The A – Z of my Singles Collection Part 6

It’s the Fs and Gs this time, and we start with the theme tune for a show I never watched a single second of! Auf Weidersehen Pet was about a group of builders in Germany and had a pretty stellar cast who went on to, amongst other things, Inspector Morse, Harry Potter and chart topping hits. Anyway, the most played side, That’s Livin’ Alright, sung by Joe Fagin was the archetypal 80s theme tune, and a close cousin of the theme tunes for Minder and Boon. What can I say? I love a theme tune you can belt out! Next, a tune from something I did watch! Axel F from Harold Faltermeyer has echoes of the stunning score from Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter, but is a much more upbeat use of a synthesiser, perfectly suiting the brilliant film it came from. Beverly Hills Cop was something of a phenomenon amongst me and my friends at the time and a film I saw more than once on the big screen.

Continuing the film and TV theme, we have two singles from occasional chart entrants, The Firm. Their first hit single, Arthur Daley e’s Alright mined Chas and Dave territory, and we’ve already alluded to my affection for Rockney! It was a song made up of catchphrases from the show, Minder, and reached a respectable Number 14 in the charts in 1982. Massive success followed 5 years later with UK chart topping single Star Trekkin’ based on the original series with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura and Scotty being the subject of the verses, which become increasingly frenetic. I remember it chiefly for it’s role in a parade my venture unit took part in. We had constructed a float featuring the USS Enterprise and we took part in the parade with Star Trekkin’ blasting out of the speakers of a massive boom box, on a loop for 90 minutes! Just to complete the picture, I was sporting a pair of very uncomfortable Vulcan ears made of cardboard! Let’s just say that it was a long time before I could listen to that song again!

Every so often, I come across a single that baffles me, and Rain or Shine by Five Star, a group I never liked at the time or afterwards, definitely fits into that category. I can only assume that it was when I was DJing for a party and felt that I needed to have it. For those who don’t know the group .. keep it that way!

In complete contrast, the next single is one of my favourite tracks of all time, and the first summer song I became totally obsessed by. Beach Baby by First Class is quite simply perfect, and in the summer of 1974 seemed to be on the radio every hour or so. Despite all this airplay it only reached Number 13 in the charts when it should have been absolutely massive. It is a song that takes the Beach Boys template and setting and mixes it with brass, full orchestra and harmonies that the Beach Boys themselves would have been proud of. It is a magnificent pop record that needs some sort of Tik Tok visibility to turn it into the Top 5 record it should have been.

A couple of 80s tracks to finish off with that fall into the category of ‘I haven’t heard that in ages’. First of all, a group more famous for the lead singer’s hairstyle, which was a visual joke in the Adam Sandler film ‘The Wedding Singer’ made in 1998. The fact that the bulk of the audience would have got the joke indicates what a visual impact they made in a relatively short lived pop career. Anyone who might only know them because of the haircut should listen to Wishing (If I had a Photograph of You) to hear what a good band they were. The Flying Pickets are, of course, best known in the UK for their monster Christmas Number 1 of 1983, an acapella version of Only You (which I have on 12″ single) but the follow-up When You’re Young and in Love is, in my opinion, the superior song. They had a Top 10 with this absolutely gorgeous arrangement that you really must check out if you haven’t heard it.

