My 1979 Charts – October

My new college room

click here for youtube links to featured 1979 songs..

2nd October 1979

3 weeks for ELO on top, but the competition is so fierce that classic records I bought full-price, like Cars, actually drop. Michael Jackson gets his biggest solo hit since 1972 as Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough shoots up to 3, chased by The Police following up their number 1 with a message in a bottle at 5. Kate gets her 4th Top 10, Rainbow get their first (and last) and Quo just miss out at 12.

Supertramp, and The Tourists, go back up to new peaks of 14 and 15 respectively. Tusk, in the meantime, drums it’s way up 30 places to 19 and The Buggles take that video statement up 31 to 20. Squeeze, The Jags, Madness, Herb Alpert, The Headboys and The Little River Band all rise inside the 40, giving a very very busy chart. That’s not enough though! 12 new entries pop in, including The Dickies taking on The Moody Blues Nights In White Satin at 36: it must be heard to be believed! Following up the gorgeous Lady Lynda, The Beach Boys enter with the equally gorgeous Sumahama, a Japanese oriental-flavoured delight, while Judy Tzuke is For You at 53. Sad Cafe debut at 63, as do XTC at 66 with the brilliant, unusual and exciting Making Plans For Nigel, a record that is as relevant today as it was then in subject matter (nepotism of the rich). The O’Jays get 7 years of hits at 70, Gloria Gaynor 5 years at 74 – it’s I Will Survive part 2, sort of. Elton also makes it 8 years of hits as he goes full-blown disco again, after dabbling with older recordings of Philly soul sessions: Victim Of Love at 75 is a forgotten goodie.

Lincoln

Back in the UK a while, I was now back at College (hooray!), in new digs, on campus (hooray!) for the first time as I started my 3rd and final year (Boo!). Most of my friends were in the same block, Pete and Paul on my floor, Sue, Julie and Bev upstairs, which was great. Did some painting, shelves, cleaning bedroom, cleaning budgies, fish tank cleaning. I taught one of mum’s friend’s young sons how to get water moving down the pipe from the tank by sucking – he got a mouthful of fishy water, though! I hope that wasn’t the start of his lifelong substance abuse, he certainly seemed happier then.

Gracie Fields died, noted that Carry On The Khyber is the best Carry On, that MASH (practical joker episode) remained as good as ever 7 years on, and the Doctor Who episode in Paris was one of the best in ages, though I was still unsure about the new Romana. I watched Parkinson guests Terry Wogan and the marvellous Carol Channing have a great Python-esque show while the rest of the family had a huge argument downstairs, which meant Sue (brothers fiancee) had to go back home to her parents house (she’d been living with Mark here) while Ernie, the retired disabled father of the late next-door-neighbour still lived with us too in a 3-bedroom house. We have spent a lifetime often taking in people relations and family and it’s not always easy if things get fraught, as they tend to do when you have a lot of people in an overcrowded house. That, of course, is life in UK 2014 for many – just that’s it’s been life in mum and dad’s house in 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009….but not any more. Ernie, with mum and dad, took me to College, and he was always nice and appreciative of us till the day he died a few years later, but he was never happy with his condition, the loss of his wife and daughter, and really only his young grandson kept him going for a few years. When he got moved into a Council assisted flat development (staff on site, but own flats) the residents used to call it “Death Row” waiting to see who’d be next to go. It wasn’t that bad actually, certainly better than care homes and mental institutions I’ve seen.

1 ( 1 ) DON’T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.
2 ( 2 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty
3 ( 25 ) DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson
4 ( 6 ) SAIL ON The Commodores
5 ( 11 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police
6 ( 3 ) CARS Gary Numan
7 ( 10 ) CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe
8 ( 13 ) THEM HEAVY PEOPLE Kate Bush
9 ( 9 ) DREAMING Blondie
10 ( 15 ) SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Rainbow

11 ( 5 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer
12 ( 30 ) WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo
13 ( 7 ) WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard
14 ( 22 ) GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp
15 ( 35 ) THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD The Tourists
16 ( 8 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge
17 ( 12 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba
18 ( 4 ) SAD EYES Robert John
19 ( 49 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac
20 ( 51 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles

21 ( 20 ) REGGAE FOR IT NOW Bill Lovelady
22 ( 14 ) I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS The Boomtown Rats
23 ( 27 ) SLAP AND TICKLE Squeeze
24 ( 38 ) BACK OF MY HAND The Jags
25 ( NEW ) YOU CAN DO IT Al Hudson
26 ( 32 ) TIME FOR ACTION Secret Affair
27 ( 53 ) THE PRINCE Madness
28 ( 50 ) LONESOME LOSER The Little River Band
29 ( 16 ) DUCHESS The Stranglers
30 ( 18 ) ANGEL EYES Roxy Music

