Jul 8: 1980

Into the 1980s now and the tone of some music changes. This is my wife's favourite decade. Electronic bands and synthesisers along with punk and dance music started to displace some of the other bands from the charts.

'The Blues Brothers' was released this year.

This is a wonderful film, which features plenty of memorable tunes which are now familiar from stage musicals and repeat viewings. Some fine guest star musicians as well.

The car chase to Chicago is an epic way to end the film with a record breaking number of cars destroyed in the process. Carrie Fisher was excellent in this film too.

Mike Oldfield played Knebworth that year.

Several years later, the film was released. I wanted to see it, and I was interested to see that it was playing at a cinema in Rotherham. It was the part of a double bill... the first film was called "Private Teacher" and was a bit 'risque'... google it... so I had to sit through that although I wanted to see the music not the other things.

Rush released 'Permanent Waves' in 1980.

I was working on a Saturday at the time for a local greengrocer. This meant driving over to the town of Mexborough in South Yorkshire where he had a market stall. I bought this track as a 7" single one Saturday... I also saw the first posters for the Genesis 'Duke' album in Woolworths the same time.

We had a DJ booth in our sixth-form centre at school in Wickersley Comprehensive - plus a couple of pinball tables and table-tennis tables. It was quite a good facility if you stayed on to do 'A' levels.

I did 4 'A' levels at school, and picked up a 5th one later.

Invisible airwaves
Crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle
With the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price –
Almost free…

What are your 1980 memories?