Played with the some of the biggest names of the past 50 years.

'Party Fears two' is such an outstanding song on every level. The music, the vocals, the arrangement is quite unlike any single of it's time or any to come afterwards. It's completely unique and like a thunderbolt from the sky, just appeared in the charts amidst all the other less interesting 80s pop music.
The song also grabs people of all tastes, as I have noticed nearly all of the regulars on here with all our various musical tastes like it - which is rare in itself!!
It's just a shame The Associates could never come up to that standard again & have a lasting career.

(P.S - On a totally different note - Just to add I was also a fan of 'Why' by Carla Simon, but lately it brings back bad memories for me regarding someone I thought was a friend. Funny how music can change depending on your emotions)!

The Associates singer sound influenced by Bowie, so those who are more attuned to that kind of vocal will probably like them more.

Me too. When I first heard it about five years ago I literally played it about 20 times in a row I was so taken by it. I wouldn't say it's my favourite song of 1982 because there are plenty of others competing for that spot, (such as for example Today / Talk Talk, Ghosts / Japan, Save A Prayer / Duran Duran, Videotheque / Dollar), but it's certainly in my top 20 for the year.

I love this video of Carly singing the song while walking around a big city. Does anyone know which city it is? I assume it's probably New York but I'm not sure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW8UnXzP3ms

Yes, Billy Mackenzie was influenced by David Bowie, and The Associates even released a cover of ''Boys Keep Swinging'', as their first single release. However, there are many many David Bowie influenced acts that lack the individuality, and genuine creativity, of The Associates. I think i can also hear a little of Russell Mael with Billy's delivery, but i am a little unsure if he had been influenced by him too.

Couple of (geeky) questions re the above which you might be able to answer Servalan.

Am I right in saying the "12" for the price of a 7" only featured in chart return shops & did the sale of a 12" count for proportionately more sales than that of a 7" back then, in a similar way to how streaming counts as a ratio to the Official Chart sales in 2016 (10 streams=1 sale I think).

Edit: 100 streams= 1 'sale'

I think there's another FM who actually worked in a chart return shop and is probably better qualified than me to answer your questions - but I'll give it a go …

I'm sure WEA's promotions (and those of other companies) must have been targeted at chart return shops. I can't believe they wouldn't have been. And those price-related promotions were nothing compared to what happened in 1978 and 1979, with coloured vinyl, shaped records and picture discs used to get singles into the charts - or the cheeky trend of the mid-80s where a single would be issued, then re-promoted via a remix.

I very much doubt the sale of a 12" single would count for more than the sale of a 7", though – otherwise 'Blue Monday' would have been Number One!

Watching Yazoo I keep imagining a third album with Adele replacing Alison Moyet.

I'm yet another one on here who absolutely loves the Carly Simon single Why? and is happy to rave about it.

For anyone interested I'll also recommend checking out her rather delightful 1990 album called Have You Seen Me Lately? which never charted in the UK which was a disgrace. Full of good songs by her, one or two which ought to have been hit singles.

I like her chart career which was a top ten hit every 5 years, You're So Vain in 1972, then Nobody Does It Better in 1977, then it was 1982's wonderful Why? and ending with Coming Around Again in 1987. Alas in 1992 no hit again.

Yeah, most of the special promotions, including WEA's 12" singles being priced the same as a 7", tended to be concentrated on chart return shops.

As you've guessed, a sale of a 12" single counts exactly the same as a sale of a 7" single, they were and still are treated as one sale. And that also applied to double pack 7" singles, another promotional tool that record companies employed in the early to mid 80s and which once again were more likely to be found in chart return shops.

Just passing by and thought I'd add to the love for Carly Simon's 'Why?' A wonderful single. I'm sure I remember the vid featured on TOTP's but it looks like a Zoo performance and a playout. We'll get both of them (very soon! ).

"Ladidadida Ladidadida"

I was having a wee look back on where we would be if it had stayed as once a week 35 years to the week format. We didn't get November 12th edition as it was a DLT show but on November 5th 1981 Zoo would have made their debut, dancing to ELO's 'Twilight'. 'It's My Party' was on it's last week at No.1 and The Police were about to get their solo week at No.1 with 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic'.
So we're effectively 9 months ahead of where we would have been if it had stayed the same.

I know opinions differ regards having 2 years in 1 so to speak but I'm just glad to be getting them. I can't shake off that nervous feeling that they might stop at any moment if someone else is proved to have a dubious past.
I think we're gonna be ok though!

I can feel another universal love-in taking place for Carly Simon's 'Why'.

I'd like to also add my 'Good Love' to say it's a chooon of the highest quality & one of Chic's best, only narrowly beaten by Spacer.

Any takers for a Chic Production Top 10 (including Blackburn's Chick!)

