1. Richard Marx – Hazard – 05-1992 2. Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness – 06-1992 3. Jimmy Nail – Ain’t No Doubt – 07-1992 4. Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover – 07-1992 5, Guns N’ Roses – November Rain – 02-1992 6. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona – 08-1992 7. Mr. Big – To Be With You – 03-1992 8. Bon Jovi – Keep The Faith – 10-1992 9. Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad – 09-1992 10. Kiss – God Gave Rock And Roll To You II – 01-1992 11. Right Said Fred – Deeply Dippy – 03-1992 12. Shakespear’s Sister – Stay – 01-1992 13. R.E.M. – Man On The Moon – 12-1992
And the ones that got away: Bryan Adams – All I Want Is You – 07-1992 Michael Ball – One Step Out Of Time – 05-1992 Nick Berry – Heartbeat – 06-1992 Michael Bolton – To Love Somebody – 11-1992 Mariah Carey – I’ll Be There – 06-1992 Cher – Oh No Not My Baby – 11-1992 Joe Cocker – All I Know (Feels Like Forever) – 03-1992 Joe Cocker – Unchain My Heart – 07-1992 Crowded House – Weather With You – 03-1992 The Cure – Friday I’m In Love – 02-1992 Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart – 08-1992 Deacon Blue – Your Town – 11-1992 Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked – 03-1992 Del Amitri – Always The Last To Know – 05-1992 Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson – Beauty And The Beast – 05-1992 Genesis – I Can’t Dance – 01-1992 Annie Lennox – Walking On Broken Glass – 08-1992 Brian May – Too Much Love Will Kill You – 09-1992 Metallica – Nothing Else Matters – 05-1992 Roy Orbison – I Drove All Night – 08-1992 Roy Orbison With kd lang – Crying – 08-1992 Pearl Jam – Alive – 02-1992 Cliff Richard – I Still Believe In You – 12-1992 Lionel Richie – My Destiny – 08-1992 Diana Ross – One Shining Moment – 06-1992 Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch – 03-1992 Lisa Stansfield – Someday (I’m Coming Back) – 12-1992 Take That – Could It Be Magic – 12-1992 Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You – 05-1992 Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson – The Best Things In Life Are Free – 08-1992 Wet Wet Wet – Goodnight Girl – 01-1992 Vanessa Williams – Save The Best For Last – 03-1992
Following on from last week, here’s a more detailed look at my/our fave movies – all three of our kids have grown up with a glorious appreciation of movies and TV shows – when we got a copy of Scene-it the battles were hard fought, and both Jo and Steph quote lines at each other all the time – perfectly mimicking all the accents and able to remember entire scenes. And don’t get them started on Friends …
1. 10 Things I Hate About You Fave scene/line: When Heath Ledger serenades Julia Stiles to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take my Eyes off You,” (you may know it by Andy Williams). Or when Kat (Julia S) gets Patrick out of detention by showing the PE teacher “the distraction plan.”
2. Strictly Ballroom Fave scene/line: When Scott and Fran dance backstage to Doris Day’s “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.” Or the Paso Doble scene when the music stops and they dance just to handclaps.
Fran: “What happened to a life lived in fear and all that stuff? You really are a gutless wonder!”
3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Fave scene/line: “Just taking a lady’s advice,” when Robin (Kevin Costner) is bathing in a pool. Side note – we walked behind that waterfall (at the back of a pub in Yoorkshire), and also found the waterfall where Robin challenges Little John (Nick Brimble) and Azim (Morgan Freeman) advises him to “move faster.”
4. Hook/Mrs. Doubtfire Bit of a cheat here, mostly because these both show off the fabulous talents of Robin Williams and they are proper kid’s movies. Fave scene/line: Hook – the food fight scene “You lewd, crude, rude, bag of pre-chewed food, dude!” Mrs D – “Stu? It’s more of a thick soup than a name.”
5. Galaxy Quest ‘99 Fave scene/line: “I see you managed to get your shirt off.” A fabulously cynical Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) to Tim Allen’s scene-stealing hack (Jason Nesmith) after the fight scene with the rock monster.
6. The Mummy ‘99 Fave scene/line: Where Evie (Rachel Weisz) gets drunk around the campfire: “I may not be an explorer or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker or a gunfighter, Mr. O’Connell, but I am proud of what I am. I… am a librarian.”
