Simon Rushworth
45: Quireboys – Hey You (Gray/Bailey) b/w Sex Party (Gray/Bailey) 1989
Right around now, 20 years ago, the Quireboys were big news and, as far as manager Sharon Osbourne was concerned, big business. This singalong rocker proved to be the band’s highest charting single after it edged its way as far as number 14 and earned a Top Of The Pops performance to boot.
Had it hit the Top 10 then who knows where Spike and co. might have ended up. Far superior to many of the US hair metal clones who followed in their wake and enjoyed even greater commercial success it was all over before it had really begun. Of course regular readers of rushonrock will need no reminding that one of our favourite all-time acts is back on an upward curve with a classy line-up and the tunes to match. And if breaking back into the Top 20 is about as likely as Keith Weir sporting a mullet then there’s every reason to expect big things from the boys as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their commercial peak.
This limited edition gatefold seven incher is a collector’s must but even the standard edition featured the excellent B-side Sex Party. Never released as a single in its own right the tune has become a live anthem and still whips devotees into a frenzy to this day. Big hair, bandanas, top hats and jewellery provide the backdrop to the cheesiest of band shots but then image was (almost) everything back when hair metal and MTV’s Headbangers Ball ruled. Those were the days.