Out Of Tune With The Times
1979 is the year of the disco diva. Gloria Gaynor has a UK number 1 in March with I Will Survive (Lyn Paul will later borrow this song for her stage act); Anita Ward's Ring My Bell is a UK number 1 in June; Sister Sledge have two Top 10 hits with He's The Greatest Dancer and We Are Family while Donna Summer's duet with Barbra Streisand, No More Tears (Enough is Enough), is a Top 5 hit in November.
Having been steered towards middle of the road material and the cabaret circuit by her management, Lyn finds herself out of tune with the times. As a result she splits with her management company, Mike Hughes Associates.
Lyn and her fiancé Vince McCaffrey also put their wedding plans on hold while Lyn takes stock of her career. In what turns out to be the last Lyn Paul Fan Club newsletter (March 1979), Lyn's sister Mandi writes:
"We haven't got a lot of good news for you ... Sadly, although Lyn and Vince are still engaged so many things seem to have cropped up to stand in the way of wedding bells. They have both decided to shelve plans for now, so the wedding dress is to be packed away."
In the same newsletter Mandi writes about her recent stage appearances with Lyn:
"I've thoroughly enjoyed working with a sister I'm very close to and whom I admire greatly as an artist. I've learned more watching her in the past couple of months than I have in two years."
On 22nd December Lyn and Mandi set off for a booking in Singapore. Christmas is brought forward so that they can celebrate with the rest of the family a few days before they leave.
Incidentally ...
Cliff Richard has one of the biggest hits of his career with We Don't Talk Anymore (EMI 2975). The single owes its success in part to songwriter and musician Alan Tarney. In the early '70s Tarney had worked with Lyn Paul and the New Seekers as a session musician, playing on the albums Beautiful People, New Colours, We'd Like To Teach The World To Sing and Circles. He co-wrote and produced the New Seekers' 1977 single Give Me Love Your Way (recorded after Lyn Paul had left the group). He also worked with ex-New Seeker Peter Doyle on his solo album Skin Deep.
 
| In the News - 1979 |
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| Jan |
The UK faces a "winter of discontent" - strikes, lay-offs and rubbish piled high in the streets.
At Bantry Bay on 8th January the oil tanker Betelguese is destroyed by an explosion.
Khmer Rouge troops flee Cambodia following their defeat by Vietnamese-led rebel forces.
On 13th January the Y.M.C.A. file a libel lawsuit against the Village People over their song, Y.M.C.A. The suit was later dropped.
On 14th January the US President Jimmy Carter asks Congress to make Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday.
The Shah of Iran is forced into exile. Faced by violent protests against his regime, he escapes to Egypt on 16th January.
Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA announce their divorce.
The Rubrick's Cube goes on sale.
On 29th January 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opens fire on the entrance of the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, killing two people and injuring nine others. Asked why she did it, she replies: "I don't like Mondays." Cue a hit for the Boomtown Rats.
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| Feb |
The Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran on 1st February after 14 years in exile. On 11th February soldiers previously loyal to the Shah give up the fight to defend the old regime.
Sid Vicious dies from an overdose of heroin on 2nd February.
Chinese troops invade Vietnam on Saturday, 17th February in order to establish "a peaceful and stable border" with its neighbour. The troops are withdrawn on 5th March.
IBM introduce the modem, allowing computers to communicate via telephone lines.
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| Mar |
In a referendum on devolution Welsh voters reject the proposal by a majority of four to one. In Scotland the result is less clear-cut, with 32.85% in favour and 30.78% against.
The New Jewel Party led by Maurice Bishop seizes power in Grenada on 13th March, while the Prime Minister, Sir Eric Gairy, is at the United Nations in New York.
Sir Richard Sykes, the British Ambassador in the Netherlands, is shot dead outside his home in The Hague on 22nd March.
On 26th March the Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, and the Egyptian President, Anwar al-Sadat, shake hands on a peace deal at the White House.
On 28th March the Labour government loses a vote of no confidence. A general election is called for 3rd May.
An accident involving a water pump at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, also on 28th March, leads to a leak of radioactive steam in Pennsylvania, USA.
Idi Amin flees Uganda on 29th March.
On 30th March Tory MP Airey Nieve is killed by a car bomb as he leaves the House of Commons car park.
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| Apr |
On 1st April the Ayatollah Khomeini proclaims an Islamic republic in Iran.
On 4th April the "Yorkshire Ripper" murders his 11th victim.
On the same day the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, is hanged in Rawalpindi.
Rod Stewart and Alana Hamilton get married in Beverly Hills on 6th April.
Yusufu Lule returns from exile in Tanzania on 13th April to be sworn in as the new President of Uganda.
