Forgotten 80s: 2025

Sunday, 9 March 2025

SHOW #611 - "A day of strange desire and a night that burned like fire..."

Chris Rea "On The Beach"
Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five "Step Off"

Quincy Jones "Razzamatazz"
Bananarama "Do Not Disturb"

Johnny Hates Jazz "Heart Of Gold"
King "The Taste Of Your Tears"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Uriah Heep "Stay On Top"

Department S "Is Vic There?"
Odyssey "If You're Looking For A Way Out"

Trio "Da Da Da"

Philip Bailey "Walking On The Chinese Wall"
Pogues and Dubliners "Irish Rover"

Hue & Cry "Looking For Linda"
Graham Bonnet "Night Games"

Madness "The Sun And The Rain"
Midnight Star "Midas Touch"

Psychedelic Furs "Heaven"
Agnetha Faltskog "The Heat Is On"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Loverboy "Break It To Me Gently"

Passions "I'm In Love With A German Film Star"
Nik Kershaw "Human Racing"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Three Degrees 'The Heaven I Need"

O'Jays "Extraordinary Girl"
Gap Band "Outstanding"

Sunday, 2 March 2025

SHOW #610 - "When you show the other side you're just wasting my time...."

Talk Talk "Talk Talk"
Mantronix "Who Is It"

Paul McCartney "Take It Away"
Housemartins "Me And The Farmer"

Pet Shop Boys "Domino Dancing"
Bardo "One Step Further"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Michael Sembello "Maniac"

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions "Perfect Skin"
Black "Sweetest Smile"

Whitesnake "Still Of The Night"

Evelyn Champagne King "I'm In Love"
Bronski Beat "C'Mon C'Mon"

Robert Palmer "Looking For Clues"
Yello "Of Course I'm Lying"

Windjammer "Tossing And Turning"
New Order "Round And Round"

Was (Not Was) "Walk The Dinosaur"
Aztec Camera "All I Need Is Everything"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Fox The Fox "Precious Little Diamond"

The Mission "Beyond The Pale"
Leo Sayer "Orchard Road"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Tracie "Souls On Fire"

Kim Wilde "The Touch"
Kirsty MacColl "Free World"

Sunday, 23 February 2025

SHOW #609 - "I saw them falling out the skies like eagles, all mirrored glass and shattered egos..."

Simple Minds "Ghostdancing"
Jason Donovan "Nothing Can Divide Us"

Kajagoogoo "Big Apple"
Loose Ends "Hangin' On A String"

Heart "There’s The Girl"
Narada Michael Walden "Tonight I'm Alright"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Brilliant "Love Is War"

AC/DC "Heatseeker"
Prince "If I Was Your Girlfriend"

Voice Of The Beehive "I Say Nothing"

The Truth "A Step In The Right Direction"
Brothers Johnson "Stomp"

David Bowie and the Pat Metheny Group "This Is Not America"
Freeez "Southern Freeez"

Bluebells "Cath"
Public Enemy "Rebel Without A Pause"

A-Ha "I've Been Losing You"
The Clash "The Magnificent Seven"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Patti Day "Right Before My Eyes"

T'Pau "Sex Talk"
Big Country "Chance"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
INXS "What You Need"

The Cars "Tonight She Comes"
Talking Heads "Radio Head"

Sunday, 16 February 2025

SHOW #608 - "You have brought me a lot of things but the main one you have brought was trouble ..."

Dead Or Alive "In Too Deep"
Bobby Brown "Roni"

New Musik "Living By Numbers"
Pat Benatar "We Belong"

Dexys Midnight Runners "Because Of You"
Hot Chocolate "Chances"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Act "Absolutely Immune"

XTC "Towers Of London"
Abba "One Of Us"

Adam Ant "Puss 'n Boots"

Thompson Twins "Don't Mess With Doctor Dream"
Imagination "Looking At Midnight"

Paul Hardcastle "Don’t Waste My Time"
U2 "Fire"

Chic "My Feet Keep Dancing"
Its Immaterial "Driving Away From Home"

Whitesnake "Guilty Of Love"
Limahl "Only For Love"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Love And Money "River Of People"

Vesta Williams "Once Bitten Twice Shy"
Level 42 "Leaving Me Now"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Ultravox "Passing Strangers"

Classix Nouveaux "Because You're Young"
OMD "If You Leave"

Sunday, 9 February 2025

SHOW #607 - "Hear their shouts, hear their roars, they've probably all had a barrel or much, much more ..."

