Number one for four weeks from 27th September 1986
I don’t often delve into other people’s blogs or forum posts while researching for this site, purely because I don’t want to be unduly influenced by other people’s takes on these records. For “State Of The Nation”, though, I found myself sufficiently perplexed to want to scout around. It sometimes feels as if it’s the serviceable New Order single nobody has a strong opinion on one way or the other, their equivalent of “Lady Madonna” or “Heart” (cue the inevitable complaints from Beatles or Pet Shop Boys fans).
I uncovered nothing much at all during my scouting mission, apart from a few forum posts asking “Why does everybody hate ‘State of the Nation’?” during which nobody replied with anything negative at all, only expressing the view that they quite liked it. No-one seemed particularly compelled to jump in and scream that it was a blight on New Order’s catalogue, which made sense to me (I wasn’t previously aware that it was supposed to be).
Then I went over to my Last.fm profile to see how often I’d played it, and was a little bit surprised to see that it was my tenth most listened to New Order track – amazing since I couldn’t actually remember the last time I’d listened to it (if anyone cares, it’s marginally ahead of “True Faith”, “Perfect Kiss” and “Regret”, all singles I could have sworn I’ve spent more time with). Obviously the views of a few Internet randoms and my own listening habits are not a precise scientific study, but it does feel as if “State” – New Order’s seventh indie number one – has been strangely neglected, rarely (if ever) played by the group live since its year of release and allowed to drift into the background.
This is peculiar. Musically speaking, “State Of The Nation” is an enticing, though admittedly never quite exciting, mix of sweet and sour. The keyboard lines are filled with exotic pan flute noises while the guitars are distorted and scraping, sounding like a hailstorm falling on abandoned sheet metal. Rhythms twitch beneath all this, jitterbugging almost threateningly, and throughout the full six-and-a-half minutes on the twelve inch, they manage to stretch what seem like quite limited ideas out into interesting new shapes and destinations; say what you want about New Order but they were unbelievably bloody good at writing epic pop songs. Whereas most groups start to dawdle and repeat themselves after the third minute, they’re still bursting with fresh ideas in double that time.
The single seems to pick up the most criticism for its lyrics, and deservedly so. Sumner here feels as if he's delivering guide vocals camouflaged as social commentary; a dirty trick to play on the neurotic mid-eighties public. “My brother said that he was dead/ I saw his face and shook my head” he sings, almost disappointed rather than upset by the fact that his sibling was either literally or metaphorically deceased. “The state of the nation/ that’s holding our salvation” he informs us, before telling us it’s also “causing deprivation” (I always swear he sneaks “death inflation” in there somewhere as well, but that’s possibly just a long-standing misheard lyric of mine).
Quibbles aside, the song itself knows exactly where it needs to get to and where it needs to visit on the way, and the messy, aggressive yet strangely bright instrumental climax is superb; all aspects of the arrangement and production finally meshing together in a way you could describe as beautiful if only it weren’t so prickly, a pop song concealed behind a porcupine's spiky exterior.
In terms of sales, the public liked it enough to allow it a slightly stingy number 30 chart peak. A better performance than some of the more recent New Order singles, but a piddling result compared to where they would shortly end up. Maybe the song’s central problem is that it just didn’t emerge at a point where they were either at the forefront of the public’s minds (relatively speaking) nor regarded as underrated, or maybe their catalogue is such an embarrassment of riches that there was always going to be one neglected example in the pile. Whatever – it remains a solid record by just about anybody else’s standards, and a long way off being an embarrassment if you treat Sumner's lyrical drivelling as a meaningless noise rather than a primary force.
New Entries Elsewhere In The Charts
Week One
12. New Order – Peel Session 1982 (Strange Fruit)
Peak position: 2
And oddly, New Order ended up competing with themselves in the charts with the debut “Peel Sessions” EP. The Strange Fruit label was essentially John Peel’s manager Clive Selwood jacking in his primary source of income as a major label executive and running a slightly less stressful cottage industry in the run up to his retirement. The label solely released various historically interesting Radio One evening sessions, some more in demand than others.
