I like that too

No you didn't. I told you here instead.

If ever you need to realise how bad the charts had become by December 1989 as the decade ended, just compare and contrast this week in 1989 with this week of ten years earlier in 1979 and it speaks volumes. I can vividly remember listening to the Christmas chart in 1989 and coming away in disgust and disillusion at it. I remember thinking to myself, we've just had Jive Bunny and Band Aid II at the top here, while a decade ago we had true class with Abba and Pink Floyd. I think 1989 is probably the worst Christmas chart of all time. However just 2 short years later the top end was back full of class acts, with Michael Jackson, George Michael & Elton John, Diana Ross and Queen.

As the 80's progressed i was more and more into the American charts, hence liking NKOTB. I never heard the Christmas countdown as i would have been more interested in hearing Casey Kasem on VOA Europe. Jive Bunny and Live Aid 2 were poor though, i have to agree. See PM

To be fair most of the music played on this programme is going to be subjectively loved and hated by equal amounts of people. I was a teenager in the late 80s and actually quite liked hearing the chart from 1989. Was a big fan of NKOTB when they came out, was very much into the American charts at the time. I also liked (and still do) some of the SAW stuff. But I get quite bored with the early 80s stuff that gets played - so I guess the programme is trying its best to appeal to both ends of the spectrum and long may it continue...

...but I agree, Jive Bunny can be left in the pile of no-plays

Its a weird one, Jive Bunny. You can hate Jive Bunny for pinching the records, although Roy Wood did re-record his Christmas hit for them, but I certainly don't hate the songs on the record.

No, I don't dislike the songs on the Jive Bunny Christmas hit, or the other's they did.

What I detest is the production of them. None of the tunes appear to merge or flow neatly into each other with any kind of thought. It was as if they had thrown the music at a wall and wherever it stuck they left it. Comparing it to the decent Starsound medleys at the start of the 80's which did actually sound good, flowed into each track very well and had a great beginning and end.

Jive Bunny should have been boiled at birth!

The late Roland Burke on Radio Nova made three great medleys called Heartbeats, using the backing track of Stars On 45 and putting real songs on top. He changed the tempo to match the songs and spent days getting it right. He used a 4 track Tascam machine. The result was fantastic.

On air - first track- System Addict - Five Star.

This is just as good and never gets played:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZ7qdhlN3w

Know what you mean.

Of course they had to have Private Dancer...

Oh God - not Ottawan...

Sara showing how crap she is as a presenter - Jona was going into the production of Stop The Cavalry - she was obviously lost...

What? Noone else around?

On the stroke of midnight I realised I'd missed tonight's show, so pre-occupied with seasonal chores! So I'll have to listen on catch up.

As for Five Star getting mentioned here, well that clip of their first record was sort of OK, but it was downhill from then on. I actually hated Five Star and they still look awful now. I was so pleased when their hits dried up almost overnight. The songs sound so weedy now, including the vocals.

As for Jona Lewis, I always thought that Stop The Cavalry was not meant to be an actual Christmas record as such, but got hijacked as being one just because it was a hit in December/January. I may be wrong.

Sara Cox ruins the show for me - her attempts at being funny fail big time, they should have hired a better presenter.

Anyone else loving the choices tonight? Baltimore, Opus... just need some Dollar now!

Yes please, a dollop of Dollar would go down nicely.

She played Weather Girls earlier and made a big mistake, saying the song reached No3 in November 1984, when it infact made No2 in March 1984. Basic easily verifiable facts got wrong, no excuses.

Me too great concept for a show, the music is OK, but the presenter is so wrong.

I stand by what I said originally that she is musically too young and portrays the 'pastiche' aspects of the 80's and not one that if you really there you would recall, its all too leg warmers and cabbage patch dolls for me.

Its a bit like like what Pick Of The Pops was with Dale Winton, good show, wrong presenter...

Well according to Everyhit, it's November. According to the Official Charts website though it lists it as March. So I guess we know what site the production team are using...

Absolutely definitely March, as I have a hand written diary with the top five in it at the time. Tuesday 27th March 1984 it rose up to No2 that date behind Hello by Lionel Richie at No1. The song had originally come out back in August 1983 and scraped the Top 75 briefly before vanishing and re-entering as a big hit in early '84.

On air - who's around?

One of the best sounds of the 80's was the fact that no one could hear Sara Cox's voice on the radio.

Actually a very good point.

Ah, Electric Dreams! One of those films that never gets old.

T'Pau beign covered; Carol Decker interviewed...