Best Selling Albums of the 80s

80s Hit Albums

Some of my 80s Albums

I absolutely love 80s music and have enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane as I compile this page for you that features the top 10 best selling albums of the 80s in the UK.

I actually own a few of these albums and a couple of them have remained on my must buy list - Phil Collins, No Jacket Required was an album I kept meaning to buy and still don't have although I do play his greatest hits regularly.

The only album that really surprised me was Kylie as I hadn't realized just how many albums she had sold during the 80s - I remember when she first hit the charts and a couple of my friends and I were sure she'd be a one hit wonder!!

Anyway take your time and enjoy your nostalgic trip to the decade where music was music and we all rocked!

Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

Brothers in Arms
The number one best selling album of the eighties in the UK was Dire Straits and their classic - Brothers in Arms. This album is a must have album for any eighties music lover featuring the fantastic hits such as Money for Nothing and Walk of Life among others.

Brothers in Arms was the fifth album for Dire Straits and was actually the first album to sell one million copies in the CD format and to also outsell it's LP version......in other words we could blame this album for the demise of vinyl!!!

Brothers in Arms

Track Listing

1. So Far Away (Album Version) 5:12
2. Money For Nothing (Album Version) 8:26
3. Walk Of Life (Album Version) 4:12
4. Your Latest Trick (Album Version) 6:33
5. Why Worry (Album Version) 8:31
6. Ride Across The River (Album Version) 6:57
7. The Man's Too Strong (Album Version) 4:40
8. One World (Album Version) 3:40
9. Brothers In Arms (Album Version)

Not only was Brothers in Arms the best selling album of the 80s as of April 2008 it was 5th on the list of best-selling albums of all time in the UK.

Bad - Michael Jackson

Bad
Michael Jackson was the 80s King of Pop so it is hardly surprising that he should hold the number 2 and number 3 spot in the best selling albums of the 80s. I was actually surprised that Bad beat Thriller to the number 2 spot as I would've thought that Thriller was HIS album of the 80s.

The majority of the tracks on Michael Jackson's Bad album were actually written by Michael himself. The songs have also aged well with Alien Ant Farm introducing the single Smooth Criminal to a new generation.

Quincy Jones, who produced the album, said that they wanted a tough album and I think that they managed it.

Bad

Track Listing

1. Bad
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Speed Demon
4. Liberian Girl
5. Just Good Friends - Michael Jackson, Britten, Terry
6. Another Part of Me
7. Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson, Garrett, Siedah
8. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
9. Dirty Diana
10. Smooth Criminal
11. Leave Me Alone
12. Streetwalker
13. Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu (I Just Can't Stop Loving You) - Michael Jackson, Blades, Ruben
14. Fly Away

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Thriller, 25th Anniversary Edition
To me Thriller is a must have album of the 80s, whatever you think of Michael Jackson these days in the 80s he ruled! Thriller was an amazing album and really catered to the MTV crowd who doesn't remember the Thriller video?

Most people who lived through the 80s would know all of the singles from this album. Not only was Thriller the 3rd best selling album of the 80s in the UK it also swept away with 8 Grammys.

This 25th anniversary edition of Thriller contains bonus tracks that weren't on the original album - I've included this version because I think if you're missing this album from your collection then the extra tracks really do showcase how timeless MJ's music really is.

Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition

Track Listing

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney)
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life
10. Vincent Price (bonus track)
11. The Girl Is Mine 2008 with will.i.am ( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )
12. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 with Michael Jackson and will.i.am ( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )
13. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Michael Jackson, Akon and will.i.am( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )
14. Beat It 2008 with Fergie( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )
15. Billie Jean 2008 with Kanye West ( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )
16. For All Time (unreleased track from original Thriller sessions) ( Previously Unreleased Track For 25th Anniversary Edition )

Greatest Hits - Queen

Queen - Greatest Hits
Queen were a British rock group that was formed in 1970, in 1981 they released their first compilation album which was called Greatest Hits. As well as being the fourth best selling album of the 80s in the UK it is also the best selling album of all time in the UK.

This absolutely classic album that any rock fan should embrace includes the hits Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, Another One Bites the Dust and Killer Queen.

Queen - Greatest Hits Vol 1/UK Version

Track Listing

1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Another One Bites The Dust
3. Killer Queen
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. Bicycle Race
6. You're My Best Friend
7. Play The Game
8. Flash
9. Seven Seas Of Rhye
10. We Will Rock You
11. We Are The Champions
12. Don't Stop Me Now
13. Save Me
14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
15. Somebody To Love
16. Now I'm Here
17. Good Old-Fashoned Lover Boy

Kylie - Kylie Minogue

Kylie
Kylie Minogue came to prominence in the UK with her role as Charlene on the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Kylie and co-star Jason Donovan both decided to try their luck in the UK and pursued singing careers.

Kylie joined the Stock. Aitken & Waterman stables and produced hit singles such as I Should Be So Lucky and Loco-Motion both of which are on this, her debut album. The album, self-titled Kylie recieved mixed reviews as it was very cutesy and was a classic case of people buying it because they loved Kylie Minogue as opposed to enjoying the music.

I find it hard to believe that this was the fifth biggest selling album of the 80s in the UK.......I blame one of my friend's brothers for this as he was a Kylie fanatic!

Kylie

Track Listing

1. I Should Be So Lucky
2. Loco-Motion
3. Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi
4. It's No Secret
5. Got to Be Certain
6. Turn It into Love
7. I Miss You
8. I'll Still Be Loving You
9. Look My Way
10. Love at First Sight

Whitney - Whitney Houston

Whitney
It is hardly surprising that Whitney Houston should take out the 6th best selling album of the 80s as her debut album - Whitney became the biggest selling debut album of all time for a solo artist.

Her fantastic voice helped her to make a hugely successful cross over from Gospel to pop and even today people the world over attempt to sing Saving All My Love For You on the reality hit show Idol.

I had both of Whitney's first two albums - Whitney & Whitney Houston and I have to say my favorite was the second one, but this first one sold more during the 80s in the UK.

Whitney

Track Listing

1. I Wanna Dance With Somebody 4:53
2. Just The Lonely Talking Again 5:34
3. Love Will Save The Day 5:23
4. Didn't We Almost Have It All 5:08
5. So Emotional 4:38
6. Where You Are 4:10
7. Love Is A Contact Sport 4:20
8. You're Still My Man 4:16
9. For The Love Of You 5:34
10. Where Do Broken Hearts Go 4:39
11. I Know Him So Well 4:31

Tango in the Night - Fleetwood Mac

Tango in the Night
Fleetwood Mac was formed way back in 1967 and had experienced varied levels of success from the late 60s through until the 80s. During the late 70s and into the 80s Fleetwood Mac gave their sound a more popsy feel and added Stevie Nicks as another vocalist.

