Tag Archives: Pet Shop Boys

Off The Chart: 5 April 1986

Off The Chart: 5 April 1986

It’s time again, we’re dragging you back to 1986 on this week’s Off The Chart for two hours of hits you haven’t heard for ages, or possibly ever. As always we’ll be playing some of the obscure forgotten and neglected tracks from that week’s UK singles chart, plus tracks from three of the week’s new albums, a look at what was going on around us, a quick look at the Swedish chart, and concluding with the top five in full whether you like it or not.

  • Which band didn’t live up to their name but did launch one of the biggest bands of the early ’90s?
  • Which huge ’80s album took over a year to reach its peak position on the chart?
  • And who was the first person to write, perform and produce a number 1 hit singlehandedly?

Tune in and find out!



Listen to Off The Chart on Noisebox Radio at 9pm every Tuesday! 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 11am 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: 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 … read more

Off The Chart: 11 January 1988

Off The Chart: 11 January 1988

Right, enough nonsense, everything’s back in its right place on this week’s Off The Chart as we look at the UK singles chart from this day in 1988! We’re sliding back into cosy familiarity but still bamboozling you with two … read more

Further Off The Chart 28: Latine carmina calidvs

Further Off The Chart 28

Yes, it’s that time again! Further Off The Chart is back, mopping up tracks we talked about on the regular shows but couldn’t play at the time. This dexy’s selection includes the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra eating chips, a famous song … 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: 22 June 1986

Off The Chart: 22 June 1986

If you can tear yourself away from The Football for a couple of hours, we’d like to take you back to this day in 1986 on Off The Chart! We can’t guarantee there won’t be any football related content, in … read more

Off The Chart: 8 December 1987

Off The Chart: 8 December 1987

It’s beginning to look a tiny bit like Christmas on Off The Chart as we go back to this day in 1987! Join us for two hours of hits of varying levels of familiarity, tracks from all the new entries … read more

Off The Chart: 24 November 1986

Off The Chart: 24 November 1986

This week Off The Chart goes back to 1986 for the usual two hours of forgotten and half-remembered hits, three of the week’s new albums, a look at what was going on in the media, a quick squint at the … read more

Off The Chart: 21 July 1987

21 July 1987

This week’s Off The Chart promises to be extra special as Steve and Julian are back in the same studio for the first time since March! They’re going back to this day in 1987 to gather up a brace of … read more

Off The Chart: 14 April 1988

Off The Chart: 14 April 1988

It’s another locked down edition of Off The Chart! Join Steve and Julian as they struggle with yet another inadequate piece of software in an attempt to bring you hits, headlines and hilarity from this day in 1988, plus the … read more

Now Parlez 11

Now Parlez 11

It’s episode 11 of Now Parlez, our ongoing series in which Steve and Julian from Off The Chart take a look at the early Now That’s What I Call Music albums and play some tracks from an original vinyl copy. … read more

Off The Rooftops

Off The Rooftops

Join us on Noisebox Radio at 5pm on Christmas Day for Off The Rooftops, the 2019 Off The Chart Christmas Special in which we reveal the results of our 2019 poll to find your favourite ’80s Xmas Hits! We’ll … read more