REMEMBER WHEN - 25TH APRIL 1981

1981
Week 17
WEEK ENDING 25TH APRIL 1981
TOP 40 SINGLES

TW	LW
1	1	Bucks Fizz	Making Your Mind Up
2	4	Ennio Morricone	Chi Mai
3	2	Shakin' Stevens	This Ole House
4	7	Sugar Minott	Good Thing Going
5	3	Stevie Wonder	Lately
6	5	Landscape	Einstein A Go-Go
7	8	Jacksons	Can You Feel It
8	6	Graham Bonnet	Night Games
9	9	Whispers	It's A Love Thing
10	14	Nolans	Attention To Me
11	10	Linx	Intuition
12	19	Saxon	And The Bands Played On
13	15	Bad Manners	Just A Feeling
14	11	Kim Wilde	Kids In America
15	18	Spandau Ballet	Musclebound / Glow
16	12	Hazel O'Connor	D-Days
17	NEW	Starsound	Stars On 45
18	20	Gillan	New Orleans
19	13	Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone	What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
20	NEW	Madness	Grey Day
21	25	Keith Marshall	Only Crying
22	28	Eddy Grant	Can't Get Enough Of You
23	26	Barry Manilow	Bermuda Triangle
24	17	Tony Capstick And The Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band	Capstick Comes Home / The Sheffield Grinder
25	29	Whitesnake	Don't Break My Heart Again
26	24	Public Image Limited	Flowers Of Romance
27	16	Toyah	Four From Toyah (EP)
28	NEW	Beat	Drowning / All Out To Get You
29	39	Quincy Jones	Ai No Corrida
30	40	Department S	Is Vic There
31	22	Coast To Coast	(Do) The Hucklebuck
32	21	Visage	Mind Of A Toy
33	32	Shalamar	Make That Move
34	30	John Lennon	Watching the Wheels
35	33	Girlschool	Hit And Run
36	NEW	Gap Band	Humpin'
37	37	Echo And The Bunnymen	Crocodiles
38	31	Adam And The Ants	Kings Of The Wild Frontier
39	NEW	Reo Speedwagon	Keep On Loving You
40	23	Duran Duran	Planet Earth

Bucks Fizz

Making Your Mind Up

The Eurovision winner of that year Bucks Fizz, spent three weeks at the top. They were formed especially for the Eurovision song contest, but continued to chart for seven years. Cheryl Baker said in a late '90s interview that having been with Euro hopefuls Coco in 1978, she had given up the music biz and gone back to being a secretary (I think), but then came out of retirement for one last crack. She said that if they had not won the contest, the band would have immediately split. She also said that she hadn't seen former member Jay Aston for many years, and doesn't care ! In my opinion Bucks Fizz were treated very unfairly by the music fascists. They had some brilliant catchy tunes. And so what if they couldn't play instruments, I could name quite a few 'music fascist approved' acts who can't sing (see UK newsgroups circa 1997), and unfortunately do not take the wise option of recruiting session singers *lol*
Anyway, Bobby Gee is the only original member still with the group, I saw them perform at the 'What A Weekend' festival in Wollaton Park, here in Nottingham in May 1998.

Ennio Morricone

Chi Mai (Theme From The Life And Times Of Lloyd George)

This beautiful instrumental from the man who gave us the music in all the best spaghetti westerns, was a hit largely due to it being used as the title music for a TV series named 'The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George'. It reached number two.

Shakin' Stevens

This Ole House

I was never over keen on Shaky, though most of his singles seem much better now than they did at the time. I suppose he did what he did very well, but I didn't like what he did (if you get my drift). I hated this one with a passion, so naturally it became his first major hit and spent three weeks at number one.

Sugar Minott

Good Thing Going

"Good Thing Going" had previously been recorded by Michael Jackson and released on his 1972 album "Ben", and would turn up on the b side of Michael's next single. This reggae version grated after a while and reached number four.

Stevie Wonder

Lately

A third single from the wonderful "Hotter Than July" album, and the second of three top three hits from it. This spent two weeks at number three and spent ten weeks in the top 40.
There was also a reggae cover of this out at this time by Rudy Grant. It only reached number 58, but this was still better than his cover of "Space Oddity" which didn't chart at all.

