More from my archives of charts:
Even after I stopped writing down AT40 with the 10/2/82 chart, I maintained my personal top 50 through the end of the year. I’m going to go full-size on Harris Top 50s in this post, even though I think they’ll appear plenty large this way.
Randy Meisner was in the second of a four-week run at the top. Glenn Frey and Fleetwood Mac would later reach the summit; “Gypsy” was the penultimate #1 before I stopped this practice. Browne was at his peak; America would get to #2 and Steel Breeze climbed to #6. Finally, there was one song farther on down the list, at #41, that fell short of the real Top 40, a Steve Winwood gig I still really enjoy (especially the duet in the chorus with his first wife, Nicole):
Here’s the 10/25/80 chart:
I wasn’t familiar at all with Mr. Acker Bilk and so had no idea how to interpret what Casey said about who performed “Stranger on the Shore.” Don’t know why I didn’t write down the LDDs–could have something to do with the fact they both came in the second half of the show.
As a bonus, here’s Q102’s list from the following Monday (in real life, the sheet is light blue):
Nothing terribly unusual here until you get to #35, a song I don’t remember at all. A little bit of digging reveals that Hegel hailed from nearby Dayton. He Bubbled Under at #109 for three weeks in August 80 with “Tommy, Judy, and Me,” a tale about sex-crazed high schoolers (it’s also completely unfamiliar to me). The producers at American Bandstand wouldn’t let him perform his single, but he did sing “We’re Lovers After All.” I find it a little drippy, but see what you think:
As for my own preferences in 80:
Air Supply and Irene Cara were former #1’s, Cara for four weeks. ON-J/ELO held on for one more before ceding to Larson-Feiten, who were followed by Stewart and Devo. “Master Blaster” was perhaps my favorite Stevie single from the 76-85 period, at least in real time; it reached #3. There’s a song that didn’t make AT40 on this list, too, at its peak of #27. I liked this medley much better than “Walks Like a Lady:”
Finally, here’s the 10/27/79 chart. As I’ve noted a couple of times already, there are so many songs still near and dear to me on this show, especially on the back page.
I did the “Pick” thing from time to time on my charts, in particular quite often in 79. I have many, many misses, including the Orleans tune listed here. Can’t imagine I heard it much; I’m not even sure how I came to pick it in the first place, as it never charted. It’s not bad, and since I seem to be into obscurities today, we’ll spin this one, too.
The Music of My Life 