Ahh, Peruvian music sounds can't be fluted, I mean faulted. Incantation was very nice, 8/10. David Essex doing Mike Batt song/production very nicely. Not my fave Essex ever, but still sweet 7/10. Part of City Boy are back aka The Maisonettes and it's a 60's-influenced cracker, great song and mood 9/10. John Williams always classy, and ET was a goodie, though I'd say not quite up there with Star Wars, Close Encounters and Superman music. Still a 9/10 though.

The Donna remix is not as game-changing as the original, but it's a 9/10 regardless. Under Attack had snippet of a 60's melody that I loved - Sonny Curtis' The Straight Life as sung by Glen Campbell in my case, though Bing Crosby also sang it in 1969 and Bobby Goldboro had the hit. So Under Attack was a fave of mine, but as a record to finish on it was sadly a bit unmemorable. As least for 40 years when it became clear it wasnt their farewell after all. As an Abba completist, it's still 9/10 from me.

Dionne's blatantly Bee Gees-sounding, and still classy for all that, but not as good as Heartbreaker. 8/10. Dear Addy I vaguely recall, guessing it's a 6/10. Hi De Hi more referring back to Cab Callway's Jazz Hi De Hi De Ho rather than the holiday camp 80's show. Cab Calloway's is better, I barely recall Kool & The Gang's and the lack of variation was annoying by this stage 4/10.

Singalong Santa was so bad I have wiped it from my memory 1/10, Barry Manilow as bland and uninspiring as ever 3/10 (no excuse there are zillions of wonderful songs from the 30's), the Little Town re-write was not exactly top-notch 80's Cliff and it was a handy Xmas warning that worse was to come (and better) 5/10, while Shaky's EP I cant even remember what was on it and had to google. Ah yes, Blue Christmas, the not live track. Plodding version of a fairly standard 50's Elvis Christmas LP version of the 30's country song. 4/10.

What a strange little group this time! Quite a few really bad or at least boring songs. I’ll concentrate on those I like.

Cacharpaya is great and very unusual especially for the era.

I have a real soft spot for A Winters Tale, a gorgeous hug of a song.

Heartache Avenue I really enjoy, a lovely Motown throwback as you say.

The ET theme instantly evokes memory of the film, one of my all time favourites.

The I Feel Love remix is good, it’s hard to ruin that fantastic song.

Under Attack is okay but pales in comparison with all the ABBA greats.

My top 40 of 1982 would look something like this:

1 Tears For Fears - Mad World

2 Dexy's Midnight Runners and The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen

3 Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin - Walking On Sunshine

4 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

5 Associates - Party Fears Two

6 Roxy Music - More Than This

7 ABBA - The Day Before You Came

8 The Jam - Town Called Malice

9 New Order - Temptation

10 Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

11 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go / Straight To Hell

12 Yazoo - Only You

13 Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle

14 Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry

15 Depeche Mode - See You

16 Yazoo - Don't Go

17 Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - The Message

18 Modern Romance - Best Years Of Our Lives

19 Shalamar - There It Is

20 Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling

21 Daryl Hall and John Oates - Maneater

22 Depeche Mode - The Meaning Of Love

23 Madness - House Of Fun

24 Stranglers - Golden Brown

25 ABC - Poison Arrow

26 The Clash - Rock The Casbah

27 XTC - Senses Working Overtime

28 Raw Silk - Do It To The Music

29 Human League - Being Boiled

30 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc)

31 Daryl Hall and John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)

32 Associates - Club Country

33 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One

34 Odyssey - Inside Out

35 ABC - The Look Of Love

36 Talk Talk - Today

37 Japan - Ghosts

38 Dollar - Videotheque

39 Ultravox - Hymn

40 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

1982 had an average score of 5.71, one of the highest of all the years I’ve done so far and comfortably beating 1980 and 1981.

There were only 7 scores of 1 given, mostly towards the end of the year. However the worst hit of the year is quite comfortably “Chalk Dust - The Umpire Strikes Back” by Brat.

There were 3 scores of 10, a further 26 9s and another 40 8s.

Here’s my Top 40 of the year - it’s a close call between #1 and #2 but the frame of mind I’m in now is saying that “The Day Before You Came” is one of the most extraordinary pop songs ever made for all the reasons discussed in this thread. Besides “The Winner Takes It All” only managed my 3rd place for 1980 and I doubt ABBA will be winning any of the 1970s years when I cover them so I don’t feel like too extreme a fan.

