What is going on today on POTP?

Tony jesting about talking all over the beginning of records as the utterly fabulous Indeep begins playing, and within moments for the THIRD time today the record is spoiled by a trailer playing in the background.

I wonder if Last Night A DJ Saved My Life is the only chart hit in history with a toilet flush sound effect?

Sorry to disagree but 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely' is a masterpiece.

Another trailer coming up soon. I wonder if Tony can maintain the consistency.

That pleases you no end I know. Me too. May have to google up what a computer looked like in 1969 though!


4 song crashes in one show, yeah don't spoil it, go for it!

Certainly think Peter Sarstedt is better than that Amen Corner No1 which is a poor chart topper in the context of the music of 1969.

Down Under may have been UK No1 in February 1983 but down under in their homeland Men At Work had long ago topped the charts with the single when it hit the top spot there just before Christmas 1981 for six weeks.

Their follow ups were not as successful but Overkill and It's A Mistake are just as good.

I don't hate it, it was as I say only a minor blip. I just find it a bit too twee for my taste.

I suppose expectedly 1983 had a few too many overly familiar songs. Having said that it was nice to hear Tears For Fears 'Change' though. I also always thoroughly enjoy hearing Laura Branigan, what a voice she had!

1969 was the pick of those years for me.

For once I totally agree with you!

I like it too + no real duffers in the 1969 chart. A lot of good ones in the 83 chart, though a couple I could live without such as Wham rap + Kajagoogoo.

I agree with you David even if no one else will. They're all too young.

Hey!!! Don't poo poo the Goo Goo! Actually I don't really mean that, (they're awful!), I just wanted to say it. ......I'll get my coat.

From the pictures I've seen they were very rudimentary and quite cumbersome machines.

The following article, taken from the Billboard issue dated 10 August 1968, explains that the chart would be computer compiled from punch cards which in turn would be created from the diaries that selected retailers would send in. As far as I am aware the punch card system continued for at least 10 years until the BMRB overhauled their computer system in October 1979. Indeed, it's possible that they were still being used until Gallup took over chart compilation duties in late December 1982.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...0chart&f=false

Peter Meneer, mentioned in the above article as the main person behind the BMRB chart operaration, later joined the BBC to become head of broadcasting research from 1979 to 1997 and was responsible for setting up BARB, the company that provides TV audience figures, in 1981. It was the expertise he learned from overseeing the compilation of the weekly charts that led to his proposals to set up an audience research company. Unlike BMRB, who lost the chart contract in 1982, BARB still compile the weekly audience figures.

I've always thought that 'Overkill' deserved to be a much bigger success than it was, and 'Who Can It Be Now' was also a great record. 'Overkill' possibly suffered becaused the band were effectively trying to promote two albums at the same time in the UK, caused by the belated success of 'Down Under' and its parent album 'Business As Usual'. 'Overkill' charted a mere three months later and was taken from the follow up album 'Cargo'. It's like the label (and the band) were trying to cram in too many releases in a short period of time.

Men At Work hold a quite rare transatlantic record from this very week in February 1983 only held by a very few select people, in that they held the No1 single in both the UK and US charts at the very same time with Down Under, as well as also holding the No1 album on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time as well with Business As Usual. A total clean sweep of the mainstream UK and US singles and albums charts in the same week. Incredibly rare feat.

I don't really remember "Overkill" but do remember "Who can it be now" which was a great pop song + deservedly a big hit US side, where the charts were often superior.

I welcome several of you taking an interest in Tracie Young after I listened to her show last week!

I liked February 1983 partly for top 40 new entries, some of which had not made the top 20 in time for yesterday's POTP. Although 2 weeks earlier than 2014 & 2015, this is at least the 3rd year in a row when Tony had featured 1983 around now.

For personal reasons I hope Tony features 1976 on February 27th!

Has someone got a BIG birthday coming up soon then ?

Tony, if you are reading, can we have 1966 on May 28th please ??

I have a vague recollection of Life At A Top People's Health Farm by the Style Council having a flushing sample. One of their forgotten hits circa '88.

I do love that Indeep record. Never realised it was that old! Reminds me a tad of the fabulous Serious by Donna Allen.

Actress Michelle Hardwick, 40 on February 26th!

Do you know someone born around 28.5.66? I might like 1968 on May 28th as that's Kylie Minogue's birthday!

Who? Why do you care about her birthdate chart being on POTP ?

What's your own POTP birthdate chart then Multimedia? It's not in '81 is it.

Just listened to Please Don't Go by Donald Peers on Spotify. Don't remember it at all, and it was pretty grim, but it should still have been played as it went up two to Number 6 and indeed became a Top 3 hit. Did the Christmas 1968 hit Lily the Pink really rebound 15 places to Number 19 (and a joint Number 19?)? Surprised Ob La De, the other Christmastime 1968 Number 1 was still in the Top 10. These two songs both regained the Number 1 spot, something that wasn't then done again for at least a quarter of a century, but is much more commonplace these days.

Rod Stewart in 71, Adele in 2011 but with different singles? Also this was the week that Thriller finally made the album top 10 after really struggling early on.

On 27th February Tony will feature the charts from that week in 1977 and 1988.

Blobby blobby!

These erratic movements you refer to were as a result if teething problems with the compilation of the new chart. If you look at the charts from early 1970, there were similar movements.

One noticible one was with Lulu's "Boom Bang A Bang. It entered at 22 as the highest new entry on 12/3/69 then the following week it was a non mover. The week after that it was a high climber to number 9. It took until spring 1971 for the chart compilers to get things sorted.

Thanks, I couldn't remember offhand what it was! Again it happened at Christmas.