One week at number one on w/e 12th February 1983
Blitz, however, were proving themselves to be a bit of an exception to the rule in late 1982. Their album “Voice Of A Generation” bucked trends by reaching number 27 in the national album charts in November; a better result than many of the better known bands and influencers in their field were managing at that point. Sham 69 were no more. The Angelic Upstarts were by now a busted flush, and had only managed the same peak position while on a major label (and not a cash-strapped indie) the year before.
Blitz’s achievements were actually extraordinary given how resolutely uncommercial a lot of their output was, but despite this, it seems the group sensed changes brewing. “New Age” is, unlike a lot of their previous singles, a proper anthem; spindly, almost proto-Big Country guitar riffs introduce the track as the bass drum thuds in a manner barely heard since glam rock ceased to dominate rock music. Meanwhile the lyrics occupy territory previously obsessively held by Jimmy Pursey and Pete Townshend, mentioning “the kids” a lot and their doings “on the street”.
Of all the singles which could be fairly badged as “Oi”, this is actually one of the finest. If the British public had been prepared to yield and let any of those street urchins into the national Top 40 in Winter 1983, this would have been the one to do it. “New Age” isn’t trying to break radical new ground as a sop to Paul Morley or offer any concessions to the average Woolworths buyer, but there’s an exhilarating, powerful rush to it which feels as influenced by Slade as it is Sham 69; a defiant little record which is desperate to communicate something far beyond its core audience.
There’s something deeply melancholic about it too – a sense that the group knew their time was almost up. “As minutes tick away.... and days become years/ I know this old feeling, it's a substance in my tears” could be a lines taken from a Northern Soul record, and aren’t the words of a fresh, new movement, but were clearly written for old warhorses who possibly weren’t “the kids” the chorus alluded to at all. Those teenage girls and boys sound like a daydream, an echo of a much earlier period, with the song trying to magic them back into being again, thumping and slapping up against the concrete walls of an indifferent and empty estate as it does so.
As addresses to a possible counter-culture go, it’s closer to the desperation of Thunderclap Newman’s “Something In The Air” than The Beatles “All You Need Is Love” – a swansong rather than an introductory statement of intent. It’s strained and desperate rather than threatening, but that gives it an extra layer the group seldom possessed before. Being backed into a corner with a make-or-break battle ahead suited them.
Early 1983 was a bit of a sliding doors moment for punk. The year before, The Jam (arch-enemies of The Exploited, as we’ve already learned) and The Clash were probably the last active British acts with punk roots who were capable of selling huge amounts of records. The former split up at the end of the year to enormous grief from their dedicated fanbase, who became hysterical enough to push most of their seven inch back catalogue into the National Top 75 again. The Clash, on the other hand, were fraught with internal difficulties which made the prospect of them remaining a serious force unlikely. A feasible gap presented itself for another group to squeeze through, and given the performance of their album, Blitz may have believed they could rally any lost souls into a new troop of their own.
The label certainly thought so. No Future launched “New Age” on their sister “Future” label – an imprint reserved for possible chartbound sounds – and it featured in the film "UK/DK", during which they became surprisingly close to seeming like rock stars while also maintaining their everyday bovver boy look.
In the end, though, the “kids” moved on and opted not to chase previous glories on the same increasingly desolate trail, and the single peaked at number 84. That’s an impressive result for any indie group with no previous singles chart presence, but not enough to take things to the next level. As a result, “New Age” became the last single before the group’s line-up ruptured and they became a very different synth-heavy post-punk outfit; an unexpected move which dismayed much of their fanbase who were largely unready for such a colossal stylistic leap. That, however, is another story for another day.
6. Depeche Mode – Get The Balance Right (Mute)
Peak Position: 2
“Get The Balance Right” was the first Mode single to feature new member Alan Wilder, and perhaps more prominently than the group anticipated. Apocrypha has it that video director Kevin Hewitt was confused and assumed he was the new lead singer – the band were too embarrassed to tell him otherwise, resulting in him lip-syncing Gahan’s vocal in the first scene.
Beyond such inaccurate wrapping, the single itself is probably one of the group’s least remembered; it’s another example of a Mute single which failed to find a place on any of the band’s studio albums, leaving it orphaned and occasionally resting on any “Best Ofs” or compilations willing to have it.
It’s a horribly underrated record as a result, with some deft touches – that eccentric, high-pitched intro crossing with those brassy fanfares is unique, and the record has an eerie, menacing feeling running right through it. Gahan and Gore’s vocals keep reassuring the listeners “almost!” like older brothers pushing them blindfolded through a maze; the vision the group had of big business was clearly a deeply cynical one and if we were wondering why they remained on Mute Records, their lyrics from this period probably do all the explaining that's necessary.
It manages to be thick with atmosphere without once sacrificing a mainstream, early eighties pop feel, but was ultimately too subtle to score them another top ten hit. In essence, it was arguably a dry run for their next and considerably more successful single and their thematically similar album “Construction Time Again”, despite not finding a place on it.
18. Amebix – Winter EP (Spiderleg)
Peak Position: 18
In another example of times changing, Amebix were arguably one of the more revolutionary groups of the early eighties punk era. By stylistically crossing the streams of anarcho-punk and metal, they managed to predict (or even help precipitate) a whole fresh wave of noise and mayhem. “Winter” manages to act as a precursor to death metal and extreme metal, those barking vocals and sludgey guitars opening doors for the next generation. It barely sounds like a product of 1983, feeling far more modern despite its lo-fi recording.