Landscape

Einstein A Go-Go

Landscape had been around for a while before this first hit. Their first single "U2XME1X2MUCH" had been released in February 1978, and had been followed by an album and four other singles before they finally achieved this hit. One of those singles "The Electronic Bride" needed a guitar, but none of the band could play one. So they improvised with an electric trombone, and it made a damn good guitar.
This single was taken from the album "From The Tearooms Of Mars To The Hellholes Of Uranus", the first album where a member of Landscape actually sang. Richard Burgess was chosen to handle the vocals as he was the only one with any experience.
This single began with a recording of phone calls they made trying to get in touch with the then US president "Ronald Reagan". It was the biggest of their two hit singles and reached number five.
Thanks to Peter Bibbs for most of the Landscape history.

Jacksons

Can You Feel It

This was a very slow climber, taking nine weeks to reach number six, and totalling 13 weeks in the chart. If the video had been completed in time for the chart run, it may have reached number one, but it wasn't shown on British TV until well after the single's demise. Such a shame that the 1998 bastardisation of the song peaked higher in the chart than the original, number one actually.

Graham Bonnet

Night Games

Having led Rainbow on the magnificant "Down To Earth" album before being sacked by Ritchie Blackmore, it was now time for Graham to make another Rainbow single, but without his former band mates. This was better than anything Rainbow did without him, and peaked at number six.
I always wondered about the line "He takes his pleasure in strange ways". I wondered if he was referring to someone who was maybe a bit of a perv, or was it someone who spends a lot of time in Strangeways prison ?
BTW - This song was available as a free flexi single with the magazine 'Flexipop' at the same time as it's release.

Whispers

It's A Love Thing

Almost as good as 1980's "As The Beat Goes On", but it fell seven places short of the number two peak enjoyed by their biggest hit. That was almost it for the Whispers. All they managed afterwards was a brief top 40 appearance in 1987 with "Rock Steady".

Nolans

Attention To Me

A year on from their big breakthrough and a fifth top 12 hit. This was the last to make the top ten though and it made hard work of getting there. It peaked at number nine in it's eighth chart week. It only stayed in the chart for a further two weeks after that.

Linx

Intuition

Hopelessly catchy single that seemed a world away from their debut "You're Lying", entertaining video too. It was their highest charting single in reaching number 7, and while they had their moments after this, they never matched it.

Saxon

And The Bands Played On

Another great single from Saxon. This one was a tribute to the Castle Donnington Monsters Of Rock Festival, and their biggest hit, reaching number 12.

Bad Manners

Just A Feeling

Boring single from Bad Manners. It reached number 13.

Kim Wilde

Kids In America

Most people of my age would not have known of the existence of Kim's father 'Marty Wilde'. I did because my Mum had been a fan of his and had even seen im perform live a couple of times. She had three of his singles "Donna", "Sea Of Love" and his unbeatable version of "Endless Sleep". Marty's son "Ricky" attempted to make it as a singer in the mid '70s, but had failed miserably. So he turned his talents to helping his father write songs for his younger sister "Kim" (Actually, I can think of quite a few talented songwriters who ought to follow his example and give their songs to someone who can actually sing. But people seem to tolerate this, even if they are just looking ).

And so Kim just seemed to explode onto the chart and seemed to be a permanent resident in the chart for well over a year. Naturally, when we all saw what she looked like, we either loved or hated her. The women hated her (at least to begin with) and many wrote angry letters to the Record Mirror letters page. One such letter sticks in my mind as the nasty wench in question wrote "I bet she's never even been to America". As it turned out she was right, as Kim recently revealed in a TV interview. But what did that matter anyway, I bet Midge Ure had never been to Vienna ?
Kim spent two weeks at number two with this and followed it with a further 16 top 40 hits before the decade ended, more than any other British female soloist in the eighties. She is now apparently a gardener, just as I was when she first hit big.

Spandau Ballet

Musclebound / Glow

"Musclebound" was nothing special, but "Glow" wasn't a bad song at all. This third hit in less than five months took them into the top ten for a second time when it peaked at ten.

Hazel O'Connor

D-Days

Not a terribly good single from Hazel. It reached number ten.

