Welcome to the 3rd thread in this series! As the 1st thread which started from the birth of the charts in 1952 is currently stalled at 1972, I think we need a fresh thread for these ‘80s reviews.

Many thanks to @jimwatts for offering to host a series of Synctube listen-throughs alongside my reviews, which should help keep me on schedule!

As the Synctube sessions will typically cover around 45 hits I will divide each session into 3 groups of roughly 15. I hope to then review all 3 groups during the week following the session in which each hit was played, so that should be convenient for those both joining the sessions and following this thread. The idea is also that this can replace the session follow up polls and be the place to discuss what we’ve heard.

I will score each hit and give a very brief commentary. I will aim to keep the average score in the 5-6 region and use the full range so:

7-10 great

4-6 decent

1-3 not for me

Each day I’ll post a video of my track of the day plus any runners up that I give a 9. Only my very favourite hits of the year (3 maximum) will score a 10.

I will review double or multiple A sides and EPs as 1, so effectively giving an average score. I also plan to review each song only once meaning that a remix of a previous hit won't be reviewed unless it's a completely different song.

I plan to listen to any songs I'm not familiar with half a dozen times or so, though where a single has multiple versions I only plan to listen to 1 (probably the radio or main single version if it's clear what that is).

I hope to avoid too much genre bias and give everything a fair hearing. Note that I'm not a music journalist or critic or historian on any level, but just a chart geek with a slightly bonkers compulsion to do this!

I’ll be reviewing everything solely on musical merit, so there could be some cases where rather unsavoury artists receive good scores, and of course that won’t indicate support for any of their non musical actions.

Comments will always be welcome, even if you strongly disagree with my ratings. And don't worry if you dip in and dip out of following the thread - occasional comments are good too!

The 1980 playlist:

Possibly you will give 1 or 2 for my favourite song from 80s decade.

And here we go with 1980 Group 1:

#1	05/01/1980	Madness	My Girl	3	54-14-4-{3}-3-4-10-29-41-69->10
#2	05/01/1980	Dr Hook	Better Love Next Time	8	58-31-14-{8}-13-17-24-56->8
#3	22/12/1979	Positive Force	We Got The Funk	18	71-71-65-34-32-{18}-25-32-57->9
#4	08/12/1979	The Inmates	The Walk	36	66-60-50-50-44-{36}-40-56-68->9
#5	05/01/1980	Styx	Babe	6	69-37-17-{6}-7-6-9-17-37-54->10
#6	05/01/1980	Bee Gees	Spirits (Having Flown)	16	61-38-26-{16}-21-31-36->7
#7	05/01/1980	Jon And Vangelis	I Hear You Now	8	72-45-25-17-15-12-{8}-13-18-36-61->11
#8	12/01/1980	Joe Jackson	It's Different For Girls	5	50-27-12-{5}-5-7-19-42-61->9
#9	12/01/1980	Azymuth	Jazz Carnival	19	65-30-21-{19}-22-29-49-62->8
#10	22/12/1979	The Regents	7 Teen	11	72-72-62-48-31-22-12-{11}-15-15-33-53->12
#11	12/01/1980	UFO	Young Blood	36	63-{36}-36-49-61->5
#12	22/12/1979	Fleetwood Mac	Sara	37	67-67-50-41-{37}-37-42-51->8
#13	12/01/1980	Rupert Holmes	Escape (The Pina Colada Song)	23	72-38-27-27-{23}-28-35->7
#14	26/01/1980	The Specials	Too Much Too Young (The Special AKA Live! EP)	1	15-{1}-1-2-4-13-21-48-64-71->10
#15	19/01/1980	New Musik	Living By Numbers	13	52-26-20-{13}-14-22-26-48->8

And we’re off! I’m expecting the average scores for this period to be pretty high so I’ll probably need to be on the tough side. A solid first group but nothing quite reaching that big favourite 9 level.

