Two weeks at number one from 6th February 1982
Rather than spending another 1,000 words or so pontificating on the significance of both the group and the song itself, let’s just take a look at what was occurring further down the charts, shall we?
In the first week of the League boomeranging back up to the top, Mari Wilson enters at 22 with “Beat The Beat”. Wilson’s distinctive beehive hairdo and retro-leaning girl pop stood out quite significantly in 1982, and as the year progressed her positions in the official charts grew ever more impressive. “Beat The Beat” would have to make do with a final placing of number 59 in the national charts and number 12 in the NME indie listings, but interest was blooming and she wouldn’t be held back forever.
Just beneath her at number 23 lay Zeitgeist with an urgent sounding post-punk cover of The Temptations “Ball Of Confusion”. It just about works, although the group’s unvarnished shoutiness and unpolished reading sometimes holds the track back rather than taking it to new and exciting places. Issued on the “Jamming” fanzine’s record label – remember that enormous independent publishing phenomenon, everyone? - it failed to climb higher up the chart.
A genuine curiosity is at number 28 in the form of Cheaters’ cover of “Spirit in the Sky”, way before anyone else got their mitts on it and revived it to greater success (whether that’s Doctor and the Medics or those Kumars). It takes the original and adds a punkish vocal rasp and a glam friendly punch and thud – which to be fair, the original was never a million miles away from to begin with.
In week two, UB40’s “I Won’t Close My Eyes” debuts at number 8 before eventually peaking at number 3. Acting as the lead single from their “UB44” album, “Close My Eyes” saw the group struggling to connect with the public and only reaching number 32 in the national charts – a thrilling prospect for the Theatre of Hates of this world, but terrible news for a group who only a couple of years prior to this were guaranteed top ten hits. The relative failure of their work at this point prompted a rethink, and their revenge on the hit parade would be swift.
Black Flag enter at 22 with “6 Pack”, a bowel-rumbling bit of bass-heavy punk which eventually squawls and skids all over the road.
The Revillos also return to try and worry the country with their catchy punky retro-sleaze in the form of “Bongo Brain”. It zoomed up to number 11 the following week but failed to replicate their earliest successes.
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And finally, an honourable mention to Brian James, ex-the Damned, who enters at number 30 with “Why Why Why”, a track which sounds as loose and snaky as some of that group’s earliest work, but despite (or perhaps because of) this it progressed no further.
Number One In The Official Singles Chart
Kraftwerk: “The Model/ Computer Love” (EMI)
The Jam: “A Town Called Malice/ Precious” (Polydor)
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