7. The Mask of Zorro ‘98 Fave scene/line: Where Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) challenges Zorro (Antonio Banderas) to a sword fight and he cuts all the ribbons so her bodice collapses. Or the Tango scene. Don Rafael Montero: “Did you recognize Zorro?” Elena: “No, but he was young and vigorous. He was very vigorous, father.”
8. True Lies ‘94 Fave scene/line: The one where Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) rips off the frills from her dress, slicks back her hair and attempts to dance for Arnie (playing her husband). Or the Tango scene. And the quote: “Kids – ten seconds of joy, thirty years of misery.”
9. Sister Act ‘92 Fave scene/line: When the choir first perform in the church, rocking up Hail Holy Queen, and the people walk in off the streets. Quote: Dolores (Whoopi Goldberg) “How can you say that? I worked my butt off with these women! They’ve given up their free time to do this, and they’re good! I mean, sister, we could, we could Rock this place!”
10. Independence Day ‘96/Armageddon ‘98 Another cheat, but I really couldn’t choose between them and they both tick a lot of high-octane Fave scene/line: Armageddon: “Well, we all gotta die, right? I’m the guy who gets to do it saving the world.” Independence Day: “I picked a hell of a day to quit drinkin’.”
11. Pretty Woman ‘90 Fave scene/line: When Vivian returns to the snobby shop assistant who snubbed her, showing off the dozens of expensive purchases from Rodeo drive. “You work on commission, right? Big Mistake. Big. Huge.”
12. Con Air ‘97 Fave scene/line: Poe (Nick Cage) comes across a dead body in the landing gear and tosses it out with a message for Larkin (John Cusack). He interrupts one of the convicts rifling through the cargo and is forced to kill him. “Why couldn’t you put the bunny in the box?
13. Die Hard: With a Vengeance ‘95 Fave scene/line: When John McClane (Bruce Willis) and Zeus, (Samuel L Jackson) try to solve a puzzle involving jugs of water to stop a bomb going off. Quote: Zeus: “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me I’m in this shit ’cause some white cop threw some white asshole’s brother off a roof?”
We had a tradition for several years when Bri worked shifts, that the kids would stay up until he finished work at 9pm on Friday. We’d have a carpet picnic including hula-hoops, mini cheddars and popcorn, but the star turn had to be the sandwiches with “billy-bear” processed meat. We always watched a movie – more often than not a Disney one, but many of those listed below found their way into our movie night.
1990 –Pretty Woman, Ghost, Home Alone, Kindergarten Cop, Bird on a Wire, Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, Goodfellas, Dances with Wolves, Misery, Total Recall, Flatliners, Arachnophobia, Days of Thunder, The Hunt for Red October, Tremors, Die Hard 2, Gremlins 2, Godfather 3, Back to the Future 3
1991 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Hook, Hudson Hawk, The Silence of the Lambs, Thelma & Louise, Beauty and the Beast (animated), City Slickers, Point Break, JFK, Cape Fear, The Fisher King, The Commitments, Father of the Bride, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1992 – Strictly Ballroom, Sister Act, Aladdin (animated), Scent of a Woman, Batman Returns, A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, Basic Instinct, Wayne’s World, Death Becomes Her, Reservoir Dogs, Under Siege, Patriot Games, Malcolm X, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Alien 3
1993 – Mrs. Doubtfire, Sleepless in Seattle, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler’s List, Groundhog Day, The Piano, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Remains of the Day, Philadelphia, Shadowlands, Cool Runnings, Carlito’s Way
1994 – True Lies, Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King (animated), The Shawshank Redemption, Speed, Natural Born Killers, Leon, Serial Mom, Timecop, The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Forrest Gump, The Madness of King George, Body Snatchers, Clear and Present Danger, Star Trek: Generations
1995 – Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Desperado, Toy Story (animated), The Usual Suspects, Twelve Monkeys, Get Shorty, Braveheart, Leaving Las Vegas, Apollo 13, Babe, Seven, Sense and Sensibility, Dead Man Walking
1996 – Independence Day, The Rock, Mission Impossible, Romeo + Juliet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (animated), That Thing You Do!, The Birdcage, Secrets & Lies, Stealing Beauty, Michael Collins, Matilda, Trainspotting, Scream, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Star Trek: First Contact, Mars Attacks!
