Tag: Gloucestershire

Categories
1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday July 26TH 1987:

  1. “A Little Boogie Woogie” – Shakin’ Stevens
  2. “La Bamba” – Los Lobos
  3. “Misfit” – Curiosity Killed The Cat
  4. “My Pretty One” – Cliff Richard
  5. “F.L.M.” – Mel & Kim

Some would say that the legendary Shakin’ Stevens jumped the shark with his Summer of 1987 hit – “A Little Boogie Woogie” – a cover of Gary Glitter’s wild track from a decade earlier, but it was one of the anthems of the greatest summer of my life – living and working in Gloucestershire England as a 20-year-old.

#Shaky kicked-off a special LIVE edition of “Top Of The Pops” on the BBC on Thursday July 09TH 1987, and the young 39-year-old got the nation dancing in unison via an over-the-top performance complete with back-up dancers. He did not do a “dad-dance”, but rather a very hip and frenetic dance that was quite worthy of the London nightclubs of the era. His performance of the 133 BPM track made an impact. The very next week it soared to # 1 on my chart, and it moved up 13 notches from # 26 to # 13 nationwide (BBC-Gallup). 2 weeks later Shaky did it again on “The Roxy” on ITV on Tuesday July 21ST 1987. 2 days after that he did it for the 2ND time (a rarity) on “Top Of The Pops” on Thursday July 23RD 1987. It peaked at # 12 nationwide the following week, and that’s as high as it got on the charts. Promotion for it ended after that.

It’s 35 years later, and I still love that song !

Every “Top Of The Pops” episode ended with a music video, so I’ll do the same here with “F.L.M.” – # 5 – 35 years ago:

Mel Appleby (1966-1990)

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 45 years ago to the end of July 1977. I’ll share which songs on “American Top 40” that Sunday July 31ST 1977 that I still hear almost every day via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I’ll also reveal which songs from that chart that I plan to buy immediately on iTunes.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday June 28TH 1987:

  1. “Star Trekkin'” – The Firm
  2. “Let’s Dance” – Chris Rea
  3. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” – Crowded House
  4. “When Smokey Sings” – ABC
  5. “It’s A Sin” – Pet Shop Boys

Has it really been 35 years since this 20-year-old teenybopper danced like a maniac in his dorm room to “Star Trekkin'” (across the universe – on the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk !)

What a corny song that was, but it was a # 1 smash on my chart – # 1 nationwide in the United Kingdom, and it was also huge at the record stores on the European continent and also in Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Demento made it a cult favorite here stateside as well.

But allow me to share more on my # 2 hit exactly 35 years ago. It’s Chris Rea. You may remember him for his Summer of 1978 radio hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. It was his biggest hit here stateside. But it wasn’t his biggest hit worldwide. That would be “Let’s Dance”. I took an instant liking to “Let’s Dance” as soon as I heard it for the first time in late-May 1987. The very fast-paced song (175 BPM) spent 11 weeks on my chart – peaking at # 2 for 3 weeks in a row. To this day I still hear this song almost daily via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I consider it to be one of the greatest pop songs ever made, and it’s part of the amazing soundtrack of the greatest summer that I’ve ever seen – the Summer of 1987 – living and working in Gloucestershire England.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of July 2007. It’s the week that a hard rock band was in my Top 5, and they showed me how I can my rock face off to my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
Career Driving History Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

22 years ago in 1987 I was a 20-year-old living in Gloucestershire in the southwest of England. Cirencester (to the west) and Swindon (to the south) were the nearest cities, and I visited both of them fairly often. Swindon was the place to go shopping and hook up with British Rail on my trips over to London. Swindon was also the home to this highway monstrosity:

The Magic Roundabout - Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
The Magic Roundabout - Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

I never drove a car while over in the U.K., as I rode with friends or took public transportation. I lived perhaps a mile from the village of Fairford. I walked to and from the village at least once a week or so.

11TH Strategic Group, RAF Fairford, United Kingdom
11TH Strategic Group, RAF Fairford, United Kingdom

That’s my military unit from November 1985 to November 1987.

NO edition of the ‘Saturday Night Retro’ is complete without a big hit song from the times, so here we go with this week’s retro classic flashback from the past. It’s the 1987 European dance remix of the 1975 disco smash “You Sexy Thing” from Hot Chocolate. Get up and dance my friends !