Strawberry Switchblade - Jolene

The sound of an interesting and original group being forced by their record company into doing a novelty cover version. Oh dear.

Cock Robin - The Promise You Made

I was suddenly reminded of this when I accidentally stumbled across a dodgy Eurodance version of the song. The original is, of course, infinitely better and reminds me of the summer of 1986 when it seemed to be climbing the charts at a rate of one position a week for most of the summer, eventually settling at number 28.

For those of you with a strong stomach, here is the dance version by Kate Ryan:

The Big Dish - European Rain

Some classy pop from the late '80s. This lot had one top forty hit with Miss America in 1991 taken from their album Satellites. Satellites - Big Dish - do you see? Oh well.

Bardo - One Step Further

From the days when the UK used to score points at Eurovision (don't get me started on that one), here's a clear case of a song which really should have won it for us but somehow didn't. Christ knows what's going on in the video.

Tears For Fears - The Way You Are

Tears For Fears appear to have disowned this single - it came out in 1983 between The Hurting and Songs For The Big Chair but doesn't appear on either, nor does it show up on their greatest hits album.

Swimming With Sharks - Careless Love

Apparently this lot are very big in Germany, where they were called "Humpe & Humpe". When the single was released in the UK the band was renamed "Swimming With Sharks", which was also the title of their album. It still wasn't a hit.

Duranduran - Do You Believe In Shame?

A minor hit from that strange late '80s period when the band was a trio and the band's name was all one word.

The Farmers Boys - Phew Wow

How did such a handsome bunch of guys never manage to have a hit?

Robbie Nevil - Dominoes

Great song, but get a haircut!

Drum Theatre - Eldorado

Have you got anything a bit more '80s?

Terry, Blair & Anouchka - Missing

A modern blues from Terry Hall - ex-Specials, ex-Fun Boy Three, ex-Colour Field and then solo artist!

The video for the follow-up single Ultra Modern Nursery Rhyme is here - it's from 1990 so not strictly a forgotten '80s classic, but it's another great song and the video has Jerry Sadowitz in it...

The Blow Monkeys - This Is Your Life

This is the original 1988 version, not the pointless dance remix which inexplicably was a much bigger hit the following year.

Wham! - Where Did Your Heart Go?

Well, I never knew there was a video for this, the D-side of Wham!'s farewell double single The Edge Of Heaven. Unfortunately Sony BMG have decided that it's far too dangerous to allow anyone to embed this video anywhere, which kind of begs the question why did they put it on YouTube in the first place? Anyway, to see it, click here...

Stephen Duffy - I Love You

Somewhere between the sampler frenzy of Kiss Me and his later, gentler work with The Lilac Time... how he came to be writing an album with Robbie Williams is still a mystery.

Dexys Midnight Runners - An Excerpt From "This Is What She's Like"

Not the full 14 minute version, but never mind.

Roman Holliday - Don't Try To Stop It

The rockabilly revival starts (and ends) here.

This Island Earth - See That Glow

Caution: contains Mike Read.

XTC - Mayor Of Simpleton

If I live to be a million years old I'll never know why this wasn't a hit.

It's Immaterial - Ed's Funky Diner

The follow-up to their slightly better remembered hit Driving Away From Home. It's Immaterial are, in true Spinal Tap tradition, currently residing in the "Where Are They Now?" file.

Thomas Lang - The Happy Man

I haven't heard this for two decades and I'm still belting out the chorus! The YouTube tags say "Liverpool jazz pop", which seems to sum it up quite well.