time

68 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 65 Donna Summer - I Feel Love 63 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest 54 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you 42 ABBA - The Name of the Game 40 ABBA - Fernando 30 ABBA - Mamma Mia 30 Hot Chocolate – So you win again +4 28.The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, what a night) 18. Elton John & Kiki Dee- Don`t go breaking my heart 14 ABBA - Dancing Queen -6 11 Tina Charles – I love to love (But my baby loves to dance) 5 Julie Covington - Don`t cry for me Argentina As Drama Dancing Queen seems doomed, only too happy to help it on its way/

In terms of quality or quantity?; Caroline Sullivan's Christine McVie obit was her fourth of the year, Adam Sweeting has done 20, most recent being Irene Cara & Wilko Johnson; Robin Denselow has done a handful including some 'world' music performers, who it wouldn't necessarily be expected to see an obit for.

Anthony Hayward's 37th Guardian Obit this year, by my reckoning.

The "Santa Bus" passed me earlier, blasting out a familiar seasonal tune by a well-known band beginning with W; fortunately, it was Wizzard, not Wham.

Someone's trying to tell us something. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-63829299

Never having watched any Alan Partridge when it was first shown I made the mistake of buying the I'm Alan Partridge/Knowing Me, Knowing You boxset a while back. Too much of a one-trick pony as far as I'm concerned. Sure there's some funny bits but on the whole too repetitive, so much so, I still haven't watched them all. (Though more recently, his rebel-song singing Irish farmer is one of the funniest bits of TV I've seen in years). The consequence of this is that not only do I hear (and join in) with Aha! every time I hear the song, I find it difficult to unsee Partridge when Coogan plays a serious film role. I do think ABBA's best songs (singles) are the one's that didn't reach number one.

Sorry, but as far as I'm concerned all I hear with that Abba song is Alan Bloody Partridge. The vast majority of the songs on this list I find pretty 'meh' to be honest, due in part to having heard them too often over the past 40-odd years.

66 Donna Summer - I Feel Love 62 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 58 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest 45 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you -6 36 ABBA - The Name of the Game 34 Hot Chocolate – So you win again +4 32 ABBA - Fernando 27 ABBA – Mamma Mia 26 Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don´t go breaking my heart 25 ABBA – Dancing Queen 24 The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, what a night) 20 Julie Covington - Don`t cry for me Argentina 20 Tina Charles – I love to love (But my baby loves to dance) 13 The Real Thing – You to me are everything 12 Elvis Presley – Way down

The key has been published, no Vitti or Trintignant.

Thanks, you missed the edit; but I figured it out - there's many faces I can't put names too but I knew I should have known that one, so it was really bugging me. Trying to figure out the moustachioed figure behind Drummie Zeb now!

The annual @christhebarker "Sgt Pepper" cover of the year's deceased has been released (no key as yet, so if anyone can tell me who the guy sitting at the front is, I'd be grateful. eta, don't worry I know now!)

A shit Ron Perlman lookalike.

David Robinson, sidekick of Dog the Bounty hunter, has died aged 50 - sudden medical emergency.

57 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 55 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 50 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest 46 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you 34 Hot Chocolate – So you win again +4 32 ABBA - The name of the Game 31 The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, what a night) 31 ABBA – Dancing Queen 30 ABBA – Fernando 29 ABBA – Mamma Mia 26 Tina Charles – I love to love (But my baby loves to dance) 25 Julie Covington – Don´t cry for me Argentina 24 Elvis Presley – Way down 20 The Real Thing – You to me are everything 18 Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don´t go breaking my heart 11 Kenny Rogers – Lucille  5 The Wurzels – Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) -6 4 Slik – Forever and ever

An alarming lack of empathy from some people here!

a la Neville Southall?