Starsound

Stars On 45

One weeks at number two and four weeks at number three for this medley of Beatles songs sang by session musicians under the guidance of Dutch producer 'Jaap Eggermont'. This all started when a bootleg 12 inch titled "Bits And Pieces" began circulating through the discos of Europe. "Bits And Pieces" was one of the earliest examples of what we call sampling today. The said Beatles songs, along with a snatch of "Last Train To London" by ELO, plus "Boogie Nights", "Funkytown", "Video Killed The Radio Star" and a few others were all put together in a medley and aided by a drum machine. Just for extra effect a song about smoking 'marijuana' was stuck on the end. Of course, sampling was illegal in those days (should be now too, judging by the current music scene), so Jaap had a brainwave, recorded most of it with session musicians and a new craze was born. Incidentally, the first time I ever visited a record fair was when I discovered one by accident in Liverpool, December 1983. While there, I picked up the original bootleg 12inch for just 30p, and yes, it's better than the Starsound version. Having said that, I did buy all of the Starsound 12 inch singles and two of the albums.

Gillan

New Orleans

Tragic rock cover of a classic rock 'n' roll song. It took six weeks to reach number 17.

Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone

What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted

This was Colin Blunstone's first appearance in the top 40 since 1972, and only his second ever inside the top 30 (with his name on the record). In reaching number 13, it also became his highest charting single.
Dave Stewart was a man with a synthesiser who liked to revamp old songs, and it worked a couple of times including this time.

Madness

Grey Day

Madness were having their eighth hit since September 1979. "Grey Day" wasn't as nutty as previous efforts and reached number four.

Keith Marshall

Only Crying

Keith Marshall reached number 12 and spent nine weeks in the top 40 with this. Many think "Only Crying" was Keiths only hit, but they'd be slightly wrong. Keith was formerly the lead vocalist with Glam Rock band 'Hello', and had two top ten hits in the mid 70's with "Tell Him" & "New York Groove".

Eddy Grant

Can't Get Enough Of You

Eddy Grant was having his third solo hit with the number 13 peaking "Can't Get Enough Of You". This was the second of three consecutive top 40 hits for Eddy, the only time that he ever managed a hat trick.

Barry Manilow

Bermuda Triangle

A potentially good song that is spoilt by some extremely dodgy lyrics (Gotta see it from my angle, Bermuda Triangle ! ). Very catchy all the same. It reached number 15.

Tony Capstick And The Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band

Capstick Comes Home / The Sheffield Grinder

The first time that I ever heard this was while travelling on the Barton's bus between Chester and Nottingham. I was with my friend Trevor Pugh and we were on our way to my Mother's in Mansfield. Upon arriving at Nottingham's Victoria Centre (I now live five minutes from there), we had to catch another bus to Mansfield. I was eager for Trev to hear the local accent as it amused me. He had known my Mum for many years, but during the course of the twenty years she'd spent as an 'English Outsider' in North Wales, she had lost much of her accent. So I couldn't wait to see his reaction to being called "Duck" or "Duckie" by a bloke, as in "Ay Up Me Duck". As we sat down on the Mansfield bus, I quietly said to Trev "Listen to this", then asked a man sitting a few seats back if he knew what time the bus left. He gave his reply in very broken English, I think that he was Russian, Polish or something like that. So the duck had to wait.
Back to Capstick, and neither of were quite sure what we were listening to that afternoon. It was someone telling a story about walking forty odd miles home from work after working a 72 hour shift, not being impressed by the brown bread and butter being offered, grabbing his wife by the throat as he called her a "Parrot faced wassack" before throwing her on the fire, and then talking about the old days when you could buy out your local Harrods for a farthing. It went as high as number three, but only remained in the top 40 for five weeks.
Yes it was funny at the time, and my memory of it told me that I liked it then, but wouldn't now. So I had a listen to it, and surprisingly, it still is amusing. So if anyone wants it, I've made an MP3 of it.

Whitesnake

Don't Break My Heart Again

Quite a good track, but maybe not as different to "Fool For Your Loving" as it should have been. I saw Whitesnake live at Deeside Leisure Centre while this was charting. I wasn't really that sure I wanted to see them, but Paul Evans (not the one who sang about telephone answering machines) persuaded me to go. They were good, even the songs that I'd not heard before sounded good. I still have the ticket stub and two T shirts I bought that night. I doubt that the T shirts would fit me now, the stub might though.
It reached number 17.

Public Image Limited

Flowers Of Romance

Doing something different is often considered a really good thing to do if you're in the music business. Unfortunately, just because something is different doesn't always mean that it isn't crap. Get all of your Black Lace, Joe Dolce, school choirs, Red Sovine, even Mr Blobby records, put them on a crapometer scale. Put this on the other side and it will drop with a thud. No, this three minutes or so of wailing wasn't very good at all.
It reached number 24, but did provide a few minutes amusement on one occasion. This was when my Grandad came to tea one Sunday and I switched on the top 40. When this was played, he stared at the radio in disbelief all the way through it.

