REMEMBER WHEN - 3RD MARCH 1979

TW	LW
1	2	Bee Gees	Tragedy
2	1	Blondie	Heart Of Glass
3	5	Elvis Costello	Oliver's Army
4	7	Gloria Gaynor	I Will Survive
5	3	Abba	Chiquitita
6	8	Edwin Starr	Contact
7	6	Leif Garrett	I Was Made For Dancing
8	28	Lene Lovich	Lucky Number
9	4	Three Degrees	Woman In Love
10	25	Darts	Get It
11	12	Gene Chandler	Get Down
12	13	Members	Sound Of The Suburbs
13	11	Rod Stewart	Ain't Love A Bitch
14	18	Real Thing	Can You Feel The Force
15	10	Dr. Feelgood	Milk And Alcohol
16	14	Judas Priest	Take On The World
17	15	Meat Loaf	Bat Out Of Hell
18	17	Generation X	King Rocker
19	9	Shadows	Don't Cry For Me Argentina
20	24	Skids	Into The Valley
21	16	Ian Dury And The Blockheads	Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
22	22	Nazareth	May The Sun Shine
23	NEW	Gary's Gang	Keep On Dancing
24	NEW	Sex Pistols	Something Else / Friggin' In The Riggin'
25	35	Chic	I Want Your Love
26	NEW	Boney M	Painter Man
27	26	Peaches And Herb	Shake Your Groove Thing
28	31	Queen	Don't Stop Me Now
29	37	Cars	Just What I Needed
30	23	Anne Murray	You Needed Me
31	NEW	Toto	Hold The Line
32	33	Dooleys	Honey I'm Lost
33	27	Herbie Hancock	You Bet Your Love
34	NEW	Pretenders	Stop Your Sobbing
35	36	Donna Summer	Heaven Knows
36	NEW	Dennis Brown	Money In My Pocket
37	NEW	Doobie Brothers	What A Fool Believes
38	29	Billy Joel	My Life
39	NEW	Clash	English Civil War
40	NEW	Violinski	Clog Dance

Just about everyone knows this one, and most seemed to be waiting for it's release. It sounded like a number one on first listen, and sure enough it spent two weeks there. The surprising thing is, the Bee Gees didn't hit the top ten again until October 1987.
Almost twenty years later, Steps took their cover of this song to number one.

This was Blondie's first ever number one in the UK, and by the end of the following year, they had achieved five chart toppers with a combined total of 12 weeks at the summit (this attained four of them). The amazing fact about this (at the time), was that it was the third single to be lifted from the 'Parallel Lines' album. They didn't stop there either, as a fourth single from the said album also hit the top a few months later.

This spent four weeks at number one. Gloria also reached number one in the States for a two week stay. This song is considered by many to be the best disco song ever, but I'm not convinced. I can count twelve better disco records that were on the chart when this entered, let alone what had come before and would follow. It's the intro for one thing, it spoils it.
Shortly afterwards 'Billie Jo Spears' just missed the top 40 with her country cover of the song, while Gloria was back with the number five peaking re-sicks in 1993. Three years after that two further covers of the song made the top 20 courtesy of 'Diana Ross' and 'Chantay Savage'.

"Chiquitita" was the highest new entry that Abba ever had. It entered the chart at number eight, but thankfully stalled at number two the following week. To most listeners this is just a nice inoffensive song by one of the best bands of all time. To me it's an awful piece of junk that was untypical of Abba. I've always thought of Abba as being over-rated, but most of their music was at least OK (despite the unneccesary accents). There are only two of their songs that I despise. This is obviously one of them, but the one I hate the most is the lyrically infantile "The Day Before You Came". Next record please !

This was Edwin Starr's first hit in eight years. "Contact" is one of the greatest songs of the disco era, and one that I suspect is also liked by many who didn't particularly like disco music. It reached number six, failing to match the number three peak of "War" from 1970, and has since been included on almost every disco compilation album to be released since. I lived near Edwin a couple of years ago.

The Three Degrees were enjoying a revival in their UK chart fortunes, and reached number three with their biggest hit in almost five years. It was actually their first single to make the top ten since "Take Good Care Of Yourself" climbed to number nine in April 1975. It was one of six singles on the Ariola label to be pressed on gold vinyl in January 1979

The first six months of 1979 saw disco music hit a peak in the UK charts. Not only was there so much of it in the top 40, there was a hell of a lot of it that didn't make it, but was still good anyway.
This was Gene's first hit since "Nothing Can Stop Me" had reached number 41 in 1968, and was one of the best 12 inches of the disco years. It's number 11 peak didn't do it justice.