1 ABBA - The Day Before You Came

2 Yazoo - Only You

3 Stranglers - Golden Brown

4 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go / Straight To Hell

5 Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

6 Associates - Party Fears Two

7 The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra

8 Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling

9 Tears For Fears - Mad World

10 ABC - Poison Arrow

11 The Clash - Rock The Casbah

12 Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

13 Japan - Ghosts

14 Ultravox - Hymn

15 Daryl Hall And John Oates - Maneater

16 Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - The Message

17 The Human League - Being Boiled

18 Theatre Of Hate - Do You Believe In The Westworld

19 Bucks Fizz - Now These Days Are Gone

20 Yazoo - Don't Go

21 Madness - House Of Fun

22 The Stranglers - Strange Little Girl

23 Japan - Night Porter

24 Clannad - Theme From "Harry's Game"

25 ABC - The Look Of Love

26 Carly Simon - Why

27 Incantation - Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Desi)

28 Soft Cell - Torch

29 Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'N' Roll

30 The Jam - Town Called Malice / Precious

31 Sylvian Sakamoto - Bamboo Houses / Bamboo Music

32 Dire Straits - Private Investigations

33 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

34 Blue Zoo - Cry Boy Cry

35 Roxy Music - More Than This

36 Dollar - Videotheque

37 Rhoda With The Special AKA - The Boiler

38 Talk Talk - Today

39 Orchestral Manouveres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc)

40 Classix Nouveaux - Is It A Dream

Would be interested to have rankings from @Jade , @King Rollo and anyone else who feels so inclined!

Well done for getting through another year! A great read as ever.

An attempt at my top 40 from 1982:

01 The Stranglers - Golden Brown

02 Blancmange - Living On the Ceiling

03 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message

04 Yazoo - Don't Go

05 The Cure - The Hanging Garden

06 Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

07 Yazoo - Only You

08 Tears for Fears - Mad World

09 The Maisonettes - Heartache Avenue

10 The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)

11 ABBA - The Day Before You Came

12 The Human League - Being Boiled

13 The Mobiles - Drowning In Berlin

14 The Jam - Beat Surrender

15 The Clash - Rock the Casbah

16 The Jam - Town Called Malice

17 Japan - Ghosts

18 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

19 Depeche Mode - See You

20 Patrice Rushden - Forget Me Nots

21 ABC - Poison Arrow

22 Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

23 Carly Simon - Why

24 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go

25 Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

26 The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra

27 Ultravox - Hymn

28 Duran Duran - Rio

29 Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes

30 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc)

31 Soft Cell - Torch

32 Rhoda With The Special AKA - The Boiler

33 ABC - The Look of Love

34 Visage - Damned Don't Cry

35 The Associates - Party Fears Two

36 Nicole - A Little Peace

37 Adam and the Ants - Deutscher Girls

38 Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country

39 The Pretenders - Back on the Chain Gang

40 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'N' Roll

well I can (for now) do my year-end chart for 1982 - this is what I felt at the time based on chart performance, and I will include non-hits for interest (or not!) 😄 I will as always list according to all UK charts, newpapers of the time, my charts, song first, I just can't get my head round this 21st century artist first 😇

1. The Day Before You Came - ABBA

2. I Can't Go For That - Hall & Oates

3. Come On Eillen - Dexy's

4. Party Fears Two - Associates

5. Head Over Heels - ABBA

6. The Look Of Love - ABC

7. Trouble - Lyndsey Buckingham

8. Under Attack - ABBA

9. John Wayne Is Big Leggy - Haysi Fantayzee

10. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club

11. Mirror Man - Human League

12. Torch - Soft Cell

13. It Started With A Kiss - Hot Chocolate

14. My Camera Never Lies - Bucks Fizz

15. The Way Life's Meant To Be - ELO

16. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor

17. Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth

18. Living On The Celing - Blancmange

19. Only You - Yazoo

20. I Won't Let You Down - PhD

21. Maid Of Orleans - OMD

22. Our House - Madness

23. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band

24. Mad World - Tears For Fears

25. Happy Talk - Captain Sensible

26. Say Hello Wave Goodbye - Soft Cell

27. Girl Crazy - Hot Chocolate

28. Love Plus One - Haircut 100

29. Ever So Lonely - Monsoon

30. Maneater - Hall & Oates

31. Beatles Movie Medley - The Beatles

32. Don't Go - Yazoo

33. Buffalo Gals - malcolm McLaren

34. Reap The Wild Wind - Ultravox

35. Walking On Sunshine - Rocker's Revenge

36. House Of Fun - Madness

37. I'll Find My Way Home - Jon & Vangelis

38. Golden Brown - Stranglers

39. Poison Arrow - ABC

40. Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant

Total chart points would be quite different as many were chart hits again in later years, and loads that were lower down the list would be in the top 40. And if I ever get round to re-ranking, then classics like The Message would be in it, while some are in my 1983 list - see maisonettes - as they peaked in that year, and I've excluded 1981 hangovers that peaked in 1982 for me.

