I wrote the bare bones of an Alan Price piece and do intend to get back to that; thankfully the wonder of K-Tel may re-kickstart me in this respect since he does turn up on at least one of their chart-topping compilations.

There is also a completed 60,000 word entry on Lena Zavaroni which will most likely never see the light of day, partly because it overlaps with Andrew O’Hagan’s novel Personality and partly because it cuts a little too sharply to the bone about my younger days.

I’ve always really wanted to read the promised Alan Price piece – Jarrow Song is a tremendous Billy favourite, but I couldn’t quite predict what the Punctum position would be on that. If I remember back to when you were writing the 1974 pieces, it was the prospect of writing thousands of words about the Goodies that caused you to abandon the project, but that would have been great, too.

It’s not strictly speaking moderation — admin really only look in it when we’re asked to. (Because the amount of span being caught is huge…)

I’ve done some other “year” exercises:

1985: http://nopunctum.blogspot.com/2004_01_22_archive.html

1969: http://nopunctum.blogspot.com/2004_04_07_archive.html

…and I started an epic 1974 trek here but never got around to finishing it and only some of the entries that I did are on the blog (there are others in draft form which I’m happy to reprint if there’s a demand):

http://hemingwoid.blogspot.com
(in truth much of what I would have written here is likely to turn up on TPL or has already turned up on Popular)

All of these come with the caveat that the opinions expressed do not necessarily concur with the author’s opinions in 2010; in some cases my views have quite dramatically reversed.

Did you carry out this exercise for any other years – or just 82 because of its obvious importnace/”specialness”?

Bit late coming in on this but I didn’t comment at the time. I’m going to be a stickler and say that the period July 1981-June 1982 was the peak year; everyone at their best, unbelievable new entries every week, a joy to live through.

As far as 1982 on its own is concerned I scribbled this commentary some while back but am always happy to link it. Not sure that I absolutely agree with all of it now but it was written in the space of one lunch hour (it’s there somewhere on ILM in real time) and it alerted a certain female resident of Toronto to my existence… :-)

Greta Scacchi got nuddy in everything she did, didn’t she? She was like Jenny Agutter in that respect – always reliable.

Hair got a bit out of control, though (mine included). ’81 Edwyn Collins wore his fringe like Roger McGuinn. ’82 Terry Hall went for that pineapple/white rasta thing. Zoinks.

Andy Pandy’s case for 1982 is pretty solid (apart from dragging in remix albums of 1981 classics – cheat!), but nah! 1981 wins – both the alternative charts and the proper charts were on fire.

1 - Linx – Intuition
2 - Public Image Ltd – Flowers Of Romance
3 - Teardrop Explodes – Reward
4 - Jam – That’s Entertainment
5 - Yoko Ono – Walking On Thin Ice
6 - Human League – Love Action (I Believe In Love)
7 - New Order – Ceremony
8 - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Souvenir
9 - Human League – The Sound Of The Crowd
10 - Soft Cell – Tainted Love
11 - Madness – It Must Be Love
12 - David Bowie – Up The Hill Backwards
13 - Human League – Don’t You Want Me
14 - Specials – Ghost Town
15 - Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me
16 - The Police – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
17 - Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Me No Pop I
18 - Adam & The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier
19 - Blondie – Rapture
20 - Kim Wilde – Kids In America
21 - Sharon Redd – Can You Handle It
22 - Soft Cell – Bedsitter
23 - Elvis Costello – Good Year For The Roses
24 - Spandau Ballet – Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)
25 - Kraftwerk – Pocket Calculator
26 - Dollar – Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)
27 - The Undertones – It’s Going To Happen!
28 - Freeez – Southern Freeez
29 - Smokey Robinson – Being With You
30 - Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Show Me
31 - New Order – Procession / Everything’s Gone Green
32 - Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
33 - Teardrop Explodes – Treason (It’s Just A Story)
34 - Barbara Jones – Just When I Needed You Most
35 - Hi Gloss – You’ll Never Know
36 - Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood
37 - Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
38 - Haircut 100 – Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)
39 - Bucks Fizz – The Land Of Make Believe
40 - Kool & The Gang – Get Down On It
41 - Whispers – It’s A Love Thing
42 - Laurie Anderson – O Superman
43 - Dollar – Hand Held In Black And White
44 - The Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star
45 - Sugar Minott – Good Thing Going
46 - Japan – Quiet Life
47 - Blue Rondo A La Turk – Me And Mr Sanchez
48 - Pointer Sisters – Slowhand
49 - The Nolans – Attention To Me
50 - Stevie Wonder – Lately

(Yes, the #1 is a strange choice – but it still retains the power to make me happier than the rest.)

