But not during them, nor relating to any specified episodes from the era currently being broadcast.

What I find really irritating is the way that the BBC has unilaterally decided that no viewers would want to see shows with Jimmy Saville or DLT in them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can watch their TOTP episodes with a detachment from anything else about the individuals concerned.

Of course, but the trouble for the BBC is that not everybody can watch the episodes with said detachment - and I imagine those who read Mr Dacre's publication would find it particularly difficult.

It would cost too much money,probably

Nice to see ABC performing Look of Love and Poison Arrow on Jools Holland's New Year Party on BBC2. Also Red Red Wine by UB40.

Happy New Year to all fellow Top Of the Poppers! I'm watching "Wake Up... In the 80s" on MTV Classic while I'm having my breakfast - there's some decent music being played. I wish I could go back and wake up in the 80s...

Edit: just as I was about to post this, 'We Built This City' turns up to ruin it all!

Me too. When we got home 3.30ish there was EW&F on BBC2 doing Boogie Wonderland in concert. Unfortunately it was followed by Coldplay so switched away. And what is wrong with We Built This City? Damned fine pop song.

I've never liked it from the first time I heard it back in 1985...

And it does get slagged off a lot TBH so maybe it's just me and a few... for me it is one of the great iconic eighties hits.

I am another who dislikes "We Built This City". Grace Slick was so much better in the sixties, and the song's co-writer Bernie Taupin has done much better work with Elton, too.

The audio on ALL the performances is inferior, there is no proper bass, midrange or treble and it's all mono sound. You are hearing audio with the quality of medium wave radio when you should be hearing audio with the quality of the studio master tape, that's why I find it essential to overdub my TOTP recordings.
Don't forget "rubbish in, rubbish out".

http://my.jetscreenshot.com/11869/20...r3hm-306kb.jpg

And to wrap up 1982, here are the best selling singles of the year, as compiled by BMRB for the BBC and Music Week:

1 Come On Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runners
2 Fame Irene Cara
3 Eye Of The Tiger Survivor
4 The Lion Sleeps Tonight Tight Fit
5 Do You Really Want To Hurt Me Culture Club
6 Pass The Dutchie Musical Youth
7 I Don't Wanna Dance Eddy Grant
8 Seven Tears Goombay Dance Band
9 Ebony And Ivory Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
10 A Town Called Malice The Jam

11 Golden Brown Stranglers
12 Mad World Tears For Fears
13 Mickey Toni Basil
14 Love Plus One Haircut One Hundred
15 The Model/Computer Love Kraftwerk
16 Oh Julie Shakin' Stevens
17 Goody Two Shoes Adam Ant
18. DIONNE WARWICK HEARTBREAKER
19. YAZOO ONLY YOU
20. YAZOO DON’T GO

21. ROCKERS REVENGE WALKING ON SUNSHINE
22. FAT LARRY’S BAND ZOOM
23. RENEE & RENATO SAVE YOUR LOVE
24. PhD I WON’T LET YOU DOWN
25. IMAGINATION JUST AN ILLUSION
26. THE KIDS FROM FAME STARMAKER
27. CHICAGO HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY
28. STEVE MILLER BAND ABRACADABRA
29. MADNESS HOUSE OF FUN
30. J GEILS BAND CENTREFOLD
31. ABC THE LOOK OF LOVE
32. BUCKS FIZZ THE LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVE
33. ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK MAID OF ORLEANS
34. WHAM YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)
35. CHAS & DAVE AIN’T NO PLEASING YOU
36. DURAN DURAN SAVE A PRAYER
37. FUN BOY 3 WITH BANANARAMA ‘TAIN’T WHAT YOU DO IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT
38. NICOLE A LITTLE PEACE
39. DURAN DURAN HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
40. BUCKS FIZZ MY CAMERA NEVER LIES

41. HOT CHOCOLATE IT STARTED WITH A KISS
42. TIGHT FIT FANTASY ISLAND
43. MEATLOAF DEAD RINGER FOR LOVE
44. ODYSSEY INSIDE OUT
45. SOFT CELL TORCH
46. ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD THIS TIME / ENGLAND (WE’LL FLY THE FLAG)
47. SOFT CELL SAY HELLO WAVE GOODBYE
48. CHARLENE I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME
49. HUMAN LEAGUE MIRROR MAN
50. PIGBAG PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW PIGBAG
51. DIRE STRAITS PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
52. ABC POISON ARROW
53. DEPECHE MODE SEE YOU
54. JUNIOR MAMA USED TO SAY
55. SHALAMAR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
56. DOLLAR GIVE ME BACK MY HEART
57. BANANARAMA & THE FUN BOY 3 REALLY SAYING SOMETHING
58. CHRISTOPHER CROSS ARTHUR’S THEME (THE BEST THAT YOU CAN DO)
59. JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS I LOVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
60. SHALAMAR THERE IT IS