Good to see 'The Way Life's Meant To Be' on your list, if I was including non top 40 hits, it would be in my top 10.

1. Thomas Dolby - Windpower

2. Abba - The Day Before You Came

3. Dire Straits - Private Investigations

4. Queen - Las Palabras De Amor

5. ABC - The Look Of Love

6. Dollar - Give Me Back My Heart

7. Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

8. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

9. The Associates - Club Country

10. Visage - Damned Don't Cry

11. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans

12. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

13. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

14. Dollar - Videotheque

15. Tears For Fears - Mad World

16. ABC - All Of My Heart

17. Spandau Ballet - Instinction

18. Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home

19. ELO - Ticket To The Moon/Here Is The News

20. New Order - Temptation

21. Malcom McLaren - Buffalo Gals

22. The Human League - Being Boiled

23. The Associates - Party Fears Two

24. Blancmange - Living On the Ceiling

25. Bucks Fizz - Now Those Days Are Gone

26. The Stranglers - Golden Brown

27. ABC - Poison Arrow

28. Ultravox - Hymn

29. XTC - Senses Working Overtime

30. Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country

31. Japan - Ghosts

32. Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry

33. David Bowie - Baal's Hymn

34. Mari Wilson - Just What I Always Wanted

35. Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Annie I'm Not Your Daddy

36. Haircut 100 - Nobody's Fool

37. The Human League - Mirror Man

38. Phil Lynott - Yellow Pearl

39. Mobiles - Drowning In Berlin

40. The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra

My 40 favourite top 40 songs from 1982 would look something like this (as a self imposed rule I like to choose only one song per artist):-

1 New Order - Temptation

2 Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

3 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc)

4 The Associates - Club Country

5 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

6 The Stranglers - Golden Brown

7 Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie

8 The Clash - Rock the Casbah

9 Tears For Fears - Mad World

10 XTC - Senses Working Overtime

11 Kid Creole And The Coconuts - Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy

12 Depeche Mode - See You

13 The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)

14 Grandmaster Flash - The Message

15 Yazoo - Don't Go

16 Fat Larry's Band - Zoom

17 Madness - House of Fun

18 ABC - The Look Of Love

19 Japan - Ghosts

20 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One

21 Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing

22 Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling

23 Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals

24 Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

25 Pigbag - Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag

26 Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes

27 Bucks Fizz - My Camera Never Lies

28 The Human League - Mirror Man

29 ABBA - The Day Before You Came

30 Duran Duran - Save a Prayer

31 Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)

32 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'N Roll

33 Hot Chocolate - It Started with a Kiss

34 Rhoda Dakar - The Boiler

35 Roxy Music - More Than This

36 Ultravox - Hymn

37 Talk Talk - Today

38 Chicago - Hard to Say I'm Sorry

39 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

40 Tight Fit - The Lion Sleeps Tonight

I apologise for #40, but I met the real vocalist a few years ago and he was such a lovely guy, I have to include it! 🤷‍♂️ And it’s an ear worm.

Edited April 20Apr 20 by Jaz13music

Oooh - that sounds like a new project for me. Never made the attempt of year-end charts for the 80's. Maybe I should start with 1980 then.

