UK TOP 40 POLL: 09/03/1985

Boys Of Summer.

KIRSTY!!!!

Christ, this Top 40 contains two personal break-up songs, from two different relationships. I was getting through 'em like a dose of salts in early 1985.

Favourites at the time: Solid, Close (To The Edit).

Favourites now: Auntie Barabara & Auntie Elaine, Loose Ends. Loose Ends just get it.

This was the (formerly Old Grey) Whistle Test "Wow, look at all these Quality Songs in the charts!" Ellen/Hepworth era, wasn't it... all very Adult Contemporary, rather like early 2008 then...

Please note: voting for #35 is neither ironic nor clever.

My vote goes to - "Hangin' On A String," one of the best British soul records ever.

"Walk, jimmae, in silence..." (etc)

Voted Paul Young. Quite a lot of good stuff here too. Mainstream pop of early 1985 may not have been quite as good as in 1981-83, but it hadn't really started sucking yet either.

'close to the edit' -- can't say i've heard all of these but that track is a fave for all time.

torn between Art Of Noise and Loose Ends - could've easily voted for 10-20 others too. best top 40 poll i've ever seen (this week).

Fucking love that Don Henley song.

adored
1,2,5,6,7,8,12,13,16,17,20,21,25,27,28,31,34,37,39

accepted
3,4,9,14,18,22,24,26,30

unknown
10,11,15,19,29,32,33,36,38,40

rejected
23,35

unknown
10,11,15,19,29,32,33,36,38,40

"Things Can Only Get Better" is par for the mediocre course Howard Jones.
"The Last Kiss" - agonised comeback ballad with George Michael input.
"Breaking Up My Heart" - Shaky goes electro; sounds a bit like "Machinery" by Sheena Easton but not bad at all.
"Love Like Blood" - the nearest thing Killing Joke have ever done to a "ballad."
"This Is Not America" - one of Bowie's best from the eighties; placid, patient but hurt. From soundtrack to The Falcon And The Snowman.
"Just Another Night" - Jagger tries to go New Pop with aid of Bill Laswell but makes a bit of a pig's ear of it.
"Who Comes To Boogie" - DC Go-Go's UK commercial peak.
"This House" - SOUL PASSION HONESTY WELLER RED WEDGE sounds a bit like early Texas actually but with horns.
"Falling Angels Rising" - weird militaristic mid-tempo lament ("They say they'll shoot us on sight"); may come from a West End musical.
"Mr Telephone Man" - one of many interchangeable MoR R&B records of the period which made Steve Wright In The Afternoon feel like making love when he wasn't having a go at social workers or Aids.

Voted for "Legs."

Re. "Do What You Do"; most people were buying it for the B-side, "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming" which was a duet between Jermaine and Michael and much better than the dreary ballad on the A-side.

and a damn good duet too.

In case people are unfamiliar with 'Hangin' On A String'. It's as good as is being suggested, possibly better.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

lone vote for the Big Sound Authority single!

Yesterday on POTP Dale played the chart of 02/04/85. It is now officially the worst chart ever. Especially since he left nearly all the good ones out.

I like a few of these, but I will have to go with one of the Prince options.

I'm still ambivalent about "Solid as a Rock," after all these years. It brings back mostly happy memories, but something about it makes me slightly queasy. (The falsetto doesn't help.)

(er, "Solid")

Voted Art of Noise.

Dancing In The Dark

One vote for Colourfield

Loose Ends for me too, but I like/liked *a lot* of this chart

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

wow, a terrific top five.

GERTCHA!