1997 – Good Will Hunting, Con Air, As Good as It Gets, Men in Black, The Full Monty, The Fifth Element, Contact, Face/Off, L. A. Confidential, Starship Troopers, Donnie Brasco, What Dreams May Come, Jackie Brown
1998 – Armageddon, The Mask of Zorro, Truman Show, The X Files, The Big Lebowski, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Saving Private Ryan, There’s Something About Mary, The Thin Red Line, Pleasantville, The Negotiator, Antz (animated), A Bug’s Life (animated)
1999 – 10 Things I Hate About You, Galaxy Quest, The Mummy, Notting Hill, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, She’s All That, Sleepy Hollow, Fight Club, The Green Mile, Analyze This, Eyes Wide Shut, Wild, Wild West, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Toy Story 2, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Blair Witch Project, American Pie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Cider House Rules
1. Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – 06-1991
2. Guns N’ Roses – Live And Let Die – 12-1991
3. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – 01-1991
4. The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go – 03-1991
5. The Scorpions – Wind Of Change – 09-1991
6. The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon – 04-1991
7. Robert Palmer – Mercy Mercy Me / I Want You – 01-1991
8. Extreme – More Than Words – 07-1991
9. Chesney Hawkes – The One And Only – 03-1991
10. Queen – Innuendo – 01-1991
11. Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy – 08-1991
12. Simply Red – Stars – 12-1991
13. Zucchero featuring Paul Young – Senza Una Donna (Without A Woman) – 04-1991
And the bubbling unders: Paula Abdul – Rush Rush – 06-1991 Oleta Adams – Get Here – 01-1991 Marc Almond – Jacky – 10-1991 Rick Astley – Cry For Help – 01-1991 Bananarama – Preacher Man – 01-1991 The Bee Gees – Secret Love – 03-1991 Michael Bolton – When A Man Loves A Woman – 11-1991 Cher – The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) – 04-1991 Alice Cooper – Hey Stoopid – 07-1991 Deacon Blue – Twist And Shout – 08-1991 Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do – 06-1991 Guns N’ Roses – You Could Be Mine – 07-1991 Michael Jackson – Black Or White – 11-1911 James – Sit Down – 04-1991 Lenny Kravitz – It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – 06-1991 Kirsty MacColl – Walking Down Madison – 06-1991 Madonna – Crazy For You – 03-1991 Brian May – Driven By You – 12-1991 Metallica – Enter Sandman – 08-1991 George Michael & Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – 12-1991 Bette Midler – From A Distance – 06-1991 Dannii Minogue – Jump To The Beat – 07-1991 Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit – 12-1991 Alexander O’Neal – All True Man – 01-1991 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Pandora’s Box – 07-1991 Queen – The Show Must Go On – 11-1991 Chris Rea – Auberge – 03-1991 R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People – 05-1991 Diana Ross – When You Tell Me That You Love Me – 12-1991 Roxette – Joyride – 03-1991 Salt-N-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex – 09-1991 Seal – Killer (EP) – 11-1991 Simply Red – Something Got Me Started – 09-1991 Slade – Radio Wall Of Sound – 10-1991 Soft Cell featuring Marc Almond – Tainted Love – 05-1991 Sonia – Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy – 09-1991 Lisa Stansfield – Change – 10-1991 Rod Stewart – Motown Song – 06-1991 Tina Turner – Way Of The World – 11-1991 Midge Ure – Cold Cold Heart – 08-1991 U2 – Mysterious Ways – 12-1991 Paul Young – Don’t Dream (It’s Over) – 11-1991
The 80s was a busy decade and saw me going from a single journey away from the UK (to Brittany in 1978) to four wonderful trips to Greek Islands, the first being Rhodes in 1985. The second of these (Crete, May ’86) included an off-the-cuff proposed and a mere 6-months later, I married my wonderful hubby, Bri, and we honeymooned in Corfu. A year later saw our second trip to Crete, and we came back with our first addition to the family, a beautiful, bouncing son whose arrival in July meant we didn’t get away during 1988. After a short week in Yorkshire a year later, our daughter burst into the world on November 30th 1989, with merely a month to go before the new decade.
1990 – Returning to work after maternity leave was harder this time, but I found a childminder who was a national treasure (Auntie Anne) and she brought up our first two way better than I could ever hope to. May/June Tremorel, Brittany (a gite most memorable for the full-sized pool table which dwarfed Chris) + Limousin in the Massif-Central – land-locked, lake-district with oppressive humidity. September Dunoon, Scotland
1991 – Ambitious or what? A 3-week, 3-centre holiday took us to Tremorel (Brittany), Biarritz (Pyrenees) & Loire. Then in October, back to the Loire.