In the coming weeks and months the indie charts are going to be absolutely littered with these records, so I’ve taken the decision not to write anything about them unless there’s a really good reason – perhaps an exclusive track on them which was unavailable elsewhere, or a session that was very recently recorded. If I don’t do this, we’re going to suffer constant timeline interruptions from sixties and seventies acts who won’t tell us much about the mid-eighties beyond the fact that there was still demand for their work.
Luckily, the first EP out of the traps definitely qualifies as being of interest. New Order’s debut Peel Session EP opens with the exclusive “Turn The Heater On”, a cover of reggae singer Keith Hudson’s track which was one of Ian Curtis’s favourite songs. It’s an obvious tribute, and given that the group had never really dabbled with reggae before or since, it’s surprising how well it all gels – it’s an exceptionally eerie, wintery dub excursion which has its heart in exactly the right place.
While Hudson's original burbles along in a lively and summery fashion, New Order leave it to sprawl on the bare floorboards of a Manchester bedsit in January. It's the best kind of cover version, in that it's a total reinterpretation. That it's also a touching gesture makes it a bit more special.
The group were also happy to be straight out of the traps with the debut Peel Session EP, despite its release happening so close to that of "State Of The Nation". "Anything for John," they told Selwood, signing off the release in rapid time.
23. Felt - Rain of Crystal Spires (Creation)
Peak position: 18
In which Lawrence and his cohorts of the day suddenly take a Dylanesque detour, a flavour their brilliant album “Forever Breathes The Lonely Word” managed to hold throughout. Wrathful Gods and desert towns west of Idaho are mentioned, as well as hints towards Lawrence’s own waywardness - “You always said to me don't walk the straightest line”, he reminds us. Guitars jangle, organs drone, and he hiccups and eeyores on top as if being dragged, rather than striding joyously, through this beatnik daze. “You said I was positively free” he accuses some strange someone, before reminding them that freedom doesn’t necessarily equate to riches or luck.
Whenever I hear this I’m always twisted in different directions by the sheer conflicting moods on offer, and despite its slightly garagey grind, it still manages to be a wonderfully pretty Felt record; sunlit, with beams of light bouncing off stained glass windows, but ultimately alone and under-appreciated in a derelict landscape – a jewel in life’s dusty junk shop. When travelling through these indie charts, it’s always worth stopping to take a quick breath to remind yourself of how unique and special Felt actually were during this time.
27. The Farm - Some People (Fire)
Peak position: 27
The Farm nestling alongside The Beloved in this week’s indie charts reminds me that the so-called baggy era didn’t just pop up in 1989 out of nowhere – a large number of the main players were already busy releasing records in 1986, even if a lot of them could possibly be regarded as juvenilia.
“Some People” sees the group continuing to absorb reggae influences which don’t convincingly fit (compare and contrast with New Order’s approach higher up this week’s charts). It’s a finger-wagging bit of carnivalesque malarky which nonetheless feels a bit heartless and hollow, like an abandoned Madness demo they found in a ditch. Fascinatingly, they would later become co-managed and produced by Suggs who guided them towards success, but that’s another story for another day.
Week Two
10. The Damned – The Peel Sessions EP (Strange Fruit)
Peak position: 7
13. The Meteors - Surf City (Anagram)
Peak position: 13
Random YouTube comment: “Love the Meteors BUT NON SURFERS should NEVER EVER sing or perform this Song. And this cover proves WHY!” Consider yourself told.
I doubt Brian Wilson noticed or even cared much about such gatekeeping. He originally penned the song for Jan & Dean who had a number one with it in the USA, though it only managed number 26 in the UK. The Meteors’ version does what you’d expect it to, which is bop and bounce all over the shop, but there’s a faint whiff of a rushed bar-room cover version to the whole deal, leaving you with the impression that this was something which should have remained a novelty gig encore rather than an actual single.
