• Sometimes, you're better off listening to an old 1986 chart

    From Chris Brown@extreme_rice@yahoo.com to uk.music.charts on Sun Jan 17 17:14:17 2021
    From Newsgroup: uk.music.charts

    35 years ago, if you think 35th anniversaries are a thing.
    Even though it's January there are some big songs in the Top 10, though
    one seems a lot less famous now than the others. Mind you there's a song
    lower down this chart that was Number One a few weeks ago.

    Also a low entry for a song that ended up being very big and a few
    people charting twice. Plus a singer who is (apparently coincidentally) singing a song with the same title as one written by his father.

    Playlists are here. I've left in the Christmas songs by I'll understand
    if you skip them.

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7yAKCvw6kPNf0lLJ298H4Z?si=KGMBBCulR9Ksk5xQ0gmFtQ
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNpm-Ys3rgxy78Clzzm_YmyH

    Chart dated 18 January 1986

    1. (1) Pet Shop Boys West End Girls
    2. (5) A-Ha The Sun Always Shines On TV
    3. (4) Bronski Beat Hit That Perfect Beat
    4. (30) Dire Straits Walk Of Life
    5. (26) Feargal Sharkey You Little Thief
    6. (10) Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal Saturday Love
    7. (7) Sophia George Girlie Girlie
    8. (31) Mr Mister Broken Wings
    9. (2) Whitney Houston Saving All My Love For You
    10. (27) Full Force Alice, I Want You Just For Me!
    11. (25) Aretha Franklin Who's Zoomin' Who
    12. (20) Sting Russians
    13. (39) Eurythmics It's All Right (Baby's Coming Back)
    14. (23) Jennifer Rush Ring Of Ice
    15. (21) Level 42 Leaving Me Now
    16. (12) Elton John Wrap Her Up
    17. (35) Fine Young Cannibals Suspicious Minds
    18. (8) Aled Jones Walking In The Air
    19. (11) Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin Separate Lives
    20. (3) Shakin Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone
    21. (6) Madonna Dress You Up
    22. (42) Five Star System Addict
    23. (34) King Torture
    24. (15) Starship We Built This City
    25. (59) Nana Mouskouri Only Love
    26. (18) Paul McCartney Spies Like Us
    27. (9) Wham! I'm Your Man
    28. (17) Amazulu Don't You Just Know It
    29. (NE) The Alarm Spirit Of '76
    30. (29) Princess After The Love Has Gone
    31. (19) Go West Don't Look Down (The Sequel)
    32. (64) Sarah Brightman & Steve Harley The Phantom of The Opera
    33. (16) Dee C Lee See The Day
    34. (NE) AC/DC Shake Your Foundations
    35. (33) Jennifer Rush The Power of Love
    36. (14) Wham! Christmas '85
    [Last Christmas; Blue (Armed With Love) live in China]
    37. (22) Lionel Richie Say You, Say Me
    38. (32) A-Ha Take On Me
    39. (24) Feargal Sharkey A Good Heart
    40. (NE) Grace Jones Pull Up To The Bumper/La Vie En Rose

