ScottyEm

I'm going to the jury final on Friday night - top seats too. These seats cost me £77 each. We're staying in a reputable hostel (yes I know I know) for 2 nights in the centre of Copenhagen at £64 and the flight (inc all taxes) is £111. So me and me mate are doing the whole thing for £256 each! I think that's pretty reasonable.. not doubt it'll be mage expensive when we get there though! I booked the room on 8th July - VERY organised and the second the date was confirmed, I literally saw rooms being sold before my eyes!

...well, the Jury final on Friday night! In the queue for the final but was left with singular seats in the gods BEHIND the stage (no thanks...). £75 quid each - it's been on my bucket list to go at least once and I've always wanted to go to Denmark and Sweden.

I totally disagree. While I feel there is an argument when comparing to the charts say, between 1997 - 2007, when it was all about plugging a track to death before release, it cannot possibly compare to the erractic and unpredictable charts of basically anytime pre 1995. I don't pay much attention to the charts (when you're pushing 30, this is what usually happens!). The charts are incredibly slow and singles can spend absolutely ages falling down the charts (this is my observation anyway) and I often find several consecutive top 40s look very similar.... and Reggie says the charts are exciting?? I'm glad he's done one!

+30 Armand Van Helden - You Don't Know Me +25 Donna Summer - I Feel Loe +22 Blondie - Atomic +20 Sugababes - Freak Like Me +18 Kylie - Hand On Your Heart +16 Example - Changed The Way You Kiss Me +14 Madonna - Vogue +13 Dizzee Rascal/Armand Van Helden - Bonkers +12 Aaliyah - More Than A Woman +11 Liberty X - Just A Little +10 DJ Fresh - Hot Right Now +09 Gnarls Barkley - Crazy +08 Run DMC - It's Like That +07 Odyssey - Use It Up Wear It Out +06 Aqua - Turn Back Time +05 Band Aid - Do They Know It's Xmas Time? +04 ATB - 9pm (Til I Come) +03 Fun - We Are Young +02 Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know? +01 Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life -02 Nelly/Kelly Rowland - Dilemma

Brill thanks very much for your input! It's much appreciated. Regarding Frankie Knuckles "Your Love", it does sound a little odd when being so used to Candi Staton but, believe me, you'll be coming back to this one more and more! "French Kiss" is a bit of a marmite one, in some ways I shouldn't like it but I just find it so hypnotic and funky. I stuck this on my aunties 60th birthday at the weekend and cleared the floor (I should never be left alone near the docking station!). Yes I'd love to see you do something similar, we appear to have relatively similar tastes so would be very interesting to see!

"Love Truth & Honesty" - interesting choice. Yes, it's rather good. I also love "Only Your Love", post SAW track - bloody fab!

1 808 State/Pacific State HCP:10/1989 We've made it! And with, what is maybe a tad surprising in contrast to the other 79 entries - an instrumental! For those that have been following this, I hope it isn't an anti-climax either! "Pacific State" is a work of art. It gives me goosebumps and for that, it rightfully earns its place as my personal greatest hit of the 1980s! I say 1980s, it was released on the 7th to last week of the the decade so it almost didn't make it at all! 808 state were fundamentally a dance act, but thanks to their geographical status, the group got caught up in the baggy/indie Madchester sound which would become prominent as the decade drew to a complete close. "Pacific State" was bizarrely enough picked up by 80s radio DJ and presenter Gary Davies and quickly crashed into the top 10! It's a blindin track! The gorgeous pads, the ad-lib flute and chugging percussion... I could go on for a good while why I love this track so immensely but sod it - just play the damn thing and freak out! http://www.discogs.com/image/R-3492-1168686544.jpeg QkOAiyLHXM8

2 Lil Louis/French Kiss HCP:2/1989 If there is one common denominator in this rundown, it's a great female vocal and strong melody. So, it's ironic when we come almost to the top to find a track which is almost completely absent of both! Well, the great vocal is up for debate I suppose... Anyway, "French Kiss" is one of the most unusual and surprise hits of the 1980s. My other half disregards this as a daft novelty record - I however think it's quite the opposite. I think it's bloody genius! How a track so bare and simple can be so stupidly addictive and hypnotic. From the spiral up-down xylophone intro and then BANG! I'm engrossed! And then... a proper WTF?! moment! As a kid, I'd snigger at the groaning female but now some years older, I appreciate the track for what it is. Just a shame I wasn't around in 1989 to see how exactly this went down in the clubs... ;) http://www.discogs.com/image/R-99646-1139776448.jpeg 551y8goAs3A

