Well hello there, we're doing some step back in time action as we rewind to the beginning of the 80s!

The British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) were in charge of collecting data and compiling the charts from 1969 to 1982 and panel sales for the 1980-1982 period have recently come to light so I bring this thread for your entertainment. Be prepared to finally have some light thrown on the mysterious pre-Gallup era! Thanks as usual go to Robbie and Kobyhadrian for the raw data.

The Multiplier and panel sales

There is some debate over the exact multiplier used for the years 1980-1982 as these were compiled by BMRB and not Gallup. Therefore there is some element of guestimation involved here on what we do with the raw panel sales, we also don’t have weekly panel sales like we do for post 1982. Instead we do have monthly panel sales so whilst we can’t be sure on the weekly front we do know the monthly figures which is more accurate than ever before.


So sit back and enjoy the delights of the year when all we wanted was fame in

Beginning on Saturday

❤️ can’t wait!

 

I am a little sad that this is the last BMRB year, are there any chances of doing the 1970s ones as they would be a lot less well known singles wise and panel sales wise?

Edited September 26, 2024Sep 26 by Steve201

❤️ can’t wait!

 

I am a little sad that this is the last BMRB year, are there any chances of doing the 1970s ones as they would be a lot less well known singles wise and panel sales wise?

 

I've not done anything for the 70s as I don't have the interest to write them I'm afraid (Plus we don't have panel sales for most of the decade even if I was so inclined :P )

I’m not as interested but would like to fill in the pre 1980 gaps and would be intrigued to see classic songs entering.

 

Here's BBC1 news from 9-1-82 (the day before the first chart of 1982)

16TH JANUARY

 

 

With some very bad weather impacting on sales, along with a change in chart compilation periods as noted last week, Bucks Fizz make the move to the top though sales wise they drop 13% week on week to register 73,000 copies sold last week, that’s the lowest tally since David Stewart and Barbara Gaskin back in November though it is worth remembering that the track has now shifted 350,000 since its release and should become their second half million seller eventually.

 

 

Their move to the top is in a rather lacklustre week when Human League still recorded a healthy sale of 71,000 and put up a brave defence of its crown, it has now moved 576,000 copies and is comfortably their biggest hit to date.

 

 

The only new hit in the top 10 climbs 21-10 (30,000) this week from Kraftwerk who now have their biggest hit outpeaking “Autobahn” which made No 11 seven years ago. Long since revered as leading exponents of electronic music they are cited in some circles as the forerunners of the current synth music explosion which has resulted in the new wave movement which has dominated the charts over the last few years, perhaps it is fitting that they finally get another hit of their own. Originally released last summer with "Computer Love" as the lead single it peaked at No 36 but since that point it has continued to get consistent trickle sales with punters asking for it's flip track "The Model", word reached EMI who continued to fulfil orders but flipped the lead single and started to promote the single with a new sleeve promoted the new lead track. Needless to say the band were not happy to find out what the label had done as "The Model" actually dates back to 1978 and they are naturally keen to promote their current work- still sometimes the label do get it right!

 

 

Though there aren’t any new songs there is plenty of action in the top 10 with both Kool & The Gang and Dollar on the climb, 7-3 (65,000) and 8-4 (60,000) though they are both well off the pace and will up their game to challenge the top spot, both tracks are however either the biggest hit of the band’s chart career (Kool & The Gang) or the joint highest peaking (Dollar) so both should be happy. Also climbing are Altered Images 10-7 (44,000) and Jon & Vangelis 9-8 (42,000) but other big Christmas hits continue to lose ground Adam & The Ants 3-5 (57,000), Abba 5-6 (54,000) and Madness 4-9 (38,000) helped no doubt by the delayed TOTP effect which is not allowing new tracks the boost necessary to clear the charts out as is the norm and is proving unpopular with record labels and the industry already.