    41. (NE) Talk Talk Life's What You Make It
    42. (28) Cameo She's Strange {1985 re-issue}
    43. (50) Billy Bragg Days Like These
    44. (52) Nicole With Timmy Thomas New York Eyes
    45. (NE) Lloyd Cole & the Commotions Cut Me Down
    46. (NE) Belouis Some Imagination {1986 reissue}
    47. (13) Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas?
    48. (36) The Concept Mr DJ
    49. (57) Sade Is It A Crime
    50. (NE) Twisted Sister Leader Of The Pack
    51. (45) Julian Lennon Because
    52. (60) 52nd Street You're My Last Chance
    53. (62) Yarbrough & Peoples Guilty
    54. (72) Masquerade One Nation
    55. (48) Inspirational Choir Abide With Me {1985 reissue}
    56. (37) Talking Heads Road To Nowhere
    57. (98) Ray Parker Jr Girls Are More Fun
    58. (84) Kurtis Blow If I Ruled The World
    59. (81) ABC Ocean Blue
    60. (38) Doug E. Fresh And The Get Fresh Crew The Show
    61. (73) John Anderson Big Band Glenn Miller Medley
    62. (55) Marc Almond The House Is Haunted
    63. (40) UB40 Don't Break My Heart
    64. (41) David Grant & Jaki Graham Mated
    65. (44) Iron Maiden Run To The Hills (Live)
    66. (NE) Suzanne Vega Small Blue Thing
    67. (66) Eric Clapton ft Michael Kamen Edge Of Darkness
    68. (82) John Parr Naughty Naughty
    69. (49) Dire Straits Brothers In Arms
    70. (53) Mike Oldfield and Aled Jones Pictures In The Dark
    71. (43) Paul McCartney with the Frog Chorus We All Stand Together
    72. (76) Snowy White For You
    73. (63) Colonel Abrams Trapped
    74. (51) Queen One Vision
    75. (RE) Latin Quarter Radio Africa
    76. (74) Simple Minds Alive And Kicking
    77. (NE) Morris Day The Oak Tree
    78. (NE) Sugarhill Gang/Positive Force Rapper's Delight/We Got The Funk
    79. (NE) Jocelyn Brown Love's Gonna Get You
    80. (RE) Dionne Warwick & Friends That's What Friends Are For
    81. (67) Cliff Richard It's In Every One Of Us
    82. (NE) Aleem Get Loose
    83. (80) Amii Stewart & Deon Estus My Guy-My Girl (Medley)
    84. (NE) Drum Theatre Living In The Past
    85. (NE) Robert Palmer Riptide
    86. (NE) Zapp It Doesn't Really Matter
    87. (RE) Precious Wilson I'll Be Your Friend
    88. (96) Barbra Streisand Somewhere
    89. (NE) Cactus World News Years Later
    90. (83) DSM Warrior Groove
    91. (NE) Diana Ross Chain Reaction
    92. (NE) Audrey Hall One Dance Won't Do
    93. (NE) Teddy Pendergrass with Whitney Houston Hold Me
    94. (RE) The Cars Tonight She Comes
    95. (RE) Arcadia Election Day
    96. (NE) John Cougar Mellencamp Small Town
    96. (NE) Starpoint Object Of My Desire
    98. (NE) Doug E. Fresh And The Get Fresh Crew Just Havin' Fun
    99. (89) Huey Lewis & The News The Heart And Soul EP
    [Heart And Soul; Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do; Heart Of Rock And
    Roll; Buzz Buzz Buzz]
    100.(RE) Phil Lynott Nineteen
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Vidcapper@vidcapper1@yahoo.co.uk to uk.music.charts on Mon Jan 18 06:42:21 2021
    From Newsgroup: uk.music.charts

    On 17/01/2021 17:14, Chris Brown wrote:

    Chart dated 18 January 1986

    1. (1) Pet Shop Boys West End Girls

    4. (30) Dire Straits Walk Of Life

    9. (2) Whitney Houston Saving All My Love For You

    13. (39) Eurythmics It's All Right (Baby's Coming Back)

    18. (8) Aled Jones Walking In The Air

    20. (3) Shakin Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone

    35. (33) Jennifer Rush The Power of Love

    38. (32) A-Ha Take On Me
    39. (24) Feargal Sharkey A Good Heart

    47. (13) Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas?

    56. (37) Talking Heads Road To Nowhere

    65. (44) Iron Maiden Run To The Hills (Live)

    69. (49) Dire Straits Brothers In Arms

    71. (43) Paul McCartney with the Frog Chorus We All Stand Together

    91. (NE) Diana Ross Chain Reaction

    This was around when I stopped following the charts closely.
    --

    Paul Hyett, Cheltenham
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  • From Robbie@ngrobbieuk@hotmail.com to uk.music.charts on Tue Jan 19 14:17:52 2021
    From Newsgroup: uk.music.charts

    On 17/01/2021 17:14, Chris Brown wrote:
    35 years ago, if you think 35th anniversaries are a thing.
    Even though it's January there are some big songs in the Top 10, though
    one seems a lot less famous now than the others. Mind you there's a song lower down this chart that was Number One a few weeks ago.

    Also a low entry for a song that ended up being very big and a few
    people charting twice. Plus a singer who is (apparently coincidentally) singing a song with the same title as one written by his father.

    Playlists are here. I've left in the Christmas songs by I'll understand
    if you skip them.

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7yAKCvw6kPNf0lLJ298H4Z?si=KGMBBCulR9Ksk5xQ0gmFtQ

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdiUvgvgpgNpm-Ys3rgxy78Clzzm_YmyH

    Chart dated 18 January 1986

    I've got the top 20 part of this chart on tape. I was going back up to
    the north east the following weekend for a wedding and recorded the
    Sunday chart (top 20 part) for something to listen to on the train.
    Presenter was Richard Skinner who would soon leave Radio 1 for Capital
    Radio.