Tenpole Tudor "Swords Of A Thousand Men"
Afrika Bambaataa featuring UB40 "Reckless"

Animotion "Obsession"
Stray Cats "Runaway Boys"

The Mission "Wasteland"
Luther Vandross "Any Love"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
The Mood "Passion In Dark Rooms"

Visage "Night Train"
Yazz "Fine Time"

Haircut 100 "Nobody's Fool"

Shalamar "I Owe You One"
Danny Wilson "The Second Summer Of Love"

Duran Duran "Skin Trade"
Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra "Waltz Darling"

Boomtown Rats "Banana Republic"
Madonna "Gambler"

Billy Idol "To Be A Lover"
Smiley Culture "Police Officer"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Prime Movers "On The Trail"

Melba Moore "Love’s Comin’ At Ya"
Wet Wet Wet "Angel Eyes (Home And Away)"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Rainbow "Street Of Dreams"

Judas Priest "Don't Go"
Rush "Vital Signs"

Sunday, 2 February 2025

SHOW #606 - "You are man for all seasons, your are man with no reasons ..."

Kim Wilde "Chequered Love"
Raze "Jack The Groove"

Bryan Ferry "Don’t Stop The Dance"
J Geils Band "Freeze Frame"

Swing Out Sister "Surrender"
Sugar Minott "Good Thing Going"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Fra Lippo Lippi "Shouldn't Have To Be Like That"

Rose Royce "Is It Love You're After?"
Spandau Ballet "How Many Lies"

The Cure "Just Like Heaven"

Taylor Dayne "Prove Your Love"
Level 42 "Love Games"

Squeeze "Hourglass"
Earth, Wind & Fire "Let Me Talk"

Assembly "Never Never"
Billy Joel "Leave A Tender Moment Alone"

Magnum "Days Of No Trust"
Japan "Visions Of China"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
When In Rome "The Promise"

New Model Army "Green And Grey"
Pointer Sisters "Slow Hand"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
A Flock of Seagulls "It's Not Me Talking"

Dexys Midnight Runners "Plan B"
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions "Forest Fire"

Sunday, 26 January 2025

SHOW #605 - "It's not a crime when you look the way you do, the way I like to picture you ..."

Pet Shop Boys "Left To My Own Devices"
Billy Griffin "Hold Me Tighter In The Rain"

Blondie "War Child"
Waterboys "Fisherman’s Blues"

Trans X "Living On Video"
Undertones "It's Going To Happen!"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Rick James "Give It To Me Baby"

Toyah "Thunder In The Mountains"
Wet Wet Wet "Temptation"

Motorhead "Iron Fist"

Mai Tai "History"
Ultravox "The Voice"

Daryl Hall "Dreamtime"
Altered Images "See Those Eyes"

Sherrick "Just Call"
ABC "That Was Then, This Is Now"

Nick Straker Band "A Walk In The Park"
Chaka Khan "Eye To Eye"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Laid Back "White Horse"

ELO "Here Is The News"
Janet Jackson "Let's Wait Awhile"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Men At Work "Who Can It Be Now"

Hue & Cry "Ordinary Angel"
Black "Everything's Coming Up Roses"

Sunday, 19 January 2025

SHOW #604 - "And I can only play that part, and sit and nurse my broken heart ..."

Police "So Lonely"
Hot Streak "Body Work"

Depeche Mode "See You"
George Harrison "When We Was Fab"

Iron Maiden "Wasted Years"
Blow Monkeys "This Is Your Life"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
The Men They Couldn't Hang "Gold Rush"

The Beloved "The Sun Rising"
Randy Crawford "One Day I'll Fly Away"

Def Leppard "Hysteria"

John Foxx "Underpass"
Sharon Redd "In The Name Of Love"

Madness "Uncle Sam"
Joan Armatrading "Me Myself I"

Modern Romance "Queen Of The Rapping Scene (Nothing Ever Goes The Way You Planned)"
Style Council "It Didn’t Matter"

Stevie Wonder "I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It"
OMD "Secret"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Frazier Chorus "Sloppy Heart"

New Order "Thieves Like Us"
Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine "Anything For You"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
The The "This Is The Day"

John Cougar Mellencamp "Small Town"
Talk Talk "My Foolish Friend"

Sunday, 12 January 2025

SHOW #603 - "Let me cover you with velvet kisses, I'll create a look that's made for you..."

Madonna "Dress You Up"
David Essex "Me And My Girl, Nightclubbing"

Fatback Band "I Found Lovin’"
Thompson Twins "We Are Detective"

Carly Simon "Why"
Ward Brothers "Cross That Bridge"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls "Dream Sequence"

Glass Tiger "Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)"
Brenda Russell "Piano In The Dark"

Bruce Springsteen "My Hometown"

Flash and the Pan "Waiting For A Train"
Cameo "Back And Forth"

Chas and Dave "Ain’t No Pleasing You"
A Guy Called Gerald "Voodoo Ray"

Teena Marie "Behind The Groove"
Big Country "Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)"

Smiths "Shoplifters Of The World Unite"
Gary Numan "Music For Chameleons"

THE NOBODY’S DIARY:
Immaculate Fools "Immaculate Fools"

Bangles "In Your Room"
Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Wax "Right Between The Eyes"

M "That’s The Way The Money Goes"
Genesis "Misunderstanding"

Sunday, 5 January 2025

SHOW #602 - "I thought you had it all, I'm calling you, I'm calling you ..."

