Tag Archives: Feargal Sharkey

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

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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: 4 January 2022

Off The Chart: Show 300

This week on Off The Chart we’re going back to… well, all over the place really, because it’s our 300th show and it’s an All Request Special Edition! Don’t worry too much about the acronym, just tune in and enjoy … read more

Off The Chart: 19 January 1988

Off The Chart: 19 January 1988

We’re back for another go around the decade as we return to this day in 1988 on this week’s Off The Chart! Join us for two hours of forgotten and half-remembered hits, three of the week’s new albums, a round-up … 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: 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: 5 November 1984

Off The Chart: 5 November 1984

Join us for a trip back to this day in 1984 on this week’s Off The Chart! There’ll be the usual sparkling wit and loads of bangers from the day’s UK singles chart (but nothing by Catherine Wheel as all … read more

Now Parlez 4

Now Parlez 4 artwork

Episode 4 of Now Parlez sees Steve and Julian take the conventional route by examining Now That’s What I Call Music 4, talking about the album and playing tracks from the original vinyl. Record company shenanigans abound as Paul McCartney’s … read more

Off The Chart: 1 December 1985

Off The Chart: 1 December 1985

It’s the end of another dexy so we’re off back to this day in 1985 for this week’s Off The Chart! As always there’s a brace of hits that don’t get played very often, as well as three tracks from … read more

Off The Chart: 21 January 1986

Off The Chart: 21 January 1986

On this week’s Off The Chart we’re looking at the hits of January 1986! Steve and Julian play a selection of hits you don’t hear very often, three tracks from the featured album and the top five in full. Who … read more

Off The Chart: 31 December 1985

Off The Chart: 31 December 1985

We’ve made it to the end of the year! To celebrate let’s go back to 1985 for some less remembered hits, three tracks from a featured album of the week and the top five singles in full. Who’s starting a … read more

“I can’t go on singing the same theme” – Top of the Pops, 25 December 1985

Dead Or Alive

As a bit of a diversion from the relentless chronological trudge through the early ’80s editions of TOTP, and because it’s nearly Christmas, here’s a quick distraction with the Christmas Day edition from 1985, courtesy of a seemingly apropos-of-nothing repeat … read more

Off The Chart: 3 December 1983

Off The Chart: 3 December 1983

Back to 1983 on this week’s Off The Chart! It’s not quite Christmas but Steve and Julian have unearthed some of the overlooked hits of the week including a very famous TV star, a forgotten single by one of the … read more