Toyah

Four From Toyah (EP)

She'd had a number one in the Indie chart with "Sheep Farming In Barnet", and it was now time for Toyah to appeal to the majority, have a few hits, well ok, make some money. The lead track from this "It's A Mystery" is the one that most associate Toyah with. It was her biggest ever hit, reaching number four and spending ten weeks in the top 40.

Beat

Drowning / All Out To Get You

The Beat reached number 22 with this double A side, their sixth hit in 18 months. I liked the Beat a lot and "All Out To Get You" was typical of the band at their best, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with "Drowning".

Quincy Jones

Ai No Corrida

Quincy Jones, fresh from producing Michael Jackson's major breakthrough album, 'Off The Wall' had recorded an album of his own. The first hit single from "The Dude" was "Ai No Corrida" and featured 'Dune' on vocals. It was a good poppy disco track, peaked at number 14 and was the first song with a Japanese title to chart since Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" 18 years earlier.

Department S

Is Vic There

I bought this single quite a while before it charted, and even though the record books list the hit single as a 'Demon Records' release, I've a feeling that it was the 'Stiff Records' re-issue that actually charted, but don't quote me on that. It reached number 22 and had a decent cover of "Solid Gold Easy Action" on the flip. I presume that they took their name from the popular TV show of the 70's.

Coast To Coast

(Do) The Hucklebuck

I hated this and was so disappointed when it leapt from 39 to number 14. But my fears of it getting to number one were forgotten a couple of weeks later when it stalled at number five.

Visage

Mind Of A Toy

It wasn't "Fade To Grey", but still had quite a pleasant sound to it. It should have been used in the computer games "Seventh Guest" or "Eleventh Hour", it would have fitted in nicely. It reached number 13.

Shalamar

Make That Move

Slightly better than average disco track, but slightly below average for Shalamar. I remember that it was naturally played a lot in discos, but only reached number 30.

John Lennon

Watching The Wheels

This was the best track on the 'Double Fantasy' album for me. It was John telling us what he'd been doing during his five years away from the limelight. I was disappointed that it only reached number 30.

Girlschool

Hit And Run

Girlschool had done a good cover of "Race With the Devil" and collaborated with Motorhead on the top five hit "Please Don't Touch". But this was the only time they ever hit the top 40 in their own right. It wasn't much to get excited about and only made number 32.

Gap Band

Humpin'

This was the closest in sound they ever got to repeating "Oops Upside Your Head". It didn't repeat it's chart success though and spent just two weeks in the 40, both at number 36.

Echo And The Bunnymen

Crocodiles

The first top 40 hit for the Bunnymen, and it passed by largely unnoticed with two weeks at number 37. A couple of years later this could have been much bigger.

Adam And The Ants

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

I don't think that this deserved to reach number two. It was hard to spot a melody in there, never mind work out what the hell he was on about. Should have given it to Bow Wow Wow

Reo Speedwagon

Keep On Loving You

Reo Speedwagon peaked at number seven with this, their only top ten hit. "Keep On Loving You" was taken from the huge album "Hi Infidelity" which spent something like 15 weeks on top of the US album chart. Something that always springs to mind when I hear the name 'REO Speedwagon' is something that a UK DJ/TV presenter named Richard Skinner said when going through a chart rundown on 'Whistle Test' in 1985. He said, "REO Speedwagon, the most exciting thing about them is their name".

Duran Duran

Planet Earth

Who would have believed that two years and two weeks after this made it's debut, Duran Duran would be entering the chart at number one ?
When this was charting, it was considered ok to like Duran Duran and they even appeared on 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'. It peaked at number 12 and twenty years later they were still around.

These songs were in the top 50 this week, but failed to reach the top 40.

UK Subs

Keep On Running (Till You Burn)

This was the last time that the Subs got anywhere near the chart (it peaked at number 41). Great title, but I don't recall ever hearing it.

Elvis Presley

Loving Arms

This is the track that Beautiful South covered on their "Perfect 10" single. It's a lovely song that should have been a much bigger hit than the number 47 peak it achieved.

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.

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Email: nige@innotts.co.uk

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