Bucks Fizz aren’t hanging around with the hits are they? Great song.

I liked 'Ghosts' more when I first heard it, but these days I prefer the #32 'Visions Of China' from that Japan album.

Ghosts and Party Fears Two are both quite unusual in their sound so it was great to see them both reach the top 10. Ain't No Pleasing You is my favourite by Chas & Dave and a change from their usual Cockney novelty songs.

I liked 'Ghosts' more when I first heard it, but these days I prefer the #32 'Visions Of China' from that Japan album.

Me too - I loved how different it sounded to other synth tracks and the sparse nature of it seemed quite daring, but it's never really grown on me any more since that initial listen. My favourite of theirs by some distance is Quiet Life.

This thread is going too fast for me :drama:

 

Prefer 'Quiet Life' from Japan as I am more into uptempo synthpop but Ghosts is a moody and unpoppy top 10 hit.

 

My favourite Bucks Fizz song used to be 'The Land Of Make Believe' but now its definitely 'Camera Never Lies', it is such a bop. The mock accents though :nono:

My Camera Never Lies has been my fave Bucks Fizz song for a very long time.

Great song, great video, great sleeve... Even the dance routine is their best (though the bar isn't high there).

 

Love it!!

Edited October 9, 2024Oct 9 by ChrisJK

I associate 'Layla' a lot more with the 70s but :wub: :wub: definitely an all-time favourite

That top 3 :drama: I think we commented on this in one of our Sunday sessions. The top end was packed with so much quality just a few weeks earlier!

 

'Party Fears Two' however is a charismatic classic. That bit in the final verse where Billy Mackenzie's high voice gives way to a ghostly synth haunts me to this day, made even more poignant knowing he died so young, and now his bandmate Alan Rankine has passed too.

 

Yeh thought of this when I seen this in the top 10, I charted ‘Party Fears Two’ earlier this year in my PC when he passed away, one of my favourite songs of the 80s!

Edited October 10, 2024Oct 10 by Steve201

My Camera never Lies is fab, loved it and bought it and topped my charts of the time. It's unusual and not what anyone was expecting, as they were getting classier and more varied with each single. Chas & Dave's only good single, Aint No Pleasing You is a great old-fashioned singalong ballad, and Ghosts was also japan's best single for me, haunting, arf!

 

The price-rise in singles was mildly annoying as I was still unemployed and had to be very choosy what I spent my meagre one benefit on other than food and stamps for application forms. Picture Discs were poor audio quality so I never got into them, more collectibles than for listening enjoyment.

10TH APRIL

 

 

It holds fast but yet again "Seven Tears" takes a dip sales wise down to a still healthy 87,000 taking it's overall sales to just over half a million and rises to No 6 in the YTD lists. It will all depend on the relative strength of the market next week as to who (if anyone) can prevent a fourth week at the top for Goombay Dance Band.

 

 

As we've mentioned the YTD chart here's the top 10 at the end of Quarter 1

 

1- THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT- Tight Fit 755,101

2- A TOWN CALLED MALICE/ PRECIOUS- The Jam 590,099

3- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers 548,653

4- THE MODEL/ COMPUTER LOVE- Kraftwerk 514,257

5- OH JULIE- Shakin Stevens 511,083

6- SEVEN TEARS- Goombay Dance Band 500,687

7- LOVE PLUS ONE- Haircut 100 500,461

8- MICKEY- Toni Basil 485,852

9- THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE- Bucks Fizz 424,465

10- MAID OF ORLEANS- OMD 420,934

 

As you can see No's 4-8 are very tight on the YTD but Tight Fit are some way ahead of the field as they exit the top 10 this week.

 

 

Due at the end of May is Roxy Music's next album "Avalon" which should follow in the footsteps of their last LP "Flesh And Blood" in 1980, and to promote it the lead single "More Than This" became their joint highest debuting single when it entered at No 18 last week (equalling 1980's "Over You"). This week it outperforms the latter single by doing one better and leaping to No 6 (51,000) it is also the follow up the half million selling single (and their first No 1 single) "Jealous Guy"- this should go on to do great things for the band and is their 10th top tenner in a career now a decade long.

 

 

 

Arriving 15-7 (48,000) this week is the 4th top 10 smash for David Van Day and Thereza Bazar, better known as Dollar. With the group still ensconced in the studio with Trevor Horn the album seems to be taking its time but the singles continue to flow as "Give Me Back My Heart" proves the group are on a roll.

 

 

 

Proving you can never really write off Leo Sayer he returns back to the top 10 today as he climbs 14-10 (39,000) with "Have You Ever Been In Love". Just like Roxy Music this is Sayer's tenth top 10 hit and is his first single since 1980's "More Than I Can Say". It's co-written by Peter Sinfield and Andy Hill, better known as the songwriters for Bucks Fizz, and is the lead track from his 9th album "World Radio" due next month.

 

 

Talking of Bucks Fizz they leap 5-2 this week but belies the fact that the track is unlikely to make no 1 given that even with TOTP it only increases sales by 43% to 74,000 and could struggle next week. That was still enough to overcome Imagination who slip 2-3 (74,000) and lost runner up spot at the death, two climbers are shaping up nicely at No's 4 & 5- Chas & Dave move 7-4 (66,000) and Japan accelerate 9-5 (56,000). Two fallers to mention briefly, Derek & The Dominoes drop 4-8 (42,000) and Julio Iglesias can't make it two chart toppers in a row as he dives 3-9 (41,000)

 

1- SEVEN TEARS- Goombay Dance Band (87,000)

2- MY CAMERA NEVER LIES- Bucks Fizz (74,000)

3- JUST AN ILLUSION- Imagination (74,000)

4- AIN’T NO PLEASING YOU- Chas & Dave (66,000)

5- GHOSTS- Japan (56,000)

6- MORE THAN THIS- Roxy Music (51,000)

7- GIVE ME BACK MY HEART- Dollar (48,000)

8- LAYLA- Derek & The Dominoes (42,000)

9- QUIEREME MUCHO (YOURS)- Julio Iglesias (41,000)

10- HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE- Leo Sayer (39,000)

 

What an appropriate time of year to hear the beautiful ‘Ghosts’ again, one of my favourite songs of the entire decade ❤️. What a 8-10 in the top 10, 3 classics Japan, ABC & The Associates!