Tango in the Night became Fleetwood Macs biggest selling album in the UK even outselling Rumours (which I personally think was their best album).

After the Tango in the Night album the most successful line-up of Fleetwood Mac namely Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood broke up.

The album released the fantastic singles Little Lies and Seven Wonders among others.

Tango in the Night

Track Listing

1. "Big Love" (Buckingham) – 3:37
2. "Seven Wonders" (Sandy Stewart, Nicks) – 3:38
3. "Everywhere" (C. McVie) – 3:41
"Caroline" (Buckingham) – 3:50

"Tango in the Night" (Buckingham) – 3:56

"Mystified" (C. McVie, Buckingham) – 3:06

"Little Lies" (C. McVie, Eddy Quintela) – 3:38

"Family Man" (Buckingham, Richard Dashut) – 4:01

"Welcome to the Room... Sara" (Nicks) – 3:37

"Isn't It Midnight" (C. McVie, Quintela, Buckingham) – 4:06

"When I See You Again" (Nicks) – 3:47

"You and I (Part 2)" (Buckingham, C. McVie) – 2:40

No Jacket Requred - Phil Collins

No Jacket Required
Before Phil Collins released a solo single he was best known as lead singer and drummer for the British rock band Genesis. A fantastic drummer and a good singer Phil Collins was a mainstay in the UK charts throughout the 80s with hits such as Sussudio and One More Night.

No Jacket Required became the 8th best selling album of the 80s in the UK and went straight to the number one album spot in both the US and UK when it was released. The album received the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1985, but where did the name come from?

No Jacket Required came from an incident when Phil Collins was refused admittance to a restaurant because the jacket he was wearing wasn't deemed 'proper' enough. This story was one that Phil Collins told regularly when he was on talk shows.

No Jacket Required

Track Listing

1. "Sussudio" - 4:23
2. "Only You Know and I Know" (Lyrics: Collins/ Music: Daryl Stuermer) - 4:21
3. "Long Long Way to Go" - 4:22
4. "I Don't Wanna Know" (Lyrics: Collins/ Music: Stuermer) - 4:14
5. "One More Night" - 4:48
6. "Don't Lose My Number" - 4:48
7. "Who Said I Would?" - 4:01
8. "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore?" (Lyrics: Collins/ Music: Stuermer) - 4:18
9. "Inside Out" -5:15
10. "Take Me Home" - 5:52

True Blue - Madonna

True Blue
Madonna owned the 80s and this album, her third, recieved critical acclaim and let her own the crown of Queen of Pop. True Blue allowed Madonna to show off her strong voice as it had the ballad Live to Tell which was a change from the pop hits that she had previously released.

One of my all time favorite Madonna songs is Papa Don't Preach and that was also off of her True Blue album.

Check out more about the 80s pop queen on our Madonna in the 80s post.

True Blue

Track Listing

1. Papa Don't Preach 5:45
2. Open Your Heart 4:13
3. White Heat 4:36
4. Live To Tell 5:53
5. Where's The Party 4:20
6. True Blue 4:18
7. La Isla Bonita 4:02
8. Jimmy Jimmy 3:56
9. Love Makes The World Go Round 4:31
10. True Blue (The Color Mix) 6:40 Album Only
11. 11. La Isla Bonita (Extended Remix) 5:26

The Joshua Tree - U2

The Joshua Tree
The rockers from Ireland known as U2 was formed in the late 70s and by the mid 80s had become one of the top international acts. The Joshua Tree was U2's fifth album and catapaulted them to a whole new level, if an album ever defined a group than this is the album that defined U2.

Hit singles such as Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For are just as relevant today as they were in 1987 when they were released. This album took U2 to a whole new level and made them one of Ireland's biggest exports.

The Joshua Tree

Track Listing

1. "Where the Streets Have No Name"
2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
3. "With or Without You"
4. "Bullet the Blue Sky"
5. "Running to Stand Still"
6. "Red Hill Mining Town"
7. "In God's Country"
8. "Trip Through Your Wires"
9. "One Tree Hill"
10. "Exit"
11. "Mothers of the Disappeared"

I Hope You've Enjoyed This Trip Down Memory Lane

I've had great fun on this trip, but one of my favorite 80s album is missing from this chart - what about yours?

Diamond by Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet's Second Album - Diamond

Have you heard Spandau Ballet's second album - Diamond? I must admit that I loved the album back in the 80s when it was released, but the general public didn't really buy into it and it was not seen as a success. Trevor Horn was called in to produce their fourth single off of the album - Instinction - and he has received credit for turning Spandau's career around again following the flaying results from their singles Paint Me Down and She Loved Like Diamond.

I think this album was about trying not to get stuck in a particular pigeon hole of music - you can hear that Spandau Ballet are still experimenting with their sound and expanding beyond their club beat feel that they had in their first album - let's look at Diamond in more detail...

Diamond Album Tracks - Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet's second album, Diamond, had eight tracks on it and they were the following -

1. Chant No. 1 (I don't need this pressure on)
2. Instinction
3. Paint Me Down
4. Coffee Club
5. She Loved Like Diamond
6. Pharoah
7. Innocence and Science
8. Missionary

Chant No 1

Spandau Ballet's First Single From Diamond

Chant No 1 was the first single off of Spandau Ballet's second album - Diamond and shows a funkier side of the band. Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet's songwriter) said that Chant No 1 was, in part, a homage to the soul clubs that the band used to enjoy going to when they were younger.

Unfortunately the funky 'white' soul sound of the album wasn't what the general public were looking for at the time and the album sales reflected this.

The album Diamond showcased a lot of experimental sounds, but it also helped to showcase the band, in particular Tony Hadley and Steve Norman.

Tony Hadley's voice was maturing and Chant No 1 has soulful undertones which were perfect to showcase Tony Hadley's voice. Chant No 1 was also great at showing how versatile a musician percusionist Steve Norman was. On the single Steve plays the Bongo drums as well as the Saxophone (little did he realize then that he would one day be remembered as the Sax player from Spandau Ballet).

Instinction

Spandau Ballet's Fourth Single from Diamond

Although Spandau Ballet's first single off of this Diamond album was a hit the next two were disappointing and it seemed like the general public weren't enamored with the album either. The record company decided it was time to make changes so they called in music producer Trevor Horn and got him to work on Instinction with the band.

