Tag Archives: a-ha

Off The Chart: 25 January 1986

Off The Chart: 25 January 1986

Please don’t join us for another edition of On The Chart today, because it’s Opposite Day. Or is it? We’ll never know, because there won’t be the usual two hours of unexpected hits from this day in 1986, nor will there be three tracks from the week’s big new albums, a round up of the day’s events, a look at the US top ten from this day, or the UK’s top five singles in full.

  • Whose biggest hit had already been the B-side of one of their earlier singles?
  • Who had one week on the album chart before evolving into a different, much more successful band?
  • And what did the Guardian declare to be the best number one hit of all time?

Don’t tune in and find out!


Listen to Off The Chart on Mad Wasp Radio at 9pm every Tuesday! You can stream Mad Wasp Radio via their website, their apps for iOS or Android, or through TuneIn and MyTuner, or ask your smart speaker to “play Mad Wasp Radio” – and don’t forget to tweet along using the hashtag #OffTheChart. If you’re not around, you can hear the show again on Mad Wasp Radio at 10am on Friday, or catch up on Mixcloud after that.

Get the Extended Mix!

If you enjoy Off The Chart but find it’s just not long enough, why not join us on Patreon or Mixcloud Select? For a small monthly subscription you get access to the exclusive Extended Mix of the show every week with bonus 12″ mixes, additional chatter and the week’s top ten singles in full!

Our subscribers also get access to exclusive shows including Further Off The Chart in which we play some of the records that come up in conversation on the regular shows. You can even download shows to listen offline in the Mixcloud app! Please consider backing us – we really appreciate it and your subscription allows us to keep producing a new episode every single week.

Spotify playlists

If you’ve missed a previous edition they’re all on our Mixcloud page, or for a taster of the music we play, listen to our Spotify playlist Way Off The Chart including one track from each show!

We also have a Spotify playlist for our #ICEOTWF feature, including all (well, most) of the international hits we’ve played since the feature began in March 2017. There are all sorts of oddities in here, all of which were hits somewhere in the world but not in the UK!

Off The Chart: 26 October 1985

Off The Chart: 26 October 1985

Somehow we’ve made it back to 1985 again on this week’s Off The Chart! Join us for a withering look at the UK singles chart from this week in 1985, including a brace of obscure, forgotten or overlooked hits, plus … read more

Off The Chart: 6 July 1987

Off The Chart: 6 July 1987

We’re back to a less controversial edition of Off The Chart this week as we revisit the UK chart from this day in 1987. Along the way we’ll pick up a few of the day’s goings-on, three of the new … read more

Off The Chart: 30 March 1988

Off The Chart: 30 March 1988

Incredibly we’ve been doing Off The Chart for five whole years! Give or take a couple of days, anyway. We couldn’t have the massive birthday celebration we wanted, but we did the best we could by hosting the show in … read more

Off The Chart: 2 February 1986

Off The Chart: 2 February 1986

Join us as we celebrate Groundhog Day by pretending it’s this day in 1986! We can’t promise you’ll wake up next to Andie MacDowell, but we can promise you two hours of less remembered hits, a round-up of the day’s … read more

Off The Chart: 3 November 1985

Off The Chart: 3 November 1985

Another dexy draws to a close as we revisit this day in 1985 on this week’s Off The Chart! Your regular serving of obscure and forgotten hits awaits, along with three of the week’s new albums, a look at the … read more

Off The Chart: 23 June 1988

Off The Chart: 23 June 1988

Here we are again, back at the start of another ten week period (“dexy” if you will) on Off The Chart and returning to this day 1988 for another two hours of less obvious hits, three of the week’s big … read more

Off The Chart: 3 March 1987

Off The Chart: 3 March 1987

Join us on this week’s Off The Chart as we revisit the singles chart from this day in 1987, which was already full of old songs due to their use in films and TV ads. Still, we’ll pick through them … read more

Off The Chart: 19 November 1985

Off The Chart: 19 November 1985

Join us for another jaunt into the past as we revisit this day in 1985 on this week’s Off The Chart! As always we’re bringing you two hours of hits you weren’t expecting, plus three of the week’s big new … read more

Off The Chart: 17 September 1988

Off The Chart: 17 September 1988

Smiley face T-shirts at the ready, we’re going back to this day in 1988 for another Off The Chart! Join us for two hours of forgotten and half-remembered hits, three of the week’s new albums, a review of the day’s … read more

Now Parlez 9

Now Parlez 9

Join Steve and Julian as they take time out from their weekly Off The Chart show to rummage in the back of the wardrobe for another Now album! This time they’re playing tracks from Now That’s What I Call Music … read more

Off The Chart: 14 May 1986

Off The Chart: 14 May 1986

We’re heading back 33 years on this week’s Off The Chart to revisit the UK singles chart from this day in 1986! As always we’ll have a brace of forgotten or half remembered hits, pick out three new entries on … read more