On Monday, 23rd April there are violent demonstrations against a National Front meeting in Southall. Blair Peach, a school teacher from New Zealand, dies from the injuries he receives. A verdict of death by misadventure is recorded.
On 30th April the Prince of Wales opens London Underground's new Jubilee Line.
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| May |
Elton John becomes the first pop star to perform in Israel and the first Western solo pop performer to tour Russia.
The Conservative Party wins the UK general election with a House of Commons majority of 43. Among the MPs who lose their seats are Labour's Shirley Williams and the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe. On 4th May Margaret Thatcher becomes the UK's first woman Prime Minister.
On 9th May police open fire on a crowd of anti-government demonstrators outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, killing 24 people and wounding many more.
On 22nd May Conservatives win the general election in Canada. The Liberal leader, Pierre Trudeau, who had been Prime Minister of Canada since 1968, is succeeded by Joe Clark.
On 29th May Bishop Abel Muzorewa becomes the first black Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
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| Jun |
From 1st June Rhodesia becomes known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, with a new government headed by Bishop Muzorewa.
Pope John Paul II returns to his homeland of Poland on 2nd June, thereby becoming the first Roman Catholic pontiff to visit a Communist-ruled country.
John Voster resigns as President of South Africa on 4th June.
On 6th June Chuck Berry is sentenced to five months in jail for tax evasion.
Less than a third of UK voters turn out for the first direct elections to the European Parliament The Conservatives win 60 seats, Labour 17 and the Scottish Nationalists 1.
John Wayne dies of cancer on 11th June.
On Monday, 18th June Presidents Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter sign the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT-2) in Vienna.
On 22nd June, after two-and-a-half days of deliberation, the Jury in the Jeremy Thorpe trial finds the former Liberal leader not guilty on charges of incitement to murder and conspiracy to murder Norman Scott.
The Basque separatist organisation ETA launches a campaign of bomb attacks on holiday resorts in Spain.
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| Jul |
The Sony Walkman goes on sale in Japan.
Van McCoy, who had Top 5 hits with The Hustle (1975) and The Shuffle (1977), dies on 6th July.
On 9th July the UK government publishes proposals for Trade Union reform, including a tightening of the law on secondary picketing and the provision of public funds for secret ballots.
Chuck Berry is sentenced to five months in prison for tax evasion on 10th July.
On Wednesday, 11th July, after five years unoccupied in orbit, the US space laboratory Skylab 1 disintegrates and falls to earth. Debris is scattered across the southern Indian Ocean and Western Australia.
Minnie Riperton, best-known for her 1975 hit Lovin' You, dies from cancer on 12th July, aged 31.
On 16th July Saddam Hussein becomes President of Iraq.
On 20th July President Samoza of Nicaragua is ousted from power by Sandanista rebels.
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| Aug |
On 4th August Roy Plomley presents the 1,500th edition of Desert Island Discs (BBC Radio 4).
On 9th August Brighton becomes the first seaside resort in the UK to have a nudist beach.
Thousands are killed on 11th August when a dam bursts at Morvi in India.
At least three people are killed on 14th August when a storm blows up in the Irish Sea during the Fastnet yacht race.
Nick Lowe and Carlene Carter get married in Los Angeles on 18th August.
John Stonehouse, the former government minister who faked his own death, is released on bail after serving three years of a seven-year term for theft, fraud and deception.
On Monday, 27th August the Queen's cousin Lord Mountbatten is killed by a Provisional IRA bomb aboard his boat in Donegal Bay, County Sligo. One of his twin grandsons, Nicholas, and Paul Maxwell, a local employed as a boat boy, are also killed. A few hours later 18 British soldiers are killed in two booby-trap bomb attacks at Warrenpoint, South Down, not far from the border with the Irish Republic.
The Dominican Republic is hit by a hurricane on 30th August.
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| Sep |
On Sunday, 2nd September the body of a young woman, the "Yorkshire Ripper's" 12th victim, is found in an alleyway in Bradford.
On 7th September Hurricane David hits the Dominican Republic, killing 400 and leaving 15,000 homeless.
The Rhodesia Constitutional Conference opens at Lancaster House in London on 10th September. On 24th September the Patriotic Front, led by Robert Mugabe, agrees to a proposal giving 20% of the seats in the Rhodesian Parliament to whites.
Gracie Fields dies at her home in Capri on 27th September, aged 81.
Pope John Paul II visits Ireland. Over 1 million people turn out for an open air Mass in Phoenix Park.
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| Oct |
On 1st October the United States returns the Canal Zone to Panama, though not the Panama Canal itself.