31 ( 17 ) GOTTA GO HOME Boney M
32 ( 44 ) RISE Herb Alpert
33 ( 24 ) GONE GONE GONE Johnny Mathis
34 ( 31 ) STREET LIFE The Crusaders
35 ( 19 ) LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON ME Dollar
36 ( NEW ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Dickies
37 ( 26 ) BANG BANG B.A. Robertson
38 ( 21 ) GANGSTERS The Specials
39 ( NEW ) SUMAHAMA The Beach Boys
40 ( 47 ) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Headboys

41 ( 28 ) STRUT YOUR FUNKY STUFF Frantique
42 ( 34 ) CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU The Police
43 ( 33 ) AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE Earth Wind And Fire
44 ( 45 ) WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook
45 ( 39 ) LINES The Planets
46 ( 29 ) IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY (WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME) The Bellamy Brothers
47 ( 41 ) ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC Tubeway Army
48 ( 70 ) DIM ALL THE LIGHTS Donna Summer
49 ( 43 ) BEAT THE CLOCK Sparks
50 ( 42 ) THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.

51 ( 23 ) MONEY The Flying Lizards
52 ( 36 ) OOH WHAT A LIFE The Gibson brothers
53 ( NEW ) FOR YOU Judy Tzuke
54 ( 46 ) LADY LYNDA The Beach Boys
55 ( 67 ) QUEEN OF HEARTS Dave Edmunds
56 ( 52 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart
57 ( 37 ) BOY OH BOY Racey
58 ( 48 ) BORN TO BE ALIVE Patrick Hernandez
59 ( NEW ) OH SUSIE Secret Service
60 ( NEW ) GOOD GIRLS DON’T The Knack

61 ( 57 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty
62 ( 59 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC
63 ( NEW ) EVERYDAY HURTS Sad Cafe
64 ( 58 ) DIFFERENT WORLDS Maureen McGovern
65 ( 62 ) CHIQUITITA Abba
66 ( NEW ) MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC
67 ( 63 ) SUNDAY GIRL Blondie
68 ( 64 ) DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW/ KISSES OF FIRE Abba
69 ( 69 ) MY SHARONA The Knack
70 ( NEW ) SING A HAPPY SONG The O’Jays

71 ( 55 ) IF I HAD YOU The Korgis
72 ( NEW ) THERE MUST BE THOUSANDS The Quads
73 ( 54 ) LEAD ME ON Maxine Nightingale
74 ( NEW ) LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT) Gloria Gaynor
75 ( NEW ) VICTIM OF LOVE Elton John

TV
1 Star Trek: Court Martial
2 MASH
3 Carry On Up The Khyber: film
4 Rhoda
5 The Rockford Files
6 Top Of The Pops
7 Film ’79
8 Doctor Who
9 The Two Ronnies
10 Ned Sherrin: Christopher Reeves interview

9th October 1979

Michael Jackson gets his 2nd solo number one, 7 years after Ain’t No Sunshine, and it’s a brilliant Quincy Jones dance production, mixed with the first evidence that he was more than capable of writing his own great songs. It sounded like a disco step forward at the time – because it was. Still sounds great too. Quo go up to 4, Whatever You Want taking the throbbing riff and perfecting it – this is the best riffing Quo single, though surprisingly to some they had plenty of other non-riffing great singles.

Squeeze grab a 4th Top 20 entry, and Madness their first of a long run as The Prince hits 19. XTC, Judy Tzuke, Donna Summer, Dave Edmunds and Sad Cafe go top 40 along with Secret Service, no-hit wonders. The highest new entry is an advert song, Don’t Be A Dummy, at 49, while at 55 The Devil, apparently, Went Down To Georgia with The Charlie Daniels Band, a record I’d heard on my US holiday but hadn’t rated much. It was a grower, country fiddle-tastic.

Reggae? OK Fred, says Errol Dunkley new at 60, The Dooleys Are The Chosen Few, melodically tweeting at 67, and the funk run of soul singles by Earth Wind & Fire keeps shining a Star on my charts. The Nolan Sisters, before they dropped the sister and went pop, debut with a sweet enough old-fashioned pop song, Spirit Body And Soul at 70, The Eagles days are almost numbered for 30 years, as Heartache Tonight thumps in at 72, and the Atlanta Rhythm Section cover 60’s classic Spooky, jazzfunk style and grab 74 – Dusty Springfield has the definitive version, but it’s still pretty good. Lastly it’s The Skids with a 3rd frantic chanting punkpop single at 75, Charade!

Lincoln

Back at College, in my new digs, new room, I gathered a large crowd in my room watching my portable black and white TV, half-joking “I’ll have to throw them out” I said to a friend when we went for our meal in the dining hall, who bluntly repeated it when I got back, to my mortal embarrassment, bright red, and they sheepishly drifted off, never to return some of them. Aaghhh! The core group of holiday friends and Jane thankfully stayed for some USA holiday slideshow fun. Most of my gang spent weekdays out on Teaching Practice while I had lectures with 4th-year honours students – though no “honours” title to my degree, pah!

