Okay, now we're on to the list of who ruled the first three-and-a-half years of the 80s. This is an interesting snapshot of a time when the recording industry was slumping along with the rest of the economy until a certain single-gloved superstar made a record pretty much everyone bought. Let's have a look. (For those acts who made the 70s list as well, their 70s ranking will appear beside their name.)
40 - FLEETWOOD MAC
To this point in the decade: In spite of Rumours' monster sales, this drama-plagued Anglo-American outfit didn't make the 70s list. But with the singles from 1979's Tusk bleeding into this decade, they managed to scrape onto this countdown. The numbers: Six Top 40s, including three Top Tens, the biggest of which was the song Casey played, 1982's "Hold Me" (#4).
My favorite of theirs from this time: As a kid, I liked "Hold Me" enough to buy the Mirage cassette, but now, I'm a much bigger fan of "Tusk" (#8).
How they finished the decade: They weren't heard from again until 1987's Tango in the Night, which produced four hits, including the Top Fives "Big Love" and "Little Lies."
39 - JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
To this point: The ex-guitarist for the all-female rock band The Runaways, Jett burst onto the pop charts with the #1 smash Casey played, "I Love Rock n' Roll." Four more Top 40s followed, including a #7 cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover."
My favorite: I, like everyone else, was hooked by "I Love Rock n' Roll," but it's since been surpassed in my esteem by "Fake Friends" (#35, 1983).
How they finished: They went though a mid-decade drought, but in 1987, Jett sang on the #33 title track to the film Light of Day, in which she costarred with Michael J. Fox. The next year, the Blackhearts returned to the charts with "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (#8) and "Little Liar" (#19).
38 - DONNA SUMMER
To this point: Because this disco legend had most of her hits at the tail end of the decade, she missed out on the last chart. But even with disco on the wane, she managed to have enough success to get on this list. Her stats: Eight Top 40s, three Top 5s (including the song Casey played "On the Radio"), and the Number One duet with Barbra Streisand, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" (yes, it hit #1 in late '79, but it was counted as 1980 for the purpose of that year's year-end chart, so I'm counting it).
My favorite: The spacey rock of "The Wanderer" (#3, 1980).
How she finished: A #3 in the second half of '83 with "She Works Hard for the Money," followed the next year by "There Goes My Baby" (#21). But then there was a five year hit drought before she hooked up with the British production team of Stock, Aitken and Waterman for the comeback smash "This Time I Know It's for Real" (#7).
37 - THE POLICE
To this point: Sting and his reggae-inspired mates first cracked America in 1979 with "Roxanne," but it wasn't until the next decade dawned that they really hit their stride, with five Top 40s, four of which hit the Top Ten, with the latest, "Every Breath You Take," (which Casey played) spending eight weeks at #1.
My favorite The paranoid sexual psychodrama "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (#10, 1981).
How they finished: Three more hit singles from Synchronicity, the album that produced "Every Breath You Take" (biggest of those, "King of Pain" [#3]). Then they broke up, and Sting began a lucrative solo career. The band briefly reunited in '86 to record a darker version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" for a greatest hits album, but it fell just short of the Forty.
36 - ELTON JOHN (#1)
To this point: The first of our 70s holdovers, Sir Elton wasn't nearly the hit machine he was in the previous decade, but he was still doing all right, with seven Top 40s including the 1980 #3 Casey played, "Little Jeannie." Because of the length of the show, Casey played two songs for some artists, and Elton was the first of these; the other one was "Blue Eyes" (#12, 1982)
My favorite: The defiant rocker "I'm Still Standing" (#12, 1983)
How he finished: As a steady presence on the charts, with thirteen more Top 40s and five Top Tens, the biggest of which was 1988's #2 "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That."
35 - FOREIGNER
To this point: This band came on strong in the last three years of the 70s with seven hits, then kept on in the first three of the eighties with five more. Two made the Top Five, and one of those, "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (which Casey played), held down the #2 spot for a record ten weeks.
My favorite: "Urgent" (#4, 1981) with its Junior Walker sax solo.
How they finished: Four more Top 40s, including three Top Tens and their first and only #1, 1984's "I Want to Know What Love Is."
34 - THE POINTER SISTERS
To this point: After a smattering of hits in the seventies, most notably the Bruce Springsteen-penned "Fire," siblings Ruth, June and Anita had more frequent success in the early 80s. They hit the 40 five times, and twice reached the Top Five, with 1980's "He's So Shy" (#3) and the following year's #2 "Slow Hand" (which Casey played).
My favorite: I don't like any of these nearly as much as "Fire," but of this lot, I'll take "He's So Shy."
How they finished: '84 and '85 were big years for the group, with four of their five hit singles reaching the Top Ten, including a remix of their 1982 #30 "I'm So Excited." But after the 1986 #33 "Goldmine," they would never grace the chart again.
33 - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND
To this point: The bland Australians continued their run from the late 70s into the new decade with six Top 40s and three Top Tens, the biggest of which Casey played, "The Night Owls (#6, 1981)
My favorite: Don't have one. It'd be like having a favorite shade of beige.
How they finished: One more Top 40 in late '83, then they mercifully disappeared from the U.S. charts forever.
32 - PAT BENATAR
To this point: The classically-trained Brooklyn rocker broke through right at the turn of the decade, and had up until now scored nine Top 40s. Only one reached the Top Ten (1980's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot) but Casey opted to play her first hit, "Heartbreaker" (#23).
My favorite: I endorse Casey's choice. "Heartbreaker" is just a killer rock song.