25. Toney Lee – Reach Up (TMT)
Peak position: 15
Toney Lee also managed to do his bit for the future, with “Reach Up” eventually being sampled by Phats and Small in 1999 to produce the enormous hit “Turn Around”.
In 1983, though, it would have to content itself with being a cult dancefloor classic, managing only number 64 in the National Charts. It still sounds bewitching today, though – a record which wastes not a single second of its seven minutes, evolving, snaking, grooving and cooing away in a manner which is occasionally seductive, sometimes surprising, often slinky and always fascinating. This is as far from a cynical, artificially inflated twelve inch single as you’re likely to get, with every second containing a fresh reason to keep you dancing.
As addresses to a possible counter-culture go, it’s closer to the desperation of Thunderclap Newman’s “Something In The Air” than The Beatles “All You Need Is Love” – a swansong rather than an introductory statement of intent. It’s strained and desperate rather than threatening, but that gives it an extra layer the group seldom possessed before. Being backed into a corner with a make-or-break battle ahead suited them.
Early 1983 was a bit of a sliding doors moment for punk. The year before, The Jam (arch-enemies of The Exploited, as we’ve already learned) and The Clash were probably the last active British acts with punk roots who were capable of selling huge amounts of records. The former split up at the end of the year to enormous grief from their dedicated fanbase, who became hysterical enough to push most of their seven inch back catalogue into the National Top 75 again. The Clash, on the other hand, were fraught with internal difficulties which made the prospect of them remaining a serious force unlikely. A feasible gap presented itself for another group to squeeze through, and given the performance of their album, Blitz may have believed they could rally any lost souls into a new troop of their own.
The label certainly thought so. No Future launched “New Age” on their sister “Future” label – an imprint reserved for possible chartbound sounds – and it featured in the film "UK/DK", during which they became surprisingly close to seeming like rock stars while also maintaining their everyday bovver boy look.
In the end, though, the “kids” moved on and opted not to chase previous glories on the same increasingly desolate trail, and the single peaked at number 84. That’s an impressive result for any indie group with no previous singles chart presence, but not enough to take things to the next level. As a result, “New Age” became the last single before the group’s line-up ruptured and they became a very different synth-heavy post-punk outfit; an unexpected move which dismayed much of their fanbase who were largely unready for such a colossal stylistic leap. That, however, is another story for another day.
New Entries Elsewhere In The Charts
6. Depeche Mode – Get The Balance Right (Mute)
Peak Position: 2
“Get The Balance Right” was the first Mode single to feature new member Alan Wilder, and perhaps more prominently than the group anticipated. Apocrypha has it that video director Kevin Hewitt was confused and assumed he was the new lead singer – the band were too embarrassed to tell him otherwise, resulting in him lip-syncing Gahan’s vocal in the first scene.
Beyond such inaccurate wrapping, the single itself is probably one of the group’s least remembered; it’s another example of a Mute single which failed to find a place on any of the band’s studio albums, leaving it orphaned and occasionally resting on any “Best Ofs” or compilations willing to have it.
It’s a horribly underrated record as a result, with some deft touches – that eccentric, high-pitched intro crossing with those brassy fanfares is unique, and the record has an eerie, menacing feeling running right through it. Gahan and Gore’s vocals keep reassuring the listeners “almost!” like older brothers pushing them blindfolded through a maze; the vision the group had of big business was clearly a deeply cynical one and if we were wondering why they remained on Mute Records, their lyrics from this period probably do all the explaining that's necessary.
It manages to be thick with atmosphere without once sacrificing a mainstream, early eighties pop feel, but was ultimately too subtle to score them another top ten hit. In essence, it was arguably a dry run for their next and considerably more successful single and their thematically similar album “Construction Time Again”, despite not finding a place on it.
18. Amebix – Winter EP (Spiderleg)
Peak Position: 18
In another example of times changing, Amebix were arguably one of the more revolutionary groups of the early eighties punk era. By stylistically crossing the streams of anarcho-punk and metal, they managed to predict (or even help precipitate) a whole fresh wave of noise and mayhem. “Winter” manages to act as a precursor to death metal and extreme metal, those barking vocals and sludgey guitars opening doors for the next generation. It barely sounds like a product of 1983, feeling far more modern despite its lo-fi recording.
25. Toney Lee – Reach Up (TMT)
Peak position: 15
Toney Lee also managed to do his bit for the future, with “Reach Up” eventually being sampled by Phats and Small in 1999 to produce the enormous hit “Turn Around”.
In 1983, though, it would have to content itself with being a cult dancefloor classic, managing only number 64 in the National Charts. It still sounds bewitching today, though – a record which wastes not a single second of its seven minutes, evolving, snaking, grooving and cooing away in a manner which is occasionally seductive, sometimes surprising, often slinky and always fascinating. This is as far from a cynical, artificially inflated twelve inch single as you’re likely to get, with every second containing a fresh reason to keep you dancing.
For the full charts, please go to the UKMix Forums.
Number One In The National Charts
Men At Work: Down Under (Epic)
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