1. The Specials – Ghost Town
2. New Order – Ceremony
3. The jam – Absolute Beginners
4. Soft Cell – Tainted Love
5. Human League – Love Action
6. Heaven 17 – Fascist Groove Thing
7. Scritti Politti – The ‘Sweetest Girl’
8. Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
9. The Teardrop Explodes – Reward
10. Pigbag – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag
11. Ultravox – Vienna
12. Laurie Anderson – O Superman
13. The Jam – Funeral Pyre
14. New Order – Procession
15. The Birthday Party – Release The Bats
16. Siouxsie & The Banshees – Spellbound
17. The Stranglers – Let Me Introduce You To The Family
18. The Rolling Stones – Start Me Up
19. Echo & The Bunnymen – A Promise
20. ABC – Tears Are Not Enough

… plus not exactly New Pop but also in the charts in 1982 the first electro hits as well as probably the penultimate (good) year for old style soul and funk…

http://tinyurl.com/nmesingles1981

1 Adam and the Ants
2 Shakin’ Stevens
3 John Lennon
4 Madness
5 Ultravox
6 Human League
7 Kim Wilde
8 Toyah
9 Stevie Wonder
10 Bucks Fizz
11 Starsound
12 Bad Manners
13 Soft Cell
14 Police
15 Specials
16 Cliff Richard
17 Spandau Ballet
18 Imagination
19 OMD
20 Jacksons
21 Duran Duran
22 Phil Collins
23 Tweets
24 Godley & Creme
25 Michael Jackson
26 Depeche Mode
27 Nolans
28 Linx
29 ELO
30= The Jam / Hazel O’Connor / Smokey Robinson

1. The Passage – Troops Out/Hip Rebels (Night and Day)
2. Dead Or Alive – Number Eleven (Inevitable)
3. Wire – The Swimmer (Rough Trade)
4. Scritti Politti – The ‘Sweetest Girl’ (Rough Trade)
5. Thomas Dolby – Urges/Leipzig (Armageddon)
6. The Fall Out Club – Dream Soldiers (Happy Birthday)
7. New Order – Ceremony (Factory)
8. Aztec Camera – Just Like Gold (Postcard)
9. Robert Wyatt – At Last I’m Free/Strange Fruit (Rough Trade)
10. It’s Immaterial – A Giant Raft In The Philippines (Inevitable)

1. Dare – Human League
2. Heaven Up Here – Echo & The Bunnymen
3. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret – Soft Cell
4. Playing With A Different Sex – Au Pairs
5. Tin Drum – Japan
6. Pretenders II – Pretenders
7. The Wild, The Willing & The Innocent – UFO
8. Author! Author! – Scars
9. Once Upon A Time – Siouxsie & The Banshees
10. See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Ape Crazy! Go Join Your Gang City All Over, yeah! – Bow Wow Wow
11. Prince Charming – Adam & The Ants
12. Duran Duran – Duran Duran
13. No Sleep Till Hammersmith – Motorhead
14. Kilimanjaro (Remix) – Teardrop Explodes
15. Thirst – Clock DVA
16. For Mad Men Only – UK Decay
17. Fair Warning – Van Halen
18. Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call – Simple Minds
19. Singles Going Steady – Buzzcocks
20=. Assault And Battery – Rose Tattoo
20=. For Those About To Rock AC/DC

I’m going to my parents’ house this weekend, so I’ll look up the readers’ polls when I’m there.

1. Penthouse & Pavement – Heaven 17
2. Trust – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3. Almost Blue – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4. East Side Story – Squeeze
5. Ghost in the Machine – The Police

- A good year for Elvis Costello – he produced ‘East Side Story’, too.

1. Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
2. Computer world – Kraftwerk
3. Red – Black Uhuru
4. Wha’ppen – The Beat
5. Penthouse and Pavement – Heaven 17
6. Dare – Human League
7. Trust – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
8. Alles ist Gut – DAF
9. Red Mecca – Cabaret Voltaire
10. Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places – Kid Creole & The Coconuts
11. Gold und Liebe – DAF
12. Mutant Disco – Various artists
13. Slates – The Fall
14. Black President – Fela Kuti
15. Flowers of Romance – PiL
16. Raise! – Earth Wind & Fire
17. Playing With a Different Sex – Au Pairs
18. Rock ‘n’ Groove – Bunny Wailer
19. East Side Story – Squeeze
20. Almost Blue – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
21. Being With You – Smokey Robinson
22. Heaven Up Here – Echo & The Bunnymen
23. See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah City All Over Go Ape Crazy! – Bow wow wow
24. The Electric Spanking of War Babies – Funkadelic
25. Odyshape – The Raincoats
26. Gang War – Prince Charles & The City Beat Band
27. Sings the Wailers – Bunny Wailer
28. Positive Touch – The Undertones
29. Get Down Attack – General Caine II
30. Blythe Spirit – Arther Blythe
31. Tin Drum – Japan
32. 7 – Madness
33. Defunkt – Defunkt
34. Tattoo You – The Rolling Stones
35. Alan Vega – Alan Vega
36. Intuition – Linx
37. Dreamtime – Tom Verlaine
38. In Our Lifetime – Marvin Gaye
39. New Chapter – Aswad
40. Greatest Hits – Throbbing Gristle
41. Something Special – Kool & The Gang
42. Dolmen Music – Meredith Monk
43. Miracles – Change
44. Wild Gift – X
45. The Man With the Horn – Miles Davis
46. Pleasant Dreams – The Ramones
47. Psychedelic Jungle – The Cramps
48. It Must be Magic – Teena Marie
49. Sleep No More – The Comsat Angels
50. The Many Faces of Roger – Roger