'More Than This' is my favourite Roxy Music song, at least since Brian Eno was in the group a decade earlier. The synths at the end are gorgeous.

This track peaked at #11 this week, great track, there was some quirky chart music at this time:

 

 

--------------------------

 

As for the top 10 entries I think 'More Than This' is a bit boring and MOR from Roxy Music, and the Dollar track isn't the best either, pretty sure I have heard better Dollar tracks though so will check their discography.

Edited October 10, 2024Oct 10 by TheSnake

Bucks Fizz truly on a roll here!

The full five minute version of Give Me Back My Heart is certainly worth listening to, Trevor Horn pop perfection.

Will listen to it but its 'Videotheque' by Dollar I prefer - #17 in June 1982 and also Trevor Horn produced.

Edited October 10, 2024Oct 10 by TheSnake

Videotheque is another good one, especially its intro.

More Than This, like all 80's Roxy, was pleasant - but it's no jealous Guy, and certainly no classic early Roxy for me. Virginia Plain and 72-74 Roxy is when they were innovative and inspirational. I dont begrudge their MOR success, though. The Dollar single was also pleasant, but hand Held In Black & White & Videotheque were both way better singles. Mirror Mirror too but that went top 10. Leo sayer signposting Sinfield/Hill's move over to diva songwriters post-Fizz, but really it's fairly bland and the next great ballad they write will be a Bucks Fizz track.

17TH APRIL

 

 

The events of last week in the South Atlantic appear to have little effect on the charts except to drain it of sales (though that was more to do with the Easter Bank Holiday). It ended up being a mad scramble for the top slot with the entire top 3 all being within 10,000 copies of each other in by far the tightest race for No 1 this year, in the end Bucks Fizz emerged victorious even with a slender7% increase to 79,000- that's the third lowest tally of 1982 a unwanted accolade as now two of those three weeks were when the group at No 1! Back in January "Land Of Make Believe" sold a few thousand less in its first week at the top but this week in their return to the top (a third chart topper you'll note) they hold off Chas And Dave's "Ain't No Pleasing You" by under 1,000 copies, the belated release of the 12" made all the difference for the Bucks giving them the edge just when needed!

 

 

 

Joining the battle late, but almost stealing the show is "Ebony And Ivory" a new superstar duet between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. It's taken from the new McCartney album "Tug Of War" which is due in a fortnight and was penned by the man himself and is a fourth straight top 10 hit for the former Beatle. With guest vocals from Stevie Wonder he recorded his part of the promo at an entirely separate time due to work commitments and this is now his 14th top 10 single and makes up for the disappointment of "That Girl" which peaked at No 39 in January. It rockets this week 19-3 (69,000). The song dates back to 1980 when it was demoed for a Wings album before the group disbanded, Wonder and McCartney have long been friends since the 60s and was a first choice of a duet partner for McCartney.

 

 

 

Released on Rough Trade records twice last spring and summer "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" failed to chart though becoming a nightclub favourite and consistently selling around 1,000 copies a week without charting . The band have been touring and promoting the song for most of the year and have rekindled demand for the track which this week becomes their first top 40 single (though they have two minor hits to their credit already) the track arrives 30-9 (46,000). The label finally cottoned on to the fact that if they actually deleted the single and build up demand then a third re-issue might give it enough impetus to finally break through and become a hit.

 

 

 

Moving onto their 14th top 10 hit Status Quo can never be written off it appears, they return with "Dear John" (13-10, 42,000) which becomes their 3rd top 10 hit on the trot, not quite their best run as they managed 5 consecutive top tenners during 1973-1976. It comes from their what will be their 15th album "1982" which is released this week and will seek to replace Iron Maiden at the top on that chart and reassert the Quo's right to be called Britain's biggest rock band and is the first to feature their new drummer.

 

 

Goombay Dance Band drop 1-4 with "Seven Tears" on a sale of 67,000 and are one of 3 fallers in the top 10, the others being Japan who ebb 5-7 (49,000) and Imagination who collapse 3-8 (47,000). Better news for Roxy Music who hold at No 6 (63,000) and Dollar who rise 7-5 (65,000).

 

 

 

1- MY CAMERA NEVER LIES- Bucks Fizz (79,000)

2- AIN’T NO PLEASING YOU- Chas & Dave (78,000)

3- EBONY & IVORY- Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (69,000)

4- SEVEN TEARS- Goombay Dance Band (67,000)

5- GIVE ME BACK MY HEART- Dollar (65,000)

6- MORE THAN THIS- Roxy Music (63,000)

7- GHOSTS- Japan (49,000)

8- JUST AN ILLUSION- Imagination (47,000)

9- PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW PIGBAG- Pigbag (46,000)

10- DEAR JOHN- Status Quo (42,000)

 

Really wasn't expecting 'My Camera Never Lies' to actually be #1; its one of 1982's better #1s.

 

Yes Pigbag was the song I was referring to a few pages back reminding me a lot of the Jam - Precious and its bassline.

Edited October 11, 2024Oct 11 by TheSnake