And so, 11 years after it was clobbered by the mother of all imposter syndromes (for which sincere belated apologies are due), Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? returns as a podcast, each episode comparing six singles that were in the same position in the UK Top 10 exactly ten years apart – and, as before, soliciting your votes (this time via the Facebook page or @whichdecadetops on Twitter).
New episodes will drop every fortnight, and you can subscribe in all the usual podcasting places. Alternatively, you can go straight to the launch episode, which pits The Searchers against Slade, The Rocksteady Crew, Mariah Carey, Holly Valance and Union J. Highlights include a Mariah Carey fever dream, the bakery success of The Searchers’ first drummer, a Poundland Harry Styles, the best chart “crew”, and a harsh judgement on Maroon 5’s “Sugar”. There’s also the long-delayed public countdown of Mike Atkinson’s November 1983 personal Top 10, a withering critique of boyband hairdos, a fond look back at crap playground breakdancers, and a salute to the mighty “ong-dinga-rong-dinga” bassline.