u/W51976

🌃 WEEKEND SHUTDOWN | TOKYO CITY LIGHTS

Time to switch off and drift into the weekend with a little Japanese city pop.

This week's soundtrack takes us to the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, with classics from Mariya Takeuchi, Tatsuro Yamashita, Anri, Miki Matsubara and more.

Smooth grooves, late-night city lights and that unmistakable Japanese 80s atmosphere. Perfect listening for the weekend. 🌆🎶
🎧 TOKYO CITY LIGHTS – City Pop Classics

https://www.mixcloud.com/factory-machine/tokyo-city-lights-city-pop-classics/

Have a great weekend, everyone!

📺 TV Drama Flashback: Grange Hill (1981)

This weekend, we're heading back to the school corridors of Grange Hill as we revisit the start of Series 4 in 1981(this one aired in late December 1980).

The new term brings a change at the top, with the formidable Mrs McClusky arriving as the school's new headmistress. Meanwhile, the appearance of Booga Benson hints at some of the trouble still to come! For anyone who remembers watching BBC children's television in the early eighties, Grange Hill remains a classic slice of British school drama, capturing the friendships, rivalries and mischief that made it such a talking point.

https://youtu.be/VU9itKaoGx8?is=veKcE2iMs\_4FpW57

🇬🇧 UK Retro Charts: 18–24 January 1981

The Top 40 Review

We're into the third week of January 1981, and the charts are beginning to reflect a changing musical landscape. John Lennon continues to dominate following his death, Adam & The Ants remain a force to be reckoned with, and Phil Collins makes a spectacular leap into the Top 5.

Meanwhile, Blondie return with a new entry, Ultravox are gathering momentum with Vienna, and some familiar faces from the closing weeks of 1980 are still holding their ground.

**1.	Imagine - John Lennon (LW 1) (W 5)**  
**2.	Antmusic - Adam & The Ants (LW 2) (W 8)**  
**3.	Woman - John Lennon (LW New) (W 1)**  
**4.	In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins (LW 36) (W 2)**  
**5.	Do Nothing/Maggie's Farm Ft Rico With The Ice Rink String Sounds - Specials featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds (LW 4) (W 7)**  
**6.	I Am The Beat - The Look (LW 14) (W 6)**  
**7.	Too Nice To Talk To - The Beat (LW 7) (W 7)**  
**8.	Don't Stop The Music - Yarbrough & Peoples (LW 19) (W 5)**  
**9.	Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John and Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir (LW 3) (W 6)**  
**10.	Flash - Queen (LW 10) (W 8)**  
**11.	Young Parisians - Adam & The Ants (LW 23) (W 5)**  
**12.	I Ain't Gonna Stand For It - Stevie Wonder (LW 17) (W 5)**  
**13.	Runaround Sue - Racey (LW 18) (W 6)**  
**14.	Rapture - Blondie (LW New) (W 1)**  
**15.	(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon (LW 5) (W 12)**  
**16.	Vienna - Ultravox (LW 52) (W 2)**  
**17.	Who's Gonna Rock You - The Nolans (LW 12) (W 8)**  
**18.	Rabbit - Chas And Dave (LW 8) (W 9)**  
**19.	Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie (LW 6) (W 9)**  
**20.	Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - David Bowie (LW 25) (W 3)**  
**21.	Over The Rainbow/You Belong To Me - Matchbox (LW 15) (W 9)**  
**22.	Lorraine - Bad Manners (LW 29) (W 8)**  
**23.	Fade To Grey - Visage (LW 33) (W 6)**  
**24.	De Do Do Do Do De Da Da Da - The Police (LW 9) (W 7)**  
**25.	Romeo And Juliet - Dire Straits (LW 49) (W 2)**  
**26.	Lies/Don't Drive My Car - Status Quo (LW 11) (W 8)**  
**27.	It's My Turn - Diana Ross (LW 44) (W 2)**  
**28.	Embarrassment - Madness (LW 13) (W 10)**  
**29.	Gangsters Of The Groove - Heatwave (LW 59) (W 2)**  
**30.	Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) - The Gap Band (LW 31) (W 5)**  
**31.	This Wreckage - Gary Numan (LW 20) (W 6)**  
**32.	Lonely Together - Barry Manilow (LW 24) (W 12)**  
**33.	A Little In Love - Cliff Richard (LW New) (W 1)**  
**34.	It's Hard To Be Humble - Mac Davis (LW 27) (W 11)**  
**35.	Runaway Boys - The Stray Cats (LW 16) (W 9)**  
**36.	Twilight Cafe - Susan Fassbender (LW 63) (W 2)**  
**37.	Love On The Rocks - Neil Diamond (LW 21) (W 11)**  
**38.	The Return Of The Los Palmas Seven - Madness (LW New) (W 1)**  
**39.	Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses?) - James Brown (LW 39) (W 3)**  
**40.	I Shot The Sheriff - Light Of The World (LW 68) (W 2)**

