ) DON’T FALL IN LOVE (I SAID) Toyah

72 ( 61 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

73 ( 70 ) SHOUT Tears For Fears

74 ( NEW ) LOVE COMES Gary Glitter

75 ( 73 ) SEX CRIME (1984) Eurythmics

 

 

 

TV 13th-19th Apr

1 Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before

2 The Young Ones: Boring

3 Cheers

4 Star Trek: The Corbomite Manoever

5 Terrahawks: Stu Dapples episode

6 Dallas

7 Taxi

8 Top Of The Pops

9 The Cosby Show

10 The Phil Silvers Show

 

Grandma was down for a week with me, but didn’t look at all well and spent weekdays on her own while I was at work, all of which worried me. In the van there was a new daily B.O. problem to put up with (not me) which got very wearying eventually. Now reading Douglas Adams’ Life The Universe And Everything. I wrote a computer program designed to input my pop chart position data and automatically generate “sales”. Never did get round to perfecting it as a quick fix, it was more of a glorified calculator. Still, writing simple programs, hey!

23rd April 1985

The unthinkable - Tears For Fears knocked off after only 2 weeks on top, but at least it’s teen faves T.Rex that do it, with a mix of their great EMI singles, Megarex, giving them a 6th chart-topper. After 3 weeks at 3, Frankie get frustratingly close to a 4th number one, but peak no higher than 2, I’m afraid. Pat Benatar battles up to 4, and The Fabs are back with another 20th anniversary oldie, Ticket To Ride in at 6, and the jangly indiepop template was firmly laid down here. The Smiths were the cool band of the day, but they had roots in The Beatles, among others. The Rah Band get their first top 20 entry since The Crunch in 1977, and Diana Ross re-enters with her tribute ballad, Missing You, hitting the top 20 for the first time, and her biggest single in a few years.

 

Into the 40 go The Bangles down to Liverpool, while the writer enters herself at 50, the still-fab still-played Walking On Sunshine from Katrina And The Waves. Dead Or Alive are into the 40, replacing themselves, and Eurythmics, Art Of Noise and DeBarge join them in the big 40. At 48, Bronski Beat and Marc Almond join forces on a cover of I Feel Love, only 3 years since it was last a hit for Donna Summer. It was a big UK hit, and interesting having two male diva voices, but, yeah, not the game-changing Giorgio Moroder-produced original for me. Talking of male divas, Freddie Mercury gets a second solo hit at 58, I Was Born To Love You being a bit jollier than Love Kills, Chaka Khan is also back, eye to eye with Freddie, Ashford And Simpson have given birth to a new entry at 75, and best of all the synth pop delight of the under-rated Imagination from Belouis Some, in at 68.

 

 

 

 

1 ( 2 ) MEGAREX 1 T.Rex

2 ( 3 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3 ( 1 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

4 ( 7 ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

5 ( 4 ) CRY Godley And Creme

6 ( NEW ) TICKET TO RIDE The Beatles

7 ( 5 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

8 ( 8 ) MOVE CLOSER Phyllis Nelson

9 ( 6 ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

10 ( 9 ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

 

 

11 ( 13 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

12 ( 17 ) SPEND THE NIGHT The Cool Notes

13 ( 10 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

14 ( 29 ) CLOUDS ACROSS THE MOON The Rah Band

15 ( 30 ) FREE YOURSELF The Untouchables

16 ( 11 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

17 ( 40 ) DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) Simple Minds

18 ( 38 ) LOOK MAMA Howard Jones

19 ( 14 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

20 ( RE ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

 

21 ( 12 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

22 ( 53 ) GOING DOWN THE LIVERPOOL The Bangles

23 ( 24 ) BE NEAR ME ABC

24 ( 15 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

25 ( 45 ) LOVER COME BACK TO ME Dead Or Alive

26 ( 28 ) SUNSET GRILL Don Henley

27 ( 16 ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

28 ( 18 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

29 ( 20 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

30 ( 37 ) GROOVIN’ War

 

31 ( 19 ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

32 ( 32 ) ONE MORE NIGHT Phil Collins

33 ( 68 ) RYTHYM OF THE NIGHT DeBarge

34 ( 36 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

35 ( 25 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

36 ( 52 ) WOULD I LIE TO YOU Eurythmics

37 ( 23 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

38 ( 21 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

39 ( 44 ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

40 ( 59 ) MOMENTS IN LOVE The Art Of Noise

 

41 ( 31 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

42 ( 56 ) DON’T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

43 ( 33 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

44 ( 49 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME Narada and Patti Austin

45 ( 63 ) STAINSBY GIRLS Chris Rea

46 ( 22 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

47 ( 60 ) THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Sheila E

48 ( NEW ) I FEEL LOVE Bronski Beat and Marc Almond

49 ( 35 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

50 ( NEW ) WALKING ON SUNSHINE Katrina And The Waves

 

 

