So I made my own compilation for my Microsoft ZUNE comprised of random 80s hits in the UK chart, both inside and outside of the Top 40 and I even included some real cheese:  'The Chicken Song', 'Hokey Cokey' and 'Ruff Mix' among certain others :D LOL  
The British Top 75 (and Top 100) is a big listing, so I ask anyone got any recommendations of ones I should include?  My aim is for ones that were not hits in North America (save a few exceptions that fell outside of the US or Canadian Top 40)


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/whistledog/UKCHART.jpg

♦ 18 Carat Love Affair - The Associates
♦ Absolutely Immune - Act
♦ Atlantis is Calling (S.O.S. For Love) - Modern Talking
♦ Big Apple - Kajagoogoo
♦ Breaking Point - Bourgie Bourgie
♦ Broken Land - The Adventures
♦ Cambodia - Kim Wilde
♦ Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Boystown Gang
♦ Caravan of Love - Housemartins
♦ Cars and Girls - Prefab Sprout
♦ Castles in Spain - The Armoury Show
♦ Cath - The Bluebells
♦ Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Modern Romance
♦ The Chicken Song - Spitting Image
♦ The Clapping Song - The Belle Stars
♦ Club Tropicana - Wham!
♦ The Damned Don't Cry - Visage
♦ Dance Me Up - Gary Glitter
♦ Dolce Vita - Ryan Paris
♦ Don't Try to Stop It - Roman Holliday
♦ Drag Me Down - The Boomtown Rats
♦ Drop the Pilot - Joan Armatrading
♦ Duel - Propaganda
♦ Eloise - The Damned
♦ European Female - The Stranglers
♦ Europe (After the Rain) - John Foxx
♦ Everyday is Like Sunday - Morrissey
♦ Ever Fallen in Love - Fine Young Cannibals
♦ Excitable - Amazulu
♦ Footsteps - Showaddywaddy
♦ For America - Red Box
♦ Girlie Girlie - Sophia George
♦ Gotta Get You Home Tonight - Eugene Wilde
♦ Head On - Jesus and Mary Chain
♦ Hey DJ - World Famous Supreme Team
♦ Hokey Cokey - Black Lace
♦ The House That Jack Built - Tracie
♦ I'll Be Around - Terri Wells
♦ I'm Never Giving Up - Sweet Dreams
♦ It Started With A Kiss - Hot Chocolate
♦ I Can Hear Your Heartbeat - Chris Rea
♦ I Want to Be Your Property - Blue Mercedes
♦ Iko Iko - Natasha
♦ John Wayne is Big Leggy - Haysi Fantayzee
♦ Juliet - Robin Gibb
♦ Just an Illusion - Imagination
♦ King Without A Crown - ABC
♦ Leave in Silence - Depeche Mode
♦ Let's All Chant - Pat and Mick
♦ Let it Be - Ferry Aid
♦ Lifeline - Spandau Ballet
♦ The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Tight Fit
♦ A Little Boogie Woogie (in the Back of My Mind) - Shakin' Stevens
♦ Lose Your Love - Blancmange
♦ Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
♦ Love's Great Adventure - Ultravox
♦ Love Games - Belle and the Devotions
♦ Love in Your Eyes - Limahl
♦ Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
♦ Lucretia, My Reflection - Sisters of Mercy
♦ Make A Circuit With Me - The Polecats
♦ Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour) - Dollar
♦ The Model - Kraftwerk
♦ Moonlight Shadow - Mike Oldfield
♦ My Camera Never Lies - Bucks Fizz
♦ My Girl Lollipop - Bad Manners
♦ My Own Way - Duran Duran
♦ A New England - Kirsty MacColl
♦ Night Birds - Shakatak
♦ One Step Further - Bardo
♦ Pink Sunshine - Fuzzbox
♦ Pop Goes My Love - Freeez
♦ Requiem - London Boys
♦ Rip it Up - Orange Juice
♦ Rough Justice - Bananarama
♦ Ruff Mix - Wonderdog
♦ San Damiano (Heart and Soul) - Sal Solo
♦ Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) - Rocky Sharke and the Replays
♦ Since Yesterday - Strawberry Switchblade
♦ Sometimes - Erasure
♦ Somewhere in My Heart - Aztec Camera
♦ Some People - Belouis Some
♦ So Cold the Night - The Communards
♦ Star - Kiki Dee
♦ The Story of the Blues - The Mighty Wah!
♦ Street Dance - Break Machine
♦ Stuck on You - Trevor Walters
♦ Sub-Culture - New Order
♦ Thank You - Pale Fountains
♦ Together in Electric Dreams - Giorgio Moroder and Phil Oakey
♦ Touch Me (All Night Long) - Fonda Rae
♦ Turn to Gold - David Austin with George Michael
♦ Twist (Round N' Round) - Chil Fac-Torr
♦ Vamos A La Playa - Righeira
♦ Warning Sign - Nick Heyward
♦ When You're Young (and in Love) - The Flying Pickets
♦ Where the Rose is Sown - Big Country
♦ Wishful Thinking - China Crisis
♦ Wonderful Life - Black