In the words of Martin Kemp (bass guitarist) -

We gave 'Instinction' to producer Trevor Horn who really turned it on its head. It became a monster.

Spandau Ballet were back from the uncharted waters of their previous two singles and were once again on the UK singles chart.

Instinction was the first of 11 consecutive top twenty hits for the 80s New Romantic group.

Paint Me Down

Spandau Ballet's 2nd Single from the Diamond Album

Spandau Ballet released the single Paint Me Down off of their experimental second album Diamond. The biggest attention the single got was from the picture that accompanied it and the video. Unfortunately I can't find this image in creative commons so I can't legally show it to you, but the five guys were all standing looking mournful in just gold swimming briefs. It looks rather tame these days, but during the 80s it was considered pretty hot.

The fans definately gave it the thumbs up for lust appeal, but the BBC censors did not approve banning it from being played on their networks.

The banning of their video on the BBC gave the Spandau Ballet boys some infamy initially, but the poor record sales did not make the record company very happy. Paint Me Down ended Spandau Ballet's run of Top Twenty hits stalling at number 30.

Paint Me Down pretty much sums up the excitement we were experiencing at the time while Chant No.1 was a ground-breaking record and is still played in clubs today.
Tony Hadley

Coffee Club

Album Track from Diamond

You can get glimpses of other singles to come, but the whole song seems to be a mish-mash of different sounds and was very experimental - quite unlike anything else available on vinyl at the time. Some people have commented on reviews that it has an African beat and I can hear that near the beginning, but then it just builds on it's brass, although there is chanting later on which could be what they are alluding to.

Unfortunately I do think that this song has aged now, it is definitely not one of their timeless pieces, but it certainly deserves more acknowledgement that this was a band that didn't want to stick to a formula and were unafraid of experimenting. Spandau Ballet had started their journey as a cult band and this song really seems to envelop that feeling.

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Diamond by Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet - Diamond Album

Did You Know?

The album cover for Diamond was taken in London's famous Billingsgate fish market - it's true!

The market building has since been converted into offices, but in 1982 Spandau Ballet's album cover was shot there.

More on Spandau Ballet's Diamond album

Spandau Ballet's second album Diamond was released on May 25, 1982 by Chrysalis Records.

Four singles were released from this album - Chant No. 1, Paint Me Down, She Loved Like Diamond & Instinction.

The Mail on Sunday (British newspaper) summed up this album with these words -

Kicking off the album is the classic sound of Spandau 'Chant No. 1(Don't Need This Pressure On), possibly the band's finest hour, a brilliant fusion of white funk and R&B encapsulating Soho in 1981.

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She Loved Like Diamond

Third Single from the Diamond Album

Listening to She Loved Like Diamond you can get a sense of what was to come with Spandau Ballet's next album. Tony Hadley's voice is getting stronger in this commercially disappointing single off of their second album, Diamond.

Even listening to the single by itself without watching the video it is a very haunting song and although I haven't analysed what the lyrics mean I do find myself getting swept away by it and feeling quite sad at the end of the song.

I guess if I was looking for one word to sum up this song it would be - soulful.

Pharoah

Album Track from Diamond

Pharoah was never one of my favorite tracks off of this album back in the 80s when I loved it (the album), but when I listened to it recently the opening notes on the piano made me think of some of the early 90s murder mystery shows when they're building up the suspense and you just know something's going to happen!

After a few notes with just the piano the drums then come in ahead of the rest of the instruments and when all of the musical instruments are playing you hear the eastern influence of the track - in fact I almost expect to see a snake charmer - definitely more Indian than Egyptian despite the name of the song!

The first words that Tony sings by himself are "When the lights die down" and as his voice comes onto the track his tone is almost embracing of the snake charmer music that's in the background of large parts of the track.

Combine it with echo chant vocals from the others and like many of the tracks on this album it smacks of experimentation.

Then the track changes tack again and the 'heaven is weeping' vocal aspect of the song is reminiscent of some of their later singles like I'll Fly With You, as Tony imparts the same type of emotion with his voice.

As I said before definitely not my favorite album track but it does show that the band was not afraid of trying new directions with their music which was what the New Romantic movement was all about at the start.

Innocence and Science

Spandau Ballet - Diamond Album

The Eastern influence continues with this album track, I love the way they incorporated the sound of water into the music.

Missionary

Album Track from Spandau Ballet's Diamond Album

The beats used in this track are great and seem to give an almost African feel to the song.

Underrated Peak of [Spandau] Ballet's Work

According to N. Bongiorno "proteanbounceback", a reviewer on Amazon. He also says The UK New Romantics were a unique and innovative force on the music scene-incorporating cosmopolitan Mod sensibillities, Motown/Funk bassline/horns & female backup vocals, and globe-trotting world-music influences.

He continues with - "Diamond" marks a great second step for the band, the melding of metronomic synth-pop minimilism and Sinataresque-vocals heard on "Journeys" is further expanded with full-sounding snappy horns, offbeat rhythms and forays into long ritualistic eastern-influenced opus' ala the 'Innocence/Missionary" diptych.

Really I couldn't come up with words that sound anywhere near as good as his except to say - I loved the album whatever the 'critics' said about it.

The New Romantics

New Romantics - An 80s Music Genre

The New Romantics were a music genre in the 1980s generally considered to be a sub genre of the New Wave movement. Duran Duran were probably the biggest New Romantic band on an international level.

The New Romantic movement began in the UK right at the beginning of the 1980s. Sparked in part by the influence of television and fuelled by the advent of MTV. The New Romantics are synonomous with the 1980s.

Where Did The New Romantics Come From?

There are some differing thoughts as to why the New Romantic movement started, but there is a general consensus that the movement began in the UK. The London New Romantic movement began with the Blitz Kids.

The Blitz Kids

The Blitz Kids as they became known were a group of younsters that were tired of the punk movement. They were working class, but wanted to look more glamorous.

They dressed to make a statement (although alot of their clothes were handmade) and wore excessive amounts of make-up.

Some of them originally met at a London nightclub called Billys, but they soon migrated to The Blitz nightclub where they earnt the name The Blitz Kids.

Five of the Blitz Kids were Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, Steve Norman, Martin Kemp and John Keeble who formed the pioneering New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Both Gary Kemp and John Keeble have said in interviews that they were sick of the way the established music press operated. The Blitz Kids decided to do something about it.