3 Evelyn Thomas/High Energy HCP:5/1984 I don't consider myself particularly camp, but we're down to the final 3 and on reflection of this rundown, I may need to reconsider this self-observation! "High Energy" is very possibly the gayest track of the 80s! Like I've said already, 1984 was the year British Music came LEAPING out of the closet! I accidentally discovered this when youtube recommended me this and, as the first lady of Hi NRG cries in this very track, "there was no turning back!". It's all so gloriously 80s, pounding beats, dazzling snyth work and somewhere along the way - Hi NRG was born! Although Ms Thomas was born in Chicago, "High Energy" was produced by Ian Levine - a music producer from Blackpool! While "High Energy", a hit all over the continent (it sold 7 millions copies!), is his pension song, he has worked with an array of artists and kept many fingers in pies over time. Evelyn meanwhile never managed to even come close to topping this, her second biggest hit following this reached just No. 60! http://chartarchive.org/artwork/7415-raw.jpg Y8TtsakGgiE

4 Jocelyn Brown/Somebody Else's Guy HCP:13/1984 Some tracks just refuse to die. They show up time and time again - at weddings, work functions, your Mothers birthday do's. And so this leads us onto very nicely to 1984 and a then relatively unknown soul diva from North Carolina. Already lending her vocals to an array or underground Salsoul tracks in the late 70s/early 80s, the incredible Ms Brown would get her break in '84 with this soaring anthem. I'm a massive Jocelyn fan, loving the tracks she did in the mid 90s with Todd Terry however, thanks to my mother who introduced me to this, it opened up a new found love for 80s soul. But this is the money shot, a knock-out vocal and dramatic acapella-like intro and then BOOM! I was at a dodgy work function and, in the midst of a lot of rubbish played, this came on and for nearly 4 minutes I was in a trance! A truly stunning vocal almost impossible to top. http://chartarchive.org/artwork/7420-raw.jpg BFLkM5yDZpc

5 Inner City/Big Fun HCP:8/1988 "We don't really need a crowd to have a party...". No truer word said. We've already heard from the Detroit's finest at Number 11, however it's their debut smash "Big Fun" that does absolute wonders for me. House music was in its infancy in '88, however Inner City made a track which bridged the beefy sound of techno and the soulfulness of vocal house to make a big, chunky ecstatic dance classic! Reverse cymbals, frantic synths and a truly joyous vocal from the lovely Paris Gray. "Big Fun" hogged the charts long enough in '88 to eventually become the 6th best selling dance hit of the year and a pan European hit to boot! http://www.discogs.com/image/R-239021-1284033716.jpeg omfiVkkJ1OU

6 Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Principle/Your Love HCP:59/1989 Without little doubt, the sexiest song of the 1980s. Frankie Knuckles is a familiar name, but the song perhaps not... Until you play it, that is. Yes, "Your Love" is fundamentally responsible for The Source & Candi Statons legendary anthem "You Got The Love", which was a mash up between an old Candi Staton Track and this complete beauty. Although getting a release in October 1989, it's been said "Your Love" was originally produced as far back as 1985! While there is no denying "You Got The Love" is a titanic sized house anthem, "Your Love" oozes a new depth that is so rarely heard in electronic music - or music full stop. Not a hit as such, but has since been a track that is constantly being revisited all these years later and introduced to new generations. http://www.discogs.com/image/R-507193-1151097992.jpeg hPrGnh7QUDo

7 Bananarama/I Heard A Rumour HCP:14/1987 WAHEY!! THE ultimate f*** YOU track of all time! There is 11 SAW tracks in this countdown, but what is exactly is it about "I Heard A Rumour" that is just so bloody brilliant? Well, Waterman has said many times how difficult Sarah, Siobhan and Karen were to work with (which basically means they wouldn't just do exactly what they were told to, eh Pete?) but Waterman still regards this as one of his personal faves. Song writing between the two parties was tiresome and taxing, refusing to use cliched lyrics meant having to think a little out of the box. This stuborn attitude thankfully paid off and what resulted was a masterclass in orgasmic 80s pop. The faux horn siren at the start is enough to get me a little over excited along with that typical zingy SAW production and electric guitar riff in the middle. It also pains me that I never got to see 2/3 of the finest girl band of all time do this live in Hyde Park! http://chartarchive.org/artwork/9309-raw.jpg V-O6n8I7jx4