20. 23 Skidoo Vs. The Assassins With Soul - T.O.Y. (Thoughts Of You)
Peak position: 20
Initially comes on like a balearic cover of a lost New Order track then almost slinks towards becoming a soulful bedroom seduction track, before colliding into agitated rapping and scratching. So restless it might become confusing, in fact, but its sound did at least point towards the near future for the indie chart. Lots of British kids with turntables and mates who rapped were about to become a common presence, but this is the first notable example. It may not always cohere, but it’s surprisingly forward-thinking.
Week Three
10. The Rose of Avalanche - Veleveteen (Fire)
Peak position: 8
Arguably The Rose of Avalanche’s most known single, “Velveteen” is their tribute to Nico. It’s an epic, low-budget, indie approximation of an epic rock tune which in places vaguely predicts the riff from Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child Of Mine". A drum machine thuds and echoes its way through a slowly evolving guitar riff, and the drama slowly brews, sprawling across six minutes of hollering vocals and theatrical atmospherics.
Whether you find all this significant or deeply dull depends on your temperament or mood, but it’s never been something that’s captured my imagination. An artist like Scott Walker could do chorus-free character portraits across six minutes and make them sound fascinating - The Rose of Avalanche don't have the same dexterity with their arrangements or lyrics, and as a result I just can’t hear this as anything other than an ambitious failure. There's no question that it gained significance following Nico’s tragic death in 1988, nor that it was highly regarded by many fans and critics at the point of its release in 1986, but in the dull winter light of 2026, its impact feels significantly softened.
14. The Flatmates – I Could Be In Heaven (Subway)
Peak position: 12
Bristol's The Flatmates approached their indiepop sound with a harsh, sandpaper edge, on occasion recalling The Ramones at their most Spector-obsessed or a messed up 60s Garage Girl group with bruised knees and menace in their eyes.
"I Could Be In Heaven" is perhaps the most weakly recorded of their singles, but through the lo-fi sound quality is a tune which would be typical of most of their offerings - a buzzing, effervescent love song which sounded like something somebody else should have written long ago.
The Flatmates failure to release a proper LP or capitalise properly on their early run of singles seems ludicrous now - they were often far better than many of their peers who were swept up by over-optimistic major labels.
16. Stiff Little Fingers – The Peel Sessions EP (Strange Fruit)
Peak position: 14
17. The Woodentops - Everyday Living (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 7
The Tops drop their woody folksy organic groove and replace it with something that’s almost funk, although of course they can’t quite stop themselves from bringing the campfire and the barnyard into play as usual. Fiddles, fairground organs and wooden blocks join the free-for-all, threatening to upend the party but somehow creating beautiful mayhem instead.
“Everyday Living” is the closest The Woodentops came to writing what sounded like a hit single, but the public were generally unmoved by its vast musical buffet, leaving their fans to mop up the copies as usual.
20. Sonic Youth - Star Power (Blast First)
Peak position: 6
Sonic Youth’s presence in the indie charts alongside the Soup Dragons and Flatmates of this world exemplifies the deep difference between how punk rock influenced music in the USA and here. In the UK its aftershocks could be felt in the amateurism and mending and making do of many of these groups, the abrasion of their sound used as a tool in what were otherwise essentially naive pop songs.
Sonic Youth, on the other hand, picked up on its darkness and threat and continued stretching it. “Star Power” is menacing and unforgiving, despite having lyrics which are almost romantic – the group don’t want to let us forget that with the drug of love also comes great responsibility, to both ourselves and our partners.
23. Stiff Kittens - Happy Now (Crisis)
Peak position: 22
Week Four
13. Ghost Dance - The Grip Of Love (Karbon)
Peak position: 9
“The Grip Of Love” was an interesting Goth track to command so much attention in 1986 – it pounds along like a more lead-footed version of mid-seventies Fleetwood Mac (has anyone actually investigated the influence mid-period Mac had on Goth Rock in the eighties? It seems more common than you'd suppose) but ultimately never drifts far from its chorus or central riff, clinging on to both like a small child terrified to break free of its mother's grip. The Grip of Love? Well, maybe. Perhaps that's the point they were trying to make.
There are undeniable pop chops here, but they could just as easily belong to a 1976 pub rock band as a gothic group.
