The final part of the mini-series on the music of 1980.

So, to cover (most of) the bases, I present my list of the greatest UK singles of 1980. Note the wording: all these singles first charted in 1980, so apologies to fans of the Nolans or of the Pretenders if I have missed out on their biggest hits as they were released and first charted in 1979. That also means singles that reached their peak in 1981 (such as Visage) are also to be found here. Also, it is HIT singles i.e. those which charted at at least #75 in the UK charts. So honourable mentions of Treason by The Teardrop Explodes or Atmosphere by Joy Division and many more fine 45s that didn't make the commercial cut. There were over 500 hit singles in the UK in 1980 and listened to them all and here are in my opinion the best 150. Some watching this will be surprised by the placings of both the "big" hits of the year and some of the more obscure cuts but that's what makes 1980 so fascinating.
The number 1 may also come as a surprise but it's fully merited. Enjoy...

Part two of the series celebrating the great UK pop year of 1980.

There was something for everyone this year, including the grannies as you will see. The ska/soul revival sound was very much the "now" of that year whereas the previously established disco and punk sound was now starting to evolve, with the new romantics (a term much disputed by those attributed to it) also setting the stall out for the decade to come...

Chapters:
6 - Young Soul Rebels
7 - Available in Woolworths
8 - Romantics Old and New
9 - On John Peel Tonight
10 - Disco Sucks?

1980 was one of the best, most democratic years in UK Pop Music. Not dominated by any particular genre, it presented the best of everything and kept the worst at a minimum. There was Punk & post-punk. Disco & post-disco. New wave, reggae & ska, heavy metal, synth-pop are all present, as well as emigres from the 1960s, prog-rock and even the emergence of new sub-genres such goth, dream pop, the new romantics and even hip hop. The years before and after weren't too shabby either but 1980 seems to me to define the era most succinctly.

This 3 part series is the definitive lowdown on this year in music. The first two parts present 10 themes which sum up the year with the final part my choice of the best UK hit singles (i.e. in the UK Top 75) in a superb year. Enjoy.

Chapters:
1 - Brit-ish Steel
2 - Reggae Amigos
3 - White Boys (and Girl) with Guitars
4 - Protect and Survive
5 - 60/80

Until the late 60s, West Germany did not have much to shout about when it came to popular music - usually rip-offs of US/UK pop and rock and of course the dreaded schlager music. However this soon changed and by the 70s, a new, experimental wave of "Kosmische Musik" spread throughout Europe. Snidely referred to in the UK as "Krautrock", this in turn would influence the pillars of Western pop from post-punk to electro-pop and would continue into the 80s with later artists taking inspiration from punk and new wave and have their own idiosyncratic take.

Featuring Amon Düül II, Can, Faust, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Neu!,
Nina Hagen Band, D.A.F., Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Toten Hosen und Die Ärzte.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel paddled in the waters between Glam Rock and the New Wave, with the style of the former and the nascent ennui of the latter. His finest moment came in 1975 with the UK number 1 Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - featured in the 1975 video I released a year ago. Here he is in 1974 with the bandmates that abandoned him and thus inspired the song. RIP.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the eponymous debut album by The Smiths, one of the most celebrated bands of the the 1980s. After the success of This Charming Man late in 1983, The Smiths continued their upward trajectory but not without a few pitfalls and controversy. They appeared everywhere on TV from Kid's morning shows to late night and dominated radio in the wee hours as well. However, with the departure of their original manager Joe Moss, there was left a vacuum that would be a contributory factor to their demise a few year later. But for now, they were in the ascendant, with Morrissey putting himself about in the media and Marr collecting plaudits for his music...

A typical potpourri during one of the high spots of UK chart music. The cold winter of 1982 was the height of synthpop and the chart is well represented by OMD and the masters themselves, Kraftwerk. The Stranglers enjoyed their biggest hit and artists of all shapes and sizes are present, including Meat Loaf, Christopher Cross as well as future number 1 Tight Fit. Topping the chart are The Jam with their 3rd UK number 1, with Paul Weller's R&B influences hinting at a different direction for himself but not necessarily his bandmates...

LSD was first synthesized in 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hoffmann, who had no idea at the time the impact this would have on popular culture decades later. The mind altering/expanding effect of the drug was to have a profound effect on pop music in the 1960s, when a generation of artists experimented, changing the sound, look and culture. Heads of the pack the The Beatles, whose 1967 album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band would re-write the rulebook, pushing the album format forward as the key statement for musical artists. The effect of the phenomenon would last beyond the 1960s. Here is a selection of the bands who took the first trip into the unknown. Psychedelia 1.01 as it were...

Featuring The Byrds, The Beatles, Love, The Doors, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Soft Machine, The Who and The Rolling Stones.