1992 – La Grange, Royan with a small pool heated by solar panels – way ahead of its time. Then in September, back to the Loire (again – we loved that river and its environs!)
1993 – 16th May our second daughter gave up the week-long struggle and finally emerged into the light – a massive 9lb 9oz and on the 90th percentile for height. She was only 3.5 months old when we took a 2 week holiday (Lorgues, Var) which ended up in Eurodisney where Chris blended with the cowboys, Jo got a beautiful Belle ballgown and Tigger made a big fuss of Stephie.
1994 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris
Steph took her first steps amid the vine-covered courtyard where we shared many a happy candle-lit barbeque. And Brian made the second of his daily pan-run journeys into town, accompanied by Garth Brooks’ “Sail My Vessel.” Wonderful stuff. More fond memories of Jo singing “Little Town,” “A Whole New World” and her signature tune “Part of Your World.” Most of which we have on DVDs which I torture her with on a regular basis.
1995 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris. Yep, a total repeat of the previous year’s holiday. Except this time, the fridge in the room had been switched off and turned around. Also, some rotten thief stole the camcorder (and Steph’s nappy bag including my purse) on the second day so we have no video footage. Plenty of pix, though.
1996 – Moraira (with views of Calpe), Spain
Our first taste of the Costa Blanca, this beautiful market town is almost midway between Valencia (to the North) and Alicante (South) . First time we went, the place was very much an upmarket resort-in-the-making, including a spit-and-sawdust funfair. We were absolutely smitten with the Crazy Frog – the funkiest ride ever which went forwards, backwards, spun, undulated and even hopped. Not for the weak-stomached.
1997 – (Vidiago) Llanes, N.Spain
The coast of North Spain is nothing like as crowded and Brit-centric as the Eastern coast – chalk and cheese spring to mind. It’s way closer to Brittany, with a similar climate, lush green vegetation and glorious beaches. We discovered the Beach of Caves (Playa Cuevas del Mar), and it drew us back to the area several times.
1998 – Marans, La Rochelle (pool) + Disneyland
A wonderful holiday, the highlights of which included Bri reprising his Indiana Jones role piloting a punt and a motor boat through Green Venice. The glossy sheen had definitely worn off Disneyland, with everything a tad care-worn, cheaper and less generous than the previous two visits. The fridge had disappeared completely from the room in the cowboy hotel, portion sizes seemed smaller and worst of all, they were no longer showing the Beauty and the Beast show in the main theatre (Videopolis) in Fantasyland.
1999 – Camango, N.Spain + Moraira (Norte Mer), Spain
Another ambitious one with a week exploring the mountains and after a two-day drive via Madrid, a week in the sun, including a trip to nearby Benidorm for a ride on a submarine.
The start of the decade saw me with two kids under 18-months, which meant I didn’t have the same opportunities to listen to music. Suddenly all the cool music from the previous two decades got booted out by tuneless techno-drivel and repetitive hip-hop with lyrics which could have been written by five-year-olds. And it just got worse as the decade played out.
1. Heart – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You – 04-1990 2. Alannah Myles – Black Velvet – 04-1990 3. Roxette – It Must Have Been Love – 06-1990 4. Berlin – Take My Breath Away – 10-1990 5. Tina Turner – Steamy Windows – 02-1990 6. Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) – 03-1990 7. The Beautiful South – A Little Time – 10-1990 8. Del Amitri – Nothing Ever Happens – 01-1990 9. The Farm – All Together Now – 12-1990 10. Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze Of Glory – 08-1990 11. Go West – King Of Wishful Thinking – 08-1990 12. The B-52s – Love Shack – 03-1990 13. Kylie Minogue – Better The Devil You Know – 05-1990
And a few which deserve an honorary mention: Luciano Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma – 06-1990 Sting – Englishman In New York – 08-1990 Seal – Crazy – 12-1990 AC/DC – Thunderstruck – 09-1990 Chris Rea – Tell Me There’s A Heaven – 02-1990 A-ha – Crying In The Rain – 10-1990 Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day – 12-1990 Betty Boo – Doin’ The Do – 06-1990 Belinda Carlisle – (We Want) The Same Thing – 10-1990 Cher – Just Like Jesse James – 02-1990 Natalie Cole – Wild Women Do – 04-1990 Deacon Blue – Queen Of The New Year – 01-1990 Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart / What Is Love – 09-1990 Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire – 05-1990 Jason Donovan – Rhythm Of The Rain – 09-1990 EMF – Unbelievable – 11-1990 Erasure – Blue Savannah – 03-1990 The Hothouse Flowers – Give It Up – 05-1990 Whitney Houston – I’m Your Baby Tonight – 10-1990 Iron Maiden – Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter – 12-1990 Chris Isaak – Wicked Game – 12-1990 Janet Jackson – Black Cat – 09-1990 Londonbeat – I’ve Been Thinking About You – 09-1990 Madonna – Vogue – 04-1990 MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This – 06-1990 George Michael – Praying For Time – 08-1990 Kylie Minogue – Step Back In Time – 11-1990 New Kids On The Block – I’ll Be Loving You (Forever) – 03-1990 Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U – 01-1990 Robert Palmer & UB40 – I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight – 11-1990 The Proclaimers – King Of The Road (EP) – 11-1990 Cliff RIchard – From A Distance – 10-1990 Jimmy Somerville – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – 01-1990 Lisa Stansfield – What Did I Do To You (EP) – 05-1990 Status Quo – The Anniversary Waltz – Part One – 09-1990 David A. Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer – Lily Was Here – 03-1990 Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two – 11-1990 Paul Young – Softly Whispering I Love You – 05-1990
Who doesn’t love a Marvel Movie? My absolute favourites are the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the Thor movies are second fave. I’ve always been keen on Norse Mythology, so it was great fun for me to dive into a bunch of the stories, especially the ones involving Loki. Such an awesome character, and the parallels between his mischief and what Isaac got up to made for some great storylines. This should give a clue:
They say three’s a crowd. And Isaac doesn’t like crowds.
He likes his cousin Lizzie even less. So the day she invites herself to stay and he gains a third woman sharing his life, he’s not a happy bunny.
Based on bitter childhood memories, he imagines she’ll pick up her cruel torment where she left off. He’s not wrong. And there’s no safety in numbers as all his housemates are fair game for her particular brand of torture. Even work holds none of its normal refuge as his boss sics a Rottweiler on him to scrutinise his every move.
2022 wanes, diminishing his opportunities to use the Time Machine for his grand plan. The trouble is, it requires a level of cooperation from certain individuals. And Isaac doesn’t do people.
If you like The Big Bang Theory, you’ll see a lot of Sheldon in Isaac – and fans of Marvel’s Thor movies (especially Loki) will appreciate some Norse myths which haven’t yet made the cut.
Fifth in the Time Doctors series, this fun-filled romp could be read as a stand-alone, but readers will have massive spoilers in going back to read the previous stories. What can I say? Pretty inevitable in a serialised story.
Anyway, you can pick up your copy of Turn Back Time by clicking the link – a steal at £2.99/$3.49 or read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Continue the fun adventures of a bunch of 30-something geeks as they explore their familys’ pasts with the aid of a temperamental time capsule in the attic.
Unemployment in England in the 80s had reached record-breaking numbers, the highest it’s ever seen since The Great Depression. It caused mass hysteria, riots, rebellion against manufacturing plant shutdowns and protests. Much of these numbers were caused by the government’s monetarist policies to tackle inflation. Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also cut benefits to state workers in half. Despite her being the least popular prime minister, she remained in office for 18 years. The highest unemployment rate exceeded 3 million in 1984, reaching almost 12%. It didn’t come down until the economic boom during the mid 1980s, dropping below 2 million in early 1989 and reached 1.6 million at 7% by the end of the year.
1980
Capture of “The Yorkshire Ripper”
The “Yorkshire Ripper” was identified as Peter William Coonan, who was a serial killer of 13 women and attempted to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. He was found guilty on May 22nd, 1980, being sentenced to 20 concurrent sentences of life imprisonment, which converted to a whole life order in 2019. All of his murders took place in West Yorkshire and some in Manchester.
Death of John Lennon
On the evening of December 8th, 1980, John Lennon of The Beatles was shot dead in the archway of The Dakota in his New York City apartment. His killer, Mark David Chapman, was an American Beatles fan who travelled from Hawaii but was angered by his lifestyle and public statements. His statement regarding the Beatles being “more popular than Jesus” was what really got to him as well as the lyrics of his later songs “God” and “Imagine”. Chapman said he was also inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman had also planned the killing for several months, waiting for Lennon at the Dakota since the morning of December 8th. He even met John Lennon who signed his copy of the album Double Fantasy. After coming back from a recording session with his wife, Yoko Ono, Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from his .38 revolver, four of which hit John in the back. After being rushed to the Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, he was dead upon arrival at age 40. Thousands of music fans later held a 10-minute vigil in Liverpool in his memory.