8 Sterling Void It's Alright/Runaway Girl HCP:53/1989 Oooh bit of an obscure one! Unless of course you're an old-skool house music devotee like myself, that is. This was a double A aide (remember them?!) on the FFRR label and, well, there's an element of cheating here as I'm basically getting 2 songs for the price of 1! "Runaway Girl" is a quick blast of piano house - and it's great! But what I'm more interested in is "It's Alright". hTe song was produced in 1987 so production-wise, it's primitive, yet rarely have I ever heard a song with such emotion and optimism, such a profound vocal it can almost convince one that world peace is on the horizon. It's certainly one that raises the hairs on the neck! It's criminal this failed to get mainstream recognition - proof that music injustice is not a new thing. Pet Shop Boys however DID turn it into a hit just 6 months later, dumping their frankly appaling version high in the top 5. http://chartarchive.org/artwork/10326-raw.jpg OqDkrdaXfQU

9 Patrice Rushen/Forget Me Nots HCP:8/1982 Now, this may not ring many bells on song title alone but within, say, 2 seconds of play it becomes instantly recognisable to even the most casual music listener. Patrice was considered a child prodigy, playing the piano, percussion and writing what I consider to be the single greatest soul/funk track of the decade. Those hand claps, funky bassline and organ stabs would go on to be responsible for 2 chart toppers in 1996 and 1997 respectively (I'm sure I don't need to tell you which!). A track whenever I hear I just HAVE to move! Will Smith however can do one! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Forget_Me_Nots_single.jpg ggvGr8CV3BI

10 Hazell Dean/Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go) HCP:4/1984 You can laugh all you like, "Whatever I Do.." is a choon! It's basically a gay/diva remix of "Blue Monday". SAW's breakthrough hit was Divine (see number 47), but this was their first top ten hit. Hot on heels of Searchin' (see number 63), Hazell Queen urgently required a follow up - and a big hit to boot. This was originally known as "Dance Your Love Away", however a change to the chorus resulted in a song title change and a track I regard as SAW's SECOND best single of the decade (yes, there is another SAW 7" left!). The urgency of the erratic synth, the pounding beat and a typically strong vocal from the queen of Gay Prides up and down the country ensure a personal favourite. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Whatever_I_do.jpeg c2glrm_8C-E

Agreed! Never really gets played much, which is a good thing in a way. Anyway... Top ten time!!! How exciting!!!

11 Inner City/Good Life HCP:4/1988 Ah yes! One of house musics evergreen classics. "Good Life" is maybe a victim of overplay, but I for one never tire of hearing it. Such a feel-good, breezy, summer sort of track (even though it was released right in the middle of winter!). Inner City hailed from Detroit and were part of the development of techno. It was however Paris Greys gorgeous, easy-on-the-ear voice that helped keep the momentum going - 7 top ten hits in total, a rare feat for a dance act. You know when Paris advises "Let me take you to a place I know you wanna go - it's the good life" - you're already there! Not just a great house track - a great 80s classic still getting continuous airplay to this day. http://chartarchive.org/artwork/10236-raw.jpg jz1f_QrUq3g

12 Eighth Wonder/I'm Not Scared HCP:7/1988 It's, yet again, another case of a short-lived act with the one killer hit single! In the midst of all the happy, giddy teen pop of '88 came a seductive and intriguing 7" by the name of "I'm Not Scared". Penned by Pet Shop Boys, yet towers above anything they wrote for themselves in my humble opinion (they even did their own version a year later - it's THAT good!). A haunting and dramatic melody song, delivered by a very sexy and confident Patsy Kensit (even her strictly limited vocal ability didn't compromise her ambition). For me, this is one of the best "f*** you" songs ever, you can almost hear her ex lover getting crushed in the palm of her hand. A remarkable track! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fa/I'm_not_scared.jpg Dym-T3AkKYk

