As we continue our review of the WLS Survey from November 27, 1982, we're looking at the list of Forty-fives as well as the flipside of the sheet. It rarely happens, but this week's Bio and Etcetera, Etc. are related.
I've had the pleasure of attending four World of Wheels events, though that was more than thirty years ago. When I was younger, I was always on the lookout for cars modeled after Hot Wheels cars. The last time I went, it was like all of Dad's Hot Rod magazines had come alive. While I did not attend the event pictured below, I feel like it was just like the shows I attended, with the same attractions, more or less.
Glancing at the Forty-fives, some "missing" albums from the Thirty-threes come to mind, such as Don Henley's I Can't Stand Still, Toto's IV, Billy Joel's An Innocent Man, and Hall & Oates' H2O. Also, the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers song listed as an EXTRA is titled "You Got Lucky", not "Get Lucky" as listed. Fittingly, Chicago is the only act to have a pair of singles on the list, with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" at number 40 and "Love Me Tomorrow" at number 17.
This chart represents a lot of the music I was listening to just after my junior year of high school started. I was 16 but had not tested for my license; I was still riding the city bus to and from school, a little over an hour a day each way. My parents bought their first house in the Spring of 1982, about two miles from the Base so my bus rides became a little longer. Wouldn't get a real Walkman until Christmas 1982, but I still had my trusty portable cassette player from DAK, which made the move out in August 1981 bearable. I would listen to my two favorite radio stations when at home on my six-year old Soundesign stereo and listen to the tapes I dubbed from my albums and albums friends let me borrow on the bus and at school. Below are just a few of the songs from those tapes that happen to be on this week's list of Forty-fives.
Men At Work's "Who Can It Be Now?" spent more than half a year on WLS's Forty-fives list, peaking at number 2 in late October. This week, the single falls three spots down to number 9 on its way to number 21 on the Big '89. Heard this song a couple of times on our local Rock of the 80's station (KWFM) before being introduced to Business As Usual in its entirety by my girlfriend's older sister, who played it loudly in her room one day while we were otherwise occupied. The track that stood out to me was "Be Good Johnny" which would later get some airplay on KWFM. Ended up borrowing the album from her and putting it on a tape with Men Without Hats on the other side.
"Abracadabra" sits at number 45 on the survey this week. It'll be at the same position next week before falling off the Forty-fives after a twenty-five-week stay, where it peaked at number 2. On the year-end Big '89, "Abracadabra" came in at number 15. For the mixtapes I was making back in 1982, I preferred the single edits, and "Abracadabra" was no exception. Great headphone tune, with state-of-the-art production and Steve Miller's voice right there in my ear.
Santana's cover of Ian Thomas's "Hold On" falls three spots this week to number 39. The track had peaked at number 11 back in October 1982 during its brief eleven-week run across the station's singles list. Still, it made the Big '89 down at number 54, besting other singles that had peaked in the Top 10 of the Forty-fives. My friend Mike snagged this cool double-album year-end label promo compilation at Al Bum's for like $3.99. It happened to have the single version of "Hold On" among other tasty tracks, and he let me borrow it over one weekend. I wanna say the whole shebang fit on a TDK SA90.
"I Ran (So Far Away)" is at number 25 this week on WLS's Forty-fives. The single peaked at number 5 in late October during a fifteen-week streak on the chart and ended up at number 75 on the Big '89. I picked up two records while staying with my Texas grandparents for the final time in the Summer of 1982. One was this "Don't You Want Me" twelve-inch single, and the other was the A Flock Of Seagulls album. Hearing the album version of "I Ran (So Far Away)" with the extended intro was a revelation, and I more than likely used it on my tapes. I had the single edit (or something close to it) on a couple of K-Tel compilations, Blast Off and The Beat. Still think that guitarist Paul Reynolds is unheralded and underrated.
Moving up five spots this week to number 21 is ABC's "The Look of Love". The single will continue to climb, peaking at number 10 in a nineteen-week run, though it will miss the Big '89. Another love at first hear song. Had heard it once or twice before being stopped in my tracks upon hearing what turned out to be the dub version one night in Loco Records. Went home with the twelve-inch single that night and still haven't fallen out of love with it. I also had the album for my mix tapes.
"Mickey" stomp-clapped its way an incredible thirty-four spaces up the Forty-fives this week to number 11. In two more weeks, it will reach Number One during a better-than-average twenty-three-week stay. Why it ended up way down at number 78 on the Big '89, we'll never know. Along with "Eye Of The Tiger" that Summer, "Mickey" was an ubiquitous song seemingly coming at me from every available speaker. I borrowed the 45 from a girl pal for my tape making.
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