1. Alice Cooper – Poison – 08-1989
2. Chris Rea – The Road To Hell (Part 2) – 10-1989
3. Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine – 06-1989
4. Mike & The Mechanics – The Living Years – 01-1989
5. Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time – 10-1989
6. Queen – The Miracle
7. Tina Turner – The Best – 09-1989
8. Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start The Fire – 10-1989
9. Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman – 05-1989
10. Texas – I Don’t Want A Lover – 02-1989
11. Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings – 07-1989
12. Lisa Stansfield – All Around The World – 10-1989
13. Tears For Fears – Sowing The Seeds Of Love – 09-1989
And the ones bubbling under Aerosmith – Love In An Elevator – 09-1989 Stevie Nicks – Rooms On Fire – 05-1989 Kate Bush – This Woman’s Work – 12-1989 Queen – The Miracle – 12-1989 Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting – 09-1989 The Bangles – Eternal Flame – 03-1989 Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning – 04-1989 Roxette – The Look – 05-1989 Tom Petty – I Won’t Back Down – 06-1989 Deacon Blue – Fergus Sings The Blues – 05-1989 Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy – 01-1989 Def Leppard – Rocket – 02-1989 Guns N’ Roses – Patience – 07-1989 Deborah Harry – I Want That Man – 10-1989 Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands On Me – 09-1989 Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – 01-1989 Phil Collins – Another Day In Paradise – 11-1989 INXS – Mystify – 04-1989 Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams (Live) – 11-1989 Belinda Carlisle – Leave A Light On – 10-1989 The Beautiful South – You Keep It All In – 09-1989 Kirsty MacColl – Days – 07-1989 Black Box – Ride On Time – 08-1989 Boy Meets Girl – Waiting For A Star To Fall – 01-1989 Cyndi Lauper – I Drove All Night – 06-1989 Michael Jackson – Leave Me Alone – 02-1989
The 1980s was truly an innovative time, dominated as it was by music, fashion and more than anything, gadgets. A lot of important technology, most of which is either still in use today or lay the foundation for things we couldn’t live without. Smartphones, tablets and streaming services being a few. we use now. Without the creation of the Graphical User Interface in 1984, where would personal computing be today? And the world’s most popular operating system, Microsoft Windows, entered the market in 1985. The invention of the first camcorder in 1983 changed how people create and even consume media. Some of these were relatively short lived, quickly superseded by smaller, faster, more portable developments. I’m sure to have missed a few – if you spot something, let me know via a comment.
MTV, 1981
MTV went on the air for the first time on Aug. 1, 1981, with the words: “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” The first music video to air on the new television station was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.
The Columbia space shuttle 1981
Following the successful lunar missions in the late 60s and early 70s, the great minds at NASA decided to utilize their resources to create a new type of vehicle that could travel into space and return home safely. Launched in 1981, the Space Shuttle was far more than just a transportation vehicle; it could become an orbiting laboratory allowing astronauts and researchers to conduct a host of experiments with the aim of better understanding our universe. Even more so, the space shuttle has helped transport important maintaining equipment in space.
Stealth Planes 1981
Stealth technology would go on to change warfare. Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Co. performed a test flight of the world’s first radar-resistant aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk, in 1981. Even though the plane was delivered to the United States Air Force in 1982, the plane was kept secret until 1988.
Camcorder, 1982 Prior to the invention of the camcorder, a bulky camera with heavy equipment was used (most usually for recording news) along with a separate sound recorder. Because both devices were bulky/heavy, it meant video recording was a two person job. The invention of this device combined the recoding and voice functions in a camera, eliminating the cable between them and increasing the recording freedom. In 1982, Sony released its Betamax camera for the use of news organizations. Only a year later, the company refined the Betamax and released it for the consumer market, where it quickly picked up in popularity. However, the competition between Betamax and VHS continued to boil and by 1985, Panasonic released a VHS camcorder and people began favouring this format over the Betamax.