8	Jon And Vangelis	I Hear You Now	1st hit for this UK singer and Greek synth player collaboration: this has a very ethereal sound world and hopeful beautifully sung lyrics
8	New Musik	Living By Numbers	1st and biggest Top 40 for this synth pop group and a really clever, charming and quirky song about people being reduced to data points
8	Azymuth	Jazz Carnival	Only hit for this Brazilian jazz funk trio, with a brilliant instrumental led by a strong synth melody but incorporating various  improvisations
7	The Specials	Too Much Too Young (The Special AKA Live! EP)	450th #1: the lead track is a brilliant quirky ska number about contraception; the rest of the EP isn't quite as strong but still very good
7	Joe Jackson	It's Different For Girls	His 2nd and highest peaking hit: a very fun song that reverses stereotypes about men looking for quick flings and women something more
7	Madness	My Girl	3rd and biggest hit to date for the ska influenced group: their usual cheeky Cockney style and a catchy track with strong instrumental parts
6	Fleetwood Mac	Sara	A small hit for them with a Stevie Nicks track: this is understated and perhaps missing a focal point, but it builds and has beautiful vocals
6	Bee Gees	Spirits (Having Flown)	The 4th single from their 1979 album and their last hit for a long time: it's very different from their disco style but good with a strong chorus
5	UFO	Young Blood	Most of their hits were non Top 40 but this is the 2nd of 2 that sneaked in: it's a good rock track but with nothing to make it really memorable
5	Positive Force	We Got The Funk	Only hit for this soul funk band all about having a party: a nicely done example of its genre but the track doesn't develop as much as it could
4	Rupert Holmes	Escape (The Pina Colada Song)	Currently 673 million Sootofy streams for this light hearted summery sounding song: I respect its legacy and it is catchy but quite banal
4	The Regents	7 Teen	Only hit for this UK new wave band: the theme hasn't aged well and I find that aspect hard to ignore, but musically it's a fun punchy track
4	The Inmates	The Walk	Only hit for this UK group with a cover of a late '50s rock song: it's competently done and true to the style, but the original has more sparkle
3	Styx	Babe	Only Top 40 for this US rock band: it's not unpleasant but a little boring: quite a syrupy and turgid radio friendly power ballad style track
3	Dr Hook	Better Love Next Time	The follow up to their #1 a few months ago: the singing on this is lovely but it's not an exciting track and the pun in the title is rather trite

 

1980 Group 2:

#16	19/01/1980	Kool And The Gang	Too Hot	23	41-29-{23}-29-23-24-31-70->8
#17	19/01/1980	Matchbox	Buzz Buzz A Diddle It	22	50-30-{22}-24-22-26-32-74->8
#18	26/01/1980	Kenny Rogers	Coward Of The County	1	33-10-2-{1}-1-2-6-15-18-39-48-72->12
#19	19/01/1980	Sister Sledge	Got To Love Somebody	34	47-{34}-39-49->4
#20	19/01/1980	Sad Cafe	Strange Little Girl	32	53-35-{32}-36-53->5
#21	19/01/1980	Amii Stewart	Paradise Bird/The Letter	39	58-{39}-41-64->4
#22	19/01/1980	Commodores	Wonderland	40	54-{40}-50-60->4
#23	26/01/1980	The Boomtown Rats	Someone's Looking At You	4	45-14-8-{4}-7-14-22-50-62->9
#24	02/02/1980	The Selecter	Three Minute Hero	16	29-21-{16}-21-27-33->6
#25	02/02/1980	Queen	Save Me	11	30-20-{11}-20-24-50->6
#26	26/01/1980	Jefferson Starship	Jane	21	49-31-30-26-27-{21}-24-26-36->9
#27	19/01/1980	Suzi Quatro	Mama's Boy	34	64-50-{34}-38-51->5
#28	26/01/1980	The Buggles	The Plastic Age	16	54-35-28-27-18-{16}-20-32->8
#29	26/01/1980	Ramones	Baby I Love You	8	60-36-25-20-{8}-11-14-22-47->9
#30	02/02/1980	The Whispers	And The Beat Goes On	2	37-18-6-{2}-3-5-10-17-33-47-52-66->12

'Living By Numbers' is fab if a bit melancholy.

I recently discovered 'Glad Its All Over', a top 10 single by Captain Sensible in 1983 which has a very similar chorus melody I think!

Some of the Pina Colada song lyrics are quite patronising especially 'If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain'. The song is catchy melodically though.

Edited June 25Jun 25 by TheSnake

I agree that Living By Numbers and I Hear You Now are the best two songs here. It was good to see Jon Anderson have a top 10 single so soon after leaving Yes. This was before I had enough pocket money to buy albums so I wasn't really aware of Yes at the time, I only knew their single Wondrous Stories. I hadn't noticed the similarity between Living By Numbers and Glad It's All Over before, well spotted, The Snake. I think New Musik's next single, 'This World Of Water', is even better so I'll be interested to see if it will also get a score of 8.