Tears For Fears "Pale Shelter"
Rene & Angela "I'll Be Good"

Boomtown Rats "Someone’s Looking At You"
Kylie Minogue "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi"

Gun "Better Days"
BB&Q Band "Dreamer"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Silent Running "Young Hearts"

Vixen "Love Made Me"
Hi-Gloss "You'll Never Know"

Laura Branigan "Self Control"

Hollywood Beyond "What's The Colour Of Money"
Phil Collins "I Missed Again"

Soft Cell "Bedsitter"
Ollie & Jerry "Breakin'...There's No Stopping Us"

BA Robertson "To Be Or Not To Be"
Vanessa Paradis "Joe Le Taxi"

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Fireworks"
Robbie Nevil "Dominoes"

THE NOBODY'S DIARY:
Win "Super Popoid Groove"

Belle Stars "Sweet Memory"
Marillion "Warm Wet Circles"

THE EDGE OF HEAVEN:
Kool and the Gang "Emergency"

Stephanie Mills "In My Life"
Prince "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

Forgotten 80s

This show is the successor to Q The 80s, which was a cult programme I was privileged to host on Q Radio across the UK from September 2010 to May 2013. When the radio station was discontinued by its parent company, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to continue the programme as Forgotten 80s by Absolute 80s, and the first edition aired on Sunday 26th May 2013. It's a two-hour show and we start at 9pm.

The show features the underplayed and the almost completely forgotten hits of the 80s, with the intention of rehabilitating the music of a decade that too many people are quick to scorn. Naturally, on a radio station that plays 80s music 24 hours a day, one is preaching somewhat to the converted, but nevertheless we do like to go that little step further. At least half of the songs on each edition of the show are requested by the audience.

The purpose of this blog is to act as a no-frills archive for the show's weekly setlists for people to visit after broadcast. No other material will appear on it. Below you will also find links to archives on Spotify of Song For Whoever, Flaunt The Imperfection, Calling America, Journeys To Glory, Didn't We Almost Have It All, When Will I Be Famous and The Nobody's Diary; the seven features we have run on the show that have allowed us to play thousands of songs from outside the UK Top 40, as well as album tracks.
In October 2017, we introduced the Last Orders Sequence to end the programme each week, which featured three tracks that hold some kind of connection, and were always taken from audience submissions. This ended in December 2021 and was replaced in January 2022 by The Edge Of Heaven, which features three singles that peaked on the chart outside the UK Top 40, all chosen by the audience.

Absolute 80s is available on DAB+ nationwide in stereo; on the Rayo app downloadable for free from your app store; on your smart speaker ("play Absolute 80s"); and via the Listen Live button on the official website. It has 1,600,000 listeners a week (RAJAR Q4 2024).

From Sunday 5th February 2017, we introduced a Listen Again facility for the show which is currently available via the Absolute 80s website or the Rayo app, with up to six of the most recent editions available at any one time. New editions of the show will appear shortly after broadcast.

On Sunday 13th September 2015, during the 121st edition of the show, our hashtag - #forgotten80s - trended on (the ex-)Twitter for the first time at a ranking of 8. On Sunday 15th January 2017, during the 190th edition of the show, the hashtag was at number 1 in the trending charts across the UK for the first time. It went on to trend at number 1 for four consecutive weeks. The show trends in at least the Top 20 on (the ex-)Twitter every Sunday evening.

In December 2019, a special edition of the show helped commemorate Absolute 80s' tenth birthday.

On the 5th April 2020, following the imposition of Covid restrictions, the show deviated from its "one request per two songs" format to become an All Request show, and remained so even after Covid restrictions were eased.

In January 2023 the show reached its 500th edition, and the show celebrated its 10th anniversary on 28th May 2023, building up to the occasion with ten special shows that each featured music from just one different year of the 80s.

On August 1st 2023, a non-stop Forgotten 80s radio station was launched by Absolute Radio as part of its Premium portfolio, allowing subscribers to listen 24 hours a day commercial-free, and with the facility to skip songs. All information is on the Absolute 80s website (link further down this column), including terms and conditions.

In December 2024, the show reached its 600th edition.

I am 51 and have been on the radio since 1990. You can email me via the Absolute 80s website and follow me on Bluesky.

Thanks for visiting the blog!
Matthew Rudd
#forgotten80s

Forgotten 80s on Spotify!

