King Rollo

Well done John for today's double 39. Round 1: 39 💥 Round 2: 33 Heatwave, the year 3 in 10: 3 Lessons In Love, Children Say, Running In The Family

14. Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris Don't Leave Me This Way was first recorded by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes featuring Theodore Pendergrass in 1975 but their version wasn't a UK hit until January 1977. In February of the same year, Thelma Houston's cover also reached the UK chart and the two singles were in the top 20 at the same time. Harold Melvins's original peaked at number 5 while Thelma's version reached number 13 while also topping the Billboard chart. After leaving Bronski Beat, Jimmy Somerville formed The Communards with Richard Coles. They had two minor hits with 'You Are My World' and 'Disenchanted' before hitting the jackpot with their version of Don't Leave Me This Way. It spent four weeks at number 1 in September and October and was the best selling single of the year. The British singer Sarah Jane Morris joined Jimmy on vocals. The Communards had two more top 10 singles before splitting up in 1988. Richard Coles became a priest and well known TV and radio personality. This version of the song has a hi-NRG beat with some brass instrumentation. Jimmy Somerville has a distinct vocal style and while I don't mind it on 'Smalltown Boy', it does become a bit annoying on this record. Sarah Jane Morris sings in a deeper range and the two of them had a bit of fun on one of their Top Of The Pops performances by miming to each other's vocals. I have now reached the part of my rankings where the songs are OK but not ones I would choose to listen to and this is one that falls into that category.

Rolloland has voted. 10 out of the 12 groups were represented in our vote.

Congratulations to jimwatts who has joined the 20th Century Retro mod team. We are delighted to welcome you onboard.

Thanks. Round 1: 36 Lighthouse Family Round 2: 30 Got To Get You In My Life, Roll To Me 3 in 10: 3 November Rain, Paradise City, Live And Let Die

15. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean Billy Ocean was born in Trinidad and Tobago but moved to the UK with his family at the age of 10. After starting out as a singer in the late 60s, he finally had his first hit single in 1976 with 'Love Really Hurts Without You' which got as high as number 2. Another number 2 hit, 'Red Light Spells Danger', followed in 1977. He had no further top 40 hits until a mid 80s revival with 'Caribbean Queen' (number 6) and Suddenly (number 4). This success led to him being chosen to record the theme song for the film 'The Jewel Of The Nile'. The song was inspired by a line spoken by Kathleen Turner's character in the film, "When the going gets tough, the tough...I don't know what the tough do". It spent four weeks at number 1 in February. The stars of the film, Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, all appear in the video. Billy Ocean ended up with three US number 1 singles but this isn't one of them, being kept from the top of the chart by Whitney Houston's 'How Will I Know'. By the end of the 80s, his run of top 40 hits came to an end. After having a few near misses, this was a well deserved number 1 for Billy Ocean but it's not a song I've ever liked that much. He sings it well and it has a memorable chorus but it has that rather bland, safe, mid 80s production sound that can be found on many film soundtrack songs. A cover version by Boyzone also reached number 1 in 1999 and that's predictably even worse.

16. Every Loser Wins - Nick Berry Nick Berry joined the cast of Eastenders eight months after its first episode in 1985 playing the part of Simon Wicks, the son of Pete Beale and Pat Butcher (who was yet to appear). In 1986, his character was part of a storyline in which he formed a band with other teenagers, including long running characters Ian Beale and Sharon Watts. After being thrown out of the Queen Vic pub following a gig that caused the electricity supply to be lost and Den Watts to tell them "you're banned", they called themselves The Banned. After quitting the group, Simon Wicks writes a solo song called Every Loser Wins which he performs in the pub. A cassette recording of the song is later played endlessly by Lofty after being jilted at the wedding altar by Michelle Fowler. With Eastenders having millions of viewers, the song was recorded by Nick Berry and swept its way to the top of the chart, spending three weeks at number 1 in October and November, becoming the second best selling single of the year and winning an Ivor Norvello award. Its climb from number 66 to number 4 held a chart record until 2001 when 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel' by Steps climbed from number 72 to number 2. Another song performed by The Banned on the soap, 'Something Outa Nothing', was a number 12 hit for Letitia Dean and Paul J Medford. After moving on to the ITV police drama series Heartbeat, Nick Berry reached number 2 in 1992 with the theme song. He retired from acting and has kept a low profile since then. I think many on here would put this in last place but it's a well written song with an understated vocal performance from Nick. Yes, it's a bit cheesy but I don't mind listening to it and being old enough to have watched Eastenders from its opening episode, there is some nostalgia attached to it. Simon May uses the same electronic drum sound towards the end as he did for the show's theme tune.