🔟 Top 10 Review

1. Imagine - John Lennon (LW 1) (W 5)
John Lennon remains at No. 1 with Imagine, continuing an extraordinary posthumous chart run. The song's message of peace and unity has taken on an even more poignant significance following Lennon's death, and it remains the record to beat. https://youtu.be/Ts0XSyWpMnU?is=6yUQkjpwn6qLKGnr

2. Antmusic - Adam & The Ants (LW 2) (W 8)
Adam & The Ants hold firm in second place. One of the defining hits carried over from the closing weeks of 1980, Antmusic is proving that the new year belongs to more than just new arrivals. The band are also represented at No. 11 with Young Parisians. https://youtu.be/YEAaLt0Qbl0?is=ruQRZJM-ZNtwvzA-

3. Woman - John Lennon (NEW)
Lennon claims a second place in the Top 3 as Woman arrives straight in at No. 3. A beautiful declaration of love dedicated to Yoko Ono, it gives the chart another significant Lennon moment just weeks after his death. https://youtu.be/V9ucK4t\_9TU?is=73b7lTxAJ-lIW0Uk

4. In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins (LW 36) (W 2)
What a leap! Phil Collins surges 32 places from No. 36 to No. 4 in only his second chart week. With its brooding atmosphere, unusual production and that unforgettable drum break, In The Air Tonight sounds unlike almost anything else in the Top 10. It's a major breakthrough for Collins as a solo artist.

https://youtu.be/MODkE9f3GQ8?is=fBJ5828P-iCBM153

5. Do Nothing/Maggie's Farm - The Specials featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds (LW 4) (W 7)
The Specials slip one place but remain comfortably in the upper reaches. Their distinctive ska sound continues to hold its own amid the growing presence of synthesiser-led pop and new wave.

https://youtu.be/FyL17d0Ny-g?is=AAjlMh-EyUIInikF

https://youtu.be/mQjPmAVJvXY?is=WBnxEBZvoNp2RbfI

6. I Am The Beat - The Look (LW 14) (W 6)
The Look make a strong advance, climbing eight places into the Top 10. I Am The Beat is becoming one of the week's success stories.

https://youtu.be/j6X17dWibsM?is=QjT\_tg\_FJyecMWRT

7. Too Nice To Talk To - The Beat (LW 7) (W 7)
The Beat stand still at No. 7. With two groups carrying the ska torch inside the Top 10, the sound that had become so prominent during 1980 is still very much alive.

https://youtu.be/gqFVggBJGlc?is=gj5YRyKnwp3AP773

8. Don't Stop The Music - Yarbrough & Peoples (LW 19) (W 5)
Another big mover! Yarbrough & Peoples climb 11 places to No. 8. Their infectious funk sound brings a different flavour to the Top 10.

https://youtu.be/zn9EzpH4W9o?is=at01NsB2TmRCV9i9

9. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John and Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir (LW 3) (W 6)
The Christmas favourite falls six places, but it hasn't disappeared with the decorations. Its continued presence reflects the renewed attention surrounding Lennon's music and the enduring appeal of this seasonal message of peace. https://youtu.be/uMH\_wMvMy\_8?is=c7BUUCkjLvtdzZhK

10. Flash - Queen (LW 10) (W 8)
Queen hold on to the final Top 10 position with Flash. Another survivor from the closing weeks of 1980, it reminds us that last year's hits are still part of the story as 1981 begins to establish its own identity. https://youtu.be/hYTYqs-ytSk?is=N5Ewgux-n8trtf0m

And the original one.

https://youtu.be/LfmrHTdXgK4?is=0C-QsSbcfdDIXt32

Who has left the Top 10?