On 2nd October Pope Jean Paul II addresses the United Nations General Assembly. On 6th he meets President Jimmy Carter and becomes the first Pope to visit the White House.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Mother Teresa on 17th October.
The Queen opens the new Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith on 18th October.
The deposed Shah of Iran travels to New York for medical treatment on 22nd October.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines gains independence from the United Kingdom on 27th October.
On Sunday, 28th October Chairman Hua Guofeng becomes the first Chinese leader to visit Britain, arriving in London for a six-day visit. He is greeted at Heathrow airport by the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
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| Nov |
On Sunday, 4th November over 90 people are taken hostage when Iranian students take control of the US Embassy in Tehran. The students demand the return of the Shah to stand trial.
Four men - Michael Hickey, Vincent Hickey, Patrick Molloy and James Robinson - are found guilty on 9th November of murdering Carl Bridgewater, a 13-year-old paperboy who had disturbed a burglary. The convictions are quashed 18 years later.
On Tuesday, 13th November The Times newspaper re-appears on news-stands after a year of strikes have prevented it from being published.
Anthony Blunt, the art adviser to the Queen, is named by the Prime Minister as the "fourth man" in the Burgess, Maclean and Philby spy ring.
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| Dec |
11 people are killed and 28 injured as fans stampede their way into a concert by The Who in Cincinnati.
Jack Lynch retires as Prime Minister of the Irish Republic and is succeeded by Charles Haughey.
Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Lord Carrington sign an agreement on the future of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia after 14 weeks of negotiations at the Lancaster House Conference.
On 10th December stuntman Eddie Kidd clears an 80-foot gap in a "death-defying" motorcycle leap over the River Blackwater. The stunt takes place at a spot 50 feet above the river, which was once spanned by a railway viaduct.
On Thursday, 20th December the UK government publishes the Housing Bill, which will give Council tenants the right to buy their homes.
The first European-built rocket, Ariane 1, successfully completes its maiden flight on 24th December.
Soviet troops invade Afghanistan on 27th December.
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| In the Charts |
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| UK Chart Debuts |
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- B-52's
- Black Lace
- Dire Straits
- Janis Ian
- Madness
- Nolans
- Gary Numan
- Pretenders
- Simple Minds
- Specials
- XTC
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| UK Best-selling Singles |
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- ABBA
Chiquitita
- ABBA
Does Your Mother Know
- ABBA
I Have A Dream
- Bee Gees
Tragedy
- Bellamy Brothers
If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me
- Blondie
Heart Of Glass
- Blondie
Sunday Girl
- Boomtown Rats
I Don't Like Mondays
- Buggles
Video Killed The Radio Star
- Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Oliver's Army
- Dickies
Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song)
- Dr. Feelgood
Milk And Alcohol
- Dr. Hook
When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
- Ian Dury and the Blockheads
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
- Flying Lizards
Money
- Leif Garrett
I Was Made For Dancin'
- Gloria Gaynor
I Will Survive
- Art Garfunkel
Bright Eyes
- Jacksons
Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
- KC and the Sunshine Band
Please Don't Go
- Knack
My Sharona
- Lene Lovich
Lucky Number
- M
Pop Muzik
- Meat Loaf
Bat Out Of Hell
- Peaches & Herb
Reunited
- Pink Floyd
Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
- Police
Message In A Bottle
- Police
Walking On The Moon
- Queen
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
- Racey
Some Girls
- Rainbow
Since You Been Gone
- Real Thing
Can You Feel The Force
- Cliff Richard
We Don't Talk Anymore
- B.A. Robertson
Bang Bang
- Roxy Music
Dance Away
- Ruts
Babylon's Burning
- Sad Café
Every Day Hurts
- Sex Pistols
C'mon Everybody
- Sex Pistols
Something Else
- Sister Sledge
We Are Family
- Skids
Into The Valley
- Squeeze
Cool For Cats
- Squeeze
Up The Junction
- Edwin Starr
Contact
- Status Quo
Whatever You Want
- Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
- Supertramp
The Logical Song
- Three Degrees
Woman In Love
- Tourists
I Only Want To Be With You
- Tubeway Army
Are 'Friends' Electric
- Village People
In The Navy
- Barry White
Just The Way You Are
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| One Hit Wonders |
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- Rocky Burnette
Tired Of Toein' The Line
- Charlie Dore
Pilot Of The Airwaves
- Fiddler's Dram
Day Trip To Bangor (Didn't We Have A Lovely Time)
