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1970s
The 1970s and the 1980s were very different in lifestyles music styles and trends. Although the B.B.C. was now recording in colour it was years away from the colour quality of the late 1990s and 21st Century.
1977 was by far the most notable year of the 70s. It was the year of Queen Elizabeth II first Jubilee, her Silver Jubilee, and like nothing before or after, including her Gold, Diamond, and even Platinum Jubilee, the whole country was on a party bender like no other. Every housing street in the country was blocked off (except for access) for street parties. But the week of the Silver Jubilee there was a debate started that is still debated today with music fans all over the country. Was 'God Save The Queen' by 'Sex Pistols' number one that week and the chart organizers fixed it out of embarrassment and made 'First Cut Is The Deepest' by 'Rod Stewart' number one? Every Punk fan will say it was to this day and every record store owner in that week reported they were out of stock of the 'Sex Pistols' single and plenty of stock of 'First Cut Is The Deepest'. The 'Sex Pistols' single was banned from play by the B.B.C. and like 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood' in 1984 sales rocketed. It is the firm belief of this domain that the 'Sex Pistols' single WAS the U.K. Number One single the week of the Silver Jubilee.
But that was not all 1977 was going to go down in the music history books for. On August 16th we lost the 'King' who started it all. Elvis Presley was dead at just 42 years of age. If that was not bad enough exactly one month later the 'King' of 'Glam Rock' Marc Bolan of T-Rex was also dead making 1977 infamous in music history.
1979 was the year when all bets were off. DISCO was to start disappearing. Gone but never forgotten. In May a young 'Gary Numan' with his band 'Tubeway Army' got to the top with the first 'Synthpop' single 'Are Friend Electric?' and Gary himself was to get to the top again in September with 'Cars'. Sadly these were his only number ones. But what Gary Numan started was going to define the early and mid-1980s. Synthpop was here and it was going to rock.
Although 'Sparks' got to the top 5 in 1974 with 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us' it was their 'Giorgio Moroder' hit album 'Number 1 In Heaven' that brought them to the attention of the British record buyer. Out of 3 singles from the album, only one was to hit the top 10 with 'Beat The Clock'. All 3 singles were different versions of the album and defined the era putting'Giorgio Moroder' well on the map of record production for the 1980s. In 1979, Synth Pop, New Romantics, a revival of 60s Ska, Hard Rock, and Divas were replacing Disco, Punk, Easy Listening, and what is now known as 'Classic' Country' and they would define the 1980s. The only genre that the 1970s brought that would carry on with many chart singles into the 1980s was Reggae. Sadly the chart success of Reggae declined after the death of it's King 'Bob Marley/ in May 1981.
1980s
If you ask anyone off the street, young and old, what was their favourite decade in music in the British Charts and most will say it was the 1980s.
In fact, in an official chart voting poll on the subject, it came out at 9% 2000s, 12% 1970s, 5% 1950s & 1960s, 31% 1990s and 43% 1980s. Although life in the U.K. under Thatcher was grim, it was the new sounds that kept the nation gripped. Disco was gone and New Wave, New romantics, Synthpop, and Hard Rock/Metal defined the decade and were the only escape from all the austerity and greed. The early 80s gave rise to synthpop bands like 'Human League' ' Depeche Mode' and 'Howard Jones' among others. Winning The 'Eurovision Song Contest' The same year as the Royal Wedding put 1981 in the history books. The banning of 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood' with 'Relax' catapulted them to the top with their first 3 singles in a row. Something not done since the 1960s. Amongst it all, before 'Bonfire Night' in 1982, we only had 3 television channels. Some would say with just those 3 there was more to watch than over 300 channels now. Jools Holland of the successful band 'Squeeze' was to open the channel with 'Countdown' followed by 'Brookside'. With John Lennon being shot on December 8th, 1980, The Falklands War in 1982, and Thatcher dividing a country between north and south, it was a decade of change and turmoil both musically and politically. Things were going to change in 1989 with the Berlin Wall coming down and the fall of communism and a new sound that was to define the early 1990s. The sound was labeled 'Madchester' and originated from Manchester's long gone 'Hacienda' Night Club. But the biggest ever event in the music world happened in late 1984 when the Charity single 'Do They Know It's Chrismas' entered at #1 for Christmas and the following year led to 'Live Aid' broadcast live from Wembley Stadium in London simultaneously from Philadelphia USA and still stands as the biggest music event in history without a single penny going to the running of it or the artists. Top Of The Pops on BBC 1 was to get a new theme and titles bringing it into the 1980s.
Throughout all the tribulations and stress that was the 1980s, it was the music that got us through and with the invention of the CD in 1983, even the way we listened to music was changing.