Notable departures are Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry, now at No. 19; and Chas And Dave's Rabbit, down to No. 18. The Police also slip out of the Top 10, with De Do Do Do De Da Da Da falling to No. 24.

John Lennon's (Just Like) Starting Over has also moved out of the upper reaches, dropping from No. 5 to No. 15 after an impressive 12 weeks on the chart.

The big picture? Lennon remains the dominant presence, Adam & The Ants are holding their ground.

Chart Checkpoint

No. 20: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - David Bowie

https://youtu.be/QMUv\_BtMyXg?is=E3CWWOBDSNm-7e6b

No. 30: Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) - The Gap Band

https://youtu.be/tmcncGirAU4?is=Bl7qhNg7Ppz\_oy\_b

No. 40: I Shot The Sheriff - Light Of The World

https://youtu.be/FmCVNamH\_hk?is=8n1Drml-bhsZq4kV

Three positions that offer a glimpse of the variety below the Top 10. Bowie remains in the frame, The Gap Band continue their run, and Light Of The World arrive at the very foot of the Top 40 with their take on I Shot The Sheriff.

Climbers

Phil Collins takes the honours with In The Air Tonight, shooting up 32 places to No. 4. It's an astonishing advance for a record that is only in its second chart week.

Ultravox are another major success story. Vienna rises 36 places from No. 52 to No. 16, a huge leap for a song that will become one of the defining British synth-pop records of the decade. https://youtu.be/hKAT3Kp56Yg?is=19H36pM4xbgOfga1

Heatwave also make considerable progress, climbing 30 places from No. 59 to No. 29 with Gangsters Of The Groove. https://youtu.be/lx04LaahTK8?is=cxAm7e\_b4k\_yM74l

Light Of The World rise 28 places to No. 40, while Susan Fassbender's Twilight Cafe advances 27 places to No. 36.

https://youtu.be/3siuKcGC1nM?is=7pmewYqO37Be7hyV

Dire Straits move up 24 places to No. 25 with Romeo And Juliet, and Yarbrough & Peoples climb 11 places to No. 8. Visage's Fade To Grey continues its steady ascent, rising ten places to No. 23.

Romeo and Juliet - https://youtu.be/rC95MEenIxA?is=6gCTmgQBhFTajdTD

Fade To Grey - https://youtu.be/eZHk4RwIp\_g?is=g-XXevDLPp7mOJVY

Elsewhere, Adam & The Ants climb from No. 23 to No. 11 with Young Parisians, Stevie Wonder advances to No. 12, and Diana Ross makes a welcome return to the upper half of the chart.

Young Parisians-https://youtu.be/C-70YOQV8kQ?is=inDcICHDXOx0vJvN

I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It -https://youtu.be/DOGeEBKlO1U?is=ZTqwfFvpOIO7dAuQ

It’s My Turn - https://youtu.be/Y6ywk20Aezo?is=Zb3D5-NYa7nLMcfs

🆕 New Entries in the Top 40

New entry: No. 3
Woman - John Lennon
Peak: No. 3 so far | Weeks: 1
Album: Double Fantasy

John Lennon's Woman arrives straight into the Top 3, giving him two records among the leading positions alongside Imagine. Written as a tribute to Yoko Ono, it is a tender, personal song whose release has taken on an added emotional weight following Lennon's death. It is another reminder of how central his music remains to the singles chart in early 1981.

New entry: No. 14
Rapture - Blondie
Peak: No. 14 so far | Weeks: 1
Album: Autoamerican

Blondie return with a record that takes their sound in a fascinating new direction. Rapture combines new-wave pop with funk and hip-hop influences, including a spoken rap passage from Debbie Harry. It was an adventurous move for a major pop act, and one that would help bring rap to a much wider audience.

New entry: No. 33
A Little In Love - Cliff Richard
Peak: No. 33 so far | Weeks: 1
Album: Wired for Sound

Cliff Richard begins another chart run with this polished pop single. Cliff had been a fixture of British popular music for decades by this point, and his ability to keep finding a place in the contemporary charts was remarkable. This one has plenty of room to climb in the coming weeks.

New entry: No. 38
The Return Of The Los Palmas Seven - Madness
Peak: No. 38 so far | Weeks: 1
Album: Absolutely

Madness return with an instrumental that puts their musical versatility firmly in the spotlight. Rather than relying on the band's usual vocal-led approach, The Return Of The Los Palmas Seven showcases their ska influences and tightly arranged ensemble. It's a different proposition from Embarrassment, which remains at No. 28, but unmistakably Madness.

