Mark L wrote:

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No, but he did it rather a lot around these times

Here's a top thirty rundown from April 1982. Nice to see the band's name in full this time (TOTP had a habit of dropping 'The' from their name) and with an up to date photo and set to the new Lynott Yellow Pearl theme which came in '81 I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkAdqKYNyw

What was going on? How can House on Fire be at just 29 and Bardot, Bucks Fizz and Dollar be in the 10? Weren't they all one group in the end?

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Was there such thing as a 'typical' singles buyer? So many hits just seem to be novelty tracks, and so easily forgotten. Undoubtedly when The Jam or The Boomtown Rats had top 20 hits there must have been a cohort of fans of these bands buying the records. But all too often the songs that were big hits were completely ephemeral.

There is a strange thrill in looking back at old charts and remembering a song you had completely forgotten. When I try to remember my schooldays it is often by looking up when a particular song was in the Top 40, to pinpoint the date, and other things that were happening. 

Mark, I could have typed the exact same thing. Although a lot of people thought House on Fire was good.

Mark L wrote:

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I remember a lot of my school days but mostly where there was a Rats connection!

I remember the day after they had been on TOTP with House on Fire, for example, and there was the usual pre-assembly discussion about what had been on the night before. No-one had mentioned the Rats so I said I thought House on Fire was pretty good. Cue a virtually total chorus of disapproval of the song and this trend would continue right through to Dave, Drag me Down etc and if anything, increase in intensity.

Whereas as once I was in good company with Rat Trap etc and the popularity stakes were high, now I was a lone voice in liking them still.

I don't care now who else likes them, which I suppose comes with getting older. Back then, I was very dispirited people had mostly gone off them and could not work it out.

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I agree 100% - so many b sides like Europe Looked Ugly, Man at the Top, Real Different, It's all the Rage could easily have been A sides - we were rarely short-changed in that department, perhaps except when an existing album track was placed as a b side, such as Hard Times, When the Night comes etc.

I come from the West Midlands and the ILR station there was Beacon Radio and the Rats were in favour with quite a few DJs there. I recall Charmed Lives being played a few times on the evening show (I think it was called 1922 imaginatively, because it went out between 7pm and 10pm) in mid-82 and there was almost an inquest into how such a poor track could have firstly been written and then secondly put out as a single. It was all done from the perspective of 'how could the mighty have fallen' so dramatically. I tried to ring in to defend it (I had 01902 754123 on speed dial!) but looking back, I knew it would have been a disingenuous defence, much like a mother rushing to school to defend her wayward son - no impartiality whatsoever!

I felt they had regained some ground with House on Fire and was hoping they would go with He Watches it All or Skin or Skin (although I knew the risks of going with that, despite the sense of loosening morals as the 80s gathered pace) as single 3. When it was announced Charmed Lives was single 3, I knew it would not trouble the charts in the slightest.

And here's an example of when TOTP dropped 'The' from their name (about 47 seconds in, at 7 with Someone's Looking at You from Feb '80)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q--8aph56-M

Yes, he was a big fan.  He was with Bob when Eamon Andrews collared him with his big red book. Appeared several times on Mike Read's Pop Quiz show and with the group on Saturday Superstore. He did seem genuinely bemused by the Rats' difficulties in getting into the top 20 in 1981, once playing Million Years and House on Fire back to back in '82, which was incredible for the breakfast show and expressing surprise at how the former had sunk virtually without trace. He loved Drag me Down and A Hold of Me. The former was at no. 56 in May '84, after a huge jump from no. 81 and many thought that in the next run it would crack the 40. As if to 'assist', it was played each day at prominent times on his breakfast show and most times the full brassline ending was allowed to play out in full. It only limped on to no. 50. I prefer the US version slightly and think the track sounds better with that version's emphasis on a drummed ending.

I would regularly shuttle between Radio 1 and Beacon Radio and it's not as if they weren't playing it too, although their Breakfast DJ Chris Ashley remarked that there was more than hint of Born to Run in it and that Bob must have moved on from 'copying' Elvis Costello.

Pity TOTP didn't have a week when they were showing 'breakers' hovering just outside the 40. I saw plenty of songs shown as low as 50 to 55 on the charts and later go on to be big hits. However, singles from below the top 40 (but within the top 75) were only shown if the group or artist were up and coming or had a big selling album. Sadly, these criteria no longer applied to the Rats.

Yes, I prefer US version of Drag Me Down to UK version. Prefer UK version of Lucky though.

Booked for Manchester and Birmingham.

hi all,

talking of house on fire. Has anyone got the V.Deep CD when it 1st came out on cd. I got this cd well b4 i even got a cd player. I paid £16,99 for this cd way back in 1983.Well b4 i could buy a cd player, It was printed (at the time) in west Germary by mercury records 800 042-2

No I am unaware of the 1st album coming out on cd I Know that all the albums had been reissued in the USA But the 2st album over that side of the water would have been tonic Which had two songs from the 1st LP on it. Just like yourself I tend to play that cd along with the cd,s I got from the usa I feel a much better sound coming from them But I have to agree with you regarding the UK reissues Good for the B sides. I myself would like to see an anthology released So not only would to get the single version you would get all the B side really feel the likes of Mat at the top and Europe looked ugly  should be got on cd

Thanks for that info, Yeah i have the same cd then. Got it new at a record shop in belfast called caoline music at the back of boots which is still in the same are( No longer with us) long time ago. IT took me weeks to get it as £16.99 was alot of money then. God knows' ()Funny really as it was some years b4 i got to play/here it on cd) how many times i went into the record shop and looked at it i'm sure the guy must have through i was mad.

manatthetop wrote:

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hi all,

 

talking of house on fire. Has anyone got the V.Deep CD when it 1st came out on cd. I got this cd well b4 i even got a cd player. I paid £16,99 for this cd way back in 1983.Well b4 i could buy a cd player, It was printed (at the time) in west Germary by mercury records 800 042-2

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 Not sure but I think the first cd edition of any Rats album was V Deep, 1982 issued/printed  in Japan. I certainly remember reading of a Japanese version but maybe that was printed in Germany??

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IyV93kCVHWk

For those who want to hear John Peel with the chart rundown from April '82 when the Rats were new at 30 (previous week 44 with a TOTP boost)

Noel's link seems to have gone, so reposted;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BTEMycbj3es

This is the longer of the 2 versions floating about on You Tube of the WWF Club performance so stay to the end to see some Geldof japes in the style of baseball cheerleaders. He often seemed more relaxed on German tv around this time, the jesting that had differentiated them up until Graveyard (and particularly in that video) seemed to be replaced on UK tv shows by a more serious side when promoting songs, although he was popping up on Kenny Everett etc on his own with the usual sense of humour in tact.

Krapagoogoo! Like it!

Lots of us are kindred spirits in this respect,  fiercely defending the Rats as the 80s swung into action. The 12/13 year olds that were into Rat Trap were the 18 year old A level Business Studies students who shot me down over Drag Me Down.