Severin

I'd say start with the Vienna album as it's the one most like what you will expect and it's great. The follow up Rage in Eden is also great but the album feels more like a whole piece rather than a collection of songs. Plus the singles from it were heavily edited for radio. Alternatively the Quartet album is much poppier but for me feels rather lightweight but is still decent. Lament is ok but the ideas are wearing thin. Avoid U-Vox like the plague althoughAll Fall Down is brilliant, if very different for them. Ignore anything between that and Brilliant as it's not really Ultravox. Brilliant though is pretty decent. Then there's the John Foxx albums - Ultravox! - Roxy Music inspired Proto Punk Ha! Ha! Ha! - Post Punk during the Punk era and one fo my favourite albums ever. Systems of Romance - The template for 80s New Romantic and probably their most influential album. For me the weakest of the three.

Ultravox were a defining band in my musical history. Of all the New Romantic bands they were the most arty and thoughtful I thought. Plus the 3 albums with John Foxx are all brilliantly ahead of their time. Lennon was truly gifted and cruelly taken away but it took me another 20 odd years before I'd set about properly listening to his solo work. He and The Beatles et al, symbolised my parents generation so I ignored a lot of it for way too long.

Prince is one of the defining acts of the decade and I can't overemphasise how influential he is. A true genius. Tears for Fears first two albums are pretty solid and typical of their times but I never thought they were that special Elton John had his moments but they were pretty much all in the 70s really.

Went to Nova Twins

Simple Minds were great in the early Post Punk days (Empires and Dance is an oft forgotten gem) but I kind of lose interest around 1983 when Sparkle in the Rain is their last decent album. Not much needs to be said about Abba although they were clearly on the decline in the 80s. That being said The Day Before You Came and Winner Takes it All are exceptional, even by their standards. Never liked Whitney. Good voice but she tends to go for the vocal theatrics too much. Not my kind of thing.

Congratulations to DanG. Well done and a worthy winner. Really pleased to finished as high as I have done here. Keeping up a recent run of decent results. I shall celebrate by seeing the Psychedelic Furs again next Sunday at Milton Keynes. Thanks also to Brer for excellent hosting

I have to confess I'd never thought to check out anything else by Zager & Evans, which feels like an oversight

I'm very pleasantly surprised to be in 2nd right now. Really pleased to see the Furs getting some love

Ever since I first heard The Mercy Seat back in 1988 on John Peel, where he described it a like two songs being played at once, I've absolutely loved it. All of the versions - the video mix, the radio edit and the album version are all brilliant Johnny Cash also does a brilliant cover of it too

Was a great choice and only the presence of a genuine favourite of mine held it off a 12

Love Buzz is one of Shocking Blue's best, along with Venus and Never Marry a Railroad Man. Nirvana's version is a great interpretation

Now that the Grand Prix is over, I'm onboard for these results. No idea how this is gonna go

Feel like that duel will come to symbolise the Mclaren drivers title fight this year - Norris is fast and capable of a bold overtake now and then, Piastri a little slower, but smarter and less prone to errors

Didn't mind Bad Manners, they weren't great but had a few fun tracks like Special Brew, Lip Up Fatty and an entertaining romp through Offenbach's Galop Infernal - aka the 'Can Can' Rod Stewart is one of those artist where I never understand the longevity. Aside from some brilliant work with the Faces and a pair of cracking early #1s in Maggie May and You Wear it Well, he's been tedious for decades. Great voice though and I can't help think of a certain Kenny Everett sketch when it comes to Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? Jason Donovan? Decent bloke, but a decidely average singer who got lucky. I always hated what SAW were doing at this point as it was a creative vacuum.

This is depressing on a number of levels

Three very, very middle of the road acts right there. Never liked Level 42 but Mark King was an astounding bassist Paul Young has a couple of tracks I like - most notably his cover of Love of the Common People. Great voice a-ha had two solid albums to kick off their career and have slid gently into icy elegance over the years. An underrated band. Although, Take on Me is overrated

Second track from the album Trance State is out now -

Finally had a proper listen to this and it's perfectly all right. Not up there with their best and could do with a bit more energy about it but pleasant enough. I did find my attention waning about midway through but Background Noise saved the day. Agree with dandy* that it's the best track on the album. Feels like it would fit on This is Hardcore in particular. A solid addition to their catalogue

Updated - I've really been failing to go to gigs this year. January Jan 15 2025 - Lambrini Girls - Resident Music, Brighton, England Jan 18 2025 - Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Flip Top Head, goodbye, SLAG - Green Door Store, Brighton, England* Jan 30 2025 - THE HARA, Eville - Green Door Store, Brighton, England February Feb 21 2025 - Eville, Hell Hotel - Green Door Store, Brighton, England Feb 22 2025 - Motionless in White, Fit for a King - Brixton Academy, London, England Feb 25 2025 - Heartworms, She's in Parties - Concorde 2, Brighton, England March Mar 03 2025 - HotWax - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, England Mar 07 2025 - HotWax - Resident Records, Brighton, England Mar 18 2025 - Cleopatrick, Projector - Chalk, Brighton, England Mar 30 2025 - HotWax, The Pill - The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, England April Apr 01 2025 - Jar of Blind Flies, CARNE, Spill - Green Door Store, Brighton, England Apr 09 2025 - Look What Happened, Down in Motion, Halloween Club - The Pipeline, Brighton, England Apr 12 2025 - HotWax. Projector, GENN, Gaffa Tape Sandy - Homegrown Festival, Green Door Store, Brighton, England Apr 15 2025 - Heilung, Eivor - Brixton Academy, London, England Apr 29 2025 - Triple Drain, CARNE, Wrench - Hope & Ruin, Brighton, England May May 03 2025 - Slung, El Moono, CARNE - Green Door Store, Brighton, England May 15 2025 - HotWax, Currls - Alternative Escape, The Black Lion, Brighton, England June Jun 11 2025 - Heartworms, Dogviolet - The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, England *Left before they came on Artists in bold denotes the reason for attendence.

I suspect Hadjar in the Red Bull with Lindblad in the RB

I rather like the early Thompson Twins albums, when they were a Post-Punk/New Wave act but once they slimmed down to the three piece line up they got more commercial, more Pop oriented and less interesting. Kind the same way OMD did around the same time. Still decent enough but I was losing interest. In the Name of Love is my favourite by far Imagination didn't do much for me beyond Just an Illusion, which is great. Hated Five Star with a passion.

Whoever thought to put the Canadian GP on the same day as the Indy 500 is an idiot. Plus those final three races look like a tedious way to end it all. Hopefully the title will conclude at Brazil

Not really that fussed on the last batch. Didn't expect sheena Easton in there. Also, are the two Prince duets included in this or just her own solo releases?

A reluctant vote for Creeper. Additions on my 2025 playlist this week - Harpy - Last Time Panic Shack - Thelma & Louise MANORS - Gatekeeper Creeper - Headstones Avatar - Captain Goat

Additions this week and last - Harpy - Last Time Panic Shack - Thelma & Louise MANORS - Gatekeeper Creeper - Headstones Avatar - Captain Goat PROJECTOR - Collision Wet Leg - CPR BABYMETAL & Slaughter to Prevail - Song 3 Pop WIll Eat Itself - Bruiser Calva Louise - Impeccable LEMONSUCKRS - HEAT Veletine - Just This Once Suede - Disintegrate