Popular '87

Eleven out of nineteen – A obvious step up from the dull days of 1985 and 1986.

Here’s the US list. The godawful Cutting Crew hit is known for being a product of independent record promotion payola, apparently its sales did not correlate with its chart position.

“Walk Like an Egyptian” The Bangles
“Shake You Down” Gregory Abbott
“At This Moment” Billy Vera and the Beaters
“Open Your Heart” Madonna
“Livin’ on a Prayer” Bon Jovi
“Jacob’s Ladder” Huey Lewis and the News
“Lean on Me” Club Nouveau
“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” Starship
“I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)” Aretha Franklin and George Michael
“(I Just) Died in Your Arms” Cutting Crew
“With or Without You” U2
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” Kim Wilde
“Always” Atlantic Starr
“Head to Toe” Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” Whitney Houston
“Alone” Heart
“Shakedown” Bob Seger
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” U2
“Who’s That Girl” Madonna
“La Bamba” Los Lobos
“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett
“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” Whitney Houston
“Here I Go Again” Whitesnake
“Lost in Emotion” Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
“Bad” Michael Jackson
“I Think We’re Alone Now” Tiffany
“Mony Mony” Billy Idol
“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
“Heaven is a Place on Earth” Belinda Carlisle
“Faith” George Michael

Que sera, que sera.

The Face top singles for 1987 (courtesy of http://www.rocklist.net):

1. Prince – Sign O’ The Times
2. Eric B And Rakim – Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix)
3. Public Enemy – Rebel Without A Pause
4. Marrs – Pump Up The Volume
5. Derek B – Get Down
6. Eric B and Rakim – I Know You Got Soul
7. The Smiths – Girlfriend in a Coma
8. Sly ‘N’ Robbie – Boops (Here to Go)
9. Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend
10. Alexander O’Neal – Criticize
11. Tashan – Chasin’ a Dream
12. Phuture – Acid Tracks
13. Maceo and the macks – ‘Cross the Tracks
14. Spoonie G – The Godfather
15. Angela Winbush – Angel
16. Coldcut Crew – Beats and Pieces
17. Levert – Casanova
18. Lola Wax – The Van
19. Sweet T and Jazzy Joyce – It’s My Beat
20. King Sun and D Moet – Hey Love
21. Wendy and Lisa – Waterfall
22. Nitro Deluxe – This Brutal House
23. LL Cool J – I’m Bad
24. Cookie Crew – Females
25. Madonna – Who’s That Girl
26. Joyce Simms – Lifetime Love
27. The Fat Boys – Wipeout
28. Bobby Byrd – I Know You Got Soul
29. Roxanne Shante – Have a Nice Day
30. Kings of Pressure – You Know How to Reach Us
31. Barry White – Sho’ Yo’ Right
32. The Equals – Funky Like a Train
33. Devil Bitch – Love is a Machete
34. Ce Ce Rogers – Someday
35. Working Week – largo
36. The Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done To Deserve This
37. George Michael – Faith
38. Two Puerto Ricans A Black Man And A Dominican – Do It Properly
39. T Coy – Carino
40. Tina B – January, February

NME Critics Poll 1987 (fantastic top 10!)

1. Sign ‘O’ The Times – Prince
2. Paid In Full – Eric B & Rakim
3. Big Decision – That Petrol Emotion
4. Rebel Without A Pause – Public Enemy
5. Pump Up The Volume – M/A/R/R/S
6. I Know You Got Soul – Eric B & Rakim
7. Hit The North – The Fall
8. Birthday – The Sugercubes
9. True Faith – New Order
10. Females – Cookie Crew
11. Girlfriend In A Coma – The Smiths
12. Hey Love – King Sun D Moet
13. Rent – Pet Shop Boys
14. Fight For Your Right – Beastie Boys
15. If I Was Your Girlfriend – Prince
16. Get Down – Derek B
17. Fairy Tale Of New York – The Pogues
18. Boops(Here To Go) – Sly And Robbie
19. Birth School Work Death – The Godfathers
20. He’s A Whore/ The Model – Big Black
21. The Albums Of Jack – The Bachelor Pad
22. First We Take Manhattan – Jennifer Warnes
23. This Brutal House – Nitro Deluxe
24. April Skies – The Jesus & Mary Chain
25. You’re Gonna Get Yours – Public Enemy
26. Someday – Ce Ce Rogers
27. My Favourite Dress – The Wedding Present
28. Saturday Night – Schoolly D
29. Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
30. It’s A Sin – Pet Shop Boys
31. Alex Chilton – The Replacements
32. The Godfather – Spoonie Gee
33. New Mind – Swans
34. Downtown – Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu
35. I Am The Law – Anthrax
36. Beaver Patrol – Pop Will Eat Itself
37. Letter From America – The Proclaimers
38. All You Need Is Love – Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu
39. There’s A Ghost In My House – The Fall
40. It’s Not Heaven – Blind Mice
41. Beats And Pieces – Cold Cut
42. Rock Da House – Cookie Crew
43. What Have I Done To Deserve This – Pet Shop Boys
44. There Ain’t Nothin’ Like Shaggin’ – The Tams
45. Chasin’ A Dream – Tashan
46. Indians – Anthrax
47. Lolita – AR Kane
48. What’s My Scene? – The Hoodoo Gurus
49. La Isla Bonita – Madonna
50. The Kray Twins – Renegade Soundwave
51. Brilliant Disguise – Bruce Springsteen
52. Sho’ You Right – Barry White
53. Jump Start – Natalie Cole
54. Mary’s Prayer – Danny Wilson
55. Shoplifters Of The World Unite – The Smiths
56. Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Noise? – Age Of Chance
57. Walk Away – Surf Drums
58. Build – The Housemartins
59. Touch Of Grey – The Grateful Dead
60. If You Let Me Stay – Terence Trent D’arby

