TOTP 80.22 29/05/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Introduced by Kid Jensen - and what a very smart and polite young man he is too.

Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Back Together Again (chart rundown)

This one's in at no. 22 but all in all it's a pretty uninteresting chart with not much going on, except for a new number one. Orchestral Manoeuvres are into the Top 30 at last, just one place behind the Electric Light Orchestra with their new one I'm Alive. Perhaps it was all these 'orchestra' manoeuvres which upset the BBC orchestras leading to the strike which kept the Pops off the telly for an amazing nine weeks. Well, we shall never know, as indeed no-one doing tonight's show evidently had no idea of what was about to hit them.

Liquid Gold - Substitute

They're back after the mega-hit Dance Yourself Dizzy, and full marks to them for being so quick off the mark with this follow up which would go Top 10 within a month despite lack of whacky TOTP promotion. This reminds me of the kind of funky Brit-disco which would emerge again in a couple of years with Wham! and the like., so these things obviously go in cycles. Never mind.

Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It

It's getting a bit hot in here so better cool things down a bit with loads of dry ice and 'space' effects for this classic Hot Chocolate number which had got to number 2, where it would stay, effectively making it one of those classic 'nearly number ones'. Errol Brown's voice and indeed wiggle, will live on forever.

Elton John - Little Jeannie

Oh dear - Reggie was obviously well past his "Crocodile Rock" heyday, and this looks and sounds like a rather last ditch attempt to revive a seventies based career in the eighties (hello Smokie). This got nowhere and continues a rather large grey area (notice I didn't say black hole) in Elton's career, but as we all know he'll still be standing in a couple of years, and will soon become big mates with princesses and stuff. 

Crown Heights Affair - You Gave Me Love

Thankfully Legs are back in their usual half-way-through-the-first-half position and are doing a bit of proper dancing and showing off their pants, hooray! It's a cheer-leader themed routine this week and - shock, horror, probe - even the audience are involved! Whatever will they think of next?

Don McLean - Crying

You know how it is. You're sitting in your log cabin, 'round an open fire, strumming on your guitar .. and you're crying. It's a promo video, not a re-used BBC Christmas studio set of course, and is one of the few good reasons why the Pops will be off the air for the next couple of months. This was already at number 13 and would get to number 1. For three. Whole. Weeks. 

Thin Lizzy - Chinatown

But enough of this namby-pamby moping around the place. Let's get some proper rock in leather trousers back on! After Phil Lynott's failed attempt to shake the world with his solo career a few weeks back, the whole group is back in town - China town in fact. This one would slowly but surely reach the giddy heights of no. 21, but we won't be seeing it on the Pops again. Meanwhile girls in sensible trouser suits look on.

Roxy Music - Over You

Speaking of sensible trousers, sensibly dressed Kid 'Man at C&A' Jensen gives a lengthy introduction to the also sensibly dressed Roxy Music with their new hit. I'm no Roxy expert but I did notice that that's not Phil Manzanera on sax so where's he gone? First hit single off the new Flesh + Blood album which effectively kick-started their 'smoothie' eighties image. Oh and to be honest only Bryan Ferry could get away with wearing a pair of trousers like that.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Messages

More sensibly dressed young men please! Here's the most unsensibly named group ever with the second performance of their wonderful, wonderful song, this time reinforced with their full stage gear, some extra sate of the art drums and of course the full special effects treatment. Only one member of the band is not wearing a tie and will consequently be kicked out soon. This had finally gone Top 30 and would peak at no. 13 in three weeks time. Obviously the last time we'll see this song performed but they'll be back later in the year with something much bigger, and even more sensible clothes.

Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious

Or rather let's not get too serious and bring some mindless American disco music back on. It was Michael last week and this week its another Jackson sibling doing his thang on some US pop show, which someone kindly taped and sent over to the Beeb in London, England. Thankfully he was previously informed about tonight's dress code.

Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Hero

Oh well, enough ties already, better get the punk rockers in from the provinces. An unsuccessful attempt to follow up the moderately successful At The Edge (can you whistle it?) and indeed we'll never see the likes of them on the Pops again. End of an era in more ways than one tonight.