edit:  Added new ones to the list

What a fantastic idea.  You know what, if it's possible, I would love to tune into your selections on internet radio.  Don't really know how Zune works, is it a channel we can listen to?

I had a lot of fun surfing the U.K. and U.S. top 40 for '81-'83.

Here's a submission: Japan, "Quiet Life" Sep 1981 (#19 U.K.)  Did not make U.S. top 40 that year as far as I can see. 

What sites do you go to get the postings, and do you go overall for the year or month by month?

J... no Five Star??? You've let me down!  :-\\  ;)

And though they weren't favourites of mine, Mel & Kim made quite a big impact in the mid-80s UK pop world.

The Microsoft Zune is a portable mp3 device used for personal listening.  It's like the iPod, only better.


Japan.  I hadn't thought of adding them.  I do love 'Quiet Life' as well as 'Life in Tokyo'
I pull from the official UK charts.  In many ways, I liked the 80s songs the UK got, more than what Canada or even America got, and I am always finding new favourites.


J... no Five Star??? You've let me down!  :-\\  ;)

And though they weren't favourites of mine, Mel & Kim made quite a big impact in the mid-80s UK pop world.


No Five Star yet because I couldn't decide which one to use.  I do like 'R.S.V.P.' and 'Another Weekend' alot.
I forgot about Mel & Kim, and you've also just reminded me of Mai Tai.

Frostwire, here I come 8)

More ...

Marillion - Assassing
Mel Brooks - To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)
Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed
Johnny Hates Jazz - Heart of Gold
Meat Loaf - Nowhere Fast
Mandy - Don't You Want Me Baby
The Jam - Beat Surrender
The Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela
Mezzoforte - Garden Party
Altered Images - See Those Eyes
Soft Cell - What
The Beat - Save it For Later
Dead or Alive - My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor)
Feargal Sharkey - Listen to Your Father
Forrest - Rock the Boat
Texas - I Don't Want A Lover
Yazoo - Nobody's Diary
Cliff Richard and Stevie Wonder - She's So Beautiful
Sheryl Lee Ralph - In the Evening
Bow Wow Wow - Do You Wanna Hold Me
This Year's Blonde - Who's That Mix
Big Sound Authority - This House (is Where Your Love Stands)
Video Kids - Woodpeckers From Space
The Smiths - This Charming Man
The Colour Field - Thinking of You
Fiction Factory - (Feels Like) Heaven
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Talking Loud and Clear
The Psychedelic Furs - Heaven
Heaven 17 - This is Mine
The Style Council - How She Threw it All Away

Cool.  Well I won't harp on this anymore, but once your project is done, it would be cool to share your project! 

Don't know the amount of pain with getting a "station" started, but I liked this article!

http://www.backboneradio.com/features/easy-123/

If anyone has a U.K. top 100 '80s station link, pls post!

Gee, I don't know too many on those lists, only very few.
Probably lots of good stuff there, tho.

