Popchartfreak

26th January 1976 It's a 4th week on top for ABBA as Mike Oldfield shoots up to 3 with On Horseback, his third top 3 and 4th top 10, and just ahead of Barbara Dickson getting her first top10 with Answer Me, but not her last. The Miracles have been there before with Smokey Robinson, but now they do it on their todd, Love Machine just ahead of Osibisa's Sunshine Day. The highest new entry at 18 features a young Scottish singer named Midge Ure on a wannabe Bay City Rollers-styled sound, except a bit darker. Forever And Ever will top the UK charts as a song title twice in 1976, but only once in my charts. Not this one, though, Midge has great things ahead in the band after next. Crispy and Company debut Get It Together with a funky workout that I got in a bargain bin, and then never heard it again outside my record collection I think. New at 27, while Kiki Dee makes it a 4th year in sucession to feature a Kiki Dee track, as Once A Fool opens at 32 - not a hit, and not played on radio since 1976, mostly cos it's laid-back and pleasant but not especially memorable. Smokie, no longer Smokey due to threat of court action from Mr. Robinson, return on a third hit Something's Been Making Me Blue, a lesser UK hit but better than the previous two to me, in at 43. Jimmy Mack is a 60's Motown classic that had two minor UK chart runs, but I missed both of 'em despite knowing the song quite well, so it finally charts at 45 thirs time lucky for Martha & The Vandellas, with War's gruff Low Rider riding in at 47, funky in a low-key vibe, and at 50 The Walker Brothers have reunited for the first time 1967 or so, and return to the charts with the great No Regrets, Scott on lead getting his first since Lights Of Cincinatti in 1969, but I will shortly be buying a budget Best Of 1968 compilation album which sees me going mad on his Jackie (new to me, being banned at the time) and Dave Dee's Last Night In Soho. Midge Ure, meanwhile, probably shared Top Of The Pops with the 60's gems, as he will have a hit cover of it in 1982, his first solo hit. 1 ( 1 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA 2 ( 6 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen 3 ( 19 ) ON HORSEBACK Mike Oldfield 4 ( 3 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra 5 ( 11 ) ANSWER ME Barbara Dickson 6 ( 10 ) (IF PARADISE WAS) HALF AS NICE Amen Corner 7 ( 2 ) LIVING IN THE PAST Jethro Tull 8 ( 4 ) HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) John & Yoko and The Harlem Community Choir 9 ( 12 ) LOVE MACHINE The Miracles 10 ( 16 ) SUNSHINE DAY Osibisa 11 ( 21 ) BABY FACE Wing & A Prayer, Fife & Drum Corps 12 ( 23 ) MIDNIGHT RIDER Paul Davidson 13 ( 7 ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake 14 ( 5 ) HOW HIGH THE MOON Gloria Gaynor 15 ( 9 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor 16 ( 8 ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC 17 ( 14 ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie 18 ( NEW ) FOREVER AND EVER Slik 19 ( 13 ) DO THE BUS STOP The Fatback Band 20 ( 28 ) WALK AWAY FROM LOVE David Ruffin 21 ( 17 ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces 22 ( 18 ) BOTH ENDS BURNING Roxy Music 23 ( 15 ) IN DULCE JUBILO Mike Oldfield 24 ( 30 ) JUST ONE LOOK Faith, Hope & Charity 25 ( 27 ) 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER Paul Simon 26 ( 26 ) THE LIES IN YOUR EYES The Sweet 27 ( NEW ) GET IT TOGETHER Crispy & Company 28 ( 22 ) COUNTRY BOY (YOU GOT YOUR FEET IN L.A.) Glen Campbell 29 ( 20 ) THE WAY THAT I WANT TO TOUCH YOU The Captain & Tenille 30 ( 39 ) LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY Donna Summer 31 ( 29 ) THEME FROM MAHOGANY (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO?) Diana Ross 32 ( NEW ) ONCE A FOOL Kiki Dee 33 ( 43 ) LET THE MUSIC PLAY Barry White 34 ( 35 ) DEEP PURPLE Donny & Marie Osmond 35 ( 25 ) VOLARE Rock Bottom 36 ( 31 ) VOLARE Al Martino 37 ( 36 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe 38 ( 37 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman 39 ( 38 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell 40 ( 24 ) WE DO IT R & J Stone 41 ( 32 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span 42 ( 33 ) LISTEN THE SNOW IS FALLING Yoko Ono 43 ( NEW ) SOMETHING’S BEEN MAKING ME BLUE Smokie 44 ( 42 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes 45 ( NEW ) JIMMY MACK Martha Reeves & The Vandellas 46 ( 50 ) OH MY MY Ringo Starr 47 ( NEW ) LOW RIDER War 48 ( 41 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus 49 ( 34 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOOL Roy Wood 50 ( NEW ) NO REGRETS The Walker Brothers

