The starter of the 1984 thread mentioned this year as being just as great. I agree.

Kirsty McColl - A New England
The Waterboys - The Whole of the Moon
The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
The Cure - Close to Me
Marillion - Kayleigh
Aha - Take on me
Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking
Duran Duran - A View To A Kill
Heart - What About Love
Erasure - Who Needs Love Like That
Arthur Simms - It's Only Mystery
Oingo Boingo - Weird Science
Sandra - Maria Magdalena
Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Supertramp - Cannonball
The Style Council - Wall's Come Tumbling Down
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
New Order Love Vigilantes
Propaganda - Duel
Echo & The Bunnymen - Bring On The Dancing Horses
Dire Straits - Money For Nothing
OMD - Secret
The Pogues - Sally MacLennane
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Eurythmics - There Must Be an Angel
Madonna - Material Girl
Whitney Houston - How Will I Know
Corey Hart - Never Surrender
Howard Jones - Things Can Only Get Better
Bryan Ferry – Slave To Love
Mike & The Mechanics - All I Need Is A Miracle
Jimmy Nail - Love don't live here any more
Huey Lewis and the News - The Power of Love
David Grant/Jackie Graham - Could it be I'm Falling in Love?
Lionel Richie - Say you, Say me
Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover
Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero

Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You

Madonna - Into The Groove

1985 was the start of my 25 year love affair with A-Ha

Savage - Don't Cry Tonight
After Midnight - Disco Light
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Paul Hardcastle - 19
Foreigner - I Wanna Know What Love Is
Don Henley - The Boys of Summer

And the ones I particularly like that have already been mentioned:

Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Madonna - Into The Groove
A-ha - Take on Me

Madonna's -ENTIRE Like A Virgin album! love the songs on it so much, immortal and immaculate era! Material Girl,Dress you Up and Into The Groove...immortal songs!

Eurythmics-Must Be An Angel (Playing With My HEart)

Kate Bush-ENTIRE Hounds Of Love album! love Cloubusting!

Wham!-Everything That She Wants

Huey Lewis And The News- The Power Of Love (Back To The Future!)
Phil Collins-Sussudio

Pet Shop Boys-West End Girls
Tina Turner-Private Dancer/We Don't Need Another Hero
Queen-One Vision

amazing year of music!

How Soon is Now
The Boy with the Thorn in his side

Loose Ends - Hangin' On A String
Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
Belouis Some - Imagination
Prefab Sprout - When Love Breaks Down (whole Steve McQueen album in fact!)
Talking Heads - Road To Nowhere
Philip Bailey - Walking On The Chinese Wall
Go West - We Close Our Eyes
Godley & Creme - Cry
D-Train - You're The One For Me (Paul Hardcastle remix)

Saxon - Rock N' Roll Gypsy.

Red Box - Lean On Me.

Scritti Politti - Absolute
Scritti Politti - Wood Beez

Another year where there was so much good stuff it's difficult to know where to begin. I think '80s music started to go a bit downhill after this year though.

I have been getting a bit obsessed with Absolute by Scritti Politti lately, I keep listening to it over and over. The Word Girl's always been my favourite by them but I'm almost starting to prefer Absolute.

Head Over Heels is probably my favourite Tears For Fears song though I like so many of theirs.

Of course Madonna, her song Angel came out this year and it's one of my favourites by her. Very underrated.

I adore Kate Bush and Running Up That Hill is the song that got me into her.

Haven't been mentioned yet:

The Sun Always Shines On TV - A-Ha (prefer it to Take On Me myself)
Level 42 - Something About You
Art Of Noise - Moments In Love
Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - Easy Lover
Rah Band - Clouds Across The Moon (guilty pleasure)

The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

Oh God, '85, the memories... I got caught up in the frenzy over the Take On Me song and video, and subsequently became hooked on the charts and all things pop music, even though I was only 6. Retrospectively it's my all-time favourite year on the compilations front; with Now 6, Hits 3 and Out Now 2 still being absolute crackers, with few duds between them, that continue to be played to death on cassette

These are my favourite chart hits of the year, many invoking some of my very earliest childhood memories. Apologies, there's a lot of them!