51 ( 27 ) SOME LIKE IT HOT The Power Station

52 ( 26 ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

53 ( 58 ) LET’S GO TOGETHER Change

54 ( 46 ) LEGS ZZ Top

55 ( 34 ) MUSIC AND YOU Sal Solo

56 ( 39 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

57 ( 62 ) HEARTLINE Robin George

58 ( NEW ) I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU Freddie Mercury

59 ( 47 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

60 ( 55 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

 

61 ( NEW ) EYE TO EYE Chaka Khan

62 ( 74 ) LOVE COMES Gary Glitter

63 ( 43 ) MORE THAN I CAN BEAR Matt Bianco

64 ( 42 ) DO WHAT YOU DO Jermaine Jackson

65 ( 41 ) MYZSTERIOUS MIZSTER JONES Slade

66 ( 48 ) BREAKING UP MY HEART Shakin’ Stevens

67 ( 67 ) BABY U LEFT ME (IN THE COLD) Marilyn

68 ( NEW ) IMAGINATION Belouis Some

69 ( 57 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

70 ( 70 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

71 ( 71 ) DON’T FALL IN LOVE (I SAID) Toyah

72 ( 72 ) A NEW ENGLAND Kirsty MacColl

73 ( 61 ) PIE JESU Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

74 ( 50 ) LET HER GO Strawberry Switchblade

75 ( NEW ) BABIES Ashford And Simpson

 

 

 

TV 20th-26th Apr

1 The Young Ones: Interesting

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 Lou Grant

6 Top Of The Pops

7 Newhart

8 The Bill Cosby Show

9 Dallas

10 Television

 

 

At work, my mate Bob had an interview for another Council, which I knew he’d get and wasn’t looking forward to him leaving, as he very much was the one I got on with - the boss came over from Dorchester to try and persuade him to stay (Bob was applying for a temp post which had more opportunities, so no chance of that). I bemoaned my shit wages (which they were). On Saturday, ailing grandma decided she wanted to go home on Sunday to Liverpool, but still obviously flushed and upset when I picked her up from the NAAFI, as she hated goodbyes even more than I do, I think. It was a 6-hour trip there, obviously not feeling good but not complaining (which worried me even more), and when I left her at home with a neighbour friend, setting off she hinted that she’d like to move down to live with me which put me on the spot and I made excuses about her having no friends (like me) in Poole. You can’t change the past, but it would have been good for her to live with her family and she would certainly have lived longer. I still feel guilty.

30th April 1985

 

Back up to the top of the chart, quite rightly, for a 3rd week at 1, Everybody Still Wants To Rule The World. Brilliant. Pat Benatar has to make do with the runners-up Battlefield medal, sadly, cos it’s certainly good enough to be on top, as The Beatles Ticket To Ride at 3. Aside from the time in 1976 when the Beatles entire singles back catalogue reissues had to have their own chart (there would have been no room for any new stuff, so it was just a practical solution) that’s the highest-placed Beatles oldie to date.

 

Lots of new entries, headed by a synthpop American classic, finally catching up with the UK music scene, at 18 it’s Animotion and the fabulous Obsession. One-hit wonders, pretty much, but an actual pop wonder. Kim Wilde returns for the 4th year of continuous chart entries, as she has a Rage To Love at 27. Still good, too. Latin Quarter had a gentle cool reggae rock style, and a great social commentary single in Radio Africa in at 32. It eventually made the UK singles chart in 1986, but I liked it right off and was annoyed it flopped. 46, Divine’s back, camp as ever, but this time destroying a Four Seasons classic. It’s a much better record than You Think You’re A Man, cos the song is a great song, and western pop video theme didn’t hurt, Divine as a right madam. Great fun. Scritti Politti also return, at 60, with a slow reggae dub groove, The Word Girl is cool pop, but then Green Gartside was always cool. New at 65, a debut for Steve Arrington and one of the great 80’s soul dance tracks that by now were incorporating the new synth sounds more than the traditional funk dance set up. Feel So Real is a terrific record. In at 70, Haywoode brings Roses into my chart, and another future UK 1986 hit that shamefully flopped, relatively, first time round.

 

 

1 ( 3 ) EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD Tears For Fears

2 ( 4 ) LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD Pat Benatar

3 ( 6 ) TICKET TO RIDE The Beatles

4 ( 1 ) MEGAREX 1 T.Rex

5 ( 5 ) CRY Godley And Creme

6 ( 2 ) WELCOME TO THE PLEASURE DOME Frankie Goes To Hollywood

7 ( 7 ) COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE David Grant and Jaki Graham

8 ( 14 ) CLOUDS ACROSS THE MOON The Rah Band

9 ( 11 ) BLACK MAN RAY China Crisis

10 ( 15 ) FREE YOURSELF The Untouchables

 

11 ( 9 ) LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy

12 ( 25 ) LOVER COME BACK TO ME Dead Or Alive

13 ( 17 ) DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) Simple Minds

14 ( 18 ) LOOK MAMA Howard Jones

15 ( 22 ) GOING DOWN THE LIVERPOOL The Bangles

16 ( 8 ) MOVE CLOSER Phyllis Nelson

17 ( 10 ) WE ARE THE WORLD USA For Africa

18 ( NEW ) OBSESSION Animotion

19 ( 12 ) SPEND THE NIGHT The Cool Notes

20 ( 20 ) MISSING YOU Diana Ross

 

