Julian rates every Top 40 hit: the 1980s edition

Ashes To Ashes with that amazing video was a bolt from the blue, Bowie reaping the rewards of his synth-based phase in the late 70's, 10/10 and sounding like nothing before, it knocked Abba from my top spot! My dad also bought a Philips 2000 videorecorder, the quality was amazing but the tape were £20 for 2 hours, a fortune in those days. So I bought a tape and taped Ashes to Ashes, the TOTP top 10 video rundown, and some Star Trek episodes. The future had arrived, though those Trek communicator/tricorders were still 20 years in the future.

Bow Wow Wow were OK, though the under-age lead singer was a decision some might have avoided. I never saw them as anything but an Adam Ant cash-in for Malcolm McLaren now the Sex Pistols had self-destructed. And I didnt like cassette tapes, reel-to-reel for me! 6/10 it was a bit of fun. I rated Bankrobber as the best Clash track to date, 8/10, A Walk In The Park was catchy and jolly but something about it seemed a bit annoying on repeat listen 6/10. It's Still RocknRoll To Me prob summed up the USA's bemusement with British records generally as they didnt proliferate like they once did in the Top 40 there, but that would change with MTV. The USA in 1980 had no video outlets, where the UK had loads of shows that aired them. 9/10.

Free Me is decent Daltrey, 7/10, but it's no I'm Free. Sue Wilkinson's has a quirky charm to it, but it got annoying after a while 5/10. All Over The World is ELO doing what they did well but falling slightly short on the classics - but not too much 9/10. I still feel like it was purpose-built for the movie. Welcome back Mike Berry, replacement star in Are You Being Served sit-com, I always loved the gentle sway of this ancient ballad, very old-fashioned but not sounding hopelessly dated like some songs from 1913 might! 9/10.

Start was still on-form Jam 9/10, though Weller's riff-nicking won't be the last time - see ELO's debut for another example. Tom Hark was Madness-vibes laddy fun updated fun-fifties tune, not hurt by one of the band going shirtless and greased up 9/10. My Guy/My Girl an obvious idea for a mash-up that everyone had avoided until now - both Smokey Robinson songs so he still gets all the royalties! 6/10. Feels Like I'm In Love is pure UK disco cheese, but great fun, Ray Dorset grabbing his 3rd UK number one and first outside Mungo Jerry as songwriter, and the two male backing dancers displayed in leotards that you couldnt get on TV these days, oops! 8/10.

The Village People lead singer had left by this point and this was plugging a very very gay movie with some scenes that appealed to some young boys of the time, so I'm assured by one of them, but this record was rubbish in comparison to YMCA 4/10. Modern Girl is a great little record that was a minor debut until the Esther Rantzen Big Time show screened. It's way better than 9 To 5, 8/10. John Peel was a huge fan of Sheena, had 2 copies of 9 To 5 in his very elite singles-box that he carried to gigs. She had way better records later in the 80's though, including one obscure Prince classic. Burnin' Hot was a follow-up hit pretty much, Jermaine rarely getting hits in the UK. S'OK 6/10.