Gezza

17. QUEEN (3,693,300) 22 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: UNDER PRESSURE (426,000) It’s the 80s so naturally Queen are high on the list! Interestingly of all the acts in the top 20 none had a best seller which was sold so little as Queen do. Nevertheless they remained very popular throughout the decade though they only managed to hit No 1 in collaboration, they packed out stadiums on tour stealing the show (it is popularly thought) at Live Aid and produced a stream of classics like “A Kind Of Magic” “Radio Gaga” and “Another One Bites The Dust” in the 80s.

18. SPANDAU BALLET (3,567,200) 17 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST HIT: TRUE (615,000) By the mid 80s Britain had what was called “the big 4” groups, Spandau are the lowest of the four on the list despite being the first to release a single and have a hit. Emerging from the New Romantic Scene in 1980 they switched to soul influenced Pop by 1983 scoring their only No 1 “True”. Post 1986 the hits got smaller and they split in 1990 (for almost 20 years) with the Kemp brothers moving into acting with considerable success.

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.

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.

A fair few. In the late 80s you had Jive Bunny, NKOTB, soul II Soul, the bangles, Madonna, simple minds, Jason Donovan, and that was just from 1989. Not to mention the charity songs.

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)

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.

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.

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.

So who's missed out on the top 20 then?.....

Over the 3 million mark tomorrow

27. LIONEL RICHIE (2,962,000) 10 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: HELLO (761,000) Starting out the decade as a member of the Commodores, Richie was writing for other artists (a US chart topper for Kenny Rogers) before branching out as a solo artist in 1981 to huge success. By the middle of the decade he was an international superstar with the best selling album of 1984 and helping to organise and sing on “We Are The World” though of course the single “Hello” was his only solo No 1 in the UK with shall we say a “memorable” video and leave it there?!

28. EURYTHMICS (2,932,000) 19 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) (505,000) Well aren’t duo’s quite the thing in the 80s! Eurythmics were born out of the demise of punk pop outfit The Tourists who were themselves no strangers to the top 10. It took a while for them to start scoring hits but as 1983 dawned the track “Sweet Dreams” became a massive hit all over the world and they never looked back with hits flowing on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the rest of the decade before the duo split in 1990 acrimoniously (for a period anyway).

29. KIM WILDE (2,894,200) 17 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: KIDS IN AMERICA (494,000) Daughter of 60s pop star Marty Wilde with songs written for her by brother Ricky, it was a family affair which helped Wilde into the charts at just 20. Whilst she’s only the 4th highest female on the list she is the biggest selling UK female act of the decade by some way, and whilst she twice made No 2 in the UK charts, that chart topper always eluded her though she did claim a US chart topper with her version of “You Keep Me Hanging On”.

No worries- I think TOTP must just have accepted what the record labels told them based on shipments

TOTP premature again- it actually crossed the 1 million mark on 31/1 (the day after TOTP was shown).

30. PET SHOP BOYS (2,849,000) 12 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: ALWAYS ON MY MIND (508,000) The top 30 starts off with the perennially popular Pet Shop Boys whose purple period of 1987-89 saw everything they touched turn to commercial gold including writing for Dusty Springfield and Lisa Minnelli and steering both into the top 20. The pair would site OMD, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode as inspiration for their music and ended up outselling them all by the decade end.

31. DEPECHE MODE (2,837,100) 20 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: SEE YOU (354,000) Who suspected the Basildon boys would be this high? It’s another tale of consistency in the decade for the group who survived the loss of Vince Clark in late 1981 as the main songwriter. Indeed in marks a record third appearance for Clark though he only had input into Depeche Mode’s first album. Their mixture of dark pop and synth made them fans in the US where they got cult status and a large fanbase though that top 3 single would always elude them on the UK charts.

32. GEORGE MICHAEL (2,804,100) 9 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: CARELESS WHISPER (1,143,000) The original blueprint for how to forge a successful career from a boyband, George Michael decided to split Wham! Up in 1986 and forge his own way forward. The colossal album “Faith” generated 6 top 20 hits in the UK but also 4 US chart toppers proving it was the right move for him, it all started of course with a trio of solo chart toppers as he became one of the decades heart throbs.