So I began the year with 1973, so let's end with it. Xmas 1973 is often seen as the beginning of the vogue for yuletide hit singles. Of course there was always going to be number ones at Christmas time, but these were often traditional fare, novelties or sentimental ballads. Or The Beatles. Interestingly it was the former Beatle John Lennon who arguably kicked off the trend for contemporary pop stars of the era to consciously provide a Christmas-themed 45 with his 1971 single Happy Xmas (War Is Over). As such this early race for the Xmas #1 only features two actual Christmassy songs, but aptly they are from Glam Rock acts when the trend was in it's imperial phase. This is borne out by the rest of the top ten, with Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople and, ahem Gary Glitter among the rest. Mid-70s favourites David Essex and Leo Sayer are also starting to make their presence felt. Merry Christmas everyone!

The rise of Nirvana to prominence was one of the most epochal moments in 1990s popular music. But their success had many fathers (and indeed a few mothers). Never one to hide their influences, Nirvana, led by the charismatic if troubled Kurt Cobain took inspiration from varied sources in the rock spectrum. This video takes a look at the building blocks which made Nirvana's phenomenal success possible, not just in the sounds but also the evolution of alternative rock which enabled this success.

Featuring Iggy & the Stooges, Boston, Sex Pistols, The Raincoats, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Bad Brains, Killing Joke, Hüsker Dü, Pixies and Mudhoney.

An luminary of the London punk scene of the 1970s, Shane MacGowan formed the Anglo-Irish ensemble The Pogues in 1982, introducing a new audience to Irish folk music. His finest hour was undoubtedly Fairytale of New York, the off-centre Christmas song which so nearly bagged the coveted Xmas number 1 slot in 1987 but has totally outsold the actual winner (Pet Shop Boys' cover of Always on my Mind) and pretty much every other Christmas single released before or since. RIP.

This is an updated version of a video uploaded two years ago but subsequently deleted...

1971 was a critical year in the life and career of David Bowie. He became a father for the first time and signed for yet another label, RCA Victor. Meanwhile he hadn't had a hit since Space Oddity two years earlier and his erstwhile mate Marc Bolan had become the biggest pop star in Britain.
Hunky Dory was released in December 1971 and set out the stall that would beguile and confuse audiences for the rest of the decade and beyond. Six months later, Ziggy Stardust would arrive on the scene and Bowie's life would never be same again...

In common with many "heritage" acts, the Rolling Stones did not have a good Eighties. It started off well enough off the back of the late-70s success of the Some Girls album and the tours were getting bigger than ever. But soon into the decade the Stones had something of an identity crisis. The Glimmer Twins were at loggerheads as to where the direction of the band should be going, with Mick wanting the band to keep up with modern sensibilities while Keith favoured a more belt and braces blues-rock approach. And they kind of fell somewhere down the middle. There were other issues too: Bill Wyman was in the tabloids for his rather questionable relationship with a teenager and even dependable ol' Charlie Watts had his nadir, succumbing to heroin.
But, just as the Eighties has flowered into fashion and then some, maybe it's time the music of the greatest Rock 'n' Roll band of the lot from this period deserves another listen...

Under the shadow of 9/11 and during the turbulent music industry changes of the early-00s with the arrival Napster et al came arguably the last flush of alternative rock acts into the mainstream.
Flagship band were New Yorkers The Strokes, whose debut album Is This It cut a swathe through the moribund post-millennial rock scene with their combination of Stooges proto-punk and previous New York acts such as Television. All jagged guitars and distorted vocals. This opened the floodgates for a brief deluge of stripped-down garage-style acts, which was wider spread in global terms compared to the more parochial scenes of the 90s such as Grunge and Britpop.
The music press (themselves fighting a losing battle with online journalism) swung right behind it. The crucial difference between the noughties and the nineties though was this revival of guitar-based sounds wasn't nearly as successful, putting each of these bands on a commercial tightrope. By the end of the decade most of the acts featured had either blown themselves out or drifted back to the margins. Was it all hype? You decide...

Featuring The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Vines, Electric Six, The Libertines, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Franz Ferdinand

The second part of this Kinks retrospective looks at their career from 1970 until their split in 1996.
This period saw the Kinks start to fade from popularity in the UK, somewhat due to Ray Davies' preoccupation with more theatrical concepts, even though it was all the rage in the Prog Rock/Glam Rock era. However, with their ban in the USA lifted, they gradually built a large following as they were a fine live act. This paid dividends by the end of the 1970s, with a string of successful albums. Yet the shadow of their 60s repertoire remained back home. This though had it's own payback as by the time of the band's demise in the mid-90s, The Davies brothers and co were touted as one of the founding fathers of Britpop.