Snooker games, news of someone who’d failed exams and left, and the sudden realisation I had a 3-hour exam in 2 days on humour in 19th century novels and I hadn’t even got the books yet, swanning off to America all summer as I did. Agh! Revised like mad, answered only 2 questions and a big flop. The other 7 or 8 exam-takers joined me for consolation in my room afterwards, which meant I missed eating. Socialised lots with my growing gang of core friends, and had great fun, laughs, and noted they were all nice people. Ahhh good times!

Friday was ART day, developing my photos in the darkroom (I always enjoy seeing what develops in darkrooms © 1965), by far my fave subject, loved it. An ex-college friend who’d left in the 2nd year was back visiting the day before she should have been getting married (it was a late cancellation of the permanent kind, sadly), then home to mansfield for the weekend, babysitting for my lil’ cousins and Kenny Everett on Parkinson, yay! Then my brother announced he was getting married to Sue next September. Can’t say it wasn’t a busy week…..!

1 ( 3 ) DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson
2 ( 1 ) DON’T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.
3 ( 5 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police
4 ( 12 ) WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo
5 ( 10 ) SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Rainbow
6 ( 9 ) DREAMING Blondie
7 ( 2 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty
8 ( 8 ) THEM HEAVY PEOPLE Kate Bush
9 ( 7 ) CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe
10 ( 4 ) SAIL ON The Commodores

11 ( 6 ) CARS Gary Numan
12 ( 20 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles
13 ( 15 ) THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD The Tourists
14 ( 14 ) GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp
15 ( 23 ) SLAP AND TICKLE Squeeze
16 ( 19 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac
17 ( 18 ) SAD EYES Robert John
18 ( 11 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer
19 ( 27 ) THE PRINCE Madness
20 ( 24 ) BACK OF MY HAND The Jags

21 ( 26 ) TIME FOR ACTION Secret Affair
22 ( 25 ) YOU CAN DO IT Al Hudson
23 ( 13 ) WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard
24 ( 39 ) SUMAHAMA The Beach Boys
25 ( 17 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba
26 ( 44 ) WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook
27 ( 16 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge
28 ( 32 ) RISE Herb Alpert
29 ( 63 ) EVERYDAY HURTS Sad Cafe
30 ( 36 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Dickies

31 ( 66 ) MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC
32 ( 21 ) REGGAE FOR IT NOW Bill Lovelady
33 ( 28 ) LONESOME LOSER The Little River Band
34 ( 22 ) I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS The Boomtown Rats
35 ( 40 ) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Headboys
36 ( 53 ) FOR YOU Judy Tzuke
37 ( 48 ) DIM ALL THE LIGHTS Donna Summer
38 ( 55 ) QUEEN OF HEARTS Dave Edmunds
39 ( 59 ) OH SUSIE Secret Service
40 ( 31 ) GOTTA GO HOME Boney M

41 ( 41 ) STRUT YOUR FUNKY STUFF Frantique
42 ( 30 ) ANGEL EYES Roxy Music
43 ( 35 ) LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON ME Dollar
44 ( 38 ) GANGSTERS The Specials
45 ( 29 ) DUCHESS The Stranglers
46 ( 34 ) STREET LIFE The Crusaders
47 ( 37 ) BANG BANG B.A. Robertson
48 ( 42 ) CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU The Police
49 ( NEW ) DON’T BE A DUMMY John Du Cann
50 ( 75 ) VICTIM OF LOVE Elton John

51 ( 33 ) GONE GONE GONE Johnny Mathis
52 ( 43 ) AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE Earth Wind And Fire
53 ( 50 ) THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.
54 ( 47 ) ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC Tubeway Army
55 ( NEW ) THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA The Charlie Daniels Band
56 ( 74 ) LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT) Gloria Gaynor
57 ( 60 ) GOOD GIRLS DON’T The Knack
58 ( 49 ) BEAT THE CLOCK Sparks
59 ( 45 ) LINES The Planets
60 ( NEW ) OK FRED Errol Dunkley

61 ( 61 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty
62 ( 62 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC
63 ( 56 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart
64 ( 54 ) LADY LYNDA The Beach Boys
65 ( 58 ) BORN TO BE ALIVE Patrick Hernandez
66 ( 70 ) SING A HAPPY SONG The O’Jays
67 ( NEW ) THE CHOSEN FEW The Dooleys
68 ( NEW ) STAR Earth Wind & Fire
69 ( 46 ) IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY (WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME) The Bellamy Brothers
70 ( NEW ) SPIRIT BODY AND SOUL The Nolan Sisters