61. EVELYN KING LOVE COME DOWN
62. MADNESS DRIVING IN MY CAR
63. BANANARAMA SHY BOY
64. THE KIDS FROM “FAME” HI-FIDELITY
65. TRIO DA-DA-DA
66. ADRIAN GURVITZ CLASSIC
67. BOYSTOWN GANG CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
68. BOW WOW WOW GO WILD IN THE COUNTRY
69. MARVIN GAYE SEXUAL HEALING
70. CAPTAIN SENSIBLE HAPPY TALK
71. KOOL & THE GANG GET DOWN ON IT
72. THE JAM BEAT SURRENDER
73. BLANCMANGE LIVING ON THE CEILING
74. SHALAMAR I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD
75. THE JAM THE BITTEREST PILL (I EVER HAD TO SWALLOW)
76. SOFT CELL WHAT
77. BARDO ONE STEP FURTHER
78. DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)
79. DEREK & THE DOMINOES LAYLA

80. CARLY SIMON WHY
81. KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS I’M A WONDERFUL THING BABY
82. IRON MAIDEN RUN TO THE HILLS
83. PATRICE RUSHEN FORGET-ME-NOTS
84. KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS ANNIE I’M NOT YOUR DADDY
85. ABC ALL OF MY HEART
86. TALK TALK TODAY
87. HOT CHOCOLATE GIRL CRAZY
88. ROXY MUSIC MORE THAN THIS
89. IMAGINATION MUSIC AND LIGHTS
90. JAPAN GHOSTS
91. CULTURE CLUB TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)
92. DAVID CHRISTIE SADDLE UP
93. THE BEATLES LOVE ME DO
94. LIONEL RICHIE TRULY
95. DIANA ROSS WORK THAT BODY
96. TOTO COELO I EAT CANNIBALS
97. SCOTLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD WE HAVE A DREAM
98. THE MOBILES DROWNING IN BERLIN
99. HAIRCUT ONE HUNDRED FANTASTIC DAY
100. NATASHA IKO-IKO

Apologies for the strange formatting but that is how the person who originally posted the list had posted it. From what I can see it's because Music Week published an updated list with a later sales cut off point and only the top 17 remained the same and the original poster had two lists - the original top 100 (of which Radio 1 broadcast the top 40) and a revised top 100 and has combined them.

And that was it for the BMRB - from 27 December 1982 the chart compiler changed to Gallup. And when Gallup took over chart compilation duties not only did the chart compilation process become fully computerised with sales diaries being replaced by "dataport" terminals (which basically consisted of a computer terminal, a modem and a telephone line connecting retailers to Gallup) but also for the first time sales of cassette albums were included in the Albums chart. Up to the end of 1982 only sales of vinyl albums were counted. The official number 1 album of 1982 was 'Love Songs' by Barbra Streisand but it was in fact outsold by 'The Kids From Fame' album but many sales of the latter weren't counted as they were sold on the cassette format.

Seeing them would not bother me in the slightest.

Bold = I give this song 7+ out of 10.

Apologies Highlander. Should have realised you'd have enough good taste to enjoy a trip down the Andes.

I usually give "Da Da Da" minus 7.

I love the moodiness of Nightporter and it did make #29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UutMlGcdvt4

Here's the last episode of 1982, a second look back at the year hosted by Gary Davies, Janice Long, Pat Sharp and Savile.

https://we.tl/p4F4lpiPRQ

As you know Robbie, there was discussion of this song on the POTP thread, with Rolling Stone bizarrely voting it the worst song of the decade. I don't see anything wrong with it myself, in fact I quite like it.

I don't think it was mentioned on either the 1981 or 1982 TOTP threads that Paul Kantner who played guitar with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship (who had a minor hit in 1980 with 'Jane' and became known as Starship after Kantner left the band in 1984) died in 2016 aged 74 from complications following a heart attack.

Below is a link to an old picture of Paul Kantner with his former lover, Grace Slick whose vocals can be heard on 'We Built This City'.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...r_starship.jpg

A question

These long bits at the end of the closing credits when they play the song right to the end (Wham on the episode I've just this minute watched.) Is this an extra bonus for BBC4 viewers. Did BBC1 in the 1980s show TOTP right to the end of the song or did they fade away as soon as the credits ended?

Regards.

Happy New Year Boz!

It depended on the running time of the programme back then. Most records back then that were played out over the end credits were usually faded out as soon as the credits had rolled but I'm sure one or two made it to the end.

Now 3/5 of the way through the Xmas marathon, having rewatched the 23rd Dec edition.

Can't say I have any recollection of "Heartache Avenue" from the time, but it's a good song. Like Mari Wilson's song, it successfully uses modern sounds in a retro setting.

The Bowie & Bing duet is fascinating to watch - I'm assuming they're singing live? Can't be easy for the two of them to sing different songs at the same time, but it works perfectly.

Incantation and Shaky went in one ear and out the other. "Changes" is Imagination's best for a while, I think, although the title is ironic given how little their sound has changed since we first heard them. Never a fan of Abba but "Under Attack" is pretty good, especially the verse.

Trying desperately to get "Orville's Song" out of my head. The extent of mawkish sentimentality in this is off the scale - it's almost quite disturbing. (And we get it again in the first episode we'll see in 1983!! A message to the BBC Four editors: if you have any intention of leaving this in the 7:30 showing and editing out The Belle Stars' "Sign Of The Times", I will quite literally send the boys round.)

Thank heavens I won't have to hear the tedious "Best Years Of Our Lives" again. Whoever wrote it must have expended at least 30 seconds of effort on it.

Thanks Kid, you too plus the other posters on this thread!