The new wave songs It's Different For Girls and 7 Teen are the other highlights from the first batch.

Tony Mansfield was behind the Captain Sensible track, and he was indeed the frontman/writer/producer of New Musik and their fabulous first album. Because it was catchy pop it's been forgotten these days, but it was a part of setting up the pure synth pop of the 80's along with other late 70's acts and Tony was always class.

Hooray I dont have to check out what I charted for the early 80's, i should know them all well!

Jon & Vangelis a chart-topper for me and a 10/10, love it, an unexpected collab from the Progrock Aphrodite's Child bloke and the Progrock Yes frontman, just lovely. New Musik, I love the entire album, but this was the single that broke them 8/10, but I had already bought the previous flop single Straight Lines which was even better. Azymuth was a good track, Brazilian jazzfunk not quite in the Ipanema league style and class but 7/10.

Too Much Too Young was a relevant social comment that is still a relevant social comment, but it was also a fun live ska romp, 7/10. Joe Jackson was always classy, but It's Different For Girls was just a tad too slow for my tastes 7/10. My Girl was more like it, a third winning cheeky London lads single in a row and a 9/10, I reckon. Always rated Madness. Sara is a 10/10 gorgeous classic for me, Fleetwood and Stevie at their best - the way the melody keeps you waiting to break out into fabulousness hook-time keeps me yearning for the climax, it's basically a long tease which makes the ending all the better.

Spirits Having Flown is another 10/10 for the Bee Gees, and better than 2 of the previous singles off the album, yet it underperformed. The Gibbs gift is for melody, and this one has another emotional, tasteful tune to die for, with added harmonies. Very under-rated. UFO never impressed me much - if it isn't already obvious, I go for melody over basic rhythm and attitude, and if I felt like a loud rock romp it would have been Rainbow, Quo or Motorhead around this time. 3/10.

Positive Force was funk-disco by the numbers, not bad, but not outstanding, an average 5/10. Escape was an American holiday hit that finally made the UK charts, and I held affection for Rupert dating back to his USA national anthem rewrite into amusing social commentary in 1974 that I bought and no-one else did (Our National Pastime). In its own way this is also a social commentary, and the two made-up protagonists totally deserve each other. I rated it a 9 at the time, but not quite so much these days, 7/10, and ever-popular due to the mild humour people get from it - and the unlikely happy ending!

The Regents came and went quickly, they were quite engaging on Top Of The Pops as part of the new vibe in the 1980 music scene, but 7 Teen was never really more than a 7/10, though it takes me back to the time - when I got hold of a cassette player while my reel-to-reel was out of action, and taped off the chart show onto cassette for the first time ever while I was in 3rd year uni digs at Lincoln, just cruelly demolished only last year!! They should have had a blue plaque on the wall for me, for services to personal charts, I was already 11 years into them in 1980! 😄

The Inmates I've largely forgotten, but that 50's retro vibe was all the rage in hometown Mansfield then. 4/10. Babe was one big ballad I went big on, it topped my charts for one week, and remained a fave for quite a while, but it doesn't quite have the same appeal these days. Styx had been big in America for half of the 70's but never troubled the charts here till this one. Mr Roboto is the interesting one though, come back in 3 years... 7/10. Dr Hook started the 70's as a quirky country Shel Silverstein song vehicle, quite charming and amusing, then they got more MOR as the 70's went on, still melodic and worthwhile, but it all got a bit production-line from here-on. 5/10 for Better Love Next Time, as Dennis Locorriere, lead singer, is always good, and has lived in the UK for years, touring around with new solo stuff and a selection of Dr. Hook stuff - the 80's hits get short-shrift and his banging newer stuff went down well enough without them.

'Too Much Too Young' is a storming first #1 released in the 1980s, especially in this live version, although I'd agree the rest of the EP isn't as vital. 'Living By Numbers' is a fabulous early hit with that sparkling synth pop sound and a dark undertone, and 'Jazz Carnival' was my favourite of those I didn't already know in this first batch.

Another pretty solid bunch here, including some great relatively small hits, but once again I’m being conservative with the top scores.