16. The Weather Prophets - Naked As The Day You Were Born (Creation)
Peak position: 11
The Weather Prophets’ second single was greeted with press and public disappointment after the ace-in-the-hole that was “Almost Prayed”, its lounging, lolling tranquility sounding either blissful or just utterly boring depending on which side of the fence you sat.
Pete Astor subsequently defended the single, referring to it as a “poor child that’s been rejected”, and it’s possible to see his point of view. “Naked” isn’t a bad song in itself, but it’s a baffling single; too laidback, rainy and gloomy to cut through on any radio station at any time. It also has some beautiful guitar work and some rather Felt-esque keyboards in its favour, but showed that while Alan McGee did have an eye for talent, he didn’t always manage to hear where his group’s best singles lay.
18. Schoolly-D - Put Your Fila's On (Flame)
Peak position: 18
Hip-hop enters the indie chart, and not for the last time. “Put Your Fila’s On” is a strangely stripped back and basic record compared to what would eventually emerge from others. There’s so much emphasis on the drum machine’s steady beat and the fluid turntable scratching that it feels as if you’ve wandered into a warehouse and witnessed the soundcheck and preparations for the party to come, rather than joining during the thick of it. That’s not completely inappropriate, perhaps.
19. Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - The Rattler (The Precious Organisation)
Peak position: 19
Debut entry for the Edinburgh scenesters who featured a young Shirley Manson in a less prominent back-up role (which is a bit like having Chrissie Hynde in your group then deciding she’d be best placed on tambourine duties). Still, lead singer Martin Metcalfe always managed to justify his role with the right amount of poise and swagger, while guitarist John Duncan’s exploits in his previous band The Exploited were also toned down for the greater good in this group.
The net result is a surprisingly straightforward bit of alternative leaning rock which nonetheless displays more powerful songwriting than most of the ambitious new kids in 1986. If “The Rattler” has a point of comparison that year, it might be Easterhouse’s “Whistling In The Dark” – both songs push their way through a series of punchy riffs and melodies, have an enviable knack with a hook, then find new places to travel to just as you suspect they’ve shown their full hand. Metcalfe whoops as the song comes to a close, and you actually want to follow him to wherever he might be going and explore life beyond the fade-out; this is charismatic and empowering pop music with him acting as the pied piper.
It was eventually re-released by a major label in 1989 who took it to number 37 in the charts, which once again proves how harsh the eighties were towards alternative rock – it deserved better.
20. Danielle Dax - Where The Flies Are (Awesome)
Peak position: 20
24. Luis Cardenas - Runaway (Consolidated Allied)
Peak position: 24
Truly baffling glam metal cover of the Del Shannon classic which saw Cardenas – usually the drummer with rockers Renegade – goofing around with some animated dinosaurs in a half-a-million dollar budget video. Whether the whole venture feels worth $500k or not is debatable; Cardenas ultimately looks as if he’s seeking to appeal to the under-eights rather than a serious adult audience.
The track itself is a spirited cover version but still sounds far too much like the work of one of those boiler-plate fictional rock bands who popped up in eighties Hollywood films, usually in a gig venue scene where the handsome but dorky lead actor is let down by his wild, wayward girl, heart broken and ears affronted by the loud rock music. Cardenas really doesn’t bring anything unique of his own to the party, and the single peaked at number 83 in the US charts and number 78 here as a result; proof that a flashy video wouldn’t necessarily buy you a hit even in the mid-eighties.
Nor would having having the world’s largest drumkit, as it turns out. David Frost acknowledged Cardenas’ achievement in this respect on the Guinness Hall Of Fame television awards, but that didn’t cause the public’s enthusiasm to increase either.
In terms of financial outlay, size and ambition, “Runaway” is probably the most un-indie record to enter the indie charts, and yet in terms of overall sales, entirely within keeping. Sometimes the biggest and most expensive things in life are ultimately neither the best nor the most successful. You can't just throw money in the air and expect imagination to rain down as a result.