31st December 1995 It's back up to the top spot for another week on top for Earth Song, as few new releases, and not much chart movement means the final chart of the year waves bye bye modestly. Oh Father finally makes my top 10 at 10 6 years late - quite a few Madonna singles have peaked at 10 in the last year or two, suggesting I was a fan enough to want to rate them top 10, but most likely they aren't really quite good enough for that if it was anyone else! Skee-Lo's is a genuinely good pop track though, up to 9, and still endearingly catchy. Goldbug vamp up the old Led Zep song, as used on Top Of The Pops for years via C.C.S. and grab an entry at 22, it's rather good. Nick Heyward may have lost his UK chart slots, but he's always welcome in my charts with his melodic guitar pop (including in 2025), Rollerblade new at 30 14 years on from debuting Haircut 100. Jinny I recall not, but they are in with Wanna Be With You at 48 for some cheesy Eurodance-stylee, while down t'bottom end, Coolio is back low-key with Too Hot, a re-imagining of the Kool & The Gang 1981 hit that's pretty good, Billie Ray Martin post Electribe 101 continues to do OK on Imitation Of Life. 1 ( 2 ) EARTH SONG Michael Jackson 2 ( 1 ) FREE AS A BIRD The Beatles 3 ( 7 ) ONE BY ONE Cher 4 ( 3 ) MAKE ME SMILE (COME UP AND SEE ME) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 5 ( 4 ) UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE Robson Jerome 6 ( 5 ) WONDERWALL Oasis 7 ( 6 ) THE UNIVERSAL Blur 8 ( 10 ) CHILD STAR Marc Almond 9 ( 15 ) I WISH Skee-Lo 10 ( 26 ) OH FATHER Madonna 11 ( 18 ) I DON’T WANNA BE A STAR Corona 12 ( 8 ) WONDERWALL The Mike Flowers Pops Orchestra 13 ( 19 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE/ THROW YOUR HANDS UP LV 14 ( 9 ) YOU MAKE ME FEEL (LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN) Mary J. Blige 15 ( 12 ) MISSING (TODD TERRY REMIX) Everything But The Girl 16 ( 11 ) PASS THE VIBES Definition Of Sound 17 ( 13 ) GOLD Prince 18 ( 14 ) DISCO 2000 Pulp 19 ( 25 ) JUST THE ONE The Levellers 20 ( 24 ) A WINTER’S TALE Queen 21 ( 21 ) JESUS TO A CHILD George Michael 22 ( NEW ) WHOLE LOTTA LOVE Goldbug 23 ( 20 ) ANYWHERE IS Enya 24 ( 59 ) NOT SO MANIC NOW Dubstar 25 ( 17 ) IT’S OH SO QUIET Bjork 26 ( 28 ) ONE SWEET DAY Mariah Carey & BoyzIIMen 27 ( 16 ) HUNGRY HEART Bruce Springsteen 28 ( 22 ) PERFECT PJ & Duncan 29 ( 40 ) YOU’LL SEE Madonna 30 ( NEW ) ROLLERBLADE Nick Heyward 31 ( 31 ) LUCKY LOVE Ace Of Base 32 ( 37 ) REMEMBERING THE FIRST TIME Simply Red 33 ( 30 ) WE’VE GOT TO WORK IT OUT Bel Canto 34 ( 34 ) BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (REMIX) Janet Jackson & Luther vandross 35 ( 27 ) PRAYER FOR THE DYING/ DON’T CRY Seal 36 ( 23 ) SLEEPING IN Menswear 37 ( 32 ) HELLO HELLO (I’M BACK AGAIN) Gary Glitter 38 ( 35 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE Coolio featuring LV 39 ( 38 ) ALRIGHT Cast 40 ( 43 ) FATHER AND SON Boyzone 41 ( 33 ) KELLY’S HEROES Black Grape 42 ( 29 ) HAD TO BE Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John 43 ( 36 ) CRAZY HORSES (UTAH SAINTS REMIX) The Osmonds 44 ( 69 ) WHY YOU TREAT ME SO BAD Shaggy 45 ( 39 ) WHATEVER Oasis 46 ( 46 ) GOLDENEYE Tina Turner 47 ( 44 ) HE’S ON THE PHONE Saint Etienne 48 ( NEW ) WANNA BE WITH YOU Jinny 49 ( 42 ) WISHES OF HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY Sacred Spirit 50 ( 50 ) LIFTED The Lighthouse Family 51 ( 47 ) FANTASY Mariah Carey 52 ( 48 ) THEME FROM “PEOPLE’S CENTURY” Zbignieuw Preisner 53 ( 51 ) FAIRGROUND Simply Red 54 ( RE ) HEAVEN FOR EVERYONE Queen 55 ( 65 ) COME TOGETHER The Smokin’ Mojo Filters featuring Paul Weller 56 ( 56 ) LIFE Blair 57 ( 41 ) FINGERS AND THUMBS (COLD SUMMER’S DAY) Erasure 58 ( 58 ) WATERFALLS TLC 59 ( 54 ) UNTIL MY DYING DAY UB40 60 ( RE ) LUMP Presidents Of The United States Of America 61 ( RE ) ITCHYCOO PARK M People 62 ( 62 ) HAND IN MY POCKET Alanis Morissette 63 ( 45 ) SHE’S ALL ON MY MIND Wet Wet Wet 64 ( 64 ) DANCING QUEEN/EAGLE Abba 65 ( 53 ) MISS SARAJEVO The Passengers 66 ( 63 ) I FEEL LOVE ’95 Donna Summer 67 ( 70 ) I AM BLESSED Eternal 68 ( 68 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING The Righteous Brothers 69 ( 52 ) MIGHT BE STARS The Wannadies 70 ( 61 ) STAYIN’ ALIVE N’Trance 71 ( 71 ) A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/A KIND OF CHRISTMAS CARD Morten Harket 72 ( NEW ) TOO HOT Coolio 73 ( 55 ) IF EYE LOVE U TONIGHT Mayte 74 ( NEW ) IMITATION OF LIFE Billie Ray Martin 75 ( 75 ) NO MORE ‘I LOVE YOU’S Annie Lennox playlist 1 HEY JUDE The Beatles 2 CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN Sound Of Music O.S. 3 REVOLUTION The Beatles Beatles Anthology on telly and The Sound Of Music obv topping my festive viewing. As it ever was, so is it in 2025/6.

