1983
Week 2
WEEK ENDING 8TH JANUARY 1983

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW ..... LW ......   ......  
1   1   Renee And Renato   Save Your Love
2   6   Phil Collins   You Can't Hurry Love
3   7   David Essex   A Winter's Tale
4   8   Modern Romance   Best Years Of Our Lives
5   5   Madness   Our House
6   4   Culture Club   Time (Clock Of The Heart)
7   2   Shakin' Stevens   The Shakin' Stevens EP
8   33   Keith Harris   Orville's Song
9   3   David Bowie & Bing Crosby   Peace On Earth - Little Drummer Boy
10   14   Dionne Warwick   All The Love In The World
11   18   Malcolm McLaren And The World Famous Supreme Team   Buffalo Gals
12   16   Ultravox   Hymn
13   20   Bucks Fizz   If You Can't Stand The Heat
14   13   Wham   Young Guns (Go For It)
15   10   Jam   Beat Surrender
16   28   Incantation   Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Daesi)
17   9   Lionel Richie   Truly
18   11   Cliff Richard   Little Town
19   15   Shalamar   Friends
20   12   Human League   Mirror Man
21   17   Dexy's Midnight Runners   Let's Get This Straight (From The Start) / OId
22   23   Donna Summer   I Feel Love
23   21   Duran Duran   Rio
24   34   John Williams   Theme From E.T.
25   24   A Flock Of Seagulls   Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
26   26   Abba   Under Attack
27   22   Blancmange   Living On The Ceiling
28   25   Yazoo   The Other Side Of Love
29   39   Maisonettes   Heartache Avenue
30   19   Santa Claus And The Christmas Trees   Singalong-A-Santa
31   29   Kid Creole & The Coconuts   Dear Addy
32   38   Musical Youth   Youth Of Today
33   30   Eddy Grant   I Don't Wanna Dance
34   NEW   Wah   The Story Of The Blues
35   32   Kool And The Gang   Hi De Hi-Hi De Ho
36   27   Soft Cell   Where The Heart Is
37   37   Marvin Gaye   Sexual Healing
38   NEW   Men At Work   Down Under
39   NEW   Imagination   Changes
40   NEW   Stranglers   European Female


1   Renee And Renato   Save Your Love
The favourites for the Christmas number one this year included 'The Jam', 'Culture Club', 'David Bowie and Bing Crosby', 'Madness', 'Human League', while the red hot favourite was 'Shakin' Stevens'. But like so many other years, a completely unknown act came along with what is usually described as a 'novelty record' and took the honours. In this particular year it was 'Renee And Renato' who managed a four week stay at the top, and although it seemed irritating for a while, it was a really good song that could have been a hit in any decade. Describing it as a 'novelty hit' probably isn't a fair description as it was just the type of song that would have topped the chart before 'Rock And Roll' kicked in. They followed it with "Just One More Kiss" the following February but just failed to secure a second hit. They were never heard of again.


2   Phil Collins   You Can't Hurry Love
This cover of the Supremes hit surprisingly gave Phil the first number one single of his career. But rarely have four words rang more true than the four that make up the title of this song.
I was going out with (dating) Sue when she bought this. I'd first met Sue at the Legion Disco in November. She was the sister of Richard, who was the boyfriend of a girl from the village named Marcia. Sue was short, shy, very pretty, but never wore a skirt. I like women to look feminine, so she wasn't really my type. But I thought that she was really sweet, and liked her a lot. I'd sat and chatted to her and even indirectly asked her out when I had more than a little Dutch courage, but she'd declined, something to do with my hair being too long. So I thought that was that. Somehow on Christmas Eve, I'd found myself leaving the Legion Disco at the same time as Richard, Marcia and Sue. Marcia suggested going to church for midnight mass. It isn't something I would normally do, but I thought "Why Not ?"
I remember the church being packed with people, but not much more about it, except that we didn't stay long. After that the four of us walked down the road towards home. I decided to walk their way down Albert Grove and on to Stanley Grove where Marcia lived (Richard and Sue were staying there for the night). Somehow, Sue and myself ended up linking arms, just messing about really. But we were walking much slower than the other two and soon fell behind. We were laughing and joking as we got to Marcia's gate and I felt a little sad that the night was over. I said to Sue "I'll see you again sometime then, Merry Christmas". I didn't expect what happened next (remember I said that she was shy). She leaned forward and kissed me. A little shocked, I responded and we snogged for a few minutes. I then asked her if that meant we could start seeing each other, she replied "Yes, if you want to". So that was how it started. It was another significant moment, maybe THE most significant moment in my life. It diverted me from which ever road I was taking in life. Things were never the same after this. She lifted me out of the doldrums, made me happier than I'd ever been in my life, but I was left at my lowest ebb when it was over.


