'Automatic' was released in 1984 and became a worldwide top 10 hit, peaking at number 5 in the USA, number 2 in the UK and number 6 in the Netherlands.The song became one of the Pointers' signature tunes and was the first of four consecutive top ten singles from their album 'Break Out', which was award multi platinum discs.
Released as the third single from A-ha's most recent album 'Analogue', 'Cosy prisons' was only available in the UK. The single was released in two formats: a cd-single and a picture disc 7" single. Both formats carried a track from a Ken Bruce Session, previously broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Whereas the cd-single contained 'The sun always shines on TV', the 7" picture disc contained 'Stay on these roads'.
James Taylor was born on March 12, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts (USA). At the age of eighteen he became involved in the music business. Six years later, in 1972, he married Carly Simon. By that time, both were successful singer/songwriters. In 1981, James Taylor released his eleventh album, 'Dad loves his work'.
'That certain smile' was the second single to be taken from Midge Ure's debut solo album 'The gift'. It was preceded by the number one hit 'If I was'. By comparison, the second single did worse, only peaking at number 28 in November of 1985.
Leon Haywood was born on February 11, 1942 in Houston, Texas (USA). He launched his career in America as a conventional entertainer, scoring over 20 hit singles on the US R&B chart since 1965.
'Sanctuary' is, in my opinion, one of the best synthpop songs ever. Created by New Musik, it fitted perfectly in the sound they had created for themselves. It was the second single to be taken from their album 'From A to B', and the last single to reach the UK singles chart. Just like 'This world of water' a few months earlier, it reached number 31.
The Immaculate fools formed in 1984 in Kent, England by two sets of brothers: Kevin and Paul Weatherill and Andy and Peter Ross. Their self-titled debut single was released in January 1985 and reached number 51 in the UK singles chart. It would end up being their only chart success, as further singles failed to make any commercial impact in the UK.
Gina G was born as Gina Mary Gardiner on August 3, 1970 in Brisbane, Australia. In 1996 she was chosen by producer Jonathan King to represent the UK in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. It was the UK's most successful Eurovision entry - at least in the UK singles chart: it went to number one in the week of the Contest. Unfortunately, the song only came eighth in the Contest itself, which was mainly down to her singing off-key during her performance.
Al Jarreau was born on March 12, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA). In the late Sixties he made a name for himself in the jazz circuit. In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by a representative of Warner Bros. Records. His debut album was soon released. 'We got by' gave him international fame.
I think everyone who grew up in or around the Seventies remembers their first cassettes. I got a tape recorder in 1980 and spent hours on end filling tapes with the music I heard on the radio. So in 1981 I recorded an instrumental track from a Belgian radio station, without actually hearing a title or artist. Instrumental tracks can be very hard to identify. And so it took me years to find out that this particular track was Jean Michel Jarre's 'Magnetic Fields part 2'. It was a minor hit in the Netherlands for Jarre, reaching number 34 in the Dutch Top 40.
The first single by Mo I ever bought was this one, the ballad 'Old friend' taken from their second album 'Ha Ha! The sound of laughing'. Contrary to most of their singles, this one was a ballad. The single version lasted three minutes and was one minute shorter than the album version, in an attempt to make it radiofriendly. Despite this, 'Old friend' didn't make the Dutch Top 40.
UK released two singles from their 1979 album 'Danger Money': 'Rendezvous 6:02' and 'Nothing to lose'. Funnily enough, 'Rendezvous' was a only a hit in the Netherlands, whereas 'Nothing to lose' could only reach the UK singles chart. It peaked at number 67 in the Summer of 1979. A live album, 'Night after night', was recorded in Japan in 1979 and released in September. Following a final European tour in December 1979, and in spite of plans to record a new studio album in America in March 1980, UK disbanded.
I remember seeing the video for 'Into the fire' on MTV in 1992 and thinking that it was a rather boring video. It spoiled any chance of me buying the single. Then a couple of years later I got into the album 'Fumbling towards ecstacy' by Sarah McLachlan, and discovered that she was actually a really great singer/songwriter. I bought the vinyl single as soon as I got a chance after that. It completed my Sarah McLachlan-collection, because as far as I know there are no further 7" singles by her besides this one and 'Vox'.
Scritti Politti's main member Green Gartside moved to New York in 1983 to begin working on what was to become his band's signature sound.
In 1983, Kim Wilde reinvented herself as a 'Love blonde'. It was the title of her new single, the first to be taken from her third album 'Catch as catch can'. For the first time, I bought a Kim Wilde single while it was still in the charts. I was actually starting to collect her singles, although at that point I don't think I actually realised it.
Altered Images released their second album 'Pinky blue' after a successful headlining tour, in 1982. The album provided them with two top 20 hits in the UK: 'See those eyes' and 'I could be happy'. Since the band were going down a pop path, many critics who supported them before started to turn sour.
'Ace of spades' is a loud, proud and obnoxious song by the metal band Motörhead. It is universally regarded as their main anthem. For the lyrics, lead singer Lemmy said he 'used gambling metaphors, mostly cards and dice - when it comes to that sort of thing, I'm more into the one-arm bandits actually, but you can't really sing about spinning fruit, and the wheels coming down'. In March 2005, Q Magazine placed it at number 27 in its list of the 100 greatest guitar tracks, stating 'This song has an intro which wouldn't be out of place ushering in the end of the world'.
In September 1976, John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson and Allan Holdsworth formed the band UK. They released a self-titled debut album in 1978 and went on a lengthy tour of America. Holdsworth and Bruford left the band, claiming musical differences as the reason. Terry Bozzio joined the band, and as a result the band became a trio, playing keyboards, bass and drums, supplemented by the violin played by Jobson. They recorded the album 'Danger Money', which was released in March 1979.
After spending a decade in the band Japan, David Sylvian released his debut solo album 'Brilliant trees' in 1984. The album was split in two parts: the more accessible tracks were on side A of the album, whereas the more experimental work was grouped together on side B. The biggest hit from this album was 'Red guitar', which reached number 17 in the UK singles chart in the Summer of 1984.
The Waterboys released 'The whole of the moon' in November 1985. It reached number 28 on the UK singles chart. It only reached number three in the chart after it was re-released in 1990.