Mystic Merlin - Just Can't Give You Up

Bit of a performance video for this one as Mystic Merlin do a bit of magic - as befits their name - on the only young wench of the group who was already in a bit of a trance. Behold! She levitates! It's all done with mirrors, y'know. The Mystics climbed just a l'il bit higher after this showing but then appropriately disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Lena Zavaroni - Jump Down Jimmy

The only reason I can fathom as to why Ms. Zavaroni (née Zavaroni) suddenly appeared on the Pops with this is that she  had just launched her own new music show on BBC One, entitled Lena. What I can't fathom is why said show was evidently in no way affected by the BBC orchestra strike, and remained firmly on air for the next six weeks, while Top of the Pops was off air. Some kind of conspiracy going on here? Had no-one ever thought of this? Anyway, rubbish song that got nowhere.

The MASH - Suicide is Painless

There seems to be some doubt in the webosphere as to whether this Legs & Co. repeat from last week was used in the original broadcast, but no matter, this seventies MOR dirge with lyrics written by a 14 year old was the record most purchased by the Great British public this week and that's that. So much for 'the sound of the eighties', as announced by Peter Powell at the beginning of the year. Twenty-two weeks on and, with very few exceptions, there hasn't been anything much that has broken from the seventies mold. A bit sad really.

Lipps Inc. - Funky Town

We play out with this one tonight, now in the top 10. At least it has a hint of 'modern' about it.

I wonder if anyone to do with the show had any idea of what was going to happen next: the 9/11 of Top of the Pops, an event which would shake up the show and possibly attitudes to pop music in Britain forever. Or would it?

See you in the future.

TOTP 80.21 22/05/1980

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Introduced by future UKIP supporter Mike Read. In his pyjamas.

Lipps Inc. - Funky Town

This catchy disco number has come into the charts at no. 25 apparently from nowhere, well, no. 70. An interesting record which represents a kind of crossover from 70s disco to 80s synth-pop with it's catchy beep beep tune, and girlie vocals, sax and orchestration. Although of American origin, the record had universal appeal and reached number 1 in twenty-eight countries, including the US. Let's see how it fares in the UK, eh listeners? Oh yeah: Lipps Inc....geddit?

All in all it's a fairly mixed chart with a bit of everything although - save perhaps for the above mentioned Lipps Inc. and the new entry at no. 10 there's still very little to be seen/heard of the 'sound of the eighties'. On with the show...

Lambrettas - Da-a-a-ance

So while we're on the subject of the sound of the eighties, let's go back to the sound of ...the fifties perhaps? Their follow up to Poison Ivy, not particularity brilliant but oddly did quite well for them within a question of weeks.

Michael Jackson - She's Out of My Life

TOTP producers or whoever seem to have this technique of putting a quirky upbeat, possibly 'novelty' song on at the beginning, only to immediately follow it up by a slow one, bringing the pace right down big-time. Not sure I ever agreed with that technique but hey-ho. Here's Jacko again sans frères with this fourth song from Off the Wall which had reached a massive no. 4.  So now she is out of your life, time to go and watch some horror films methinks, Mikey, before we all drop off completely.

U.K. Subs - Teenage

Let's get the punks in again to liven things up a bit. And here indeed are the UK Subs with a follow up to...the previous one. In at No. 32 and wouldn't do any better, understandably. Possibly their last TOTP?

Jona Lewie - You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties

Unlike other synth-friendly acts from two weeks ago The Human League and OMD (but there's time yet), Mr Lewie was faring well in the charts so here's another studio performance, this time with different girlie backing singers. TOTP production go all out on this one with full 'kithcen' set up, although The Buggles' rubber gloves don't seem to feature. Still only at no. 27 though.

Karel Fialka - The Eyes Have It

Now here's a surprise - and a very odd one too. Looking very 'eighties' with jumpsuits and keyboards à la Gary Numan, to the fore, our Fialka was a half-Indian, half-Scottish, half- Czech musician and 'poet' (it says 'ere) who made a futuristic electronic based album (Still Life - ed.) and attempted to break the UK charts with this catchy nascent-electro-pop single. Ultimately he failed - perhaps a year or so too soon Kaz?

The Specials - Rat Race

For the much anticipated follow-up to their no. 1 Too Much Too Young, Coventry's finest have done one of those new-fangled music 'videos', no less, to accompany their new single. It was straight in at no. 18 although still not the highest new entry, folks. The Specials were ready with a whole bunch of fresh new material which would later materialise in the 'More Specials' LP, which sort of brought them out of black and white and into colour. I just made that up.

