Wtf was that Rabbit thing :o

 

Not a fan of the Specials song or The Beat, but funnily really like The Look-I am the Beat

 

I know no one likes him, but really liked that Phil Collins song, great debut

Ok now you've made me want an exhaustive list of such hits. :lol: :lol:

 

Just thought of A Town Called Malice, surely there are others….

Depends what you consider iconic! There are a few more hits to come in 81 but I'll avoid spoilers.

 

True!

One of the iconic performances on TOTP of the 80s there with Phil and his paint pot!!

 

Fair play Queen holding at 10 for 3 weeks, assume the film kept it selling!

'In The Air Tonight' is an epic and deserved classic.

 

I really like 'Don't Stop The Music', it has a great electronic bassline. It definitely shows the way post-disco music was going in the charts.

Edited June 1, 20241 yr by TheSnake

I'm not the biggest Phil Collins fan but 'In The Air Tonight' is excellent :wub: I most likely discovered it via the drumming gorilla advert lol.

 

Well, 'Antmusic' may be blocked from the top, but hooray for Kings of the Wild Frontier hitting #1 in the albums now.

In The Air Tonight. :wub:

31ST JANUARY

 

 

It was a very tight run thing in the end but today John Lennon just manages to hold off.......well, himself again. "Imagine" holds at the top for a 4th week with a sale of 82,000, little more than 1,000 copies ahead of "Woman" which climbs 3-2, the fact that the latter disc hasn't quite taken off in the way it might have been expected too might suggest that the public mourning of Lennon might be approaching satiation point. Indeed "Woman" only records a sales increase of 25%, much less than the 39% sales lift that Phil Collins records with "In The Air Tonight" which rises a spot 4-3 (68,000) and was only 14,000 off the pace in the end despite no TOTP performance.

 

 

 

Another week with 4 new comers to the top 10 results in some big names who might have expected more. Blondie's last three singles all hit No 1 by their third chart week at least, but "Rapture" could be struggling as it climbs from its entry at 14 to 5 this week attracting 57,000 interested buyers. Of course it has been available on "Automamerican" which may have dented sales, or perhaps the UK isn't that receptive to the new genre of rapping yet, it namechecks various acts from the movement, whether it raises their profile enough for a hit we'll see as the year progresses.

 

 

 

Gigging around for 5 years Ultravox finally make it big this week with "Vienna" which rises 16-6 (52,000). It's the third single and title track from the bands fourth album which was released last July and peaked at No 14, the success of this single has reignited interest and this week the album bolts 46-18 to return to the top 20 for the first time since last August. Former lead singer John Foxx left in 1979 and has had three top 40 singles as a soloist last year though he's failed to make the top 30, current lead singer Midge Ure has of course already scored a No 1 hit with Slik in 1976 with "Forever and Ever".

 

 

 

Whatever Lennon can do Adam and The Ants can also do it appears. The band of the moment chart singles at No 51 ("Cartrouble") and No 53 ("Xerox") both singles essentially getting re-issued to cash in on the band's current success and feature on the Do It label which the band were signed to in 1979-1980, their first album "Dirk Wears White Sox" remains top 30. Prior to that however the band were with Decca for whom they made just one single "Young Parisians" which also got a re-release and this week leaps 11-9 (45,000), it joins "Antmusic" in the top 10 though that track gives up the ghost of topping the charts as it recedes 2-4 (63,000) whilst "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" remains at No 1 blocking John Lennon. With no promo made, and the band not actively promoting it, it just shows how hot the group are to see this so high! The cover, by way of trivia, is was drawn by Adam himself.

 

 

 

Back for his 11th top 10 hit Stevie Wonder climbs 12-10 (41,000) with "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It", it's the second release from "Hotter Than July" and features the backing vocals of Charlie and Ronnie Wilson of the Gap Band. The track has taken 6 weeks to make the top 10 suggesting it has tired legs already!

 

 

Two more tracks to mention, Yarbrough and Peoples climb a place 8-7 (50,000) and The Look drop 6-8 (45,000) despite a TOTP appearance.

 

 

1- IMAGINE- John Lennon (82,000)

2- WOMAN- John Lennon (81,000)

3- IN THE AIR TONIGHT- Phil Collins (68,000)

4- ANTMUSIC- Adam & The Ants (63,000)

5- RAPTURE- Blondie (57,000)

6- VIENNA- Ultravox (52,000)

7- DON’T STOP THE MUSIC- Yarbrough & Peoples (50,000)

8- I AM THE BEAT- The Look (45,000)

9- YOUNG PARISIANS- Adam & The Ants (45,000)

10- I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT- Stevie Wonder (41,000)

 

didn't like Rapture or the Adams one on 1st listen

Vienna :wub: Easily one of THE songs of the 80s.

Yeh ‘Rapture’ didn’t do as well because it wasn’t as good as their other releases over the period!

