I'd forgotten, until seeing this Calendar, how much I hated the idea of shedding the 70s. And felt, as the 80s loomed into view like a sky-high iceberg - that in one crash and midnight-click of the clock the amazing technicolour, Cinderella 70s would be gone forever..
Sure enough, for years they were unfairly reported and revisited as a dated and desperately unfashionable era 'The decade that taste forgot' and similar baggy mantras - like any other decade didn't bring it's own stylistic horrors and howlers?
Anyhow, so onto the 80s. Jumble sales (26th ) became a rummage-hunt for skinhead and mod mates rooting about for Fred Perrys, Ben Sherman or Brutus shirts and red tab Levis. Although at this one if I remember, a giant-sized, monster spider leapt out from some old scrap or other, scuttling around and about like severed hand - sending DM booted skins, mods and punks reeling backwards, nimble footed and fleeing smartly doorwards...
Singles wise it's only The Specials to report, but as I'm sure you know what that sounds like and LPs begin to appear in the diary, I'll pitch in links to the album charts - this week includes: Cozy Powell, The Fawlty Towers Original Television Soundtrack, Peace in the Valley, The Ramones and Nolans !?! - and perhaps drop in occasional album tracks like these two sex and violence songs..
No LOTR news for Jan - but this Specials skit could have been written especially for her.
The Specials - Stupid Marriage
Another tune that chimed with the times of inter-tribal punch ups and kickings that happened to several mates, but luckily I managed to avoid..
The Specials - Concrete Jungle
The charts for this week are well worth a squint. A mis-matched batch of unlikely bedfellows sharing the same slots and spaces almost high rise style: Fiddler's Dram, Rupert Holmes and Mike Oldfield's Blue Peter Theme bunched up like resentful tenants alongside The Clash, The Specials and at number 41 Prince !!! Well I never..
20 comments:
But what was the 'film in chemistry' (28th)?
Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall... why do I remember that was at no 1 on Jan 1st 80 - probably as it was quiet ironic that the decade that started with the Beatles and went into the prog excesses that the Floyd came to personify ended up with them having a no 1 single at the end of it.
Still love the Floyd.... but I'll always be a prog rocker at heart :-)
My son re-discovered Ska over Christmas and we had loads of the Specials etc. banging out. Great stuff
Strangely for an anorak/completist like me, I haven't a clue Davy and can't imagine what sort of a film would be shown in chemistry. Although the teachers were Professor Dando and Mr Dingle (looked like a weathered Steve McQueen and always wore a black leather box jacket) if that's any consolation
Shame that it all went of the boil in the 80s though F/Ron from ex-Fabs and Floyders to ex-Zep and Motowners, they all seemed to do their worst in that decade.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, have you checked Andy Votel's Vertigo Mixed comp some heavy/prog pieces all sequenced in a funky mix
7 Teen, as featured on last week's Q The 80s. Mondo, you're a genius.
It's definitely a new era. Crocs already starting to loom large in your young life, plus your first episode of MSG- fuelled insomnia.
(WV: 'sippit'. Sound advice for a young lad.)
Another Radio 1 calendar! Were they free or something? ;)
How did you celebrate Johnny Rotten's birthday?
PS. Great chart - even if I've now got the stupid Pina Colada song in my head.
7 Teen! That really sums up the turn of the 80s for me. New horizons, exams, horrors. Would you go back and do it all again? Probably.
What were shown the red card for on Friday 4th?
The Regents - what a funny ol' band. Sort of an indicator for the way new wave was being reshaped..
Crocs - Not as grand as it sounds ISB, the Tuesday night junior disco had been a regular fixture through 79/80 until a few too many older moody mods started picking fights. Including one that took a dislike to my God Save the Queen tee (but that's next month I think)
Free - you had to post off a cheque to Portishead, Bristol Cocktails(can't remember the amount though) I found this one the loft last December and wasn't sure whether to post or not..charts are great aren't they and the album chart really is a piece of work..
Ol' Rupert always struck me as one of those New Yorkers who'd have a psychiatrist and know exactly what crazy combo of bagel to order..
When he was on Top of the Pops he wandered around the studio, turning and doing over the shoulder talking heads to the camera. Bizarre
That's it FC, a cold feeling of unknown newness. Also for me, it's the smell of PVC trousers and Clearasil
That's probably my manky scribble John, it's meant to be 'sent off for trousers, arm band'
Trousers see PVC details in comment above.
Arm band was probably some punky thing: 'chaos', Anarchy symbol or somesuch
And what did you 'do' to your jacket on the 5th?
My mum recently gave me a few books of mine which had been hiding quietly away in the depths of some copboard or other, in the front of one I had written 'Jacqui is skill'...how long since I've heard that! skill ha, cocky little devil.
BTW, hearing The Regents again took me right back to a teenage party I was at with my best friend when we were both 17. We hadn't 'got off' with the boys we fancied, there was only Party Four left to drink, and we were fifteen miles from home with no money for a minicab. That song came on, and Maria turned to me and said "I don't know why anyone bothered writing a song about being 17. It's shit."
How little we knew...
Skill, there's a retro-phrase, bit like '....rules OK'
Ye Olde Jacket - was a black leather bomber jacket. Brown Starsky-a-likes had been
trendy 77/78 - but these were superseded by 'Grease' style black ones 78/79. 1980 I punked mine with badges and painted band names/logos on the back: The Damned, Sex Pistols, UK Subs in Airfix Paints. Cut the sleeves off eventually.
I'll post pic's with one month's entry
Blimey Party Four and a snog-free evening, that seems to capture the angsty tone of 7-Teen. Funny how just ten years earlier Janice Ian had a much waftier take on the age..which seems like a million years between these two songs
Monday 7th is a winner! Did you go with Andy Gray & Richards Keys?!
Sent off for trousers is my favourite quote!
P
The trousers - blooming things. Don't turn up until March (and then it ends in tears/tears - you'll have to wait and see)
You can never have too much Specials, M...
I'd never have guessed Mike Read for Mr. January, either - hope the rest of the year is an improvement.
Any guesses for Mr Feb Paulo? He's wearing a Radio 1 satin tour jacket
'Radio 1 satin tour jacket', eh? Frankly, that could be any of the buggers, M - I'll plump for Edmonds, though.
It's Paul Burnett - remember him. I heard him playing the Pistols Rock Around the Clock, with some sneaky swearing in it while of sick once..
BTW no specials next month. Feb is much more punky..
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