    1.-a-a (1) Pet Shop Boys-a-a-a West End Girls

    A hit at the third time of asking. For all the Pet Shop Boys were
    popular back then and into the 90s they don't seem to have made the
    transition to the digital age in the way some other acts from the 1980s
    have.

    2.-a-a (5) A-Ha-a-a-a The Sun Always Shines On TV

    Another a-ha record with a distinctive video. Good song.

    3.-a-a (4) Bronski Beat-a-a-a Hit That Perfect Beat

    A rare thing for 1986 onwards - I owned all 3 singles in the top 3. By
    now my singles buying days were coming to an end. This was the first hit
    for Bronski Beat after Jimmy Sommerville had left.

    4.-a (30) Dire Straits-a-a-a Walk Of Life

    I liked most of the singles from 'Brothers In Arms' but could never
    stand this one. This is the one that still seems to get played on oldies stations.

    5.-a (26) Feargal Sharkey-a-a-a You Little Thief

    The sort of answer song to 'A Good Heart'. Quite a decent track.

    6.-a (10) Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal-a-a-a Saturday Love

    4 out of the top 6 I owned. This one always reminds me of late 1985 /
    early 1986. A great song that really does take me back when I hear it.
    It reminds me of my early days in London (it was being played in heavy rotation on the LWR pirate radio station when I had just moved south in October 1985).

    7.-a-a (7) Sophia George-a-a-a Girlie Girlie

    Not all reggae music is good... this one was awful.

    8.-a (31) Mr Mister-a-a-a Broken Wings

    Another that takes me back to January / February 1986. I like this one too.

    9.-a-a (2) Whitney Houston-a-a-a Saving All My Love For You

    And another I owned... I had a bit of a strange habit of still buying
    singles even though my record player was still in the north east! I was finding it hard to get out of the habit. It would be another 3 months
    before I was able to get the hi-fi and some of my record collection down
    to London.

    10. (27) Full Force-a-a-a Alice, I Want You Just For Me!

    And guess what - another I owned. Very much of its time but I did like
    it then.

    11. (25) Aretha Franklin-a-a-a Who's Zoomin' Who

    I was never that keen on this one.

    12. (20) Sting-a-a-a Russians

    Nor this though the album isn't too bad.

    13. (39) Eurythmics-a-a-a It's All Right (Baby's Coming Back)

    I was never keen on this and feel that the quality of their songs was
    going downhill by now.

    14. (23) Jennifer Rush-a-a-a Ring Of Ice

    Following up a million selling megahit is never easy. I quite liked this
    one but know that some people thought it was a disappointment.

    15. (21) Level 42-a-a-a Leaving Me Now

    I prefer the funkier Level 42 rather than this more reflective side of
    the band.

    16. (12) Elton John-a-a-a Wrap Her Up

    I think this one features George Michael. A bit dull and one which seems
    to be largely forgotten these days.

    17. (35) Fine Young Cannibals-a-a-a Suspicious Minds

    Unneccesary cover of the Elvis song. I have always found it hard to warm
    to Roland Gift's vocal style.

    18.-a (8) Aled Jones-a-a-a Walking In The Air

    I quite liked this one back then, it reminds me of Christmas.

    19. (11) Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin-a-a-a Separate Lives

    1985 was certainly Phil's year with a number 1 single and album and this massive selling single. I can't recall where this one was taken from.

    20.-a (3) Shakin Stevens-a-a-a Merry Christmas Everyone

    Dropping quickly now. Roll forward 35 years and this seems to be one of
    the go-to Christnmas songs.

    22. (42) Five Star-a-a-a System Addict

    One of their better songs (along with 'The Slightest Touch' from the
    following year.

    23. (34) King-a-a-a Torture

    Their last single. King had a very short (one year) chart career but
    were quite successful in that time.

    29. (NE) The Alarm-a-a-a Spirit Of '76

    It was only 10 years previous back then. Now 1976 is 45 years ago. Yikes!

    41. (NE) Talk Talk-a-a-a Life's What You Make It

    An absolute class song which I bought. It still sounds great.

    46. (NE) Belouis Some-a-a-a Imagination {1986 reissue}

    Another I owned. In fact I owned quite a few singles in this chart
    including the two Wham singles and Band Aid too.
    61. (73) John Anderson Big Band-a-a-a Glenn Miller Medley

    The song that inspired 'Swing The Mood' by Jive Bunny & The Nastermixers.