3   David Essex   A Winter's Tale
This often appears on Christmas compilations, but I've never regarded it as a Christmas song. For a start, it didn't peak at number two until the middle of January. And another thing is that it reminds me of my relationship with Sue, that really was "A "Winter's Tale".


4   Modern Romance   Best Years Of Our Lives
This moved slowly up the chart, but it ultimately become their biggest hit. An alternative version complete with a Christmas feeling helped it to peak at number four in it's eighth week on the chart. Yet another different version appeared on their 1983 album 'Trick Of The Light'.


5   Madness   Our House
This single spent four weeks at number five and I must admit that the first time I heard it, I thought that it was the 'Jam'. It may seem unbelievable to you, but I thought that Suggs' vocals on certain parts of this did sound remarkably similar to Paul Weller's. As mentioned earlier, Tommy Vance was the host of the Top 40 show at that time (I would say the last truly great host, but Bruno wasn't too bad). Every so often Tommy would play a 12 inch version that he considered worthwhile, that is if it added something different to the song. He did such a thing to this particular song. The beginning of it contained a montage of Madness songs, rather like small 'samples'. It was enough to make me go out and buy it.


6   Culture Club   Time (Clock Of The Heart)
And I thought that this classy follow up to "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" sounded like a Shalamar track. It looked set to repeat the success of it's predecessor when it climbed from number 34 to number nine, but instead had to settle for a week at number three.


7   Shakin' Stevens   The Shakin' Stevens E.P.
The lead track on this was Shaky's version of "Blue Christmas", I didn't like it at all. It spent two weeks at number two over Christmas.


8   Keith Harris & Orville   Orville's Song
Too late to be a big Christmas hit, we had surely been saved. But alas no, this Bobby Crush written ditty shot up the chart in the new year and peaked at number four. For those of you lucky enough not to know anything about Orville, let me explain. Orville is a green duck wearing a nappy (diaper). I hate him. Keith Harris' other famous puppet Cuddles the monkey also hates him.
Many years later in the late Summer of 1995, I met Keith Harris. I was in the Blackpool nightclub at a special function where many celebrities were in attendance. Those twins from Neighbours were there (very nice they were too), Joe Pasquale, Les Dennis, Su Pollard, quite a few actually. Alex Higgins literally bumped into me and we chatted with him for a long time, great character, even let us take photos. Keith had done a bit of his act on the stage with Orville, but it was different than usual as he made the duck say things that he wouldn't normally say (and wouldn't be allowed to on kids TV). I eventually got to speak with Keith and we chatted for quite a while. He was quite an interesting person and once more I had my photo taken that night. But when he asked me what I thought about Orville's performance that night, I replied, "I like your monkey, but I can't stand that duck". I wasn't being serious (well, not much), but I don't think that he was very pleased. He went off to find someone else to talk to.


9   David Bowie & Bing Crosby   Peace On Earth - Little Drummer Boy
This was one of the strangest pairings that we're ever likely to see. Apparently, David had at one time been suggested for the lead part in a film about Frank Sinatra's life. But Frank had retorted with "I'm having no weirdo playing me". It seemed that Bing didn't share his friend's opinion of David and invited him to guest on his 1977 Christmas TV show. This song was performed on that show, recorded just a few weeks before Bing's death, and had now belatedly been released as a single. It climbed to number three in Christmas week and holds the dubious honour of having one of the biggest tumbles out of the chart in history. It spent it's last week in the chart at number nine before vanishing completely.


10   Dionne Warwick   All The Love In The World
Another track from the Gibb produced "Heartbreaker" album, and I preferred this to the title track. It peaked at number ten in January.


11   Malcolm McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team   Buffalo Gals
The first solo (ish) hit from Malcolm introduced us to scratching. Well, at least it did as far as chart hits are concerned (Grandmaster Flash had been having his adventures on the wheels of steel a full year previous). After slowly climbing for a few weeks, it finally peaked at number nine in it's seventh week. The B.side featured a bizarre square dance version of the song.