23. Felt - Rain of Crystal Spires (Creation)
Peak position: 18
In which Lawrence and his cohorts of the day suddenly take a Dylanesque detour, a flavour their brilliant album “Forever Breathes The Lonely Word” managed to hold throughout. Wrathful Gods and desert towns west of Idaho are mentioned, as well as hints towards Lawrence’s own waywardness - “You always said to me don't walk the straightest line”, he reminds us. Guitars jangle, organs drone, and he hiccups and eeyores on top as if being dragged, rather than striding joyously, through this beatnik daze. “You said I was positively free” he accuses some strange someone, before reminding them that freedom doesn’t necessarily equate to riches or luck.
Whenever I hear this I’m always twisted in different directions by the sheer conflicting moods on offer, and despite its slightly garagey grind, it still manages to be a wonderfully pretty Felt record; sunlit, with beams of light bouncing off stained glass windows, but ultimately alone and under-appreciated in a derelict landscape – a jewel in life’s dusty junk shop. When travelling through these indie charts, it’s always worth stopping to take a quick breath to remind yourself of how unique and special Felt actually were during this time.
27. The Farm - Some People (Fire)
Peak position: 27
The Farm nestling alongside The Beloved in this week’s indie charts reminds me that the so-called baggy era didn’t just pop up in 1989 out of nowhere – a large number of the main players were already busy releasing records in 1986, even if a lot of them could possibly be regarded as juvenilia.
“Some People” sees the group continuing to absorb reggae influences which don’t convincingly fit (compare and contrast with New Order’s approach higher up this week’s charts). It’s a finger-wagging bit of carnivalesque malarky which nonetheless feels a bit heartless and hollow, like an abandoned Madness demo they found in a ditch. Fascinatingly, they would later become co-managed and produced by Suggs who guided them towards success, but that’s another story for another day.
Week Two
10. The Damned – The Peel Sessions EP (Strange Fruit)
Peak position: 7
13. The Meteors - Surf City (Anagram)
Peak position: 13
Random YouTube comment: “Love the Meteors BUT NON SURFERS should NEVER EVER sing or perform this Song. And this cover proves WHY!” Consider yourself told.
I doubt Brian Wilson noticed or even cared much about such gatekeeping. He originally penned the song for Jan & Dean who had a number one with it in the USA, though it only managed number 26 in the UK. The Meteors’ version does what you’d expect it to, which is bop and bounce all over the shop, but there’s a faint whiff of a rushed bar-room cover version to the whole deal, leaving you with the impression that this was something which should have remained a novelty gig encore rather than an actual single.
20. 23 Skidoo Vs. The Assassins With Soul - T.O.Y. (Thoughts Of You)
Peak position: 20
Initially comes on like a balearic cover of a lost New Order track then almost slinks towards becoming a soulful bedroom seduction track, before colliding into agitated rapping and scratching. So restless it might become confusing, in fact, but its sound did at least point towards the near future for the indie chart. Lots of British kids with turntables and mates who rapped were about to become a common presence, but this is the first notable example. It may not always cohere, but it’s surprisingly forward-thinking.
27. The Railway Children - A Gentle Sound (Factory)
Peak position: 17
The debut single from a group for whom big things were continually expected, only for them to eventually end up in the same one hit wonderland as many of their alt-pop peers (“Every Beat Of The Heart” managed to climb to number 24 in 1990). Not everyone could have the same success as The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen or The Smiths in the eighties, and often the bands with the biggest promise had to content themselves with Martha & The Muffins levels of fame.
“A Gentle Sound” could actually have been released a whole three years earlier, its sound too polished to be C86 and sounding closer to Aztec Camera or Woodentops styled shuffling popsmithery. It’s a confident debut and shows the group who obviously weren’t content to just push out cult discs; there’s ambition and perfection in these grooves.
Peak position: 17
The debut single from a group for whom big things were continually expected, only for them to eventually end up in the same one hit wonderland as many of their alt-pop peers (“Every Beat Of The Heart” managed to climb to number 24 in 1990). Not everyone could have the same success as The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen or The Smiths in the eighties, and often the bands with the biggest promise had to content themselves with Martha & The Muffins levels of fame.
