Tag Archives: Linx

Off The Chart: 23 November 1981

Off The Chart: 23 November 1981

Not to make you feel old or anything, but we’re going back a full forty years on this week’s Off The Chart to revisit the UK singles chart from this day in 1981. Sorry about that. But we’ll attempt to make up for it with two hours of less obvious hits, tracks from three of the week’s new albums, a look at what was going on that day, an Italian hit from the Spanish chart, and concluding with the UK’s top five in full whether you want them or not.

  • Who released their first album without having decided on a lead singer?
  • Who became an overnight sensation in the UK after a decade of success in Europe?
  • And which iconic bassline came about because the bassist forgot what he’d been playing?

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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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: 27 October 1980

Off The Chart: 27 October 1980

Buckle up, we’re going back a full four decades on this week’s Off The Chart to stick exploratory needles in this day in 1980! As always we’ll have a load of hits you might not remember, plus three of the … read more

Off The Chart: 8 October 1981

Off The Chart: 8 October 1981

We’d like to say it’s back to normal on this week’s Off The Chart but if you’re a regular listener you’ll know nothing is ever normal around here. All we can say as that there’ll be a host of hits … read more

Off The Chart: 30 July 1981

Off The Chart: 30 July 1981

After last week’s outbreak of royal wedding fever, come back to this day in 1981 on Off The Chart where we’ve just missed another one! Never mind, there’s still the usual two hours of hits, headlines and hot takes including … read more

Off The Chart: 2 July 1981

Off The Chart: 2 July 1981

Revisiting the chart of 2 July 1981. Steve and Julian play the records you don’t normally hear on a chart show, as well as three tracks from a featured album of the week and the entire top five singles, whether … read more

“Too much fighting on the dance floor” – Top of the Pops, 2 July 1981

Bad Manners

Finally! After months and months of recycling the same tired joke, the powers that be at TOTP have finally taken my advice and commissioned a proper theme tune and title sequence. Don’t tell anyone though, because it’s still under wraps … read more

“I feel my spirit’s getting old” – Top of the Pops, 18 June 1981

Odyssey

“Hi folks! Welcome to Top of the Pops once again!” Well, hello sailor. It’s solid, reliable Peter Powell in charge this week, in a strangely nautical white shirt with navy blue stripes and – yes! – red trousers. A full … read more

“Earth keeps on rolling, witnesses falling” – Top of the Pops, 9 April 1981

“Welcome to Top of the Pops! Some 19 million people every week tune in to see some of the top acts of 1981 on this show!” That’s what Mike Read tells us, and as one of the co-authors of the … read more

“Entertainment for the lost and lonely” – Top of the Pops, 26 March 1981

Hazel O'Connor

So it seems Richard Skinner wasn’t in Scotland all week with the other Radio 1 DJs, as the Radio Times seems to suggest. Although his evening show was billed as including sessions from Scottish bands, he must have been in … read more

“You’re all corrupt, you’re all depraved” – Top of the Pops, 12 March 1981

Linx

Up next on BBC1, another edition of Let’s Pretend Nothing’s Wrong And This Is Just A Normal Edition Of Top Of The Pops Even Though It’s Painfully Obvious That There’s Another Strike On And We’re Desperately Stringing Pre-Recorded Clips Together … read more