    66. (NE) Suzanne Vega-a-a-a Small Blue Thing

    I have this in a live version on the B side of 'Marlene On The Wall'.
    It's a great song and I actually prefer the live version.

    75. (RE) Latin Quarter-a-a-a Radio Africa

    A favourite of Capital Radio.

    78. (NE) Sugarhill Gang/Positive Force-a-a-a Rapper's Delight/We Got The Funk

    I owned the former on 12" and the latter on 7" from 1979/80.

    89. (NE) Cactus World News-a-a-a Years Later

    I quite liked Cactus World News and bought the follow-up single 'Worlds Apart'.

    92. (NE) Audrey Hall-a-a-a One Dance Won't Do

    Much better reggae than 'Girlie Girlie'. And another single I owned.

    100.(RE) Phil Lynott-a-a-a Nineteen

    He'd just died a week prior to this chart being announced (4 January 1986).
    --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Chris Brown@extreme_rice@yahoo.com to uk.music.charts on Thu Jan 21 22:18:54 2021
    From Newsgroup: uk.music.charts

    On 18/01/2021 06:42, Vidcapper wrote:
    On 17/01/2021 17:14, Chris Brown wrote:

    Chart dated 18 January 1986

    1.-a-a (1) Pet Shop Boys-a-a-a West End Girls


    91. (NE) Diana Ross-a-a-a Chain Reaction

    This was around when I stopped following the charts closely.


    They way you've written that makes it looks like it's Diana Ross's fault...



    Turns out there's a long list of other versions from this chart:


    1. (1) Pet Shop Boys West End Girls {charting cover by East 17}
    6. (10) Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal Saturday Love {sampled by Junior Jack and Sway}
    17. (35) Fine Young Cannibals Suspicious Minds {cover of the Elvis hit}
    18. (8) Aled Jones Walking In The Air {cover of Peter Auty's recording form the Snowman}
    24. (15) Starship We Built This City {... On Sausage Rolls}
    27. (9) Wham! I'm Your Man {hit cover by Lisa Moorish}
    33. (16) Dee C Lee See The Day {hit cover by Girls Aloud}
    35. (33) Jennifer Rush The Power of Love {hit cover by Celine Dion}
    36. (14) Wham! Christmas '85
    [Last Christmas; ] {lots of covers}
    38. (32) A-Ha Take On Me {Number One cover by A1}
    40. (NE) Grace Jones Pull Up To The Bumper {covered by Patra}
    /La Vie En Rose {made famous by Edith Piaf}
    47. (13) Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas? {covered by Band Aid II, Band Aid 20, Band Aid 30...}
    50. (NE) Twisted Sister Leader Of The Pack {cover of the Shangri-Las hit}
    54. (72) Masquerade One Nation [cover of One Nation Under A Groove}
    55. (48) Inspirational Choir Abide With Me {hymn}
    58. (84) Kurtis Blow If I Ruled The World {covered by Nas}
    60. (38) Doug E. Fresh And The Get Fresh Crew The Show {includes
    elements from the Inspector Gadget theme and from 'Michelle' by the Beatles} 61. (73) John Anderson Big Band Glenn Miller Medley {sampled on 'Swing
    The Mood' by Jive Bunny}
    64. (41) David Grant & Jaki Graham Mated {cover of a Todd Rundgren song} 76. (74) Simple Minds Alive And Kicking {dance cover by East Side Beat}
    78. (NE) Sugarhill Gang/ Rapper's Delight/ {samples Good Times, of course, and has been referenced on many other rap tracks}
    79. (NE) Jocelyn Brown Love's Gonna Get You {sampled on 'The Power' by
    Snap, 'Go' by Moby and 'I'm Gonna Get You' by Bizarre Inc}
    80. (RE) Dionne Warwick & Friends That's What Friends Are For {cover of the Deneice Williams hit}
    83. (80) Amii Stewart & Deon Estus My Guy-My Girl (Medley)
    85. (NE) Robert Palmer Riptide {cover of a song from the 1930s}
    88. (96) Barbra Streisand Somewhere {song from West Side Story, also a hit for PJ Proby and the Pet Shop Boys}
    91. (NE) Diana Ross Chain Reaction {hit cover by Steps}
    96. (NE) Starpoint Object Of My Desire {Top 10 cover by Dana Rayne}

    Chris
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