Great Uncle Bulgaria

51 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 45 Donna Summer - I Feel Love +4 41 David Bowie – Space Oddity -6 38 ABBA - The Name of the Game 35 Blondie – Heart of Glass 34 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody 21 Gary Numan – Cars 15 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You 12 T.Rex – Get It On

Midge Ure is right in that it s a cr*p - or at best mediocre - song. But at least it made money for charity, unlike When a child is born and wonderful Christmas time, which are equally ubiquitous and probably even worse. Personally, with the exception of Slade, Wizzard, Greg Lake, the Waitresses, the Wombles (of course) and possibly Shaky and Boney M in moderation I could happily live without all of them. Bit late for this year, but next year we need a Christmas Kill or Save to argue the matter out.

49 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 44 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 41 David Bowie – Space Oddity -3 37 ABBA – The Name of the Game 32 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody -3 27 Blondie – Heart of Glass 27 Gary Numan – Cars 21 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You 15 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 12 T.Rex – Get It On 10 Baccara - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie 09 Sweet – Blockbuster +4 Sweet were my favourite band for about 6 years growing up, as they progressed from being a bubble gum singles band to some agreeably heavy albums, so my tastes matured with them. I like everything that's left, but Space Oddity is just a novelty record, albeit quite a good one, but it's not better than anything left (or indeed most of what has already gone).Bohemian Rhapsody is/was great, but I've just heard it too often over the years.

46 David Bowie – Space Oddity -6 43 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 38 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 33 Gary Numan – Cars 30 ABBA – The Name of the Game 26 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You 25 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 23 Blondie – Heart of Glass 21 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody 20 Baccara – Yes Sir, I Can Boogie 14 T.Rex – Get It On 12 The Sweet – Blockbuster +4 11 10cc – I'm Not in Love 10 Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water 6 Alice Cooper – School's Out 3 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears of a Clown 3 Nilsson - Without You

Thanks Paul and well done Diego

40 David Bowie – Space Oddity -3 38 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 34 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 29 ABBA – Knowing Me , Knowing You 26 Blondie – Heart of Glass 26 Gary Numan – Cars 24 ABBA – The Name of the Game 24 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody -3 22 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 22 Baccara – Yes Sir, I Can Boogie 19 The Sweet – Blockbuster +4 18 Nilsson – Without You 16 Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water 14 T.Rex – Get It On 14 10cc – I'm Not in Love 13 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears of a Clown 09 Alice Cooper – School's Out 8 Don McLean – Vincent 4 ABBA – Waterloo

France 3 Argentina 1 5 yellows

37 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 37 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 31 Gary Numan – Cars 30 Blondie – Heart of Glass 27 David Bowie – Space Oddity-3 23 The Sweet – Blockbuster +4 23 10cc – I'm Not in Love 22 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody -3 22 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 22 Baccara – Yes Sir, I Can Boogie 22 ABBA – Knowing Me , Knowing You 21 Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water 20 ABBA – The Name of the Game 20 Nilsson – Without You 16 T.Rex – Get It On 14 Don McLean – Vincent 13 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears of a Clown 12 Alice Cooper – School's Out  12 Suzi Quatro – Can the Can  10 ABBA – Waterloo

33 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 32 Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights 29 David Bowie – Space Oddity 28 Gary Numan – Cars 26 ABBA – Knowing Me, Knowing You 25 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody 24 10cc – I'm Not in Love 25 Blondie – Heart of Glass 24 The Sweet – Blockbuster +4 22 Baccara – Yes Sir, I Can Boogie 21 Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water 20 ABBA – The Name of the Game 20 Nilsson – Without You 20 Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive 20 T.Rex – Get It On 19 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears of a Clown 17 Alice Cooper – School's Out 16 Don McLean – Vincent 14 Suzi Quatro – Can the Can 10 ABBA – Waterloo 7 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking-3 4 ABBA – Fernando  2 Blondie – Sunday Girl 0 Bay City Rollers – Bye Bye Baby -3 Bye Bay Cities babies bye bye Bye Bay Cities, you made me cry

France 3 Argentina 1 5 yellows

60 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 58 Althea and Donna - Up Town Top Ranking 50 Blondie – Heart of glass 49 Gary Numan – Cars 18 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 18 Bee Gees – Tragedy 15 Police – Message in a bottle +4 14 Blondie – Sunday Girl 6 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 5 Bee Gees - Night Fever -6

Croatia 0 Morocco 1 1 yellow card

60 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 51 Althea and Donna - Up Town Top Ranking 50 Blondie – Heart of glass 45 Gary Numan - Cars 28 Police – Message in a bottle +4 26 ABBA – Take a chance on me 18 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 17 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 16 Bee Gees – Tragedy 16 Bee Gees - Night Fever -6 12 Blondie – Sunday Girl

The late 80s were dreadful, all the decent pop bands of the early 80s finished/ran out of steam and the charts were dominated by awful Stock Aitken and Waterman records, until they in turn gave way to rubbish dance/trance/house stuff which disappeared up its own arse on the one hand and multiple groups of pretty Irish boys sitting on chairs doing anodyne ballads on the other. I'd become a young fogey who listened primarily to classical music by the late 80s.

