Garden of Delight returns to number one for one week on 16th August 1986
Panic returns to number one for two weeks on 23rd August 1986
Garden of Delight rebounds to number one again for one week on 6th September 1986
Panic returns again for a further week on 13th September 1986
Have you absorbed all those chart facts above? Good. Rebound number ones were never unusual in the NME Indie Chart, but the dogfight between Morrissey and Hussey (speaking in sales terms, rather than literally) which occurred throughout the dying summer months of 1986 led to a confusing ping-ponging at the top rather than letting in any fresh blood.
It’s probably not worth saying much more about this beyond the fact that it might seem surprising that at this point, The Mission were such a big deal that they could compete easily with one of The Smiths biggest and most well known singles. They were managing to capture the imagination of a broader cross-section of the public than Hussey’s old band The Sisters of Mercy, and certainly other long-standing goth acts besides.
Other than gesturing towards that fact, let’s take a peek lower down the charts.
Week One
21. Mighty Mighty - Is There Anyone Out There (Girlie)
Peak position: 11
“The summer brings out the best in girls and the worst in me” hollers singer Hugh McGuinness early on in this 45, before singing about suntanned legs being among his favourite things. The song is essentially a twee ditty about the typical loneliness of your average anorak wearing dork in 1986 rather than a perv-out, and its trilling, twanging melodies underline the innocence of the whole thing. Honest.
22. The Toy Dolls - Geordie's Gone To Jail (Volume)
Peak position: 15
This is an unexpected about-turn. The Toy Dolls' vocalist Olga generally bubbled and squeaked his way through their songs, but on this single the whole group let rip not only with something approaching a snarl from Olga, but also a roaring anthemic second wave punk chorus.
It’s not clear who the Geordie is the group are referring to, except that he's going to jail even though he didn’t kill anyone – he’s also never taken any drugs “only penicilin when he’s got a headache”. The old novelty lightness of touch remains throughout this single, but I did find myself filling up with doubt and started hunting around to find out if there was actually a serious back-story here; it’s about as sincere sounding as The Toy Dolls get, even if that sincerity is only just on the right side of Tenpole Tudor.
24. Poly Styrene - Gods & Goddesses EP (Awesome)
Peak position: 24
Poly Styrene of X Ray Spex emerging on the Awesome label (which was largely reserved for Danielle Dax products) might seem surprising but the whole thing not only does sound a bit like Dax, but also gels with Poly’s style unbelievably well. Lead track “Trick Of The Witch” is a giddy brew of heavy rock riffs, psychedelia, bubbling electronic pulses and Poly’s wide-eyed vocals. While her post X Ray Spex records are undeniably patchy, it’s hard not to have admiration for her ability to move forwards away from the constraints of punk rock; while some of the people from that scene continued to thrash away in 1986, Styrene dared to push forwards.
27. Demented Are Go - Holy Hack Jack (ID)
Peak position: 23
Week Two
17. Pop Will Eat Itself - The Poppies Say GRRrrr! (Desperate)
Peak position: 14
The Poppies second release is an oddly subdued recording, with lots of sweet, spritely melodies and only slightly distorted guitars in the mix. At this point, they were clearly trying to stay close to the C86 pack and hadn’t forged a clear identity of their own, and to that end it’s not a particularly impressive listen, whizzing unmemorably through your stereo speakers like the last demo your work colleague’s little teenage brother sent you. You can only nod encouragingly at the progress – they did become a much more brittle and modern group in very short order.
21. Yeah Jazz - This Is Not Love (Upright)
Peak position: 20
Kitchen sink indie drama from this market town (Uttoxeter) mob from Staffordshire, singing of unwanted teenage pregnancies and forced relationships in a manner which could have been either cloying or overly heavy-handed, but manages to strike the balance beautifully. Yeah Jazz use diverse instrumentation to colour the drama and tumultuous emotions in the lyrics, sounding impressively like early precursors to Belle and Sebastian in the process. The first genuinely surprising track I’ve heard for an age while researching this blog.
Peak position: 20
Kitchen sink indie drama from this market town (Uttoxeter) mob from Staffordshire, singing of unwanted teenage pregnancies and forced relationships in a manner which could have been either cloying or overly heavy-handed, but manages to strike the balance beautifully. Yeah Jazz use diverse instrumentation to colour the drama and tumultuous emotions in the lyrics, sounding impressively like early precursors to Belle and Sebastian in the process. The first genuinely surprising track I’ve heard for an age while researching this blog.
Week Three
9. The Bodines - Heard it all (Creation)
Peak position: 4
The Bodines were shortly due to abandon Creation for the financial allure of a deal with Magnet Records (home to Chris Rea and Darts among others). Their final release for the label is one which seems to have captured the imagination of both record buyers at the time and indie-kids since, but I’ve always been bemused by its sprawling and faintly inconclusive angst; I want a hook or a bold finish, and seem instead to be left pondering what I was supposed to make of this faintly Bunnymen-esque sulk.
“I'll see it through to the bitter end/ This is bitterer than I can stand” murmurs Michael Ryan, all while sounding as if the tiff that inspired this song – whatever that may be – is about five years in the indifferent past to him.
14. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Tokyo Storm Warning (Imp)
Peak position: 4
Costello’s epic “Tokyo Storm Warning” reached the top of some indie charts, but not the NME one. In common with most singles which drift past the five minute mark, it provides no real reason for the drag, and lessens its impact slightly through the bloating. Nonetheless, it’s a truly ripping, determined Dylanesque groove, drums pounding, organs droning and guitars thrashing while Costello delivers a nightmare travelogue which makes John Cale’s “Ship of Fools” sound like a luxury cruise.
