#1 at KZZP/Phoenix: “The Breakup Song” by San Francisco’s Greg Kihn Band. They don’t write ’em like that anymore!
The Moody Blues’ 1980s comeback began with “Gemini Dream” (#5), which sounds more like the Electric Light Orchestra than classic Moodys.
The Alan Parsons Project holds at #6 with “Time,” the ethereal follow-up to “Games People Play.” Parsons was the recording engineer on the Beatles’ Abbey Road as well as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, and later produced Al Stewart’s classic album Year Of The Cat.
“All Those Years Ago,” George Harrison’s tribute to John Lennon, who was murdered the previous December, falls to #15. The follow-up, “Teardrops,” is listed as an Extra this week.
Another Extra is “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” Phoenix native Stevie Nicks’ duet with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. That’s Heartbreaker Mike Campbell on acoustic guitar in the video; he joined Stevie’s group Fleetwood Mac in 2018 as Lindsey Buckingham’s tour replacement.
Joe Walsh continued to crank out hits even after joining the Eagles; “A Life Of Illusion” holds at #17. Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes,” the eventual #1 song of the year, this week drops to #21.
Undoubtedly the most important song on this chart (in terms of lasting popularity) is Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” (#18). Another future staple at classic rock radio: “Who’s Crying Now” (#30) by another San Francisco band, Journey.