40 From 40: 1981

Our survey of four decades of alt-pop (like alt-right, but even more white and middle-class) lands on one of the big years - indeed, to Lord Bob Stanley it's the best pop year of them all. Synthpop, paranoia, post-punk and pop weirdness lead the way, MTV, Kerrang! and Stars On 45 begin their varying career parabolas, Bucks Fizz take Eurovision, home taping starts killing music and Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a dove - to a PR woman as sole audience before a Columbia Records executive mee...

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