 

1- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (73,000)

2- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Human League (71,000)

3- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (65,000)

4- MIRROR MIRROR- Dollar (60,000)

5- ANT RAP- Adam & The Ants (57,000)

6- ONE OF US- Abba (54,000)

7- I COULD BE HAPPY- Altered Images (44,000)

8- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (42,000)

9- IT MUST BE LOVE- Madness (38,000)

10- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (30,000)

 

'The Model' :wub: :wub: 1982 has peaked early!

The way it fit alongside the likes of The Human League's outgoing #1 despite being from 1978 goes to show how ahead of their time Kraftwerk were.

Yay for Bucks Fizz.

 

With diminishing returns for the two singles after Making Your Mind Up (a #12 and a #20 peak) and an album that didn't make the Top 10 (#14 peak) then Land of Make Believe must have been a bit of a make or break for them.

 

Well deserved "shoulda been Christmas" No.1 that even their critics couldn't deny was a brilliant pop song.

 

 

Great number 1, but better number 10 :wub:

insane that it flopped at #36 first time around

not the biggest Bucks Fizz fan so hopefully Kraftwerk dethrones them next

Those closeness of the top 2 there!

 

Both classics in their own right and 'It Must Be Love' is great too!

Like Jim said... 1982 is peaking early with 'The Model' :wub: :wub: I have a lot of time for 'Computer Love' too and the accompanying album entirely themed around computing.

54k for #6 in the middle of January - sales still very high at this point.

23RD JANUARY

 

 

Continued poor weather is striking the UK at present and it’s also striking the charts with nothing much selling in any quantities of note, well not of note in a good way. This week sees Bucks Fizz hold the No 1 spot and finally get a sales boost from TOTP and a full chart week to see sales move to 102,000 as it raises its total sales to 452,000 on the plus side. It's lead is much more assured this week than last but with a decent overall tally has it already run out of buyers?

 

 

 

One of two songs are suggesting that they may be in trouble! If TOTP and the chart week were in sync as they usually are then the hot money would be on Kraftwerk who bolt 10-2 (71,000) with double A-Side “The Model/ Computer Love” whilst more than doubling their sales, and indeed they may still do it but they will have to contend with Shakin' Stevens who returns to the fold with his 5th straight top 10 hit “Oh Julie”. The song is his first hit from him that he has written, and it's also the first track to come from his next album due at the end of the year- such is his work rate, all facts which might have contributed to the song becoming his highest debuting hit at No 13 last week and jumping to no 3 (66,000) this week.

 

 

 

Three more new tracks to discuss, with the massive selling album “Bat Out Of Hell” to his credit Meat Loaf has never graced the top 10 but that changes this week as “Dead Ringer For Love” charges 26-7 (53,000) in its 9th week on the charts, the hold up presumably due to the Christmas period. The track also features an uncredited vocal from Cher who ends an eleven year wait for her next Top 10 hit, she was last there with “Gypsys Tramps and Thieves” back in 1971, it comes from the fair hand of Jim Steinmen who seems to have the knack of hitting chart gold for Meat Loaf.

 

 

 

The move from Rock to AOR seems to be pulling off for Foreigner who continue to rise 11-8 (45,000) with “Waiting For A Girl Like You”. The song is setting records in the US where it has spent its 9th week at No 2 without making the top spot, a new record, being held off all that time by Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”. Here in the UK Newton-John drops to No 62 and is on the way out so here at least it will not meet the same feat. It has already succeeded in becoming their biggest hit eclipsing “Cold As Ice” which peaked at No 24 in 1978.

 

 

 

In wake of the success of Adam & The Ants last year a spate of re-issues by former labels followed, the highest of which “Young Parisians” made No. 9, it’s a typical move when an act breaks big and this week Fast Product get in on the act to make some money out of The Human League. The band are of course flavour of the month at present as “Don’t You Want Me” has just topped the charts for 5 weeks and was the Christmas No 1 (it currently slides 2-5 on a sale of 56,000) and now “Being Boiled” joins it in the top 10 moving 19-9 (39,000). The track was originally released in 1978 on the label and became a collector’s item, it was re-recorded by the band in 1980 for Virgin and featured on their “Holiday 80 E.P” which became their first hit peaking at No 56, indeed in this instance it’s a case of the little guy triumphing as Virgin are re-issuing that EP in a fortnight's time to do a bit of cashing in themselves, we’ll see who wins. Incidentally Virgin are keen to release "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" but the group have indicated that they won't relent this time as it would be a 5th single from "Dare"- a step definitely too far.