Good to be reminded of ‘Big Decision’ by That Petrol Emotion and ‘Mary’s Prayer’, two songs from that era that I love.
Interesting to see ‘Who’s that girl?’ in both the NME and Face charts given what a relatively cool reception it got here.

Laughing boy Sylvian was the classy bee’s knees where I was in 1987 (although everyone I knew was still listening to his 1986 double album Gone to Earth). He sounded pretty cheery on Silver Moon too.

And Mr Peel’s Festive 50:

1. Sugarcubes – Birthday
2. The Fall – Australians In Europe
3. Wedding Present – Everyone Thinks He looks Daft
4. That Petrol Emotion – Big Decision
5. Smiths – Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
6. Wedding Present – My Favourite Dress
7. New Order – True Faith
8. Wedding Present – A Million Miles
9. The Fall – Hit the North
10. Wedding Present – Anyone Can Make a Mistake
11. I, Ludicrous – Preposterous Tales
12. Smiths – Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before
13. Sonic Youth – Schizophrenia
14. Public Enemy – Rebel Without a Pause
15. Smiths – Girlfriend in a Coma
16. Jesus and Mary Chain – April Skies
17. Barmy Army – Sharp as a Needle
18. Big Black – Colombian Necktie
19. Primitives – Stop Killing Me
20. Cud – You Sexy Thing
21. Smiths – Paint a Vulgar Picture
22. Motorcycle Boy – Big Rock Candy Mountain
23. Smiths – Sweet and Tender Hooligan
24. Smiths – Half a Person
25. Smiths – Death of a Disco Dancer
26. The Fall – Athlete Cured
27. Eric B & Rakim – Paid In Full
28. Railway Children – Brighter
29. Smiths – I Won’t Share You
30. Bhundu Boys – My Foolish Heart
31. Wedding Present – Getting Nowhere Fast
32. Prince – Sign o’ the Times
33. James Taylor Quartet – Blow Up
34. Smiths – Sheila Take a Bow
35. McCarthy – Frans Hals
36. Eric B & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul
37. Sonic Youth – (I got a) Catholic Block
38. Public Enemy – You’re Gonna Get Yours
39. Jesus and Mary Chain – Kill Surf City
40. Smiths – I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish
41. Jesus and Mary Chain – Nine Million Rainy Days
42. Big Black – L Dopa
43. New Order – 1963
44. Butthole Surfers – 22 Going On 23
45. Smiths – Shoplifters of the World Unite
46. M/A/R/R/S – Pump Up the Volume
47. Colorblind James Experience – Considering a Move to Memphis
48. Gun Club – The Breaking Hands
49. Beatmaster/Cookie Crew – Rok Da House
50. Talulah Gosh – Talulah Gosh

Melody Maker readers’ poll for 1987;

1. Sisters Of Mercy – This Corrosion
2. The Sugarcubes – Birthday
3. New Order – True Faith
4. The Cure – Catch
5. Prince – Sign ‘O’ The Times
6. The Cure – Just Like Heaven
7. The Jesus & Mary Chain – April Skies
8. U2 – With Or Without You
9. The Cure – Why Can’t I Be You?
10. The Smiths – I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish

Eight from me: two retro ring-ins (King, Los Lobos), four up-tempo late-’80s pop (Mel & Kim, Whitney, PSBs x2), and two from THE FUTURE (Hurley, MARRS). I rated none of them highly enough at the time to buy the singles or any related albums, and only the Pet Shop Boys and MARRS inspire any music-ownership desires today. Given some of the other number ones we were subjected to in 1987, not the greatest year.

In Australia, meanwhile, these were ours (with * denoting an Australian or NZ artist):

*Pseudo Echo, “Funkytown”
The Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian”
Kim Wilde, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
Boris Gardiner, “I Want to Wake Up with You”
George Michael and Aretha Franklin, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”
Paul Lekakis, “Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room)”
*Dave Dobbyn with Herbs, “Slice of Heaven”
Whitney Houston, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
Mel and Kim, “Respectable”
*The Party Boys, “He’s Gonna Step on You Again”
*Kylie Minogue, “The Loco-Motion”
Los Lobos, “La Bamba”
*Icehouse, “Electric Blue”
*Jimmy Barnes, “Too Much Ain’t Enough Love”
Rick Astley, “Never Gonna Give You Up”

The biggest seller out of those was by a certain singer we’ll be meeting here soon, so more on that anon.