31ST JANUARY Plucked from obscurity at just 13 by record producer and label owner LA Reid, Usher Raymond IV had his first album out at just 15 and got Puff Daddy to co-produce it. Whilst generating some minor hits in the US and the UK #70 hit “Think Of You” (co-written by Faith Evans) it passed largely unnoticed, but now at the grand old age of 19 he returns with a second album “My Way” and a major hit in “You Make Me Wanna”. The song spent 7 weeks at No 2 in the US behind Elton John but wastes no time here shooting straight to No 1 (106,968), it means that 1998 starts just as 1997 did with a string of one week chart toppers for a fourth week. Usher also becomes the youngest male solo act to hit No 1 since Glenn Medeiros ten years ago. Part of the ever growing music scene in Wales Catatonia have built up a steady fanbase touring and supporting, among others, Space over the last few years and have been rewarded with five hit singles so far though none made the top 30. With a second album due in a few weeks they now score their real breakthrough at No 3 (53,000) with the X-Files inspired title “Mulder & Scully. The song was originally intended to be released last summer as the first single from the second album but the record company vetoed the idea and went with “I Am The Mob” (#40) so it looks like the group are now vindicated. “Tubthumping” sold an incredible 750,000+ copies and is doubtless a tough act to follow but Chumbawamba aren’t doing too badly with “Amnesia”. Written as an examination of Tony Blair’s new labour project it doesn’t seem to have been hampered by the party’s current popularity and enters at No 10 (24,000) Proving that the group aren’t destined to become one hit wonders, in the UK at any rate. The All Saints play runner up on both charts again unable to dislodge the Verve on the albums and selling just 61,000 copies of “Never Ever” to trail in at No 2 behind Usher on the singles chart. The track may just sneak its millionth sale this week with a current tally of 959,000. Proving a slow burning hit Lighthouse Family’s “High” rebounds 7-4 (43,000) even though it lost sales, but former No 1 “All Around The World” deflates 1-5 (40,000)- none of the band’s four chart toppers have lasted more than 7 days. Bamboo drift 3-6 (36,000) and Robbie Williams is all zig-zagging around the top 10 9-7 (31,000). “Angels” is now in its 8th week in the top 10 and has sold 501,000 copies, that’s more than all but 2 Take That singles. Wildchild rebel 6-9 (28,000) and fall past Janet Jackson who sticks at No 8 (30,000) but is now the new No 1 Stateside, her 8th US chart topper. 1- YOU MAKE ME WANNA- Usher (106,968) 2- NEVER EVER- All Saints (61,000) 3- MULDER AND SCULLY- Catatonia (53,000) 4- HIGH- Lighthouse Family (43,000) 5- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Oasis (40,700) 6- BAMBOOGIE- Bamboo (36,000) 7- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (31,000) 8- TOGETHER AGAIN- Janet Jackson (30,000) 9- RENEGADE MASTER 98- Wildchild (28,000) 10- AMNESIA- Chumbawamba (24,000)

24TH JANUARY Scoring an easy fourth chart topper Oasis prove they still have what it takes with “All Around the World”. It’s a tenth top 10 single for the band and an eighth top 3 track on the trot and sold a mighty 112,000 copies to fly to the top which is also their 8th straight six figure opening week sum. At over 9 minutes in length it also becomes the UK’s longest No 1 single ever beating Meat Loaf’s 5 year record (though a radio edit at 4:50 has been made to get airplay) and means that the group have now had a No 1 single in 4 consecutive years, the first since Take That (93-96), the last act to do 5 continuous years? Their heroes The Beatles naturally. The song stems from 1992 and has backing vocals from Meg Matthews, Patsy Kensit and Richard Ashcroft to add extra pazzazz. The “Be Here Now” album has already sold over 1.5 million and lifts 21-14 this week. Back to another song that was written some years ago (1995 in this case), Radiohead’s “No Surprises” goes straight in at No 4 (52,000). It comes a rather alarming promo which sees Yorke get visibly more stressed as his diver’s helmet fills with water which has caused some comment in the press. Nonetheless it is the group’s 5th top 10 hit and helps the album recover 9-6. Following the split in late 1996 of The Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown took some time out of the music business but the lure proved too great and his debut solo album is just around the corner. “My Star” is his opening shot and becomes a No 5 (49,000) hit after considerable hype in the music press. Increasing sales by 27% wasn’t anywhere near enough to keep the top spot so All Saints play runner up to Oasis on 68,000, they occupy the same position on the album chart behind the Verve. Bamboo drop 2-3 (52,000) and Wildchild fall 3-6 (48,500) but the bottom four are all long runners. Lighthouse Family hold at No 7 (48,200) just ahead of Janet Jackson who is down 5-8 (47,500) and Robbie Williams who is slipping 6-9 (47,000). Various Artists are now well and truly out of fashion 4-10 (37,000). 1- ALL AROUND THE WORLD- Oasis (112,000) 2- NEVER EVER- All Saints (68,000) 3- BAMBOOGIE- Bamboo (52,000) 4- NO SURPRISES- Radiohead (52,000) 5- MY STAR- Ian Brown (49,000) 6- RENEGADE MASTER 98- Wildchild (48,500) 7- HIGH- Lighthouse Family (48,200) 8- TOGETHER AGAIN- Janet Jackson (47,500) 9- ANGELS- Robbie Williams (47,000) 10- PERFECT DAY- Various Artists (37,000)

33. ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (2,765,100) 12 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: SOUVENIR (445,000) Early pioneers of synth pop, the group put together a long run of successful top 30 hits between 1980 and 1986 which sees them here on the list. Not every album was a commercial success with the band moving on occasion onto more experimental music than what was popular but they tended to pull it back to pop often enough to keep them in the public eye. A changing line up in the decade led them eventually to disband in 1989 for 3 years until they returned in style to the top 3!

34. SOFT CELL (2,764,100) 9 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: TAINTED LOVE (1,075,000) That first million seller? Well that “Tainted Love” which tottered over the million in 1982 for this duo. One of the leading acts of 1981 and 1982, they sold over a million singles in both years with a string of top 4 singles but their demise was quick with the pair splitting by 1984 and Almond going on to a successful solo career and Dave Ball forming 90s dance outfit The Grid.

35. DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (2,735,500) 9 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: COME ON EILEEN (1,080,000) BEST SELLING ACT OF 1982 50% of that tally of 2.7 million is made up of their 2 chart toppers in the decade “Geno” and “Come On Eileen”- with the latter becoming the second track to sell a million copies in the 80s. Kevin Rowland was a master at coming out with new images for the outfit which kept him in the papers even when the hits weren’t flowing but no-one sold more singles than this outfit in 1982.

In terms of what we do know their sales would have been a fraction under 686k with 1982 accounting for almost half a million of those alone.