How she finished: With six more Top 40s, including her only two Top Fives: "Love is a Battlefield" and "We Belong."
31 - THE J. GEILS BAND
To this point: The Boston party-rockers had a decent following in the 70s, but they only produced three pop hits. Then they became household names upon the release of 1981's Freeze Frame album. Their totals: six Top 40s and two Top Fives, one of which was the monster #1 Casey played, "Centerfold."
My favorite: The pre-Freeze Frame "Love Stinks" (#38)
How they finished: Singer Peter Wolf left in 1983, and went on to bag three solo hits. The band carried on for one more album, but couldn't regain their mojo.
30 - TOTO
To this point: These L.A. lite-rockers built on the success of 1978's "Hold the Line" in the new decade. They only had five Top 40s to date, but their three Top Tens included a #1 in "Africa" and the #2 Casey played, "Rosanna."
My favorite: "Africa." Great chorus to sing along to.
How they finished: Just four more Top 40s, the biggest being 1986's #11 "I'll Be Over You."
29 - THE ROLLING STONES
To this point: Mick, Keith and the boys surprisingly fell short of the 70s list, but they're continued hitmaking prowess landed them solidly on this one. The stats: Six Top 40s, including two Top Fives, the biggest of which was one of the songs Casey played, 1981's #2, "Start Me Up." He also played another hit from Tattoo You, "Waiting on a Friend." (#13)
My favorite: The slow burn of "Waiting on a Friend."
How they finished: In between Mick's two solo albums and Keith's one, they managed five more hits, including the Top Fives "Harlem Shuffle" and "Mixed Emotions."
28 - BARBRA STREISAND
To this point: Another act surprisingly missing from the 70s show, Babs makes this list on the strength of five Top 40s, four Top Tens, and two #1s: the Donna Summer duet "No More Tears", and the song Casey played, 1980's "Woman in Love."
My favorite: "No More Tears." Qu'ien es mas diva?
How she finished: Only two more Top 40s: a song from Yentl and a duet with then-boyfriend Don Johnson(!). But 1985's The Broadway Album was a multi-platinum smash, so she was doing okay.
27 - JOHN LENNON
To this point: 1980 looked to be the start of big things for the Smart Beatle, with the fall release of his return to recording after a five-year hiatus, Double Fantasy. But on December 8 of that year, he was murdered on his doorstep. But after his death, three singles from his album made the Top Ten, including the #2 "Woman" and the charttopper Casey played, "(Just Like) Starting Over."
My favorite: The relaxed, reflective "Watching the Wheels" (#10).
How he finished: One more posthumous hit, the 1984 #5, "Nobody Told Me" and the critically acclaimed 1988 documentary Imagine: John Lennon.
26 - STYX
To this point: The Bob Seger of Chicago are yet another example of an act carrying their late 70s momentum into the new decade. Five of their six Top 40s reached the Top Ten, including the late-'79 #1 "Babe" and the #3 Casey played, "The Best of Times."
My favorite: The delightfully daft Devo knockoff "Mr. Roboto" (#3, 1983).
How they finished: Just one more hit in the decade, the even-more-blatant Devo soundalike "Music Time" (#40, 1984).
25 - MEN AT WORK
To this point: These Aussies only came on the American scene in 1982, but all three of their hits to this point had reached the Top Three: "Overkill" and the two #1s Casey played: "Who Can it Be Now" and "Down Under."
My favorite: The giddy paranoia of "Who Can it Be Now."
How they finished: Two more hits from 1983's sophomore effort Cargo, "It's a Mistake" (#6) and "Dr Heckyll and Mr. Jive (#28). But 1985's Two Hearts LP flopped, and they broke up. Singer Colin Hay's 1987 solo album didn't fare much better.
24 - REO SPEEDWAGON
To this point: It took them nine years, but these Illinois rockers finally became pop stars, scoring six Top 40s, three Top tens, and the #1 Casey played, "Keep on Loving You."
My favorite: "Take it on the Run" (#5, 1981)
How they finished: Seven top 40s, including the 1985 #1 "Can't Fight This Feeling."
23 - QUEEN
To this point: Freddie Mercury's theatrical rockers only had four Top 40s in this time period, but two were #1s in 1980: "Another One Bites the Dust" and the song Casey played, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
My favorite: The funky, Chic bassline-borrowing "Another One Bites the Dust."
How they finished: With a bunch of hits in the U.K., but only one U.S. Top 40, 1984's "Radio Ga Ga" (#16).
22 - DAN FOGELBERG
To this point: The soft-rocker from Peoria lulled the music consuming public into giving him eight Top 40s in these 42 months. Four went Top 10, and the one Casey played, 1980's "Longer," hit #2.
My favorite: Not much of a fan, but if I have to choose, I'll go with 1980's New Years Eve tale "Same Old Lang Syne." (#9).
How he finished: One more Top 40, 1984's #13 "The Language of Love." After that, his airplay was restricted to those radio stations that get played in waiting rooms.
21 - LIONEL RICHIE
To this point: After topping the charts in 1981 with his duet with Diana Ross "Endless Love," Richie decided to leave the Commodores and go solo. The results thus far: three more Top Fives, and another #1 in the song Casey played "Truly."
My favorite: I guess, "You Are" (#4, 1983)
How he finished: Extremely strong, with nine of his ten Top 40s reaching the Top Ten, and three going to #1: "All Night Long," "Hello," and "Say You, Say Me."
Tomorrow (or maybe Thursday): The final chapter of this epic.
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