Whensday - Tears at Ten?
Thursday 22nd November 1990

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on the warpath, Gazza stopped his World Cup tears long enough to sing Fog On The Tyne on Top Of The Pops.
It was 'Ice Ice Baby' that replaced The Righteous Brothers at Number One as the power icon of the 80's finally left office.
Rod Stewart got it on with Tina Turner, Timmy Mallet sang 'Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat ...???'
It's not that long ago & it yet it seemed like an eternity that would never end.

It was Thursday 22nd November 1990. 9.37am. The news announcer - who happened to be a London Underground train driver - received rapturous applause. In the London rush hour, almost all of his audience let out a loud cheer following his announcing that Mrs Thatcher had resigned.
Four months earlier there'd been Anti-Poll tax riots and considerable damage in London but this was the day Mrs Margaret Thatcher left office ... and Johnnie Walker followed her out of office soon after for daring to suggest that people would be "dancing in the streets tonight" at news of her resignation … his BBC Greater London Radio boss Matthew Bannister took a dim view.
Bright Eyes from Watership Down had been number one when Maggie succeeded Jim Callaghan as PM, in the week she left 10 Downing Street ‘Ice Ice Baby’ was to replace Unchained Melody at the top.
Many expected 'stalking horse' Michael Hesltine to be her replacement Prime Minister, however the Tories chose someone the public knew very little of … Roy John Major. Here's the Top Ten plus ...
Flava of the Week w/c 18 Nov 90
1 1 RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS Unchained Melody
2 3 KIM APPLEBY Don’t Worry
3 - VANILLA ICE Ice Ice baby
4 2 GAZZA & LINDISFARNE Fog On The Tyne
5 15 EMF Unbelievable (an American Number One)
6 5 BLACK BOX Fantasy
7 6 ROBERT PALMER & UB40 I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
8 12 JIMMY SOMERVILLE To Love Somebody
9 4 BEAUTIFUL SOUTH A Little Time
10 11 808 STATE Cubik Olympic

PET SHOP BOYS Being Boring
DREAM WARRIORS My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style
PATRICK McNEE & HONOR BLACKMAN Kinky Boots
THE LA's There She Goes
TYLER COLLINS Girls Night Out
PAUL SIMON The Obvious Child
CURE Close To Me (Paul Oakenfold Remix)
SEAL Crazy
ROXETTE Dressed For Success
KYLIE MINOGUE Step Back In Time

MADONNA Justify My Love (from the new No.1 album 'The Immaculate Collection')
HAPPY MONDAYS Bob's Yer Uncle (from the No.4 album 'Thrills, Spills & Bellyaches')

xplosure 10 years on
Whensday? Monday 6th May 1996
Hendry's 6th
Stephen Hendry won Snooker's World Championship for a 6th time equalling Steve Davis and Ray Reardens record number of wins. Alanis Morrisette's 'Jagged Little Pill' was number one album, Take That split and within weeks Robbie announced a million pound three album deal with EMI. Glenn Hoddle tipped Germany to beat Terry Venables England, a masked Princess Diana was in hospital to watch hole in the heart surgery. Man City were relegated from the Premiership, while Champs Man Utd beat Liverpool 1-0 to win the FA Cup and do the double.
Flava of the Week 6 May 96
1 1 GEORGE MICHAEL Fast Love
2 2 MARK MORRISON Return Of The Mack
3 3 GINA G Ooh Ahh Just A Little Bit
4 5 SUGGS Cecilia
5 - BLUR Charmless Man
6 8 MAN UTD Move Move Move (The Red Tune)
7 - BLUETONES Cut Some Rug
8 - BUSTA RHYMES Woo-Hah!
9 4 MANIC STREET PREACHERS A Design For Life
10 - KLUBBHEADS Klubbhoping
11 6 MICHAEL JACKSON They Don't Care About Us
21 13 PRODIGY Firestarter
28 17 PRESIDENTS OF THE USA Peaches
31 24 2 PAC & Dr DRE California Love
33 - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS God Show Me Magic
37 - 60FT DOLLS Talk To Me


Xplosure is ten years old this week, born from an idea we had when Steve Johnson and Mike (ne Tony) were at BBC Radio Wales.
We received so many demos we couldn't play them all, many of the bands complained of a lack of live venues in Cardiff prepared to book bands who wanted to play their own original material. Kelly from pre-fame Stereophonics revealed on air how he'd been asked to produce two coach receipts to prove there'd be a crowd coming down from Aberdare for a gig in Cardiff.
Another guest on our show, Simon Adams of Choc-Ice and later BBC TV's Straw Dogs agreed with Mike it would be a good idea to set up a weekly live music club night where such bands could play, for minimal 'loss'.
We brought in Jonny Wing to look after the door and charged 50p or £1 admission, just enough to cover expenses and try to build a regular audience.
Powderclowns, Can't Stand Up and Pink Pussy were first on the xplosure stage and like that night, many's the time after paying club hire and expenses we'd be splitting a five pounds profit three ways at the bar.
But profit wasn't the motive, the motive was to see if we could create a live scene, attract an audience and attract bigger names.
In 1997, Simon quit to go on tour with Midge Ure and Johnny Wing became the focal point for xplosure. For five years Jon booked the regular Monday night bill at Clwb Ifor Bach and when Barfly were looking for someone to launch their Cardiff venue, Jon was the natural choice.
We needed a successful weekend every weekend for Barfly to cover the losses any touring outfits may incur during the week, and so it was we launched the clubnight's that are Mad4it! - the motive not to be cool but to keep the operation in business and keep Barfly in Cardiff.
Here in a rare interview with James McLaren is more insight into xplosure

Whensday - computers go live?
Sunday 4th October 1987

"Eastenders and Coronation Street are top of the box, Maggie's top of the polls, and on the radio we've got the 'new' technology and we're ready for The Brand New Top 40 to go live every Sunday afternoon. UK Chart compiler Gallup have been testing new computers and are confident they're as accurate as the old manual system of logging sales with the added advantage of being much faster. Chart day will therefore move forward two days from Tuesday to Sunday with Bruno Brookes honoured to present this milestone first live Top 40 show"

Sandwiched between Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' & Bee Gee's 'You Win Again', MARRS could have felt hard done-by as they spend not two weeks, but only twelve days at Number One.

 


Whensday - 4 hours at No.1?
Tuesday 16 February 1976

Here we are with the 385th UK number one single from Manuel & The Music of The Mountains (sic) only thing is - it was only number one for four hours and is not recognised at all ... While Harold Wilson was planning his resignation so was the person responsible for making a total cock-up of the UK Top 40 - Manuel was elevated above his station, Slade briefly looked set for a 7th chart-topper and the No.5 record from misfortunate Donna Summer was omitted completely! It's hard to imagine such a monumental error happening now but in the days of mental arithmetic perhaps it's not so surprising.

Then again maybe someone just took a dim view of Donna Summer's orgasmic moans ...

The chart of 1pm til 5pm on Tuesday 16 February 1976

Manuel was in fact a pseudonym for Geoff Love and his Orchestra who had recorded and released Rodrigos Guitar Concerto five years previously with virtually no sales. Following airplay on Radio Two the record eventually started it's climb!

The 'blame it on computer error' explanation in Record Mirror