When you check out the first ten singles here, you will notice that they have some of the same characteristics. Yes, they are all UK or European performers. And they had little success in the US. Another thing? They all emerged in the last part of the 1970s (or, like UB40 are just emerging).
Peter Gabriel is also from the UK but his career started years before the first nine listed here. (Let's not do the Genesis story here.) In 1980, he released a single - "Games Without Frontiers" in advance of his third solo album.
Okay - stop right here. Here it is - the quintessential 80s song right here:
The Sound of the 80's?
Not me saying that - click on the Italian F-Beat sleeve and look in the bottom left corner...
The Jam's first number one single in the UK - the great double-sided hit: "Going Underground" and "Dreams Of Children."
A separate entry here for the other side of UB40's debut single "King".
Ultravox vocalist John Foxx strikes out on his own with a record deal on Virgin (under his own Metal Beat imprint).
Bauhaus' second single explores the kinkier side of prostitution.
