http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR09DX2onjo
Kind of amazed that they also used to do a reggae chart – check this out from 1986!
Apparently the reggae chart only ran from April to September 1986. I have no idea what the selection criteria were, but I’m guessing that actually having a video was more crucial than sales. It would be an unusual chart which featured both King Kong and UB40, I think – not much crossover in their respective markets.
Boris Gardiner’s video is awesomely cheesy and has includes some nice shots of eighties West London.
Moses on the Blood and Fire forum found this clip for me on Youtube. It seems to be the only one on there. In fact, the general consensus is that there weren’t very many of these broadcast. So if anyone else remembers the reggae chart or can post more on youtube, then please let me know!
See also this post compiling links to printed reggae charts from 1976-1999.
In fact the reggae chart was probably only broadcast twice throughout chart show history, one in May 1986 and the other in August 1986, because from end of May 1986 until August 1986, the chart show was not shown on TV because Channel 4 had to take it off the air, after the musicians union threatened channel 4 with legal action after channel 4 didn’t pay the musicians union any royalties from the broadcasts. Once Channel 4 and the musicians union sorted out the agreement of royalty money, then channel 4 re-introduced the chart show back on TV from August 1986. The reggae chart which I uploaded on YouTube was the last ever to be seen on the chart show !!!
Also there is brief information of the musicians union dispute with channel 4 on the chart show entry in wikipedia !!!