- Gonzalez
Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet
- Headboys
The Shape Of Things To Come
- Patrick Hernandez
Born To Be Alive
- McFadden and Whitehead
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
- Lena Martell
One Day At A Time
- Milk and Honey
Hallelujah
[Eurovision Song Contest winner]
- The Monks
Nice Legs Shame About Her Face
- Quantum Jump
The Lone Ranger
- Sniff 'n' the Tears
Driver's Seat
- Phoebe Snow
Every Night
- Randy VanWarmer
Just When I Needed You Most
- Violinski
Clog Dance
- Anita Ward
Ring My Bell
- Iris Williams
He Was Beautiful (Cavatina)
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| Hit Albums |
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- ABBA
Voulez-Vous
- Ry Cooder
Bop Till You Drop
- Dr. Hook
Sometimes You Win
- Eagles
The Long Run
- Dave Edmunds
Repeat When Necessary
- ELO
Discovery
- Fleetwood Mac
Tusk
- Art Garfunkel
Fate For Breakfast
- Michael Jackson
Off The Wall
- James Last
Last The Whole Night Long
- Barry Manilow
Manilow Magic
- Gary Numan
Replicas
- Gary Numan
The Pleasure Principle
- Police
Reggatta de Blanc
- Gerry Rafferty
Night Owl
- Chris Rea
Deltics
- Cliff Richard
Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile
- Cliff Richard and the Shadows
Thank You Very Much
- Sad Café
Facades
- Sky
Sky
- Supertramp
Breakfast In America
- Judie Tzuke
Welcome To The Cruise
- Undertones
The Undertones
- John Williams
Bridges
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| At the Movies |
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- Alien
- All That Jazz
- Apocalypse Now
- Battlestar Galactica
- California Suite
- The China Syndrome
- The Deer Hunter
- Escape To Athena
- Every Which Way But Loose
- Mad Max
- Manhattan
(Woody Allen)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian
- Moonraker
- The Muppet Movie
- National Lampoon's Animal House
- Players
- Porridge
- Quadrophenia
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- The Tin Drum
- The World Is Full Of Married Men
- Yanks
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| On Television |
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- Antiques Roadshow
- Are You Being Served?
(Series 7)
- Benson
(USA)
- Blankety Blank
- Butterflies
(Series 2)
- Cannon and Ball
- Citizen Smith
(Series 3)
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- Fawlty Towers
(Series 2)
- George and Mildred
(Series 5)
- Give Us A Clue
- Last of the Summer Wine
(Series 5)
- Life On Earth
- The Marti Caine Show
- Minder
- The Muppet Show
(Series 4)
- Not The Nine O'Clock News
(Series 1)
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show
- A Question Of Sport
(David Coleman)
- Question Time
- Rumpole of the Bailey
- Terry and June
(Series 1)
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- To The Manor Born
(Series 1)
- The Two Ronnies
(Series 7)
- Two's Company
(Series 4)
- Worzel Gummidge
(Series 1)
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| Sporting Heroes |
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BBC Sport
BBC
Sports Personality
of the Year:
Sebastian Coe
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Horse Racing: Rubstic wins the Grand National
Willie Carson wins the 200th Derby riding Troy.
Football: Arsenal beat Manchester United 3:2 in the FA Cup final.
Nottingham Forest win the European Cup, beating Malmo 1:0 in the final in Munich.
Trevor Francis joins the team from Birmingham City for a transfer fee of £1 million.
Rugby: Wales beat England 27-3 to win the Triple Crown for the fourth year in a row.
Tennis: Björn Borg wins the men's singles title at Wimbledon for the fourth year in a row. He beats Roscoe Tanner in the final in five sets.
Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert-Lloyd in the women's singles final for the second year in a row (6-4, 6-4).
Tracy Austin wins the US Open women's singles title at the age of 16.
John McEnroe beats Vitas Gerulaitis in the men's final.
Golf: Sevy Ballesteros wins the British Open golf tournament at Royal Lytham. Jack Nicklaus is runner-up for the 7th time.
The Ryder Cup, which had been contested hitherto by teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland, is contested for the first time by the United States and a team of European players. The US team wins 17:11.
Athletics: In just six weeks Sebastian Coe breaks three world records.
On 5th June, at an athletics meeting in Oslo, he breaks the world record in the men's 800 metres, setting a new fastest time of 1 minute, 42.3 seconds. Twelve days later he sets a new world record for the Mile (3 minutes 48.95 seconds).
The third record to fall is the men's 1,500 metres. Running in Zurich on 15th August Coe sets a new fastest time of 3 minutes, 32.1 seconds.
Snooker: John Virgo beats Terry Griffiths 14:13 in the final of the UK Championship.
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| Page-turners |
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Man Booker Prize
Winner:
Penelope Fitzgerald
Offshore
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