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Post by evansabove on Jun 10, 2011 8:30:39 GMT 1
She had a very distinctive voice but it's not one i could have listened to for more than a couple of track in a row
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 10, 2011 9:10:58 GMT 1
O Superman is weird but goes on far too long and at least it dropped out of the chart pretty quickly: for 1981 that was an extremely fast chart-run.
You stand corrected about The Police and The Jam as by 1981 Adam & The Ants had also entered at #1 with Stand And Deliver. These 3 would be alone in doing so (with the Jam repeating it 2 more times) until Duran Duran did so in early 1983.
"The Birdie Song" joins songs like "Oops Upside Your Head" before it and "Achy Breaky Heart" and "Macarena" in the 1990s as songs that were not just songs but came with their own new distinctive dance. They were memorable moments if you were out "disco-ing" or partying, whether abroad or here, because everyone knew and joined in with the dance. "Can-Can" was another such dance - of course it was a very old dance but having reached #3 for Bad Manners in 1981 they did have a tendency to play it, and we would all go around kicking our legs in the air trying to dance it.
There was no special dance for Hooked On Classics - it was quite an interesting medley though - and I like the longer version of it. They did actually say it got some of the younger generation more into classical music, although there was no "youtube" at the time so in order to check out the originals you either had to buy them or listen to Radio 3 in hope of hearing them. I think it is one of the wonders of the new generation that when someone on BGT or X-Factor sings a cover, people can (and do) often go and check out the original.
"Invisible Sun" was not banned from radio. The video was banned, but the BBC would have allowed the Police to perform on TOTP as "in the studio". Not sure if they actually did.
Elton John has never had a fully instrumental hit. Song For Guy had a few vocals "Life isn't everything..." towards the end of the song. It is notable that 3 instrumental hits reached #2 in 1981 but there were no instrumental #1s between 1973 (Eye Level) and either 1994 or 1999 depending on whether or not you count "Doop" as a proper instrumental (otherwise it's Flat Beat)
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 10, 2011 9:33:47 GMT 1
Ah yes I forgot about Adam & The Ants- how i could I? I can't find anyhting on you tube for the police appearing on the BEEB though of course that isn't conclusive proof....
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 10, 2011 10:59:56 GMT 1
13TH FEBRUARY 1982- GOLDEN BROWN- The Stranglers (2 Weeks)There has been reams and reams written about what exactly "Golden Brown" is about- is it drugs? is it a girl? Marmite? It's a clever song, not only for it's subtlety of meaning but also for it's composition. The Harpsicord leads the tune by the nose through the track evoking a by gone time, and therefore an "other worldliness". It's fantastic stuff, mesmerising, and yet so simple, the stuff that number ones are made of. I've talked about the controversy over whether it should have been a chart topper or not before so I'll glaze over that, but the video for the song is just perfect for the track, placing the band somewhere in the middle East, or Morocco (I'm torn ) Originating from the UK Punk rock scene it was, so Wikipedia tells me, a record championed by the very conservative (back then) Radio 2 which propelled the record up the charts, and was a major about face for the band who hadn't made the top 10 since 1977 before this little corker, it's not a record I love but it's one I like...
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 10, 2011 11:04:26 GMT 1
6TH MARCH- MICKEY- Toni Basil (2 Weeks)Firstly the singer, Toni Basil (real name Antonia Basilotta) was, and remains, a dancer/ choreographer who worked on Bowie tours in the 70's and co-directed Talking Heads video for "Once In A lifetime". Secondly the writers, Chapman & Chinn were to the 70s what S/A/W were to the 80s, a writing team capable of delivering hits for a multitude of acts. In the 70s they wrote many hits and number ones for Suzi Quatro, Mud, Sweet, and Smokie amongst others before Chapman went on to produce many Blondie albums. Thridly the video, apparently very popular back on MTV when it was first launched, and it's certainly memorable for it's Cheerleading protaganist. My Verdict: It's a big fail from me, maybe I've heard it too many times, maybe the Lolly cover of it in 1999 put the final nail in that coffin, but it's now become an irritant to me everytime it darkens my ears! I don't honestly believe it gives anything to the listener after repeated listenings, it does it job in so much as it embeds into your brain but once there you'd quite like it to leave without too much fuss. The song appears to be a vehicle for the beat which is all encompassing here, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does become dull.... EDIT: Actually having watched her TOTP performance she does do a good one........ :lol:
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Post by evansabove on Jun 10, 2011 11:45:48 GMT 1
I love Mickey. This is one of the first videos I can really remember. Didn't she have her own TV show or something similar i vaguely remember?