Long Chart Runners

Several records are proving remarkably resilient as January progresses.

John Lennon's (Just Like) Starting Over and Barry Manilow's Lonely Together are the joint longest-surviving records in the Top 40, both now on 12 weeks. Despite their very different styles, neither has quite finished its chart journey.

https://youtu.be/e\_ct\_cfqyO4?is=OD1nL0FaQGC9-f8n

https://youtu.be/mxVyCNhZGA8?is=tJ26sRoZRK0KsRHl

Mac Davis's It's Hard To Be Humble and Neil Diamond's Love On The Rocks have each reached 11 weeks, while Madness's Embarrassment is up to ten.

It’s Hard to Be Humble https://youtu.be/WJ1JYq8jPWk?is=7tRow\_FRH3UOi-Ua

Love On The Rocks - https://youtu.be/\_PiIqWcme9A?is=SBJc3h0tc0zMljkS

Embarrassment- https://youtu.be/P23Gqn6y8AI?is=BHHxT1LJD10G-2TP

Chas And Dave's Rabbit, Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry, Matchbox's Over The Rainbow/You Belong To Me and The Stray Cats' Runaway Boys have all survived for nine weeks.

Rabbit -https://youtu.be/pTvxqsIl9qE?is=5rLyUJcHvW50\_1-D

Stop The Cavalry - https://youtu.be/rDBfGrfUuug?is=Xl3QSzA0LWDc5gML

Over The Rainbow - https://youtu.be/u5yhld59kTk?is=nqanrMQetupTYAyt

Runaway Boys - https://youtu.be/SveJCGB09GU?is=XL05\_Fq7vxjcu8tr

Meanwhile, Antmusic, Queen's Flash, The Nolans' Who's Gonna Rock You, Bad Manners' Lorraine and Status Quo's Lies/Don't Drive My Car have each reached eight weeks.

Who’s Gonna Rock You-https://youtu.be/kRidgiWnnYE?is=cRyinwpC-FnnV0VZ

Lorraine-https://youtu.be/zzkTTA0YQe4?is=\_qXGn91MfaMdyLq7

Lies/Don’t Drive My Car -https://youtu.be/YERXeg4iFes?is=xU-OjkqMDqQNEYvd

https://youtu.be/Kd1CV3W9abs?is=ZHpd65FhCyXVHTm3

The staying power of these records gives the chart a fascinating mixture of old favourites and emerging sounds. Some of the songs that defined the final months of 1980 are still hanging on, even as new contenders begin to make their mark.

The old year hasn't quite let go, but the new one is already making its mark.

What are your memories of the music of January 1981? Which of these records would you have bought at the time?

🎵 Thanks for following UK Retro Charts — more chart history coming soon!

New entry: 14

Rapture - Blondie

https://youtu.be/pHCdS7O248g?is=BxsgSOEnzeAa_Zx2

Peak: 5 | Weeks: 8

Album: Autoamerican

Now we're talking. Blondie's Rapture doesn't creep into the chart at the bottom — it arrives at #14.

It's one of those records that sounds like virtually nothing else around it: disco, rock, funk, and an early taste of rap all thrown into the same musical pot. Debbie Harry's spoken-word section would become particularly famous, while the song's strange mixture of styles seemed to sum up just how unpredictable pop had become by 1981.

It would climb to #5, giving Blondie another major British hit. This would be their final top 10 hit of the 1980s, which signals the end of an era, following a consistent 1979 and 1980.

It was also their fourth and final US number 1.

New entry: 33

A Little in Love - Cliff Richard

https://youtu.be/H4-UBCDbLx8?is=xgPMhwZdcUI6eTol

Peak: 15 | Weeks: 8

Album: I'm No Hero

And then, amongst all the punk, ska and new wave, along comes Cliff Richard.

A Little in Love starts at #33 and eventually reaches #15, giving Cliff another sizeable chart run. It's a useful reminder that although the musical landscape is changing rapidly around him, the established stars haven't suddenly disappeared. Early 1981's chart is very much a mixture of the old guard and the new.