'Vienna' :wub: :wub: :wub: one of my very favourite singles of the 80s, deservedly beloved.

 

The rapping on 'Rapture' isn't Debbie's finest moment (although did give them the accolade of first U.S. #1 rap single iirc :lol:) but love the production.

 

Not a fan of 'Young Parisians' sadly, much prefer 'Car Trouble' and 'Zerox' that charted lower down from the reissue mayhem - wish one of them had got the top 10 treatment instead. The lesser known Dirk Wears White Sox album is great, a more punk-leaning direction for them pre-fame.

Not a fan of the Adam and the Ants song either.

 

'Vienna' is very good and atmospheric although I prefer some of Ultravox's other hits actually.

‘Vienna’ is an epic classic but my favourite is ‘Dancing With Tears in My Eyes’!

Maybe 'The Voice' for me.

My current favourite Ultravox song is 'Sleepwalk' from the previous year, but 'Vienna' is an all-time classic.

'Rapture' is another of Blondie's many gems and again showcased their versatility.

7TH FEBRUARY

 

 

Replicating a feat last achieved 18 years ago for the Beatles, John Lennon knocks himself off the top spot today with "Woman" selling a cool 113,000 copies into the bargain, add to that the fact that "Double Fantasy" also tops the album chart (one of two albums from him in the top 5) after a 7 week stint in the runner up spot, all combine to state that the Lennon phenomenon is far from over. "Woman" has now sold 259,000 copies in 3 weeks, the song that it replaces at No 1 "Imagine" slides to No 4 this week having sold 61,000 copies last week to bring its total to 557,000 since it was re-issued 7 weeks ago, naturally it has taken an early lead in the YTD charts.

 

 

 

It's also a very busy week for Midge Ure and Billy Currie. They are part of two groups who share the top 10 this week, Ultravox's "Vienna" continues to improve 6-3 (73,000) whilst their other group Visage are the only new entrants to the top 10 as second single "Fade To Grey" jumps 12-8 (38,000). The group comprises the co-owners of the Blitz club in London (home to the New Romantic movement in some senses) Rusty Egan and Steve Strange amongst others. First single "Tar" failed to chart but they have much more luck this time around, the video incidentally is directed by Godley & Crème formerly of 10cc who seem to have a handy side line in video production.

 

 

Along with Lennon and Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Adam and the Ants also have two hits to discuss but both are fading fast, "Antmusic" tumbles 4-6 ( 54,000) whilst "Young Parisians" at least holds at No 9 but loses sales at 37,000.

 

Phil Collins can rejoice as he continues to climb a place 3-2 but "In The Air Tonight" has a modest sales increase to 91,000 and should be overtaken by Ultravox next week according to all trends. It looks to be all over for "Rapture" which sticks at No 5 but loses sales to 56,000, whilst Yarbrough and peoples also repeat the same trick, they hold and slide in sales to 38,000, and the Look complete the top 10 moving 8-10 (35,000) and will surely make room for new blood next week.

 

1- WOMAN- John Lennon (113,000)

2- IN THE AIR TONIGHT- Phil Collins (91,000)

3- VIENNA- Ultravox (73,000)

4- IMAGINE- John Lennon (61,000)

5- RAPTURE- Blondie (56,000)

6- ANTMUSIC- Adam & The Ants (54,000)

7- DON’T STOP THE MUSIC- Yarbrough & Peoples (38,000)

8- FADE TO GREY- Visage (38,000)

9- YOUNG PARISIANS- Adam & The Ants (37,000)

10- I AM THE BEAT- The Look (35,000)

 

Fade to Grey :wub: One of the essential synth tracks of the 80s and I play it very regularly these days

'Fade To Grey' is an 80s essential *.*

 

The Christmas #1 incredibly close to going to John Lennon then! Obviously avoiding spoilers, but for those already aware of the songs which went to #1 after this - and indeed what would have been #1 the following week by many accounts if a new chart had been compiled - another 1,500 sales could have made for an extraordinary sequence at the top.

Those 1,500 sales (by which St. Winifred's denied the 1980 Christmas #1 going to '(Just Like) Starting Over') denied John Lennon having 3 consecutive #1s, or 4 if the following week had also been a new chart with 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' at #1. Anyway - 'Woman' is OK but my least favourite of those John Lennon songs, heartfelt as it was, hopefully it won't outstay its welcome at #1...

1981 is not letting me breathe so far, 'Fade to Grey' is another all-time favourite :wub: :wub: for the 'BuzzJack's Favourite Song' competition in The Lounge I cut up my nominations to include 5 favourites from each decade - 'Fade to Grey' and 'Vienna' were both in my 80s list, so Midge Ure has a magic touch right now it seems. The New Romantics book I recently completed had loads on Steve Strange also, was interesting to learn more about the very striking man in the video.

 

In addition to this greatness... my favourite run of #2s ever watch: 01. Antmusic | 02. In The Air Tonight