1983 Group 1:

#947	25/12/1982	Wah!	The Story Of The Blues	3	59-59-34-6-{3}-4-7-12-20-28-42-70->12
#948	08/01/1983	Men At Work	Down Under	1	38-7-2-{1}-1-1-2-6-22-32-52-69->12
#949	11/12/1982	Imagination	Changes	31	66-45-43-43-39-{31}-40-66->8
#950	08/01/1983	The Stranglers	European Female	9	40-16-{9}-13-28-48->6
#951	08/01/1983	Joe Jackson	Steppin' Out	6	50-19-8-{6}-9-16-30-43->8
#952	15/01/1983	Eddy Grant	Electric Avenue	2	22-4-3-{2}-4-10-23-36-63->9
#953	18/12/1982	Laura Branigan	Gloria	6	66-51-51-41-32-20-8-{6}-6-11-20-29-49->13
#954	08/01/1983	Marvin Gaye	My Love Is Waiting	34	61-35-{34}-54-74->5
#955	15/01/1983	Melba Moore	Mind Up Tonight	22	36-25-{22}-24-36-63->6
#956	18/12/1982	Fleetwood Mac	Oh Diane	9	69-60-60-48-37-26-18-16-10-{9}-13-23-30-53-71->15
#957	08/01/1983	Billy Griffin	Hold Me Tighter In The Rain	17	68-38-28-19-{17}-20-31-45-63->9
#958	15/01/1983	The Belle Stars	Sign Of The Times	3	51-19-5-4-{3}-3-5-16-27-46-68->11
#959	22/01/1983	U2	New Year's Day	10	23-12-{10}-13-21-36-55-72->8
#960	22/01/1983	Dire Straits	Twisting By The Pool	14	24-17-{14}-15-19-38-54->7

A strong start to the year with a stacked top end and with nothing worse than boring. “Down Under” must be one of the biggest Australian hits ever but it’s a genuinely wonderful quirky song. And U2 sound so fresh and exciting on “New Year’s Day”, despite the very long and mixed run of hits ahead.

9	Men At Work	Down Under	514th #1: 1st Top 40 for the Australian group and a huge cultural anthem; in every way a fantastic and unique record
9	U2	New Year's Day	Their 1st big hit: this has a fresh, exciting and hopeful feel to it and it's not surprising that huge success is coming
8	Wah!	The Story Of The Blues	1st hit for Pete Wylie's band and raucously sung but very lovely and heartfelt song with a classy string arrangement
8	Eddy Grant	Electric Avenue	A big Carribean culture anthem inspired by the 1981 Brixton riots: his best song and much better than his recent #1
8	Laura Branigan	Gloria	1st hit for this US singer that was originally an Italian song by Umberto Tozzi: it's an infectious high energy pop song
7	Joe Jackson	Steppin' Out	His last big hit and a very compelling slice of electropop with a pulsating bassline that Gabriela Cilmi will sample
7	The Stranglers	European Female	A 3rd Top 10 within 12 months for them and a sultry track with almost whispered vocals and an exotic instrumental
6	The Belle Stars	Sign Of The Times	They wrote their own song here after releasing several covers and it gave them their biggest hit by far: a catchy track
6	Fleetwood Mac	Oh Diane	This has been compared to Bobby Vinton and it has a '60s and youtful energy to it; not a highlight of theirs but cute
5	Imagination	Changes	Like their others this relies heavily on a mesmerising bassline: this is quite nice but their big hits are behind them
4	Dire Straits	Twisting By The Pool	Quite extraordinary that this cheery rock and roll number was the follow up to "Private Investigations": it's alright
4	Billy Griffin	Hold Me Tighter In The Rain	Only Top 40 for this former Miracles lead singer: this has strong falsetto vocals but the song doesn't stand out at all
3	Melba Moore	Mind Up Tonight	Her last Top 40, with little to differentiate it from the equally unmemorable "Love's Comin' At Ya" a few months ago
3	Marvin Gaye	My Love Is Waiting	Last Top 40 in his lifetime - unfortunately it's very similar in style to "Sexual Healing" but vastly inferior and rather dull

