'Golden Brown' is a fantastic new entry to that top 10!

‘Golden Brown’ one of the best songs of the decade ❤️ I always loved the TOTP performance where they were performing it without smiles while the studios party atmosphere Michael Hurll insisted on meant they had balloons and everything thrown in their faces while singing it

 

 

Edited September 30, 2024Sep 30 by Steve201

I do like Golden Brown, good but not great

 

that Christopher Cross song I do hate with a passion :D

 

and also boo at that Oh Julie crap going all the way

The best bit of the Foreigner track is the wonderful atmospheric keyboard solo of course.

 

Being Boiled is a good bass heavy song from Human League; different and less poppy than 'Don't You Want Me'.

 

Arthur's Theme is a nice song. Golden Brown has interesting harpsichord instrumentation that makes it sound a bit baroque.

Golden Brown :wub: I think this was at the beginning of the time I was aware of music in general (at 6 years old).

6TH FEBRUARY

 

 

"The Model/ Computer Love" this week glides 3-1 on the singles chart to bring Shakin' Stevens reign at the top to an end after just one week and in the process sells a much better 108,000 as singles sales seem to finally get off the ground. As noted last week the new chart week is largely responsible for the odd climb for the Kraftwerk single 10-2-3-1 and indeed the first song to hit No 1 via a drop in the chart (once it had charted in the top 75) since John Lennon's understandable 10-21-1 drive in December 1980. The track has now sold 389,991 in total including its run in 1981, as noted it is also a bit of a victory for the record company but it remains to be seen if the group will perform it on TOTP. In reaching the top spot they are arguably the first West German band to hit the top of the UK singles chart depending on how you view Boney M.

 

 

That isn't to say that Shaky was left out in the cold this week, even though "Oh Julie" recedes 1-2 it sold 106,000 a nice uplift of 44% from last week but it wasn't enough in the end and probably lost out due to TOTP. It's a little bit of chart karma after Shaky took the spot by just 2,000 last week he now loses out by the same figure despite leading all week!

 

 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are back with a fourth straight top 10 hit but their obsession with Joan Of Arc continues. Their last single was named after the historical figure and sold 336,000 copies in its run to No 5, follow up "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc)" is wasting little time rushing 17-6 (49,000). Parent album "Architecture and Morality" is back in the top 5 this week and looks like it could improve on its original peak of No 3 back in November and has just tipped over the 300,000 mark. If you do purchase (or have already) then look at the b-side, the group had initially wanted "Experiments In Vertical TakeOff" to be used and first pressings of the single had it as the flip side, however they changed their minds to "All The Things We've Made" so if you have the former then you could have a rarity!

 

 

 

Eastbourne based group Mobiles are a new name on the charts and strike it big first time around with "Drowning In Berlin" which ascends 14-9 (34,000). The band are signed to Rialto records which are owned by sons of former PM Edward Heath!

 

 

The Stranglers continue to impress as "Golden Brown" climbs 4-3 (87,000) and Meat Loaf yo-yo's 9-5 (52,000) with Christopher Cross sticking to him as he climbs 10-7 (43,000). Three fallers come from Bucks Fizz 2-4 (54,000), Kool & The Gang 5-8 (34,000) and Human League 6-10 (32,000)

 

1- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (108,000)

2- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (106,000)

3- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (87,000)

4- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz (54,000)

5- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (52,000)

6- MAID OF ORLEANS- O.M.D (49,000)

7- ARTHUR’S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (43,000)

8- GET DOWN ON IT- Kool & The Gang (34,000)

9- DROWNING IN BERLIN- Mobiles (34,000)

10- BEING BOILED- Human League (32,000)

 

One of the best number 1s of the 80s :wub:

It was a close run thing for Kraftwerk then. Was going to say that they almost didn't top the chart, but I guess equally they almost could have been there for 2 weeks so far.

Most definitely! And that, 'Golden Brown', 'Maid Of Orleans', 'Drowning In Berlin' and 'Being Boiled' comprising half the top 10 is fabulous.

love the OMD one, the instrumental bit is genius

It was a close run thing for Kraftwerk then. Was going to say that they almost didn't top the chart, but I guess equally they almost could have been there for 2 weeks so far.

yes were it not for BMRB playing about with the chart week then Kraftwerk would likely have been No 1 for 2 weeks and "Oh Julie" would probably not have made it.

That Mobiles song is dark but great, definitely one of the best alternative songs of the era.

Edited October 1, 2024Oct 1 by TheSnake

Thrilled that Kraftwerk made it :wub: 'The Model' is my favourite chart-topper of the 80s even if it's a 70s song.