58 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 49 Althea and Donna - Up Town Top Ranking -2 48 Blondie – Heart of glass 41 Gary Numan - Cars 30 Police – Message in a bottle +4 28 Bee Gees - Night Fever -4 26 ABBA – Take a chance on me 21 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 20 Blondie – Sunday Girl 19 Bee Gees – Tragedy 18 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 13 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 02 Tubeway Army – Are “ Friends ” Electric

France 2 Morocco 0 4 yellow cards

54 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 50 Althea and Donna - Up Town Top Ranking -3 45 Blondie – Heart of glass 37 Gary Numan - Cars 34 ABBA – Take a chance on me 31 Bee Gees - Night Fever-3 31 Bee Gees – Tragedy 30 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 24 Police – Message in a bottle +4 20 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 17 Tubeway Army – Are “Friends” Electric 15 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 12 Blondie – Sunday Girl 9 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday

Argentina 1 Croatia 0 and hopefully the end of the media career of that silly tart, sorry Croatian model and influencer, who has been turning up to matches in revealing outfits and is consequently the subject of every other news story on my fb feed these days. Admittedly there are worse things to look at, I just object to talentless fame whores on principle. Rant over. 5 yellow cards

53 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking -2 52 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 40 Blondie – Heart of glass 35 Bee Gees - Night Fever -4 32 Gary Numan - Cars 29 Bee Gees – Tragedy 27 ABBA – Take a chance on me 27 Police – Message in a bottle +2 26 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 25 Tubeway Army – Are “Friends” Electric 23 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap 23 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday +2 18 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 17 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 14 Blondie – Sunday Girl I don't mind Night Fever itself, but that movie kept the disco movement going strong, which brought with it wave after wave of utter tosh. The film was pretty dreadful too.

51 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking -3 47 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 38 Bee Gees - Night Fever 36 Blondie – Heart of glass 31 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 30 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star 28 Bee Gees – Tragedy 28 Gary Numan - Cars 26 Tubeway Army – Are “Friends” Electric 25 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday 24 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 23 Police – Message in a bottle 23 Blondie – Sunday Girl+1 22 ABBA – Take a chance on me +1 22 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap +2 9 Pink Floyd – Another brick in the wall -3 9 Police – Walking on the moon 5 Art Garfunkel – Bright eyes Bit mystified by the love for Althia and Donna. Like, say, pass the Dutchie it's a jolly enough little reggae number but hardly in the same class as some of the above. I remember their first outing on TOTP (UK chart show) back in the day, they looked like a couple of rabbits in the headlights and struggled to sing in time/tune.

48 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking 43 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights 36 Blondie – Heart of glass 32 Bee Gees - Night Fever 30 The Buggles – Video killed the radio star 29 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 29 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday 27 Gary Numan – Cars 27 Police – Message in a bottle +3 26 Tubeway Army – Are “friends” electric  25 Bee Gees – Tragedy 23 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 23 Art Garfunkel – Bright eyes 22 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap +1 21 ABBA – Take a chance on me 18 Blondie – Sunday Girl 12 Pink Floyd – Another brick in the wall 11 Police – Walking on the moon 9 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – You´re the one that I want  9 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – Summer Nights 9 Boney M. – Mary´s boy child / Oh my Lord -6 2 The Boomtown Rats – I don´t like Mondays

Morocco 0 Portugal 2 England 2 France 3 7 yellow cards

With you on the strongest group, Police and Blondie but not with Numan and the Rats. You're spot on with Summer Nights too. Both the grease songs were big floor fillers/fun numbers back in the day and still are in the occasional event of parties/discos populated by the over 50s. I like both but I don't love them. I bought Outlandos D'Amour, the Kick Inside, Parallel Lines and Tonic for the troops at the time, which account for a fair number of the above between them.

39 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights +2 37 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking 29 Blondie – Heart of glass 29 Boney M. – Mary´s boy child / Oh my Lord 27 The Buggles – Video killed the radio star 27 Bee Gees – Night Fever 27 ABBA – Take a chance on me 25 Tubeway Army – Are “friends” electric 25 Gary Numan – Cars 25 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 24 Blondie – Sunday Girl 26 Police – Message in a bottle +2 23 Bee Gees – Tragedy 22 Art Garfunkel – Bright eyes 21 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday 21 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap 21 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive 18 Police – Walking on the moon 17 The Boomtown Rats – I don´t like Mondays 15 Cliff Richard – We don´t talk anymore -3 14 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – Summer Nights 14 Rod Stewart – Da ya think I´m sexy 13 Pink Floyd – Another brick in the wall -3 10 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – You´re the one that I want This is tough, still 25 songs left and they're all at least reasonable and mainly very good.

35 Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights +2 34 Althea & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking 28 Police – Message in a bottle +2 25 Bee Gees – Night Fever 25 ABBA – Take a chance on me 24 The Buggles – Video killed the radio star 24 Police – Walking on the moon 24 Tubeway Army – Are “friends” electric 24 Boney M. – Mary´s boy child / Oh my Lord 24 Blondie – Sunday Girl 24 Gary Numan – Cars 23 Ian Dury & the Blockheads – Hit me with your rhythm stick 22 Bee Gees – Tragedy 21 Blondie – Heart of glass 21 The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap 20 10CC – Dreadlock Holiday 20 Anita Ward – Ring my bell 19 Art Garfunkel – Bright eyes 19 Gloria Gaynor – I will survive +3 18 Cliff Richard – We don´t talk anymore 17 Pink Floyd – Another brick in the wall 17 Rod Stewart – Da ya think I´m sexy 16 The Boomtown Rats – I don´t like Mondays 15 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – You´re the one that I want 14 Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta – Summer Nights 14 Brotherhood of Man – Figaro -6 9 The Commodores – Three times a lady 8 Village People – Y.M.C.A. Thought it would be nice to have Kate Bush on top for a bit (as per the occasional fantasy, ca 1981) Otherwise I am a man of my word, Figaro duly downvoted. Its time has come...