In the news: The soundtrack of 1979

The good news for anyone wishing not to hear the voice of the UK’s first lady prime minister was that the Sony Walkman personal cassette player was introduced this year in the US. The bad news was that it cost $200.

We needed some good music to put us off our woes in the UK as inflation was running at 17%, the economy was in a bad shape and acts of terrorism Don’t look now, Gary, but you’ve forgotten your car. You said you feel safest of all in it. were rarely out of the world headlines. But if you could afford a new fangled Walkman, what to play on it?

Come the summer months, a lot of people were grooving to Michael Jackson’s debut solo album Off The Wall, which spawned hits singles such as Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough and Rock With You. Old school rock fans could get into Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Clash had us singing along to London Calling, and Squeeze took us Up The Junction.

Led Zeppelin played their last ever UK gig at Knebworth, while The Who returned with Kenney Jones on drums following the death of Keith Moon. Electro-pop made its presence felt with the likes of Tubeway Army’s Are Friends Electric, then their lead singer Gary Numan’s Cars, while M had everybody talking about Pop Muzik.

From June 1979 you could enjoy the muzik of your choice while partaking of the new Happy Meal from fast-food giant McDonalds. Tasty!