The next octet of singles features a couple of tracks that were barely off of my record player from the time I bought them. First up, though, is a hit from the end of 1985 that I thought was headed Top 10 if not all the way to Number 1. Not for the first time I was way out of synch with the record buying public who didn’t buy Tender Love by Force MDs in any real numbers. A top five hit in the US, it staggered to 23 in the UK charts before heading back down again. It was an undeserved fate for a song that is a stunning ballad that easily matches, if not surpasses, the next song, I Want to know what love is by Foreigner which was a huge Number 1 both sides of the Atlantic and featured, I found out today, Tom Bailey of The Thompson Twins on keyboards. There’s a question for a pop quiz! It is a good song, but in an era when big ballads were ten a penny, perhaps not as amazing as the chart positions might have you believe. That said, the gospel choir are brilliant and lift it from good to monster hit when they are singing. Old Gold again for the next song, a perennial favourite of mine from The Four Seasons, the euphoric December 63 (Oh What a Night). It was Number 1 in 1976 and I absolutely loved it. When I bought it I was transported back to the mid 70s straight away and I played it again and again to take me back to happier, less complicated times. Freeez were responsible for one of the most memorable tracks of 1983 with the catchy club inflected I.O.U. It was perhaps the first club record that ever caught my ear and it reached Number 2 in the UK and Number 1 in the US Billboard Dance Chart. Back to Beverly Hills Cop for the next track, the inspired The Heat is On by Glenn Frey of The Eagles. It is without doubt one of my favourite songs on any film soundtrack and proves, if proof were needed, that the 80s were the highwater mark of film music especially as far as the charts were concerned.

One of my all time favourite records is next, but baffling to see that it’s the only Fun Boy Three single I ever bought. Oh well, if you’re only going to have one, then it’s got to be Tunnel of Love. What brilliant lyrics, what a fantastic tune. It’s pure pop perfection and a track I will never tire of. I could pick any line at random and it would be brilliant, but the one I always think of is ‘The trial separation worked’! If you want an encapsulation of Terry Hall’s genius, it’s those four words of cynical detachment.

A couple of Peter Gabriel singles next. Sledgehammer was famous for an iconic video. Although the song itself is good, it doesn’t have the same impact without the visuals, at least not in my opinion. The duet with Kate Bush, Don’t Give Up, benefitted from both Bush’s ethereal vocals and one of the most hard hitting lyrics of the 80s dealing with the mental impact of unemployment. It is heart rending and, sadly, as relevant now as it was then.

What can I say about the next record, Bright Eyes? It was the theme for Watership Down, a frankly horrific watch that is ingrained in the memory of anyone who ever saw it. It was Art Garfunkel’s biggest ever record in the UK, reaching Number 1 and staying there for 6 weeks. It was yet another hit for the genius songwriter Mike Batt, but bafflingly his only UK Number 1 ever. Oh, and its absolutely gorgeous even if it is about death. Genesis were a group who were always on the edge of my musical affections, but the first record of theirs I bought, That’s All, has an irresistible tune and still sounds as fresh as a daisy 40 years on. The other one I bought was Invisible Touch Live which was released in 1992 and so was one of the last 7″ singles I ever bought. It may be heretical to say so, but I think Phil Collins as a solo performer was better than the group itself.

On to Godley and Creme of 10CC who released two stunning singles in quick succession. Under Your Thumb was atmospheric and unsettling with its depiction of an abusive relationship and a deeply disturbing twist in the tail that sent shivers down my spine the first time I heard it. From the perspective of today it can be seen to be a troubling track, but I think it is simply brave and brilliant. The follow up, Wedding Bells was more traditional, but no less catchy, telling the story of a commitment phobic man who doesn’t want to marry his girlfriend! OK, another questionable choice I suppose, but I still enjoy Seven Tears by The Goombay Dance Band. It’s so catchy and so corny that it makes the journey from kitsch to irresistible for me. Go West were a duo who had a decent run of success in the 80s and Don’t Look Down was the single of theirs which really hit the spot for me.

Finally, you have the genius of TV themes, Ron Grainer, with Doctor Who and Tales of the Unexpected, two of the best examples of the whole genre. However, it is the B Side of the Doctor Who single that is my absolute favourite. It’s not widely known, it’s not from a TV programme, but Reg is one of the finest piece of early electronica you could ever wish to hear. It was going to be the final track in my Spotify list to go with this set of singles, but it isn’t on the platform or on YouTube! It’s brilliant, and I really urge you to search for it and listen to it.

So, on to the Hs next. What is in store for us next? Even I’m not sure!

Anyway, I have my Spotify Playlist here if you are interested

The A-Z of my singles collection Part 2