Cockney Rejects - I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

Tiresome 'punk' version of an old old song which our grandparents may well have heard back in 1919. The tune was apparently adopted as the anthem of West Ham football club soon after and so that's why we have to bear this dirge in the retro-future of 1980, since said club had just won the FA Cup. On hearing of the record's chart success, Arsenal supporters were said to be as sick as a parrot.

Gary Numan - We Are Glass

He's back! Numan's impact on the late 1979 music scene both with Tubeway Army and as a solo artist with no. 1 single Cars is well documented and his importance can never be overstated. By this time Gaz had already reached a kind of cult status thanks also to his triumphant live shows towards the end of '79. So no doubt thousands of Numanoids (and me) rushed out to buy the new single, which was also being advertised as not included on forthcoming album, a shrewd marketing move making it all the more desirable. A bit of a change in musical direction compared to the more sparse electronic style of Cars and The Pleasure Principle album yet it remains classic Numan and possibly one of his last great singles. Being a super-star, Numan didn't make it to the Pops studio but had made one of those new-fangled music 'videos' (sic.) featuring laser beams, dry ice, a new black plastic state-of-the-art jumpsuit and  - shock, horror - a shiny guitar. Oh and he's seen breaking a lot of glass. Although its success was short-lived, We Are Glass would get to no. 5, his best position chart-wise after Cars.

Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves

And continuing in the Pops tradition of putting two contrasting songs back to back with no heed to continuity whatsoever, after 21st Century boy Gary Numan here's some reggae from 1976.. I imagine this one got in the charts a) on the back of the ska/reggae revival and b) thanks to The Clash's cover version, ironically unappreciated by Mr Murvin, included on their eponymous 1977 debut album. Legend has it they got the idea to do said cover version after Police & Thieves became a kind of anthem during the 1976 Notting Hill riots, in which Messrs. Strummer and Simonon gleefully took part. Anyway back to 1980 and here's Murvin doing his thang once more, with moderate chart success to come.

Average White Band - Let's Go Round Again

Has this been on before? Possibly. Is it worthy of any comment? Possibly not. A non-mover at n. 17, it would only go slightly higher the following week.

The Mash - Suicide is Painless

And now for something completely different. For those who'd been wondering where ver Legs had got to, here they are later than usual in the running order, possibly to add to the shock factor? A bunch of smooth singing Americans intoning the joys of Selbstmord to a shmoozy MOR backing was bizarre enough but now we get the girls faffing about on top of it, thankfully not interpreting the song title/lyrics as literally as usual. The tune was originally included in the MASH movie - an adaption of the original novel - and then later adapted as an instrumental for the popular TV series which ran from 1972 to 1983. Noel Edmonds was apparently to blame for reviving the single and making it a hit. And the whole thing gets even more bizarre next week, folks.

Matchbox - Midnite Dynamos

A repeat of the performance from a couple of weeks ago and a bit of a filler as it had only moved up a few places in the meantime to a measly no. 26. Not that there was much else to chose from.

Johnny Logan - What's Another Year

And here he is again, still at no. 1. We may take solace in the fact that we won't see him round these parts for another seven years. Cheers Johnny.

Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious (playout)

Not wishing to be outdone by his bruv Michael, Jermaine was also goin' solo and this one did quite well. No horror movies for him though and he'll be back with his siblings for the Victory album in just a couple of years time.

All in all a bit of a lacklustre show, but I'm sure all the Karel Fialka fans were happy. See y'all next week!

TOTP 80.20 15/05/80

Introduced by DLT, so not repeated on BBCFour this time.
Full chart here

For full playlist see Turn It On Again.

Hand-crafted list courtesy of Sir LeeThommo:

TOTP 80.19 08/05/1980

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Introduced by Peter Powell (in a Radio 1 jumpsuit).

Before we go any further let me just say that in the unlikely event of me ever getting a tattoo done somewhere on my body, then this date in history would be that tattoo. Now let's get down to business...