 

'Golden Brown' is another brilliant one here, I've always found its time signature pretty fascinating. Good stuff from The Mobiles and OMD too!

Golden Brown, Drowning In Berlin and Maid Of Orleans are all fantastic additions to the top 10.

What a top 10 that is, 1982 setting up to be better than 81!

Being Boiled is OK (the band still do it live in concert) but oh how I wish Things That Dreams Are Made Of had been a single! Which they also still do in concert. I was annoyed by Oh Julie getting to 1 at the time due to the chart shenanigans, as well as the bloody up/down/up chart trajectories of many tracks, it just looked so stupid. The Model was more justified to be on top. I'm interested to see if Golden Brown has a shot at the top spot in this short era of chart disorder!

 

I do have Maid Of Orleans on single, but as an ex-chart single I expect it's the common B side :lol: many chart-toppers for me here, either at the time or since: Bucks Fizz, OMD, Stranglers, but oddly The Model just fell short. Jon & Vangelis, meatloaf are also top tunes.

I imagine todays charts would do your head in then PCF 😅

 

Bucks Fizz and Jon & Vangelis had such long staying power!

13TH FEBRUARY

 

 

For the fourth time in the 80s a record has debuted at No 1 and for a second time in the decade that track comes from the Jam. A precursor to the album "The Gift" which is due for release next month, the double A side "Town Called Malice/ Precious" smashes into the top spot on a sale of 123,000 showing that last year's relatively poor chart track record of two No 4 hits and a No 21 track (although that was on import only) was not a terminal decline in the group's popularity. Much like last year's "Absolute Beginners" it has a literary connection being named after the novel "A Town Called Alice" only this time Weller is reflecting on life in Woking, it becomes the third Jam single to make No 1 bringing them equal with Blondie, John Lennon and Shakin' Stevens in the list of acts with the most No 1 singles in the 80s, however it is the first Jam single to have a 12" release!

 

 

The Jam sprinted to an early lead as you might expect and left the Stranglers "Golden Brown" stranded as it moved 3-2 (98,000) this week, has their opportunity slipped past them? It's still their biggest hit to date so reasons to be cheerful.

 

 

Only one other new entry this week from Tight Fit. You may recall last year the outfit scored a top 5 hit with the medley "Back To The Sixties" and followed that with part two of the medley which fizzled out at No 33, well when this lot appeared on TOTP you might be forgiven for wondering if it was an entirely new band as none of the members were the same. The group (in both instances) were assembled after the songs were made by session singers and are there for promotional purposes and TV appearances and so it is that the group has been totally "re-invented" although of course the UK Public seem not to care. Their cover of The Tokens 1961 US No 1 single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" leaps 29-8 (43,000) this week. The track originally dates back to 30s in recorded form though it is a Zulu folk song dating back for some time before that, it has already been a UK hit in three versions, The Tokens (#11), Karl Denver (#4) and Dave Newman (#34) so this is already the second most successful version here.

 

 

Elsewhere there are four fallers, Shakin Stevens 2-3 (63,000), and Kraftwerk who drop 1-4 (61,000) with a marked decrease in sales, Bucks Fizz continue to slide 4-9 (39,000) and the Mobiles drop 9-10 (37,000). Shaky and Kraftwerk are the first back to back 1 week chart toppers since Althea & Donna and Brotherhood of Man in early 1978 by way of trivia. Otherwise there are three non movers for Meat Loaf at No 5 (55,000), OMD at No 6 (51,000) and Christopher Cross at No 7 (44,000). A reminder that next week's chart will essentially contain two Fridays and Saturdays as the charts return to "Normal" which will be a relief for the Music Industry which has been vocal in its opposition to the changes implemented by BMRB back in the new year- expect big sales!

 

 

 

1- A TOWN CALLED MALICE/ PRECIOUS- The Jam (123,000)

2- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (98,000)

3- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens (63,000)

4- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk (61,000)

5- DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE- Meat Loaf (55,000)

6- MAID OF ORLEANS- O.M.D (51,000)

7- ARTHUR’S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)- Christopher Cross (44,000)

8- THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT- Tight Fit. (43,000)

9- LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz. (39,000)

10- DROWNING IN BERLIN- The Mobiles (37,000)

 

Fantastic to see ‘Golden Brown’ nearing 100k in one week!

 

What a classic chart topper though. Entering at no1 seemed more common in the early 80s than I thought, only for certain stars though.

'Town Called Malice' is a good song with its northern soul influenced driving beat.

 

Didn't know that 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' was a UK top 40 chart hit three times, including #4 in the early 60s. I never really liked the song much sadly.

Edited October 2, 2024Oct 2 by TheSnake