vastar iner
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I am the poster on your wall
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Post by vastar iner on Jun 1, 2011 21:23:44 GMT 1
The Police were on A&M, who were involved in chart-rigging about this time...the same Police who had a number one hit by seventeen copies in 1981. Convinced that that was above board?
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 1, 2011 21:48:31 GMT 1
I'm far too young to know about that ;D
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 2, 2011 9:07:08 GMT 1
I haven't looked up the source of "More Than I Can Say". I know of Bobby Vee's version but didn't know of the Crickets doing it. Back in the early 1960s songs were passed around among many singers, and Marty Wilde also recorded Rubber Ball, another Bobby Vee song. Smokie also covered "Take Good Care Of My Baby" (was that a UK #1 for Bobby Vee? I think it might have been). And one of my favourite Bobby Vee songs "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" - don't recall anyone else doing that though.
"Crying" is not a bad song, Roy Orbison didn't do bad songs, but I did prefer his version to Don McLean's, but I guess Don McLean reaching #1 with an inferior cover version should compensate for the fact that Madonna took his classic to #1. It doesn't, of course. For me though it didn't really reflect the time, and Funky Town did. It was the definitive hit of that moment.
Upside Down was a bit of a revival for Diana Ross, her first big hit since Theme From Mahogany and that was April 1976. It was the start of a 2-year period of success for her, after which she disappeared for about 3-4 more years then re-emerged with Chain Reaction - and took it to #1. Then pretty much disappeared for another 5 years until "When I Tell You That I Love You", and got to #2 with that. So very few actual hits, but big ones and very much spaced. However this 2 years was a run of continual success, albeit none of them as big as Upside Down.
Both Funky Town and Upside Down reached #1 in the USA, both of them staying on top for 4 weeks. Coming Up was also a #1 there, for 3 weeks, but they preferred a live version from Glasgow without the falsetto voices.
Randy Crawford was a great singer of the era. She did have a #1 in my chart but also holds a dubious record - Almaz made the biggest ever drop from #1 in my chart on 7 March 1987, falling from #1 to #7.
The timing of the releases seemed to be wrong: Masterblaster might have done better released just after Bob Marley's death. And Happy Birthday should have been released for January, when Martin Luther King's birthday actually is. They should have kicked off the Hotter Than July album by releasing I Ain't Gonna Stand For It.
Ottawan up next...
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 2, 2011 14:37:40 GMT 1
11TH OCTOBER- D.I.S.C.O- Ottawan (3 Wks)There's no easy way to say this so i'll get to the point- I LOVE THIS SONG. It reminds me instantly of summer holidays spent in Spain at various locations over the years. Yes ,back in the 80's my parents were living the Thatcher dream and that meant a 2 week break in Spain every year from 1978-1986 before they discovered other parts of Europe, that's not to say we went to the same place, all the costa's got covered, Ibiza (way before it was a clubbing destination), and the Canary Islands. All of this is leading to the point that back in the 80s most people went abroad once a year and it was an excuse to burn to a pulp on the beach, and in the evening it was down the local disco for a bit of dancing. What was heard in the continental disco's sometimes got packed in the suitcase back to old blighty and bingo! It became an instant memory of the holiday, this happened many times over the 80's though the tradition stretched back to the 70's with things like "Y Viva Espana" but we'll meet other eamples of this type of hit as we get further into the thread. For this reason I love this song- it's catchy, poppy, and takes me back to slapping on the camomile lotion on my shoulders- ah childhood! Incidently it's been covered in every decade since it's release N-Trance taking the song to No 11 in 1997 and Chico adapted it for his follow up to "It's Chico Time" and got to No 24 in 2006 but the less said about that....
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 2, 2011 14:39:41 GMT 1
1ST NOVEMBER- WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING- Status Quo (2 Weeks)
It's easy enough to knock the Quo. True, i'm no great fan, and some of the songs are just dire. "What You're Proposing" marked the beginning of the end for the band as providers of consistent top 10 hits and not many more would follow, the 80's and beyond were not as kind as the 70's were to the band. It's a song I don't recall from the time, not terrible but if I never heard it again in my life I wouldn't be sorry for it, and stuck behind Barbara Striesand for two weeks should tell you all you need to know about it but listen if you will......
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 2, 2011 14:45:09 GMT 1
That's 1980 done- now for 1981!
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Post by evansabove on Jun 2, 2011 15:04:15 GMT 1
Great thread but can you make the pictures smaller please. It is seriously screwing up my screen
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 2, 2011 15:30:50 GMT 1
yes- that's the problem- normally i get the pics from wiki which are usually fine- but if they aren't on there i have to go to chart stats where they've been uploaded in too large a format i think. So 2 choices- i can put a normal picture on where i can find one and not bother with a sleeve where my only option is one that's too big or stick with this? It should be less of a problem as things become more recent!
