2ND FEBRUARY

 

 

2Tone comes of age today with its first chart topper in the form of The Specials whose "Special AKA Live EP" moves from 15-1 today, the last time a track climbed to the top from outside the top 10 was last June when the Boomtown Rats achieved that with an identical 15-1 climb for "I Don't Like Mondays". In many ways that wasn't the story of this week on the charts as it all started out quite differently with Madness' "My Girl" topping initial sales flashes narrowly ahead of The Pretenders but the power of Top Of The Pops proved too great again with both "Brass In Pocket" and "Too Much Too Young" getting valuable exposure and both sprinting ahead of the nutty boys. Sales of 88,000 earned The Specials No 1, 16,000 ahead of the Pretenders and Madness who had only a few hundred between them.

 

 

 

The Nolans sold virtually the same at No 4 (67,000) as last week and refuse to move, but the top 4 are over 20,000 copies clear of the remainder of the chart with Joe Jackson's "It's Different For Girls" moving 12-5 (44,000) to become his first top 10 hit and beating the peak of his debut hit "Is She Really Going Out With him" last year. It's taken from his second album "I'm The Man" Illustrating an admirable work rate for such a new act.

 

 

 

Moving with pace up the charts 33-10 is Kenny Rogers who proves once again that you can never quite write him off. After scoring two big hits in 1969/70 it took another seven years for Rogers to return the charts but then he made No 1 with "Lucille", he's never been back in the top 30 since but this week "Coward Of The County" rectifies that. A country tale of revenge and putting right some wrongs, it seems to have captured the public imagination, we'll see how high this can go its sales of 42,000 brings its collective tally to 58,000 in total so far.

 

 

Bad news for the remainder of the top 10 as they all fall. Billy Preston and Syreeta tumble four places 2-6 (43,000), Styx move back one spot 6-7 (42,000), KC & The Sunshine band slip 3 (5-8, 42,000) and Booker T & The MG's fall 2 places (7-9, 42,00) in an incredibly packed lower top 10 with just over 1,500 copies separating No's 6 and 10.

 

1- TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG- The Specials (88,000)

2- BRASS IN POCKET- The Pretenders (72,000)

3- MY GIRL- Madness (72,000)

4- I’M IN THE MOOD FOR DANCING- The Nolans (67,000)

5- IT’S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS- Joe Jackson (44,000)

6- WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN- Billy Preston & Syreeta (43,000)

7- BABE- Styx (42,000)

8- PLEASE DON’T GO- KC & The Sunshine Band (42,000)

9- GREEN ONIONS- Booker T & The MG’s (42,000)

10- COWARD OF THE COUNTY- Kenny Rogers (42,000)

 

but The Specials and The Special AKA were the same thing?

but The Specials and The Special AKA were the same thing?

I'm unsure what your question is? Yes they were the same until 1981 when some members splintered off and subsequent releases exclusively used the Specials AKA moniker.

ouch that Kenny Rogers is a 0/10 for me, country music at its worst, horrible lyrics and story

the Joe Jackson song is average and the Specials is ok I guess but not really my thing

Fantastic additions from the Specials and Joe Jackson. Two brilliant tracks.

 

Never realised how unlucky Madness were not to peak higher than #3 with My Girl given the trajectory of these past two weeks.

 

The Kenny Rogers song is horrendous.

Joe Jackson is my favourite this time. Not a song I listen to really but I do always enjoy it when I hear it, best be off to add it to my 80s playlist before I forget all about it again

It's Different For Girls by Joe Jackson is a fantastic song. Babe by Styx was a fairly good soft rock ballad.

'Too Much Too Young' is such a blast, especially in its live form on this single. The decade began with three excellent #1s in a row!

Some other top 20 hits at this time that are iconic/that I really like

 

 

#11 a pretty iconic record and album

 

 

Reaching #13 An early synthpop hit, I have seen it in some 80s electronic compilation CDs, surprisingly I don't think the synthpop genre was that common in the charts at this point.

 

 

#18 and 11 weeks top 40 - iconic space disco hit, you'll recognize the tune as it was sampled by Alcazar.

Edited March 26, 20241 yr by TheSnake

London Calling is timeless :wub:

The Joe Jackson song I don't really like compared to "Is She Really Going Out With Him" which is like an ancestor to the whole pop-punk sound.

 

The Specials song/EP sounds good but I don't know it very well. Its one of only a few EPs to make UK #1 there was Five Live From George Michael EP and Erasure's ABBA covers one in the 90s but I can't remember any more.

Edited March 26, 20241 yr by TheSnake

Demis Roussos with The Roussos Phenomenon is one that comes to mind.

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Che EP?

 

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Che EP?

 

By Mums On The Run?

 

OMG where on earth did you pull that memory from? :lol:

not just Annie Lennox, both Annie Lennox + Dave Stewart, so basically Eurythmics

 

I didn’t realise that either, wonder why they changed the name? So they’ve been having hits since the 70s!

OMG where on earth did you pull that memory from? :lol:

 

 

It's my roman empire :lol:

Edited March 26, 20241 yr by Dotty New Year

I didn’t realise that either, wonder why they changed the name? So they’ve been having hits since the 70s!

There are 5 members in the Tourists so it's a different "group" technically.

Eurythmics is the better name imo.

Best new song musically is definitely The Special's 'Too Much Too Young' (and wow at how fast it got to no.1) BUT the lyrics are incredibly misogynistic with the singer blaming an ex (presumably) for having a child instead of being with him with lyrics such as 'Haven't you heard of contraception' and 'Try wearing a cap'. Slightly shocking

 

The Joe Jackson track is pleasant enough but don't quite get the hype. Kenny Rogers track is boring but not as offended as others here are. Don't think I can be bothered to listen to the lyrics closely of this one.