12   Ultravox   Hymn
Another brilliant single with an equally brilliant over the top video from Ultravox. They were now in a stage of their career where all of their singles were peaking in the bottom half of the top twenty. "Hymn" was no exception and would wait until the middle of January before peaking at number eleven on it's eighth week in the 40. It was the second single to be taken from the 'Quartet' album.


13   Bucks Fizz   If You Can't Stand The Heat
The seventh consecutive top twenty hit for Bucks Fizz would also become their fifth top ten hit when it reached number ten. As usual it was great commercial pop, which is what it's all about really. Acts appealing to a wide range of people of varying ages (Beatles, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross etc.) are without a doubt the most successful ones when it really comes down to the hard facts.


14   Wham   Young Guns (Go For It)
The first hit for Wham contained lyrics that seemed to be preaching the direct opposite to the 'monogamy' attitude that George Michael would later adopt. Whatever anyone's feelings on that, it was still a catchy song and gave them a deserved number three hit.


15   Jam   Beat Surrender
Just as this single was about to be released, The Jam announced that they were splitting and it would be the last single. It immediately became their fourth number one single, and the third to enter at the top. This was no mean feat, as in 30 years of singles charts this was only the twelfth single to go straight in at the top, and they now shared the record of three instant number ones with Slade. I found the actual song "Beat Surrender" something of a disappointment, especially after the classic "Bitterest Pill" single from just two months previous. But it was also released as a double single featuring a total of five tracks, and while their cover of "War" left a lot to be desired, their version of the 'Curtis Mayfield' classic "Move On Up" was Paul Weller performing at his best.


16   Incantation   Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Daesi)
I don't care what they were catching, I hated it and it seemed to be around for much longer than the eight weeks it actually did spend in the chart. It peaked at number 12, and I believe that "Andes Pumpsa Daesi" means "Music Of The Andes". What I find odd is that the band were British, I thought they were from Peru or somewhere like that.


17   Lionel Richie   Truly
This was Lionel's first solo single after eight years of intermittent success with the 'Commodores'. It was to launch him on a highly successful solo career that continues to this day. It was looking an outside bet for a future number one at one point, but it spent three weeks at number six before falling down the chart.


18   Cliff Richard   Little Town
It reached number eleven.
It was of course Cliff's version of the Christmas Carol "Little Town Of Bethlehem". I don't know how many people reading this would also admit to this, but I used to love Christmas Carols. Not only that, but this used to be my favourite one of all. Back in the days of the primary school (before I became a music fanatic), we used to have a Carol service every year, and took the short walk from school to the church at the end of the street. This involved passing my house and being embarrassed about my Mum waving to me through the window. But at that age, it used to be an essential part of the whole Christmas experience. A few days afterwards would of course be Christmas Eve, and it always seemed to be snowing after I'd had a bath in the afternoon.


19   Shalamar   Friends
Rounding off an excellent year with the fourth single to be taken from the 'Friends' album. It didn't match the top ten runs of the previous three hits, but still managed an impressive number 12 placing. Sad how so many third rate dance acts now hit the upper reaches of the chart while the likes of Shalamar, Odyssey etc. have just faded away.


20   Human League   Mirror Man
The Human League have always seemed like lazy sods to me. In the first week of December the previous year "Don't You Want Me" had entered the chart at number nine and moved to the top the following week, eventually becoming a world-wide hit. They had taken a full year to follow it with this number two peaking single, and there still wouldn't be a new album for another 18 months. Although they had one more number two single in 1983, their absence killed off their potential to become the biggest band of the decade (something that had looked a possibility at the beginning of '82).


21   Dexy's Midnight Runners   Let's Get This Straight From The Start
Dexy's had a great 1982. "Come On Eileen" was the biggest selling single of the year after spending four weeks at number one and "Jackie Wilson Said" had also made the top five. While "Old" had been taken from the successful 'Too-Rye-Ay' album, "Let's Get This Straight From the Start" was a brand new track and better than most of the tracks on the said album. After debuting at number 35, it shot up to number 18 only to stand still the following week and then rose just one more place to 17.


22   Donna Summer   I Feel Love
Five years after spending four weeks at number one, this was remixed and extended to 15 minutes by Patrick Crowley. It was a job well done and is one of my favourite 12 inch singles ever. It eventually reached number 21 and spent eight weeks in the top forty.


23   Duran Duran   Rio
The final single from Duran Duran's best ever album could only reach just inside the top ten peaking at number nine. Considering the success of it's parent album, it's hardly surprising that the title track didn't repeat the success of the previous two singles. No matter what the chart positions tell us, this single was still one of the stand out tracks of the decade.