8	The Buggles	The Plastic Age	The smaller follow up to their chart topper but a fabulous, slightly crazy track with quirky instrumental features and rich backing vocals
8	Amii Stewart	Paradise Bird/The Letter	A very minor hit but "Paradise Bird" is an  utterly gorgeous and atmospheric track: the other side is a very interesting take on a '60s song
8	The Boomtown Rats	Someone's Looking At You	From the same album as their best known song, an  excellent organ based track about fame: I love the frenzied paranoia of the chorus
7	Sad Cafe	Strange Little Girl	2nd hit for this UK rock band after a Top 3 debut: this is very enjoyable and reminds me of late Beatles with its distorted slightly trippy feel
7	Queen	Save Me	Written by Brian when he was concerned about Freddy, I like the impassioned pleading on this; otherwise it's quite a standard Queen song
6	The Whispers	And The Beat Goes On	1st hit for this US soul group active since the '60s: the instrumental parts on this funky track are rhe best part of a slightly repetitive song
6	Suzi Quatro	Mama's Boy	Last of her 11 Top 40s: she's such a dynamic performer and this is a fun but not exceptional track about an insufficiently macho man
5	Matchbox	Buzz Buzz A Diddle It	2nd hit for this UK rockabilly band with a Freddy Cannon track from 1961: it's a very fun bouncy song but not that different from the original
5	The Selecter	Three Minute Hero	2nd hit for this UK mixed sex ska band: I think this is quite clever with its urgent rhythm, but I do find it slightly grating after a few repeats
4	Jefferson Starship	Jane	Only hit for this long running US rock band: it's a nice track but quite standard for its genre and I'm not sure why it gave them a breakthrough
4	Kool And The Gang	Too Hot	"Ladies Night" was their 1st hit a few months ago and this is the follow up: quite a pleasant RnB track but not seasonal and slightly repetitive
3	Ramones	Baby I Love You	By far the biggest hit for this US punk band with a Motown track: this doesn't seem that dynamic to me and I can't see the value of covering it
3	Sister Sledge	Got To Love Somebody	Their 5th and smallest hit to date: it's very obviously their style but this song isn't very catchy and doesn't go anywhere really interesting
2	Kenny Rogers	Coward Of The County	451st #1: it does at least tell a story albeit a very dark one, but musically it's quite a featureless track that doesn't reflect the subject matter
2	Commodores	Wonderland	They won't have many '80s Top 40s and this only scraped in: it's a very plodding track that's meant to be sensual, but I don't get that from it

1980 Group 3:

#31	26/01/1980	Keith Michell	Captain Beaky/Wilfred The Weasel	5	75-40-15-{5}-5-10-17-29-44-64->10
#32	26/01/1980	The Shadows	Riders In The Sky	12	63-52-26-21-16-{12}-13-17-32-53-69-71->12
#33	02/02/1980	Cliff Richard	Carrie	4	62-27-13-6-{4}-7-11-19-46-64->10
#34	26/01/1980	John Foxx	Underpass	31	67-47-33-{31}-33-39-46-73->8
#35	09/02/1980	Michael Jackson	Rock With You	7	35-12-12-{7}-9-13-21-48-70->9
#36	26/01/1980	Brass Construction	Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing	39	68-45-{39}-43-61-75->6
#37	19/01/1980	Dexy's Midnight Runners	Dance Stance	40	60-44-53-{40}-41-59->6
#38	16/02/1980	Elvis Costello	I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)	4	17-9-5-{4}-12-22-55-67->8
#39	09/02/1980	The Tourists	So Good To Be Back Home Again	8	46-18-10-{8}-11-19-37-62-71->9
#40	02/02/1980	AC/DC	Touch Too Much	29	60-47-34-34-{29}-29-41-51-69->9
#41	16/02/1980	Rainbow	All Night Long	5	37-30-22-10-{5}-9-7-13-20-35-55->11
#42	09/02/1980	Peter Gabriel	Games Without Frontiers	4	48-38-25-17-8-{4}-6-9-22-33-53->11
#43	09/02/1980	Dave Edmunds	Singing The Blues	28	53-39-31-{28}-28-38-53-73->8
#44	02/02/1980	The Chords	Maybe Tomorrow	40	70-44-{40}-41-49->5

The Ramones cover of "Baby I Love You" is excellent in my opinion, but can understand why one may not be so keen. Just a small correction, it's not a Motown cover. It was originally by The Ronettes who were on Philles Records.