San Damiano Heart And Soul - Sal Solo
Since Yesterday - Strawberry Switchblade
I Know Him So Well - Babs & Elaine
Atmosphere - Russ Abbot
Solid - Ashford & Simpson
Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
We Belong - Pat Benatar
A New England - Kirsty MacColl
You Spin Me Round - Dead Or Alive
Material Girl - Madonna
Every Time You Go Away - Paul Young
Wide Boy - Nik Kershaw
The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey
Clouds Across The Moon - Rah Band
Life In A Northern Town - Dream Academy
Would I Lie To You - Eurythmics
Rhythm Of The Night - DeBarge
Don't Fall In Love I Said - Toyah (Minor hit shame, I prefer a lot of the later stuff to the more well-remembered earlier stuff)
Walk Like A Man - Divine
Obsession - Animotion \o/
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
History - Mai Tai (Ghana's finest export!)
Duel - Propaganda
Crazy For You - Madonna
Frankie - Sister Sledge
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (best #15 of all time!)
My Toot Toot - Denise LaSalle
There Must Be Angel - Eurythmics
Dancin' In The Key Of Life - Steve Aarington
White Wedding - Billy Idol
We Don't Need Another Hero - Tina Turner
Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
Into The Groove - Madonna
Don Quixote - Nik Kershaw
Holiday - Madonna
Raspberry Beret - Prince
Excitable - Amazulu \o/ \o/ \o/
Say I'm Your Number One - Princess
Drive - Cars
I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
Body And Soul - Mai Tai
I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
Don't Mess With Doctor Dream - Thompson Twins
Knock On Wood/Light My Fire - Amii Stewart
Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Do Not Disturb - Banarama (more minor hit shame, IMO this is banana best)
The Power Of Love - Huey Lewis & The News
Body Rock - Maria Vidal \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
If I Was - Midge Ure
Lean On Me - Red Box
Trapped - Colonel Abrams \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
Brand New Friend - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
I'll Be Good - Rene And Angela
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Angel - Madonna
The Power Of Love - Jennifer Rush
Is It A Dream - The Damned
St Elmo's Fire - John Parr
Take On Me - Aha
Gambler - Madonna
Slave To The Rhythm - Grace Jones
Yeh Yeh - Matt Bianco
Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo & The Bunnymen
The Sweetest Taboo - Sade
The Taste Of Your Tears - King (miles better than Love and bloody Pride)
Sleeping Bag - ZZ Top
King For A Day - Thompson Twins
Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
A Good Heart - Feargal Sharkey
Cities In The Dust - Siouxsie & The Banshees (fell in love with SATB thanks to this one)
Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves - Eurythmics/Aretha Franklin
One Vision - Queen
I'm Your Man - Wham!
Saving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston
When A Heart Beats - Nik Kershaw
We Built This City - Starship (no apologies for this; why the hell is it always on 'worst song' lists???)
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Dress You Up - Madonna
Hit That Perfect Beat - Bronski Beat (used to think they were singing about 'meatballs' )
Girlie Girlie - Sophia George
Saturday Love - Alexander O'Neal/Cherelle
The Sun Always Shines On TV - Aha (great finish to the year)

Hopefully some people will garner happy/forgotten memories from that little lot

Go West - Call Me
Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover
Madonna - Into The Groove
Philip Bailey and Phil Collins - Easy Lover
Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield (UK release was 1985)
UB40 & Chrissie Hynde - I Got You Babe
Wham! - Last Christmas

I don't have that many favourites. Perhaps songs I like, but 'favourites', I try to keep reserved, hence the word.

The 80's was great, early part. We had the chart show on telly saturday mornings too, great seeing the new videos.
All my faves have been mentioned apart from maybe...

Dancing in the dark - bruce springsteen, my fave 80's song
Dancing in the dark - Big daddy (accapella version of brucies song)
Survivor - the search is over
Gary Moore Phil Lynott - Out in the fields
Bucks fizz - Magical/I hear talk
Run to you/Summer of 69/Heaven - bryan adams
Method of modern love - hall and oates
We belong - Pat benatar
Tonight she comes - the cars
Dont break my heart -ub40
Eaten alive - Diana Ross (jacko song/him on vocals too)
Golden boy - Godley and creme


Just for money - Paul hardcastle
Myzsterious myster jones - Slade

Well, I cant resist:

Dress You Up/Into the Groove-Madonna
Hangin on a String-Loose Ends
Let me be the One/Love Take Over/All Fall Down-Five Star
Say Yeah-The Limit
19-Paul Hardcastle
Slave to the Rythm-Grace Jones
I want your Lovin-Curtis Hairston
Single Life-Cameo
In My House-Mary Jane Girls
Take on Me-Aha
Dancing in the Key of Life-Steve Arrington
Thinking about your Love-Skipworth and Turner
Eye to Eye/This is my Night-Chaka Khan
The Word Girl-Scritti Politti
Trapped-Colenel Abrams

Happy days, great summer, Live Aid! Queen stole the show!Long live Freddie!