16th - 22nd June 1966 28. I Am A Rock - Simon & Garfunkel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKlSVNxLB-A Originally a Paul Simon solo track, this has been recorded again with Art Garfunkel. It's an anthem for those of us who prefer to stay in our own homes rather than go out socialising. Musically, there's also lots to like so this is another good song from the duo. 30. It's A Man's Man's Man's World - James Brown and the Famous Flames https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H77fRz1rybs Like the previous single, 'I Got You', this failed to make the top 10 but is well known in the 21st Century. The string section is the best part of the song for me. 31. Lana - Roy Orbison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5KhQN600h8 This is a bit lighter than most of his songs, quite a fun tune with that tuba riff and the backing vocals. 32. Sweet Talkin' Guy - The Chiffons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiesKIOSO1g The Chiffons' first hit since 1963 is a well produced pop song with excellent vocal harmonies. It will only get to number 31 but the 1972 re-issue will do much better, reaching number 4. 34. To Make A Big Man Cry - P J Proby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiNiQ-6pBzY Another well sung ballad from PJ with big orchestration and female backing vocals. 35. Lady Jane - David Garrick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7CF5nv7Kps A cover of a track from the current Rolling Stones album. He sings it with a posh voice as if he's in a Shakespeare play. The girls in the audience here try not to laugh when he approaches them. The last one he sings to looks more assured so might have been planted there. 38. Sittin' On A Fence - Twice As Much https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElrHUR1kEi4 This is another Rolling Stones cover although this time their version hasn't yet been released. It's very pleasant with the harpsichord, guitars and woodwind instruments backing the duo's vocals. Record of the week : 2. Paperback Writer - The Beatles There hasn't been a Beatles single or album released since Christmas so this would have been long awaited. It's not one of their best songs but still nudges ahead of Sweet Talkin' Guy this week. I like the guitar playing and the vocal effects which include the echo after "writer". Paul McCartney's aunt wanted him to write a song that wasn't about love so here we have the story of an aspiring author sending his book to a publisher. The single will spend two weeks at number 1 but only five in the top 10 and will be the group's lowest selling in the UK since 'Love Me Do'.

17. The Edge Of Heaven - Wham! After nine top 10 singles from 1982 to 1985 including three number 1s, Wham! decided to go their separate ways as George Michael wanted to target a more grown up audience with his solo records. The Edge Of Heaven was their final single, spending two weeks at the top of the chart in July. Wham have come up with some decent pop songs, most notably Young Guns (Go For It), Club Tropicana and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go but this one is a bit of a mess. There's nothing to like here, whether it's George's vocals, the horns or that terrible guitar solo and there are too many "yeah,yeah,yeah"s and "la da da da da"s. It was the right time for them to bring the group to a close.

We all got 39 today. Round 1: 39 💥 Round 2: 39 💥 3 in 10: 3 Road To Nowhere, And She Was, Once In A Lifetime

I think this could be one of two songs, I'm not sure which of them you would hate the most.

18. I Wanna Wake Up With You - Boris Gardiner Boris Gardiner's career in music started in Jamaica in 1960 when he joined The Rhythm Aces. He was part of other bands in the 60s before having a solo instrumental hit with 'Elizabethan Reggae' which reached number 14 on the UK chart in 1970. He failed to follow this up with any more hits and made a living as a session musician which included playing bass guitar on the top 40 single 'Police And Thieves' by Junior Murvin in 1980. Then, out of the blue, came this single which spent three weeks at number 1 in August and September and was the third best selling single of the year. It was a cover of a ballad by the country singer Mac Davis from 1980, written by Ben Peters. Boris followed this up with the number 11 hit, 'You're Everything To Me' and 'The Meaning Of Christmas' which only got as far as number 69. He then returned to obscurity but is still going at the age of 83. The song launches straight into the first chorus and doesn't have any verses. I would call the second melody to be the middle eight. The reggae beat in the background prevents any changes of pace so the whole song just meanders along and could easily finish after two minutes. The remaining two minutes are just the same thing again and that's why I'm ranking it as the worst of the number 1s that are not novelty songs.

Well done Jade for today's 39. Round 1: 33 Born To Be Wild, Your Head Round 2: 39 💥 I remembered Elephant Stone from the number 8 poll. 3 in 10: 3 Come Dancing, Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me We chose nine different Kinks songs between us.

19. Living Doll - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank Marvin Written for the film 'Serious Charge', Living Doll was Cliff Richard's first number 1 and the best selling single of 1959. Three years later, 'The Young Ones' gave him a fifth number 1 single. That song was the theme tune to the 1980s comedy show of the same name, this time sung by the cast which was made up of Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Christopher Ryan. Rik Mayall's character, Rick, was an avid fan of Cliff Richard. The Young Ones came together with Cliff to record a new comedy version of Living Doll for the Comic Relief charity which had been founded the previous year. It spent three weeks at number 1 in April. So I'm putting the two novelty chart toppers at the bottom of my rankings. This one is mildly amusing but doesn't really offer anything else. Cliff sings his song to the best of his abilities, the Young Ones interject with various humorous comments and terrible singing and Hank Marvin contributes a guitar solo.