24   John Williams   Theme From E.T.
Didn't like it much. When played on the top 40 countdown, it was time to go and put the kettle on. It reached number 16.
As for the film, there was all that business about pirate videos doing the rounds a couple of months before it came out. It didn't exactly harm business though, everyone seemed to want to see it after that hit the media. I wasn't that bothered myself, but I do have a little story loosley connected to it.
When I woke on Christmas Day, I felt a little sore from my beating of the previous evening. Then I remembered that Sue was now my girlfriend and felt pleased with myself. I didn't have her phone number, neither did I know where she lived (except that it was somewhere up in the mountains near Minera), but I knew that wouldn't be a problem as I could contact her through her brother Richard and his girlfriend Marcia. And that's what I did and through them we arranged to meet on New Year's Eve. So after spending most of the week between Xmas & New Year in the pubs, hanging around with my good friend Claire and explaining to my Dad about the broken window, the night finally came.
I was really nervous waiting in the Legion, but finally Sue walked through the door with R & M. After one drink in there, we went along to the Community Centre. Richard & Marcia had tickets for a New Year's disco in there, we were going to try and get in too. We failed, so bid our goodnights to R & M and walked back towards the Legion. I asked her if she'd like to go into the Vaults, she said ok, so we went in there and had one. After that we walked down to 'The Great Western Inn' commonly known as 'The Nant'. That was ok and we spent the rest of the evening in there. I can't remember what we talked about, but I do remember her telling me that her favourite singer was Shaky, it didn't put me off her though. We left about 1:30am and I walked her back to Marcia's house where she was staying the night.
When we arrived, she asked if I wanted to come in for a while, so I did. Marcia and Richard were already in bed, as were Marcia's parents. So we went into the living room, sat down and smooched. We must have been there together for near an hour and during the course of that time, I did ask at one point if she'd like to go and see E.T. (see, I said there was a connection). She said OK (she seemed very agreeable on everything). I also remember that I fell asleep for probably less than a minute, I just felt so comfortable and relaxed with her. I remember her cute voice saying "You're not falling asleep are you ?". I replied "No, not quite".
But, I left soon after that. As I was leaving, I asked when could I see her again (expecting the reply to be next weekend or something like that). I was pleasantly surprised when she said "Tomorrow if you like, come to my house". So that's what I did, and we saw each other everyday after that until March 4th. This story continues with the commentary for U2's "New Year's Day" (entry date - 1983 week 4 22nd January).


25   A Flock Of Seagulls   Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
Some great singles had already been released by the Seagulls with very limited success. The major hit finally came with this brilliant track. It peaked at number ten and suggested that it was just the beginning of a long hitmaking career. It wasn't to be though as neither of their following two singles could climb higher than number 38. They did make it to number 26 in the summer of '84, but that was as good as it got for them after this hit, although they are still together and toured the US in the late Nineties.


26   Abba   Under Attack
I wasn't that keen on this one at the time, but now, I don't find it too bad at all, and it was certainly a massive improvement on their previous single "The Day Before You Came". It was the last brand new song to be released by Abba, and had that been known at the time, it may have been a bigger hit. But as things stood, it was the third successive Abba single to peak outside of the top Twenty as four of it's five chart weeks were spent at number 26. Had they continued to record, indications are that they would have stopped charting at all within a year or so. Sad when that happens isn't it ?


27   Blancmange   Living On The Ceiling
On hearing this, I thought "What an amazing single !". After a couple of near misses, Blancmange finally had their first hit and they spent three weeks at number seven. I still think it's a great single now, but my reasons for thinking it was so amazing back then were not good ones. I'd started smoking anything offered to me back in 1980 because 'someone else was doing it, so it seemed a clever thing to do'. After my Grandad dying and then 'Tommy', I turned to harder things and was experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs (Magic Mushrooms in particular). I thought it was fantastic because I didn't have any bad trips on whatever substance I took, and this single just seemed to tie in with the whole experience. I began reading books about drugs such as Timothy Leary's "Politics Of Ecstacy", I wanted to try everything, I would have even taken Heroin had someone offered it to me. I even had a bag of magic mushrooms confiscated by the police officer who'd broken the news to me about my Grandad's death. I ought to have been ashamed of myself. And that's what smoking a little 'weed' now and then led to.
For those that don't know, Magic Mushrooms go out of season when the frost arrives. They were said to be non-addictive, but I craved them. I wanted to go back into happy mushroom land, but I couldn't. That's when depression started to kick in.