The Members were also having their first hit, and this single that was available in clear vinyl peaked at number 12. They followed up with a minor hit a few months later and also released a half decent album titled 'At The Chelsea Nightclub'. At least I thought it sounded ok the only time I ever heard it, I didn't go out and buy it though.

Another single that I thought didn't do as well as I thought it should have. When it fell from 11 to 13, it was only the second single from Rod to peak outside the top ten since 1971. But he had to wait until November 1981 before he next ventured into the top ten. Indeed, his follow up to "Ain't Love A Bitch" which was the title track from his album "Blondes Have More Fun" was a cracker of a rocking track, with an equally cracking ballad called "The Best Days Of My Life" on the B.Side, not only failed to reach the top ten, but didn't even reach the top 40. It peaked at number 63.

Just when it looked as though the Real Thing were getting past their sell by date (the previous two singles had peaked at 39 + 40), they came up trumps with this classic hit. Full page advertisements to accompany the release of this single, 12 inch, and album didn't exactly do them any harm, and this single gave them a number five hit, their biggest since 1976. It re-appeared in the chart courtesy of a dreaded re-mix in 1986, when it reached number 24.

This was the very first hit for Judas Priest and it reached number 14. I remember seeing them on Top Of The Pops, and they seemed to have an image that said "Don't mess with us". They must have scared every Punk/New Wave band into hiding in the toilets. Vocalist Rob Halford would have no doubt found them first.

So in 1978, someone who called himself Meat Loaf had two minor hits that I didn't take a deal of notice of. Then on New Year's Eve (or rather the early hours of New Year's Day), my sister and I watched 'Old Grey Whistle Test Pick Of The Year' (as we usually did). And there was Meat Loaf performing "Paradise By The Dashboard Light", hurling abuse at this poor woman, screaming and shouting, they threw each other about the stage, we'd never seen anything like it.
Six weeks later this track entered the top 40 at number 35 so I sat up and took notice. What an epic (and I don't just mean the record label). It dropped to 37 the following week, but then surprisingly shot up to a peak of number 15. It didn't stay around too long, in fact two weeks after it's big climb, it was spending it's last week in the chart at number 21. But from then on, the album sold and sold. But it would be almost three years before Meat Loaf next appeared in the top 40.
"Bat Out Of Hell" finally became a top ten hit when it reached number eight in 1993.

This is when Billy Idol hit the top 20 for the first time as part of Generation X. It was their second top 40 hit, following the number 36 peaking "Your Generation" in 1977. They only managed one further top 40 hit coming very shortly after this one, before Generation X sank into oblivion. Lead vocalist Billy Idol is of course a different story.

Great with lyrics, great without. This song had already hit number one exactly two years to the week before this version peaked at number five, when recorded by Julie Covington. But it was now being given the Shadows instrumental treatment. It was the Shadows first hit since their Eurovision entry "Let Me Be The One" back in the spring of 1975. It was also their first instrumental hit for 12 years and the biggest hit for the band since "The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt" in 1964.

The Skids had finally got themselves a hit, and in reaching number Ten, it proved to be their biggest. The B Side was an odd thing titled "TV Stars" that consisted entirely of the names of TV Stars, mostly ones from Coronation Street such as Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock and Annie Walker. But does anyone know if "Into The Valley" really meant anything, or was it just total nonsense ?

Ian's second hit and it went all the way to number one. Many bought it for the B Side "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" but the A Side was the song that will always be remembered. Strange how Ian never really built on the success of this. It was nice to see him on the comback trail at Wollaton Park in May 1998. But the comeback was cut short by his death in early 2000.

There were early rumours that this single was Gary Glitter using an alias, but of course it wasn't. It was a disco track (what else ?) that you either loved or hated. I fit into the former category, especially where the 12 inch is concerned. It peaked at number eight. The follow up "Let's Lovedance Tonight" was also good, but too similar to this one.