I actually prefer The Plastic Age to Video Killed The Radio Star. Save Me and Three Minute Hero are the other good picks here along with Baby I Love You. At the time, I wouldn't have known the original so I thought of it as a new song.

A strong group here with a couple of my favourites so far and the first 9.

9	Peter Gabriel	Games Without Frontiers	An anti-war track with backing vocals from Kate Bush: the whistling contrasts with the menacing vocals and production: I absolutely love it
8	John Foxx	Underpass	An excellent debut hit for this Ultravox member who will never reach the Top 30 solo: this is wonderfully synth heavy with robotic vocals
8	Michael Jackson	Rock With You	An early highlight in his hitmaking career, a great very atmospheric track that has a beautiful lullaby-like feel even though it's dance pop
7	The Tourists	So Good To Be Back Home Again	This band included Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart: this is a very lovely Beach Boys inspired track with nice harmonies and organ effects
7	The Chords	Maybe Tomorrow	This squeezed in at #40 whereas all the other hits for the UK band will miss: it's a frenetic and catchy track that doesn't pause for breath
6	Rainbow	All Night Long	Somehow outpeaking their last hit "Since You Been Gone", this is a good number from the UK rock band but not really electrifying like that
6	Cliff Richard	Carrie	A lyrically interesting and sinister hit penned by Terry Britten and BA Robertson: always nice when Cliff does something not saccharine
6	The Shadows	Riders In The Sky	One of their last Top 40s in an amazingly long hit career: this is an instrumental version of a '40s country and western song that works nicely
5	Dexy's Midnight Runners	Dance Stance	1st hit for this UK band with big things to come: I like the urgency of the brass instruments and raucous energy, but it lacks an obvious hook
5	Keith Michell	Captain Beaky/Wilfred The Weasel	From a children's book series which Keith illustrated, both of these sides feature a heartwarming narration with orchestral accompaniment
4	Elvis Costello	I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)	His 2nd highest peaking hit after "Oliver's Army", this is a more rocky cover of a soul song by Sam & Dave: I find this track passes me by
4	Brass Construction	Music Makes You Feel Like Dancing	This funk band will have a few hits but no Top 20s: this has some interesting instrumental sections but the main elements are unremarkable
3	AC/DC	Touch Too Much	Their signature song just missed the Top 40 late last year and won't make it for over 30 years; this follow up is rather turgid and forgettable
3	Dave Edmunds	Singing The Blues	One of his last Top 40s: there seems to be a trend for late '50s rock and roll covers at the moment, but this is a highly unremarkable one

 

1980 Group 4:

#45	23/02/1980	Blondie	Atomic	1	3-{1}-1-2-7-18-35-41-46->9
#46	09/02/1980	Marti Webb	Take That Look Off Your Face	3	57-49-14-6-{3}-3-3-6-21-26-40-65->12
#47	16/02/1980	Fern Kinney	Together We Are Beautiful	1	46-23-9-2-{1}-2-2-5-14-28-46->11
#48	16/02/1980	Stiff Little Fingers	At The Edge	15	45-28-25-{15}-18-20-22-53-61->9
#49	16/02/1980	Donna Summer	On The Radio	32	54-{32}-35-37-46-60->6
#50	16/02/1980	Sammy Hagar	I've Done Everything For You	36	48-37-{36}-43-69->5
#51	16/02/1980	The Police	So Lonely	6	68-38-19-12-{6}-11-16-30-42-60->10
#52	16/02/1980	Captain And Tennille	Do That To Me One More Time	7	72-39-30-25-{7}-10-8-16-27-45->10
#53	16/02/1980	Shakin' Stevens	Hot Dog	24	63-40-43-30-31-{24}-26-33-51->9
#54	23/02/1980	The Beat	Hands Off, She's Mine	9	48-20-16-{9}-13-15-28-39-48->9
#55	01/03/1980	David Bowie	Alabama Song	23	{23}-26-24-33-44->5
#56	09/02/1980	The Vapors	Turning Japanese	3	73-59-45-34-18-8-4-{3}-4-7-17-34-68->13
#57	23/02/1980	Iron Maiden	Running Free	34	46-38-{34}-45-58->5
#58	23/02/1980	The Gibson Brothers	Cuba/Better Do It Salsa {1980}	12	52-40-19-16-{12}-14-24-36-57->9

 

Yes, Games Without Frontiers and Underpass are the best two singles from the third batch. Carrie is one of Cliff Richard's better songs and All Night Long, while not in the same league as Since You've Been Gone, is a good one from Rainbow.