1983 Group 2:

#961	22/01/1983	Echo And The Bunnymen	The Cutter	8	27-11-{8}-11-18-32-48-75->8
#962	15/01/1983	Joe Cocker And Jennifer Warnes	Up Where We Belong	7	41-31-25-12-{7}-7-7-11-19-23-37-53-56->13
	22/01/1983	The Beatles	Please Please Me {1983}	29	32-{29}-31-49->4
#963	22/01/1983	Kajagoogoo	Too Shy	1	33-10-5-2-{1}-1-3-6-14-29-42-54-72->13
#964	15/01/1983	Level 42	The Chinese Way	24	58-35-35-25-{24}-29-39-56->8
#965	15/01/1983	Sharon Redd	In The Name Of Love	31	53-38-{31}-37-55->5
#966	22/01/1983	Indeep	Last Night A DJ Saved My Life	13	65-24-15-14-{13}-18-27-36-60->9
#967	15/01/1983	Wham!	Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)	8	63-41-34-11-9-{8}-10-14-23-39-54->11
	22/01/1983	The Jam	Down In The Tube Station At Midnight {1983}	30	49-36-{30}-34-51-71->6
	22/01/1983	The Jam	Going Underground/Dreams Of Children {1983}	21	51-37-{21}-22-36-53->6
	22/01/1983	The Jam	In The City {1983}	47	54-49-{47}-71->4
	22/01/1983	The Jam	News Of The World {1983}	39	45-{39}-43-62->4
#968	22/01/1983	Central Line	Nature Boy	21	55-40-27-{21}-25-31-47-67->8
#969	05/02/1983	Tears For Fears	Change	4	19-5-{4}-4-7-16-25-44-61->9
#970	29/01/1983	Michael Jackson	Billie Jean	1	57-20-17-5-2-{1}-2-3-8-11-20-25-36-41-58->15
#971	22/01/1983	China Crisis	Christian	12	63-42-22-18-{12}-15-24-34-64->9
#972	29/01/1983	Rockers Revenge Featuring Donnie Calvin	The Harder They Come	30	46-32-{30}-32-33-41-48->7
#973	29/01/1983	Prince	1999	25	48-33-{25}-26-34-35-54->7
#974	22/01/1983	Haysi Fantayzee	Shiny Shiny	16	61-45-36-28-23-{16}-20-26-41-66->10

I agree, that’s a very strong start to the year and my favourites are very similar to yours.

Men At Work was so unusual in all sorts of ways and, if I remember correctly, at the time they were one of the rare artists who had achieved simultaneous UK and U.S. number-ones in both album and singles charts.

New Years Day is one of U2’s best, a real uplifting anthem.

Story Of The Blues might be my favourite of the group, another unique sounding song the strings are indeed beautiful.

I love both of Eddy Grants biggest hits of that period.

Gloria has a great singalong chorus.

The Stranglers and Joe Jackson songs in the group are good but I don’t like them as much as their preceding hits.

We really are being spoiled with this year so far. “Billie Jean” was always going to get a perfect score: it’s the absolute peak of that style of dance pop. “The Cutter” and “Change” are both outstandingly dynamic new wave tracks, and there’s quite a bit more greatness below that.

10	Michael Jackson	Billie Jean	516th #1: his biggest and very best song; an inspired lyrical story meets a wonderfully performed and funky pop track
9	Echo And The Bunnymen	The Cutter	Their 1st Top 10 and a wonderful relentless and angst ridden track with enigmatic lyrics and Eastern influences
9	Tears For Fears	Change	Their 2nd Top 5 hit in quick section and a very exciting and frenetic track that's really made by the xylophone part
8	Prince	1999	He had a #41 in 1980 and only now breaks the Top 40 with this fine track putting an optimistic spin on the future
8	Kajagoogoo	Too Shy	515th #1: debut for this UK group with a great song, produced by Colin Thurston who had worked with Duran Duran
7	China Crisis	Christian	1st Top 40 for this UK new wave band: this has a very lovely dreamy atmosphere to it helped by the sliding bassline
7	Indeep	Last Night A DJ Saved My Life	Only Top 40 for this US electro hip hop group, and a classic extensively covered song that seems ahead of its time
6	Rockers Revenge Featuring Donnie Calvin	The Harder They Come	A dynamic cover of a Jimmy Cliff song giving them their 2nd hit: it's very nicely done but future singles won't chart
6	Central Line	Nature Boy	6 chart hits but only the 1 Top 40 for this UK soul band: it sounds rather like Stevie but it's a very nice soulful track
5	Level 42	The Chinese Way	They've had a few bubbling under hits but this one goes a little further: a nice but unremarkable new wave song
5	Wham!	Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)	A 2nd overly exuberant and boisterous hit for them: it certainly shows promise but isn't an essential in the canon
4	Joe Cocker And Jennifer Warnes	Up Where We Belong	Joe's 1st Top 40 in more than a decade and Jennifer's 1st: as soppy ballads go it is effective and well remembered
3	Haysi Fantayzee	Shiny Shiny	Their 2nd and last Top 40, and like the other one it's a rather odd track with nonsense themes, but briefly intriguing
3	Sharon Redd	In The Name Of Love	A 3rd hit for her and again it's a long disco track that gently bubbles along without anything distinctive happening