71 ( 65 ) CHIQUITITA Abba
72 ( NEW ) HEARTACHE TONIGHT The Eagles
73 ( 52 ) OOH WHAT A LIFE The Gibson brothers
74 ( NEW ) SPOOKY Atlanta Rhythm Section
75 ( NEW ) CHARADE The Skids

TV
1 Star Trek: Catspaw
2 Top Of The Pops
3 Doctor Who
4 MASH
5 Parkinson (sat)
6 Parkinson (wed)
7 Sykes
8 Talking Movies
9 Starsky and Hutch
10 To The Manor Born

16th October 1979

Another new number one as The Police get their 2nd chart-topper, the terrific frantic rock-reggae Message In A Bottle, and Sting very much being the pin-up man of the time (pin-up boys not being that much in demand). New in at 2, though, the group most-likely-to (knock ‘em off after 1 week) it’s Abba’s brilliant disco track Gimme Gimme Gimme – not only did it inspire a TV sitcom, that insistent catchy flutey sound was borrowed heavily by Madonna for her just-as-good Hung Up. By this time Abba hadn’t NOT topped my chart in four years (and would have had at least an additional 10 or 15 had I allowed album tracks). Bit of a fan.

Rainbow go top 3, and Fleetwood Mac charge their Tusk up to 5, incredibly only their second top 5 hit (after Dreams peaked at 3). The Buggles get into the top 10, under-appreciated quite frankly! Herb Alpert gets his 2nd Top 20 hit 11 years on, as he rises, while The Chosen Few takes The Dooleys into the top 40 for the 5th time or so. New in at 40, their 6th, it’s Chic with my forbidden lover – I’m lying, I didn’t have one, forbidden or otherwise, but it’s as classy as previous hits, albeit not quite as bass-ily classic!

In at 66, Lene Lovich has a 3rd hit with the utterly fantastic Bird Song, a complete change of pace, and still mad as a hatter in a touching way. Dusty’s back again with Baby Blue, her disco period, but this is a soulful disco minor classic that never became the hit it deserved to be, but giving my all-time fave female vocalist 11 years of hits. Steve Harley, meanwhile, has lost his Cockney Rebel’s, and bounced back with the great Freedom’s Prisoner at 64 5 years on from Judy Teen. Ian Gomm debuts at 67 with the gorgeous US hit Hold On: who he? He be ex-Brinsley Schwarz, and Cruel To be Kind British co-writer, that be who. Pure American-radio-sounding, it’s yet another UK flop, not being that much in vogue with New Wave UK.

Wrapping up the lower-end, The Sex Pistols keep on having that barrel scraped as the 3rd version of Rock Around The Clock charts, more of a shambles than a punk record, but might have been mildly amusing if the tw*t farting about on lead vocal hadn’t murdered his girlfriend before overdosing. Not that funny, after that. Viola Wills also covers an old 50‘s song, disco-fashion, that had been a hit in many different genres, big-band swing, country, wall-of-sound, latino-pop, ska before it added another hit notch here. It’s OK, thanks to the song more than the arrangement. Suzi Quatro is also back again with a romping poprock She’s In Love With You at 74, and at 75 it’s Nostromo with a dance version of the theme tune to the forthcoming sci-fi film Alien. Nostromo is the name of the ship, the tune is haunting and daunting from the brilliant Jerry Goldsmith, composer of movie soundtracks like, (pause for breath) Planet Of The Apes, Logans Run, Star Trek (5 of ‘em!), Gremlins, LA Confidential, Chinatown, The Mummy. Among others. Phew!

Back at college again, it was snooker games, a social group gathering in my room for TV & tea, where my review of Airport 80: Concorde was shared by Barry Norman on Film 79. Lots of friends, chatting, discussing, opinion-ating, and general fun times. Reading Lord Of The Flies for literature course – classic! Hanging about a bit with American exchange student Steve from Waukesha Wisconsin. Evenings, I’d forgotten how much my room was the social centre of the gang, I pretty much had a parade of visitors from tea-time till bed-time watching TV and chatting. Friday a gang of us over-crowded Paul’s car for a pub evening down at the Quay (The William IV’th). In town for records searching Saturday I bumped into my old form-tutor from school, Mrs Gibson. Entertained non-campus friends in the evening, but basically every single evening I socialised, an evening sat on my own watching TV was unheard of (I’m happy to say) as everyone wound down from the stress of Teaching Practice for a laugh.