The Plastic Age is a goodie, as is the sweet Paradise Bird, I'd go along with 8/10 for both of those. The Letter not as good as the original, more of a 6/10. Someone's Looking At You sounded better at the time when it was a firm 9/10 for me, but again prob more of an 8/10 now. Strange Little Girl Ive not heard in decades, that was a 7/10 last time I heard it.

I never knew Save Me was about Freddie but I found it a bit plodding for Queen, a generous 7/10 but I suspect I'd knock it down to 6/10 if I listened to it again. And The Beat Goes On still sounds good, so much so that it was sampled for the recent Celine Dion hit remix of I'm Alive, the riff edges it into a 9/10. Mama's Boy another I've not heard in aeons, but it's Suzi so that's a 7/10 from me, and again her recent Cyril revamp of Stumblin' In almost became a hit. Her cover of Goldfrapp's Strict Machine is better than Mama's Boy though.

Buzz Buzz A Diddle It is great fun, I never knew Freddy Cannon did it first! It was a romp at the time and I'm still fond of the rockabilly vibe, so 9/10. three Minute Hero isnt as good as the two Selecter singles on either side of it, but it's worth a 6/10. Pauline is still doing good stuff and touring. Jefferson Airplane never made it in the UK, it took a morph into histrionic rock to get them airplay on radio 1, and Jane fit quite well into the Rainbow/Toto/Lizzy rock vibes of the time. Still my fave Starship track, better than the hideous overblown nonsense of the mid-80's. 8/10. Grace, though, will drop an anthem in a few months in Dreams, utterly brilliant 10/10 but didnt make the top 40. (see my my BJSC DNQ entries).

Too Hot I agree is quite pleasant, and I find it less annoying than Ladies Night, the irony is their huge early 70's funk tracks never hit in the UK, they had to do bland disco to get the hits. 6/10. The buzz around Baby I Love You was getting legendary Phil Spector to produce it - he had done the original classic Wall-of-sound Ronettes version, and then Dave Edmunds did an even bigger wall-of-sound self-produced version in 1973. this sounded very limp in comparison and is nowhere near as good as their 2-minute punk romps, nor as good as their later 80's retro catchy songs and covers. 5/10.

Got To Love Somebody I rediscovered about 5 years ago, it's not up there with their monster multiple-hit classics, but it's pretty decent, maybe a 7/10. Coward Of The County I never liked, as a passive sort of bloke I took offense at the notion that you had to get violent to prove yourself to be a man. Those sort of stereotypes should be dead and buried. The realistic sequel where the "hero" goes to jail for GBH and leaves his tormented abused girl to cope on her own is waiting to be written. 3/10. Wonderland I don't recall much, so let's say 4/10 for being The Commodores.

Games Without Frontiers is Peter Gabriel's first classic single, ever relevant, and a 9/10. Underpass I bought the EP, gatefold sleeve and all, and John Foxx was a bit of a pioneer in the footsteps of Kraftwerk, but TBH I preferred the Midge Ure Ultravox. I affectionally sang along to this track as "UNDERPANTS!" 7/10. Michael Jackson as the Quincy Jones icon arrived with the Off The Wall album, and Heatwave's UK Rod Temperton gifted Rock With You to MJ after Karen Carpenter allegedly turned it down. The album is great the singles are great, 9/10.

The Tourists single wasnt as good as their previous 2, but it was OK. 6/10. The Chords didnt make much of an impression at the time, so 3/10 sounds about right, and All Night Long really wasnt as good as Since You've Been Gone, which had the advantage of being a fab Russ Ballard song whereas this one is basically a Deep Purple song, but it still had the heavy bonus of Graham Bonnet (ex-Marbles lead singer) and Cozy Powell (glam-era hit drummer) in the band. They left shortly after this song and Rainbow were never this good again. 8/10.

Carrie is one of Cliff's great singles, still haunting, 9/10. Riders In The Sky is a great oldie, knew it as a kiddie, and was happy to see The Shads charting it, but it's not the best version ever, 8/10. Dance Stance is fab, loved it sounding like nothing else, played loud it's exciting and I used to annoy my friend Bev in Uni digs upstairs playing stuff like this loudly. 9/10.