24th December 1995 It's 2 weeks on top as The Beatles preside over the Christmas chart, with Steve Harley's 1975 classic back for another run, hitting 3 this time, and for the first time in decades 2 songs make my top 10 in 2 different versions: Wonderwall at 5 for Oasis, and Mike Flowers Pops at 8. I'm sure Noel & Liam loved the gag. Two versions of Gangsta's Paradise also join the club lower down. In a not-very-tinsel-ey chart Dubstar are new at 59 with the good Not So Manic Now, and a tad higher solo act Blair debuts Life, Jimmy Nail sneaks Love into the chart - John Lennon's song had already charted for me - Shaggy drops a lesser-known track at 69, and an actual new christmas track is in at 72 for charity purposes. It has no life beyond the New Year into 1996 anywhere that I'm aware of though. 1 ( 1 ) FREE AS A BIRD The Beatles 2 ( 2 ) EARTH SONG Michael Jackson 3 ( NEW ) MAKE ME SMILE (COME UP AND SEE ME) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 4 ( 5 ) UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE Robson Jerome 5 ( 4 ) WONDERWALL Oasis 6 ( 3 ) THE UNIVERSAL Blur 7 ( 7 ) ONE BY ONE Cher 8 ( 20 ) WONDERWALL The Mike Flowers Pops Orchestra 9 ( 6 ) YOU MAKE ME FEEL (LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN) Mary J. Blige 10 ( 10 ) CHILD STAR Marc Almond 11 ( 11 ) PASS THE VIBES Definition Of Sound 12 ( 12 ) MISSING (TODD TERRY REMIX) Everything But The Girl 13 ( 13 ) GOLD Prince 14 ( 9 ) DISCO 2000 Pulp 15 ( 19 ) I WISH Skee-Lo 16 ( 8 ) HUNGRY HEART Bruce Springsteen 17 ( 14 ) IT’S OH SO QUIET Bjork 18 ( 25 ) I DON’T WANNA BE A STAR Corona 19 ( 50 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE/ THROW YOUR HANDS UP LV 20 ( 18 ) ANYWHERE IS Enya 21 ( 23 ) JESUS TO A CHILD George Michael 22 ( 16 ) PERFECT PJ & Duncan 23 ( 36 ) SLEEPING IN Menswear 24 ( 56 ) A WINTER’S TALE Queen 25 ( 59 ) JUST THE ONE The Levellers 26 ( 33 ) OH FATHER Madonna 27 ( 27 ) PRAYER FOR THE DYING/ DON’T CRY Seal 28 ( 28 ) ONE SWEET DAY Mariah Carey & BoyzIIMen 29 ( 17 ) HAD TO BE Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John 30 ( 15 ) WE’VE GOT TO WORK IT OUT Bel Canto 31 ( 21 ) LUCKY LOVE Ace Of Base 32 ( 32 ) HELLO HELLO (I’M BACK AGAIN) Gary Glitter 33 ( 24 ) KELLY’S HEROES Black Grape 34 ( 30 ) BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (REMIX) Janet Jackson & Luther vandross 35 ( 35 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE Coolio featuring LV 36 ( 22 ) CRAZY HORSES (UTAH SAINTS REMIX) The Osmonds 37 ( 39 ) REMEMBERING THE FIRST TIME Simply Red 38 ( 29 ) ALRIGHT Cast 39 ( 37 ) WHATEVER Oasis 40 ( 53 ) YOU’LL SEE Madonna 41 ( 26 ) FINGERS AND THUMBS (COLD SUMMER’S DAY) Erasure 42 ( 31 ) WISHES OF HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY Sacred Spirit 43 ( 70 ) FATHER AND SON Boyzone 44 ( 44 ) HE’S ON THE PHONE Saint Etienne 45 ( 38 ) SHE’S ALL ON MY MIND Wet Wet Wet 46 ( 46 ) GOLDENEYE Tina Turner 47 ( 43 ) FANTASY Mariah Carey 48 ( 41 ) THEME FROM “PEOPLE’S CENTURY” Zbignieuw Preisner 49 ( 69 ) LOVE HANGOVER Pauline Henry 50 ( 34 ) LIFTED The Lighthouse Family 51 ( 51 ) FAIRGROUND Simply Red 52 ( 47 ) MIGHT BE STARS The Wannadies 53 ( 45 ) MISS SARAJEVO The Passengers 54 ( 48 ) UNTIL MY DYING DAY UB40 55 ( 49 ) IF EYE LOVE U TONIGHT Mayte 56 ( NEW ) LIFE Blair 57 ( 40 ) THE TUNE Suggs 58 ( 60 ) WATERFALLS TLC 59 ( NEW ) NOT SO MANIC NOW Dubstar 60 ( 42 ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Tina Arena 61 ( 57 ) STAYIN’ ALIVE N’Trance 62 ( 52 ) HAND IN MY POCKET Alanis Morissette 63 ( 63 ) I FEEL LOVE ’95 Donna Summer 64 ( 64 ) DANCING QUEEN/EAGLE Abba 65 ( 65 ) COME TOGETHER The Smokin’ Mojo Filters featuring Paul Weller 66 ( 62 ) WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE Def Leppard 67 ( 61 ) I’D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT’S THE TRUTH) Meat Loaf 68 ( 68 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING The Righteous Brothers 69 ( NEW ) WHY YOU TREAT ME SO BAD Shaggy 70 ( RE ) I AM BLESSED Eternal 71 ( 71 ) A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/A KIND OF CHRISTMAS CARD Morten Harket 72 ( NEW ) THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS The Childliners 73 ( 72 ) WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 74 ( NEW ) LOVE Jimmy Nail 75 ( 75 ) NO MORE ‘I LOVE YOU’S Annie Lennox playlist Madness, Suzi Quatro & Gary Glitter Live at the Bournemouth International Centre 1 Devil Gate Drive Suzi Quatro 2 If You Can’t Give Me Love Suzi Quatro 3 Stumblin’ In Suzi Quatro 4 It Must Be Love Madness 5 Wings Of A Dove Madness 6 One Step Beyond Madness 7 Rock & Roll Parts 1 & 2 Gary Glitter 8 Oh Yes You’re Beautiful Gary Glitter 9 Embarrassment Madness 10 Can The Can Suzi Quatro 2 gigs this week, a spliff-filled Madness gig of men of a certain age po-going, and a Glam Rock Christmas annual goodtime with Gary Glitter guaranteeing a great night out. Suzi Quatro on support, though, had my seal of approval in my list of the best tracks those nights as best of the 3. I have my ticket for 2026's tour for Suzi now in her 70's. Mr Gadd these days can never guarantee he will be available free from His Majesty's Pleasure and in those days his exaggerated ego on stage was getting ever-more comical to watch.

