Hope Tony is fit and well and will be on air for POTP tomorrow,
Late as usual getting round to my comments on the 1986 chart. Since listening to this chart, those TOTPs turning up online and reading the latest Smash Hits issue on the likepunkhappened blog which covering this week in 1986 (it can't be 30 years ago, surely!) I've been well and truly taking a musical trip back in time to 1986.
February 1 1986
34 THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE - Oh, an excellent start to the 1986 chart! Too right this is fantastic, Tony. Its such a classy, sophisicated song and sounds so moody and atmospheric.
20 IN A LIFETIME FT BONO - CLANNAD FEATURING BONO - I could hear this song a million times in a row and still not remember how it goes, yet this was the high point of my POTP listening. Why? because Tony made a reference to "Bone-o" which I'm totally taking the credit for. We know he reads this thread and I've mentioned it enough times so I refuse to believe otherwise! It totally made my day! After hearing this, I couldn't belive it when I later read in that Smash Hits issue I mentioned, a reader asking how Bono pronounces his name. According to them, he does actually call himself "Boneo" but everyone else calls him Bono.
19 LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN - Of course the fact that James Brown was cool, the Godfater of soul, means his still gets praised and played on radio 2 despite being a copnvicted wife beater. I can honestly say that his personal life has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not a fan of his music at all. I can see this does a good job as a movie song, but that's it.
17 SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS - Would have been pleased if this had been skipped as I've made clear before that I don't get the appeal of Simple Minds at all.
15 PULL UP TO THE BUMPER/LA VIE EN ROSE - GRACE JONES (PULL UP TO THE BUMPER played) - If you said the name Grace Jones to me, the first thing I would think of would be her hitting Russell Harty, certainly not her music. I've been happy to let Pull Up To The Bumper pass me by though, being aware that there was quite a lot of innuendo in the lyrics, I decided to check them out when I saw they were printed in that Smash Hits Issue. I'm surprised it wasn't banned on Radio 1! I don't think La Vie En Rose got much airplay, for a supposed double A side, though Richard Skinner did play in when countdowning down the following week's chart.
12 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - SARAH BRIGHTMAN AND STEVE HARLEY - One I keep having to keep listening to after hearing it on this chart. So dramatic, and I like the song so much I can overlook the fact I'm not too keen on Steven Harley's vocal. It was all a bit confusing that Sarah did this duet with Steve then one with Cliff, yet it was Michael Crawford who played the part of the Phantom on stage.
10 SYSTEM ADDICT - FIVE STAR - One of my faves from this chart and glad Tony praised it too. 1986 was a great year for Five Star and its a shame they didn't get a no. 1 with Rain Or Shine, though I do prefer this one. A pop gem.
09 SATURDAY LOVE - CHERRELLE WITH ALEXANDER O'NEAL - Really like this one, and their other hit Never Knew Love. Their voices work well together and I think its a shame that while Alexander had solo hits, she didn't have any much success at all with her solo material.
08 SUSPICIOUS MINDS - FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS - One of their better hits, to my ears anyway, and I do think they pulled off doing an Elvis cover, unlike Gareth Gates' attempt at this song. I can't say enough how much I love Jimmy Somerville's BVs on this and really adds to the song's dramatic feel.
06 WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN - Way too overplayed to really enjoy hearing now. It's such a shame that netiher Love Really Hurts or Red Light Spells Danger didn't get to number, as I think they are much better than this.
04 BORDERLINE - MADONNA - Oh yes! so much better than Lucky Star or Holiday. It's all about the magical intro for me, and when she seems to start ad libbing (da da da da) at the end. A shame it didn't get to no. 1, though she hardly did that badly in that department in 1986.
03 WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS - I so many reasons I want to hate this song, but I can't as its so annoyingly catchy. No surprise that this seem to appeal to more than their usual fan base and was such a bit hit. I'd sooner hear this than their other no. 2 Private Investigations as at least I know there'd be no danger of falling asleep listening to Walk Of Life!
02 ONLY LOVE - NANA MOUSKOURI - Lol I don't think Nana sings "only love can make a mammory" as someone on facebook posted. I can't remember having much of an opinion of this at the time, but I can say I do like it now as it stands out as a touch of class in this chart.
01 THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA - Nothing wrong with this at all, apart from the weird video, but it should definitely have been Take On Me that was their No. 1 in this country.
Top 20 tracks skipped -
18 WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO - ARETHA FRANKLIN - Surprised Tony didn't play this one. While I don't mind this at all, it doesn't stick out in my mind to me as the hits she had with the Eurythmics and George Michael, though that obviously an age thing.
16 HIT THAT PERFECT BEAT - BRONSKI BEAT - It was looking like business as usal for Bronski Beat, after their bitter parting with Jimmy Somerville and replacing him with John Foster. A decent hi-energy track, but they went down the dumper pretty quickly and Jimmy's new group Communards quickly stole their thunder.
14 IT'S ALL RIGHT (BABY'S COMING BACK) - EURYTHMICS - OK I suppose, but not as strong or as memorable as Thorn In My Side from later in this year.
13 ALICE, I WANT YOU JUST FOR ME - FULL FORCE - I wouldn't have minded hearing this. A fun song and some of the lyrics do make me smile.
11 YOU LITTLE THIEF - FEARGAL SHARKEY - I didn't know for ages that this was a retort song from the ex of Maria McKee, who wrote A Good Heart. Not as good as A Good Heart, and it's hard not to think of the song without remembering the embarrassing performance on Noel's Christmas day show.
07 WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS - As much as I love this it's only right that, as a former no. 1, it was skipped.
05 BROKEN WINGS - MR MISTER - I've always found the name of the group ridiculous, and this song is quite bland though not as irritating to me as Kyrie.