Captain beaky annoyed me at the time, as do most novelty songs when you hear them too much, but these days in small doses it's quite sweet. 6/10. Keith Michell's 1971 hit I'll Give You The Earth was preferable to me at the time. Or his Morecambe & Wise appearances. Elvis' cover, I also found it less essential than his previous New Wave hits, though it was OK if over-rated chart-wise: 6/10. Brass Construction is also OK, 5/10, but AC/DC's Touch Too Much was a New Wave Of Metal track that made me like the band 8/10. Then they reissued their best track coming soon and Bon Scott died and it was all over for me, not even with recruiting the Geordie singer enticed me back beyond 1980 singles by and large. Singing The Blues was a decent cover from Dave Edmunds, I remain predisposed to like Dave, but the song was never much cop in the first place, so 5/10 is about right.

'Underpass' is a dark synth classic and my favourite to be reviewed for 1980 so far. 'The Plastic Age' wasn't completely new to me, but probably needed a second listen as I also prefer it to The Buggles' #1 hit now. Of those I hadn't heard before, 'Paradise Bird' was the best surprise discovery so far.

‘Living By Numbers’ and ‘Underpass’ are my favourites to appear so far! I’ve been playing the former a lot since the SyncTube session. I’m pretty sure I originally discovered that song from Rollo’s BuzzJack Presents Classic Synthpop compilation which is the track list of dreams 😍 in fact both of these songs I’ve highlighted are next to each other on that, upon a quick refresh!

There was never really any doubt about what was going to be my first 10 in this series, though maybe some of the other discoveries could creep up on it in future. “Atomic” doesn’t have the big catchy chorus of Blondie’s other chart toppers, but it’s a work of pure art. To me it makes me think of when you’re having a wonderful time with someone or a group of people and everything seems wonderful and everyone is beautiful and you’re lost in the moment.

Not to neglect the other great stuff here: “Turning Japanese” is an absolute stonker and there’s some wonderfully trippy madness from Bowie.

10	Blondie	Atomic	452nd #1 and my favourite of their many greats: an immersive instrumental led track, but with vocal parts that are gorgeous and intense
9	The Vapors	Turning Japanese	Only Top 40 for this UK band: masterful use of the Oriental riff and a relentless track that creates a sense of a crazy ride you can't get off
8	David Bowie	Alabama Song	Originally a 1920s German song, this was a very uncommercial release for him, but it's wonderfully jarring and captivatingly unhinged
8	The Police	So Lonely	It's still the first 12 months of their commercial success: I love the punchiness of this and find the strident raspy vocals are very effective
7	Stiff Little Fingers	At The Edge	1st and biggest Top 40 for this Northern Irish punk band: it's very raucous with gruff vocals but a highly compelling and energetic track
7	The Gibson Brothers	Cuba/Better Do It Salsa {1980}	These 2 tracks are incredibly similar but both excellent authentically Latin tracks with good use of instruments and a catchy vocal refrain
6	Donna Summer	On The Radio	This feels much bigger than its peak: it's lyrically an interesting and emotive number well sung, but the overall package is fairly ordinary
6	Fern Kinney	Together We Are Beautiful	453rd #1: only hit for this US disco singer and it's a sweet and uplifting track: it just lacks any musical features to make it really stand out
5	The Beat	Hands Off, She's Mine	2nd hit for this ska influenced UK band not dissimilar to Madness: this doesn't stand out from the crowd but is a fun and pulsating track
4	Shakin' Stevens	Hot Dog	1st of a big run of hits for this Welsh performer with a rockabilly cover: this doesn't do anything unexpected but is a competent version
4	Marti Webb	Take That Look Off Your Face	1st hit for this actress, reaching the Top 3 with a Lloyd Webber song; it's quite a nice track for its genre but as a hit single feels quite wooden
3	Iron Maiden	Running Free	1st of a very long run of hits for this UK band: already their style is clearly established and they will have better examples of it to come
2	Sammy Hagar	I've Done Everything For You	Only Top 40 for this US glam rocker: despite its energetic and vigorous style somehow this track manages to be quite flaccid and dull
2	Captain And Tennille	Do That To Me One More Time	A US #1 and here the biggest and last hit for the married duo: a dreary piece of easy listening; the saxophone is the only interesting part