Thanks Jade & Rollo and well done on the nearly-there's and another 39 Rollo! round 1: 33 Die Another Day tch. round 2: 39 3 in 10: Come Back & Finish What You Started, The Way We Were, Midnight Train To Georgia.

17th December 1995 It's nearly Christmas and The Beatles finally get to the top spot, helped by the fab nostalgic video, Free As A Bird becoming their first "new" material to top since 1970, though many oldies had done it along the way, including most singles since Eleanor Rigby and a couple of earlier ones. Cher sets up a stall for 1996 as her wonderful One By One debuts at 7, great song and Cher is singing out of her usual range, which gives it a lot more emotion and impact. Meanwhile I buy the CD version of Hungry Heart in the bargain bins and it leaps back up to a new peak of 8 for Springsteen 15 years late. Pulp make it 3 out 3 top 10's with Disco 2000. George Michael previews his forthcoming single for the new year, Jesus To A Child is a heartbreaking ballad about loss, and enters at 23 after a quiet few years bar live performance singles, Corona get another follow-up to their chart-topper, but I dont recall I Don't Wanna Be A Star! Seal, meanwhile, has a double A, I already have Prayer For The Dying so that takes the lead at 27. Madonna is still bunging out old singles and non-singles, this time it's the rather morose Oh Father, a Like A Prayer track that was a US single, but not a UK single, though it did chart for me, so 2nd time around it's in at 33. Suggs has a track I've forgotten, The Tune escapes me, ironically, at 40, as LV does his own solo take on Gangsta's Paradise along with new track Throw Your Hands Up, and is rewarded with a number 50. Queen return with another single from their album of leftovers, A Winter's Tale not to be confused with Mike Batt's old song for David Essex, and about as Christmassy as this chart gets, bar Morten Harket's 1994 leftover. The Levellers' Just The One keeps their chart entries onward-facing at 59, while Pauline Henry's ongoing genre-hopping takes in Diana Ross' 1976 disco classic Love Hangover at 69. 1 ( 2 ) FREE AS A BIRD The Beatles 2 ( 1 ) EARTH SONG Michael Jackson 3 ( 3 ) THE UNIVERSAL Blur 4 ( 7 ) WONDERWALL Oasis 5 ( 5 ) UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE Robson Jerome 6 ( 17 ) YOU MAKE ME FEEL (LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN) Mary J. Blige 7 ( NEW ) ONE BY ONE Cher 8 ( 52 ) HUNGRY HEART Bruce Springsteen 9 ( 15 ) DISCO 2000 Pulp 10 ( 10 ) CHILD STAR Marc Almond 11 ( 4 ) PASS THE VIBES Definition Of Sound 12 ( 6 ) MISSING (TODD TERRY REMIX) Everything But The Girl 13 ( 11 ) GOLD Prince 14 ( 13 ) IT’S OH SO QUIET Bjork 15 ( 8 ) WE’VE GOT TO WORK IT OUT Bel Canto 16 ( 9 ) PERFECT PJ & Duncan 17 ( 24 ) HAD TO BE Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John 18 ( 16 ) ANYWHERE IS Enya 19 ( 19 ) I WISH Skee-Lo 20 ( 58 ) WONDERWALL The Mike Flowers Pops 21 ( 12 ) LUCKY LOVE Ace Of Base 22 ( 14 ) CRAZY HORSES (UTAH SAINTS REMIX) The Osmonds 23 ( NEW ) JESUS TO A CHILD George Michael 24 ( 43 ) KELLY’S HEROES Black Grape 25 ( NEW ) I DON’T WANNA BE A STAR Corona 26 ( 18 ) FINGERS AND THUMBS (COLD SUMMER’S DAY) Erasure 27 ( NEW ) PRAYER FOR THE DYING/ DON’T CRY Seal 28 ( 63 ) ONE SWEET DAY Mariah Carey & BoyzIIMen 29 ( 23 ) ALRIGHT Cast 30 ( 48 ) BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (REMIX) Janet Jackson & Luther vandross 31 ( 20 ) WISHES OF HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY Sacred Spirit 32 ( 32 ) HELLO HELLO (I’M BACK AGAIN) Gary Glitter 33 ( NEW ) OH FATHER Madonna 34 ( 34 ) LIFTED The Lighthouse Family 35 ( 27 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE Coolio featuring LV 36 ( 70 ) SLEEPING IN Menswear 37 ( 47 ) WHATEVER Oasis 38 ( 49 ) SHE’S ALL ON MY MIND Wet Wet Wet 39 ( 40 ) REMEMBERING THE FIRST TIME Simply Red 40 ( NEW ) THE TUNE Suggs 41 ( 25 ) THEME FROM “PEOPLE’S CENTURY” Zbignieuw Preisner 42 ( 21 ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Tina Arena 43 ( 39 ) FANTASY Mariah Carey 44 ( 26 ) HE’S ON THE PHONE Saint Etienne 45 ( 22 ) MISS SARAJEVO The Passengers 46 ( 31 ) GOLDENEYE Tina Turner 47 ( 30 ) MIGHT BE STARS The Wannadies 48 ( 33 ) UNTIL MY DYING DAY UB40 49 ( 35 ) IF EYE LOVE U TONIGHT Mayte 50 ( NEW ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE/ THROW YOUR HANDS UP LV 51 ( 45 ) FAIRGROUND Simply Red 52 ( 38 ) HAND IN MY POCKET Alanis Morissette 53 ( 28 ) YOU’LL SEE Madonna 54 ( 36 ) LIE TO ME Bon Jovi 55 ( 37 ) MISLED Celine Dion 56 ( NEW ) A WINTER’S TALE Queen 57 ( 44 ) STAYIN’ ALIVE N’Trance 58 ( 29 ) SOMETHING SO RIGHT Annie Lennox featuring Paul Simon 59 ( NEW ) JUST THE ONE The Levellers 60 ( 55 ) WATERFALLS TLC 61 ( 46 ) I’D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT’S THE TRUTH) Meat Loaf 62 ( 50 ) WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE Def Leppard 63 ( 61 ) I FEEL LOVE ’95 Donna Summer 64 ( 64 ) DANCING QUEEN/EAGLE Abba 65 ( 65 ) COME TOGETHER The Smokin’ Mojo Filters featuring Paul Weller 66 ( 62 ) THE LOOK ’95 Roxette 67 ( 42 ) HAPPINESS Pizzaman featuring Norman Cook 68 ( 67 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING The Righteous Brothers 69 ( NEW ) LOVE HANGOVER Pauline Henry 70 ( 60 ) FATHER AND SON Boyzone 71 ( 56 ) A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/A KIND OF CHRISTMAS CARD Morten Harket 72 ( 69 ) WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 73 ( 54 ) MAKING LOVE (OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL) Bonnie Tyler 74 ( NEW ) LUMP Presidents Of The United States Of America 75 ( 73 ) NO MORE ‘I LOVE YOU’S Annie Lennox playlist 1 SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT Nirvana 2 WITH A SMILE AND A SONG Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs Soundtrack 3 “How To Make Friends And Influence People” LP Terrorvision I think it's fair to say not many people would include Snow White, Nirvana and Terrorvision's album on an "I most enjoyed oldies and albums this week" list....😮