New entry: 38

The Return of the Los Palmas Seven -Madness

https://youtu.be/EAUhSuI_8lU?is=NTj0LktxTj1m9hcd

Peak: 7 | Weeks: 11

Album: Absolutely

Now we're into serious chart territory. Madness had already given us Baggy Trousers and Embarrassment, and their largely instrumental Return of the Los Palmas Seven arrives at #38 before marching all the way to #7.

It's an unusual single: there isn't really a conventional vocal performance, and the track grew out of the band's earlier instrumental sound. Stiff Records boss Dave Robinson, had been keen for another instrumental after the success of One Step Beyond. It worked — and the record even picked up considerable BBC Radio 2 airplay, helping Madness reach an older audience.

Definitely one of their best since they first appeared on the charts, with The Prince back in September 1979.

New entry: 45

The Freeze - Spandau Ballet

https://youtu.be/ahIN_jHIniE?is=-7b_MkgDw5GUJ65c

Peak: 17 | Weeks: 8

Album: Journeys to Glory

Spandau Ballet weren't finished with To Cut a Long Story Short yet, which was still sitting at #55, but here comes their follow-up.

The Freeze initially enters at #45 before making a considerable leap into the Top 20, peaking at #17. It's another step in the band's rapid transformation from the Blitz-era club scene, into genuine chart contenders.

New entry: 50

Give Peace a Chance – John Lennon

https://youtu.be/ftE8vr0WNus?is=E7oU1dN_1ScPjSPF

Peak: 33 | Weeks: 5

Album: Standalone single

Originally released in 1969, John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance returned to the UK charts in January 1981 following his death the previous month. The song was recorded during Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous Bed-In for Peace in Montreal, with the chorus becoming an internationally recognised anti-war slogan.

Re-entering at number 50, the single climbed to a peak of number 33 during its five-week chart run. Its return was another sign of the renewed public interest in Lennon’s solo catalogue following the shock of his murder in December 1980.

More than a decade after its original release, the song’s message of peace carried renewed poignancy, as fans revisited the music and ideals of an artist whose life had been cut tragically short.

New entry: 53

The Best of Times - Styx

https://youtu.be/_fzJGxpcenc?is=4jWNpkBqj1TMAMPY

Peak: 42 | Weeks: 5

Album: Paradise Theatre

American rock makes an appearance with Styx and The Best of Times. The song came from Paradise Theatre, a concept album built around the rise and fall of a fictional Chicago theatre — rather grand stuff for a single arriving at #53.

It didn't become a major British hit, but the album itself was about to become one of Styx's biggest successes.

New entry: 54

Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me) - XTC

https://youtu.be/mRDGAnWdJgE?is=7AHXZA3s9g47ZxND

Peak: 16 | Weeks: 9

Album: Black Sea

One of the real growers of the week. XTC's Sgt. Rock arrives at 54, but, has considerably further to travel, eventually reaching 16. It's an amusingly off-kilter new wave song about a fictional soldier, offering rather dubious romantic advice.

Nine weeks on the chart makes this a much more substantial run than its modest debut might suggest.

New entry: 64

Turn Me On, Turn Me Off - Honey Bane

https://youtu.be/CChMzT58x8o?is=DMD8h1X4S72hlZNF

Peak: 37 | Weeks: 5

Album: Non-album single

Honey Bane brings a distinctly punky edge to the chart. She'd emerged from London's punk scene as a teenager and had already attracted attention on the independent circuit before this release. Turn Me On, Turn Me Off didn't exactly set the Top 40 alight on arrival, but it steadily climbed from 64 to 37 — a respectable showing.

A bit repetitive after 60 seconds though lol.

New entry: 67

Never Gonna Give You Up (Won't Let You Be) - Patrice Rushen

https://youtu.be/LpuG4R4Lvsk?is=7kf-9FiJJ2iXiGPg

Peak: 66 | Weeks: 3

Album: Posh

A change of pace down at 67, as American singer songwriter and keyboard player Patrice Rushen, arrives with this funky soul number.

It would prove to be a very brief UK chart visit, but Rushen was already well established in the States. Patrice would be back in 1982 with a much bigger hit.

New entry: 68

Zerox - Adam & the Ants

https://youtu.be/dkwHapwfZ6w?is=yA_Va46Tf0RV7oTm

Peak: 45 | Weeks: 9

Album: Dirk Wears White Sox

And the Ants story gets even stranger. Zerox was another older recording dragged out by Do It Records at precisely the moment Adam & the Ants were becoming one of Britain's hottest new bands.