Compact Disc player 1982
Though the Walkman (released in 1979) was the ultimate 80s symbol, cassettes degraded in quality over time. Sony and Phillips created an answer to this, the compact disc. The tremendous impact of the CD can not be overstated – it almost completely killed both the cassette and vinyl markets. Even more so, it also shifted the emerging computer industry. By the late 90s, the CD took over the markets. Sony released the world’s first commercial CD player, the CDP-101 which sold for around £540 (nearly £2,000 today), while CDs themselves cost around £12 each (£40 today). CD players were viewed as products for the wealthy, but as they slowly became more mainstream, prices dropped.
Mobile Phone, 1983
In the UK, The first mobile phone service was a car radio phone system that started in Manchester in 1959 by the GPO12. The first mobile phone sold in the UK was the Vodafone VM1, a Panasonic in-car handset that cost £1,200 and weighed nearly 5kg34. The first mobile phone that ordinary consumers could buy and use was the Motorola DynaTac 8000X, also known as The Brick, that launched in 1983 and cost around £2,5005. It had the dimensions of 300 x 44 x 89mm and weighed about 785g. It had an LED display and allowed an hour of talk time. Across the pond, although portable phone using radio links to make and receive calls were available in the late 70s, research was hampered because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) placed restrictions on the allocation of frequencies. AT&T introduced the ideas of a cellular system, and with this new approach, it became easier to research and invent the mobile phone.
Apple Mackintosh, 1984
It’s predecessor, the Apple Lisa, released in 1983 was hailed by BYTE magazine as “the most important development in computers in the last five years, easily outpacing the IBM PC.” The Macintosh was introduced by a US$1.5 million Ridley Scott television commercial, “1984” which aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, and is now considered a masterpiece more successful than the Mac itself. Again, BYTE quoted that the Macintosh attracted people who previously hated computers, saying there is, apparently, something about mice and pull-down menus and icons that appeal to people previously intimidated by DOS-based operating systems.
DNA Fingerprinting 1984
British geneticist Alec Jeffreys was studying hereditary family diseases, trying to trace genetic markers, when he accidentally discovered that every person has a unique DNA profile. The unique genetic profiles are derived from the profiles of one’s parents, which means that lineage can be traced back through generations with DNA testing. He successfully tested his discoveries when two murders occurred near the university. The new method worked to exonerate a suspect and convict a guilty one. Alec Jeffreys was knighted for his invention that changed the face of science forever. The world of forensic science owes its development to DNA fingerprinting.
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) 1985
Although available in Japan from 1983, this console suffered from a glut in the market (and the rise of PCs) so its release in the US in 1985 (partnered with Atari) tanked. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand all received the system in 1987, where it was distributed exclusively by Mattel. In Europe, the NES received a less enthusiastic response than it had elsewhere, and Nintendo lagged in market and retail penetration, though the console was more successful later.
Windows operating system 1985
Since its initial launch, Microsoft has released 10 major versions of the operating system. While Windows today looks a lot different than it did decades ago, it was the 1980s when it really got its start. Windows 1, spearheaded by Bill Gates, was an iconic moment in the tech industry because the new system relied heavily on the use of a mouse to input information, while other systems typically used keyboards.
CD-ROM, 1985
The first laser disc, an analogue storage device invented in 1978, developed into the Compact Disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). This pre-pressed compact disc contains data which can be accessed but not written onto. It was released with the intention of feeding it with music, but later it was made into a form by which any binary data could be stored in it. It was used to transfer games and other computer software. Ccertain CD types which hold only audio, while others can store audio, as well as data. The data CDs can be played only on computers, whereas the audio can be played on CD players as well.
Disposable Camera, 1986
Fujifilm’s Utsurun-Desu took the world by storm, with photography companies like Kodak, Canon, and Nikon quickly flooding the market and suddenly, instead of an expensive hobby, disposable cameras were ideal for kids to record the world around them, being cheap, easy to use and readily available.
Nintendo Game Boy 1989
This personal gaming device meant users could play different games by switching out the cartridges. The Gameboy was originally only released in Japan, but months after much success, it was available in the U.S. and Europe with games such as Super Mario Land and Tetris.
Other inventions, particularly in the field of medicine, included:
MS-DOS 1981
Scanning tunneling microscope 1981
Artificial Human Heart 1982
Human growth hormone 1982
Synthetic skin 1986
Hepatitis B Vaccine (DNA recombinant), 1986
Prozac 1987
Disposable Soft Contact Lenses, 1987
First 3-D video game1987
The RU-486 (abortion pill) 1988
Doppler radar 1988
Indiglo nightlight 1988
High-definition television 1989
JRo Author 