When was the UK Top 40 at it's best?

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After looking through various charts at everyhit.com

I'd say one of the weeks in June or July 1979. I've gone for first week in June, later charts having the unimpeachable Good Times, and the rather less so Wanted by The Dooleys.

1 Blondie Sunday Girl
2 Anita Ward Ring My Bell
3 Roxy Music Dance Away
4 Earth Wind & Fire Boogie Wonderland
5 Electric Light Orchestra Shine A Little Love
6 McFadden & Whitehead Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
7 Peaches & Herb Reunited
8 Shadows Theme From 'The Deer Hunter' (Cavatina)
9 M Pop Muzik
10 Tubeway Army Are 'Friends' Electric
11 David Bowie Boys Keep Swingin'
12 Donna Summer Hot Stuff
13 Sister Sledge We Are Family
14 Edwin Starr HAPPY Radio
15 Sparks The Number One Song In Heaven
16 Skids Masquerade
17 Gary Moore Parisienne Walkways
18 Abba Does Your Mother Know
19 Squeeze Up The Junction
20 Art Garfunkel Bright Eyes
21 Undertones Jimmy Jimmy
22 Eruption One Way Ticket
23 Police Roxanne
24 Quantum Jump The Lone Ranger
25 Dollar Who Were You With In The Moonlight
26 Clash I Fought The Law
27 Amii Stewart Knock On Wood
28 Lene Lovich Say When
29 Elvis Costello Accidents Will Happen
30 Gerry Rafferty Night Owl
31 Chas & Dave Gertcha
32 John Williams Cavatina (Original Soundtrack From 'The Deer Hunter')
33 Cheap Trick I Want You To Want Me
34 Tubes Prime Time
35 Damned Love Song
36 Monks Nice Legs Shame About Her Face
37 Boney M Hooray Hooray It's A Holi-Holiday
38 Eddy Grant Living On The Front Line
39 Mike Oldfield Guilty
40 Kevin Keegan Head Over Heels In Love

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)

As I said in the other thread, the week ending Saturday 29 May 1982.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)

As I said in the other thread, Late Sept 1978, yayy I win.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:42 (twenty years ago)

Marcello OTM. Or some time in 1992.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

How do you find actual charts using that search engine? I find monthly charts, but none of the official weekly ones.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:48 (twenty years ago)

Ha, didn't see the other thread, still same conclusion. Late May 82 runs it close I agree.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

I would probably choose some mid 1983 chart, but cannot find any charts on that site, and I have misplaced my "Guiness Book Of Top 40 charts", so I don't find it handy right now.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)

1 Will Young & Gareth Gates The Long And Winding Road / Suspicious Minds
2 Las Ketchup The Ketchup Song (Asereje)
3 Holly Valance Down Boy
4 Avril Lavigne Complicated
5 Pink Just Like A Pill
6 S Club Juniors New Direction
7 Irv Gotti presents The INC featuring Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore & Vita Down 4 U
8 Jakatta featuring Seal My Vision
9 Oasis Little By Little / She Is Love
10 Atomic Kitten The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling)
11 Busted What I Go To School For
12 Foo Fighters All My Life
13 Eve featuring Alicia Keys Gangsta Lovin'
14 John Otway Bunsen Burner
15 LeAnn Rimes Life Goes On
16 Eminem Cleanin' Out My Closet
17 Scooter Nessaja
18 Ian Van Dahl Try
19 Sarah Whatmore When I Lost You
20 Feeder Come Back Around
21 Dirty Vegas Days Go By
22 No Doubt Underneath It All
23 Richard Ashcroft Check The Meaning
24 Liberty X Got To Have Your Love
25 Coral Dreaming Of You
26 Puddle Of Mudd She Hates Me
27 Aqualung Strange And Beautiful
28 Beenie Man featuring Janet Feel It Boy
29 Sugababes Round Round
30 Nick Carter Help Me
31 Truth Hurts featuring Rakim Addictive
32 Energy 52 Cafe Del Mar
33 Trinity-X Forever
34 Vines Outtathaway
35 Kelly Osbourne Papa Don't Preach
36 Kelly Osbourne Papa Don't Preach
37 Ms Dynamite Dy-Na-Mi-Tee
38 Shakira Underneath Your Clothes
39 Darius Colourblind
40 Blazin' Squad Crossroads

I particularly like this one. (Oct 2002)

Oh look, Kelly Os with two hits at the same time. With the same title...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)

Is that the worst chart ever?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:00 (twenty years ago)

Ach, it's just cuz I'm on the b-side of number fourteen.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:02 (twenty years ago)

Hang on, worst chart ever? Thats a new thread...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

AAAAAAAARGHHHHH NO MORE TOP 40 THREADS

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:04 (twenty years ago)

oops.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:07 (twenty years ago)

Billy's chart is a thing of beauty.