Yes thanks Rollo for the countdown! It's a great year for chart-toppers.

Well done everyone, not a single track I know well, and only 2 or 3 that I've heard maybe once or twice! Abba's Soldiers, Eagle, Tiger, Bumblebee and Pet Shop Boys' Integral, Legacy, Footsteps, could quite easily have been in this contest but I wouldnt wish to be any more predictable. 😇Not to mention The Beatles' Rain, Girl, Because. None of them would have leapfrogged the obscure 1970 kiddie fave I'm saving up though 😄

10th December 1995 It's 4 weeks on top for Earth Song as Oasis give up trying to catch Jacko, but Robson Jerome take a classic song to 5 - Up On The Roof, Goffin/King 60's gem, and Jerome will one day turn up in Game Of Thrones, so all is forgiven. New entries staright into the top 10 for Bel Canto, and the banging dance track We'Ve Got To Work It Out, never the bigger hit it should have been, and Marc Almond is still getting top 10's 14 years on from Tainted Love and his Trevor Horn resurgence. Child Star wasn't a hit, sadly, but it was good! Mary J. Blige makes it two Carole King classic songs in the chart, as she dares to go where Aretha Franklin has already been - covering Natural Woman! New in at 17, bosh! Gary Glitter is on tour with Suzi Quatro, and bungs out an old classic instead of a fairly mundane newie this year, Hello Hello went top 3 in 1973, and is back at 32. The Lighthouse Family are Lifted at 34, the easy-listening radio-friendly regular suggests Lightweight Family might have been a better name. Mayte is a Prince protege, so expect one hit and nothing much else, judging by previous, If Eye Love U Tonight, Oasis say Whatever, as they bounce back in again, Robert Palmer goes where Bruce Willis has gone before - covering The Staple Singers - and Bonnie Tyler goes where Air Supply have gone before - recording a Jim Steinman song from 1980. Be afraid: Maria Carey has joined with BoyzII men with a dastardly plan to stay on top of the US charts for most of 1996. They do, too, having lonooong previous runs. Finally, menswear, Morrissey and Eternal don't sparkle too much, the latter two being one-week wonders (for now). 1 ( 1 ) EARTH SONG Michael Jackson 2 ( 2 ) FREE AS A BIRD The Beatles 3 ( 4 ) THE UNIVERSAL Blur 4 ( 5 ) PASS THE VIBES Definition Of Sound 5 ( 15 ) UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE Robson Jerome 6 ( 6 ) MISSING (TODD TERRY REMIX) Everything But The Girl 7 ( 3 ) WONDERWALL Oasis 8 ( NEW ) WE’VE GOT TO WORK IT OUT Bel Canto 9 ( 10 ) PERFECT PJ & Duncan 10 ( NEW ) CHILD STAR Marc Almond 11 ( 8 ) GOLD Prince 12 ( 9 ) LUCKY LOVE Ace Of Base 13 ( 12 ) IT’S OH SO QUIET Bjork 14 ( 7 ) CRAZY HORSES (UTAH SAINTS REMIX) The Osmonds 15 ( 19 ) DISCO 2000 Pulp 16 ( 13 ) ANYWHERE IS Enya 17 ( NEW ) YOU MAKE ME FEEL (LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN) Mary J. Blige 18 ( 31 ) FINGERS AND THUMBS (COLD SUMMER’S DAY) Erasure 19 ( 22 ) I WISH Skee-Lo 20 ( 11 ) WISHES OF HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY Sacred Spirit 21 ( 18 ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Tina Arena 22 ( 40 ) MISS SARAJEVO The Passengers 23 ( 25 ) ALRIGHT Cast 24 ( 74 ) HAD TO BE Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John 25 ( 14 ) THEME FROM “PEOPLE’S CENTURY” Zbignieuw Preisner 26 ( 24 ) HE’S ON THE PHONE Saint Etienne 27 ( 21 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE Coolio featuring LV 28 ( 23 ) YOU’LL SEE Madonna 29 ( 16 ) SOMETHING SO RIGHT Annie Lennox featuring Paul Simon 30 ( 50 ) MIGHT BE STARS The Wannadies 31 ( 17 ) GOLDENEYE Tina Turner 32 ( NEW ) HELLO HELLO (I’M BACK AGAIN) Gary Glitter 33 ( 20 ) UNTIL MY DYING DAY UB40 34 ( NEW ) LIFTED The Lighthouse Family 35 ( NEW ) IF EYE LOVE U TONIGHT Mayte 36 ( 49 ) LIE TO ME Bon Jovi 37 ( 41 ) MISLED Celine Dion 38 ( 28 ) HAND IN MY POCKET Alanis Morissette 39 ( 30 ) FANTASY Mariah Carey 40 ( 42 ) REMEMBERING THE FIRST TIME Simply Red 41 ( 26 ) ITCHYCOO PARK M People 42 ( 27 ) HAPPINESS Pizzaman featuring Norman Cook 43 ( 38 ) KELLY’S HEROES Black Grape 44 ( 34 ) STAYIN’ ALIVE N’Trance 45 ( 36 ) FAIRGROUND Simply Red 46 ( 33 ) I’D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT’S THE TRUTH) Meat Loaf 47 ( NEW ) WHATEVER Oasis 48 ( 60 ) BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (REMIX) Janet Jackson & Luther vandross 49 ( NEW ) SHE’S ALL ON MY MIND Wet Wet Wet 50 ( 37 ) WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE Def Leppard 51 ( 39 ) SOMETHING STUPID Ali & Kibibi Campbell 52 ( 32 ) HUNGRY HEART Bruce Springsteen 53 ( RE ) SENTIMENTAL Deborah Cox 54 ( NEW ) MAKING LOVE (OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL) Bonnie Tyler 55 ( 48 ) WATERFALLS TLC 56 ( 51 ) A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/A KIND OF CHRISTMAS CARD Morten Harket 57 ( NEW ) RESPECT YOURSELF Robert Palmer 58 ( 64 ) WONDERWALL The Mike Flowers Pops 59 ( 29 ) DIGGIN’ ON YOU TLC 60 ( 65 ) FATHER AND SON Boyzone 61 ( 56 ) I FEEL LOVE ’95 Donna Summer 62 ( 35 ) THE LOOK ’95 Roxette 63 ( NEW ) ONE SWEET DAY Mariah Carey & BoyzIIMen 64 ( 63 ) DANCING QUEEN/EAGLE Abba 65 ( 68 ) COME TOGETHER The Smokin’ Mojo Filters featuring Paul Weller 66 ( 72 ) QUEER Garbage 67 ( 66 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING The Righteous Brothers 68 ( 59 ) CAN I TOUCH YOU...THERE Michael Bolton 69 ( 54 ) WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 70 ( NEW ) SLEEPING IN Menswear 71 ( 46 ) SCREAM Janet Jackson & Michael Jackson 72 ( 52 ) RUNAWAY/WHEN I THINK OF YOU (REMIX) Janet Jackson 73 ( 71 ) NO MORE ‘I LOVE YOU’S Annie Lennox 74 ( NEW ) BOY RACER Morrissey 75 ( NEW ) I AM BLESSED Eternal playlist of the week 1 7 Prince 2 PANINARO Pet Shop Boys 3 CAN’T BUY ME LOVE The Beatles