The Kinks were one of the most original and enduring British rock bands. Led by the incomparable songwriter Ray Davies and bolstered by his brother Dave on guitar, The Kinks were a part of the "British Invasion" which stormed the US pop charts in the wake of the Beatles' phenomenal success from 1964 onwards. This epic 2 part special looks back on the career of this influential but often underrated band.
Part 1 looks back at their time in the 1960s, marked first by successful hit singles such as "You Really Got Me" and "Tired of Waiting for You", through the disastrous US tour of 1965 and into their more whimsical phase which gradually saw the band lose touch with the contemporary audience of the late 60s but would find favour with later generations.

So here we are at the height of the Eighties: Ronald Reagan is heading for another election win, Thatcher has defeated the miners but the world of pop was in rude health. This particular chart hits the right notes, with British acts bookending US chart-toppers such as Prince, Cyndi Lauper and that woman again, Tina Turner. Sprinkle a bit of early hip hop and alternative comedy and you got yourself a good chart. 1984 wasn't Room 101 after all but it wasn't Autotune stamping on the human ear forever either...

50 years ago today, David Bowie ruthlessly killed off the character that made him a household name - Ziggy Stardust. It was just shy of a year after his memorable appearance on Top of the Pops put the 25-year-old singer-songwriter on the path to stardom and notoriety. But Bowie quickly realised that change was necessary if he was to survive and so the decision was taken to part ways with the Spiders from Mars and to forge ahead into new territory. Not for the first time or the last, Bowie would discard one guise and slip into another...

The long hot summer of 1976 was only just getting started. With snotty-nosed punks on the horizon, the British public sent a motley collection of singles into the top ten of the UK charts. Novelty act The Wurzels, talent show winners Our Kid and country icon Dolly Parton rubbed shoulders with more established 70s acts such as Wings, Bryan Ferry and of course Rod the Mod. Topping the lot were Liverpudlian soulsters The Real Thing. Pretty much all of this selection are memorable for one reason or another.

Scotland faced many issues in the 1970s, including de-industrialisation, violent crime, the rise of nationalism and the travails of the national football team. Hottest topic of all was North Sea Oil and whether Alba was going to benefit (spoiler alert: not a lot). As far as pop & rock music was concerned, Scotland certainly punched above it's weight with Sir Roderick Stewart arguably the biggest solo star on the planet at the time. Here is a somewhat eclectic collection of tartan pop...

Featuring Middle of the Road, Nazareth, John Martyn, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Lulu, The Bay City Rollers, Rod Stewart, Gerry Rafferty and The Rezillos.

Tina Turner's raucous, rock 'n roll take on the soul diva archetype made her a household name from the 1960s onwards. But it was when she broke up with her abusive husband Ike and struck out on her own when she really began to shine, becoming one of the biggest female solo stars of the 1980s.

Bassist Andy Rourke brought a funkily contemporary touch to The Smiths, with an unfussy knitting of the epochal indie band's eclectic sound palette. Despite his off-stage troubles, he was always there when they needed him. RIP.

Pop music in it's modern form (if it can be considered "modern" now) essentially began in the UK with the first pop chart, published in November 1952 by the New Musical Express. Al Martino was number one in a chart of 12 singles. However it was the arrival of Rock and Roll in 1956 from the United States which sent shockwaves across British pop. Well, sort of. Keep Calm and Carry On seemed to be the response with a motley collection of Trad Jazz, ballads and novelty numbers. Belatedly, the UK had it's own rock 'n rollers of a fashion, most of these artists diverting soon towards the respectability of safe films and light entertainment. But the match with a very long fuse ran it's path through the late 50s and early 60s with the powder keg of four young lads from Liverpool and a potential legion of guitar bands lying in wait...

Featuring Tommy Steele, Chris Barber & Ottilie Paterson, Lonnie Donegan, Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard, Anthony Newley, The Shadows, Adam Faith, The Temperance Seven and Joe Brown & the Bruvvers.

1975 was the year I was born and for a good while was not seen in a particularly fond light in the UK what with the inflation, the strikes and the 'orrible fashion sense. Yet there were things to enjoy. There was a great summer, somewhat overlooked in the light (and heat) of it's sequel the following year. Glam was fading and Prog getting more rococo but there were harbingers of what was to come later in the decade and even beyond...

Featuring Little Feat, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Dr. Feelgood, Minnie Riperton, Sparks, Kraftwerk, KC and the Sunshine Band, David Bowie, Sailor and a little glimpse of the future.

So the Cadillac pulls out of the graveyard for Tom Verlaine of influential New York band Television, who brought forth one of the greatest albums of all time in 1977 with their debut Marquee Moon. Most alternative bands thereafter who pursued an "angular" guitar-based sound surely took that set as the blueprint. RIP...