The Blitz Kids all knew each other so when they would say "hey we're doing a gig at so and sos" they would all go along to create a buzz. Spandau Ballet decided that they wouldn't invite the Music Press to their concerts, they would invite the National Press. The Blitz Kids all showed up and the invite only gigs proved to be a success which led to Spandau Ballet getting a recording contract.

The Blitz Kids included Steve Strange, Boy George, Marilyn, Princess Julia and Rusty Egan as well as the Spandau boys.

New Romanticism Around the UK

Clubs emulating The Blitz Club started to pop up in different parts of London as well as outside of London. They included The Regency in Chadwell Heath where two other New Romantic bands got their debut gigs - Depeche Mode and Culture Club.

In Sheffield a group called The Human League had been around for a while. Around the beginning of the eighties when the New Romantics started, their sound had evolved. The Human League were now following the New Romantic blueprint.

In Birmingham a band called Duran Duran had been formed in 1978. They had been playing to the club scene around their city and signed their record deal in 1980. With their looks they soon acquired the term "the prettiest boys in rock." As with other New Romantic bands the Duran Duran boys were very aware of their image and had their own inate sense of style.

The 'fab five' as the press referred to them recorded their first album, the self titled Duran Duran in December 1980. Andy Taylor once commented that the whole band found it hard to concentrate after the assassination of John Lennon at the beginning of December.

The album Duran Duran was released in 1981 and reached up to number 3 in the UK album chart. It didn't do very well in the US until it was re-released in 1983.

Their first single Planet Earth was incredibly catchy and reached into the UK's Top 20. The second single was Girls on Film and it was the video that accompanied this single that really caused a stir.

New Romantics - What a Name

The music press did not know how to classify the Blitz Kid's music, the amalgamation of image and synth pop, catchy dance beat and experimental sounds. In some places the term futuristic as given to them and in others they were merely New Wave.

Face Magazine wrote an article about the early New Romantic groups and also included the groups Adam & the Ants and Bow Wow Wow as though they were the same. The article was entitled The Cult With No Name.

Musician and producer Richard James Burgess is credited with coining the phrase New Romantics. It is said to have been used because of the historical frilly costumes that were popular in the Blitz Club at the time. Also the use of wigs and make-up by some of the groups.

After this any early eighties band that produced main-stream pop with synthesizers who wore make-up or dressed glamorously were classified as New Romantic.

Adam & the Ants V Duran Duran & the Blitz Kids

Although they were all classified as New Romantic Adam & the Ants (and the former Ants that made up Bow Wow Wow) had their roots firmly stuck in the Punk movement.

Adam Ant's previous group had actually played support for the Sex Pistols and Adam & the Ants played support for Souixsie & the Banshees.

Adam & the Ants' album Kings of The Wild Frontier transformed them into the realm of New Romantics. Malcolm McLaren's influence got Adam (a natural showman) to look at his image. The black leather trousers and black t shirts went out and a pirate/highwayman look came in.

His look reflected the romantic historical look that the Blitz Kids were wearing at the time. Coupled with this when Spandau Ballet released their first video they were wearing kilts which Adam Ant had already done.

The industry had lumped them together and as much as they hated it they would forever be New Romantics together.

Were the New Romantics New?

There has been debate about whether the New Romantics were a new musical genre in their own right or whether they were merely a natural progression of the punk era. The fact that it is hard to define the differences between New Romantic, New Wave & Synth Pop does not help the debate.

In the punk corner people say that the New Romantics were simply the natural progression that took place as punk became glamorized. They point to bands such as Adam & the Ants to back up their argument.

In the New Romantic corner they claim that the movement was born out of a working class background that was highly influenced by television. Being brought up on television as opposed to radio led to bands wanting to be the whole package looks as well as sound.

Unlike the punk look, New Romantics wanted to look glamorous and to stand out and shout 'look at me' much as the future rappers would wear their bling, the New Romantics wore their heavy make-up and 'outfits.'

Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow were formed by former Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren. The line up consisted of Leigh Gorman, Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman and Annabella Lwin.

 Press Photo

Bow Wow Wow were heavily influenced by tribal beats. Groups such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers and No Doubt cite Bow Wow Wow as a strong influence.

 Scandal also followed Bow Wow Wow as McLaren and Annabella's mother squared off over a naked picture of the underage songstress. The scandal added to the allure of the band and they hit the charts with songs such as Go Wild in the Country and I Want Candy.

The Beginnings


Bow Wow Wow owe their start, in part, to Adam Ant. Adam Ant was disappointed with his group Adam and the Ants' first album. Having met Malcolm McLaren when McLaren was managing the Sex Pistols he asked him for some advice. McLaren gave him some image advice - he is credited with helping to achieve the dandy highwayman look that Adam and the Ants became famous for.

Malcolm McLaren also decided to lure the Ants away from Adam. He offered the Ants' bass guitarist (Leigh Gorman), drummer (Dave Barbarossa) and guitarist (Matthew Ashman)the chance to start a new group. That group was Bow Wow Wow. All that they needed now was a singer.

Myant Myant Mye was discovered singing along to the radio in a London dry cleaners. Malcolm McLaren persuaded her to change her name to Annabella Lwin and made her the lead vocalist for the band. Annabella was only 14 years old at the time.

Myant Myant Mye is Burmese for Cool Cool High

The Music

The band's signature was a tribal beat that caused controversy when they were accused of stealing it from Zulu songs and turning the original lyrics into English. In their defense the band agreed that their sound was influenced by the Zulu's, but claim to have fused it with a mixture of West African beats, Brazilian pop and conventional rock and roll.

Groups such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers claim that Bow Wow Wow were a big influence in them. In fact mention is made of the group in two of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs. In the song "Suck My Kiss" one of the lines is "swimming in the sound of bow wow wow." The song "Right on Time" includes the line "Holy cow bow wow wow," in homage to the group.

See Jungle
Police Called In

In 1981 Bow Wow Wow released their first album which was called "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah! City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!"

The proposed album cover caused controversy, something that Malcolm McClaren was very good at. It showed the now 15 year old Annabella posing naked as the cover. The cover was meant to be a copy of Manet's "The Luncheon on the Grass" painting.

See Jungle See Jungle

Scotland Yard were called in by Annabella's mother as she tried to bring charges against Malcolm McLaren. "Hello, hello what do we have here then?" Exploitation of a minor for immoral purposes officer. Luckily for Bow Wow Wow fans an agreement was reached as Annabella's family nearly made her leave the band.

The Agreement 

The agreement that Malcolm McLaren made with Annabella's family included not publishing the album cover. The cover was used, however, on an EP a year later when she was 16. The controversy certainly didn't hinder the album sales and the track "Go Wild in the Country" was a big hit in the UK.