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Post by thehitparade on Jun 2, 2011 23:44:55 GMT 1
I might regret saying this in public, but I've enjoyed the thread so much already I'm toying with the idea of doing the 90s equivalent in the future. As a result I already know what the last Number 2 of the 80s is.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 3, 2011 0:01:34 GMT 1
haha- get your own idea- I'm doing that next! ;D
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Post by evansabove on Jun 3, 2011 9:54:18 GMT 1
I love D.I.S.C.O. It's one of those guilty pleasures. Also liked their follow-up Hands Up
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 3, 2011 11:07:20 GMT 1
9TH JANUARY 1981- HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)- John Lennon & Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band (1 week)What started out as a protest song against the Vietnam War has now turned into a Xmas standard on most christmas compilations, and although released originally back in 1972 when it peaked at No 4 it was re-released in the light of Lennon's death on Dec 8th 1980 and acheived a new high of No 2 in January 1981. The story goes that John & Yoko rented out billboards in 11 major cities in the USA over Xams 1969 and put an advert on them stating "WAR IS OVER IF YOU WANT IT, HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM JOHN & YOKO" and that that inspired the record which last charted in the top 75 over Xmas 2007, but acheived it's highest chart position in the noughties after being covered by the Pop Idol Finalists in 2003 and hitting No 5. All the pre-requesites of a xmas classic are here, peace, love, wishing a merry xmas, and of course a nice Kids led chorus to make us all feel festive. Such was the fervour over Lennon's death in the aftermath that "(Just Like) Starting Over", "Imagine" and "Woman" all hit number one within 2 months and indeed this track was only denied a No 1 thanks to Lennon's own "Imagine". I have to confess I rather like the record as christmas records go- it's one of the less over played tunes in the shops/ Clinton Cards when i'm in doing my December shopping and it's all the better for it, and had it gone to No 1 it would probably have been a better representative of Lennon and his philosophy on life than "(Just Like) Starting Over" but sadly was the only available track in the direct aftermath...
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 3, 2011 11:09:08 GMT 1
16TH JANUARY- ANTMUSIC- Adam & The Ants (2 weeks)THIS, for me, is when the 80s began. There is an argument that directly appealing to the pre pubescent audience started with the Spice Girls but for me it started with Adam & The Ants and the pure pantomime that they were. Watching the video for "Antmusic" is clear to see why the band exploded into a phenomenon- the outfit, the costumes, the beat, there is something that just screams "we're good, and we're now". The use of the Burundi Beat in their records provided the distinctive beat and the theatrical eye ensured the headlines. The confidence of the band is easy to see and the records sounded like nothing else that came before it, couple that with the wealth of knowledge that Ant clearly possessed about pop history and it was a toxic heady mix. The use of Diana Dors, Lulu etc in the video's which were to mark the pop landscape of 1981 propelling Adam & The Ants to superstardum, and effortlessly mixed the worlds of TV and pop which pre-empted the advent of MTV later in 1981, crucial for a star who depended so much on the visual media. The band started out as a punk band but after several disappointments and line-up changes they struck it big in 1980 and made 1981 THEIR year! The song itself is catchy as hell, light, fun, and unashamedly attempting to rip up the past he understands so well and create something new for a new decade, it's a record which deserved probably to make the No 1 spot. It's precisely the kind of irreverance for the past which is soooo 80s, it was a decade which was keen to be individual and day- glo'd, and in way that's everything that Adam & The Ants bought to the table....Great track.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 4, 2011 11:09:27 GMT 1
7TH FEBRUARY- IN THE AIR TONIGHT- Phil Collins (1 week)Ok now it's more remembered as the song used in the Cadbury's advert with the drumming gorilla, but back in 1981 it was Collins' first solo single outside of Genesis. It's a dark song concerning his divorce from his then Wife Andrea, and the atmosphere of the song is designed to be laden with gloom and melancholy, and moreover anger. Indeed in my opinion it truely is the best thing Phil ever did in his solo capacity though as a 5 yr old at the time I confess I have no memory of the track. Certain urban myths have evolved around the sing which involve Collins seeing a man drowning and later recognising the guy who didn't help him in the crowd at one of his concerts, it's this myth that Eminem refers to in his 2000 No 1 "Stan". All told it's a very engaging song not only for it's ominous dark undertones, but from a voyeuristic view of the sight of a marriage falling apart which is always engrossing. The song maintained it's popularity throughout the decade being used in "Miami Vice" and indeed hitting the top 5 all over again in 1988.