Mystic Merlin - Just Can't Give You Up
And since we're well into 1980 and time is fast running out, why don't we start with a bland disco-instrumental just to get the ball rolling? C'mon Powell, you can do better than this. Mind you they have to dig into the far outer reaches of the charts to get anything interesting and "sound of the eighties" this week. In fact it's a rum old chart featuring a lot of bland disco and heavy metal music, possibly due to the fact that last week we had so much bland disco and heavy metal music. Jimmy Ruffin is the highest new entry after his stint on the wobbly, steam filled tower last week although Whitesnake and Motorhead both do well, the latter up to a massive 15 places to no. 8. Sales of patchuli oil were also said to have peaked. Thankfully Dexy's defend the top spot even though incredibly last week's nos. 2-10 all go down!

The Human League - Rock 'n' Roll (Holiday '80 EP)
Ok cut straight from the wobbly captions into...... what's this? Electronic panels and wires and knobs and stuff? We thought Tomorrow's World had just finished! But no! It's a bunch of funny looking blokes doing a cover version of Glitter's 'Rock n Roll Part 1' but with no drums, guitars and only a tape recorder and those new-fangled synthesiser thingys? Where's Gary Numan? Funnily enough Powell doesn't even introduce this band so we'll have to do the honours: "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you THE HUMAN LEAGUE!" For all the 'novelty acts' which tended to be presented first upon the 'Pops (see Rezillos, New Musik, The Bodysnatchers et al) there really never has been anything quite like Sheffield's Human League up to now. They were already well known to the average Sounds/NME reader and were about to release their second electronics only album, and their semi-experimental electronics-only music could hardly have been classed as TOTP/pop fodder. This glam rock cover was a brave attempt to achieve that elusive chart hit, but one which sadly failed. Legend has it that David Bowie had said that 'one day all music would be made this way'. However, the band in this particular formation would split by the end of the year although the bloke with the funny lop-sided haircut had a cunning plan....
(note: this is the first song/act tonight which made my 16-year old jaw drop to the living room carpet with a mighty thud, and my music tastes - and my life - would never be the same again. But I digress...)

Johnny Logan -What's Another Year?
Oh God it's this wimp again. At least this time he's taken the trouble to put his jacket on properly Not content with being voted The Best Song in the Whole of Europe, Logan has got to no. 2 in the charts. Can it get any worse?

Prelude - Platinum Blonde
Much like The Human League, this one had been 'bubbling under' as they used to say for a couple of weeks. I, and most people on twitter, had no recollection of this whatsoever. Unlike The Human league however they're sporting a whole load of guitars in all shapes and sizes and end up looking and sounding like a poor man's Fleetwood Mac. the lady singer wears a purple jumpsuit to give it an 'eighties' look, but other than that it's rubbish. Or am I supposed to be reading between the lines? Amazingly, this lot are still performing.

Michael Jackson - Out of My Life
Or is that 'Outta My Life'? Anyway this is Jackson's fourth single taken from the album Off the Wall, and not even the last one, which at the time was a bit of a, er, record. Despite having already milked the album for what it was worth this would keep Jacko's chart average positioning high. It's also one of his slowest songs ever fact fans. Even slower than Johnny Logan.

Matchbox - Midnite Dynamos
But don't fall asleep just yet! It's those whacky Matchbox guys with another rockabilly choon to get everyone dancing round the living room. This was the follow-up to the cringeworthy Buzz Buzz a Diddle It, and would in fact better it. Amazingly their "best" was still to come.

Average White Band - Let's Go Round Again (Legs & Co.)
In which the Leggettes dance around in their skimpy swimming cossies which are, er, white.

Jona Lewie - You Will Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties
Always loved this one. Someone on twitter said they'd had an 'O' Level flashback and that was definitely the case for me with this song. Always loved the synth sound, although he obviously wasn't aiming to be like The Human League or anything. A bit of a novelty record à la B A Robertson but miles better. Millions also noticed in 2015 that one of the girls on backing vocals was the late Kirsty McColl, although apparently she didn't sing on the record. I'm guessing that Phil Oakey saw these girls though and thought.....guys..what if.....?

Cockney Rejects - Cockney Rip-Off
Yes, here we go again. I think this has been on before but doesn't really do it for me.