Very low sales! Presumably down to the mehness of much of the top 10 rather than due to a big economic downturn and singles hitting £1 with inflation in 1980 - cos it certainly wasnt the vibrant music scene that was the problem, it was growing millions unemployed. My memories of this period are more people buying property getting stuck with negative equity for a decade after housing and flats had become the new way to make money rather than to live in. I did like Goodnight Girl though, one of their better ballads from the Wets. The Prodigy was fun, had I been going to Clubs I'd prob have enjoyed it more, but I was mostly busy working for Council Parks Dept. while studying for horticulture qualifications related to the job. For years!

3rd December 1995 It's December and Michael Jackson's Earth Song is still holding off The Beatles "comeback" single, Oasis' Wonderwall and Blur's The Universal for one very epic top 4, while The Beatles next single gets an airing on Anthology and radio, allowing Real Love a quick entry at 76 as it wasnt eligible for the top 75 chart rules of the time. Silly me. Utah Saints meanwhile do a Crazy Horses remix for a 3rd chart run for the 23-year-old classic poprock environmental single. In at 7, as Prince gets a post-squiggle/symbol top 10 with Gold for a 13th year in a row. PJ & Duncan amaze me as they continue to drop decent little (and forgotten) varied singles, Perfect, the latest is up to 10. I must be one of the few people who preferred their pop star career to beloved variety entertainer hosts. Oh, no! I can only apologise as Robson Jerome climb into the top 20 as I do love Up On The Roof, the song, if not their version. But they don't ruin it. Meanwhile Ali Campbell gives his little daughter a brief pop star outing on their version of the Frank & Nancy Sinatra classic, Something Stupid. In at 39, again cos I love the song, a chart-topper for me as it would have done in 1967 when I was a kiddie too. Scream is back for a 3rd chart run of the year, but I'll join them all together for a chart year-end. The Cardigans debut at 47 with Carnival, one I'd forgotten but it's quite pleasant and sets up big hits in the future. David Bowie also drops in with a minor track that rings no bell, Strangers When We Meet - again it's quite pleasant, but wouldn't sound too out of place from Never Let You Down circa 1987. Janet Jackson has another recent entry as well as Scream , as her Luther Vandross smash has been remixed for another big chart run. One would have done on the whole though. Time for some cover versions: Mike Flowers Pops do Oasis, and it's rather fun, taking the piss and truning it into a mock 60's Easy Listening bit of fluff. Amusing.Paul Weller meanwhile tackles John Lennon's popular Beatles classic with some mates, Come Together, new at 68, lower than Boyzone doing Cat Steven's never-a-hit Father And Son for a huge UK smash. I remain less enamoured than most. Down the bottom-end, Garbage, with Scotland's Shirley Mansun on vocals and a Nirvana link behind the scenes turn out to be a great 90's band, but Queer is in at a lowly 72 for now. Van Morrison, meanwhile tends to have lesser hits, if any, in my charts, but he sneaks in at 73 with No Religion, just ahead of a sweet duet between Cliff and Olivia, making it 3 decades of singing get-togethers since Livvie used to turn up on Cliff's TV shows, not to mention have Cliff's old mucker from The Shadows helping with songs for her. Michael Bolton has A Love So Beautiful at 75, covering Roy Orbison's fab ballad from his final album, written by Roy & ELO's Jeff Lynne. I'd stick with the original, but this isn't awful. 