Number One Albums: #12

• MALCOLM McLAREN Fans (Charisma)
• Week Ending 29th December 1984 (For 1 Week)
• Total Weeks On Top 30 – 11

We ended 1984 with a Fan rather than a “Bang!”. Finally, pop svengali Malcolm McLaren’s mission to bring Hip-Hopera to the masses was fully realised with a whole album of the stuff, some months after Madam Butterfly flew into the UK Top 20 (and all the way to #1 on my own chart).

In fact, “fully” isn’t perhaps the best way to describe Fans (the album), as presented for sale to the public that December. With only half a dozen tracks (including a reprise) and a very brief running time of 32 minutes, it bore testament to McLaren’s claims of the record company not allowing him the time or funds to make it more substantial. This may or may not need to be taken with a helping of salt, but what’s undeniable is that aside from two absolutely stunning moments (the aforementioned Madam Butterfly and an electro-fied Carmen) it’s all a bit threadbare.

You Gotta Be Tough! Fans’ second single certainly found the going tough, missing the Top 75.

ITV’s The South Bank Show screened a special documentary on the project just prior to release, which only added to my desire to buy it immediately it appeared on the Our Price racks. The programme focused on Carmen, relocated to the Bronx and turned into a bit of a stuttering electro corker (as Record Mirror’s James Hamilton might say). A very young Angie Stone was the featured vocalist.

Despite the #13 success of Madam Butterfly, the album didn’t create much of a stir (doubtless getting lost in the Christmas stampede of big sellers from Wham!, Duran Duran, Alison Moyet, U2 and NOW/HITS). It eventually peaked at #47. More of a surprise was the failure of Carmen when issued as the 2nd single in the first week of January 1985. 

My top 10 for the week reflects a few events that had occurred in the 3 weeks since Howard Jones had topped the chart. The Thompson Twins’ return to #1 had been inspired by the combination of a new single Lay Your Hands On Me (the first from what would become a troubled and much delayed album, Here’s To Future Days) and the release of The Gap: Live longform home video which took most of my savings at the time. This also explains why Quickstep & Sidekick, their 1983 album, was back up #9 (I had belatedly bought it on vinyl).

Borrowing a friend’s copy of Eliminator is the reason for ZZ Top soaring to #3 (I would grab the 7″ of Sharp Dressed Man around this time), while it was also the week when I really “got” U2 courtesy of The Unforgettable Fire‘s evocative and sublime title track (a favourite of Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies, whose lunchtime show was still essential listening).