23. BANANARAMA (3,310,000)

16 TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: IT AIN’T WHAT YOU DO IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT (399,000)

 

Without doubt the biggest girl group of the decade, they had the fortune of using the most successful producers of the decade (at first Jolly & Swain, then Stock Aitken & Waterman) to help them remain successful.  In 1988 they entered the Guinness book of records for most chart entries by an all female group and rounded off the decade with a Platinum Greatest Hits album.

22. KYLIE MINOGUE (3,337,500)

8 TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: ESPECIALLY FOR YOU (844,000)

BEST SELLING SINGLES ACT OF 1988

 

Of course she’s here and only on the strength of 8 singles (only one act is higher is on fewer hits), yes Kylie was unstoppable in 88-89 outselling even Madonna for the period.  She was the best selling singles of 88 and topped it with another 1.2 million the year after, that opened the way for other Neighbours stars to make the transition to popstars.  Three No 1 hits plus 4 No 2 hits formed part of her opening tally of 11 straight top 5 hits, in 1988 she sold over 2 million singles in the UK, one of only 6 acts to reach that level in any particular year in the decade but the first on this list.

21. THE HUMAN LEAGUE (3,381,100)

11 TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: DON’T YOU WANT ME (737,000)

 

Just missing out on the top 20 are these guys who were early pioneers of synth pop before breaking through in 1981 and even cracking the US with a couple of chart toppers.   The promo for “Don’t You Want Me” is credited for heralding the second invasion of the US charts for British acts thanks to being an early MTV favourite and is of course considered a synth pop classic now, they sold over a million in both 1981 and 1982.

Recap 21-50

50. LEVEL 42 (2,105,700)

49. PAUL YOUNG (2,112,700)

48. A-HA (2,118,400)

47. BAD MANNERS (2,170,500)

46. ROD STEWART (2,214,600)

45. JASON DONOVAN (2,261,500)

44. SIMPLE MINDS (2,271,800)

43. ABBA (2,297,500)

42. WHITNEY HOUSTON (2,368,700)

41. TEARS FOR FEARS (2,554,500)

 

40. ELTON JOHN (2,558,000)

39. PRINCE (2,622,100)

38. BAND AID (2,671,600)

37. JOHN LENNON (2,674,800)

36. ULTRAVOX (2,702,200)

35. DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (2,735,500)

34. SOFT CELL (2,764,100)

33. ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (2,765,100)

32. GEORGE MICHAEL (2,804,100)

31. DEPECHE MODE (2,837,100)

 

30. PET SHOP BOYS (2,849,000)

29. KIM WILDE (2,894,200)

28. EURYTHMICS (2,932,000)

27. LIONEL RICHIE (2,962,000)

26. THE POLICE (3,080,900)

25. BUCKS FIZZ (3,277,500)

24. STATUS QUO (3,293,600)

23. BANANARAMA (3,310,000)

22. KYLIE MINOGUE (3,337,500)

21. THE HUMAN LEAGUE (3,381,100)

oh I thought In the Army Now was Status Quo signature song!

3 great acts that all 3 deserved top 20, especially Bananarama

loved Bananarama and one of my 1st albums I bought as a kid was Bananarama-Wow, which houses 3 of their best songs ever,

I heard a rumour, Love in the first degree and I want you back. Her early 80s singles were also great, Cruel Summer, Robert de Niro, and also love thir take on Venus. After Wow, I don't think I liked anything anymore sadly.

crazy how high Kylie considering she did it in 2 years

don't know Human League that much. Don't you Want me is of course a classic of clasics but their other singles have never clicked, like them but not love them.

Bananarama were always entertaining in their own way. Unfortunately, by the late 80s they got the SAW treatment, some really good pop songs neutered by cynical and characterless production but the girls' personalities just about shone through. Robert De Niro is one of those songs that hides a really dark subject matter in glossy pop, and I am a sucker for that.

Kylie Minogue's 80s material is horrific to my ears.

Human League started the decade well with Travelogue and the mega selling Dare - an era defining album - but the follow ups Hysteria and Crash saw the magic had gone and they've never really got back on track since.

20. DIANA ROSS (3,395,500)

11 TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: CHAIN REACTION (606,000)

 

The second highest placed female on our list is naturally an icon, Ross had been a chart star since the 60s with the Supremes and in 1980 found herself working with Chic gave her a new sound and renewed chart favour almost returning to No 1 with “Upside Down”. After being with Motown since her first Supremes release, she left the label in 1981 and signed for RCA in a deal which was the most expensive ever at that point at $20 million (roughly £60 million now)- the hits continued with her sole UK chart topper of the decade “Chain Reaction” before she returned to Motown at the decade end.

19. KOOL & THE GANG (3,401,300)

17 TOP 40 HITS

BIGGEST SELLER: CHERISH (440,000)

 

Consistency wins again as we reach No 19, Kool & The Gang never had a chart topper in the 80s, nor did they sell more than 700,000 in any particular year but they made it this high!  They rode the disco bandwagon into the charts in the late 70s before flipping to ballads and light RNB influenced pop which we lapped up until the late 80s when they fell out of favour.

My mum was a huge fan of the Human League's classic Dare album at the time so was delighted when I got it for my own vinyl collection decades later I've since listened to Travelogue and enjoyed that album a lot too.

I'm another who doesn't care for '80s Kylie, although 'Better The Devil You Know' also with SAW but now into the '90s has grown on me a lot over time

My favourites from Bananarama are 'Cruel Summer', 'Robert De Niro's Waiting' and the Fun Boy Three collabs

Oh lots of great artists lately but

those last 2 I don't care at all

Give me the Supremes over Diana any day, but to be fair Upside Down and I'm Comig Out are pretty great. Really didn't like Chain Reaction at the time as it screams the Bee Gees very loudly but my attitude to it has mellowed over the almost 40 years of hearing it. Almost like it now. But not quite there yet.

Kool and the Gang I never liked and doubt I ever will.