So, for this week, the chart contains four Adam & the Ants records, Antmusic, Young Parisians, Cartrouble, and Zerox. Not bad going for a band who were still very much in the process of taking over.

New entry: 69

Cartrouble - Adam & the Ants

https://youtu.be/LdiKO0gAQwA?is=SNqJMBio7BwYzrE6

Peak: 33 | Weeks: 9

Album: Dirk Wears White Sox

There's a slightly grubby bit of record-company history behind this one. Cartrouble wasn't a brand-new Adam & the Ants release at all. Their old label, Do It Records, rushed it out after the band had moved on and Antmusic was becoming a sizeable hit.

Hoping to cash in on the sudden Antmania, it did fairly well commercially, with the single eventually reaching #33.

New entry: 36

In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins

https://youtu.be/YkADj0TPrJA?is=ggJS3ASeBCDFG_pK

Peak: 2 | Weeks: 10

Album: Face Value

This is a rather significant arrival on the chart, as it marks Phil Collins' first solo single following his work with Genesis. Although Face Value wouldn't be released until February, "In The Air Tonight" had already made a very strong impression, eventually reaching No.2 in the UK. The famously dramatic drum break would, of course, become one of the most recognisable moments in 1980s pop music. It was also the first of a long run of solo hits for Collins.

A chart recap will follow soon.👍

New entry: 44

It's My Turn - Diana Ross

https://youtu.be/Y6ywk20Aezo?is=-cfirmUJw5AF8Xgl

Peak: 16 | Weeks: 8

Album: To Love Again

Diana Ross was hardly a newcomer to the British charts by this point, having already enjoyed a string of solo successes after leaving The Supremes. "It's My Turn" was originally written as the theme for the 1980 film of the same name and became another substantial hit for Ross, eventually climbing to No.16. It was subsequently included on her To Love Again album.

New entry: 48

Cold Love - Donna Summer

https://youtu.be/a0pVV1pSDM8?is=n-bL-9wsE6l0KVyo

Peak: 44 | Weeks: 3

Album: The Wanderer

Donna Summer followed up her 1980 hit "The Wanderer" with this rather different-sounding number. "Cold Love" leaned more towards rock and new wave than the disco sound for which Summer had become famous, although it didn't hang around on the British chart for particularly long. It eventually peaked at No.44, giving Summer another UK chart appearance at the beginning of a new year.

New entry: 49

Romeo And Juliet - Dire Straits

https://youtu.be/rC95MEenIxA?is=mHqzl7jgj3mEIfjY

Peak: 8 | Weeks: 11

Album: Making Movies

One of Dire Straits' most enduring songs makes its chart debut here. "Romeo And Juliet" came from their 1980 album Making Movies and would climb all the way to No.8, giving the band another Top 10 hit following their earlier success with "Sultans Of Swing".

Mark Knopfler's song, with its distinctive guitar introduction, would go on to become one of the group's best-known recordings.

I remember this song, along with Tunnel of Love, and the Skateaway song, on a VHS that came with our new Saisho VCR. My family played the Dire Straits video to death.

A bit of useless information there!👍

New entry: 52

Vienna - Ultravox

https://youtu.be/hKAT3Kp56Yg?is=LnxkfYHfWs_gmLxA

Peak: 2 | Weeks: 18

Album: Vienna

Here's one of the really important arrivals of this particular week. "Vienna" was the title track of Ultravox's 1980 album and marked the group's first appearance in the UK Top 10.

With Midge Ure now fronting the band, Ultravox had moved into a much more atmospheric synth-driven sound, and although "Vienna" would famously be kept off the top spot, it eventually reached No.2 and became the band's signature song.

It would also be one of the biggest sellers of 1981.

New entry: 53

Hang Together - Odyssey

https://youtu.be/dPNWNbGhI1s?is=rOVfRayb2ApOVyjA

Peak: 36 | Weeks: 7

Album: Hang Together

Odyssey were no strangers to the British charts by 1981. The New York-based group had already enjoyed a pair of major hits in 1980, including the No.1 "Use It Up And Wear It Out".

“Hang Together" was a much smaller success by comparison reaching No.36, but, it nevertheless gave Odyssey another Top 40 appearance. The single was taken from their album of the same name, which had itself appeared on the UK Albums Chart in 1980.