1 ( 1 ) EARTH SONG Michael Jackson 2 ( 2 ) FREE AS A BIRD The Beatles 3 ( 3 ) WONDERWALL Oasis 4 ( 5 ) THE UNIVERSAL Blur 5 ( 8 ) PASS THE VIBES Definition Of Sound 6 ( 4 ) MISSING (TODD TERRY REMIX) Everything But The Girl 7 ( NEW ) CRAZY HORSES (UTAH SAINTS REMIX) The Osmonds 8 ( 12 ) GOLD Prince 9 ( 9 ) LUCKY LOVE Ace Of Base 10 ( 20 ) PERFECT PJ & Duncan 11 ( 15 ) WISHES OF HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY Sacred Spirit 12 ( 11 ) IT’S OH SO QUIET Bjork 13 ( 7 ) ANYWHERE IS Enya 14 ( 6 ) THEME FROM “PEOPLE’S CENTURY” Zbignieuw Preisner 15 ( 33 ) UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE Robson Jerome 16 ( 24 ) SOMETHING SO RIGHT Annie Lennox featuring Paul Simon 17 ( 10 ) GOLDENEYE Tina Turner 18 ( 28 ) SHOW ME HEAVEN Tina Arena 19 ( 21 ) DISCO 2000 Pulp 20 ( 16 ) UNTIL MY DYING DAY UB40 21 ( 14 ) GANGSTA’S PARADISE Coolio featuring LV 22 ( 36 ) I WISH Skee-Lo 23 ( 13 ) YOU’LL SEE Madonna 24 ( 18 ) HE’S ON THE PHONE Saint Etienne 25 ( 25 ) ALRIGHT Cast 26 ( 32 ) ITCHYCOO PARK M People 27 ( 19 ) HAPPINESS Pizzaman featuring Norman Cook 28 ( 26 ) HAND IN MY POCKET Alanis Morissette 29 ( 17 ) DIGGIN’ ON YOU TLC 30 ( 30 ) FANTASY Mariah Carey 31 ( 65 ) FINGERS AND THUMBS (COLD SUMMER’S DAY) Erasure 32 ( 22 ) HUNGRY HEART Bruce Springsteen 33 ( 23 ) I’D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT’S THE TRUTH) Meat Loaf 34 ( 34 ) STAYIN’ ALIVE N’Trance 35 ( 35 ) THE LOOK ’95 Roxette 36 ( 29 ) FAIRGROUND Simply Red 37 ( 27 ) WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE Def Leppard 38 ( 69 ) KELLY’S HEROES Black Grape 39 ( NEW ) SOMETHING STUPID Ali & Kibibi Campbell 40 ( 43 ) MISS SARAJEVO The Passengers 41 ( 47 ) MISLED Celine Dion 42 ( 58 ) REMEMBERING THE FIRST TIME Simply Red 43 ( 31 ) EVERYBODY SAY EVERYBODY DO Let Loose 44 ( 39 ) HEAVEN FOR EVERYONE Queen 45 ( 37 ) 2000 MILES (ACOUSTIC) The Pretenders 46 ( NEW ) SCREAM Janet Jackson & Michael Jackson 47 ( NEW ) CARNIVAL The Cardigans 48 ( 48 ) WATERFALLS TLC 49 ( 63 ) LIE TO ME Bon Jovi 50 ( 38 ) MIGHT BE STARS The Wannadies 51 ( 41 ) A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/A KIND OF CHRISTMAS CARD Morten Harket 52 ( 44 ) RUNAWAY/WHEN I THINK OF YOU (REMIX) Janet Jackson 53 ( 46 ) SORTED FOR E’S AND WHIZZ/MISSHAPES Pulp 54 ( 54 ) WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 55 ( 40 ) ANGEL Jam & Spoon 56 ( 56 ) I FEEL LOVE ’95 Donna Summer 57 ( 42 ) EXHALE (SHOOP SHOOP) Whitney Houston 58 ( NEW ) STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET David Bowie 59 ( 59 ) CAN I TOUCH YOU...THERE Michael Bolton 60 ( NEW ) BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (REMIX) Janet Jackson & Luther vandross 61 ( 50 ) PRETENDERS TO THE THRONE The Beautiful South 62 ( 45 ) WALKING IN MEMPHIS Cher 63 ( 62 ) DANCING QUEEN/EAGLE Abba 64 ( NEW ) WONDERWALL The Mike Flowers Pops 65 ( NEW ) FATHER AND SON Boyzone 66 ( 66 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING The Righteous Brothers 67 ( 64 ) BACK FOR GOOD Take That 68 ( NEW ) COME TOGETHER The Smokin’ Mojo Filters featuring Paul Weller 69 ( 55 ) 74 - ’75 The Connells 70 ( 67 ) HAPPY JUST TO BE WITH YOU Michelle Gayle 71 ( 70 ) NO MORE ‘I LOVE YOU’S Annie Lennox 72 ( NEW ) QUEER Garbage 73 ( NEW ) NO RELIGION Van Morrison 74 ( NEW ) HAD TO BE Cliff Richard & Olivia Newton-John 75 ( NEW ) A LOVE SO BEAUTIFUL Michael Bolton 76 ( NEW ) REAL LOVE The Beatles playlist oldies 1 REAL LOVE The Beatles 2 HALLELUJAH Milk & Honey 3 KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ABBA