“A Gentle Sound” could actually have been released a whole three years earlier, its sound too polished to be C86 and sounding closer to Aztec Camera or Woodentops styled shuffling popsmithery. It’s a confident debut and shows the group who obviously weren’t content to just push out cult discs; there’s ambition and perfection in these grooves.
Week Three
10. The Rose of Avalanche - Veleveteen (Fire)
Peak position: 8
Arguably The Rose of Avalanche’s most known single, “Velveteen” is their tribute to Nico. It’s an epic, low-budget, indie approximation of an epic rock tune which in places vaguely predicts the riff from Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child Of Mine". A drum machine thuds and echoes its way through a slowly evolving guitar riff, and the drama slowly brews, sprawling across six minutes of hollering vocals and theatrical atmospherics.
Whether you find all this significant or deeply dull depends on your temperament or mood, but it’s never been something that’s captured my imagination. An artist like Scott Walker could do chorus-free character portraits across six minutes and make them sound fascinating - The Rose of Avalanche don't have the same dexterity with their arrangements or lyrics, and as a result I just can’t hear this as anything other than an ambitious failure. There's no question that it gained significance following Nico’s tragic death in 1988, nor that it was highly regarded by many fans and critics at the point of its release in 1986, but in the dull winter light of 2026, its impact feels significantly softened.
14. The Flatmates – I Could Be In Heaven (Subway)
Peak position: 12
Bristol's The Flatmates approached their indiepop sound with a harsh, sandpaper edge, on occasion recalling The Ramones at their most Spector-obsessed or a messed up 60s Garage Girl group with bruised knees and menace in their eyes.
"I Could Be In Heaven" is perhaps the most weakly recorded of their singles, but through the lo-fi sound quality is a tune which would be typical of most of their offerings - a buzzing, effervescent love song which sounded like something somebody else should have written long ago.
The Flatmates failure to release a proper LP or capitalise properly on their early run of singles seems ludicrous now - they were often far better than many of their peers who were swept up by over-optimistic major labels.
16. Stiff Little Fingers – The Peel Sessions EP (Strange Fruit)
Peak position: 14
17. The Woodentops - Everyday Living (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 7
The Tops drop their woody folksy organic groove and replace it with something that’s almost funk, although of course they can’t quite stop themselves from bringing the campfire and the barnyard into play as usual. Fiddles, fairground organs and wooden blocks join the free-for-all, threatening to upend the party but somehow creating beautiful mayhem instead.
“Everyday Living” is the closest The Woodentops came to writing what sounded like a hit single, but the public were generally unmoved by its vast musical buffet, leaving their fans to mop up the copies as usual.
20. Sonic Youth - Star Power (Blast First)
Peak position: 6
Sonic Youth’s presence in the indie charts alongside the Soup Dragons and Flatmates of this world exemplifies the deep difference between how punk rock influenced music in the USA and here. In the UK its aftershocks could be felt in the amateurism and mending and making do of many of these groups, the abrasion of their sound used as a tool in what were otherwise essentially naive pop songs.
Sonic Youth, on the other hand, picked up on its darkness and threat and continued stretching it. “Star Power” is menacing and unforgiving, despite having lyrics which are almost romantic – the group don’t want to let us forget that with the drug of love also comes great responsibility, to both ourselves and our partners.
23. Stiff Kittens - Happy Now (Crisis)
Peak position: 22
Week Four
13. Ghost Dance - The Grip Of Love (Karbon)
Peak position: 9
“The Grip Of Love” was an interesting Goth track to command so much attention in 1986 – it pounds along like a more lead-footed version of mid-seventies Fleetwood Mac (has anyone actually investigated the influence mid-period Mac had on Goth Rock in the eighties? It seems more common than you'd suppose) but ultimately never drifts far from its chorus or central riff, clinging on to both like a small child terrified to break free of its mother's grip. The Grip of Love? Well, maybe. Perhaps that's the point they were trying to make.
There are undeniable pop chops here, but they could just as easily belong to a 1976 pub rock band as a gothic group.