1980 Group 5:

#59	23/02/1980	Liquid Gold	Dance Yourself Dizzy	2	73-47-23-14-5-4-{2}-2-3-8-17-40-54-71->14
#60	23/02/1980	The Detroit Spinners	Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl	1	70-48-31-20-8-5-3-{1}-1-3-7-18-42-69->14
#61	23/02/1980	The Brothers Johnson	Stomp	6	65-44-32-25-14-11-{6}-9-15-29-46-68->12
#62	01/03/1980	Jon Pertwee	Worzel's Song	33	57-35-{33}-39-47-59-67->7
#63	23/02/1980	Narada Michael Walden	Tonight I'm Alright	34	68-45-38-37-{34}-37-43-59-74->9
#64	01/03/1980	Martha And The Muffins	Echo Beach	10	67-39-21-15-{10}-11-15-21-42-69->10
#65	01/03/1980	Squeeze	Another Nail In My Heart	17	65-40-27-26-{17}-18-23-27-75->9
#66	15/03/1980	Rush	The Spirit Of Radio	13	23-16-{13}-23-28-39-71->7
#67	01/03/1980	The Lambrettas	Poison Ivy	7	69-44-28-27-12-{7}-8-10-15-21-47-63->12
#68	08/03/1980	UK Subs	Warhead	30	42-{30}-38-54->4
#69	23/02/1980	Tony Rallo And The Midnite Band	Holdin' On	34	69-50-41-{34}-42-50-56-66->8
#70	15/03/1980	Genesis	Turn It On Again	8	35-25-23-{8}-10-13-16-42-70-73->10
#71	15/03/1980	Siouxsie And The Banshees	Happy House	17	36-23-21-20-{17}-20-22-50->8
#72	08/03/1980	The Dooleys	Love Patrol	29	68-39-30-{29}-29-31-43->7

Atomic was my 4th Blondie chart-topper, after buying Denis, Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl, and it's the best Blondie of all, a monster exciting track in the single edit. The album version has a self-indulgent diversion into an un-needed instrumental break. The edit is 10/10 for certain and the video is fabulous. Debbie Harry turned 80 yesterday 😮She was already in her 50's when I caught Blondie for the first time in concert, still fab. Turning Japanese is still great fun, and it may or may not be politically incorrect these days, based on what you believe is behind the lyrics vs what was believed at the time, but either way it's a 9/10 for me.

Unhinged is a good description for Alabama Song. I bought that single and then hardly ever played it, it was just a bit too jarring after a few plays. 4/10. So Lonely is very early Police re-issued, or "Sue Lawley" as we sang at the time, a TV presenter. 8/10 still, though. Never liked Stiff Little Fingers much, 3/10. Cuba was a slight revamp of an earlier flop, and quite probably the Gibson Brothers finest single in a good string of hits, 9/10. Better Do It Salsa didnt get any airplay but I expect it's a 7/10.

On The Radio was a big US hit but it seemed fairly bland compared to her recent amazingly prolific and varied run of hits, more MacArthur Park part 2 without the disco and classy song. 6/10. Fern Kinney is still a sweet track, I like her unusual vocals and it's better than the original version of the song, which is pretty and melodic as a song. 8/10. Hands Off She's Mine is one of the more forgettable Beat tracks, but it's OK, a decent 7/10. Hot Dog wasn't a fave of mine from the Elvis musical star, the song just isnt very good 3/10. Better was to come from Shaky.

Take That Look Off Your Face is a Lloyd-Webber gem, it builds and weaves and does what you need in a big musical number telling a story - belts out a hook at the right moment. I'm a fan, 9/10. Iron Maiden starting off as they mean to carry on - a formula to never-ever deviate from. Noisy, riffs, not much melody, more chanting and lots of background art graphics of horror images. 3/10. Sammy Hagar was more to my rock-based taste - a song for a start, a hook, and you still get to chant if you want to 6/10. Captain and Tennille had some great big US hit singles in the 70's, not one of them a big UK hit despite fab songs from Neil Sedaka - see Love Will Keep us Together, Lonely Nights - so it was sort of compensation that they finally grabbed one, even if it was low-key Radio 2 fodder. Quite pleasant, but I dont like it as much as I did at the time, now a mere 7/10.