One of the incidental annoyances is with 2 episodes a Week it's a struggle keeping up with the comments on here (worse if there's a couple of Yewtrees in the road)

No consideration for DS forumites these media types!

I know, absolutely no consideration from the BBC. We should maybe email them to complain!
This is such a healthy thread though. It doesn't half move at times. You can disappear for a day or two and come back and it's moved on a few pages!

I reckon most of us still can't get 'Trump' out of our heads at the moment.
Quote away with 'Nellie The Elephant'. A great fun novelty song that we should be getting on TOTP's in just over a years time if all goes to plan!

Edit: Hmmm, The Toy Dolls feature on the same edition as Gary Glitter but I guess they'll just edit Glitter out.

To give some idea of how quickly the forum moves, I only posted the last capers on Thursday, it's now only Monday & we've jumped 20 pages.

It's definitely a lot busier since the days of 1976 with veterans like Old Father Tea!

Mind you, Rammy probably didn't help the DS servers by quoting the whole capers in reply haha!

Cheeky shite! I've already had my knuckles rapped for that !

Any way - can't resist your gauntlet, Andy.

1.Spacer - Sheila & B Devotion
2.Upside Down - Diana Ross
3.Good Times - Chic
4.Thinking of you - Sister Sledge
5.He's the greatest dancer - Sister Sledge
6.Everybody Dance - Chic
7.We are family - Sister Sledge
8.I want your love - Chic
9.I'm coming out - Diana Ross
10.Why - Carly Simon

There are 2 wonderful Chic tracks on the LP 'C'est chic' entitled 'Happy Man' and the sublime 'Sometimes you win' I did not include these as they were not singles. Another good track is Sister Sledge's 'Pretty Baby'.

I've only included singles where Nile and Bernie both featured.

I've been a very frequent contributor to the American Presidential Election thread all this year and if you think this thread is hard to keep up with you should try that one in the run up to the election, it was almost impossible at times and I had to skip over parts. I kept reassuring posters President Trump was never going to happen and thought Hillary would win by at least 5%. Oh well! Actually she has won the popular vote percentage anyway. I still remember the morning Ronald Reagan got elected at just 11, hearing it on the radio before I went to school and thinking it was the end of the world and World War III any time. Nothing changes then! As for this thread, well I went away for a few days while talking politics last week only to come back and find there had been over 500 new posts since I'd last posted, in just 6 days. As you say, I find myself saying "President Trump" to myself in disbelief. We'll have a lull over Christmas and come the New Year and 20th January that disbelief will become even worse.

Here's an anagram of Donald Trump And Mike Pence - "Popular decent kind madmen"

To keep it on topic I have a good one for Carly Simon - "Lyrics Moan" - which they kind of do on Why?

Great list and I wouldn't disagree with many, except I would almost have it upside down (if you pardon the pun ). My top three would be

1. Why
2. I'm Coming Out
3. Thinking of You

Wrong Andyrew! I played no part in the TOTP 1976 thread. I arrived in June 1977. Do pay attention.

Your last Countdown Capers was quite some heavy going. I had to read it twice. It took me quite a while. It must have taken you ages to think about, even before you wrote it up, unless you can do it off the cuff. Good stuff much appreciated once I managed to fully digest it properly.

I hearby pronounce you with the new title of "TOTP Laureate".

He looked a lot older tbh

He really was a 69'er, fact.

It's possible to watch the 26th August 1982 episode of TOTP online, but can't find 2nd September at the moment. Hopefully someone has a copy.

Yes, it was definitely Nile and Bernard in combination, that made it work so well. Their output with Chic, and then when working with the likes of Sister Sledge, Sheila B Devotion, DIana Ross and Carly Simon, at best presented a rather cool and classy sound. I was never sure Diana Ross' voice fitted the material so well as the others, as it didn't strike me as being quite so cool and exotic sounding. Sheila B Devotion, though, fitted the bill perfectly.

Carly Simon's "Why" does seem in retrospect, to be their last great moment, and the last one which shows their classic Chic sound coming together most effectively. Chic's final album from 1983 seemed marred by terrible over production, which seems to completely take away all those elements that made them great in the first place. They were definitely desperate to remain contemporary sounding at this time, but they were no longer setting the trends anymore - they were following others (one could also argue that was a knock on effect of the anti disco backlash from 79). Bernard Edwards bass lines were such an integral part of the charm of the Chic sound, because alone, Nile Rodgers doesn't strike me as being nearly so effective, although i did enjoy some of his work on David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' album. However, sometimes though, it is also a case of wanting to move on, and not risk repeating yourself. The producers role by the mid eighties was also becoming seen as almost as important as the acts themselves. I really didn't care for Nile's production work for Madonna, Mick Jagger and Duran Duran, amongst others, during the eighties.

Wham covered it,in their final ever concert,at Wembley Stadium in 1986