Boney M - My Friend Jack
Can't help thinking that Boney M were past their sell by date at this point .. Rivers of Babylon, Rasputin, Hooray Holy-day etc. being very much products of the late seventies. Well I'm glad to say that this was indeed the case and this got nowhere. Obviously a non-TOTP recording as there's too much light in the studio.

Ruts - Staring at the Rude Boys
I do remember this one however although never quite worked out if they were taking the mick out of the 'Two Tone' establishment or what. Never really understood what Babylon's Burning was about either, although it was slightly better than this. At no. 22 and didn't get any higher.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Messages
Now then...if the opening act hadn't been enough to make me feel like I had seen the future - my future - then this performance got me into even more of a tizz. I think I'd been sort of 'following' OMITD (as we used to call them) for a few months since their early single Electricity, and possibly an OGWT performance around the same time as this. But whatever it was, as with Phil Oakey and pals, nothing in my life would ever be the same again. I would soon become the world's biggest OMD fan (fact) and I still adore this song to this day. Peter Powell announced that it was going to be 'a smash' and he wasn't far wrong, even though it would only struggle its way up to no. 26 by the end of the month, but in June would get to no. 13 - wonder why?  Anorak note 1: this was a radical re-recording of the track off their debut album which was a little less powerful production-wise; anorak note 2: the line up here included Dave Hughes on keyboards, roped in for live work and promotion, even though he would be out of the band before their next appearance; anorak note 3 :...I'm an OMITD anorak.

The Undertones - My Perfect Cousin
According to Powell, without this one tonight's show wouldn't have been 'complete'. Ummm shouldn't that be without the no. 1 song, Pete? Or perhaps he was referring to Feargal's not so veiled lyrical reference to The Human League (plays air synth) which brings everything 'full circle'? We shall never know. A surprising inclusion nonetheless as it had crept up just one place to no. 10.

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno
Number One again and it's a repeat of last week's where, as legend would have it, they only arrived just in time at the beginning to pick up their instruments and start 'playing'.

Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It
This was up to no. 6, quite right too.


post scriptum: the Saturday after this show, I went into town and bought these two babes:-

So 'til next week: goodbye!

TOTP 80.18 01/05/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Welcome to the merry month of May and a new month of Top of the Pops 1980..or is it? Introduced tonight by Tommy Vance, on his TOTP debut (they've even put his name in writing in case you don't know who he is). It's not clear whether the amount of rock/heavy metal on tonight is because Vance wanted to 'push' his preferred genre, or if they got him on because he's the man in the know. Anyway, on with the show...

Leon Haywood - Don't Push It Don't Force It

Chart rundown (NB "special effects" on the writing). Leon's at no. 12 - same as last week. In other chart news, Sky go Top 5 with their classic-prog-pop number, the Undertones shoot up to no. 11 and Irish Eurovision winner Johnny Logan is straight in at no. 15, in the days when Eurovision winners still sold records. Bad Manners and Cockney Rejects go Top 30 after last week's appearances, although there does seem to be an unhealthy amount of heavy rock and disco about. "Sound of the eighties"..where are you?

New Musik - World of Water

Oh here it is! New effort from this lot after Living by Numbers which made it to no. 13 a couple of months back. This would fare less well as perhaps the geeky 'Buggles' effect was already wearing a bit thin. As John Foxx's recent mediocre success had highlighted, the world was still not ready for pop music fuelled by J.G. Ballard novels. Plus the keyboard player is embarrassing.

Narada Michael Walden - I Shoulda Loved Ya

So it's back to the disco, but what's happened to the TOTP studio? It's gone all.... Oh, sorry it's a clip of Narada and his band doing their thang on U.S. pop show Soul Train, which sort of showed how pop shows are done Stateside: bright stage sets, coloured lights, and people dancing and having a good time! Whatever next!

Chords - Something's Missing

Better get back to the grim and gritty world of the BBC Centre and the London suburbs, quick! The Chords really were trying hard to have a hit, after Maybe Tomorrow earlier in the year, but perhaps this time hoping to make the most of the angry young mod vibe set up by The Jam and their smash hit Going Underground. A brave attempt, but alas one wouldn't get them far chart-wise. New album out soon, and cult status assured.

Rodney Franklin - The Groove (Legs & Co.)

