Best Song: Grandmaster Flash And Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Do It)
My interpretation of rap music many years ago was that it was cheesy Will Smith type crap until the likes of Public Enemy and NWA came along. This is proof of how I'd got it completely wrong. One of the best early 80s rap records out there.
Worst Song: Hazell Dean - Searchin' (I Gotta Find A Man)
As a little kid listening to Now 12 back in 1988, I liked a lot of the music on there but "Who's Leavin Who" by Hazell Dean really irritated me. I could say the same about every other records I've heard too including this one. It's pre Stock Aitken & Waterman but just as crap.
Top 40 Review
We have Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the top 2 places. Unfortunately both records get a zero, if anything because I've heard both records far too many times in my life.
Things improve after that though with Nik Kershaw, Cyndi Lauper and Ollie & Jerry all getting full marks with quite different sounding records. Another record in the Top 10 that gets full marks is "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat.
Synth pop is the dominant genre and the majority of those records are good, although none are what I would call stand out records. The same could be said of other records too, my pick for best song was a no brainer because it does stand out whilst all the other records I liked don't.
When I got to the end of the Top 20 in 1983 it didn't look promising with a score of just 4. However, after this Top 20 we have a score of 11 and adding "When Doves Cry" by Prince at number 21 onto the score we're on 12. Looking much more promising.
However, the next record to get any marks is at number 29 with the Billy Joel double a-side "Goodnight Saigon/Leave A Tender Moment Alone". Then at 30 was Ozzy Osbourne with "So Tired" which I expected to be crap but it's actually not bad.
With more or less an even split between good, ok and rubbish records between 31 and 40 we end up with a very respectable score.
Score: 18.5
Table
1984 is the 2nd best 80s year so far and in 6th place overall:
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