Friday's 40th Five (15/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 15: 13-19 April

1. Dept. S - Is Vic There?  Surprise debut hit for these post-punkers, at no.40 this week and on TOTP.

2. Ennio Morricone - Chi Mai. Theme tune to BBC TV hit series The Life & Times of David Lloyd George, originally composed by the Italian maestro in 1971, now at no.4 with respectful Legs & Co. performance on TOTP.

3. The Cure - Primary. Taken from the group's new and third album Faith, the single actually did make TOTP this week, mistakenly announced by Peter Powell as being their 'debut' on the show.

4. Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going. This one by the veteran Jamaican vocalist has been around for a bit and is already up to no.7. The song was origianlly recorded by Michael Jackson in 1972

5. Theatre of Hate - Rebel Without A Brain. More London post-punk energy still coming through and this one is the highest new entry on the Indie charts this week.

Friday's 40th Five (14/81)

 Week 06-12 April 

1. Spandau Ballet - Glow. Brand new track to accompany Muscle Bound up the charts and onto the dance floors.

2. Public Image Limited - Flowers of Romance. New track from Lydon & friends hits the charts and makes for a very bizarre TOTP performance.

3. John Lennon - Watching the Wheels. Posthumous single release from the Lennon estate, the last to be taken from Double Fantasy.

4. Shalamar - Make That Move. US disco trio get first Brit hit since last year's I Owe You One.

5. Keith Marshall - Only Crying. Debut hit by former Hello frontman.

Friday's 40th Five (13/81)

 

30 March - 05 April

Friday's 40th Five (12/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 12: 23 - 29 March 

1. Ultravox - Slow Motion. Re-release of Foxx-era single, riding on the wave of Vienna. Into the Top 40 at no.35.

2. Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up. UK's Eurovision entry for this year is into the charts this week an on TOTP.

3. Orange Juice - Poor Old Soul. In the indie charts and on the Peel show. Their debut session from last year also gets a repeat this week.

4. Leve Lovich - New Toy. Still looking for a successful follow-up to '79's Lucky Number and Say When, this new one is at 54 this week (and on TOTP), although sadly gets no further.

5. Status Quo - Never Too Late. Title track from the Quo's new album, straight into the charts this week at no.2.

This week's: Record Mirror, Top 40.

Friday's 40th Five (11/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 11: 16 - 22 March 

1. Landscape - Einstein a Go-Go. This one seems to have escaped the radar so far but is already at no.21 in the charts after the video was shown on TOTP last week.

2. Heaven 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang. Debut single by ex-Human leaguers + 1 and is on heavy rotation on Peel's late show. 

3. Linx - Intuition. New entry at no.35 this week for Brit funksters.

4. The Polecats - John, I'm Only Dancing. A daring cover version by trendy rockabillies, just into the charts at the first of tow hits.

5. Hazel O'Connor - D-Days. Brand new single release from last year's Sons & Lovers album and destined for Top 10.

This week's: Smash Hits, Record Mirror, Top 40

Friday's 40th Five (10/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 10: 9 -15 March 

1. New Order - Ceremony

2. Visage - Mind of  a Toy

3. Phil Collins - I Missed Again

4. Spandau Ballet - Reformation (album: Journeys to Glory)

5. XTC - Respectable Street 

Friday's 40th Five (09/81)

 

Week 02-08 March 1981

1. Kim Wilde - Kids in America Highest new entry at no.18 this week.

2. Jacksons - Can You Feel It? ..and another at no.34

3. Shakin' Stevens - This Ole House Another new entry at no.29.

4. The Selecter - Celebrate the Bullet Title track from new album at no.49 in the chart this week (and in Record Mirror)

5. Scritti Politti - The Sweetest Girl. From the NME/Rough Trade C81 cassette, track selected by John Peel for his show this week.

Friday's 40th Five (8/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 8: 23 February - 01 March

1. Altered Images - Dead Pop Stars

2. Toyah - Thunder in the Mountains (Four From Toyah EP)

3. Status Quo - Something 'Bout You Baby I Like

4. The Teardrop Explodes - Strange House In The Snow

5. Kiki Dee - Star

Friday's 40th Five (7/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 7: 16 - 22 February

1. Depeche Mode - Dreaming of Me. Basildon synth-poppers release their debut single this week on Mute. It won't hit the Top 40 but is the start of something much bigger.

2. The Human League - Boys and Girls. Sheffield synth maestros are back with a new single and a new look after last year's split. The sound is still very much rooted in the group's past, however, and the titular 'girls' appear only on the record sleeve.

3. Roxy Music - Jealous Guy. Roxy's tribute to the late John Lennon hits the charts this week at no.21 and will rapidly get to the top spot in a matter of weeks.

4. Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier. Originally released last summer, but to no avail, the Ant People re-release the title track from their no.1 album (while their back catalogue also gets more attention).

5. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Into the Light (Peel session). The group have their fourth Peel session broadcast this week, and the DJ plays their first 1977 session on the same night.*

*New Order also have their debut session broadcast this week, although sadly these tracks are not available for the Spotify playlist.

Friday's 40th Five (6/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 6: 09 - 15 February

1. Beggar & Co – (Somebody) Help Me Out. UK jazz-funk outfit go along with the 'beggar' image for their TOTP performance this week. Watch out for them performing with another group later in the year.

2. New Musik - Luxury. Lead single from their upcoming album Anywhere, although will fail to meet the albeit modest success of last year's hits.

