As I said before The Stranglers were – are – my brother-in-law’s favourite band. I doubt he could tell you the number of times he’s seen them play live.

Anyway, here’s one of theirs from 1986.

The Stranglers: Always the Sun

I realised last week that I haven’t featured any Kate Bush tracks beyond Wuthering Heights.

So let’s make up for that. This one only reached no 20 (in 1985.)

Kate Bush: Cloudbusting

Yet another one gone. This time Chris Rea. It somehow seems crueller at this time of year.

Rea is perhaps best known for Driving Home for Christmas and The Road to Hell, jointly his highest chart placing songs but neither of which is appropriate here. His back catalogue is long.

This was his second top 30 hit (no 26 in 1985) and predates both of the above.

Chris Rea: Stainsby Girls

Christopher Anton (Chris) Rea: 4/3/1951 – 22/12/2025. So it goes.

I haven’t done a Marillion track in a while.

This was the second single from their first post-Fish album Seasons End, but it barely scraped the charts. I find it lyrically interesting, though.

The news of this came too late last Friday for me to post this then, but Mani, the bassist for The Stone Roses, died last week.

The late 80s were a musical era I kind of missed as my children were infants then and time for listening to music was limited. There is no doubt, though, that The Stone Roses were an important influence on later bands – not least Oasis.

Mani’s playing is the propulsive force behind this track, a no 8 in 1989.

The Stone Roses: Fool’s Gold

Gary (Mani) Mounfield: 16/11/1962 – 20/11/2025. So it goes.

Soft Cell’s Dave Ball died last week.

I never much took to the band mainly because Marc Almond’s posturing annoyed me. But Ball was a different prospect. Like Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys he appeared to prefer staying in the background quietly playing his synths.

However, they had a significant run of hit singles spanning 1981 and 82, with a distinctive sound.

Here’s a Top of the Pops appearance from that second year.

Soft Cell:- Torch

David James (Dave) Ball: 3/5/1959 – 22/10/2025. So it goes.

I’ve posted a song from Blancmange before – 14 years ago! – with their version of ABBA’s The Day Before You Came. Sadly co-founder of the band, Stephen Luscombe, died last week.

They had seven Top 40 hits in the 1980s.

This one got to no. 8 in 1984.

Blancmange: Don’t Tell Me

Stephen Luscombe: 29/10/1954 – 13/9/2025. So it goes.

Carly Simon’s biggest hit, instantly recognisable from that bass line burble at its start and subject to much interpretation over the years. Warren Beatty has been pointed to as the object of Simon’s lyric and Simon has said the second verse is indeed about him but the others aren’t necessarily.

I knew that Mick Jagger had been an uncredited backing singer on this but it wasn’t until one day it was on in the background in a shoe shop in Kirkcaldy that I made out his voice. Now I can’t stop hearing him every time it plays.

Carly Simon: You’re So Vain

One of those quirky singles that occasionally hits a chord with the public. A UK no 16 in 1980.

Jona Lewie: You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties

Mike Peters of Welsh band The Alarm died earlier this week.

As far as I can see the band only hit the top twenty twice, with this song achieving their highest chart placing at no 17.

The Alarm: Sixty Eight Guns

Michael Leslie (Mike) Peters: 25/2/1959 – 28/4/2025. So it goes.