In a Bee Gees documentary I once watched one of the members made a point that once a decade ends it's out with the old and in with the new in music terms i.e. if you were a successful music act in that decade you're old hat in the new one. He was referring to the Bee Gees dwindling popularly as the 70s began but in the end they had a pretty successful 70s.
It got me thinking about how 80s chart acts fared in the 90s. The 80s became uncool very early on in the 90s though there were certainly music acts who still had their credibility and chart success in the 90s and beyond.
To determine who was a hit or miss in the 90s I've come up with some rules. As this is based on the Top 40 it goes without saying each act I look at has to have Top 40 hits in both the 80s and 90s. Another rule is they need to have made their Top 40 debut in the 80s. Finally to qualify as an authentic 80s chart act you need to have at least 4 Top 40 hits in the 80s. If you made your Top 40 debut in December 1989 and then had a string of hits in the 90s then the 90s was your time really.
Determining whether they were a hit or miss in the 90s is based on the facts and not my opinions.
I'm going to do these posts year by year beginning with 1980 so here goes:
Shakin Stevens: It could be argued that Shakin Stevens was already old hat when he made his Top 40 debut in 1980 given the 50s style music he was making. Chart wise though he managed to have a Top 40 hit every year in the 80s which included 4 number ones. However after he topped the charts in 1985 with "Merry Christmas Everyone" his Top 40 career was in decline with just 1 more Top 10 to his name. In the 90s he had 4 Top 40 hits. His biggest was "I Might" which reached 18 in 1990 followed by a long forgotten Christmas record the same year, another in 1991 and his final one of the decade was a collaboration with Roger Taylor in 1992 with "Radio" which just creeped into the Top 40 at 37.
Verdict: Miss
Whitesnake: Although they debuted in 1980 their glory days from a chart perspective came in 1987 when they reach number 9 with both "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again 87" which were their only Top 10s. Their 2 Top 40 hits in 1990, "The Deeper The Love" and "Now You're Gone" didn't reach the Top 30. All that remained for them in the 90s was a re-issue of "Is This Love" as a double a-side with "Sweet Lady Luck" in 1994 which made number 25.
Verdict: Miss
UB40: Like Shakin Stevens they had a Top 40 hit every year in the 80s and their music didn't exactly have that 80s sound. Whilst Shakin Stevens sound was very much 50s, UB40s sound could be any decade really and that perhaps helped them succeed in the 90s. They topped the charts in 1993 with "(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You" and had a further 4 Top 10 hits. Several more made the lower reaches but that happened in the 80s too,
Verdict: Hit
The Cure: They're one of those bands whose chart positions don't exactly reflect the popularity of them. For example "Boys Don't Cry" only made number 22 in 1985. They finished the 80s with 13 Top 40 hits to their name with just 2 making the Top 10. They doubled their number of Top 10s in 1992 alone with "High" and "Friday I'm In Love" and that alone is a reason to say they did fare well in the 90s.
Verdict: Hit
Iron Maiden: Ask someone to name an Iron Maiden song and there is a good chance they'll say "Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter". That charted in 1991 and became their only chart topper thanks in part to them playing the system. They also reached number 2 with follow up "Be Quick Or Be Dead" and number 3 with prior hit "Holy Smoke" in 1990. Even the not so fondly remembered Blaze Bayley era gave them a Top 10 with "Man On The Edge".
Verdict: Hit
Robert Palmer: Although he debuted in 1980 his 3rd hit and first Top 10 didn't come until 1986 with his biggest hit "Addicted To Love". He finished the decade with 6 Top 40s of which 3 were Top 10s. In the 90s he had 4 Top 40 hits with 2 Top 10s, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" with UB40 and "Mercy Mercy Me - I Want You" which peaked at 6 and 9 respectively, the same numbers his other Top 40s of the 80s made.
Verdict: Hit
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: They had a Top 40 hit every year between 1980 and 1986 and then nothing for the rest of the decade. However in 1991 they were back with the number 3 hit "Sailing On The Seven Seas" which became their joint highest charting single along with "Souvenir". Another Top 10 followed with "Pandora's Box". Their final 3 hits failed to make the Top 10 and they were finished Top 40 wise after 1996. This presents me with a dilemma, should a brief but successful comeback count as success in the 90s? Not always but in this instance as they managed their joint biggest hit and 2 Top 10s I'll give them a pass.
Verdict: Hit
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