The song of the month for January 1979
Heart Of Glass by Blondie (peak chart position: No.1)
Experienced pop music producer Mike Chapman dragged the Blondie group kicking and screaming away from their punk origins and into the mainstream where their own brand of new wave rock would be sufficiently attractive to ensure commercial success. The group’s finest triumph indeed came courtesy of a disco-influenced track which could be used as dance floor material. ‘Heart Of Glass’ wasn’t a typical Blondie tune, but as the group started to branch out into new sounds, there became no such thing as a typical Blondie tune.
The song of the month for February 1979
Chiquitita by Abba (peak chart position: No.2)
By Abba’s very high standards, ‘Chiquitita’ was an abysmal failure, only managing to reach a dismal Number Two in the British singles lists! In fact, pop charts are rarely an accurate barometer of quality so it is possible to argue that this marvellous melodrama is actually superior to some of the fab four’s chart-toppers. The tragic ‘Chiquitita’ would at least provide extra funds for UNICEF as the group donated its royalties to this children’s charity. The talented quartet remained regular visitors to the top of the pops for another 2 years.
The song of the month for March 1979
Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel (peak chart position: No.1)
The man with the supremely beautiful voice proved that there was life after Simon when he enjoyed two British Number One successes in the 1970s. Whilst ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ is a superb love song, ‘Bright Eyes’ was a mini-epic which finished the year as the UK’s biggest-selling single. Composed by the songwriter Mike Batt, this single was associated with the animated ‘Watership Down’ movie. The music was first class, the singing was of the highest quality and the video with the rabbits was compulsive viewing. It was scarcely a surprise therefore that this recording occupied the British pop summit for six weeks in the spring of 1979.
The song of the month for April 1979
Dance Away by Roxy Music (peak chart position: No.2)
Whilst Britain coped with another general election campaign on the back of a ‘winter of discontent’, Roxy Music returned to form with their very own ‘Manifesto’. The ‘Manifesto’ included the Top Five smashes ‘Angel Eyes’ and the outstanding ‘Dance Away’. The latter was sung from the point of view of a poor soul who finds no alternative but to close his “eyes and dance ‘til dawn” as a means of escaping personal heartache. This hit ought to be short-listed for the song of the year, while Roxy Music’s ‘Manifesto’ would have won my vote.
The song of the month for May 1979
I Fought The Law by The Clash (peak chart position: No.22)
Bracing themselves for the harsh medicine of the new Thatcher administration, the Clash released the ‘Cost Of Living’ extended player. The song which was afforded most exposure from this 45 was the band’s cover of ‘I Fought The Law’, performed originally by Bobby Fuller. They may not have had to break rocks in the hot sun, but the anti-establishment Clash had fallen foul of the law at various times, so the song title was apt. 1979 culminated in the group’s release of the ‘London Calling’ double album to universal acclaim.
The song of the month for June 1979
C’mon Everybody by The Sex Pistols (peak chart position: No.3)
Once his mate Johnny sloped off to form his own Public Image Limited, the loose cannon that was Sid Vicious was left to his own self-destructive devices. Before long he would be accused of having murdered his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, and then the tragic fool died of a drugs overdose. In loving memory of Sid (or more likely to capitalise on ‘The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle’ movie), a number of Sid karaoke classics climbed the British charts. Chief among them was a terrific rendition of Eddie Cochran’s ‘C’mon Everybody’.
The song of the month for July 1979
Gangsters by The Specials (peak chart position: No.6)
As punk rock subsided, a new multi-racial dance craze from the English Midlands filled the vacuum. The main protagonists were the special septet, the Specials. Coventry’s finest hit the ground running when their first release on their own ‘Two Tone’ record label advanced into the UK Top Ten. The group had previously toured as support for the Clash, so they were familiar with the machinations of Clash manager, Bernie Rhodes. As a result, ‘Gangsters’ contained the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of “Bernie Rhodes knows; don’t argue.”
The song of the month for August 1979
I Can’t Help It by Michael Jackson (album track)
Michael Jackson finally cut off the family umbilical cord to pursue his own musical path and made the best possible start with the Quincy Jones-produced ‘Off The Wall’. This album would have been hailed as one of North America’s finest long players were it not for the success of its successors, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’. Nevertheless ‘Off The Wall’ is overflowing with exquisite cuts. The title track and ‘She’s Out Of My Life’ are two such musical wonders, but one of the great hidden jewels of planet pop is Jackson’s attempt at Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Can’t Help It’. Michael sings of “like a trip to Heaven” and when you hear the accompanying strings, you know precisely what he means. This is a truly beautiful song from a brilliant singer but odd individual.
The song of the month for September 1979
Video Killed The Radio Star by Buggles (peak chart position: No.1)
Island Records had been sponsors of a plethora of reggae, rock, and even punk artists who contributed many seminal performances to the charts, but it took the unusual source of Buggles to provide Chris Blackwell’s company with their first British Number One. Blackwell was aghast when Trevor Horn explained that he had named his group after his dog. ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ wasn’t necessarily realised, but MTV cheekily used the video of this great pop song as its first-ever broadcast video. I was always keen on the group’s follow-up, ‘Plastic Age’, but Trevor Horn would later find further fame as the producer of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
The song of the month for October 1979
On My Radio by The Selecter (peak chart position: No.8)
The Selecter had enjoyed a previous outing when their self-titled instrumental comprised the flip side of the spongy ska of ‘Gangsters’ by their stable mates, the Specials. This time around the group released their own single, complete with Pauline Black’s lead vocals. ‘On My Radio’ wailed about the same old songs on the airwaves, but here was a new treat for the youth generation to feast themselves on. The Selecter never really built on the success of this fine debut, and by 1981 they were going their separate ways.