1983 Group 3:

#975	29/01/1983	Thompson Twins	Love On Your Side	9	58-38-27-15-12-{9}-9-12-22-34-40-51->12
#976	05/02/1983	Toto	Africa	3	39-19-6-{3}-4-5-7-23-35-48->10
#977	05/02/1983	Fun Boy Three	The Tunnel Of Love	10	68-26-14-11-{10}-13-18-34-50-69->10
	05/02/1983	Elvis Presley	Jailhouse Rock {1983}	27	51-29-{27}-37-57-68->6
#978	12/02/1983	Depeche Mode	Get The Balance Right	13	32-22-22-{13}-15-26-40-62->8
#979	12/02/1983	Thin Lizzy	Cold Sweat	27	33-28-{27}-33-50->
#980	12/02/1983	Marillion	He Knows You Know	35	{35}-39-49-74->4
#981	12/02/1983	Patti Austin With James Ingram	Baby, Come To Me	11	38-35-19-18-{11}-11-18-28-37-69->10
#982	05/02/1983	Icehouse	Hey Little Girl	17	48-39-34-{17}-17-17-20-33-48-66->10
#983	12/02/1983	Musical Youth	Never Gonna Give You Up	6	40-16-8-{6}-10-17-35-46-62-73->10
#984	19/02/1983	Madness	Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)/Madness (Is All In The Mind)	8	24-9-{8}-8-15-30-43-51-63->9
#985	12/02/1983	Spandau Ballet	Communication	12	41-33-24-15-{12}-13-20-29-35-58->10
#986	19/02/1983	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	Genetic Engineering	20	37-25-25-{20}-22-32-55-71->8
#987	12/02/1983	Eurythmics	Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)	2	63-38-21-5-3-{2}-3-5-5-15-25-33-50-60->14
#988	19/02/1983	Phil Everly And Cliff Richard	She Means Nothing To Me	9	40-29-19-14-{9}-16-31-41-60->9

Wow another fantastic group!

Obviously Billie Jean is a 10, MJs best, a brilliant groundbreaking song and video. It forced MTV to change from its almost complete exclusion of black artists and its focus on rock music at the time.

I love ‘Change’, its driving rhythm and of course the xylophone. On many days it’s my favourite TFF song.

The Cutter is fantastic, the start of a great run of singles ahead by them.

1999 was a sign of many wonderful things to come from Prince.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Too Shy. At the time Kaja were painting as Duran Duran copyists but that song is excellent, especially the lovely long intro.

Christians is a gorgeous slinky synth ballad.

"The Cutter" stands out for me from the last selection - my favourite Echo & The Bunnymen song. This eastern horn is absolutely great and was also used for "The Horn Track" by Egyptian Empire.

Hooray for getting into 1983 now, birthed many classic chart-toppers as demonstrated by Rollo's ranking thread, plus the first volume of the U.K. Now! series.

'Down Under' just missed out when voting for my favourite 5 songs across the whole of last week's SyncTube session. It would top that first group for me too! The comedic song-writing and heavy use of the flute are both charming, standout features. I wasn't too crazy about the modern Luude makeover though.

I did think 'On A Mission' was ripping off the bassline of that Joe Jackson song so checks out if it's a recognised sample then.

I discovered 'Electric Avenue' via the Ringbang remix on Now 49 before the original. I'd say I'm more familiar with the latter now though due to the lack of streaming presence for the remix. I agree it's far stronger than his chart topper.

'Billie Jean' is a worthy 10, one of those times when an artist's most popular song matches up with my own personal favourite. His catalogue of U.K. #1s is... not the most representative of his best work, to say the least, but this is an obvious exception. Great storytelling and funky genre-blending, with an instantly iconic bassline. The music video's impact for black artists really can't be understated either, as already mentioned by Jaz. An important and high quality pop package.

I adore 'The Cutter' and thought it was a bit underrated in the #8s rate so was pleased it went down well on SyncTube

Great to have Prince in the charts now. I was thinking of him quite a bit last week after being reminded that it was the 10 year anniversary of his death. That initial peak for '1999' seems crazily low but of course there's still some more life in it yet...

Joe is the better Jackson for me here (he doesnt suffer from too much radio airplay), Stepping Out is just brilliant synthpop and piano.

I still really like Billy Jean and along with Too Shy are good funky and fun pop tracks.

Prince's 1999 is fab, it kind of marks the end of most traditional early 80s disco and the start of synth dance/R&B.