all time favs

1. Talking Heads - Road to nowhere
2. Animotion - Obsession

great

3. Princess - Say im your number one
4. Strawberry Switchblade - Since yesterday
5. Phil Collins - Sussudio
6. Wham! - Im your man
7. China Crisis - King in a catholic style (wake up wake up)
8. Mai Tai - History
9. Kim Wilde - Rage to love
10. Madonna - Gambler
11. Foreigner - I want to know what love is
12. Bryan Adams - Run to you
13. Princess - After the love has gone
14. Pat Benatar - Love is a battlefield
15. Arcadia - Election day
16. Billy Idol - Rebel yell
17. Madonna - Into the groove
18. Fine Young Canibals - Johnny come home

good

19. Don Henley - Boys of summer
20. Tears for Fears - Head over heels
21. Cult - She sells sanctuary
22. Propoganda - Duel
23. Marillion - Kayliegh
24. King - Love and pride
25. Phil Collins Philip Bailey - Easy lover
26. Kate Bush - Running up that hill
27. Red Box - Lean on me (ah li ayo)
28. A Ha - Take on me
29. The Smiths - how soon is now
30. The Waterboys - The whole of the moon
31. Katrina and the Waves - Walking on sunshine
32. Sheila E - The belle of st mark
33. Madonna - Dress you up
34. Kate Bush - Cloudbusting
35. Opus - Life is live
36. Sade - The sweetest taboo
37. King - The taste of your tears
38. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Lost weekend
39. James Ingram Malcome McDonald - Ya mo be there
40. Dead or Alive - You spin me round (like a record)
41. ZZ Top - Legs
42. Frankie Goes to hollywood - Welcome to the pleasuredome
43. Damned - Grimly fiendish
44. Dream Acadamy - Life in a northern town
45. Simple Minds - (Dont you) Forget about me
46. Pet Shop Boys - west end girls
47. Dee C Lee - See the day
48. Madonna - Angel
49. Madonna - Material girl
50. Kirsty MacColl - New england
51. Marillion - Lavender
52. Duran Duran - A view to a kill
53. Paul Hardcastle - Nineteen
54. De Barge - Rhythm of the night
55. Ashford and Simpson - Solid
56. Colonel Abrahams - Trapped
57. Stevie Wonder - Part time lover
58. Billy Idol - White wedding
59. Powerstation - Some like it hot
60. Go west - We close our eyes
61. Baltimora - Tarzan boy
62. Tears for Fears - Everybody wants to rule the world

Oh my 1985 a year that holds a lot of beautiful memories for me, I just loved that whole year from start to finish.

Propaganda - Duel (My all time fave)
Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm (bought the 12")
Don Henley - Boys Of Summer
Bryan Adams - Run To You/Summer of '69
UB40 w/Chrissie Hynde - I Got You Babe
Jennifer Rush - The Power Of Love
Madonna - the whole of Like A Virgin album
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Eurythmics - There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart )
Fergal Sharkey - A Good Heart
Princess - Say I'm Your Number One
Gary Moore & Phil Lynot - Out In The Fields
Phil Collins & Phillip Bailey - Easy Lover
Midge Ure - If I Was
Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is
Red Box - Lean on Me
Simple Minds - Alive & Kicking
DeBarge - Rhythm Of The Night
Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (The whole album)
John Parr - St Elmo's Fire

1985 - a fab year for music

Couldnt stand eurythmics...I walk into an empty roooo-oooo--oooom and suddenly my heart goes boo=oooo=ooooo-oooom there must be an angel.....or phil collins stuff at the time....one more night gimme one more night just one more night.....arghhhhh. Things got worse from 84 onwards with the coming of SAW and remixes/samples especially that sample goes AR YEAHHH all the time.

You mean like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR98gRckjmY

Wasn't around to remember any of it but here are a few I've picked up over the last few years...

Time/Clap Hands - Tom Waits
Just Like Honey - Jesus & Mary Chain
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
Nemesis - Shriekback
The Sun Always Shines on TV/Take On Me - A-Ha
Aikea Guinea - Cocteau Twins

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Jungle Man

My favourites have all been quoted already.





Agree most strongly with that! I turned sixteen in February '85 and have great memories of that year! As far as my personal tastes on music are concerned, the charts began to go to seed from 1986 and '85 was the last hurrah of thorough and consistent high quality in the pop charts.

Just going off-topic slightly, can you remember what hair style you had in 1985?

I just had a conventional bloke's short haircut. No floppy mullet, perm, spikey-hair, heavy metal shoulder-length, mohican or skinhead for me-though plenty others had each of these in '85.