The Last of the Mohicans Want Candy 

Last of the Mohicans was an EP released in 1982, this featured the song that was to also be the name of their next album - I Want Candy.

I Want Candy became Bow Wow Wow's biggest hit. Last of the Mohicans was also the EP that spawned the infamous cover. I Want Candy was recorded because the record label did not like the direction that Malcolm McLaren was taking Bow Wow Wow. With Kenny Laguna helping the group out they made the wise move of remaking the Strangegloves song I Want Candy.

 

I Want Candy

When the Going Gets Tough 

After the success of I Want Candy, Bow Wow Wow carried on with another album, When the Going Gets Tough. They were still without Malcolm McLaren and Annabella said in an interview at the time that they were now concentrating more on the music than the image. Unfortunately Bow Wow Wow's fans loved the image and when the songs seemed to be too polished and lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.

One of the singles on the album was Aphrodisiac, but the fans decided to move on and this single was not a hit.

When the Going Gets Tough

Bow Wow Wow - The End? 
The Bow Wow Wow Break Up

It was during the tour promoting their When The Going Gets Tough in the US that Matthew Ashman broke his hand. The tour had to be cut short, with the band members also suffering from exhaustion it was time to disband.

How did Matthew Ashman break his hand?

In the words of Annabella Lwin -

“He was wearing dark shades and couldn't see, so he fell off of the stage!” 

What Happened Next? 

Bow Wow Wow members do other things It seems to be a little hazy about how the band split up, according to Annabella Lwin she read that they had split up in the New Musical Express! The record label wanted her to do a solo record and everyone went their own way.

What Did The Band Members Do Next?

Matthew Ashman became the frontman of a band called Chiefs of Relief alongside the other former members of Bow Wow Wow, except Annabella. The others drifted away and after five years the band had disbanded. Matthew Ashman ended up dying of diabetes complications in 1995, you can read about his life here - Matthew Ashman

Leigh Gorman initially joined his former bandmates in a new band called Chiefs of Relief, but left after only a few months, by 1989 Gorman had turned to record production and even worked with Malcolm McLaren again in the early1990s. Gorman and Lwin have also reformed Bow Wow Wow together since and toured. Find out more about Leigh Gorman here - Leigh Gorman

David Barbarossa initially joined his former bandmates in forming a new band called Chiefs of Relief, but left shortly afterwards. Barbarossa also had some more chart success in the mid 90s when he was in the band Republica. More about David Barbarossa here - David Barbarossa

Bow Wow Wow's Reformation

In 1997 Annabella Lwin and Leigh Gorman reformed Bow Wow Wow and embarked on the "Barking Mad" reunion tour. Matthew Ashman had died from complications arising from diabetes so they needed a new guitarist. Dave Calhoun took over as the guitarist.

Dave Barbarossa was also unable to tour with Bow Wow Wow as he had commitments with his current band - Republica. He did however take time out to work with Eshan Khadaroo from Blue Man Group. Eshan Khadaroo then performed on the drums for the whole tour.

After the 'Barking Mad' tour the band members did their own thing again before another reunion in 2003. In 2003 Adrian Young from No Doubt joined Bow Wow Wow as a guest drummer. Dave Barbarosa was again unable to perform as he had commitments with the band Cicane.

Share Your Thoughts & Memories of Bow Wow Wow

Did you like Bow Wow Wow? My favorite single was I Want Candy, I know that's a very cliched favorite of theirs, but what can I say?

Let's Dance - David Bowie

There are lots of great albums from the 80s and one that I played constantly was David Bowie's Let's Dance album. So called 'true' David Bowie fans hated this album, but I loved it so much so that when I saw part of a documentary on David Bowie I was glad he was undergoing financial difficulties during the early 80s.


David Bowie came out in this doco and said that he wrote Let's Dance in order to make money because basically he was in a financial black hole as he totally trusted the wrong person and just signed whatever this person told him to so that he could get on with using his creativity.

I don't care if it was commercialism because I loved the album and I can't have been the only person because it sold really well and the singles off of the album also did well. It was Let's Dance that got me interested in looking into David Bowie's earlier work and I have to say I became a huge fan and yet if I hadn't heard his 1983 album I probably wouldn't have looked for other albums of his to listen to.

With the singles off of the Let's Dance album David Bowie really mastered the blue eyed soul style of music and captured the feelings of the time - it was all about being able to dance to the music and singalong at the same time and you could do that with China Girl, Modern Love and Let's Dance and you could do that really well.

When any of the singles from this album are played on the radio I can't help but singalong - it's an album that, in my opinion, doesn't date and I am really glad that David Bowie gave us this album. The Laughing Gnome, Ashes to Ashes, The Jean Genie, Changes and Young American are all fantastic songs, but Let's Dance, Modern Love and China Girl just pull me straight back to the 80s when life was easy (for a teen anyway!) with just a couple of beats!

What do you think about David Bowie's 1983 album - Let's Dance?

Hit Songs From 1986

There are so many songs that you think of when reminiscing about the 80s, but I'm often shocked when I read what songs sold the most in any given year.   Let me give you an example - the highest selling single in the UK during 1986 was Don't Leave Me This Way by the Communards.   Now I love this song, but I would never have guessed that it was the highest selling single, although I'm sure I would've known if you had asked me back then!  

I would've expected songs such as Sledgehammer or You Give Love a Bad Name to be in the top ten for the year - but they're not!   Do you want to know what the top ten selling singles of 1986 were?   Find out here - The Top Ten Songs of 1986.   I'm sure that non-UK readers will go who when it comes to number 2 as I doubt they will know who Nick Berry is and that shows the power of UK soaps as it was sold because he starred in Eastenders and the single was promoted on the show!

The first Comic Relief single was a re-make of an old Cliff Richard song performed by Cliff Richard and the stars of the hit UK comedy, The Young Ones.   I wasn't surprised when I saw it's name on the list, although I had forgotten about the song until I saw it.   You will never hear Cliff Richard's Living Doll the same after seeing this version which still brings a smile to my face.

Through The Barricades - Spandau Ballet

Through the Barricades Album - Great 80s Music

Spandau Ballet's album Through the Barricades was their fifth studio album and the first one for the record company CBS. It featured the heartfelt Through the Barricades single along with the two singles Fight for Ourselves and How Many Lies.

