Decade II: 1983

Side 2 of a mixtape, compiled circa March 1990, lost along the way, reimagined and recreated 12th August 2024.
 
I hope you've brought your cardboard, there's some electric boogaloo ahead...
 

Again, as the cassette, sleeve and track listing are lost in the car fumes of history, I've recreated this from scratch, a dozen songs culled from my collection in spring 1990, when I originally recorded this thing.

I'll acknowledge the elephant in the room and say that yes, Temptation by Heaven 17 got to #2 in May 1983 and even that wasn't enough to secure a place in this collection, much as I love it. 

Was swapping it out for Kissing With Confidence by Will Powers (a mere #17 in Oct 1983) a step too far? Not for me, it's not. Besides, it's got Carly Simon on vocals and it's produced by Todd Rundgren! And the video's lots of fun.

At the expense of other contemporary classics, I've also given a nod to the fact that though I'd been blown away by The Message and Buffalo Gals, The Rock Steady Crew were the ones that my mates at school were more interested in. Whilst I didn't feel particularly inclined to wear a Sergio Tacchini tracksuit or start body popping behind the Science block, I did enjoy the music. 

I do remember that the original 1983 cassette started with Burning Down The House by Talking Heads, which is an obvious choice, perhaps. What's more surprising is that when released as a single in the UK in July 1983, it failed to chart. It took 16 years, Sir Tom Jones leathery lungs and The Cardigans' polish to take the song into the Top 10.

 

More debuts on this side, including Cocteau Twins with the beautiful (but non-charting) Sugar Hiccup. I perhaps should have picked something from the equally wonderful Sunburst And Snowblind EP as the record buying public at least managed to get that release to #86, but it's all good.

Talk Talk, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Depeche Mode are all back, with debuts from Aztec Camera, Shannon, Wall Of Voodoo, Fun Boy Three and an up-and-coming band from Manchester, with a striking lead singer and lyricist. Sadly now a complete twit, but made a big impression on me as a 12-year old.

 

More from this decade next weekend. Don't miss it, Big Brother is watching....

1) Burning Down The House (Album Version): Talking Heads
2) Oblivious (Album Version): Aztec Camera
3) (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew (Vocal) (Single Version): The Rock Steady Crew
4) Let The Music Play (Radio Edit): Shannon
5) Kissing With Confidence (12" Mix): Will Powers ft. Carly Simon
6) Everything Counts (Single Version): Depeche Mode
7) This Charming Man (Manchester): The Smiths
8) Mexican Radio (UK Extended Mix): Wall Of Voodoo
9) My Foolish Friend (Extended Version): Talk Talk
10) Sugar Hiccup (Single Version): Cocteau Twins
11) Dear Prudence (Single Version) (Cover of The Beatles): Siouxsie & The Banshees
12) Our Lips Are Sealed (Singles Version): Fun Boy Three

20th March 1983: My Foolish Friend EP (#64): 8

27th March 1983: Call Of The West (#57): 9

15th May 1983: Waiting (#7): 12

??? July 1983: Speaking In Tongues (# n/a): 1

14th August 1983: Construction Time Again (#6): 6

9th October 1983: Dear Prudence EP (#3): 11

16th October 1983: High (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew EP (#6): 3

30th October 1983: Kissing With Confidence EP (#17): 5

27th November 1983: High Land, Hard Rain (#18): 2 *

27th November 1983: Sunburst And Snowbllind EP (#86): 10

27th November 1983: This Charming Man EP (#25): 7

19th February 1984: Let The Music Play (#14): 4 *

Side Two (46:00) (KF) (Mega)

* Oblivious initially entered the UK chart on 30th January 1983 and got to #47 by March, but no higher. Second time lucky when Oblivious was re-released at the end of October and got to #18 a month later.

** Let The Music Play first charted on 13th November 1983, peaked at #51, dropped out of the chart for a month or so, then returned in January 1984 for a further 14 weeks.