28   Yazoo   The Other Side Of Love
The third hit of the year for Yazoo didn't repeat the top three success of the previous two, but still reached a creditable number 13. It was the last up-tempo track released as a single by Yazoo before they split the following year after a very short time together.


29   Maisonettes   Heartache Avenue
This band sort of evolved from City Boy (remember "5705" & "What A Night" ?). The singer 'Lol Mason' had a brother (twin I think), acting in the soap Crossroads at the time. The song was a very pleasant one with a sixties feel to it and it spent a couple of weeks at number seven. Nice follow up "Where I Stand" too, but that failed to chart.


30   Santa Claus & The Christmas Trees   Singalong-A-Santa
I'm usually a sucker for Christmas singles, and could be considered something of a collector. But I didn't bother with this one. My memory's a little foggy on it, but I think it was a medley of traditional Christmas songs, and the whole thing sounded a mess. It reached number 29 though.
While we're on the subject, I do love Christmas, but I seem to have gone though quite a few bad times at that time of year. Take 1982, for the third Christmas in succession my Dad was going to my Mum's for Christmas (I don't know why they just didn't get back together and be done with it). I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay home and go to the pub with my mates. But after my behavior of the previous two years, my Dad wouldn't let me stay in the house on my own. So he arranged for me to stay at the home of one of his friends, yeah right !
So Christmas Eve came, I showed my face in work before spending the afternoon on the town with all the lads from the Parks Department. We all ended up in a pub with the strange name of "Piggly Wiggy", where a big bloke named "Dewi" pinned me up against the wall and said "You're coming to my house for your Christmas Dinner, I'll pick you up near the railway bridge at 12 O'Clock". Nice of him I thought.
I was bladdered going back to Ruabon on the bus and no doubt made a show of myself. After getting off the bus, I didn't go home, I sat on the wall near the phone box and waited for someone (anyone !) to come along on their way to the pub. I can't remember who eventually came, nor which pubs I went to before going to the disco in the Legion and the beginning of the Sue story that followed (see Phil Collins above).
Whwn I left Sue that night, I bumped into a girl named Lynne and chatted to her for a while after which I made my way towards home. By now it must have been at least 1:00am, but I then bumped into my ex girlfriend Bridget and a really nice girl I knew named Kerry. They both now lived two miles away in Johnstown and jokingly asked if I would walk with them. I thought "Why the hell not ?", and said "OK". We got near Bridget's house first and left her at the top of her road before walking the half mile to Kerry's home. When we got there. she asked me in and she gave me a cup of coffee (or maybe it was hot chocolate, can't remember that detail). I left after about half an hour, and began the walk home. I got a few hundred yards, just past a pub named "The Travellers Rest" when a couple passed me on the other side of the road. The man shouted "Are You Going ?". I replied "Where ?". He repeated "Are You Going ?", I said "Going Where ?". Once more "Are You Going ?", I replied "Oh B****cks", and carried on walking. A few seconds later I heard footsteps and turned around. It was him, he looked in his early to mid 20s with a moustache like the scousers in the Harry Enfield show. He asked if I could spare a fag (cigarette). I was thinking I might have got off lightly here, took my packet out of my pocket, gave him one and took one out for myself. He then asked if I had a light, so I gave him the box of matches. He lit his ciggy and then dropped the matchbox on to the ground (I thought by accident). So I bent down to pick it up and WHACK, a knee in the face followed by a few kicks about my body as I lay on the ground. I got up, he was about 10 yards or so away on his way back to his girlfriend who'd walked away. It probably wasn't a good idea, but I shouted "F*** off you Ba***rd". He turned around, came back and beat me up again !
The next time I waited until he was almost out of sight before calling him a W**k*r. Oh yes, almost forgot, I didn't feel a thing until the next morning.
So, I walked home and couldn't get in. My Dad had put a few of my things in the shed and I tried to sleep in there, but I was too uncomfortable. So I broke the kitchen window and climbed in through that. I never did see my attacker again, but I'll never forget him, he's on my list !


31   Kid Creole & The Coconuts   Dear Addy
This was a bit of an EP, it also featured the summery "No Fish Today", and the wonderful "Christmas On Riverside Drive". I don't rate "Dear Addy" as highly as the other two, but it was still ok. It only reached number 29.