But enough of this mob music! Not good for the country ... let's give the masses what they want: banal dance music and scantily clad females! Indeed Legs & Co,'s knickers seem to be getting skimpier by the week and their legs even longer. There's even a huge long sofa featured this week, for rolling about on, hiding behind etc. Not trying to distract us from anything are they? Franklin's 'groove' (if you're paying any attention ot he music) was up to no. 13.

Whitesnake - Fool For You Loving

But enough of this cheapo girlie show, let's have some real men making some real, sweaty, hormone-fuelled music! Yes it's the first of a trio of c*ck-rock numbers, which see Vance in his element. This one was already Top 30 (just) and we get a gritty film of a live performance which looks like it might have been made circa 1973. I must admit I know nothing about this bunch of hairy rockers but wiki reliably informs me that lead singer David Coverdale (I've heard of him) formed the band in '78 after leaving Deep Purple (I've heard of them!). This would become a bit of a classic of its genre and indeed the start of a successful career for Whitesnake throughout the coming decade, and beyond.

Jimmy Ruffin - Hold On to My Love

Who? Well whoever he is they've put him on top of the wobbly tower and set the place on fire possibly in the hope he wouldn't be seen again? Ruffin had actually been churning out the hits since 1966 - his chart debut in that year was What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, soon to be covered by someone else. Anyway he was now getting a new lease of life thanks to the Bee gees, especially Robin Gibb, who co-wrote this number and and a few others on his new album Sunrise. 

Saxon - Wheels of Steel

Back to the c*ck-rock after all that sloppy ballad stuff. Third appearance and slow progress for this lot which has been up and down the charts, and back up again. It won't get any higher than this week's no. 20 though notwithstanding Tommy Vance's plug.

Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It

...and back to the disco. It's a sad fact that Hot Choc's vocalist Errol Brown passed away just a few weeks ago. Looking back, he was amazingly cool, had a great voice and sang on some really good records. Wiki duly reminds us that the Choc had at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984 inclusive, and their song "You Sexy Thing" made the Top 10 in three decades. They were also a multi-coloured multi-ethnic band, so what a shame that Vance (and some bright spark in production) has to muster a bevvy of young ladies of evident Afro-Caribbean origin only to introduce the band. Anyway this was an excellent attempt to bring the Hot Chocolate up to date and into the eighties: love the synthy-Moogy intro to this one, which TOTP cameras naturally fail to spot since, as usual, they've put the keyboards way to the back. 

Motorhead - Leaving Here (from 'Golden Years live EP')

But enough smooching already, let's get the greasers back in, eh Tommy? I'm not sure of Motorhead's previous track record but they must have been pretty popular already as this was straight in at no. 23. You can smell the stale beer stains and patchuli oil from here.

The Nolans - Don't Make Waves

Talk about contrasts: after the great unwashed come...the mighty Nolan sisters, in all their squeaky-cleanliness and smiles to the camera. I wonder if they ever met Motorhead backstage? The girls were struggling at no. 25 although could and would do better. Whether we shall see them again remains to be seen....

The Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom

Now this is good. A nice bit of intelligent ska and a worthy follow up to Hands Off She's Mine which in turn had been a worthy follow up to Tears of a Clown/Rankin'.  Perhaps the only let down is that the singer actually holds up a 'bathroom mirror' but they manage to carry off even the cheapest of TOTP props with style. Not exactly the sound of the eighties, but a classic for sure.

Kate Bush - Breathing

Blimey! Just when you thought it was no. 1 time here comes Kate with something even weirder than Wuthering Heights! Kate's inside a kind of plastic bubble doing a bit of 'in-out, in-out, in-out'. With her breathing that is. What's that? She represents a fetus inside the womb, scared of smoking and the nuclear threat? Sounds like great chart material! This was Kate's first new stuff since her big success in '78 and live shows in '79, a preview of the new album in progress. 

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno

It's been quite a roller coaster ride of a show and seems to have lasted for ages but here we are at last with the new number 1 folks! Blondie have been sent packing and notwithstanding the big names McCartney and Essex, Dexy's have made it to the top spot and deservedly so. Haven't got much more to say cos I'm knackered after this plethora of popular musics, but best be grateful for what we get every week, while it lasts. Ge-no! Ge-no! Ge-no!

Johnny Logan - What's Another Year? (credits)

He was on last week (despite being nowhere near the charts) so can't appear this week - serves him right.

See ya!