Dylan Jones once described the Eighties as being shaped by ‘a new type of bohemianism, one empowered by a certainty and an optimism that was only fleeting back in the sixties.’ *
Moreso, K.Tel records importantly reminded us that home taping was killing music.
So, it’s November 1981, and this young music fan is feverishly taking ownership of two cassettes in his local Woolworths. One blue, one red. One bought, one free. Together this maiden compilation purchase - from the aforementioned compilation giant K.Tel, Charthits ‘81 - as kicked off by the ever so eighties drum crash from Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin – was the start of a lifelong love for variously compiled pop.
One that would lead to, well, NOW.
Forty years later and the superlative team at NOW HQ delivered their Yearbook for 1981. 85 of the biggest, brightest and best hits (thank you Mr. Mulligan for that very nice tagline).
A year that started tragically with the death of John Lennon, and ended with Susanne and Joanne from the Human League with spray foam in their mouths amidst highly flammable Christmas trees in BBC Television Centre.
And inbetween, a dazzling twelve months where the decade began to take shape and form an identity that remains with us today.
Pop, soul, disco, funk, rock, reggae and metal. All present and correct.
But, as Thursday nights on BBC1 would testify through those iconic theme tunes of Tomorrow’s World and the newly christened TOTP Yellow Pearl in July, electronica was elbowing its way through the queue at the Blitz club to make a defining mark on the sights and sounds of 1981.
With the able assistance of guests Chi and Ian from ElectricityClub.co.uk, this episode revisits the NOW Yearbook 1981 (and it’s stellar accompanying extra volume!). An iconic line up of music and memories awaits including Duran, Duran, Ultravox, Soft Cell, Kim Wilde, The Human League and ABBA.
We explore how the year saw some seventies survivors glam up and mobilise for this new decade with assistance from the new video pioneers such as Russell Mulcahy and David Mallet.
We also consider how retro never sounded so good, what made a good (and bad) medley hit, how tribal factions and cultural identity shaped our school days (and the streets across the UK), how news and popular culture were living under the ever present threat of global destruction and how pop saved us all once again.
Grab some blank tapes, switch off one of the three channels on your TV and join us as we head back to a glorious year in pop, 1981.
Ridicule is, as you know, nothing to be scared of.
* Sweet Dreams: The Story of the New Romantics: Dylan Jones (2020)
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