32   Musical Youth   Youth Of Today
In the week ending 2nd October Musical Youth had taken the third biggest leap to number one in chart history when "Pass The Dutchie" had climbed from 26 to the top. They had spent three weeks at the top with that single, and quickly followed it with this one. After entering at number 31, it took a big leap to number 16 before climbing just three places the following week. And this is as high as it got before quickly falling out of favour. At that point it looked as though they may instantly disappear, but they continued to hit the chart with four of their next five singles. But after "Sixteen" in early 1984, they were not heard of again (apart from the newspaper reports of most of the group ending up in prison for burglary and other crimes).


33   Eddy Grant   I Don't Wanna Dance
Eddy's career had seemed to be on the wane again. That is until Rockers Revenge had covered one of his songs and recently taken it to number four in the chart. The song in question was "Walking On Sunshine", a song that Eddy finally had his own top forty hit with in late 2001 (fingers crossed that I don't need to re-write this in a few weeks). Now Eddy was back with this history making single. When it reached the top, it was the third successive reggae orientated number one, this is the only time that this has ever happened in the UK chart. Just like the previous two ("Pass The Dutchie" & "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me") it spent three weeks on top.
This was the last time that Eddy had a number one single, but it wasn't the first. He had also spent three weeks at number one while a member of the Equals in 1968 with "Baby Come Back" (later taken to number one again by 'Pato Banton').


34   Wah   Story Of The Blues
I wasn't sure about this to begin with, but it eventually grew on me and sounds even better today. Still don't think much of the B side though. It was part 2, and was a daft talking over the music thing, not really a rap, just, a talky thingl, OK ?
After entering at number 34, it climbed to number 6, then 3, and then fell for the remainder of it's eight chart weeks.


35   Kool And The Gang   Hi De Hi-Hi De Ho
"Same old fodder, reached number 6" is what I said about their previous single "Ooh La La La". For this one, take something out, and replace it with "29".


36   Soft Cell   Where The Heart Is
Aiming for their sixth successive top five hit, Soft Cell were to be disappointed with the number 21 peak of this single. It's quite possible that they lost many of their potential sales due to certain stories about Marc Almond's personal life being published in National newspapers during the Summer. Unfortunately, the British are very much a 'Mud Sticks' nation (not that Marc was accused of any illegal activities anyway), no smoke without fire etc. It was a very good single anyway.


37   Marvin Gaye   Sexual Healing
Marvin's first hit for five years was also the last to make the top twenty during his lifetime. It moved quickly up the chart to number four to become his highest charting single since "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" spent three weeks at number one in 1969. When Tommy Vance announced this track on the top 40 show, he was instructed to refer to it as "Healing" due to the BBC's 'then' attitude to such matters. Marvin was shot dead by his father on April 1st 1984 after an argument about his lifestyle (his drug taking activities were well documented), just one day short of his 45th birthday. His only further hit was when a re-issue of "Grapevine" reached number eight in 1986.


38   Men At Work   Down Under
I knew of these through their previous single, the number 45 peaking "Who Can It Be Now?" (much better single in my opinion). This one sounded as I imagine the Police would have sounded had they a sense of humour more often. We thought that they were taking the mick out of Australia, but they claimed that they were taking the mick out of our view of Australia, or was it the other way around ?
It gave them their sole top twenty hit anyway. Oh yeah, it spent three weeks at the very top of the pile. Hardly deserved, so I suppose that it was a trendsetter for what began to occur on a regular basis ten years and a couple of weeks later.


39   Imagination   Changes
The glory days already behind them, but this wasn't too bad a single really. Reached number 31.


40   Stranglers   European Female
After going into easy listening territory with "Golden Brown" and "Strange Little Girl" the previous year, I did expect the Stranglers to revert back to their noisy selves in 1983. But no, they kept with the smooth kind of sound that wouldn't have seemed out of place on 'then unfashionable' Radio Two. It was the first of three acceptable singles from the 'Feline' album. The album was better than the previous 'La Folie' album, but it can't really be compared with the previous albums, as they had a totally different sound and could easily have been recorded by a totally different band.
The single hit number nine to become their sixth top ten hit. They had to wait five years for the seventh.




Some MP3s


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.


ON TO THE FOLLOWING WEEK
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BACK TO THE 1983 INDEX
THE REMEMBER WHEN ARCHIVES
GOLDEN DAYS INDEX

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