3. Toyah - It's a Mystery. From the band's Four From Toyah EP which will go on to give them (and her) their commercial breakthrough.

4. Steve Winwood - When You See a Chance. Only a minor hit for Winwood from his Arc of a Diver album, despite the gimmick release on the new cassette-single format on Island. 

5. Sheena Easton - Take My Time. The face of 1980 breaks into the new year although alas will fail to make the same impact as last year. 

Friday's 40th Five (5/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 5: 02 - 08 February

1. Duran Duran - Planet Earth. Debut single for Brum-romantics out this week. 

2. The Pretenders - Message of Love. New entry this week at no.28

3. Freeez - Southern Freeez. Some cool Brit-funk in at no.34

4. The Stray Cats - Rock This Town. Up twenty-one places to no.14

5. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime. American art rockers hit the UK charts at no.38

31/01/81 Record Mirror

Record Mirror Jan 31st 1981 (25p) link

Front cover: Phil Collins (Gen X, April Wine, The Who, Boomtown Rats)

NEWS. The Pretenders (Message of Love single), BA Robertson, Marvin Gaye album, Wendy O'Williams, The Stranglers Themeninblack album, Bruce Springsteen UK dates, Stray CAts new single and dates, Steve Winwood cassette single, Dance Craze movie release.

INTERVIEW: Phil COllins

ALBUMS: 

FEATURE: Boomtown Rats on tour

SINGLES reviwed by "Rats Manager"
 

Friday's 40th Five (4/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 4: 26 January - 01 February

1. Teardrop Explodes - Reward. Another strong new release and bubbling under the charts after its release last week. 

2. The Passions - I'm In Love With a German Film Star. Released last week and just outside the Top 40 this. Not their first single but would become their one and only hit.

3. Spandau Ballet - Another new release and its the highest new entry on the Top 40 this week at no.24.

4. The Jam - That's Entertainment. released as a single on the Continent only, but copies were finding their way into the UK, much to The Jam's chagrin.

5. XTC - Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me). Third track from 1980 album Black Sea is another chart entry at no.36 this week.

Friday 40th Five (3/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 3: 19-25 January

1. John Lennon - Woman. With Lennon fever still raging in the wake of his sudden death, Lennon's new single into the charts at no.3 this week (held back by Antmusic and his own Imagine).

2. Blondie - Rapture. New single from last year's Autoamerican, their radical rock/rap crossover song, is another new entry at no.14.

3. Ultravox - Vienna. Title track from another 1980 album is also in at no.16, and will indeed breathe new life into its parent LP.

4. The Boomtown Rats - The Elephant's Graveyard. The Rats' new album Mondo Bongo is the hisghest new entry in the album charts at no.9 this week.

5. Ski Patrol - Extinguish. Sunderland post-punkers' debut Peel session is broadcast to the nation this week. 

Friday 40th Five (2/81)

Remembering the music of 1981, week by week, in 2021. New releases, new entries, new number 1s, plus indie favourites and album cuts, all from this week 40 years ago.

Week 2: 12-18 January

1. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

2. David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

3. Visage - Fade To Grey

4. Elvis Costello - Clubland. Released at the end of 1980 ahead of the upcoming new album 

5. Buzzcocks - Running Free. Largely forgotten single from the fag-end of 1980. Smash Hits gave it a decent review although John Peel, and the record buying public, seem to have ignored it.

17/11/81: Queen and David Bowie hit no. 1 with 'Under Pressure'

On Tuesday 17 November 1981 Queen and David Bowie reached the no. 1 spot in the UK with their single 'Under Pressure'.

01/10/81: Phil Oakey (The Human League) on the cover of Smash Hits

Inside: an interview with the band on the eve of the release of their new album Dare, lyrics to the new single Open Your Heart and "The Beginners' Guide to The Human League".

via: Like Punk Never Happened on flickr

19/09/1981: Simon & Garfunkel play in Central Park

On Saturday 19 September 1981, popular folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel played a concert in Central Park as part of a fund-raising event for the redevelopment and maintenance of the run-down green space in the middle of Manhattan. Around $51,000 was raised.

pic.: unattributed on dailymail.co.uk

The concert was recorded and was later released as The Concert in Central Park album and went gold in the UK and double platinum in the USA.


Film of the concert was produced for television broadcast and the upcoming home video market. HBO televised the film, Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park, on February 21, 1982, five days after the album was released. The film was later released for sale in VHS, CED Videodisc, Laserdisc, and DVD formats. It sold more than 50,000 copies in the US, where it earned Gold certification for a music long form video.

pic.: discogs.com

source: wikipedia

07/07/81: The Specials' Ghost Town goes to no. 1 in UK

On Tuesday 7 July 1981 the single Ghost Town by Coventry group The Specials went to no. 1 in the UK charts.

The song spent three weeks at number one and 10 weeks in total in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Addressing themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots were occurring in British cities, most recently in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Internal tensions within the band were also coming to a head when the single was being recorded, resulting in the song being the last single recorded by the original seven members of the group before splitting up.

By the end of the year the song had won over the critics to be named single of the year in Melody Maker, NME and Sounds, the UK's top three weekly music magazines at the time.

see also: Ska for the madding crowd, Alexis Petridis, theguardian.com,  08/03/2002

25/06/81: Kirsty MacColl and Depeche Mode debut on Top of the Pops

On Thursday 25 June 1981 two acts made their Top of the Pops: Kirsty MacColl with her single There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis and Depeche Mode with their second single New Life.