Original Down Under is way overplayed and I prefer the Luude remix now.

I might have discovered Electric Avenue in 2001 too.

The Cutter is a good indie track and Springsteen/ Sam Fender vibes with the saxophone style ending.

Edited Monday at 13:482 days by TheSnake

well time to catch up after being away most of the last 2 weeks!

Down Under a big number one for me, very Aussie and amusing and culturally relevant at that time (and since) 9/10, U2 New Year's Day and their first wide-screen rattling rock riff epic, great track 9/10. The Phil Spector vibes of the fabulous Story Of The Blues remain soaring 10/10 and a number one for me.

Electric Avenue is a stomper, but I still prefer his reggae biggies of 79/80 and Equals stuff, but very much a classic for Eddy here 8/10. Jonathan King hd already charted with Gloria in a minor way - thanks mainly to people like me buying the other co-disc Everyone's Gone To The Moon as part of the single package - but I never liked the song much in any version 6/10. Steppin' Out is Joe Jackson's best record, classy urban Jazz mood as opposed to Jumpin Jive big band jazz era or New Wave. 9/10.

European Female another moody laid-back retro alternate 60's goodie 8/10, from The Stranglers, and after some pretty uneventful covers The Belle Stars show they should have gone with their own stuff from the start, Sign Of The Times far and away their best record 9/10, while Oh Diane was a bizarre one, having had a string of great Stevie and Christine singles that flopped (see the brilliant Gypsy, Sara, Hold Me) and this piece of catchy fluff got to be a hit 8/10.

Changes, less memorable than earlier Imagination stuff, 6/10, Twisting By The Pool another bizarre retro-leaning hit and never one I was mad on 5/10, Billy Grifffin's has been forgotten with the passage of time, but I liked it then and havent heard it in decades so an assumed 7/10, and indeed both the Melba Moore and Marvin Gaye minor hits fit into the nice but forgettable category given I've forgotten how they go but they arent going to be bad as such 5/10.

Billie Jean one of the greatest records of the decade, the year, and a game-changing video for a spooky song as Michael shows he really can write his own classics for the first time ever, so this was a pivotal moment in pop. 10/10. The Cutter is fab, urgent and exotic, the riffs are as great as the song 9/10. Change is also excellent, but a tad less fab compared to other Tears For Fears singles of the time 8/10. 1999 and one I bought first time round as Prince started to sound like someone to watch 9/10. It's a dark party, but a great one.

Too Shy, great intro, catchy ditty, and I like this sultry pop more now than I did at the time, when it got on my nerves 8/10. China Crisis were alwasy worth hearing, love the gentle harmonic synth mood on Christian 9/10. Indeep casting a long shadow with Last Night, and another I like more now than at the time 8/10. Rocker's Revenge cover Jimmy Cliff with style, having given Eddy Grant a hit song it's to see this one chart too 8/10.

Central Line's cover is fine 6/10, but it's not a patch on George Benson or Nat King Cole's versions of the standard Nature Boy from 1948 - written by eden abhez, a man ahead of his time, a sort of hippie, who despite his success with this song lived outdoors under the L on the Hollywood sign and ate fruits and berries. Somebody really needs to do a film based on his bizarre life....

The Chinese Way was nice enough, cocktail jazz with a bit more oomph and typically harmonic in the vocals for Level 42. 6/10. Wham Rap more Young Guns Part 2 (though it came first) but not quite as in-ya-face, and more teen strop 8/10. Jennifer Warnes was owed a hit, due to Right Time Of The Night flopping in the UK, but this wasn't in the same league, despite the 60's UK soul/Blues-wannabe Joe Cocker being on it 4/10. Shiny Shiny was catchy quirky fun, but not as top-notch as John Wayne 7/10. Sharon Redd a good bangin dance number of the time 6/10.

8 minutes ago, Popchartfreak said:

Central Line's cover is fine 6/10, but it's not a patch on George Benson or Nat King Cole's versions of the standard Nature Boy from 1948 - written by eden abhez, a man ahead of his time, a sort of hippie, who despite his success with this song lived outdoors under the L on the Hollywood sign and ate fruits and berries. Somebody really needs to do a film based on his bizarre life....

Oh yes I completely forgot to mention 'Nature Boy' - had to get my head around Central Line's more upbeat arrangement as I absolutely love the Nat 'King' Cole version of it too, what a voice. I think I first discovered it on a 6Music show hosted by Cillian Murphy, he has great taste.