21 ( 13 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Third World

22 ( 26 ) SUNSET GRILL Don Henley

23 ( 36 ) WOULD I LIE TO YOU Eurythmics

24 ( 16 ) THE LAST KISS David Cassidy

25 ( 33 ) RYTHYM OF THE NIGHT DeBarge

26 ( 48 ) I FEEL LOVE Bronski Beat and Marc Almond

27 ( NEW ) RAGE TO LOVE Kim Wilde

28 ( 58 ) I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU Freddie Mercury

29 ( 21 ) HANGING ON A STRING Loose Ends

30 ( 50 ) WALKING ON SUNSHINE Katrina And The Waves

 

 

31 ( 19 ) SUGAR WALLS Sheena Easton

32 ( NEW ) RADIO AFRICA Latin Quarter

33 ( 47 ) THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Sheila E

34 ( 23 ) BE NEAR ME ABC

35 ( 24 ) WE CLOSE OUR EYES Go West

36 ( 40 ) MOMENTS IN LOVE The Art Of Noise

37 ( 28 ) WIDE BOY Nik Kershaw

38 ( 39 ) THAT WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner

39 ( 45 ) STAINSBY GIRLS Chris Rea

40 ( 29 ) KISS ME Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy

 

 

41 ( 30 ) GROOVIN’ War

42 ( 27 ) WON’T YOU HOLD MY HAND NOW King

43 ( 41 ) LET’S GO CRAZY/ TAKE ME WITH U Prince

44 ( 61 ) EYE TO EYE Chaka Khan

45 ( 32 ) ONE MORE NIGHT Phil Collins

46 ( NEW ) WALK LIKE A MAN Divine

47 ( 42 ) DON’T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

48 ( 37 ) MATERIAL GIRL Madonna

49 ( 43 ) YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) Dead Or Alive

50 ( 62 ) LOVE COMES Gary Glitter

 

51 ( 31 ) COVER ME Bruce Springsteen

52 ( 35 ) SOMEBODY Bryan Adams

53 ( 71 ) DON’T FALL IN LOVE (I SAID) Toyah

54 ( 38 ) THE HEAT IS ON Glen Frey

55 ( 57 ) HEARTLINE Robin George

56 ( 49 ) EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY Paul Young

57 ( NEW ) SO FAR AWAY Dire Straits

58 ( 34 ) CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING REO Speedwagon

59 ( 54 ) LEGS ZZ Top

60 ( NEW ) THE WORD GIRL Scritti Politti

 

 

61 ( 68 ) IMAGINATION Belouis Some

62 ( 60 ) IT’S...IT’S...THE SWEET MIX The Sweet

63 ( 56 ) GUN LAW The Kane Gang

64 ( 59 ) SHAFT Eddy And The Soul Band

65 ( NEW ) FEEL SO REAL Steve Arrington

66 ( NEW ) LUCKY IN LOVE Mick Jagger

67 ( 52 ) GRIMLY FIENDISH The Damned

68 ( 46 ) EASY LOVER Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

69 ( NEW ) PUT MY ARMS AROUND YOU Kevin iamspamspamamibr />70 ( NEW ) ROSES Haywoode

 

 

71 ( 70 ) THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

72 ( 69 ) THE BOYS OF SUMMER Don Henley

73 ( 44 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME Narada and Patti Austin

74 ( NEW ) BABY COME AND GET IT The Pointer Sisters

75 ( NEW ) I WANT YOUR LOVIN’ Curtis Hairston

 

 

TV 27th Apr-May 3rd

1 The Young Ones: Flood

2 Cheers

3 Hill Street Blues

4 The Phil Silvers Show

5 Lou Grant

6 Bob Monkhouse Meets Joan Rivers

7 Top Of The Pops

8 The Max Headroom Show

9 Taxi

10 Newhart

On TV, Bob Monkhouse met Joan Rivers and Joan was now into the big comedy league, and Bob was going through a career re-evaluation, from trashy gameshow host, to the comic’s comic, a gag-writer supreme. Max Headroom became the first computer animated TV star (sort of), hosting a new pop music show, a place to see loads of new music videos, hooray! He was also on his way to getting a chart hit before long.

 

At work, Bob handed his notice in, which was gutting, and a kick up the ass reminder that I needed to start applying for more jobs too. So I did, lab assistant in a school, computer programmer trainee - damn, neither one came in trumps! On the plus side, I finally got all my records listed in an A to Z file as my collection was getting to be quite a size and I couldn’t always recall what records I had or didn’t have tucked away on compilation albums. 2,282 records in my collection. Got an invite to Paul and Sheila’s wedding in Rotherham, the last of my college friends to take the plunge, which was great news. I also wrote a song on my music computer this week. It was called Old Song On The Radio. Yes, well, maybe I should have sent it to Eurovision!