My favourtie by The Specials is Ghost Town.  I feel the lyrics are very much 'of its time'

Ooh - def put in 'Save it For Later' and 'Nobody's Dairy' - they're two great 80s songs!

My suggestions:

The Smiths - 'Panic' and 'Bigmouth Strikes Again'
Fun Boy Three - 'Tunnel Of Love' and 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum'


Did the Housemartins break the US? If not, then whack in 'Happy Hour'!

My suggestions:

The Smiths - 'Panic' and 'Bigmouth Strikes Again'


I used 'This Charming Man'


Fun Boy Three - 'Tunnel Of Love' and 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum'


'Our Lips Are Sealed'


Did the Housemartins break the US? If not, then whack in 'Happy Hour'!


and 'Caravan of Love'

The Housemartins never had a hit in North America, but I do know that 'Caravan of Love' was released here in Canada.  I have a copy of it on 45

Here's a few from 1980 (God! I was only 13 then!) which I don't see on the list, Jason...

'Dance Yourself Dizzy' - Liquid Gold (massive cheesy disco hit, but rarely found on compilations anymore!)
'Feels Like I'm In Love' - Kelly Marie (more disco cheese found on thousands of compilations! Originally intended for Elvis Presley!  :o)
'Don't Make Waves' - The Nolans  :D
'To Be Or Not To Be' - B.A. Robertson (you don't see a lot of his stuff in the CD racks either! Who he? Well, he co-wrote 'The Living Years')
'Lip Up Fatty' - Bad Manners

(I'm quietly confident that none of the above troubled North America too much, but I'm happy to be proven otherwise!)

Here's a few from 1980 (God! I was only 13 then!) which I don't see on the list, Jason...

'Dance Yourself Dizzy' - Liquid Gold (massive cheesy disco hit, but rarely found on compilations anymore!)
'Feels Like I'm In Love' - Kelly Marie (more disco cheese found on thousands of compilations! Originally intended for Elvis Presley!  :o)
'Don't Make Waves' - The Nolans  :D
'To Be Or Not To Be' - B.A. Robertson (you don't see a lot of his stuff in the CD racks either! Who he? Well, he co-wrote 'The Living Years')
'Lip Up Fatty' - Bad Manners

(I'm quietly confident that none of the above troubled North America too much, but I'm happy to be proven otherwise!)


I actually did throw in a Nolans track.  I went with 'Gotta Pull Myself Together'
I didn't know B.A. Robertson recorded anything.  I only ever heard of him through songwriting.  I'll have to look into it and the others.  I do enjoy Bad Manners.  A shame they never made noise over here

Kelly Marie.  I thought that one was '79

I didn't know B.A. Robertson recorded anything.  I only ever heard of him through songwriting. 

From memory, he issued four albums from 1979-81/2, none of which have been re-issued to my knowledge!

He also had a short-lived late night chat show, best remembered for Annabella Lwin (of Bow Wow Wow fame) storming off in a huff! (Was it something he said?)

Kelly Marie.  I thought that one was '79


Technically, it is...but it took so long to break, that the new decade had dawned when it did!

Owen Paul - Favourite waste of time. I loved that song  ;D

as a fan I would say add some Glam and some metal!

Tigertailz - Love Bomb Baby
Quireboys - Mayfair
Dogs D'amour - How come it never rains, Kid from Kensington
FM - Frozen Heart, That Girl
Magnum - Just like an arrow
The Almighty - Wild and wonderful
Crazyhead - Have love will travel
Dare - Abandon

^ I do need more UK Metal.  I was thinking of adding some Pallas or Motorhead

Owen Paul - Favourite waste of time. I loved that song  ;D


Bette Midler does a version of that (that I believe came around the same time).  I prefer Owen's version

Owen Paul - Favourite waste of time. I loved that song  ;D


I remember the infamous performance on Pebble Mill! I miss old school UK tv.  :-\\

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bXIL0DTJGo

White Door - Behind The White Door.  Great synthpop tune.  Anyone know anything about this group?  I believe they are from the UK.

White Door - Behind The White Door.   Great synthpop tune.  Anyone know anything about this group?  I believe they are from the UK.