“So you look around the tiny room and you wonder where the hell you are/ While the K.K.K. convention are all stranded in the bar/ They wear hoods and carry shotguns in the main streets of Montgomery/ But they're helpless here as babies 'cause they're only here on holiday” snarls Costello, proving that even when he sprawls, he never runs out of bright, startling imagery.
Any similarities to Radiohead’s “Electioneering” are probably coincidental.
19. The Leather Nun - Primemover (Wire)
Peak position: 9
28. The Cassandra Complex - Datakill (Rouska)
Peak position: 28
29. Terry and Gerry - The Last Bullet in the Gun (In Tape)
Peak position: 12
The skiffling twins final single sounds almost like a deliberate shift in direction, reducing the washboard thrashing and double bass dependency to deliver an anti-war and anti-military protest song. The arrangements and complexity here have greater similarities to The Housemartins than a fifties Soho coffee bar (although perhaps there’s always been a fine line).
This may actually be their most effective and modern record, but by this point, the pair were getting less press and airplay. Their shtick obviously seemed like a jolly good riot for a few months in 1985 but didn't really have a huge impact beyond that. If the indie charts are proving one thing, it’s that retro waves – whether they were mod, psych, skiffle or rock and roll – tended to only enjoy one summer of the media spotlight in the eighties before the crowd moved on to the next spectacle.
Week Four
16. Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 16
The longevity of “Skinheads” over the decades has been a strange phenomenon. It worked its way on to numerous prominent indie compilations in the eighties and nineties before becoming a seemingly eternal BBC 6Music favourite in the 21st Century, meaning it feels as if it’s always been with us.
An odd outcome for such a modest, under-produced and gentle single. Its delicate thump and strum acts as a foundation for threadbare lyrics which feel like a parody of Michael Stipe’s work, but were apparently inspired by someone in the group believing that the violence of skins could be countered by just giving them a joyful activity to do at the ten-pin bowling hall.
The track has been the Santa Cruz group’s calling card ever since. I was once caught singing “Take The Skinheads Bowling” under my breath at a railway station, receiving a deeply concerned look by a fellow commuter who had obviously neither heard the track, or had but didn't appreciate its radical attempts to resolve juvenile delinquency.
20. Black - Wonderful Life (Red Rhino)
Peak position: 3
The debut release for Colin Vearncombe’s project Black, and unlike most initial indie versions of tracks which would become significant hits as major label reissues, the ingredients were in place already. It may have been played on endless adverts and oldies radio stations since, but “Wonderful Life” was always meant to be a sarcastic little baroque lullaby – Vearncombe penned it while broke and at rock bottom, the key line being “You know it feels unfair/ There's magic everywhere” – except, as Neil the hippy might have said in the middle of “Hole In My Shoe”, for him.
Most listeners (and advertising agencies) took it at face value, ignoring the very bleak undertow the song’s arrangement also has and Vearncombe’s less than ecstatic howls about being alone. I still think it’s a beautiful single.
The debut release for Colin Vearncombe’s project Black, and unlike most initial indie versions of tracks which would become significant hits as major label reissues, the ingredients were in place already. It may have been played on endless adverts and oldies radio stations since, but “Wonderful Life” was always meant to be a sarcastic little baroque lullaby – Vearncombe penned it while broke and at rock bottom, the key line being “You know it feels unfair/ There's magic everywhere” – except, as Neil the hippy might have said in the middle of “Hole In My Shoe”, for him.
Most listeners (and advertising agencies) took it at face value, ignoring the very bleak undertow the song’s arrangement also has and Vearncombe’s less than ecstatic howls about being alone. I still think it’s a beautiful single.
22. Fatal Charm - Images Of Fire (Native)
Peak position: 22
Week Five
7. This Mortal Coil - Come Here My Love (4AD)
Peak position: 2
Another single which reached the indie chart peak elsewhere, “Come Here My Love” takes Van Morrison’s song and turns into a minimal spiritual, Jeanette Dwyer’s vocals smothered in echo while the the instrumentation tugs, laps and flows around her. Even by 4AD’s standards, it’s a strange choice for a single which unsurprisingly failed to pick up much airplay.
You can only wonder what Van made of it. Chances are he either adored it or threw his copy at the wall.
27. The Exploited - Jesus Is Dead EP (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 19
The Exploited are back in the indie charts! Time to party like it’s 1982. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s little new going on in their camp apart from some vaguely rockabilly rhythms – otherwise, they continue to froth and snap about organised religion like abandoned mongrel terriers tied to park railings.
If you didn’t like The Exploited in 1982, there’s going to be little going on here that persuades you they’d had any creative epiphanies in the years since. If you always loved them, of course, this probably felt like greeting your best mate down the pub while he was back from shore leave and ready for a bit of mayhem.
Summary: You know the drill.
Peak position: 19
The Exploited are back in the indie charts! Time to party like it’s 1982. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s little new going on in their camp apart from some vaguely rockabilly rhythms – otherwise, they continue to froth and snap about organised religion like abandoned mongrel terriers tied to park railings.
If you didn’t like The Exploited in 1982, there’s going to be little going on here that persuades you they’d had any creative epiphanies in the years since. If you always loved them, of course, this probably felt like greeting your best mate down the pub while he was back from shore leave and ready for a bit of mayhem.
Summary: You know the drill.
For the complete charts, please go to the UKMix Forum
Number Ones In The Official Charts
Chris De Burgh - "Lady In Red" (A&M)
Boris Gardiner - "I Want To Wake Up With You" (Revue)
The Communards - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (London)
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