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Post by thehitparade on Jun 4, 2011 13:23:58 GMT 1
haha- get your own idea- I'm doing that next! ;D All the better - it means I get to read it without having to research it! I think I'll have more personal memories of the 90s ones, but I'm enjoying this already.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 4, 2011 13:37:50 GMT 1
14TH FEBRUARY- VIENNA- Ultravox (4 weeks)OK so this is perhaps one of the most famous No 2 hits of all time for two reasons. Firstly because it was kept off No 1 for 3 weeks by the dreadful "Shuddup Ya Face" by Joe Dolce and secondly for the various threats issued by the band to Joe should they ever have met. "Vienna" itself is a synpop ballad, a symbol of the emerging new romantic phenomenon which was beginning to dominate the UK Charts at the time. I'm sure it's a very deep record and all that but i'll be damned if I can find any meaning behind the lyrics but maybe that's the point- it's a beautiful record without meaning? It's a record which builds gradually to it's peak and is certainly a better record than either Joe Dolce or John Lennon's "Woman" which also held them off, a fact which is proved by the fact that both records were outsold by Ultravox come the end of the year. For me, the record is a hard record to love, it's too full of knowingness, of it's own mysteriousness, trying to acheive the indefinable and thusly suffering from a shade of pomposity. The video itself was filmed in the main in Covent Garden with outside shots being filmed in Vienna (of course) and sheds little if any light on the song meaning. Along with Adam & The Ants however it denotes the beginning of the 80s proper and as the Jam proclaimed in their 1980 No 1 "Going underground" "the public gets what the public wants" so I have to guess that they just wanted Joe Dolce a little bit more!
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 4, 2011 13:38:43 GMT 1
14TH MARCH- KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER- Adam & The Ants (1 week)
Within 18 months it was all over of course but in early 1981 the Ant Machine looked unstoppable. "Kings Of The Wild Fontier" was the title track of the debut Adam & The Ants album and had first resulted in a poor No 48 hit when released in 1980, but after three top 10 hits in a row it was re-released and soon matched the peak of "Antmusic". It was a clarrion call to arms for the ant fans containing the lines "No method in our madness/ just pride in our manners/Antpeople are the warriors/ Antmusic is the banner" yes the bandwagon was on a role. I have to confess it's nowhere near as catchy as "Antmusic" but two massive No 1's were to follow this ("Stand And Deliver" and "Prince Charming") before the ants became a victim of their own success and the backlash kicked in. KOTW is full of the double drum sound which was the bands trademark sound, and by the end of 81 the band were so big they were performing before royalty at the Royal Variety Performance that November- a long way from their punk roots, but it was a symbol of what Adam & The Ants had become- a mainstream pop act with a young audience- a fact which didn't suit several members of the band who felt that the roots of the band had been betrayed.
Adam went solo in 1982 securing a debut solo No 1 with "Goody Two Shoes" before sliding into pop's dumper with the occasional hit, and being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons come the 90s and 00s.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 5, 2011 12:06:59 GMT 1
28TH MARCH- KIDS IN AMERICA- Kim Wilde (2 weeks)Kim Wilde (Daughter of 50s/60s rock n roller Marty Wilde) was the poster girl of the "New Wave" movement back in the beginning of the 80s along with Claire Grogan. Her debut hit "Kids In America" became one of only two records in her career to get as high as No 2 and takes as it's theme what would become a major theme of the 80s- the persuit of a good time. 1981 was a great time for the Briitish Music with music poised to not only dominate the UK Charts but also the "second invasion" of the US charts was just around the corner, and it remains one of the most creative times in UK Chart history and Kim Wilde is definitely part of this movement. Wilde's image of playful toyboy chimed perfectly with the new "androgynous" philosophy of new romanticism as well and so striking were Wilde's looks that I'm sure it didn't hurt sales. In my opinion KIA is a great record, very of it's time and all the better for it, the nagging synth line keeps you spellbound as Wilde's vocals seem to drift over it, the record more dominated by the mixture of backing male vocals chanting "We're the kids", how great music should sound....
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 5, 2011 12:08:03 GMT 1
25TH APRIL- CHI MAI (THEME FROM "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE")- Ennio Morricone (2 weeks)
No-one can accuse the accuse the 80s of being boring as the list of No 2's starts to get quite bizarre. Ennio Morricone is an Italian composer famous for providing soundtracks to famous westerns "A Fistful of Dollars" "The Good, the Bad, & The Ugly" as well as such films as "Untouchables" amongst others. Come 1981 Morricone was asked to provide the music for the BBC One series "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George" and he duly obliged. Once released it surprised many by becoming a hit, it's true it wasn't exactly a riveting topic recalling the story of Britain's last Liberal Prime Minister who steered the country though the first World War, but as themes go it's not too bad.
It's an orchestral piece which is enjoyable on the ear- though I don't think it's bears too many re-runs!...
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 5, 2011 22:10:17 GMT 1
You missed Starsound.
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