After the release of this album the band toured the UK to promote it little realizing that this would be their last tour for thirty years. I was lucky enough to be able to be at one of these shows and Spandau Ballet really seemed to be at the top of their game - it was a fantastic performance.
Through the BarricadesCheck Price
Track listing:-

• Barricades -- Introduction


• Cross the Line


• Man in Chains


• How Many Lies?


• Virgin


• Fight for Ourselves


• Swept


• Snakes and Lovers


• Through the Barricades

Fight For Ourselves

1st Single from Through the Barricades

The first single released from the album was Fight For Ourselves which reached number 15 in the UK charts.

Let’s look at some of the background to this album - Gary Kemp wrote the whole Through the Barricades album while the band were living in Ireland for a year. At the time Spandau Ballet were in dispute with their original record company Chrysalis over the way the company had failed to promote them in the US market. When you listen to the lyrics it could be that Gary Kemp is writing about Spandau Ballet's legal woes......

Then again Gary Kemp was getting quite political around this time and had also teamed up with Billy Bragg (a well known left wing singer) and was supportive of the UK's Miners Strike so he could have just been telling everyone to stand up for what they believed was right.

Everybody, we've got to fight for ourselves

Whatever you believe the lyrics to be about one thing is for certain the song was catchy and easy to sing along to.

Through the Barricades - The Single

Through the Barricades was the second single to be released off of the album of the same name. It was written while the band were in Ireland and as Gary Kemp (the songwriter and guitar player of Spandau Ballet) said at the time "....(whilst)...we don't think to ourselves as a political band, but we can't ignore what is happening just around the corner.

Through the Barricades is essentially a Romeo and Juliet story set in Northern Ireland between a boy and a girl, one Protestant and one Catholic. It was a top ten hit in the UK and was also big in Europe (staying at number one for eight weeks in Italy) and the haunting melody has made it a favorite for the band and a large number of fans.

Through the Barricades showed Gary Kemp's songwriting abilities at their best. It also played to Tony Hadley's vocals beautifully with him giving his best performance to date on the single. The use of the drum and pipe marching music is so reminiscent of Ireland's Parades that it tugs even more at the heartstrings. Through the Barricades was also one of my favorites (can you tell?).

The line in the song Through the Barricades that goes - "as our hearts go to their graves" has been debated in some areas as to whether it means a suicide pact or an end of a doomed affair. What do you think?

Personally I think they made a suicide pact if you listen to the line 'the stars reach out and tell us there's only one escape' I can't think that it would be anything other than death.

How Many Lies

The Third Single from Through the Barricades Album

How Many Lies was their third and last single off of the album Through the Barricades. Although the band didn't realise it at the time How Many Lies was to become their last Top 40 hit single.

As I mentioned earlier this song was written when the band was in dispute with their record company while Gary Kemp was also getting very political. When you initially listen to the song you assume it’s between a couple, by knowing the background and where Gary’s head was at you start to wonder if it was a swipe at Chrysalis or even a political statement.

When you initially hear the song you assume it's between a couple, but knowing where Gary's head was at could it be a swipe at Chrysalis or even a political statement? Enjoy the song and let me know what you think.

How many lies must we tell?
How many lies must we see?
How many times must we say, it's for the best?
And leave truth as the casualty?

Journey's to Glory - Spandau Ballet

Journeys to Glory - Spandau Ballet

The dawn of the New Romantics began in the UK with the aptly named Journey's to Glory album from Spandau Ballet.   Journeys to Glory as a name really reflects how the New Romantic movement grew to have such a huge impact on the 80s music scene, it was also a great name for a debut album.

Spandau Ballet's Journeys to Glory album was released in the English spring of 1981 after the huge success of their debut single 'To Cut a Long Story Short' which was not only a cult dance club hit, but also made #5 in the UK pop charts during the winter of 1980.

If all you know of Spandau Ballet are their later offerings like True and Gold then you really do need to hear how they sounded at the beginning of their musical career.   If you remember the stylized cult sounding record and enjoyed the pretentiousness of 'the art of pretending it's art' then you will love to take a trip down memory lane with this album.

Not only was the music refreshing these five lads from Islington, London actually did something else unique with their first record - instead of signing with a record label, they created their own - Reformation.

Both Gary Kemp (songwriter and guitarist) and John Keeble (drummer) have been quoted over the years as saying that the name Reformation was chosen deliberately as they wanted Spandau's music to be all about change. Fast forward to the 21st century and Spandau Ballet have completed a world tour called the Reformation Tour, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Spandau Ballet's record making journey started with the aptly named album Journeys to Glory, so let's have a look at that album.

Journeys to Glory - The Songs

Track Listing

There were only eight songs on the album, three of them would become singles - To Cut a Long Story Short, Muscle Bound, and The Freeze.

1. To Cut A Long Story Short
2. Reformation
3. Mandolin
4. Muscle Bound
5. Age Of Blows
6. The Freeze
7. Confused
8. Toys

To Cut A Long Story Short

From Journeys to Glory by Spandau Ballet

To Cut A Long Story Short was Spandau Ballet's debut single and reached number 5 on the UK charts in 1980 (when it was released). To Cut A Long Story Short was a hit in dance clubs as crowds were moving away from the punk sounds of the late 70s and although they wanted a beat to dance to disco was dead. To Cut A Long Story Short was really seen as one of the first New Romantic singles to be released.

Journeys to Glory

The song is a great club song and I, personally, can't help singing along, however when you listen to the lyrics...........well look at this -

The song starts with the lines -

Soldier is turning
see him through white light
running from strangers
see you in the valley

And with lyrics like that it's hardly surprising that this next line is repeated throughout the song - to cut a long story short, I lost my mind.

Despite not really making a lot of sense it was exactly what the youth of Britain wanted in 1980 as was evidenced by the race up the charts and into the Top 10.

The Freeze

Second Single from Journeys to Glory by Spandau Ballet

The Freeze was released on 12th January 1981 as the second single for Spandau Ballet and it reached the #17 spot in the UK charts. If you don't know much about the history of Spandau Ballet let me explain their origins to you. Spandau Ballet were all members of a movement called the Blitz Kids and their music at this stage was still focused on what type of music the Blitz Kids would like.

The Blitz Kids became known as the Cult with No Name and were then given the label of New Romantics, the idea was that it was all about the look. In interviews over the years Gary Kemp (founder of Spandau Ballet) has admitted that they were basically hanging out in Soho posing. Now you know that the single The Freeze makes more sense (well sort of!)

The music video is very stylized and the boys are all seen to be posing while one of the (very few lines in the entire song) lines is the art of pretending it's art. I think when Gary Kemp wrote this song he was coming to the realization that if the band wanted to make it really big they would have to think further ahead than just catering to their own group.