19th January 1976 It's 3 weeks on top for Mamma Mia as I technically give Jethro Tull an equal number one, but it really wasn't, nostalgia didnt overhaul my love of Mamma Mia, so Living In The Past peaks at a new high of 2 until its 1993 reissue on CD takes it all the way third time lucky. Another 1969 classic is back out in the wake of Andy Fairweather-Low's big solo hit, and Half As Nice bangs in at 10 having topped my chart first time round. The 1976 music scene starts to establish itself post-Christmas with new entries from The Miracles, finally getting a big hit with Smokey Robinson involved, long-gone solo, on the frantic Love Machine at 12. Meanwhile, the Mike Oldfield double A side single has attention turning to the much better ballad On Horseback, and it gets listed on it's own in my charts away from In Dulce Jubilo, new in at 19. The Sweet drop a new single, The Lies In Your Eyes sounding like a hit record to follow-up Action, but it really wasn't! New at 26 here though, 4 slots above trio Faith, Hope & Charity who tackle an update on The Hollies' Just One Look, and quite good it was too, though I havent heard it in decades (yet). At 35, Donny & Marie go for a 4th chart hit, with a cover of Deep Purple, the Nino Tempo & April Stevens 60's duet - but Ray Stevens had already done a much better uptempo Country-pop cover on his 1975 album which made my top 20, so this version didnt quite have the same impact, though it had the sweet appeal of the original hit version, but the classic song dates back to the 1920's in line with the many other vintage songs in the chart and on the way as 1976 really goes all the way back in a fashion that the UK singles has at the moment thanks to Christmas and the Stranger Things finale. Barry White has his best new single in a year with Let The Music Play in at 43, it's among his best records, though the formula had worn a bit thin on me at the time - but it would come back decades later and top my charts, quite rightly. Finally, Ringo Starr has a belated double A single of two lesser tracks from his last 2 albums - both were US singles, but not released in the UK. No No Song, passed me by, but Oh My My sneaks in at 50. I will find it in a bargain bin later in the year, buy it, and sell it in the early 80's when I was long-term unemployed to a Beatles completist friend of a friend. He gave me £5 so I reckon I made 10 times what I paid. I havent sold a vinyl record since, though, I still regret it, hah! Goes for about £30 these days. 1 ( 1 ) MAMMA MIA ABBA 2 ( 9 ) LIVING IN THE PAST Jethro Tull 3 ( 2 ) EVIL WOMAN Electric Light Orchestra 4 ( 3 ) HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) John & Yoko and The Harlem Community Choir 5 ( 10 ) HOW HIGH THE MOON Gloria Gaynor 6 ( 5 ) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen 7 ( 4 ) I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake 8 ( 7 ) ART FOR ART’S SAKE 10CC 9 ( 6 ) GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE Sailor 10 ( NEW ) (IF PARADISE WAS) HALF AS NICE Amen Corner 11 ( 24 ) ANSWER ME Barbara Dickson 12 ( NEW ) LOVE MACHINE The Miracles 13 ( 19 ) DO THE BUS STOP The Fatback Band 14 ( 8 ) GOLDEN YEARS David Bowie 15 ( 11 ) IN DULCE JUBILO Mike Oldfield 16 ( 16 ) SUNSHINE DAY Osibisa 17 ( 17 ) ITCHYCOO PARK The Small Faces 18 ( 15 ) BOTH ENDS BURNING Roxy Music 19 ( NEW ) ON HORSEBACK Mike Oldfield 20 ( 22 ) THE WAY THAT I WANT TO TOUCH YOU The Captain & Tenille 21 ( 44 ) BABY FACE Wing & A Prayer, Fife & Drum Corps 22 ( 23 ) COUNTRY BOY (YOU GOT YOUR FEET IN L.A.) Glen Campbell 23 ( 12 ) MIDNIGHT RIDER Paul Davidson 24 ( 25 ) WE DO IT R & J Stone 25 ( 13 ) VOLARE Rock Bottom 26 ( NEW ) THE LIES IN YOUR EYES The Sweet 27 ( 42 ) 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER Paul Simon 28 ( 34 ) WALK AWAY FROM LOVE David Ruffin 29 ( 35 ) THEME FROM MAHOGANY (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO?) Diana Ross 30 ( NEW ) JUST ONE LOOK Faith, Hope & Charity 31 ( 14 ) VOLARE Al Martino 32 ( 26 ) ALL AROUND MY HAT Steeleye Span 33 ( 18 ) LISTEN THE SNOW IS FALLING Yoko Ono 34 ( 20 ) LOOKING THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOOL Roy Wood 35 ( NEW ) DEEP PURPLE Donny & Marie Osmond 36 ( 31 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe 37 ( 32 ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman 38 ( 33 ) RHINESTONE COWBOY Glen Campbell 39 ( 50 ) LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY Donna Summer 40 ( 21 ) ANGEL FROM HAMBURGER HEAVEN Alvin Stardust 41 ( 29 ) THE LUMBERJACK SONG Monty Python’s Flying Circus 42 ( 30 ) LITTLE DARLING The Rubettes 43 ( NEW ) LET THE MUSIC PLAY Barry White 44 ( 48 ) IF I COULD David Essex 45 ( 27 ) KING OF THE COPS Billy Howard 46 ( 37 ) RENTA SANTA Chris Hill 47 ( 49 ) TEARS ON THE TELEPHONE Claude Francois 48 ( 28 ) HUMBUG Greg Lake 49 ( 36 ) LADY LUCK Pilot 50 ( NEW ) OH MY MY Ringo Starr

Grace Kelly was a unique-sounding biggie, loved it at the time, it's still fun, and I found myself liking his run of hits, and loving some of the flops even more. Mika is in my current charts as I speak and he has a Radio 2 playlisting, not to mention his Eurovision sparkling moment in Italy the other year, so lasting 2 decades is rather longer than it might have seemed at the time!

The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra Dexys Midnight Runners And The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen Bucks Fizz - Now Those Days Are Gone Dollar - Videotheque Hot Chocolate - It Started With A Kiss

Well done on the 39's Chris and Jade! 🤩Condolences on the near-miss Rollo! Round 1: 39 Round 2: 39 3 in 10: Walk Like A Man, The Night, December 63 (Oh What A Night)

2 classics there, Bowie had dumped RCA for shiny new EMI and needed to have a mass-appeal album to make them appreciate the money they spent to get him to sign, cur Nile Rodgers, to Chic-up the pumping dance, and Bowie to throw some cash Iggy Pop's way with a co-write on China Girl. The whole album is fab, and commercial. Bowie sometimes viewed them as mutually exclusive, but he's wrong fairly obviously. The video is amazing. Top 5 of the year but behind Police and MJ and Bonnie. Steinman's greatest moment is Total Eclipse, and another amazing video, by 1983 videos were part of the art of the single's appeal. Unusual and Bonnie one of the top UK female acts - not that many of them in those days pre-Madonna - and I think this might be second to MJ for me, though it's neck and neck with Police.