Its 28 years since the death of US actor Lionel Stander. It was moider lung cancer. Born in The Bronx, his acting career began on the stage in Greenwich Village, before making his film debut a few years later, appearing generally uncredited in shorts featuring the likes of Fatty Arbuckle, with the last (credited) alongside Bob Hope in 1935 before appearing in his first major picture, The Scoundrel, with Noel Coward. This lead to him signing a contract with Columbia Pictures, and work was then steady for the next few years., with appearances in notable films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. He was also in demand for radio work, and voicing cartoon characters for Walter Lantz productions. A noted activist, he was one of the founder members of the Screen Actors Guild, and supported a strike by technicians in 1937. Columbia pictures head allegedly called him a "red son of a bithch" and threatened to sue anyone who gave him a contract. He was one of the first to be called in by the House Unamerican Activities Committee, but despite being cleared of being a Communist Party member his workload continued to drop. His film work during the first half of the forties was mainly confined to smaller studios. In the late 40s Stander was blacklisted by Hollywood, working only in theatre radio and TV. He was again accused of being a communist, and sued his accuser Marc Lawrence, following which the blacklist also encompassed TV and radio, leaving him working just in theatre. He requested an early HUAC hearing, which finally took place 2 years later. He was blacklisted for over 25 years, his career all but disappearing. Things improved when he moved to Europe in 1964, first to London and then Rome. He moved back to the US at the end of the 70s, and took his most famous role, that of Max, in the Robert Wagner/Stephanie Powers crime show, Hart to Hart, for which he won a Golden Globe. He died, aged 86, in Los Angeles.

Proper broadsheet obit for Derek Granger; I particularly liked this passage.

Mark WIng-Davey (below, right), best known for playing Zaphod Beeblebrox in the radio & TV versions of Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, is 74 today.

Happy St. Andrew's Day Scots people.

53 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 48 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 40 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you 40 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest 32 Hot Chocolate – So you win again +4 31 Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don´t go breaking my heart 30 ABBA – Dancing Queen 30 Julie Covington – Don´t cry for me Argentina 28 ABBA – The name of the game 26 ABBA – Mamma Mia 25 ABBA – Fernando 24 Elvis Presley – Way down 24 Tina Charles – I love to love (But my baby loves to dance) 20 The Real Thing – You to me are everything 20 Kenny Rogers – Lucille  18 Slik – Forever and ever 18 The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, what a night) 17 The Wurzels – Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) 15 David Soul – Silver Lady 13 Deniece Williams – Free 12 Brotherhood of Man – Save your kisses for me 6 The Floaters – Float on -4 0 Pussycat – Mississippi -2

John Mayall, of the eponymous Bluesbreakers, whose past membership is a virtual Who's Who of rock & blues musicians, is 89 today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRxIBo3X6QQ

49 Donna Summer – I Feel Love 40 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 36 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you 30 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest 28 ABBA – The name of the game 28 Hot Chocolate – So you win again +4 27 Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don´t go breaking my heart 26 ABBA – Dancing Queen 25 ABBA – Fernando 24 Elvis Presley – Way down 23 ABBA – Mamma Mia 22 Julie Covington – Don´t cry for me Argentina 22 The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, what a night) 22 Tina Charles – I love to love (But my baby loves to dance) 20 Slik – Forever and ever 20 The Real Thing – You to me are everything 20 Leo Sayer – When I need you 20 Deniece Williams – Free 20 Kenny Rogers – Lucille  20 The Floaters – Float on 18 Brotherhood of Man – Save your kisses for me 16 The Wurzels – Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) 15 David Soul – Silver Lady 15 Manhattan Transfer – Chanson d´amour 14 Pussycat – Mississippi 0 J.J. Barrie – No chance -6

Generally true, but I think Christmas number ones are bought by a different demographic (or were 40 years ago). I was 17 when MoK became number one, and no-one my age was buying it. It was definitely the oldies that got it there. Even my dad, who ordinarily had halfway decent taste in music, bought it.

Christmas. It's the only explanation I can think of.