I wish I'd known the title of that Atlantic Starr song the other week when it came up on PopMaster :cry: :lol:

 

I remember 'Train Of Thought' being one of my favourites from that a-ha album :wub: picked it up on vinyl at a record fair based off the two big singles several years ago and definitely no regrets.

I never knew Train of Thought was a top 10 hit! :wub:

Love Touch Me (and Sam Fox also) so much.

I noticed that despite the TOTP intro change the logo was still the classic 80s logo in the studio, when does it change to that awful late 80s one?

19TH APRIL

 

 

 

 

1986 crowns its 6th chart topper this week as George Michael grabs his second solo No 1 though “A Different Corner” is already stumbling sales turning in a 3% increase to 83,096 copies last week though admittedly it’s still an increase. It now looks like it will not sell anything like “Careless Whisper” as it has clocked up a mere 221,323 in its first three weeks, though “careless Whisper” only sold 283,543 in its first three weeks so perhaps I shouldn’t be too rash. In getting the track to the top Michael becomes the first act to write, produce, arrange, sing and play all the instruments on a No 1 single himself.

 

 

In truth the ascent of “A Different Corner” is more to do with the collapse of “Living Doll” which retreats graciously 1-2 (77,945) and increases its total to 546,108 with “Chain Reaction” now firmly in its sights as the biggest single of the year, it’s also Cliff’s biggest hit since “We Don’t Talk Anymore” 7 years ago.

 

 

Simple Minds continue to build an impressive chart career with their 14th hit and fourth straight top 10 hit “All The Things She Said” which is another track plucked from their “Once Upon A Time” album, it dived into the charts at No 15 last week and floats to No 9 (30,923) this week. The band are back in the US on tour at present so we’ll see how this can progress in their absence.

 

 

 

Back with their third album “The Seer” in the summer, Big Country return to the fold with “Look Away”. The song is a riser this week 18-10 (29,529) to become their 4th top 10 single though it’s been over 2 years since they last graced the top tier so they must be pleased to be back in favour.

 

 

Falco continues his rise 5-3 (71,009) and could curtail Michael's stint at the top to just a week after he improves 62% week on week, Queen also see the benefits of TOTP as it was stuck in the groove last week but now darts 7-4 (50,745) and A-ha sneak a spot 9-8 (31,518). Three fallers in the mid chart section this week, Sam Fox continues to falter 4-5 (44,693), Sam Cooke rushes past her 3-6 (43,792) and the Real Thing realise the 70s are over as they dip 6-7 (36,584)

 

Finally next week sees the return of Madonna with most expecting a very high new entry indeed!

 

1- A DIFFERENT CORNER- George Michael (83,096)

2- LIVING DOLL- Cliff Richard & The Young Ones (77,945)

3- ROCK ME AMADEUS- Falco (71,009)

4- A KIND OF MAGIC- Queen (50,745)

5- TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY)- Sam Fox (44,693)

6- WONDERFUL WORLD- Sam Cooke (43,792)

7- YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING- Real Thing (36,584)

8- TRAIN OF THOUGHT (REMIX)- A-Ha (31,518)

9- ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID- Simple Minds (30,923)

10- LOOK AWAY- Big Country (29,529)

 

The best thing about 'Train of Thought' for me is that catchy keyboard riff in several parts of the song, I am surprised it hasn't been sampled more in dance songs since.

 

The lyrics are good too though.

 

Big Country has the best of the two Scottish rock bands' top 10 entries this week imo!

Edited October 29, 20231 yr by TheSnake

26TH APRIL

 

 

After a few weeks of not much happening in the top 10 four new arrivals spark some life into the top of the charts, none of them however can overturn George Michael whose “A Different Corner” manages a second week at the top but on a reduced sale of 79,407 which also sends him into the YTD top 10 and across the 300,000 mark. Falco's challenge to the No 1 spot didn't quite materialise even as he climbs 3-2 (62,135) he loses sales at a grater rate than Michael but indeed it took TOTP to enable Michael to get some clear water between him and Falco. Queen themselves rise 4-3 (35,734), Cliff Richard falls 2-4 (33,541) but they are in reality no threat to the top 2.

