Tag Archives: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

14 December 1989

Off The Chart: 14 December 1989

Getting closer to Christmas and closer to the end of the ’80s, we’re going back to this day in 1989 on this week’s Off The Chart! Join us for two hours of less obvious hits, a selection of the week’s new albums, a look at the day’s goings-on, a track from the soon to be reunited West German chart, and the UK’s top five singles in full.

  • Which band has been going for 75 years but has only had four hits?
  • Who released a live album packaged with a free copy of their previous studio album?
  • And whose biggest hit was 1993’s “The Hits Medley”?

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: 11 August 1981

Off The Chart: 11 August 1981

Things have changed on this week’s Off The Chart, but only ever so slightly. In fact you might not even notice the difference as Steve and Julian whisk you back to 11 August 1981 for two hours of not-very-well remembered … read more

Off The Chart: 26 August 1981

Off The Chart: 26 August 1981

Join us as we go back to 1981 on this week’s Off The Chart! Steve and Julian unearth some forgotten hits from the week’s chart and discuss the day’s events. There’s also a track from the New Zealand chart, three … read more

Off The Chart: 12 August 1982

We’re going back 35 years on Off The Chart as Steve and Julian dismantle the chart of 12 August 1982! There are some forgotten hits, a look at the day’s events, three tracks from a featured album, a song from … read more

“A reminder of a world that doesn’t care” – Top of the Pops, 20 August 1981

U2

An unusual choice for Top of the Pops presenter this week as we find ourselves watching the first edition ever to be hosted by an actual scarecrow! Ah no, sorry, false alarm, it’s just Dave Lee Travis in a big … read more

“Time just rolls on and on” – Top of the Pops, 13 August 1981

Soft Cell

Ah, it’s Housewives’ Favourite (“Favourite what?” I hear you cry) Simon Bates, bringing a much needed air of decorum to proceedings in his sensible beige blazer, black slacks and salmon pink shirt which he probably thinks a bit daring. Looking … read more

“Always the sound in my brain, can you hear it?” – Top of the Pops, 30 July 1981

The Undertones

It’s Steve Wright – yes it is! You can tell because he’s wearing a huge badge bearing the slogan “YES IT IS”, dating this edition to somewhere in the brief period when he was trying ever so hard to popularise … read more