The song of the month for November 1979
One Step Beyond by Madness (peak chart position: No.7)
Madness had previously dipped their toes in the Top Twenty with ‘The Prince’ which was a tribute to the Jamaican ska legend, Prince Buster. This time around the crazy north Londoners thrilled all and sundry with their ‘One Step Beyond’ instrumental. The recording was dominated by the saxophone of Lee Thompson, while the accompanying video displays the choreography of the nutty dance. Carl Smyth (then called Chas Smash) introduces the song and its “heavy heavy monster sound.” Here was a new group on the brink of fame.
The song of the month for December 1979
Sara by Fleetwood Mac (peak chart position: No.37)
Sara only just sneaked into the British Top 75 at the end of December but this was the highlight of Fleetwood Mac’s latest LP, the ambitious double album, ‘Tusk’. The great Stevie Nicks takes time out from her extra-curricular cocaine consumption to sing of “Drowning in the sea of love/ Where everyone would love to drown.” Gosh, drowning has never seemed so attractive. Mick Fleetwood weighs in with a tremendous rhythm while the backing harmonies only add to the majesty of this track. Here is one song that merits the word ‘classic’.
1979’s CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
Led Zeppelin made their first UK appearance in four years when they performed at the Knebworth music festival in August. It would be the last outings of the original four on their native soil. Meanwhile, a new stable of artists from the west Midlands and London were instigating a new dance craze, as the Specials, the Selecter, the Beat, and Madness were prompting youngsters to get rather dizzy from the sounds of ska. Another new outfit, the Pretenders, took to the road, with another combo, entitled UB40, acting as their support. The Clash too were up close and personal with concert-goers throughout the UK. Then, at the end of December, as a turbulent decade drew to a close, the likes of the Clash, the Pretenders, and the Specials joined three Zeppelins for a series of concerts at the Hammersmith Odeon to raise funds for the people of war-torn Kampuchea. The performances were dominated by characteristically show-stopping efforts from the Who and Queen. Rockpile and Wings weighed in with their contributions, while Paul McCartney assembled a hugely impressive Rockestra, consisting of some of the best musicians in the business. The Rockestra concept was almost certainly Band Aid ahead of its time. It was a noble means of bringing the curtain down on the 1970s, though it would not be long before Macca was back in the news headlines, but for all the wrong reasons.
1979’s ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Eat To The Beat by Blondie
(released in October; reached No.1 in the UK)
‘Eat To The Beat’ boasted the world’s first accompanying video cassette. It also had the peculiar distinction of sharing the Number One position in the UK chart for one week with the Police. Above all, this was arguably Blondie’s best record, better even than ‘Parallel Lines’. The record ranged in style from the reggae of ‘Die Young Stay Pretty’ to the punk of ‘Living In The Real World’, from the mellow ‘Sound Asleep’ to the loud ‘Victor’. The most recognisable tracks were the hugely popular ‘Atomic’ (a subsequent UK chart-topper) and ‘Dreaming’, as well as the excellent ‘Union City Blue’ which mysteriously failed to reach the British Top Ten. Also worthy of respect are ‘Shayla’, ‘The Hardest Part’, and the outstanding ‘Slow Motion’. Any one of the latter three could have excelled itself in the singles listings. After this impressive offering, it is rather hard to believe that Deborah Harry and the gang would run out of gas two albums later.
SPORT IN 1979
English Division One football champions: Liverpool; runners-up: Nottingham Forest
English FA Cup final: Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2
English League Cup Final: Nottingham Forest 3 Southampton 2
Scottish Division One football champions: Glasgow Celtic; runners-up: Glasgow Rangers
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 3 Hibernian 2 (in a replay)
Scottish League Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 2 Aberdeen 1
Irish League football champions: Linfield; Irish Cup final: Cliftonville 3 Portadown 2
League Of Ireland football champions: Dundalk; cup winners: Dundalk
European Cup final: Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo 0
European Cup-Winners’ Cup final: Barcelona 4 Fortuna Dusseldorf 3 (after extra time)
UEFA Cup final: Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Red Star Belgrade 2-1 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Essex
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales (six points); runners-up: France
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Jody Scheckter (South Africa) in a Ferrari car
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Kerry; runners-up: Dublin
British Open golf champion: Severiano Ballesteros (at Royal Lytham & St Annes)
US Masters golf champion: Fuzzy Zoeller
US Open golf champion: Hale Irwin
USPGA golf champion: David Graham
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: Widnes 12 Wakefield Trinity 3
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final: B Borg beat R Tanner 6-7, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis final: M Navratilova beat C Evert-Lloyd 6-4 6-4
World snooker final: Terry Griffiths (Wales) beat Dennis Taylor (Northern Ireland) 24-16
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Rubstic; price 25-1
The Epsom Derby winner: Troy; jockey - Willie Carson; price 6-1
The Ryder Cup golf contest: United States 17 Europe 11
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