16. The Weather Prophets - Naked As The Day You Were Born (Creation)
Peak position: 11
The Weather Prophets’ second single was greeted with press and public disappointment after the ace-in-the-hole that was “Almost Prayed”, its lounging, lolling tranquility sounding either blissful or just utterly boring depending on which side of the fence you sat.
Pete Astor subsequently defended the single, referring to it as a “poor child that’s been rejected”, and it’s possible to see his point of view. “Naked” isn’t a bad song in itself, but it’s a baffling single; too laidback, rainy and gloomy to cut through on any radio station at any time. It also has some beautiful guitar work and some rather Felt-esque keyboards in its favour, but showed that while Alan McGee did have an eye for talent, he didn’t always manage to hear where his group’s best singles lay.
18. Schoolly-D - Put Your Fila's On (Flame)
Peak position: 18
Hip-hop enters the indie chart, and not for the last time. “Put Your Fila’s On” is a strangely stripped back and basic record compared to what would eventually emerge from others. There’s so much emphasis on the drum machine’s steady beat and the fluid turntable scratching that it feels as if you’ve wandered into a warehouse and witnessed the soundcheck and preparations for the party to come, rather than joining during the thick of it. That’s not completely inappropriate, perhaps.
19. Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - The Rattler (The Precious Organisation)
Peak position: 19
Debut entry for the Edinburgh scenesters who featured a young Shirley Manson in a less prominent back-up role (which is a bit like having Chrissie Hynde in your group then deciding she’d be best placed on tambourine duties). Still, lead singer Martin Metcalfe always managed to justify his role with the right amount of poise and swagger, while guitarist John Duncan’s exploits in his previous band The Exploited were also toned down for the greater good in this group.
The net result is a surprisingly straightforward bit of alternative leaning rock which nonetheless displays more powerful songwriting than most of the ambitious new kids in 1986. If “The Rattler” has a point of comparison that year, it might be Easterhouse’s “Whistling In The Dark” – both songs push their way through a series of punchy riffs and melodies, have an enviable knack with a hook, then find new places to travel to just as you suspect they’ve shown their full hand. Metcalfe whoops as the song comes to a close, and you actually want to follow him to wherever he might be going and explore life beyond the fade-out; this is charismatic and empowering pop music with him acting as the pied piper.
It was eventually re-released by a major label in 1989 who took it to number 37 in the charts, which once again proves how harsh the eighties were towards alternative rock – it deserved better.
20. Danielle Dax - Where The Flies Are (Awesome)
Peak position: 20
24. Luis Cardenas - Runaway (Consolidated Allied)
Peak position: 24
Truly baffling glam metal cover of the Del Shannon classic which saw Cardenas – usually the drummer with rockers Renegade – goofing around with some animated dinosaurs in a half-a-million dollar budget video. Whether the whole venture feels worth $500k or not is debatable; Cardenas ultimately looks as if he’s seeking to appeal to the under-eights rather than a serious adult audience.
The track itself is a spirited cover version but still sounds far too much like the work of one of those boiler-plate fictional rock bands who popped up in eighties Hollywood films, usually in a gig venue scene where the handsome but dorky lead actor is let down by his wild, wayward girl, heart broken and ears affronted by the loud rock music. Cardenas really doesn’t bring anything unique of his own to the party, and the single peaked at number 83 in the US charts and number 78 here as a result; proof that a flashy video wouldn’t necessarily buy you a hit even in the mid-eighties.
Nor would having having the world’s largest drumkit, as it turns out. David Frost acknowledged Cardenas’ achievement in this respect on the Guinness Hall Of Fame television awards, but that didn’t cause the public’s enthusiasm to increase either.
In terms of financial outlay, size and ambition, “Runaway” is probably the most un-indie record to enter the indie charts, and yet in terms of overall sales, entirely within keeping. Sometimes the biggest and most expensive things in life are ultimately neither the best nor the most successful. You can't just throw money in the air and expect imagination to rain down as a result.
Number One In The Official Charts
The Communards - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (London)
Madonna - "True Blue" (Sire)
Nick Berry - "Every Loser Wins" (BBC)
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