Shame In The Air Tonight wasn't particularly close to ever making #1 then. Would have much preferred that to Woman which unlike the other Lennon tracks of his posthumous mania, I can't say i'm a fan of.

 

Fade To Grey is brilliance. :wub:

The Visage song is brilliant and atmospheric.

As always I am the opposite to Buzzjack opinion and dislike 'Vienna' very much.

 

 

You must prefer Yarborough and Peoples song 'Don't Stop the Music', glad it stayed another week at #7 although should have peaked higher.

Echo others opinions of ‘Fade to Grey’ fantastic classic 80s chart moment of which there’ll be many more to come in this given year!

 

My favourite is UK # 56 flop from Clash and Ellen Foley - Hitsville U.K.

 

My favourite is UK # 56 flop from Clash and Ellen Foley - Hitsville U.K.

 

That's one of my favourites of the year too!

'In The Air Tonight' and 'Vienna' both ultimate 80's classics for me too, the video for the latter is excellent as well except for that tarantula part giving me the creeps.

 

 

14TH FEBRUARY

 

 

Well another week gone and another week that John Lennon takes centre stage. He again tops both the singles and album charts today as sales of "Woman" barely drop- 106,000 (down 6%) and raises its total to 365,000, "Starting Over" has sold over 658,000 copies now and "Imagine", which drops 4-6 (47,000) this week, has also sold 603,000 copies making his sales since his death something approaching 1.6 million in 8 weeks from the three titles.

 

 

 

He may have Italian grandparents but Joe Dolce was born in the US and grew up in Australia so quite why "Shaddap You Face" should be sung in a mock Italian voice is a bit of mystery but it seems to have captured the public imagination. The song has already spent 8 weeks at the top down under and in the song's second week it bolts 30-3 (71,000) propelled by a TOTP performance - next weeks No 1?

 

 

 

Releasing one single a year seems to be doing the trick for Rainbow, in 1979 "Since You Been Gone" went to No 6, last year "All Night Long" went one better to No 5, and now "I Surrender" jumps 12-5 (48,000). With Graham Bonnet embarking on a solo career this will be the band's assertion that the group matter more than the constituents, album "Difficult to Cure" is out this week!

 

 

 

At 38 he's definitely not the "Oldest Swinger In Town" but that's the name of the track that gives folk musician Fred Wedlock his first top 1o single as it rises 19-7 (40,000) an album of the same title will follow later in the year for those who can't get enough.

 

 

 

Moving back ahead of the pack in the race to have the most top 10 hits in the decade, Madness are up 14-10 (38,000) with "The Return Of The Los Palmas 7". It's a third release from "Absolutely" and their first instrumental (by and large) since "One Step Beyond", it's their sixth straight top 10 hit and fifth in the 80s, one more than any other act, the band will be back in the studio over the summer to record a third album.

 

 

Ultravox still improved despite no TOTP this week though only by a few hundred copies, they move into runner up spot this week with 73,000 copies but were almost caught at the death by Joe Dolce, whilst Phil Collins sees his chances dissolve as he dips 2-4 (70,000). Also heading south are Blondie who falter 5-8 (38,000) and Adam & The Ants whose sole top 10 entry drops 6-9 (38,000)

 

1- WOMAN- John Lennon (106,000)

2- VIENNA- Ultravox (73,000)

3- SHADDAP YOU FACE- Joe Dolce Musical Theatre (71,000)

4- IN THE AIR TONIGHT- Phil Collins (70,000)

5- I SURRENDER- Rainbow (48,000)

6- IMAGINE- John Lennon (44,000)

7- OLDEST SWINGER IN TOWN- Fred Wedlock (40,000)

8- RAPTURE- Blondie (38,000)

9- ANTMUSIC- Adam & The Ants (38,000)

10- RETURN OF THE LOS PALMAS 7- Madness (38,000)

 

love Imagine and Happy Xmas(War is Over) but not a fan of Woman or Starting Over,

Woman I find it super sappy and a total borefest

 

much would have preferred In the Air Tonight at #1

 

Vienna is ok for me but find it a tad over-rated, lyrics are kinda bad and repetitive but Midge ure was no poet. Their best is definitely Dancing with Tears in Your Eyes.

 

Fade to Grey I like but not love love either.

‘Fade to Grey’ only one week in the top 10??

That's a good top 2.

 

The Rainbow track is quite good too.

Early 1981 was electric for me. Imagine and Woman both topped my charts and then 4 classic singles all competed for my top spotl - fade to grey is brilliant vienna ditto. In the air tonight haunting and stark and rapture fresh and cool. Visage and blondie won the tussle but ultravox and Phil got there years later as reissues. Yarbrough and perples great stevie good. Specials and Beat both ska goodies while madness topped my chart.