1 ( 3 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police
2 ( NEW ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba
3 ( 5 ) SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Rainbow
4 ( 1 ) DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson
5 ( 16 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac
6 ( 2 ) DON’T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.
7 ( 6 ) DREAMING Blondie
8 ( 4 ) WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo
9 ( 12 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles
10 ( 7 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty

11 ( 8 ) THEM HEAVY PEOPLE Kate Bush
12 ( 24 ) SUMAHAMA The Beach Boys
13 ( 11 ) CARS Gary Numan
14 ( 10 ) SAIL ON The Commodores
15 ( 9 ) CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe
16 ( 26 ) WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook
17 ( 13 ) THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD The Tourists
18 ( 14 ) GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp
19 ( 22 ) YOU CAN DO IT Al Hudson
20 ( 28 ) RISE Herb Alpert

21 ( 20 ) BACK OF MY HAND The Jags
22 ( 15 ) SLAP AND TICKLE Squeeze
23 ( 31 ) MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC
24 ( 18 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer
25 ( 17 ) SAD EYES Robert John
26 ( 29 ) EVERYDAY HURTS Sad Cafe
27 ( 19 ) THE PRINCE Madness
28 ( 35 ) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Headboys
29 ( 23 ) WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard
30 ( 25 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

31 ( 67 ) THE CHOSEN FEW The Dooleys
32 ( 60 ) OK FRED Errol Dunkley
33 ( 38 ) QUEEN OF HEARTS Dave Edmunds
34 ( 37 ) DIM ALL THE LIGHTS Donna Summer
35 ( 21 ) TIME FOR ACTION Secret Affair
36 ( 36 ) FOR YOU Judy Tzuke
37 ( 55 ) THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA The Charlie Daniels Band
38 ( 49 ) DON’T BE A DUMMY John Du Cann
39 ( 68 ) STAR Earth Wind & Fire
40 ( NEW ) MY FORBIDDEN LOVER Chic

41 ( 39 ) OH SUSIE Secret Service
42 ( 34 ) I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS The Boomtown Rats
43 ( 50 ) VICTIM OF LOVE Elton John
44 ( 70 ) SPIRIT BODY AND SOUL The Nolan Sisters
45 ( 27 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge
46 ( 57 ) GOOD GIRLS DON’T The Knack
47 ( 33 ) LONESOME LOSER The Little River Band
48 ( 72 ) HEARTACHE TONIGHT The Eagles
49 ( 56 ) LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT) Gloria Gaynor
50 ( 40 ) GOTTA GO HOME Boney M

51 ( 32 ) REGGAE FOR IT NOW Bill Lovelady
52 ( 48 ) CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU The Police
53 ( 66 ) SING A HAPPY SONG The O’Jays
54 ( 30 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Dickies
55 ( 54 ) ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC Tubeway Army
56 ( NEW ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich
57 ( 44 ) GANGSTERS The Specials
58 ( 42 ) ANGEL EYES Roxy Music
59 ( NEW ) BABY BLUE Dusty Springfield
60 ( 41 ) STRUT YOUR FUNKY STUFF Frantique

61 ( 53 ) THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.
62 ( 61 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty
63 ( 62 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC
64 ( NEW ) FREEDOM’S PRISONER Steve Harley
65 ( 58 ) BEAT THE CLOCK Sparks
66 ( 43 ) LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON ME Dollar
67 ( NEW ) HOLD ON Ian Gomm
68 ( 63 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart
69 ( 64 ) LADY LYNDA The Beach Boys
70 ( NEW ) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK The Sex Pistols

71 ( NEW ) GONNA GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU NOW Viola Wills
72 ( 52 ) AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE Earth Wind And Fire
73 ( 47 ) BANG BANG B.A. Robertson
74 ( NEW ) SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Suzi Quatro
75 ( NEW ) ALIEN Nostromo

TV
1 MASH
2 Star Trek: Who Mourns For Adonis
3 Roots: The Next Generation
4 Rhoda
5 Parkinson (sat)
6 Top Of The Pops
7 Doctor Who
8 Ripping Yarns
9 To The Manor Born
10 Mike Yarwood Show

23rd October 1979

Another week another new number one: of course Abba got there, it’s one of their great singles and it wasn’t on Voulez Vous (though there was yet another single to go from it). That makes it 12 in a row, far and away the longest run of number ones, and 13 in total. No other act has ever had a dozen in my chart, not even The Beatles and Pet Shop Boys.

The Buggles and Blondie finally go top 5, both deserved even better, and Dr. Hook finally go top 10, their 5th in 7 years. The Beach Boys get a 2nd Top 10 hit of the year, the lovely Sumahama being their 7th in 11 years. Had I allowed album tracks, Good Timin’ would also have done it from the same album, a harmony delight. XTC make plans for the top 20, OK Fred ragga raggas up to 17, The Dooleys get a 4th top 20, and Lene Lovich makes it 3 in a row as Bird Song flies up 40 places to 16.

The Sex Pistols mystifyingly make the top 40 while more understandably old faves the O’Jays double number one’s are long behind them, but are amiable enough singing a happy song at 39, and Steve Harley is at 40, freedom’s prisoner no more. Debuts for The Selecter and Matumbi, both decent singles, ska and reggae respectively, and The Undertones are back with their second great single, the very under-rated, and brilliant, You’ve Got My Number at 57.