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Jun 10, 2011 16:26:52 GMT 1
I still love this song too !
The Lolly version is awful. B*witched did a decent enough cover of it,and I'd much rather have seen them have a hit single with it,than Lolly : (
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 10, 2011 16:36:00 GMT 1
Golden Brown had an interesting rhythm in the intro of 13 beats, 3 lots of 3 then one lot of 4. I guess that would have made it quite hard to dance to, and I guess therefore that not many actually tried dancing to it.
Mickey was first released in the summer of 1981 and flopped then finally charted several months later.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jun 10, 2011 19:48:04 GMT 1
...but the video for the song is just perfect for the track, placing the band somewhere in the middle East, or Morocco (I'm torn ) There are a few clues. "Radio Cairo" around the microphone...some pyramids...the Nile... And yes, there's no question it should have been a number one and The Stranglers got screwed. Not for the first time; their debut single missed the top forty because of a compiler mistake that gave their sales to another song. I remember seeing "Mickey" on Tiswas at the time of first release and it becoming a hit a lot later, I must have assumed it didn't come out rather than flopping. Basil got to number 2 in Britain before hitting the US charts. Great song.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 11, 2011 11:52:27 GMT 1
3RD APRIL- JUST AN ILLUSION- Imagination (1 week)I just love a good dress up- but not as much as these guys though. Whenever they went on TOTP they always dressed up as something, centurians, slaves etc, however I have no idea what he is dressed as for this TOTP performance. Apparently this is "80s soul funk"well it certainly is a saucy little number though by looks of him he'd give Antony Cotton a run for his money in the camp stakes. This was Imagination's biggest hit single but between 1981-4 they churned out 9 top 20 hits before the fashion police caught up with them, it isn't a bad song, but one you'll struggle to have strong feelings on, though the record that held it off the top, "Seven Tears", is about 20 times worse believe me. The lead singers was also called Leee, yes 3 e's, I don't know why...
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 11, 2011 11:53:43 GMT 1
17TH APRIL- AIN'T NO PLEASING YOU- Chas and Dave (1 week)
I know it's unlikely, but if you've been reading this and thought he's got good taste in music then this is gonna kill that thought dead. I LOVE THIS SONG. Now I don't remember the song at all from the time, so I came to it quite late, that may account for it, maybe it's the strings and the orchestration that adds that slight taint of melancholy, but I actually believe Dave Peacock when he sings "Ain't No Pleasing You" there's a kind of pathos in his voice- he's a man who's been there when it comes to the themes of the song.
I imagine hen pecked husbands all across the country must have empathised with the sentiment expressed, now I suppose that the "cockney" label they clearly embrace might have put most of us off, but Chas and Dave are actually pretty good tunesmiths (you have to glaze over the deeply depressing "Rabbit" and "Snooker Loopy" admittedly). They were also session musicians long before they were famous and indeed one of the tunes they played on "I Got The" by Labi Siffre which formed the basis for "My Name Is" by Eminem, yes Eminem sampled Chas and Dave- it's a true story.
Now I always recall Chas and Dave being a mainstay on "Family Entertainment" programmes in the early 80s, things like Jim Davidson etc, and this can't have helped them in most people minds but I honestly believe that "Ain't No Pleasing You" is a cut above most No 2's in 1982 and defo one of my fave's of the year. And there I rest my case M'Lud....
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Post by thehitparade on Jun 11, 2011 12:46:58 GMT 1
You'll get no argument from me on the excellence of 'Ain't No Pleasing You'. Or on not remembering it from the time, oddly. I did like 'Snooker Loopy' and 'Romford Rap' in the later 80s though they don't stand up quite so well now.