1987 for me meant Midnight Oil’s Diesel and Dust, new albums from the Hoodoo Gurus and Spy vs Spy (two more local acts), and my ambivalent feelings towards The Joshua Tree. Also, now that I check my dates, Def Leppard’s Hysteria. A long way from our Popular year, then.

yep, I feel a palpable sense of retrospective excitement looking at those charts after 85-6. summer sunshine in rusholme, signing on after finishing at university, playing public enemy, sign of the times, hit the north and sharp as a needle through the open window. They probably all came out in november but that’s memory for you.

I don’t think of myself as particularly an ’80s fan, but I ticked 12 of these (though one is a rerelease), two of which I’d have given 10s to (both Pet Shop Boys).

The Face list brings back some nice memories. Don’t remember the Angela Winbush one, the presence of the seventeen-year-old “Funky Like A Train” is slightly puzzling and Working Week, with the exceptions of the 12” of “Venceremos” and “Stella Maria,” were always dreary (sorry Larry if you’re googling – massive respect to the Spatial AKA Orchestra!); also it’s “Wax The Van” by Lola. “Love Is A Machete” by Devil Bitch sounds brilliant but alas it was Dylan Jones’ shortlived heavy metal band DON’T EVEN ASK

“Ridin’ On A Train” came out in late summer 1988 but I’m sure it was inspired by the younger Eddy Grant’s efforts; ah, Rare Groove, which also provoked a CONTROVERSIAL TOP 40 HIT known on Radio 1 as “A Record By The Tams” (see #44 on NME critics’ list above).

The Kings of Pressure were from New York and “You Know How To Reach Us” was one of the great one-off rap classics of the era (see also “Strong Island” and suchlike). The B in Tina B is for Baker – she is Arthur’s wife – and “January, February” is not the Barbara Dickson “classic” but a huge slice of magnificent shudder-thwack post-Shannon electro-freestyle pop. Well worth seeking out a decent compilation of her stuff.

Links for the curious:

Kings of Pressure – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt-MoX_ktvA

Tina B (dub version only I’m afraid, but it’s quite the thing) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpHdf0WzaGk

The Tams’ “There’s Nothing Like ****” was played at weekenders as a kind of joke record (obviously because to British ears it sounded rude)originally discovered in the jazz/soul rooms and on the more purist shows on weekender radio/the pirates and then spreading as a end of night party/joke record in the main funk rooms then to mainstream clubs and thus the charts.The B-Side was the completely unconnected “Get A Job” which was being used in an advert on telly at the time.

Nothing to do with Northern Soul as the above were all part of the South Eastern soul/funk scene.In fact the London soul/funk/jazz scene’s last gasp before with the start of acid house it started to rapidly contract as anything like a mass movement.

There were a few other novelty and/or old records which AFAIK owed their initial success to the London/Home Counties pre-house dance scene (and nothing to do with the West End rare groove hence no Hot Butterfly or Jackson Sisters here)before often crossing over to mainstream pop clubs and then the charts

*Sister Sledge – “Thinking of You” a 1979 album track played by the Soul Mafia from 1983.
*Jackie Wilson – “I Get The sweetest Feeling” – played in jazz/soul rooms from about 1983 and unlike the other big 60s hits from the mid 80s not part of an advertising campaign
*Tom Jones – “Its Not Unusual” – played in main funk rooms as a novelty ending record
*Petula Clark – Downtown – same as Tom
*Frank Sinatra _New York New York – played since early 80s as novelty main funk room record
*Nina Simone – “My Baby Just Care For Me” – played on weekender radio/jazz rooms as early as I can remember ie 1982 – even on mainstream funk pirate shows – I don’t know why
*Elvis Presley – “Bossa Nova Baby” jazz/soul rooms
*Andy Williams/Earl Grant – “House of Bamboo” – jazz rooms – I think Johnny Walker (the acid house one not the Radio 1) used to cane this one when he played jazz and soul. Think the 2 versions spread the sales so it only ever appeared in that 75-100 part of the charts
*Gilberto Gil – “Toda Menina Baiana” – 1979 track played by pirates/soul mafia clubs in early 80s (then minor hit via cover by Georgie Fame although once again many bought the original so diluting the sales)
*Special Delivery – This Kind Of Love – played out in 1983 like the Gilberto Gil track and then covered and a hit later by Phil Fearon and Galaxy one of the latter backing singers who will be turning up in a hardcore style in 1994)

On a different tip no mention of 1987’s “I Feel Good All Over” by Bang the Party (Kid Bachelor) which has a good claim to be the first British house record (or if it was beaten by a month or 2 by T-Coy “Carino” (which to be honest sounds more Latin than blatantly house as we came to know it)it is far more obviously house and in fact already has vaguely acidic elements. Probably why you’d still heard it out in 1988 (and actually even more in 1989) unlike the other track.

TPL on The Joshua Tree.

The shortest TPL post yet.

Vaughan Oliver Jeffers

Introducing the softline, according to TPL.

TPL on Def Leppard.

TPL update.

TPL on George Michael, on his own and sounding it.