 

 

 

“Just Say No” was a campaign phrase coined in the US where Nancy Reagan has been doing her best for the past year to raise awareness of drug abuse specifically heroin. It came with a raft of commercials and used in some of them a song with the same title, that song has now been appropriated by the cast of Children’s BBC show “Grange Hill” as they are currently running a drugs story centering around the character of Zammo McGuire. Some new lyrics have been added to the track which this week storms 26-5 (32,810) and looks like a future chart topper if those pesky kids have their way, they are also the first UK TV cast to make the top 5 though of course individual actors have done so before.

 

 

 

Spending most of her youth in various soaps and TV shows Janet Jackson is of course the younger sister of a certain Michael Jackson whose first two albums bombed here and more importantly in the US, but she’s now teamed up with Jam & Lewis to produce a more sophisticated sound and first fruit “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” is now top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s written about Jackson’s recent divorce from DeBarge member James DeBarge and sees Michael’s sister power 16-6 (32,521), parent album “Control” makes an inauspicious new entry at No 74 to celebrate the fact.

 

 

 

Female trio Lewis released a single last month called “If The Love Fits”, not many folks bought it as it failed to chart, but if you do have it then flip it over and you’ll get their version of “Can’t Wait Another Minute”, a song which is now a top 10 single for Five Star! Yes the group score a second smash on the trot with this single, the first to be taken from the as yet untitled second album due this autumn, it’s also their most immediate hit taking just three weeks to move 36-14-8 (28,220) as the group announce a tour this September.

 

 

 

Opening this week across cinema’s “At Close Range” features among its stars Sean Penn who is of course married to Madonna, used in the film is her track “Live To Tell” which debuts at No 10 (27,370), a position, and sales no doubt, that will prompt some to say that the Madonna mania of 1985 may have cooled. She’s been busy filming a new movie herself “Shanghai Surprise” which will premiere later this year but more importantly for her music fans a new album out in July also called “Live To Tell”, expect the usual blitz of promotion for the project but a No 1 single to launch the project would be ideal, can “Live To Tell” do it?

 

 

Elsewhere Big Country improve 10-7 (32,062) and in doing so becomes their highest peaking single nipping past the No 8 peak of “Wonderland”, Sam Fox meanwhile deflates 5-9 (27,676).

 

 

1- A DIFFERENT CORNER- George Michael (79,407)

2- ROCK ME AMADEUS- Falco (62,135)

3- A KIND OF MAGIC- Queen (35,734)

4- LIVING DOLL- Cliff Richard & The Young Ones (33,541)

5- JUST SAY NO- Grange Hill Cast (32,810)

6- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?- Janet Jackson (32,521)

7- LOOK AWAY- Big Country (32,062)

8- CAN’T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE- Five Star (28,220)

9- TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY)- Sam Fox (27,676)

10- LIVE TO TELL- Madonna (27,370)

 

That Janet Jackson song is a bop - sounds like the 'new jack swing' era is nearly here!

What’s the new jacks wing era Snake?

oh Live to Tell <3 my fav song of the entire 80s <3

the Janet single is great too

3RD MAY

 

 

George Michael fades badly this week as he trailed behind Falco right to the end when a slight TOTP boost saw him slip past the Austrian at the death with under 2,000 between the two on 55,641 and 53,669 respectively, you’ll note that both tracks are still in decline which poses the question who will take over the next week? Favourites must be either Janet Jackson who advances 6-3 (40,698) or more likely Madonna who proves that worries that she’s off the boil were far too premature, she rockets 10-4 (40,222) and could be in the mix depending on how badly the top 2 continue to diminish.