 

 

On the way up this week are Jon & Vangelis who merit a special mention as they climb and have moved 10-9-8-6 over the last month and now sell 56,000 copies, moving the wrong way are Kool & The Gang 3-4 (59,000) and Altered Images 7-10 (35,000).

 

1- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (102,000)

2- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (71,000)

3- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (66,000)

4- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (59,000)

5- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Human League (56,000)

6- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (56,000)

7- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (53,000)

8- WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU- Foreigner (45,000)

9- BEING BOILED- Human League (39,000)

10- I COULD BE HAPPY- Altered Images (35,000)

 

Well team Kraftwerk vs. Shaky is a no brainer for me :P

 

'Being Boiled' is easily my favourite new entry this week :wub:

Being Boiled is a synth classic, really love it

Oh yes, Being Boiled is very good. I like Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner as well, Thomas Dolby played keyboards on it.

I didn’t actually realise that Kraftwork went back to the early 70s 😮 (I always have to stop myself typing in Kernkraft!). What a classic though!

30TH JANUARY

 

 

Another week of doldrum sales and erratic moves coupled with music label objections sees BMRB announce it’s to reverse its decision of last month and will be going back to the status quo re a chart week of Monday- Saturday from the Chart dated 20th February. Its current set up probably cost Kraftwerk a No 1 this week with “The Model/ Computer Love” which did appear on this weeks TOTP but falls 2-3 (68,000) but should perversely see an increase in sales next week. None of that saves Bucks Fizz who drop 1-2 (72,000) and were never in contention for retaining the crown which instead passes to Shakin Stevens, Attaining his third No 1 single in the space of just 10 months it seems everything he touches at present has top 10 written on it and this time he is finally making some serious money himself having written it himself. With the TOTP working the way it does however it should be Kraftwerk and Bucks Fizz who get the boost next week- interesting times, “Oh Julie” sold a poor 74,000 this week but it is the first chart topper since "Mary's Boy Child" by Boney M to feature a woman's name in it fact fans.

 

(Includes the top 20 countdown)

 

 

Punk survivors The Stranglers have been absent from the top 10 since 1977 but this week “Golden Brown” jumps 16-4 (56,000) which has been oddly championed by Radio 2 of all radio stations! There are a few theories currently doing the rounds as to the meaning of the song but a spot of mild controversy never harmed sales and this is now their highest charting single of their career!

 

 

 

The reappearance of Dollar at No 8 (42,000) is again entirely down to the TOTP effect which raises the track 11-8 proving just how unworkable the current set up is, but two places below them is Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do” which is on the move 18-10 (38,000). It’s the theme (as you could guess) to the current Dudley Moore film which opened in the UK a few weeks ago, it got its original release last October when the film debuted Stateside and it became Cross’ second US No 1 single later that month but petered out here at No 56, better luck for him now though as it is already by some stretch his biggest UK hit.

 

 

Elsewhere three songs tumble, Kool & The Gang continue their slow come down dropping 4-5 (49,000), Jon & Vangelis finally recede 6-7 (46,000) and Meat Loaf back tracks 7-9 (41,000) but better news for Human League whose “Being Boiled” continues to improve 9-6 (48,000) though you’ll note that’s a marginal increase sales wise.

 

1- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (74,000)

2- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (72,000)

3- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk. (68,000)

4- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (56,000)

5- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (49,000)

6- BEING BOILED- Human League (48,000)

7- I’LL FIND MY WAY HOME- Jon & Vangelis (46,000)

8- MIRROR MIRROR- Dollar (42,000)

9- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (41,000)

10- ARTHUR THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (38,000)