13 Indeep/Last Night A DJ Saved My Life HCP:13/1983 Bassline alert! Comprising of 2 girls and a guy and like a number of acts on this rundown, were essentially known for one hit track. They hailed from New York's trendy nu-wave/post disco scene of the early 1980s and though a relatively short lived act, made an absolute killer of a track! "LNADSML" is a peculiar choice, it doesn't built, doesn't peak - it just swings in a sort of effortlessly cool sort of way. It's all in the nagging guitar that loops round and round. And nearly 30 years on, that middle rap and toilet flush sound effect don't sound remotely cheesy... well OK, maybe a little. The song was brought band up to date in 2007 by Seamus Haji and coincidentally also charted at No. 13! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Indeep-LastNightADJSavedMyLife.jpg tlmr_IiUqxk

14 Madonna/Open Your Heart HCP:4/1986 The last time now I promise! I promise! "Open Your Heart" is, in my eyes, her greatest 80s single. It was the sound of a new era. By '86, Madonnas twee thin vocals were out in exchange for a vocal full of ambition and grit. The girl meant business and critics were listening up. But above all, everything I love bout 80s music is pretty much all contained in this glorious 4 minute pop gem! It's remained a firm fan fave as it currently takes pride of place on her current world tour (one of the rare occasions she listens to her fans). http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Open_Your_Heart_1986.png snsTmi9N9Gs

15 Sonia/You'll Never Stop Me Loving You HCP:1/1989 Any credibility left has been zapped, I know. I'm just a hopeless sucker for a SAW track (like you need reminding). I'll never forget being in a taxi in Liverpool (well, where else?) when this came on the radio and I hadn't heard it in years - it sounded f***ing brilliant and I was hoping the driver would do a D-tour back to my house! - I was a kid of 5 again! Sometimes we can't fully let go of our past and for me, this includes the music. Sonia; a pint-sized, flame haired girl from Skelmersdale was plucked from obscurity by Waterman and the then 18 year old would find herself at number one almost overnight. This was the power of the SAW stable and, in some ways, Sonia signalled the beginning of the end for The Hit Factory ("YNSMLY" would be SAW's final number one hit as songwriters). The song is a standard in SAW hitmaking; vapid and vacuous yet infectious and irresistible in equal measure. I've also included Dawn French's much celebrated (yes really!) impression for all times sake! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/You'll_never_stop_me_loving_you.jpg cDfb6XFbPYI yJ7O8nYnsbQ

16 Shannon/Let The Music Play HCP:14/1983 There must've been something in the water of November 1983. I was born and one of the greatest pre-house dance tracks of all time was released, "Let The Music Play" disco napped in the lower reaches of the chart for nearly 3 months before gathering pace. "LTMP" was the sound of disco being resuscitated by a Roland TR-808 drum machine, but the true sentiments of real disco remained. A killer hook, knock out vocal and a beat that demands a stampede to the dancefloor. "Let The Music Play" is considered a key track in the shaping of dance music as we know it today. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/LtmpShannon.jpg uB_dYLTHsPA

17 Taylor Dayne/Tell It To My Heart HCP:3/1988 From one blonde bombshell to another, to the beginning of the decade to right near the very end. Principally a one hit wonder in the UK ("Prove Your Love" was a modest top ten hit, but do you remember it? Exactly...), but a mighty one hit wonder it was! The turn of 88 was a good time for US female pop singers; Tiffany, Belinda Carlise, Debbie Gibson, Vanessa Paradis all enjoying a brief flutter with the top ten in the beginning months of the year. And best of all, the stupendous "Tell It To My Heart". Big, clunky production, hysterical synth riffs and vocals done with sheer gusto never fail to put a big gay grin my my face!... Just don't mention Kelly Llorenna's pathetic attempt from 2002. http://chartarchive.org/artwork/9639-raw.jpg C_yBVYodMUY

18 Blondie/Atomic HCP:1/1980 "Oooohhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh your hair is beautiful! Oooohhhhhhhhh! Tonight!...... Atomic". Eh? I don't give 2 shits what it means, "Atomic" is a beast of a tune. A classic, that transcends genres, time, cultures - the lot! I like a bit of Blondie, but "Atomic" is the money shot, a frantic mix of nu wave and fiery disco which I'll never get sick of hearing. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/10/Blondie_-_Atomic.jpg qW6OrdLkCLU