The Sex Pistols seemed to be on a roll since Johnny Rotten's resignation from the band and Sid Vicious' death. "Something Else" with vocals by Sid went all the way to number three. It was backed by the X rated "Good Ship Venus" renamed "Friggin' In The Riggin". One thing that may have worried Sid had he still been with us, was that my Mum loved his version of "Something Else". She didn't like the other one though ;-)

This was Chic's highest charting UK hit and reached number four. Don't you just love those bells ?
I felt as though I got ripped off with this one though. I bought the 12 inch single and discovered that it was exactly the same length as the 7 inch. Great instrumental B Side called "Funny Bone" though.

I was ok about all that Boney M had done before this, in fact I even liked most of it (I know I probably shouldn't have, but there you go). But this was awful. It seemed as though they were deliberately trying to appeal to children,which would have been ok if that's what they had been doing all along, but they hadn't. They had built up something of a fan base who would have bought anything they released, so this was exploitation as far as I was concerned.
It was in fact a cover of a single by 'Creation' that had only got as high as number 36 in 1966. This version made number ten.

Peaches And Herb were having their UK chart debut with "Shake Your Groove Thing", and reached number 26. But they had already had 11 hits in the USA before this, the 11th being a cover of "The Sound Of Silence" in 1971. That line up had comprised of 'Herb Fame' and 'Francine Barker' (replaced by 'Marlene Mack' on three of the hits). In this late '70s line up, female vocals were supplied by 'Linda Green'.

Anne Murray only reached number 22 with this song, and then after falling, climbed back up to reach number 23, 4 weeks later. In all this slow burner spent 9 weeks on the 40. This had been her first top 40 hit since "Snowbird" in 1970, and the last one that she's had to date. Though she did release a good follow up to this called "I Just Fall In Love Again". This kind of song wasn't particularly fashionable then let alone now, but you can't keep a good song down. Boyzone covered it and spent a week at number one in May 1999, yet I wouldn't be surprised if they sold less copies than Anne in the UK (Anne hit number one in the US).

Toto were all ex-session musicians, and while it is widely known that they took their name from the dog in 'The Wizard Of Oz', what doesn't get mentioned is that the name also partly came from vocalist Bobby Kimball's real name 'Robert Toteaux'. This was their first single and had already gone to number five in the US before release over here. It reached number 14 in the UK, and it was to be four years before they hit the UK for a second time.

Dennis Brown has been one of the biggest Jamaican singers since the mid-70's. At the last count he'd recorded about 230 lps, the international sales of which would put most artists to shame. Poor old Dennis only had this one hit and peaked at number 14 with it. In the song he sang "Money in my pocket, cos I just can't find no love". At the time I wondered to myself if this song was quite what it seemed (I was at an impressionable age). Instead of him having the money because he had no woman to spend it for him, I wondered if he had the money with the intention of finding a lady of the night !

The Doobie's had reached number 29 with both of their previous hits, but this looked a surefire bet to put those performances to shame. But it didn't happen like that. It went to number 31 in it's second week and then fell. It did make number one in the US though, as did it's parent album "Minute By Minute".
A cover by Aretha Franklin failed to make the top 40 a year later, and in 1998 ex 'Go West' frontman 'Peter Cox' made number 39 with it.

A low new entry position for Billy at number 40, but so what, this was 1978 not 1998. Three weeks later Billy had matched the number 36 peak of his previous single ("Movin' Out") and fallen to number 38. But he then started moving up again and peaked at number 12 in his ninth week of a 12 week run. Of course the Americans have always had much better taste where Billy Joel is concerned, and it hit number three over there.

The Clash were following up their first top twenty hit with a song based on the traditional song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Come to think of it, I'm not really sure that they added anything to the original apart from the obvious anger, but they did OK anyway. It only reached number 25 but stayed for six weeks.

The fourth single to be taken from the "Double Vision" album, the best of which had been the number 39 peaking "Feels Like The First Time". This one was issued as a blue vinyl disc, but as just about everything was issued as a coloured vinyl or odd shaped disc at that time, it would have been more of a novelty had it been released only as an ordinary black vinyl 7 inch single. It reached number 45.

Disclaimer All comments concerning the quality of the songs in this and any other chart, are purely my opinion and not a statement of fact. I believe that we are all equal when it comes to deciding what makes a good song. I do not believe that good songs have to be serious or dull. I am of the opinion that if a single sells many copies, then many people like it, so it must be good whether I like it or not. Good music is everything YOU like, and it's also everything I like.

Email: nige@innotts.co.uk
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