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Re: rage goes retro 4 - FIVE COUNTDOWN EPISODES!!!!!

Polyhex has it at number 2 as well

Re: rage goes retro 4 - FIVE COUNTDOWN EPISODES!!!!!

I don't mind the 1985 episode, I agree that there's nothing particularly rare in there though. From the point of view of stuff I like that I don't have on DVD there's Eurogliders, Kids In The Kitchen, Models and Thompson Twins. It's also the week that Koo De' Tah peaked in the top ten. The rest is very common though, and no host doesn't help.

Re: rage goes retro 4 - FIVE COUNTDOWN EPISODES!!!!!

ohnoitisnathan
Gary
Which chart did Counntdown use for the UK top 5? I noticed that "Gold" was at number one but I've always thought that it peaked at #2. So it must have made it to #1 on one of the UK charts. Spandau's best song IMHO


'Gold' definitely peaked at #2 in the UK, see http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18710/spandau-ballet/ .

I don't know about that early in the 80's, but in the late 80s, there was a different UK chart called the Network chart, which was published in UK pop magazine, Number One - a rival Smash Hits-type magazine that used to ship to Australia about 2-3 months after its cover date. The Network chart didn't begin until 1984 though, according to its wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Network_Chart_Show

Countdown were using their own chart, I believe, until mid 1983. e.g. they had some singles tying for positions occasionally in the top 10, and in this Humdrum segment from July 1983, Molly explains that they were now switching to using the ARIA chart (which was then licensing the Kent Report chart): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7OxWO4I2NY

I am guessing they may have produced the chart from No.1 Magazine as Nathan mentioned. At the base of the chart it says "Compiled by N.M.E." which was the New Music Express pop paper similar to RAM and Juke that we had here in Australia. It is more likely that Countdown copied the chart from the one published in N.M.E. rather than the No.1 chart as I had seen Molly hold up copies of that paper in a few Humdrum episodes.

I have just had a look through my copies of No.1 and the August 27 1983 copy had the following chart which was very similar to the Top 5 shown on Countdown Sept 4 1983 except Give It Up and Long Hot Summer swapped positions - this may even have been an error produced by Countdown when reproducing this chart.

Gold spent 2 weeks at No.1 on this chart.

 photo 1_zpsw7dbjsjm.jpg

Re: rage goes retro 4 - FIVE COUNTDOWN EPISODES!!!!!

Gary

Thanks for the info and links - hadn't heard of officialcharts.com. I've mostly used everyhit.com for my UK chart info

I also remember Number One magazine. I collected those along with Smash Hits.


Polyhex, as JASE has mentioned, is also another useful site (and probably more user-friendly), but it only lists top 75 chart runs:

http://www.polyhex.me.uk/uksingles/chartruns-uksingles.cfm


Chart Log UK is another useful site, listing top 200 peaks from late 1994:

http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_00.HTM

However, the peaks listed on this site up until some time in 2001 are the uncompressed chart (no exclusions below #75) peaks, so peaks within the 76-100 range from this period differ to those on the officialcharts site, which displays the 'compressed' chart peaks (singles falling out of the top 75 are removed from the chart if their sales decline exceeds 20%, but can re-enter the chart if their sales start increasing again). The difference can be quite large, as e.g. I've seen a single listed as peaking at #134 on the uncompressed chart peaking at #100 on the compressed chart.

Re: rage goes retro 4 - FIVE COUNTDOWN EPISODES!!!!!

I noticed when they played the UK Top 5 there was an alternate video to 'Long Hot Summer'. Must check YouTube!