My Favourite 45s of the Year: 1979 Quiz

Answer: Anita Ward

"Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward was a great Disco song that went to number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's got good vocals and a nice shuffling beat, but what really stands out is the use of the Synare electronic drum that plays a decaying high-pitch note on the first beat of every bar - just the kind of tweak that turns a top ten record into a number one!
I remember that there was a lot of discussion about the nature of the lyrics, especially as it was said that the song was originally meant to be sung by an 11-year-old girl. Certainly if any of my woman friends has asked me to come and ring their bell I would have been gobsmacked!
All-in-all it's a great dance record that does exactly what it says on the tin!

Answer: Roxy Music

I'd liked Roxy Music since the beginning, and I always bought their albums. However when I bought "Manifesto" in 1979 it seemed to me that the band was standing still, with the honourable exception of this track, "Dance Away". I just loved the way it smooched along, with great percussion, good bass lines and Brian Ferry's rather sad lyrics. Fortunately Roxy Music were still to evolve, leading to the superb "Avalon" album.

A shame that Ferry evolved politically into dangerous waters, for example his 2007 interview published in a German newspaper in which he praised Nazi iconography and imagery. It went to number two in the UK Singles Chart and number 44 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Blondie

"Heart of Glass" by Blondie is another classic Disco track that went to number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Blondie had had this song for some time without making any progress in recording it until producer Mike Chapman fell upon it during the recording sessions for the "Parallel Lines" album. The track is noticeable for its use of the Roland CR-78 drum machine.
The video for the single is pretty good too - Debbie Harry just stands there looking gorgeous. The sideways flash of her eyes on the phrase "love's gone behind" is very memorable!
There was a lot of argument about whether Blondie - nominally a New Wave band - had "sold out" by recording a Disco track. I'm sure that didn't bother the people in the band! It was ranked at number 255 in the 2004 "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, at number 259 in the 2010 list, and at number 138 in the 2021 list.

Answer: M

Taking the name "M" from the Paris Metro, Robin Scott wrote, performed and produced this wonderful New Wave / Disco hybrid which went to number two in the UK Singles Chart and number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Scott explained that he was trying to put together a synthesis of all the different music styles from the previous 25 years amid the realisation that all it was, really, was just pop music.

A great record with a great concept - altogether now: "London, Paris, New York, Munich...". Genius!

Answer: The Knack

Power Pop hit the US as LA band The Knack had a huge hit on their hands with their very first single, "My Sharona", taken from their best-selling debut album "Get the Knack". I loved it from the moment I heard it - that tremendous intro riff and the two excellent guitar solos. I also enjoyed Doug Fieger's mock stammer, presumably an homage to Roger Daltrey's vocals on the Who's "My Generation". It went to number six in the UK Singles Chart and number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart where it was the biggest hit of the year.
Sadly the band got involved in a bit of a PR problem with accusations being made of them having an inappropriate attitude to teenage girls; I remember that the "New Musical Express" here in the UK (essential reading at that time) got very hot and bothered about the band's title for their second album, "...But the Little Girls Understand".
The band split in 1982 and sadly song-writer, vocalist and guitarist Doug Fieger died in 2010.

Answer: The Pretenders

The Pretenders were destined for stardom, helped by Chrissie Hynde's involvement working in the music business in the early days of the Punk era. Their first single, a cover of "Stop Your Sobbing" by The Kinks, gained them a lot of critical attention, and their second single, "Kid", reinforced that.

It's a wonderfully melodic song, influenced by lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott's wonderful playing. Hynde's vocals are outstanding, full of emotion. It went to number 33 in the UK Singles Chart but it wasn't released in the US.

Their next single, "Brass in Pocket", catapulted them to stardom, and despite the tragic early deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and bass guitarist Pete Farndon in 1983 the band has been consistently successful ever since.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

Now I have to say that I'm one of the approximately 0.01% of the world's population that has never really cared for Fleetwood Mac, except in their very, very early days in 1967 and 1968 when they were playing at the Marquee Club in London a lot. Their best-selling album "Rumours" bored me, and so I wasn't expecting to be at all interested in "Tusk" - and I wasn't, apart from this, the title track. It was just so weird, so odd, what with the amazing drumming and the wonderful marching band. We don't have those bands in the UK but I've always enjoyed listening to them when they've appeared in sports things on the TV. So what with those factors and the rather peculiar lyrics I was hooked. I never, ever mention this to my friends, though!
It went to number six in the UK Singles Chart and number eight in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Sadly Christine McVie died in November 2022. I remember seeing her sing with Chicken Shack back in 1967 - such a wonderful talented singer.

Answer: Lene Lovich

There were a number of musical oddities around in 1979, often associated with the Stiff Records label, and Lene Lovich was a classic example. A total mixture of oddities from her interests in art and theatre, she dressed like some kind of Russian noblewoman from the mid-16th Century with dramatic make-up and long plaited hair. And she had the most extraordinary voice with a huge range and a devastating falsetto, used to full effect on her second single, "Lucky Number". Nothing fancy, just a great pop song! It went to number three in the UK Singles Chart but it wasn't released in the US. I had the great fortune to see her play at Queen's University Belfast in October 1978 as part of the Stiff Records group tour - she was great!

Answer: Sparks

Sparks were and are still a bit "off the wall". Originally from Los Angeles, they chose to relocate to the UK in 1973 and have prospered here ever since. Their 1979 single release, "The Number One Song in Heaven" was a great disco record, produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder - I just loved it.
Interestingly, the band re-recorded the track in 1997 with Jimmy Somerville on vocals. Normally I don't approve of re-makes, but in this particular case I have to say that the 1997 version is actually better than the original!
The original 1979 recording went to number 14 in the UK Singles Chart but it wasn't released in the US. The 1997 remix got to number 70 in the UK Singles Chart but was a top 30 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart in the US.
Amazingly, the band is still touring and recording.

Answer: The Clash

I think it's clear by now that in my opinion The Clash were the best rock'n'roll band ever. Their 1979 double album, "London Calling", was stunning, and the single version of the title track is excellent. The song reflects the band's problems with debt and bad management, police brutality and eco-disaster: "London is drowning and I live by the river" - the anger is open and brutal. Never had the Clash been more relevant.
For Clash afficionados the multiply-released singles of the track have a wealth of heavy dub reggae B-sides - "Armagideon Time", "Justice Tonight" and "Kick It Over" are all impressive tracks and I still play them.
It went to number eleven in the UK Singles Chart but was not released in the US. It was also ranked at number 15 in the 2004 "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.