B.A. Robertson has a 2nd pop gem, claiming he knocked it off amongst other football references. Cats UK fly in from Luton Airport: fear not it flew out just as quickly to everyone’s relief. The Stranglers go atomic, Bob Marley has a good social message which sadly will never stop being relevant as long as their are people, Van Morrison is a little more optimistic with one of his least-dreary records, and Queen continue to underperform in my charts with their 1979 singles as Crazy Little Thing Called Love rockabilly’s its way in at 74 – the abrupt change of style didn’t work for me at the time, but it’s a pop gem actually. Lastly, Atlanta Rhythm Section re-enter with a song Dusty recorded, as she rises with her new one: Spooky!

Back in digs, the stream of evening pals dropping by continues. I feel so loved! A dull poetry lecture, some photo lab-bing, some laughs with friends, some relationship developing between 2 of them (I was chaperone). Read “Pincher Martin”, snooker (I won), college cinema for “Jaws” I was gratified to see the American students just as reactive as they were in California a few weeks back “not dumb quiet like English”. A spot of Knights Of Ni Python silliness between ourselves afterwards, and Billy Connolly very funny on Parkinson. I got the boys in stitches of laughter when I announced to the girls we used the girls toilets on our side of the student block cos they were nearer than the men’s (it was down to the comic timing, you had to be there!). At the cinema I went to see spoof Dracula movie Love At First Bite with fave Susan Saint James in it: “good cast good script mildly amusing throughout…” which leaves me bewildered as to why it’s become so obscure these days, it’s never repeated. Doctor Who: “Excellent, best series in long time”. Post-wedding social-evening with non-campus friends, to complete another great week for me. I can see why I look back so fondly on those years compared to the 80’s…

1 ( 2 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba
2 ( 1 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police
3 ( 5 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac
4 ( 9 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles
5 ( 7 ) DREAMING Blondie
6 ( 3 ) SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Rainbow
7 ( 4 ) DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson
8 ( 16 ) WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook
9 ( 12 ) SUMAHAMA The Beach Boys
10 ( 11 ) THEM HEAVY PEOPLE Kate Bush

11 ( 8 ) WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo
12 ( 6 ) DON’T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.
13 ( 10 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty
14 ( 23 ) MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC
15 ( 13 ) CARS Gary Numan
16 ( 56 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich
17 ( 32 ) OK FRED Errol Dunkley
18 ( 31 ) THE CHOSEN FEW The Dooleys
19 ( 15 ) CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe
20 ( 20 ) RISE Herb Alpert

21 ( 14 ) SAIL ON The Commodores
22 ( 39 ) STAR Earth Wind & Fire
23 ( 37 ) THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA The Charlie Daniels Band
24 ( 21 ) BACK OF MY HAND The Jags
25 ( 25 ) SAD EYES Robert John
26 ( 26 ) EVERYDAY HURTS Sad Cafe
27 ( 40 ) MY FORBIDDEN LOVER Chic
28 ( 28 ) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Headboys
29 ( 18 ) GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp
30 ( 19 ) YOU CAN DO IT Al Hudson

31 ( 22 ) SLAP AND TICKLE Squeeze
32 ( 70 ) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK The Sex Pistols
33 ( 36 ) FOR YOU Judy Tzuke
34 ( 17 ) THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD The Tourists
35 ( 49 ) LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT) Gloria Gaynor
36 ( 71 ) GONNA GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU NOW Viola Wills
37 ( 30 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba
38 ( 29 ) WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard
39 ( 53 ) SING A HAPPY SONG The O’Jays
40 ( 64 ) FREEDOM’S PRISONER Steve Harley

41 ( 24 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer
42 ( 27 ) THE PRINCE Madness
43 ( 43 ) VICTIM OF LOVE Elton John
44 ( 44 ) SPIRIT BODY AND SOUL The Nolan Sisters
45 ( NEW ) ON MY RADIO The Selecter
46 ( 35 ) TIME FOR ACTION Secret Affair
47 ( 74 ) SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Suzi Quatro
48 ( 75 ) ALIEN Nostromo
49 ( 42 ) I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS The Boomtown Rats
50 ( NEW ) POINT OF VIEW Matumbi

51 ( 41 ) OH SUSIE Secret Service
52 ( 33 ) QUEEN OF HEARTS Dave Edmunds
53 ( 48 ) HEARTACHE TONIGHT The Eagles
54 ( 59 ) BABY BLUE Dusty Springfield
55 ( 45 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge
56 ( 38 ) DON’T BE A DUMMY John Du Cann
57 ( NEW ) YOU’VE GOT MY NUMBER (WHY DON’T YOU USE IT) The Undertones
58 ( 55 ) ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC Tubeway Army
59 ( NEW ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson
60 ( RE ) CHARADE The Skids

61 ( 62 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty
62 ( 63 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC
63 ( 67 ) HOLD ON Ian Gomm
64 ( 52 ) CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU The Police
65 ( NEW ) LUTON AIRPORT Cats UK
66 ( 34 ) DIM ALL THE LIGHTS Donna Summer
67 ( 50 ) GOTTA GO HOME Boney M
68 ( NEW ) NUCLEAR DEVICE (WIZARD OF AUS) The Stranglers
69 ( RE ) SPOOKY Atlanta Rhythm Section
70 ( 65 ) BEAT THE CLOCK Sparks

71 ( NEW ) SO MUCH TROUBLE IN THE WORLD Bob Marley & The Wailers
72 ( 68 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart
73 ( NEW ) BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD Van Morrison
74 ( NEW ) CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE Queen
75 ( 61 ) THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.