Quantum Jump - Lone Ranger!! Yay! (Tonto him think white man poofter)

Dollar! Lene Lovich! 'Does Your Mother Know'! Anita Ward!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:10 (twenty years ago)

kevin keegan

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:11 (twenty years ago)

The Monks. The least good band with that name.

"Boys? BOYS? They're old MEN!"

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:13 (twenty years ago)

They were also Hudson-Ford under a pseudonym, formerly of Tory shitehawks The Strawbs.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:15 (twenty years ago)

...not the same Monks who made Black Monk Time, obviously.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:15 (twenty years ago)

exactly.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

Well, there's a thing; I'd have chosen June 1979 as Best Top 40 Ever as well.

March (not May) 1982 would be my second choice; there was one particular Top 40 that got me so excited that I sat down and spontaneously wrote a six-sides-of-A4 essay about it; it's in the attic somewhere.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 12:07 (twenty years ago)

Didn't find any actual charts at the site, but it cannot get much better than this:

Top 40 Hits of Late July 1983
1 Paul Young Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
2 Freeez IOU
3 Malcolm McLaren Double Dutch
4 Eurythmics Who's That Girl?
5 Gary Byrd & The GB Experience The Crown
6 Heaven 17 Come Live With Me
7 Police Wrapped Around Your Finger
8 Mike Oldfield Moonlight Shadow
9 Bananarama Cruel Summer
10 KC & The Sunshine Band Give It Up
11 Shakin' Stevens It's Late
12 Clubhouse Do It Again-Billie Jean (Medley)
13 Rod Stewart Baby Jane
14 Roman Holliday Don't Try To Stop It
15 Irene Cara Flashdance... What A Feeling
16 Wham! Club Tropicana
17 Funk Masters It's Over
18 Cure The Walk
19 Echo & The Bunnymen Never Stop
20 Depeche Mode Everything Counts
21 Robert Plant Big Log
22 New Order Blue Monday
23 Tom Robinson War Baby
24 Creatures Right Now
25 David Sylvian & Riuichi Sakamoto Forbidden Colours
26 Lotus Eaters The First Picture Of You
27 Mary Jane Girls All Night Long
28 Jimmy The Hoover Tantalise (Wo Wo Ee Yeh Yeh)
29 Electric Light Orchestra Rock 'N' Roll Is King
30 Iron Maiden The Trooper
31 George Benson Feel Like Makin' Love
32 Elvis Costello & The Attractions Everyday I Write The Book
33 Bruce Foxton Freak
34 Thompson Twins Watching
35 Tracie Give It Some Emotion
36 Elton John I'm Still Standing
37 Herbie Hancock Rockit
38 Shalamar Dead Giveaway
39 Kim Wilde Love Blonde
40 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

Bruce Foxton!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

18 Cure The Walk
19 Echo & The Bunnymen Never Stop
20 Depeche Mode Everything Counts
21 Robert Plant Big Log
22 New Order Blue Monday
23 Tom Robinson War Baby
24 Creatures Right Now
25 David Sylvian & Riuichi Sakamoto Forbidden Colours
26 Lotus Eaters The First Picture Of You
27 Mary Jane Girls All Night Long
28 Jimmy The Hoover Tantalise (Wo Wo Ee Yeh Yeh)

It's a darn good sequence, I'll give you that.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

there was one particular Top 40 that got me so excited that I sat down and spontaneously wrote a six-sides-of-A4 essay about it; it's in the attic somewhere

Well I demand you be hoisted aloft to retrieve and consequently transcribe said document posthaste!

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

eleven years pass...

what a shitshow

― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Monday, 6 March 2017 19:28 (nine years ago)

lmao

― example (crüt), Monday, 6 March 2017 19:47 (nine years ago)

http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart-update/

― Odysseus, Monday, 6 March 2017 19:49 (nine years ago)

ffs

― well the bitter comes out better on a stolen Switch cartridge (snoball), Monday, 6 March 2017 20:06 (nine years ago)

like as if I didn't hate Ed Sheeran enough

― well the bitter comes out better on a stolen Switch cartridge (snoball), Monday, 6 March 2017 20:07 (nine years ago)

Hey guys, did you see, Asylum records have 15 records in the UK top twenty!

And none of them are by The Eagles...

― Mark G, Monday, 13 March 2017 12:46 (nine years ago)

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