Thanks, and we both get 39 today. Round 1: 39 💥 Round 2: 30 Los Lobos, Partners In Kryme I really shouldn't be getting 80s number 1s wrong but I could only think of Los Del Rio for La Bamba, I knew I was wrong. 3 in 10: 3 Always, Living On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name

20. The Chicken Song - Spitting Image The satirical TV puppet show, Spitting Image, was first broadcast on ITV in 1984. At its peak, more than 15 million people watched it every week. The royal family, politicians and people from sport, TV and music all had their own exaggerated caricatures. The Chicken Song featured several times in the 1986 series and spent three weeks at number 1 in May. One of the singers was Kate Robbins (Emily Atack's mother) who had previously reached number 2 in 1981 with 'More Than In Love'. Spitting Image had one more top 40 hit at Christmas in the same year. The show came to a close in 1996 and has had a few revivals since then, the latest being last year on youtube but you needed to be quick to view full episodes as they were soon taken down by Paddington Bear's representatives who objected to the way he was being depicted. He co-presented each show with Prince Harry. The Chicken Song was a parody of cheesy summer holiday songs, in particular, 'Agadoo' and 'Do The Conga' by Black Lace who are referred to as "those two wet gits, with their girly curly hair" but it ends up being just as annoying so I have to put it in bottom place. While I enjoyed the programme in the 80s and 90s, I never found the song of the week to be particularly funny. I do like the video they did for 'Land Of Confusion' by Genesis the same year.

Well done Jade and John for those 39s. Round 1: 39 💥 Round 2: 30 John Lennon, the year 3 in 10: 3 Round Round, Push The Button, Freak Like Me

9th - 15th June 1966 25. Don't Answer Me - Cilla Black https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTP8tneMRNc An orchestral ballad that steadily builds up towards the end. Cilla's vocal is mostly OK this time and this will be her seventh top 10 hit. 31. Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a21mSikXv7s This would be ROTW on most weeks but there's something even better to come. Written about the high tax levels in the UK at the time, the song has a music hall sort of sound to it and the descending guitar chords are a particular highlight along with Ray Davies' whimsical lead vocal. It will be the group's third number 1 single. 34. Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me) - The Four Seasons with Frankie Valli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWMm6SK5mVk The title comes from this being the Four Seasons' 17th single. A good pace is kept throughout and this time, Frankie does not use his falsetto. 37. Nobody Needs Your Love - Gene Pitney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM58MRe75Cg A song already recorded by Neil Sedaka but not released after a dispute with his record label. This is the same recording so you can still hear his backing vocals behind Gene's new lead vocal. It's another solid performance by Gene but I'm surprised the single will go as high as number 2, equalling his highest chart peak, as it's not very memorable. 38. Hideaway - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf35lmzcMpk Their second top 10 hit. The drums and bass guitar create a catchy rhythm here and there's a distinctive guitar solo in the middle. Record of the week : 33. River Deep, Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner Tina Turner's unique vocals combine perfectly with Phil Spector's wall of sound for this week's winner. 21 session musicians contributed to the recording, painstakingly put together by Spector who got Tina to sing her vocal over and over again for hours until he was happy with it. The single will only reach number 88 in the US after the white radio stations won't play it for being too black and the black radio stations won't play it for being too white. This will lead to Spector's withdrawal from the music industry. In the UK, the single will do much better, peaking at number 3.

Round 1: 36 Argent Round 2: 36 Singapore 3 in 10: 2 Working My Way Back To You, Cupid

For my second year, I have chosen 1986 for the sheer variety of number 1 singles, there really was something for everyone that year. There were a total of twenty chart toppers from nineteen different artists. As with 1983, I won't be reviewing the number 1 which was carried over from the previous year so 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin' Stevens will not be included here. What was going on in 1986? A reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, ultimately causing the deaths of thousands of people. The Challenger space shuttle broke apart seconds after launching, killing all seven crew members. Halley's comet appeared near the Earth for the first time since 1910. Australia gained full independence from the UK. The M25 motorway was completed. Diego Maradona's 'hand of God' goal followed by his 'goal of the century' helped Argentina win a World Cup quarter final against England and they went on to win the tournament. The Independent and Today newspapers were both launched in the UK with the latter being the first to have colour photos throughout each issue. In TV, Neighbours made its UK debut, Casualty's first series aired and more than 30 million people watched the Christmas episode of Eastenders, a record for a British TV drama. My rankings will start soon.

ABC - That Was Then But This Is Now Aztec Camera - Oblivious Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart The Police - Synchronicity II Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now

Round 1: 24 Wet Wet Wet, the year, Shakin' Stevens, Never Trust A Stranger Round 2: 39 💥 3 in 10: 3 Take On Me, Hunting High And Low, Crying In The Rain I'm on holiday next week so won't be doing this again until the week after.

I've entered something suitably obscure for Sweden that it's unlikely anyone will already know.

Thanks, and well done John for today's double 39. Round 1: 36 The Monkees Round 2: 36 The year (one year out) 3 in 10: 1 Search For The Hero

I'll try and find something fairly obscure for Sweden rather than an act that everyone will have heard of.