Alternate List of Billboard #1 Hits: Katarn Edition
- Thread starter Katarn
- Start date
(You could help nudge it back into motion w/ the next week or two's hits
It's not my turn.
Oh, you're right (nor would it be my turn if you went)
@Katarn, could we go back to 2 turns between posts, until the thread is less moribund?
@Katarn, could we go back to 2 turns between posts, until the thread is less moribund?
Sorry I've been extremely busy lately so I was kind of enjoying the kind of hiatus here. I have a bunch of events I have to write, none of which are actually written at the moment. I'd lower it back to 2 but I'd be constantly worried that it would cause the thread to speed ahead absurdly quickly again.
New Wave band Cosmic Lovers forms (1981)
July 25th, 1981: "Stand and Deliver" - Adam Ant
August 1st, 1981: "Stand and Deliver" - Adam Ant
Event: New Wave band Cosmic Lovers forms in Liverpool. The band features Mike Score as Lead Vocalist/Keyboardist, Paul Reynolds on Lead Guitar, Bernie Darracott on Bass Guitar, Alan Prendergast on Drums and Cynthia Gage as a secondary drummer who also serves as the band's percussionist. The band got their name from the lyrics of the Zolar X song Space Age Love.
(This one's a little weird, it's a mixture of Flock of Seagulls and a very obscure band called VHF)
August 1st, 1981: "Stand and Deliver" - Adam Ant
Event: New Wave band Cosmic Lovers forms in Liverpool. The band features Mike Score as Lead Vocalist/Keyboardist, Paul Reynolds on Lead Guitar, Bernie Darracott on Bass Guitar, Alan Prendergast on Drums and Cynthia Gage as a secondary drummer who also serves as the band's percussionist. The band got their name from the lyrics of the Zolar X song Space Age Love.
(This one's a little weird, it's a mixture of Flock of Seagulls and a very obscure band called VHF)
August 8th, 1981: "Stand And Deliver"- Adam Ant
August 15th, 1981: "Nobody Wins"- The Diamond Dogs
August 15th, 1981: "Nobody Wins"- The Diamond Dogs
Quincy Jones helps form the band The Ring-Stones (1981)
Event: Quincy Jones puts together pop-rock band "The Ring-Stones", with brothers Jim and Danny "England" Seals, Darrell Crofts, and brothers Steve and Jeff Porcaro.
(Basically "Seals and Toto" ; since there's no MJ for the latter to work with, and since they've all done session work together)
(Basically "Seals and Toto" ; since there's no MJ for the latter to work with, and since they've all done session work together)
I already gave a #1 to Toto in 1978 (I think?) so you'll need to have the Porcaros quit.
Hydra didn't do so well, with only "99" charting at all. Lukather hated "99" and wanted it left off, so perhaps in ATL he got his way and the album completely flopped; some or all Toto members decide to try other directions (like Yes in the 80s)
Now for one of OTL's most unlikely top 10 hits...
August 22th, 1981: "Hooked on Classics (Parts 1 & 2)" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
August 29th, 1981: "Hooked on Classics (Parts 1 & 2)" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
August 22th, 1981: "Hooked on Classics (Parts 1 & 2)" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
August 29th, 1981: "Hooked on Classics (Parts 1 & 2)" - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
October 3rd, 1981: "Planet Earth" - Duran Duran
October 10th, 1981: "Arthur's Theme" - Christopher Cross
October 10th, 1981: "Arthur's Theme" - Christopher Cross
Fear trashes the set of National Lampoon TV, get showrunner Doug Kenney sacked (1981)
October 17th, 1981: "Arthur's Theme"- Christopher Cross
October 24th, 1981:"Private Eyes"- Hall and Oates
Event: October 31st: On National Lampoon Television , musical guest metal group Fear (invited by former cast member John Belushi after seeing them in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization) gives a particularly raucous performance, resulting in $20,000 in damage. ABC executives force showrunner Doug Kenney off the show.
October 24th, 1981:"Private Eyes"- Hall and Oates
Event: October 31st: On National Lampoon Television , musical guest metal group Fear (invited by former cast member John Belushi after seeing them in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization) gives a particularly raucous performance, resulting in $20,000 in damage. ABC executives force showrunner Doug Kenney off the show.
Let the decade of bad hair begin!
October 31st, 1981: "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" - The Human League
November 7th, 1981: "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" - The Human League
October 31st, 1981: "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" - The Human League
November 7th, 1981: "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" - The Human League
Reckless purges artist roster (1981)
November 14th, 1981: "Tainted Love" - Soft Cell [R]
Event: In mid-November 1981, newly appointed Reckless Records President Mike Chapman* begins a purge of less successful or waning Reckless Records acts. Among these acts are Sweet, Blue Oyster Cult, The B-52s and Electric Masons among others. All four of the above acts gain new contracts with other labels (though it took Electric Masons 7 months to find a new label), but many of their now former label-mates are furious. This purge begins a massive chain reaction that results in the entire label picking a side, with every act having to decide whether they are staying or quitting, including the label's biggest acts. Judas Priest quits on the spot, as does Queen (after Rob Halford convinced Freddie Mercury to quit). The Runaways also quit, and soon afterwards break up after years of infighting. Other acts are divided on the issue, to the point of breaking up over it. Dead End Losers break up, Joey and Dee Dee sided with the label whereas the rest of the band wanted to quit. High Voltage breaks up, Lemmy supported staying with the label, while the Young brothers supported quiting. Lemmy, Joey and Dee Dee all sign solo contracts with the label. Many suspect the entire purge was set off by Chapman as a way to get revenge against Sweet for firing him years earlier (he was their producer for a while). The label's image is irreperably tarnished as a result of these events.
*Finally picked somebody to be president of Reckless... the poor bastard
(I don't have as much time to work on this anymore, so I'm going to be quite a bit less in-depth with my events. I also won't be listing every change to the Reckless Records roster and will instead denote singles released by the label with this [R] next to the song title)
Event: In mid-November 1981, newly appointed Reckless Records President Mike Chapman* begins a purge of less successful or waning Reckless Records acts. Among these acts are Sweet, Blue Oyster Cult, The B-52s and Electric Masons among others. All four of the above acts gain new contracts with other labels (though it took Electric Masons 7 months to find a new label), but many of their now former label-mates are furious. This purge begins a massive chain reaction that results in the entire label picking a side, with every act having to decide whether they are staying or quitting, including the label's biggest acts. Judas Priest quits on the spot, as does Queen (after Rob Halford convinced Freddie Mercury to quit). The Runaways also quit, and soon afterwards break up after years of infighting. Other acts are divided on the issue, to the point of breaking up over it. Dead End Losers break up, Joey and Dee Dee sided with the label whereas the rest of the band wanted to quit. High Voltage breaks up, Lemmy supported staying with the label, while the Young brothers supported quiting. Lemmy, Joey and Dee Dee all sign solo contracts with the label. Many suspect the entire purge was set off by Chapman as a way to get revenge against Sweet for firing him years earlier (he was their producer for a while). The label's image is irreperably tarnished as a result of these events.
*Finally picked somebody to be president of Reckless... the poor bastard
(I don't have as much time to work on this anymore, so I'm going to be quite a bit less in-depth with my events. I also won't be listing every change to the Reckless Records roster and will instead denote singles released by the label with this [R] next to the song title)
December 19th, 1981: "Find Another Fool" - Quarterflash
December 26th, 1981: "The Waiting" - Mudcrutch
December 26th, 1981: "The Waiting" - Mudcrutch