TV
1 Star Trek: The Apple
2 Roots: The Next Generation
3 Parkinson (wed)
4 Top Of The Pops
5 For Pete’s Sake: film
6 Doctor Who
7 Parkinson (sat)
8 Friday Night Sunday Morning: film
9 The Rockford Files
10 Blankety Blank

30th October 1979

For the 4th week in a row it’s a new number one, even knocking off a new Abba single – Fleetwood Mac’s sprawling, ambitious, drum-thumping, everything-thrown-in-including-the-iamspamspamamisink marching Tusk. It shocked everyone at the time, following up Rumours, but I loved it. It’s fair to say if there hadn’t been so many great singles about Video Killed The Radio Star and When You’re In Love would have topped my charts as well as the UK’s.

Lene Lovich and XTC bring a bit of New Wave quirkiness into my Top 10, and there’s no Hold On Ian Gomm up 43 to 20. Highest new entry is both the first chart version of a song to be big 4 years on for Laura Branigan – Gloria – and also, as a double-pack single, 60’s melodic classic Everyone’s Gone To The Moon which I loved as a kid, helping Jonathan King to be one of my fave pop stars during the 70’s – always fun, despite being a terrible singer. Moon was supposed to be a piss-take of cliched pop drivel with trite lyrics, rhymes designed to use every lyrical cliche about. Trouble was, the tune was so strong it wasn’t at all obvious it wasn’t serious and could be taken straight, giving graduate-student JK a surprise hit and career. It didn’t qualify for my charts (I’d excluded reissues by then unless they charted in the UK) but the reality is it would have at least been as high as the much inferior Gloria, and likely a number one, had I allowed it.

Suzi Quatro’s back in the top 40, The Eagles also do it despite a little bit of heartache tonight, and The Nolan Sisters get their first Top 40 hit. Few new entries this week, but New Musik point the 80’s pop way with Straight Lines, a great debut entry at 47 from a great under-rated pop album From A To B chock-a-block with great singles and potential singles. Sham 69 have an abrupt change of style, Misty you’re a better man than I, and end their chart career in the process. On the one hand, phew! On the other hand the more ballady single should in theory have been a good way forward had some of their fans not been more into rioting and racism than actual music.

On TV, Doctor Who nearly knocks Star Trek off my weekly top spot, and back in student-land, visitors to Chez-John this week included Alan, Julie, Jeanette, Paul, Pete, Sue, Jane, Bev, Joe, Ian, Jane D. individually or in any combination thereof day or evening. Designed a poster for a screen print (for Art), came to the conclusion that one of my English Lit lecturers was a droning bore, and had tons of coursework and assignments assigned, such as Volpone. Boo! More snooker and laughs, after I won by 20 points for spite because I wasn’t allowed some points I felt I deserved, so I played “brilliantly” while pretend-mocking I was annoyed about it. Our American students hosted an American Studies lecture, which was fun, and I noted this weeks TOTP was crap – yes the one that was just broadcast on BBC4 as I type. It’s still crap.

Friday was an Art field trip to Bradford with Chuck my new American friend, Max, my art tutor, and 3 mature students, for a David Hockney exhibition – which didn’t overly impress me. Next stop was Sheffield for a Diane Arbus photographic exhibition, I do like her style to this day and choice of unusual people portraits. Late back, but not too late for a social evening for Paul’s Party in the student uni room, I refused to dance (as always in those days), though when a few punk tracks came on nearly everyone stopped dancing and I started – much more comfortable dancing to rock music (still am) The Cars, The Skids, The Sex Pistols which not many of our gang liked. Hey ho! Saturday in town, bumped into another ex-school teacher Mr Poole who i always liked, and had a quick chat. A pub afternoon in Anersley with Jane Dave and Paul, then the Rag Ball in the evening, with tie (against my principles, ties) and which I tried to get out of, the sound system and music pretty poor. Refused to dance again, but sulking cos I needed to stop having fun and knuckle down to the bloody pile of assignments – so Sunday was work day. Degrees, honestly, get spoilt by having to study and write rather than have fun!