Muscle Bound

From Spandau Ballet's Journeys to Glory Album

Musclebound was the third single off of Spandau Ballet's first album Journeys to Glory. In Musclebound songwriter Gary Kemp's words are sung really well with Tony Hadley's strong voice. The rest of the band also provides great backing in the song's chorus as well.

The song starts with - We're building fires that will burn until morning

And continues with the verse and then when you come to the chorus of the song –

Work till you're musclebound all night long
Work till you're musclebound all night long
Gotta work till you're musclebound all night long
Gotta work till you're musclebound all night long

The effect is more like a chant than the rest of the song which makes the whole single very interesting and different to the other songs on the album

Journeys to Glory

The Start of Spandau Ballet's Music Career

For a first album Journeys to Glory did well as it went gold which is what the young members of the band (the deal to make their first record was signed on Martin Kemp's 19th birthday) could only have dreamed of up to then.

The band's manager, Steve Dagger, was also very young and had been to the same school. It was with his vision, along with Gary Kemp's songs and the way the band performed together that would see them become a musical force to be reckoned with and it all started with this album!

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen

Another classic 80s album has to be from the boss himself - Bruce Springsteen.   I can remember getting this lp on vinyl before I had a record player of my own and so I had to play it in the dining room (or the lounge, but I would commandeer the dining room record player as mine!), I would crank it up loud and books on the table so that I could 'pretend' to be studying I would sing at the top of my voice to some of the classic tracks off of this album.

Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA album was great because any of the tracks could have been made into a hit single............and in fact many were!

The artwork for the album was as iconic as the music itself - jeans and a hankie hanging out of the back pocket - how cool was that!

Hits from the album include the title track Born in the USA, along with Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark.   If you can't remember all of the songs then check out this link - Born in the USA.   One of my favorite tracks off of the album (it wasn't a single) was No Surrender and I was surprised to find out a few years ago that Springsteen was going to leave it off the album until Steven Van Zandt convinced him otherwise - the amount of time I would belt out the lyrics, 'We learned more from a 3-minute record, baby,than we ever learned in school' was huge - it was classic teenage rebellion lyrics.   Of course the song's meaning was more about picking yourself up and keeping going, but I choose to use the literal words when I was feeling like a rebel!

Did you like Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA album?   Let me know your thoughts below.

Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits

Well I'm back - the break from posting went on a little longer as Blogger was down when I'd penciled in my to do list and then it was the weekend for me and I managed an (almost) computer free one :)

I was going to post about something different, but I was listening to a compilation album in the car over the weekend and realized how many of the songs I'd had on vinyl.   I even had a great discussion with my 9 year old about music - she loves David Bowie's Let's Dance album and my hubby's got her obsessed with Yazoo so we were discussing 80s music along with a few songs from the here and now that she enjoys and it struck me that I should do a series of posts on 'Vinyls from the Past' showcasing different albums that I have owned during the 80s and ones that I wished I'd owned.

Anyways all of this waffling is my way of saying we're talking about different 80s albums and today's album is Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms.

Now this album was actually the best selling album of the 80s in the UK and it's no surprise to me as I think it was fantastic.   It was actually Dire Strait's fifth album, but it's been their best selling and actually became the first album to sell one million copies in the cd format - yes vinyl was about to start it's decline, but it hadn't happened yet.

Brothers in Arms featured classics such as Money for Nothing and Walk of Life.  In fact if you take Brothers in Arms and Sultans of Swing then I don't think you need worry about a best of album for Dire Straits, but I'm sure someone will want to disagree with that statement and you're welcome to leave your comments below.

I must confess I never owned Brothers in Arms on vinyl as my dad owned it......this was nearly enough reason for me to 'go off' Dire Straits completely, but their music was good enough to bridge the generation gap and besides dad had some pretty cool albums like Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf and Eliminator by ZZ Top so it wasn't all bad!

What I find amazing is that Dire Strait's Brothers in Arms album actually outsold Michael Jackson's Thriller during the 80s in the UK - I would never have guessed that.   I think the reason is what I mentioned above - Dire Straits managed to bridge the generation gap and people who had been teens in the 60s loved the sound  as much as the teens of the 80s.

So, did you own Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms album?   Let me know below.

Z is for ZZ Top

ZZ Top are an American rock band from Texas that were formed way back in 1969, it wasn't until 1983, however, that they hit stardom with the mainstream and that was because of their album - Eliminator.

Suddenly it seemed like everyone had heard of the Texans - two with long beards and one without who was actually called Frank Beard.   There was something about their sound with Eliminator that just struck a chord, plus they also made memorable videos which was really important during the 80s.

Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man & Legs were fantastic songs, but the videos.......well even a total non-revhead like myself couldn't help but appreciate the Eliminator.   I think my favorite video was the one for Legs where the poor sales girl gets her chance to stand up to everyone thanks to the Eliminator and the Eliminator Girls that feature on ZZ Top's videos.

When I was helping to sort out my dad's garage recently I saw that he still had Rio Grande Mud, Eliminator and Afterburner on vinyl.   It was thanks to dad 'discovering' the band that I was able to sound so knowledgeable when their songs first hit the UK charts which really impressed a certain guy.........we'll say no more about that!

Which ZZ Top song was your favorite?

X is for XTC

Now as you know I'm competing in the A-Z Blogging Challenge this month and (like many others I'm sure) I had thought ahead for some of the letters and X was always going to be XTC simply for their single Senses Working Overtime.

What I didn't realize until I came to write this post was that XTC were active from 1976 right through until 2005 and released 14 albums.   This was a total shock to me as I couldn't name any other XTC song besides the excellent 1982 single that I've mentioned before - Senses Working Overtime.

Did you know of any other XTC songs?   I have always thought of them as a one hit wonder so I'll be interested to hear if you know their other music.

and I've got one, two, three, four, five,
senses working overtime.....

Check them out on TOTPs thanks to YouTube.

V is for Vietnam

Now I know what you're thinking - Vietnam wasn't in the 80s and you're right the Vietnam war officially finished in 1975, but the 80s saw the rise of the Vietnam war movies. From the Oscar winning Platoon to the (put on your best Robin Williams voice for this one) Good Morning Vietnam movie. Missing in Action and Full Metal Jacket were also released during the 80s, it seemed that film makers had found that the Vietnam War provided great fodder for an action film.