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Post by evansabove on Jun 11, 2011 14:54:15 GMT 1
Imagination are one of those groups who had a decent number of big hits but who are largely forgotton and rarely seen on 80s compilations. I always remember Leee and his rather camp performances
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 12, 2011 0:58:43 GMT 1
Ain't No Pleasing You is a brilliant song, and reached NM #1.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jun 12, 2011 9:03:54 GMT 1
Imagination are one of those groups who had a decent number of big hits but who are largely forgotton and rarely seen on 80s compilations. I always remember Leee and his rather camp performances I seem to remember there being a chart hyping scandal around them later in the 80s. "Just An Illusion" was sublime. Superb track. And Chas & Dave's sound is technically called "rockney". Recognize Dave (and C&D's drummer Mick Burt) here? Can't see Chas, though he was also a member...
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 12, 2011 12:50:06 GMT 1
1ST MAY -ONE STEP FURTHER- Bardo (1 week)Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer were Britain's eurovision hopefuls in 1982, they had a tough act to follow after Bucks Fizz had won the year previously of course. Performing under the moniker of Bardo, they were odds on favourite to win and bring the eurovision trophy back to the UK Shores, but it wasn't to be as they finished in seventh place, blaming nerves on the night and too much attention to dance moves and not the song. Interesting fact is that Triplett wasn't a Eurovision virgin, having performed in it as part of the UK 1980 entrant "Prima Donna" (along with Kate Robbins whom we met in 1981), so i'm not sure I buy the nerves excuse. Lyrically it's boy almost meets girl- the usual stuff, but it was apparently the late John Peel's favourite ever Eurovision entry- read into that as you will Anyway in real life they were a couple for many years and even had a kid together, but as for Bardo this was their only hit, further singles were released but no one likes a loser so the dumper it was for them. I confess I don't actually mind the song, it's light, poppy, and over quite quickly, all that you expect from a eurovision song, and yet it does seem like a Bucks Fizz B-Side or album filler. They attempt to sell it well enough and you can't knock them for that, but all in all it's just underwhelming....
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on Jun 12, 2011 12:52:13 GMT 1
8TH MAY- THIS TIME (WE'LL GET IT RIGHT)- England World Cup Squad (1 week)
Until "World In Motion" football songs have always been naff and this is no exception. ENgland had failed to qualify for the finals in both 1974 & 1978 so when they managed to do it in 1982 it was a big deal, indeed patriotism was running high as the Falklands war was being raged down in the south atlantic at the same time as the World Cup was being held in Spain. Of course Argentina were to get their revenge just 4 years later with the "Hand of God" but back to the record.
It's a typical shouty affair with much macho slapping on back, the video is worth it for Keegan's perm naturally but it's a record I suppose you had to be there for, when it comes to early 80s football songs I'm liking "Ossie's dream" at least that has (unintentional) humour to it, here's the video if you wanna see it but don't you be asking me to refund you the time you spent watching it.....
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Post by evansabove on Jun 12, 2011 12:58:20 GMT 1
Bardo is one of my favourite UK Eurovision entries of all time. Great song, great dance moves, classic 80s
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Post by Earl Purple on Jun 12, 2011 13:34:16 GMT 1
It's a shame it's not quite true that nobody likes a loser, or Black Lace, who also finished 7th (I think) in their competition of 1979 would also not have troubled us again.
The prime difference between World In Motion and the ones that came before it was that in the latter case the team did very little of the singing and it was mostly Bernard Sumner's voice so a proper singer. Not sure whether you think of "Ole Ola" by Rod Stewart also as a poor song. I think it is generally poor by Rod Stewart's standard but good in World Cup Song standards.
In the world cup itself, England peaked too soon and Ron Greenwood's negative tactics didn't help as England drew a blank against a very poor host and went out in a group of 3 with two 0-0 draws. Had England thrown their first game to France on purpose they would of course have had a much easier group of 3. France were very lucky in a sense to get to the semi-final but were extremely unlucky to lose it once they got there.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Jun 12, 2011 16:17:21 GMT 1
England were well screwed in 1982, had Keegan glanced home his sitter we'd've gone out of the world cup with 4 wins and 1 draw. How the heck could that be allowed to happen?
"This Time" was an AA-side with "We'll Fly The Flag", based on a British Airways advert theme, and co-written by Adrian "Classic" Gurvitz.
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