Chartography - Dead or Alive

If there's a band whose overall output is completely dwarfed by the one hit song it surely must be Dead or Alive. "You spin me round" has such longevity and popularity it rivals "Take on me" and "Sweet dreams" as the ultimate 1980s song in the eyes (ears) of millions. So far it had been a hit in three successive decades (1980s, 1990s and 2000s - twice!), while in 2010s it's inescapable in video mash-ups and so on. It really is a part of a cultural landscape - which is a great achievement. But while it's a good song, not only it's by no means the only one the band recorded, in some countries it's not even their biggest hit (chart-wise). Actually they had quite a protracted carrier, spanning the 1980s and, to lesser extent, 1990s, having success all over the world - USA, Japan, Australia all guaranteed them audiences for years. I personally never could quite warm to them - too one-dimensional musically and the vocals are an acquired taste, - but plenty of people have found them very much their cup of tea. It all came to a halt eventually, and in a new century DOA's front-man Pete Burns became more famous for his non-musical exploits and problems, while music too a very distant second place. Now both mainstays of the band - Burns and his trusty sidekick Steve Coy - are no longer with us, but the legacy of that one song lives on. So let's check what they achieved commercially.

Dead or Alive

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Nb. Discography