A quick Google around finds that they are from Stoke-on-Trent in the UK

'To Be Or Not To Be' - B.A. Robertson (you don't see a lot of his stuff in the CD racks either! Who he? Well, he co-wrote 'The Living Years')



I didn't know B.A. Robertson recorded anything.  I only ever heard of him through songwriting.  I'll have to look into it and the others.  I do enjoy Bad Manners.  A shame they never made noise over here



From memory, he issued four albums from 1979-81/2, none of which have been re-issued to my knowledge!

He also had a short-lived late night chat show, best remembered for Annabella Lwin (of Bow Wow Wow fame) storming off in a huff! (Was it something he said?)


B.A. Robertson hit our bubbling under section twice, actually. Both "Bang Bang" (1979) and "To Be Or Not To Be" (1980) peaked at #43. I still hear them played on the radio occasionally.

*Bobby the necromancer brings this thread to life*


B.A. Robertson hit our bubbling under section twice, actually. Both "Bang Bang" (1979) and "To Be Or Not To Be" (1980) peaked at #43. I still hear them played on the radio occasionally.


'Bang Bang' is a great song. The video involves him singing around a load of women wearing karate uniforms banging dustbins, lol.

Here are some songs for you, Jason, if you need them as this thread is so old now (let me know if you already have them...)

'For America' - Red Box
'Love in the first degree' - Bananarama
'Pour some sugar on me' - Def Leppard
'Personal touch' - Errol Brown
'N-n-n-nineteen not out' - The Commentators
'Fade to grey' - Visage
'A good heart' - Feargal Sharkey
'Oh L'amour' - Dollar
'Always on my mind' - Pet Shop Boys
'Pink sunshine' - Fuzzbox
'She drives me crazy' - Fine Young Cannibals
'A kind of magic' - Queen
'The land of make believe' - Bucks Fizz
'Never can say goodbye' - Communards
'Hourglass' - Squeeze
'Quiet life' - Japan
'Since yesterday' - Strawberry Switchblade
'Don't you just know it' - Amazulu
'Breakout' - Swing Out Sister
'System addict' - Five Star
'Perfect' - Fairground Attraction
'Somewhere in my heart' - Aztec Camera
'The motive (living without you)' - Then Jericho
'Japanese boy' - Aneka

*Bobby the necromancer brings this thread to life*

'Bang Bang' is a great song. The video involves him singing around a load of women wearing karate uniforms banging dustbins, lol.

Here are some songs for you, Jason, if you need them as this thread is so old now (let me know if you already have them...)

'For America' - Red Box
'Love in the first degree' - Bananarama
'Pour some sugar on me' - Def Leppard
'Personal touch' - Errol Brown
'N-n-n-nineteen not out' - The Commentators
'Fade to grey' - Visage
'A good heart' - Feargal Sharkey
'Oh L'amour' - Dollar
'Always on my mind' - Pet Shop Boys
'Pink sunshine' - Fuzzbox
'She drives me crazy' - Fine Young Cannibals
'A kind of magic' - Queen
'The land of make believe' - Bucks Fizz
'Never can say goodbye' - Communards
'Hourglass' - Squeeze
'Quiet life' - Japan
'Since yesterday' - Strawberry Switchblade
'Don't you just know it' - Amazulu
'Breakout' - Swing Out Sister
'System addict' - Five Star
'Perfect' - Fairground Attraction
'Somewhere in my heart' - Aztec Camera
'The motive (living without you)' - Then Jericho
'Japanese boy' - Aneka


I have all of those.  I really like Japanese Boy by Aneka, as corny as it is.  It was never a hit in the US, but it did reach #42 in Canada

I have all of those.  I really like Japanese Boy by Aneka, as corny as it is.  It was never a hit in the US, but it did reach #42 in Canada


Yes, Aneka was a Scottish folk singer dressed up, lol. Still...It worked. :)

From last year:

"Cult heroes: Strawberry Switchblade – the clue was in the name"

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/14/cult-heroes-strawberry-switchblade-the-clue-was-in-the-name