There were also the feelings of shame that people felt in the USA over how they had treated their Vietnam Vets, there were no ticker tape parades like there was for the WWI and WWII vets and this was reflected in movies and songs. In particular there was the Stallone classic - Rambo (and it's sequels). The biggest song that I can think of which criticized the way the vets were treated was Born in the USA.

There were other songs of course, in fact it's because of eighties music that I know the average age of the combat soldier in Vietnam was 19.   I'm talking about Paul Hardcastles - 19.

What was your favorite Vietnam action movie of the 80s?   "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" - if you can't pick a favorite or you were more a John Hughes movie fan than an action film fan then tell me which movie that famous quote came from.

U is for U2

U2 were formed in 1976, but it took four years before they had managed to get a record deal and release their first album - Boy, by the mid 80s they had gained rock supergroup status and are still rocking stadiums worldwide today. I've never actually seen them live, but my brother saw them last year and hasn't stopped talking about them!

The eighties saw U2 release 6 albums - Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and finally Rattle and Hum.

Although the Irish rock group broke into the Irish top 10 in 1981 it would take another 2 years before they reached number 10 on the UK charts with New Years Day a further year later saw them in 1984 and the hits were rolling and smashing the UK top 10 over and over with -

Pride (in the name of love)
The Unforgettable Fire
With or Without You
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Where The Streets Have No Name

The number one spot eluded them however until 1981 when they released the single Desire, this was to be the first number one single for the band who to date have only had seven number 1 songs which seems amazing considering their influence.

U2 is another supergroup like Queen where it's hard to pick a favorite song as there are just so many.   When I hear Pride or With or Without You I'm instantly transported back to the 80s singing along to the radio in my teenage bedroom.   As far as a favorite U2 song goes though I think I'd have to pick one from this millennium - Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of.   What's your favorite U2 single?

One of the great things about groups that have been around for as long as U2 have is the compilations that are released and the one that I have I can thoroughly recommend is this one -

It contains 15 of their great 80s songs starting off with Pride and moving right into New Years Day, With or Without You and ending with October.

Now I did also want another U2 album which I think would be fantastic and I did request it one Christmas but my hubby (in all his wisdom - not!) decided that I didn't really want it as all of the tracks were on the album I already had.......

I reminded him of Vertigo and Stuck in a Moment and he stopped me before I got any further ................and yet I still don't have it, hmmmm.

The compilation album that I refer to is U218 and if you're looking for an album to add a little U2 rock to your collection then this one looks really great - if you're just after their 80s hits then stick with the one I have that's shown above.

T is for Tears for Fears

I had a number of T's in mind for this post, but as it's Easter it just had to be Tears for Fears because they are responsible for the curtailing of chocolate Easter Eggs in my household. Now there's a story to tell, let's go back to 1985.

In 1985 there was a young girl who wanted to purchase a certain album when her mum offered to get her it in lieu of an Easter egg, now the girl thought this seemed like a good idea because she knew both her Nana and her Godfather would buy her eggs so she agreed. The album was Songs from the Big Chair and it was wonderful. Fast forward to 1986 and her mum says something along the lines of 'but you don't want Easter eggs anymore, we agreed' - to be a teen is not a good thing as you don't realize the consequences of saying no to chocolate Easter eggs!

Anyway Songs from the Big Chair was Tears for Fears' second album and was really the album that saw them achieve fame on an international level containing 80s anthems like Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

I was lucky enough to see Tears for Fears live (for the first time in my life) last year when they performed on Spandau Ballet's Reformation tour and they were fantastic. They opened with Mad World and the whole audience erupted. They were (and are) a fantastic group and as with other 80s bands I find it hard to choose a favorite song.

Hubby loves Mad World and Woman in Chains, I admit I still love Everybody Wants to Rule the World as it takes me right back to the 80s everytime I hear it, I also love Sowing the Seeds of Love and when I worked on Saturdays in Woolworths on the record counter the Seeds of Love album was played a lot!

What's your favorite Tears for Fears song?

Q is for Queen

Queen had the fourth biggest selling album of the 80s in the UK with their first compilation album named simply - Greatest Hits.

Featuring some great songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and  We Will Rock You.

As a band Queen were formed in 1971, but the 80s still saw these rockers gathering more fans as they released classic songs such as Radio Gaga and I Want To Break Free - they also produced the soundtrack album for the movie Flash Gordon.

One of the first music videos I can remember watching on Top of the Pops was I Want To Break Free - it might not have been the first, but it was memorable enough for me to still remember it far too many years later.

Queen were also one of the great attractions at the 1985 Live Aid concert in Wembley and the following year they released the album 'A Kind of Magic' which was, like so many other Queen albums, definitely a kind of magic.

The eighties ended with rumors that Freddy Mercury had AIDS and he passed away in 1991 confirming on his deathbed that the rumors had, in fact, been true.

Queen really were a phenomenal group and their music will be popular for ever - even my nine year old daughter knows the words to a lot of their hit singles such as We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You.

What's your favorite Queen song, if you can name just one?

P is for Peace & Protests

Did you know that 1986 was the designated International Year of Peace?   There was certainly a lot of talk about peace during the 80s - the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was in full flow in the UK and even in our music charts we were singing about peace.

In early 1981 Give Peace a Chance re-entered the UK Top 40 12 years after it's first foray into the charts - this was in response to John Lennon's murder in December 1980.

In 1983 John Lennon's former band mate Paul McCartney also had a 'peace' song enter the UK charts - Pipes of Peace was based on a true event that happened during the first World War.

Not to be outdone even the Eurovision Song Contest wanted a little bit of peace.   In 1982 the winner of Eurovision was a German singer called Nicole and her song was called A Little Peace.   An English version was released which jumped up the charts to the coveted number one position.

1982 also saw a duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie released as a Christmas single - Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy.

If you're remembering the days of campaigning for peace and thinking - why have all of the politicians not figured out how to let us all live as one then you may be ready to hang up a Peace Poster!

I don't know about you, but I had some really big silver peace sign dangling earrings that I wore all the time, one of my friends wore bright pink ones which were really cool!   

In a battle cry for peace we were singing along to protest songs just like our parents did during the 60s, let's look at what songs were protesting against the state of the world during the 80s -

99 Red Balloons/99 Luftballoons

Another Brick in the Wall

Beds are Burning

Born in the USA

Brothers in Arms

Do They Know It's Christmas

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Free Nelson Mandela

Island on No Return

19

No More War

Peace in our Time

Tramp the Dirt Down

You're In The Army Now

You're the Voice

There are hundreds more, but I can't think of them right now - add any that you think I should have added.