There are seven principal archives on Spotify which all feature music played on Forgotten 80s. The Nobody's Diary was a feature of Forgotten 80s from the show's inception in May 2013 to August 2014. Here we featured artists who would never make the UK Top 40, despite attaining a lower position in the charts at least once. Every song played was chosen by the audience. The Nobody's Diary was revived in January 2025. The archive for The Nobody's Diary, is on Spotify. We endeavoured to add both featured tracks each week, subject to availability, and in reviving the feature, intend to do so again. Over time, a number of tracks once thereon have since been withdrawn. Song For Whoever is a feature which we ran on Forgotten 80s from January to December 2024. Here we played cover versions, released in the 1980s, of high profile songs. Both tracks were selected by an individual listener each week. The archive for Song For Whoever is also on Spotify. We endeavoured to add both featured tracks each week, subject to availability. The Blogger widget will only display a maximum of 100 songs; further songs were added to the archive on Spotify itself after this limit was reached in December 2024. Flaunt The Imperfection is a feature which ran on Forgotten 80s from January 2022 to December 2023. Here we played album tracks of studio or soundtrack albums of the 1980s that were not released as singles in the UK. Both tracks were selected by an individual listener each week. The archive for Flaunt The Imperfection is on Spotify. We endeavoured to add both featured tracks each week, subject to availability. Two album tracks by Freeez in succession were featured when founder and lead singer John Rocca appeared as a guest contributor. The Blogger widget will only display a maximum of 100 songs; further songs were added to the archive on Spotify itself after this limit was reached in January 2023. Calling America was a feature which we ran on Forgotten 80s from January 2020 to December 2021. Here we played tracks which were entering or climbing the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the USA in the week of broadcast from two different years of the 1980s. We pledged to not play any track that made the Top 40 in the UK, nor any which has been on the show previously in any preceding feature below. The archive for Calling America is on Spotify. We endeavoured to add both featured tracks each week, subject to availability. The Blogger widget will only display a maximum of 100 songs; further songs were added to the archive on Spotify itself once this limit was reached in December 2020. Journeys To Glory was a feature that ran on Forgotten 80s from January 2018 to December 2019. Here we played tracks from albums of the 1980s on the anniversary of their entering the UK album chart. We considered studio and soundtrack albums only, as they contained material original at the time. We played either non-Top 40 single releases or tracks only released as part of the album. The archive for Journeys To Glory, is also on Spotify. We endeavoured to add both featured tracks each week, subject to availability. The Blogger widget will only display a maximum of 100 songs; further songs were added each week once this limit was reached in January 2019. Didn't We Almost Have It All? was a feature that ran on Forgotten 80s from May 2015 to December 2017. Here we featured songs from the charts counted down on the show prior to Forgotten 80s, the Absolute 80s Chart, which would never get higher than 41. Every song played was chosen by the audience. The archive for Didn't We Almost Have It All?, is also on Spotify. The Blogger widget will only display a maximum of 100 songs; further songs were added to the archive on Spotify itself since this limit was reached in the summer of 2017. When Will I Be Famous? was a feature that ran on Forgotten 80s from August 2014 to May 2015. Here we featured unsuccessful early releases by artists who would later go on to stardom. Every song played was chosen by the audience. The archive for When Will I Be Famous?, is also on Spotify. Via these seven features, we have played on the show more than 1,500 tracks that were not Top 40 hits in the UK. We have further associate archive playlists, collating as many of the songs as possible that reached a certain chart position in the 80s, relating to birthday editions of either the show or the radio station. To explore these archived lists further, search for matthewjrudd on Spotify.

Forgotten 80s requests

Requests can be sent via Facebook by searching for Forgotten 80s - Requests, where a thread will be opened shortly before the beginning of each show; using the hashtag #forgotten80s via Bluesky and/or the social media formerly called Twitter; or via matthew.rudd@absoluteradio.co.uk. Messages via the website or Rayo app will also appear in my email inbox.
Guidelines for your requests:

- no act from the previous week can be repeated (but a solo artist from a featured group can - eg, if Ultravox were on last week, a Midge Ure solo record is eligible for the next week) - this rule is often relaxed for special editions

- a track must have had a 30-show gap before it can be played again (you can use the search function on this blog to assist you) - this rule is often relaxed for special editions

- all regular requests must be for Top 40 hits of the 80s, with a peak chart position attained between January 1st 1980 and December 31st 1989 (the link above for the Official Chart Archive can assist you with this)

To request for The Nobody's Diary, you must send by email four choices of singles of the 80s by acts for whom a place from 41 downwards was the best chart position they ever attained, from which two will be selected, and to request for The Edge Of Heaven, you must send by email four choices of singles of the 80s that peaked on the chart outside the Top 40 (this time by any artist at all, no restrictions), from which three will be selected (the link above for the Official Chart Archive can assist you with both of these). Only emailed submissions will be considered