I can understand why 'O Superman' elicits such strong reactions, both a 10 and 0 in this thread already, as it's such a unique and left-field chart entry. The power of John Peel! I am also in the appreciation camp - the lyrics are heart-breaking and those backing vocals add another haunting layer. The build-up to the end is so effectively done.

Glad the Human League continued to build up their hype well before leaving their biggie so criminally late in the campaign. Love how joyful 'Open Your Heart' is.

That New Order double A-Side is interesting, as 'Procession' feels quite Joy Division coded, while 'Everything's Gone Green' is a lot more like the New Order we'd come to know; 'Blue Monday' instantly came to mind for me too. Great stuff on both sides.

The Toyah song is very good, production is like Ultravox - epic but with Kate Bush influence with the vocal style!

Not sure if I like the whistle sound on the Human League song.

O Superman is interesting to say the least.

The Slade song is catchy and better than I thought it would be musically, but the title and lyrics have aged very badly indeed.

Edited Friday at 20:253 days by TheSnake

I switched my top 3 from this group around a few times. On first listens OMD we’re getting another one but I eventually decided this one isn’t quite as essential as “Souvenir”. And in a way I really wanted to give it to Rush after the wonderful “The Spirit Of Radio” missed out due to being in the same group as “Echo Beach”. But in the end I decided the epic “Twilight” edges them both.

9	Electric Light Orchestra	Twilight	A small but brilliant hit for them with a Queen-esque operatic feel and an epic orchestral build with time travel themed lyrics
8	Rush	Tom Sawyer	Most of their future releases will miss the Top 40, but this is marvellous with swirling synths and a biting vocal performance
8	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	Joan Of Arc	This has a similar dreamy and intimate atmosphere to "Souvenir" and it's also a beautiful track with gently twinkling percussion
7	The Police	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic	488th #1: the rumbling piano riff is lovely and it's a very catchy song; more commercial than "Invisible Sun" though that is better
7	Haircut One Hundred	Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)	1st of a flurry of 4 Top 10 hits for this short lived UK group, this is an earworm that grabs you instantly, and I love the brass riff
7	Olivia Newton-John	Physical	A huge US #1; here her last solo Top 10 hit and in fact her most Spotify streamed non "Grease" song: a sensual disco pop track
6	Trevor Walters	Love Me Tonight	1st hit for this UK reggae singer whose bigger success will be a cover: I think this is a nice beautifully sung understated track
6	The Jam	Absolute Beginners	Another big hit for them and it's a nice soulful and rhythmic track, but I don't think it reaches the level of their other recent hits
5	Exploited	Dead Cities	"Dead SAAYS!" it sounds like: only Top 40 for this UK hardcore punk group and it's a fun and explosive, though very short, track
4	The Four Tops	When She Was My Girl	Impressive that they're still having hits and there's more to come, but this one, while nice, feels like it's from an earlier decade
3	Rod Stewart	Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)	The lead from his eleventh album: I do enjoy the verses but find the chorus terribly lacklustre, and so it leaves me cold overall
3	Gillan	Nightmare	Another slice of heavy rock from them: there's plenty going on and I suppose it does evoke a nightmare, but none of it grabs me
2	Julio Iglesias	Begin The Beguine (Volver A Empezar)	490th #1: 1st and biggest hit for this Spanish singer songwriter with a 1930s Cole Porter song: I find this version rather lifeless
1	Gary Glitter	And Then She Kissed Me	His 1st Top 40 in a few years based on the 1963 Chrystals hit "Then He Kissed Me": remarkably unpleasant with horrid vocals

1981 Group 19: TBC

The Rush song definitely my favourite of that lot - an epic - my dad has Rush albums so thats how I heard it!

Physical is good though.

Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) is definitely following the brass funk new wave trend started by Spandau's Chant Number 1

Edited Saturday at 16:252 days by TheSnake

Great to see Twilight at the top of that group. It's more representative of the synth pop sound of the 'Time' album than the first single 'Hold On Tight'. Joan Of Arc and Favourite Shirts would make up the rest of my top 3.

Twilight is one of my fave ELO singles, and I was gobsmacked that such a great chart-topping track for me flopped in the chart - I think it was the music scene flipping (from 70's to 80's), as music scenes periodically do and ELO being thought of as 70's - frankly it took another 30 years for them to get a re-appraisal and appreciated for being fab again. Love Twilight 10/10. Spirit Of Radio is my top Rush track, but Tom Sawyer was OK - but as I never got hold of a copy, it's not one I know well 6/10.

Joan Of Arc another winner, but not quite top rank OMD, so it's been alternating 10's and 9's since Messages 9/10. I got a bit peeved that Every Little Thing She Does topped the chart and Invisible Sun didn't - it is joyfully catchy, but it's more fluffy than essential 8/10. Nick Heyward was loveably boy-next-door-having-a-laugh, but Haircut 100 were pretty infectious, and Favourite Shirts is a good un 9/10. Physical was a monster track, the video was fun, and it was Livvy trying to move from Girl-next-door to grown-up, which worked as a one-off but never really suited her 8/10.

Trevor Walters, ooh not heard that one since 1981!! I know I liked it, so prob a 7/10. Absolute Beginners had a nice funk groove to it, and I rated it well enough, but it's never been replayed much since sadly 8/10. No memory of Exploited, but I know I didnt like it. The Four Tops' comeback hit was nicely laid-back for an older 60's audience, and it was fab having them back even if not on the scale of their heyday - 8/10.

The UK went for a different lead single - Young Turks in the USA, arguably a better song than Tonight I'm Yours - but it had an upbeat appeal to it, chugging along nicely 8/10. Don't remember Nightmare, but Gillan got more and more on my nerves as they went on. Begin The Beguine seemed very 1940's plus mellow disco rhythm, but it washed over me mostly, though I do like the song itself. 6/10. Glitter was scraping the barrel by this time, though his 1980 EP of his early hits reminded everyone how drum-tastic they were. Don't remember this one either, but bound to be 3 or 4 out of 10 just for the song.

'Twilight' is indeed very good and epic synth-based - even reminds me in production a bit of the new-at-the-time TOTP theme tune 'Yellow Pearl'.

Didnt check out 'Twilight' there now at first there as 'Hold On Tight' was a bit 70s and dated imo and I didn't like it much.

Edited Sunday at 14:371 day by TheSnake