NME Singles of the year 1980 - vote now! Woo!

[Darkness_Fish]

I guess the NME wasn't all that focused on variety. But hey, it's a poll, and some music, so do the listening/voting thing.

[naughty boy]

Just 'Ashes to Ashes' and 'Going Underground' for me.

Of course 'Atmosphere' will win as it's always been popular here despite sounding like Vic Reeves' pub singer with the most soporific backing ever.

[trans-chigley express]

Going Underground, Ashes to Ashes and Grace Jones’s Private Life. Funnily enough I only just heard The Pretenders original version for the first time this week after buying their debut album (part of a cheap Box set of 5 albums) and that’s pretty good too but still prefer the Grace Jones Version.

[The Modernist]

It's easy to get a bit cynical about this stuff as many on the list have become as overplayed in their way as "Free Bird". But it's great stuff on the whole, the only fly in the ointment is two Bow Wow Wow inclusions, which just shows how influential McClaren still was in 1980. Unfortunately for Malc, Bow Wow Wow didn't do the Burundi beat as well as Adam and Marco. Their records from the time still stand up in a way that BWW don't.
Anyway I went for Private Life, Atmosphere and Ashes..Mirror and Going Underground came very close.

[Kinkhurt]

Got to be 'Going Underground', Weller's lyrics are as sharp as a tack for a pop single. The 'Choose Your Leaders .... ' line is fabulously cutting. I didn't appreciate that sentiment till years later. This track was the full stop after Setting Sons, he didn't really write succinct observational lyrics that were so definitely English, Home Counties centered, and based on the mundaneness of ordinary lives, like those again (Cornershop excepted on Sound Affects). (Smithers-Jones is my yardstick for futility)

I remember buying the double-single pack for that one in Casa Disco, our local noise emporium. The 'Dreams of Children', the flip, is probably the better track though. Weller was no slouch on that geetar, pure Rickenbacker hooliganism. I approve.

[The Modernist]

Had 'Dreams of Children' been part of the deal I would definitely have voted for it.
'Town Called Malice' seems to epitomise the kind of lyric you talk about there.

[never/ever]

Joy Divs and Ashes for me.
Going Underground just missed out. Mirror was nice to hear again. Great song.
Grace, Stevie and BWW were OK.

[Darkness_Fish]

I went for "Atmosphere", because I've got better taste than Coan, "Mirror in the Bathroom", and "Your Cassette Pet", because I'd not heard it before and it was a pleasant surprise.

[Kinkhurt]

Had 'Dreams of Children' been part of the deal I would definitely have voted for it.
'Town Called Malice' seems to epitomise the kind of lyric you talk about there.

Yes it is - that's my 'Gift' blind spot showing through, such a small step to all things Style Council.

[Charlie O.]

and "Your Cassette Pet", because I'd not heard it before and it was a pleasant surprise.

Your Cassette Pet was the (cassette) album - the song is "Louis Quatorze".

That would have been my fourth had I been allowed a fourth. I went with the two JDs and "C30 C60 C90 Go". Feh on Moddy!

[naughty boy]

No Magazine? Fall? Clash?

[pcqgod]

Jam, Beat, Bow Wow Wow

[Darkness_Fish]

No Magazine? Fall? Clash?

Blimey, how dull do you want a top 10 to be? Magazine were in the album charts though.

1. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
2. Going Underground - The Jam
3. Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat
4. Atmosphere - Joy Division
5. Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
6. Your Cassette Pet - Bow Wow Wow
7. Private Life - Grace Jones
8. Fashion - David Bowie
9. C30 C60 C90 Go - Bow Wow Wow
10. Master Blaster - Steve Wonder
11. Treason - Teardrop Explodes
12. Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
13. Start! - The Jam
14. Food For Thought/King - Ub40
15. New Amsterdam Ep - Elvis Costello
16. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
17. Rescue - Echo And The Bunnymen
18. My Way Of Thinking - Ub40
19. The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
20. Stand Down Margaret/Best Friend - The Beat
21. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Elvis Costello
22. Drug Train - The Cramps
23. Fiery Jack - The Fall
24. Dance Stance - Dexies Midnight Runners
25. Johnny & Mary - Robert Palmer
26. Hands Off .. She's Mine - The Beat
27. My Flamingo - The Subterraneans
28. A Song From Under The Floorboards - Magazine
29. Independence Day - Comsat Angels
30. My Perfect Cousin - The Undertones
31. Runaway Boys - The Stray Cats
32. At Last I Am Free - Robert Wyatt
33. Looking For Clues - Robert Palmer
34. There, There My Dear - Dexys Midnight Runners
35. My Girl - Madness
36. Another Nail In My Heart - Squeeze
37. Flight - A Certain Ratio
38. Diet/It’s Obvious - The Au Pairs
39. Funkin’ For Jamaica - Tom Browne
40. Seconds To Late - Cabaret Voltaire
41. I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross
42. Hi-Fidelity - Elvis Costello
43. Warrior Charge - Aswad
44. Love Comes In Spurts - Richard Hell
45. Edward Fox - Smack
46. Don’t Stand So Close To Me - The Police
47. Hello I’m Your Heart - Bette Bright
48. Rise And Shine - Linx
49. Happy House - Siouxsie And The Banshees
50. Dog Eat Dog - Adam And The Ants

Also Mentioned


• Cartrouble - Adam And The Ants
• Kings Of The Wild Frontier - Adam And The Ants
• Baltimore - Tamlins
• Lovely One - The Jacksons
• Rapp Payback - James Brown
• Three Mantras - Cabaret Voltaire
• Bankrobber/The Callup - The Clash
• Keep It Up Part 2 - Dexys Midnight Runners
• Elastic Man - The Fall
• Holiday ‘80 Ep - The Human League
• There Goes Concorde Again - The Native Hipsters
• Let Me Talk - Earth, Wind & Fire
• Kebabtraume - D.A.F.
• Politics - Girls At Our Best
• You Gave Me Love - Crown Hights Affair
• Blue Boy/ Falling And Laughing - Orange Juice
• Enola Gaye - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
• Radio Drill Time - Josef K
• Whip It - Devo
• Requiem - Killing Joke
• Hunter Gets Captured By The Game - Grace Jones
• Soul Kiss - Chris Stamey
• Arauco - Robert Wyatt
• Final Day - Young Marble Giants
• Hi-Fidelity - Elvis Costello
• I Want To Be Straight - Ian Dury
• Stereotype - The Specials
• Let’s Get Serious - Jermaine -Jackson
• Cheap Sunglasses - Zz Top
• Talk Of The Town - Pretenders
• Seven Minutes To Midnight - Wah! Heat
• Heyday - The Sound

[naughty boy]

All the really good stuff is there but the order is all wrong.

Having two Bow Wow Wow songs in the top ten is absolutely fucked up by any measure.

[Darkness_Fish]

Strange to see UB40 in there twice, given how much they'd be detested by the NME in later years. And that Linx track is atrocious, I only looked it up because I knew that irritating vocal coach and children's TV presenter David Grant was their singer.

[sloopjohnc]

Love Will Tear Us Apart
Mirror in the Bathroom
Ashes to Ashes - simply because I like it better over Fashion, which was probably the better and more adventurous song.

[The Modernist]

27. My Flamingo - The Subterraneans

One of the few on the list I don't know at all and don't remember anyone taking much of an interest in them at the time. I believe they were Nick Kent's band though, so perhaps a bit of favouritism from the NME there!

[Rayge]

27. My Flamingo - The Subterraneans

One of the few on the list I don't know at all and don't remember anyone taking much of an interest in them at the time. I believe they were Nick Kent's band though, so perhaps a bit of favouritism from the NME there!

It may be, but it's a really good double-sided single, I'd have had it in my 50 for the year, no trouble.
I bought 29 of that top 50, and had others on albums. heigh-ho

Oh, and I voted for the two best tracks by Joy Division and C30, C60, C90 Go, exactly like Charlie O as it happens.

[Dayodead]

Atmosphere
Ashes to Ashes
Mirror in the Bathroom

[Polishgirl]

Mirror
Ashes
Apart