1 ( 3 ) TUSK Fleetwood Mac
2 ( 1 ) GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) Abba
3 ( 2 ) MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE The Police
4 ( 4 ) VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR The Buggles
5 ( 8 ) WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dr. Hook
6 ( 6 ) SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE Rainbow
7 ( 5 ) DREAMING Blondie
8 ( 16 ) BIRD SONG Lene Lovich
9 ( 14 ) MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL XTC
10 ( 7 ) DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Michael Jackson

11 ( 11 ) WHATEVER YOU WANT Status Quo
12 ( 12 ) DON’T BRING ME DOWN E.L.O.
13 ( 13 ) GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME Gerry Rafferty
14 ( 17 ) OK FRED Errol Dunkley
15 ( 27 ) MY FORBIDDEN LOVER Chic
16 ( 18 ) THE CHOSEN FEW The Dooleys
17 ( 20 ) RISE Herb Alpert
18 ( 15 ) CARS Gary Numan
19 ( 23 ) THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA The Charlie Daniels Band
20 ( 63 ) HOLD ON Ian Gomm

21 ( 9 ) SUMAHAMA The Beach Boys
22 ( 22 ) STAR Earth Wind & Fire
23 ( 10 ) THEM HEAVY PEOPLE Kate Bush
24 ( NEW ) GLORIA/ EVERYON’ES GONE TO THE MOON Jonathan King
25 ( 19 ) CRUEL TO BE KIND Nick Lowe
26 ( 21 ) SAIL ON The Commodores
27 ( 47 ) SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Suzi Quatro
28 ( 33 ) FOR YOU Judy Tzuke
29 ( 45 ) ON MY RADIO The Selecter
30 ( 25 ) SAD EYES Robert John

31 ( 26 ) EVERYDAY HURTS Sad Cafe
32 ( 32 ) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK The Sex Pistols
33 ( 36 ) GONNA GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU NOW Viola Wills
34 ( 35 ) LET ME KNOW (I HAVE A RIGHT) Gloria Gaynor
35 ( 44 ) SPIRIT BODY AND SOUL The Nolan Sisters
36 ( 29 ) GOODBYE STRANGER Supertramp
37 ( 40 ) FREEDOM’S PRISONER Steve Harley
38 ( 30 ) YOU CAN DO IT Al Hudson
39 ( 53 ) HEARTACHE TONIGHT The Eagles
40 ( 37 ) VOULEZ VOUS/ ANGEL EYES Abba

41 ( 24 ) BACK OF MY HAND The Jags
42 ( 38 ) WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE Cliff Richard
43 ( 57 ) YOU’VE GOT MY NUMBER (WHY DON’T YOU USE IT) The Undertones
44 ( 34 ) THE LONELIEST MAN IN THE WORLD The Tourists
45 ( 31 ) SLAP AND TICKLE Squeeze
46 ( 28 ) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME The Headboys
47 ( NEW ) STRAIGHT LINES New Musik
48 ( 48 ) ALIEN Nostromo
49 ( 54 ) BABY BLUE Dusty Springfield
50 ( 41 ) JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST Randy Vanwarmer

51 ( 43 ) VICTIM OF LOVE Elton John
52 ( 42 ) THE PRINCE Madness
53 ( 49 ) I DON’T LIKE MONDAYS The Boomtown Rats
54 ( 59 ) KNOCKED IT OFF B.A. Robertson
55 ( NEW ) YOU’RE A BETTER MAN THAN I Sham ’69
56 ( 52 ) QUEEN OF HEARTS Dave Edmunds
57 ( 58 ) ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC Tubeway Army
58 ( 68 ) NUCLEAR DEVICE (WIZARD OF AUS) The Stranglers
59 ( 61 ) BAKER STREET Gerry Rafferty
60 ( 62 ) DREADLOCK HOLIDAY 10CC

61 ( 39 ) SING A HAPPY SONG The O’Jays
62 ( 55 ) LOST IN MUSIC Sister Sledge
63 ( 69 ) SPOOKY Atlanta Rhythm Section
64 ( 74 ) CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE Queen
65 ( 64 ) CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU The Police
66 ( 46 ) TIME FOR ACTION Secret Affair
67 ( 50 ) POINT OF VIEW Matumbi
68 ( 51 ) OH SUSIE Secret Service
69 ( 71 ) SO MUCH TROUBLE IN THE WORLD Bob Marley & The Wailers
70 ( 73 ) BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD Van Morrison

71 ( NEW ) THE SPARROW The Ramblers
72 ( 72 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Amii Stewart
73 ( NEW ) IF YOU REMEMBER ME Chris Thompson
74 ( 70 ) BEAT THE CLOCK Sparks
75 ( 75 ) THE DIARY OF HORACE WIMP E.L.O.

TV
1 Star Trek: Metamorphosis
2 Doctor Who
3 Fawlty Towers
4 Roots: The Next Generation
5 MASH
6 Film 79
7 The Odd Couple
8 Starsky And Hutch
9 The Two Ronnies
10 Top Of The Pops