A Concise Guide To Eighties' Music by Karl Vorderman (smallest ebook reader TXT) 📕

1980
The song of the month for January 1980
Guns Of Navarone by The Specials (peak chart position:No.1)
The Specials can lay a credible claim to recording the most successful 'extended player' in British chart history, as their live E.P. (featuring 'Too Much Too Young') somersaulted to the top of the U.K. hit parade in early 1980. This mini-album contained five frantic interpretations of previous classic ska recordings from the likes of the Pioneers. However,
my preference is for the hugely danceable 'Guns Of Navarone' which is a cover of an old Skatalites tune, which itself was borrowed from the epic movie of 1961. Here the veteran Anglo-Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez blows up a storm. Is it possible to sit still to this energetic delight?

The song of the month for February 1980
Atomic by Blondie (peak chart position:No.1)
'Atomic' had been previously recorded almost a year ago for the 'Eat To The Beat' project. Remarkably it was the third selection for release as a single in Britain after 'Dreaming' had narrowly failed to reach Number One and 'Union City Blue' had mysteriously failed to reach the Top Ten. This awesome tune had no such misfortune. Co-written by the keyboardist Jimmy Destri, this four and a half minute treat benefited from an accompanying video which envisaged the group playing at a post-nuclear holocaust concert. The trademark interplay of guitars and Debbie Harry's vocals never sounded better. What a sensational start to the 1980s!

The song of the month for March 1980
King by UB40 (peak chart position: No.4)
'King' formed part of a double A-side with the equally popular 'Food For Thought' and became one of the great stories of the
independent music labels' scene when this Graduate Records product climbed into the British Top Five in the spring of 1980. This tribute to Martin Luther King from a multi-racial Birmingham outfit had most peculiar origins. This strapped-for-cash reggae group had to record this seminal track at their producer Bob Lamb's bedsit, which also doubled up as a home-made recording studio. This home-made hit was the humble origin of a popular bunch who became a British musical institution in the ensuing three decades.

The song of the month for April 1980
A Forest by The Cure (peak chart position: No.31)
Goth-rockers The Cure were too much of a cult act to ever expect much commercial success in the singles chart. Having said that, this didn't deter them from releasing several 45s which were considerably better than their chart positions would indicate. Chief among them was the terrific 'A Forest'. This atmospheric number with the slightly sinister guitar sound narrowly failed to penetrate the British Top 30, but then it only succeeded in confirming that some songs are just too good for the charts. The mesmeric 'A Forest' was one such song.

The song of the month for May 1980
Best Friend by The Beat (peak chart position: No.22)
The Beat had previously hit the ground running when their debut single, a re-working of Smokey Robinson's 'Tears Of A Clown' reached the Top Ten at the turn of the year. The group then followed up with two more Top Ten forays courtesy of 'Hands Off...She's Mine' and 'Mirror In The Bathroom'. Their fourth release was their least successful to date, and yet
it was arguably the best. 'Best Friend' has to be one of the great jangly guitar songs of the 'eighties. It formed part of a double A-side with the overtly political 'Stand Down Margaret'. Both songs first surfaced when the excellent album 'I Just Can't Stop It' was issued in May.

The song of the month for June 1980
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division (peak chart position: No.13)
The appearance of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' in the Top Twenty was bitter-sweet for Joy Division. Having just lost their lead vocalist Ian Curtis as a result of suicide, Manchester's finest new wave act were themselves effectively dead. Nevertheless, this posthumous single was a reminder of the soul-searching that afflicted the tormented psyche of Curtis. This poignant item was later bravely covered by Paul Young, but this original is just too good to imitate. The remaining members of the 'division' licked their considerable wounds from the tragic loss of Curtis and promptly re-appeared in
the guise of the hugely respected New Order indie act.

The song of the month for July 1980
Private Life by Grace Jones (peak chart position: No.17)
Jamaican chanteuse Grace Jones staked an early claim for the best cover version of the decade when she expertly re-interpreted 'Private Life' which had originally saw the light of day on the Pretenders' debut album. With the
notable assistance of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, Jones unleashes a reggae wonder. Chrissie Hynde's brutal lyrics were tailor-made for Jones whose deadpan delivery does justice to such put-downs as "You ask my advice/I say use the door/ But you're still clinging to somebody you deplore." "I just feel pity when you lie/Contempt when you cry." This insensitive item was included on the 'Warm Leatherette' long player.

The song of the month for August 1980
Biko by Peter Gabriel (peak chart position: No.38)
The great Peter Gabriel was the latest artist to exploit the medium of popular music as an outlet for political protest. The ex-Genesis vocalist commendably decided to share his profound misgivings about the circumstances surrounding the
death of Steve Biko with the rest of the world via this landmark recording. Gabriel recruited African vocalists as well as Phil Collins and even made use of bagpipes on this remarkable single. Gabriel's revulsion at apartheid is best summed in the following extract:"You can blow out a candle/ But you can't blow out a fire/ Once the flame begins to catch/ The wind will blow it higher." Superb stuff.

The song of the month for September 1980
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers (peak chart position:No.17)
Marley's classic 'Three Little Birds' had originally been hatched three years earlier when it appeared on the popular 'Exodus' album. Eventually Island Records decided to issue it as a single. The simple but effective lyrics were uplifting for all who had the good fortune to hear it: "Don't worry about a thing/Cos every little thing is gonna be all right." Ironically, while this fine reggae pop song was climbing the British hit parade, the great man himself collapsed in Central Park in New York whilst jogging. Inoperable cancer was soon diagnosed and Marley then fought a losing battle against terminal illness for the last seven months of his life.

The song of the month for October 1980
Woman In Love by Barbra Streisand (peak chart position: No.1)
Barbra Streisand had previously flirted with the top regions of the charts with her collaborations with Neil Diamond and then Donna Summer. However, the Jewess decided that 'enough is enough' and she proceeded to treat the airwaves to a new solo recording, 'Woman In Love'. This romantic celebration certainly found favour with record buyers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as it became a deserved chart-topper. The song would also prove to be one of the biggest-sellers of 1980.

The song of the month for November 1980
(Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon (peak chart position: No.1)
John Lennon had gone into a self-imposed retreat from stardom and from recording music from early 1975 through to the summer of 1980 when he eventually swapped his house-husband duties for his more familiar role of a performing artist. The Beatle legend soon delivered a new album in collaboration with his less musically gifted wife, thus yielding the 'Double Fantasy' project. One highlight of this long player was the admirable rocker in which John states "It'll be just like starting over." However, it proved to be a false start as the author of some of the world's best love and peace anthems was gunned down in early December.

The song of the month for December 1980
The Call Up by The Clash (peak chart position: No.40)
The Clash were faced with the unenviable task of attempting to improve upon the critically acclaimed 'London Calling' double album. They not surprisingly failed, although they did themselves no favours by lumping all their new material
together onto a triple album, entitled 'Sandinista'. Nevertheless, this newly-released long player did have a number of highlights, including 'Somebody Got Murdered' and 'Bankrobber'. My own preference is for the anti-draft track, 'The Call Up'. This item features a wailing klaxon acting as a call to arms. What may have confused some observers was that the seemingly belligerent Clash were actually pacifists!

ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR 1980:
Remain In Light by Talking Heads (released in October)
Side 1