 

 

 

 

Two new hits to discuss the first of which comes from Level 42 who return with a third top 10 single “Lessons In Love” which takes just a fortnight to become their 2nd biggest hit flying 23-9 (25,908) and now has only last year’s “Something About You” in front of it peak wise, that song made No 6 if you recall. The band are issuing this single as a stand alone single with no new album planned until next year as they are in Europe and shortly off to the states where “Something About You” is breaking them with a new audience.

 

 

 

Written for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic “The Greatest” and recorded by George Benson who made No 27 in the charts with the track, “The Greatest Love Of All” written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed during Creed’s fight with cancer which has coloured the lyrics, she tragically succumbed to the disease a few weeks ago which makes a fitting tribute that a new version of her track by Whitney Houston is now a top 10 single on both sides of the Atlantic, it climbs here 16-10 (24,939). The track was originally on the b-side of her first single “You Give Good Love” stateside but obviously is now deemed good enough for single status, the video incidentally features her mother playing herself. It isn’t quite the third straight top 10 for Houston, a re-issue of her duet with Teddy Pendergrass from 1984 made No 44 back in February and was also written by Masser and Creed.

 

 

Grange Hill Cast hold at No 5 (36,278) and Five Star inch 8-7 (32,470), heading south are Queen 4-6 (35,088) and Big Country reverse 7-8 (28,169)

 

1- A DIFFERENT CORNER- George Michael (55,641)

2- ROCK ME AMADEUS- Falco (53,669)

3- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY- Janet Jackson (40,698)

4- LIVE TO TELL- Madonna (40,222)

5- JUST SAY NO- Grange Hill Cast (36,278)

6- A KIND OF MAGIC- Queen (35,088)

7- CAN’T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE- Five Star (32,470)

8- LOOK AWAY- Big Country (28,169)

9- LESSONS IN LOVE- Level 42 (25,908)

10- GREATEST LOVE OF ALL- Whitney Houston (24,939)

 

Repeated post

Edited October 31, 20231 yr by TheSnake

Lessons In Love is great, I think I prefer this later era of Level 42 than what they did in the early 80s, which is weird as I usually prefer early 80s music like steve201 said on here!

 

Listening to it now it sounds like Lessons in Love was influenced by Colonel Abrams - Trapped production-wise.

 

What’s the new jacks wing era Snake?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_jack_swing

 

An era of mostly US based R&B in the late 80s and early 90s, has that big beat to it usually

 

But sometimes its quite hard to determine the boundaries between it and other 80s R&B as a lot of music had that big beat to it.

Ah yes basically stuff from Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul or Bobby Brown from back then and other one hit wonders of the era!

oh love love Lessons in Love, the first proper L42 song that I liked, I actually think they were beyond terrible in the early 80s

but Lessons in Love is incredible, easily their best song ever

the Whitney ballad is ok but much prefer her faster tracks from the early days

found this interesting piece of info bout Madonna-Live to Tell:

 

You can certainly understand why Sire Records were “terrified” by Live To Tell. The opening single from True Blue was Madonna’s choice – perhaps with some pressure from then boyfriend Sean Penn to use it as promo for his film At Close Range (which was helmed by True Blue’s go-to video director James Foley) – but it’s not exactly Like A Virgin. With its (now) iconic opening, sophisticated backdrop and one of Madonna’s best vocals (and if it really is from the original 8-track first take, it shows what a quality singer she is), it sits in many a Madonna Top 5.

Live to Tell :wub:

 

Also one for 'Train of Thought' which is now gone!

I think Live to Tell is beautiful, but I totally can see why the label were worried. And, to be fair, it probably did underperform for her first new single after a huge album

That L42 single is them at their peak imo despite the fact they would continue to get top 40 hits until 1994!

I think Live to Tell is beautiful, but I totally can see why the label were worried. And, to be fair, it probably did underperform for her first new single after a huge album

maybe in the UK but it was a #1 in the US I think

but considering how short-lived were most 80s acts in the UK, don't think it's that bad