 

Shaddap you face appealed to Marx Brothers fans like me as it basically used Chico Marx' stage and movie accent from the late 19th century through to the 40s. The only co star thst could out do his brother Groucho. So it had a sort of nostalgia appeal attached to a mildly pleasant tune. Rabbit i was not a fan of ditto

fred wedlock

21ST FEBRUARY

 

 

It might just be co-incidence but only one act in the top 5 doesn't also have an album in the top 5, and that's the act with the No 1 single today, Joe Dolce. "Shaddap You Face" glides 3-1 (126,000) and was out in the front from the off, but in a reverse of last week when Dolce almost caught Ultravox at the death, this week "Vienna" chased hard at the end thanks to a TOTP performance, in the end just 11,000 copies separated the pair. Their album holds at No 5.

 

 

For the first time this year I'm not writing about John Lennon being No 1 as he loses his crown on both charts with "Double Fantasy" dropping 1-2 and "Woman" dips 1-3 (78,000) both experience sales drops.

 

 

It's been 2 years since Dire Straits were last in the top 10 but they return with "Romeo & Juliet" this week 12-8 (43,000). The Romeo of the tale is Mark Knopfler and it is written about his failed romance with Holly Vincent of Holly & The Italians, relations have now soured with Knopfler claiming that the relationship only mattered in terms of promoting her band. Whether true or not the publicity has worked as the single joins the album in the big 10.

 

 

 

The Stray cats also prove that they have sticking power with their second single "Rock This Town" which thrusts 14-9 (41,000). Their debut album is one of the most anticipated of the year and is out this week, spurred on now by the two successful singles, this track looks like it will outpeak debut single "Runaway Boys" next week.

 

 

 

Garnering an uninterrupted string of 12 top 10 singles between 1971 and 1974 including six chart toppers, Slade have been absent from the top 10 for 6 years now, but the wait is over. Back with a 14th top 10 "We'll Bring The House Down" jumps 17-10 this week with 37,000 purchases, the comeback has in the main been attributed to Slade's performance at the Reading Festival last year where they somewhat stole the show after Black Sabbath pulled out at the last moment- funny thing fate.

 

 

In addition to three new entries there are also three climbers in the top 10, Rainbow sneak a place upwards 5-4 (61,000), Fred Wedlock repeats the trick up 7-6 (49,000) and Madness do best of all up 10-7 (47,000), whilst Phil Collins drops 4-5 (57,000) but can console himself with the No 1 album today "Face Value".

 

 

1- SHADDAP YOU FACE- Joe Dolce Musical Theatre (126,000)

2- VIENNA- Ultravox (115,000)

3- WOMAN- John Lennon (78,000)

4- I SURRENDER- Rainbow (61,000)

5- IN THE AIR TONIGHT- Phil Collins (57,000)

6- OLDEST SWINGER IN TOWN- Fred Wedlock (49,000)

7- RETURN OF THE LOS PALMAS 7- Madness (47,000)

8- ROMEO AND JULIET- Dire Straits (43,000)

9- ROCK THIS TOWN- Stray Cats (41,000)

10- WE’LL BRING THE HOUSE DOWN- Slade (37,000)

 

Awful awful number 1.

So over the new year 1980/81, in terms of #1s we’ve had: -

 

20/12/80 Grief Porn

27/12/80 Novelty

03/01/81 Novelty

10/01/81 Grief Porn

17/01/81 Grief Porn

24/01/81 Grief Porn

31/01/81 Grief Porn

07/02/81 Grief Porn

14/02/81 Grief Porn

21/02/81 Novelty

 

 

'Romeo and Juliet' is great, one of my parents favourite tracks. Thought it was just a fictional song based on the Shakespeare play but surprised to learn there is a real experience by Mark Knopfler behind it.

 

'Stray Cats' having a late 50s style rock and roll revival hit, surely there won't be any one else getting a UK chart hit in 1981 with that style.... :basil:

 

I like some of Slade's early 70's songs but in terms of 1981, the Rainbow track is defintiely superior to the Slade one in terms of hard rock tracks in my opinion.

Edited June 5, 20241 yr by TheSnake

 

Is it anybody else here, who like me prefer "Shaddap You Face" over "Vienna" ?

Such a naff chart topper!

 

On a more positive note, my favourite run of #2s ever watch: 01. Antmusic | 02. In The Air Tonight | 03. Vienna :P

The best I can say about 'Shaddap You Face' is that it has some social commentary on the differing views of first and second generation Italians settled elsewhere... but yeah the novelty is quick to grate, and it blocking 'Vienna' from #1 is one of chart history's most famous imbalances against relative classic status. I didn't know the sales gap but I suspected both had done over 100k, and it was indeed pretty close - the agony!